Renew EPC: Sermons

What happens when we believe in Christ for salvation? Seven realities that mark conversion to Christ: 1. You have been convicted of sin 2. You have repented of your rebellion 3. You have committed to Christ 4. You have forgiveness of your sins 5. You have the Holy Spirit 6. You have been called by God 7. You are saved from judgment Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. What was something encouraging you received from the sermon? 2. Calvin said, “Whereas there was a great multitude converted unto Christ with one sermon, a hundred sermons can scarce move a few of us.” Why do you think there was such a great response to Peter’s sermon? How can we prepare ourselves to be better recipients of the Word? 3. Read Luke 18:9-14. Consider: a. Why was only one of these men cut to the heart? b. How is the Pharisee a demonstration of avoiding Jesus by avoiding sin? c. Why does the “good person” still need to repent to be justified? 4. From Acts 2:37-41, how would you define the faith that makes one a convert? 5. Imagine a conversation with someone who believes they are too sinful to be forgiven. What might you say to persuade them that Jesus can and will forgive all of their sins? 6. Read John 6:37 – How does our converting to Christ reveal we are called by God? How does this knowledge give you assurance of faith?

In our world, is there anything we can be certain about? What about faith? Can we know for certain Jesus is Lord?  Three convincing evidences that Jesus is Lord: 1. The evidence of historical verification (vv. 2:22-24, 32) 2. The evidence of prophetic fulfillment (vv. 23-31) 3. The evidence of the Holy Spirit (vv. 33-36) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Where are you encountering uncertainty from the world? How is it affecting you? 2. Indiana Jones had to take a “leap of faith” (stepping where he could not see a place for his foot). Is this the kind of faith believing the gospel requires? Why or why not. 3. Which of the three evidences – historical verification, Scriptural fulfillment, and the Holy Spirit – did you find most compelling? 4. If a friend were to share they have serious doubts about the historical reliability of the gospels, what would you suggest to address those doubts? 5. Pastor Nathan said: “The reason many lack certainty that Jesus is Lord is that we don’t want certainty.” How can it be personally beneficial to have uncertainty about Jesus’ lordship? Has there been a time where you have used doubt/uncertainty about Jesus or his teaching to make following Him easier for you? 6. What evidence do you see for the presence of the Holy Spirit in the world today? 7. If willing, share how the Holy Spirit has changed/is changing you.

The giving of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of God's promise to make us unconditionally His. Sermon Outline: 3 Truths the Holy Spirit declares to us.  1. The Holy Spirit declares God's faithfulness 2. The Holy Spirit declares God's generosity 3. The Holy Spirit declares God's mercy

Is this darkness in this world overwhelming you? Look to the sunrise of Pentecost. Outline: Pentecost makes four announcements that it is sunrise for Christ’s Kingdom 1. A new beginning (2:1-2) 2. A close to the chasm (2:3) 3. A flood of redemptive power (2:4) 4. A gathering of those far and away (2:5-11) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. How do seeing “Scripture Wormholes” (bridges between Old and New Testaments) help your trust and appreciation of Scripture? 2. Imagine a conversation with someone overwhelmed with sin or despair from our broken world. What would you share about the gift of the Holy Spirit to offer hope to that person? 3. Read John 7:39. How can knowing, by the fact of Pentecost, that Jesus is currently glorified and enthroned help you face the darkness in the world today? 4. “The gospel is the only thing that kills the power of the past.” How have you seen this proven true in your own life? 5. Read Hebrews 10:22. What are some reasons we still struggle drawing near to God? How can we use the truth that the Holy Spirit has been given to us battle our fear of coming to God? 6. Read Romans 12:6-8. How does knowing that you have been specially gifted by the Holy Spirit for ministry encourage you? How does it challenge you? What might be the next step for your use of your gifts for ministry?

Do you wait passively and act without preparation? Acts 1:12-26 shows a better way. Outline: Preparing for the Spirit’s Power 1. United in prayer 2. Committed to Scripture 3. Grounded in the Resurrection 4. Supported by leaders Personal Reflection Questions: 1. Imagine you’re one of the 120. Almost all (notable exception: Jesus’s brothers) of you had been following Jesus before he died. You saw him die and you feel despair as the whole movement seems to be crumbling. But then he resurrects! And you spend weeks around him, but then you watch him ascend, which has to be confusing. What are you thinking or feeling as you walk back to Jerusalem in verse 12? 2. What would it look like for Renew to be “continually united in prayer” (v. 14...or as the ESV puts it, “with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer”)? Have you experienced seasons of this here or in a previous church or ministry? 3. Peter, apparently, has been scouring the Old Testament (the only “Scriptures” he would have at this point) since Jesus has been gone. And he finds life and direction in them! One thinks of Psalm 119:105 - "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” Have you or are you experiencing God’s word in this way? If not (and that’s honestly true of me, the preacher, currently), what is hindering you? Basic understanding of how the Bible fits together? Motivation? Discipline or accountability? Good resources? 4. We are just one Sunday past “Resurrection Sunday.” In the last week, have you had any new insights into the importance of Jesus’ Resurrection or its impact on your daily life? 5. In what personal ways is God calling you to be “waiting” right now, and what are some activities and preparations that would be wise to be doing in the meantime?

Jesus' Resurrection means Life Wins Three differences Jesus is Risen makes to our lives: Difference 1: The Proposition that directs our hearts - Death Wins or Life Wins (1:1-3) Difference 2: The Purpose that directs our lives - The Rat Race or Redemption (1:4-8) Difference 3: The Person that directs our destiny - Us or Christ (1:9-11)

Why we can't save ourselves and why that is good news. Outline: Babel is a perpetual witness that salvation belongs to the LORD alone. Babel witnesses that self-salvation comes up short (11:1-4) Babel witnesses that self-salvation ends in judgment (11:6-9) Babel witnesses that only God can save (11:5) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Babel shows the potential of human beings to do amazing things but also really bad things. As you look at the world, do you tend more to hope in humanity’s potential or fear it? 2. There are many moral towers used today like a ladder, a staircase, a balance of good and bad, a checklist. Why do you think these images are so popular? 3. How do you sometimes move from a truster to a tower-builder in your faith? 4. How can you sometimes treat Jesus as a brick in your tower, i.e. more as a means to an end (i.e. “I believe in Jesus because I do not want to go to hell”). What is problematic about this kind of faith? 5. Read Mark 10:17-27 a. How do you see the Rich Young Ruler overestimating his goodness? What are some ways we do the same? b. When the man could not give up his wealth, what commandment did he reveal he had not kept? c. Do you think the man knew he was an idolator before this moment? Why is seeing idolatry so difficult? 6. How does the thief on the cross’s salvation give you assurance that faith in Jesus is the only way and all we need for heaven?

