Peeps | Week 4
Week Four: Peeps Discussion Guide
Series Overview:
In this series, we see different people encounter Jesus at their lowest point. All of them had chosen to follow Jesus and saw him killed. All that would change. Their greatest defeat would become their and our greatest victory. Their story is our story. Many people, one sweet Story.
Sermon Overview:
For those who followed Jesus during his earthly ministry, the toughest time of their lives was when they saw Jesus crucified and buried. With no idea of what would come next, they struggled. Little did they know that this was not the end but the middle of their story. Soon Jesus would rise from the grave, and hope would be restored not only for them but for all humanity. Our lives are of highs and lows. It’s in the in-between, those times we find ourselves stuck in the middle, stuck with worry, doubt, stress, and anger. Like those who followed Jesus early on, we must learn to hold on to Jesus in the middle, knowing hope is coming. Jesus has not left us but is working even when we can’t see him.
Getting Started:
1.We have all been stuck in the middle of life. How do people react when they are stuck in the middle of a crisis?
How does our reaction to situations reveal what we worry about?
Read Matthew 6:27-33
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
2. What specifically sticks out to you in these verses?
3. What can affect our decisions when we are stuck in the middle?
4. How can we know that God’s promise is still at work in the pain?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:19a
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.
5. How do our mistakes affect our worth?
Read Luke 23:32, 39-43
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
6. Each thief had a choice to mock Jesus or believe in him. He still is in the middle for us.
Read Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
7. How does this verse encourage us no matter where we are in life?
NEXTSTEP:
Where are you in life? Are you stuck or content? No matter where we are at any time of our lives, the promises of Jesus to be fighting for us are true, even when we don’t see it happening.
Let go and lean into the confidence Jesus gives.
Peeps | Week 3
Week Three: Peeps Discussion Guide
Series Overview:
In this series, we see different people encounter Jesus at their lowest point. All of them had chosen to follow Jesus and saw him killed. All that would change. Their greatest defeat would become their and our greatest victory. Their story is our story. Many people, one sweet Story.
Sermon Overview:
Thomas was best known for doubting. Yet when you read about him throughout scripture, you discover that he was at times bold. He encouraged the others to follow Jesus into Dangerous situations. He boldly asked Jesus to explain what he meant when the others kept silent. Eventually, he felt let down and skeptical when the messiah he chose to follow was now dead. Thomas, his friend, didn’t give up on him and Jesus met him where he was, even in doubt, and gave him what he needed to be bold. In the end, most can relate more to Thomas than any other disciple, because his story mirrors our up and down story with Jesus.
Getting Started:
1.Have you ever had or known someone who had a nickname based on a mistake they have made?
Do you think it was fair for you or that person you know to be labeled by that mistake?
I don’t think anyone would want to be remembered only for their mistake, but in this week’s peep, we see Thomas labeled forever as the doubter.
Digging Deeper:
For the Peeps in this week’s part of the resurrection story, everything they had believed was being challenged.
Read John 11:16
Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
2. From the message, why were the disciples not wanting Jesus to go back to Jerusalem?
How did Thomas’ statement clearly state their concern and his courage?
What does “Faith without risk isn’t faith at all” mean?
3. When was the last time you or someone you know made a risky move, for Jesus' sake?
Read John 14:3-6
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
4. Have you ever heard anyone say you should never question God? What do you think that means?
5. The Pastor said, “Healthy relationships have Healthy questions.”
How did Thomas’s boldness to ask; help the other disciples?
Read Matthew 7:7
Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
Read James 1:5
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
6. How do these verses confirm that it is okay to ask God questions?
Read John 20:19-20 & 24
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
7. After the death and burial of Jesus, the others were hiding in fear, but Thomas was not with them.
8. Where was Thomas? Why was he not with the others?
Although we don’t know for sure but given from what we have learned about his personality
Either he was disappointed or had just given up to the fact that eventually all the disciples would die and that there was no need to hide.
Or perhaps he had wanted to grieve alone and figure out what had taken place.
Obviously, he had concluded that he had made a mistake to follow Jesus, and now his life was over.
Read John 20:25
So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
9. Why would Thomas make such a firm statement to the others? How did this reflect the conflict going on in his heart?
Has there ever been a time when you struggled in your faith?
