Journey Church Bozeman Sermons Journey Church Bozeman

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
 
Bob Schwahn | Lead Pastor | June 9, 2024
“Humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute of being a team player.”— Patrick Lencioni, The Ideal Team Player p. 157
1 Peter 5:5b-6 (NIV)
Philippians 2:3-8 (NIV)
Jesus modeled “choosing to lose”.
1. Jesus saw the needs of others – ahead of his own.
John 13:1 (NIV)
2. Jesus used his authority to serve others.
Mark 9:35
3. Jesus served those who were difficult to love.
John 13:2 (NIV)
John 13:15-17 (NIV)
1 Peter 5:6 (NIV)
“If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”
— C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
 
John 13:34-35 (NIV)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Reflection Questions:
1. In light of 1 Peter 5:5, why does God oppose pride and show favor to humility?2. How would you define humility? How would you know if you are humble?3. Why is humility a cornerstone of healthy relationships?4. How have you seen a lack of humility damage relationships in your life?Read John 13:1-175. How does Jesus model humility in this passage? How is he “not looking to his own interests but to the interests of others”?6. How can we grow in focusing on the needs of others and choosing to put those needs ahead of our own?7. Where is a place in your life (influence/power/position/time) that you could serve the needs of those around you? How will you do it? When?8. Jesus modeled humility by loving and serving those that would abandon, deny, and betray Him. How could love people in your life that may sometimes be difficult to love? Who is someone you could serve now that is difficult to love? What is a practical way to serve them?9. In John 13:15-17, Jesus promises a blessed life if we follow his example. How can living this way live to a blessed life? Won’t we miss out if we constantly focusing on others? Who will look out for us and meet our needs?10. Humility is sometimes referred to as the “shyest” of all virtues. When you to talk about it or focus on it, it goes away. What do you think that means? How are we then to work on growing in humility?11. How are “insecurity” and “arrogance” both a form of pride? How can insecurity be a more subtle form of pride? How can insecurity even look like humility? How can we see that in ourselves?
Next Steps:
Complete the Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any question: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcardWant to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/giveDownload our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozemanGet your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/childrenOur Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students:

Bob Schwahn | Lead Pastor | June 2, 2024
Ephesians 4:31-32Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, JUST AS in Christ God forgave you.
Matthew 18:23-35“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Observations from Parable:1) Forgiveness is the decision to cancel a debt.2) Unforgiveness puts us in prison. 3) The cross of Jesus gives us the power to forgive.
Practical Steps to Forgiveness:1) Who do I need to forgive?2) What is the debt that they owe?3) Cancel the debt.4) Don’t reopen the case.
Matthew 6:12 (NIV)And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
How has Christ forgiven me?How am I to forgive others?With whom do I need to start?
Reflection Questions: 1. How have you seen unforgiveness have a negative effect in your life? In the life of people you know?2. What makes forgiving people that have wronged you difficult for you? What causes you to get stuck?3. Where have you seen success in forgiving people that have wronged you? What were some of the positive results you experienced?4. In regards to Matthew 18:34-35, Why do you think that Jesus gives such a strong rebuke to those that refuse to forgive others?5. Jesus describes unforgiveness as a torturous prison sentence. What do you think is the “prison” that we experience? How have you or how are you experiencing this?6. In regards to Ephesians 4:31-32 (referenced above), “JUST AS, in Christ God forgave you.” How has Christ forgiven you? How are you to forgive others? With whom do you need to start?7. Why is it imperative to look at the cross of Jesus as we extend forgiveness to others?
Agree or Disagree? Why?When we receive the forgiveness of Jesus on the cross we give up our right to hold unforgiveness toward others.
Review the practical steps to forgiveness…Which step do you find the most difficult? Not understand?What would keep you from pursuing forgiveness today?
Practical:1) Who do I need to forgive?2) What is the debt that they owe?3) Cancel the debt.4) Don’t reopen the

Logan & Cayla Holloman | NextGen Pastor & Licensed Professional Counselor | May 26, 2024
What if our posture is the beginning of listening, understanding, and loving those around us?
What’s my posture?Am I fully present or distracted?Am I loving or judging?Am I open or closed to being changed?Am I trying to fix or offer solutions?Am I uncomfortable with empathy or what they're saying?Is it easier for me to just get to the next thing I need to say?
“The state you’re in is the state you give to others” — Pete Scazzero
Jesus’ example:Pace (not running from village to village; always walking)Unhurried (Mark 5, Luke 19)Limits (taking time to pray, rest, eat, sleep)
Mark 5:30-34 (NIV)At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Luke 19:3-6 (NIV)He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable. When I want to genuinely love someone, the best gift I can give is to listen authentically.”— David Augsburger
Proverbs 18:2,13 (NIV)Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.
Listening: Attunement vs Agreeing
Reflection Questions:
Who might be someone God is asking you to listen to today?What might be one practical way you can slow down in order to love someone in the next 24 hours?Imagine what the Gallatin valley would look like if Journey Church was known for our radical commitment to listening to others, what might be the effects of that?What would you say is your greatest obstacle or challenge to being fully present and engaged with others (i.e. distracted, uncomfortable with emotion, etc)?
Next Steps: Complete the Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any question: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcardWant to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/giveDownload our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozemanGet your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/childrenOur Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/studentsSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozemanNotes Page:

