Under Authority

The Main Idea: God’s Wisdom Given Only in Conflict Leads Us Through Conflict to Win in Him!

*The Big Question: How Does the Lord LEAD His Covenant People through CONFLICT?

*The Central Point: Through INTERVENING He LEADS us with WISDOM for PEACE:

1.) DIPLOMATIC INDICATION (vv. 1-11) – (Application: Reflecting God’s GRACIOUS dealing with you in how you APPROACH others)

2.) DEFINITIVE NEGOTIATION (vv. 12-17) – ((Application: Recognizing God’s GRACIOUS claiming of you as you ENGAGE others)

3.) DISTINCTIVE ADORATION (vv. 18-20) – (Application: Reinforcing your commitment to God’s GRACIOUS claim on you as you MOVE ON)

The Main Idea: God’s Presence Causes Us to Wrestle with Him and Win!

*The Big Question: How Does the Lord PREPARE His Covenant People for CONFLICT?

*The Central Point: Through INTERVENING He PREPARES us to WIN with:

1.) PRESSING-ON FAITH (vv. 22-23) – (Application: Dogged DETERMINATION to TRUST IN God against all odds)

2.) PREVAILING FAITH (vv. 24-28) – (Application: Dogged DETERMINATION to CLING TO God against all odds)

3.) PERSEVERING FAITH (vv. 29-32) – (Application: Dogged DETERMINATION to LEAN INTO God against all odds)

The Main Idea: God’s Presence Opens Us Up to Take Our Anxious Fears to Him.

*The Big Question: How Does the Lord BLESS His Covenant People while they’re in CONFILCT?

*The Central Point: Through INTERVENING He BLESSES us with:

1.) HIS PRESENCE (vv. 1-5) – (Application: We need to be SURPRISED by GRACE to progress in the faith)

2.) OUR PRAYERS (vv. 6-12) – (Application: We need to FEEL the need of GRACE to fight the fight of faith)

3.) OUR PREPARATION (vv. 13-21) – (Application: We need to REST in GRACE to bid our anxious fears subside)

The Main Idea: The Cup of Covenant Blessing in the Presence of Enemies

*The Big Question: How Does the Lord BLESS His Covenant People while they’re in CONFILCT?

*The Central Point: Through INTERVENING He BLESSES us by:

1.) CERTAINTY (vv. 1-21) – (Application: He who knows all blesses us with clear, certain REVELATION )

2.) CONFIDENCE (vv. 22-35) – (Application: He who is everywhere present blesses us with his SPIRIT)

3.) COVENANT (vv. 36-55) – (Application: He who is all-powerful blesses us with SALVATION)

The Main Idea: The Lord Protects & Provides for His Covenant People

*The Big Question: How Does the Lord Protect & Provide for His Covenant People?

*The Central Point: Through the MEDIATOR He Blesses by:

1.) Honoring the Mediator’s Work (30:25-34) – (Application: The Lord ENSURES the Mediator gets all that he’s EARNED)

2.) Cursing the Enemy’s Schemes (30:35-36) – (Application: The Lord ALLOWS the seed of the serpent to RESIST the Mediator to curse him)

3.) Bearing His People’s Sins (30:37-43) – (Application: The Lord DEFEATS the enemy by PLACING all his people’s sins on the Mediator)

The Main Idea: Covenant Living Means Only the Lord Can Get the Glory of His Covenant People

*The Big Question: Can the Lord get GLORY out of his people’s mess?

*The Central Point: Yes He Can, Just LOOK at His Work:

1.) PRAISES (29:31-35) – (Application: God’s bringing CLARITY out of our chaos, so we should wholeheartedly trust in him…)

2.) PECULIARITIES (30:1-21) – (Application: God’s WORKING good from our foolishness, so we should find absolute security in him…)

3.) PROSPERITY (30:22-24) – (Application: God’s REMEMBERING us will end in our prosperity, so we should be able to rest in him…)

The Main Idea: Covenant Living Means the Lord Will Discipline His Covenant People

*The Big Question: How do we get the best out of the Lord’s Discipline?

*The Central Point: By taking a good look in the MIRROR:

1.) BEWARE (vv. 1-12) – (Application: Don’t mistake God’s grace as God’s license…)

2.) BE CAREFUL (vv. 13-20) – (Application: Don’t misread God’s providence as God’s approval…)

3.) BE OPEN (vv. 21-30) – (Application: Don’t misunderstand God’s aims as God’s rejection…)

The Main Idea: Covenant Certainty is unto Covenant Identity, which is unto Covenant Living

*The Big Question: How does God want us to respond to his Covenant Faithfulness?

*The Central Point: God WANTS us to LIVE OUT three W’s:

1.) WALK by Faith (vv. 1-5) – (Application: God’s making the connections, so why worry about our future?)

2.) WATCH for Unbelief (vv. 6-9) – (Application: God’s already received us, so why please men?)

3.) WONDER at Revelation (vv. 10-22) – (Application: God’s spoken “directly” to us, so why doubt him?)

The Main Idea: Covenant Certainty out of Family Dysfunction

*The Big Question: How does God bring Order out of Family Chaos?

*The Central Point: He Invites us to WEIGH THE RISKS of Relational Outcomes:

1.) A Deeper Deception (vv. 30-35) – (Application: The eternal, covenant God is your hope when you feel hopeless about your family)

2.) An Obvious Impulsivity (vv. 36-41) – (Application: The eternal, covenant God will winnow out unbelief in your family)

3.) A High Stakes Strategy (vv. 42-46) – (Application: The eternal, covenant God is with you and for you when you think your family is hanging by a thread)

The Main Idea: Covenant Certainty out of Family Untrustworthiness.

*The Big Question: How does God bring Truth out of Lies?

*The Central Point: He Makes us WISE to Deception’s Work:

1.) Profound Deception (vv. 18-20) – (Application: God wants to make you wise by removing naivete about sin’s presence in your family)

2.) Effective Deception (vv. 21-25) – (Application: God wants to make you wise by equipping you for the effectiveness of sin’s influence in your family)

3.) Complete Deception (vv. 26-29) – (Application: God wants to make you wise by growing proving his faithfulness in spite of sin’s effects on your family)