The Life of Worship: Lament II
Psalm 44:26

The psalms of lament teach us how to relate to God during hard times.
After seeing last week that we can and should be open and honest with God about how and why we are suffering, Psalm 44:26 shows us three more ways to worship God in the midst of hard times:
1. Ask for his help
2. Desire his glory
3. Enjoy his love

Discussion prompts:
• Why do you want God to help you? Or, what is your deepest desire in asking for God’s help?
• Do you enjoy God’s love in the midst of hard times? Or, how do we seek to enjoy God’s love in the midst of hard times?

Lament: Being Honest When Life Hurts
Psalm 44

Life can be really hard. And a lot of the time, it isn’t our fault. How do we live a life of worship when life hurts? Biblical Lament, as we will see in Psalm 44, gives us the freedom to be brutally honest, while also pointing us to our only true hope: God’s steadfast love.

Discussion Prompts
• Open up to your student(s) about times when God has proven personal faithfulness to you in the midst of painful circumstances.
• Allow your student to share some of the things that have been difficult in his/her life lately.

Christians Are Confessors
Psalm 51 – Devonte Howard

In our second installment of The Life of Worship, Devonte will preach through David’s famous prayer of confession in Psalm 51.
Christians confess and God forgives. To all who turn away from sin and towards God, he is merciful in Christ to forgive and renew.

1. Ask for Forgiveness
2. Get Serious with Your Sin
3. Ask for Restoration

Discussion Prompts
• Does your student have a sense of their need to confess sin to God?
• If so, encourage your student toward a life of confession by talking about God’s kindness to you in Christ.

The Life of Worship: Living with God - Psalm 15

Our new series is focused on letting the Psalms teach us how to relate to God in a Life of Worship.
Tonight, we look at the foundational question: what sort of person is allowed to live with God?
Psalm 15 answers the question by saying only a righteous person can dwell in God’s presence. Only a righteous person can live a life of worship.
We have a righteousness problem and Christ is the only solution.

Questions:
• What is the fundamental problem we face as we seek to live with God?
• How does Psalm 15 point to the solution for our righteousness problem?

Resource Mentioned: How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament: https://www.amazon.com/How-Understand-Apply-Old-Testament/dp/1629952451

Guest Speaker: Dustin Greenup

Scripture: Psalm 119:18

Glory Gazing is not a passive action. It takes effort. But no amount of effort will help is God is not opening our eyes to see him for who he is. So, we need to ask him. We need to pray, “Open my eyes, that I might behold wondrous things in your Law.”

It’s time to get practical. How does ‘beholding the glory of the Lord’ actually cause transformation in real life?

To begin to show how, we will look at one way in which God’s glory transforms us: namely, God’s compassion towards human suffering, for example gun violence, calls for and enables our compassion towards those who suffer.

Scripture:
• Exodus 34:5-7
• Isaiah 53:5-6
• Select verses in Matthew

Questions:
• How does God feel about human suffering?
• What has God acted in his compassion?
• How do we grow in compassion towards those who suffer?

Big Idea: The Bible can transform you, because of what it is, if you read it right.

The Bible is the most full and clear communicator of who God is and what God does. We behold the glory of the Lord by reading a book. But transformation will only happen if we read the Bible right. How, then, do we read the Bible right? By reading to see and enjoy the glory of God.

Scriptures: Psalm 1:1-3; 19:7-11; 119:9-16

BIG IDEA: The Bible shows God's glory and saving character.
If creation declares God’s glory (Ps. 19:1), why do we need the Bible? The answer lies in the way the Bible shows God’s glory more fully than creation, as it shows us the saving character of God expressed in Jesus Christ.

Psalm 19:1-2; Romans 1:19-21; Romans 5:1-2; Philippians 2:6-10

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Why do we need the Bible in order to be transformed?
What does this mean for how we read the Bible?