EXODUS: WHEN GOD S ON YOUR SIDE 1. LEADER PREPARATION

Transcription

1 EXODUS: WHEN GOD S ON YOUR SIDE Week 1: On God s Team (God Calls Moses) This includes: 1. Leader Preparation 2. Lesson Guide 1. LEADER PREPARATION LESSON OVERVIEW This lesson is designed to encourage your students faith and confidence when God calls them to take steps of faith. God is with us through every moment of our lives. If we have made the decision to follow Jesus, we have God s Spirit in us, and we can turn to God s Word to guide and strengthen us. Because of these truths, we can be bold as we obediently respond to God s call on our lives. LESSON OBJECTIVES 1. WHAT: God calls us to take action against obstacles and make a difference in people s lives, and with God on our side, no challenge or opportunity is too big. 2. WHY: Teenagers can pursue a life that dares to make a difference knowing that God is the power that compels them. 3. HOW: Students will consider specific ways to prepare themselves for those moments God calls them to take steps of faith. PRIMARY SCRIPTURE Exodus 3:1-12 SECONDARY SCRIPTURES Matthew 10:18-20; John 15:4-8; and Acts 16:9-10 TEACHING PREP The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson. While you may not want to convey this information word-for-word with your teenagers, you ll definitely want to refer to it as you lead. Read Exodus 3:1-12. The Israelites were God s chosen people, descendants of Jacob and his sons, who had relocated south to Egypt generations earlier to escape a famine in the land of Canaan.

2 Exodus 12 indicates that the Israelites, also known as the Hebrews, may have lived there for more than 400 years. The opening chapter of Exodus tells us how they had become a large and powerful population but were oppressed by the nation s king, the Pharaoh. The Israelites had become a sizable ethnic group in Egypt. So the Egyptian government, under the Pharaoh, began a systematic policy of oppression. This included the murder of any newborn Hebrew boy. Moses mother had thwarted the decree by raising Moses in secret until she could no longer hide him. She set him in a basket and placed him in the Nile where he was plucked by Pharaoh s own daughter and raised in the court of the very king who sought to have every Hebrew newborn boy killed. Moses would remain in the king s house until he fled from a crime he committed; observing the cruelty dished out to an Israelite slave by an Egyptian slave-driver, Moses lashed out at the man, killing him in plain sight. By the time we reach Exodus 3, Moses had become a sheepherder with his fatherin-law. Here, we see Moses being called by God in the most extraordinary of ways God s voice emanated from a bush that was on fire but was not burning. But God was not just calling to catch up. God had a truly awesome charge for Moses: the calling to be the deliverer of God s people. God was keeping his covenant promise to his people, Israel, and Moses would be the facilitator of the Israelite s exodus from Egypt. But instead of responding with humility or obedience or gratitude, Moses responded with an excuse why he wasn t the right person for the job. Sometimes we shy away from God s calling because the mission feels overwhelming. Sometimes we shy away because we feel unprepared and unqualified. Sometimes we find other excuses for not obeying God s call. Regardless of the reason, we can find strength knowing that God will be with us. Your students can seek out a life that dares to make a difference knowing that God is the power that compels them. With God your students can respond to God s call on their lives. THE BEFORE & AFTER [optional] Text Message Questions We ve provided a couple of different text message questions to send out to your students prior to your meeting. Feel free to use one or both of the questions below. As with the rest of the curriculum, edit these questions to fit the needs of your ministry.

3 What would it be like to follow a God who was unstoppable? Guess what: God IS unstoppable! Come to small group to discover more. Do you feel like God wants you to do something that you aren t qualified to do? Come to small group to learn from someone in a similar situation. Parent We ve provided you with an below that you can send to your parents following the lesson. Our hope is to encourage parents to continue the conversation at home. Feel free to edit and customize the to fit your ministry needs. Dear parents, Our small groups have launched a new four-week study on the book of Exodus, and in our first lesson, we studied God s calling of Moses. We encouraged students to boldly embrace those moments when God calls them to take action, knowing that God is always with them to empower and equip them. As you go through the week, I d encourage you to keep this theme alive in your teenager s life by looking for the opportunity to ask the following questions: God often calls people to take action because of hurt, pain, or sin. What obstacles or challenges facing people in our world might God call you as an individual or us as a family to take action against? What has God recently called you to do that made you a little nervous or anxious? What happens when we respond to the opportunities God gives us? What happens when we don t? Please pray for our small groups as we journey through this study, challenging students to see their lives continually transformed by God. Have a blessed week!

4 EXODUS: WHEN GOD S ON YOUR SIDE Week 1: On God s Team (God Calls Moses) 2. LEsson guide GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional] Take a moment and preview a YouTube clip of highlights from ABC s hilarious show Wipeout or find an appropriate segment from the show at abc.go.com/shows/ wipeout. Welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area. Open in prayer, and then jump into the media clip below: Ask if any of your students are familiar with ABC s show Wipeout. If so, have a student explain the basic premise. If not, explain that contestants attempt to get through a series of difficult physical challenges, most of which are seemingly impossible. This results in dramatic fails and wipeouts for contestants, which is, of course, hilarious to watch. After playing the video, Of all the challenges you saw, which one do you think would be the most difficult to conquer? Of all the people in our group, who do you think might stand the best chance of actually getting through a course like this? These contestants were all trying to win money. Would money be a good enough motivator for you to try these stunts? Why or why not? Think about the last real challenge you faced not necessarily a physical challenge, but maybe something that stood in your way emotionally, spiritually, or relationally. What motivated you to try your best to overcome this challenge? NOTE: If you don t have the capability of showing an online video clip, you can still modify the previous questions if students are familiar with the show. If none of them have seen the show, you can reword the first three questions to talk about physical challenges in general. If you came up with an opening activity, movie clip, or game that worked well with your group, and you d like to share it with other youth workers, please us at ideas@simplyyouthministry.com.

5 TEACHING GUIDE The goal of the Teaching Points is to help students capture the essence of each lesson with more discussion and less lecture-style teaching. The main points we have chosen here are (1) God calls people to take action against obstacles, (2) God s ability is more powerful than our excuses, and (3) If God calls you, God will be with you. Remember: All throughout these lessons, it s up to you to choose (1) how many questions you use, and (2) the wording of the main points keep ours, or change the wording to make it clearer for your audience. Read Exodus 3:1-12 together as a group. Consider allowing one or more of the teenagers to read the text. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: This is the first of four lessons based on the book of Exodus. In this lesson, we ll see how God called Moses to a huge task that represented an amazing opportunity: leading the Israelites out of slavery. But God reminded Moses that he would be with him in this task. The Israelites, also known as the Hebrews, were God s chosen people, descendants of a family that had relocated to Egypt generations earlier to escape a famine in the land of Canaan, to the north. The opening chapter of Exodus tells us how they had become a large and powerful population but were oppressed by the nation s king. To stop the Israelites numbers from growing, the king, called the Pharaoh, ordered that all newborn Hebrew baby boys be thrown into the Nile River. Moses survived because his mother placed him in a basket, and the little boy was found by the Pharaoh s daughter and actually was raised in the Pharaoh s household. 1. God calls people to take action against obstacles Try to imagine being in this situation. What if God asked you to do something similar to what Moses was asked to do? How do you think you would respond, and why? God often calls people to take action because of hurt, pain, or sin; in this situation, God s people were held in slavery in Egypt. What obstacles or challenges facing people in our world might God call you to take action against?

6 SAY SOMETHING LIKE: God called Moses to do something huge. Jesus calls us to also lead lives that are ready to respond to God s call. It s not a matter of if God will call us to respond; it s a matter of when. One of the best things you can begin to do is to look for opportunities God is putting in your path and for those moments when God calls you to act. 2. God s ability is more powerful than our excuses What s the lamest excuse you ve ever given your parents, teachers, or some other authority figure because you didn t want to obey, take a risk, or do something that pushed you beyond your comfort zone? Look at verse 11. What do you think Moses was really saying? What fear or anxiety was behind the excuse Moses gave God? What excuses do we sometimes use in not making the most out of the blessed life God has given us? What happens when we respond to the opportunities God gives us? What happens when we don t? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: God will give you opportunities to act against obstacles and to make a difference in people s lives. When we shrink in the face of God s calling, we basically are looking at God and saying, God, you ve got the wrong person. When you keep reading the story of Moses in Exodus 4, you discover that he continued to make excuses for why God had picked the wrong guy. But guess what? God knows exactly who you are and what you are capable of doing when you turn to God for strength, courage, and boldness. You have the opportunity to embrace God s leading and direction over your life by seeking to respond to God s call and take action. 3. If God calls you, God will be with you What crazy physical stunts or challenging initiatives are you willing to undertake when you re with friends that you would never try alone? Why does the company of a good friend make such a big difference? God told Moses, I will be with you. What do these five words communicate about God s character and how we ought to respond to God s calling?

7 Elsewhere in Scripture, God promises to empower people who are called for his purposes. How does this truth make it easier to respond and obey when God calls you to take action? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: It s pretty cool to think that when God calls us, God also promises to be there with us. We can respond obediently and confidently, knowing that God is on our side. God desires to see us live bold lives, working as his hands and feet on this earth, achieving the purposes for which he has called us. God is with us every step of the way. ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION [optional] Read John 15:4-8. What does this passage say about our power source in life? What do you think it means to remain in Jesus? What does that look like, and how do we do it? Read Acts 16:9-10. In this passage, we see Paul acting immediately on an opportunity placed in his path. In your life, how have you seen God put opportunities in front of you? What does it look like in your world? Read Matthew 10: How does Jesus say that the disciples will be empowered for the challenges that will accompany their opportunity? Picture Jesus saying these words directly to you how does that make you feel, and why? APPLICATION Have students form groups of two or three for these questions. If God has recently called you to some step of faith or action or obedience, how did you respond? Are you pleased with how you handled it, or should you have responded differently? Explain. How can you prepare yourself for the future when God calls you to some step of faith or action or obedience? What habits or attitudes can you develop now that will help you when that time comes?

8 Right now, are there areas in your life where you re offering excuses for not growing? If so, how can you make changes in this area? What kinds of prayers might you offer, asking God to help transform your attitude or actions in this area? Bring students back together, and give them an opportunity to pray for one another. Challenge students to embrace God s sustaining presence as they respond to God s call and opportunities God is opening up for them. SUMMARY End your lesson here. Provide your teenagers with a quick summary or take-home challenge based on (1) the content of this lesson, (2) the dialogue that took place during the lesson, (3) your understanding of the issues and struggles your teenagers are facing, and (4) the big picture of your youth ministry and what your leadership team wants accomplished with the teaching and discussion time. FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE] Encourage and/or challenge your teenagers to memorize the verse below. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5).