Sermon Title: What is Truth?

Scriptures: Timothy 3:16, Genesis 2:8-9,15-17, Genesis 3:1-7, Romans 12:2

1. Truth comes from God.

2. Did God really say...

Scripture: James 4:11-12, Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, Hebrews 10:26-31 NLT

1. What does the Bible say about judging others?

2. Did I talk to them first? Are they in the room?

3. That time your sin affected me…

What does the Bible say about gossip? Lev. 19:16 Prov. 11:12-13 Prov. 16:28 Prov. 20:19 Matt. 12:36 Rom. 1:29 2 Cor. 12:20 Gal. 5:13 1 Tim. 5:13 Jas. 3:7-8

Scripture: Jas. 4:1-4, 2 Sam. 12:8, Mic. 6:8, Phil. 3:18-19, 1 Tim. 6:6-10, Jas. 4:7-10

Main Points:

1. Want Is the Enemy of God (and God’s people): Want is a simple idea, but it has a major

impact on our lives. Our level of want is directly tied to our belief in God’s sufficiency.

2. Contentment Is the Only True Wealth: Contentment must precede gain, because it will not

follow it. We fool ourselves if we think that the satisfaction of our wants will bring us joy.

3. The Only Way Up Is Down: We are not here to have our every want satisfied. We will only

find contentment when we are fully surrendered to Jesus and accept his provision and

blessing with gratitude.

Sermon Title: James: Real Faith. Real Life.

Scripture: Jas. 2:14-18, 1:26-27, Matt. 15:11, Eph. 4:29, Matt. 25:45-46, Gal. 6:9-10, John 15:1-2, Eph. 4:21-23

Main Points:

1. Control Your Tongue: Scripture places a great deal of emphasis on the use of our tongue. This is more than words, it’s about responsible language. If we truly belong to God, then we have a responsibility to use our tongues in a way that honors him.

2. Care for Orphans/Widows: Love for the “least” is demonstrated with action and not just words. A heart transformed by God will see the depravity of others and choose to act.

3. Avoid Worldly Corruption: Love for God is measured by holiness. Our decisions to live for his glory and not our own is our way of remaining in him. Otherwise, we will be cut off.

Notes: Historically, there have been individuals who had a great deal of disdain for the book of James. Some (notably John Calvin and Martin Luther) did not believe that it belonged in scripture. They saw in it an emphasis on righteousness that they felt was destructive to the nature of the Gospel of Jesus. They believed that it placed too great an emphasis on human effort over divine mercy. This study is meant to show that these concepts are not exclusive to James. The concepts expressed are those of Jesus and later emphasized by Paul to the early church as well. It is important for us to strike a healthy balance between grace and holiness. If we are a good person, but have no relationship with God, then we are not truly saved. If we say that we love God, but do not live a life of holiness, then we are not truly saved. It takes both working on a healthy level in our lives. We accept the gracious gift of God as the means of our salvation. We accept the call to live a life of holiness as those who are set apart for the glory of God and saved by his grace.

Say Yes- 1 Samuel 1:1-28; 2 Samuel 2:12-26

-Persistence is greater than misconceptions. Say yes to pursuing God's plan.

-Faithfulness is greater than feelings. Say yes to submitting to God's sovereignty.

-Preservation is greater than perversity. Say yes to displaying God's holiness.

Sermon Title: Love Your Neighbor... not just the guy next door...

Scripture: Lev. 19:9-18, Matt. 22:36-39, Luke 10:25-37, Gal. 5:13-15, 1 John 4:7-8,

1. Defining Neighbors: Our definition of a neighbor is typically narrowly reduced to people who live near us. The Biblical concept of a neighbor is found more in our shared humanity and the image of God that is on each of us that makes us neighbors/friends/family.

2. Love & Eternity: The Pharisee’s answer to a question about inheriting eternal life was confirmed by Jesus. It is found in two equally important ideas: Love God. Love people.

3. Eyes Wide Open: We begin to love our neighbors when we make the decision to keep our eyes open. We cannot love God or people if we turn a blind eye to the needs of our neighbor.

Questions to ponder?

1. How well do you know the people in your neighborhood? Do you know their names? Their children? Do you know what they celebrate and what they lament? Do they know you?

2. In what ways are you actively showing love to your neighbors?

3. If love for people is just as important as love for God, what should we be doing more often?

4. What are some of the needs in the Shenango Valley that are easy to ignore if we don’t think about it?

5. How can your group take a step to meet one of those needs?

John 12:24-28; Mark 8:34-37

SERVANTS CHOICE- In a world that has everything to offer, how do you stay firmly rooted in your decision to forsake all of that and follow Jesus? This is one of the hardest decisions we will ever have to wrestle with in our lives. We might be quick to say that we are servants, but the proof is found in how we live our lives. A person who is master of their own life will make decisions based on what they think is best for them or for their family. A person who is a servant will always come back to the decision to choose a question over an answer, “What does God want me to do?” When we ask that question, we are committing to the fact that Jesus is our Master and that we are his servants. Without that question, we are living for ourselves and positioning ourselves as our own masters. We can make that decision because we have free will. But here’s the HARD TRUTH for us... If we are making our own decisions about our own lives and living like we’re our own masters, then we have forfeited the right to ever complain against God about our lives.

SERVANT'S STRUGGLE- If it was hard for Jesus to submit to the will of God, how much more difficult will it be for us?!? We cannot help it. Our survival instinct runs deep. At our most basic level, we are animals who want what is best for us while keeping ourselves out of harm’s way.

SERVANT'S CROSS- What is the nature of the cross you are bearing for God? There a a number of scriptural concepts that get misused and this is certainly one of them. We tend to equate the difficulties in our lives as crosses that need to be carried by us. We might equate this to a family situation, a job situation or even natural consequences for decisions we’ve made in our own lives. There is a simple concept here that we are overlooking. The cross is not a symbol of struggle. The cross is a symbol of choice. Jesus chose the cross. He chose the suffering for your sake. In Matthew 26:39 we see Jesus’ prayer in the Garden. He begs God to take the cross from him. He does not want the cross. But, he demonstrates the purest example of obedience to God’s will (his father/master) over our own desires. He gives in and is satisfied to fulfill his purpose and the will of God. To pick up our cross is to say NO to ourselves and YES to God’s plan. That’s what it means to carry our cross. That’s what it means to be dead to ourselves. It’s the way in which the Gospel is propelled and in which we are transformed.

Called to Serve-

---Servant Orientation-What is the right and best way to serve God? Is it through doing service for him or is it through spending time with him? Yes. One of the things we explore in our Serve Class is the difference between people who are TASK ORIENTED and those who are PEOPLE ORIENTED. A task-oriented person, sees that there is salt and grime on the floor of the foyer and they grab a mop to start cleaning it up, because they don’t want a guest to come in and think that we didn’t prioritize being prepared for their arrival by ignoring this task. A people-oriented person will step over the same salt and grime on the floor to greet the guests who are walking into the foyer, because they don’t want a guest to think that cleaning up the floor was more important than connecting with a guest. As we do with any issue that divides us, we tend to look down on the other group. The task-oriented people are driven nuts by the people-oriented people and the people-oriented people think the task-oriented people have their priorities out of whack! Both are fulfilling a vital role in servanthood. When both do their job, we have a guest who walks into a clean floor and a kind face! What a win!

Luke 10:38-42

---Fruit Production- One key component to serving God is that there is supposed to be FRUIT PRODUCTION. What fruit? What is he talking about? How am I supposed to know what he means. Well, that’s simple. Paul outlined it for us in his letter to the church in Galatia.

Matthew 7:17-23, Galatians 5:22-23

---Fruitful Connection- Mary was the one who first sat at the feet of Jesus. She was the one who neglected everything and everyone else for the opportunity to be where Jesus was. But, when her brother died, something shifted in her. She had experience disappointment and it changed her enthusiasm for connection with Jesus. It’s possible that it even caused her to waiver in her faith and made her distant. It wasn’t Mary who ran to Jesus when he came to town… it was Martha. Martha had learned something valuable along the way. Her first response to Jesus was to be a steady worker that made sure every task was satisfied for the sake of serving the LORD. Jesus reminded her that it’s not just about doing. He wanted her to realize the value of time spent with him, at his feet, listening and growing. He wanted her to see that this was the most significant pursuit of our connection with Jesus. If we do not have a fruitful connection with the LORD, then everything we are doing is FOR him. When we prioritize that connection. We begin to walk in that connection daily and then, almost miraculously, everything we are doing is WITH him. This is one of the most crucial points of our journey with Jesus. You will grow weary of doing things for God, but you will never tire of doing things with Him.

John 11:17-22