Fusion: week of 8/22

FAMILY THEME: GOD USES FLAWED PEOPLE

Judges 16:1-31

Samson's strength did not extend to strength of character,

but God still used him.

✞   Ongoing Patterns of Sin Lead to Sorrowful Consequences

     (Judges 16:1-21)

      Samson's lustful passion grew into a sinful pattern of

     behavior. He was willingly blind to the consequences

     of his sin.

✞   God Can Use Us in Spite of Our Flaws if We Turn to Him

     (Judges 16:22-21)

     God graciously granted Samson forgiveness and the 

     power to fulfill his original calling, destroying 3,000

     Phillistines with his final act.

Fusion: week of 8/15

 FAMILY THEME: GOD CALLS ORDINARY PEOPLE

Judges 7:1-23

Before Gideon enlisted, before the army gathered, God had

already won the victory He can do the impossible when we

put our trust in Him.

✞   God is the True Source of Our Success

     (Judges 4:1-3)

      Against conventional wisdom, God told Gideon that his

     army was too large and used a series of tests to reduce

     it to 300 men.

✞   God Encourages and Strengthens Us When We Need It

     (Judges 7:49-15)

     God bolstered Gideon's confidence by sending him to

     overhear an enemy soldier's dream.

✞   God Does Amazing Things When We Trust and Obey Him

     (Judges 7:16-23)

     God granted the victory in such a way that no one could

     have denied that He alone was the victor.

Fusion: week of 8/8

FAMILY THEME: GOD CHOOSES UNUSUAL LEADERS

Judges 4:1-24

Deborah broke the mold. God's selection of a woman to restore

peace and judgment to Israel was exceptional in every way, but

Deborah courageously stepped up to the task.

✞   Confession and Repentance are the First Steps Toward
      Restoration with God

      (Judges 4:1-3)

      God's people allowed themselves to become complacent,

      and they turned away from Him. When adversity came to

      them, they cried out for His help.

✞   God Uses Many Different People and Strategies to

     Accomplish His Purposes

     (Judges 4:4-10)

     God's plan of deliverance may have seemed counterintuitive

     to the military strategies of the day, but He put the prophetess

     Deborah in place as a judge.

✞   Victory is Found in God's Power and Ways, Not in Our Own

     (Judges 4:11-24)

     Together, Deborah and Barak experienced amazing military

     victory. Jael, another woman, finished off the threat to Israel

     with a tent peg. The glory went to God!

Fusion: week of 8/1

FAMILY THEME: GOD HONORS OBEDIENCE

Joshua 6:1-27

God used an unusual battle strategy, to say the least. No one

could say the strength of the Israelites or their weapons of war

were responsible for the fall of Jericho. All the credit went to God.

✞   God's Ways Might Not Always Seem to Make Sense

      (Joshua 6:1-5)

      His instructions about walking silently around Jericho

      must have caused some puzzled responses.

✞   Doing Things God's Way Leads to Success

     (Joshua 6:6-21)

     The Israelites followed instructions exactly, an act of

     faith in God's direction and submission to their leader,

     Joshua.

✞   God Keeps His Word and So Should We

     (Joshua 6:22-27)

     After the city walls were destroyed, Rahab's household

     was rescued, Jericho was burned, and any rebuilding

     efforts for the city were cursed.

Fusion: week of 7/25

 FAMILY THEME: FAITH BRINGS DELIVERANCE

Joshua 2:1-24

Drama? Stress? Life change? Risk? Just ask Rahab! When the 
spies came to her fortressed city, she did not trust in its army or
defenses, but courageously sided with the people of God.

✞   Faith in God Led Rahab to Take Bold Action

      (Joshua 2:1-14)

      The two spies Joshua sent to gather intelligence about

      Jericho found refuge in the house of Rahab and promised

      her protection.

✞   Faith in God Led Rahab to Follow the Directions She

     Was Given

     (Joshua 2:15-24)

     The spies departed in secret, leaving Rahab with specific

     instructions to avoid being destroyed with the rest of

     Jericho. When the city miraculously fell, only Rahab's

     household was spared.

Fusion: week of 7/18

FAMILY THEME: FAITH CHOOSES GODLY CONDUCT

James 3:1 - 4:12

Godly conduct includes controlling our speech, living humbly and

wisely, and submitting to God's will.

✞   Living God's Way Includes Choosing Our Words Carefully

      (James 3:1-12)

      James emphasized the benefits of controlling the tongue

      as well as the destruction it can cause if not controlled.

✞   Living God's Way Includes Being Selfless and Humble

     (James 3:13 - 4:3)

     Godly wisdom involves treating others well, while worldly

     wisdom is characterized by selfishness.

✞   Living God's Way Includes Submitting to God and Rejecting

     Sinful Desires

     (James 4:4-12)

     God will be pleased with us when we make the hard

     choices to humbly submit to Him. We want to please 

     Him more than we want anything else.

Fusion: week of 7/11

 FAMILY THEME: FAITH RESULTS IN ACTION

James 1:22-27 ; 2:14-26

While works do not save us, genuine faith will result in good works.

✞   Genuine Faith Acts on God's Word

      (James 1:22-27)

      Simply hearing the Word of God is not enough. We must give

      evidence of our faith in the way we speak and in the way we

      treat others.

✞   Genuine Faith Produces Good Works

     (James 2:14-26)

     Serving God and others with our actions demonstrates our 

     faith. James pointed to the faithful deeds of Abraham and

     Rahab as examples of people acting on their faith.