Examine Your Motives | Pastor Greg Ford | One Church Columbus

ICEBREAKER:

If you were an olympic athlete, which sport would you play and why?

MESSAGE NOTES:

[John 1:32-34]

Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”

[John 6:14-18]

When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” 15 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself. 16 That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. 17 But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. 18 Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough.

[John 13:3-9]

Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. 6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” 9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”

When Jesus walked on water He showed us what He’s capable of.

When He washed feet He showed us what He cares about.

[Philippians 2:3-11]

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.7 Instead, He gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, 8 He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

As you examine your motives, don’t stop when you get the right answer. Keep digging until you find the real answer, and then keep working until the right answer is the real answer.

[John 6:26]

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.”

[John 6:28]

They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

[John 6:30]

They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do?”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

QUESTION 1: Have you ever felt ulterior motives from others or yourself? How is best to truly get to the root of any motive?

QUESTION 2: How do we lead ourselves to care about what Jesus cares about? Where do you find it challenging to avoid elevating his power / what he’s capable of, over what he cares about?

QUESTION 3: How does the “right answer vs. the real answer” concept apply to your current context?

QUESTION 4: How do we follow Jesus’ lead in choosing “impactful over impressing”?

GUIDED PRAYER:

God I thank you for how you use water to teach me to grow in my faith journey. Lead me as I examine my motives - guide me to be motivated by the right things at the right time. Show me how to care about what you care about in this life. I praise and worship you today. Amen.

One ChurchJune 12, 2023