When you’re in obedience, God is your defender.
Most of us give up because we don’t ACTUALLY believe the words written in this book.
Pro Tips for “Staying”:
Develop systems of reminding ourselves of His Word.
The 40 I Am’s (HOME GROUP ASSIGNMENT: Read over these…which one means the most to you right now?)
Daily Bible Study
Weekly corporate Worship
Gratitude for what God’s done in the past
Don’t let your guard down
Doubting God’s Word, can be dangerous.
BUILD faith..
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Good News about Christ!”
Learning, hearing God’s Word is what BUILDS faith. Block by block.
One of Jesus’ last words was not “go”, but “wait”. He needed his disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to empower them, to be able to accomplish the job they had to do.
We don’t know the old man’s punishment...but it’s not about that.
What you WANT to learn is only going to feed your pride and ambition and ego..
What you NEED to learn will make you humble, meek, and kind.
This story is about STAYING even through deceit. Even through the storm. Even through the testing seasons. Even through the the valley of the shadow of death.
This is about not relying on anyone else for the WORD of God, BUT the WORD OF GOD.
This is about trusting God before anyone else!
Are you the kind of person that STAYS?! STAYS true to what God is calling YOU to do?! STAYS...even when it’s hard.
This story isn’t about selfishness or laziness.
“A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.” Prov 28:20
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?” Luke 16:10-12
This story isn’t about annoyance.
This story is about shameless persistence.
What have you observed Jesus doing lately?
What are you asking him to be taught right now?
When you feel the urge to run--do you examine that urge, or do you run?
Join the conversation! Use the hashtags #ToStayOrNotToStay and #FVChurch to post quotes, scripture, and pictures from today’s message!
HOME GROUP ASSIGNMENT: Pick one of the above linked passages. Study it. Share with the group, one thing that you learned from that passage, and how it relates to “STAY”.
Never Just Another Sunday Series Review
How to be connected to God’s House
Importance of a church family
Jesus’ passion would not allow corruption in his house
Remove sin from your life
David wanted to build a house for God, and God said no
David did what was in his hand to do for God
The hope we have & how to share it
Motivate & meet with one another
Week 5 - Who Do You Follow
Got Milk
Children focus on where they can’t go, instead of getting the most out of where they are.
vs. 4-5
Fighting Over Favorites
Are you serving the style or the savior?
Value in a preference, danger in a favorite.
They were fighting about who they followed, creating factions that would fracture the faith.
vs. 6-10
A Family of Farmers
On a farm, all are equal and necessary
At FVChurch, we grow disciples, the soil we grow them in is Christ alone.
vs. 11-13
The Problem with Preferences
Materials matter, but when Christ is the foundation he will reveal the victory.
Straw is not as precious as gold, but if you are feeding a horse gold, you are a fool!
vs. 18-20
You Think You Know
vs. 21-33
Never Just Another Sunday
Hold tight to hope
v.23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
Motivate each other
V.24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
Do not neglect meeting together!
V25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
You can’t do the first two (hold hope, encourage other) if you don’t do the third! (meet together)
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When God says no…
Have gratitude & give honor
He realizes that God is sovereign. That even though David is a king, God is THE king. Even though you may be a leader, God is THE leader. It’s an important distinction, because it shifts your focus from YOUR will, to HIS.
What IS in my hand to do?
We see in 1 Chronicles 22, that David had fully accepted God’s Word on the matter, and he starts setting up his son Solomon for success.
David set an example here for us, of learning to live within God’s direction, and not outside of it.
Sometimes we pine for other people’s callings….and we completely miss our own.
Set up the next generation for success
Care more about what God thinks of you, than what people think of you
Passion for preparation. Luke 14:28
Have a teachable heart
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John 2:13-22 MSG
Passionate, not passive
Jesus couldn’t be perfect, and passive, at the same time.
PASSIVE: accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance
There comes a point when you’re complicit in the wickedness..
Passion is singular in focus.
God-focused, not self-focused.
“Tear down this temple”...he knew they worshipped the temple, not the God in the temple.
Start flipping tables.
What table of corruption are you allowing in the house of God (your soul)?
Points:
Vs - 1-5 Hearing but not recognizing
Vs.- 5-7 Hearing from others
Vs.- 8-9 Hearing wisdom
Vs.- 11 Hearing and responding
Application - Have you heard?
Have you responded?
Are you in God's House?
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Connectedness matters
v. 4 Remain in me and I will remain in you.
Disconnectedness matters
v. 5 ...Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.
God expects and blesses productivity! Do SOMETHING!
Productivity matters
v.8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
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The Promise. “And you know the way to where I am going”
The joy of faith is the best remedy against the griefs of sense. A remedy with a promise. The promise of grace. The promise of joy. The promise of hope. The promise that death isn’t the end.
For you believers out there, the hopers, the dreamers..the promise is enough.
But it’s also a remedy with a proof.
The Proof. “Just believe…or believe because of the work you have seen me do.”
JESUS came to prove God’s grace, goodness, and love. There’s no longer any question!
Can you begin to see yourself the way He sees you?
John 14:27, “I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!”
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Want to learn more? Check out these resources! And come back next week for our final installment of our Wonder Series.
Are you really listening? vs. 4-8
God is a good shepherd. He’s going to lead us at our own pace, but we have to allow ourselves to be led.
Are you permitted to understand? vs. 9-15
The crowd vs the disciples. Different levels of commitment = different levels of understanding.
FOOTPATH people, ROCKY people, THORNY people..we all require gardening.
Are you being careful? vs. 16-18
“A problem cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness that created it.” - Einstein
1 Corinthians 2, renew your mind.
The truth isn’t hard to find, it’s hard to hear.
The truth is Jesus. God’s Word is powerful and effective, but the Bible actually calls JESUS the Word. The holy scriptures are important, and can reveal to us who God is, but even more important, is the actual, living and breathing, powerful WORD of God--who is Jesus. He can speak to you today, just as real as he could 2,000 years ago. He’s spoken to my heart countless times, and I can tell you--it’s real.
Join the conversation! Use the hashtags #WONDERseries and #FVChurch to post quotes, scripture, and pictures from today’s message!