Goonies Bible Study on Confession. Scenes with Chunk, the Fratellis, and the blender.
So what was Chunk’s problem? Why do you think he told all that he did?
Ever had stuff you’ve wanted/needed to get off of your chest? How did you feel afterward? What makes it so difficult to confess something?
How does confession allow us to enjoy a deeper relationship with God? relationships with other people?
Have you ever confessed to anyone? Parent or friend? What happened and what was the result? Was it something about them or something else that you did? Were you going to get caught anyway?
What do you know about Confession, mainly in the Catholic church. Have they ever seen it on tv, or know of any friends who do it?
Here are some key points on Confession for Catholics.
It is one of the Catholic Church’s 7 sacraments, which were all instituted by Jesus, with Confession happening after the Resurrection when Christ appeared to the apostles. Many Catholics believe it should be done at least monthly. They believe it is necessary to confess as a way of showing an inward sign of grace to reconcile or be ok with God, and an outward sign of grace is to be forgiven, oftentimes through a priest. The belief is if we keep sinning and don’t ask for forgiveness and try to change, it will lead to a downward cycle.
Lastly, 3 things are required:
1. You must be contrite—or, in other words, sorry for your sins.
2. You must confess those sins fully, in kind and in number.
3. You must be willing to do penance and make amends for your sins.
What do you think about this? Does it make sense? Anything you do or don’t agree with? Why?
We cut sheets of colored construction paper in half for each youth to write on and had a drawing of an outline of a large cross on paper taped to the wall.
We then wrote notes of apology to God. They were to think of something they have done wrong recently that might have disappointed God. Then think of one word that represents that sin, and write that word on the inside of the card.
After they wrote, we had groups divide up and read Acts 3:1-19 together and then discuss the following questions.
How does the sin you wrote down compare to the sins Peter was describing?
Do you think your sins are any less “sinful” than the ones described in this passage? Explain.
The Bible says Jesus died on the cross for our sins. That means not only that Jesus died to pay for the sins of the people who crucified him, but also that he died for the sins we commit today—the very sin you wrote on your paper.
What does it mean to repent?
How can you repent of the sin you wrote down?
In this passage, Peter said the crippled man was healed because of his faith in Jesus. It’s through faith in Jesus that we receive forgiveness for our sins. Jesus already paid the price for the sin you wrote down. I’d like each of you to say a silent prayer, confessing and asking for forgiveness for the sin you wrote on your paper.
We then took a few moments for silent prayer.
Then we had them think of one word that describes how they feel knowing that Christ’s death made their forgiveness possible. They wrote that one word on the outside of the card, then taped it to the inside of the cross.
Then they were told to look at the papers on our cross—our sins are covered with words of joy and thanksgiving. That’s what God wants for us. God knows that, just like the crippled man in Acts, we need repentance and faith to be made whole. And it’s the cross that makes that possible. We’re the ones who benefit from repentance. God doesn’t need our apologies to forgive us. If he hadn’t wanted to forgive us, he wouldn’t have watched his Son suffer on the cross. God wants our apologies because he knows that only through our repentance and faith can we be made whole.
Closed with a prayer.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Goonies Bible Study on Accepting Others
We watched scenes with Sloth and mainly his interaction with Chunk.
We had volunteers eat Peanut Butter Sandwiches, with each sandwich containing something other than jelly. They ate the bit of sandwich, removed their blindfolds and wrote down what they thought was on the sandwich, and whether or not they liked it. The put their blindfolds on and did it again. The sandwiches consisted of PB and banana, chocolate syrup, bacon, miracle whip, cinnamon applesauce, orange marmalade, and honey. They were to keep quiet during this.
When it was over, we found out who was right on figuring out what was on the sandwich, and who liked, disliked, or were indifferent about what was included with the peanut butter. The opinions varied.
How would you feel if I used this game as a test, accepting people who like sandwiches I like, and rejecting those who don’t?
If I were to have told you ahead of time what was on the sandwiches, would you have tried any of them?
Did other people making comments and noises make a difference in your opinion if you heard them before eating?
How were the sandwiches in this game similar to the standards we use to accept or reject others?
What are some of the standards we use to judge other people?
How have you seen people change themselves to try to be accepted by others?
Do they feel that they just have to, or is it expected by a group that they must change?
How have you seen rejection affect people?
How many of you have ever been rejected because you didn’t ‘fit in’? What were the circumstances?
YOUth Council discussed that this group isn’t overly ‘welcoming’. Do y’all agree? Why or why not? How have we been welcoming? How can we be?
Read Matthew 7:1-5 and John 13:34.
Matthew 7:1-5- 1-5 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
John 13:34-35 34-35"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."
Christ didn’t call us to just love those like us…
Why does God want us to accept people we don’t like?
Think back about some of your friends. Any of them that you look back and realized on your first times around them you had nothing in common, and maybe didn’t care for them?
Or have a friend that you realize others don’t accept? How do you handle that?
What was Chunk’s first reaction to Sloth? How did he get past that?
Did Chunk’s acceptance of Sloth, help for the others to accept Sloth?
Have you ever been in a situation like that, where you or someone else has accepted an ‘outsider’ and other friends then accept them? Ever done that where they don’t? What’s the difference?
Do you have friends that aren’t friends with other friends of yours? Why is that?
What about people on the fringes? If you were to encounter someone like Sloth, how would you honestly react to him and treat him? Why?
How does this apply to you and your life/situations/people you encounter?
We had volunteers eat Peanut Butter Sandwiches, with each sandwich containing something other than jelly. They ate the bit of sandwich, removed their blindfolds and wrote down what they thought was on the sandwich, and whether or not they liked it. The put their blindfolds on and did it again. The sandwiches consisted of PB and banana, chocolate syrup, bacon, miracle whip, cinnamon applesauce, orange marmalade, and honey. They were to keep quiet during this.
When it was over, we found out who was right on figuring out what was on the sandwich, and who liked, disliked, or were indifferent about what was included with the peanut butter. The opinions varied.
How would you feel if I used this game as a test, accepting people who like sandwiches I like, and rejecting those who don’t?
If I were to have told you ahead of time what was on the sandwiches, would you have tried any of them?
