Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
6. Is the Bible God’s Word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
Ice-Breaker:
- Who are you voting for? .... JUST KIDDING!!!!
- Have you ever found out that someone’s initial impression of you was completely different from who you actually are?
Scripture
1 Samuel 11 - 12
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
11 About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded. 2 “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!” 3 “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. 5 Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen, and when he returned to town, he asked, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?” So they told him about the message from Jabesh.
6 Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. 7 He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one. 8 When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.
9 So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, “We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!” There was great joy throughout the town when that message arrived!
10 The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us whatever you wish.” 11 But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.
12 Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said, ‘Why should Saul rule over us?’ Bring them here, and we will kill them!” 13 But Saul replied, “No one will be executed today, for today the Lord has rescued Israel!” 14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us all go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom.” 15 So they all went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the Lord they made Saul king. Then they offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites were filled with joy.
Samuel’s Farewell Address
12 Then Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have done as you asked and given you a king. 2 Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. 3 Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one. Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”
4 “No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.” 5 “The Lord and his anointed one are my witnesses today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.” “Yes, he is a witness,” they replied. 6 “It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel continued. “He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.
8 “When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. 9 But the people soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them.
10 “Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Gideon,[b] Bedan,[c] Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety.
12 “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king. 13 All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request.
14 “Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. 15 But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
16 “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!”
18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. 19 “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21 Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! 22 The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.
23 “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 25 But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
11 About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded. 2 “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!” 3 “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. 5 Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen, and when he returned to town, he asked, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?” So they told him about the message from Jabesh.
6 Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. 7 He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one. 8 When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.
9 So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, “We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!” There was great joy throughout the town when that message arrived!
10 The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us whatever you wish.” 11 But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.
12 Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said, ‘Why should Saul rule over us?’ Bring them here, and we will kill them!” 13 But Saul replied, “No one will be executed today, for today the Lord has rescued Israel!” 14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us all go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom.” 15 So they all went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the Lord they made Saul king. Then they offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites were filled with joy.
Samuel’s Farewell Address
12 Then Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have done as you asked and given you a king. 2 Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. 3 Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one. Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”
4 “No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.” 5 “The Lord and his anointed one are my witnesses today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.” “Yes, he is a witness,” they replied. 6 “It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel continued. “He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.
8 “When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. 9 But the people soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them.
10 “Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Gideon,[b] Bedan,[c] Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety.
12 “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king. 13 All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request.
14 “Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. 15 But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
16 “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!”
18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. 19 “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21 Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! 22 The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.
23 “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 25 But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”
Discussion Questions:
Nahash the Ammonite threatened to humiliate and oppress the people of Jabesh-gilead. When Saul heard what was happening, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he became very angry. Brandon described this as righteous anger as an “anger of love” that responds to evil because people are being harmed.
Saul's anger led to action. He gathered Israel's army, led a surprise attack, and the people of Jabesh-gilead were rescued. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but we fight spiritually through prayer, Scripture, and worship, while also serving those in need and engaging with the world around us.
Samuel reminded Israel of its repeated pattern of turning away from God, experiencing the consequences, crying out for help, and returning to old ways. This "crazy cycle" of striving, failure, and shame is one that many believers experience.
Brandon challenged the idea that following Jesus is mostly about managing sin: stop doing the bad things, do more good things, and try harder when you fail. That approach can leave us stuck in a cycle of striving, failure, and shame. Scripture gives us a different foundation. Through Jesus, we have been saved from sin’s penalty (justification); we are being changed as the Spirit works in us (sanctification); and one day we will be free from sin’s presence altogether (glorification). We don’t obey to earn our place in God’s family or keep our salvation. We pursue holiness because Jesus has already rescued us and made us His own.
Samuel urged Israel not to turn away from the Lord or return to worthless idols that could neither help nor rescue them. He called the people to serve God faithfully and remember all He had done for them. To do this, we have to recognize the things we rely on in God's place and to stop repeating patterns that have already led us away from Him.
After confronting Israel with its sin, Samuel told the people not to be afraid but to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. He reminded them that God would not abandon His people because it pleased Him to make them His own. God does not love us because we perform perfectly. Through Jesus, we are forgiven and adopted into His family, and that secure identity gives us room to confess sin and grow.
- Think of a recent story, conversation, or situation where someone was being mistreated. What was your first response, and what did you actually do next? Did you look for more information, pray, speak up, get involved, or move on with your day? What influenced your response?
- Sometimes we think our anger is righteous, but we're actually just offended, defensive, or disgusted with someone. How do you recognize when your anger is moving you toward love and protection versus contempt for the people you believe are wrong? Can you think of a time those motives were difficult to separate?