God's judgment of the flood reminds us that sin reaches a point of no return. Are we close? Is there any hope? Outline: Four indicators judgment is near: 1. Judgment is near when God's creational boundaries are rejected (6:1-4) 2. Judgment is near when God's creation is ravaged with violence (6:5a) 3. Judgment is near when God's image bearers are riddled with sin (6:5b) 4. Judgment is near when God's heart regrets His creation (6:7) But there is hope to be found in God's grace (6:8). Discussion/Personal Reflection Questions: 1. What are some challenges with talking about judgment in the world today? 2. Discuss expressive individualism: Google AI defines, “Expressive individualism is a modern cultural ethos emphasizing that fulfillment comes from discovering one's unique inner feelings and expressing them outwardly to the world.” Core values: self-sufficiency, autonomy, independence, and uniqueness a. Where do you see this ethos in our culture? b. Where do you see it in your life? c. Evaluate it biblically: what is good in it, what is bad? 3. Read 2 Timothy 4:3-4, where do you find the church conforming truth to its own passions/preferences today? What harms come from this? 4. Read Ezekiel 3:18-19: Are we to be watchmen in our world? What are some ways you provide warning to those choosing sin? 5. Read Genesis 6:8: How does this verse offer hope to you?

Are humans basically good or basically bad? Outline: Noah’s failure offers four proofs mankind is sinful by nature. Proof 1: We sin without excuse Proof 2: We sin with ease Proof 3: We sin with enjoyment Proof 4: We sin without exception Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Where have you seen the message “I’m basically a good person” taught in the world? Why do you think this message is so pervasive? 2. Make a list of some excuses you hear (or have used) to justify some wrong behavior. How does justification by excuses keep us away from the justification of the gospel? 3. Imagine you are in a situation where a person has some sin in their life exposed:              a. How can you use the truth of original sin to draw closer to that                  person               b. How can you use original sin to introduce that person to the                    gospel? 4. Of the four proofs for original sin, that we sin (1) without excuse, (2) with ease, (3) with enjoyment, and (4) without exception, discuss:               a. Which one spoke to you most directly?               b. Was one particularly hard to accept?

What makes a grateful life? Three gifts God gives every person, everyday: 1. Everyday God extends mercy (8:20-22) 2. Everyday God supports life (9:1-7) 3. Everyday God keeps His Word (9:8-17) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. How do you see entitlement shaping people in our world? How do you see it shaping you? 2. Who is someone you know who is shaped by gratitude? What affect do they have on others and on you? 3. Read Psalm 145:8-9. Share where you have received God’s graciousness and mercy in everyday things this week? 4. Read Matthew 5:44-45. What effect should God’s common grace toward all people have upon us as people who reflect Him? What do you think ‘loving your enemy’ might mean for you this week? 5. Babies are a blessing, but they can also bring a lot of hardship. What are some practical ways the church can support the blessing of children? 6. Good laws are grounded in God’s justice. Read Genesis 9:5-6 - what principles for good laws do you see in this command? Where do you see good laws restraining evil today? 7. God gave us the sign of a rainbow to visibly remind us His Word is trustworthy. What other signs confirm God’s faithfulness to you?

Judgment is coming, but God will save the faithful Outline: Who are the faithful? What will happen to the faithful? Where are the faithful delivered? Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Share a time where you felt like the only one who believes God. How did it affect your faith? 2. Read James 4:4. Put this verse in your own words. What are some of the ways we are prone to divide our allegiance to God with being in friendship with the world? 3. Is the Bible’s concern with not compromising with the world in conflict with the call to love the world and share Christ with it? 4. How does being saved by grace make it possible for believers to warn about judgment without being judgmental? 5. Noah was saved from the flood because he found grace and because he obeyed God and built the ark. How do you relate Noah’s good works to his salvation by grace? Consider Ephesians 2:8-10 as you discuss. 6. How can we use the horror of God’s judgment to strengthen us against the temptation to compromise our faith? 7. How can we use the hope of the new creation to motivate our faithfulness?

In a world in the clutches of sin, spiritual warfare, and death, how can we live? God gives us three lessons through the line of Seth in Genesis Five. Outline: What does a God-centered life involve? 1. It involves belonging to God (5:1-5) 2. It involves being with God (vv. 21-24) 3. It involves believing God (vv. 28-32) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Where have you felt the longing that there would be no death? 2. Scott Adams said one week before he died: "I do believe that the dominant Christian theory is that I would wake up in Heaven if I have a good life.” Imagine you got to speak with him before he passed, what would you say? 3. Which of the three points: belonging to God, being with God, or believing God spoke to you most directly today and why? 4. Choosing sin is often viewed as “living free.” Why is this a lie? 5. Read Galatians 5:1: Where have you experienced the gospel setting you free? 6. Share some ways you have enjoyed being with God? What changes have you made (or need to make) to prioritize this? 7. In your own words, what is the difference between believing in God and believing God? 8. Personal Reflection: Your best friend is writing your obituary, what would they say about your walk with God?

We will survive the battleground of spiritual warfare as we learn to live by faith and not by sight. Outline: Four treacherous tactics of the Enemy to destroy God's people: 1. The enemy confounds hope (vv. 1-2, 25) 2. The enemy exploits the flesh (vv. 3-7) 3. The enemy slays the righteous (vv. 8-16) 4. The enemy establishes the godless (vv. 17-24) But the enemy fails to stop God's promise (vv. 25-26) Questions for personal reflection: 1. In what ways/areas are you experiencing the battleground of spiritual warfare? 2. There is danger in putting our faith more in how we think God will act than in Him as the God who will act. Where have you seen this error in the modern church? How have you made this error yourself? 3. How have you seen anger become a foothold for the Enemy? 4. What ways have you found work well for fighting sin? 5. The truth that the Enemy slays the righteous and establishes the godless can be crushing to our day-to-day hope. Read Psalm 10, how does the Psalmist deal with his soul-crushing circumstances? Where does the Psalmist find his strength to endure and remain hopeful? 6. Read 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Paul is facing his imminent unjust execution, how does his faith in Jesus make his death not a triumph of evil but a testimony that God’s promise does not fail?

