DISCUSSION GUIDE #UNSTUCK #UNSTUCK IN YOUR FAITH (PROVERBS 1:1-7; 9:7-10) JANUARY 11, 2015

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1 #UNSTUCK #UNSTUCK IN YOUR FAITH (PROVERBS 1:1-7; 9:7-10) JANUARY 11, 2015 PREPARATION > Spend the week studying PROVERBS 1:1-7; 9:7-10. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools to enhance your preparation. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > Pray for our pastors and this week s message, the upcoming group time, your group members, and their receptivity to God s Word. > Focus on the Main Point. Fearing God invites His blessing and is the first step to getting unstuck in your faith. INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. Did you make any New Year s resolutions? How are you doing in keeping them so far? What kinds of New Year s resolutions do most Americans tend to make? Why do we make New Year s resolutions? What do these resolutions tell us about ourselves? We typically make New Year s resolutions because we see areas in our lives where we feel deficient, unhappy, or unfulfilled. We hope that our resolutions will help us get unstuck in these areas of our lives. On Sunday, we learned that for 5-10% of people, life is tough, and for another 5-10% of people, life is great. For the vast majority of us, however, our lives are neither extremely good nor extremely bad--we just feel stuck. While dieting, exercising, balancing our budgets, and paying off our debts might bring us some happiness, such actions will never bring us true fulfillment. Today as we begin our Unstuck series, we will see that the key to true freedom is to fear the Lord and devote ourselves wholly to Him. LEARN Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. > HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ PROVERBS 1:1-7 AND 9: What, according to verses 2-6, was Solomon s purpose in writing Proverbs? What is wisdom? What is knowledge? How are they similar? How are they different? 1 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH

2 Is it possible to be a fool (v. 7) and yet possess lots of information? Why or why not? Knowledge refers to the possession of information through experience, reason, or learning. Wisdom, however, refers to the right application of knowledge. Thus Paul warned the Corinthians that knowledge apart from its right application puffs up (1 Corinthians 8:1). In other words, knowledge cannot save us. It can only make us more informed sinners. We can have all the right information in the world, but if we do not leverage that information for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor, such knowledge is useless. What does it mean to fear God? Why is this the beginning of wisdom? Fearing God isn t about being scared of Him. Rather, it means to approach Him with awe and reverence, acknowledging how holy and powerful He truly is. It is only when we see God for who He is (and see ourselves for who we truly are in relation to Him), that we will be wise by God s wisdom. It doesn t matter how we conceive of ourselves. What matters is how God conceives of us. What benefits come from fearing the Lord (Prov. 9:10-12, 10:27, 14:26-27, 22:4, 31:30)? How might growing in reverence for God help us get unstuck in our faith? > HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ MATTHEW 11: What do we learn about the character of Jesus from this passage? In these verses, Jesus was speaking to His Father. He praised His Father for His wisdom and His grace wisdom in His discretion regarding who should receive revelation of the truth and who should not, and grace toward those who received the revelation. In His compassion and justice, God reveals Himself to those who are humbly aware of their need for Him. Why is the gospel hidden from the wise and learned? How are you like the wise and learned? How are you like the little children? What, according to verse 27, is the key to wisdom? What is the relationship between humility and faith? How might humbly submitting to the Lord help us get unstuck? Throughout Jesus earthly ministry, we see many people we would have expected to follow Him decide instead to reject Him, and many people we would have expected to reject Him instead decide to follow Him. Jesus tells us why in Matthew 11:25-26: God hid the truth about Jesus from the wise and understanding and revealed it to little children. Jesus reference to children refers not to blind, unthinking faith, but rather, to humble, childlike dependence. In other words, the kingdom of heaven is for the poor in spirit and sick those who know they have nothing to offer God, and so cry out to Him for mercy (Matt. 5:2, Luke 5:31-32, Luke 18:13). True wisdom is found in knowing God through Jesus Christ. 2 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH

3 LIVE Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. Create some talking points for the group by looking at the practical implications of the study. Get group members to talk about the real-life implications of the passage. Look at what can be applied specifically to Pinelake. In what areas of your life do you most need God to humble you? Since wisdom comes from growing reverence for God ( fearing God ), what are some practical ways we might grow in revering and honoring Him? LEAD Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage should impact the way we lead at Pinelake and the way we interact with people outside of it. What are some practical way we might cultivate a deeper reverence for God? How might we, as a group, help one another grow in our reverence for God? Review some of the benefits that come from fearing the Lord (Prov. 9:10-12, 10:27, 14:26-27; 22:4, and 31:30). How might keeping these benefits in mind help us to pursue wisdom? PRAYER Thank God for promising to give wisdom to us when we ask. Thank Him for making us wise unto salvation in Christ Jesus. Ask God to help us recognize how dependent we are on Him for everything. Pray that we would live in a constant state of humble dependence ever looking to Christ for strength and submitting ourselves to His service. FOLLOW UP Midway through this week, send a follow-up to your group with some or all of the following information: Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week: What impact has time in God s Word had on your walk with Him this week? Are you allowing Scripture to deepen your faith? If not, set aside committed time to study and meditate on God s Word, believing that He will more than compensate for anything you give up to do so. The challenge to memorize Proverbs 1:7. 3 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH

4 COMMENTARY #UNSTUCK #UNSTUCK IN YOUR FAITH JANUARY 11, 2015 PROVERBS 1:1-7 AND 9: :1. A proverb is a pithy allusion or parable that is rich in truth and meaning. King of Israel here refers to Solomon, who was the last king of united Israel (1 Kings 1-11). 1:2. Wisdom is having mastery of a subject of knowledge; it encompasses discipline, knowledge, prudence, and other virtues. It is the ability to apply knowledge to overcome any problem in life. Biblical wisdom, which is a gift from God (2:6), includes morality and the knowledge of God. Discipline has to do with warnings about the consequences of errant behavior, or loving correction to those who have failed to heed such warnings. It can involve physical punishment. The Hebrew word is often translated instruction (v. 3), because the goal is always edification and education, not just punishment. Understanding means internalizing knowledge so that it directs action. Insightful sayings are those that reveal truth. 1:3. Wise instruction is literally the discipline (see note at v. 2) of prudence. Prudence is skill or cleverness; a talent for insight, observation, or scrutiny; practical wisdom that leads to success. The word is translated wise/ wiser/wisdom (v. 3; 14:35; 16:23; 17:2; 21:11,16), prudent (10:5), discerning (15:24), understands (16:20), succeeds (17:8), sensible (19:14), and considers (21:12). This cleverness is morally guided by righteousness (agreement with God s directives), justice (restoration of what is right), and integrity (what is straight, right, and fair). 1:4. The inexperienced are naive people, usually young (7:7), who are still uncommitted. They generally lack shrewdness (8:5) or common sense (9:4,16; 22:3; 27:12). They have neither chosen wisdom nor become entrenched in folly like the mocker (1:22), but they are willing to believe anything (14:15,18). Those who try to remain uncommitted are condemned because they have not set out on the way of righteousness (1:32; 9:6). They should take warning from those who have chosen the wrong way (19:25; 21:11). The Hebrew word for shrewdness always has a positive connotation in the book of Proverbs (the adjective is translated shrewd in 12:23 and sensible in 12:16; 13:16; 14:8,15,18; 15:5; 22:3; 27:12). Such a person foresees and deals with difficulties (22:3). However, in other books it usually means cunning or craftiness that is in direct defiance of God s will (Gen. 3:1; Job 5:12). Knowledge is collected, memorized information (Hb da ath; see word study at 8:9). Knowledge is the tool; wisdom is the workman. Without wisdom to apply it, knowledge is ineffective. Discretion is the ability to ponder and plan, to think independently. The negative side is scheming (12:2; 14:17; 24:8). In Proverbs a young man is one who is on the verge of maturity; he is making decisions about the course of his life (22:6). 1:5. A discerning man has the capacity to understand what he hears and sees and to internalize knowledge so that it directs his actions. 1:6. The words proverb and parable are synonyms (v. 1). The words of the wise may refer to sayings that are more than two lines long; two sections are introduced as such (22:17; 24:23; cp. 30:1; 31:1; Ecc. 9:17; 12:11). A riddle is a proverb that is tricky or difficult to understand (Jdg. 14:12; 1 Kings 10:1). 1:7. The fear of the Lord involves awe, reverence, love, and trust in God. It accompanies knowledge, humility, obedience, and blessing (8:13; 10:27; 14:26-27; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4). The beginning is what must come first, the prerequisite; it is also the chief or supreme principle (4:7). All three kinds of fool are obstinately immoral (1:22; 17:7). This fool (Hb ewiyl; see word study at 10:8) is self-sufficient and detests wisdom or any advice or correction. 9:10. The wise are teachable (10:9) because they are humble and they fear... the Lord. 9:11. These phrases imply both a long life and eternal life (see note at 3:22). 9:12. This verse emphasizes the individual nature of rewards and consequences (see Ezek. 18), but a person s family (Prov. 20:7; 23:25) and a leader s followers (11:10; 29:2,4) are also affected. 4 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH

5 COMMENTARY MATTHEW 11: : The original context of verses is unknown, but Matthew includes them here to show that despite the growing opposition to Jesus, discipleship remains the only alternative that satisfies the deepest of human longings. In what is apparently a public prayer, Jesus praises God. He again reveals His intimate relationship with God as His Father, but also underlines God s sovereignty as Master of the universe. The increasingly polarized response to Jesus in fact forms part of God s eternal plan. These things refers to the overall significance of Jesus mission. Infants refers to those who respond to God by acknowledging their dependence on Him. The wise and learned, as the opposite category of persons, must therefore represent those who feel they have no need for God. Jesus does not contrast wise versus stupid, but He does declaim a godless intellectualism. 11:27. If verses claim that humility is a prerequisite for receiving God s revelation, verse 27 adds that one cannot come to God without accepting Christ. All things are left unspecified, but probably carry the sense of all Proverbs. Clearly Jesus and God have a unique relationship. He is God s Son in a different sense than believers are God s children (John 1:12). 11: Jesus now appeals for a response to His revelation. All may come at least, all who hurt and who recognize their spiritual need. The infants (v. 25) will accept Him and thus demonstrate their election (v. 27). The wise and learned (v. 25) are precisely those who reject His call and thus show they were not chosen. The distinction between the two categories of individuals is therefore not intellectual but volitional. Weary and burdened reflects the daily labor of carrying a pack on one s back. Tired workers need refreshment and renewal (cf. Jer. 6:16); Jesus equates the Christian life with spiritual rest. In describing His provision of this rest, Jesus borrows imagery from the plowing of fields. Like the yoke that couples oxen together, discipleship does not exempt one from work, but makes it manageable. Jews commonly spoke of taking on the yoke of the Torah to refer to the acceptance of the stipulations of the law. But, as the Sermon on the Mount has made plain, Jesus calls people not to the law, but to Himself. Learn echoes the exhortation of rabbinic instruction. No doubt, like many of the Jewish teachers, Jesus is gentle and humble. But unlike them, Christ offers work that is refreshing and good, because it brings salvation. Christ s yoke is thus light. None of this implies that Jesus greater righteousness, as illustrated in the Sermon on the Mount, is not extremely challenging or demanding. Jesus requirements are no less stringent than those of the Jewish teachers, but they can be accomplished more readily because of the strength Christ provides through the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not escape the hard life, but He could experience rest and refreshment in its midst. Christians are not promised freedom from illness or calamity, but they may experience God s sustaining grace so that they are not crushed or driven to despair (2 Cor. 4:8-9). By way of contrast, most Jews found the interpretations of the law imposed on them by their leaders increasingly burdensome. 5 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH