SESSION WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? THE BLAMELESS WAY THE SETTING

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1 SESSION THE BLAMELESS WAY THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is a well-known phrase in the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson even called these unalienable rights given by our Creator, but too many people want the liberty to pursue happiness their way without any thought of God. Yet God created us and knows what will bring us contentment and joy. THE POINT Following God s Word brings true joy. THE PASSAGE Psalm 9:-8 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Psalm 9:-8 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! 4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. 5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! 6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. 8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me! THE SETTING Psalm 9 was meant to be prayed and sung to God, and the author wrote it using a strict poetic form. There are stanzas of eight verses within the Psalm. Each stanza is represented by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and begins with that Hebrew letter. 4 SESSION For free online training on how to lead a group visit MinistryGrid.com/web/ BibleStudiesForLife For free Midweek Options for your group, visit lifeway.com/bsflwin7spoken

2 PREPARE LEADER LIVE IT OUT Overflowing Joy Philippians :3- The world sees our joy from the overflow of our personal relationship with Christ. There is no more miserable, tired, and ineffective Christian than one who simply puts on a face of joy for the world to see without first experiencing the overflow of true joy in their own life. Many Christians fail to live in joy because their lives are focused on the wrong things. Until we place Jesus as our top priority and orient our lives toward serving others, we will only be as happy as our circumstances will allow, instead of as joyful as Jesus desires us to be. Y Take a few moments to pray and list how you can reorient your life toward joy. Pray that God will open your eyes to see where you need to place Him first, others second, and yourself third. Complete the Culture section at the end of Session. Prepare: While you prepare for this session, it is critical to allow the truth of Scripture to challenge your heart. God works in our hearts as we teach others His Word. ONE CONVERSATION Scripture: Philippians :3- Topic: Pray with Joy THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: Too often prayer is limited to asking God to intervene in a crisis or fix a problem. To be sure, the Bible is full of invitations for us to call on Him to work, but our prayers should also reflect the fact that God has already been at work and continues to work in our lives. When we reflect on His work in our lives and the lives of others, it should cause us to rejoice and motivate us to continue praying joyfully for God s work. THE POINT: Prayer is an opportunity to experience joy. When has someone s recognition meant a great deal to you? What are some examples of temporary happiness versus true joy? What obstacles hinder us from building deeper relationships? How can our group build the kind of relationships Paul described in these verses? Why are both knowledge and discernment necessary for loving others like Christ? Discuss the following quote: [Prayer is] a constant fellowship, an unbroken audience with the King. E. M. Bounds. E. M. Bounds, Purpose in Prayer (New York: F. H. Revell, 90), 66. LIVE IT OUT: Your student has been encouraged to take practical steps to take his or her faith and Live It Out in the Personal Study Guide. Here are some ways you can encourage your students to live out their faith with Christ personally, in community, and in their culture: CHRIST: Discuss with your student the gifts that God has given to him or her. Be sure to include their salvation, hope, and the purpose that God has provided. COMMUNITY: Encourage your student to memorize Philippians :6 and pray for the work that Christ has planned for their future. CULTURE: Help your student to orient his or her life placing Jesus as the focus of each and every day. Follow Up: Don t forget to text a picture of the One Conversation section to parents or post it on Facebook and tag them after the session. This will equip them for further family discussion. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 5

3 ENGAGE (5 MINUTES) Engage: Begin the session with one or more of the Engage Options on the next page (optional). Discuss: Ask students, When has good advice saved you from bad consequences? 3 Guide: Call attention to The Point. Keep coming back to it throughout the session. 4 Read: Summarize the Bible Meets Life for your group. 5 Pray: Transition into the session by praying that your students would begin to understand the joy that comes into our lives when we follow God s Word. 6 SESSION