The very day our sin separated us from God, God began the work to bring us back. Outline: How does redemption begin? 1. Redemption begins with the reality of sin 2. Redemption begins with God's grace alone 3. Redemption begins with trusting God's Word Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. With the numerous serious problems in our world that need to be fixed, should sin be treated as the greatest problem? Support your answer. 2. The chasm sin creates involves being (1) far from God (2) pointed away from God (3) prevented from returning to God. Which one of these realities hit you the hardest today? 3. How does recognizing the seriousness of sin make the grace of God more amazing? 4. Why is it important to be surprised that the Bible has a page 4? What difference does it make in reading the Bible to recognize every page reveals some measure of God’s grace toward us? 5. “The very day our sin separated us from God, God began the work to bring us back.” How can this truth help us turn to God when we feel unforgivable or unlovable? 6. Adam trusted in God’s Word not just by professing it but by acting upon it: he cleaved to Eve and started a family. Where might you need to show trust in God’s Word by acting upon it?

What are the consequences of sin? Three consequences: 1. Sin corrupts us 2. Sin condemns us 3. Sin separates us Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. What is one question you would ask Adam and Eve about life in the garden before the fall? 2. Genesis 3 shows how far humanity has fallen, but also how far God is willing to go to redeem, restore, and reconcile. How does that tension—our deep brokenness and God’s deeper grace—shape the way you view your story and the story of our world? 3. Adam and Eve hid from God and then blamed each other when confronted with their sin. How do you tend to react when confronted with your sin? 4. Out of the three consequences of sin (Corruption, Condemnation, and Separation) which one do you tend to think of when you think about sin? Why? 5. In Christ we are a “new creation” and no longer condemned. What part of that truth is hardest for you to believe on a daily basis? 6. How does thinking of sin primarily as separation from a good and gracious God (rather than just rule-breaking) change the way you view your own sin?

The Good Shepherd takes His flock from Found to Family to Forever. Are you in His flock? Note: This message was given via Zoom due to the inclement weather that cancelled our in-person service. Outline: Three questions to appreciate Jesus' leadership and draw closer to Him: 1. Why does He lead? 2. How does He lead? 3. Where doe He lead?

When we lay our lives down for one another, we show He lives in us. Outline: A healthy church is the responsibility of the whole flock. All have a part to fulfill: 1. Elders do their part by being shepherds (vv. 1-3) 2. Members do their part by being shepherded (v. 5a) 3. Everyone does their part by practicing humility (v. 5c) Questions for Personal Reflections 1. A recent Lifeway poll has shown “trust in clergy” falling steadily. In 2019 trust was 40%, in 2025 its near 25%. Why do you think trust is so low and getting lower for church leaders? 2. What are some things you look for to identify if a church is healthy? 3. Reread 1 Timothy 3:2-7. What characteristic catches your attention? Why do you think character is so much the focus and not skills for an elder? 4. When Peter says, “You who are younger, be subject to the elders” What is hard about that command for you? What does it mean for you personally to heed it? 5. Where are you tempted by the world’s ethos “your life for mine?” How does involvement in church help you live out the gospel message “my life for yours” instead? 6. What might practicing humility look like in your workplace/school, parenting, marriage?

Can we truly believe God loves us even when bad things happen? Outline: Two proofs assuring God’s people of his love for them that lead to a secure promise. Proof 1: God gave up his greatest treasure for you (vv. 31-32) Proof 2: Jesus took your full condemnation (vv. 33-34) Promise: Nothing can separate you from the love of God. (vv. 35-39) Personal Reflection Questions: 1. What are some typical insecurities that people have? And how do people try to mask them or deal with them? 2. Why do you think people find it hard to believe that God's love is unconditional? How have you struggled with this truth? 3. What are some reasons people give for loving other people? How does the gospel change our idea of what love means? 4. Read Romans 8:35, How might sufferings and trials lead people to the conclusion that they are separated from God? Why does suffering distort people's idea of God being love? 5. Read Romans 5:3-5, what do you think is the goal of God allowing suffering? Share a time when you suffered or went through a trial and describe how it pulled you into the heart of God.

Will you faith stagnate or strengthen in 2026? Outline: Three competing priorities that can halt us from following Jesus. 1.We will not follow Jesus far if our top priority is: personal freedom (v. 18) 2. We will not follow Jesus far if our top priority is: a comfortable life (vv. 19-20) 3. We will not follow Jesus far if our top priority is: family (vv. 21-23) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Icebreaker: Share an accomplishment from your life from 2025. 2. Read Acts 19:18-20. Why were the magic books burned? What does verse 20 say resulted from this costly act? What might be equivalent to magic books in our world today? 3. “Staying with Jesus requires leaving the crowd” Where have you experienced the truth of this statement in your own faith? 4. Some synonyms of a comfortable life are: Ease, Security, Wealth, Independence, Popularity, Status, Respectability. Which one of these is the scariest to imagine losing for you personally? 5. Where has the gospel required you to give up personal comfort. What did you learn as a result? 6. How have you experienced family as a competing priority to your walk with Jesus? How has your life demonstrated you love Jesus more? 7. Read Philippians 3:8. Personalize this verse. Expand the word “everything” to include specific things that you consider as loss to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

The strength of the sheep is its nearness to the Shepherd. Outline: Three facets of our sheep-ness: 1. We are prone to wander (1 Peter 2:25a) 2. We are rescued by the Good Shepherd (1 Peter 2:22-25) 3. We are kept safe in His flock (1 Peter 5:1-4) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. The number of people who call themselves Christian is much higher than the number who attend church. Why do you think this is so? 2. What are some things this week that distracted you from your faith? How did church this morning help recenter you? 3. The news of influential Christian leader Philip Yancey’s 8-year affair reminds us that we are always prone to wander. What are some ways we try to convince ourselves we aren’t prone to wander? 4. “No matter how astray we have been; the Good Shepherd brings us home.” Where can you testify to the truth of this in your life? 5. Read Hebrews 10:24-25 and discuss the following: (a) Do you think streaming a church service or listening to a sermon podcast can replace the gathering? Why or why not? (b) What are some ways the church gathering stirs you up to greater love and good works? (c) How does our presence in the gathering provide encouragement to others and ourselves? Share an example of how you have been encouraged by others through the gathering. (d) What are some reasons you have used to neglect the gathering? What is something you can do to overcome those reasons?