Bob Schwahn | Lead Pastor | May 19, 2024
Matthew 5:9 (NIV)Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
James 1:2-4 (NIV)Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 4:1-2a (NIV)What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.
“You know what the problem is? I’m just not getting what I want.”
Question: What do I want that I am not getting?
James 4:2b-3 (NIV)You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Romans 12:18 (NIV)If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Reflection Questions:
1. How was conflict handled in your home growing up? How did that shape you? What is your style for handling conflict? (denial, withdrawal, anger, argue, fight to win, …)2. What makes navigating conflict difficult for you?3. True or False: In Christ’s Kingdom, conflict is a good thing. Explain your answer.4. What do I want that I am not getting? Do you agree that this is a powerful question in dealing with conflict? Why or why not?5. Why is it important to know that the first step in conflict resolution is dealing with your own heart and desires? How can this be helpful in conflict situations? How do we discern our own heart and know what it actually is that we want that we are not getting?6. When we share what we want in the midst of conflict, why do you think it important to share our wants/desires for 1) ME, 2) for THEM, and 3) for US?7. Share an example of conflict that you handled poorly? What could you have done differently?8. How have you seen well-handled conflict create growth in your character and your relationships?9. Where do you have an opportunity to move toward someone in conflict? In that conflict, what do you want that you are not getting? What part of the conflict do you need to own?
Next Steps:
Complete the Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any question: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcardWant to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/giveDownload our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozemanGet your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/childrenOur Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/studentsSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozemanNotes Page: https://journeybozeman.com/sermons/notes/2024.05.19.pdf

Bob Schwahn | Lead Pastor | May 12, 20241) We were designed for healthy relationships.2) Healthy relationships matter to Jesus.3) Healthy relationships matter to the mission of Jesus.
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” — C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves, p. 169
Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV)“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
John 13:34-35 (NIV)“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 17:20-21 (NIV)“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
Romans 12:14-18 (NIV)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Reflection Questions:1. In what ways have you experienced the beauty (joys) of relationships in this life?2. In what ways have you experienced the pain (wounds) of relationships in this life?3. From your experience, what makes healthy relationships difficult to maintain? Share some ways you have experienced challenging relationships.4. What are some reasons that healthy relationships with people are so important to God?5. What areas of your character (heart) do you need to grow in order to be better at navigating healthy relationships?6. What areas of your competency (skills) do you need to grow in order to be better at navigating healthy relationships?7. What are some relationships in your life right now that need God’s grace to become more healthy? Explain. What might your next step to move toward greater health? What part do you need to play in order to bring more health?8. Has your heart grown cold or indifferent toward some relationships in your life? Explain.“Our maturity as a follow of Jesus can be seen and measured by our love for people and the health of relationships in our lives.” Agree or Disagree? Explain your answer?
Next Steps: Complete the Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any question: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcard
Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/giveDownload our app: h

Brian Priebe | Executive Pastor  |  May 5, 2024
Are you praying for things that only God can do?
 
Mark 8:27-29a (NIV)
Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
 
John 5:16-18 (NIV)
John 8:54-59 (NIV)
John 10:30-33 (NIV)
John 20:26-29(NIV)
Matthew 16:16 (NIV)
CS Lewis’ Trilema from Mere Christianity:“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him (Jesus):
I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.
He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.
You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
Acts 12:15-16 (NIV)
Psalm 1:2-3 (NIV)
Are you praying for things that only God can do?Is your faith growing?Is loving others your priority?
Reflection Questions:
Read John 5:16-18, 8:54-59, 10:30-33 and 20:26-29. What stands out as you look at passages that claim Jesus' divinity?Read Mark 8:27-29 and Matt 16:13-16. What are the ways you would answer Jesus' question, 'Who do you say I am?’In light of Jesus' divinity, Are you praying for things that only God can do? Why or why not? What things could you be praying for that would fit that description?In light of Jesus' divinity, Is your faith growing? Why or why not? What things could you be doing that could help your faith grow?In light of Jesus' divinity, Is loving others your priority? Why or why not? What things could you be doing that would make loving others your priority?
Three additional questions to unpack loving others...
a) Do you prioritize understanding others or being understood? b) How easily are you offended? c) Do you have margin in your week to have your plans interrupted by people?
Next Steps:
Complete the Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any question: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcardWant to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/giveDownload our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozemanGet your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/childrenOur Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/studentsSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozemanNotes Page: