HBO And Game Of Thrones Should Learn A Lesson From Netflix And Stranger Things
Thechosen Wong
Paul Tripp's popular Bible Study series continues with The Gospel: One Psalm At A Time. After summarizing each book of the Bible, diving deep into Proverbs, and studying 1 Peter, Paul turns his attention to the Psalms. You are free to distribute and translate both the videos and transcripts of these episodes, available to download on this page.
For Younger Children: Do you like to sing? How does singing make you feel? Did you know God created singing? Did you know that God loves to hear you sing? What songs can we sing today about God?
HBO and Game of Thrones should learn a lesson from Netflix and Stranger Things
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We should never take prayer for granted. Every time you pray, you are experiencing a personal miracle of divine grace, that the One who created everything, who rules everything, who sits in authority on the throne of the universe, is willing to hear us, is willing to listen to us, is so kind and tender that he welcomes us to bring our struggles to him.
1. In what ways might you be taking the miracle of prayer for granted? Do you not pray as often as you should, taking for granted the opportunity to talk with your Heavenly Father and the Creator and Ruler of the universe? Or, if you do pray frequently, are you at risk of mindlessly and mechanically treating it as religious routine, taking for granted that each opportunity is a fresh and personal moment of spiritual relationship?
2. How have you suffered for your faith? What decisions have you made, trying to honor the Lord and his commands, that appear to have negative, painful consequences? How have you responded to your suffering? Have you strayed from a lifestyle of submission and obedience in recent weeks, months, or years because of it?
For Older Children: Who are the popular kids among your peers? What makes them popular? Do you want to be popular like them, and are you tempted or willing to break the rules to be popular like them? How have you suffered or been made fun of for being a Christian and following what the Bible says? Are you angry at God for creating rules that seem to interfere with you having a fun life? What rules are getting in the way, and what fun do you think you are missing out on? How might those rules actually be for your safety and protection?
Not only are the Psalms the Bible's hymnbook, an Old Testament welcome to prayer, and a portrait of the struggle of faith, there's a fourth thing that we find in the Psalms: the Psalms are this gorgeous portrait of the presence and power and grace of God.
As you read the Psalms, you have to know this: as gritty as they are and as honest as they are, the Psalms are written to be God-revealing. I love what it says in Psalm 145, that his greatness is beyond our ability to understand. You can dig, and you can dig, and you can dig, and you will never get to the bottom of the glorious glory of God. The Psalms reveal a God whose infinite in power; there's nothing he cannot do. He is gloriously holy in every way and all of the time. He is full of grace and mercy. He is boundless in redeeming love. And in all of that, he is near. The Psalms reveal that God exercises all of this for the good of his children. God unleashes his infinite power, his glorious holiness, his grace, his love, for the good of his children.
He is infinite in power. He is glorious in holiness. He is full of grace and mercy. He's boundless in love. And he exercises all of those amazing characteristics for the good of his children. God is the ultimate fact by which we should understand everything else in our lives!
There is so much revealed about Jesus in the Psalms: his character, his mission, his suffering, that he is the promised hope of the people of God. No matter what generation of the people of God, Jesus is the promised hope. The Psalms points to his resurrection and his ultimate reign. Jesus as Savior, Jesus as the Lamb, Jesus as the promised hope, Jesus as the risen, ascended King.
1. In what ways have the kings and rulers of this world set themselves against the Lord? How are those who have been granted temporary power by God defying God and using that God-given power to scorn his law, holiness, and created order? When those with authority do this and it impacts your daily life or threatens your comfort, how do you react? Are you lashing out in fear and defensiveness, or are you resting in the ultimate authority and eternal reign of God? What does Psalm 2 teach us about how God reacts when worldly leaders deride his rule?
2. What power or domain of authority, however small, have you been entrusted with by God? How can you grow in wisdom and serve the Lord with fear and trembling in this area? Be specific. How can you better represent Jesus in your role of authority? How have you abused or misused the influence that you have been entrusted with? Share your shortcomings and ask others for accountability and wisdom and help.
For Older Children: Who are the authority figures in your life? Which do you like, and why? What is it about the way they exercise power that is appealing? Who do you dislike, and why? How have they misused or abused the power that they have? What coaches, teachers, or peers in positions of leadership love their power too much and love reminding you that they are in charge? Do you live in fear of those in leadership? Do you compromise doing what you know God says is right because of what those in power will say or do to you? In what ways are your struggles with these authority figures primarily your problem, and not theirs? In other words, even if the way they exercise control is imperfect, do you dislike them because you first and foremost dislike submitting to authority? How are you struggling with the authority of God in your life today?
Well, the sixth and final thing that I want to say about this introduction to the Psalms is that the Psalms are a theology textbook. At its core, what is theology? Theology, in its essence, is the study of God. And I love the theology of the Psalms. The Psalms are theologically rich and theologically deep. The Psalms entertain for us some of the most significant theological questions.
1. Why is a more formalized and academic study of theology important? How can you become a better student of your Christian faith? Have you benefited from, or considered taking, seminary courses or certificates to increase your knowledge and understanding of key components such as biblical interpretation, church history, or systematic theology. Why is this beneficial? But in what ways is isolated academic theological study potentially dangerous, if it does not transform your heart and life and increase your love for and service of Christ?
2. What difficulties, struggles, or suffering are you going through right now? What are you afraid of? How are you afraid of? How has God been your light, salvation, and stronghold in the past? How can you preach those gospel truths to yourself again today? Be specific. What does it practically mean that God is your light, salvation, and stronghold?
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
1. Write down (or share with your group) a list of the voices that influence you the most. Consider the amount of time you spend listening to, watching, or engaging with, each one. Rank them, either by time spent or by the amount of influence you think each has over you. Include positive, negative, and seemingly neutral influences. Evaluate your list and pray over it; ask the Spirit to show you how you can be a better steward of your time and where you need to emphasize being influenced by righteous voices.
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