First Baptist Church . 3 Hedge Street . Simpsonville, SC 29681 . phone: (864) 967-8591 . Class Location: Main 210
Our Prayer
Our Prayer
Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against You and that my sins separate me from You. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of You. My greatest purpose in life is to follow Your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Thursday, October 8, 2026
New Series: Being Light in a Dark World: A Study of 1 John
Sermon Recap
The Christian faith is not built on wishful
thinking, religious speculation, or a collection of inspiring ideas. It is
built on a Person who entered history. John begins his letter by emphasizing
that Jesus was heard, seen, looked upon, and touched. The eternal Son of God
truly came in the flesh, and John and the other apostles were eyewitnesses to
His life. Jesus has been revealed to us so that we can know with confidence who
He is.
But John doesn't simply want his readers to
know facts about Jesus. He wants them to experience fellowship with Jesus. The
apostles proclaim what they have seen and heard so that others can share in
fellowship with them, and ultimately with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
This fellowship produces something the world cannot manufacture - complete joy.
Jesus is the proven Son of God who completes
our joy.
1 John 1:1-4
[1] That which was from the beginning, which
we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have
touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—[2] the life was made
manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the
eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—[3] that
which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have
fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his
Son Jesus Christ. [4] And we are writing these things so that our joy may be
complete. (ESV)
Discussion Questions
What stands out to you most in 1 John 1:1-4?
Why do you think John emphasizes the physical
reality of Jesus so strongly?
How does knowing that Christianity is
grounded in the historical person of Jesus strengthen our confidence in Him?
How would you explain the difference between
knowing about Jesus and having fellowship with Jesus?
What things are you tempted to look to for
the joy that John says is ultimately found in fellowship with God?
How should our fellowship with God affect our
fellowship with one another?
If you genuinely believe Jesus is the eternal
Son of God who has been revealed to us, how should that change your life this
week?
Closing Thoughts:
John's experience with Jesus didn't end with
him. Because John had encountered the risen Christ, he wanted others to know
Him, too. He says, “what we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you.”
Genuine fellowship with Jesus should naturally overflow into helping others
know Jesus.
Living on mission begins with knowing Christ
ourselves and then faithfully sharing what we know about Him with others.
We should ask ourselves:
Who has God placed around us who needs to
hear the truth about Jesus?
We don't have to have every answer. Like
John, we can simply testify to the Jesus we have come to know and invite others
into fellowship with Him.
Acts 11 introduces us to a church that
understood the gospel was not meant to stop with them. As believers were
scattered because of persecution, they carried the message of Jesus with them
and began reaching people who were different from them. The church in Antioch
became a picture of what happens when ordinary believers take the gospel
seriously: people hear the good news of Jesus, lives are changed, disciples are
made, and sending is celebrated.
But the story didn’t stop with them. Barnabas
arrives and sees the grace of God at work. He encourages the believers to
remain faithful, then goes to find Paul (Saul) and brings him to Antioch.
Together, they spend a year teaching and discipling the church. The result is
significant: the disciples are called Christians for the first time.
A healthy church doesn’t simply gather
people, it reaches one more, makes disciples, surrenders everything, and sends
people out.
Acts 11:19-30
[19] Now those who were scattered because of
the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus
and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. [20] But there were some
of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the
Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. [21] And the hand of the Lord was
with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. [22] The report
of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
[23] When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them
all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, [24] for he was a
good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were
added to the Lord. [25] So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, [26] and
when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met
with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples
were first called Christians.
[27] Now in these days prophets came down
from Jerusalem to Antioch. [28] And one of them named Agabus stood up and
foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world
(this took place in the days of Claudius). [29] So the disciples determined,
every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in
Judea. [30] And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas
and Saul. (ESV)
Acts 13:1-3
[1] Now there were in the church at Antioch
prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. [2] While they were
worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” [3] Then after
fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. (ESV)
Discussion Questions
What stands out to you most in Acts 11:19-30
and Acts 13:1-3?
Which of these five Upstate Church
Commitments most challenges you right now? Why?
Why do you think it can be difficult to share
the gospel with people who are lost?
Who is one person God has placed in your life
who needs to hear the gospel?
How can we speak truth to someone without
losing grace?
What’s the difference between helping someone
attend church and helping someone follow Jesus?
Who are you intentionally discipling?
What makes surrender difficult for you?
Why would sending out some of their key
leaders require faith?
What is one specific step God is asking you
to take this week?
Closing Thoughts
The believers in Antioch were willing to
reach people who were different from them, speak the truth with grace, invest
deeply in discipleship, give generously to meet needs, and ultimately send
their own people to take the gospel somewhere else.
We should ask ourselves:
Who is the “one more” God may be putting in
front of us?
Who needs to hear the gospel from us?
Who needs someone to patiently help them
follow Jesus?
And what might God be asking us to surrender
so that someone else can encounter Christ?
Matthew 25:14–30 reminds us that God has
entrusted each of us with resources, abilities, opportunities, and
responsibilities that are ultimately His. The servants were given different
amounts, but each was expected to faithfully manage what had been placed in his
hands. The faithful servants understood that what they received was not theirs
to simply preserve or consume; it was theirs to use for the purposes of their
master. The warning of the third servant shows that faithfulness is not merely
avoiding failure — it requires actively putting what God has given us to work.
And because the master eventually returned to settle accounts, Jesus reminds us
that our stewardship has eternal significance. We will not be held accountable
for having what someone else had, but we will give an account for what we did with
what God entrusted to us. The goal of stewardship is not to accumulate more,
but to faithfully invest what God has given us for His glory.
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “For it will be like a man going on a
journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one
he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his
ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at
once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also, he who
had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one
talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a
long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And
he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more,
saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five
talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful
servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter
into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came
forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made
two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful
servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter
into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came
forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did
not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I
went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But
his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap
where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought
to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have
received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give
it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be
given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what
he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer
darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
What has God entrusted to you that you
sometimes view as simply “yours”?
Why is it important that the servants were
given different amounts?
What does faithfulness look like when your
assignment is different from someone else's?
What does it mean to invest what God has
given you?
What keeps people from using the gifts and
opportunities God has given them?
Why should the reality of giving an account
affect how we live today?
What is one thing God has entrusted to you
that you could use more intentionally for His kingdom?
If Jesus returned today, what would you want
Him to find you doing with what He has given you?
Closing Thoughts
Faithful stewardship means recognizing that
people are one of God's greatest assignments given to us. We are called to
invest in the people God has placed around us — not simply by meeting their
physical needs, but by helping them take steps toward Jesus. This may mean
slowing down to listen, walking with someone through a difficult season,
sharing what Christ has done in your life, or intentionally discipling someone
in the faith. Who is someone God has placed in your life that you can
intentionally invest in for the sake of the gospel?
END
Teacher Notes:
We've spent the last three weeks talking
about
putting God first.
We've talked about our possessions, our
giving, our trust, and the fact that everything ultimately
belongs to God.
Today, our lesson asks us to take
one last look at:
How do we measure a person’s life?
Jesus gives us the answer in
Matthew 25.
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “For it will be like a man going on a
journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one
he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his
ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at
once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also, he who
had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one
talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a
long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And
he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more,
saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five
talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful
servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter
into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came
forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made
two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful
servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter
into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came
forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did
not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I
went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But
his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap
where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought
to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have
received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give
it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be
given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what
he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer
darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Jesus deliberately tells us that the servants
didn't receive equal amounts. That keeps the focus from being on how much
someone has and puts it on what they do with what they've been given.
It reminds us that God doesn't give everyone
the same gifts. God's distribution isn't identical, but His expectation is the
same: faithfulness.
It shows that God measures faithfulness, not
possessions.
It means the person with less isn't less
valuable. A person with one gift may be just as valuable to the body of Christ
as someone with five gifts.
Faithfulness can look different from person
to person.
For one person, faithfulness may mean:
Leading a ministry, teaching a class, giving generously, or starting something
new.
For someone else, it may mean: Praying
faithfully for their family, encouraging a lonely neighbor, mentoring a
grandchild, sharing wisdom with someone younger, caring for a spouse, being
faithful in a difficult season, or simply being available when God opens a
door.
Different assignments. Same Master. Same call
to faithfulness.
Faithfulness isn't doing what someone else is
doing.
Faithfulness is doing what God has entrusted you to do.
To invest what God has given you means to
take what He has entrusted to you and intentionally use it in ways that serve
others, advance His purposes, and produce spiritual fruit.
Put it to work. The first two servants didn't simply
protect what they received — they used it. Investing means asking: “How can I
use what God has given me to make a difference for Him and for others?”
