 Materials Needed:
None.
Notes to the Leader:
Psalm 90 is one of the oldest pieces of
poetry, written by Moses just before his death. The focus would lead us to
believe that if someone was going away, they would spend their last moments
giving those they love advice. Passing on those important learnings.
Moses will pass on two very important points: Mankind's sin and why we need
God; and advice on how to pray to God.
Introduction
If you knew that you were about to leave and
not come back, what are the things you might tell your friends and family before
you leave?
One typical response might be to tell the most
important things you have learned and pass them on so others may benefit from
your wisdom.
Section One: Our Eternal God
Have someone in your group read Psalm 90:1-2
and verse 4.
Moses is telling us that our
true home is not a place but a person. Why does mankind struggle so with the
concept of God?
- Concepts like eternity, omnipresence,
perfection, perfect justice, etc. are all beyond mankind's ability to
ever understand.
- Mankind is not above nor equal to God.
- Our intellect is insufficient to
comprehend the full significance of our God.
There are two men in mountain figure. One views the mountain as a obstacle
to overcome. The other man views the valley as his dominion.
How does this simple
comparison relate to man's perspective and God's perspective?
- Man sees the obstacles
of the world as a mountain and encounters life as a barrier.
- God views His world
with full understanding since He was its creator and remains its
sustainer.
Does the concept of time
have any meaning to God? If God, therefore, is constant for ever, why does man
worship the God that he wants rather than the God that is?
- Man is imperfect and
mortal. This weakness, caused by man's separation from God, should be
viewed as one more piece of evidence that man is here for God's purpose,
not God for man's purpose.
Section Two: Man's Mortality
Have someone in your group read Psalm 90:3 and 5-6
Do you think the world
accepts its mortality?
- Life is make cheap and
expendable by Hollywood.
- Beauty creams and
health clubs flourish claiming to hold back the tides of time.
- With age comes wisdom
and it often seems that the only ones who think of their own mortality
are the older people of our society.
Moses portrays
our God as a knowing, feeling Being who does as he sees fit. Our trust
in God is constructed upon how well we know Him. How do you get to know
God?
- Personal relationships
are built over time. With each experience in life, each trusting lesson
learned, the character of God is revealed to each of us in His own
personal way. Through faith, hope, repentance, reliance on the Holy
Spirit and a committed walk with Christ, we are promised that God's
loving parental nature will be revealed to us.
Section Three: The Sin of Mankind
Have someone in your group read Psalm 90:7-11.
What is the reason for
man's mortality?
- (Read Genesis 2:17,
Romans 6:23) Man's sin exposed him to death.
Some people refuse to
believe that God will punish sin. What evidence do we have that this is
a total misjudgment of God's nature?
- Biblical evidence -
The Flood; the destruction of Sodom, the fall of Jerusalem.
- Prophetic evidence -
The last days of judgment as told in the Scriptures.
- Just as paper and fire
cannot coexist. God and His perfect holiness cannot mingle with the
corruption of mankind without consuming it.
How is it then that
God just doesn't destroy mankind?
- Because of the work of
Christ on the cross. Our part is to acknowledge that we are lost sinners
apart from divine grace, and to lay hold on salvation by faith. Through
this, God becomes our Father rather than our Judge.
What happens when we
reject the grace of God in Christ?
- (Read Numbers 14:1-4)
The children of Israel refused to enter Canaan and lived under the wrath
of God. This is what Moses was referring to in verse 9 (Their average
life span was 70 years). We live without hope, under the wrath of God
and exposed to Satan's domain without God's protection.
- Verse 11 was intended
to inspire us to reverent fear of the intensity of God's wrath and to
holy living.
Section Four: Praying
- While we all thank our God for His
many blessings, Moses shows us it is also OK to pray for other things.
There are five distinct petitions:
For Wisdom
Read Psalm 90:12 to your
group.
What kind of wisdom
should we pray for?
- How to use our time
wisely
- Where do we come from?
- Why are we here?
- Where are we going?
- Fear of the Lord
- To shun evil
For Mercy
Read Psalm 90:13 to your
group.
What kind of mercy
should we pray for?
- For our sin
- For our impatience
- For our failure to
forgive others
For Joy
Read Psalm 90:14-15 to
your group.
What is our joy?
- Although sin deserves
only judgment, God forgives and restores our fellowship with Him.
- (Read Isaiah 61:3)
Take comfort and gain joy in the knowledge that our God prefers mercy.
For Power
Read Psalm 90:16 to your
group.
What kind of power are
we to pray for?
- Not so much power for
us but a demonstration of power from God to build and strengthen our
trust, hope and faith.
For Effectiveness
Read Psalm 90:17 to your
group.
Can every Christian be
effective for God?
- Depends on who's
standards. If we trust in God and measure ourselves against His
criteria, He assures us that we will be effective.
How do we transform
ourselves to become effective workers?
- (Read 2 Corinthians
3:18) Through the Word of God we must be transformed by a personal
encounter with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Our faith includes
that the work we will be provided will be for God's purpose, no matter
how small or insignificant it may seem to us.
Read Psalm 127:1 to your group.
Can we establish our
own agenda and plan to please God?
- He must establish it
for our work to be effective.
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