Built to Last: Prepare for Storms
Matthew 7:24-27; James 1:22-2
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Remind the group about the different ways to engage with this series.
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Read:
Context: Sermon series is on theme of “Built to Last”:
o Drawing from Jesus “Sermon on the Mount”
o Jesus is talking about life as God intends for us to live it— abundantly!
Read the passage together (Videos start next week)
Reflect:
Compare what it feels like to live in a house built on rock vs a house built on sand when the weather changes.
Discuss the phrase: “I can’t stop storms from hitting me but I can stop them from destroying me.”
Discuss what makes Jesus’ teaching a “rock” to “build” on (Matt 7:24-25)
o What are the characteristics of building on a rock (e.g. takes more time, won’t change when the situation changes…)
o Why does Jesus make it a point to differentiate “Hear” and “Put it into practice”— why would we hear but not put it into practice?
o This does not sound like a reactive, “in the moment” response to His teaching— how does a change of habit (moving from familiar to new behaviors) happen?
Discuss what makes our default position (not listening/obeying) like building on Sand (Matt 7:26-27)
o Why would a life that refuses Jesus be built on sand— what is it about the difference between sand and rock that Jesus is bringing out? (e.g., Sand changes with the situation and shifts anything built on it, etc)
o Scott made the point that building on a “Rock” does not keep bad things from happening— what’s the difference between “bad things happening” when one’s life is built on Jesus teachings as opposed to exactly the same things happening to someone who is rejecting Him?
o Sand does pretty much whatever you want it to, whereas a Rock there are limits— submission to the stability of the Rock gives stability to the whole. Discuss how “submission” (putting it “into practice”) makes the difference between sand and rocks.
Read James 1:22-24.
o Discuss the phrase: “Ought to” is not the same as “will do”. Do you agree? If so, what makes the difference?
o If “…guilt and good intentions do not produce good character…”, how is good character developed in light of the Scriptures we have looked at this evening?
Respond:
Is there something that the Lord may be leading you to move from “I ought to…” into “I will obey You Jesus by …”? Share among those willing to do so what that would be and/or hwo the group can support them in prayer in that commitment.
Close in Prayer together.
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