Did other people making comments and noises make a difference in your opinion if you heard them before eating?
How were the sandwiches in this game similar to the standards we use to accept or reject others?
What are some of the standards we use to judge other people?
How have you seen people change themselves to try to be accepted by others?
Do they feel that they just have to, or is it expected by a group that they must change?
How have you seen rejection affect people?
How many of you have ever been rejected because you didn’t ‘fit in’? What were the circumstances?
YOUth Council discussed that this group isn’t overly ‘welcoming’. Do y’all agree? Why or why not? How have we been welcoming? How can we be?
Read Matthew 7:1-5 and John 13:34.
Matthew 7:1-5- 1-5 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
John 13:34-35 34-35"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."
Christ didn’t call us to just love those like us…
Why does God want us to accept people we don’t like?
Think back about some of your friends. Any of them that you look back and realized on your first times around them you had nothing in common, and maybe didn’t care for them?
Or have a friend that you realize others don’t accept? How do you handle that?
What was Chunk’s first reaction to Sloth? How did he get past that?
Did Chunk’s acceptance of Sloth, help for the others to accept Sloth?
Have you ever been in a situation like that, where you or someone else has accepted an ‘outsider’ and other friends then accept them? Ever done that where they don’t? What’s the difference?
Do you have friends that aren’t friends with other friends of yours? Why is that?
What about people on the fringes? If you were to encounter someone like Sloth, how would you honestly react to him and treat him? Why?
How does this apply to you and your life/situations/people you encounter?
Monty Python Bible Study on Failure
We watched the scene of the 'Trojan Rabbit'
We passed out playing cards randomly to the group, instructing each person to keep their two cards a secret. Bring two students up to the front of the room and tell them to reveal one of their cards. The student who reveals the highest card value will remain in the game. The other one is out. We did this until each student remaining has shown both of their cards. Then give out two more cards to the winners and keep playing until you get down to one person who is declared the winner.
How did it feel when you were knocked out of the game?
What were the reasons you were knocked out? How much of it was your own fault?
If you were to play the game again, what would you do differently?
Are there any similarities between this game and the way circumstances sometimes play out in real life?
After viewing the clips, ask the group these questions:
What was the purpose of the giant rabbit? What other famous story does this skit play off of?
What is the French reaction to the giant rabbit?
What was the response of King Arthur’s men when Sir Bedevere revealed the rest of his plan?
How did Sir Bedevere feel at the end?
What were the consequences of failing?
Read Romans 8:28- That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
According to this passage, what is God working toward? For whom is He working?
Matthew 26:69-75 69All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean." 70In front of everybody there, he denied it. "I don't know what you're talking about." 71As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene." 72Again he denied it, salting his denial with an oath: "I swear, I never laid eyes on the man." 73Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter. "You've got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away." 74-75Then he got really nervous and swore. "I don't know the man!" Just then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." He went out and cried and cried and cried.
How did Peter fail here? What happened to Peter after this? Did he fail, or succeed? (Christ had told him that he would build his church on Peter…Peter ministered to and converted many people in Italy and the Mediterranean.)
Psalm 103:8-12 God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he's rich in love. He doesn't endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.
What did you hear from these verses?
Does everything you do work out for good?
How do you think God works for good in the midst of difficult circumstances or our failures?
Why are we sometimes tempted to blame others or God for our failures?
What does the 3rd verse say about God?
How does the idea of God working for good affect your perspective on those moments when you’ve messed up?
Have you ever failed (not on tests), or your plans didn’t work out the way you had hoped? What happened? How did you deal with it? Did you linger on it? Did you learn anything? If so, what?
Have you ever been in a situation where you let someone else down? How did you feel? What did you do to make it right?
The movie clip showed a plan that ended in failure. What good could still come about from that experience?
Do you ever look back on times when you’ve messed up or failed at something, and at the time it seemed huge, but in looking back, it isn’t that big of a deal?
Why is it easier to see God working for good when we look back over our lives than in the moments immediately following our failure or unfortunate circumstances?
Does blaming God for unfortunate events ever help the situation get better?
Even though we may see our failures magnified, because of Christ’s death for us, God sees them as very small. In fact, he removes them from us completely. He does this because he loves us too much to let us be bogged down and overwhelmed by our sins and failures. What a great God!
We passed out playing cards randomly to the group, instructing each person to keep their two cards a secret. Bring two students up to the front of the room and tell them to reveal one of their cards. The student who reveals the highest card value will remain in the game. The other one is out. We did this until each student remaining has shown both of their cards. Then give out two more cards to the winners and keep playing until you get down to one person who is declared the winner.
How did it feel when you were knocked out of the game?
What were the reasons you were knocked out? How much of it was your own fault?
If you were to play the game again, what would you do differently?
Are there any similarities between this game and the way circumstances sometimes play out in real life?
After viewing the clips, ask the group these questions:
What was the purpose of the giant rabbit? What other famous story does this skit play off of?
What is the French reaction to the giant rabbit?
What was the response of King Arthur’s men when Sir Bedevere revealed the rest of his plan?
How did Sir Bedevere feel at the end?
What were the consequences of failing?
Read Romans 8:28- That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
According to this passage, what is God working toward? For whom is He working?
Matthew 26:69-75 69All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean." 70In front of everybody there, he denied it. "I don't know what you're talking about." 71As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene." 72Again he denied it, salting his denial with an oath: "I swear, I never laid eyes on the man." 73Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter. "You've got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away." 74-75Then he got really nervous and swore. "I don't know the man!" Just then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." He went out and cried and cried and cried.
How did Peter fail here? What happened to Peter after this? Did he fail, or succeed? (Christ had told him that he would build his church on Peter…Peter ministered to and converted many people in Italy and the Mediterranean.)
Psalm 103:8-12 God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he's rich in love. He doesn't endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.
What did you hear from these verses?
Does everything you do work out for good?
How do you think God works for good in the midst of difficult circumstances or our failures?
Why are we sometimes tempted to blame others or God for our failures?
What does the 3rd verse say about God?
How does the idea of God working for good affect your perspective on those moments when you’ve messed up?
Have you ever failed (not on tests), or your plans didn’t work out the way you had hoped? What happened? How did you deal with it? Did you linger on it? Did you learn anything? If so, what?
Have you ever been in a situation where you let someone else down? How did you feel? What did you do to make it right?
The movie clip showed a plan that ended in failure. What good could still come about from that experience?
Do you ever look back on times when you’ve messed up or failed at something, and at the time it seemed huge, but in looking back, it isn’t that big of a deal?
Why is it easier to see God working for good when we look back over our lives than in the moments immediately following our failure or unfortunate circumstances?
Does blaming God for unfortunate events ever help the situation get better?
Even though we may see our failures magnified, because of Christ’s death for us, God sees them as very small. In fact, he removes them from us completely. He does this because he loves us too much to let us be bogged down and overwhelmed by our sins and failures. What a great God!
Monty Python Bible Study on Words
The group wrote words on a sheet of paper in 2 columns. 1 being words that are hurtful, and one being words that are helpful.
We then discussed the differences between the lists and what it is that can make words hurtful or helpful––things like tone, body language, and sarcasm.
We watched the scenes where King Arthur and the knights encountered the French at the castle.
Which words, phrases, or images were the most powerful to you? Why?
Why do you think the French soldier continually insulted King Arthur and his men?
What kind of insults did the French soldier use? What exactly was he making fun of?
How did King Arthur and his men respond?
Why do you think they attacked the castle?
Why do you think the French attacked King Arthur and his men with animals?
Read Proverbs 13:3 3 Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything. The Message
James 3:2-10 If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you'd have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.
3-5A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!
5-6It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
7-10This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!
10-12My friends, this can't go on. A spring doesn't gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don't bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don't bear apples, do they? You're not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?
What are these verses saying?
How does a person guard his or her words?
How does what you say affect your life and the lives of others?
What type of ruin could your words bring?
The French soldier was insulting from the start. What would you do if you encountered a person who started throwing insults at you, especially if that person didn’t know you?
Do you see the principle in the verses at work in the clip from the movie? How?
What do you think King Arthur and his men should have done?
What do harmful and hurtful words often lead to? What about words that are helpful?
Why do we say hurtful things?
What is one of the worst things ever said to you? What was your reaction and what happened?
What is one of the worst things you’ve ever said? What happened?
How can we guard against the words that we say?
How does this all apply to you and your life?
Closed in prayer
We then discussed the differences between the lists and what it is that can make words hurtful or helpful––things like tone, body language, and sarcasm.
We watched the scenes where King Arthur and the knights encountered the French at the castle.
Which words, phrases, or images were the most powerful to you? Why?
Why do you think the French soldier continually insulted King Arthur and his men?
What kind of insults did the French soldier use? What exactly was he making fun of?
How did King Arthur and his men respond?
Why do you think they attacked the castle?
Why do you think the French attacked King Arthur and his men with animals?
Read Proverbs 13:3 3 Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything. The Message
James 3:2-10 If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you'd have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.
3-5A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!
5-6It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
7-10This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!
10-12My friends, this can't go on. A spring doesn't gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don't bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don't bear apples, do they? You're not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?
What are these verses saying?
How does a person guard his or her words?
How does what you say affect your life and the lives of others?
What type of ruin could your words bring?
The French soldier was insulting from the start. What would you do if you encountered a person who started throwing insults at you, especially if that person didn’t know you?
Do you see the principle in the verses at work in the clip from the movie? How?
What do you think King Arthur and his men should have done?
What do harmful and hurtful words often lead to? What about words that are helpful?
Why do we say hurtful things?
What is one of the worst things ever said to you? What was your reaction and what happened?
What is one of the worst things you’ve ever said? What happened?
How can we guard against the words that we say?
How does this all apply to you and your life?
Closed in prayer
Monty Python Bible Study on our Image of God.
We watched the scene where 'God' appears to King Arthur and the knights.
Each person had to write words that describe their vision and characteristics of God and/or draw how they view God and shared them. Then ask the following questions:
How does the movie’s portrayal of God compare to your own?
What stuck out to you about King Arthur’s response to God suddenly showing up? How would you have responded?
How do you picture God? Has that picture of God changed?
What kind of God did you see in this movie’s portrayal?
How does this portrayal of God compare with the God of the Scriptures?
Do you think God ever gets tired of people saying, “I’m sorry” or “Forgive me”?
Isaiah 40:12-18 7Who has scooped up the ocean in his two hands, or measured the sky between his thumb and little finger, Who has put all the earth's dirt in one of his baskets, weighed each mountain and hill? Who could ever have told God what to do or taught him his business? What expert would he have gone to for advice, what school would he attend to learn justice? What god do you suppose might have taught him what he knows, showed him how things work?
Why, the nations are but a drop in a bucket, a mere smudge on a window. Watch him sweep up the islands like so much dust off the floor! There aren't enough trees in Lebanon nor enough animals in those vast forests to furnish adequate fuel and offerings for his worship. All the nations add up to simply nothing before him— less than nothing is more like it. A minus. So who even comes close to being like God? To whom or what can you compare him?
Isaiah 40:28-31 Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening? God doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind.
Note: Isaiah asks a number of questions within this passage that should be considered rhetorical. The obvious answer is that no one can fully comprehend who God is. Only God understands God. Isaiah demonstrates how we often attempt to identify God’s characteristics through creation. While this is one of the ways He has chosen to reveal himself to us, we must realize that our knowledge and understanding of God will always be limited. Isaiah’s main emphasis is to never underestimate who God is and what He is capable of doing. Isaiah couples this emphasis on the almighty power of God with His desire to care for each one of us personally.
Ask:
How is God portrayed in these scriptures?
What images stuck in your mind about God’s power as you read the passages? What did it symbolize for you?
How does the God of Isaiah compare with the image of God from the movie? Give both similarities and differences.
Throughout Scripture, the overall idea is that God is love. Everything God does is in and through His love. Consider both the Isaiah passage and the movie clip through the perspective of a loving God.
Does God appear to be loving in the movie? How?
Does God appear to be loving in the Isaiah passage? How?
If you were to remake the clip based on the image of God in the passage in Isaiah, what would you change?
