FORGETFULNESS FOR GOD’S SAKE
(When to forget and when to remember)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship (optional)

Big Idea:
There is a time to remember and a time to forget; a time to focus on the past and a time to move into the future. God calls us to honor the past, but not to live like we did when we were separated from Christ.

Summary:
We live in a modern culture where little honor and respect is paid to the past. We tend to be looking around the next corner for the greener grass. We are very good at forgetting and not so good at remembering and cherishing what God has done throughout redemptive history and even in our own lives.  From cover to cover, God’s Word strongly encourages us to “remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and even the judgments he pronounced.” We are told to “remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead.” And, “remember the height from which we have fallen! Repent and do the things we did at first.” Remembering God’s deliverance and his mighty works is crucial. In fact, we are told to teach these things to our children and their children after them. But, there is also a time when forgetting is exactly what we are told to do. There is a time to move on. But, what does the Bible tell us we are supposed to forget, and when are we supposed to move on? We are told to “forget the former things (how we used to live) and do no dwell on the past.” Paul said that he “forgets what is behind him (stops living the way the used to live in his sin) and instead strains toward what is ahead (a life lived in Christ for eternity).” So, let’s remember God’s awesome works and deliverance, while forgetting and leaving our former way of living when we were separated from Christ.

Discussion Questions: (read the scripture & discuss)

Psalm 105:1-5
What does this Psalm tell us we should not forget? What are some practical and real things we can do that will help us remember these things? (look at the passage)

Deuteronomy 4:1-9
God is gracious to deliver us, but he also instructs us not to forget his commands and to teach them to our children. What commands of the Lord should we not forget and why?

Ephesians 2:11-22
Why should we remember the things in these passages? Remembering who we are in Christ is crucial. How does this truth change who you are and how you live?

Taking Action: Make a list of the things God has done in your life that you need to always remember and treasure. What are some former things and ways of living that you need to forget and no longer engage in? Update and review these two lists on a regular basis.

Ministry Time

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THE ULTIMATE GIFT 

Opening Prayer & Confession of Faith

Worship (optional)

Big Idea:
Two Thousand years ago the ultimate Christmas gift was given to the world – Jesus Christ. What affect is this gift having on your life?

Summary:
The ultimate gift, Jesus, wasn’t wrapped in brilliant colors and displayed prominently in a place of honor for all to see. Rather, he came wrapped in rags and was placed in a feeding trough. But, he was still the ultimate gift. The world just didn’t know it yet. Of course history had been telling of this ultimate gift since the beginning of time, but it had problems recognizing it because the gift just didn’t look like what everyone had imagined. So, most of the world never opened the gift. Instead they threw it out and destroyed it. What is the ultimate gift? It is the ultimate demonstration of humility; the ultimate expression of mercy; the ultimate manifestation of love. It is God coming in the flesh. “His life is the highest and the holiest entering through the most humble of doors. Our Lord’s birth was an advent— the appearance of God in human form” – Oswald Chambers. Have you recognized and received this ultimate gift? Is Jesus your Christmas treasure? Has he changed your life? Do you daily honor him with your life? Just like Christ came into this world, he must also come into your life. When he does you will truly become a new creation and the evidence of this new life is that you will completely yield yourself to his will. People will know you have received the ultimate gift because you will be different. You will love instead of hate, encourage instead of criticize, give instead of take, obey instead of continuing in sin. Are you in the habit of showing Jesus off to your family, your friends, and the whole world? When men look at you do they see the ultimate gift (the light of the world) in you? Remember, it is one thing to be given a gift and yet another thing to accept it, open it, display it, use it, and enjoy it forever.

Discussion Questions: (read the scripture & discuss)

Luke 2:1-20
Discuss how this story, this monumental event in human history, has affected your life.

Hebrews 2:9
How much did the ultimate gift cost? This gift was purchased in two installments – birth (becoming a man) and death. Our acceptance of this gift is made evident in a similar fashion – we are born again and then must die to self. Discuss this parallel.

John 10:10
The word gospel essentially means good news. What good news do you think this passage is describing – a life of luxury and ease or a changed life from sin to righteousness and the fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) instead of the works of the flesh? How would this kind of life-change affect your relationships?

Ministry Time

GREAT EXPECTATIONS
(What are you waiting for?)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship (optional)

Big Idea:
Because God does things in his perfect timing, sometimes we are called to wait. But, what are you waiting for? What awesome expectation do you have? What is causing you to sit on the edge of your seat? Is your expectation limited to temporal, worldly, and momentary things like your next vacation, promotion at work, new car or are you waiting for God to show up and fulfill his purpose in your life? 

