1. Pair off with someone in your group and review the 10 Commandments from memory?
2. Read Exodus 20:15. Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever had anything stolen from you?
3. It seems like every week of this series we talk about how we have “re-defined” and lost “God’s heart” relating to each of these commandments in our culture today. Do you see signs around you and even in your life that we have done this and become tolerant and dismissing of stealing?
4. Why do you think stealing is usually “not a big deal” in our lives until someone steals from us? Any thoughts?
5. We talked about how breaking any of the 10 Commandments is theft in one-way or another. Go back through the commandments and talk about how this is true.
6. Stealing is more than robbing a bank or car jacking. We talked about several different ways that we can steal:
- TAKING what isn’t YOURS
- WITHHOLDING what is THEIRS
- DECEIVING for personal GAIN
- EMBEZZLING what is GOD’S
Review this list and talk about each one. Which of these ways to steal do you think you struggle with the most?
7. We concluded this week talking about the antidote for stealing.
- WORK HARD
- Be CONTENT
- Be an EXAMPLE
Can you see how doing each of these would help us to not steal and perhaps change our perspectives? How so?
8. Read Ephesians 4:28, Colossians 3:23-25, Philippians 4:12-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 & Psalm 24:1. Which of these verses resonates with you the most? Why?
9. Be sure to finish off your group reviewing the 10 Commandments again and then share any requests that you might have. Pray for these requests and that each of us will honor God’s by not stealing.
This week we were dealing with the 7th commandment at Plum Creek. During the message I shared the 10 Commandments for marriage that I wrote. I have seen this done by others but when I wrote mine I tried to stay true to the message of each of the real 10 Commandments.
When I did my list I actually came up with 12. You will see why. Here they are:
1. No other earthly relationships before BETH, including my kids.
2. Nothing on earth more important than BETH.
3. Never speak negatively about BETH.
4a. Worship & pray with BETH regularly.
4b. Honor date night with BETH & keep it holy VERY HOLY!!
5. Treat BETH’S family as if they were mine.
6. Do not take life from BETH with my words or actions.
7a. Be relentlessly faithful to BETH
7b. Have sex only with BETH, OFTEN.
8. Do not steal time that is meant to be spent with BETH.
9. Always tell BETH the whole truth.
10. Don’t entertain thoughts or desires of a relationship with anyone other than BETH.
I encouraged everyone to take the time to write their 10 Commandments for marriage as well. Love to hear what you came up with!
1. Pair off with someone in your group and review the 10 Commandments from memory?
2. Read Exodus 20:14. Why do you think that adultery has become so commonplace in our culture today?
3. So many people believe that this 7th commandment is out of date and irrelevant for today. Why do you think this is the case? It is interesting that so many people feel this way yet at the same time adultery or infidelity are the number one cause of divorce today. Any thoughts?
4. This week we talked about the Adulterous Demise.
- Begins with a DISTRACTION.
- Moves to ATTRACTION.
- Progresses to an INFATUATION.
Does this progression seem accurate to you? Read Matthew 5:27-28. Jesus identifies that adultery is a matter of the heart/mind. Do you think this is true? What are some things that you feel can become a “distraction” in marriage? How have the use of cell phones, text messaging, email and Facebook contributed to this progression?
5. We also talked about ways that we can “Safeguard Ourselves Against Adultery”.
- RECOGNIZE your VULNERABILITY.
- PUSH your CLOCK forward.
- EXTINGUISH any UNFAITHFULNESS
- INVEST in your MARRIAGE.
Review this list and talk about what they mean. Why are these safeguards important?
6. Read Colossians 3:5 & Romans 12:2. How do these verses challenge you?
7. We finished our time together talking about how we need to invest in our marriages. This challenge was to those that are married and even those that are single. What are some things that you can do personally in this area?
8. Be sure to finish off your group reviewing the 10 Commandments again and then share any requests that you might have. Pray for these requests and that each of us will honor God’s plan for faithfulness in our marriages.
1. Pair off with someone in your group and review the 10 Commandments from memory.
2. What evidence do you see in our society that indicates a valuing or devaluing of life? Have you or possibly an acquaintance been affected by senseless loss of life? How do you think the media in our culture today impacts the value of human life?