Why does almighty God care about human kind? How might knowing the various "traits" of God help you form a stronger connection with God?
Can a human being achieve anything without God’s help? Why or why not? How can a person even know that God is or is not involved in every action?
Why is complete understanding of God beyond human comprehension? Why do people want to try and understand God anyway?
Does this apply to your life? If so, how?
Silently close in prayer asking God for greater understanding of God’s will and also the ability to respectfully honor the awesomeness of God.
Each person had to write words that describe their vision and characteristics of God and/or draw how they view God and shared them. Then ask the following questions:
How does the movie’s portrayal of God compare to your own?
What stuck out to you about King Arthur’s response to God suddenly showing up? How would you have responded?
How do you picture God? Has that picture of God changed?
What kind of God did you see in this movie’s portrayal?
How does this portrayal of God compare with the God of the Scriptures?
Do you think God ever gets tired of people saying, “I’m sorry” or “Forgive me”?
Isaiah 40:12-18 7Who has scooped up the ocean in his two hands, or measured the sky between his thumb and little finger, Who has put all the earth's dirt in one of his baskets, weighed each mountain and hill? Who could ever have told God what to do or taught him his business? What expert would he have gone to for advice, what school would he attend to learn justice? What god do you suppose might have taught him what he knows, showed him how things work?
Why, the nations are but a drop in a bucket, a mere smudge on a window. Watch him sweep up the islands like so much dust off the floor! There aren't enough trees in Lebanon nor enough animals in those vast forests to furnish adequate fuel and offerings for his worship. All the nations add up to simply nothing before him— less than nothing is more like it. A minus. So who even comes close to being like God? To whom or what can you compare him?
Isaiah 40:28-31 Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening? God doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind.
Note: Isaiah asks a number of questions within this passage that should be considered rhetorical. The obvious answer is that no one can fully comprehend who God is. Only God understands God. Isaiah demonstrates how we often attempt to identify God’s characteristics through creation. While this is one of the ways He has chosen to reveal himself to us, we must realize that our knowledge and understanding of God will always be limited. Isaiah’s main emphasis is to never underestimate who God is and what He is capable of doing. Isaiah couples this emphasis on the almighty power of God with His desire to care for each one of us personally.
Ask:
How is God portrayed in these scriptures?
What images stuck in your mind about God’s power as you read the passages? What did it symbolize for you?
How does the God of Isaiah compare with the image of God from the movie? Give both similarities and differences.
Throughout Scripture, the overall idea is that God is love. Everything God does is in and through His love. Consider both the Isaiah passage and the movie clip through the perspective of a loving God.
Does God appear to be loving in the movie? How?
Does God appear to be loving in the Isaiah passage? How?
If you were to remake the clip based on the image of God in the passage in Isaiah, what would you change?
Why does almighty God care about human kind? How might knowing the various "traits" of God help you form a stronger connection with God?
Can a human being achieve anything without God’s help? Why or why not? How can a person even know that God is or is not involved in every action?
Why is complete understanding of God beyond human comprehension? Why do people want to try and understand God anyway?
Does this apply to your life? If so, how?
Silently close in prayer asking God for greater understanding of God’s will and also the ability to respectfully honor the awesomeness of God.
Monty Python Bible Study on Judging. Planks vs. specks.
I showed a variety of pictures of teenagers of various looks. They were instructed to look at the pictures and take a few seconds to write down first impressions of the person…who they are, how they act, etc. Also, write down if you would interact with this person, and if so, how would you treat them?
We watched the scene where King Arthur encounters the peasants in the field.
King Arthur passes by some people working in the field. Arthur begins to make some assumptions that aren’t entirely true. The entire scene deals with judging people based on their appearance or their work. The people that Arthur encounters even question the assumptions Arthur has about himself and his position as King of the Britains.
Questions:
Why did you act the way you did to people because of their ‘traits’? Why are our actions kind of preconceived in different ways because of different people’s characteristics or our impressions of them?
What did King Arthur see that made him assume the things he did about Dennis and the others?
Why didn’t King Arthur take the time to get to know Dennis?
Was King Arthur the only one making assumptions?
What assumptions did Dennis make about King Arthur?
Who seemed to be closer to the truth in their assumptions?
Based on this encounter, what kind of king does Arthur seem to be? How does he feel about peasants?
Read:
Matthew 7:1–6 1Don't condemn others, and God won't condemn you. 2God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them. You can see the speck in your friend's eye, but you don't notice the log in your own eye. 4How can you say, "My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye," when you don't see the log in your own eye? 5You're nothing but show-offs! First, take the log out of your own eye. Then you can see how to take the speck out of your friend's eye. Don't give to dogs what belongs to God. They will only turn and attack you. Don't throw pearls down in front of pigs. They will trample all over them.
In this passage, Jesus elaborates on a law that is familiar to the Jewish community: it is not acceptable to judge another person. This is important for a variety of reasons. Those who judge can never know a situation in its entirety. Because they don’t know all the details, they are incapable of being objective enough to pass judgment. Finally, Jesus shows that no person has the right to judge another. We should only be the judge of our own lives.
Why do people place so much emphasis on first impressions? Have you ever had an experience where your first impression was wrong?
Have you ever been given a label or judged falsely? How did you feel? What did you do?
Why shouldn’t we judge others? According to the passage in Matthew, what will happen to the person who judges someone else?
What do you think Jesus means when he uses the metaphor of the plank in someone’s eye? Or a speck in someone else’s eye?
What does judging others have to do with acting like dogs or pigs?
In both the movie clip and the Matthew passage, we see the negative effects of being judgmental, yet we are still tempted to judge others so quickly. Why?
Why are we so caught up in outward appearances?
How would the conversation have been different if King Arthur responded in the way prescribed by Matthew 7:1–6?
What are some ways we can engage others without judging them?
How should people respond when they discover they have misjudged someone?
Does this apply to your life at all? If so, how so?
This is something that we have talked about from time to time but is still and always a problem with all of us in some form or fashion. Not judging others is one of the things that we need to be constantly reminded of, in the hopes that our judgments and notions of people and groups will lessen more and more. We need to take the time to know others or at least try to understand those that have traits different than ours. Let God judge us and others, we just need to try to live the most Christ-like lives that we can every day.
