COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS

Transcription

1 COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS ICEBREAKER What is your favorite memory of Thanksgiving? SCRIPTURES Psalm 18; Psalm 30; Psalm 32; Psalm 34; Psalm 40; Psalm 67; Psalm 92; Psalm 100; Psalm 124; Psalm 136; Psalm 138; Psalm 116 (see pages 2-12 for full text) DISCUSSION 1. Do you normally think of yourself as someone who feels and expresses a lot of gratitude? Why or why not? 2. What is something for which you re thankful that only God could have provided by His intervention and grace? 3. What is the opposite of gratitude? Where does it usually lead? DIGGING DEEPER Choose a few of the Psalms of thanks cited in this week s message and discuss what they teach us about being thankful. ACTION PLAN Read the Psalms of thanksgiving cited in this week s message and choose one to share with your family before Thanksgiving dinner or another appropriate time. Be sure to remind yourself and share with your friends and family all that you re thankful for during the holiday season. MINISTRY TIME/PRAYER Share your prayer requests and reports of God s work in your lives with the group. Lift one another up in prayer, asking specifically for God to fill you with gratitude and awe at all that He s done on your behalf, especially His sinless life and death on the cross for your salvation. Scriptures: I love You, Eternal One, source of my power. 2 The Eternal is my rock, my fortress, and my salvation; He is my True God, the stronghold in which I hide, my strong shield, the horn that calls forth help, and my tall- walled tower. 3 I call out to the Eternal, who is worthy to be praised that s how I will be rescued from my enemies.

2 4 The bonds of death encircled me; the currents of destruction tugged at me; 5 The sorrows of the grave wrap around me; the traps of death lay in wait for me. 6 In my time of need, I called to the Eternal; I begged my True God for help. He heard my voice echo up to His temple, and my cry came to His ears. 7 Because of His great anger, the earth shook and staggered; the roots of the mountains shifted. 8 Smoke poured out from His nose, and devouring fire burst from His mouth. Coals glowed from Him. 9 He bent the heavens and descended; inky darkness was beneath His feet. 10 He rode upon a heavenly creature, flying; He was carried quickly on the wings of the wind. 11 He took darkness as His hiding place both the dark waters of the seas and the dark clouds of the sky. 12 Out from His brilliance hailstones and burning coals broke through the clouds. 13 The Eternal thundered in the heavens; the Highest spoke; His voice rumbled [in the midst of hail and lightning]. 14 He shot forth His arrows and scattered the wicked; He flung forth His lightning and struck them. 15 Then the deepest channels of the seas were visible, and the very foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O Eternal One, at the blast of wind from Your nostrils. 16 He reached down His hand from above me; He held me. He lifted me from the raging waters. 17 He rescued me from my strongest enemy, from all those who sought my death, for they were too strong. 18 They came for me in the day of my destruction, but the Eternal was the support of my life. 19 He set me down in a safe place; He saved me to His delight; He took joy in me. 20 The Eternal One responded to me according to my goodness; I kept my hands clean, and He blessed me. 21 I kept the ways of the Eternal and have not walked away from my True God in wickedness. 22 All His laws were there before me, and I did not push His statutes away. 23 I was blameless before Him; I kept myself from guilt and shame.