Saul's anger led to action. He gathered Israel's army, led a surprise attack, and the people of Jabesh-gilead were rescued. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but we fight spiritually through prayer, Scripture, and worship, while also serving those in need and engaging with the world around us.
- When you see news about evil or suffering, what do you usually do? Think about your actual habits: scroll past it, vent, arguing online, researching, giving, volunteering, etc. Why is prayer usually not considered the first step to answering injustice?
- When we believe something is deeply wrong, we can feel pressure to speak immediately and forcefully. How do we balance the responsibility to speak truth with the humility to listen, understand a situation, and consider whether our response is helping? Where have you seen Christians handle this well or make it worse?
Samuel reminded Israel of its repeated pattern of turning away from God, experiencing the consequences, crying out for help, and returning to old ways. This "crazy cycle" of striving, failure, and shame is one that many believers experience.
- Think about a recurring struggle you've tried to change. After the last time you fell into that pattern, what did you actually do? Did you hide it, tell yourself you'd do better, avoid God, confess it, or ask someone for help? How did that response affect what happened next?
- Brandon encouraged us to stop relying on willpower alone. Is there a form of help you've been putting off because you think you should be able to handle the struggle yourself: a conversation with a pastor, asking a trusted friend and believer for accountability, counseling, or a needed boundary? What could waiting to get that help cost you?
Brandon challenged the idea that following Jesus is mostly about managing sin: stop doing the bad things, do more good things, and try harder when you fail. That approach can leave us stuck in a cycle of striving, failure, and shame. Scripture gives us a different foundation. Through Jesus, we have been saved from sin’s penalty (justification); we are being changed as the Spirit works in us (sanctification); and one day we will be free from sin’s presence altogether (glorification). We don’t obey to earn our place in God’s family or keep our salvation. We pursue holiness because Jesus has already rescued us and made us His own.
- Many of us have learned to measure our walk with God by how well we're behaving. When we're doing well, we assume we're doing well spiritually; when we fail, we feel like we've lost ground with God and need to make up for it. Where do you see that way of thinking showing up in your relationship with Jesus? How has trying harder, making promises, or focusing on managing your behavior affected your ability to actually grow?
- Justification gives us secure standing with God, but sanctification is an ongoing growth process that was never meant to be done in isolation. Trying to fight recurring sin in secret through sheer willpower usually keeps us stuck in the cycle. How can our group create an environment of accountability where we can share struggles honestly without fear of judgment?
Samuel urged Israel not to turn away from the Lord or return to worthless idols that could neither help nor rescue them. He called the people to serve God faithfully and remember all He had done for them. To do this, we have to recognize the things we rely on in God's place and to stop repeating patterns that have already led us away from Him.
- Share a time God provided, sustained, or helped you. How could remembering that experience change the way you respond the next time you're tempted to rely on something other than Him?
- It is easy to turn back toward modern, worthless idols, idols of control, comfort, approval, or self-reliance. How can our group proactively check in on each other when we notice someone falling back into those old patterns? What specific commitment can we make to hold one another accountable so no one is trying to resist these temptations alone?
After confronting Israel with its sin, Samuel told the people not to be afraid but to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. He reminded them that God would not abandon His people because it pleased Him to make them His own. God does not love us because we perform perfectly. Through Jesus, we are forgiven and adopted into His family, and that secure identity gives us room to confess sin and grow.
- Think about a time someone disappointed you repeatedly, apologized, and then fell right back into the same pattern or cycle. How did you naturally respond: did you grow impatient, pull away, assume they weren't serious about changing, or keep showing up for them? How does the stark contrast between our impatience and God’s unwavering grace toward Israel challenge the way we treat and hold space for each other in our group when someone is caught in an ongoing struggle?
- As adopted children of God, our place in His family is secure, but growing to become more like Jesus takes time and happens as we learn to trust our Heavenly Father’s love, consistency, and discipline. If someone in our group opens up about a sin they keep struggling with, how can we move beyond offering quick Christian answers and actually help them take steps toward change? How can we hold each other accountable and encourage real growth while reminding one another that our struggle with sin doesn’t change our identity as God’s beloved children?
Prayer Topics:
- Pray that God would shape our hearts to love what He loves and respond with courage instead of anger or judgment.
- Ask God to move us from frustration to action through prayer, serving others, and speaking truth with humility.
- Pray for the courage to confess recurring sin, ask for help, and seek accountability instead of fighting alone.
- Ask God to root our identity in Christ so we can pursue holiness without trying to earn His love or fearing judgment.
- Thank God for His faithfulness and ask Him to help us turn from idols of comfort and control while looking out for one another.
- Pray that our group would reflect God’s grace through support, honest accountability, and a commitment to love each other well.
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