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CourageouSliving

B I B L E S T U D Y

Michael Catt Stephen Kendrick Alex Kendrick

As Developed with

Nic Allen

P R E - R E L E A S E S A M P L E RNOT FOR RESALE

Published by LifeWay Press® © Copyright 2011 Sherwood Baptist Church. All Rights Reserved. © 2010 Sherwood Pictures Ministry. All Rights Reserved.

9781415871195

Dewey Decimal Classification: 248.642Subject Heading: Courage\Men\Leadership\Family Life

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Printed in the United States of America

Study themes: Courageous calling, Courageous priorities, Courageous legacy, Courageous faith

Resources Available May 2011Courageous Living Bible Study

Leader kit (item 005371695)

Member book (item 005422891)

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READm

y FAMILY.

COURAGEto f ght for

It takes

S E S S I O N 1

CourageouSCALL

Do you know the name Rafael Peralta? Garry Morrison certainly does. Morri-

son is the father of Corporal Adam Morrison of the United States Marine Corps.

On November 15, 2004, a member of his son’s unit—Rafael Peralta—saved

his son’s life “and every Marine in that room.”

Their unit had been cleansing Fallujah, Iraq, of terrorists “house by house” for

seven days straight. That morning they entered a home and cleared the front

rooms only to find a locked door on the left side. Sergeant Peralta opened the

door to be met with gunfire from three terrorists with AK-47s. Peralta, alive but

severely injured and lying on the floor in the doorway, noticed a grenade roll-

ing into toward him. He grabbed the grenade and tucked it under his abdo-

men. When it exploded, he died but the rest of his troop survived.

Peralta was a 25-year-old Mexican immigrant who enlisted in the Marines the

day he received his green card. Leaving his parents for Iraq, he signed up to

serve on the front lines. His bedroom at home contained three items on its

walls: a copy of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Peralta’s certificate of

graduation from boot camp.

His heroic act was foreshadowed by a note he wrote his

younger brother with these words, “Be proud of me,

bro. … and be proud of being an American.” Those

who know of Rafael Peralta can indeed be proud.1

It takes courage to enlist. It takes courage to sign up for

frontline duty in an ongoing war. It takes courage to risk

your life and to voluntarily end your life for others and

the perseverance of the mission. On the military battle-

field, freedom is at stake. On the spiritual battlefield,

our families are at stake and in danger of becoming

casualties unless we answer the call to stand and fight.

Sergeant PeraltaApril 7, 1979–November 15, 2004

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Watch MOVIE CLIPView Clip #1 “Carjacking” (2:56), from the small-group DVD, and

then use the discussion to start your study.

SUMMARY

In this scene, Nathan pulls into a service station and pumps gas as normally

as anyone would. Deciding to clean the muck from his windshield, he steps

away from the pump for just a second when a couple of gang members steal

his car. The action begins because Nathan has no intention of parting with his

truck. At the end of the scene, you realize that he is much more concerned

with the truck’s contents than the truck itself.

OPEN DISCUSSIONAs a group, do some basic introductions. Refresh everyone on the names and

ages of your kids.

Danger and fear are words often associated with the word

courageous. It takes courage to respond to a threatening

situation. According to one popular description,

“ COURAGE is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”2

1 What scared or scares you most about the life stages of your children?

If you don’t have kids, what makes you the most nervous about the

possibility of one day being a parent?

2 Before you realized Nathan’s objective, did you find yourself agreeing

with his actions, or did you consider his giving up to be the better choice?

How did you feel when you realized what Nathan was fighting for?

3 Describe the most dangerous situation in which you ever found yourself.

Would you react the same way now as you did then? Or, looking back,

do you wish you had responded differently? Was your safety all that was

at stake, or was someone else involved?

4 Would you call Nathan’s actions courageous and heroic?

5 Do you think that he was afraid during the situation? What was

his greatest concern?

It’s not unusual to be fearful about important people and important responsi-

bilities. Yet a better way is available on the path of life and parenting.

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Study

Joshua 1:1-91 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to

Joshua son of Nun, who had served Moses: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare

to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads,

just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great

Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and west to the Mediterranean Sea.

