Growth Group Week Fourteen:
Growing through Obedience
Week 14
Day 1: 1st Corinthians 11-12
Day 2: 1st Corinthians 13-14
Day 3: 1st Corinthians 15-16
Day 4: 2nd Corinthians 1-2
Day 5: 2nd Corinthians 3-4
Memory verse:
James 1:22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Verses 23–24 These verses go with our memory verse and we encourage you to memorize them as well. If it's too much for you, make sure you at least memorize verse 22.
James 1:23–24
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
Focal passages: Matthew 7:24–27; James 1:21-25; Hebrews 5:12-14
In the last five weeks we have looked at the grace of God through the book of Romans. We have seen what Jesus accomplished on the cross and how it practically affects our lives. This week, as we continue in this 2nd section from Matthew 4:19, focussing on “I will make you”, we will see that the word of God is one of God’s greatest tools in our lives to practically conform us into the image of Jesus and prepare us for our calling of becoming fishers of men.
Let’s start by asking ourselves some questions about the word of God.
What place does God’s word have in your life?
What kind of authority does God’s word hold over you?
How important is the word of God to you?
For most of us, if not all of us, we already have a strong conviction that the Bible is the inspired word of God and the final authority in our lives. And that’s GOOD! If we believe the Bible is the revelation of God to man and the only true way that we can know and understand God, then it should have the highest place in our lives.
It is impossible for a person to follow Jesus and become a true disciple without the word of God. Let’s start with some very simple things about the place the word of God has in a disciples life.
The first thing we need to ask ourselves is, “What kind of authority does the word hold over me?” Do I live and act like the word of God has absolute authority over my life? Meaning, when I read God’s word or hear it preached, is my number one response to obey it and follow it?
The Sermon On the Mount (Matthew 7:24–27) is probably the most well-known section of scripture outside of John 3:16. Jesus closes the sermon with an exhortation to take heed and obey the things He taught lest sudden destruction come upon you and you be deceived. The apostle James warns us against self-deception. He warns us that we can hear the word and think because we have heard it we are good (James 1:21-25). James gives a very powerful illustration about a man looking in the mirror and then going away and immediately forgetting what kind of man he was. What good does it do us if we know the word of God but are not surrendering our lives to it in obedience.
This is what the author of Hebrews is addressing in Hebrews 5:12-14. He says that we should be teachers by now but we need to start all over again with the basic principles of the word of God. This is a big problem in the church today. There is a lot of good Bible teaching and a lot of believers that have a great grasp on God’s word in today’s church. But as we saw in James 1:22, hearing the word and doing the word or two completely different things. In fact those that are only hearers of the word and not doers are in a dangerous place of being self-deceived thinking just because one hears or knows the word of God that one is a mature believer. Hebrews 5:12-14 tells us if we don’t heed the word of God we are immature and still like an infant that needs milk and not solid food. In fact the author tells us that maturity comes through applying the word of God to our lives and when we do we are able to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).
In the next couple weeks we are going to look at the importance of God’s word in our life and the different ways that we can understand it. But before we get there we need to approach the word of God with the right heart. That right heart is a heart of surrender with a view to obey. As we have been learning about grace and growing through grace, we need to remember that it’s God’s grace that gives us the strength to keep going and to obey His word. Remember, as we’ve already looked at in our previous studies, that when we fail we need to get back up immediately and pursue God. We can do this because of the cross of Jesus Christ. Let’s make a choice that we will grow, through His word, by His grace, together.
Questions:
As Jesus followers, God’s word should be over us and we as His followers should look to always do what God says. What does obeying God’s word look like in your life right now?
Why do you think that sometimes Christians look at the Bible as suggestions for life rather than commands to obey?
There are times in our life when it seems impossible to do what God has clearly told us in His word. Please share a time in your life where God’s word was clear for you but you had a really hard time trusting that what God says was good, right, and safe.
When people look into your life, what would they say are the most important things to you? Would the word of God be something that family and friends would say is the greatest priority in your life? How does having His word as priority look like?
Action steps:
This week, as we learn about the importance of obeying God’s word, take extra time in your Bible reading to stop and pray when the Holy Spirit convicts you about obedience to His word. When you sense God really speaking to you about direction, about your choices, your time, or your actions, give extra time and attention to ask God to give you the strength to do what He says and then decide to do it.
