"Battle Royal - When World's Collide"
Session One: The Celestial Showdown
Isaiah 46
“We've been at war since before the beginning of time, when Lucifer, the bright and morning star, the exalted holy being of Holy God, desired equality with God and was cast out of the Majesty’s presence, cursed for all time.” (Major Dale Pilgrim)
1. Consider this statement by looking at Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-18.
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2. The suggestion that we are at war is not common to us. Is this just an expression or is there truth to it?
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3. What does Ephesians 6:12 look like in our world today, in your town or city or in your home?
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4. “We've reduced God to wood. Our wood is any attempt to shape God in our image, to make Him suit our thinking.” Share examples of how we may attempt to shape God to suit our thinking.
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5. “This superb passage contrasts religion as a load with religion as a lift”. To go a step further, Reverend James Hastings in his scholar work offers this, “The test [the prophet] suggests, by which a [person] can find out whether he is dealing with an idol or with the Lord of heaven and earth, is this: Do you feel yourself carrying your religion, or do you feel that it carries you: is it weight or is it wings?”
Discuss
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6. Verses 8-9, “Remember this… Remember former things”. The temptation to join the party of the pagan idolatry is strong. It seems harmless until we find ourselves trapped and against the wall, only to be faced with the dark night of no hope and our gods can’t help us. To avoid this venom bite, we are told to remember the past. One writer put it this way: “God is revealed in history, and we establish present fellowship by recalling what he has done.”
Why is there value in remembering the past? Does it strengthen our confidence for the future?
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"Battle Royal - When World's Collide"
Session Two: The Collapse of Securities
Isaiah 47
1. Share some examples that illustrate how the gods of this world degrade us.
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2. Would you think we are an arrogant society so that we believe we have more control than we really do? To what extend do you believe that to be true or not true, of the church?
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3. “Do you see where the fall of Babylon began? It wasn't when the armies of Cyrus appeared on the horizon. It began in their thoughts. They said something in their hearts, and God heard every word. What did they say? “I am and there is no one besides me.” That sounds ominously familiar. God himself has been saying that all along…Here in Isaiah 47:8, 10 the corporate mind of world culture declares its own God-like autonomy.”
Compare this to Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 10:5. Why does what we think, matter?
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4. What are some of the addictions, the vices and demons that threaten to destroy our lives, our families and our society?
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5. Looking at Isaiah 47:12-13, would you think the church has fascinations with these and other similar realities that have been considered harmless and not ‘serious’ matters?
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6. When it’s all said and done, the bottom-line issue is the extent by which we follow God or don’t follow God. Take a few moments to write one thing that God has shown you that is taking His place in your life. Also include one action step you’ll take to give God His rightful place in that situation.
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Take a few moments to pray with another man in your group.
"Battle Royal - When World's Collide"
Session Three: The Call of Salvation
Isaiah 48
“Father is forever running and sprinting to block our path and save us from a destructive step or deadly plunge off the edge of obstinate obsession with things we should not taste, touch or smell. He determines to break our will but not our spirit.” (Major Dale Pilgrim)
1. Does this statement affect your outlook on your relationship with God and what is going on in your life?
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2. Discuss the idea of salvation and the broader implications of the following: “Our salvation is a continuing evolution of physical, mental, social and spiritual transformation. My physical appetites are affected by my relationship with Christ, what I think and desire becomes adjusted, the company I keep and the places I invest my time are evaluated and sometimes changed, and there is an ever-deepening awareness of God.” (Major Dale Pilgrim)
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3. What should be an ever-evolving Salvation experience of change and reformation is often not the reality lived out. “Those who profess Christian commitment consistently show little or no behavioral and psychological difference from those who do not.”
4. Why is the reality of what should be, not the reality?
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5. “We produce an idea of God in our minds which we are pleasantly happy with so that we fail to deal with the disturbing God revealed in Jesus who really, when understood, makes us very uncomfortable and “[stirs] us to loftier life.” Discuss
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6. “God is love but he is also the Judge of nations and the Deliverer of Justice. Last time I checked, Armageddon is not an upcoming movie fest or backyard barbecue party! We want the soft side. We are made to squirm because the world rejects the Jesus who is counter-cultural. We try very hard to portray a Jesus who loves and anything goes. He definitely loves but not anything goes. There is a limit, there is a line and whether we like it or not, He is who He is. We can’t soften God down and make an idol of Him.” (Major Dale Pilgrim)
Agree or disagree? Discuss
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Probably the most fitting benediction to the whole matter is this quotation:
“Uzzah teaches us, at great personal cost, a valuable lesson about God. God is not safe. God is not a household deity, kept in our safekeeping. And-be warned – God’s safety is not our business. Our role on this earth, be it prophet, king, priest, or bank teller, is not to keep the Almighty from mishap or embarrassment. He takes care of Himself.”
God can look after himself. The questions now come down to two, about what our response will be.
We are at war. Where are you in the battle?
What is your Babylon that needs to be left behind?
