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Week 6 Sermon Questions For Groups

October 2, 2022

Embrace your calling: You are called to bless

Introduction:

The Bible makes clear that God desires to bless us. He delights to answer our prayers and encourages us to bring every need before Him. But He also wants us to be concerned about others. As He meets our needs, we need to remember that He blesses us so that we might be a blessing to others. 

Something To Talk About:

What will happen if I use my life to serve and bless others?  If I switch the focus from it’s all about me and switch the focus to how many people can I serve?  How can I honor God by helping others?  It creates joy in my life, it improves my relationships, it makes my life meaningful and it leaves a legacy: 

  1. Will create joy in my life: There is a special joy that comes from serving others. To find real joy, you must shift from an inward focus—“It’s all about me”—to an outward focus—“It’s all about God and serving others.” The Bible says, “But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.” (Philippians 2:17)  The Bible also says, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (1 Peter 4:10) God blesses you so you can bless others. When you bless others, God will bless you. If you’re struggling through a lack of joy in your life, try serving people in your community and in your church. Then watch God change your perspective.
  2. Will improve my relationships: We can’t live for ourselves if we want God to bless our lives. God will bless your life if you participate in fellowship. You need to be a part of a church family and develop relationships with other believers. The Bible says, “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.” (Romans 1:12) In other words, Paul tells the Christians in Rome, “I’ll encourage you in your faith. You can encourage me in my faith. And we will bless each other in the process.” Most of the blessings God has in store for you in the coming months and years will happen through other people. If you never build those relationships, you will never get the blessings. You can’t be blessed by living an independent, isolated life. We’re better together.
  3. Make my life meaningful: We think if I just get more money then our life will have more meaning.  No, it will not.  No amount of money will ever give your life meaning.  Meaning comes from ministry.  From giving your life away. Jesus said it like this, Mark 8:35: “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” True life comes from giving my life away. Everything you do for Christ has a purpose.  It may seem insignificant and maybe no one else seems to know about it but it’s important.  The Bible says that even if you do something very minor for somebody in Jesus’ name, you get rewarded for that in eternity.
  4. We leave a legacy:  Actually, you’ll leave two legacies.  One on earth and one in eternity. The rewards you get in eternity are going to go on and on and on forever. The Bible says this in Proverbs 10:7 (ESV), “The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.” What are you going to be remembered for?  If you were to die tomorrow would people say, you were a real blessing?  You served, you shared, you were kind, and you were generous. Would people say you were always thinking of others? You were generous.  What do you want to be known for?  Good people will be remembered as a blessing.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Think of the word(s) bless, blessed, blessing.  How are they different?
  2. When blessed, you have the resources to be a blessing. What would it (or does it) look like to implement this reality into your life?
  3. God has given you gifts and abilities, unique to only you so that you can serve others and glorify Him. What is one way you would like to utilize who God has created you to be to help others this week?  Who do you think will receive greater joy, the one you helped or you?
  4. Name some specific ways God has brought you joy as you’ve served others.
  5. Think of the most difficult person you regularly encounter in your life.  What do you think would happen in your relationship with them if you were to intentionally serve them in some way?  How do you think that would affect your relationship with them?  
  6. The most helpful people are the happiest people. Agree or disagree and why? 
  7. Share what differences you notice in your lives when you offer up your work to God.   
  8.  How have you been blessed through relationships in a local church? What are some ways you can build deeper, closer relationships within your church?
  9.  Ask God to make you sensitive to see how you can speak to others about how He has blessed you. Pray about how you can bless someone else – particularly someone far from God.

Take one thing home with you:

The truth is everybody wants their life to count.  Deep down inside of you, you want your life to have significance.  You want your life to have meaning.  You want your life to have a purpose.  You want to do something great with your life.  Everybody wants that.  And there’s nothing wrong with that – to do something great with your life.  You ought to want to do something great with your life.