Day 1: 1st Corinthians 11-12
Day 2: 1st Corinthians 13-14
Day 3: 1st Corinthians 15-16
Day 4: 2nd Corinthians 1-2
Day 5: 2nd Corinthians 3-4
Memory verse:
James 1:22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Verses 23–24 These verses go with our memory verse and we encourage you to memorize them as well. If it's too much for you, make sure you at least memorize verse 22.
James 1:23–24
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
Focal passages: Matthew 7:24–27; James 1:21-25; Hebrews 5:12-14
In the last five weeks we have looked at the grace of God through the book of Romans. We have seen what Jesus accomplished on the cross and how it practically affects our lives. This week, as we continue in this 2nd section from Matthew 4:19, focussing on “I will make you”, we will see that the word of God is one of God’s greatest tools in our lives to practically conform us into the image of Jesus and prepare us for our calling of becoming fishers of men.
Let’s start by asking ourselves some questions about the word of God.
What place does God’s word have in your life?
What kind of authority does God’s word hold over you?
How important is the word of God to you?
For most of us, if not all of us, we already have a strong conviction that the Bible is the inspired word of God and the final authority in our lives. And that’s GOOD! If we believe the Bible is the revelation of God to man and the only true way that we can know and understand God, then it should have the highest place in our lives.
It is impossible for a person to follow Jesus and become a true disciple without the word of God. Let’s start with some very simple things about the place the word of God has in a disciples life.
The first thing we need to ask ourselves is, “What kind of authority does the word hold over me?” Do I live and act like the word of God has absolute authority over my life? Meaning, when I read God’s word or hear it preached, is my number one response to obey it and follow it?
The Sermon On the Mount (Matthew 7:24–27) is probably the most well-known section of scripture outside of John 3:16. Jesus closes the sermon with an exhortation to take heed and obey the things He taught lest sudden destruction come upon you and you be deceived. The apostle James warns us against self-deception. He warns us that we can hear the word and think because we have heard it we are good (James 1:21-25). James gives a very powerful illustration about a man looking in the mirror and then going away and immediately forgetting what kind of man he was. What good does it do us if we know the word of God but are not surrendering our lives to it in obedience.
This is what the author of Hebrews is addressing in Hebrews 5:12-14. He says that we should be teachers by now but we need to start all over again with the basic principles of the word of God. This is a big problem in the church today. There is a lot of good Bible teaching and a lot of believers that have a great grasp on God’s word in today’s church. But as we saw in James 1:22, hearing the word and doing the word or two completely different things. In fact those that are only hearers of the word and not doers are in a dangerous place of being self-deceived thinking just because one hears or knows the word of God that one is a mature believer. Hebrews 5:12-14 tells us if we don’t heed the word of God we are immature and still like an infant that needs milk and not solid food. In fact the author tells us that maturity comes through applying the word of God to our lives and when we do we are able to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).
In the next couple weeks we are going to look at the importance of God’s word in our life and the different ways that we can understand it. But before we get there we need to approach the word of God with the right heart. That right heart is a heart of surrender with a view to obey. As we have been learning about grace and growing through grace, we need to remember that it’s God’s grace that gives us the strength to keep going and to obey His word. Remember, as we’ve already looked at in our previous studies, that when we fail we need to get back up immediately and pursue God. We can do this because of the cross of Jesus Christ. Let’s make a choice that we will grow, through His word, by His grace, together.
Questions:
As Jesus followers, God’s word should be over us and we as His followers should look to always do what God says. What does obeying God’s word look like in your life right now?
Why do you think that sometimes Christians look at the Bible as suggestions for life rather than commands to obey?
There are times in our life when it seems impossible to do what God has clearly told us in His word. Please share a time in your life where God’s word was clear for you but you had a really hard time trusting that what God says was good, right, and safe.
When people look into your life, what would they say are the most important things to you? Would the word of God be something that family and friends would say is the greatest priority in your life? How does having His word as priority look like?
Action steps:
This week, as we learn about the importance of obeying God’s word, take extra time in your Bible reading to stop and pray when the Holy Spirit convicts you about obedience to His word. When you sense God really speaking to you about direction, about your choices, your time, or your actions, give extra time and attention to ask God to give you the strength to do what He says and then decide to do it.