5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.

7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.

8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.

9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

What did God promise Joshua in this passage?

What did God require of Joshua in this passage?

Note the number of times God instructed Joshua to be “strong

and courageous.” Why might Joshua have been afraid?

How would you compare our lives as believers today to the lives

of the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua in Joshua 1?

Read Deuteronomy 31:23.

What about God’s commission in Joshua’s life before the death of Moses

would have been familiar to him concerning the word of God he received

after Moses’ death?

Give examples of modern-day commissions. Do we have a parallel

for Christian leadership today? for fathers or mothers?

Specifically, what have you as a man been commissioned by God to do?

Moses was gone, and Joshua was the newly appointed

leader of God’s people. Under the leadership of Moses, he

led a victorious battle against the Amalekites and attended

to Moses throughout his life. Along with 11 others, Joshua

spied the land of Canaan (Num. 13). Only he and Caleb

came back with a favorable outlook toward the impending

conquer. He was filled with the spirit and commissioned

for service. His name means “The Lord is salvation” and

corresponds with the New Testament name Jesus.

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LIVEEveryone

We are a people who value measurements in most areas of life. We get grades

as children and seek merit raises as adults. We have weight-loss goals and

savings plans. Measurements are useful tools.

Consider your personal commitment to God’s Word. On a scale of 1 to 10 with

10 being completely committed and 1 being walking far from God, rate your-

self in the following areas and answer, “Why did you give yourself that rating?”

Courage to Follow God’s Word1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0

Why?

Obedience to God’s Word1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0

Why?

Scripture Meditation1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0

Why?

Success as a Christ Follower1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0

Why?

Read Joshua 1:16-18.

How did the response of the people toward Joshua confirm God’s call

in his life?

What did the people promise to do? How did the requirements of God

in Joshua’s leadership translate to the lives of the people?

Compare Joshua 1:7-8 with Joshua 1:16-18. What connections do you see?

First, God commanded Joshua to be obedient to the book of the Law and

to the Word of God. Then the people who were under Joshua’s care commit-

ted to the same.

As men and women of faith, the commitment of the people God entrusts to us will only be as strong as our own. This is true of other

believers we lead and disciple. It is also true for the

children we are charged to raise.

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SummaryWe can all stand to improve in areas of biblical knowledge and godly obedi-

ence. Regardless of how you measure Christian success, it all comes down

to answering God’s call to lead and serve, to represent Him well with our

lives. Acknowledging where we are is key to knowing where we are going and

understanding the steps and tools it will take to get us there.

Write three steps you will take this week to improve those areas of your walk.

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2

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Dads and MomsConsider how God wants you to sacrifice your life for the life of your family. Consider how He wants you to be a hero in your

home. Consider the threats that war at the doors

of your children’s hearts and lives every day. Sometimes they can be physical

threats (yellow grenades and carjacks), but more often, they are spiritual ones.

Threats for a 12-year-old boy might be bullies or peer pressure. If you have

a daughter who is 16, she might face issues of body image and a sexually

pervasive culture. Even a toddler or infant faces threats. Identify some of the

ones you think of in this space.

Many godly parents have already been where you have yet to go. You can

benefit from their wisdom and friendship. What perspective do these parents

bring for you? How do they encourage you?

Take time to pray for courage to address in a godly way each of the threats to

your children. Pray for each child as he or she faces these challenges. Inten-

tionally spend more time with your children, learning about their day-to-day

routine. Option: Spend a day volunteering and observing at school in order to

have a good sense of your kids’ day.

Pray for the wisdom and boldness to step up and be the dad you need to

be—to serve, lead, and protect your family. God is calling men and women to

courageously follow Christ and His Word. He is calling us to fight for our faith

and for our families.

It is time to answer the call.

1. Oliver North, “Hero in Fallujah: Marine Laid Himself on Top of Grenade to Save Rest of Squad.” [online] 16 December 2004 [cited 5 January 2011]. Available from the Internet: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=6062

2.“ Ambrose Redmoon Quotes” [online] 1999-2010 [cited 5 January 2011]. Available from the Internet: http://thinkexist.com/quotes/ambrose_redmoon/

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