Your God is Too Weird Your God is Too Series November 14-15, 2015 Sermon Summary This weekend at Vineyard Columbus, our campus pastors preached and so there is no sermon summary. Feel free to summarize the sermon that was preached at your campus. The simplest way to do this is utilizing the sermon outline. At some of the campuses, the sermon was about angels in the Bible. However, not every campus preached on this topic. This study will discuss angels but not exclusively. Angel stories are gaining wider acceptance today. People see angels taking various forms and functions as messengers of glad tidings, spirits of people who have died, invisible guardians of our safety, angels in disguise as do-gooders or cherubs of romantic love. Many of the popular depictions of angels have nothing to do with the biblical perspective. The angels invoked in this psalm are heralds and harbingers of God's power. The psalm glows with testimony to the security of godly worshipers. Introduction to the Book of Psalms What was it like to be a member of the people of God in the Old Testament? What did they believe? What was their experience of God, personally and corporately? Did their religion make them happy or was it a burden? Were they aliens in another age or our brothers and sisters of long ago? As we look through the window of the Psalms we discover that here indeed is the same God, now disclosed to us in Christ, and here are people of the same nature as ourselves facing the same kind of life as us and finding that their God enhances their joys and bears their burdens. Their commitment, prayerfulness, zeal, knowledge, and delight rebuke our hesitancies, unwillingness to pray, and cool responses. But they are our brothers and sisters. Their songs show us that, just as in the New Testament, God s grace prompts obedience to God s law, so in the Old Testament obedience to God s law rests on his work of grace. But what a people of song they were! Great leaders like Moses (Ex. 15), Deborah and Barak (Jdg. 5), David (2 Sa. 1) and Hezekiah (Is. 38), ordinary folk like Hannah (1 Sa. 2) and prophets like Habakkuk (Hab. 3) marked their significant moments in song. The Psalms themselves reveal a religion overflowing in song. No wonder that from such 1
people and such a religion this great anthology of songs (psalms) should have emerged! 1 Pray Link to the Sermon If you decide to summarize the sermon from your campus, start with a few questions like this: What did you hear in the sermon that has stuck with you during the week? What was a new idea or concept that you heard? What challenged you to live differently? These are great questions to help people discuss the sermon that was preached. Allowing 2-3 people at most to share is usually best. Any more than this and you may not make it to the study for this week! This Week s Bible Study Psalm 91 (NIV) 1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 1 D. A. Carson et al., eds., New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 485. 2
9 If you say, The LORD is my refuge, and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 Because he loves me, says the LORD, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Study and Discuss * Remember - small group HOSTs and leaders! You don t need to use every question. We actually expect that you won t always have time to cover every one of them. The best small group discussions involve the whole group talking about God s Word and how it applies to their lives not necessarily those that discuss every question. Read this week s passage: Psalm 91 1. As someone reads this passage out loud, ask the members in your group to jot down what phrases or themes stuck out to them. Take a few minutes to let people share these in your group. This might touch on some questions that you will discuss later. For now, just let people share what stuck out, repeated phrases, or common themes. There s no need to address them now as some of them will be discussed throughout the study. 2. The psalm divides into two sections: vv. 1-8 & vv. 9-16. What is the common theme between the first two verses in both sections (vv. 1-2 & vv. 9-10)? This theme of God s protection of his people may have already been mentioned from the first question but repetition isn t bad. This will also help people in your group see the parallels in each section. 3
3. What do you think it means to dwell in God s shelter or rest in God s shadow? When and how have you experienced this? 4. What does the psalmist say threatens the security of the believer, even those who take refuge in God (vv. 3-6, 13)? What are some things that seem to threaten you in your life that you are looking for God s protection? The examples found in the psalm most likely aren t relevant to those in your group, but they were certainly relevant during the time of the psalmist. Fowler s snare Refers to a bird trap. Because birds must come to the ground to eat, drink, and nest, they are vulnerable to clever hunters. Deadly pestilence The phrase middever hawwoth literally means from the pestilence of destruction. The term dever refers to disease (possibly the bubonic plague) and can be associated with siege warfare situations. The term hawwah is a general word for disaster or destruction. 2 the terror The term pachad describes a debilitating fear, perhaps trembling or dread. of the night Describes the vulnerability of being in darkness. the arrow that flies by day Introduces the context of a battle or the destruction that comes during invasion. The psalmist envisions protection throughout the day and night. that spreads An idea that comes from darkness. in the darkness Indicates deep darkness, a position of intense vulnerability. the destruction The term qetev, meaning epidemic or storm, describes widespread destruction. 5. In v. 11, the psalmist talks about angels helping protect God s people. What are your thoughts or feelings about angels? What do you imagine that they look like? What do you imagine that they spend their time doing? o Angel means messenger of God o Some angels are assigned to worship (Heb. 1:6; Rev. 4:1-11) o Some angels are assigned to minister to people (Heb. 1:14; Ps. 91:11-12; Dan. 6:22; Mt. 18:10) o Angels exist to do the will of God and not their own (Rev. 19:10; 22:9) 6. Is the believer protected from difficulties and suffering, or is he promised God's presence amidst terrible circumstances? Explain your answer from the passage. 2 John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012), Ps 91:3. 4
7. What is the basis for the psalmist's assurance that he will be safe and secure (vv. 9-12, 14-15)? 8. In this psalm, what does salvation" (v. 16) look like? 9. God is waiting on you to call his name and acknowledge your need! What are you particularly anxious about these days that you need to call on God for? 10. What are some ways that you can you make God your dwelling place, your refuge, your shield in times of trouble? Ministry Time Take some time to pray together with your group. Some suggestions based on this week s topic (you may want to try more than one!): Share with one or two other people about an area in your life that you are anxious or afraid about. Have them pray for you and ask God to provide protection and safety. Ask the group if there is anyone who is making a chance in their jobs, schooling, living situation or another life change. Spend time as a group praying for each one of them individually, asking God to supernaturally protect and watch over them in the time of transition and change. 5