3 24 That s why the Eternal has rewarded me for my right living; He s rewarded me because He saw my hands were clean. 25 You are loyal to those who are loyal; with the innocent, You prove to be innocent; 26 With the clean, You prove to be clean; and with the twisted, You make Yourself contrary. 27 For You rescue humble people, but You bring the proud back in line. 28 You are the lamp who lights my way; the Eternal, my God, lights up my darkness. 29 With Your help, I can conquer an army; I can leap over walls with a helping hand from You. 30 Everything God does is perfect; the promise of the Eternal rings true; He stands as a shield for all who hide in Him. 31 Who is the True God except the Eternal? Who stands like a rock except our God? 32 The True God who encircled me with strength and made my pathway straight. 33 He made me sure- footed as a deer and placed me high up where I am safe. 34 He teaches me to fight so that my arms can bend a bronze bow. 35 You have shielded me with Your salvation, supporting me with Your strong right hand, and it makes me strong. 36 You taught me how to walk with care so my feet will not slip. 37 I chased my enemies and caught them and did not stop until they were destroyed. 38 I broke them and threw them down beneath my feet, and they could not rise up again. 39 For You equipped me for battle, and You made my enemies fall beneath me. 40 You made my enemies turn tail and run, and all who wanted my destruction, I destroyed. 41 They looked everywhere, but no one came to rescue them; they asked the Eternal, but He did not answer them. 42 I beat them to sand, to dust that blows in the wind; I flung them away like trash in the gutters. 43 You rescued me from conflict with the peoples; You raised me up to rule over nations. People who did not know me have come to serve me. 44 Strangers come to me, afraid. As soon as they hear about me, they serve me; 45 Strangers who have lost heart come fearfully to me from behind their high walls.

4 46 The Eternal is alive! My Rock is blessed, and exalted is the True God of my deliverance 47 The God who avenged me and placed the peoples under me, 48 Who rescued me from all my foes. Truly, You raised me up above my enemies and saved me from the violent ones. 49 For this I will praise You among the nations, O Eternal, and sing praises to Your name. 50 He is a tower of salvation for His king and shows His enduring love to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever. Psalm 18 Voice I praise You, Eternal One. You lifted me out of that deep, dark pit and denied my opponents the pleasure of rubbing in their success. 2 Eternal One, my True God, I cried out to You for help; You mended the shattered pieces of my life. 3 You lifted me from the grave with a mighty hand, gave me another chance, and saved me from joining those in that dreadful pit. 4 Sing, all you who remain faithful! Pour out your hearts to the Eternal with praise and melodies; let grateful music fill the air and bless His name. 5 His wrath, you see, is fleeting, but His grace lasts a lifetime. The deepest pains may linger through the night, but joy greets the soul with the smile of morning. 6 When things were quiet and life was easy, I said in arrogance, Nothing can shake me. 7 By Your grace, Eternal, I thought I was as strong as a mountain; But when You left my side and hid away, I crumbled in fear. 8 O Eternal One, I called out to You; I pleaded for Your compassion and forgiveness: 9 I m no good to You dead! What benefits come from my rotting corpse? My body in the grave will not praise You. No songs will rise up from the dust of my bones. From dust comes no proclamation of Your faithfulness. 10 Hear me, Eternal Lord please help me, Eternal One be merciful! 11 You did it: You turned my deepest pains into joyful dancing; You stripped off my dark clothing and covered me with joyful light. 12 You have restored my honor. My heart is ready to explode, erupt in new songs!

5 It s impossible to keep quiet! Eternal One, my God, my Life- Giver, I will thank You forever. Psalm 30 Voice How happy is the one whose wrongs are forgiven, whose sin is hidden from sight. 2 How happy is the person whose sin the Eternal will not take into account. How happy are those who no longer lie, to themselves or others. 3 When I refused to admit my wrongs, I was miserable, moaning and complaining all day long so that even my bones felt brittle. 4 Day and night, Your hand kept pressing on me. My strength dried up like water in the summer heat; You wore me down. [pause] 5 When I finally saw my own lies, I owned up to my sins before You, and I did not try to hide my evil deeds from You. I said to myself, I ll admit all my sins to the Eternal, and You lifted and carried away the guilt of my sin. [pause] 6 So let all who are devoted to You speak honestly to You now, while You are still listening. For then when the floods come, surely the rushing water will not even reach them. 7 You are my hiding place. You will keep me out of trouble and envelop me with songs that remind me I am free. [pause] 8 I will teach you and tell you the way to go and how to get there; I will give you good counsel, and I will watch over you. 9 But don t be stubborn and stupid like horses and mules who, if not reined by leather and metal, will run wild, ignoring their masters. 10 Tormented and empty are wicked and destructive people, but the one who trusts in the Eternal is wrapped tightly in His gracious love. 11 Express your joy; be happy in Him, you who are good and true. Go ahead, shout and rejoice aloud, you whose hearts are honest and straightforward. Psalm 32 Voice I will praise the Eternal in every moment through every situation. Whenever I speak, my words will always praise Him. 2 Everything within me wants to pay tribute to Him. Whenever the poor and humble hear of His greatness, they will celebrate too! 3 Come and lift up the Eternal with me; let s praise His name together! 4 When I needed the Lord, I looked for Him;

