CHOOSE THIS DAY
We are excited to begin our new preaching series, to hear what God is saying to us and to respond to Him in faithful obedience. Our new series is titled, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. We will be looking into the books of Joshua and Judges.
Joshua shows how revival is entered. Judges shows how revival is lost. The key question Joshua asks of the nation is from Joshua 24:15, “Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Every generation must choose if they will follow after God and take ahold of His promises. We love to see revival but how does revival die? The book of Judges will help us see how. When Israel enters the promised land in Joshua, the generation that followed inherited victories they did not win. They failed to finish what God had called them to do. Instead of wholehearted obedience, they settled for partial obedience. What began as compromise eventually became spiritual drift.
This series isn’t asking, “What happened to Israel?” It’s asking, “What is happening in us?” Revival is entered through wholehearted devotion. But revival is lost through gradual drift. In Joshua we see faith-filled obedience. God promised the land but Israel still had to enter it. God’s promises never remove our responsibility. But then drift came with small compromises. Judges 2:10 says, “And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.”
VIDEOS AND LIFE GROUP RESOURCES:
INTRO: "STAY FAITHFUL"
Life Groups for this week
This weekend we began our series, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.
Judges 2:10
Stay Faithful
Please note that this introduction to our new series was preached across our sites on 26 July. So this email is to be covered in life groups first. The previous email sent covers the preach for 2 August.
We are excited to begin our new preaching series, to hear what God is saying to us and to respond to Him in faithful obedience. Our new series is titled, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. We will be looking into the books of Joshua and Judges.
Joshua shows how revival is entered. Judges shows how revival is lost. The key question Joshua asks of the nation is from Joshua 24:15, “Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Every generation must choose if they will follow after God and take ahold of His promises. We love to see revival but how does revival die? The book of Judges will help us see how. When Israel enters the promised land in Joshua, the generation that followed inherited victories they did not win. They failed to finish what God had called them to do. Instead of wholehearted obedience, they settled for partial obedience. What began as compromise eventually became spiritual drift.
This series isn’t asking, “What happened to Israel?” It’s asking, “What is happening in us?” Revival is entered through wholehearted devotion. But revival is lost through gradual drift. In Joshua we see faith-filled obedience. God promised the land but Israel still had to enter it. God’s promises never remove our responsibility. But then drift came with small compromises. Judges 2:10 says, “And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.”
Drift is rarely dramatic – it begins quietly. Prayer becomes inconsistent. The Word becomes optional. Gathering becomes occasional. Sin becomes tolerated. Conviction becomes weaker. Judges then ends with this one devastating sentence. “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Revival is never sustained where self remains on the throne. Instead, we need another to rule in our lives: Jesus. Jesus is the better Joshua. Joshua teaches us how revival begins. Judges warns us how revival is lost. Hebrews tells us how revival is sustained. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
So we will continually ask of ourselves this day, and the generations to come too: whom will you choose? Let our answer now and forever be Jesus. Let us journey with the next generation to know Jesus and follow whole-heartedly after Him. We will seek after Him through this series, check our hearts, and our prayer church, is let us choose Jesus, today and forevermore.
1. Can you identify any ways or areas where drifting away from Jesus is happening in your life?
2. What should our response be to not drift away from Jesus or to fight for the next generation to know Him?
3. Jesus wants to rule in your life. Having some self-inspection, would you be happy for Him to, or are your wrestling with Him at times to try and keep self-rule?
Week 1: "COURAGE AND OBEDIENCE"
Life Groups for this week
This weekend we began our series, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Courage and Obedience
We hope that you had a good, restful holiday period. As we kick off our next term, we continue to be excited and inspired by what God is saying to us. The fruit of God’s Word, His work and move across our sites, rippling into the city, nation and nations has been encouraging. We are excited to begin our new preaching series, to hear what God is saying to us and to respond to Him in faithful obedience. We will be looking into the books of Joshua and Judges.