Invest your time → spend it encouraging,
serving, mentoring, or helping someone.
Invest your wisdom → share what you've
learned with the next generation.
Invest your experience → help someone avoid
mistakes you've already made.
Invest your relationships → introduce people
to Christ or encourage someone who is struggling.
Invest your influence → use your voice to
build people up.
Invest your resources → give generously where
God is working.
Invest your spiritual gifts → serve the
church and others.
Invest your testimony → tell someone what God
has done in your life.
Invest your prayers → faithfully intercede
for others.
Look for a return that matters to God. The servants' investment produced
something. In the same way, God wants what He has given us to produce fruit. Jesus
said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples.” - John
15:8 The "return" doesn't necessarily mean more money or greater
success. It might be a person encouraged, a relationship restored, a young
person mentored, someone coming to faith, a need being met, or another person
learning to trust God.
God doesn't give us things simply to possess.
He gives them to us to put to work for His purposes.
Jesus' words in Matthew 25:26 give us more
insight than simply saying the servant was "afraid." “You wicked,
lazy servant!” — Matthew 25:26 (NIV)
Jesus identifies the problem as more than
fear — it wasunfaithfulness. The servant says: “I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the
ground.” (Matthew 25:25) Fear was his explanation, but Jesus' response was
“wicked and lazy.” That tells us his problem wasn't simply that he was nervous
about taking a risk. He allowed fear to become an excuse for doing nothing with
what his master had entrusted to him. Fear may explain our inaction, but it
doesn't excuse our unfaithfulness.
He had
been entrusted with something valuable — and he did nothing with it. God doesn't simply give us things to keep.
He gives us things to use. Our time isn't simply ours to protect. Our
experience isn't simply ours to enjoy. Our wisdom isn't simply ours to keep.
Our testimony isn't simply ours to remember. Our resources aren't simply ours
to accumulate. They are opportunities for faithfulness.
“Wicked” seems to address his attitude toward
the master. Look at what the servant
says: “I knew that you are a hard man…” (Matthew 25:24) His perception of the
master influenced his behavior. He apparently viewed the master as someone to
be feared rather than faithfully served. What we believe about God affects how
we respond to what God has entrusted to us. If I see God primarily as someone
waiting to punish me when I fail, I may become paralyzed. But if I understand
that He has entrusted something to me because He wants me to participate in His
purposes, I can step forward in faithfulness.
“Lazy” is especially significant. The word Jesus uses isn't simply describing
someone who was physically tired. The idea is slothful, negligent, inactive.
The servant didn't squander the talent on sinful living. He simply did nothing with it.
That's sobering. Sometimes we think the greatest danger is doing something
wrong. Jesus' parable suggests another danger: Doing nothing with what God has given us.
Some people don't use what God has given them
because they're afraid. Some because they don't feel capable. Some because
they're comfortable. Some because they've become discouraged. And sometimes,
quite simply, it's because they don't care enough to do anything with it. That's
uncomfortable — but I think Jesus wants us to wrestle with it.
God doesn't simply give us things to keep.
He gives us things to use.
The fact that the master eventually returned
changes stewardship from simply being about what we do with what we have - to living
with the awareness that one day we will give an account.
What we do today has eternal significance. Our lives aren't just a series of unrelated days. Every day is an opportunity to faithfully use what God has entrusted to us. That should affect how we spend our: Time, resources, abilities, relationships, opportunities, and influence.
Accountability changes how we view what we have. We aren't ultimately owners. We're entrusted.
It keeps us from wasting the opportunities we have today. Sometimes we aren't doing anything obviously wrong — we're simply not doing anything with what God has given us.
We don't know how much time we have. James 4:14 reminds us: “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” That's not meant to frighten us. It's meant to help us value today. Don't wait for the perfect opportunity. Don't wait until retirement. Don't wait until you're less busy. Don't wait until you have more money. Use what God has put in your hands today. If I knew I would give an account to God for how I used my time, gifts, relationships, and resources, what might I do differently this week?
Who do I need to encourage? Who do I need to forgive? Who needs my wisdom? What opportunity have I been putting off? What gift have I been burying? What resources could I use to bless someone else? Where is God asking me to be faithful right now?
We have spent much of our lives being
measured by performance:
How well did you do at your job?
How successful was your career?
How much did you accomplish?
How much did you earn?
