Lifegroup Guide for March 7, 2021

by | Mar 5, 2021 | adult ministry, Church Wide, LifeGroup Guide, Student Ministry

SERIES: Learning to Lament       

Week #4: Lamenting False Prophecy  

Lamentations 4:1-13 

MESSAGE PREVIEW: 

Just when you think our study could not get any tougher, we come to Lamentations 4. Reading through this chapter is difficult. But in the midst of Jeremiah’s description of the devastation and hardships that resulted from the fall of Jerusalem and his words of lament, we can learn some important lessons. Pastor Brian will unpack these important truths as we continue our series, “Learning to Lament.” 

LEARNING FROM LAMENTATIONS

  1. LESSONS FROM LAMENTATIONS 4
    1. The wrath of God devastates everyone. (4:1-12) 
    2. Why? The sins of the prophets and priests. (4:13)
      1. What were the sins of the prophets and priests? 
        1. They were greedy and dealt falsely with people. 
          1. Jeremiah 6:13 ESV “For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.” 
        2. They were ungodly. 
          1. Jeremiah 23:11ESV “Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I have found their evil, declares the Lord.”
        3. They participated in persecution of prophets and priests that remained true. 
          1. Jeremiah 26:8 ESV “And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die!” 
        4. They lied to people in the name of God.
          1. Lamentations 2:14 ESV “Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.”
      2. How do you know if a spiritual leader is speaking in the name of God in truth?
        1. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 ESV “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”
        2. 1 John 4:1 ESV “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
        3. Jeremiah 23:25-28 ESV “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ 26 How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, 27 who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal? 28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord.
        4. Jeremiah 23:30-32 ESV “Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’ 32 Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord. 
        5. We live in a day where Christians must compare everything they hear in the name of God to the Word of God. We cannot do that without hearing from the Lord by studying the Bible. 
    3. There is always hope. (4:22)
      1. Jeremiah 33:6-9 ESV “Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. 8 I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. 9 And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.”

OUR RESPONSE

  1. Do NOT lose hope! God is faithful. He will restore all things. 
  2. His Kingdom come and His will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. 

ICEBREAKER QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION

Opening Discussion: 

One goal of this series is to encourage our church to create the habit of daily hearing and obeying God. We do this through reading and reflecting on His Word. We have encouraged them to read one chapter of Lamentations each week and to read that same chapter for the entire week. We said to grab a Bible, pen, journal, and use a tool like S.O.A.P. to guide their reading and reflection. (To find out more, go to www.bayarea.church/live and click on “Reading Plan” for a guide and calendar for daily readings.) This is something we want to continue to encourage. 

As we begin this week’s discussion, we once again want to take time to share how the Lord has been using Lamentations to speak to us personally this past week. Guide your group through these questions. 

Q: What were some specific scriptures that stood out to you as you read the chapter this week? 

Q: What were some of the observations you made about this chapter this past week? 

Q: How did you seek to apply these truths to your life? 

Q: What have you been praying for this week? How has God answered your prayers? 

Pray as a group and then move to the discussion of the message for this week. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Ask and discuss the following questions.

Q: What are some of the word pictures used by Jeremiah to describe the plight of the people following the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in verses 1-12? 

Q: What can we learn about God, sin, judgement, and our lives from these verses? How can we find application to our lives today? 

Q: Read Lamentations 4:13. What does Jeremiah declare as the cause of this destruction in this verse? What were some of the sins of the prophets and priests mentioned in the message from this week? (*Hint: Jeremiah 6:13, 23:11, 26:8, Lamentations 2:14). 

Q: How are we seeing some faith leaders fall into these same traps in our country today? 

Q: How are American Christians believing and following false prophets in our culture? 

Q:  Read 1 John 4:1. What is the best way we as followers of Jesus can “test the spirits” to see if someone is truly speaking truth in the name of God? 

Q: Do we see any hope in Lamentations 4? If so, how does Jeremiah point to hope? 

Q: Read Jeremiah 33:6-9. How does this passage give us hope today? What do these verses reveal about the character and promises of God? 

WRAP-UP

Lamentations 4 is difficult to read. It shares, in great detail, the devastation and destruction the people were facing. It is a reminder of the seriousness of sin and the reality of judgement. But it ends by pointing to hope! In Jesus, we can find hope. Not matter our situation. No matter our challenge. No matter the depth of our sin, God can forgive and restore. This is our hope and His name is Jesus! 

Use the following questions to wrap-up your discussion. 

  1. What did you hear? 
    1. What is your one “take-away” from this week? 
    2. How did the Lord speak specifically to you through this passage? 
  2. What do you think? 
    1. How did this passage and study affirm, challenge, or change the way you think about God, sin, and what it means to lament?  
  3. What will you do? 
    1. What is your next step? How will you take the truth of God’s Word and apply it to your life this week?   

Have group members share their answers to the above questions. Close with prayer asking God to help us understand the importance of learning to lament this next week. 

Encourage group members to continue their reading in Lamentations. This week is chapter 5. Encourage them to walk through the scripture slowly, listening closely to hear God speak and then obeying His words. Encourage them to use the S.O.A.P. resource to help guide their reading, reflection, and prayer. 

SCRIPTURES FROM THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE: 

  • Lamentations 4; Jeremiah 6:13, 23:11, 26:8; Lamentations 2:14; Deuteronomy 18:20-22; 1 John 4:1; Jeremiah 23:25-28, 23:30-32, 33:6-9. 

UPCOMING MESSAGES: 

February 14, 2021 Lamentations 1

February 21, 2021 Lamentations 2

February 28, 2021 Lamentations 3

March 7, 2021 Lamentations 4

March 14, 2021 Lamentations 5