Week 78 THORNS 1 What Entangles You THORNS

Week 7/8 THORNS 1: What Entangles You? THORNS 2: Why Do You Get Entangled?

Tonight: * * * * Welcome! Opening Prayer Review of Lessons Review of Projects for Growth Summary of Lessons 7 & 8 Assignment of Projects for Growth Closing Prayer

Tonight: * * * * Welcome! Opening Prayer Review of Lessons Review of Projects for Growth Summary of Lessons 7 & 8 Assignment of Projects for Growth Closing Prayer

Tonight: * * * * Welcome! Oops! I meant … Opening Prayer Review of Lessons Review of Projects for Growth Summary of Lessons 7 & 8 Assignment of Projects for Growth Closing Prayer

Tonight: * * * * Welcome! Whew! Opening Prayer Did I recover? Review of Lessons Review of Projects for Growth Summary of Lessons 7 & 8 Assignment of Projects for Growth Closing Prayer

Tonight: * * * * Welcome! Opening Prayer Review of Lessons Review of Projects for Growth Summary of Lessons 7 & 8 Assignment of Projects for Growth Closing Prayer

Review of Lessons: 1. Your future hope: It’s possible/expected that you will grow and change into the image of Christ 2. Change happens in the context of a relationship with Christ 3. Change happens in the context of a community 4. The Big Picture: An introduction to the four key elements: Heat, Thorns, Cross, and Fruit (Lessons 5 -12)

Circumstances Blessings Consequences Sinful Responses Obedient Responses God-Pleasing Motives Idolatrous Motives Gospel Truths Your heart (motives; desires; passions) dictates your responses to the circumstances God ordains; Three Trees Diagram, showing the root-to-fruit dynamic

Review of Lessons: 5. HEAT 1: God ordains and understands your circumstances – both the blessings and the sufferings. 6. HEAT 2: Your circumstances involve people and places – your whole life! But, “Circumstances are just circumstances (i. e. , they are morally neutral); we all have them – all the time. ”

Tonight: * * * * Welcome! Opening Prayer Review of Lessons Review of Projects for Growth Summary of Lessons 7 & 8 Assignment of Projects for Growth Closing Prayer

Projects for Growth: * Finish last week’s Ps. FG * Read Matt. 5 -7 * Read Lessons 5 and 6 in your HPC Study Guide * Complete the questions * Complete the diagram using Luke 6: 27 -38 and Prov. 2

Projects for Growth: * Finish last week’s Ps. FG * Read Matt. 5 -7 * Read Lessons 5 and 6 in your HPC Study Guide * Complete the questions * Complete the diagram using Luke 6: 27 -38 and Prov. 2

* Complete the questions … Are you able to be honest with God? (pg. 68) Based on Psa. 88, “an invitation to honest and authentic faith. ” “God understands the full range of human experience” What unexpected blessings have you received? (g. , pg 75) How has it helped you to see that both difficulty and blessing are forms of trial circumstances that God has ordained? (6. , pg. 72)

Projects for Growth: * Finish last week’s Ps. FG * Read Matt. 5 -7 * Read Lessons 5 and 6 in your HPC Study Guide * Complete the questions * Complete the diagram using Luke 6: 27 -38 and Prov. 2

Luke 6: 27 -38 Living among enemies A great reward; “Sons of the Most High”; Free from God’s judgment; A good measure (v. 35, 37 -38) No credit to you from God (v. 34) Love enemies, do good, bless, pray, turn cheek, give to all, “Golden Rule” (v. 27 -31) Love, doing good, lending to only select people (v. 32 -34) Be merciful (v. 36) Reciprocity (v. 32 -34) God is merciful (v. 36)

Proverbs 2 A father’s instruction to his son (v. 1) Many blessings (v. 5 -12) Spiritual death; Cut off from blessings (v. 18, 22) Receiving instruction, treasuring instructions; Humility; Seeking wisdom v. 1 -2, 4) Speaking perversely; Abandon the faith, turn to evil; Delight in evil; Dishonesty; Yielding to temptation; Forgetting God’s covenant (v. 12 -17) Desire for discernment, understanding (v. 3) Self-seeking satisfaction; Rebellion; Delight in evil (v. 13 -14) God gives wisdom; He is the source of knowledge and understanding; He preserves His children (v. 6 -8)

Your Story: What has been your challenging circumstance(s)? How was God been glorified through your obedience? What consequences do you face from your sin? What were your obedient responses? What were your sinful responses? How did God transform your desires? What beliefs and desires ruled your heart? What Scripture changed your heart?

Tonight: * * * * Welcome! Opening Prayer Review of Lessons Review of Projects for Growth Summary of Lessons 7 & 8 Assignment of Projects for Growth Closing Prayer

A Biblical Description of Thorns: Describing Sinful Responses to the Circumstances of Life

OR

Various Sinful Responses: (“What, ” from Eph. 4 -6) * * * * * Sensuality and every kind of impurity (4: 19 b) Lying (4: 25 a) Destructive anger (4: 26 a) Stealing (4: 28 a) Corrupting talk (4: 29 a) Bitterness (4: 31 a) Wrath (4: 31 b) Anger (4: 31 c) Clamor (4: 31 d)

Various Sinful Responses: (“What, ” from Eph. 4 -6) * * * * * Slander (4: 31 e) Malice (4: 31 f) Sexual immorality and all kinds of impurity (5: 3 a, 5) Covetousness (5: 3 b, 5) Filthiness, foolish talk, and crude joking (5: 4) Deception with empty words (5: 6) Works of darkness (5: 7, 11) Secret, shameful sins (5: 12) Foolishness (5: 17 a) Drunkenness (5: 18 a)

Various Sinful Responses: (“What, ” from the textbook, pgs. 95 -96) * Deny, avoid, and escape * Magnify, expand, and catastrophize * Become prickly and hypersensitive * Return evil for evil * Bogged down, paralyzed, and captured * Self-excusing and self-righteouness

Various Idolatrous Motives: (“Why” from 3/8 sermon as illustrated in various biblical characters) * Power Herod (Acts 12) * Pleasure Solomon (Eccl. ) * Fame Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4) * Fortune Judas (Matt. 26)

Various Idolatrous Motives: (“Why” from 3/8 sermon as illustrated in various biblical characters) * Power Herod (Acts 12) * Pleasure Solomon (Eccl. ) * Fame Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4) * Fortune Judas (Matt. 26)

Various Idolatrous Motives: (“Why” from 3/8 sermon as illustrated in various biblical characters) * Power * Pleasure * Fame * Fortune P. P. F. F.

Various Idolatrous Motives: (“Why” from Gods at War: Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart, Kyle Idleman) The Temple of Pleasure * Food * Sex * Entertainment The Temple of Power * Success * Money * Achievement The Temple of Love * Romance * Family * Me

Tonight: * * * * Welcome! Opening Prayer Review of Lessons Review of Projects for Growth Summary of Lessons 5 & 6 Assignment of Projects for Growth Closing Prayer

Projects for Growth: * Complete previous Ps. FG * Read Matt. 23 * Read Lessons 7 and 8 in your HPC Study Guide * Complete the questions * Read/Mark-up article, “Vive …” * Complete the diagram using 1 Sam. 25 and 1 Thess. 3: 3; 4: 1 -12

waynevanderwier@mac. com

Our Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 21 6: 30 pm

Tonight: * * * * Welcome! Opening Prayer Review of Lessons Review of Projects for Growth Summary of Lessons 7 & 8 Assignment of Projects for Growth Closing Prayer

Our Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 21 6: 30 pm