Sermon
Based Small Group Lessons
God, My
Pursuer
Series Title is I-Am Tunes (The logo
used in worship let you know that this is a knockoff of Apple’s Itunes)
2008 May 4
Dr. Les Hughes, Senior Pastor
Focus Scripture: Acts 21:37 – 22:21
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 Opening Question
c. Follow the guide, reading the Scripture and asking the questions.
Opening Question
Have you ever been pursued by someone
who wanted to hire you? How did it
make you feel?
(New groups: Share your name and….question
above.)
Focus
Passage: Acts 21:37 – 22:21
37As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks,
he asked the commander, "May I say something to you?"
"Do you
speak Greek?" he replied. 38"Aren't
you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into
the desert some time ago?"
39Paul answered, "I am
a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me
speak to the people."
40Having received the
commander's permission, Paul stood on the steps and
motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:
1"Brothers and
fathers, listen now to my defense." 2When they heard him speak to them in
Aramaic, they became very quiet.
Then
Paul said: 3"I am a Jew, born in
Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel
I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for
God as any of you are today. 4I
persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and
women and throwing them into prison, 5as
also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters
from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people
as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
6"About noon as I came
near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice
say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?'
8" 'Who are you,
Lord?' I asked.
" 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 9My companions saw the light, but they did
not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
10"'What shall I do,
Lord?' I asked.
"'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into
Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.' 11My companions led me by the hand into
Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
12"A man named Ananias
came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all
the Jews living there. 13He
stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very
moment I was able to see him.
14"Then he said: 'The
God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One
and to hear words from his mouth. 15You
will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16And now what are you waiting for? Get
up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'
17"When I returned to
Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance 18and saw the Lord speaking. 'Quick!' he
said to me. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will
not accept your testimony about me.'
19" 'Lord,' I replied,
'these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat
those who believe in you. 20And
when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my
approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.'
21"Then the Lord said
to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' "
Digging for Truth
1. Distribute copies
of the song, “And Can I Be…”. Ask group members to read over the song
silently and then share which part of the song is most meaningful to them and
why.
2. (LL#1) On our own, we don’t want to follow Christ, but God
pursues us anyway. The Scripture
says that we can’t come to God on our own unless He calls us first. How does it make you feel that God loves
you enough to pursue you?
3. Pastor Les accused
our society of being polytheistic, referencing not other “gods” in
the formal sense of the word, but mentioned the gods of sex, food, work and
other things that take God’s place on the throne of our lives. Are we guilty or innocent of this
charge? Why do many Americans not
place God in his rightful place?
4. Read the focus
passage aloud to the group. Discuss
the fact that God chose to use Paul, even though he had actively sought to kill
Christ-followers. Have you ever
felt that God wouldn’t want a relationship with you or couldn’t use
you because of sin in your life?
How does this passage bring truth to this thought?
5. (LL#2) God creates
critical moments when I can see into the divine. Do any of you have one of those critical
moments that God has allowed you to have? (And would you share about that.)
6. God gives us opportunities
to serve him. We have the
opportunity to say “yes” or “no” to Him. What things can go wrong when we say “no”
to God? What happens when we say “yes”
to God?
7. (LL#3) When God
creates that critical moment, I must follow, or the moment will pass. Can you share any missed moments in your
life? Can you share a moment that
impacted your life for which you are glad the other person didn’t say
no? (Maybe that’s the one who
led you to Christ.)
Closing Thought
It’s impossible to take steps away from God and end up
where we need to be with Him. What
direction are your steps leading you?
What changes do you need to make? Is there anything God is speaking to
you in which you have not obeyed?
Is God calling you to salvation?
Is God calling you to do something for Him? Is He calling you to share Him with
others?
There
is no peace like peace with God and being in the center of His will.
Application
Let’s make plans individually to
settle any outstanding issues this week.
(Give the group a moment of silence to deal with God on this issue. Ask them to commit to God in prayer to
settle the issues this week.)
Close in prayer.
Handout: Feature Song
1.
And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Savior's blood!
Died he for me? who caused his pain!
For me? who him to death
pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
2.
'Tis mystery all: th' Immortal dies!
Who can explore his strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
to sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy
all! Let earth adore;
let angel minds inquire no more.
'Tis mercy
all! Let earth adore;
let angel minds inquire no more.
3.
He left his Father's throne above
(so free, so infinite his grace!),
emptied himself of all but love,
and bled for Adam's helpless race.
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for O my God, it found out me!
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for O my God, it found out me!
4.
Long my imprisoned sprit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature's night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
5.
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in him, is mine;
alive in him, my living Head,
and clothed in righteousness divine,
bold I approach th' eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th' eternal
throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Refrain:
Amazing love! How can it
be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?