Let’s consider carefully what it means to Follow Jesus. We’re called to give up everything? What, or better, Who are we really committing ourselves to?
Who He is (the kind of God He is) is Established through His introduction in the OT -
specifically to Adam, Abraham, and Moses
Adam (Gen 1:27-31, 2:15-17, 3:14-22, 4:6-7)
establishes authority, justice, grace, care
Abraham (Gen 12:1-3, 15:6, 15:17-18
establishes promise, faith, sovereignty
Moses (Ex 3:7-9, 11-14, Deut 8:1-10, 9:6-8, 18:15-18)
establishes rescue, power, fulfillment, patience, plan (back to Abraham, back to Adam (Seed))
Covenant - what He says (promises) will come to pass (fulfillment) and so confidence in the future is guaranteed
what are we guaranteed as believers?
Life
Joy
Peace
Presence
Fullness
Fruitfullness
Forgiveness
Purpose
Comfort
Strength
Provision
Grace
Help
We have considered the cost of following Jesus, What’s the cost of not following Him?
you get to be in charge
you do things in your own power
you may even leave a mark
but it will all pass away
“Only one life, twill soon be past
Only what’s done for Christ will last”
Psalm 90
a prayer of Moses
He is everlasting to everlasting
an eternal God has offered eternity to us!
He has revealed Himself and invited us in through Faith.
oh that we would number our days, consider our lives and grow in wisdom
What will you be doing in 30 years?
What kind of person are you now? you good with that?
oh that the work of our hands will count for eternity! establish us Lord in your love that we may walk with you!
Small Group Questions:
1 What aspects of Gods character has He shown you in a personal way? What was the situation?
(maybe His patience during a time of selfishness... maybe His forgiveness when you had fallen into sin...)
2 consider your life, what have you made of it so far? any missed opportunities? any seized moments you look back on and can rejoice? what would you like your life to look like 10 years from now? 30?
3 how are you praying for the Lord to grow you? (try to have a personal example to share) (encourage them to speak it out loud, no not be embarrassed and pray for one another at the end)
4 what has following Jesus cost you so far? Why was it worth it?
5 anyone down for telling us when you met the Lord? How did He bring you to a place of repentance and belief? (be prepared to share your story first)
The Bravery to Commit
Luke 14:25-33
Marc
Schedule
Friday Arrive: 6p Dinner: 7p Session 1: 8p Roll out: 10p Saturday Be at the cabin: 10a Session 2: 10:30a Lunch: 12p Hiking: 12:30p Dinner: 6p Session 3: 7p Roll out: 9p Sun Be at the cabin: 10a Breakfast: 10:30a Session 4: 11p Lunch: 12:30p Helen/Golf: 1p Dinner: 6p Session 5: 7p Roll out: 9p Monday Clean / Pack: 8a Be at the cabin: 9:30a Session 6: 10a Lunch: 12p Final Clean Up: 12:30p Load up: 1p
The Bravery to Move
Rodney
if we take all this and do nothing with it, we leave where we were an early challenge: over the next week, take a lesson each day, pray over it and review the lesson and ask what the Lord wants to teach you spiritual growth must lead to action - excited to take the next step - this is God’s plan for us 1 build a foundation gotta start somewhere this weekend has been part of that build on Christ and His Word 1 Corinthians 3:11 Matthew 7:24 why do we need a foundation? this is the preparation stage, getting ready to move happens before we move 2 fight vs flight; it’s easier to walk away fighting is hard, harder without a firm starting place Colossians 4:2-6 fighting for the Church, for truth devoted, watchful, thankful, prayerful, proclaiming, act wisely, take advantage, speak gracefully - look at all this movement! Proverbs 6:6-8 can’t sit there lazily where are our battlefields? let’s not show up unprepared 3 fear stops us in our tracks - we fail to be obedient because we are stuck in fear remove fear - replace it with something better we often choose worldly pursuits over walking with Christ Psalm 118:6 Isaiah 41 4 how do we overcome fear? Faith - believing that God is in control and wise Matthew 17:14-20 Bravery to see, serve, love, fight James 1:22-25 look intently and receive freedom - then blessing Hear what the Lord says and act on it
The Bravery to Grow
Marc
God does not want us to stay childish, immature, susceptible to lies, easily manipulated it’s easy to stay put, comfortable, familiar, easy, unchallenged ****how do you know that you are maturing - where do we measure? 1 Cor 13:12 now is the time to put childish things away Hebrew 5:11-6:12 Salvation and now what? better things! (6:9) fear (lack of bravery) causes us to shrink back rather than stand out - Hebrews 10:39 to grow in 3 specific areas 1 Prayer 1 Thes 5:17 what is the content of our prayer what are we thinking about whilst praying what is the purpose of prayer? how do you pray the Word? we start with personal prayer we grow into Kingdom prayer a. Pray for one another and with one another • we believe in prayer, that access is a gift from God • prayer brings us together (it’s a whole lot harder to be mad at someone if you spent your morning praying for them) • pray reminds us of the spiritual nature of our lives (how sad is it if we only stop to pray when we need something as if every moment isn’t a moment that is God ordained and full of His provision) 2 Understanding Colossians 1:9 there is a basic knowledge of God (nothing wrong with this) there is an expanding knowledge God (moving beyond the typical, can you enjoy _______ because you see God there too) there is a connected knowledge of God (the pieces fit together) from the heart to the mouth Proverbs 4:23 Luke 6:43-45 3 Speaking encouragement Psalm 19:14 Speak Life protect others sharing what the Lord is doing teaching/leading others we must do our best to be ready to have a meaningful conversation with people about spiritual things Colossians 2:6-7 easily tossed by the waves vs grounded and rooted deep roots leads to a confident stance we are not easily persuaded away from what we have become convinced of Growing in Faith - we become less dependent on the opinions of others as we draw near to Christ; He has provided a new community of believers for you and a launching point for fruitful ministry Are we brave enough to stand out? When might you have to take a stand for something? What is God's plan for you to not be alone? The church) He thinks we are good enough We need people to believe in us / it empowers us Small Group Questions: Session 5 1 What are some childish things you do that still frustrate you? 2 What are some of the “better things” we have access to in Christ? (healthy relationships, freedom from sin and it’s consequences, high self-esteem, well-placed worship instead of worshipping inferior things) 3 Can you share with us a passage of Scripture God has taught you something from recently? 4 What are you convinced of? Like enough to talk about it? (“I am convinced that...” - there is freedom in Christ - that I am loved - the Word is true 5 What are you confused by? Like what topic would you be uncomfortable talking about? (maybe Judgment, or Sacrifice, or the Resurrection) 6 Are there any spiritual habits you’ve seen in others that have encouraged you or inspired you to follow their http://example...or convicted you that you need?