The coming of Christ is a call to be ready. Have we prepared Him room? Outline: Three guests that will crowd Christ out of Christmas and our life.  I. Watch out for the Guest "Now! Now! Now!" (vv. 8-9a) II. Watch out for the Guest "One More Thing" (vv. 10-13) III. Watch out for the Guest "Blend In" (vv. 14-15) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Icebreaker: What part of getting ready for Christmas do you like the most? The least? 2. What sort of distractions ensnare you most easily? How have you been successful in resisting distractions? 3. The pressure to blend into the culture around us is constant. Where do you feel this pressure regarding how you celebrate Christmas? 4. What are some ways we can make Christmas an idol, i.e. how can we make good things about the season greater than Jesus himself? 5. Read 2 Peter 3:4-10. Imagine someone is doubting that Christ is coming back because it has been so long, what are some things you might remind him from this passage to address his doubt? 6. As Christmas approaches do you feel more like Martha (busy getting everything ready) or more like Mary (enjoying the presence of Christ)? What are some things you’ve said “no” to in choosing the “good portion”? 7. What is one thing you plan on doing on Christmas day to make the day a celebration of Jesus?

Christmas proclaims that the one who gives everlasting life has come! Outline: Three treasures of everlasting life with Christ 1. Forever and ever we will flourish (22:1-2a) 2. Forever and ever we will be blessed (22:2b-3, 5) 3. Forever and ever we will enjoy God (22:4) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Share a favorite Christmas memory. 2. How have you experienced disappointment and/or disillusionment in this world? What might our disappointments/disillusionments reveal that we are treasuring? 3. What in your life is like the Samaritan woman’s chore of getting water? How specifically does Jesus’ gift of living water – water that is abundant, good, and fulfilling – satisfy this need? 4. Some argue against heaven by saying that perfection means nothing will change/happen and therefore it will be boring. How might you use the description in Rev 22:1-5 to show heaven will never be boring? 5. Read Galatians 3:13-14, what is the relationship between the cross of Christ and our inheritance of heaven’s blessings? 6. Read John 17:23 – How can we use the promise of this verse to make our heart treasure heaven more? 7. What is something that you do now (or can do) during the Christmas season to make the treasure of your heart the hope we have in Jesus?

The remedy to being full of self at Christmas is to dwell in the fullness of God. Outline: Four experiences of awe we will have in the New Heavens and New Earth 1. We will awe in the fullness of God's love 2. We will awe in the fullness of God's faithfulness 3. We will awe in the fullness of God's holiness 4. We will awe in the fullness of God's glory Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Share a time where you have experienced awe. 2. What are some reasons keeping the focus on Jesus is difficult during the Christmas season? 3. Which of the many glorious images of the City of God in Revelation 21 seems to draw your imagination and wonder most? 4. If someone were to suggest that we should not focus so much on Jesus’ suffering on the cross, but rather some other aspect of his ministry, how would you use Revelation 21 to argue the cross must be kept central? 5. Read Genesis 12:3 and Matthew 28:19. (a) How do these two verses show the faithfulness of God’s Word (consider the time transpired and the number of setbacks/obstacles between them)? (b) Read 1 Peter 2:23-24. Where do you need your faith strengthened by this truth today? 6. The city of God has the dimensions of the Holy of Holies meaning Christ has given us full access to God’s presence through his atonement. How can this truth be used to encourage and embolden our prayer life? 7. What is an area of your life that is overwhelming you or consuming too much of you? How would an increased awe of God’s love, faithfulness, holiness, and glory give you peace and perspective for this?

Christmas proclaims that the one who makes all things new, has come! Outline: Five glimpses of the New Heavens and the New Earth to grow our thirst for Christ's coming 1. Everything will be completely new 2. Everyone with shine withe the beauty of holiness 3. Everyone will enjoy the presence of God 4. Everyone will be perfectly whole and eternally comforted 5. Christians will be finally home. Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. As Christians we are called to be in the world, but not of the world. What does this mean to you? How is it a challenge to practice? 2. Do you think focusing on Christ requires being opposed to the other fun that comes with the Christmas season? What are some things you have done that have helped keep your focus on Christ amidst the fun of the season? 3. Of the five glimpses of the New Heavens and New Earth, which one most stirred your heart? Share why (Give time for each person to answer) 4. Read Romans 8:28. Do you think that when we get to glory every bad thing that happened to us in this life will have a rational explanation so that we can say “now that makes sense to me”? Why or why not? 5. Read Mark 4:14-20 (discuss each question). (a) How do you see the world making the ground “hard” toward faith in the gospel? (b) Where do you discern “persecution on account of the word” in our world? (c) How is “the deceitfulness of riches” attacking people’s faith? (d) Where do you see “the desire for other things” choking out faith? (e) As you consider all of these, what is the frontline battle with worldliness for you? (f) What are you doing to strengthen your faith to overcome? 6. “Heaven is a gift, given; not a reward, earned.” How does the text of Revelation 21:2 show this? How is this good news for you this week?

Christmas proclaims that the one who defeats evil for good, has come! Outline: How does Jesus finally defeat evil? 1. He defeats evil as the Victorious Warrior 2. He defeats evil as the Righteous Judge 3. He defeats evil as the Glorious Redeemer

Idols demand everything and give nothing in return. Our only hope from their lures is to replace them with faith in the true God. Outline: 1. Idols lead us astray 2. Idols lead us to despair 3. Idols lead us to miss out Questions for Personal Reflection 1. What "Golden Calf" temptations are most common in our culture today, and how do they subtly draw our hearts away from trusting God? 2. God calls the people "stiff-necked," comparing them to the cow they were worshiping. How are we like cattle today? In what areas of your life are you resisting God's guidance, correction, or authority? 3. Consider how the things you mentioned in Question 2 above might have become idols for you personally. Where have those things fallen short for you? What are some ways making those things your ultimate source of hope and joy and peace have failed you in the past? 4. In Exodus 32:1, the people grew impatient waiting for Moses (and God). How does impatience with God's timing lead us toward spiritual compromise? 5. Re-read Exodus 32:11-14 (Moses first intercession for the people). How does this passage challenge the way we pray for others who are wandering or struggling with sin? 6. Moses' final intercession for the people comes in Exodus 32:31-32. How is this our ultimate solution to our idolatry problem? How does this picture of Christ to come bring you the hope and joy and peace you have been looking for in other places? 7. Pray for God to show us the areas in our life that have become idols, their futility, and to make more beautiful and compelling in our hearts the solution - Jesus Christ!

