Lesson Four: REAL Men Love Life--Jesus is Life

REAL Young Men’s Lesson Four—REAL Men have real life—Jesus is life

25 Oct 10

Welcome, missed you

Quick Review of R.E.A…. We saw David as an example of Radical faith, David’s mighty men as empowered. We will review the fact that we cannot have faith, be empowered, or be an ambassador for God unless we are His.

Tonight is L…Life

“The Game of Life”

·       My daughter loves to play this game, have you played it? (get out game)

·       According to this game…what is Life?

1.     Get education, Get great job, get a car, get a house, pay bills/insurance, Get married, Have kids, accumulate stuff, retire with wealth, die

·       So what would the game of life board look like for you as a teenager?

·       What would you say Living the Life is?  When do you feel like you’re livin’ the life?

So, is this really life? (great job, success, beautiful woman, good grades, happiness…etc)

John 14:6

⁶ Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me

·       So, who is life then?

·       How do we get this life?

·       How long is this life, He is talking about? [being a Christian?]

·       Well, then, what is a Christian?

Today we focus on Jesus. He is the ultimate satisfaction in life. My issues—though saved I sought security in music and girlfriends…

Until God showed me He was enough—if I never married He was enough. I could be satisfied in Him.

How do you seek to be satisfied? (X-box, food, girlfriend)

We saw David as an example of Radical faith, David’s mighty men as empowered. We cannot have faith, be empowered, or be an ambassador for God unless we are His—We are in Him.

Today we will look at the Apostle Peter. Jesus was his life. He thought he had it right before Jesus went to the cross, but he was mistaken. Matthew 16:23 (NIV),
²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

I will never forsake you, then in Acts 4:13

Acts 4:13 (NASB)
¹³ Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

So to be clear, a REAL Man is a Christian, but what is a Christian?      A.W. Tozer’s quote

We can train a chimp to eat with silverware—that does not make him a human. Likewise, we are not a Christian just because we act like one or look like one. True Christianity flows out of a completely changed heart. God empowers us to obey the law He writes in our hearts—and He enables us to BE in HIS presence!

Peter before and after Holy Spirit Acts 4:13

My testimony-divorce, salvation, insecurity, dating, Lisa…

Going Deeper:

Tonight, Let’s ask God to take us deeper with Him. David prayed that God would give him an undivided heart for Him…

Psalms 86:11 (NIV)
¹¹ Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

Pray,  1) Lord, give us a longing for You above everything/anyone else.

          2) Lord, give us Your heart of compassion to love others.

Small groups—discuss and then pray about how you will live out a deeper desire for God (longing for Jesus) during the next month.

Will you pray more? Will you read His Word more. Will you ask God daily to raise your passion for Him?

How will you live out a deeper love for others this month. Will you pray daily that God will give you a passion for people like He has? Will you ask God to bring to your mind opportunities to share God’s Word.

  

Small groups…pray

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Romans 8:31 (NIV)
³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 6:23 (NIV)
²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.