Leader Guide

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Leader Guide Sunday, March 18, 2018

The Purpose of the Mission Sermon Text:​ Psalm 67 Study Texts:​ Psalm 57 Sermon Recap:​ In this week’s sermon text, Psalm 67, we learned that “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” In these first six verses, Psalm 67 presented the evangelistic theme of the Old Testament long before the coming of Christ. The psalmist gives praise to the LORD for a future time when all peoples of the earth will be blessed by Him. This passage looks beyond the nation of Israel to a time when even Gentile nations will come under the rule and reign of the LORD and will also carry the message that God's mercy is for all peoples. “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise You!”​ This Psalm is first and foremost a prayer to God. When we pray like this, we pray according to the heart of God, Who desires that none perish but all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), and Who has ordained a great multitude from all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues to praise Him before His throne (Revelation 7:9). Sermon Connection: ​One of the means that God has ordained for His name to be worshipped throughout the earth is through the prayers of His people. Using our Growth Group passage, Psalm 57, we will learn how to pray with God’s glory in the center of our hearts. This God-centered prayer can be divided into three sections: (1.) David, a trusting soul, prays for God’s deliverance (vv. 1-3), (2.) From danger to praise above the heavens (vv. 4-6), and (3.) David prays that all people(s) will worship God (vv. 7-11). In summary, David’s chief desire is that God will be exalted above the heavens and the earth. Despite his own particular troubles, David prays for God’s name to be praised.

Lesson Plan Lesson Goal: ​The goal of this lesson is to pray that all nations will worship God for what He has done in the person and work of Jesus Christ. 1

Opening Question:​ A person of prayer once said, “​God gave the Psalms to us so that we would give the Psalms back to God.” In other words, God gave the Psalms to teach us how to pray (See Luke 11:1). Why is it helpful to pray the Bible? 1. You will learn how to pray in accordance with God’s will. ​(See 1 John 5:14). 2. You will be freed from the common struggle of praying the same old things. 3. You will pray more God-centered prayers. 4. You will enjoy more focus in prayer when you pray the Bible. 5. You will be more missionally-minded in prayer. ​(Ephesians 3:17; Luke 10:2) Teaching Tip: ​ Psalm 57 is a prayer that God would be exalted, that He would be worshiped among all the nations and worshiped in our own lives. As you teach, ​read​ the passage from Psalm 57, then ​teach​ the passage, and ​discuss​ ​the application. Then, pray​ as a Growth Group. Psalm 57 is made up of 3 sections. You will repeat this process for each section in your Growth Group. Context: ​Psalm 57 is a prayer written in a period of David’s life when he was seeking deliverance from King Saul. To seek refuge, David hides in a local cave and calls on the name of the Lord. ​The ​cave ​was probably “​the cave of Adullam​,” mentioned in 1 Samuel 22:1​. During the prayer, you will see David move from great distress, crying out to God, to worship and adoration of God. Read and Study God’s Word (​Psalm 57:1-3). Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, ​for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, ​till the storms of destruction pass by. ​I cry out to God Most High, ​to God who fulfills his purpose for me. ​He will send from heaven and save me; ​he will put to shame him who tramples on me. ​Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! v.1 - ​David takes refuge in the fatherly care of God.​ ​A call for God’s mercy is a trademark of David, who relies completely on the Lord. He then writes: ​“...for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.”​ It is important to notice that David is not resting in the protection of the cave but in the protection of God. The phrase, ​“in the shadow of your wings”​ is a picture of Divine protection and deliverance (See Matthew 23:37). Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The hawk flies across the sky, but this is no evil to the chicks when they are 2