Read John 20:26-28
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
10. After Thomas so brutally rejected the resurrection of Jesus, why did the other disciple still allow him to be with them?
11. How does Jesus show here that he didn’t give up on Thomas either? How does it show that he won’t give up on us?
NEXTSTEP:
We are called to continue relationships with those who have lost their faith or never had one. Just as Jesus didn’t give up on Thomas, we don’t give up on others. Instead, we love them through the crises until Jesus shows up and does work in their heart.
Who is the person that never gave up on you? Have you ever told them Thank You? Contact them this week and thank them for their faithfulness to you and for the difference they made in your life.
Who are you being faithful to? Who is the person within your circle of influence that needs you to stand beside them until Jesus shows up to do his work?
Easter Sunday is next week, and more people are open to going to church than any other time of the year.
Invite the person you are investing in to join you for one of the three services.
Peeps | Week 2
Week Two: Peeps Discussion Guide
Series Overview:
In this series, we see different people encounter Jesus at their lowest point. All of them had chosen to follow Jesus and saw him killed. All that would change. Their greatest defeat would become their and our greatest victory. Their story is our story. Many people, one sweet Story.
Sermon Overview:
The first time Mary Magdalene showed up in the scripture, she needed an exorcism because she was full of demons. The last time she shows up speaking with an Angel at an empty tomb. Now she is the first to proclaim that Jesus is Alive! From the demons to the angels-- that's Mary's story.
Getting Started:
When it comes to the resurrection, the debate is just as polarizing.
Why is the resurrection so important to believers?
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:13-14
For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
Digging Deeper:
Read Luke 8:1-3
After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
Explain:
Mary Magdalene’s faithfulness was a product of her life-changing encounter with Jesus.
A wealthy socialite woman from the providence of Magdala had been delivered from seven demons by Jesus.
She had followed Jesus just like the other disciples supporting his ministry behind the scenes.
1. When you think of a demon-possessed person, what image comes to mind?
2. As a wealthy, successful woman, what demons do you believe controlled Mary prior to her encounter with Jesus?
Mary’s gratitude to Jesus showed in her willingness to sacrifice everything and follow Jesus.
3. What have you had to give up or been delivered from to follow Jesus?
4. How does that reflect in your attitude towards Jesus?
Mary remained faithful even when all seemed lost. She had the courage to be at the cross even though she may have been arrested herself.
5. What drives you to serve and follow Jesus?
6. Has a difficult time ever challenged you to stay faithful?
7. What made you stay or come back?
Read John 20:11-16
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”
Mary’s gratitude and passion drove her to serve Jesus, which went even beyond his death. This led to her being the first one to see Jesus resurrected and the first to tell others.
Mary proclaimed Jesus as “My Lord”.
Who is Jesus to you?
It is the most important question you will ever answer.
Peeps | Week 1
Week One: Peeps Discussion Guide
Series Overview:
In this series, we see different people encounter Jesus at their lowest point. All of them had chosen to follow Jesus and saw him killed. All that would change. Their greatest defeat would become their and our greatest victory. Their story is our story. Many people, one sweet Story.
Sermon Overview:
Two Pharisees reluctantly followed Jesus at a distance. They knew he was from God and knew his teachings were different and better. Eventually, they would have to make a stand and because they did, Nick and Joe saved Easter.
Getting Started:
There are two sides to this debate, with no grey area in between.
Do you love or loath peeps marshmallow treats?
When it comes to the resurrection, the debate is just as polarizing.
Why is the resurrection so important to believers?
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:13-14
For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
Digging Deeper:
For the Peeps in this week’s part of the resurrection story, everything they had believed was being challenged.
Read John 3:1-2
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Nicodemus and Joseph were both Pharisees that had heard Jesus' teaching and seen him doing miracles.
They didn’t just discard him but became curious about him, so Nicodemus, representing the few who did not discard Jesus, went to talk to Jesus to gain more understanding.
Of course, Nick went at night, so the other Pharisees did not see him talking to Jesus.
Read John 3:3-6
“Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely, they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
2. How did Jesus’ answer challenge Nick’s life?
The Pharisees believed that the way to go to heaven was by keeping the rules and doing what was right. If you did more good than bad, then you got to go to heaven.
The Pharisees actually believed they were perfect at being good.
3. Does this false idea of how to get to heaven still exist in the church and/or the worldview today?
4. Has there ever been a time when what you believed was challenged, and you had to change the way you think?
Read Luke 23:50-51
Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.
5. The decision and deed Joseph did not agree to was the crucifixion of Jesus.
Less is known about why and how Joseph came to follow Jesus secretly.
He is recorded in all 4 gospels…
He is mentioned in 34 verses in the Bible.
He and Nicodemus shared their passion for Jesus.
Read John 19:38-39
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.
6. From the message, what do you remember was the usual practice for discarding the bodies of those crucified?
7. Why was it so unusual that Joseph went straight to Pilate to ask for the body, and how did this move Nick and Joe from secret followers to public followers of Jesus?
8. What did Joseph, Nicodemus, and the rest of the world believe would happen now that Jesus was dead?
Read John 19:39-40
Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.
9. Why was this Jewish burial custom important to the truth of the resurrection?
10. How did Nick and Joe, by their faith, save Easter?
NEXTSTEP:
Read John 3:13-16
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
What are you counting on to get you to heaven? Does it match up with the truth that Jesus gave Nicodemus about going to heaven?
He’s Still Got the Whole World in His Hands | Week 3
Sermon Title: Hope
Sermon Overview
How are we supposed to remain hopeful in a hopelessly broken world? We want to be hopeful, but when relationships sour, stock prices tumble, dreams disappear, and plans crumble, hope can be hard to come by. In a world without guarantees, hope can be a dangerous thing. But what if the tension we feel is the result of putting our hope in the wrong things? What if God has a different plan for us—a plan built on his unfailing love?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. The Pastor defines hope as a person or thing in which our expectations are centered. With that in mind, in whom or what do you most frequently hope?
2. In what kinds of things or people do you see your friends and family placing their expectations?
3. Share about a time when you put your hope in something or someone and came away disappointed.
Read Romans 8:20
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope.
4. How does this verse support the idea of sin as a disease and not an event?
5. Why does this matter in the context of finding and maintaining hope?
Read Romans 8:26-30
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
6. What phrases or concepts in this passage engender hope within you?
Read Romans 8:33-39
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul provides a long list of circumstances, culminating with “nor anything else in all creation” that shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
7. If you were to write your own list of circumstances, powers, or feelings that will not separate you from the love of God, what would be on that list?
MOVING FORWARD
Hope. It only works when the object of our hope is certain, when it is consistent, when it will not fail. God has offered us such an unfailing object: his love. As evidenced in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, God has shown that his love is truly without fail. So, although this world will remain broken due to the disease of sin, you can confidently hope without reservation—if you will transfer all of your hope onto God’s unfailing love.
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Read Psalm 33:22
“May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”
He’s Still Got the Whole World in His Hands | Week 2
Sermon Title: Pray Until the Peace Comes
Sermon Overview:
In the previous session, we said that God is at work even in uncertain times. It is good to know that he is working, but what should we be doing? How should we live in the midst of uncertainty? How can we keep from being overwhelmed by the fears and insecurities that often go hand in hand with uncertainty? God has a plan, and his plan is to replace our anxieties with peace.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Share about a time when uncertainty created an increased interest in spiritual things for you or a friend.
Read Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
2. Why are Paul’s circumstances (in jail awaiting trial) crucial to the credibility of this passage?
Read Philippians 4:4.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
3. What are some things that you are more likely to rejoice in other than “in the Lord”?
4. Why, in the midst of this passage on uncertainty, does Paul exhort us to “let our gentleness be evident to all”?
Paul’s use of the word “present” in verse six means “to reveal.” Think about your recent prayers.
5. What underlying, deeper needs are revealed by your prayer requests?
6. Complete the following sentences: Heavenly Father, I need __________. If you don’t, I’m afraid that __________.
MOVING FORWARD
In the midst of our uncertainty, God offers us peace—a peace that replaces anxiety, fear, and insecurity. All you have to do is give up your illusion of control and embrace the reality of your dependence upon God. You do this by going to God in prayer with your deepest needs, hopes, and fears.
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Read Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
He’s Still Got the Whole World in His Hands | Week 1
Sermon Title: Nothing New
Sermon Overview:
As a society, we live in a world of uncertainty. Uncertain social conditions. Uncertain economic times. Uncertain global developments. Yet uncertainty is nothing new. The characters in the Bible experienced wildly fluctuating levels of uncertainty . . . often feeling as if life was moving backward, getting worse.
The questions remain the same.
Where’s God?
Is he going to show up?
Is he still in control?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What has been the brightest moment in your life? What has been the darkest moment in your life?
Does God become bigger during brighter or darker moments in your life? How does your relationship with God change during certain/uncertain times?
Read Mark 14:17-26
When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?” “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
3. What were some of the different emotions that the disciples might have been experiencing while at dinner?
4. How would you have responded to Jesus’ statements if you were present?
5. What other passages from the Bible depict uncertain times for the characters involved?
6. What does it mean to say that “God is active” or that “God is at work”?
7. How can God still be active when there is no evidence of his activity?
8. How does it help to know that God still has the whole world in his hands when you travel through a dark season of uncertainty?
MOVING FORWARD
Some of the brightest moments in our lives are the result of brokenness. When we can see that God is working through undesirable circumstances—even the ones we bring on ourselves—there is a sense of purpose and peace that emerges. Knowing that God is still active during uncertain times allows us to maintain hope and faith and keeps us from despair. We can rest knowing that God has not abandoned us and that he is still in control.
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Read Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Staying in Love | Week 4
Staying in Love #4: Multiple Choice Marriage
INTRODUCTION
1 Corinthians 13 is a popular passage from the Bible that many couples include in their wedding ceremonies. Its description of love is inspiring. Yet, upon further examination, you’ll also find specific instructions that, when applied, will result in long-lasting, love-filled relationships.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is the best piece of advice you’ve heard about making a relationship last?
2. What has been the most impactful piece of advice from “Staying in Love” that you can apply to a current relationship (or a future relationship)?
3. Do you have high expectations in your relationships, or do you expect very little from those around you? Explain.
4. When there is a gap between what you expect from people and what they actually do, do you fill that gap by “believing the best” or “assuming the worst”? Give an example.
Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, the apostle Paul defines love with multiple descriptors.
5. Which descriptors of loving come easy to you? Which aspects of loving do you find difficult?
6. What specific steps can you take this week to fill the gaps in your relationships by choosing to trust and believing the best?
MOVING FORWARD
Gaps occur all the time in relationships. There are gaps between what we expect from others and what they actually do. And in response, we can choose to trust and believe the best, or we can choose the opposite and fill those gaps with negative assumptions. Or, as it says in 1 Corinthians 13, we can choose to protect, trust, hope, and persevere. Relationships will grow or fade depending on what you choose to place in those gaps.
CHANGING YOUR MIND
It (love) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:7
Staying in Love | Week 3
Staying in Love #3: Feelin’ It
INTRODUCTION
How can two people stand at an altar and swear they will love each other until “death do us part” and then just a few years later hate each other more than they have ever hated anyone? How can the person to whom she gave her deepest vow become the person she despises most? In this message, we provided insight on how to not only fall in love, but also to stay in love.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
We all bring emotional “baggage” into our romantic relationships.
1. What are some reasons romantic relationships reveal this baggage more than any other kind of relationship?
2. Our ‘baggage’ frequently results from family or romantic relationships. What are some specific experiences that have most contributed to your baggage?
Read Proverbs 4:23.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
In this verse, Solomon, famous for his wisdom, says to guard your heart above all else.
3. Do you agree with Solomon? Even if you disagree, can you think of some reasons why Solomon would place such value on guarding your heart?
4. Your ability to feel certain things is determined by the condition of your heart.
Why is this more important than your partner’s behavior?
How does the second half of Proverbs 4:23 support this assertion?
5. Unspoken emotions have a great deal of power over us. Why does verbalizing a specific emotion take away that power?
6. Oftentimes, we feel defensive when our partners come to us and say, “When you do ________, I feel _________.”
7. There are no bad feelings; when we share feelings, we are providing an observation, not a criticism.
What should be our response to this type of observation?
Why is this so difficult to do?
MOVING FORWARD
What’s inside of you is coming out. And it’s not coming out because of whom you are with, but because it was in you to begin with. If you want to stay in love, you must pay attention to what is in there, so that you can own it. You must have a plan to guard your heart—a plan that begins with thinking about and identifying specific emotions, then communicating them. Will you commit to this plan?
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
Staying in Love | Week 2
Staying in Love #2: Re-Modeling
INTRODUCTION
While it is easier than ever to fall in love, it is harder than ever to stay in love. And no one wants to fall in love and just endure. We want to stay in love. Is this even possible? If so, what should our plan be? In this message, Andy answers both of these questions by sharing a blueprint for enduring love.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
How did you interact with that person?
2. What is your most valued material possession?
Describe this possession and how you treat it.
3. Read Philippians 2:3-4.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
4. What are some things you can do this week to “value others above yourselves?”
Specifically, how can you apply this idea to someone you love?
Read Philippians 2:5-7.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness.
5. Describe a time when you saw someone with position or power choose to serve rather than to leverage that position or status for his own benefit?
How did you feel when you saw that?
Were you surprised by his actions?
We can't have it both ways.
We all must face the dilemma between choosing what we deserve or choosing submission.
6. What does he mean by this? Why can't we have it both ways?
7. In what ways can you choose to submit to the person you love this week?
MOVING FORWARD
To stay in love, you have to choose to love each other how Christ loved us. In other words, you have to choose to treat the person you love as the most important person in the world to you. You must be willing to put them first. What is keeping you from this? Is it worth missing out on the love relationship that God designed for you?
CHANGING YOUR MIND
In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:5-7
Staying in Love | Week 1
Staying in Love #1: The Juno Dilemma
INTRODUCTION
Falling in love is easy. Staying in love and being committed to each other is a bit more difficult. Ever wonder if people can stay together for good. . . like people in love? Is it even possible for two people to stay happy together forever?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Describe the first person you fell in love with. What made you fall in love?
Have you fallen in love with anyone since then?
2. Why do you think there are over 1,500 matchmaking organizations in this country?
Why is there such a demand?
3. Has it become harder or easier to fall in love even though there are so many matchmaking opportunities?
4. What unwritten rules of love (both healthy and unhealthy) did you learn from your family of origin?
5. How have those rules surfaced in your current relationships?
Read John 13:34
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
In John 13:34, Jesus identifies love as a verb, not a noun.
6. What are some concrete differences between feeling love and doing love?
Read Ephesians 5:21
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
In Ephesians 5:21, Paul refers to mutual submission.
7. What does mutual submission look like in the context of a romantic relationship?
8. What steps can you take this week to proactively love someone, rather than reacting to what someone else does or does not do for you?
MOVING FORWARD
The key to staying in love is not finding the right person. It’s finding someone who is committed to becoming the right person while you work to become the right person. It’s finding someone who is not afraid to put you first while you overcome your fear of putting him or her first. It’s about making love a verb.
CHANGING YOUR MIND
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
John 13:34
New Normal | Week 5
New Normal: Selfless
Big Idea: Obedience to God from a selfless heart will bring about the life we have tried to achieve and failed through a selfish heart.
Getting Started
When was a time you disobeyed a rule or someone in authority and ended up regretting it?
What is the difference between obedience in our relationship with God and salvation through grace in Christ?
What are some motives that lead us to obey God?
Read John 14:15 Jesus Said,
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
4. How can love motivate us to obedience and reflect our relationship with God?
What is something you do, not because you want to, or even enjoy doing, but because of love?
How has God been selfless in His love for us?
God never makes a rule just to be mean; it is always for our protection.
Craig Groeschel said this about obedience:
I believe Christians often perceive obedience to God as some test designed to see if we are committed to Him. But what if it’s designed as God’s way of giving us what’s best for us.
5. How does the world tell us we can get what is best for us?
Read Romans 8:5-6:
“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of a sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”
6. What are the differences between nature desires and Spirit desires?
Read Galatians 5:22-24
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
7. How does our family, or others around us, benefit when we are obedient?
How do you “crucify the flesh with its passion and desires”?
Read James 1:22. 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
Remember the chair illustration from Sunday.
These three chairs reflect our relationship with God.
Chair 1
Are the people who understand that the selfless act of obeying God leads us to be our best, and get the best from our relationship with Him. (Married)
Chair 2
Reflects one who wants the benefits of the relationship with God but has yet to give up their independence or control and be completely committed with their hearts to the relationship. (Doesn’t want to put a ring on it)
Chair 3
Is the one who has never entered the relationship and is still trying to make it on their own, without God.
(All out Single, and don’t know what they want)
Next Step.
What chair are you in?
New Normal | Week 4
Big Idea: Change always begins with doing something different than you did in the past.
Getting Started
What is one positive impact that believers or the church have made on your life?
Are “Christians” known for making a positive impact on the world?
From the message this week, how did the early church show the world the difference Jesus made?
*Leaders Notes for reference
In the Roman Empire, right after the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection, two massive pandemics hit them.
The first was the Antonine Plague in 165 A.D.
Most historians would say it was the first worldwide outbreak of smallpox with no vaccine, and no way of fighting it.
The second happens a little later called, the Cyprian plague in 249 A.D.
And they believe that the Cyprian plague, which ends up being a little bit worse, is potentially the first outbreak of measles or even Ebola.
There is no vaccine.
There is no hospital system to help.
It just spreads like crazy.
The Cyprian plague -five thousand people a day died in Rome - repeatedly.
This plague wipes out 1/4 of the Roman Empire.
In fact, we know from history that when a plague hit, even the first few physicians they had ran out of the city.
The Turning Point
Christians stepped up with a level of love and generosity the world had never seen before.
During these two pandemics, it was followers of Jesus that led the way to show the world generosity.
This is documented by secular historians; history shows the generosity of Christians during pandemics led people to take notice of Jesus.
4. How would you describe a generous person?
Read John 13:34- Jesus said,
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
5. What are the characteristics of Jesus’ love for us?
Read Act 4:32-35
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
6. How does this description of the first church differ from what the world thinks about Christians today?
7. How do these descriptions challenge what you believe we should do as believers?
8. Faith sees best in the dark. Don’t blame the dark for being dark. Instead, let your light shine in the dark.
Next Step: Be the Difference
What is one action you can take this week to show Jesus’ kind of love and sacrifice to others?
Pray that God would give you His heart of generosity and genuine love towards others, then hold on and be amazed at the difference He will make in others' lives through you.
New Normal | Week 3
Big Idea: Change always begins with doing something different than you did in the past.
Getting Started
What is a New Year’s resolution that you have made for yourself?
What will need to change for you to accomplish this goal?
Change always begins with doing something different than you did in the past.
Read Exodus 3:7
And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.”
God knows our frustration of where we are. He hears us and wants to take us where we need to be.
2. What keeps us from making the changes we know we need to? Fear? Laziness? Excuses?
Read Exodus 14:10-12
And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
When the cost of change got difficult, the children of Israel wanted to go back to what was destroying them and away from what God had promised.
3. Have you ever made a change that didn’t have some degree of sacrifice or difficulty involved?
Change is always difficult but also beneficial.
There is always a desert before the promise land.
Read Exodus 14:14
The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.
Are you relying on your own strength and willpower for change?
Have you invited God to join your battle against this need for change?
God provided the way for the Israelites to escape, but they had to trust God and move forward through the difficulty.
Read Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Next Step: Choose to Change
Write down one real life change you need to make.
Embrace the change you need.
Submit it to God and invite him to the battle.
When the going gets tough, and it always will, don’t give up and run back to what is comfortable.
Instead, focus on the promise and benefits beyond the challenge, knowing that God is fighting with you and for you.
Invite another believer to join you and help you with encouragement and accountability.
New Normal | Week 2
Big Idea: Gratitude turns what you have into all you need.
Getting Started
Have you ever done something for someone, and it went unacknowledged? Not even a “Thank You” from anyone.
What was your reaction?
How did it make you feel?
Read: Luke 17:11-12
11 Now, on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
One of the most basic and simple words we can say is “Thank you.”
What may be the reasons we forget to say thank you?
Gratitude is a habit that we must establish to be part of who we are.
Read Philippians Chapter 4:11-12
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
2. What is the difference between a need and a want?
How much time do you think about your wants verse being grateful for what you have?