Close in Prayer.
We watched the scene where King Arthur encounters the peasants in the field.
King Arthur passes by some people working in the field. Arthur begins to make some assumptions that aren’t entirely true. The entire scene deals with judging people based on their appearance or their work. The people that Arthur encounters even question the assumptions Arthur has about himself and his position as King of the Britains.
Questions:
Why did you act the way you did to people because of their ‘traits’? Why are our actions kind of preconceived in different ways because of different people’s characteristics or our impressions of them?
What did King Arthur see that made him assume the things he did about Dennis and the others?
Why didn’t King Arthur take the time to get to know Dennis?
Was King Arthur the only one making assumptions?
What assumptions did Dennis make about King Arthur?
Who seemed to be closer to the truth in their assumptions?
Based on this encounter, what kind of king does Arthur seem to be? How does he feel about peasants?
Read:
Matthew 7:1–6 1Don't condemn others, and God won't condemn you. 2God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them. You can see the speck in your friend's eye, but you don't notice the log in your own eye. 4How can you say, "My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye," when you don't see the log in your own eye? 5You're nothing but show-offs! First, take the log out of your own eye. Then you can see how to take the speck out of your friend's eye. Don't give to dogs what belongs to God. They will only turn and attack you. Don't throw pearls down in front of pigs. They will trample all over them.
In this passage, Jesus elaborates on a law that is familiar to the Jewish community: it is not acceptable to judge another person. This is important for a variety of reasons. Those who judge can never know a situation in its entirety. Because they don’t know all the details, they are incapable of being objective enough to pass judgment. Finally, Jesus shows that no person has the right to judge another. We should only be the judge of our own lives.
Why do people place so much emphasis on first impressions? Have you ever had an experience where your first impression was wrong?
Have you ever been given a label or judged falsely? How did you feel? What did you do?
Why shouldn’t we judge others? According to the passage in Matthew, what will happen to the person who judges someone else?
What do you think Jesus means when he uses the metaphor of the plank in someone’s eye? Or a speck in someone else’s eye?
What does judging others have to do with acting like dogs or pigs?
In both the movie clip and the Matthew passage, we see the negative effects of being judgmental, yet we are still tempted to judge others so quickly. Why?
Why are we so caught up in outward appearances?
How would the conversation have been different if King Arthur responded in the way prescribed by Matthew 7:1–6?
What are some ways we can engage others without judging them?
How should people respond when they discover they have misjudged someone?
Does this apply to your life at all? If so, how so?
This is something that we have talked about from time to time but is still and always a problem with all of us in some form or fashion. Not judging others is one of the things that we need to be constantly reminded of, in the hopes that our judgments and notions of people and groups will lessen more and more. We need to take the time to know others or at least try to understand those that have traits different than ours. Let God judge us and others, we just need to try to live the most Christ-like lives that we can every day.
Close in Prayer.
Truman Show Bible Study on Fear
First they had to guess and match the phobias to their accurate description
FASCINATING PHOBIAS
Match each of the phobias with its proper definition. (Note: Don’t laugh! These are actual, terrifying fears suffered by real people.)
1. Demophobia a. The fear of crossing a bridge.
2. Musophobia b. The fear of confinement in closed places.
3. Arachibutyrobphobia c. The fear of crowds.
4. Gephyrophobia d. The fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
5. Belonephobia e. The fear of insanity.
6. Claustrophobia f. The fear of stairs, elevators, or escalators.
7. Astraphobia g. The fear of public places.
8. Lyssophobia h. The fear of lightning.
9. Hydrophobia i. The fear of needles.
10. Climacophobia j. The fear of mice.
11. Agoraphobia k. The fear of water.
12. Ailurophobia l. The fear of responsibility.
13. Hypengyophobia m. The fear of cats.
14. Thalassophobia n. The fear of everything.
15. Panphobia o. The fear of the sea or ocean.
Answers: 1. c; 2. j; 3. d; 4. a; 5. i; 6. b; 7. h; 8. e; 9. k; 10. f; 11. g; 12. m; 13. l; 14. o; 15. n
We then did forced choice, where they had to go to one side of the room or the other to show which of the following scenarios they would prefer.
1. Hold a nonpoisonous, live snake—or eat a plateful of liver and onions.
2. Make a speech in a school assembly—or go to the dentist to get a tooth filled.
3. Climb onto the roof of your house—or let a daddy longlegs spider crawl across the back of your hand.
4. Sing a solo in the church service—or sing a solo in your Sunday school class.
5. Spend 10 minutes in a room with a wasp buzzing around—or eat a chocolate-covered ant.
6. Sell magazine subscriptions to strangers door-to-door—or over the phone.
7. Roller skate—or ice skate.
8. Walk through a cemetery in the middle of the night—or ask someone for a date for the first time.
9. Visit someone in the hospital—or take a test in your hardest class.
10. Fly in a plane—or present a class petition to the President of the United States.
It was pointed out that psychologists say things disgust us when we're afraid of how they would feel in our mouths or on our bodies. So disgust may be based on fear.
To control Truman, Christof had to manufacture ways to keep him on the island. Eventually, he found the perfect means to control him.
How have you seen fear control or impair someone?
What are things that cause you fear?
When has been the most afraid you’ve ever been?
What fears have hindered you?
Ever been afraid to do something that God would prefer you do?
Read Psalm 27:1, 56:3–4; Romans 8:28, 31; and 1 John 4:18.
What understandings about fear do you get from these verses?
How can you put these verses into practice?
How do you think helped Truman overcome his fear of water?
Ever had anything you were afraid of that you finally faced or overcame? How did it make you feel?
As Truman stands in front of that darkened doorway at the end, he has no idea what is on the other side. How would you have viewed that doorway: with fear or with promise?
What makes the unknown frightening?
Read Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 6:31–34, and Philippians 4:4–7.
What do these verses say about God’s role in your life as you face fears or the unknown? How can you attempt to live these verses daily?
read aloud the following Bible passages write one or more down on a card as reminders when facing something that brings you fear.