4 ENGAGE OPTIONS LEAD WITH ACTION Before students arrive, use masking tape to create a straight path across the room. Tell your students that you are going to have a competition and will bring a prize for the winner (Starbucks, doughnuts, etc.). Select volunteers in teams of two to compete for the prize. Depending on the number of volunteers, you may need to create more than one path. Blindfold one student on each team and place them at the start position. After blindfolding the students, take a box of obstacles (small stuffed animals, dog toys, office supplies, etc.) and scatter them throughout the path. Explain that the blindfolded students will have to make it down the path without touching any of the obstacles, and it s the job of their teammate to talk them through it. The first person to make it to the other side wins. After the game is over say, It s amazing how following the right words can have a big impact on our lives. Today we are going to talk about how following God s Word is the only thing that can bring us true joy. LEAD WITH ATMOSPHERE Make a playlist of your favorite I m always smiling songs to play in the background as students are arriving. They may be fun songs or songs that make you smile because the lyrics are centered in Scripture. As student come in, place pictures of people known for their joy on tables or project them on the screen (Chewbacca Lady, Nick Vujicic, etc.). Ask students what each of these people have in common. After you discuss their joy say, Joy is something that is hard to hide, and when we truly experience it, it shows. Today we are going to talk about how following God s Word brings true joy. LEAD WITH MEDIA Search the Internet for Laughing Chewbacca Mask Lady and have a blast laughing with her. Tell your students that they may remember this video from earlier this summer. Then search for Chewbacca Mom Interview to see what she says was the best part of becoming a YouTube celebrity. Say, What if we delighted in God s Word as much as this lady is delighting in this mask? Many Christians don t take the time to delight in the Word and truly find joy in what it says about us and about God. NOTE: Always make sure you preview any video clip you show students and ensure that it is appropriate for your church and ministry. LEADER PACK ELEMENTS If you have the optional Leader Pack, consider one of the following: DVD: Play the Unit Session DVD opener to introduce the session and get everyone on the same page. Item : Engage students in the unit by using the Unit Spoken Poster to help introduce the Scripture. Item : Consider using the Consequences Poster to get students thinking about the session. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 7

5 IMPART (0 MINUTES) Read: Invite a student to read the passage aloud. Discuss: Encourage students to discuss examples in our lives that illustrate this truth. Read: Enlist a few volunteers to read the following sections. Discuss: Lead your students into a deeper discussion about what it means to seek something wholeheartedly. Do: Direct students to read the passage as a group and discuss how God s Word affects our lives. PSALM 9:-3 WHO IN YOUR LIFE HAS SHOWN YOU THE TRUTH OF THIS PASSAGE?? Three important things are clear in this passage:. God s Word transforms our character. Don t confuse the blameless way with perfection. God s Word clearly teaches that only the grace of God through Jesus Christ saves us. A blameless life is one lived according to God s instruction. Being blameless is not trying to be perfect, it s continually allowing God s Word to change our character and transform our hearts. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SEEK SOMETHING WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART??. God s Word leads to joy. Here the psalmist focuses on the peace and happiness that comes from seeking God and practicing His Word. Joy is an enduring happiness that comes from building our lives on the truth of God s perfect Word. The incredible joy we find in God s Word comes from knowing it will never change, leave us, or let us down. Even in the most difficult times in our lives, we can be joyful because God and His truth will never leave us. 3. God s Word guards our steps. When we follow God s Word obediently, it naturally directs our life away from sin and the consequences that come with it. By living the life and purpose God created us for, we avoid the entanglements sin brings into our lives. David described what the blameless way looks like in Psalm 5. Take a moment to read Psalm 5:-5 as a group. List and then discuss three important areas of a blameless life that are affected by God s Word. 8 SESSION 8 SESSION

