Background Noise…living proof of our need for hope.
Week 1: Hope for screw ups.
February 7, 2010
Pastor Jon Hand
Colossians 1
Listen to Sermon: Hope for screw ups
Description
Ever meet someone who always had to have background noise in their life? They can’t study or eat dinner or even sleep without music or t.v. or some noise running in the background. Our souls have white noise running in the background and most of the time we don’t even realize the constant interference. Economic downturns, disasters in Haiti, life disappointments, death, and a whole host of other things not going our way can often turn into background noise in our soul—making us jaded and cynical about life itself. It’s easy for us to lose hope. Throughout the New Testament people compelled by Jesus find hope is something that just sort of spills out of their lives. Life is too short to let the background noise win!
Dig Deeper
For Starters: Counterfeit God’s: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters — Tim Keller — This book is an easy to read book on what is hope, where it comes from, and how most things we think give us hope–don’t. It’s an honest reflection on what we place our hope in. Don’t read this book if you don’t want to be challenged!!
For heavy hitters: Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church– N.T. Wright–This is a rich theological book on how a Christian view of heaven and the afterlife gives us hope in the everyday grind of life.
Watch the movie Seven Pounds - Watch the movie Seven Pounds and discuss how Will Smith’s sacrifice is a symbol for what Jesus did for us?
Community Group Discussion Guide
Getting Started
1. What literal background noise do you have in your life (e.g. music, AC unit, refrigerator, etc.)? Do you ever have times when you find spaces free from this noise? If so, what’s it like?
2. When have you experienced failure? How did you react? What is your perspective on that experience now?
3. What does our culture teach us about failure? What do you think is God’s perspective on failure?
From the Book
1. Break into three groups and each read one of the following passages: (1) John 4:1-38 (2) John 13:31-38, 18:15-18, 18:25-27, 21:1-19 (3) Luke 15:11-32 For each of these passages, who is the person who has experienced failure? What was the failure? What is Jesus’ reaction to their failure? In light of these stories, what can we learn about God’s perspective on failure?
2. Jon said that often those who have sinned the most are the ones most eager for hope and open to God. Do you think this is true? Read Luke 7:36-50. What do you think Jesus meant when he said, “But he who has been forgiven little loves little?” Do you see yourself as someone who has been forgiven much or forgiven little?
3. Read Colossians 1:3-5, 21-23, 27-29. In these verses, what hope is Paul writing about? How did the people from Colosse come to experience this hope? What was the fruit of this hope?
So What
1. As Christians, what is our hope …for our past failures? …for our present lives? …for the future?
2. If you were 100% sure that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He would one day return to establish a new and perfect world, how would that change the way you live? What difference would it make …in the way you think about work? …in your relationships with other people? …in how you choose to spend your time? Pray every day this week that God would show you the truth about the resurrection of Jesus.
