This Is It - Life Together
When we look at our own stories it can leave us with the feeling of "This is it?" One of the criminals on the cross looked over and yelled, "This is it?" But Jesus has shown us that he on the cross truly is.
The Sermon
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Questions for the Week
Who is a celebrity who has died where you felt great loss? Why do you think you felt so much loss?
Read 1 Peter 1:3-5. According to Peter, what is our defining story made up of?
What about this story is contrary to what the world finds value in?
What do you find valuable about Peter’s words in 1 Peter 1:3-5, as you live out your life and faith?
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Who are You - Life Together
Peter says Heaven and earth will pass away but Jesus and his love for us will last forever. When everything seems to be so vapid, we need to hear those words.
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Sustaining the Kingdom - UnBelievable - 2 Kings 9-10
Here at the end it seems like God is sending his prophet to finally get things back on track. Elisha the prophet anoints Jehu king and tasks him with ridding the country of everything that has to do with Ahab and Jezebel. Jehu is thorough in his accomplishments, well, right up until it requires him to give up what he loves.
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Go In Peace - UnBelievable - 2 Kings 5
Naaman is the best ever. He is second to the king and a virtually undefeated war general, but he just discovered he has leprosy. So he grabs every bit of wealth and power and goes to visit the only one he knows who can heal him. Will Elisha accept his gifts to heal this gentile power?
Questions for the Week
Who is the most prideful person you know? What about them makes them prideful?
Read 2 Kings 5;1-7. What is Naaman prideful about? What is he trusting in most? When are times that we trust in similar things?
Read 2 Kings 5:8-14. Describe how Naaman is healed. How have you seen God work in the humble and small things?
Read 2 Kings 5:15-19. Now that Naaman has seen the true God, what is his problem with his job of serving the foreign king? What does Elisha tell him to do?
What is your first response when you find yourself in a situation where someone makes it difficult for you to live out your faith? How can you follow Elisha’s advice and simply “go in peace” knowing you are forgiven and God is with you in those times?
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Why Are You Here? - UnBelievable - 1 Kings 19
Elijah just had a huge win against the prophets of Baal; however, he leaves scared because Jezebel is threatening his life. He runs into the wilderness to the very mountain of God to hide from his sure defeat. But God, in a still, small voice asks him, “Why are you Here?”
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Battle at Baal Bluff - UnBelievable - 1 Kings 18
Mt Carmel is a picturesque bluff overlooking the Sea. Over the years many of God’s people have sacrificed to the LORD in that place, but now that alter is in disrepair. But Baal worshipers have built a new altar and the place is now known for worshiping the god of rain and fertility where the rain begins. One could say it’s the home-field advantage for Baal in a godly battle.
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A Dry Hope - UnBelievable - 1 Kings 17
Baal is not in charge. Elijah is the Lord’s prophet, and he has stopped the rain for long enough to make the rivers run dry. Everyone is suffering, especially the widows, and God sends his prophet to one of those widows to bring hope.
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Prophets and Kings - UnBelievable - 1 Kings 17
Times are dark. Since the times of David, the kingdom seems to be moving away from God in search of more and more power and wealth. This power and wealth have come at the cost of wanting to be like the other nations and have left the people serving the other gods around them. Into all of this we meet God’s prophet Elijah.
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Boy Jesus in the Temple - Arrival - Luke 2
Little is recorded about Jesus’ life between His birth and the age of 30. But this one episode tells so much. Jesus’ family life is a lot like anyone’s, full of mishaps and misunderstandings. As Jesus enters young adulthood, He begins manifesting an extraordinary sense of identity. (Remember, a 12-year-old isn’t “just a kid” in Israel; he is becoming a man.) He has a direct relationship with God as His Father, and He knows His life will follow a path of working for God.
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Joy - Arrival - Matthew 11
John the Baptist is in prison. He sends out some of his followers to ask Jesus if he is truly the king. John is wondering about joy and how can we have joy in following a savior who does not meet our expectations. But perhaps we can see the joy found in the eyes of those whose expectations have been broken, those who truly have something to treasure.
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Faith - Arrival - Luke 21
What is faith? How do we apply faith? Faith is one of those things that is hard to talk about. It sometimes seems fleeting and faint, hard to grasp. Perhaps pictures will help us. Look at the faith of the poor woman giving two coins to the temple. When the world is difficult to understand, perhaps we should continue to look at images of great faith like hers.
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Hope - Arrival
God’s people have been scattered all over the world. Babylon has come in and taken them over and separated them as far as the east is from the west. When will the good king come and bring us back together? I often feel just as scattered, having to run from this house or party to another this time of year. Even my family is scattered all over the country. I, too, am waiting for someone to bring us all together.
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Christ the King Sunday
Just as Christ is “the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end,” at the close of every liturgical year, we look forward with renewed hope to Christ’s coming again in glory to reign as Lord forever. In the same way we look forward to our own resurrection and the time of a new earth — an earth that is no longer broken by sin and groaning. Christ will come again in glory just as surely as He came the first time — when He was born. So we have these three weeks of “transition” at the end of the “long green season” into the Advent Season: the new beginning of the liturgical year.
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God's Promise - God's Plan
God has always been like a father for his people. And just like a good father, He gives His children what they want and need. So He tells us to ask Him for everything we need. He encourages us to ask Him for what we need and want, even when we have not been our best selves or when we have been wasteful of what He has given us. He is the Good Father and wants to give us good gifts.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
What is a favorite gift that you have given? What made that a favorite gift to give?