Joshua shows how revival is entered. Judges shows how revival is lost. The key question Joshua asks of the nation is from Joshua 24:15, “Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” We want to be a people who passionately and in absolute devotion follow after God, and live lives of intimacy and obedience. We want to see how we can have this now, and how we can ensure the generations to come continue is such devotion an intimacy towards God.
In Joshua 1 we see the call to be strong and courageous. The promises from God require a courageous obedience. There are a few truths for us to take ahold of.
1. Promises do not remove responsibility. God promised the land to Israel but they still had to enter it and take ahold of it. Faith is not passive but requires us to respond, to act. There are things God is asking us to do as a response of faith. We want to obediently do that which God is asking of us.
2. Courage is not the absence of fear. Joshua undoubtedly felt overwhelmed as the tasks that lay ahead would have been beyond his strength and physical ability. Courage is obedience despite uncertainty. We need to hear what God is saying, trust Him, and then respond in courage.
3. God’s presence produces confidence. God’s repeated promise is “I will be with you.” The confidence of God’s people has never been their own strength but rather it has always been His presence. God desires to be known, to be sought after, to be found. We can be with God in such intimate ways. His presence gives us absolute confidence.
Jesus is asking us to believe every promise that He has spoken, to believe in His faithfulness to us, to believe that His presence is enough in what He is calling us to. Knowing this about Him, ask yourself, what is the next step He is asking you to take, and how can you then take it. This is obedience. Take the step He is asking, over and over again. Be strong and courageous.
1. Are there promises that you have heard God speak to you? What has become of them?
2. What is the next step you feel God is asking you to take? What do you have to do to take it?
3. How is your relationship with God? If there is a need for greater intimacy and devotion, what can you do as a constant response to God’s invitation to you?
Week 2: "CONSECRATE YOURSELVES"
Life Groups for this weekThis weekend we continued our series, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group. “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Joshua 3:5 Consecrate YourselvesBefore Israel crossed the Jordan, God didn’t first give them strategy, battle plans, or territory. Rather, He called them to consecration. Consecration is our active pursuit of being sanctified, living in the holiness and purity that we have in Jesus Christ and thus separating ourselves from things that can cause sin and disobedience towards God. “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Joshua 3:5). Before God does something through us, He wants to do something in us. Before God changes circumstances, He changes people. We believe that God has many breakthroughs for us individually and as His church. But, consecration precedes breakthrough. God is more concerned with who we are becoming than what we are doing. So we need to partake in this work of consecration within us. We need to follow devotedly after God. The presence of God leads His people and revival begins with surrender. What does this mean for us? God works in hearts that are prepared to be given to Him, to be consecrated. God cares about who we are and who we are becoming. He is desiring to consecrate us. Revival begins with surrender. This is us being available to God, setting ourselves apart for Him. Consecration is not perfection but rather us passionately seeking God and His will. Consecration creates capacity. Before God trusts you with His works, He calls us to come deeper in our relationship with Him. This involves change, and pruning and surrender. It is not punishment but preparation. We then learn how to hear God and follow after God, letting Him lead the way, like the Ark went before Israel. Jesus is our perfect example of consecration. He lived completely set apart for the Father’s will. His surrender in Gethsemane opened the way for our salvation. Now He calls His disciples to live the same surrendered life. Before God changes the world through His Church, He transforms His Church into the likeness of Christ. Jesus is asking us to believe Him and obey Him. Believe that God is preparing you, He is positioning you, His presence is enough. Obey by surrendering to God, remove distractions, choose continual consecration, and follow His presence before pursuing His promises. 1. What distractions can you identify that need to be removed? 2. Where is God preparing you before moving you? 3. What in your life needs to be set apart to Him again? |
Week 3: "REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS DONE"
Life Groups for this week
This weekend we continued our series, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
Joshua 4:6-7
Remember what God has done
If we reflect on our lives, our past, we can all recall numerous times that God has done remarkable things. He has saved us graciously, He has provided for us continually, He has been present constantly, He has been faithful always. He is faithful to us and calls on us to be faithful and trusting in Him in return. However, forgetfulness is one of the greatest enemies of faithfulness.
