Obedience Through Suffering (Part 1)
Pastor Rocklyn E. Clarke - Sunday December 2, 2007
© 2007 Life Church Ministries, Inc.
http://www.LifeChurchMinistries.org/
Introduction
Bible Reading 11/25 - 12/1:
Dan 1 - 8; 1Pet 3:8 - 1John 2:17; Psalm 119:65 - 120:7; Prov 28:14-26
Review
The Resurrection Blues
The Trial
The Sanhedrin Convicts Jesus - Luke 22:66-71
Pilate finds no basis for Jesus to die
Pilate Sentences Jesus
The Crucifixion - Luke 23:26-49
The Burial - Luke 23:50-56
The Resurrection - Luke 24:1-12
The Road To Emmaus - Luke 24:13-53
The Setting
The disciples are deeply disappointed - "It's over - I'm out of here"
They were withdrawing.
Jesus Enters the Picture - Luke 24:15
Jesus is not absent during your times of disappointment.
Jesus is relational - he engages you "where you're at".
God wants to relate to you
"But we had hoped . . ." - Luke 24:21
Many of you are experiencing disappointment but were hoping for something else.
"How foolish you are . . ." - Luke 24:25
Jesus directed them to the scriptures.
You are responsible for interpreting your life and your experiences based on God's Word.
The Word explains what's taking place in the world around you.
"Then their eyes were opened" - Luke 24:31
Once they recognized Jesus they returned to Jerusalem.
Stop focusing on yourself and relying on yourself.
Allow Jesus into your situation.
They rejoin the disciples in Jerusalem - Luke 24:36-53
Jesus enabled them to understand the scriptures.
God wants to speak to your situation through his Word.
Jesus coached the disciples back to faith so that they could see him.
Once you recognize Jesus you need to stop withdrawing and return to the fellowship and your ministry.
Resurrection Revolution
Introduction Eph 1:1-14
Revolution Power - Eph 1:15-23
Revolution Promise - Wait for the Holy Spirit - Acts 1:1-14
Revolution Pattern: People, Power, Proclamation, Persecution, Persistence
The Revolution - Round 1
People - Acts 2:1
Power - Acts 2:2-4
God's power can reach anyone.
Proclamation - Acts 2:5-12
Persecution - Acts 2:13
Persistence - Acts 2:14-41
Peter spoke in spite of the persecution.
Questions
Where will you be the next time the Holy Spirit shows up?
What do you do when the Holy Spirit simply shows up?
The Revolution - Round 2
People - Acts 2:42-47
Power - Acts 3:1-8
Proclamation - Acts 3:9-26
Persecution - Acts 4:1-22
Persistence - Acts 4:23-31
Principles
Prayer increases our capacity to be a channel for God's power.
People provide opportunities for us to be channels of God's power.
"Who touched me?" - Luke 8:40-56
Preparation increases our ability to benefit from God's power.
Elisha and the Widow's Oil - 2Kings 4:1-7
Position is critical for maximizing the effectiveness of God's power.
Jesus sends out the 12 - Mat 10:1-16
Jesus sends out the 72 - Luke 10:1-12
Questions:
What are you devoting yourself to?
What are you sharing with your brothers and sisters in Christ?
Have you asked God to make you bold?
How's your prayer life? Are you praying for God to use you?
What needs are you encountering in the people around you? Are you asking God to enable you to meet them?
How are you preparing for God to use you?
The Revolution - Round 3
People - Acts 4:32 - 5:11
Vision - You need a vision!
Jesus' Vision - Heb 12:1-3
Early Church - Transforming the way Judaism was done - one household at a time!
Life Church Vision
Mission
Directed by Jesus - Mat 28:18-20; Mark 16:14-18; Acts 1:8
Bringing God's river of life to others - Rev 22:1-2 (Ez 47:1-12)
Prayer - increases our capacity
Preparation
None of them had done this before. When they were with Jesus, the crowds would come and go - now the crowds were staying.
Radical sharing; pouring into their brothers and sisters
Contrast with Hag 1:1-11
What's my role in making the vision happen?
Power - Acts 5:12-16
People provide opportunities for God's power to be demonstrated
Position - Solomon's Colonnade
Proclamation - Acts 5:17-25
Persecution - Acts 5:26-40
Persistence - Acts 5:41-42
Principles
Plant Kingdom Outposts
Kingdom Outpost
A geographical or virtual network of people
Centered on a man or woman of peace
Infiltrated by mature believers
Where outbreaks of God's power happen regularly
The Church is like a "Green Lantern power battery for local Kingdom Outposts.
The apostles proclaimed Jesus in the temple courts and from house to house.
Questions:
What are you doing to meet the needs of other believers?
Can you rejoice at suffering disgrace for the name of Jesus?
The Revolution - Round 4
People - Acts 6:1-7
Serving (
diakonew
)
Chosen by the people
Confirmed by the apostles
Taking responsibility
"FAT"
Faithful
Available
Teachable
Full of the Holy Spirit and Wisdom
Surrender
Obedience
Deny yourself; take up your cross - Luke 9:23-25
Let God choose the time and manner in which you "have fun"!
