Outline:
“Greed”
Rev. Brice Early—9:00, 10:15, & 11:30 a.m.
ST. MARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
2250 PJ Adams Pkwy, Crestview, FL 32536 / www.stmarkcrestview.com / 850-682-5280
November 2, 2014
Meet
Your friend wasn’t able to make it to church this week. He/She has
asked you to summarize the sermon for him/her. What would you
say?
1.
Write a one or two sentence definition of the following words: Greed,
Covetousness, Avarice, and Enough.
2.
Looking at your own life, do you ever ask yourself how much is enough? Is there
anything about your life that would hint at the fact that you believe abundance of
possessions will give you the happiness and meaning you are looking for?
3.
Read Luke 12:15-21. According to the arithmetic of affluence, if one barn makes
a man 10 % happy, then ten barns should make the same man 100 % happy. Our
generation has ten times more things than any preceding generation. Ask these
questions in regards to the preceding generations – am I better adjusted to
life? Am I more secure? Do I handle trials and tribulations any better? Are
temptations less seductive? Does abundance of possessions equal the abundant
life? Why or why not?
4.
Definitions: Greed—desiring more than you really need. Covetousness—desiring
something that belongs to someone else. Avarice—self-protection by hoarding
things you don’t need. Enough—a little more than what you have. Describe an
occasion in the past 3 months where you were greedy. Where you coveted.
Where you were hoarding that you don’t need (clothes in your closet you haven’t
worn in a long time; cans in your pantry that have been there for weeks, etc.)?
5.
Has there been a time in your life when you thought money or things could make
you happy? What brought that conviction on? How long did it last? What
happened to change your perspective? Are you currently ordering your life as
though money and things could bring you happiness?
6.
There is nothing wrong with having money and/or having things that money can
buy. The question is...Does money have us? Do we possess what we own or does
what we own possess us? Read 1 Timothy 6:10. What does Paul say is evil’s
root? How do you explain Paul’s statement, “in their eagerness to be rich some
have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many
pains.”? What can having too much lead us to? Look over the past fifteen years of
your life. Which things that you considered luxuries in the past have become
necessities? Who do you know whose possessions have diverted him or her from
dependence on God?
7.
Read Matthew 19:16-22. What did Jesus demand the young man to do before
he could love and serve God completely? If Jesus were before you right now,
what do you think he would demand you do so you could love and serve God
completely?
8.
What are your thoughts about the statement, “You will never know that Jesus is all
you need, until Jesus is all you’ve got.”? Has there ever been a time in your life
when “Jesus was all you had”? Describe that experience. Is there anything in your
life that is a sure sign that you do not trust God completely? What is that? How
does what you have – your possessions, earnings, security, job, etc. – divert you
from a total reliance on God? What are you going to do about that this week?
Grow
What scripture was shared during the sermon?
Were these verses new to you, or have you studied them before?
What did you find challenging or new in these verses when you
applied them to your life?
Serve
What was the one thing—the golden nugget—from the sermon
that challenged you, changed you, caused you to really think about
things, and/or made you want to take action right away?
What difference has it made, or do you think it will make, in your
life and your relationship with God and others?