Sermon Guide

  • WEEK 3 | RADICAL DAILY PURSUIT

    Missional Formation

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Missional Formation
Week 3 | Radical Daily Pursuit

Teaching Text

John 15:5-7

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Sermon Recap

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy continued our Missional Formation series by unpacking the distinctive of Radical Daily Pursuit through the discipline of feasting on the Word. Often without meaning to, we can lose sight of why God wants us to spend time reading the Bible. This discipline is not meant to be driven by doing things for God so that He will be pleased with us, but out of a desire to commune with the God who desires to commune with us. 

From Genesis to Revelation, God desires to dwell in the midst of His people. God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before the Fall, He instructed the Israelites to pitch the Tabernacle for His presence in the middle of their camp in the desert, He sent the Prophets with messages from His heart, He sent His only Son, Jesus, to re-establish unhindered access between God and mankind, and finally He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of all believers until Christ returns. The Scriptures are not only the documentation of this story, but another avenue through which God has revealed Himself to us. We can abide with God and actively get to know Him through His Word, because He first desired to dwell with us.

The invitation to true intimacy is available to us, but the reality is that we are often too preoccupied with the cares of this life to abide with God through reading the Bible. We will settle for the scraps of snippets when God has prepared a feast to satisfy us. Throughout Scripture, the Word is described as sweet as honey, bread from Heaven, light in darkness, a treasure, and a sword for spiritual battle. The Word also has the ability to root us like a tree and establish us like a rock, as well as giving us rest and direction as we move through this life. 

Pastor Suzy called us to feast on the Word by eating it daily, eating from it widely because all Scripture is useful in our formation, and eating of it deeply by chewing and mediating on it to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us with it. Eating deeply requires us to come under the authority of the text, not superimpose ourselves into its meaning. Pastor Suzy called us to first do the work of comprehending the ancient text and establish the original meaning and application before discerning the principle or timeless truth that can be applied to our lives. In line with this, Pastor Suzy also laid out a practical way to daily spend time in God’s Word: the TIME framework. TIME stands for Truth, where we examine the context and original intent of the text, Insight, gained from reflection on what the passage reveals about God and how it applies to us personally, Mission, which moves us from understanding the Word into living it out in obedience, and finally, Encounter, where we bring what has been revealed to us back to God in prayer. 

There are always new depths of intimacy with the Lord available in Scripture, but to truly feast on the Word we need to hold the “why” close to our hearts. God first loved us, and we can radically pursue God, because He has radically pursued us. 

For additional information and resources about “Radical Daily Pursuit” you can check out the guide here.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  • 1. What's the title of your current favorite playlist?

  • Ask someone in your group to read John 15:5-7 aloud. Then, ask the following questions:

    1. What words, phrases, or images stand out to you?

    2. What does this passage tell us about God’s character?

  • 1. Throughout the Bible, from God walking with Adam and Even in the garden to sending His son in the New Testament, we can see that God wants to dwell with His people. When you think of the word “dwell” or “abide,” what comes to mind?

    2. Pastor Suzy suggested using the TIME (Truth, Insight, Mission, Encounter) model for spending time with God daily. Is there one aspect of this method of spending time in the Word that comes more easily to you? Is there one that feels particularly challenging? *Learn more about TIME here.

    3. In Psalm 1:1-2, it talks about delighting in and meditating (or chewing) on God’s Word day and night. What are some practical ways to “chew” on God’s Word in your day to day life?

    4. Pastor Suzy used the metaphor of eating daily (reading the Bible daily), eating widely (reading from the whole Bible), and eating deeply (dwelling on God’s word for more than just a few minutes). However, we may not always feel like reading the Bible or even feel like we are getting things out of it when we read. Why do you think it’s so important to apply these things daily, even when it doesn’t come easily to us?

  • Pray for God to give you wisdom and discernment as you read His Word this week, and to increase a longing to abide with Him through His Word.