GateWay Church of Visalia
Philosopher Jesus
February 24 & 27, 2022
Locations & Times
GateWay Church
1100 S Sowell St, Visalia, CA 93277, USA
Thursday 6:30 PM
Sunday 8:30 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
Introduction
Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.
4 “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11 When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
4 “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11 When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
So What?!
To overcome growing (leaven) hypocrisy (vs. 1) live in:
#1. The remembrance of judgment day, vss. 2-3
Revealed, known, heard, proclaimed
Revealed, known, heard, proclaimed
#2. The awe of God’s authority, vss. 4-5
Yes, I tell you, fear Him!
Yes, I tell you, fear Him!
#3. The loyalty of God’s love, vss. 6-9
You are more valuable
You are more valuable
#4. The power of the Holy Spirit, vss. 10-12
The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.
The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.
Jesus the Philosopher: Answers for Life
Luke 12:1-12, February 24 & 27, 2022
Prayer Requests:
Group Discussion: Do you struggle with hypocrisy by: 1. Appearing happy on the outside even when you’re feeling down on the inside, 2. Feeling encouraged and joyful on the inside and not letting others see it on the outside, 3. Being helpful on the outside while resenting the intrusion on the inside, 4. Telling someone you love them while feeling ambivalent on the inside.
Read out loud: Luke 12:1-12,
To overcome hypocrisy (vs. 1) live in:
#1. The remembrance of judgment day. In vss. 2-3, Jesus used 4 verbs: revealed, known, heard, proclaimed. He wants to make sure that the multitudes understand that you can’t hide from God. He knows your thoughts, attitudes, motivations and actions…all of them! When you think of the day when you’ll finally stand before God to meet Him alone for the first time, how do you picture it?
#2. The awe of God’s authority, vss. 4-5, Yes, I tell you, fear Him! When Jesus uses the word fear He uses it in the Old Testament sense of awe, respect and honor. When you meet someone with great authority you can be relieved that finally someone is here who can fix my problem or fearful that someone is here to punish me for my poor behavior. Which one do you think you’ll experience when you meet God face to face?
#3. The loyalty of God’s love, vss. 6-9, You are more valuable…. God knows every bird in the sky and every hair on your head and Jesus says, “not one will be forgotten.” God’s loyal love is so deeply committed to you that he knows every need and detail of your life. When you go through personal difficulty or tragedy why is it so difficult for us to trust in God’s love for us? Do you ever question God or His love when you’re experiencing stress? Can you believe in God’s loyal love and yet experience grief and depression?
#4. The power of the Holy Spirit, vss. 10-12, The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. The context of Jesus statement is to those who have obviously heard His spoken word. Therefore, if you’ve absorbed Jesus words then the Holy Spirit will bring to your memory just exactly the right thing to say. If you were faced with being put on trial for your faith, what would you say about your relationship with Jesus? Finish this sentence, “I believe in Jesus because He changed me from __________, to _________.”
Family Time: Read Luke 12:6-7. Ask your kids how many birds there are in the world. Look up on-line how many species of birds there in the world and how many birds there are. Ask your kids how many hairs are on their heads and try to count them on someone’s head. Talk about why Jesus would use such silly statements and why would He use an example that no one would be able to accomplish (birds & hairs). Explain to them that God wants them to know He knows every detail of their lives. Ask them for one detail about their lives that you may not know.
Luke 12:1-12, February 24 & 27, 2022
Prayer Requests:
Group Discussion: Do you struggle with hypocrisy by: 1. Appearing happy on the outside even when you’re feeling down on the inside, 2. Feeling encouraged and joyful on the inside and not letting others see it on the outside, 3. Being helpful on the outside while resenting the intrusion on the inside, 4. Telling someone you love them while feeling ambivalent on the inside.
Read out loud: Luke 12:1-12,
To overcome hypocrisy (vs. 1) live in:
#1. The remembrance of judgment day. In vss. 2-3, Jesus used 4 verbs: revealed, known, heard, proclaimed. He wants to make sure that the multitudes understand that you can’t hide from God. He knows your thoughts, attitudes, motivations and actions…all of them! When you think of the day when you’ll finally stand before God to meet Him alone for the first time, how do you picture it?
#2. The awe of God’s authority, vss. 4-5, Yes, I tell you, fear Him! When Jesus uses the word fear He uses it in the Old Testament sense of awe, respect and honor. When you meet someone with great authority you can be relieved that finally someone is here who can fix my problem or fearful that someone is here to punish me for my poor behavior. Which one do you think you’ll experience when you meet God face to face?
#3. The loyalty of God’s love, vss. 6-9, You are more valuable…. God knows every bird in the sky and every hair on your head and Jesus says, “not one will be forgotten.” God’s loyal love is so deeply committed to you that he knows every need and detail of your life. When you go through personal difficulty or tragedy why is it so difficult for us to trust in God’s love for us? Do you ever question God or His love when you’re experiencing stress? Can you believe in God’s loyal love and yet experience grief and depression?
#4. The power of the Holy Spirit, vss. 10-12, The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. The context of Jesus statement is to those who have obviously heard His spoken word. Therefore, if you’ve absorbed Jesus words then the Holy Spirit will bring to your memory just exactly the right thing to say. If you were faced with being put on trial for your faith, what would you say about your relationship with Jesus? Finish this sentence, “I believe in Jesus because He changed me from __________, to _________.”
Family Time: Read Luke 12:6-7. Ask your kids how many birds there are in the world. Look up on-line how many species of birds there in the world and how many birds there are. Ask your kids how many hairs are on their heads and try to count them on someone’s head. Talk about why Jesus would use such silly statements and why would He use an example that no one would be able to accomplish (birds & hairs). Explain to them that God wants them to know He knows every detail of their lives. Ask them for one detail about their lives that you may not know.