Group Notes | July 17

Overcomer: Overcoming the Past
July 17, 2016
Pastor Jonathan Falwell

 

Open:

Have you ever made a choice that caused you to lose hope and think a new life could ever be pulled from beneath the chaos you created? What continued to push you through the pain to see what the future might hold? Can you share an example?

Today we want to contrast our lives with that of Moses, who made a mistake that caused him to flee Egypt, sending him into the desert, where he lived as a shepherd. God sought him, gave him freedom from his past, then used him to change his entire nation. Often our past holds us back from being available for God’s will. Let us see how we can change that.

Discuss:

God doesn’t look at our past to determine if He wants to use us

  1. Read Exodus 3:1-4. When Moses was eighty years old, he was called by God to a bush that was burning with fire, yet not extinguished. Why had he left Egypt and how long ago? How would his action have affected him mentally?

God’s Holiness trumps our messiness

  1. Read verses 5, 6. God had been quiet for almost 400 years. What do you think Moses felt as he realized the Holy God was speaking to him? If this had happened to you, how would you have reacted?

God’s plans will always be greater than ours

  1. Read verses 7-10. After 400 years of slavery, the Israelites assumed God had forgotten them. Had He? Who had initiated this meeting between Moses and God? If God asked you to do something significant, how would you respond?
  2. What do you think Moses felt his remaining years were going to be like before God called him? Do you think he would have wanted to go back to Egypt? Why or why not?

God’s power will always be enough

  1. Read verses 11, 12. Moses implored God to let someone else be the deliverer. Why do you think he “argued” with God? Over the next thirty verses Moses brings up reasons that he cannot lead Israel out of Egypt. Skim your eyes through the verses; what does he keep missing?
  2. When you feel that God wants you to witness, or minister, how do you respond? Would you feel differently if you heard God say, “I will be with you”?

The only way to overcome our past is to know our future

  1. Read verses 13-14. We cannot read Moses’ body language, so we do not know if he was agitated about his past, or failing in faith. What is meant that we ‘can only overcome our past by knowing our future’?
  2. Can you give an example of God bringing good out of your life even though you may have a past that you feel He could hold against you?
  3. In what ways does the life of Moses this week challenge you in your daily life?

Close:

Moses had had forty years to ponder the killing in Egypt, his flight, and his life as a shepherd. Possibly he no longer had hope that his life would ever be different. As you break up into small groups, discuss some of the baggage that is holding you back when God is asking that you be available. Think about your repentance for past sins. If it was real, where are they now (Psalm 103:12)? Pray for each other, that we would fall down on our faces before a Holy God, asking how He can use each of us as the day of His return draws nearer. Seek opportunities to tell someone of His great love and forgiveness.

Memory Verse: Exodus 3:12: “So He said, ‘I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.’”

Focal Passage: Exodus 3:1-14

Home Study: Read Exodus 3 and 4, to see Moses’ reaction to God’s desire for his life.

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