04-10-2022
04-10-2022
Dr. E. Dale Locke, (LOX & Online), Rev. Jose Marrera (WPB), Rev. Efrain Silva (COH Español)
Sermon Series: Who Cares? Growing a Heart Like Christ
Week 6: All Teary-Eyed
English PDF file for printing.
Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español
1. Icebreaker: What are some things that tend to make you cry?
2. Keep trying to memorize 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
3. We’re in the last week of our Lenten series, Who Cares?, and we’re exploring compassion and how to grow a heart like Christ’s. The gospels record just two or three times that Jesus cried:
· John 11:35 - Jesus wept. - This was when Jesus’s friend Lazarus died. Here Jesus cried because of grief caused by a loved one’s death, even though he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead.
· Luke 22:44 - And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. – Here, it doesn’t actually say Jesus cried, but it seems like he did. He was in the Garden of Gethsemane anticipating his death and that he would willingly take on the sins of the world, which would – for the first time – separate him from his Father.
· The third time comes in our passage for today….
Read Luke 19:28-44 -
After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
4. What was it that made Jesus cry that day?
5. Pastor Dale quoted his friend, who said, “We’re not human beings having a temporary spiritual experience. We’re spiritual beings having a temporary human experience.” What did he mean by that?
6. C.S. Lewis said, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” What was his point?
When it comes to lost people, Jesus has a sense of urgency:
7. What do the following verses tell you about how God views people?
· John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
· John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by me.”
· Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
8. In Luke 19:10, Jesus described the reason he came to earth – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” What do we mean, when we say people are lost?
When it comes to lost people, Jesus has just one strategy.
9. Jesus’s strategy for reaching spiritually lost people is us. Jesus said: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” So it’s not a problem of whether there are people who would be interested in Jesus. The real problem is that not enough Christians are willing to share. Why do you think that is?
10. If you know someone who doesn’t want to go to church, why do they feel that way?
11. In Luke 15:10, we see what makes Jesus glad. “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” What are some ways that you could be part of helping people connect with Jesus?
12. Make a list of some people you could invite to our church for Good Friday or Easter. Pray together as a group for each person to have opportunities to do that and that God will draw people to come.
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Good Friday Experience: Friday, April 15 | 4:30pm - 7:30pm | An indoor walk-through experience designed to creatively help you reflect on what Jesus did for us on the cross. Come by yourself or with your family. Available in both English and Spanish at all our campuses with versions for adults or for families with small children. More information at https://communityofhope.church/easter
Easter Services: Join us at any of our 3 campuses as we celebrate Jesus’s resurrection:
Loxahatchee Campus - Outdoor Sunrise Service at 7am, Indoor Services at 9am, 10:30am, and noon.
West Palm Beach Campus – Indoor Services at 10:00am in English and 11:30am in Español.
Lake Worth Campus – Indoor Services at 9am and 10:30am.
More information at https://communityofhope.church/easter
Milestone: Middle School:
Loxahatchee Campus – Wednesdays | April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 18 | 6:30-8:00pm
West Palm Beach Campus – Wednesdays | April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 18 | 6:30-8:00pm
Milestone Middle school is a 4-week class for you and your student who is going into 6th grade in the Fall. Students will learn about what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Christ and a COH partner. This stepping stone in your child’s faith journey is our version of the traditional confirmation class and will help your student transition from children’s ministry to student ministry. Parents will be equipped and given resources to have important conversations with your pre-teen. This class will meet for parents and students during COH Students at each campus.
Tap here to Register for the LOX Campus Milestone: Middle
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