EVERY YOUNG MAN’S TRUTH(Your Personal Journey into God’s Word)
This week’s reading assignment:
chapters 17–18 in Every Young Man, God’s Man
If you’re really serious about your relationship to God, then you’ll agree that wise planning reduces temptation. When you deal with issues before you’re tempted, you enter the battle with a plan versus just showing up clueless about what happens next. When you execute a plan like this, you’re counting the cost of what it takes to build a solid spiritual life.
—from chapter 17 in Every Young Man, God’s Man
EVERY YOUNG MAN’S TRUTHFirst you plan. Then you realize the limits of your plan. Which brings you to the unlimited effectiveness of the Cross. That’s what this session is all about: your call to plan for your battles with the dark side and your need to rely, ultimately, on the sacrifice of Christ for your victories.
But really, how important is the Cross to you? Do you realize that without it you would have no hope of eternal life? Do you understand that by the Cross, you were forgiven and made a child of God? If you know these things, how could you respond with anything but gratitude in your daily life? It boils down to this: honor the sacrifice!
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30)
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:2-7)
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:15)
1. When have you left a job unfinished due to poor planning? What did you learn?
2. Some people plan how they will get to heaven. Is it possible to punch your own ticket to the Pearly Gates? Which Scripture truths above help you answer?
3. Carefully read through the Isaiah passage above. How does the idea of substitution come through to you?
4. The Cross is about dying, but what does it have to do with living?
EVERY YOUNG MAN’S CHOICE
As God’s young man, you, too, must have a plan for the key battles in your future. In these circumstances, it helps to think like General Patton for a second. The following questions are designed to help facilitate your planning process.
Jesus knew how to get a man’s attention—and I’m just glad He didn’t mention other parts of the male anatomy! What He was saying in blunt language was this:
• Sin is the enemy.
• Cut sin off at the source.
• Keep God and eternity in mind as you make choices.
• Know your weaknesses so that you can cut them out effectively.
5. Think about your plans for righteous living. Go back to the book’s list of questions to help facilitate the planning process (under the subhead “Cutting Off and Starving Sin”). Then spend several minutes answering these questions for your own life.
6. Read Mark 9:43-48. How serious is our sin in God’s eyes?
7. Kenny says that for every excuse young men may give, there is a bloodstained cross staring back at them. What emotional power does that cross have in your life?
EVERY YOUNG MAN’S WALK Predetermined boundaries may involve cutting off and starving sin in the following ways:
• carving sexy R-rated films out of your cinematic repertoire
• deciding that the bar scene or drinking parties will not be the place where you connect with friends
• refusing to keep sexual secrets that put distance between you and God
• accepting sexual accountability
• inviting people you spiritually respect to ask you the tough questions
• committing to not mentally undressing any woman
• getting software that allows someone to see where you have been on the Net
• committing in writing with a girl you’re dating the dos and don’ts of the physical relationship.
Jesus stood in the observation post at one time. He was our forward observer who saw the potential of sin to overwhelm and destroy your life. Then He called for fire directly on His position, saying, in a sense, “Put it all on Me!” And that’s when hell and death and sin fell upon Him. Friends protested. “Never, Lord!” said Peter, but Jesus refused to back off. He turned toward His Father and said, “I want your will, not mine” (Luke 22:42, NLT).
How do you honor that kind of sacrifice? By making it a part of your life.
8. Which of the cut-off-and-starve activities hit closest to home?
9. How do you honor the Cross in your life? What qualities are there, in your words and actions, that demonstrate your respect?
10. In quietness, review what you have written and learned in this week’s study. If further thoughts or prayer requests come to your mind and heart, you may want to write them down.
11. What for you was the most meaningful concept or truth in this week’s study? How would you talk this over with God? Write down your response as a prayer to Him. What do you believe God wants you to do in response to this week’s study?
EVERY YOUNG MAN’S TALKKey Highlights from the Book for Reading Aloud and Discussing
One of the reasons so many young men suffer defeat regularly in spiritual warfare is that they fail to engage the Enemy or take a proactive approach to battle. They just show up and expect that’s enough to conquer direct attacks against their faith. If Patton thought like that, we might all be speaking German today.
The things that a guy tends to resist—limits, godly boundaries, and rules—are the very things you need to become the man God wants you to be. The dark side, the popular culture, and the devil will attempt to convince you that these commitments are old school and take away your independence. In my experience, most young guys who believe this become slaves to the very attitudes and actions they were told represented freedom.
Charles H. Spurgeon so aptly said, “A dying Savior is the death of sin.”
An opening question: Which parts of these chapters were most helpful or encouraging to you? Why?
A. What does it mean to be proactive in spiritual warfare?
B. Why do we tend to resist limits, boundaries, and rules? How does this show up in your life?
C. What did Spurgeon mean by his statement about a dying Savior? Answer by explaining your own theology of the Cross.
D. Kenny challenges us to never, ever, ever forget the price that Christ paid for our sin. Do you believe you could ever forget? Why?
E. Since this is your last session together in this study, spend some time talking about what you’ve learned and how you’ve changed. Then share prayer requests about your desires for further growth as God’s young men.