Alfred Nobel (1833–1896) is best known for creating one of the world’s most prestigious annual international prizes. Less well known is the fact that Alfred Nobel was the inventor of dynamite. As well as being a chemist, engineer and innovator, he was a weapons manufacturer.
In 1888, Alfred’s brother Ludvig died but a French newspaper erroneously published Alfred’s obituary. It condemned him for his invention of dynamite, stating: “The merchant of death is dead… Dr Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.”
Nobel was devastated by the foretaste of how he would be remembered. His last will and testament set aside the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel prizes. He gave the equivalent of $250 million to fund such prizes. Alfred Nobel had the rare opportunity to evaluate his life near its end and live long enough to change that assessment. Have you ever given thought to the difference your life could make? Will you be remembered for having blessed people and made the world a better place?
In this final lesson you will focus on what it means to receive the courage from God to live courageously and in doing so to influence the world.
Goals for the Lesson
- To understand our everyday acts of courage influence others.
- To develop a plan for your small group when this study is finished
Warm up Question
Who are one or two people in your life that have had the great influence on you?
Bible Study
Your study today features one of my favorite heroes – Joshua. You will probably remember that our theme verse for the conference was Joshua 1:9. Having been mentored and developed by Moses, Joshua is now ready for the challenging task of leading the nation of Israel into the promised land. The first chapter of Joshua contains a number of valuable lessons about courage.
Joshua 1:1-11
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready’. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”
Discussion Questions
What do you learn about God from this passage?
What does this passage say about courage and fear?
What promise of God could make a difference to you now if you truly believed him?
Talk by Steve Carter
Listen to the message by Steve Carter that was given at the 2021 No Regrets Men’s Conference. The talk is entitled: Living Courageously and it can be found on the No Regrets app, under Conference Media/2021 Platform talks.
Steve Carter is a speaker, author, consultant and sports enthusiast. Steve is author of “This Invitational Life” and co-host of “Home Team” podcast about the intersection of sports, faith and culture. He currently travels the world speaking to congregations and coaching leaders.
Notes:
Discussion Questions
Share with one another what practice you have that helps you stay close to Jesus.
Steve said men spend their lives defined by their past or worrying about their future. What would help you stay present in the here and now?
Where do you doubt yourself or feel unworthy?
Can you envision a time in the future when others reflect on your life and ask “What happened here?” because some part of your story was so noteworthy? How might that happen?
Sharing and Prayer Time
Share what has been most beneficial from this six week study on courage. Pray for each other about the actions and applications you have discussed in the past weeks.
Wrap Up
Spend time as a group talking about next steps for your group. One option would be to go through one of the Bible Studies for Men developed by No Regrets. These are found on the website: www.menwithnoregrets.org/ under Discipleship Resources.
Another option would be to study a book of the Bible together, like the book of Philippians. No matter what you choose, just do something.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”-Nelson Mandela