Matthew 4:1-11 / John 21:15-19 (ESV)
Much has been said about The Table in the past month, and I’d like to try to put conceptually the transition I think most feel happening.
In transition with God we often get stuck, not because we do not know where God is leading us, but because to get there requires us to release certain things.
Key question: What is God asking us to let go of or hold more lightly so that we can take hold of what He is offering us for this next season?
As we look at how Jesus was tempted, I find some similarities to what I sense is happening in this season.
Transitioning from Relevance to Reliance on God.
A. Society is obsessed with competency and relevancy.
1. Underneath there is still despair, isolation, and loneliness.
B. We, as the church, are tempted to prove our relevancy to the world.
1. Jesus reminds us that life does not come from relevant behavior, but from communion and reliance on God.
C. Jesus simply asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Not do you know things or how many people follow you, etc.
1. The question for us is ‘Do we love Christ?’ For to know Him is to love him and is to love what He loves.
Transitioning from Popularity (the Spectacular) to Faithful Ministry
A. We must resist the temptation that something spectacular is more effective than something personal.
1. Faithfulness to our God’s assignment is the best path towards fruitfulness.
B. Ministry to People, in the ordinariness of life, as faithfully as we can, is our calling.
1. Jesus asked Peter to “Feed my sheep.” Nurture others well-being! 2. Let’s not go alone.
Transitioning from power to leading by being led. (vulnerability)
A. We must resist the temptation to grab for power.
1. Instead, Jesus reminds to give ourselves to worship and obedience.
B. We lead by being led.
1. Peter was going to be led somewhere He didn’t want to go.
C. This means leading out of vulnerability and not always our strengths.
1. Our vulnerabilities become places of connectedness, where others can see the One who became vulnerable and died that we might know God and live.
Conclusion:
The table means we treat people more organically than mechanically. We think about them and create an atmosphere where they might encounter God.
Death Valley is actually not dead, it was dormant.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Ask God what might you need to let go of in order to grab ahold of what God is doing?
TRANSITIONING TO THE TABLE
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: A shared meal could be the activity most closely tied to the reality of God’s kingdom, just as it is the most basic expression of hospitality. It comes as no surprise that many significant stories of Jesus are centered around a dinner table.
When Jesus wanted to explain to his disciples what his death was all about, he didn’t give them an informative lecture. He gave them a relational meal.
In a society that has grown so relationally disconnected, an invitation to Biblical hospitality might be one of the most compelling and irresistible aspects of Christianity. The heart of hospitality is about creating space for someone to feel seen and heard and loved. It’s about declaring your table a safe zone, a place of warmth and nourishment.
God’s plan is for us to hear his voice together as a family. This is why we start each group with the first question:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
Ask each person in your group to answer the discussion questions below after reading the verses. Don’t move on to the next question until everybody who is willing to share has had the opportunity to give their perspective.
MATTHEW 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. ESV
JOHN 21:15-19 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” ESV
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Have each person give a 60 second summary of what these verses are saying, in their own words.
What do these verses teach us about God?
What do these verses teach us about people?
What should you do this week in response to what we are reading and what God is revealing?
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Ask God what might you need to let go of in order to grab ahold of what God is doing?