3/31/06
Movie Clip: Office Space, 27-30 min.
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak
with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief. My
life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because
of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.
Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am
a dread to my friends and those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as though I were
dead; I have become like broken pottery.
For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they
conspire against me and plot to take my life (Ps. 31:9-13).
1) You feel hopeless when ______________ happens.
2) ______________ is how you manage it.
3)
You believe if _______________ were
different, things would be easier.
In the past you
were without Christ and you had no part in the promises that God made to His
people. You had no hope because you did
not know God. But now you are in Christ
Jesus (Eph. 2:12-13).
You can ALWAYS
be hopeful in Christ because:
1) His forgiveness erases your guilt.
a.
There is no
condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).
b.
A better hope
has been introduced, by which we draw near to God (Heb. 7:19).
· What guilt have
you been able to leave behind as a result of knowing Christ?
1.
Guilt from lying, cheating, stealing
2.
Guilt from an addiction I once had
3.
Other: __________________
2) His power breaks your bad habits.
a.
The power of the
life-giving Spirit is mine through Christ Jesus and has freed me from the
vicious circle of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).
b.
God’s mighty
power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask
or even dream of. His power’s
infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, and hopes (Eph. 3:20).
· What thing has
God used to help you break a bad habit?
1.
Pain!
2.
Support from others who’ve been there, done that (accountability)
3.
Seeing
my powerlessness and God’s strength
4.
Believing
God is on my side
5.
Realizing God has something better for me
6.
Other: ____________________
3) His purpose transforms your problems.
a.
We know that God
causes all things to work together for good to those that love Him, to those
who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).
b.
I have good
plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I
will give you hope and a good future (Jer. 29:11).
·
One-way God has brought good out of your difficulty:
___________________________________________.
4) His protection relieves your fears.
a.
So what should
we say about this? If God is for us,
who can be against us? (Rom. 8:31).
b.
We who have
found safety with Him are greatly encouraged to hold firmly to the hope placed
before us. We have this hope as an
anchor for our lives (Heb. 6:18-19).
·
A fear or concern you could entrust to God: _________________.
5) His provision supplies your needs.
a.
Since God did
not spare even His own Son for us but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also
surely give us everything else? (Rom. 8:32).
b.
God will use his
wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need (Phil. 4:19).
c.
God gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need
there is
(Acts 17:25).
·
Something God has provided for which you are especially grateful:
_______________________________________.
6) His promise secures your future.
a.
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels
nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39).
b.
I have hope when
I think of this: The Lord’s love never
ends; His mercies never stop (Lam. 3:21-22).
·
Why can you relax about your future?
§
I know God is in charge
§
Worry does not help
§
God has proven Himself in the past
§
I am going to believe what Scripture says is true
§
Other: __________________________