Christ with us is our strength and our reward as we pursue the Great Commission. Outline: What Christ’s presence supplies for us to make disciples 1. Encouragement from the past 2. Strength for the present 3. Hope in the future Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Do you have a story of a great big project that you only got done through the help of someone else? 2. What is most encouraging to you as you reflect on the perseverance and growth of Christianity through history and around the world? Consider your own story: What evidence of Christ’s faithfulness to you in the past can you recall to encourage you and others in the present? 3. Read Romans 8:9-11. According to this passage how is Christ with us? What difference does it make to how you face life and what you do with your life when you recognize you have Christ in you? How can you remind yourself of this truth during your day? 4. Our core value: We are Disciple Makers, states “We commit to being prayerful, authentic, and active witnesses for Christ in our lives.” Of the adjectives: prayerful, authentic, and active – which do you feel you are strongest? Which are you weakest? What can you do to strengthen your commitment to this core value? 5. Read Joshua 5:13-15. What strikes you about this passage? What effect do you think seeing the Commander of the Lord’s Army had on Joshua’s resolve in going to battle? What are some ways we can increase our awareness of Christ’s presence in the work of making disciples? 6. Read 1 Peter 3:15: What are some practical things you can do to make the hope within you more visible to those without it?

The Great Commission intends for us to become creatures of His Word. Outline: What makes us creatures of the Word? (3 steps) I. We receive Christ’s Word as God’s Word II. We obey Christ’s Word without exception III. We teach Christ’s Word to every person, place, and time Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Share a skill/ability you have (it might be something like playing an instrument or something you take for granted like folding laundry, making coffee, correcting grammar or finding good bathrooms on the road). How did you become adept at this skill? 2. Read Romans 12:2: Where do you sense the world’s draw toward conformity? How has knowing the Word made your more aware of the conformity of the world? 3. Marcionism is the view that the teachings of the Old Testament should no longer be treated as God’s Word and that we should only follow the teachings given by Jesus/New Testament. Can you identify any examples of this heresy in our day? Why is Marcionism dangerous? 4. Take Joshua 1:9 and meditate on it together. Ask of the text: What do I learn about God from this text? What do I need to confess, believe, or desire in light of this? How can I thank or praise God for what He has shown me? 5. Read James 2:8-10: What are some justifications we make to be selective in our obedience? How does this selectivity ultimately harm our discipleship? 6. Read Deuteronomy 6:6-9. How did ancient Israel make their homes places of discipleship? What are some practices you use (or could implement) to better teach the Word in your home?

The Great Commission is not just a great commandment, it is a great revelation of the Three-in-One God. Outline: I. The name of God reveals God to be Triune II. The name of God reveals our salvation to be a Triune work          A. God, the Father, authors salvation for His people          B. God, the Son, accomplishes salvation for His people          C. God, the Spirit, applies salvation to His people Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Do you have an experience of God’s nearness or glory being powerfully revealed to you? 2. Consider the three statements that define the Trinity. Why are each essential to the definition? What happens when one of the propositions is omitted? 3. If someone were to charge that the Trinity is a logical contradiction because it posits God is both one and three, how would you respond? 4. How can the mysteriousness of the Trinity serve to deepen your faith and worship? 5. Read Romans 5:8. Is God’s love grounded in our lovableness or in his nature to love? How does this love give us assurance even as we are aware of our own unlovableness? 6. How does God’s saving us according to his eternal love (foreknowledge) remove any ground of personal merit/worthiness from the reason we are saved? 7. If Jesus’ sacrifice forgives all of our sins, even ones we haven’t committed yet, should we feel freer to sin? Consider the story of Jean Valjean as you discuss. 8. Consider someone sharing with you that they think they have lost their salvation because they have sinned too greatly. How might you use Ephesians 1:13-14 to give them assurance?

FOLLOWERS OF JESUS MUST WAKE UP FROM SPIRITUAL DISTRACTION, PUT ON CHRIST, AND STAY FOCUSED ON WHAT IS ETERNALLY IMPORTANT. Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. What does “spiritual sleep” look like in our modern world? What causes people to drift into it? 2. Paul says, “You know the time.” What’s the difference between chronos (clock time) and kairos (God’s moment)? How does that truth change how you view your days? 3. When Paul says to “put on the armor of light,” what might that look like in your daily life this week? 4. What “old garments” (habits, attitudes, or patterns) are hardest for you to take off? What first step could help you “cast them off”? 5. Which of the Spirit’s works—convicting, empowering, reminding, or assuring—do you most need right now? 6. Paul warns against “making provision for the flesh.” What are practical ways to remove opportunities for sin and protect spiritual focus? 7. How can you stay alert and intentional in your walk with Christ—so that you live as a “child of the day” rather than one “asleep in the night”?

Baptism is more than just about the beginning, but an ongoing grace to disciples throughout their life. Outline: How baptism grounds us in our identity as Christians: 1.Baptism grounds us in Christ’s forgiveness. 2.Baptism grounds us in the assurance of faith alone 3.Baptism grounds us in God’s family Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. What are some ways our modern world offers us alternative identities to the one given us in the gospel? How do they make themselves appealing or persuasive? 2. When Simba goes to the wilderness he drops his identity as a kingly lion for a care-free scavenger. Where have you struggled between what the world says you should be and what God, in his gospel, says you are (consider: parenting, relationships, success, social status, education, beauty etc.) What were some of the effects this struggle had on your sense of identity? 3. Baptism serves to remind us of our identity in Christ, namely that we are forgiven, saved by faith alone, and members of God’s family. Which of these three identity markers speaks to you most reassuringly today and why? 4. How can remembering you have been cleaned by the blood of Christ give you strength to fight temptation to sin? 5. What is a way you can use your baptism to battle doubts that arise in your faith? 6. Read Hebrews 10:25. How have you personally experienced the family of God encouraging your faith?

The gospel is the power to deliver the world from darkness. Outline: 1. The gospel brings all people dignity 2. The gospel gathers all people together 3. The gospel offers all people hope Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Tom Holland’s book Dominion retells the world changing power of Christianity through the centuries. How is knowing this story good for your faith and your witness? 2. Do you have a story of the gospel bringing light into the darkness? How is your testimony a story of the light of Christ destroying darkness? 3. Our society has replaced inherent dignity in the image of God with personhood theory. Pearcy defines this: “To be biologically human is a scientific fact. But to be a person is an ethical concept, defined by what we value.” Why is this a dangerous method for establishing the dignity of a human being? 4. What is an example of dehumanization you see in our world today? What would it look like to apply the truth of Colossians 3:11 to this darkness? 5. Read Galatians 2:11-14. How was Peter’s conduct “not in step with the truth of the gospel?” Why is the gospel able to unite people that the world divides? 6. The Great Commission requires us to cross lines of division between us and others. Share an example of where the gospel has pushed you through a dividing line. 7. Read 1 Peter 2:9 – How can you take the light of Christ into the darkness around you? Who can you proclaim the excellencies of Christ too?

