"Hearing Ears, Blessed Lives"
TEXTS: Matt. 13:1-23
TRUTHS:
1. Regularly hearing the Word of God moves us away from complacency and prompts us to put action behind our faith. And the majority of the Christian faith is about making the right decisions each day (even when those decisions seem small and inconsequential).
2. If you want to experience the benefits of living a Christian life, it will take hard work. Diligence and perseverance are needed if you wish to be fruitful as you endeavor to serve Christ.
3. God is put off by His people’s greed, pride, and complacency. When believers let such things dominate their lives the Lord often makes it difficult for them to hear and see His truth. The Lord allows our souls to go dry so we turn back and seek Him.
4. The Bible proclaims that Jesus is the only way to be reconciled back into a right relationship with our Creator. This truth and reality will bring persecution to the Church. As believers, we must be willing to withstand any persecution that arises without shrinking back.
5. The 21st Century has provided virtually every person with unprecedented access to information. As a result, we have found ourselves over-informed and misinformed. How we access and process information often leads to many experiencing overwhelming fear and anxiety. It seems as if the information overload has caused believers to lose sight of how important it is to hear God’s voice.
6. Believers must be careful not to put a stumbling block in the way of unbelievers hearing and receiving the gospel.
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. What does it mean and look like for a believer to be complacent?
2. What is the ‘hard work’ that is needed in order to experience blessing and fruitfulness in our Christian lives? Does that hard work contradict grace?
3. What is needed in order for believers to withstand persecution without shrinking back? What truths do we need to remember and what actions should we focus on?
4. What are some of the common stumbling blocks that believers put before unbelievers who need to hear the gospel?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray as you feel led concerning the following area(s):
- To be sensitive to the voice of the Lord
- Against pride, greed, and complacency in our lives and church
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