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Week 6 - Escaping Diversion + Embracing Discipline
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Substance: Becoming More Like Christ
Embracing Discipline
Based on the book:
Substance: Becoming Oaks of Righteousness in a World of Vapor
by Nicola Gibson
Week 6: Escaping Diversion + Embracing Discipline
A New Vision
In Christ
Marks of Substance
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Recap
Pursuit of Substance
The vision of who we can become happens in Christ.
What it produces and requires:
- Rejecting worldliness
- Pursuing godliness
Pursuing godliness:
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
The marks of substance:
- Self-sacrificial love
- The mind of Christ
- Virtuous freedom
- In step with the Spirit
The Pursuit of Substance
- Escaping Diversion
- Embracing Discipline
- Welcome to the Ordinary
- Belonging to the Formational Community
Diversion + Its Effects
- Diversion isn't leisure
- We intentionally divert ourselves
- Diversion is amplified because of technology
- Diversion is hard to recognize
Escaping Diversion
What are you diverting yourself with?
What are you diverting yourself from?
Discernment + Diversion
Read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 + 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1
The Test:
The Test
1. Is it beneficial (for your true good)?
2. Is it constructive (for the true good of others?)
3. Will it master you?
4. Does it align with who you are in Christ?
Why do we get sucked into the trap of diversion?
Read Matthew 13:45-46 + Numbers 11:4-6.
The Trap of Diversion
What are the similarities in the passages? The differences?
The Good News:
- God has given us everything we need for life + godliness. (2 Peter 1:3-11)
- This faith that we receive empowers + requires us to "make every effort" to grow in godliness as part of the prize. (2 Peter 1:5-9)
- Jesus escaped diversion and embraced discipline in order to save us. He is our example. (Luke 9:51)
The Good News in Christ
Embracing Discipline:
- Jesus calls us to discipline by grace.
- Spiritual discipline: Internal training of the heart, mind, and will to do what it takes to be and become a substantive disciple of Christ.
Vigilance
Acts 20:25-32
Knowledge and awareness of your enemy with constant attention to its advance, especially in your most vulnerable places.
Vigilance
- Don't trust the systems of safety.
- Understand your sinful condition and that you're not special; you're predictable.
- Understand your own self-deception.
Brutality
Luke 9:23-25
The ability and ferocity to deliver the full killing blow against the proper adversary without hesitation or reserve. It is having the guts and grit to do whatever it takes to break free from sin and overcome the flesh.
Brutality
- Jesus tells us to be ready to die in order to follow him.
- Our capacity for ferocity is a divine gift empowered by the Spirit.
- Sin might look cute - but it's not.
- If you're not killing sin, it is killing you.
Training
Hebrews 12:1-11
Constant, structured preparation for tomorrow's unknown conflict by diligently developing greater capacity and capability today.
Training
- Requires a single-option mentality.
- God is our trainer - and a trainer's job is to put the right stress on the players to make them better.
- We must receive all hardship as training.
Cooperation
Enhancing our potential in all situations through cultivated teamwork.
Cooperation
- Jesus left behind a church, not a single successor.
- Community brings complication, but strength.
- Other people can see your weaknesses better than you.
- Spiritual ferocity is not devoid of love.
- Everyone trains harder with a cheerleader.
Why do we embrace discipline?
Philippians 3:12-14
Application
- We embrace discipline to embrace Jesus, not for God's approval of us.
- We don't do it to control our lives. We trust God's providence.
- We don't do it to have power. We grow in discipline through the empowerment of walking in step with the Spirit, which we freely receive.
- We don't do it for our comfort. Discipline will keep us on mission, and mission is always drawing us into discomfort.