6 COMMENTARY PSALM 9:-3 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! PSALM 9:-3 Verse. Joy comes from obeying God s Word. Psalm 9 opens by describing people who are following God s law as happy or blessed. The Hebrew term translated happy or blessed denotes great joy or happiness. It suggests the experience of good fortune or favorable circumstances, in this case resulting from one s obedient relationship with God. A person can be blessed either by pronouncement (God s action), by doing what God commands (a person s actions), or as a combination of both. In Psalm 9: God s blessing is achieved by a person s lifestyle, which is described as blameless. Being blameless means to stand before God without having fault by living according to God s instruction. It describes people who are totally committed to God and living in obedience to His ways. In this context, walk has the meaning of a person s lifestyle, how that individual consistently lives his or her life. It is not enough merely to know what God says in His Word and know how God desires for us to live. What we know God requires must be lived out in our daily lives. Tip: Helping your students see the depth found in Scripture will lead them closer to Christ, not farther away. Don t be afraid to share what you re learning in the commentary. The Hebrew term torah (instruction or law) is used to refer to all of God s spoken and written self-revelation to humanity, which we today refer to as the Bible. True, deep-seated joy comes from living according to God s Word. Verses -3. Those whom God calls happy or blessed are those who keep His decrees. The Hebrew term eduth (decrees) refers to the standard of conduct communicated through the testimony of God, as related to who He is and His purpose. In relation to God s testimony, the term carries the idea of a witness as to both the dependability of God s standards and a warning for failing to obey God s high standards. Those who consistently keep God s decrees do so because they are seeking God with all their hearts. This seeking is a consistent action. The Bible usually defines the heart as the center of a person s innermost being thoughts, emotions, and will. A person does no wrong by walking in God s ways. This is not an isolated act (or acts) of obedience, but rather a lifestyle of consistently following God in obedience to His Word. Doing so serves as both a preventative and a protection from transgressing against God and His will. Before we can obey God s Word, we have to know it (Ps. :). Learning the Bible is not enough. The act of learning and knowing God s Word is an active, transformative experience. The happy (blessed) individual is the one who lives according to God s instruction, obeys God s decrees, seeks God with his or her whole heart, and walks in God s ways. Tip: Help students to see the difference between disobedient actions and a pattern of disobedience. Our lives should always be treading toward God, even though we struggle along the way. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 9

7 IMPART (0 MINUTES) 3 4 Read: Invite a student to read the passage. Read: Enlist a few volunteers to read the following section. Engage: Remind students of how their social media can provide opportunities to share their faith. Engage: Help your students to fill in two characteristics of a life that is totally dependant on God. PSALM 9:4-6 Joy isn t optional here. Joy comes from keeping God s Word, and we re commanded to obey it. Our obedience includes: Recognizing God s authority (v. 4). The authority of God and His Word are clearly seen in this passage. The word precepts reveals another side of God s Word. It refers to God s clear and specific commands for His people. God s Word speaks to our lives clearly and specifically with authority. Recognizing Your Need (v. 5-6). The psalmist recognized that joy comes from obeying God, but he admitted total dependence on God was needed to accomplish it. Two things become clear: Honesty.. The psalmist desired a life marked by long-term obedience but knew he wasn t there yet. He was godly but knew he had a long way to go in keeping God s statutes. God isn t asking us to be perfect, He wants us to come as we are in honesty. Request.. He knew he couldn t live a godly life on his own power. We cannot change our sinful attitudes, habits, actions, and relationships; we can only keep God s commands by depending on Christ. We cannot change our sinful attitudes; We can only keep God s commands by depending on Christ. #Psalm9 HOW DOES KNOWING WE CAN BE COMPLETELY HONEST WITH GOD AFFECT THE WAY WE VIEW HIS WORD?? 5 Discuss: Ask your group to discuss the following question about honesty with God. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 9 0 SESSION

8 COMMENTARY PSALM 9:4-6 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. PSALM 9:4-6 Verse 4. God commands us to obey His Word. In the first three verses, the writer focused on those who seek to live according to God s Word and seek Him with all their hearts. At this point, the psalmist addressed God Himself, the One who reveals His precepts, which He requires that all people diligently keep. The psalmist s words reflect God s authority as the Creator to direct and instruct His creation (us). Since God made us, only God knows exactly how we were created and designed to live, and only He has the ultimate authority to tell us how to live. This truth reveals and reflects the permanent authority of the Bible, God s Word (Isa. 40:8). The Hebrew word translated precepts (piqqud) refers to particular rules governing thinking or acting. The word s background is related to the task of a commissioner or deputy to a king whose duty was to manage the details of the various tasks (and people) for which he was responsible. God gives precepts to help us learn how to think and live in ways that reflect His character and bring honor to Him. The psalmist directed his readers to obey God s precepts diligently. The Hebrew term translated diligently has the meanings of exceedingly, to a great degree, and abundance. Another aspect of the word s meaning is force or vehemence (passion). In order to fully obey God s precepts, we must be intensely passionate about our relationship with God. Being diligent requires us to know and obey God s precepts consistently (Ps. 9:-3). Verse 5. The words if only imply a desire that is not completely fulfilled. The psalmist s desire was for his commitment to God and His Word to be singular and unshakable. The intensity can be seen in the meaning of the Hebrew term from which the phrase is translated. It means to be firmly established, to be fixed, or to be securely determined. We cannot change our sinful attitude; We can only keep God s commands by depending on Christ. #Psalm9 The Hebrew word choq, translated statutes or decrees, means what was clearly established, appointed, or enacted such as a law, commandment, or decree. In relation to God, the term denotes binding commands or laws that God requires His people to obey. The Hebrew word for obeying means to watch or to guard. The psalmist desired to keep watch over his ways so as not to trespass against God s Word, to guard (against breaking) God s statutes. To reflect the intensity of this prayer, many English translations of the Bible end the verse with an exclamation point. Verse 6. This verse completes the conditional (if/then) thought begun in verse 5. To the extent we keep God s commands, we will not be ashamed before God. The psalmist emphasized all of God s commands. So many people (Christians and non-christians) seem to think they can pick and choose what they want to follow from God s Word. God says that all His commands are important; who are we to argue with our Creator, the Creator of all the universe? Are we smarter than God? Of course not! BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

