Week 4 Sermon Questions For Groups

Home Run Life

Introduction:
There is a disconnect in our culture. On the one hand, teams give out trophies to kids just for showing up. On the other hand, many people in the work world believe results are everything. Neither aligns with God’s perspective. Results matter, and third base is important to God, but He wants us to win results after dependence, character, and relationships. We need to understand that our perspective about work and career may be off base. Some people aren’t giving their best; others are sacrificing too much. In this week’s message, we talked about how if we want to be a major league player, (live life God’s way) we need to remember that our purpose is found in the Creator, not our career. So I live and work for my creator first.

Something To Talk About:
God is my provider – I trust in Him. Romans 15:13 says: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” God does His part when we do our part. And what is our part? It’s that little phrase sandwiched in – between the promise of being filled with joy and peace and the promise of overflowing with hope – our part is an individual thing – “as you trust in Him”. His peace, His strength, His wisdom, His understanding, His hope will become yours as you ask Him for it – supernaturally His source of whatever you need today He will provide. Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
God is my provider and I work for Him. Hebrews 6:10 says: ”God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” We should have the same philosophy when it comes to our work for God. That means I will do the best I can because I’m not doing it for anyone’s approval except God’s. And it also means we should do our work for God with enthusiasm. “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” (Romans 12:11, NLT)
God is my provider and I wait for favor. Isaiah 66:2 says: “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” Do we find favor in our success and in the eyes of others rather than in the eyes of God? We may receive the applause of men, the unexplained promotions, the wealth of this world, but those things never satisfy for very long. God can bless our lives more than we can ever do going it by ourselves. If our purpose is furthering our career rather than serving the creator, we will never run the Home Run Life.

Questions:

How would you describe how you have handled the pace of progress in your career up to now?
In general, would you say that you tend to give too much time and attention to your work or too little? Explain.
How would you need to change in order to put third base in its appropriate place in your life—after winning with God at home plate, winning within at first base, and winning with others at second base?
Which of the four bases have you spent the most time working on in your life? Which of the four bases have you neglected most?
Do you think any person would be capable of living a home run life (life to the full) while neglecting and failing at one of the four key areas? If so, explain.
If you think you may not have been running the bases God’s way, what do you think might change if you started living God’s way and going around the bases the way God wants us to?

Take One Thing Home with You
If you ever played little league baseball, it was an experience you probably never forgot, matchstick ankles rising over your first pair of baseball spikes. A brand new glove that you had been breaking in for the last three weeks with a baseball and rubber bands. Getting ready for the first practice you wonder what position you will play because you had no arm, so pitching and the outfield were out of the question. Then the games started and winning didn’t matter because you were a ballplayer. Yes, some of us dreaded coming to the plate when the game was on the line. And yes, we struck out too many times and made our share of errors, but somehow, it didn’t matter.

Here ’s the point I want you to understand. In baseball and in every sport, everyone has to start somewhere. Mickey Mantle, Ricky Henderson or Mike Trout did not become stars overnight. But for some reason, when it comes to spiritual leagues of play, people have a hard time believing they should start in the minors. There is no shame in starting small, nor is the final evaluation of how well you run a Home run Life based on where you start. Everyone has to start somewhere—even Jesus knew this. He invited all to “come and see” what He was about.

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, whether you’re just beginning to investigate Christianity or you already have a mature relationship with Jesus Christ, Northstar wants to help you. We want to meet you where you are and then show you the path to a Home Run Life. We’ll walk with you on that journey to discovering more of what God wants from you.

When you make a trip, it is wise to map out how to get to where you are going. Here are a few directions to help you find your way on your spiritual journey.

Ask God to reveal Himself even if you’re not sure He’s there. Find a place that lends itself to a conversation with God and begin talking with Him.
Read the Bible. Write down your questions, and get answers from your campus pastor or a knowledgeable Christian who understands where you are on your journey.
Read the daily devotional published each day at northstar.cc.
Talk to people who display a genuine relationship with God — those who obviously love Him and have been changed by Him.
Take the classes available at Northstar.
Join a Northstar Group.