This week we continue with Joby Martin’s session of “Be A Godly Man”, “Be Strong”. As we start out, picture a bodybuilder in your mind. Knowing the basics we all know that he was not born that way. That actually the person took extra steps in their life to achieve their physical stature. It most likely took extensive training, supplements, and strict diet to say the least.
Bodybuilding takes an incredible amount of long-term discipline and training. It’s not something that just happens. It requires effort. The same is true for our strength in Christ. We don’t drift toward it apart from intentionality. To be strong like God commands, we must know what true strength is and devote ourselves to pursuing it.
As we kick off our fourth session together, we’ll be taking a look at the command for us to “be strong” and what that means for our lives today. But first, let talk a little bit about Matt’s story.
What stood out to you about his decision to leave a corporate job for a career as an artist? How would you have responded if one of your friends decided to do the same?
What was the main lesson he described having learned through his decision? (How to completely surrender to God rather than depending on his own strength)
In what ways does Matt’s story illustrate strength? What about courage?
Have you ever had to make a decision similar to Matt’s? What did you learn about God from that experience?
It’s easy for us to lean on our own strengths rather than depending upon God as we were designed to do. But we are called to lives of humility, which means that God will put us in positions that force us to remember the limits of our strength.
Who or what has God used to teach you humility throughout your life?
Describe a time when you had no choice but to depend on the strength of God.
What did He teach you about Himself during that time? How has your faith in God grown since?
During the session, Joby discussed four characteristics of strength. He said that a strong man is a “sabbathed,” persevering, humble, and serving man. Judging by this list, true strength begins with rest. But rest is more than simply lounging around on the couch and taking a break from our responsibilities.
When you think about the idea of “Sabbath,” what comes to mind? How would you describe the act of taking a Sabbath?
How did Joby define true rest, especially as it relates to the Sabbath? (Proximity to Jesus)
Sabbath is about more than physical rejuvenation alone. It’s an act of dependence upon God. By stepping away intentionally from doing, we acknowledge that God is the one who is truly in control of our lives. We do not depend on our strength alone.
How do you practice rest? In light of this session, what do you think you should do differently?
As we saw in the session, Michael had many of the qualities the world considers “manly” today—physical strength, good looks, fame, and so on. But he found that wasn’t enough.
How did Michael’s story demonstrate an unwillingness to Sabbath? What effects did that have on his life?
In what ways did Michael choose to depend on his own abilities rather than God’s strength?
By God’s grace, Michael experienced healing and restoration. He made a bold decision to follow the Holy Spirit’s conviction in his life as opposed to continuing in his self-destructive lifestyle.
According to Michael, how has his past provided him with opportunities to build relationships with others today? (It has given him the ability to connect with the pain of others and talk about what God’s grace can do in broken lives.)
Like Joby pointed out, Christ has called us to die to ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him, which means that a relationship with Jesus will be a challenge. We can all relate to one another on that point, but it also means that we have to cultivate a persevering strength.
When have you been challenged to persevere? What were the circumstances you had to face during that time?
What did you learn about God as a result of persevering? How has it strengthened your resolve for the future?
So far we have seen that a strong man is one who embraces Sabbath and perseveres, but he is also one who is humble and uses his strength in service to others.
Having discussed humility in previous sessions, what has God taught you about humility throughout this series? In what ways do you desire to grow in humility today?
Joby specifically touched on the need for humility in positions of authority. The best leadership comes from those who have learned to submit to leadership themselves.
Would you describe yourself as someone who can submit to authority? Or do you find yourself constantly vying to be at the top?
To be an effective authority in any form, we must understand how to live under authority. Ultimately, we all exist under God’s authority and one of the primary ways we can submit to Him is through serving others, which is the last character Joby mentioned of a strong man.
What have you learned about the biblical use of strength throughout this series? What are some ways you have used your strength to serve others?
How could you be more intentional about serving those around you?
Jesus radically defined our understanding of strength. Rather than coming into our world in the form of military might, He came as a servant and what appeared to be His moment of greatest weakness— His death on the cross—was actually His moment of greatest strength.
Let’s continue talking about a biblical understanding of strength by looking at a couple of passages.
BIBLE JOURNEY
Since Joby started off talking about the Sabbath, let’s begin our time there as well. During the session, he spoke briefly about the Ten Commandments, but let’s take a deeper look at the passage to learn what the Sabbath is all about. As we read, bear in mind that God is giving the Ten Commandments to the Israelites after rescuing them from slavery in Egypt and parting the Red Sea among His other miraculous works. Someone read Exodus 20:1–17.
During the session, Joby described the fourth commandment as the “hinge” commandment. While commandments 1–3 (vv. 3–7) explain our vertical relationship with God, how we are to live in fellowship with Him, commandments 5–10 (vv. 12–17) explain our horizontal relationships with one another, how we are to live in fellowship with other humans.
In what way does the Sabbath commandment draw these two groups together?
The Sabbath commandment is significant because it addresses both our vertical and horizontal relationships. From an individual standpoint, it was a command for the Israelites to step away from their labors and rest in the sufficiency of God’s provision.
But it also dictated the way they dealt with one another. By setting aside their work, they displayed with their lives that their ultimate dependence was on God and not their own strength. As a community, they were to rest and reflect upon God’s faithfulness to His people to rejuvenate their souls. While we no longer live under this ceremonial aspect of the Law, it’s important to recognize the value of this kind of discipline.
In what ways does this change the way you thought of the Sabbath previously? How should that affect the way you live your life as a result?
What do you do to intentionally make time to rest with God? How could you be more disciplined in this area?
Where do you find yourself struggling most to depend on God rather than your own strength? How could a Sabbath help you in that struggle?
Now, let’s turn our attention to the final characteristics of a strong man that Joby mentioned in the session—perseverance, humility, and service. Someone read Matthew 20:20–28.
Who were the “sons of Zebedee”? (They were two of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. See Matthew 4:18–22.
What did their mother ask of Jesus? (That he grant her sons to sit at his right and left hand)
What did Jesus mean by responding, “You will drink my cup” in verse 22?
In the Old Testament, “cup” is commonly used as a metaphor for suffering. It is often associated with God’s wrath, which certainly makes sense in connection with the crucifixion of Jesus (see Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17). The sons of Zebedee clearly misunderstood the gravity of the statement. However, the point Jesus is pressing here is that His disciples must realize that they will experience rejection and persecution for following Him. Suffering accompanies our faith in Christ, which is why we must be prepared to persevere.
How have you experienced suffering as a result of your faith? How does the promise of suffering make you feel? Does it inspire feelings of fear that need to be surrendered?
Perseverance is a crucial part of following Christ, but we are not left alone in the difficulties we face. God has given us His Holy Spirit to strengthen us and to carry us through the difficult times. But suffering also teaches us humility. It reveals to us our need for relationships with one another as well as our need to depend on the Lord.
In what ways do the sons of Zebedee fail to demonstrate humility in this passage? (They look for strength in the wrong place going behind the backs of the other disciples and trying to secure positions of power and authority.)
How does Christ demonstrate humility? (Despite being God in the flesh, He says that He came into the world to serve, not to be served.)
What can you apply to your own life from the example of Christ’s humility?
This passage ends with one of Jesus’ more familiar statements: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (v. 28). In context, Jesus says this to His disciples as a way of encouraging them to follow His example, which was not one of pursuing worldly greatness, but stooping to serve those in His midst.
As you reflect on the story of Jesus, what are some of His acts of service that stand out to you the most? Why do you find them so memorable?
During the session, Joby said that it is proximity to Jesus that determines our greatness, not the level of our production. We have an opportunity to model that for others in all that we do, especially in our service.
What could you do to serve your family in a way that intentionally encourages them toward Jesus? What about your friends? Coworkers?
LAST WORD
God did not give us strength to spend on ourselves, but to serve others. He has placed people in your life who need your serving presence. Rest, perseverance, and humility are essential pieces of godly service and they’re offered to us through Jesus Christ.
Take some time to evaluate your life. Are you humble? Do you persevere? Are you in need of rest? These questions will help you develop an accurate picture of yourself and provide you with an opportunity to walk in fresh joy with Christ.
Pray: At least twice this week, start off your day by asking God to help you to be strong in a way that honors Him.
Surrender: If the Holy Spirit convicted you during this session of your need to do as something that gets in the way of rest, surrender that need to the Lord. Ask Him to help you walk in freedom from feeling as though you have to perform.
List: On a piece of paper, list the four attributes of a godly strong man that Joby shared in the session and set it somewhere that you will see it on a daily basis. Let it be a regular reminder to you of God’s call on your life.
Study: Over the next few weeks, study the topic of rest as it is presented in the Bible. Look for ways that you can better incorporate restful obedience into your life.
Ask: This week, ask your family or roommates what you can do to best encourage them in their relationship with Jesus. Try to get at least two practical actions from them that you begin to incorporate into your routine.