Jeremiah: Part 5

Message: A New Covenant

· Two kinds of motivation:

a. External = promise of reward or threat of punishment

b. Internal

· When you ask Jesus to be your Savior and invite Him to live inside of you, a transformation takes place and you have God-given motivations.

· The desire to do the will of God is the gift of God.

a. The result of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us.

· Old Covenant = You Shall (try on your own and fail)

· New Covenant = I Will (what God can do in and through you)

· We cannot love God unaided (Deut 30:6)

· We cannot fear God unaided (Jer 32:40)

· We cannot know God unaided (Jer 24:7)

· God has turned his commands into our instincts (Rom 2:14-16, 1Thess 4:9)

a. You cannot get the blood of Christ without getting the life of Christ.

· God gives desires and power at all times. (Phil 2:13)

· There is always something deeper in us than our sin » the fruit of the Spirit.

· Our calling is to allow what is already there to come forth.

Questions

1. Do you feel like you are living your life under the old or new covenant?
2. Have you been trying to love, fear, and know God unaided?
3. Because God first sees Jesus when He looks at us, how should we value ourselves? How does this change the way you see yourself?
4. Daily, how do you consciously choose to tap into the “new you” in Christ rather than the “old you”?
5. When we become believers, the Scripture becomes instinctive. What kind of power, understanding, and comfort comes from knowing this?
6. There is something deeper than where you are now, so what is it that you really want? Do you pray for God to reveal what is deeper or do you find yourself settling for what is on the surface?
7. In what areas of your faith walk are you following the Nike tagline, “Just Do It” or the Sprite tagline, “Obey Your Thirst”? (Deep within there is a desire/thirst to know God.)

Jeremiah: Part 4

Message: Hard Prayers (Jeremiah 20:7-18)

· Jeremiah begins his prayer angry that God has put him in this situation of constant ridicule. (20:7-8)

· Even in his misery, he knows God’s way is better and he has faith. (20:9-14)

· Jeremiah ends his prayer feeling overwhelmed. (20:15-18)

· Why did Jeremiah pray this prayer?

a. God wants us to be honest.

b. God can handle our anger, doubt, fears, etc.

c. Trust God with what we are really feeling.

· Let anger turn to cries, cries turn to sobs, and sobs turn to prayers.

· Why did God choose to put this prayer in the Bible?

a. Even the greatest servants in the Bible experience pain.

b. God loves honesty.

c. Verbalizing our pain helps us heal.

d. Honest prayer builds faith.

· Let God engage you in the middle of your turmoil.

· God may use your pain to minister to those around you.

· God will use these times to build your faith.

Questions

1. C.S. Lewis wrote, “We must lay on Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” How honest are your prayers?
2. Do you allow God to meet you in the trials of life?
3. Fill in the blank: ____________, but the Lord is with me.
4. How have you received honesty in relationships? How honest are you in relationships? How do these experiences translate to your honesty with God?
5. Share some of the greatest servants in the Bible who experienced pain in life. What do we learn from each?
6. What stops us from “being real” with fellow brothers and sisters-in-Christ? With God?
7. Why do you think God put this prayer in the Bible, specifically for you?
8. Take time for honest prayer. If you need to, let your anger turn to cries, cries turn to sobs, and sobs turn to prayers.

Jeremiah: Part 3

Message: Know God (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

· Intimates = ordinary people with an extra-ordinary passion to know God.

· Do not boast of these three values (good things, but not the main thing):

a. Wisdom

b. Might

c. Riches

· What does it mean to know God?

a. Know God’s ways, voice, and character.

b. Knowing God is the glory of human life.

c. This is a heart matter.

d. Your vision for life is to know God. That is why we were made.

· Only God can satisfy your soul.

· How do you become an intimate of God?

a. It is a gift that you can ask for. Nurture and respond to the gift.

b. Surrender 100% of your life to Jesus.

c. Seek the Lord with all of your heart everyday.

Questions

1. Tozer said, “God doesn’t have favorites, but He does have intimates.” Have you been waiting to be a “favorite” and missed out on being an “intimate”?
2. What roles and levels of importance do wisdom, might, and riches play in your life? Is there a specific area that you have not fully surrendered to God?
3. How have you dedicated wisdom, might, and/or riches to God?
4. You were made to know God. Does this bring new meaning to your life and priorities?
5. In what ways can you nurture and respond to your gift of intimacy with God?
6. Oswald Chambers said, “…let other things go, but don’t neglect Him.” What do you need to let go of today?

Jeremiah: Part 2

Message: Broken Cisterns (Jeremiah 2)

· A state of dependence on God. (Jer 2:1-3)

a. A love for God and focus on Him.

· Move toward independence. (Jer 2:5a)

a. A series of choices that created the straying/distance with God.

b. Start looking for man-made sources to fill this new gap instead of waiting/focusing on God. (Rom 1:25)

· Why our focus turns elsewhere for fulfillment:

a. Control – we want to trust God, but we’ve got it under control.

b. We think God is a way to fulfillment instead of the way.

· You are what you worship. (Jer 2:5b, 36,37)

a. Career, body, addiction, entertainment, family, etc.

· We tend to replace “best” with “good enough” (Jer 2:11)

· Two sins committed (Jer 2:13):

a. Forsake God.

b. Choice to dig for water when we have fresh Living Water in us already.

· What do we do now?

a. Unforsake God – turn toward God.

b. Acknowledge His plan is better than yours.

c. Stop digging cisterns. Whatever God has for your life is better.

· Three things to do when you are ready to turn back to God:

a. Recognize where you once were.

b. Realize where you are now.

c. Care. God will meet you in the gap of where we are to where we could be.

Questions

1. Have you ever experienced a movement of dependence on God to independence? What series of choices led to this state of independence?
2. To where does your focus tend to stray for fulfillment? How effective is it? How do you refocus on God?
3. Are you willing to settle for “good enough” because of the instant gratification?
4. How does Christianity manifest into an attitude of: What’s in it for me?
5. Share a time when you were nibbling at stale food in the servants’ quarters when God had a feast waiting for you. Did you get to enjoy the feast or was it a missed opportunity?