Simplify Your Relationships
Sermon Series: Simplify
7. In Luke 6:36-37 and 7:47, what wisdom does Jesus offer for
our process of forgiving others?
This week: Simplify Your Relationships
Text: Romans 12
Feeling the mercy of God’s loving grace in our own lives can go far
in extending grace to others. The Core Discipline we are practicing
during the Simplify series is Give Away. The Daily Expression is to
give something away each day.
8. How are you doing? What will you intentionally release or
begin to resolve and/or forgive this week?
CONNECT
A core value we hold at Cold Springs Church is Prayer. Two ways
to discern God’s will for our lives are by reading his Word and being
in communion with Him through prayer – disciplines which are
maximized by practicing them both individually, and in community.
Please join us as we seek God together at our next Your Kingdom
Come: Night of Prayer & Worship: Sept 30th 6:30pm.
At Cold Springs there is a place for you! What’s the Next Step in
your journey? Whether it’s baptism, serving, or community
connection… you can find out by marking your Welcome Card. You
may also contact our Spiritual Formation Pastor, Esther Tress at
[email protected].
Connection in community is another core value at Cold Springs
Church. If you are looking to connect into a Life Group, please
contact our Connections Pastor, Rick Shaffer at
[email protected].
Life Changing Community
Through Life Groups
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Sermon notes
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life group Study guide
Date: Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014
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Simplify Your Relationships
I.
Our internal life will determine our external actions. Being humble
and quick to forgive will impact your relationships in a positive
direction.
Taking It Home:
Harmony’s A Nice Idea But…
II. Simplify Your Relationships
A. Pay Attention To What’s On The Inside
1. ____________________ is key to simplicity
a) “Live in harmony with one another. Do
not be haughty, but associate with the
lowly. Never be wise in your own
sight.” (Romans 12:16, ESV)
B. Live ____________________
1. “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do
what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so
far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the
wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I
will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your
enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him
something to drink; for by so doing you will heap
burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by
evil, but overcome evil with good.”
(Romans 12:17–21, ESV)
Reference: Matthew 18:15; Luke 6:36-37, 7:47, 23:34 and
Romans 12:18
Often our relationships are complicated because we let things
fester, giving too much space to ruminate over the other person’s
motives, ignoring the facts. Scripture exhorts us not to wait to
reconcile our relationships. If we don’t talk it out, we will act it out.
In his book, “Simplify: Ten Practices to Unclutter Your Soul” (2014.
Tyndale Momentum), Bill Hybels lists three categories of offense:
Category 1: Minor Offenses (easily forgotten – to be released)
Category 2: Legitimate Wounds (valid hurts – to be resolved)
Category 3: Life-shattering Injustices (deep life-changing traumas
– to be forgiven)
5. Reflect on an issue over which you felt offended. In
retrospect, what category of offense was it: 1, 2 or 3? What
did you do in response? What resulted?
Category 3 offenses are of course the hardest to release. They
need to be genuinely grieved in order to begin to move toward
forgiveness. Jesus understood this. Yet even as he hung dying on
the cross, he offered words of reconciliation to the very people
who were killing him: “ Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do” (Luke 23:34). Right in the midst of being wronged,
Jesus forgave those who wronged him.
6. For what do you need to release your “right” to exact
revenge, in order to make room to pray as Jesus did?
2. Choose ____________________
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Life Group Study Guide
Simplify Your Relationships
This guide can be used for deeper study and reflection
3. Pursue ____________________
on your own or in a Life Group with others.
4. Keep ____________________
Icebreaker:
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest positive), what kind of
friend are you?
5. ____________________ Your Heart
Warming Up:
In this sermon series, “Simplify: Getting Rid Of The Junk That
Clutters Our Soul,” we are looking at the power of being intentional in
ways that will simplify our lives.
1. Think of a “simple relationship” in your life. What makes it
“simple?”
2. The opposite of “simple” is “complex.” What makes a
relationship complex?
Digging Deeper:
Reference: Romans 12:14-21; 1 Corinthians 13:5
Complexity in relationships plays out in unresolved conflicts
stemming from unrealistic, thus unmet, expectations.
3. According to the Apostle Paul in his letters to the Romans and
Corinthians, what are inner traits- how you see yourself and
others- a person must adopt if they are to relate well with
others?
C. Do your part to simplify your relationships and leave
room for God to do his part.
III. Five “Go’s” To Simplify
A. Go
1. ““If your brother sins against you, go and tell him
his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens
to you, you have gained your brother.”
(Matthew 18:15, ESV)
B. Go Alone
C. Go To Reconcile
4. What are the external actions we must live?
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Simplify Your Relationships
D. Go Now
1. “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there
remember that your brother has something against
you, leave your gift there before the altar and go.
First be reconciled to your brother, and then come
and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23–24, ESV)
E. Let It Go
1. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live
peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18, ESV)
a) From: Simplify: Ten Practices To
Unclutter Your Soul – Bill Hybels
Moving from Information to Transformation
Our focus is “To be…”, not just “To do…” Being a Christ
follower involves wrestling with three critical questions:
What do I need to KNOW of God’s truth to know Jesus more
deeply?
How do I need to EXPERIENCE the Spirit’s power to be more
like Jesus?
IV. A Final Word From Jesus
A. Luke 7:36-50
What do I need to DO – how am I going to think differently and
act differently now?
B. “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are
forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven
little, loves little.”” (Luke 7:47, ESV)
Answers: Humility; Differently; Honor; Peace; Perspective; Guard
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