64 BEAUT Y FROM ASHES 2015 LifeWay

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Oswald Parker
5 years ago
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1 64 B eauty from ashes

We ve all messed up. God's mercy brings redemption. No two human beings are exactly alike. Each of us has a unique personality, background, life experience, and even DNA.

Whether it s a speeding ticket, a bad business decision, or a failed marriage, we all know the pain of regrets and hurts.

Yet, in these broken moments, Jesus comes to us with tenderness and grace, offering to do something beautiful in us and through us, for His glory and the good of others.

2 We ve all messed up. God's mercy brings redemption. No two human beings are exactly alike. Each of us has a unique personality, background, life experience, and even DNA. But we all share something in common: We ve all made mistakes and we ve all failed. Whether it s a speeding ticket, a bad business decision, or a failed marriage, we all know the pain of regrets and hurts. We often struggle with the consequences of our actions, feeling burned and abandoned in a pile of ashes after everything went up in flames. Yet, in these broken moments, Jesus comes to us with tenderness and grace, offering to do something beautiful in us and through us, for His glory and the good of others. Christ extends forgiveness for our sins. He offers mercy in the midst of our mess. Jesus has come to give us a crown of beauty instead of ashes (Isaiah 61:3). This study looks at the lives of six people from Scripture who experienced God s redemption in spite of their failures. They received a crown of beauty instead of ashes. Clayton King is an evangelist, pastor, and author. He s the founder and president of Crossroads Summer Camps, Crossroads Missions, and Clayton King Ministries. He s passionate about preaching the gospel, training leaders, and serving the church. Clayton is married to Sharie, and together they wrote True Love Project. Their ministry is located in South Carolina where Clayton is Distinguished Professor of Evangelism at Anderson University. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 65

3 BEAUTY FROM ASHES: REDEEMING YOUR BROKEN MOMENTS Session 1 Redeemed from Poor Choices Genesis 15:1-6; 16:1-5; 17:18-19 Session 2 Redeemed from Broken Relationships Genesis 27:41; 33:1-11 Session 3 Redeemed from a Critical Spirit Numbers 12:1-11,13-15 Session 4 Redeemed from Crippling Doubt Luke 1:11-20,63-65 Session 5 Redeemed from Devastating Failure Luke 22:54-62; Acts 4:8-13 Session 6 Redeemed from an Unbelieving Past Acts 26: B eauty from ashes

4 When you were younger, what do you remember counting down to? QUESTION 1 #BeautyfromAshes BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 67

5 THE POINT God s plans are always better than our own. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE I hate waiting. Right up there with spiders, clowns, and cilantro, few things cause me more anxiety and discomfort than waiting to see if someone will come through on a promise. I m not alone. Many of us don t like to wait. And many of us have learned the hard way what happens when we rush ahead and don t wait. Two friends of mine had an opportunity to purchase a piece of property that could ve been a great financial investment. Since the property was about to go into foreclosure, they could ve bought it far below market value, waited a year or two, and then sold it for a huge profit. But because they hated to wait, they purchased the property at full appraisal price. Six months later, the stock market crash of 2008 sucker-punched them and the value of their purchase plummeted. Because they rushed ahead, they were the ones who eventually lost the property to foreclosure. There is value in waiting. And when God is the One you re waiting on, there is great value in waiting. 68 SESSION 1

6 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Genesis 15:1-6; 16:1-5; 17:18-19 (HCSB) 15:1 After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great. 2 But Abram said, Lord God, what can You give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? 3 Abram continued, Look, You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir. 4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir. 5 He took him outside and said, Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them. Then He said to him, Your offspring will be that numerous. 6 Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. 16:1 Abram s wife Sarai had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar. 2 Sarai said to Abram, Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family. And Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So Abram s wife Sarai took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan 10 years. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she realized that she was pregnant, she treated her mistress with contempt. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, You are responsible for my suffering! I put my slave in your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the Lord judge between me and you. Credited (15:6) The Hebrew word translated credited means to reckon, or to count. In God s estimation, Abram s faith had the value of righteousness right standing with Him. Through her (16:2) According to the custom of the time, Sarai would adopt a son born of Abram s union with Hagar and that son would become the family s heir, replacing Eliezer. Covenant (17:19) The Hebrew term means treaty, alliance, or agreement. 17:18 So Abraham said to God, If only Ishmael were acceptable to You! 19 But God said, No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his future offspring. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 69

7 THE POINT God s plans are always better than our own. Genesis 15:1-6 We ve all made poor choices. Whether it s something huge, like losing millions of dollars on a hasty property purchase, or something more minor, like sending a rash when you were frustrated, none of us is immune to this experience not even the great men of the Bible. Consider Abram, the man who was handpicked by God to be the father of the Jewish nation. We first meet Abram in Genesis 11:26-31, living in a place called Ur of the Chaldeans, usually identified as an area in modern-day Iraq. The nation of Israel did not exist when Abram appears at this point in Scripture. God chose Abram, who would later be named Abraham, to build a nation through which the world would be introduced to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. God promised Abram He would give him a son. Through Abram s bloodline all the nations on earth would be blessed, and his descendants would be greater than the stars in the sky (15:4-5). This promise did not come without its own challenge. Sarai had been unable to have any children. At the time God promised to make a great nation of Abram, she was 65 and Abram was 75. In spite of how impossible this seemed, Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. It was Abram s faith that God recognized. God still speaks to us, through His Word and His Spirit, and through other believers. He still challenges us to step out in faith, to go places and do things we have never done before. He still does not always give us the entire picture in intricate detail; He expects us to step out in faith and believe him as Abram did (Hebrews 11:1-3). It is our faith that pleases God, exercised when we don t know what He is doing or even where we are going (v. 6). We must remember God has a plan. Unfortunately, we still sometimes take matters into our own hands. We think we ll help God with His plan, just as Abram tried to do. What expectations do we typically have when we take steps to follow God s leading? QUESTION 2 70 SESSION 1

"Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors When have you experienced spiritual growth during a time of waiting? won God's approval by it.

8 "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors When have you experienced spiritual growth during a time of waiting? won God's approval by it." HEBREWS 11:1-2 QUESTION 3 NO FEAR Make a list of five things you personally trust. Prioritize your list (with 1 being the thing you trust the most and 5 the least) We take action based on what we trust. Where is your faith in Christ currently leading you? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 71

9 THE POINT God s plans are always better than our own. Genesis 16:1-5 It s easy to take the first steps of faith, but it can become more difficult as time passes and it seems like God isn t coming through. What does this passage reveal to you about the heart of God? QUESTION 4 The period between the promise and the fulfillment is where Sarai grew anxious. She likely stared down at her body every day with awareness of her ever-increasing age. She began second-guessing God and devised a plan. Sarai said to Abram, Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family (v. 2). Sarai went so far as to blame God for her inability to have a child. Sarai came up with her own solution. God had not specified how Abram was to have that son. At that time, it was an accepted practice that a childless wife could give her female slave to her husband as a secondary wife for the purpose of producing a male heir. Sarai suggested this arrangement between Abram and Hagar. Abram agreed to the plan and Hagar became his wife. Abram slept with Hagar and she conceived, but immediately things began falling apart. Animosity grew between the two women, then Sarai became upset with Abram. Earlier Sarai had given Hagar to Abram as a wife for him, and now Abram relinquished any rights and restored Hagar to her role under Sarai. Before we judge any of these too harshly, let s consider their situation more closely. Abram believed in God but he had no Bible to consult about God s character. Abram and Sarai had no community of faith, church, or small group to pray with them or encourage them. All they had was a promise, and it didn t seem to be materializing, even after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan 10 years. And 10 years is a long time to wait! It s far better to let God be God. None of us is big enough, smart enough, or strong enough to do His job. 72 SESSION 1

Genesis 17:18-19 God tells us all we need to know when the time is right and when we are ready. And only He knows when the time is right and when we are ready.

10 Genesis 17:18-19 God tells us all we need to know when the time is right and when we are ready. And only He knows when the time is right and when we are ready. ]] Abram and Sarai couldn t see God s big plan to create a nation, but God saw it. ]] Abram and Sarai couldn t open a barren womb, but God could. When Abram and Sarai tried things their way without the desired result, they refocused their attention on God and His plan. Neither His promise nor His character had changed. God intended all along to deliver on His word and He did. It often takes the pain and frustration of our own failures to point us right back to God. We have to come to the end of ourselves and exhaust our limited resources before we really surrender control to Him. It s only after we ve made a series of poor choices that have left us disappointed that we yield ourselves fully into His hands. God renewed His promise to Abram and Sarai and gave them a son (21:1-3). His name was Isaac, which means laughter. What an appropriate name. Abram and Sarai experienced laughter and joy in spite of themselves at the way God worked. Abraham and Sarah got their baby boy when they were, respectively, 100 and 90 years old. From that child came the nation of Israel. And, ultimately, through the nation of Israel another Baby was born. That Child was also born to a woman who wondered how she could have a baby because she had never slept with a man. God s plan was still unfolding, and His Son Jesus was born to the virgin named Mary. How can you develop deeper trust in God s timing and God s plans? QUESTION 5 God s ways are never predictable, but they are always reliable. Trust Him. And wait. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 73

THE POINT God s plans are always better than our own. LIVE IT OUT How can you deepen your trust in God and His plans? ]] Evaluate your responses to the activity No Fear on page 71.

Meet with a trusted Christian friend this week and discuss one area of your life where you feel like God is calling you to trust Him.

11 THE POINT God s plans are always better than our own. LIVE IT OUT How can you deepen your trust in God and His plans? ]] Evaluate your responses to the activity No Fear on page 71. If your trust in God didn t rate as high as you d like it to, ask Him to develop within you a deep confidence in Him. ]] Get an assist. Meet with a trusted Christian friend this week and discuss one area of your life where you feel like God is calling you to trust Him. Ask him to commit to pray for this opportunity as you place your trust wholly in God. ]] Say yes to one thing God is calling you to do. Start with something relatively easy and pay attention to how God uses your obedience to instill within you a deeper sense of who He is. No one likes waiting. But waiting takes on new meaning when we realize that God has a purpose in His process. He s always at work shaping our faith and preparing us for all that lies ahead. Now that is something worth waiting for. My thoughts 74 SESSION 1

BEAUTY FROM ASHES: REDEEMING YOUR BROKEN MOMENTS

BEAUTY FROM ASHES: REDEEMING YOUR BROKEN MOMENTS 64 We all make mistakes. Failure is not the end. No two human beings are exactly alike. Each of us has a unique personality, background, life experience,