3. Read Psalm 139:13-18 & Ephesians 2:10. When you read these verses it is obvious that each of us are very special in God’s eyes. How does this help us to understand the value of human life?
4. Before this past weekend when you heard this commandment what did you think it meant?
5. Read Exodus 20:13 and Matthew 5:21-22. Focus in on Jesus’ challenge. He takes this commandment to the issues of the heart and speaks to how we can take life by the way we speak to and about others. How have you seen this to be true?
6. Review the story that I shared this week about the pillow and feathers. How did the pastor use this experience to help the man in the story to realize the significance of our words?
7. Read Psalm 19:14. As you finish your group today use this verse as a template for your prayer.
8. Be sure to finish off your group reviewing the 10 Commandments again and then share any requests that you might have. Pray for these requests and that each of us will value life like God does.
1. Pair off with someone in your group and see how many of the 10 Commandments you can name?
2. Read Exodus 20:7. As we read scripture we can see that “misusing the name of the Lord” is a huge deal to God. Why do you think this matters so much to Him?
3. We talked this week about how names are more than just a way of finding someone in the phone book. A name represents the kind of character and qualities that person possesses. When people hear your name what do you think comes to their mind? When you hear our God’s name what does this represent to you?
4. Before this past weekend when you heard this commandment what did you think that it meant?
5. Read Exodus 20:7 again. Focus in on the warning that God gives if we don’t obey this command well. How do you feel about this? Why are the stakes so high?
6. The heart behind this commandment is that, we misuse God’s name whenever we speak of Him in a way that is dishonoring, trite, insincere or rote. How does this change our understanding of what it means to “misuse the name of God”?
7. Read Philippians 2:9-11 & Luke 11:2-4. What do these New Testament verses teach us about the name of God?
8. We concluded the weekend talking about 3 ways that we commonly misuse the name of God:
- With our SPEECH
- Using His name for our BENEFIT
- With our LIFESTYLE
Do you agree that these are ways that we misuse His name? How have you seen this to be true in your life? Which of these three is the most difficult for you?
8. What are some things that you can do this week to keep yourself in check with this third commandment?
9. Be sure to finish off your group reviewing the 10 Commandments again and then share any requests that you might have. Pray for these requests and that each of us will honor God’s name with our lives.
1. Pair off with someone in your group and see how many of the 10 Commandments you can name?
2. Read Exodus 20:4-6 & 1 John 5:21. As we read scripture we can see that “idolatry” is a huge deal to God. Why do you think this matters so much to Him?
3. Idolatry can appear in virtually any area of our lives. Why do you think this is true? How have you seen this in your own life? What are a few things that have the most potential to become idols in your life?
4. We talked this week about how idols are things that “take the place of” or “take away from the majesty God”. How have you seen this to be true in your life?
5. Read Exodus 20:4-5 again. Focus in on the warning that God gives if we don’t obey this command well. How do you feel about this? Why are the stakes so high?
6. Read Exodus 20:6. The good news is that there is also a promise that comes when we do obey this command. How do you feel about this? What are some things that you parents can do to help communicate passion for God (both in action & words) to your children?
7. We concluded the weekend talking about how we need a personal plan in order for us to keep this commandment. A couple of ideas were shared…
- We need to PRIORITIZE our worship…
- We need to PREPARE for worship…
- We need to PARTICIPATE in worship…
How can you do better at implementing a plan to keep this commandment? What are some other things that you can do besides these three?
8. If rules tell us a lot about a person, what does this second commandment tell us about our God?
9. Be sure to finish off your group reviewing the 10 Commandments again and then share any requests that you might have. Pray for these requests and that each of us will live our lives having no idols.
1. Share a few of the rules that are part of your home. What do these rules tell us about you?
2. Pair off with someone in your group and see how many of the 10 Commandments you can name? What do you think about the 10 Commandments.
3. Most people believe that the 10 Commandments are still important today. However, most can’t name more than a few. Why do you think this is? Do you see a problem with this?
4. We began this week talking about how the 10 Commandments are a…
- Compass for Direction
- Thermometer of Love
- Mirror of Reality
What do you think about these word pictures?
Read James 1:21-24 and talk about what these verses say to us?
5. We also talked about the D.T.R.’s (Define the Relationship) that we find in the first commandment. Exodus 20:1-3
- He is the Only God
- He is a Personal God
- He is a Saving God
- He wants to be Your God.
