Gospel Rhythms: Sermon Series Study Guide #4 - Give Blessing to Others through Our Words, Actions and Gifts

READ 1 Peter 3:8-12

This passage wraps up one of the letter’s main sections.  In 2:11-3:7, Peter addresses areas where his readers were struggling to make sense of how their new Christian faith fit into their vision of the good life. Peter addresses four major areas of life where they were struggling (we’ll call them the 4 P’s):

1.     Place (2:11-12) – How to handle feeling like exiles, not fully at home in any place.

2.     Politics (2:13-17) – How to respond in a difficult political situation & under political leadership with whom you disagree.

3.     Profession (2:18-25) – How to respond to difficulties in the workplace

4.     Partners (3:1-7) – How to respond to difficulties in marriage

OUR VISION OF THE GOOD LIFE

These four areas are places where they were – and we are – are looking for the good life. In verse 10, Peter quotes from Psalm 34; but he intentionally chooses to begin his quotation in the middle of the Psalm not the beginning – “whoever desire to love life and see good days”.  This is exactly where his original readers were confused. Instead of experiencing the “good life” in these 4 P’s, they were experiencing struggles & suffering. This has led them to a certain level of disillusionment and disappointment with their faith. They were thinking, “I’m a Christian now, so why isn’t God giving me the good life? It’s not working!”

The dominant vision of the good life in our culture is built on what we can get from life. We obsess over much happiness and fulfillment we are getting from our 4 P’s. As Peter reaches his conclusion in addressing these things he brings it all together by showing them (and us) that Jesus has come to give us a new vision of the good life. If we desire to love life and see good days, we will need to let go of a vision of life that is based on what we get and embrace an entirely new vision.

A NEW VISION OF THE GOOD LIFE: OUR CALLING TO BLESS

Peter tells us Jesus’ new vision of the good life can be summed up in one word, “bless”. In this new vision, the 4P’s are not things where we look to get the good life from but areas where are called to give blessing into. If we ever want to experience the good life as God intends – we need to change from “getters” to “givers”. The concept of blessing is central to this vision. In order to give blessing, we need to ask a few foundational about this new vision of the good life. 

What does it mean to bless?

Blessing is an important and rich biblical concept. On the very first pages of the bible we find God blessing animals, humanity and the seventh day.  When God blesses someone/something, He is providing both purpose + power together. Blessing is God’s empowerment to live as He designed us to live. We also see that – after the curse entered into the world –God’s plan to reverse this curse and restore His blessing would come through people. He tells Abraham that He will bless him and that in him all the families of the earth will be blessed. (Gen 12:1-3) What we see is that blessing is not just a , it is a calling. Blessing is God’s calling to all who receive His blessing. When we bless others we give them a taste and a glimpse of life as God intends

How do we bless?

We bless others through words, actions and gifts (v10-11). What we say to others has incredible power. Christians are called to speak blessing (not evil or deceit). Christians are called to actively strategize how to “do good” to the people in their lives. When we serve others for their good and give gifts to others, we help them gain a taste of God’s abundant grace and love.

What happens when we bless?

In contrast to participating in the downward spiral of repaying and retaliating, blessing has the power to break the cycle of evil and hostility, draw others toward God & draw us closer to God. In fact, Peter is saying it’s when our vision of the good life is frustrated, that we actually have our best opportunities to live the new vision by giving blessing! As we seek, pursue and pray for the peace and good of others, we find our peace (see Jer. 29:7)

A FUTURE VISION OF THE GOOD LIFE

In verse 9, Peter reminds us that blessing is our inheritance. The word “inherit” (obtain in some translations) is pointing us back to 1 Pet. 1:3-4 “God has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” By faith in Jesus, we gain the family inheritance of eternal blessing. This radically impacts our vision of the good life now. It frees us to be bold, sacrificial with our lives to bless others. It reminds us that whatever it costs us to bless others, it “will never cost us more than we’ve been given” (Douglas Harnik).

