How to Get What You Really Want | Week 4
Week 4 - Thinking It Through
INTRODUCTION
What you naturally want is often in conflict with what you ultimately value. But your heavenly Father knows what you need. He wants for you what you want. So, how do you put aside those natural wants and pursue what you ultimately value?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Did you have a chance to work through the eulogy exercise Pastor talked about last week? If so, what did you discover?
During the week’s message, Pastor said, “The kingdom of this world is designed to distract you from what really matters, and our culture is fascinated with upgrades and experiences.”
In what ways has your quest for upgrades or experiences distracted you from what you’ve determined really matters?
Do you think your parents’ generation had an easier time focusing on what they valued versus what they merely wanted? How did this play out in your family of origin?
Read Hebrews 11:24–26
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
5. Moses was able to distinguish between what he wanted and what he valued. What is the relationship between the “fleeting pleasure of sin,” “greater value,” and “looking ahead”? How did Moses overcome the temptation to opt for immediate over ultimate?
Read Romans 12:1–2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
6. Does the idea that God’s will can be characterized as “good, pleasing, and perfect” strike you as odd? Why or why not?
7. Has there ever been a time when you would have characterized God’s will as threatening, unfulfilling, and insensitive to the way you are wired? If so, what changed your mind about God?
MOVING FORWARD
The kingdom of this world won’t provide you with what you really want. It will distract you from what really matters. It will rob you of what you value. What you were created for is connected to who you were created by. The way to get what you really want is to surrender to your heavenly Father and renew your mind.
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Read Hebrews 11:24–26
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasure of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward.