02-14-2021

02-14-2021
Dr. E. Dale Locke (West & Online), Rev. Trevor Johnston (East), Andres Cañola (Español)
Sermon Series: Get Your Life Back
Week 7:  For the Troubled Soul
English PDF file for printing.
Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español.

1.  Read our memory verse for this series: Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

If you were asked, “How is it going with your soul?” – how would you answer that question today?

2.  Read 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” 

Christianity isn’t just about being good. Although goodness is part of what it means to be a follower of Christ, there’s something more important than that.  The Christian life is really about walking with God.  What are some things you’re currently doing to train yourself to walk with God?

3.  Read Revelation 2:3–5: “You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

This past week, our spiritual practice was simply to tell the Lord that we love Him – speaking your love to Him out loud from your heart with sincerity.  If you did that, share with your group how it impacted your soul.

4.  We realize that everybody is fighting a battle of some kind.  So our focus in this week’s sermon is how God can refresh our soul when we’re hurting and what God says to us in our pain.

Read John 12:20-36: 
     “Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

     23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

     27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”

     Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

     30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up[a] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

     34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

     35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.”

What we learn from what Jesus did when his soul was troubled:

·      Face Your Pain:

5.  Sometimes Christians give one another the impression that “mature believers” should be happy all the time. Is that what Scripture teaches?  Support your answer with Scripture.

6.  Notice how honest Jesus was about how He was feeling. Even as the Son of God, He didn’t pretend everything was great with His soul when it actually wasn’t. What happens when a person who is struggling inside tries to stuff it down and deny it? 

·      Acknowledge Your Pain to Someone You Trust

7.  Grief and other types of pain or disappointment can challenge our faith. If you’ve ever struggled in your faith because someone you love passed away or because of some other season of pain or disappointment, share about that with your group.

8.  What happens when you open up to a trusted friend regarding your pain or grief, rather than just keeping it to yourself?

·      Acknowledge Your Pain to God

9.  Notice in John 12:27 that Jesus was totally honest with His Father about how troubled His soul was.  What does the Father’s response to Jesus in this passage tell you about how God feels when we are honest about our pain in our prayers to Him? 

10.  The Psalms are simply prayers that real people prayed to God.  They show us it’s OK to tell God how we feel, even if our feelings are ugly or mistaken. God wants authenticity from us.  If you’ve ever poured out honest but ugly feelings to God in prayer, share how that impacted you.

·      Invite Jesus In!

11. If you’ve ever gone through a really difficult, painful time, but you invited Jesus into your pain; how did you did that, and how did it affect you to go through it with Jesus?

12. Our spiritual practice assignment for this week is simply to name any struggle or pain that you’re currently experiencing honestly to God.  

Ready for your next step?

If you would like to take a next step in your faith journey, such as trusting your life to Christ or getting baptized, text the word “Next” to 561-264-6079 and follow the steps there, and we’ll contact you to help you do that.

News and Announcements:

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·      Ash Wednesday, February 17, 7-8am or 5-6pm:  Stop by either our East Campus or our West Campus to receive ashes in a safe drive-through experience.  We encourage you to watch Pastor Dale’s online video “Why Ash Wednesday?” beforehand to help you understand the meaning behind this ancient spiritual practice.

·      Parenting Workshop: February 25, 7:30pm on Zoom.  Parents are responsible to provide our children with healthy, value-centered sex education based on what God values.  Join us as we discuss how to teach healthy sexuality to our children.  The conversation starts in pre-school and continues through young adulthood. This event will provide practical teaching for parents of children and teens of all ages.  It’s never too early or too late to start!  Register here.

·      Men’s BBQ: Saturday, February 27, 10am - 1pm.  Hey Guys!  Don’t miss this chance to experience a great BBQ lunch, axe throwing, horseshoes, cornhole and classic cars – all at no cost to you.  Invite your friends!!  Register here so we know how many to expect.

·      Thank you for your financial support, which makes it possible for us to minister to our community!  To give to Community of Hope, go to https://communityofhope.church/give.