Questions

1.      What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions? What is your vision of the good life? How would you describe it? How did you develop it? How is this new vision of the good life different from the vision of life you’ve developed?

2.      Which of the 4 P’s is most frustrating and unfulfilling in your life? How are you currently handling and responding to this?

3.      Have you experienced the power of intentionally giving blessing to others (especially those with whom you are having difficulty)? Describe the impact giving blessing had on the other person and on you.

4.      Pick one of the 4 P’s and describe how responding with giving blessing might look (instead of responding in retaliation, frustration or confrontation)?

5.      CS Lewis wrote, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in:” aim at earth and you will get neither.” What’s your response to this? 

Gospel Rhythms: Sermon Series Study Guide #3 - Pray Daily for Gospel Renewal for Ourselves and Others

READ Psalm 3

Psalms 1 and 2 are the two-part introduction to the book of Psalms. This makes Psalm 3 the first Psalm in the book that was written for use in the prayers of individuals and the worshipping community. It’s placement at the beginning of the book is clearly intentional as it shows us the kind of prayer that we should pray to start each day. Throughout church history many prayer traditions have used Psalm 3 as a prayer to begin every morning.

WHY PRAY?
The introduction to this Psalm tells us where this prayer came from. It was written and prayed by King David of Israel after his own son, Absalom, staged a coup against him and forced him to flee from his palace. The is Psalm is filled with battle imagery (foes rising up, shield, enemies surrounding) as David was facing a military threat. But what’s significant about David’s prayer is that he doesn’t focus on the outward threat of his political enemies. Instead, he is overwhelmed by what his enemies and difficult circumstances were saying to his soul. This reveals why this Psalm is a pray for every person, every day because ALL of life – from the perspective of the Bible – is a battle/fight over where we look for salvation.   Salvation in the Psalms is used for much more than just the final destination for our souls. Salvation means being rescued from anything that keeps us from living a faithful, full and flourishing life with God at the center. We pray because it is in prayer that our eyes are open to the battle we all face. Every person is looking for salvation from a life of emptiness, insignificance and pain. The battle is over where we look for this salvation. We pray because we can’t win this battle apart from prayer. Without prayer, the voices that tell us God is unnecessary, uninterested or absent to us in our struggles become the voices that define our souls.  Not praying is essentially saying to God we can win the battle in our own strength.  David had to come to the end of himself before he cried out to God for salvation from enemies that had grown so big He wasn’t sure if God was with him anymore. In prayer, he recovered perspective and was able to face another day in faith. 

WHAT TO PRAY

In addition to showing us why we need regular, daily prayer, this Psalm shows us what we should pray every day.  

1.      Pray to God – Sometimes we think we are praying but we are really only talking to ourselves inside our heads. Over and over again, David address God as “LORD” (6x). Prayer is conversation with God. 

2.      Pray your situation – Sometimes we think, “Why tell God what’s going on in my life? Doesn’t He already know?” The answer is, “Yes, he does” but David vividly describes his situation and his emotions to God not for God’s sake but for his own. In prayer, his eyes were opened to what was going on in his own soul.

3.      Pray truth into your situation – Prayer is how what we know about God is applied to our specific struggles and situations. For the 3-fold description of the enemy in verse 1+2, David counters by praying 3 truths about God (shield, glory, lifter of my head) in verse 3.

4.      Pray out loud – David comes to God in raw, honest emotion. He “cried aloud” (v4). He isn’t having a peaceful “quiet time”, he comes to God as he is.

WHEN TO PRAY  
Though David had made it through a day, he had to begin his next morning praying again for faith and deliverance from his adversaries. In his book, The Shape of Living, author David Ford wrote, “Our lives are shaped in large degree by the loudest and most influential voices in the community of our hearts.” Prayer is placing the voice of God at the center of heart’s community. CS Lewis helps us see why we need to do this every day: "the real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in...And so on, all day"

WHO TO PRAY
We need to see that this Psalm was prayed for us before it can be prayed by us. Daily prayer can only be sustained if we know that we are never praying alone. This Psalm, as all others, needs to be prayed in view of the cross and resurrection. When we read it this way, we see that Jesus’ many enemies said the same thing as David’s (see Lk 23:35). But when Jesus cried aloud to God, God was silent. Why? The cross shows us that we too were among the enemies of Jesus, seeking to dethrone Him and remove his rule over our lives. Yet, while we were yet enemies, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). He defeated his enemies by dying for them, bearing their guilt & conquering their sin. Jesus won the victory FOR us so that when we pray for help in our battles, we can know God hears us & will always answer us in love (see Rom. 8:32-39)

Questions

1.      What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2.      How do you react to the Psalms depiction of life as a daily battle over where we look to salvation? How might this perspective on life drive us to pray regularly and passionately?

3.      The place in our lives where we are saying, “It’s too much”, “I’m overwhelmed”, “I don’t know what to do”, “I can’t do this” – are our best opportunities to learn to pray. Where are you feeling these things right now? How has prayer played a role/not played are role in how you are handling these things?

4.      Which of the 4 things listed under “What to Pray” are a part of your regular prayer life? Which are hardest for you?

5.      What is your current practice and rhythm of prayer? What is your response to the idea of daily prayer? Does it sound like a burden? A blessing? What are the things that keep you from developing a habit of daily prayer?

6.      How does knowing Jesus prayed this Psalm for us help us to pray with confidence?

Gospel Rhythms: Sermon Study Guide #2 – Open Your Life to Community and Hospitality

READ 1 PETER 4:8-11  -

Peter is an important resource for us to look to if we are asking how we can live our lives according to gospel rhythms & practices while living in a culture that lives according to different rhythms – some of which are opposite to the rhythms we’re trying to establish in our lives.

Peter wrote his letter to help encourage his readers to live a life that reflected God’s holiness especially where it was different or difficult. 1 Pet. 4:8-11 tell us what the apostle Peter thought was the “above all” rhythm of life for Christians – The rhythm of opening our lives to community and hospitality.  

WHY WE NEED TO OPEN OUR LIVES

By introducing this section with the words “above all”, Peter is saying that every Christian should have the same thing at the top of their daily to-do list: “Above all, keep loving people earnestly”. Peter is in sync with the apostle Paul, Jesus and the whole Bible here – for the Christian, love is the highest virtue and always the top priority. In order for us to love, we have to open our lives to other people. The challenge with this is that sin works not only to separate us from God, it also separates us and closes us off from other people. As someone has said, “sin is antisocial”. Sin is putting, “I come first”, at the top of our daily to-do list.   

But Peter says opening our lives to love others earnestly can counteract the antisocial dynamics of sin. He tells us the reason we should love one another is that “love covers a multitude of sins”. This is an allusion to Proverbs 10:12, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs” Peter is saying that the forgiving love of a gospel community is like a blanket/lid that keeps sin from stirring up and wreaking more havoc in our lives & the lives others. Though we close our lives to hide our wounds and scars; though we fear opening our lives because of our flaws, failures and faults, Peter says only when we open up our lives can we experience the “covering” of our sin through the forgiving love of a gospel community.  

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO OPEN OUR LIVES

In verse 9, Peter shows us what it looks like to open up our lives. He says, “show hospitality to one another”.  The word used here for hospitality could be literally translated “love of strangers”. Hospitality is how strangers become family. Here’s a definition of biblical hospitality: Hospitality is 1) generously and regularly sharing your schedule, space and stuff 2) with an open heart and attitude 3) seeking to turn strangers into brothers and sisters and friends 4) out of gratitude and joy for Jesus' radical welcome to us.

Opening up our schedule, space and stuff to others is not easy! That’s why Peter said we should learn to do this “without complaining”. Hospitality is inconvenient & messy because people (we are) messy and broken! The early church put such an emphasis on hospitality because this was Jesus’ main strategy for ministry – so much so that Jesus said in Luke 7:34 “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” Jesus modeled this radically open and welcoming hospitality to show us what it looks like to create and sustain a community of grace. The early church took a cue from Jesus – it was their goal to become the most open and hospitable community in their cities. It should be the same for us today.

HOW TO OPEN UP OUR LIVES TO COMMUNITY AND HOSPITALITY

In verses 10-11, Peter helps us take steps toward opening up our lives. He does this by helping us move from disillusionment to stewardship. In our search for a loving, hospitable community, disillusionment is inevitable because there is no perfect community/church - we will always be let down. In his book, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “only that fellowship which faces such disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should be in God’s sight… the sooner this shock of disillusionment comes to an individual and a community the better for both…” The disillusionment forces us to ask, “Do I love my dream of community more than the actual people/community God has given me?”

Only when we see what we have been given - 1) the community God has placed us in and 2) the gifts He’s give us to pour into this community – will we find the community we are looking for. This is stewardship. When each person gratefully pours their unique gifts into others – a powerful community of grace is formed. The first step toward opening our lives is not finding the perfect community/church; it’s using our gifts to faithfully serve the people already in our lives.

Questions

1.     What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2.     Why is it so difficult to put “Above all, keep loving people earnestly” at the top of our daily to-do lists? What might look different about your life if you did keep it at the top?

3.     Peter mentions the “covering” power of love in community. This covering happens when we say to someone, “I don’t see you as a sinner (wounded, flawed, failing). I see you as God sees you in Christ. I see you covered in the righteousness of Christ. even when you wrong me/hurt me”. How have you experienced this? Given this kind of love? How might this kind of forgiving love

4.     What about the definition of hospitality above is most difficult for you? Most appealing to you? What is most challenging for you in opening up our schedule, space and stuff to others?

5.     Have you experienced disillusionment with community? How have you moved past it to stewardship?

6.     How does Jesus’ love, hospitality and service to us motivate us and give us the strength to live more open lives of love hospitality and service?

Gospel Rhythms: Sermon Study Guide #1 - Listen to Scripture Consistently & Meditatively

Study Guide #1 - Listen to Scripture Consistently & Meditatively 

READ Psalm 1 - 

Psalm 1 is the introduction and “gateway” to the entire collection of 150 Psalms. As the bible’s handbook of prayer and spiritual life, The Psalms show us what a close, intimate relationship with God looks like. But before we are allowed into the Psalms – we first have to go through the gateway. This Psalm highlights the absolute necessity of a developing a regular rhythm of listening to scripture if we are to enjoy a vibrant relationship with God.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING

Psalm 1 says there are really only 2 ways of living. The word “way” in Hebrew can be literally translated as “road” or “path”. In this life we have the choice 2 paths - the path of the righteous or the path of the wicked (v6). But how do we know what path we are on? The Psalm says these 2 ways of living are primarily defined by what or who we are listening to. What sets the course of our lives is whether we are listening to the “counsel of the wicked” or the law of the Lord (the Scriptures).

If we aren’t committed to learning the rhythm of regularly listening to God (day and night meditation), then Psalm 1 says don’t bother coming into the rest of the Psalms (which is the place of close relationship with Him). The Psalm reveals shaping power of our listening. It’s not a question of whether or not we are listening? It is a question of which voice(s) am I listening to – the voice of God in His Word or the voices that try to make sense of life apart from Him? We need to know which voices are shaping our live & learn to listen to the voice of God in his Word if we are to know Him and experience the flourishing life He intends for us.

 THE OBSTACLES TO LISTENING TO SCRIPTURE

Verse 1 shows us what a progression away from God looks like. The wicked are those who do wrong, sinners are those who make a lifestyle of it and scoffers/mockers are those who not only do evil but mock those who do good. This movement away starts with pattern of listening (counsel), moves to a pattern of behavior (way), then to a pattern of identification (sitting in a seat). The movement is from listening to identity, from how we listen to who we are. So, the obstacles to listening to Scripture are that there will be a lot of other voices vying for our attention, influencing us and offering us a different vision of life. Listening to these will put you on a path away from God.

Learning to delight & meditate on God’s word while living in a world full of different messages means we will need to look what we are listening to as well

as how we listen – ie, habits & practices of listening we may need to unlearn. There three “listening rhythms” that are dominant in our culture:  

·       Listening Passively – Notice the progression toward increased passivity in Psalm 1 – walk, sit, stand. Our media-saturated culture encourages us to consume media passively for entertainment. In order to learn to listen to scripture, we need to unlearn passive listening and learn to listen purposefully.

·       Listening Overload – In our “information age”, we are constantly bombarded & surrounded by noise. Our devices are always with us. This overload of information makes it very difficult for us to focus. In order to learn to listen to scripture, we need to unlearn listening overload and learn to listen attentively to the most important voice – God’s.

·       Listening Selectively – Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year for 2016 is “post-truth”. We live in an age where we can select our sources of information and only listen to those voices that confirm our biases and beliefs. In order to learn to listen to scripture, we need to unlearn listening selectively and learn to listen submissively to God and his word.

THE BLESSING OF LISTENING TO SCRIPTURE

Psalm 1 is a “gateway” Psalm but it is also an “invitation” Psalm that shows us how to experience closeness with God and the “happiness” (v1) He intends for us to find in Him. It’s saying, “Come experience how your life will flourish as you learn to delight in and mediate on Scriptures!” It tells us that delight and meditation are the key to experiencing the blessing. What we delight in and what we meditate on are interconnected. What we meditate day and night on reveals our delight. If our delight is in our wealth/comfort, our success, a relationship, our thoughts will be preoccupied with these things. When things are going well, we’ll be happy. When things are not going well, we’ll be anxious, upset and down. This way of living is like chaff because these things (many of them good) are not substantial enough to be our life’s goal/purpose – this is found only in God.

So - our delight can be detected by what we meditate on day and night but it is also true that our delight can also be redirected by changing what we mediate on day and night. The Scriptures have the power to capture our delight. The Scriptures become our delight as we meditate day and night on their main message – God’s saving love for us in Jesus. Jesus – the only one whose life was truly the prospering tree of Psalm 1 “bore our sin in his body on the tree so we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds we have ben healed” (1 Pet 2:24).  The rhythm of consistent and meditative listening to Scripture regularly renews us in the power of the gospel.

Questions

1.      What about the sermon most impacted or left you with questions?

2.      Do you agree that what we listen to has the power to shape our way of life and our identity? How have you seen this happen in your life?

3.      What do you think are the biggest obstacles you face in developing a habit of consistent Bible meditation and delight? Which of the 3 “listening rhythms” of our culture (bullet points above) most shape your life? How do these impact the way you listen to God?

4.      Psalm 1 recommends meditation which is different than reading or studying. What does it look like to meditate (literally “chew”) on God’s Word? How have you experienced Scripture redirecting your delight? How do you remember the “main message” (Jesus) as you read all of Scripture?

5.      What is your current practice for reading/meditating on Scripture? What has worked best?

Sermon Study Guide: #MOVEMENTCHURCH - ROME

#MOVEMENTCHURCH - ROME

Read Acts 28:17-31

Acts 28 shows us that what began with a band of 13 men, Jesus and his 12 disciples, had in a matter of decades, expanded from small town Galilee to the very center of the Roman Empire and the world at that time – the great city of Rome. The book of Acts was written to tell us the story of how all this happened. As Michael Green wrote, “Three crucial decades in world history. That is all it took. In the years between AD 33 and 64 a new movement was born.”

Acts wasn’t just written to tell us the story of the birth of a movement but to invite us to join the movement in our time. If you want to start a movement with a speech, a book or a movie – the story’s ending is crucial. You need to end with a bang. Think of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech or Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”. But Acts’ ending leaves us scratching our heads. Is that it? What happened to Paul? What about the church at Rome? Understanding Acts’ ending is critical for us to see how the whole book continues to fuel the movement of the gospel today.

Happy Ending? - Is Acts 28 a “happy” ending? It’s a question that forces us to remember the what story Acts is telling. The story is about how a small group of people huddled together in an “upper room” in Jerusalem somehow accomplished what Jesus said they would. In Acts 1:8 Jesus tells this small group of His followers that they will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Acts ends with Paul in the heart of the empire, in its capital city, just one step away from Caesar himself.

Luke is showing us that against all odds, God’s purpose, plan, mission will always prevail. This should give us great comfort, faith and hope. No matter how things look, no matter what’s happening in our world, whether we are encouraged or discouraged; no matter who’s in leadership, the odds are always on God’s side.

The end of Acts also forces us to remember who the story is about. Though Paul, Peter and the other apostles are foundational figures, the story isn’t first and foremost about them. It’s about Jesus. Paul wrote about his Acts 28 experience in prison chained to a guard in the letter to the Philippian church – his most happy letter. There he said, “I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Phil. 1:12). Paul’s happiness and joy was found in Jesus (“to live is Christ to die is gain” 1:21) and pointing others to find and progress in this joy (Phil. 1:25). Acts 28 is a true “happy ending” because Jesus is being made known with boldness and without hindrance.

Spoiler Ending - The end of Acts also shows us how God starts and sustains His movement of redemption to ends of the earth. If we’ve been paying attention, we should’ve seen this end coming. It’s a spoiler ending - because God always works through suffering, trials and obstacles. Not despite all these things - but in and through them. He turns the tables on suffering and evil to bring life, healing & hope. These obstacles don’t stop his mission, in these the movement is strengthened.

Acts ends with Paul under house arrest and in chains. At first, we think “that’s a downer”. But Paul’s house arrest caused him to slow down and write three of his epistles (Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians). His house arrest also, gave him a safe place to proclaim the gospel free from public rioting and over reaction (like happened in so many other cities). Having Caesar’s personal guards chained to him (a new one every 4 hours) gave Paul a “captive” audience and a way to even reach Caesar himself (see Phil 1:13!).  Paul’s chains weren’t a hindrance; they were an opportunity. God turned the tables on Paul’s suffering and obstacles to advance the gospel in and through Paul.

It’s a spoiler ending that we should have seen coming. The gospel – that God brings our redemption, new life and hope out of the suffering and death of Jesus – shows us that the God who turned the tables on sin and death continues to move in this way today.

Open Ending - Acts purposefully closes with a very open ending because there is a “to be continued…” Once we see what the story is about, who the story is about & how the story advances forward thru obstacles then we are ready to ask, “What’s my place in the story?”. The ending to Acts is left purposefully open as an invitation for us to be a part of the movement of the gospel. 

There is a famous line from W. Shakespeare’s play Tempest ,“What’s past is prologue” ie. all that is gone before is preparation for what lies ahead. The gospel shows that us nothing in our lives is a foregone conclusion; there are no closed endings. Acts invites us to see our stories as a part of the Grand Story that God is writing and to join the movement of His Spirit in bringing healing to the world.

CONVERSATION

1.      What about the sermon stood out to you or impacted you most? Do you have any follow up questions about the sermon?

2.     Does the end of Acts puzzle you? What questions are you left with? How does remembering what the story is about as a whole help to see the resolution (happy ending)? How does knowing God’s story moves forward “against all odds” provide us with comfort, faith and hope?

3.     What’s the happy ending you wish for in the hardest thing you are facing right now? If you could write the ending, what would you write?  How might remembering who the “big” story is about (and where true happiness and joy is found) change the ending you’d write?

4.     It was said in the sermon, “What seem like our greatest obstacles, hindrances & chains, can be the places God turns the tables to bring healing/life to you and through you.” Have you found this to be true? Share your story. Do you struggle to believe this? Share your struggles.

5.     What does it mean for us to take our place in movement of the gospel today, in the “to be continued…” of Acts? What might this look like for you?