But eventually, those measurements become
less important. The question becomes: “Was I faithful?” Did I love God? Did I
love people? Did I use what He gave me? Did I encourage others? Did I pass
along what I learned? Did I finish well?
There's a scene later in The Bucket List
where Carter asks Edward two questions.
These aren’t the questions that Jesus asks in
Matthew 25.
But they do make us think.
Jesus tells us that the Master will return
and settle
accounts.
He won’t ask you, how much did you have?
But He will ask you, what you did with what
He gave you?
Malachi 3:6–15 challenges us to examine what
our giving reveals about our trust in God. God begins by reminding His people,
“I the LORD do not change,” establishing that His faithfulness remains constant
even when His people are unfaithful. The tithe was an intentional portion given
within Israel's covenant relationship with God, and their refusal to give
revealed a deeper problem of misplaced trust. They were withholding from God
because they had forgotten that everything they possessed ultimately came from
Him. God calls His people to return to Him through faithful obedience and
invites them to trust His provision. While we do not live under the same
covenantal system, the question for us is why would we ever want to give
anything less? We give because He has given to us, and we can live generously
because our security rests not in what we possess but in the God who faithfully
provides and saves.
Malachi 3:6-15
“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you,
O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have
turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will
return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will
man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In
your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are
robbing Me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the
storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And thereby put Me to the test,
says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and
pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the
devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your
vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all
nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord
of hosts. 13 “Your words have been hard against Me, says the Lord. But you say,
‘How have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God.
What is the profit of our keeping His charge or of walking as in mourning
before the Lord of hosts? 15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers
not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.”
What does the word “tithe” mean, and what was
its purpose in Israel's covenant life?
Why does God describe withholding the tithe
as “robbing” Him?
What can our giving reveal about what we
trust?
How should Christians understand Malachi 3
considering the New Testament's teaching on generosity?
Why is God's faithfulness essential to our
willingness to give?
What is the difference between giving to get
from God and giving because we trust God?
What fears can make it difficult to trust God
with our finances?
How does the gospel motivate us toward
generosity?
Closing Thoughts
God's resources are not given to us merely
for personal consumption. Generosity allows us to meet tangible needs, practice
hospitality, support gospel ministry, and create opportunities for
relationships that point people toward Christ.
We can hold our resources with open hands
because our security does not ultimately come from what we have; it comes from
the God who faithfully provides. Look for opportunities this week to use
something God has entrusted to you — your money, time, home, skills, or
influence to serve someone else. Furthermore, tithing is a discipline every
believer should practice for the sole reason that we should delight to do so.
Why would we not want to give generously to
the God who made us and saves us by His grace?
END
Teacher Notes:
Click Play to Watch
What do George Bailey and Mr. Potter
believe money is for?
Potter sees money primarily in terms of
business, profit, and personal advantage. George sees the Building & Loan
as a way to help ordinary people obtain homes.
Which man's philosophy is closer to the way
we
sometimes think about the things
God has given us?
At first glance, this clip sounds like it’s
all about money. But it's really a picture of the heart. And that's exactly
where Malachi takes us this morning. The issue isn’t just what we're giving,
it’s what our giving says about what we really believe.
Who owns what I have?
Where is my security?
And what am I willing to do with what God has
placed
in my hands?
Malachi 3:6-7
“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you,
O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers, you have
turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will
return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
Malachi 3:8-10
Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me. But
you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are
cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you. Bring the
full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And thereby
put Me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of
heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more
need.
Peter Bailey “never once thought of himself,”
he didn’t save enough to put his kids through college, but he helped the
community get out of Potter’s slums.
So, if giving reveals what we trust, what
does God want us to do with what we've been given?
This is where our third point comes in.
Malachi 3:11-12
I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that
it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall
not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you
blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
In 1985, some of the most famous musicians in
the world came together to record a song. They gave their voices, their time,
and their influence to help people they would probably never meet. And there
was a message over the door waiting for them when they arrived. “Check your ego
at the door.”
They weren't there to see who could sing the
best. They weren't there to promote themselves. They weren't there to compete
for the spotlight.
They were there to take something they had
been given and use it for the benefit of someone else.
Click Play to Watch
Harry Belafonte originated the idea. Lionel
Richie and Michael Jackson wrote the song, and Quincy Jones produced the
recording.
The original recording generated more than
$63 million for African famine relief and related humanitarian work.
One man had an idea. Forty-plus artists had
gifts. And one producer brought them all together.