To make disciples we must heed the command to "go." Outline: What does 'Go' require? 1. Go requires obedience 2. Go requires intentionality 3. Go requires evangelism Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. What are some ways the church can be “securing the beachhead” instead of advancing the gospel? What are some ways we can be doing this in our own lives? 2. Why is it so important to see the gospel indicatives (what has been done) being the ground of gospel imperatives (what we are commanded to do)? What is some potential bad fruit of getting this reversed? 3. Read Acts 17:26-27: What are some places you have been sovereignly placed that you can bring the gospel to? 4. Which part of the acronym PLACES do you feel strongest in? Share an example from your life. 5. Which part of PLACES most needs development for you? What might be a next step toward strengthening this area of intentionality? 6. Imagine someone shares with you they are feeling a lot of anxiety trying to be a good parent or a good student or making a team. How might you connect to this person and how might you introduce them to the three circles? 7. To the person in the previous question, how might you describe their situation as belonging to the brokenness of the world but also as a pointer to the gospel as the answer? 

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Outline: Four marks of a disciple of Jesus. 1. A disciple is one who knows Jesus 2. A disciple is one who knows themselves through Jesus 3. A disciple is one who lives for Jesus 4. A disciple is one who makes disciples of Jesus Questions for Personal Reflection 1. If you could ask one question of Jesus to know him better today, what would you ask? 2. Imagine you were having a conversation with someone who thinks you can be a believer in Jesus without being a disciple. How would you show this person that to be a believer is to be a disciple? 3. Share an example of how your identity as a Christian works itself out in (pick one) your employment, marriage, parenting, relationships, schoolwork, activities/sports, etc. How might you make your Christian identity more controlling in one or more of these areas of your life? 4. Read Galatians 5:1: Think of something you are prone to follow/pursue (examples: dreams, success, approval, security, an ideology, a political party, a reputation, an interest/hobby etc.) in what ways have you noticed this pursuit increasing its control over you? How could the reality that Christ is your Lord set you free from this control? 5. As you consider the Christian vocation to be a disciple maker, where do you sense God is giving you an opportunity to participate in the work of making disciples?

Because Christ has all authority we have all assurance that our life is secure and His mission will not fail. Outline: How Christ’s authority gives us a firm foundation in our world: 1.Christ’s authority is our allegiance. 2. Christ authority is our authorization 3.Christ’s authority is our assurance Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. How has the world felt out of control and dangerous to you? How has your heart been reacting to these feelings of uncertainty and turmoil? 2. Read Matthew 10:32-33. Do you think ‘acknowledge’ and ‘deny’ only refer to words or are actions also included? What are some ways we can acknowledge Christ in our workplace, school, or in the public sphere? 3. We can use our feelings, reason, experience to replace Christ’s authority with what is right in our own eyes. Where have you seen Christ’s authority usurped by feelings, reason, or experience? Can you think of an instance where you have done this yourself? 4. “We must earn the right to be heard” is a popular sentiment when it comes to evangelism. Do you agree with it? Are there any dangers of this statement undermining Christ’s authority in our lives? 5. Have you experienced spaces that try to deny your right to share Jesus? How do you continue being a witness in these spaces? Are there ways you could increase your witness? 6. How does Jesus’ authority give you assurance in your salvation? 7. How does Jesus victory over sin, death, and the devil give you real world strength to face resistance and/or rejection for your faith? What can you do to give this truth more controlling influence in your daily life? 8. Pray for one another to find their firm foundation in Christ’s ultimate and unrestricted authority over our lives and the world we live in.

Your victory is in Christ and Christ’s victory is guaranteed. Outline: Three promises to make us confident in the victory of God’s Kingdom: God’s kingdom has been decreed (vv. 20-21) God’s kingdom will succeed (v. 22) God’s kingdom is guaranteed (v. 23) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. The image of a candle in the wind was used to describe the experience of being in a weak moment as followers of God either with respect to culture or with respect to individual struggles. In what ways can you relate to this imagery in your faith? 2. Andrew Murray stated: “Just as the farmer cannot gather the fruit until it is ripe, God knows when we are spiritually ready to reap the blessing for our greatest profit and His glory.” Do you have an experience where God’s answer to you seemed delayed, but when it came, its delay made good sense to you? How can such knowledge help you wait for the coming of the Kingdom? 3. Though the final shaking is still future, we have seen many kingdoms rise and fall, while the church remains. How might you use this historical reality to offer confidence to a believer who is having doubts that God’s kingdom is really coming? 4. Read Hebrews 12:26-28. What are some ways we can self-examine our lives for areas that will crumble when God shakes the world? How can we grow our assurance that we are firmly planted upon the gospel? 5. Read Haggai 2:23 and Matthew 1:12. How could you use these verses to show an unbeliever that God’s word is true and reliable? 6. The message of Zerubbabel is that God’s mercy can take us from whatever mess we fall into and place us securely in His Kingdom. Where is this specifically good news for you this week?

Burn your boats and set your path fully toward the life God blesses. Outline: What life does God bless? 1. God blesses the life that seeks His presence (vv. 10-14) 2. God blesses the life that fears His discipline (vv. 15-17) 3. God blesses the life that serves His mission (vv. 18-19) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Imagine you were a soldier in the army whose general just burned all the boats, how would that affect the way you saw the battle in front of you? 2. Read Isaiah 29:13. How were the people in Haggai’s day worshipping but without their hearts near God? What are some ways we do the same? 3. How have you dealt with the “consumer” spirit in your worship? 4. Read Psalm 84:1-5 slowly. Share a word or phrase that catches your ear? How does this passage illustrate worship as relational? 5. Where has secularism complicated your obedience to Jesus? (consider the areas of money, employment, relationships, parenting, politics, entertainment, and others.). 6. Read Proverbs 28:14. How does fearing the LORD bless us? How might this verse apply to your answer to the previous question? 7. Where are you taking the boats of retreat instead of obeying the command to make disciples? How can you burn those boats?

How can we know our faithfulness isn’t futile? Outline: Obedience is never futile because... 1. God works through it (vv. 4-5) 2. God never fails (vv. 6-8) 3. God uses it to great ends (v. 9) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. The Pastor shared the impact of his grandma’s faithfulness through her days of small things. Who is someone whose routine obedience has impacted you significantly? 2. Where are you feeling in the “days of small things?” What is hardest for you about them? 3. Read Matthew 10:42 – How is God’s perspective different toward our uneventful obedience? How can you use this verse to encourage you specifically in your days of small things? 4. Why is knowing God’s sovereignty so important for giving us confidence and resolve in our day-to-day obedience? 5. Haggai teaches that God is sovereign because He is the one who (1) acts when He wants and (2) does all He wants. In the days of small things which do you struggle trusting more: God’s timing or God’s doing? What can you do to grow in faith in this area? 6. Read Ephesians 2:17-22. How might this passage suggest the greater fulfillment of God’s promise in Haggai 2:9? How can this truth motivate us in the daily task of making disciples?