3. Pastor said, “When we focus on what we have, it creates an abundance mindset.”
How would an Abundance Mindset benefit us…
…physically?
…emotionally?
…spiritually?
It turns out it's not happy people who are grateful. It's grateful people who are happy
4. Only when we change our mindset and create a habit of being grateful can we truly enjoy all the blessings we have.
Read: Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
Next Step: Sticky Challenge
Take the sticky notes you received Sunday and write a prayer grateful to God for someone in your life.
Your spouse
a friend
a coworker
Someone who has had a positive impact on your life.
Then stick that prayer where that person can find and read it.
New Normal | Week 1
Big Idea: We are the church, and together we worship and grow so we may go into the world and help others find the same hope we have in Christ.
Getting Started
How are some ways that you have had to learn to connect and communicate with others within the last two years?
What was something you did but didn’t enjoy communicating with others over the past two years?
What did you find useful and continue to use to connect and communicate?
Read: Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (NIV)
4. Who else is God talking to in this passage? (Jesus and the Holy Spirit)
God, the father, God, the son, God, the Spirit together lived in community.
5. Since God is a relational God, what does that say about us being created in his image?
The need for community is in our biology and psychology.
Everybody needs somebody
6. Why do we need others?
Read I Corinthians 3:16
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
7. How does this scripture confirm that we are never alone?
When the Bible says, “You are God’s temple,” the “you” is plural. “Y’all” are God’s Temple.
According to the message, what makes us God’s Temple? The Holy Spirit inside of you and me makes us God’s Temple
8. As a believer, where can we go that God is not with us?
When we go out into the world, God goes with us.
This should make us want to act differently than the world without God and live attractive lives.
People will want to know why we are different, and we can begin to build relationships with them.
We can share our story of the difference God has made in us.
We can give them an opportunity to receive Christ or invite them to church to hear the gospel presented.
By investing and inviting, we can change our world together with God’s Spirit in us.
9. How can Jesus become more the center of your conversations with others and not everything else going on around you?
Next Step
21 Day Prayer Challenge
Read Matthew 18:19-20
This is Jesus speaking “Again, truly I say to you that if two believers on earth agree about anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Prayer is one of the most powerful and yet most unused resources we have.
We ask every owner to join us in praying for the next 21 Days’ because if you do something 21 days in a row, it becomes a habit.
We are asking everyone to pray for something very specific every day. You can find the list at tff.church or follow us on social media. Each day we will have a sample video to guide you in how to pray that day.
We believe God will begin to do amazing things as we pray and go out into the world empowered by his spirit.
If Money Talked | Week 4
Money Says: What you do with me speaks volumes about who and whose you are.
Read Luke 12:16-21
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Discussion:
What was the mistake the rich man-made?
What’s your tendency when it comes to extra stuff you no longer need?
I hang on to everything because you never know when you might need it again.
I hang on to it for a while, but I eventually take inventory and give the extra away.
I give it away right away. If I haven’t used it recently, it’s out the door.
Money is a tool that can add meaning to your life.
When is a time you saw someone leveraging their money to make their life meaningful?
What do you want people to celebrate about you when you’re gone?
What do you want people to line up and thank you for in the end?
Where your treasure is there your heart will be also is a principle that works both ways.
To change where your heart is, change where your money is going.
You can give from a grateful heart or give from a broken heart.
What are some things you are grateful for?
What are some things that break your heart?
What may be keeping you or has kept you in the past from giving to organizations and causes you are passionate about?
Let’s put a twist on it and ask “What do you want your money to celebrate about you when you are gone?
What are the steps you can take today to allow that celebration to occur in the future?
We have looked at four pieces of advice money might give us if our money talked.
I can add meaning to your life, but I am not the meaning of life. Rethink the consumption assumption that may be hurting more than helping
The moment you think you own me I actually own you. Figure out where the money your managing for God is being sent and spent
My direction reveals your affection. Make God and others your priority by giving first saving second and spending the rest
What you choose to do with me speaks volumes about who and whose you are. Leverage your money to do something meaningful.
Which one resonated with you most? Where will you begin- what change (big or small) will you make in how you view or manage your money?
