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Week 3 Sermon Questions For Groups

October 10, 2021

Raise The Sails: Go out amongst the lost

Introduction:

Life often presents moments where one must choose to either stay where they are or attempt to go where we want to be. What makes the choice difficult is that there is a barrier between “are” and “want to be” that will require courage to cross if we are to go out amongst the lost. 

Something To Talk About: 

We are called to go out among the “lost”, those who are separated from God, in order to gain access to their lives and see movements of God start. Paul stated, “For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10) 

  1. People are valuable to God:  How do you determine the value of something? An object’s value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for the item. Here is one Bible verse about your worth: “…For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) God paid a high ransom for your life. God sacrificed His only Son, Jesus. He sent Jesus to die an excruciating death. Jesus was willing to pay for you with His life. That is how much value you have. Every person God has made is precious to Him. He loves every single one. No sinner is beyond the love of Jesus. Everybody inside and outside the church walls are valuable to God. 
  2. God is relentlessly searching for the lost: “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10) To seek for something means to search for the thing with the intention of finding it. You don’t stop until you have found it. This is exactly what Jesus Christ came to fulfill when He walked the earth. He pursues us every day while presenting a way of deliverance to us. Likewise, we as Christians must pursue the lost just as Christ pursues us. God gives us the grace to do this. The more we learn to love Him the easier it is for that love to rub off on us in our relationships with others. This then makes it easier for us to pursue the lost. It must be our ambition to seek the lost so that God can save them. We do not have to give up on the lost because God never gives up on us.
  3. We need a sense of urgency:  There are some things that call for an urgent response. When the water pipe bursts in your kitchen and water is gushing all over the place, the best response is an urgent dash to shut the water off. If you happen upon a vehicle accident with injuries, the best response is an urgent phone call to 911. The book of Acts contains the early church’s response to Jesus’ promise that He is coming back: there is a urgency among them. They’re intent on making sure others know the message and hope of the Messiah who came to save the world. Do we have the same urgency? We need to share the Good News of Christ with as many as possible. Our lives are so short and we have such little time here to make a difference in the eternal destiny of others. We need to have a sense of urgency and desire to share Christ with others and reach as many lost people as possible.
  4. Share the good news with someone: Share the good news of Jesus with someone.  Paul’s heart for the lost was evident by his actions. He shared the good news of Jesus with someone everyday of his post-conversion life. If you are truly going to be a person who has a heart for the lost, then you must do something to help bring them to Jesus. There are two things that Paul did that you can do too, pray and share. Pray for the lost, and share Jesus with them. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. Read Mark 1:14-15. What was the early preaching of Jesus centered on? What was unique about Jesus’ message? 
  2. God goes to great effort to seek lost sinners and He greatly rejoices when they come to repentance. What does that mean for each one of us?
  3. God pursues sinners until He finds them. What does that mean for us? 
  4. Jesus maintained His holiness and yet sinners seemed comfortable in His presence. How can we do the same? 
  5. Read Luke 19:10. According to this passage why did Jesus come? What does this mean for you? Does this message change anything about the way that you live your life? Why or why not? 
  6. What do John 20:21 and Matthew 28:18-20 teach us about God’s plan for our lives. How much do these verses inform the way you live your life? 
  7. Read 1 Timothy 2:3-4. What does this passage teach us about God’s desires? 
  8. What do you believe that God is telling you to do as a result of what you heard and discussed in small groups this week? 
  9. Determine one concrete step you can take this week to develop more empathy and passion for the lost.

Take one thing home with you:

Pray that the harvest may be great. As God moves in every corner of the globe, people are opening their hearts to Him. We have the wonderful privilege and responsibility to pray that God will move in a new and miraculous way here in Panama City and the Emerald Coast. Pray also for family members, neighbors, friends, and coworkers who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.  The lost cannot be reached without the dynamic working of the Holy Spirit in a life.