“God often surprises us at unexpected moments.” – Unknown.

Do you love surprises, or do you hate them? One group loves the element of surprise, while another avoids surprises at all costs. You will experience surprises, and you shouldn’t be surprised when God surprises you.

Surprising isn’t just a characteristic God demonstrates in our lives; it’s one He repeatedly exhibits throughout the Bible. Name virtually any story in the Bible, and you’ll find some surprise.

God shocked Moses by calling him to lead his people to their new home. Sarah laughed when God decided to grant her prayer to have a child, long after she ever believed it was possible. Elijah discovered God’s wonder, not in the crashing roar of a storm or earthquake but in a whisper. The angel visited Mary, startling her with the news that she would give birth to the Son of God. The disciples were amazed at seeing Jesus perform miracles and walk on water. No matter how vivid his imagination, Saul never expected to experience Jesus on that Damascus Road. And let’s not forget the greatest surprise of all: God in the human form of Jesus, coming to earth to die for our sins.

We live in the potential of a surprise from God all the time.  The question is, will the surprises of life paralyze us? Of course, it will challenge our faith and trust in Him, and it’s human nature to question and wonder why God would allow certain things to happen. When God surprises us with an opportunity, our first reaction is to view it from the perspective of our sufficiency. We fear the unknown, we fear the loss, and we fear the uncertainty. We often are surprised because we put God in a box and expect Him to act in specific ways, preferably how we see things playing out. God’s plans may catch us by surprise, but they never surprise Him. He knows the plans that He has for us.  You must be prepared to trust His plan, knowing it could contain a few surprises.

In the face of surprises, we have God’s grace. We know that God will give us enough grace and strength to get through anything we are going through, even if that includes a few future surprises that we don’t like. At times, God’s plan can be intimidating or even scary. You may be intimidated by its demands or disappointed. So, let yourselves be surprised by God.

Don’t be afraid of surprises, afraid that they will shake you up. Surprises make us insecure, but they also change the direction we are going in. Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves of what God has done and demonstrated about Himself to see what He is doing now or trust what He might do or will do in the future.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you feel about surprises?
2. What would it take for you to let go and let God show you the next step in His plan for you? Is fear holding you back?

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.” — Luke 23:44–46 (ESV).

Most of us have trust scars. These are wounds from trusting someone that have healed over time but left a scar. At some point in our lives, someone has betrayed us, tricked us, or let us down. As we look at the scars, we wonder why we placed our trust in that person in the first place. We become hesitant or at least slow to trust anyone.

 In Luke 23: 44-46 passage, Jesus is in the middle of the most painful and difficult moment of His life. He is on the cross, surrounded by thieves on His right and left. He had been beaten, crucified, and left for dead.  The taunting crowds are gathered, and at Christ’s feet are those gambling for His clothes.

Before He draws His last breath, He entrusts His spirit into His father’s hands. What He had spent His life working for was coming to an end. In His darkest moment, and when things made no sense, Jesus trusted God.  Despite incredible pain, suffering, darkness, and sorrow, God was worthy of Jesus’ trust.

What about us? Can we honestly say that we completely trust God, not just on the good days but even on those days of confusion, pain, and suffering? Because God loves you, you can show trust in Him by discussing your feelings and circumstances through prayer. When you trust, you go to God when life is good and when life is hard. You trust that God will ultimately take care of the rest. In trust, you do not look for security in other things; you look to God to hold you securely under challenging circumstances. You won’t do this perfectly, but God is kind and patient with you while you learn to trust Him.

There may be people in your life that you should not trust or cannot trust now. But you can always trust God, no matter the circumstances.

Discussion Questions: 

1. Which aspect of your life do you struggle most when trusting God? How can you address that area this week?  

“In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me,” – Psalms 31:1-5.

As Jesus hung on the Cross, humiliated and in excruciating pain, He gave us a powerful example of surrender. Perfect in every way, He did not stoop to self-pity, anger, or regret. The cruelty He had received from so many did not deter Him from the continual surrender of His life to the Father and His holy will.

In His last moments, Jesus quoted the Old Testament.  No doubt weary from physical suffering and struggling for every breath, Jesus shouted the words of Psalm 31:5. Luke 23:46 says He called out with a loud voice: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Those were the last words He spoke from the cross. According to Luke 23:46, “and having said this he breathed his last.”

He borrowed these words from David. The Lord certainly didn’t need to have words put into His mouth. The context here is that David is fleeing from his son, Absalom. Things are not going well, and so he is desperately in need of sustenance, strength, and the preservation of his life. David was asking God for protection from the enemy and stated that he had committed himself to God’s hands because God had redeemed him.

 At the beginning of Psalm 31, the emphasis is clearly on God being a refuge. God is called “my rock and fortress,” He is the one who will “lead me and guide me,” He will “take me out of the net they have hidden for me,” He will never let me “be put to shame,” He will “deliver me,” incline His ear to me,” and “rescue me.”