Remember:
No one who applies what Jesus taught about money to their personal finances ever regrets it.
If Money Talked | Week 3
Money Says: My direction reveals your ultimate direction.
Discussion:
There are essentially 5 things we do with money
Spend it
Repay Debt
Pay Taxes
Save it
Give it
Most of us do those five things in that order of me first living with some leftover giving.
Read: Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What you spend your money on reveals what you care about most.
In our culture “me-first living with some leftover giving” is the typical way to handle money
Jesus invites us to reprioritize.
Give First
Save Second
Live on the Rest
How does this challenge you with your current spending?
As best you can review your top five expenses from the last month.
Would it be realistic for one of your five biggest expenses to fit the Give it (God and others) category?
Giving can be proactive or reactive.
Proactive is giving regularly to something
Reactive is giving as a need arises.
Which way does the majority of your giving lean?
Read Matthew 6:25-29, 33-34
5 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
What do these verse say to you?
Remember:
No one who applies what Jesus taught about money to their personal finances ever regrets it.
If Money Talked | Week 2
Money Says: You think you own me, actually I own you
Discussion:
True or false: Most of us allow our income to drive our spending.
Someone once said, “You work for your money, or your money works for you.”
The writer of proverbs put it this way…
Read Proverbs 22:7 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
When your spending exceeds your income, you become a slave.
When you manage someone else’s money are you responsible and accountable? Why? Why not?
Read Psalms 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
Read 1 Corinthians 10:26 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
What is your first reaction to the idea that you are managing money that God has entrusted you with?
Does that match the way you’ve thought about money before?
The Challenge this week is to spy on your money.
Which answer best describes you as it relates to you knowing where your money goes?
I avoid thinking about it
I am mostly unaware of where it’s going
I know generally where it is going
I know exactly where it is going
If comfortable share and explain your answer.
Is there a time in your life when you would have answered differently?
Are you spending your money on those things that are most meaningful to you?
What are some things that you would spend money on now but what would that be and why?
Off the top of your head think about what you spent money on in the last week. Are any of those in your list from above?
This week track your spending.
Go digital
The Mint app or another spend tracking app
Keep a paper trail
Keep every receipt from every purchase than at the end of the week write it all down.
Write it Down, right away
Take a piece of paper with you every day and write every down where and for what every dime you spent.
Spend the same way
Use only one debit or credit card this week and then look at your expenses via your bank statement.
Tracking each expense will be a valuable tool to help you know how and when you’re spending your money and give you the ability to find ways to manage what God has given you to manage.
This will allow you to maintain or begin the process of making your money work for you.
Remember:
No one who applies what Jesus taught about money to their personal finances ever regrets it.
If Money Talked | Week 1
The Consumption Assumption:
Money Says: I can add meaning to your life, but I am not the meaning of life.
Discussion:
How was money handled in your house growing up?
What was modeled about money for you in the past often influences the assumption you hold about money today.
Which of the following statement do you strongly agree or strongly disagree? What might influence your answers?
The details of my finances should be kept private from family and friends
If I work hard, I have the right to play hard.
My salary and my possessions are an indication of my success.
Once I have everything I need, I should be generous with what I have left.
Carrying a balance on my credit card is okay
Giving my kids nice things is one way I show I love them.
Children should be told the details of our family finances.
Someone once said, “You work for your money, or your money works for you.”
Money can be a tool to add meaning to your life as it works for you.
Our money, or lack thereof also known as debt usually driven by greed, or I want it now instead of when I can afford it, can begin to control our lives.
The writer of proverbs put it this way…
Read: Proverbs 22:7 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
The Pastor said “greed is the assumption that it’s all for my consumption.”
What is your reaction to this definition?
Has your financial situation ever impacted whether you were able to do something you felt strongly to do?
Has your finances ever dictated your decisions? (Example, you wanted to stay home to raise your kids but you had to many bills so you couldn’t)
Read Luke 12:15 “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Read the next question and have each person reflect on their answer to themselves.
Have you shifted to autopilot in your finances?
Have you lost track of goals you once had especially the ones related to being generous?
What expenses are you trying to justify?
Are you willing to entertain another way of thinking about money?
Remember:
No one who applies what Jesus taught about money to their personal finances ever regrets it.