Psalm 56; Psalm 145:18-21; John 14:27-31; 2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 13:5-6 .
FASCINATING PHOBIAS
Match each of the phobias with its proper definition. (Note: Don’t laugh! These are actual, terrifying fears suffered by real people.)
1. Demophobia a. The fear of crossing a bridge.
2. Musophobia b. The fear of confinement in closed places.
3. Arachibutyrobphobia c. The fear of crowds.
4. Gephyrophobia d. The fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
5. Belonephobia e. The fear of insanity.
6. Claustrophobia f. The fear of stairs, elevators, or escalators.
7. Astraphobia g. The fear of public places.
8. Lyssophobia h. The fear of lightning.
9. Hydrophobia i. The fear of needles.
10. Climacophobia j. The fear of mice.
11. Agoraphobia k. The fear of water.
12. Ailurophobia l. The fear of responsibility.
13. Hypengyophobia m. The fear of cats.
14. Thalassophobia n. The fear of everything.
15. Panphobia o. The fear of the sea or ocean.
Answers: 1. c; 2. j; 3. d; 4. a; 5. i; 6. b; 7. h; 8. e; 9. k; 10. f; 11. g; 12. m; 13. l; 14. o; 15. n
We then did forced choice, where they had to go to one side of the room or the other to show which of the following scenarios they would prefer.
1. Hold a nonpoisonous, live snake—or eat a plateful of liver and onions.
2. Make a speech in a school assembly—or go to the dentist to get a tooth filled.
3. Climb onto the roof of your house—or let a daddy longlegs spider crawl across the back of your hand.
4. Sing a solo in the church service—or sing a solo in your Sunday school class.
5. Spend 10 minutes in a room with a wasp buzzing around—or eat a chocolate-covered ant.
6. Sell magazine subscriptions to strangers door-to-door—or over the phone.
7. Roller skate—or ice skate.
8. Walk through a cemetery in the middle of the night—or ask someone for a date for the first time.
9. Visit someone in the hospital—or take a test in your hardest class.
10. Fly in a plane—or present a class petition to the President of the United States.
It was pointed out that psychologists say things disgust us when we're afraid of how they would feel in our mouths or on our bodies. So disgust may be based on fear.
To control Truman, Christof had to manufacture ways to keep him on the island. Eventually, he found the perfect means to control him.
How have you seen fear control or impair someone?
What are things that cause you fear?
When has been the most afraid you’ve ever been?
What fears have hindered you?
Ever been afraid to do something that God would prefer you do?
Read Psalm 27:1, 56:3–4; Romans 8:28, 31; and 1 John 4:18.
What understandings about fear do you get from these verses?
How can you put these verses into practice?
How do you think helped Truman overcome his fear of water?
Ever had anything you were afraid of that you finally faced or overcame? How did it make you feel?
As Truman stands in front of that darkened doorway at the end, he has no idea what is on the other side. How would you have viewed that doorway: with fear or with promise?
What makes the unknown frightening?
Read Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 6:31–34, and Philippians 4:4–7.
What do these verses say about God’s role in your life as you face fears or the unknown? How can you attempt to live these verses daily?
read aloud the following Bible passages write one or more down on a card as reminders when facing something that brings you fear.
Psalm 56; Psalm 145:18-21; John 14:27-31; 2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 13:5-6 .
Truman Show Bible Study on Doubts and Questions
I found some interesting facts that I wanted to share with them before we started. I said them with certainty, and let them know they are all true. When I finished them all, pause for a second to see if anyone questions any of the facts. If they don’t, ask, do you believe all of that?
Factoid One: Most people have heard of the famous scientist Marie Curie. She won the Nobel Prize in 1911 for chemistry. But did you know she also won the Nobel Prize in 1903 for physics? (True)
Factoid Two: All of the following people were left-handed: Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Bill Clinton, Fidel Castro, Bill Gates, and Lewis Carroll. (True)
Factoid Three: The cat owned by John Lennon was named Elvis. (True)
Factoid Four: Typically, adults have forty-five teeth: eight incisors, four canines, 15 pre-molars, and 18 molars—of which four are wisdom teeth. (False—there are only 32 teeth)
Factoid Five: Dr. Seuss was a pediatrician before becoming the author of children’s books. (false, Dr. Seuss was not a Dr. and his real name was Theodore Geisel
Factoid Six: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were: the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ethron, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Statue of Liberty, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. (False— Colossus of Rhodes, not statue of Liberty.)
Pause for a second to see if anyone questions any of the facts. If they don’t, ask, do you believe all of that? When questioned, I asked if and why they thought I'd be lying, later revealing that I was on some of them.
Then they described a time when you questioned someone and got a response like the one you encountered here. What happened?
How do you think God responds when someone questions him? Why?
I said something like I suspect that most of us have sat through sermons or Bible studies where we really wanted to challenge what was being said but had visions of lightning bolts or thunderous voices coming down from heaven to strike us. After all, church is a place for true believers. Church is a place for answers. There’s no room for those who ask questions. God would wipe them off the face of the earth pronto, right?
Wrong.
Any people in the Bible that you can think of that were called/told to do something by God and questioned it?
Here are some people: Consider Sarah’s reaction to the news that she’d be a parent. She laughed! What about Moses and the burning bush? Peter sinking in the waves? Thomas demanding proof of the Resurrection? Abraham? David? Jesus asking that the cup pass over him. The list goes on and on, and if we’re truthful, it probably includes us.
Read aloud Exodus 3:10-15; 4:1-17 after setting the stage by saying: Moses is out tending sheep when he notices a bush that’s burning—but not being consumed. He approaches it and God speaks to him. After telling Moses that God has heard the pleas of the people, God announces that Moses is going on a mission to speak with Pharaoh.
9-10 "The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I've seen for myself how cruelly they're being treated by the Egyptians. It's time for you to go back: I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt."
11 Moses answered God, "But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
12 "I'll be with you," God said. "And this will be the proof that I am the one who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right here at this very mountain."
13 Then Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the People of Israel and I tell them, 'The God of your fathers sent me to you'; and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What do I tell them?"
