Touching Base - Part 241

TB 241
Proverbs 2 and the Good Life
8 June 14

((You can find a recording of this sermon here.)

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.

Opening Ideas
Live the Good Life! Living the Good Life benefits not only us, but it also benefits everyone around us.

Questions:
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the phrase “The Good Life”?

How do you think the following people would answer that question:
• People you work/study with
• Your family
• Your closest friends


Context
Around 3000 years ago, Proverbs was written for the purpose of signing people up for the Good Life.
Most of Proverbs was written by a Hebrew king named Solomon, but there are other authors as well. Solomon spent a lot of time studying and learning and one of really important things that he discovered was that there are certain patterns to life. There are ways to live that have better results than others. Solomon called the good way to live – wisdom.

Questions:
What patterns have you noticed in your life, that have good results?
What patterns have you noticed that have negative results?

Read Proverbs 1:1-7 and 2:1-11.

Questions:
What are the main points of the passages?
How do these passages apply to your life?


Bridge
Solomon spent his life vigorously searching for knowledge and understanding. But because he lived in the Old Testament, Solomon could only go so far in his understanding of wisdom. But the New Testament revealed some amazing new things about wisdom and about where to find it. It says that if we want to know what wisdom really is and if we want to know where to find it, we have to look to Jesus.

The New Testament teaches that Jesus is both the source and the embodiment of wisdom. Jesus came so that we could have The Good Life - a healthy, and vibrant, and fulfilling life; a life that positively impacts the lives of the people around us.

The Good Life/Wisdom Formula
Wisdom = Knowing Jesus + Understanding Jesus + Living like Jesus

1. Knowing Jesus

In John 15 Jesus says that he is like a vine, and we are like branches. He talks about how important it is to be in a deep relationship with him.

Questions:
How well do you really know Jesus?
What are you filling your life with?
How deep is your relationship with Jesus?

Read John 15:1-8.

Questions:
What are the main points of the passage?
How does this passage apply to your life?

“Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God's greatest pleasure.” (Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life)


2. Understanding Jesus

As we seek intimacy with Jesus, we will become more and more like him. We will develop the mind of Christ. But to develop the mind of Christ, we have to start listening to him. We have to turn our ear to him, as Proverbs 2:2 says.

Questions:
What is your prayer life like? Do you do all the talking?
How has God been speaking to you lately?
Have you been listening?

God would love to go deep with you.


3. Living Like Jesus

God is a God of mission, and God has sent us on a mission.

When Jesus left earth and returned to heaven he gave these instructions in Matthew 28:19 – “Go and make disciples”.

Question:
How are you responding to these instructions?

God calls us to live the good life so that others around us will be blessed and will want the good life too. That is what is meant by the term “missional living”. We are called to live out the Great Commission and to light up the world around us.


Conclusion
Jesus invites us to seek him and to find the Good Life.

Questions:
From all that we have discussed, what are some very specific things that God is challenging you to work on today?
What are you going to do about it? (Be very specific)
Who can you ask to keep you accountable in this?



For Further Reading: Hearing God (Dallas Willard)

Steve Kooy (Campus Pastor at Geneva House, on the campus of Queen’s University – kooys@queensu.ca)
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com