Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/June 8-9, 2013

DailyHeart Washing

Daily Heart WashingSermon Notes

June 8-9, 2013I. From Head to Heart

A. Renewing the mind (verses 17-24)1. Take off the old self2. Put on the new self

B. Watch over your heart (Proverbs 4: 23)1. Take off vengeance, stealing,

and lying2. Put on grace, edification,

selflessness

II. The MouthA. The mouth and the heart are connected (Luke 6:45)

1. The heart is revealed by my words2. The heart is revealed by my tones3. The heart is revealed by my truthfulness4. The heart is revealed by control & manipulation in my

words5. The heart is revealed by the subject of my discussions

B. The disciplined tongue1. Speak truth2. Speak wholesome words3. Give grace by your

wordsJesus, our exampleJesus’ words define grace

4. Reign in anger5. Speak kind, tender-

hearted words to one another

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Table TalkTeens

Read Ephesians 4:25-32                                                                       Question One:In Ephesians 4:25-32, Paul encouraged believers to put away lying, bitterness, stealing and slander.

Of the four of these, which one do you struggle with the most?

 Question Two:Paul calls for believers to speak the truth to each other because all believers are united in Christ.

Why is it important for believers to speak the truth in love? Question Three:Anger should not be allowed to fester or continue for long.  Christians may respond in controlled anger to injustice and sin, but they should never be consumed by this anger.   

Instead, they should seek opportunities to express what to everyone?

 Question Four:Instead of taking what belongs to someone else, a Christian should earn enough to share some of his or her own earnings with the needy.  This is a call to be generous, to have a true change of attitude.

What is your attitude towards this statement? Question Five:Believers are not to speak unwholesome words, but helpful words for the purpose of edification.  One’s words are to be true and pure and also are to contribute to benefiting others.

What are practical ways we can use our words to build-up one another?

 

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III.The Root of BitternessA. Bitterness

1. The primary way that we lose our way2. Anger on slow boil3. Drinking poison and hoping someone else dies4. Gives the devil a foothold in our lives

B. The Choice1. Throw off all:

Bitterness - Long standing resentmentWrath - Long lived, habitual angerAnger - Outburst of rage and burning passionClamor - Loud, outward expression of angerSlander - Quiet character assassinationMalice - The desire to injure another

2. Put on: KindnessTender-heartednessLavish forgiveness

3. The truth about the choiceChoosing kindness when I’m angry is NOT hypocrisyThe way I FEEL does not define my heartMy choice to obey the Spirit and the Word reflects a transformed heart

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Life Group Questions for June 8-9, 2013

Message =Daily Heart WashingIce  Breaker:      Have  you  ever  seen  an  example  of  good,  righteous  anger?    Please  tell  about  it.

Read  Ephesians  4:  25-­‐‑32

1. What  do  you  observe  about  this  passage?

2. This  passage  can  be  distilled  down  to  three  issues  that  emanate  from  a  soiled  heart.    Can  you  name  them?    (Leader:    the  answer  could  be  biAerness,  selfishness,  and  an  undisciplined  tongue.)

3. Have  someone  read  out  loud  verse  28.    What  is  the  reason  we  are  to  work  with  our  own  hands?  (In  order  to  be  able  to  give  to  the  poor.)    Does  this  describe  your  motivation  for  going  to  work?  Please  explain.

4. Talk  about  words  that  edify  according  to  the  need  of  the  moment.    Give  an  example  of  when  someone  has  given  you  words  that  edify  at  the  right  moment  for  you.    

5. Have  a  few  people  share  other  Bible  verses  that  talk  about  the  proper  use  of  the  tongue.    Have  them  share  how  those  verses  have  impacted  their  lives.

6. Have  a  few  people  share  how  past  biAerness  has  affected  their  spiritual  life.

7. Pray  for  one  another

Table TalkElementary

Bible reading- Ephesians 4:25-32 Question 1 - No more lies, only truth! When was the last time you told a lie? (Don't lie!) What does Ephesians 4:25 say about telling lies? Why is it difficult to be honest all the time? Is it ever okay to stretch the truth; to tell a lie? Talk about this with your parents! Question 2 - Ephesians 4:26 addresses the topic of anger. Is it a sin to be angry? Was Jesus ever angry? What are some things that make you angry? Often times we get angry because of selfish reasons. Develop a strategy for you to use the next time you get angry so that you don't sin in your anger. Write down your strategy(s) that you can use to help you to stay calm the next time you get angry. Bonus - If you read this with your family, bring a piece of paper into the Fort with the words, "I did it" and you will receive a prize! Question 3 - Ephesians 4:29 addresses the topic of the words that come out of our mouths. Do you speak in a kind way to your parents? Siblings? Classmates? Think about the words that you speak to others. Sometimes we think we are being funny when we put others down and say mean things to them in a joking way. Those kinds of words are not helpful for building others up! Make a list of words/phrases that you use that do not build others up. Outlaw those words from your vocabulary!

