Sermon Based Small Group Lessons

God, My Vision

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

 

2008 March 30

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

 

If you could choose one song title that represents your life, which of the following Beatles song titles would you choose and why?   (New groups:  Share your name and….question above.)

            a.  A Hard Day’s Night

            b.  Act Naturally

            c.  Crying, Waiting, Hoping

            d.  Don’t Pass Me By

            e. Hello, Goodbye

            f.  Let it Be

 

Focus Scripture:   Psalm 34

 

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.

 

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

 

Much of today’s message was centered on the song “Be Thou My Vision”.  Here are the lyrics in case you want to do anything with this song.

 

Be Thou My Vision

 

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

 

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

 

 

 

Digging for Truth

 

1.  When Moses asked God “What should I tell Pharoah when he asked who sent me?”  God said, “Tell him I AM sent you.”  The lack of tense indicates “I have been, I am, and I will be.”)  Why do you think God answers in such a way and what do you think it meant to Moses?

 

2.  Westwood’s stated goal is “to develop growing disciples of Jesus Christ.”  How will looking at Old Testament songs about God help us to grow in Christ?

 

3.  Pastor Les stated that two things that made a great impact on him spiritually were starting to read God’s word on his own, rather than getting second hand information, and also trials that he experienced.  If you could choose one of those ways for God to teach you, which would it be?  (Just kidding, but not really.  God may have that choice for us sometimes!)

 

            What things have most helped you grow in Christ?

 

4.  2 Cor. 4:18 says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  What spiritual truth can we take from that passage? 

 

5.  God wants us to experience Him with spiritual vision, not just physical sight.  What have been some experiences in your life when you have experienced God beyond physical sight?

 

6.  Many of the songs of King David (The Book of Psalm) are about deliverance.  Is there a time you feel God has delivered you?

 

7.  How can we know God is with us when we are in the midst of a trial and we can see or feel Him?

 

8.  One point of the sermon was “God hears and answers some of our most feeble prayers.”  Do you ever feel that some of the things God teaches us don’t stick and like Peter, Jesus would ask us “Where is your faith?”

 

            Why do you think some of the faith lessons don’t impact the rest of our lives the way they should?  Do we forget?

 

9.  Pastor Les said “When my eyes are on God, I bless Him in good times and bad.”  Have you ever been able to bless Him in bad times?  Can you share about that?

 

10.  Another point was “When God is my vision, other people see Him as well.”  Do you think you live your life in such a way that others “see Him as well” through you?  What keeps you from getting to that level?

 

Closing Thought

 

If you could write a song to be sung at your funeral, what would the title be?  Before you answer, give some thought as to what you want the rest of your life to be.

 

Application

To make God our vision, we have to keep Him continually before us.  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.