Trust in Christ and do the next thing. Outline: Four encouragements God gives us in the J-curve valley of obedience 1. God recognizes our struggles (vv. 1-3) 2. God reinforces us with His steadfastness (v. 5) 3. God refocuses our gaze upon His future (v. 6-9). 4. God returns us to the work (v. 4) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Share a story of something new/a big change you attempted. How did you get through the ‘valley of death’? 2. Which of the four encouragements God gives amidst hard obedience was most helpful to you today? Share why? 3. Read Matthew 12:20 – where have you experienced being a broken reed or a smoldering wick in your faith? How did God care for you in that time? 4. Andrew Murray states “What our faith needs is—more of God.” What are some ways we can develop a greater God-consciousness in our lives? How are you pursuing greater dependence on God? 5. Recall the story of the three brick layers: the first saw his work as laying bricks, the second as building a wall, the third as building a cathedral. What are some verses we can meditate upon to develop a cathedral-builder mindset in our daily obedience? 6. As you think about an area of hard obedience in your life – what is the next thing you need to do? 7. What is the next thing you need to do in obedience to the command “go and make disciples”? 8. Pray to receive God’s encouragement in your obedience and to be strengthened and resolved to do the next thing.

Is the Giver is more important to me than the gifts? Outline: Jesus' story shows us 3 major lessons about money: 1) The things of this world - like money - do not last. 2) The things of this world - like money - cannot go with us. 3) The things of this world - like money - distract us from what really matters. Personal Reflection Questions: 1. What are somethings that you don't mind your kids, relatives, or close friends OVER-hearing you talk to someone else about (or perhaps watching the way you live from up close)? Are there topics or aspects of life for which this would be effective? 2. Picture taking your family or a group of friends on a field trip to the dump. What might you see there that you once put your hopes and joy into but is now totally worthless? 3. Re-read Matthew 6:19-20. Where are you currently laying up treasure in your life that moths can eat, rust can destroy, or thieves can steal? 4. Take a little time to dream. In a perfect world, how could you be investing more fully in the Kingdom of God? What are some real-life tangible ways you would like to do this more? 5. How does the truth of the Gospel free us to be rich toward God and accomplish the things you dreamed of doing in Question 4? 6. Pray that God would help everyone at your table(and at Renew) to be able to see the error in the rich fool's way of thinking. Pray that we would all set our sights on Christ and consequently "be rich toward God" as a result.

Are we clinging to comforts or to Christ? Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Share a time when a commercial/advertisement really made you want something? What was it and what did it do to make you want it? 2. Compare how the world defines success from how God defines success? Why do you think there is so much difference between the two? 3. What are some self-reflection/examination questions that could help you discern a foothold of worldliness/materialism in your life? 4. How do you use your finances and resources? What ways might you be prioritizing comfort or luxury over generosity and obedience to God? 5. The parable teaches there are eternal consequences to our choices. What can we do to be better conscious of these consequences in the decisions we make? 6. In the parable, the Rich Man’s family had “Moses and the Prophets” but ignored them. In what ways can we ignore the Word when it comes to our own lifestyle and comforts? 7. If you recognize a need to change in any of these areas, what steps can you take this week to align your heart more closely with Jesus and His commands?  

How can we avoid becoming big fat Bible babies? Outline: Three ways God blesses us in our obedience 1. He establishes us as His people (v 12) 2. He encourages us with His presence (v 13) 3. He empowers us with His strength (vv 14-15) Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Why do you think it is so common in the church to separate hearing the Word from doing it? What are some examples you have seen? 2. Haggai 1:12 equates the voice of God with the written word of God. What are some ways people today try and separate these? What can we do to better receive the words of the Bible as the voice of God when we read it and listen to it? 3. Read Deuteronomy 10:12. How does this verse relate fearing the Lord and loving the Lord? How might you explain the compatibility of love of God and fear of God to someone who sees them as opposites? 4. How can we strengthen our awareness of the presence of the Lord in times of hard obedience and uncertainty? Do you have an experience of the Lord giving you encouragement in a time you wanted to quit/retreat? 5. Consider the image “The Christ-centered Life”: Discuss ways you have put Christ off the throne of our heart in the past. How did this affect your sense of God’s presence and power in your life? What does it look like to put Christ as Lord of your life?

How do we know if our opposition is from spiritual warfare or spiritual discipline? Outline: I. Spiritual warfare opposes our faithfulness (Ezra 4:4-5, 24) “the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build” II. Spiritual discipline opposes our unfaithfulness (Hag 1:9-11) “I have called for a drought” Personal Reflection Questions: 1. Have you ever been in a rock and a hard place situation? Share. 2. Read 2 Timothy 3:12. Why do you think persecution is a certainty for all genuine Christ followers? What are some ways Christians are being persecuted in our context today? If willing, share a personal experience. 3. Read Ephesians 6:12. What word/phrase most captures your attention? How do you keep yourself aware of this unseen reality? 4. “Spiritual warfare means there is no easy button in Christian growth or in advancing the Kingdom, we should expect strong opposition.” How have you experienced this truth? How can remembering this truth combat our discouragement? 5. When you hear the word “discipline,” do you default to positive or negative associations? What helps you to understand that spiritual discipline is good? 6. Of the three steps to discern spiritual discipline in our life, (1) Considering a spiritual cause, (2) Asking God for understanding, and (3) Searching the Word, which are you most prone to neglect and why? 7. How have you seen your faith becoming stronger over time? What has been the greatest contributor to your growth?

We can be a people that lives with complacency or lives with Christ, but not both. Two measures God lovingly takes to restore our devotion to Him: 1. He drains satisfaction from our self-pursuits (v. 5-6) “You never have enough” 2. He promises us the goodness of His presence (v. 7-8) "That I may be glorified." Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Why do you think becoming complacent is so easy and tempting? 2. Read Revelation 3:17 – How do you think a church can get so wrong about its spiritual reality? 3. What has been on your front burner this week? What affect has it had on your spiritual focus? 4. How can you notice God more in your day to day and how can you communicate God’s presence in your life to others? 5. Read Philippians 4:11-13: What are some ways we can we fight against the “never enough” mantra of the world with the truth we have Christ? 6. Imagine you are in a conversation with a person who is complaining of not having enough/not being satisfied with life, what might you say to point this person toward the gospel? 7. The poem “Only One Life” by C.T. Studd says: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Based on this statement, what work from your previous week will last? How can we use this truth to prioritize our devotion to Christ in the week ahead?

