YouVersion Logo
Search Icon

Hope Christian Church

Message Notes

Message Notes

Sermon notes & Life Group Questions from 2-2-25

Locations & Times

Hope Christian Church

9273 Coach Stop Rd, Columbia, IL 62236, USA

Sunday 8:00 AM

“You are consistent. Consistently bad. Surprise us and prepare sometime.”

“I don’t like it!”
“Are you renting your forehead out for advertising space?!”

“You looked like a greasy mess! You need to clean up your act!”

“That sermon was the first time I was genuinely embarrassed for you!
I want my kid to listen to ______ would you at least let us know when he will be preaching?”

“After listening to you preach I feel you missed your calling. You should have been a farmer.”


If you let critical daggers pierce your heart, you will bleed all kinds of bitterness on everyone around you.

“This year, with God’s help and relying on the Holy Spirit, I won’t let criticism crush me. What people say to me or about me will not hold me back from God’s plans for me. I will live for an audience of One.”

Criticism...
#1. Expecting it will help you deal with it.

John 15:18
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ‘ John 15:18

John 15:20a
'Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. John 15:20a

“Every leader should anticipate criticism”
John Maxwell

1 Peter 4:12
'Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ‘ 1 Peter 4:12

Principle #2:
Often no response is needed but when you do, you will rarely regret a gentle response.

1 Peter 2:23
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:23

1 Peter 2:23 The Message
They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. 1 Peter 2:23 The Message


Luke 12:2
'There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. '
Luke 12:2

“Your friends don’t need an answer. Your enemies won’t believe you no matter what you say.”

“When wrestle with a pig...the pig likes it. And you’re the one who ends up dirty.”

Proverbs 15:1
“A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1

When emotions are high....wisdom is low.

Principle #3:
When people are harshly critical something else is going on.

Matthew 15:18
'But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart...‘
Matthew 15:18

Principle #4:
How we respond to criticism is a warning light on the dash of your life.

Principle #5:
Live for the approval of ONE not the approval of many.

If you crave the applause of people you’ll be crushed by the weight of their criticism.

Some of you are bending down to get the approval of people...
...instead of submitting to the approval of God.
Life Group Questions from 2-2-25

OPEN:

1. Share one thing about yourself that no one could know just by looking at you. This could be a hobby, habit, phobia, or a “stupid human trick.”

DISCUSS:

Read John 15:9-25

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command.15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.17 This is my command: Love each other.18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command.15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.17 This is my command: Love each other.18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

2. When was the last time you were criticized? You can share what it was if you like, but what’s most important is how it made you feel and why it made you feel that way.

3. What advice would you give to a teenager who has been harshly criticized so that they could use the criticism for personal growth?

Read 2 Corinthians 10:1-11
1 By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away!2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.7 You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.8So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it.9 I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters.10For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

2 Corinthians 11:6-12
6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.7 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge?8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you.9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine.11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.

4. How did the Apostle Paul respond when criticized? What lessons can we learn from this?

5. Would someone be willing to share a recent criticism you have received?

BIG ASK: share it with the group and model the lessons we have talked about to turn criticism into personal growth.

PRAY:
Here's a quick personal prayer exercise...

Read Matthew 5:44
"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,"

The Bible tells us to pray for our enemies in Matthew 5:44.

Take a moment for silent prayer to thank God for the person who criticized you.

Tell God what they said.

Tell him why it hurt.

Ask God to reveal to you what you need to do to minimize the opportunity for anyone to say that about you again.

The leader will then close in prayer.