Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
Ice-Breaker:
- Who is your whiniest kid? Or were you whiney as a kid?
Scripture
Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors trusted in you,
and you rescued them.
5 They cried out to you and were saved.
They trusted in you and were never disgraced.
6 But I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned and despised by all!
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
8 “Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
let the Lord rescue him!”
9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
You have been my God from the moment I was born.
11 Do not stay so far from me,
for trouble is near,
and no one else can help me.
12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;
fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!
13 Like lions they open their jaws against me,
roaring and tearing into their prey.
14 My life is poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax,
melting within me.
15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
an evil gang closes in on me.
They have pierced my hands and feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
My enemies stare at me and gloat.
18 They divide my garments among themselves
and throw dice for my clothing.
19 O Lord, do not stay far away!
You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!
20 Save me from the sword;
spare my precious life from these dogs.
21 Snatch me from the lion’s jaws
and from the horns of these wild oxen.
22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.
23 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
He has not turned his back on them,
but has listened to their cries for help.
25 I will praise you in the great assembly.
I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied.
All who seek the Lord will praise him.
Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
27 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
28 For royal power belongs to the Lord.
He rules all the nations.
29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.
Bow before him, all who are mortal,
all whose lives will end as dust.
30 Our children will also serve him.
Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.
31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
They will hear about everything he has done.
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors trusted in you,
and you rescued them.
5 They cried out to you and were saved.
They trusted in you and were never disgraced.
6 But I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned and despised by all!
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
8 “Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
let the Lord rescue him!”
9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
You have been my God from the moment I was born.
11 Do not stay so far from me,
for trouble is near,
and no one else can help me.
12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;
fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!
13 Like lions they open their jaws against me,
roaring and tearing into their prey.
14 My life is poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax,
melting within me.
15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
an evil gang closes in on me.
They have pierced my hands and feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
My enemies stare at me and gloat.
18 They divide my garments among themselves
and throw dice for my clothing.
19 O Lord, do not stay far away!
You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!
20 Save me from the sword;
spare my precious life from these dogs.
21 Snatch me from the lion’s jaws
and from the horns of these wild oxen.
22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.
23 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
He has not turned his back on them,
but has listened to their cries for help.
25 I will praise you in the great assembly.
I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied.
All who seek the Lord will praise him.
Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
27 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
28 For royal power belongs to the Lord.
He rules all the nations.
29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.
Bow before him, all who are mortal,
all whose lives will end as dust.
30 Our children will also serve him.
Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.
31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
They will hear about everything he has done.
Discussion Questions:
- Psalm 22 is a Psalm of LAMENT from David, but also a prophetic MESSIANIC Psalm that points to Jesus' crucifixion. The first line is one of the most famous lines spoken in all of human history. "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" David prayed this prayer in a moment of distress, but Jesus also prayed it on the cross. Notice, they are not asking for God to fix anything. Yes, what they are experiencing is painful, but what is even MORE painful is the DISTANCE from God. And so they pray, "Come close to me!" Talk about a time when you felt like God had abandoned you. Did you pray a prayer like this to Him?
- When Jesus cries out, "WHY?!", He's not asking for an explanation, He's asking for ACTION. This is the first time Jesus addresses the Father as "God" instead of "Father." Because the truth is, the intimacy and oneness with the Father HAD been broken. God HAD looked away in this moment and fellowship HAD been broken. Why? Because God placed on Jesus the sins of the world. His cry was not one of disbelief, but of disorientation as He who knew no sin became sin for us. Jesus experienced for the first time what sin does... it separates us from God. Our sin hurts our relationship with Him. Sinning against your spouse doesn't mean you aren't married, but it will sure affect your level of connection and intimacy and oneness. Have you ever experienced the pain of separation from God because of sin? What should our response be if we find ourselves drifting from God and living in sin?
- As we said, Psalm 22 is a prophetic psalm pointing to what was to come as Jesus was crucified. Jesus' crying out in abandonment, the description of mocking and the shaking of heads, Jesus saying He was thirsty, the guards gambling for His clothes, the accurate description of crucifixion some 400 years before its invention... and, of course, "It is FINISHED!" Look at the Bible cross-reference graph in the message notes on the app. The lines represent all the times Scripture points back to itself and fulfills prophecies. This is proof of divine inspiration. How do all these accurate prophecies affect your confidence in and love for Scripture? How would you asses your level of trust in the inherency and infallibility of the Word of God?
- In verse 22, a shift has taken place. David's prayer now points to the future victory over death and sin of the cross when Jesus can call us His BROTHERS and SISTERS. Because He purchased our freedom with His death and resurrection, we are no COHEIRS with Christ. Hebrews 2 says that Jesus is NOT ASHAMED to call us His brothers and sisters. He purchased His family through His self-sacrifice. That's how much He loves you and wanted a relationship with you. How loved does this make you feel? What do you think it means to be Jesus' brother/sister? What might it look like to relate to Jesus as not just Savior and Lord, but also Brother?
- The challenge on Sunday was to TRUST God and His process, even when we experience trials, pain an difficulty. Why? Because of the acronym... because pain is T - Temporary. No matter how bad it is, it's only for a little while. Morning is on the way. It's R - Revealing. Pain will always bring our weaknesses and shortcomings to the surface. It's U - Useful. God works all things together for the good of those that are in Christ. It's S - Sanctifying. Being tested grows our faith, refines us, and makes us more like Jesus. And finally, it's T - Transformative. If you choose to trust TRUTH over FEELINGS, you'll come out of the other side something different. Our suffering in Christ is ALWAYS for our ultimate, eventual good and His ultimate, eventual glory. How can you grow your level of trust through your own pain? Do you think it's possible to, as James said, to "consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds"?
Prayer Topics:
- That we would learn to come to God honestly.
- That we would lean into Him through our trials.
- That we would trust Him even when we suffer.
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