God renews His people by calling them to pursue Him first. 3 evidences that God is ready to renew: 1. He sustains his preserving grace 2. He supplies his providential care 3. He sends his prosecuting word Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Where have you experienced the Waiting Place? Why do you think the Waiting Place is so easy to fall into? 2. Read Lamentations 3:22-23. What are some mercies of God you have experienced recently? What are some ways we can develop an eye for them in our lives? 3. Read Revelation 2:1-5. (a) What was good about this church? (b) How did this church end up in the Waiting Place? (c) What does Jesus say will happen to his preserving grace if they do not repent? (d) What do you think repentance looks like for this church? 4. Where do you see God’s providential care in your life? How has this care created opportunities for you to serve Him and witness to Him? 5. Where is a place in your past you used the excuse “it’s not time”? What did it cost you? 6. Read Hebrews 4:12: What is the danger of only seeking God’s Word for comfort and encouragement? What can we do to make our hearts more pierceable to God’s prosecuting Word?

Being filled with the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean I have more of the Spirit, but rather that the Spirit has more of me Discussion/Personal Reflection Questions: 1. What was a piece of advice you would like to give your younger self? 2. Share something from the sermon that spoke to you and why. 3. If you are willing, share an experience where you have felt filled by and controlled by the Holy Spirit. 4. Why would it be dangerous to argue, as some people do, that we do not have all of the Holy Spirit until we are filled? 5. Paul doesn’t say “fill yourself,” but rather “be filled!” How can you go about increasing your “fillability?” What are some way you can make yourself more available to the Holy Spirit daily? 6. Which of the images used in the sermon is most helpful for you to understand the CONTROL of the Spirit in your life (wind filling the sail, salt permeating meat, hand filling a glove to play piano), and why? 7. Robert Munger writes, “You will never experience the life Christ died to win for you as long as you keep doors locked to him in the rooms of your life.” Pray for each other to open all our doors and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

What does true forgiveness look like? Outline: Forgiveness is costly Forgiveness is difficult Forgiveness is revealing Forgiveness is transforming. Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. Does forgiveness come easily or difficult for you? Would you be able to forgive as quickly and completely as the Amish community did? Why or why not? 2. Can you think of a situation where you are continuing to harbor resentment or holding a grudge against someone else? What do you think continues to hold you back from being able to forgive? 3. Can you think of a situation where you were able to forgive another person? What seemed to help you get to that point? 4. The Christian idea of forgiveness is a costly one for the forgiver. What costs come to mind when you think of forgiveness? 5. Re-read Matthew 6:14-15. How do these verses strike you? What is either comforting or unsettling about them? 6. Can you think of a time that you were forgiven by someone else for something you had done (or left undone)? What effect did that have on you? 7. Pray that your group would experience the loving mercy and forgiveness of Jesus anew and in a way that will make you all more loving and forgiving yourselves!

How does the gospel transform us into evangelists? 1. The gospel becomes our purpose (vv. 12-20) “I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness” 2. The gospel becomes our passion (vv. 21-27) “For this reason the Jews seized me . . . and tried to kill me” 3. The gospel becomes our priority (vv. 28-29) “Whether short or long, I would to God that . . . all who hear me might become as I am” Personal Reflection Questions: 1. How have you experienced being a Christian as an adventure? 2. What are some of the obstacles (internally or externally) you face with sharing the gospel in the world today? 3. Paul explains the gospel through his testimony. He was a persecutor, but God made him a preacher of Jesus. What is something you can testify that the gospel has changed about you? 4. Read Philippians 1:29 and Romans 8:17. Why do you think Paul mentions suffering as part of the gospel life? How have you seen suffering make your faith and witness more powerful? 5. What are some of the reasons you give for “this isn’t a good time to witness.” Discuss how you can overcome these excuses. 6. Think of a person God has brought into your life that is not a believer. Close in prayer for God to give us opportunity and boldness to witness to that person this week.

Why is the way of confession better than the way of hiding our sin? Outline: The way of hiding vs. the way of confessing our sin… Four consequences to the way of hiding: Consequence 1: Deceit 2b in whose spirit is no deceit. Consequence 2: Discipline vv. 3-4 your hand was heavy on me Consequence 3: Dullness v. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule Consequence 4: Disaster v. 6b the rising of the mighty waters Four gifts to the way of confessing: Gift 1: Cleared (v.1-2a) Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven Gift 2: Cleansed (v. 5) And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Gift 3: Communion (v 7-8) I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Gift 4: Cheerfulness (v. 11) Rejoice in the LORD and be glad Personal Reflection Questions: 1. What are some of the ways hiding makes itself seem more appealing than confessing? 2. Read 2 Samuel 11:2-17. What does David do to hide his sin? What lessons does this story teach you about the way of hiding sin? 3. Look at the consequences of hiding. How does the way of hiding make confession harder as time goes by? What does this teach about the best time to confess? 4. The word used for forgive is “to lift or carry.” How does recognizing forgiveness requires someone else to bear the sin, reveal how costly a gift it is to forgive? 5. Read Luke 15:11-24. How do you see the father bearing the cost of his son’s sin? How does this story show the gifts of communion and cheerfulness that come with confession? 6. If you met someone burdened with guilt, how might you testify to them that the way of confession is much better than the way of hiding? 7. Pray for one another for God to reveal any way of hiding in us and give thanks that God forgives us and will forgive us.

Where will our glory hunger be satisfied? Outline: 3 reasons God Alone satisfies our glory hunger: 1.Because He alone is Glory (vv. 33) Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! 2.Because all glory belongs to God (v. 34-36a) For from him and through him and to him are all things. 3.Because He is worthy of all glory (v. 36b) To God be the glory forever, Amen. Questions for Personal Reflection: 1. What are some ways you see glory hunger in our modern world? What are some of the consequences you have seen from self-glorification? 2. Paul breaks out in wonder at the God of the gospel in Rom 11:33-36. What are some ways the gospel excites wonder in you? How can we develop more gospel wonder in our lives? 3. What are some ways we could use our culture’s glory hunger to point to the gospel? 4. If someone were to say “God seeking his own glory is selfish” how would you respond? 5. Read Genesis 50:20. What are some ways you have seen God bring good out of a bad/evil situation? How can we use this truth to endure bad/evil situations? 6. Read 1 Corinthians 10:31, how might you apply this verse to your job/school, your relationships, your free time, your family? What does it mean for God to get the weight and the praise in these areas?