The Plans to Build a House
I. The KING has a good IDEA. (v.1-4)
A. I will BUILD a HOUSE for God. (v.1-2)
B. Nathan AGREES…but too QUICKLY. (v.3-4)
C. When GOOD ideas fall SHORT. (v.4-5)
Life is good. David is home in his palace, his enemies are all under control, and the Ark of the Covenant is nearby. But something seems off. David lives in a beautiful palace built from the cedars of Lebanon. But God it out camping in a tent. So David has an idea.
1. Kid’s question: When have you had an idea or a plan that didn’t work out?
2. When have you thought God was leading you one way only to find out that you had missed the call? How did that work out?
II. A DIS-ORDERED sense of REALITY. (v.1-17)
A. God REORDERS David’s UNDERSTANDING. (v.5-7)
B. God REORIENTS David’s own STORY. (v.8-11)
C. God RE-CLARIFIES David’s VISION. (v.11-17)
D. Reordered reality leads to HUMBLE GRATITUDE. (v.18-28)
The problem is that David, like all of us, has more confidence in his perspective than he probably should have. We all seem to think we know what’s going on, and we trust our first impressions when maybe we should be willing to give things a second look. God’s going to help David see things a little more clearly.
3. On a scale of 1-10, how open are you to being proven wrong? Give an example to justify your rating.
4. When have you seen God at work in your own personal history? How did/does that shape your life today?
5. When you think of the larger story that God is guiding around you, what questions come to mind? How might God be inviting you to take part in the larger story?
III. EVALUATING our own GOOD thoughts. (Prov. 18:17)
A. Who is TAKING CARE of who? (Acts 17:24-25; I Peter 5:7)
B. Do we SEE our story from the larger FRAME? (Ps. 139:16; Acts 17:26-28)
C. Are our LIVES marked by humble GRATITUDE? (I Thes. 5:16-18; Prov. 3:34)
We always think we are right until we find out we are wrong. None of us choose to be wrong because we enjoy it. So when it comes to our understanding of reality as God intends it to be how can we be sure that we are seeing things correctly and not just how we want or wish them to be?
6. In what ways have you tried to protect God from something? When have you sensed his protection of you?
7. Which of the three final questions hits home with you the most? Why?
8. What are the top 5 things that you are grateful for? Take the time to write out aprayer to God reflecting on all those things.