6 I called out to Him, and He heard me and responded. He came and rescued me from everything that made me so afraid. 5 Look to Him and shine, so shame will never contort your faces. 6 This poor soul cried, and the Eternal heard me. He rescued me from my troubles. 7 The messenger of the Eternal God surrounds everyone who walks with Him and is always there to protect and rescue us. 8 Taste of His goodness; see how wonderful the Eternal truly is. Anyone who puts trust in Him will be blessed and comforted. 9 Revere the Eternal, you His saints, for those who worship Him will possess everything important in life. 10 Young lions may grow tired and hungry, but those intent on knowing the Eternal God will have everything they need. 11 Gather around, children, listen to what I m saying; I will teach you how to revere the Eternal. 12 If you love life and want to live a good, long time, 13 Take care with the things you say. Don t lie or spread gossip or talk about improper things. 14 Walk away from the evil things of the world, and always seek peace and pursue it. 15 For the Eternal watches over the righteous, and His ears are attuned to their prayers. He is always listening. 16 But He will punish evildoers, and nothing they do will last. They will soon be forgotten. 17 When the upright need help and cry to the Eternal, He hears their cries and rescues them from all of their troubles. 18 When someone is hurting or brokenhearted, the Eternal moves in close and revives him in his pain. 19 Hard times may well be the plight of the righteous they may often seem overwhelmed but the Eternal rescues the righteous from what oppresses them. 20 He will protect all of their bones; not even one bone will be broken. 21 Evil moves in and ultimately murders the wicked; the enemies of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Eternal will liberate His servants; those who seek refuge in Him will never be condemned. Psalm 34 I waited a long time for the Eternal; He finally knelt down to hear me. He listened to my weak and whispered cry. 2 He reached down and drew me from the deep, dark hole where I was stranded, mired in the muck and clay. With a gentle hand, He pulled me out

7 To set me down safely on a warm rock; He held me until I was steady enough to continue the journey again. 3 As if that were not enough, because of Him my mind is clearing up. Now I have a new song to sing a song of praise to the One who saved me. Because of what He s done, many people will see and come to trust in the Eternal. 4 Surely those who trust the Eternal who don t trust in proud, powerful people Or in people who care little for reality, chasing false gods surely they are happy, as I have become. 5 You have done so many wonderful things, had so many tender thoughts toward us, Eternal my God, that go on and on, ever increasing. Who can compare with You? 6 Sacrifices and offerings are not what You want, but You ve opened my ears,[a] and now I understand. Burnt offerings and sin offerings are not what please You. 7 So I said, See, I have come to do Your will, as it is inscribed of me in the scroll. 8 I am pleased to live how You want, my God. Your law is etched into my heart and my soul. 9 I have encouraged Your people with the message of righteousness, in Your great assembly (look and see), I haven t kept quiet about these things; You know this, Eternal One. 10 I have not kept Your righteousness to myself, sealed up in the secret places of my heart; instead, I boldly tell others how You save and how loyal You are. I haven t been shy to talk about Your love, nor have I been afraid to tell Your truth before the great assembly of Your people. 11 Please, Eternal One, don t hold back Your kind ways from me. I need Your strong love and truth to stand watch over me and keep me from harm. 12 Right now I can t see because I am surrounded by troubles; my sins and shortcomings have caught up to me, so I am swimming in darkness. Like the hairs on my head, there are too many to count, so my heart deserts me. 13 O Eternal One, please rescue me. O Eternal One, hurry; I need Your help. 14 May those who are trying to destroy me be humiliated and ashamed instead; May those who want to ruin my reputation be cut off and embarrassed.

8 15 May those who try to catch me off guard, those who look at me and say, Aha, we ve trapped you, be caught in their own shame instead. 16 But may all who look for You discover true joy and happiness in You; May those who cherish how You save them always say, O Eternal One, You are great and are first in our hearts. 17 Meanwhile, I am empty and need so much, but I know the Lord is thinking of me. You are my help; only You can save me, my True God. Please hurry. Psalm 40 Voice May God pour His grace and blessings into us and turn His face to shine His light on us. [pause][a] 2 So all those on earth will learn to follow Your way and see Your saving power come to redeem all nations. 3 May all people live to praise You, Our True God; may all come to praise You. 4 May all nations celebrate together, singing joy- filled songs of praise to You because You judge the people fairly and give guidance to all the nations of the earth. [pause] 5 May the people praise You with their whole hearts, O God; may every man, woman, and child on the earth praise You. 6 The land has supplied a bountiful harvest, and the True God, our God, has poured out His blessings to us all. 7 God is the source of our blessings; may every corner of the earth respect and revere Him. Psalm 67 Voice How good it is to give thanks to the Eternal and to praise Your name with song, O Most High; 2 To speak of Your unfailing love in the morning and rehearse Your faithfulness as night begins to fall. 3 How good it is to praise to the sound of strings lute and harp the stirring melodies of the lyre. 4 Because You, O Eternal One, thrill me with the things You have done, I will sing with joy in light of Your deeds. 5 Your works are marvelous, O Eternal One! Your thoughts are unfathomable. 6 But a weak- minded man can t understand this; foolish people are unable to see 7 That evil men sprout like grass and wicked men flourish, only so that they will be doomed forever.

9 8 But You, O Eternal One, are above all, forever. 9 As for Your enemies, O Eternal One, their fate is obvious: those who hate You will not survive; those who practice evil will be broken in pieces. 10 But You have made me strong as a wild ox, anointed me with the refreshing oil of Your blessing. 11 And I have seen with my own eyes my enemies defeated; I have heard with my own ears my attackers cut down. 12 Those who are devoted to God will flourish like budding date- palm trees; they will grow strong and tall like cedars in Lebanon. 13 Those planted in the house of the Eternal will thrive in the courts of our God. 14 They will bear fruit into old age; even in winter, they will be green and full of sap 15 To display that the Eternal is righteous. He is my rock, and there is no shadow of evil in Him. Psalm 92 Voice Raise your voices; make a beautiful noise to the Eternal, all the earth. 2 Serve the Eternal gladly; enter into His presence singing songs of joy! 3 Know this: the Eternal One Himself is the True God. He is the One who made us; we have not made ourselves; we are His people, like sheep grazing in His fields. 4 Go through His gates, giving thanks; walk through His courts, giving praise. Offer Him your gratitude and praise His holy name. 5 Because the Eternal is good, His loyal love and mercy will never end, and His truth will last throughout all generations. Psalm 100 Voice I love the Eternal; for not only does He hear my voice, my pleas for mercy, 2 But He leaned down when I was in trouble and brought His ear close to me. So as long as I have breath, I will call on Him. 3 Once I was wound in the wrappings of death; the terror of dying and the grave had a grip on me; I could not get away, for I was entombed in distress and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Eternal: O Eternal One I am begging You save me! 5 The Eternal is full of grace and naturally just; our God is compassionate and merciful. 6 And the Eternal watches over the naive.

10 Whenever I was knocked down, He reached down and saved me. 7 O my soul! Return and relax. Come to your true rest, for the Eternal has showered you with His favor. 8 God, You alone rescued my soul from the grips of death, my eyes from weeping, and my feet from slipping. 9 I will come before the Eternal as long as I journey in the land of the living. 10 I believed Your promise; therefore I spoke, I am in deep trouble. 11 In my confusion I blurted out, All people are liars! 12 How will I pay back the Eternal for all His graciousness toward me? 13 I will raise the cup of deliverance and call out the name of the Eternal. 14 I will fulfill the promises I made to Him here as a witness to all His people. 15 Precious in the eyes of the Eternal are the deaths of those who follow after Him. 16 O Eternal One, You know I am Your servant. I am Your servant, a child of Your maidservant, devoted to You; You have cut me loose from the chains of death that bind me. 17 And I come, eager to offer a sacrifice of gratitude and call on the name of the Eternal. 18 I will fulfill the promises I made to Him here as a witness to all His people 19 In the courts of the Eternal s temple, among the people of God s city, O Jerusalem. Praise the Eternal! Psalm 116 If the Eternal had not been with us sing, Israel, sing 2 If He had not been with us when the villains came for us, 3 When their anger flamed around us, they would have swallowed us up alive! 4 Their hatred was like a flood: the waters were rising and would have engulfed us; the streams were rushing past and would have overcome us. 5 The furious waters would have broken over us. Battered and overwhelmed, we surely would have drowned! 6 Blessed be the Eternal who did not leave us to be torn by their fangs! 7 Our souls cry out: We escaped with our lives like a bird

11 from the fowler s snare! The snare was broken, and we escaped with our lives! 8 Our help has come in the name of the Eternal, the Maker of heaven and earth! Psalm 124 Voice Let your heart overflow with praise to the Eternal, for He is good, 2 Praise the True God who reigns over all other gods, 3 Praise the Lord who reigns over all other lords, 4 To Him who alone does marvelous wonders, 5 Who created the heavens with skill and artistry, 6 Who laid out dry land over the waters, 7 Who made the great heavenly lights, 8 The sun to reign by day, 9 The moon and stars to reign by night, 10 To Him who struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians, 11 Who set Israel free from Egyptian masters, 12 With fierce strength, a mighty hand, and an outstretched arm, 13 To Him who split the Red Sea[a] in two and made a path between the divided waters, 14 Then allowed Israel to pass safely through on dry ground, 15 To Him who crushed Pharaoh and his army in the waters of the Red Sea, 16 Who guided His people through the desert, 17 Who struck down mighty kings, 18 Who slaughtered famous kings, 19 Sihon, the king of the Amorites, 20 And Og, the king of Bashan,

12 21 To Him who gave the conquered land as an inheritance, 22 Who made the land a heritage to Israel, His servant, 23 To Him who remembered us when we were nearly defeated, 24 Who rescued us from our enemies, 25 Who provides food for every living thing, 26 Let your heart overflow with praise to the True God of heaven, Psalm 136 Voice To You, Lord, I give my whole heart, a heart filled with praise, for I am grateful; before the gods, my heart sings praises to You and You alone. 2 I bow before You, looking to Your holy temple, and praise Your name, for Your unfailing love and Your truth; for You have placed Your name and Your word over all things and all times. 3 On the day I needed You, I called, and You responded and infused my soul with strength. 4 May all the kings of the earth praise You, O Eternal One, because they have heard the words You have spoken. 5 They will marvel at the Eternal s ways, and they will sing, for great is the glory of the Eternal. 6 Although He is greatest of all, He is attentive to the needy and keeps His distance from the proud and pompous. 7 Whenever I walk into trouble, You are there to bring me out. You hold out Your hand to protect me against the wrath of my enemies, and hold me safely in Your right hand. 8 The Eternal will finish what He started in me. Your faithful love, O Eternal One, lasts forever; do not give up on what Your hands have made. Psalm 138 Voice