DISCUSSION GUIDE #UNSTUCK #UNSTUCK IN YOUR PURPOSE (PSALM 139:1-16; EPH. 2:8-10 PROV. 16:3) FEBRUARY 15, 2015

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1 #UNSTUCK #UNSTUCK IN YOUR PURPOSE (PSALM 139:1-16; EPH. 2:8-10 PROV. 16:3) FEBRUARY 15, 2015 PREPARATION > Spend the week studying Psalm 139:1-16, Ephesians 2:8-10, and Proverbs 16:3. 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. Commit our work to the Lord, knowing that God made us to glorify Him and join in His mission. INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. What kinds of responses do you think we would get if we asked a random sampling of people in Mississippi, What is your purpose in life? How would you answer that question? What is our purpose in life as followers of Christ? Many people today root their purpose in their jobs, their families, or their accomplishments. Perhaps even more people today are confused as to what their purpose in life is. If we asked them this question, What is your purpose?, they would have difficulty articulating a response. As followers of Christ, however, we don t have to guess or speculate as to what our purpose is. We were made by God for a personal relationship with Him (Psalm 139; Gen. 1:27) so that we might devote ourselves to His mission and glory (Isa. 43:7; Matt. 28:18-20). In today s study we will be challenged to commit our work to the Lord, knowing that God made us to glorify Him and join in His mission. LEARN Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. > HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ PSALM 139:1-16. What do we learn about God s involvement in our lives from Psalm 139:1-6? How did David distinguish God s knowledge from our knowledge? In light of such marvelous knowledge, what is David seeking in asking God to lay His hand on him (v. 5)? 1 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH

2 In what ways does God s all-pervasive knowledge of you and everything else comfort and assure you? Is God s omniscience unsettling to you in any way? Why or why not? One theme of Psalm 139 is God s presence in all places at all times. The psalmist felt blessed to enjoy an intimate relationship with his Creator. The psalm reinforces God s careful, thoughtful work in the creation of each and every person. Everything in the psalmist s life was under God s all-seeing eye. He could only respond in light of his own limited knowledge: Such knowledge is too wonderful for me (v. 6). This stands as an expression of David s awe and wonder as well as a recognition of his personal limits. Look at verses What does it mean to be fearfully and wonderfully made? How do these verses confirm the linking of our identity to God as Creator (see also Genesis 1:27)? Only humans were created in God s image because only humans are designed for a close personal relationship with God. Because our identity is linked directly to our brilliant Creator God, we can be confident in who He so masterfully created us to be. > HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ EPHESIANS 2:8-10. Verse 10 follows Paul s description of our salvation. What is one of the reasons God created you? Why do you think it is so hard for us to live as people who were designed for good works? What are some of the things that steal our time and attention? How does it make you feel to know that God has already prepared situations for you to do good works? Just as God provided everything necessary for our salvation, so too will He provide everything we need to live a life of purpose and meaning. Upon coming to faith in Christ, our lives are inseparably connected to God s story of redemption in Christ and His mission of discipleship. One goal of salvation for us is the fruit of Christlike character and of good deeds. > HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ PROVERBS 16:3, ECCLESIASTES 3:11-15, AND PSALM 127:1-2. What does God promise to those who commit their efforts to Him (see Prov. 16:3 and Eccl. 3:12)? How do we manage the balance between trusting God in our everyday endeavors and working hard ourselves? 2 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH

3 According to Psalm 127:1-2, what would cause our labor to be in vain? What does it look like practically for the Lord to build our houses and watch over our cities? How can we be sure that the Lord is involved in our everyday endeavors? Those who build a house must labor, and those who guard a city must actively watch over it. The point of Psalm 127:1-2 and Proverbs 16:3 is that such efforts are worthless if they are not carried out in faith, trusting God to bless the work and make it beneficial. Our faith must be in God for the outcome of these efforts. These verses also call us to consider the goal of our work. Are we working unto the glory of God or are we working for selfish gain? The only way to be confident that our earthly efforts are worthwhile is to trust the Lord, seeking to honor Him in the work that we do. Paul said something similar to the church at Corinth: My beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). 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. How does it make you feel to know that God knows you intimately and perfectly and still loves you? How might being mindful of this change our perspective on daily life? How is God currently at work in your life to lead or change you? What steps do you need to take to acknowledge your trust in Him in that process? 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 specific works, efforts, or personal goals do you need to commit to the Lord (Prov. 16:3)? What might it look like for you to truly dedicate these efforts to God s will and glory? Who do you know who needs to be reminded that God is in control and has a purpose for their lives? How might you encourage them to trust Christ this week? 3 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH

4 PRAYER Thank God for fearfully and wonderfully making us for a relationship with Him. Pray that He would help you to live with a greater awareness of the intimacy with God that Christ made possible. In view of Christ s mercy, pray that we, as a group, would commit our works to the Lord and take whatever steps necessary to make sure that it is the Lord who is building our house so that our labor would not be in vain. 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: Evaluate yourself. How committed are you to God s glory and mission? What might need to change in your life in order for your works to be committed to God so that your labor is not in vain? How will you remind yourself of the purpose for which God created you this coming week? The challenge to memorize Proverbs 16:3. 4 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH

5 COMMENTARY #UNSTUCK #UNSTUCK IN YOUR PURPOSE FEBRUARY 15, 2015 PSALM :1. The psalm is addressed to the LORD. The convention of printing the word in all upper case type indicates the Hebrew text contains the divine name Yahweh. After the Babylonian exile the Jews ceased to pronounce this name for fear of violating the Third Commandment. Instead, when reading the text, they simply spoke a Hebrew word for Lord. The psalmist expressed wonder that God knew everything in his mind and heart. The word searched implies the careful scrutiny involved in mining operations and exploring a new country. God had assessed the psalmist and nothing remained hidden from God. He knew everything. 139:2. Standing and sitting are ordinary activities. They are so universal that frequently they go unnoticed but not by God. Thoughts, unlike speech, remain veiled from other people but not from God. God knows every activity in our daily schedule, both extraordinary and common. The phrase from afar reflects the mystery of God s presence. As the psalmist later asserted God always is present (vv. 7-12), yet the vast difference between Deity and humanity create a false illusion that God is distant. Hence, although God may appear to be absent, He is aware of what we are thinking. God knows us indeed. 139:3. The file of divine knowledge continues. Whether an individual moves from one location to another or remains in the same place is irrelevant to God. He watches as the person travels and rests. The possessive pronoun my in this section implies the power of the individual. He or she controls the decision to travel or to rest. 139:4-5. The psalmist returned to the idea previously expressed in verse 2, God s knowledge of his thinking and speaking. Before the writer s tongue could articulate an idea, God knew it. This knowledge went beyond mere foreknowledge about the words. God understood the motivation behind the language. God knew the speaker better than the speaker knew himself. The hand is a person s instrument of power. Here it suggests God controls the individual whom He encircles. The sense is clear. God directed the psalmist and exercised authority over him. 139:6-7. The psalmist s realization of God s universal knowledge was not an abstract, theoretical idea. His repeated usage of personal pronouns first person for himself and second person for God reveal a clear comprehension of the difference between himself and God. Yet God clearly cared about this mere human. That God knows all about all individuals signals they are precious to Him. The vast difference the psalmist felt between himself and God made him uncomfortable in the presence of such a vastly superior Being. Hence the psalmist was overwhelmed with a desire to flee. However, such flight was ineffective. Wherever he might go, God already was there. This psalm clearly spells out that God is omnipresent God is indeed everywhere. 139:8. In this verse the psalmist proposed two possible destinations to which he might flee. Here heaven points to the sky. Sheol was the place of the dead. Both words suggest an infinite place. The sky appears to be endless space. Victims were continuously descending into Sheol, and yet there always seemed to be space for one more. The two destinations suggest as high as one might go and as low as one could go. One was inhabited by God; the other by the dead. 139:14. The verb praise meant to publicly celebrate one s feelings. The word fearfully means something that produces reverence and awe, whereas the term wonderfully implies being distinct or separated. As he reflected on his own human body, the psalmist developed an increased respect for his Creator. The creation of humanity was unique. So is the creation of each human being. 139:15. The verb rendered formed literally describes the weaving of various colored threads to produce a variegated cloth. The intricacy of such fabric hints at the complexity of the human body. This verse reminds the reader that God also knows the person who resides in the flesh and blood. 139:16. The Hebrew text of verse 16 is cryptic, making translation and interpretation difficult. The translators of the King James Version understood the verse to refer to the development of the fetal organs. 5 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH

6 COMMENTARY EPHESIANS 2:10 2:8-9. It s too often typical for us humans to suppose that our actions can help earn our eternal life. Paul wrote that this is never true. But then he went on to explain the role that good works have in the life of those who are saved. Trusting wholly in God s provision is the opposite of trusting in one s own contribution to salvation. The whole of our redemption past, present, and future is God s gift, by His initiative. Neither religious rituals, nor great kindness to others, nor living morally counts as anything in terms of meriting God s salvation. For this reason, no one can boast about a personal contribution to salvation. Heaven will be filled with the praises of Christ s glory and His works. No human display of works can compare to the riches of God s grace toward those who once were dead in their sins but now are alive with Christ. 2:10. One of the goals of salvation for us is the fruit of Christlike character and of good deeds. Grace can be compared to the power grid that extends to someone s house; faith is having the switch turned on to connect with the power; and good works are like all the helpful equipment that springs to life when connected to the power supply with the switch turned on. In eternity past God prepared ahead of time that His redeemed people would do these good works as evidence of His grace. Here is His power not only in giving us new life but also in helping us to walk in good works throughout this life and into eternity. We cannot do anything to earn salvation. Yet God means for us who have received salvation to produce good works. If we have been given new life, raised with Christ, and seated with Him, we will certainly do good works as evidence that we have received this great salvation. PSALM :1. No task succeeds apart from God s will. While building a dwelling is the literal meaning here, a house could also refer to a household or family, connecting this verse to verses :2. Humanity struggles to provide for its needs, working hard to have enough food (lit eating the bread of toil ; Psalm 80:5; Genesis 3:17; Isaiah 30:20). The Lord provides rest by blessing the work of the godly. 6 UNSTUCK PINELAKE CHURCH