Wake Up!

Introduction:

3 Reasons to Stop Hitting the Snooze Button (Micah 3:1-12):

1. Your Sin is worse than you think. (Micah 3:1-4)
2. False teachers are trying to Manipulate you. (Micah 3:5-8)

   1 Timothy 3:1-7 - The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

3. Being a little Religious won't help you. (Micah 3:9-12)

   Jeremiah 26:17-19 - And certain of the elders of the land arose and spoke to all the assembled people, saying, “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and said to all the people of Judah: ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “‘Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.’ Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and entreat the favor of the LORD, and did not the LORD relent of the disaster that he had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring great disaster upon ourselves.”

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Small Group Discussion
Read Micah 3:1-12

1. What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
   

2. Why are each of us so good at justifying our favorite sin? How can we see our sin as God sees it?
   

3. How have you seen preachers manipulate people (Micah 3:5)?
   

4. Why do you think people think they won’t face discipline / consequences for their sin?
   

5. Which of these “4 clues” catches your attention the easiest when you detect a bad sermon?

Breakout
Pray for one another, and HBC, to WAKE UP!

Discern

Introduction:

4 Clues You're Hearing a Bad Sermon (Micah 2:1-13):

1. The sermon Avoids hard truths. (Micah 2:6a)
2. The sermon doesn't Agree with something God already said. (Micah 2:6b)
3. The sermon Appeals to the flesh. (Micah 2:6b)

2 Timothy 4:3-4 - For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

4. The sermon Attracts non-spiritual people. (Micah 2:11b)

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Small Group Discussion
Read Micah 2:1-13

1. What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
   

2. Tell of a bad sermon you’ve heard. What made it “bad”?
   

3. What would you say to a friend that excitedly follows a pastor that you know preaches unbiblical sermons?
   

4. Which of these “4 clues” catches your attention the easiest when you detect a bad sermon?

Breakout
Pray for one another.

The Lost Art of Discernment. How Can I Help You?

Introduction:

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

Discerning Needs in the Church:

1. The idle need Admonished . (1 Thess 5:14a)
2. The fainthearted need Encouraged . (1 Thess 5:14b)
3. The weak need Help . (1 Thess 5:14c)

   Galatians 6:1 - Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

4. You need Discernment . (1 Thess 5:14)
5. We all need Grace . (1 Thess 5:14-15)

   1. Be Patient .
   2. Be Merciful .
   3. Be Good .

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Small Group Discussion
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

1. What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
   

2. How can you tell the difference between the idle, the fainthearted, and the weak?
   

3. How can you specifically carry out the command to admonish someone in the church who is just attending and watching, but not getting involved (v14)? What would you say to that person?

Breakout
Pray for one another.

The Lost Art of Discernment. What is Best?

Introduction:

Philippians 1:9-11

1 Corinthians 6-8-10 Principle: Five Questions to Ask To Make the Best Decision in a "Grey Area":

1. Is it Permissible ? (1 Cor 6:12)

   1 Corinthians 6:12 - "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful.
   "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.

2. Is it Beneficial ? (1 Cor 6:12)

   1 Corinthians 6:12 - "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful.
   "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.

3. Could it get me under its Power ? (1 Cor 6:12)

   1 Corinthians 6:12 - "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful.
   "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.

4. Could it cause a brother to Stumble ? (1 Cor 8:12-13)

   1 Corinthians 8:12-13 - Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

5. Is it Glorifying to God? (1 Cor 10:31)

   1 Corinthians 10:31 - So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

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Small Group Discussion
Read Philippians 1:9-11 and 1 Cor 6:12, 1 Cor 8:12-13, 1 Cor 10:31

1. What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
   

2. Why is it important to discern what is best, not just what is “right and wrong”? See Philippians 1:10.
   

3. Name a “grey area” you’ve personally struggled with. How does the 1 Corinthians 6-8-10 principle help you come to a conviction in that area?

Breakout
Pray for one another.

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If you are struggling with discernment in the form of an addiction. Check out the 5-part series where the church faces this series need head-on. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the pastors or elders of the church to get help!

The Lost Art of Discernment. What is God's Will?

Introduction:

What is God's Will for Me? (Romans 12:1-2):

1. Alter Get On It. (Romans 12:1)

   Psalm 116:12 - What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?

2. Bible Get In It. (Romans 12:2a)

   Joshua 1:8 - This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

   Psalm 1:2-3 - his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. ...In all that he does, he prospers.

3. Choices Get Making Them. (Romans 12:2b)

God's Will for His People:

1. It Is God's Will That I Am Saved. (1 Timothy 2:3–4)
2. It Is God's Will That I Am Filled With The Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:17-18)
3. It Is God's Will That I Am Morally Pure. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
4. It Is God's Will That I Submit To The Government. (1 Peter 2:13-15)
5. (Sometimes) It Is God's Will That I Suffer. (1 Peter 4:19)
6. It Is God's Will That I Am Thankful In All Circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

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Small Group Discussion
Read Romans 12:1-2

1. What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
   

2. What ways, right or wrong, have you heard people try to discover God’s Will?
   

3. How would you explain to a nonbeliever what it means to be a “living sacrifice” for God?
   

4. Confession time: what are some negative things you fill your mind with? In what ways are you filling your mind with the Word of God?
   

5. How does being fully dedicated to God, and having your mind renewed by His Word, let you automatically know what His will is?

Breakout
Pray for one another.