God knows that we forget. Too often we forget the testimonies of God’s faithfulness and goodness in our past, in the midst of our current circumstances and feelings. We too easily forget what God has done. Testimonies, therefore, build future faith. Every generation needs stories of God’s faithfulness. We carry this privileged responsibility to remind ourselves and the generations to come of God’s faithfulness, so that we never forget. Remembering the testimonies of what God has done builds our faith for the current season and future and it also produces gratitude in us towards God. Gratitude protects devotion.
When God commanded Joshua and the Israelites to create two memorials with stones, the memorial stones were not for God. They were for the people. They were a reminder for the generations to come what God did in saving His people. Communion is the New Testament memorial for all of us. Jesus knew we would forget. In our busyness, in our desire to do works, in our pursuit to be better people, we could easily forget Jesus saving us on the cross. So He gave us bread and wine and said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Every time we remember the cross, our hearts are drawn back to the Gospel. We don’t simply remember what Jesus did. We remember who He is. Remembering Him and all that He has done for us will build up faith again and again, and lead us to gratitude again and again.
So Jesus is inviting us to believe that the same God who has been faithful in the past will be faithful again, believe that your testimony has power to strengthen someone else’s faith and believe that gratitude guards your heart from drift. And then respond. Take time to remember and thank God for His faithfulness. Tell your stories of God’s goodness to your family, friends and church. Create rhythms of remembrance through testimony, communion and gratitude. Refuse to let familiarity rob you of wonder.
1. Share some testimonies of what God has done for you in your past. You can prep the group ahead of time to prepare a couple of testimonies each, prepare them to share for 2-3 minutes and hear the testimonies around the room.
2. Break bread together as a life group, thanking God for His faithfulness, remembering Jesus for saving us.
Week 4: "HIDDEN COMPROMISE"
Life Groups for this week
This weekend we continued our series, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
Israel has sinned…
Joshua 7:11
Hidden Compromise
In Colossians 1:13-14, we are told that, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” The moment we are saved by Jesus, we are taken out of the kingdom of darkness. This means we are freed from the power and rule of sin, free from condemnation, free from punishment, free from being separated from God. We are free but then transferred into the Kingdom of Jesus. We are with God, made righteous, made pure and holy, belonging to a Kingdom that can never be shaken. This is such a wonderful truth we must believe and live in.
But in our salvation, we still find that we have to deal with sin. We still have to overcome temptations and opposition. It is so important for us to bring these sins and battles before God so that He can lead us to overcome, so that we can be forgiven and so that we keep growing from glory to glory. We must be serious then when it comes to sin, and not allow any compromise towards sin to dwell in us.
Sin is never merely personal. Sin is against God and God hates sin. Sin impacts the people around us. We cannot compromise sin. Hidden compromise weakens spiritual authority. Private compromise has public consequences. The body is affected when a part is hurting, falling, disobeying. Small sins become large problems. We cannot tolerate sin of any kind. We cannot treat sin as simply being mischievous or playful. Sin is deadly. God says he disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). God wants us to deal with our sin, to bring it before Him, ask for repentance and action the life He gives us to overcome. Repentance restores what compromise destroys.
To address personal sin can be difficult and uncomfortable. You may feel convicted as you identify or are made aware of sin that you are tolerating. The goal of conviction is not condemnation but the goal is repentance and restoration. God desires to forgive us, set us free and help us overcome sinful ways in our life. God exposes what He intends to heal. As challenging as it is, be grateful that God is pointing out things in your life He wants to deal with. He is a good Father, who wants to protect us and see us live in the freedom we have in Jesus.
When alone, confess your sin to God and trust Him that He will forgive you (1 John 1:9). If you feel it helpful, chat to your life group leader about some of the things you are dealing with, repenting of, or even needing accountable help with. Let us not tolerate sin. Let us not forfeit the promises God has for us because we choose to make compromises. We are free from the kingdom of darkness. Let us live freely in the Kingdom of Jesus.
1. Have you ever thought less of sin than the severity that it should be addressed?
2. What have you tolerated that God is confronting?
3. Do you believe the salvation promises that you are free from bondage to sin and that God forgives you when you repent?
Week 5: "Wholehearted Faith"
Life Groups for this week
This weekend we continued our series, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.
Joshua 14:14
Wholehearted Faith
We see throughout scripture and throughout history that God is faithful. God is true to His word, true to His plan and He can be trusted always. This is important to know because just like with Israel traveling through the wilderness towards the Promised Land, we will be checked to see whether we do trust God in all circumstances. Israel doubted, they grumbled, they forgot God’s faithfulness and this led to them being unfaithful to God. Sadly, we can do the same. We too easily forget God’s faithfulness and respond by lacking faith towards Him.
Caleb was different. Caleb was one of the spies who saw what was in Canaan. He too saw the giants, saw the opposition, saw the enemy, but he also remembered what God said and He trusted God. He said that Israel should trust God and go into the Promised Land for God would give it to them. He had faith in God and thus showed faithfulness. However, the people disagreed and they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.
45 years later, at the age of 85, Caleb took possession of his inheritance. He remained faithful and thus God rewarded Caleb with him being able to enter into the land and then take possession of Hebron, a promise made 45 years earlier. What can we learn from Caleb?
It is mentioned 3 times in Joshua 14 that he wholly followed after the Lord. He also had a different spirit to the others. Caleb did not rely on personal strength or giftedness. He relied on God. He saw things differently simply by trusting God more than the circumstances or doubts. He was active in serving God. While waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled, he remained active serving God and being faithful. Caleb lived a life of devotion to God and surrender to him. He followed God with his whole heart and trusted God. God rewarded this with giving Caleb the promises He made to him.
We are to learn a lot from Caleb. We too are to live with a wholehearted faith. We too must trust in God’s faithfulness and remain faithful to God. God is still making promises over us, He is still leading us, He is still faithful every day. We need to respond as Caleb did: Let us trust God always; let us see things by believing in what God says and not by what we see; let us remain faithful to God, even in the waiting.
1. Have you ever questioned God’s faithfulness, whether you can trust Him, follow after Him? If yes, how do we come to trust Him?
2. How can we follow after God wholeheartedly?
3. Has comfort or doubt affected your faith? How do we return to being faithful people living in faith?
Week 6: "Choose this day"
This weekend we continued our series, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
“…choose this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15
Choose this day
We come to the moment when Joshua calls for a decision: “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). We have read through the journey that God will lead us through. God makes promises to us, God works in us to work through us, God desires us to faithfully surrender to Him. So then comes the call: whom will you follow, whom will you serve? Our absolute response needs to be God. We need to follow Him wholeheartedly.
Neutrality is not an option. Everyone serves something. Our devotion will be pursued by many things in our life. The enemy, this world, our selfish desires all demand our devotion. We cannot find ourselves sharing our devotion with God and another. God is a jealous God and God does not desire us to be lukewarm. So we must choose. Choose God, and have faith in Him and faith from Him.
Faith must be continually renewed. Yesterday’s obedience cannot sustain today’s relationship with God. We cannot live in the legacy of our past. We cannot live in the faith of those before us. Every generation must choose again. We must choose today for ourselves.
Finishing well matters. Joshua’s final concern was not conquest. It was faithfulness.
Entering the land was only the beginning. A life of continual faithfulness was needed. This still applies to us. We are God’s people. We are part of His Kingdom. We are to live our lives each day for His Kingdom to come, His will to be done. So church, let us each address for ourselves the question of whom we will serve. And if we have learnt anything, we see that following after God and serving Him is the greatest life we can ever live. So let us live our lives for Him.
1. Who or what is competing for your loyalty?
2. Have you become familiar with God instead of devoted to Him?
3. What decision do you need to make today?
Week 7: "Incomplete Surrender"
This weekend we moved to part two of our series, ‘Losing Revival’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.
Judges 1:28
Incomplete Surrender
From reading through the book of Joshua, we constantly aimed to address the question: choose today whom you will serve. We are aware that for us to be the church that Jesus is asking us be, we need to choose Him first in our lives, with us living with devotion towards Him and complete faith and obedience towards Him. But now we move to the book of Judges where we see how quickly a nation lost revival and forfeited the promises of God over them.
