NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.
Bible Passages: Matthew 8:5-10; Luke 7:1-10
Discussion Questions:
— How would you describe the difference between commitment and surrender? Why would surrendering to authority have more effect than committing to authority?
— What adjectives might describe the person who does not operate in surrender to the order God has established?
— What results when God’s order is ignored?
Food for Thought:
Some things don’t come naturally; they don’t seem to make sense to us and don’t elicit our instinctive response. If I ever step into quick sand, I know my immediate reaction is going to be to try to lift my feet out of that miry death trap. Wrong reaction. The more you struggle and move, the more quickly you sink. The further you sink, the more panic overwhelms you. The more panic overwhelms you, the more likely you are to react instinctively; in this case, to flail away in an effort to escape. And the more you do that, the quicker and further you sink, a vicious cycle made worse by doing what comes naturally.
Okay, so most of us will never see, much less step in, quick sand; but we still know the experience of our natural reaction leading us further into a troubled journey away from our intended goal, even when we know what we ought to do. We all know that the Bible tells us, “A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath” (Proverbs 15:1, CSB). But what is your natural reaction and first response when someone speaks harshly to you or unjustly accuses you of something? Yeah, mine, too. Our instincts don’t always serve us well.
Such is the case in our spiritual lives. We all wish to live strong, victorious lives with spiritual authority that overcomes the enemy. We might learn strategies and formulas, and practice disciplines we believe will help us live with that spiritual authority. But as Adrian Rogers helps us see in this session of MasterWork, if we wish to exercise kingdom authority, we must find that strength through surrender. God has set up His Kingdom with a specific organization and authority structure. Only when we surrender to the arrangements He has implemented will we experience the spiritual authority we seek in life. Our natural instincts only mire us in impotency.
MasterWork
MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at www.lifeway.com/masterwork.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool, or ordered at LifeWay Christian Stores.
