Here’s the notes from last week’s talk for Parent/Student discussion!

Right and Wrong

John 14:6
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

SOME TRUTHS ABOUT RIGHT AND WRONG.

WE WERE ALL BORN WITH A CONSCIENCE.
Romans 2:14-16
Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.  They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.  And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.

THAT CONSCIENCE CAN BECOME HARDENED AND DAMAGED.
Acts 28:26-27
When you hear what I say,  you will not understand.  When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.  For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—  so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

WE HAVE A HISTORY OF MAKING BAD CHOICES
Isaiah 64:5-7
You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways. But you have been very angry with us, for we are not godly.  We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved?  We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds,  they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. Yet no one calls on your name  or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us  and turned us over to our sins.

SO HOW DO WE FIGURE OUT WHAT’S REALLY RIGHT OR WRONG?

1.  Choose for YOURSELF.  Don’t let OTHERS choose FOR YOU.
Joshua 24:14-15
“So fear the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone.  But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.”

2.  Take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for your CHOICES and your OPINIONS.
… the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life. V. 16

3.  Figure out GOD’S VIEW on the subject
Hebrews 4:12-13
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
Philippians 2:12
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,  for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

4.  Remember, God’s boundaries are there to PROTECT YOU, not to CONTROL YOU.
Psalm 145:8-9
The LORD is merciful and compassionate,  slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The LORD is good to everyone.  He showers compassion on all his creation.

It all comes down to this question.  Do you believe that God is who he says he is and that he’ll do what he says he’ll do?

Are you ready to put your trust in him tonight?

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, God, and know my heart;  test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Let’s work it out
1.   Have you ever done something you knew was wrong but you did it anyway and paid the consequence?  Tell the story.

2.  Have you ever been involved in something you didn’t know was wrong, and you found out that is wrong when you paid the consequences?

3.  It always seems that when issues of right and wrong come up that people take sides, get defensive, and people get offended.”  God is described as “merciful and compassionate,  slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.  At the same, God obviously has standards that he talks about in the Bible.  How do you think we should respond when in a discussion about something that is right or wrong?

Last night we talked about the New Normal when it comes to FORGIVENESS!  Take a few minutes and talk through these notes as a family!

The Story of Joseph – Genesis 37 – 50
Genesis 50:16-19
So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept.  Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.
But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you?  You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.  No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

1.   FORGIVING IS HARD, NOT FORGIVING IS HARDER
“Bitterness is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die from it.” – Jeanne Mayo
Proverbs 17:9
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.
Matthew 6:14-15
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Mark 11:25
But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. ”

2.  FORGIVING IS NOT FORGETTING.
Forgiving does not mean you have to continue to let someone hurt you.  It means that you CHOOSE to stop being resentful, bitter and angry towards that person.  That does not mean that trust is immediately restored.
Proverbs 4:23
Guard your heart for it’s the well spring of life.

3.  FORGIVING PUTS GOD IN CHARGE.
Romans 12:18-20
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.  Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.  Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.  If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”

4.  FORGIVING IS WHAT JESUS IS.
Psalm 86:5
O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
Colossians 3:13
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
Romans 10:9-10, 13
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved…… For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”

Let’s work it out.
1.  What’s the hardest thing for you personally, when it comes to forgiving those who have hurt you?
2.  Have you ever forgiven someone of something HUGE?  How did that feel?
3.  How do you plan to put this into action? (Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. – Colossians 3:13)

Here’s the notes from last night’s talk.  These are great for discussion at home between parents and students!  A great book that inspired this talk is Soul Print – by Mark Batterson!

The New Normal:
Self-Esteem

2 things that normally determine our self-esteem:
What other people tell us with their WORDS, LOOKS, AND ACTIONS
What we think other people are thinking about us.

Isn’t that kind of messed up?  How YOU feel about YOURSELF is determined by what OTHERS think of you.

If that’s how it works then, YOU HAVE NO CONTROL.  You will forever be a SLAVE to what others think about you and how THEY view you.

IT’S NOT SELF-ESTEEM ANYMORE – IT’S OTHER’S-ESTEEM.

Identity issues are the result of worshiping the wrong thing.

SO WHAT DO WE DO TO RECLAIM OUR SELF-ESTEEM?

1.   The only way to discover who you are is to discover who God is, because you’re made in His image

To see yourself as anything other than God’s masterpiece is to devalue and distort your true identity.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

2.   Is your identity based on what YOU CAN DO, or is it based on what CHRIST HAS DONE FOR YOU?

Pride is a by-product of insecurity. So the more insecure you are, the more monuments you need to build to yourself.

You don’t really care about people until you don’t care what they think.

Galatians 1:10
Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

Ephesians 2:8-9
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

3.   He designed you, so if you want to get to know yourself, you’ve got to get to know God.

If you want to discover your destiny, you’ve got to spend time in the presence of God. There is no alternative. There is no substitute.

Philippians 3:7-8
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.  Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.

You are not defined by what you have done wrong. You are redefined by what Christ has done right

Galatians 2:20
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Let’s work it out:
Describe an instance where you let your self-esteem be defined by others instead of yourself or God.
Be honest, what means more to you? – the fact that God says you’re a masterpiece, or what society, your friends, or culture thinks of you?  It’s OK if God’s opinion isn’t at the top of your list right now.  The first step is identifying where you’re getting your worth from and being honest about it.
If you’ve got to get to know God before you can really know yourself, what’s your next step tonight?

Here’s the notes from last night’s installment of “Use Me.”  Don’t forget to talk about the questions at the end with your parent/student !

USE ME:  part 2

Matthew 1:19
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

1.  Joseph was a good man, but that’s not enough

Sometimes our good intentions (or our first reactions) DO NOT line up with God’s plan.
We are not judged by our own goodness, but by how good God is.
Our righteousness is like filthy rags.

Isaiah 64:6
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.  Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
Are you putting your life up against the goodness of God as a comparison? Are you asking him what HIS opinion is of the choices you’re making?

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

2.  He took time to PAUSE and consider his decision.
…..As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream….

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
      She will give birth to a son,
   and they will call him Immanuel,
      which means ‘God is with us.’”

3.  The story that was important was God’s story, not Joseph’s.  We play parts in God’s story
…..All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message……
I’d so much rather be a sheep in God’s christmas play, than Joseph in my own Christmas play.

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.  But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

4.  Joseph followed God’s script and not his own.
…When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife….

Let’s Talk about it: 

1.  Am I playing the lead role in MY story or am I playing a part in GOD’S story?
2.  Which choices am I making that might be “good choices” in the eyes of my friends, but God might have something different in mind.
3.   Is there something that has happened to you that was outside of your control and God is challenging your reaction to it?  How do you think he wants you to react differently?  What do you need to do tonight to start down that road?