Filtering the Future

In one paragraph

Brian opened the April 7 message with an eye on the solar eclipse passing over the country the next day, using it as a doorway into a bigger question: how should Christians read events in the world around them without either dismissing everything or panicking about everything? He called the sermon "Filtering the Future," and his goal was to pull people away from either extreme and toward a wiser,...

Read together

1. Matthew 24:32-36 Read aloud by congregation member as the anchor passage for the sermon on filtering future events
2. Daniel 12:1-4 Read by the pastor to show Daniel's vision of end times and the promise that the wise will shine bright
3. 1 Chronicles 12:32 Cited to show that the men of Issachar understood the signs of the times and knew the best course to take
4. Luke 23 Congregation member cited darkness falling across the land at the crucifixion as a biblical example of atmospheric signs accompanying significant spiritual events
5. Proverbs (unspecified verse) Pastor quoted 'your word is a light to my path and a lamp unto my feet' as the first filter for wisdom
6. Ephesians (unspecified verse) Pastor cited 'don't worry about anything but instead pray about everything' and the peace that surpasses understanding
7. Romans (unspecified verse) Pastor referenced the Holy Spirit speaking deep to our hearts that we belong to God
8. Jeremiah (unspecified verse) Pastor cited God asking who has stepped into the counsel of the Lord as an invitation to seek him
9. Genesis 1 Pastor referenced God's stated purpose for the greater and lesser lights to mark signs and seasons
10. Matthew 24 (broader chapter) Pastor referenced Jesus warning about birth pains, signs in the heavens, and not being fooled by false christs

Talk about it

1. Brian described wanting to take faith seriously without taking yourself too seriously. How does that balance show up, or fail to show up, in the way you personally approach church and your relationship with God?
2. Brian laid out two strategies for navigating life's challenges: treating something as a problem to solve, or as a tension to manage. Can you think of a situation in your own life where you used the wrong one of those two approaches? What happened?
3. The three filters Brian talked about were God's word, the Holy Spirit, and a sound mind, and he said they have to work together. Which of the three do you lean on most naturally, and which one do you tend to skip?
4. Brian made the point that something the Holy Spirit says to you personally may not carry the same meaning or application for someone else, and that forcing a personal word onto others can cause problems. Have you ever been on either end of that situation?
5. The passage from Daniel 12 verse 3 says those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky. What does it actually look like, in a practical week-to-week sense, to be that kind of person in Jackson Hole right now?