Vision - taking God's Word to others
Power - Acts 6:8
Things of the Spirit Rom 8:5-6
Stephen moves from waiting on tables to martyrdom
Assuming responsibility results in leadership - Mat 20:20-28
Proclamation - Acts 6:9-10
Persecution - Acts 6:11-15
Suffering - 1Pet 4:12-19
Obedience through suffering - Heb 5:1-7
Jesus' reverent submission
Jesus learned obedience
Persistence - Acts 7:1-60
Spirit-guided response - Acts 7:1-53
Stephen interpreted Jewish history in light of scripture
Abraham - Joseph - Acts 7:1-16
Moses - Acts 7:23-29; 35-43
The Jews are just like their fathers - Mat 23:29-32
Dying for the gospel - Acts 7:54-60
Deny yourself; take up your cross - Luke 9:23-25
Let God choose the time and manner in which you "have fun"!
Lovers of pleasure - 2Tim 3:1-14
Pleasure - 1Tim 5:6
New Material
Preparation
Main Passage
NIV
Hebrew Study Bible
KJV
The Message
NASB
RSV
Exegetical Idea
Subject
Tools: How, Who, What, When, Where, Why
Complement
Developmental Questions
Explain It: What does this mean?
Prove It: Is it True? Do I believe it?
Apply It: What difference does it make? So What?
Homiletical Idea
Purpose of the Sermon
Make it plain
Use accessible language and modern parables
Make sure people do something with the word God gives you for them.
Resurrection Revolution (continued)
Revolution Pattern (continued):
The Revolution - Round 4 (continued)
Aftermath - Acts 8:1-8
1Sam 22:1-2 - The hurting and unhappy came to David.
What impact did the fighting men have on them?
How did it mold them?
Neh 4:1-23 - Keep a brick in one hand and a sword in the other.
Some people prefer to fight.
Some people prefer to build.
Everyone must do both.
Principles
You have to fight
Questions:
Can you be faithful to the point of death?
Can you forgive your persecutors?
Conclusion
The disciples responded to the great commission by filling Jerusalem with their teaching - Acts 5:28
What is your Jerusalem?
Who is your team?
What are you doing fill your Jerusalem with the gospel?
Obedience Through Suffering
We have a great high priest - Jesus - Heb 4:12-16
God uses his Word to evaluate us. - Heb 4:12-13
Our high priest outranks everyone else. - Heb 4:14
Our high priest understands us. - Heb 4:15; Heb 2:5-18
We can come to him confidently. - Heb 4:16
Jesus learned obedience through suffering - Heb 5:1-14
Jesus confronted difficulties with prayer - Heb 5:7
His prayers were heard because of his reverent submission - Heb 5:7
Jesus learned obedience - Heb 5:8-10
innocence vs. virtue
Temptation - the source of Jesus' suffering - Heb 2:18
Learned obedience perfected Jesus' high priestly ministry.
Infancy vs. Maturity - Heb 5:11-14
Infants don't understand righteousness.
Mature people practice (rehearse) obedience.
Discipline produces righteousness - Heb 12:1-13
We too must learn obedience through suffering temptation
Satan misrepresents God as wanting to keep good things from us.
He did this in the garden of Eden
He does this today largely through the media.
Temptation and the believer - James 1:2-4; James 1:12-18
Perseverance results in crown of life.
Process of temptation: desire --> sin --> death
Don't let desire drag you away.
Get the right world view - God's!
It's not about you - the Kingdom doesn't revolve around your desires.
Suffering can help you.
Not suffering for its own sake.
Suffering that results in obedience.
Anchor yourself to the principles of God's Word.
Let God schedule your good times - Luke 9:23-25
Discussion Questions / Topics (based on the indicated scriptures)
Group A: Mat 16:13-26; Mark 8:27-38; Luke 9:18-25 (from last week)
Are you trying to save your life or lose it? In what ways?
In what ways have you denied yourself recently?
In what ways have you taken up your cross today?
Are you letting God determine when and how you experience pleasure?
What is God saying to you right now about this area of your life?
Group B: Acts 7:51-60
Have you experienced persecution as a result of being a Christian?
Have you ever been persecuted as a result of speaking God's Word?
Present the gospel as simply as you can in your own words.
Have you asked God to enable you to speak his Word boldly?
Do you forgive people who persecute you?
What is God saying to you right now about this area of your life?
Group C: Heb 4:12-16
Has God's Word judged you recently? How so?
According to vs. 13, God knows about everything you did last week. How do you feel about that?
Are you holding firmly to what you say you believe?
Do you believe that Jesus was tempted like you were this past week?
Do you believe that Jesus lived a sin-free life?
Did you approach God's throne with confidence this past week?
What is God saying to you right now about this area of your life?
Group D: Heb 5:1-14
Did you turn to God for all of the difficulties you faced this past week?
Did you reverently submit to God this week?
Have you learned to obey as a result of suffering temptation? How so?
What is God saying to you right now about this area of your life?
Witnessing Activities For This Week's Life Group Meetings
Make sure everyone in your life group has a prayer partner.
Pick a base of operations as a focus for your group's outreach ministry.
Plan a social event for your group to which you can invite some of the unbelievers you've been praying for.