14 God said to Moses, "I-AM-WHO-I-AM. Tell the People of Israel, 'I-AM sent me to you.'"
15 God continued with Moses: "This is what you're to say to the Israelites: 'GOD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you.' This has always been my name, and this is how I always will be known.
What did you hear in those verses? What does it say about questions?
1 Moses objected, "They won't trust me. They won't listen to a word I say. They're going to say, 'GOD? Appear to him? Hardly!'"
2 So GOD said, "What's that in your hand?" "A staff."
3 "Throw it on the ground." He threw it. It became a snake; Moses jumped back—fast!
4-5 GOD said to Moses, "Reach out and grab it by the tail." He reached out and grabbed it—and he was holding his staff again. "That's so they will trust that GOD appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
6 GOD then said, "Put your hand inside your shirt." He slipped his hand under his shirt, then took it out. His hand had turned leprous, like snow.
7 He said, "Put your hand back under your shirt." He did it, then took it back out—as healthy as before.
8-9 "So if they don't trust you and aren't convinced by the first sign, the second sign should do it. But if it doesn't, if even after these two signs they don't trust you and listen to your message, take some water out of the Nile and pour it out on the dry land; the Nile water that you pour out will turn to blood when it hits the ground."
10 Moses raised another objection to GOD: "Master, please, I don't talk well. I've never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer."
11-12 GOD said, "And who do you think made the human mouth? And who makes some mute, some deaf, some sighted, some blind? Isn't it I, GOD? So, get going. I'll be right there with you—with your mouth! I'll be right there to teach you what to say."
13 He said, "Oh, Master, please! Send somebody else!"
14-17 GOD got angry with Moses: "Don't you have a brother, Aaron the Levite? He's good with words, I know he is. He speaks very well. In fact, at this very moment he's on his way to meet you. When he sees you he's going to be glad. You'll speak to him and tell him what to say. I'll be right there with you as you speak and with him as he speaks, teaching you step by step. He will speak to the people for you. He'll act as your mouth, but you'll decide what comes out of it. Now take this staff in your hand; you'll use it to do the signs."
What did you hear in those verses? What does it say about questions?
They then discussed the questions:
Would you characterize God as patient or impatient with Moses? Explain.
Is there a difference between questioning God and challenging God? If so, how would you describe Moses’ interaction with God?
In what ways have you doubted God? questioned God?
We discussed when we’re uncertain, we ask questions. We poke and prod to determine if what we’re hearing or seeing is true. And sometimes doubt is a lifesaver for us.
The next time you stand at the edge of a frozen lake and doubt the ice is thick enough to support your weight, doubting might save your life.
The next time you hear a questionable Bible teaching and you check to see if what was taught lines up with what’s revealed in the Bible, that’s a great result of doubt. It has led you to ask questions and find answers.
That’s honest doubt and honest questioning.
From the clips earlier, these things that Truman experienced and saw led him to question and doubt the things going on around him.
In the movie, how did doubting and questioning help Truman? Did it hurt Truman? How so?
Then there’s the dishonest kind.
Dishonest doubt is the sort that’s thinly disguised cynicism. It doesn’t lead to new insights or truth. The dishonest doubter isn’t really open to learning truth.
Ask:
Describe someone you’ve met who seems to be a dishonest doubter. What is the person like?
Describe a time you’ve had doubts about God or something concerning God. How have you dealt with your doubts?
In what ways are you an honest doubter? a dishonest one?
Read Luke 24:36-43 aloud. 36-41While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, "Peace be with you." They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. He continued with them, "Don't be upset, and don't let all these doubting questions take over. Look at my hands; look at my feet—it's really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn't have muscle and bone like this." As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. They still couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true.
41-43He asked, "Do you have any food here?" They gave him a piece of leftover fish they had cooked. He took it and ate it right before their eyes.
How did Jesus respond to the honest doubt of his followers?
How does Jesus respond to your honest doubt?
How does this apply to the movie and how does it apply to your life?
Truman’s questions and doubts led him to leave the lies and falsehoods of ‘the world’ in which he lived, and led him to seek truth and freedom and all that come with those, by ignoring what ‘the world’ had told him. It also led him to seek love.
We were given the gift of free will by God, and we should cherish it. It helps us to raise questions, to search and explore our faith, and not just be spoon fed someone else’s faith/beliefs.
Asking questions of God doesn’t mean we don’t believe, or don’t have faith, but utilizing Scripture, and our own experiences, and traditions, and our reason, can help us to know who we are and who God wants us to be. We can develop our own faith and beliefs, and know that asking questions, can help lead to answers. With all of this, we may become like Truman, and leaving behind the lies and falsehoods of the world and seeking out the love of God through Christ, that is much greater than anything in this world.
We closed with a prayer of thanks for God’s faithfulness to us no matter how we feel, and for God’s love—which reaches out to us no matter what. Commit the doubts of your group to God and ask that he provide the answers your students need.
Factoid One: Most people have heard of the famous scientist Marie Curie. She won the Nobel Prize in 1911 for chemistry. But did you know she also won the Nobel Prize in 1903 for physics? (True)
Factoid Two: All of the following people were left-handed: Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Bill Clinton, Fidel Castro, Bill Gates, and Lewis Carroll. (True)
Factoid Three: The cat owned by John Lennon was named Elvis. (True)
Factoid Four: Typically, adults have forty-five teeth: eight incisors, four canines, 15 pre-molars, and 18 molars—of which four are wisdom teeth. (False—there are only 32 teeth)
Factoid Five: Dr. Seuss was a pediatrician before becoming the author of children’s books. (false, Dr. Seuss was not a Dr. and his real name was Theodore Geisel
Factoid Six: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were: the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ethron, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Statue of Liberty, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. (False— Colossus of Rhodes, not statue of Liberty.)
Pause for a second to see if anyone questions any of the facts. If they don’t, ask, do you believe all of that? When questioned, I asked if and why they thought I'd be lying, later revealing that I was on some of them.
Then they described a time when you questioned someone and got a response like the one you encountered here. What happened?
How do you think God responds when someone questions him? Why?
