Jesus, Our True North | True North | Drew Moore

There are lots of voices fighting for your attention. Who will you listen to? Who do you want to become? The voice of Jesus is one of grace and truth. He and His Word will transform you more and more into someone who walks with compassion and mercy without sacrificing truth or righteousness. Where can you invite Jesus to renew your mind this week?

Key Verses

• John 8:1-11 NLT: Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery.The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”“No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” ---------

• John 1:14 NIV: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

• John 8:31-36 NLT: Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”“But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

• John 8:37-38 NLT: Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message.I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.”

• John 8:42-47 NLT: Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me!For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me?Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”

• John 8:47 NLT: Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”

• Romans 12:1-2 NLT: And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

• Ephesians 4:11-13 NLT: Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

• Ephesians 4:14-16 NLT: Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

• Ephesians 4:1-14 NLT: Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.There is one Lord, one faith, one baptismone God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

One of the best ways to hear what God is saying right now is to look at what He has said in the Bible with a few friends. Discovery Bible Study is an easy-to-use way to hear from God, make good changes in our lives, and share with others what God is up to. Grab some friends, pick a verse or story from above, and dive deeper into this week’s message.

Recap

• Reconnect

  To begin the study, each person answers these questions:

  • What are you thankful for?

  • What is causing stress for our neighbors and people around us?

  • What can we as individuals or as a group do to help?

• Recap

  • Have someone retell the story from your previous meeting.

  • Did you live out your response from last week?

  • Did you tell anyone else about the story from last week?

DISCOVERING WHAT GOD IS SAYING

• Read and Retell the Bible Story

  • One person reads the story out loud to the group.

  • Someone else in the group retells the story in their own words as they remember it, and others fill in what’s missing.

• Read and Look

  • Read the passage again (different version if possible)

  • What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?

• Read and Look Again

  • Have 1-2 more people retell the story as if they were telling a neighbor outside their home.

  • What does this passage say about people in general?

DISCOVER WHAT GOD IS SAYING

• Consider

  • What in me needs to change to better DO what God is showing me today?

  • How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly ways in the next 47 hours?

  • Have someone record these for prayer time, and for the beginning of the next meeting.

SHARING WHAT GOD IS SAYING

• Praying Together

  • Take prayer requests

  • Pray together

• Share

  • Who in your life needs to hear this story?

  • Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?

Become a Partner

Every time you give in Jesus’ name, you make a difference in others AND you make a difference in your own life! Partnering together in generosity helps accomplish things together that could never be accomplished alone! You can partner together in giving today with a single gift, or schedule recurring giving using your checking account, debit, or credit card.