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GRC ONLINE DIGITAL CARE GROUP #23
Living In The Upper Room
Main idea
In the first digital care group of the year, hear our pastors and leaders talk more about what you can look forward to in the Year of Living in the Upper Room!
Join us as we explore the significance of the theme of the year and learn how you can experience the fullness of what the Lord wants to do in your life.
You can participate in this digital care group session on your own or with your friends and family. Feel free to use this guide to follow the conversation with our pastors, use it for your time of study, or to facilitate more conversations with your community.
This session is based on the message:
- Joseph Prince—Live With A Heavenly Perspective (Jan 21, 2024) [Sermon notes]
1. What you can expect this year
2024 is a year where you will experience:
- God’s blessings (which include healing, provision, protection, and so much more!) that you don’t have to strive for,
- the supernatural peace and light of God in your life and situations,
- true rest as you step into your God-given authority,
- and the resurrection power of God in the areas of your life that seem dead.
You may not fully comprehend what the theme of the year entails but as you continue to study and understand the truths in the upper room this year, the Lord will steady, establish, strengthen, and prosper you.
2. You are already in the upper room!
As believers, we don’t have to strive to enter the upper room. Through the finished work of Jesus Christ, we are already there! Under the new covenant, being in the upper room signifies being seated with our Lord Jesus in “heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:4-7).
Because you are in Him, you can enjoy the benefits of His perfect and finished work today. You get to live in an upper room that is fully furnished and prepared (Mark 14:15), filled with blessings that the Lord has already purchased for you.
As a believer, the upper room is not a place you must strive to reach. It is where you already are because of Jesus’ finished work!
3. Live with a heavenly perspective
As Isaiah 60:2 says, the world will become darker. However, amidst all the darkness and uncertainty, you don’t need to be afraid because you are in the upper room with the Lord. While you may encounter challenges and troubles, you don’t have to react to them as the world does.
Rather than relying on your own strength and abilities to solve your problems, God desires for you to approach them by first acknowledging your identity and position in Christ. As you remain seated in His love, the Lord will fight your battles for you.
“Then she said, ‘Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.’”
—Ruth 3:18
“Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
—Hebrews 1:13 NKJV
Resting in the Lord does not mean being lazy or irresponsible but acknowledging His sovereignty and power to bring about good success and breakthrough in whatever circumstances we are facing.
As you rest and remain seated in Christ, He will guide and lead you to do the right thing at the right time. The Lord will be the one who will bring you the victory and bless you with every good thing this year (Matthew 6:33)!
4. Own the Word
OWN THE WORD
Meditate on upper room truths
Are there areas in your life that need strengthening, resurrecting, or transformation? The Lord has upper room truths for you and your specific situation. This week, find and study these truths for yourself.
Here are some verses to help you get started:
- Mark 14:12–15
- 1 Kings 17:17–22
- Ephesians 2:4–7
- Acts 20:7–12
Meditate on them and write down your reflections in your journal. Have a conversation with the Lord, ask Him to help you remain seated, and give you the faith to believe that He is working behind the scenes.
As you do so, believe He will bring the breakthroughs you desire to see this year!
Want to learn more? Check out these additional resources:
- DCG#14 — To Be in This World but Not of This World [Digital Care Group]
- Start The New Year Right With God’s Word [Video]
Questions about this topic
- How can I practically live life with a heavenly perspective despite the many distractions of this world?
Living with a heavenly perspective begins with acknowledging that though you live in this world, you are not of it. Your true citizenship is in heaven, which means that even though you live on this earth and face earthly troubles, you do not need to conform to the patterns of this earth.
It can be challenging to focus on things above when the things around you feel so much more real and pressing. However, the Lord has provided you with a solution—to allow Him to wash you with the water of His Word.
Just as our Lord Jesus washed the dust off His disciples’ feet in the upper room (John 13), He wants to wash away the dust and dirt you pick up in your daily walk, such as negative thoughts, emotions, or mindsets that do not align with the truth in His Word.
By consciously inviting the Lord to wash you with His Word, you can navigate daily life with all your responsibilities and media exposure without letting negativity and wrong beliefs latch on to you.
Some practical ways to allow Jesus to wash you today through His Word are listening to grace-based, Christ-centered sermons, reading devotionals, and opening the Bible to ask the Lord to wash you as you read the Scriptures.
Whenever you spend time in the Word, be conscious that Jesus stands ready to serve you and speak the right words to you.
As you do so, you will find that your perspective becomes more aligned with His, and the world’s distractions lose their power to pull you away from your heavenly focus.
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