Palmyra Grace Church
Sunday, May 2nd 2021
Every day the world pulls at us, calling us to live for the here and now, for ourselves, and for material gain. It calls us to find happiness and blessing not in the upside-down Kingdom of God but in the world as we want it - how we want it. In his book, The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard says The Beatitudes are "explanations and illustrations, drawn from the immediate setting, of the present availability of the kingdom through personal relationship to Jesus." Jesus, in the greatest sermon ever preached, gives us a different vision of life, a different way of being anchored, a different way of living blessed. Join us for the next few weeks as we walk through Jesus’ teachings in our new sermon series “Blessed in Chaos."
Locations & Times
799 Airport Rd, Palmyra, PA 17078, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
Grace Group Questions
Part of our “Life Together” is sharing about our lives together. Take some time to share about your summer plans. Is there a trip you are looking forward to this year? Maybe a vacation you didn’t get to take last year? Also, take some time as a group to plan a “get together” or two over the summer so that your calendars don’t get so full you don’t make time for each other.
Pastor Dan shared how early in his spiritual journey he saw a relationship with Jesus and the pursuit of righteousness as more of a list of “No’s” rather than a better yes. Did you relate to this, do you still relate to this? Is this how your unbelieving friends and family see it? Discuss.
Read John 4:4-26, John 6:35, John 7:37-38 together. Considering Pastor Dan’s sermon, what sticks out to you as you re-read these passages? As you consider the samaritan woman as one who has sought to fulfill her hunger and thirst in places outside of Jesus, what is God showing you in your own life?
Read Matthew 5:6. Pastor Dan shared that righteousness here is probably not best understood justification as in the Apostle Paul’s teaching, but in the sense of covenant faithfulness. Jesus simplified this righteousness in Matt. 22:37-40, and Matt. 7:12. Which of these relationships is most challenging for you, right relationship with God, Others, or Loving Yourself?
Pastor Dan shared that the call to righteousness is not one of restriction but an invitation. Read Phil. 3:9, 2 Cor. 5:21, and Matt. 6:33. How is Jesus inviting your to pursue HIM and HIS righteousness as a result of this beatitude?
Many of our addictions and bad habits and attitudes start as coping mechanisms. Over eating, over spending, over drinking, over sexing, over-compensating, over-worrying, all of these reveal a deep longing inside of us, a yearning in our souls. Some of us have even crossed lines because of our appetites - what we’ve hungered and thirsted for. Jesus’ way is different, he says “seek me, hunger and thirst for me. I am the solution to the yearning of your soul.” How do you seek Jesus, how do you hunger and thirst for him? What spiritual practices/disciples help you find satisfaction in Jesus rather than destructive and dysfunctional “junk foods?” Share and learn from one another!
Prayer:
• Invite your group to reflect in prayer for a few minutes over what you discussed.
• Have someone close your time by praying for your group.