Big Idea: Skillful, Christ-like living requires a humble acceptance of God’s sovereignty.
1. We are not in control like we think we are (1,4,9,33)
vs. 1) We make plans, but nothing can come to fruition unless the Lord wills it.
vs. 4) Everything and everyone exists for a purpose - God’s purposes.
vs. 9) Not a step is taken apart from God’s superintendence.
2. We don’t know ourselves like we think we do (2)
vs. 2) We look at our ways, the things we do, and to us we seem alright.
God is able to weigh our spirit. He has a perfect standard, and He knows our motives.
vs. 18) Pride leads to destruction. A “haughty spirit” will make us fall. Proverbs 11:2, 18:12, 29:23 - pride brings disgrace and destruction 15:25 - The Lord will tear down whatever the proud builds. vs. 19) Humility is better than wealth. (reminds us of the many times wisdom is declared superior to wealth).
God is able to weigh our spirit. He has a perfect standard, and He knows our motives.
BECAUSE of these 2 truths, WE MUST...
1. Commit our work to the Lord (3)
vs. 3) If we commit everything we do to the Lord, our plans will be established.
2. Escape pride & arrogance (5,18-19)
vs. 5) arrogance is an abomination to God. Notice, the text actually is more harsh than that.
Proverbs 6:16-17 - God hates "haughty eyes ";
21:4 - haughty behavior flows from a proud heart.
25:6-7 - Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think.
vs. 18) Pride leads to destruction. A “haughty spirit” will make us fall. Proverbs 11:2, 18:12, 29:23 - pride brings disgrace and destruction 15:25 - The Lord will tear down whatever the proud builds. vs. 19) Humility is better than wealth. (reminds us of the many times wisdom is declared superior to wealth).
The only thing we should truly, unequivocally be proud of is God’s wisdom and Christ’s work on our behalf. Our salvation (Christ’s death for us) is what we proudly hail as the very center of our life.
When we meditate on the cross (“survey the wondrous cross”), we cannot help but be humbled.
We see our sin hanging on Jesus.
We condemned Him to die.
And yet, we are lifted out of a harmful, debilitating self-loathing by realizing the love Jesus had for us.
Middle School - "Joseph"
Big Idea: Through the ups and downs of life, it is God’s presence that helps us endure suffering.
Growth groups reviewed Joseph's life, and then we summarized it when we came together.
Joseph's life was a roller coaster of ups and downs!
We talked about what point we would have wanted to give up.
Then, we looked at a couple of truths based on Joseph's example during suffering:
Because he knew that God was with him, Joseph responded to suffering with...
Faith - Gen. 45:4-8
- faith that God is in control
- faith that God has a good plan (more in ch. 50)
- comes from a tender heart (Joseph wept)
- comes from a tenacious faith in God's goodness
We concluded by making it clear that life does not always work out better in the end like in the case of Joseph's, but regardless God is doing something that we can trust because He is sovereign and He is good.