Summary:
Waiting can sometimes be very difficult, but like they say, “patience is a virtue.” Sometimes it seems like God delights in saying, “Get ready, get set… wait.” Have you learned to wait on God without losing your faith or your mind? For instance, when your prayers aren’t immediately answered do you give up? When others grow bored, lose their hope, and turn to new pursuits do you continue to wait and expect God to deliver?  God doesn’t want you to live a life of diminished expectations and deferred dreams. He has great plans in store for you! But He wants you to learn how to maintain your expectation even as you walk through the long hallway that separates the promise from the fulfillment. Be assured that waiting time is not wasted time and it is not a passive activity. During this time of waiting, God is vibrantly at work in us developing patience, trust, and perseverance. During the process of waiting, he intensifies our hunger, our longing, our expectation, and our dependence on him. Our waiting should not be passive. We should be actively waiting, preparing, praying, fasting, and obeying while earnestly expecting the Lord to show up. Regardless of what emptiness or intense longing you may be experiencing in your personal life, Jesus Christ’s coming satisfies our deepest needs. So, what are your great expectations? What are you longing for? What is the passion in your heart, which causes you to long for the Messiah?

Discussion Questions: (read the scripture & discuss)

Luke 2:21-38
What was Simeon waiting for? What was Anna waiting for? What were they doing while they waited? How were their expectations fulfilled? What are you expecting? Are they temporal or eternal things?

Titus 2:11-14
What does this passage indicate we should be experiencing and doing while we are waiting for the Messiah? Is this how you are waiting?

Isaiah 40:31
What promise is found in this passage? What does it look like to “wait (hope) on the Lord?”

Taking Action: (1) Make a list of the things you are waiting for. Compare this list to what Simeon and Anna were waiting for in Luke 2:21-38. (2) What are you doing while you are waiting? Re-read Titus 2:11-14 and incorporate these waiting attributes into your life.

Ministry Time

A SEASON OF CHANGE
Part 2 of 4
What about Mary?

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship (optional)

Big Idea:
A life lived for Christ is filled with triumph, hope, joy, peace, and love. However, being a follower of Christ can also be a tough road to travel because we live in a broken world.

Summary:
Following Jesus doesn’t mean that life will be perfect and that everyone will like you - no more bitter, only sweet. Rather, Jesus said that some people will actually hate you because you live for him. Yes, things get better because of Christ, but things can also get more uncomfortable because of him. Take Mary for instance, Mary is a metaphor of the bittersweet reality of life, especially when you invite Jesus into your life. Mary’s life teaches us that obedience takes courage as we trust God and accept life’s sudden turns and unexpected demands. Her experience demonstrates that when we accept Christ, there is a sense in which both the bitter and the sweet are intensified.  For Mary, when she said, “May it be to me as you have said,” it meant: (1) an untimely pregnancy, (2) a controversial pregnancy, and (3) giving life to and loving a child who will die. Likewise, Jesus responded to his calling to be the world’s sacrifice and accepted the bitter with the sweet when he stated, “not my will, but yours (Father God) be done. We must have the same deep conviction, attitude, and spirit of Mary and of Jesus. We must follow God and obey him in the good times and also when it gets uncomfortable and when it hurts. That’s our calling and the reward is great.

Discussion Questions: (read the scripture & discuss)

Luke 1:26-38
What was Mary’s response? Did Mary ask for all the details to be made known to her before saying yes to God? When God calls us, do we respond like Mary with a willing attitude even before having all of our questions answered?

Matthew 26:36-46
Did Jesus the man, his flesh, want to be beaten and die? Even so, how did he respond? Can you just say OK? Can you just say, “not my will, but yours be done?” If we want the Holy Spirit within us to win the fight, what are some strategies for strengthening the Spirit and weakening our flesh?

Philippians 4:6-9
What things does Paul recommend we do in order to follow God even when it gets tough and we want to worry? What promises do we see in these passages that can encourage us to follow when it hurts?
 
Taking Action: Take inventory of your life and honestly answer the question, “do I follow God’s will instead of my own in every area of my life?” Examine whether you respond to the calling of the Holy Spirit verses the desires of your flesh. Study Romans 8:8-17 and Galatians 5:22-26.

Ministry Time