Sunday Morning Messages: Recent Episodes
Western Avenue Baptist Church of Statesville, NC
Small Group Discussion Questions
- The topic of shame was covered in this message. Think about the most embarrassing and shameful thing you have ever done that you hope no one ever knows about. Now share this with the group. Just kidding!! Don’t do that. But is there something in your past that is sharable that makes you cringe whenever you think about it?
- What is it about these feelings and emotions of shame that make them so difficult to get past?
- How would you distinguish guilt from shame?
- We live in a shame culture. Do you have examples of where you have seen this shame culture in action?
- In the story of the prodigal son, the younger son made a shameful request of his father. In what way(s) did the father act that would have been seen as shameful in that culture?
- God loves us and uses us despite what we have done. How does God gain greater glory when he does His work through imperfect and flawed people?
- Think about and discuss some people in the Bible who were very flawed yet used by God (hint: perhaps look at the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1). In what way were they flawed, and in what way were they used by God for His glory?
- Andy talked about the need to turn down the volume of the voice of the culture and turn up the volume of God’s voice. What are some ways we can put this idea into practice?
Small Group Questions
1) How has this series on “What God Does With Your Sin?” been helpful for you? What specific insights have discovered/remembered? 2) Jeff mentioned dreams we have in common (running slowly, teeth falling out, in public in our underwear). Have you had any of these? What do these dreams and others mean? 3) The underwear dream is about being “uncovered” or “exposed.” We all work hard to keep parts of our lives covered. In Psalm 85:2, God “covers” our sin. Matin Luther allegedly compared our state to a snow-covered dunghill (manure pile). What did he mean? How is this helpful in understanding and seeing yourself before God? 4) Is God’s covering of our sin the same as pretending it is not there? Does he merely sweep our sins “under the rug”? Read Romans 3:22-26. How does this inform God’s decision to cover our sins? Other verses in Romans flesh this out (4:5; 8:1; 8:31-34; 8:35; 8:38-39). 5) In Psalm 103:10, we read what God will NOT do with our sins. What do these two phrases mean? 6) Read Zechariah 3:1-5 and then Zech 3:6-10. How do these serve as evidence that God will not deal with us according to our sins or repay s according to our iniquities? 7) On what basis is Joshua’s sin removed? How do these serve as the basis in your life? Do they apply? Why? 8) In Psalm 103:8, David quotes from Exodus 34:6-7. However, in Exodus, Moses says God will “by no means clear the guilty.” In Psalm 103, David says the Lord will not be angry forever and will not deal with us according to our sins. Moses says we get what we deserve. David says we do not get what we deserve. Who are we to believe? Is this an either/or or a both/and situation? Can both be true? How? 9) In Micah 7:18-19, the prophet says the Lord will tread/trample our sins under his feet. What does this imagery bring to mind? What does it signify? Compare with Ephesians 1:22 and 1 Cor 15:24-27a. 10) End with a public reading of Jude 24-25. Reflect as a group what it means when Jude tells us WHAT God will do? WHERE you will be? WHAT you will EXPERIENCE? Where is our shame and guilt?
Small Group Discussion Questions 1) What is the dirtiest you have ever been? What was the most difficult time you’ve had getting clean? How does that compare to times you’ve felt “dirty” on the inside? 2) We are so much like the Bible’s “heroes.” Try to name several famous people from the Bible who committed horrible sins. 3) David is perhaps the best example. He was a “man after God’s own heart” but also committed adultery and murder. Review the story (1 Sam 11-12) to remind yourself what he did and how he tried to cover it up and he his heart was exposed. 4) In Psalm 51:1-2, David does not base his request for forgiveness in anything he has done. What could he have used to “impress” God? What did he base his request upon? Is this how you approach God? 5) In Psalm 51:3-5, David took a good look at himself, his nature, and his sin. What theological truths can we understand from this revelation? a. In verse 4, David says he has sinned against God and God only. What about Uriah? Bathsheba? His family? Look at 2 Samuel 12:10. How should we understand this verse? b. In verse 5, What does David mean when he says he “was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me”? Is that statement only about David’s conception or is it also about yours? What difference does that make? 6) What is the relationship between inquity ( a perversion, a deviation from what is right), sin (missing the mark, coming up short of the target), and transgression (a willful defiance, rebellion)? 7) In Psalm 32, David’s petition has been answered. What makes him blessed (or, “happy”)? Can you say these same words? Do they apply to you? Only at salvation or all through your life? Is there a sin for which you have not been forgiven? 8) What does David mean when he describes himself/another as a person in “whose spirit there is no deceit”? 9) In Psalm 32:5, David acknowledged and confess his sins and the Lord forgave. There is certainty in his words, just as we find in 1 John 1:9. Can we still go to God with such confidence? Why does God use the words “faithful” and “just” to describe God in the act of forgiveness? 10) Spend some time in prayer using these two Psalms.
Small Group Discussion Questions 1. Does anyone have an “innocent/not too bad” story to tell from your teenager years that leads you to be thankful for no social media back in the day? 2. How do you feel when you read about in individual today being “tarred and feathered” in today’s news for something they did years (decades) ago? Is it right? Is it fair? When would it be OK? 3. The internet never forgets. Does God? Is it even possible? Can you think of passages that speak to his omniscience (all-knowing-ness)? 4. Read Isaiah 43:25 and Psalm 51. Both speak of God “blotting out our transgressions.” What image comes to mind? What does it mean for God to do this? 5. In Is 43:18-19, God says he is going to do a “new thing.” It seems he reveals this “new thing” in the prophet Jeremiah’s introduction of God’s new covenant in Jer 31:31-34. What is “new” about this new covenant? 6. Do these grand promises extend to us or just Israel? 1 Peter 2 (alience/exiles); Gal 3:29; Rom 11; Luke 22 (cup is new covenant in Jesus’ blood). Especially Hebrews 8:8-13 and Hebrews 10:14-17. 7. What is the difference between God “forgetting” our sin and saying he “will not remember” our sin? 8. How does Hebrews 10:14 help you understand the concept of “eternal union” and “experiential communion”?
Small Group Discussion Questions --- Sermon Texts: Isaiah 38:17; Micah 7:18-19; Psalm 103:10-12 --- 1. Do you have a story from childhood/teen years when conscience got the best of you? Maybe got away with something but had to “come clean” later? --- 2. Is there any difference between the conscience of an unbeliever and the conscience of a believer? Is there a difference in how you should feel/think/act as a believer when your conscience is pricked? --- 3. In Is 38:17, God throws Hezekiah’s sins behind his back. What does this imagery suggest to you about how God deals with your sin? What if he threw it in any other direction? --- 4. In Mic 7:18-19, God casts our sin into the sea. Does this hit us differently than it hit the original hearers? How? --- 5. Can you see the connection to the events of the Exodus and the Red Sea? How should we view Micah’s promise in view of that event? --- 6. Micah ask “Who is like you, O God?” Does your forgiveness lead you think in such worshipful ways? --- 7. In Psalm 103:10-12, God casts our sin as far as the east is from the west. Why is this good news? Do you believe this? --- 8. All of these great promises are centered on God’s great attribute. Read back over the passages and see what his utter forgiveness is based upon. How does this apply to Hezekiah, Micah, the Psalmist, and YOU? --- 9. What difference does this great truth and its implications make in your life today? This week? The rest of your life?
Western Avenue's "Get Involved Missions" Conference with special guest speaker, Joe Dillon (Church Planter with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention).
"Get Involved" A week-long missions emphasis begins at Western Avenue with special guest speaker, Paul Davidson. Paul is a church planter in Winston-Salem, NC.