9 IMPART (0 MINUTES) 3 4 Do: Allow students time to finish the optional Action Point (p. 0) in the PSG. Discuss: Review this question with your students. Read: Ask a student to read the passage for the group. Engage: Explain this section for your students and help them fill in the blanks. HOW CAN WE INCREASE THE INFLUENCE OF GOD S WORD IN OUR LIVES? PSALM 9:7-8 Believers who are committed to God s Word know that they must depend on Him. The psalmist shows us two ways to depend on God s presence and obey His word.. Depend on God s presence through praise (v. 7). Truly praising God begins with His Word. This truth is shown throughout Psalm 9. The psalmist continually highlights the connection between learning God s Word and giving praise: Verse 08: Lord, please accept my willing offerings of praise, and teach me Your judgments. Verse 64: I praise You seven times a day for Your righteous judgments Verse 7: My lips pour out praise, for You teach me Your statutes? ACTION POINT Performers have some crazy demands in their contracts. Sometimes it s because they genuinely have strange requests, and sometimes it s because they re making sure the people setting up their equipment are paying attention to the details. The band Van Halen used to require every brown M&M s be removed from the candy bowls at every concert. If they arrived at a concert location and the M&M s were not separated, they knew to double-check the heavy equipment set up for safety. Similarly, when we spend time allowing God s Word to change our hearts, it becomes evident in the way we live our lives. How does the way we live our lives match what we know of God s Word? 5 6 Read: Ask a student to read the section aloud. Do: Direct students to complete the Action Point. Discuss your answers as a group. We learn to obey God s Word by depending on His presence through praising Him. The deeper we understand God s Word and allow it to transform our lives, the more we will praise Him.. Depend on God s presence through prayer (v. 8). The psalmist made a determined decision to live in obedience to God s word. When we have the same resolve, we can t forget the second part of verse eight. The psalmist admitted he couldn t obey in his own strength or resources, so he prayed that God would empower him. He didn t believe God would truly abandon him (Heb. 3:5), instead he was expressing his dependence on God s presence to live obediently. What are two ways we can increase the influence of God s Word in our lives? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE SESSION