In Judges 1, we see the phrase “they did not drive out…” appear several times. This tells us that Israel’s obedience towards God started to falter and that brought great compromise. Partial obedience produces a spiritual compromise. Israel settled for less than God’s best. God had commanded them to drive out the inhabitants of the land. Instead, they settled, negotiated, and compromised. The battle they refused to fight became the struggle they later inherited. What Israel tolerated eventually dominated them.
We see that delayed obedience becomes disobedience. God’s instructions were clear. Israel settled for less. Compromise always looks small at first. No one plans to drift from God. Compromise rarely arrives as rebellion. It usually arrives as convenience.
What we leave unchallenged eventually shapes us. Israel thought they could live alongside compromise. Instead, compromise began shaping their values, worship, and identity. What Israel started, they could not finish, and we need to learn these important lessons. But we have a beautiful and powerful hope in Jesus. Jesus remained completely obedient to the Father’s will. Jesus prays to the Father, “not my will but your will be done” (Luke 22:42), and Jesus continues in absolute obedience. Jesus is our perfect example.
The gospel isn’t: Try harder to remove the compromise. It is: Jesus has defeated what enslaved you – now, by His Spirit, stop making peace with what He died to free you from. Believe that Jesus’ ways are better than the compromises we have made. Believe that Jesus is better than anything He asks us to surrender. So let us identify these comprises, confront them, surrender them and then obey Him.
1. How can partial obedience affect you from taking ahold of the much that God has for you?
2. What is the reward of obedience to Jesus?
3. Can you identify areas of tolerance and partial obedience towards God? What can you do to address this?
Week 8: "THE SLOW DRIFT"
This weekend we continued with part two of our series, ‘Losing Revival’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
“There arose another generation who did not know the Lord.”
Judges 2:10
The Slow Drift
Judges 2:10 tells us, ”There arose another generation who did not know the Lord.” We have journeyed with Israel, being set free from Egypt, miraculously crossing the Red Sea, being led by God through the wilderness, provided for, protected, heading towards receiving the promises from God. 40 years later we see Joshua leading the people into the Promised Land, and Joshua challenging the people to choose whom they will follow. That generation chose to follow God and receive His promises through obedience and faithfulness to Him.
How is it then that the generation to follow did not know the Lord? How could the people forget all that God did for them, forget who He is, forget their relationship with God. Drift can happen all too easily. Drift is not often sudden but happens gradually over time that before you know it, you have drifted so far away from where you should be. We too can easily drift away from God, especially if we neglect the valuable things in our relationship with God. If we neglect our relationship with God, and thus drift away from Him, the generations to come will only know the stories of who God was, what God did, what God said, and not know Him personally at all, eventually not knowing Him at all.
There are some key areas we cannot neglect and we need to return to: Return to the rhythms that cultivate relationship with Him. Return to prayer. Return to Scripture. Return to worship. Return to gathering. Return to obedience. Return to mission.
At the heart of who we are and what we do, we must devote our lives to Jesus. We cannot neglect Him. We need to know who Jesus is, desire an authentic, personal relationship with Him, desire to follow Him and trust Him. Jesus is our why, He is our way, He is our life, He is our hope, He is our King, He is our Lord and Saviour. We cannot stop pursuing Jesus and knowing Him. We cannot stop telling other people about Jesus. Keep Him close and we will not drift. Tell the generations about Him and they will not drift.
1. Have you ever noticed in your life how easy it has been to drift away from God?
2. What are some ways that you keep close to Jesus and ensure that you are not falling away from Him?
3. How can we ensure the generations to come don’t forget who God is?
Week 9: "COURAGE IN DARK TIMES"
This weekend we continued with part two of our series, ‘Losing Revival’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” .
Judges 4:14
Courage in dark times
We continue reading through the book of Judges, to see how easily revival can be lost and what our response, as Jesus’ church, needs to be today. This week we looked at some of the story and lessons of our first Judge, Deborah (Judges 4-5).