safely nestling beneath the hen.” David is casting his cares on the Lord and trusting Him with the outcome. He is declaring that when trouble comes, he has an enduring confidence in God. v. 2 - ​David understands his troubles as a means of sanctification, a means of God fulfilling His purpose in him. Although David cries out, he does not lose hope. Romans 8:28 says, ​“​And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”​ ​This promise provides great comfort for God’s people. In Christ, we can rest assured that our troubles are not in vain. v. 3 - ​David trusts in God to deliver Him. Just as God comes from heaven to deliver David from his earthly enemies, He delivers His people from sin and Satan. Jesus is the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, sent from heaven to save us from our sins! God has done what no one else can do by sending His only Son, Who is full of grace and truth, to seek and save the lost (See John 6:38; Matthew 1:21). Prayer Focus: Pray as a Growth Group… 1. Pray a prayer of dependence upon God,​ “​Be merciful to me, O God…” 2. Pray expressing thanks to God for never leaving or forsaking us. 3. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s mercies; specifically His fatherly care for His people (1 Peter 5:7) and salvation (Romans 12:1). 4. Pray for the lost in our local communities. There are many in our area in need of the saving mercies of God. Ask the Lord to use your Growth Group to reach the lost with the Gospel. 5. Pray for the MIC Missionaries. Their labor for the Gospel is often challenging. Pray for God’s sustaining mercies and for the lost to come to know His saving grace. Read and Study God’s Word (​Psalm 57:4-6). My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah 3

v. 4: ​David had many reasons to believe his enemies were much more powerful than he. In describing his great disadvantage, he hoped to appeal to the mercy of God​. He spoke of his enemies in fearful terms, especially noting the power of their words against him. v. 5: ​Despite David’s troubles, his heart is fixed on seeing God worshipped. ​David declared the excellence of God to his own soul and to the Lord’s.​ His heart is steadfast (fixed) on seeing the nations worship God. This is a mark of true conversion. When God saves a person, His Spirit takes residence in them in such a way that His thoughts becomes their thoughts, His desires becomes their desires, and His mission becomes their mission (1 Corinthians 2:16; Matthew 28:19). Because David is filled with the Spirit of God, he is praying in accordance with the purpose and mission of God. What is the purpose and the mission of God? God’s purpose is to redeem a people for Himself to the praise of His glorious grace (See Ephesians 1:6). His desire is to make the nations glad in Christ so that they will sing His praises. v. 6​: ​In the previous lines, David’s soul soared above the heavens. Now he is back down and in danger of going into the pit his enemies dug to trap him. The pit prepared by enemies has instead trapped those who dug it. From his circumstances as he came to the cave, we sense David said this with the anticipation of faith. It had not yet happened, but he knew that it would. Prayer Focus: Pray as a Growth Group… 1. David faced fierce enemies. Many of us face enemies, very difficult people in our lives. Pray for “our enemies” as Jesus taught us in Matt. 5:44. 2. Pray for those who persecute us, who seek to harm us because of our faith in Jesus Christ (John 15:20). 3. Pray for our MIC missionaries’ perseverance, for their encouragement, and for their joy. 4. Pray for the ​unreached and least reached​ to hear the gospel and believe, that they too may become worshippers of the Most High God. Read and Study God’s Word (​Psalm 57:7-11). My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 4

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! vv. 7-9:​ ​The Psalm began with David appealing twice for mercy; now David expressed his ​steadfast​ confidence in God twice. Though alone in the cave and troubles behind and ahead, he could allow his ​heart​ to be ​steadfast​ in God. The steadfast heart led to a singing heart. Perhaps David wished he had a ​lute and harp​ with him in the cave to accompany his singing of praise. Even from the cave, David could envision his song of praise extending to the ​nations​, that all the peoples may praise you, O God. The purpose of missions is to make worshippers of God. In his book, “Let the Nations be Glad,” John Piper says it this way, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.” v. 10: ​A cave narrows and darkens the vision of most people, but David’s heart and song soared ​unto the clouds​. He exalted the ​mercy​ and ​truth​ of God even from difficult circumstances. v. 11:​ It’s important to remember that David’s circumstances were not much better when he sang this song. He was delivered from the immediate danger at Gath, but a cave was a long way from the throne of Israel God had promised him. David didn’t wait for his circumstances to change before he praised God ​above the heavens​. Prayer Focus: Pray as a Growth Group… 1. Pray that we will be a people fixed on seeing God worshipped for what He has done in Christ. 2. Pray for opportunities for our Growth Group to testify to the glory of God in salvation. Pray that the Lord will grant Parkwood a culture of evangelism. 3. Pray for the MIC Missionaries. Pray for their hearts to remain steadfast on seeing the Gospel transform lives for the praise and glory of God. 4. Pray for God’s global Church to embrace the mission of God and give their lives to spread the fame of His name. 5

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