Why do you think these are so important? How do they affect your life and relationship with God? Why do you think that God clarified the first three before He began to share the 10 Commandments? What does this say to us today?
6. Read Rom 3:20-22 & Romans 6:22-23. Why do so many feel like they have to “keep” these commandments in order to have relationship with God? What do these verses say to us? How does this change your perspective and feelings related to the 10 Commandments?
7. The 10 Commandments ultimately reveal our desperate need for God! It is impossible to please Him and keep these commandments without him in our lives. Why do we need to remember this?
8. If rules tell us a lot about a person, what does this first commandment tell us about our God?
9. How can you apply the things we learned this week to your life personally?
10. Be sure to finish off your group praying for any requests that you might have and pray that we will live our lives having no other god’s before our God.
Spent most of the day downtown on 16th Street shooting video for this weekend. That is always a blast. We decided it would be fun to kick off our new series on the 10 Commandments asking people a few questions about them.
It should be a fun video. Not really surprised how many people believe that they are still very important for our society and also for us an individuals. Yet only one guy could name all 10. He was the guy carrying the “Jesus Loves You” sign while cruising 16th street.
You’re not going to want to miss our new series. We are going to be challenged and have some “PlumCreek” fun at the same time!
See you at the theater on Sunday!
Discussion Questions:
1. What is an inspirational “comeback story” from your lifetime that you are aware of?
2. Some of the greatest stories in the Bible are the stories of “comebacks”. When you think of the stories that you are familiar with from Scripture, which ones come to mind?
3. In order for there to be a “comeback” there has to be some kind of disappointment or failure. As a culture we despise failure. There are even times when we have allowed our failures to define us. Read the Paul’s words in Philippians 3:13. What does this verse say to us about our disappointments and failures?
4. Herbert set the tone for this week’s message by stating that in order for there to be a real “comeback” we need an encounter with God. What are your thoughts related to that statement.
5. Herbert used the story of Moses to illustrate the power of an encounter with God. Moses had failed, but God wasn’t done with him. Herbert shared 3 reasons why we need a God encounter. They were:
- You will understand that God knows where you are.
- You will better understand who God is.
- You will understand that God still has a plan.
What thoughts do you have about these statements. When you think about Moses’ story and the “comeback” that was initiated during his encounter with God, what does this say to us?
6. We were also challenged to remember that God’s plan doesn’t typically happen overnight; and that we always need to get back up. Why is it important to remember these things.
7. Are there areas in your life where you would say you need to experience a “comeback”? If you feel comfortable share your thoughts with your group. What are some things that you know you need to do to make a “comeback” a reality?
8. Finish off your group this week praying for any specific needs and also praying for those that need a “comeback”.
Discussion Questions:
1. Can you share a memory of your dad / father? When you think about the word dad what are some of the thoughts that come to your mind and heart?
2. We live in a culture where there is a significant misunderstanding of the role of men. Why do you think this is? Why are dads so important in the family?
3. This week I talked about being an “Unstoppable Man”. I shared that being an Unstoppable Man Requires…
- Leading Courageously
- Protecting Bravely
- Loving Sacrificially
Whether you are a man or not which of these was the most challenging to you?
4. We live in a society that has invested a significant amount of energy on the topic of leadership. As much information as we have available to us in this area we still have a very long way to go. I always say that the most difficult person to lead will always be you. Do you find this to be true? Why do you think this is the case? Read Joshua’s declaration in Joshua 24:14-15. Carefully re-read verse 15. Do you see where this declaration begins? What does this communicate to us?
5. Our greatest example of how we should love is God. Why is this true? There have been countless numbers of times throughout history when people have tried to stop and thwart the message of God’s love. However, it has proved to be unstoppable. Read Paul’s words in Romans 8:38-39. What do these verses tell us?
6. If we are to follow God’s example in love we will communicate our love with words and show our love with actions. How do you do with this? Why do you think this is often a struggle for men? What can you do to follow this example more effectively?
7. God’s plan is that we will love unconditionally. This includes our relationships with Him, our spouses and others. How are you doing with this? What steps can you take to love unconditionally?
8. Finish off your group this week praying for any specific needs and also praying for the men in your life, in our church and in our city to be Unstoppable Men.
