This week we begin a six-week series entitled “Fully Alive”
that mirrors this year’s VBS Curriculum.
In John 10:10 Jesus is speaking of Himself as the Door of
the Sheep and He says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I
came that they (the sheep) may have life and have it abundantly.” What does it
mean to have an abundant life? That is the theme of what we will be examining
from the pulpit the next 6 Sundays and throughout the VBS week – June 24-28th.
This first Sunday, we will examine the life of Joseph,
Jesus’ namesake. As we have mentioned on numerous occasions, no biblical figure
mirrors Jesus any more clearly than the 11th son of Jacob, Joseph.
And no experiences of Joseph’s life parallel the life of Jesus any more closely
than the pain, suffering, and persecution he endures at the hands of sinful men.
Rather than being outside the control of a loving God, each pain and affliction
is a significant piece of the beautiful tapestry of Joseph’s life that produces
countless blessings for others. In short, without the pain, betrayal, and
suffering there would be no deliverance for others. Whether it’s in a pit, a
caravan, a prison, or on a cross, the life of both of our Joseph’s trumpets the
truth that God is never, absent from the lives of His people. Indeed, it's in
the affliction that His presence is often best experienced and seen.
In preparation for Sunday’s message, “Living Like God is
With You”, you may wish to consider the following:
- Read II Corinthians 12:2-10 and ask yourself if Paul’s thorn in the flesh was a good gift or a bad one?
- What were the benefits of Paul’s thorn to himself and others?
- What’s the difference between preaching and sharing?
- Why does God give us so many illustrations of brokenness in the Bible?
- What is the connection between brokenness and healing in Scripture?
- Why does God require a broken Joseph to heal the brokenness in his brothers?
- How does Joseph heal them in verse 4?
- How does he heal them in verse 5?
- How does he heal them in verse 24?
- How is Joseph’s life a powerful portrait of Jesus?
See you Sunday! Don’t forget the patio dedication at noon
and the Food Truck from 11:00 – 1:00PM!
