Week 1 Sermon Questions For Groups

Divine Direction: Power to Become

Introduction:

Without a doubt, having choices allows us to be unique, creative and live a life that we want. With so much technology at our fingertips, we have an abundance of choices: we can buy just about anything with a click. But when does so many choices impact our ability to make Godly decisions? How can we make wise decisions? How do you determine which is the best choice? How do you not make a bad choice? We make our decisions so our decisions make us. The choices you make today will lead you one way or another—but when you know who to trust, you’ll always be headed in the Divine Direction. In this message, we will learn that God cares more about who we are than what we do.

Bottom Line: The decisions we make today determine the stories we tell tomorrow.

Something To Talk About:

Who before do: There are two ways to look at life: what you do determines who you are, or who you are determines what you do. God is all about the second option: who you are determines what you do. Paul puts it this way: “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1) Who you are (dear children) determines what you do (imitate God). When you know you are a dearly loved child of God, it will change what you do; how you act, how you think, how you speak; everything you do should be an attempt to imitate God. And when it isn’t, God tries to correct you because it is not who you are. This means God cares less about selling real estate for a living than whether we are learning to love others as Jesus taught us to love. God is concerned more about the person we become and less about what we do for a living. Our prayer is that we focus more on becoming the people God created us to be and less on what we think God wants us to do.
Why before what: There’s an old saying that there are two reasons why everyone does something. There’s the reason we tell everybody else, and there’s the real reason. Proverbs 16:2 says “People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.” In other words, we have the ability to deceive ourselves.You may think everything you do is right, but the Lord judges your motives. What’s the solution? We can begin by praying the prayer found in Psalm 139:23-24:”Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Walking in true obedience is doing what the Lord asks with the right attitude and for the right reasons. If we take the time to just be honest before God, it’s humbling how often our motives are more me-centered than Christ-centered. It’s all about what I want. Are we doing things from the heart or from the desire to impress others with our righteousness or success?

Discussion Questions:

Where do you stand on the who you are versus what you do discussion? Why?
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is making it happy. Agree or disagree and why?
In what areas or ways have you been more concerned with what you are doing rather than who you are becoming?
Are motives important to God in human behavior? Explain your answer.
Has there ever been a time where your intentions do not match your actions? What was the outcome of that? How can you invite God to help align your motives with His own?
Have you ever experienced decision fatigue about anything? How did you end up making the decision?
In your decisions, are you more focused on choosing the right do, or becoming the right who?

Take One Thing Home with You:

No Perfect Decision Making Process

There are people who think, or maybe assume is a better word, that Christians have a lot easier decision-making process and are more effective in making the right decisions. We want to make decisions that honor God. But like everyone else, Christians have more options than ever and thus more choices than ever. The Bible gives us the tool to make wise choices and decisions. But because we are human it is far from foolproof. The best way to make a decision is to believe God’s Word, listen to Godly counsel and advice, pray and finally ask God for faith.