I said something like I suspect that most of us have sat through sermons or Bible studies where we really wanted to challenge what was being said but had visions of lightning bolts or thunderous voices coming down from heaven to strike us. After all, church is a place for true believers. Church is a place for answers. There’s no room for those who ask questions. God would wipe them off the face of the earth pronto, right?
Wrong.
Any people in the Bible that you can think of that were called/told to do something by God and questioned it?
Here are some people: Consider Sarah’s reaction to the news that she’d be a parent. She laughed! What about Moses and the burning bush? Peter sinking in the waves? Thomas demanding proof of the Resurrection? Abraham? David? Jesus asking that the cup pass over him. The list goes on and on, and if we’re truthful, it probably includes us.
Read aloud Exodus 3:10-15; 4:1-17 after setting the stage by saying: Moses is out tending sheep when he notices a bush that’s burning—but not being consumed. He approaches it and God speaks to him. After telling Moses that God has heard the pleas of the people, God announces that Moses is going on a mission to speak with Pharaoh.
9-10 "The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I've seen for myself how cruelly they're being treated by the Egyptians. It's time for you to go back: I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt."
11 Moses answered God, "But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
12 "I'll be with you," God said. "And this will be the proof that I am the one who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right here at this very mountain."
13 Then Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the People of Israel and I tell them, 'The God of your fathers sent me to you'; and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What do I tell them?"
14 God said to Moses, "I-AM-WHO-I-AM. Tell the People of Israel, 'I-AM sent me to you.'"
15 God continued with Moses: "This is what you're to say to the Israelites: 'GOD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you.' This has always been my name, and this is how I always will be known.
What did you hear in those verses? What does it say about questions?
1 Moses objected, "They won't trust me. They won't listen to a word I say. They're going to say, 'GOD? Appear to him? Hardly!'"
2 So GOD said, "What's that in your hand?" "A staff."
3 "Throw it on the ground." He threw it. It became a snake; Moses jumped back—fast!
4-5 GOD said to Moses, "Reach out and grab it by the tail." He reached out and grabbed it—and he was holding his staff again. "That's so they will trust that GOD appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
6 GOD then said, "Put your hand inside your shirt." He slipped his hand under his shirt, then took it out. His hand had turned leprous, like snow.
7 He said, "Put your hand back under your shirt." He did it, then took it back out—as healthy as before.
8-9 "So if they don't trust you and aren't convinced by the first sign, the second sign should do it. But if it doesn't, if even after these two signs they don't trust you and listen to your message, take some water out of the Nile and pour it out on the dry land; the Nile water that you pour out will turn to blood when it hits the ground."
10 Moses raised another objection to GOD: "Master, please, I don't talk well. I've never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer."
11-12 GOD said, "And who do you think made the human mouth? And who makes some mute, some deaf, some sighted, some blind? Isn't it I, GOD? So, get going. I'll be right there with you—with your mouth! I'll be right there to teach you what to say."
13 He said, "Oh, Master, please! Send somebody else!"
14-17 GOD got angry with Moses: "Don't you have a brother, Aaron the Levite? He's good with words, I know he is. He speaks very well. In fact, at this very moment he's on his way to meet you. When he sees you he's going to be glad. You'll speak to him and tell him what to say. I'll be right there with you as you speak and with him as he speaks, teaching you step by step. He will speak to the people for you. He'll act as your mouth, but you'll decide what comes out of it. Now take this staff in your hand; you'll use it to do the signs."
What did you hear in those verses? What does it say about questions?
They then discussed the questions:
Would you characterize God as patient or impatient with Moses? Explain.
Is there a difference between questioning God and challenging God? If so, how would you describe Moses’ interaction with God?
In what ways have you doubted God? questioned God?
We discussed when we’re uncertain, we ask questions. We poke and prod to determine if what we’re hearing or seeing is true. And sometimes doubt is a lifesaver for us.
The next time you stand at the edge of a frozen lake and doubt the ice is thick enough to support your weight, doubting might save your life.
The next time you hear a questionable Bible teaching and you check to see if what was taught lines up with what’s revealed in the Bible, that’s a great result of doubt. It has led you to ask questions and find answers.
That’s honest doubt and honest questioning.
From the clips earlier, these things that Truman experienced and saw led him to question and doubt the things going on around him.
In the movie, how did doubting and questioning help Truman? Did it hurt Truman? How so?
Then there’s the dishonest kind.
Dishonest doubt is the sort that’s thinly disguised cynicism. It doesn’t lead to new insights or truth. The dishonest doubter isn’t really open to learning truth.
Ask:
Describe someone you’ve met who seems to be a dishonest doubter. What is the person like?
Describe a time you’ve had doubts about God or something concerning God. How have you dealt with your doubts?
In what ways are you an honest doubter? a dishonest one?
Read Luke 24:36-43 aloud. 36-41While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, "Peace be with you." They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. He continued with them, "Don't be upset, and don't let all these doubting questions take over. Look at my hands; look at my feet—it's really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn't have muscle and bone like this." As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. They still couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true.
41-43He asked, "Do you have any food here?" They gave him a piece of leftover fish they had cooked. He took it and ate it right before their eyes.
How did Jesus respond to the honest doubt of his followers?
How does Jesus respond to your honest doubt?
How does this apply to the movie and how does it apply to your life?
Truman’s questions and doubts led him to leave the lies and falsehoods of ‘the world’ in which he lived, and led him to seek truth and freedom and all that come with those, by ignoring what ‘the world’ had told him. It also led him to seek love.
We were given the gift of free will by God, and we should cherish it. It helps us to raise questions, to search and explore our faith, and not just be spoon fed someone else’s faith/beliefs.
Asking questions of God doesn’t mean we don’t believe, or don’t have faith, but utilizing Scripture, and our own experiences, and traditions, and our reason, can help us to know who we are and who God wants us to be. We can develop our own faith and beliefs, and know that asking questions, can help lead to answers. With all of this, we may become like Truman, and leaving behind the lies and falsehoods of the world and seeking out the love of God through Christ, that is much greater than anything in this world.
We closed with a prayer of thanks for God’s faithfulness to us no matter how we feel, and for God’s love—which reaches out to us no matter what. Commit the doubts of your group to God and ask that he provide the answers your students need.
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