Small Group discussion for Sunday, March 7

Read Mark 1:9-17 and Hebrews 3:12-18

 

1. Meditate on Jesus’ own obedience to fulfill Scripture by submitting to water baptism and his immediate response to follow Holy Spirit to go into the wilderness and fast.

2. Watch his disciples' immediate responses to follow Jesus in Mark 9:16-17.

3. Contrast the above with the slowness of heart of God’s own people to believe and follow Him through and to get out of the wilderness (Hebrews 3).

4. Imagine yourself experiencing Jesus’ call to follow him, or Moses’ call to follow the Lord.

·         Perhaps you are in a wilderness experience or have come out of one full of the Holy Spirit.

·         Perhaps you want to repent of hardness and want to believe anew the Good News with joy.

·         Perhaps you are praying to be able to speak the good news of the gospel to others by following Jesus.

Wherever you are, Jesus is calling you and giving you grace to follow Him. 

Mark 1:9-20 

The Baptism of Jesus

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;[d] with you I am well pleased.”

The Temptation of Jesus

12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”[e] 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Hebrews 3: 12-18 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

For the week March 1-7

 

Meditate on these things this week and bring to your next group meeting to share together what is good or hard and what effect in you or what action you believe God wants you take.

Day One: These two Scriptures have come to my mind numerous times in the past weeks.

Psalm 37 Fret not… Trust in the Lord… dwell in the land, cultivate faithfulness... Delight in the Lord...Commit your way to the Lord... Be still and wait on the Lord... Hope in the Lord…

With these commands and conditions comes the promise 6x that you will inherit the land.

Mark 10:21 NASV

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

Mark 10:17-31 Read the encounter between Jesus and the man and what Jesus said to his disciples afterwards.

The rich young ruler had kept God’s commands but went away sorrowful because he was tied to his possessions.

(Jesus told his disciples it is impossible to save ourselves but, "Everything is possible with God.")

Ask God's help to identify deal with what hinders you from following Jesus with your whole heart?

Day Two:  Psalm 37 

1   Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;
2   for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3  Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4  Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5   Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
6   He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn…
7   Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.
23  The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;

Mark 10:29-31 Jesus assured his disciples, "He who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property for my sake and for the Gospel will receive a hundredfold now along with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life.

(220 of our Christian brothers were just captured by ISIS to be beheaded, crucified and to suffer. It is hard for us to identify with such evil. Let your Lenten meditation and fasting bring us into union with God's heart as we pray for them and deal with what hinders us from making Christ known.)

Day Three:

Put these two seemingly unrelated passages together (Mk 10:17-31 and Psalm 37) and there are many connections:

1.  Note that Jesus looking on the rich young man loved him. Can you see his face upon you, loving you? The Psalm echoes the love and blessing of God on you.

2.  God’s promises of blessing are more than wealth and property and are for others through us not just for ourselves. Do I look on the interests of others as Christ?

3.  An inheritance is not for me but our children which also means new spiritual children

4.  Jesus’ command to come and follow him matches Psalm 37’s call to union with God.

5.  The Psalm’s contrast between the wicked and righteous is like the call and challenge of Christ to forsake hindrances in our hearts and lives, to love God with our whole heart. This is the way into union with God in divine love. Do I sense God at work freeing my heart from wickedness and anxiety so I can come more into union with his heart of love?

Day Four: Review the story of the rich man turning away sorrowfully in Mark 10:17-31 and Jesus conversation with his disciples.

Write some of your responses down to think about later and share in group.

1.     Imagine sights like people’s body language during the conversation, sounds like tone of voice, and how people in the story might feel. 

2.     With whom can I identify most? The man, a disciple or a bystander, etc…

3.     When the man leaves Jesus imagine being alone with Jesus.

What question would you ask him privately?  

What answer might He give to you?

Day Five:

From these first three weeks of meditation

1. What action am I being brought to or effect are my meditations having in my relationship to God or others?

2. Do I identify more with the promises of blessing in Psalm 37 and Mark 10 or the judgments on the unrighteous?

3. Do I have certain promises from God's Word that are helping me (like Mk 10:27 "Everything is possible with God.")?

“Father, grant us your Holy Spirit to know the depths and heights of your love. Open our eyes to the riches and treasure of your kingdom in contrast with the things of this world. Move us to repent and turn and follow You where You are at work in love for those in need.

You are bringing the blessings of your heavenly kingdom to the humble, hungry and broken. Grant us humility, spiritual hunger and a broken spirit, so that we being united in your loving heart will make You known to others.

-PD