Whatever the world throws at you, put your trust in God. Put life over into God’s hands and not your own. Leave everything in God’s hands; eventually, you’ll see God’s hand in everything. Isaiah 41:9-10 says, “I have called you back from the ends of the earth,  saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand”  (Isaiah 41:9-10).

Isaiah poetically and beautifully describes us as servants of the Lord, chosen and accepted by Him. There is no need to fear or be dismayed because God’s presence is pronounced and personal. Jesus died and committed His spirit to His Father so He might fulfill God’s promises.

Discussion Questions:

1. From this Psalm, what do you think David expected of God (Psalm 31:1-3)?
2. Why do you think that David was confident in his expectations (Psalm 31:3-4)?
3. Why does it mean that God is our refuge? 

“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.”- Luke 23:46 (ESV).

Jesus didn’t come to restore social justice or world peace. He didn’t come merely to heal the sick or to give us a good example for how to live moral lives. He came for a different purpose. He came to give His life as a ransom for many. It wasn’t easy. He faced a state of loneliness, agony, disappointment, denial, and desertion. And then there is the fact that He knew.

Jesus knew what lay ahead of Him as He prayed in Gethsemane but still struggled with it (Luke 22:39-44). The night before His arrest, Jesus pleads to be released from His burden if it’s God’s will. In Luke 22:42, Jesus prays, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” He knew it was God’s will but didn’t want it to be. He knew it was right, but He didn’t want it to happen, but He was committed to His Father’s will.

Jesus could have saved himself and come down from the cross. He had the power to do so. Hecklers even encouraged Him to use His heavenly influence to free Himself. In Luke 23:37 the soldiers say, “…If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”  Jesus chose not to save Himself but to free us instead. Jesus came to earth because of the unfathomable love of God for His creation

Jesus chose His last words carefully when He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  Jesus is declaring His allegiance to God and His plan. As Christ-followers, we can follow His lead.

 Commitment is a choice. It means making up your mind. Commitment means driving a stake in the ground and laying claim to one life, one focused goal: following Jesus Christ. So, we need to continually ask ourselves self-probing questions to see if our commitment is what it should be. Does your life show commitment to Christ?

Sometimes, we must get back to the basics and consider our commitment to Christ. Jesus is looking for disciples who will follow Him and make Him the most important part of their lives so that He controls every part. He is looking for commitment.

When your heart is sold out (committed) to Him, and you fully trust that God will guide you in the best way possible, you will begin to shine. You have to be willing to do what God wants and want what He wants in your life. As you do that while trusting Him, God can do great things in and through you.

Jesus committed His spirit to God and so should we. Jesus’s pain and sacrifice were for a better purpose, to bring others closer to the Father. We can also commit our trials and circumstances, knowing God can use them for greater purposes and bring us closer to God.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are you sacrificing? For what do we strive? What happens to our talents and dreams as soon as we are committed to God’s will?
2. What can we do this week to strengthen our commitment to God?  

The sovereignty of God is often questioned because man does not understand what God is doing. Because He does not act as we think He should, we conclude He cannot act as we think He would.” –  Jerry Bridges

A weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article titled “Re-Defining God” about how so many in our modern world are redefining who God is. One seminary professor said, “People seek out new gods the way they seek out new products in the marketplace.” If you are already a believing Christian, the question of who God is might seem like a no-brainer. However, a moment’s reflection will reveal how vital it is to think about this question.

If you asked ten believers to describe God in one word, the answers would probably be things like omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, loving, forgiving, trustworthy, holy, righteous, eternal, indescribable, etc. At the end of the day, does it matter what word(s) you choose? It does because how you describe someone reveals how and what you value that individual. You can describe God in a way that positions Him as the lynchpin in a religious system. Or your description can position God as someone you have a life-changing relationship with. Your answer will likely determine whether you describe a God you know or just a God you know about.

Where do you start in describing God? It’s normal to think we need a prepared explanation of what we believe about God. But while it is good to know what you believe, book-style prepared descriptions often fail to resonate with people. There are some basics in how to describe God.

First, God is Spirit who exists apart from this world and is above and beyond it. God is Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit. He is three in one. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinguishable persons within the Trinity and have different functions, yet they are perfectly united in the being of God.

God is infinite, without beginning or end or any limitation at all. He is self-existent and not dependent on anyone for anything. He is consistent and unchanging. He rules over all and is the final cause of all that happens in His universe. He is everywhere and knows everything. He is pure and perfect and therefore against evil, deceit, injustice, and wrongdoing. Jesus, the Son of God, reveals God to us perfectly.

Who God is determines everything else. So, we need to know who our God is. And thankfully, He hasn’t left us in the dark. We don’t have to work out His identity or speculate about what He’s like, for He has revealed Himself to us in the person of the Son. “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3).

Maybe you cannot find the perfect words to describe knowing God. That’s okay. Be yourself. Describe your personal experience of God. Then trust the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do in opening the other person’s mind to what you’re saying.

Discussion Questions:

1. God is…? How would you complete that sentence?

“and give no opportunity to the devil.” – Ephesians 4:27 (ESV).

It is a little bit disturbing and concerning when you read that somebody broke into the house of a neighbor down the street. They snatched up a TV, computer, and cell phones and disappeared into the night.  It had to be a traumatic moment for the people who were home at the time because they could not prevent the unwanted entry into their house.

Satan is into breaking and entering. He is looking to find a way into your life. He is so committed to our destruction that if he doesn’t easily find his way into our lives, he will linger and wait for us to drop our guard so he can try again, perhaps trying a different tact.  The devil is often more committed to attacking us than most of us are committed to withstanding him. That’s why his success rate is as high as it is. And that is why the apostle Paul commands us to resist him and to give him no place.

 “and give no opportunity to the devil.”  The goal is to stop the enemy at the doorway rather than finding a way to extract him once he has found an access point to worm his way into some area of your life.  It is the idea of not giving the enemy a secure foothold from which further progress can be made.

Paul tells us to stay alert to see if we are truly serious about keeping him out of our lives. Part of keeping the devil out is knowing your blind spots: temptations, enticements, and triggers that he can use. The devil will not appear in your life dressed in a red jumpsuit with horns and a pitchfork. The “devil” will show up cool, calm, and collected. Whatever entices you will give him a starting point and a foothold, no matter how small in the beginning. All the devil is after is an entryway. Just a tiny space big enough to put his foot.

The good news is that Jesus not only took away your sins, but He also redeemed you from Satan’s power and dominion. Colossians 2:15 says, “In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”

Jesus did not defeat the devil to prove He could. He defeated him for you so you can reap the benefits and have at your disposal everything you need to enforce the devil’s defeat in your life. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (AMP) says, “For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.” 1 John 3:8 (AMP) adds, “…the reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]”

Satan is already a defeated enemy. His authority was neutralized by the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Discussion Questions:

1. How can we accurately identify common entry points for the Devil into our lives?
2. What are some things we can do to close those entry points?

“Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay.” – Unknown.

Have you ever been a victim? Maybe somebody cheated you, or a crime was committed against you, or you have been accused of something you didn’t do. There are certainly people who have been victimized, but the biggest victim in all of history is God. Everyone has sinned against God, and God has sinned against no one. Rather than making us pay, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay our debt to God. This was necessary because the debt owed to God for sin is payable only by death.

The only person who has ever walked the earth and has never sinned or accrued any spiritual debt is Jesus Christ. He lived a life we have not lived, died the death we should have died, and paid the price we could not pay.

Most who are reading this are in some form of financial debt. Most of us owe money on a car, a home, a student loan, or something similar. Although it can be burdensome, most of us can at least see a light at the end of the tunnel. We are energized by the hope that it will be paid in full one day and freed from any further obligation. But to be burdened with a debt from which you will never be set free is psychologically devastating.

Such was the reality of our spiritual indebtedness to God until Jesus paid it all. Paul tells us in Colossians 2:13-14: “You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God’s people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross. Jesus canceled the IOU of our spiritual obligation by “nailing it to the cross.”

Sometimes, people try to discount the necessity of the crucifixion. They believe there are other ways to be righteous in God’s eyes. But after Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He concluded that the cross was the Father’s unavoidable will for Him:” Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Luke 22:42). And on the road to Emmaus, Jesus asked two disciples, “Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” (Luke 24:26). Jesus bore our sins on the cross so that we could live holy lives.

We are no longer in default on the debt because Jesus paid it all. Whatever we owed, He paid. Whatever penalty we incurred, He endured. He paid it all.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is it so important that Jesus paid our debt?

“For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. – 2 Corinthians 1:20.

Malachi 3:6 says, “I am the LORD, and I do not change…” Exodus 3:14 says, “…“I Am Who I Am …” Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” And 2 Corinthians 1:”20 says, “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!”

All God’s promises are yes in Christ.  God doesn’t change, and His promises cannot fail.  They are “yes” because of Jesus. Every promise about the coming of Jesus was fulfilled – they were all “yes” in Him.  Because that is true, we can be confident that God’s other promises will also be fulfilled.

If we want to know how our Creator has fulfilled His promise of salvation and how He will complete our salvation, we need to look only to Christ, who has purchased our redemption by His blood. All the promises: the promises to hear your prayers, the promises to provide for every need, the promises to guide you through life, the promise to give you wisdom when you ask for it, the promises to be with you, the promise for all-sufficient grace for every situation, the promise to provide a way of escape in temptation, the promise of peace in our hearts and minds, the promise of eternal inheritance.

Psalms 119:140: “Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much.” Then there is Psalm 145:13 which says, “For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations.The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.”  Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” 

God’s promises require faith. We must trust in God and believe He’ll follow through on His promises. Experiencing His promises to the extent God intends for you involves trust. Philippians 4:19 says, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”  

No matter how many promises God has made, they are “yes” in Christ.  We can count on them. Don’t allow discouragement or setbacks in your life to make you give up on God’s promises. Even if you do not see what God is doing, he is active behind the scenes. He is there, and He will fulfill His promise.

Discussion Questions:

1. We can trust God, no matter how impossible the situation, because God always keeps His promises. Agree or disagree and why? 
2. If you completely accepted God’s promises, how would that change how you look at fear?  

“Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.”A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips.” – John 19:28-29.

“It is finished.” It’s one of the most famous and essential phrases in the Bible. It is the last phrase the Lord Jesus spoke before bowing His head in death. He was exclaiming to the universe that He had faithfully fulfilled the Father’s will and that the mission was now accomplished.

“It is finished!” This was the most significant victory in the history of the human race. At that moment, the sacrifices of the Old Testament could permanently cease, for the perfect Sacrifice had laid down His life for the salvation of mankind. Up until the time of Christ’s death, there was a system set in place where sacrifices had to be offered for sin. It was complicated, and it was difficult. Frequent sacrifices were required for all types of things. It was the only way people could be forgiven; it was the only way to be made right again.

People sin every day. They did, then, and we do now. And that sin costs us significantly. It separates us from God, it sets up a barrier, it leads to further drifting away from what we know to be right.  But the hope we have now because of Christ’s death on the cross and His ultimate sacrifice on our behalf is this: He completed the work. He paid the sacrifice in full on our behalf. No other payment is needed. He asks that we accept His gift of forgiveness and life.

Because Jesus was willing to offer His blood for the full payment of our sinful debt, we are forgiven and utterly debt-free. “Paid in full” has been stamped on our past sinful record because Jesus paid the price for our redemption with His blood. When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” all the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus’ earthly ministry were fulfilled. The Lamb of God had fully satisfied God’s justice.

So, what does your “it isn’t finished” narrative look and sound like? How does your “it isn’t finished” narrative lead you to feel and act toward God and others? Does your narrative sound like, “It isn’t finished, I’ll never be holy, I’ll always be a slave to my sin, why try?”  Romans 6:10-11 reminds us, “When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”

That means it is not up to us to add anything, complete anything, or finalize anything when it comes to our salvation—Jesus did it all. So now, when we have put our trust in Jesus’s finished work, we can rest in confidence in our salvation and pursue God with our whole hearts.

Discussion Questions:

1. When Jesus said “It is finished,” He told us that His work on earth was done. The work of preaching the coming kingdom, living a life of perfect righteousness, and offering Himself as an appropriate sacrifice on behalf of humanity was complete. How does Jesus’ sinless human life uniquely qualify Him as our Savior?
2. What does “It is finished “ mean to your walk with God? 

“Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old.  I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.” – Joshua 14:10-12.

Birthday parties are magical for children: the games, gifts, goody bags, everything. Will we have pizza or maybe hot dogs? Will we eat first or play first? Do you think there will be ice cream? Do you think she will have goody bags?  Birthday parties were awesome enjoying your special day with family and friends. But then the candles start adding up on the cake. Birthdays come and go – maybe there’s a dinner, a few cards, some well wishes. We move up one number, and it’s business as usual.

Too many birthdays means you are getting older  Some of us also fear growing older for physical reasons. Aging is often seen as a loss of control. Maybe our bodies can’t do what they once could; our memories aren’t as sharp; we begin to need more help than we used to. As the years pass, our fear of the unknown may grow stronger. How do we shift our focus from the fear that age means irrelevancy and uselessness to the rich, full lives God calls us into as the years pass?

God’s Word has much to say about growing old. For example, Psalm 92:12-15 declares, “But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, “The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!”

This passage tells us that we are to celebrate growing older. Scripture repeatedly reminds that growing older is an honor. “Gray hair is a crown of glory…” ( Proverbs 16:31) . The more years we live, the more experiences we’re given to learn from, and the more wisdom and perspective we gain to see life in new and productive ways.  We can increase our contributions to God’s kingdom and grow stronger because of our spiritual roots and experiences.  The media leads us to believe that youth somehow has more value, the truth is, we are treasured by God at every age. Not only that, but He gives us specific gifts to share with the world in every season of our lives. In Titus 2:3-5, Paul reminds the older women of their great purpose, to bless and nurture the hearts of the younger women and their families. The generations to come depend on our willingness to share what God has given us.

 Discussion Questions:

1. How does one get good at getting older?
2. What does God expect of us as we age?