DISCIPLESHIP GROUP| DROPPING IT

Discipleship Gen Group | DROPPING “IT”

Thank you for being who you are

We ask your blessing on this class

we invite your presence in our discussion and our conversation

Give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you

we ask that you flood our understanding with your light

so we can experience you God in a more real and profound way

during this time studying this morning

Intro

Been in Teaching Series called Growth

continue along those lines but move into a different aspect of growth

Our Topic to day is Dropping the “IT”

In Order for us to grow spiritually we need to drop IT

SO What exactly is the “it”

IT is anything that keeps you from being what God call you to be

anything from your past that you might be holding on to that can stop your growth

anything that causes your life as a believer Christ to become unfruitful

sometimes our Failures keep us from growing spiritually

People who have hurt us

mistakes that we’ve made

What are some things we hold on to that can stop us from growing?

TV Shows that you’ve been Watching (Football priority over time with God)

Movies, Videos on You tube

That person that did you wrong

sometimes we have something buried in our hearts that you didn’t know was there until something triggers it

Mom Upset about Aunt Betty actions after Uncle Les passing

Mom brought up incidents from her past that still hurt her Aunt Betty was the trigger.

She hung up the phone and refuses to speak to Aunt Betty still today

How many can admit you have also held onto hurts from your past?

the problem is that holding onto the past never moves you forward

IF you never drop your “IT” you may never grow

Isaiah 43:18–19 (NASB 2020)

18 “Do not call to mind the former things, Or consider things of the past. 19 “Behold, I am going to do something new, Now it will spring up; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

former things, or consider things of the past

In context, when the text mentions the former things, scholars say Isaiah is talking about the Jewish history

exile in Babylon, or what led to that exile , the exit from Egypt and being in the wilderness

The enemies they had to conquer, rivers they had to cross

The Past can teach or illustrate but we can’t get stuck there.

What does the phrase I am going to do something new mean to you? In light of moving forward?

He is a God of the present and of the Future

Live in the present

God is not limited to what he’s done in the past

We have a responsibility to leave the past in the past

so how do we do that? how do we leave the past in the past?

To drop “IT” We Must Change our Focus

Colossians 3:2 (NASB 2020)

2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.

It is possible to be a new creation in christ but your mind can be somewhere else

this is an exhortation from Paul teaching us to place your mind in the same place as your heart

Does this mean the we should never think about any Earthly things?

What we focus on should not be on the IT

See it through a heavenly lense or perspective.

Paul’s is saying change what you focus on

Proverbs 4:25-27 “25 Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. 26 Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or to the left; Turn your foot from evil.”

the proverbs text echo’s the same thing as the Colossians text

it is a reference to how you keep your heart guarded

You guard your heart by what you focus on

it is possible to be focused on heavenly things one day then the next day you focus on earthly things

what we need is a consitent focus on the things that are above

How do we continue the momentum of focus that we need to keep our past in the past?

To drop “IT” we must move forward with continuous momentum

Philippians 3:13–14 (NASB 2020)

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Do not regard myself as Taking Hold of it yet

not where I need to be in Christ

Forgetting what lies behind

We often refer to Forget what lies behind as leaving behind challenges and obstacles and negativity

but it also means leaving behind your success.

Dropping IT also applies to your successes

Press towards the goal

I love the athletic metaphor in this text to keep moving forward

has anyone ever did track and field?

you will never look back during a race

Paul compares being a new creation in Christ to being in a race

he says I press towards the goal that lies ahead

What is the goal that Paul is talking about? What do you consider the upward Call?

The Goal is Christ

knowing Christ even as Paul himself is known

the goal of knowing Christ as he knows us is how you maintain a consistent focus on moving forward and away from your IT

Your goal should never be

A higher degree Doctorate or Masters

or a Full collar or different clergy shirt

When your goal is knowing Christ you become consitent

To Drop “IT” we must trust God’s Direction

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NASB 2020)

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.

We See in a mirror dimly

Corinth in Paul’s day was famous for its mirrors but the reflection was distorted

the gifts of the Spirit we have access to now

allows us to only see in part

We just can’t see all that God has for us

What does that mean to you knowing that we can’t fully know the direction God wants to take us?

We are going to have to trust God for direction because we only see and know in part

this is a faith walk

We can know the bible even in the original languages

we want but it still requires FAITH

Close summary

To grow spiritually

we are responsible for Dropping whatever our IT is

we drop the IT by

What we focus on

Focus on things that are about not earthly things

We keep our focus

By making Knowing Christ our Goal

goal should never be set on material things

Trust God for his direction

There is no 5 steps to a better life

we simply just have to trust God

because we can only see in part

and we only know in part

Thank you for your Word it is true and never a lie

thank you for your spirit it leads us into all truth

help us God o hid this word in our hearts

that we may not sin against you