Message: Forward - Part 4 - I have decided to … not give up
Speaker: Geoff Surratt
Date: January 26, 2025
Open with prayer.
Get to Know You (10 Minutes)
Share a goal or something you are striving towards.
Observation & Discussion (30 Minutes)
Philippians 3:12-17
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. 17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.
2 Corinthians 11:24-27
Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.
- Discuss what you know about Paul’s life. What kept him from not giving up?
- From this passage, what are the practical ways Paul calls us to press on? Which one of these is the most difficult for you to put into practice?
- What progress have you made over the past year that you would like to celebrate?
- Paul’s life is an example of keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and to not give up. What have you decided to not give up?
Next Step (10 Minutes)
What is one area you would like to ‘press on’ in? Write down one step you can take this week to move forward in that direction.
Prayer Requests (5 Minutes)
Reading scripture is a great way to close your time together. Take a moment to read this passage as you close in prayer.
Romans 8:38-39
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Challenge
Invite your group and friends to join you for a night of Worship on Thursday, January 30, 6:30 pm at our new Lone Tree location. Visit https://journeycolorado.com/21-days/#worship for more information.