Sermon Based Small Group Lessons

God, My Source

Series Title is I-Am Tunes (The logo used in worship let you know that this is a knockoff of Apple’s Itunes)

2008 April 6

Dr. Les Hughes, Senior Pastor

Meeting Schedule

1. Fellowship time & snacks

2. Share prayer requests

3. Pray (taking turns with short sentence prayers is good if group members are comfortable).

4. Begin the lesson.

a. Share the title (above)

b. Ask the Ice Breaker Question

c. Follow the guide, reading the Scripture and asking the questions.

Ice Breaker Questions

What is the best thing you have ever experienced? Think particularly of times that you knew God was at work. (New groups: Share your name and….question above.)

Focus Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14

Ask people to open their Bibles and read this passage again. Ask them to be willing to share one verse that they would want to claim for themselves.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

Give a few minutes to read, then allow people to share some of their passages.

Digging for Truth

1. Have you ever felt God leading you to give something to someone else? Share that story with the group. Did God bless you in any way because of that sacrifice?

2. Robert Robinson, a Methodist minister, at 22 years old, wrote the hymn “Come Thou, Fount of Every Blessing” in 1758. Many of the points of today’s sermon are based on the Scriptural truths contained in this traditional hymn. Read the hymn to the group and ask them to try to remember a part that is meaningful to them.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

2. The greatest blessings are spiritual and eternal, not temporary. In what ways do you know this to be true?

3. God is our source of joy in this world and beyond. The Bible talks about laying up treasures in heaven. In what ways do you envision this to be fulfilled in heaven?

4. Reminders were important in the Old Testament days to the people of Israel. In today’s song the phrase “Here I raise my Ebenezer” references a stone the Israelites looked to as a reminder of God’s provision. Is there anything you would use as a reminder of God’s provision? What does it say to you when you think about this reminder?

5. God is our source of strength when we are tempted. First Corinthians 10:13 reminds us, No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Can you think of times God has helped you resist temptation? How did God help?

6. Have you ever thought about the debt we owe to God for paying our sin-debt?

7. What makes Christians prone to wander? Is. 53:6 says “all we like sheep have gone astray.”

8. God is our source of discontentment with our world. How does a close relationship make us discontent? What are the advantages and disadvantages of being discontent with this world?

Closing Thought

To make God our source, we’ve got to really trust him. How can we build our trust in Him if we don’t really feel like God is our provider?

We gain faith by seeing God at work… in Scripture and in the lives of others. Let’s work to build our faith!

Application

What will you do this week to show your trust in God? What do you asking God to do currently to show Himself as your source? If you were God looking down from heaven, what reasons would God have to bless you?

Encourage group members to adopt some plan for reading God’s word daily. Some plans are available at www.BiblePlan.org or a reading guide is available in the back of Westwood’s Devotional Book. Pastor Les also has a plan available at www.wwbc.org.