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Table TalkPreschool & Nursery:

1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 1 John 4:7-16, Galatians 5:22-23 Day 1: Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-8Ask your children to tell you what they love.  Listen to their ideas.  Now, talk about the kind of love that is one of the fruits of the Spirit, Agape (uh-gah-pay) love.  Agape love is the total opposite of hate.  It is all about caring for others.  Agape love is when you only want what is best for someone and keep on loving them even if they do not love back.  This love comes from making a choice to people anyway because that is how God loves us.  He loves us anyway and all the time!

Day 2: Read 1 John 4:7-16Discuss as a family how Agape love is from God.  The Bible tells us that we should love God and others.  The only way we are able to love is because God loved us first.  We learn to love from God through the Holy Spirit.  When we spend time with Him, we are filled with the fruit of the Spirit, Love.  Ask how we can spend time with God.

Memory Verse:“We love because he first loved us."  - 1 John 4:19 Day 3: Read Galatians 5:22-23When we live according to the Holy Spirit, God brings special gifts into our lives.  Similar to how He brings fruit to the fruit trees, only the fruit He gives us are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Continue to work together as a family to memorize the fruits of the spirit. Activity: Play a game of musical chairs.  But instead of sitting in chairs when the music stops, hug each other.  Be sure the DJ uses some awesome worship songs about God’s love.  Have fun and make up some other variations or just dance and sing about God’s love! 

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Personal Devotion PagesThe following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom.

LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God.

BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol:

INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol:

ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him.

These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don’t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming.

Enjoy!

Day One1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.

2. Meditate  on  Ephesians  4:  25-­‐‑32.

3. Meditate  on  James  1:  19-­‐‑24.

Memorize  Ephesians  4:  29

Memorize  Ephesians  4:  29-­‐‑30

Memorize  Ephesians  4:  29-­‐‑30

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

~Ephesians 4:30, 31, NAS

Paul helps us understand that one of the best ways to keep the heart clean is to avoid grieving the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 1: 17 tells us that when a man comes to the Lord, he becomes one spirit with Him. The Holy Spirit comes inside of me and joins my heart when I become His disciple. From now on, we are a team. My primary purpose is to bless Him and obey Him. When I grieve Him, I give Him sorrow. The mature believer has learned to repent immediately when they sense the Holy Spirit within them has been grieved.

Paul then tells us some of the things that we must trash in order to avoid grieving the Spirit. Here they are, along with their definitions:

Bitterness - Anger that has metastasized. Hatred.Wrath - Outburst of anger. Anger out of control.Anger - Anger that has escaped without discipline.Clamor - An uproar of anger, accompanied by cryingSlander - Malicious words that tear down othersMalice - A wicked, aggressive overflow of hatred

Father, show me where I have grieved You lately. Teach me daily how to give grace rather than to blow up in rage.

Day Five

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Day Five1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.  

2. Pray  for  God  to  work  through  you  as  you  go  to  work  or  school.    Ask  Him  to  speak  through  you  and  to  influence  your  aAitude.    Ask  Him  to  help  you  be  a  continual  worshiper.

3. Take  at  least  ten  minutes  to  pray  for  sick  people  in  your  life,  thanking  God  that  you  have  the  authority  to  ask  for  their  healing.    

4. Finish  your  Bible  memorization  today.

Day OneTherefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

~Ephesians 4:25, NAS

Last week, we talked about the need to daily wash our minds with truth. This week, Paul turns the dialogue slightly to another area of needed inner hygiene. This passage discusses the importance of keeping the heart clean. The passage begins with the conjunction, therefore. When reading scripture, we must continually ask ourselves, what is the “therefore” there for?

The therefore tells us that since we are recreated in the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness, we must also keep our heart clean of impurities. If we don’t keep the heart clean, we will not act like a New Creation.

Meditate on the passage again and look especially at how much the mouth is mentioned. Jesus taught us that the mouth speaks what fills the heart (Luke 6: 45). The mouth is a clear representation of what fills my heart. When I lie, speak inappropriately about others, or shout bitter-soaked words, my heart needs a good cleaning. Jesus and His disciples called this cleaning, repentance.

Father, would you remind me of my words over the last week, maybe even month? Would you show me where I have stretched the truth, spoken out of bitterness, or put someone down inappropriately? I repent for these things that break Your heart! Clean my heart, O God!

