A Victorious Chapter (Part 1): Get Your Team Right – Discussion Notes
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Introduction: If you are ready to experience a victorious chapter in your life, pay attention to this chapter. This discussion centers on how, “We should obey God’s team building instructions.”
Key Points:
1. God wants the glory out of this chapter.Notice in Psalm 115:1 and Revelation 4:11 that to glorify God is to highlight His presence and/or bring attention to how great He is.
Intentionally obeying God is great way to glorify Him. At the core of God’s will are the issues of salvation and loving God and others, as you love yourself (see Jn. 3:16; Mk. 12:29-31). Are you really saved? Are you loving God with all that you have (see Jn 14:15)?
Are you loving and taking care of yourself (see I Cor 6:19-20; Col. 3:2)? Are you loving others, as you love yourself (see Jn. 13:34-35)? Are you doing your part in your church (see Mt. 28:19-20 – evangelism and edification with love, worship, community involvement, and excellence)?
God has brought you through previous chapters, so He can get the glory out of this chapter as well. Always remember that God is the source of our blessings, and we are the recipients (see Jm. 1:17; Jn. 15:5). Let’s work on glorifying God with our obedience.
2. God’s glory includes our good. Notice how Jeremiah 29:11 and John 10:10 show that when God’s plans are carried out, His people are richly blessed. The devil would have us to believe that what glorifies God is only good for God.
But disciples should know that what glorifies God is good for God’s people. In order to highlight the mercy, way making ability, and the mysterious ways of God, we need case studies.
Can you look over your life and see how God has used you as a case studyfor His mercy, way making ability, and working in mysterious ways? Let’s live like we know that when God gets the glory, His people receive the blessings. This should include obedience and expectation.
3. Some are too fearful to serve. Notice in Judges 7:3 that the fearful were dismissed. First, don’t think that everyone who looks like you, smiles at you, or even say they are with you are really with you.
Second, if it were not for God, we, like those in the text, have so much to be afraid of. But when we trust that we are fighting for the Lord, we should be as confident as David was in Psalm 27:1-3. Let’s live like we have a God who is bigger than our troubles.
4. Some are too comfortable to serve. Notice in Judges 7:4-6 that those who were too comfortable were dismissed. First, confidence is no substitute for faith-based work. We ought not every confuse what God can do with what God calls us to do. James 2:26 teaches that faith without works is dead.
Second, give both groups credit for leaving without a fuss. Some people cause all kinds of trouble when they are not chosen for desired services. This maturity may have something to do with the pain of previous chapters(see Pro. 22:15).
Some people behave like they need more suffering, because they are still too focused on their agenda, instead of the Lord’s agenda. Let’s work on having a working/obedient faith in God.
5. God can use the able and willing. Notice in Judges 7:7 that God determined to use the 300 men, instead of the 32,000 men, which was less than 1% of the initial crowd. Think about how God can take a fraction of who we used to have with us and do more with the fraction than we can do with the larger crowd.
Think about how God took Noah’s family, Abraham’s faith, and the school boy’s lunch and did so much. Can you look back over your life and see how God has taken little and accomplished so much? Let’s live like we trust God’s ability to do much with the little that we have. This includes doing our part and trusting God for the rest.
What is one thing you will take from this session and work on, in regard to your discipleship goals?