REALLIFE STUDY GROUP
“Man Up!”
ICEBREAKER: Who is your favorite
action movie actor, in other words, the epitome of a man’s man? (John Wayne, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester
Stallone, Bruce Lee, Bruce Willis, Jackie Chan, Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford,
Denzel Washington, Vin Diesel, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Clint Eastman, Jason
Statham, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Steven Segal, Sean Connery, Samuel L. Jackson,
Morgan Freeman, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jean Claude Van Dame, Wesley Snipes,
Daniel Craig, Burt Reynolds, Nicolas Cage, Liam Neeson,
Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Al Pacino, Robert Redford,
Matt Damon, Patrick Swayze, Russel Crow, Tom Selleck, Don Knotts....)
CONFESSION: No more excuses, no more
blaming others, no more doubt, no more bitterness, no more manipulation, no
more whining, no more pouting, no more abuse, no more victimization, no more
worrying, no more rationalizing, no more childish behavior, no more bad
attitudes, no more shame, no more throwing baby fits, no more lies, no more
justifying wrong thinking, no more feeling sorry for myself, no more putting
others down, no more denial, no more withdrawal, no more procrastination, no
more raging, no more wasting time, no more entitlement mentalities, no more
misusing people, no more stepping on others to reach my goals.
DEFINITION: Man up: Be Brave, Be
Daring, Be Strong, Be Courageous
OUTLINE: Man Up!
Be
a man of God; Get smart
Be
a man of your Word & God’s Word; Get serious
Be
a man of determination; Git’er done!
Be
a man of repentance; Get real
Be
a man after God’s own heart; Get focused
Be
a man of worship; Get lost in Him
Be
a man of no compromise; Get over yourself
Be
a man of compassion; Get sensitive
Be
a man of courage; Get brave
Be
a man of action & not just words; Get busy
Be
a man of war so you can keep the peace; Get ready
TEXT: 1 Kings 2:1-4; Romans
1:20; 2:1-3
STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:
1.
Name
someone in the Bible that made an excuse for his or her behavior.
2.
Which
of the following reasons for making excuses jumps out at you? We make excuses because....
a.
We
feel inadequate or insecure
b.
We
are afraid of the consequences of our choices
c.
We
do not want to face the truth
d.
We
do not want to take responsibility for our actions
e.
We
think it is easier to complain and stay a victim
f.
We
believe our own lies
g.
We
choose to live in denial
h.
We
don’t feel in control of our situation
i.
We
don’t realize how lame our excuses really sound
j.
We
use them to rationalize our addictions and bad habits
k.
We
refuse to manage our time, talents & resources
l.
We
are in co-dependent relationships
m.
We don’t want to change!
n.
We
are just behaving like the role models we grew up with
3.
In
1 Kings 2:1-4, just before David died what advice did he give his son, Solomon,
so he could prosper?
4.
What
does it mean to be strong and be the man?
5.
I
believe that the angels radioed heaven with the message, “Man Down!” in the garden
when Adam and Eve fell. Then God sent
the God-man, Jesus Christ to elevate Man Up to the cross so mankind could once
again walk in victory. Why have we bought
into the lie that we are only human when only humanity was created in the image
of God?
6.
In
Luke 14:18-20 what kind of excuses did people use to justify not coming to the
feast?
7.
Identify
one excuse you have been using or have used in your life that you need to
surrender to God.
a.
I’m
too young
b.
I’m
too old
c.
I’m
not smart enough
d.
I’m
too busy right now
e.
My
situation is different from everyone else’s
f.
I’m
too tired
g.
It’s
my family or culture’s fault I’m this way
h.
Everybody
hurts me and rejects me anyway
i.
I’ve
already tried and it didn’t work
j.
I
don’t want to be a hypocrite
k.
I
just can’t ____________________
l.
______________________________
PRAISE REPORTS & PRAYER
REQUESTS:
ACTION POINT: This week I choose to be
the man or the woman that God has called me to be. I refuse to use any excuses for my sins, my
shortcomings, my flaws and my mistakes!
I choose....to be on time, to be responsible, to be a good steward, to
be honorable, to be merciful, to be honest.