week of 10/30

Unit 14  Session 4 

A HUMBLED HEART

PSALM 119 ; PROVERBS 28 ; 2 CORINTHIANS 6-7

Repentance is an act prompted by sorrow in which a person turns from sin to Christ.

The past few studies have taken us from the theme of judgment to the theme of grace and back again. From a king to a nation of people, the need for humility is evident. So where should all of this take us? To a humbled heart. We've seen the kindness of God in the past few studies, though kindness and judgment aren't thought to live in the same house. With God, however, they do. The apostle Paul said God's kindness is intended to lead us to repentance (Rom. 2:4). It is to repentance we now look.

Points to consider:

✞   Repentance is the result of godly sorrow.

     * Why should repentance, whether someone 

        else's or our own, result in rejoicing?

     * What are some ways we can recognize the 

        difference between godly grief and worldly 

        grief?

✞   Repentance is the act of turning from sin.

     * What are some ways sinners do not "prosper" 

        when hiding their sins?

✞   Repentance is proven by obedience.       

     * Why does repentance require that obedience 

        follow? 

week of 10/23

Unit 14  Session 3

A HUMBLED PEOPLE

ZEPHANIAH

God saves and restores all those who repent and turn to Him in faith.

The prophet Zephaniah brought one major message to God's people: the day of the Lord was coming. That day was a day of judgment, but it was also a day of grace. God's people and the nations were faced with the reality of God's coming judgment, and Zephaniah's message called all people to repentance to find grace in the face of judgment. The Lord is patient, but His judgment does not delay. It comes soon, so the prophet's call was timely and urgent: Humbly come under the refuge of God's grace or be destroyed by your pride.

Points to consider:

✞   The Lord saves the repentant.

     * Why does humility please the Lord?

✞   The Lord restores the faithful.

     * What are some ways our speech is 

        tainted by the effects of sin?

     * Why is pride such a devestating 

        attitude and sin?

✞   The Lord purifies the humble.       

     * What should sanctification look 

        like in this world plagued by sin?  

week of 10/16

Unit 14  Session 2

A HUMILIATED NATION

ISAIAH 13 - 31

The Lord seeks to show mercy and compassion even to His disobedient people.

God's people always had a tough time obeying. Faithfulness should have marked their lives, but often rebellion was the major key. How did God respond? Did He throw them out and bind Himself to another group of people? By no means! God remains faithful though His people are faithless. God remains true though His people stray. God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in faithful love and truth, staying true to a thousand generations of sinful men and women who love Him. God is just and true, and He is loving and merciful, but He does correct and judge - all to bring us to repentance.

 

Points to consider:

✞   The Lord will be vindicated in judging iniquity.

     * Why might we find it so hard to abandon 

        our self-reliance and trust God alone?

✞   The Lord will be praised for judging iniquity.

     * Why should the promise and fulfillment of 

        God's judgment cause people to worship 

        the Lord?

✞   The Lord will be merciful after judging iniquity.       

     * What does it mean to wait for the Lord?

     * How has God's mercy changed the way you 

        live and see the world? 

week of 10/9

Unit 14  Session 1

A HUMILIATED KING

2 KINGS 11 - 12 ; 2 CHRONICLES 22 - 24

Faithfulness is proven over the long-term, and later lapses of faithfulness will be judged.

Ahab, king of Israel, and his wife, Jezebel, brought great wickedness and idolatry into the land, leading their people far astray from the one true God. And Ahab's influence spread to Judah when his daughter, Athaliah, married Jehoram, the king of Judah. Through the word of Elisha, a general from Israel named Jehu brought judgment upon all the house of Ahab, killing the wicked kings of both kingdoms who were descended from him. The power vacuum in Judah was quickly and violently filled by Athaliah, the queen mother, but even she did not escape God's judgment and was replaced by the rightful king, Joash.

 

Points to consider:

✞   A faithful king restores the proper worship of God.

     * What are some excuses people might have for 

        delaying spiritual restoration in their lives and       

        churches?

✞   A forgetful king reverts to the worship of idols.

     * What are some things we can do to avoid the 

        wayward path Joash took with his life?

✞   A fallen king receives the judgment of God.       

     * What does God's response to Joash's rebellion 

        teach us about God's character?

     * What should a life of faithfulness look like for 

        a believer in Jesus Christ?

week of 10/2

Unit 13  Session 5

THE FUTILITY OF IDOLATRY

ISAIAH 44 - 46

Idolatry is a rebellion against God, born in the hearts of people when they worship parts of creation rather than the Creator.

Isaiah prophesied during a relatively good time for the Southern Kingdom of Judah, but the Northern Kingdom of Israel was in its death spiral leading to their eventual fall to Assyria. Still, idolatry remained a struggle for both kingdoms in varying degrees until both met their demise in exile as God's punishment. One place Isaiah addressed this issue was a portion of his prophetic book aimed ahead to a time after the people had been deported to pagan lands. Through Isaiah, the Lord made the case that idols, whether local or abroad, were nothing but a dead distraction from the one true God.

Points to consider:

✞   Idolatry begins by rejecting God.

     * Why do people, even believers, succumb 

        to the temptation of idolatry?

✞   Idolatry leads to a futile religion.

     * How has the Lord been your Rock?

     * Why must we remember that every act 

        in service to an idol is ultimately futile?

✞   Idolatry results in foolishness.       

     * What are some of the empty promises 

        of idols that only God can fulfill?

week of 9/25

Unit 13  Session 4

ELIJAH'S POWER

2 KINGS 4 - 6

God works through His people to do great things for His glory.

Elijah left the earth by God's appointment, and by God's will, he passed on his title and his spirit to the new prophet, Elisha. This prophet is now filled with the same power as his predecessor and is present in Israel. The majority of kings that follow in Israel are still wicked in the eyes of the Lord, and the people follow them. So Israel still needsa prophet to call them to repentance and obedience to Yahweh. Through Elisha, God continues to demonstrate His power so the kings, people, and nations will know Yahweh is the Lord God. And Elisha remains faithful in obedience to God, following the footsteps of his mentor.

Points to consider:

✞   The man of God brings life from death.

     * How should the reality of God's 

        resurrection power affect the lives 

        and actions of people today?

✞   The man of God multiplies bread for the people.

     * What are some ways you have seen the 

        Lord provide for your needs?

     * What are some ways we can serve the 

        Lord for His glory?

✞   The man of God heals a skin disease.       

     * What are some ways we can show kindness 

        in the world and point people to Jesus?

week of 9/18

Unit 13  Session 3

ELIJAH'S SUCCESSOR

1 KINGS 19 ; 2 KINGS 2

Those who seek to be faithful to God's call do so empowered and equipped by His Spirit.

Elijah had been a faithful prophet, obedient to God and consistent in calling Israel to repentance and their own obedience to God. He spoke directly about the sins of the people and performed miracles that demonstrated the Spirit of God was with him. Now the end of Elijah's time on earth was near. He was still following the Lord faithfully, and his protege, Elisha, was right by his side. The nation of Israel still needed a prophet, still needed someone to declare God's truth to them. God had said it would be Elisha, but how would Elisha fill Elijah's rather large shoes?

Points to consider:

✞   Faithful to the call.

     * What are some ways disciples of Jesus 

        should demonstrate their faithfulness 

        to Him?

✞   Power for the call.

     * What are some physical places that 

        hold spiritual meaning for you?

✞   Equipped for the call.       

     * Why do we need the Holy Spirit to 

        fulfill our gospel mission in the world?