10 COMMENTARY PSALM 9:7-8 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me! PSALM 9:7-8 Verse 7. Lean on God s presence to obey His Word. The psalmist s response to learning God s Word was that he would praise God. In this context, praise is the response of a person to someone greater than himself. This praise was done with a sincere heart. The Hebrew term translated sincere or upright has the meaning of being straight or level in the sense of not being twisted or crooked. In this context, it refers to being morally straight, upright, just, and pleasing to God. This uprightness or sincerity is related to righteous behavior. As previously noted, the heart refers to the innermost part of the person. The praise the psalmist gave to God came from the deepest, innermost part of himself. The reason for the psalmist s praise was his learning God s laws. For a person, being righteous means that one s thoughts and actions are in accordance with God s standards. It means being and acting like God making the right decisions and acting in the right ways. As righteousness is a quality of God, the righteous are those (and only those) who are rightly related to God. For believers today, that relationship comes through their faith in Jesus Christ and His actions for their salvation. The righteous behavior of believers flows out of their relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit within them that empowers their righteous behavior. The Hebrew word for laws (mishpat) refers to justice or judicial decisions which serve as rules and precedents for other decisions. Why would the psalmist praise God for His righteous laws? Perhaps the answer lies in the security that people need. We need to know what is right and what is wrong so that we can do the right thing. Since God is faithful (that is, always consistent) we can trust that His laws always provide us with the right way to live. We need have no fear when we live according to God s ways (the first step of which is receiving salvation through repentance and placing faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins). Tip: If you have several students in your group that don t fit in, consider copying a lesson from your Leader Guide and asking them to lead the group one week while you assist. Verse 8. The result of praising God for His righteous laws was a promise that the psalmist would keep God s decrees and a plea that God would not abandon him. The word statutes or decrees is the synonym for God s Word previously used in verse 5. The psalmist prayed that God would never abandon him. Taken in the context of this verse, the psalmist was asking for God s help in obeying His commands (God s Word). Furthermore, with his words he acknowledged that if God were to leave him, he would never be able to keep God s decrees. As much as we desire to and attempt to keep God s commands, we sometimes fail because of the stain of the sinful nature in our hearts. Yet, we can thank God for sending Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins, and through the power of His Holy Spirit s indwelling presence, we can live lives of obedience (imperfect as they may be) to His Word. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 3

11 IMPACT (0 MINUTES) 3 Discuss: Read and discuss the quote with students. Guide: The Christ portion of the Live It Out section encourages students to dig deeply into God s Word and examine their motives for serving others. Remember the Bible Reading Plan provides students with a custom reading plan to stay in God s Word and follows along with each session. Guide: As you guide your students through the Community section, remember to emphasize the importance of community with believers outside of group. BIBLE READING PLAN LIVE IT OUT OBEDIENCE IS THE KEY TO REAL FAITH. 3 CHUCK COLSON DAY PSALM DAY P S A L M DAY 3 P S A L M 9:-8 DAY 4 P S A L M 9:9-6 DAY 5 PSALM 9:7-4 DAY 6 PSALM 9:5-3 DAY 7 PSALM 9:33-40 CHRIST It s tough to experience the joy God s Word brings into our lives when we only interact with it once a week for an hour in our small group. We may see how important it is, but if we don t engage in God s Word consistently, we rarely experience the joy we were made to experience. It s like trying to experience the benefits of brushing your teeth daily, while only brushing them once a week. Make a commitment this week to: Engage with God s Word by reading the passages in this week s reading plan. Briefly explain each passage in your own words and list its importance. COMMUNITY We need the believers around us to live in joy as we follow God s Word. Living blamelessly requires us to live in community. God s Word says that we sharpen one another just like iron sharpens iron. Discuss the following with your group: In which areas of my life do I need to change or grow? How can we encourage and hold each other accountable this week? When are we going to do it? Who will be my partner this week? SESSION 4 SESSION

12 IMPACT CULTURE In Psalm 9:8, the psalmist agrees to keep God s statutes, then tells God to never abandon him. It can be easy for us to see this statement as a bargain with God, while it is actually a confession of the author s need for God. The psalmist meant that keeping God s commands would only be possible with God s power. A heart that is continually changed by God s Word grows increasingly aware of its need for His presence and finds joy in the security of living from God s acceptance. We don t follow God s standards to keep Him from abandoning us, it is because God does not abandon us that we are able to follow His commands. In which two areas of your life do you need God s power in order to be obedient to Him?.. Why is God s power the only thing that can truly give me the power to live in obedience to God s Word? 4 5 Guide: The Culture section equips students to apply this session to their lives every week. Help students see themselves and others through the lens of God s Word to develop a lifestyle of investing in others for the gospel. Pray: Close in prayer asking God to begin working in the hearts of your students. Pray that God reveals the areas of their lives that need His power in order to live obediently. How does realizing and living in God s power and acceptance free me from shame and fear? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 3 6 Follow Up: This week connect with your students by texting them each morning to let them know you are praying for them. If they have prayer requests, make sure to let them know you haven t forgotten them. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 5