Who Am I Becoming
Discipleship is NOT simply about learning information. Its about formation.
1 Samuel 16:7 MSG
...Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.
Transformation doesn’t begin with effort. It begins when our hearts are opened before the Lord.
Psalm 139:23-24 NIV
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Matthew 15:8 NLT
8 ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Matthew 15:10-11 NLT
10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
Matthew 15:17-20 NLT
17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. 18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”
The problem isn’t external - The problem is internal.
Looking formed is not the same thing as being formed.
Good-looking behavior + corrupted heart = rotten fruit.
Matthew 12:33-35 NLT
33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.
Jesus is telling us that our words, reactions, and patterns are not accidental.
They are revealing.
Your tone reveals what’s happening in your heart.
Your reactions reveal what’s happening in your heart.
Our repeated struggles reveal what’s forming us!
If we’re quick to get angry when things don’t go our way
If we’re quick to blow up with the people closest to us
If we’re quick to assume the worst….to gossip, to slander, to tear others down
If we’re quick to escape through comfort, distraction, or sin
If we’re quick to defend ourselves instead of examining ourselves
That’s not just a personality issue.
That’s a formation issue.
Something has been shaping the heart (incorrectly)
He’s bringing clarity to what’s really going on inside so we can move toward healing.
And if all we keep chasing is behavior modification…we’re going to keep getting the same results.
Christians who know the right things but struggle with deep change.
Churches that look busy but aren’t deeply formed.
Families that look fine on the outside but are fractured on the inside.
1 Timothy 3:1-5 TPT
But you need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce. People will be self-centered lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. They will boast of great things as they strut around in their arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families. They will be ungrateful and ungodly. They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander. Slaves to their desires, they will be ferocious, belligerent haters of what is good and right. With brutal treachery, they will act without restraint, bigoted and wrapped in clouds of their conceit. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God. They may pretend to have a respect for God, but in reality they want nothing to do with God’s power. Stay away from people like these!
Talk It Over Questions
1. When life feels heavy or stressful, what do you usually notice coming out of you first — your words, your tone, your emotions, or your actions? Why do you think that tends to show up?
2. Think about the last time you felt “squeezed” — tired, overwhelmed, irritated, or hurt. What came out of you in that moment, and how did you feel about it afterward?
3. Where do you feel the strongest pressure to “look like you have it together” — at church, at work, in your family, or with friends? What do you think that pressure does to your heart over time?
4. The sermon talked about the difference between looking formed and actually being formed.
What are some real-life signs that someone might look spiritually healthy on the outside but be struggling on the inside?
5. Why do you think we’re often quicker to change behavior than to slow down and let God search our hearts? What feels uncomfortable about slowing down?
6. As you sit with the question “Who am I becoming?” — not who you want to be — what’s one area of your life you sense God inviting you to pay attention to this week? (No fixing yet — just noticing.)
Ask Your Kids
1. Why is God’s Word important?
2. How did Jesus use the Bible to make good choices?
3. When can you read or hear God’s Word this week?
4. What happens when we stay rooted in God?