God raises unexpected leaders. Deborah was not the obvious choice according to cultural expectations. Yet God raised her up to lead His people. God is looking for availability more than ability. In Deborah’s response, we see that courage inspires courage. Barak, who should have led the battle courageously hesitated. Deborah showed courage and stepped forward. This got Barak on board as long as Deborah would join. Faith often becomes contagious.
Courage acts in what God has said. Judges 4:14 is the key moment: “Up!” Why can Deborah say that? She says: “For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hand.” Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It is obedience that refuses to allow fear to have the final word. Throughout scripture we see God’s desire for us to hear His Word, trust it and obey it. Caleb and Joshua knew that God said the Promised Land was for theirs to take. Abraham said that he knew that God is faithful to His promise. Peter said to Jesus, because you say so, that he casts his nets and catches a large catch of fish. Deborah knew what God said. We need to be the same. The devil causes us to question what God says, like he did with Adam and Eve when he asks whether God really did say and really did mean what He said. We must trust God and His Word always.
God is still working in dark seasons. The darkness of the nation did not stop the purposes of God. Even as we see the state of the world today, we cannot lose our trust in God. His plans are perfect, His Kingdom will come, His will shall be done. What looks dark to us has not become difficult for Him.
How can we see Jesus is these events? Jesus is the Deliverer who ultimately defeats the enemies we could never defeat ourselves. Christian courage is not: “I think I can do this. It is: Jesus is Lord, therefore I can obey Him even when I am afraid. We shall be tested, but let us trust in Jesus wholly. Let us be lights in this dark world and know that Jesus our Saviour desires to save all people. Let us be available to obey.
1. What step is Jesus calling you to take that requires courage?
2. What fear is holding you back or where has passivity replaced obedience?
3. Who might need your courage to help awaken theirs?
Week 10: "STRENGTH THROUGH DEPENDANCE"
This weekend we continued with part two of our series, ‘Losing Revival’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
“And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.’”.
Judges 6:12
Strength Through Dependence
As we continue to work through the book of Judges, this last week we looked at our next judge, Gideon (Judges 6-8). What we can learn from Gideon and his story is that God is not looking for strong people. He is looking for dependent people. God is not asking us to become dependent, strong and boastful in ourselves. God desires us to need Him, depend on Him, call upon Him, trust in Him and for us to boast in Him.
Gideon was a man who was timid and fearful in the circumstances that he faced. But God met him in his weakness. Interestingly, in Judges 6:12, God addresses Gideon as a man of valour. At that time Gideon was hiding, doubtful, fearful. But God saw Gideon for who God had called him to be, and who God would lead him to be: a mighty man of valour. God does the same with us. God meets us as we are, and begins to speak over us the person He will call us to be, grow us into becoming. God is wanting to journey with us, and He helps us grow in our faith in Him.
In our journey with God, He reduces our confidence in ourselves. Gideon’s army is reduced from 32000 to 300 to ensure that the glory belongs to God and not to man. God’s desire is not just to gain victory but also to build trust. God desires that we trust in Him. When victory comes, everyone knows: God did this. This is an important revival truth. We want to remain a people who can look at what Jesus is doing and say: Only Jesus could have done this!
We see this lifestyle of dependence on God throughout scripture, history and into our lives. Jesus comes to bring salvation through Him alone. There is no other way for man to be saved than through Jesus. We depend on Him. Our hope is in Jesus, our faith is in Jesus, our identity is now in Jesus, our freedom is in Jesus. Our call and mission is for Jesus. We need to keep our devotion to Him, our dependence on Him, our intimacy with Him. We cannot pull away from Him, not for self-reliance, not self-righteousness. Depend on Him, trust in Him, and we will see Jesus transform us into the people He has called us to be.
1. What are you trusting or relying on instead of Jesus?
2. Where has self-confidence replaced dependence?
3. Where is Jesus inviting you to trust Him again?
Week 11: "Gifted but drifting"
This weekend we continued with part two of our series, ‘Losing Revival’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
18 And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day. 20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty year
Judges 15:18-20
Gifted but drifting
When we read about the judges, we see that they are called by God to judge and protect the nation of Israel against their enemies, one being the Philistines. The judges were given a call that they needed to respond to in obedience and faith. But over time even the judges were found accountable and wanting in their complete obedience to God. Our example this week is Samson.