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Day Two1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.  

2. Meditate  again  on  Ephesians  4:  25-­‐‑32.                      

3. Ask  the  Lord  to  show  you  any  anger  you  still  harbor  in  your  heart.  

4. Take  time  to  bless  and  pray  for  good  things  to  happen  to  people  you’ve  been  angry  with  in  recent  times.    

5. Continue  memorizing  and  meditating  on  the  scriptures  for  this  week.

Day FourLet no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

~Ephesians 4:29, NAS

Unwholesome words are words that tear down rather than build up. They hurt rather than help. Wholesome words are a reflection of a heart that has been soaking in God’s word and living in authentic worship. Unwholesome words emanate from a heart that has meditated on Satan’s words and ideas.

James tells us that we all stumble with our words (James 3). Only the mature have learned to meditate so steadily on truth and worship that they speak only wholesome words. Only a steady diet of the Word will produce a refreshing fountain of wholesome words. That diet must be digested in order to be fruitful. I can read the scriptures all day long, but if I read them without acting on them, then my heart will remain malnourished and immature. James reminds us that we must receive God’s words with humility, and act on them as He teaches them to us (James 1: 21).

Then comes the amazing truth. Our words can actually give grace to people. We can be a conduit of grace from God to others by choosing words that edify according to the need of the moment. Learning how to edify according to the need of the moment will take a lifetime to learn well, but it is a pursuit worth the energy.

Father, show me today how to edify others according to the need of the moment. As I go through the day, will You speak through me in ways that build up?

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Day TwoAnd “don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.

~Ephesians 4:26, 27, NLT

Anger is natural. Like happiness, fear, sadness, excitement, and frustration, we experience it because it is part of life. Contrary to popular church belief, anger is not wrong, nor is it sin. It’s natural. Anger is only sin when it is out of control, or when it’s slow cooked over time. When anger pulls out the pajamas and stays the night, it has the tendency to take over. Like a fast growing cancer, anger metastasizes quickly. Though it is a natural emotion, it has within it the seeds of bitterness, hatred, racism, suicide, and murder. The moment we let it bloom in our hearts, it will bring forth all sorts of destruction.

Like the old Steve McQueen movie, The Blob, anger begins to eat everything in its path. Its first victim is always me.

Anger has a deceptive element to it - it can convince us to like it. Many of us have learned to enjoy bedding down with anger. We grow used to its seething energy. When repentance knocks on the door of our hearts, inviting us to throw out anger and invite cleansing in, we fight to keep anger because we’ve grown so accustomed to it.

Father, show me where I’ve harbored anger in my heart against anyone, including You, or myself. I throw anger out and welcome You!

Day Four1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.    

2. Take  time  to  ask  the  Lord  what  wholesome  words  you’ve  spoken  recently.    Take  time  to  thank  Him  that  He’s  teaching  you  how  to  be  a  conduit  between  Him  and  others.

3. Ask  the  Lord  to  show  you  how  to  bless  people  you  have  stolen  from  in  the  past.    Write  down  what  you  hear  in  this  space.

4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  week.

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Day Three Day Three1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.    

2. Meditate  on  James  1:  19-­‐‑26.

3. Bring  at  least  three  friends  or  loved  ones  to  the  Lord  and  ask  Him  to  bring  them  to  repentance  and  faith.    Ask  Him  to  show  you  how  you  can  boldly  love  them  and  speak  the  words  of  Jesus  into  their  lives.      

 4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  

week.

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He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

~Ephesians 4:28, NAS

The heart is healthiest when it is selfless and sharing. At its core, stealing is selfish. The thief cares nothing about the fact that he is violating another because his only care is for himself.

Stealing is a symptom of a heart stained by selfishness. The command is simple. Stop stealing, start working an honorable job, and start sharing with those who have need. For repentance to be complete, a thief must go beyond simply ending his secret heists. He must retrain himself to work an honorable job, making an honest living in order to give away rather than take away.

Because my new nature is created in the likeness of God, I must train myself to do things that reflect His nature. He’s a big giver. He loves to give. The Thief is the one who steals, kills, and destroys. God is the one who gives life (John 10: 10). As a new creation, my deepest desire is to be like Jesus in all my ways. Paul gives even the thief the simple steps to such emulation.

Stealing does not only refer to the pilfering of things. It also refers to stealing affections, sex, and loyalty. A thief can also refer to a playboy who breaks the hearts of women by taking from them what he pleases and then leaving.

Father, show me where I have stole from others and never repented for it. I wish to show my repentance by asking their forgiveness and restoring what was stolen. Show me how to be a giver and not a thief.

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