HARD WORDS

Joshua 11:1-23

How NOT to deal with difficult passages:
Make too LITTLE of them.
Make too MUCH of them.

How to deal with difficult passages:
Approach it prayerfully
Examine it thoroughly
Compare it biblically
Hold it loosely

Lessons we learn about difficult passages:
1. You don’t need to understand God fully to know him truly.
2. The Bible was not written TO us, but all of the Bible is FOR us.
3. The cross is the center of everything.

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Discussion Guide

Open Up
List some difficult Bible passages or stories.

What makes them difficult to understand or believe?

Do you believe it is good to have the belief, “The Bible says it son that settles it?” Why or why not?

What are some popular ways people attempt to deal with difficult passages?

 
Dig In
What has been your understanding of why and how God destroyed the Canaanites?

Has the destruction of the Canaanites been an important issue for you? Why or why not?

Read Jeremiah 29:11. While not a “difficult passage,” work together through the passage using the steps to deal with a difficult passage that Pastor Jason listed in the sermon notes.

Describe how the Bible can be FOR us while not written TO us?

What are some ways we do not understand God fully yet we can trust him truly?

Live Out
Is there an area of your life you’ve been holding back from God because you do not understand what he is doing?

How can you keep the cross central in your life this week?

PRAY to understand God more.