Samson received a call from God, before being born, that he would live as a judge to protect Israel from the Philistines. He takes on this call as we constantly see him find opportunities to provoke the Philistines, get into their communities, and to take their lives. As he is under a Nazirite vow, he does not cut his hair, and in his devotion to his vow to God, he is given the strength and ability to fight against the Philistines. Samson’s character though, slowly proves unhelpful to his call.
Samson marries a Philistine, he abandons her, then seeks revenge for having lost her. He sleeps with a prostitute and then chooses a relationship with Delilah. He responds with revenge and anger. However, God still uses this for the call to be fulfilled…until a point.
Samson has a key moment of praying to God to quench his thirst or he will die (Judges 15:18-20). It is a moment where he realises that his strength alone is not enough for him to live. He needs to rely on God. He goes on to judge Israel for 20 years, but finally his character and his entertaining Delilah leads to his fall.
What are we to learn from Samson? We see that gifting will fall when not led by obedience to God. We need to be aware of our character, our conduct, and how we are growing or falling in character. Samson knew how to use his gift, but he was not completely surrendering his life to God and this impacted him. The sadness with Samson is not becoming blind or imprisoned but that God had departed from strengthening him when his hair was cut. Our hope needs to be that our character doesn’t fall to the place that God’s presence is far from us, and that we wouldn’t know.
We need to follow the way of Jesus. Jesus perfectly submits Himself to the Father. Jesus gives Himself to others. Jesus dies for His enemies. Judges would fall, but Jesus is always faithful. Let us pursue Him and allow Him to grow our character as we grow in gifting.
Is your character growing alongside your gifting?
Can you see where your character can hold you back in the more God has for you?
How can we grow in our character to become like Jesus?
Week 12: "everyone did what was right in their own eyes"
This weekend we concluded with part two of our series, ‘Losing Revival’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.
“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
Judges 21:25
Choosing God’s rule over self-rule
This weekend we concluded our series, “Choose this day whom you will serve”. We looked at the journey of Israel in Joshua, entering into their promise from God. But we then read in Judges how easily we can drift away from God, His will, and lose the more God is wanting to do in and through us. We sadly read that Judges ends with, ”Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25). The question of rule became an issue as self-rule replaced surrender to God.
We see that revival is lost when God is removed from the centre of our lives. Joshua and Judges leave us with a sobering reality. The same people who crossed the Jordan eventually lost their spiritual way, not because God failed or because His promises changed, but because they slowly moved from: Consecration to compromise; Courage to convenience; Remembrance to forgetfulness; and Wholehearted devotion to divided affection. Joshua shows how revival is entered whereas Judges shows how revival is lost. Joshua leaves us with a challenge but Judges leaves us with a problem. Neither leaves us with the solution.
The invitation for us is simple: Stay close to Jesus. The entire journey points forward to Jesus.
Joshua led people into an earthly inheritance but Jesus leads people into an eternal inheritance. The judges delivered temporarily but Jesus delivers completely. Israel drifted repeatedly but Jesus remains faithful perfectly. The final message of Joshua and Judges is not, “Try harder” but rather, “Look to the true and better deliverer.” This is Jesus. We need to keep Him our desire, our centre, our why, our Lord and King.
We see that revival is entered through surrender but is lost through compromise. Revival is restored through Jesus Christ. And that leaves the church with one enduring question:
Will we remain faithful to our King Jesus? He has proven Himself faithful continually. We can trust Him, be led by Him, surrender to Him and be obedient to Him. Jesus is the Saviour. Let us worship Him for this, but then go and tell those we encounter about our great King, our great Saviour. Let us surrender our lives to Jesus and in so doing be led by our great King to see His Kingdom come.
1. What do you feel God has been saying to you or addressing in you through this series?
2. Where to from here? What should be our response?
3. How can we keep choosing Jesus as our Lord?