MCC Men

Fail Club || Jonah

Prejudice - Judging, rejecting, or devaluing people based on group identity rather than seeing them as image-bearers of God. Prejudice doesn’t just affect how we see people…It affects how we respond to God. 1. PREJUDICE CAN MAKE US RESIST GOD’S WILL 2. PREJUDICE BLINDS US TO GOD’S WORK If God gave me and you what we deserved… none of us would be here. 3: PREJUDICE REVEALS PRIDE In Jonah 4:4 God asks Jonah: “Do you do well to be angry?” Prejudice is not just about how we see others…it’s about how we see ourselves. Jonah believed: 1. Israel was better, 2. He was more deserving, 3. Nineveh was beneath him, And here’s the kicker.. The one we may be most susceptible to, 4. That “God should do what I would do”. 4: PREJUDICE DISTORTS WHAT WE CARE ABOUT God asks him.. “DO YOU DO WELL TO BE ANGRY FOR THE PLANT??” JONAH VS JESUS Jonah ran from enemies. = Jesus ran toward them. Jonah resisted God’s mission. Jesus embraced it. Jonah was angry at repentance. Jesus rejoiced in it. Jonah wanted judgment. Jesus took judgment. Challenge: 1. Examine your heart. - Ask God to expose any prejudice, pride, or partiality. Psalm 139:23 “Search me, O God…” 2. Remember your salvation. - You are not saved because you were better. You are saved because God is merciful. 3. Align with God’s heart. - God desires to save people from every background.Not just people like you. 4. Go where God sends you. - Even if it’s uncomfortable. Even if it challenges your assumptions.

Fail Club || King David

David had multiple chances to do what was right, but kept concealing what was really going on. All could have been prevented if he was just honest with God. While Jesus took the ultimate punishment for our sin, we still have natural and sometime supernatural consequences from our sinful actions. Due to David’s complacency, he refused to genuinely be vulnerable with God. Unconfessed, ongoing sin will have drastic impacts if not dealt with. It doesn’t just affect us. It destroys relationships with others and most important distance in our relationship with God. Enmity manifests itself like... 1. We Minimize or Justify 2. We try to Control or completely hide “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you can pay.” 5 ways to safeguard yourself from covering up sin: 1. Recognize your temptations and weaknesses & set boundaries 2. Accountability 3. Restore the joy of your salvation to understand grace 4. Confess before letting things grow 5. Don’t run from conviction

Fail Club || Aaron

PRIORITIZING THE APPROVAL OF MAN OVER THE APPROVAL OF GOD. Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man lays a snare.” Galatians 1:10- (PAUL) “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” 1. Passive Leadership Creates Spiritual Chaos You can’t be passive AND protective at the same time. 2. People pleasing Feels Practical Before It Feels Sinful Aaron tries to make rebellion feel religious. People pleasing doesn’t begin in rebellion. It begins in comfort. When we prioritize our comfort over our calling we set our self up for failure. 3. Fear Produces Excuses, Not Integrity People-pleasing eventually turns strong men into excuse-makers. Ben Franklin - "He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else." 4. Proximity to God Is Not the Same as Courage Where Aaron feared the crowd…Jesus confronted it. John 6 Matthew 21 John 19 When we look at Aaron we see a man who built a calf to make the people happy… When we look at Jesus we see a man bore a cross to make the people holy. Will we build calves to keep people comfortable… or carry crosses to help people become holy?

Fail Club || King Solomon

Was Solomon’s downfall about desire—or about loyalty? Solomon’s life ultimately points forward to Christ Israel was never meant to have a human king. God Himself was to be their King The central issue is LOYALTY Everything forbidden to the king would eventually steal his loyalty from God. A strong start does not guarantee a faithful finish. David guarded his eyes and heart - David sinned—but never divided his loyalty Compromise never stays private—it always spreads The Progression of Collapse 1. Lust opens the door 2. Compromise becomes normal 3. Loyalty becomes divided 4. Apostasy follows 5. Families and kingdoms fracture A guarded heart - A faithful life - A lasting legacy Solomon failed where Christ succeeded Jesus: - Never trusted military power - Never multiplied wives - Never divided His loyalty - Fully obeyed the Father Jesus is the True King Victory is not about willpower Victory is about who you trust Guard your loyalty, and God will guard your life

Fail Club || Rich Young Ruler

Matthew - 19:16-30 Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This man didn’t reject Jesus with anger or rebellion. He rejected Jesus quietly… sadly… respectfully. If the instinct to do those things goes unchecked, they quietly turn money into a substitute savior. The rich young ruler didn’t refuse Jesus. He just refused to let go of the thing he trusted more. Point 1: Obedience Without Surrender Is Not Discipleship Jesus is not saying salvation comes from selling possessions. He’s exposing who owns the man’s heart. Point 2: Money Promises Security but Cannot Deliver Life Why was letting go so hard for him? It’s because Money Promises Security but Cannot Deliver Life Money can: Buy comfort   - Reduce stress  - Increase options But money cannot: * Forgive sin * Heal the soul * Conquer death * Provide eternal peace Money itself isn’t evil—but loving it, trusting it, leaning on it as security is spiritually lethal. Point 3: Choosing Money Over Jesus Always Costs More Than We Expect He walked away sad.  He kept his wealth—but lost: * The joy of following Jesus * The freedom of surrender * The purpose he was searching for * The assurance that he was asking for at the beginning This is what idols always do. - They promise fulfillment and deliver disappointment. Practically speaking for us…When men choose money over Jesus, we don’t just lose spiritually abstract things—we miss out on: * Peace we can’t manufacture * Purpose bigger than our paychecks * A kingdom that outlasts our careers * We miss out on a Savior who actually carries the weight we were never meant to bear The real question isn’t: “Do you have money? It’s: “Does money have you?” Prayer is that you would choose the pain of discipline that must mark a man of God, over the pain of regret.