May 13, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Victory Over Fears

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Victory Over Fears

Joshua 10:6-15 - New International Version (NIV)              

⁶ The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”

⁷ So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. ⁸ The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”

⁹ After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. ¹⁰ The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. ¹¹ As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

¹² On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
    and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
¹³ So the sun stood still,
    and the moon stopped,
    till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. ¹⁴ There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!

¹⁵ Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

Why did the Gibeonites send word to Joshua (verse 6)?

What was Joshua’s response (verse 7)?

Who told Joshua not to be afraid of them (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why did Joshua take them by surprise (verse 9)?

Who threw “them into confusion before Israel” (verse 10)?

What killed more of them than “were killed by the swords of the Israelites” (verse 11)?

What did Joshua say “to the Lord in the presence of Israel” (verse 12)?

What did the sun do (verse 13)?

Why was the day that the Israelites protected the Gibeonites unique (verse 14)?

Where did Joshua and all Israel go after the battle (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 4:35-41 - New International Version (NIV)

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

When did Jesus tell His disciples “let us go over to the other side” (verse 35)?

How did the disciples take Jesus (verse 36)?

Why was the boat “nearly swamped” (verse 37)?

Where was Jesus (verse 38)?

In your opinion, why did the disciples think Jesus didn’t care if they drowned (verse 38)?

What happened when Jesus rebuked the wind (verse 39)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus ask “Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith” (verse 40)?

Why were the disciples terrified (verse 41)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the sun standing still in Joshua 10:6-15 and the wind and waves obeying Jesus in Mark 4:35-41?

Acts 7:54-60 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

How did the members of the Sanhedrin respond to what Stephen said (verse 54)?

What did Stephen see while he was full of the Holy Spirit (verse 55)?

Where did Stephen see “the Son of Man standing” (verse 56)?

In your opinion, why did the members of the Sanhedrin cover their ears (verse 57)?

What did they do to Stephen (verse 58)?

Where did the witnesses lay their coats (verse 58)?

When did Stephen pray “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (verse 59)?

In your opinion, why did Stephen pray “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (verse 60)?

What happened to Stephen (verse 60)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the victory of Stephen over fear and anger in Acts 7:54-60 a more amazing miracle than the sun standing still while the Israelites defeated the Amorites in Joshua 10:6-15?

In your opinion, why do we see a difference in the level of faith exhibited by the disciples as they were in fear of the winds and waves in Mark 4:35-41 and Stephen as he was being hit by the stones in Acts 7:54-60?

Romans 8:28-39 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Who does God work for the good of in all things (verse 28)?

Why did God predestine those He foreknew “to be conformed to the image of his Son” (verse 29)?

In your opinion, what is Paul describing in the steps of: predestined, called, justified and glorified (verse 30)?

In your opinion, does it change what Paul is saying in verses 31 through 34 if the quote reads this way: ³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be successful against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all eternally important things? ³³ Who will bring any charge that sticks against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who eternally condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

In your opinion, what can we learn from Paul when he follows the statement “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword” with the quote “for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered” (verses 35 and 36)?

Where are we “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (verse 37)?

What is Paul convinced that death, life, angels, demons, present, future, powers, height, depth, “nor anything else in all creation” will not be able to do (verses 38 and 39)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does the Lord hurling large hailstones at the Amorites and stopping the sun from moving in Joshua 10:6-15 show He is greater than those who Paul outlines might be against us in Romans 8:28-39?

In your opinion, how does Jesus calming the wind and waves in response to the disciple’s fear in Mark 4:35-41 demonstrate how we might wish that God would respond to our fears of all the things that Paul outlined in Romans 8:28-39?

In your opinion, how does Stephen’s response to his stoning in Acts 7:54-60 demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s power in allowing him to have victory over his fears, which teaches Saul, who became Paul the author of Romans, who then teaches us about the love of Christ overcoming the things that we fear in Romans 8:28-39?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and Romans teach us about God’s abilities in our crises?

In your opinion, how do we move from focusing on a crisis to finding victory over our fears in all circumstances?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)