Notes from September 13/14, 2008

Sermon Notes for Small Group Leaders
“bringing IT back” 2
Pastor Jim Zippay, Senior Pastor
September 13/14, 2008
1 Chronicles 13:5-14

Outline
I. Recognize the sacredness of symbols (1 Chronicles 13:5-14)
II. Realize the dangers of human ingenuity (1 Samuel 6:7, 2 Sam 6:3, 2 Timothy 2:21-22, 1 Corinthians 1:18)
III. Revere the mysteries of God

Content
1. David’s good intentions to bring the Ark back failed when Uzzah was killed by God as he tried to steady the Ark.
2. Symbols, signs and images are not relics to be worshiped, but they do help us understand and connect with God, who is spirit.
3. Symbols are sacred because of the reality they represent. Examples are the cross, the Bible, Communion, and God becoming Man in the person of Jesus.
4. Failure results when good intentions do not line up with God’s instruction.
5. What God says can’t be evaluated by the world’s wisdom. He is Holy. (“For the message of the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing…” 1Cor 1:18)
6. Believers should show their maturity by their humility, not their ingenuity; instead of doing something different, just do what God says.
7. Worship involves all of you (“full body contact”): renewed mind, regenerated spirit, rededicated body, revived emotions.
8. Even though he was angry, David didn’t quit. He gave up on his own way and, in reverence, cried out to God for help.
9. Many quit on God because they had formulas and human wisdom instead of faith.

Aim
The only way to experience the presence of God is to do it God’s way and with His help, not the world’s way under our own strength.

Application Questions
I. What Christian symbols have impacted you spiritually? How can symbols help us enter into God’s presence?
II. How do you react when God doesn’t come through for you the way you thought he would (or should)? In what areas of your life are you following the world’s wisdom rather than God’s instruction? What “good intentions” do you have that you are trying to accomplish in the world’s or your own strength?
III. What mysteries of God have you taken for granted, ignored, or tried to explain away? In what areas of your life are you wrestling with what God has or hasn’t done? Are you willing to do it God’s way, even if it hurts? What is God stirring up in you that he wants to remove (feelings, thoughts, attitudes)?