Read Matthew 7: 7-12. What does Jesus invite you to do? Why does he do this?
Often times we can feel unworthy to ask God for requests because of our sin and evil. How do these verses give you confidence to approach God and ask?
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God's Provision - God's Plan
Today we look at His “provision.” There is an absolute, unmistakable connection between love and provision – those of you who are parents know exactly what I mean. The two are inseparably linked. If you truly love someone, you find great joy, satisfaction, and delight in providing for them.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
What inspires you to be generous in your life?
Read Genesis 14:17-24. This occurs after Abram had a great victory. Who does Melchizedek say gave Abram the victory? Who delivered Abram’s enemies into his hand?
How does Abram respond to what Melchizedek said? How does this show that Abram trusts God?
This is the first example of a tithe, someone giving God 10% of what he’s given, in the Bible. God had just delivered Abram. How has God delivered you?
Why should we tithe, giving God “a tenth of everything?” What does tithing show/remind us about God?
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God's Passion - God's Plan
God says that the pure of heart will see Him as He is (Matthew 5:8) and that the pure of heart will know Him and understand Him. God says that the pure of heart will diligently seek Him, and as they seek Him, they will find Him (Proverbs 8:17). So it seems that stewardship is, first and foremost, not about money, time, or talent, but rather stewardship is a matter of where our hearts are before Almighty God, our Father.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Read Malachi 4. What will happen when the Day of the Lord comes?
Read 1 Samuel 16:7. When God is choosing the next king, what characteristic matters most? What do you think it means to have God look at your heart?
We see that God desires our true hearts. Read Psalm 51. This is how King David responds after he realizes his heart is full of sin. What is the only way for him to have a pure heart?
How does a life of confession and remembering God’s heart and love for you help you live out God’s plan?
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God's Purpose- God's Plan - Jeremiah 29:4-14
Have you ever wondered why you are where you are? Do you wonder why God didn’t choose you to have the things you long for, or why He would allow you to struggle with the things that sometimes drag you down? None of it comes by chance. God doesn’t leave our lives to a set of random circumstances. Certainly God doesn’t control our lives, as if you we were puppets, but He has a purpose and plan for each one of us. We just need to stop trying to run the show and allow Him to reveal His plan to us. God has a plan for your life, and Christian stewardship is really all about discovering God’s purpose for our lives.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Describe something that didn’t go as planned in your life.
Read Jeremiah 29:4-9. This was written to God’s people when they were living in exile, separated from their homeland. They longed to go back. Several false prophets had said they would go back soon. The temptation would have been to look towards the future to find their plan. In contrast, what does Jeremiah tell them to do? What surprises you about this?
Rather than looking towards what’s next for you, what is God’s purpose for you where you are in life right now?
Read Jeremiah 29:10-14. God speaks that the future is planned out for your good. We see this in Jesus as He has been raised to life for you. How does trusting that God has the future worked out allow you to let His blessings flow through you where you are now?
How has this text helped you understand God’s plan for your life?
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Hope from the Dust - Uncomfortable - Daniel 10-12
The last few chapters of Daniel look like all things are hopeless. The beasts look like they are just grinding God’s people into the dust. But the book of Daniel has already been a hopeful book for God’s people, and we see hope comes up from the dust.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
What stresses you out and destroys hope for you today?
Read Daniel 12:1-4. What hope does Daniel receive from this vision? How do we have hope in rising from the dust?
Read Genesis 2 and 3. What does Genesis 2 and 3 speak regarding dust? How does this tie into Daniel’s vision.
Read Isaiah 65:17-25. Realizing that this is poetry artistically speaking about the life in the resurrection, what will the resurrection and new creation be like?
Based on what we’ve learned in Daniel, how should we live our lives in the midst of the beasts of our world today?
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Seven - Uncomfortable - Daniel 9
Daniel is an old man, and he has been waiting for his whole life for the Lord to return his people back to the homeland. According to the prophet Jeremiah, it was only to last 70 years, and there are just 3 years left. However, an angel of the Lord comes to Daniel and tells him, “No, it’s 7 times 70.”
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Share a time when you had to wait for something good to happen. Did you ever try to make it happen early?
Daniel reads in Jeremiah that the captivity will last 70 years. Read Daniel 9:3-19. How does Daniel approach the Lord with his prayer?
How can his prayer serve as a model for us, as we live out our life?
Read Daniel 9:20-24. What is the response of God to Daniel through the angel Gabriel? What are you still waiting for God to do?
Daniel 9:24-27 is very apocalyptic in its reading. However, it strongly points to God’s victory over evil at the end. Take comfort in the God who wins over evil through His anointed messiah, Jesus.
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Goats and Rams - Uncomfortable - Daniel 8
Daniel has another terrible dream. This one has rams and goats running all over the world destroying it in their wake. Nothing can be done; they are just too big and powerful. Who can stop the charging goats and rams?
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Describe a scary experience you’ve had with an animal. What made it so scary?
Read Daniel 8:1-14. Daniel is told later in chapter 8 that the destructive ram and goat represent the Persian and Greek empires. It was terrifying for him. As a Christian, what in the world terrifies you today?
If you read the explanation of the vision in Daniel 8:15-27, we see that ultimately the ram and the goat cause destruction but will be destroyed “by no human hand” (v. 25). God will give his people the victory. Peter speaks of similar trials that God’s people will face. Read 1 Peter 1:6-9. How does Jesus give you the victory in the midst of trials?
Knowing that Jesus has won the victory and has defeated the scary rams and goats, how do we live now?
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