Unit 3:
Most of Us Had a Poor Start in Life!
Begin Session
Opening Remarks
Announcements
Opening Prayer
Review Day 1: Real Life
Overview:
This week we took a look at the troubled marriage of Malcom and Dorothy. On Day 1 we were introduced to them and got a glimpse of their struggles. Today we heard both sides of their stories. .Where they turn to for help will definitely affect the outcome of their counseling. On page 45 Dr. Brandt included Webster’s definition of humanism: “A doctrine, set of attitudes, a way of life centered upon human interests or values, a philosophy that rejects supernaturalism, regards man as a natural object, and asserts the essential dignity and worth of man and his capacity to achieve self-realization through the use of reason and scientific method.”
Points To Emphasize:
- Colossians 2:8-10 warns us to beware of the very philosophy we find in the definition of humanism.
- Humanism is nothing new. Rejecting God and centering a way of life and a way of thinking on man’s interests and values has been around since the beginning of time.
- Real life always needs a supernatural perspective if we are to gain real help.
Share:
Have 1 or 2 people share a most meaningful thought and how they applied it.
Review Day 2: Blame Your Background
Overview:
In today’s text, the humanist viewpoint, “growing up in a bad environment will cause people to grow into hostile adults,” was well explained. we also saw on page 47 how we can sometimes find relief in this world without giving God a thought.
Points To Emphasize:
- Relief is not the same as healing.
- Changes in your environment will not bring healing to your heart.
Share:
Have 1 or 2 people share a most meaningful thought and how they applied it.
Review Day 3: Understand Relief Versus Healing
Overview:
In today’s lesson, Dr. Brandt presented the difference between relief and healing. The dental analogy explained the difference between the relief we get from a pain pill for a dry socket versus the healing we get over time. On page 50 this difference was applied to Malcom and Dorothy’s marriage.
Points To Emphasize:
- Pain can be so intense we will do anything for some relief.
- The humanist says that your negative behavior is caused by the way you have been treated. The biblical counselor says that these characteristics are caused by sin.
- If you fail to deal with sin you will not get healing.
Share:
Have 1 or 2 people share a most meaningful thought and how they applied it.
Review Day 4: Blame Your Sin
Overview:
On this day, we continued to examine the difference between relief and healing. Dr. Brandt included another good analogy to help us understand how we need the right diagnosis to get the proper treatment. Just like Dr. Brandt’s wife with her misdiagnosed malaria, each one of us can miss the diagnosis and apply the wrong treatment. However, there is a real cure for sin.
Points To Emphasize:
- If it is sin, that’s good news. Jesus died to cleanse us from sin.
- The cure is swift and sure if you use the proper diagnosis and proper treatment.
- You can suffer greatly from the ravages of sin while you are sincerely and carefully trying to correct the suffering by following the wrong diagnosis and the wrong treatment.
- If it is sin, you must turn to the Creator and Savior for cleansing and changing. If it is sin, society didn’t put it into you; society only stirs up what is already in you.
Share:
Have 1or 2 people share their most meaningful thought and how they applied it.
Bonus Material: Quote
“The circumstances of life do not make you who you are…they reveal who you are!” -Dr. Sam Peeples
Bonus Material: “Check-Point”
Ask the group members if they answered the questions in the italicized paragraph on page 52. This is an important opportunity for them to deal with their hearts concerning unconfessed sin. This question is not an opportunity to discuss or reveal individual sin. It is to draw attention to the material and encourage group members to work through the exercise.
Review Day 5: The Miracle of a Cleansed Life
Overview:
We close this Unit with the end of the story of Malcom and Dorothy. They had tried three other counselors before they finally came to “last-resort Brandt.” They had come away from other counselors with the conclusion that they had irreconcilable differences and divorce was the only solution. Dr. Brandt pointed out that they each had sin issues. When they turned to God for their solution they started behaving like honeymooners.
Points To Emphasize:
- When you allow the Lord to give you peaceful, loving, and joyful hearts, you can approach your problems without hostility and quarreling.
- You must rid yourself of anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language before you can clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
- A cleansed life allows you to look at life from the proper perspective.
Share:
Have 1 or 2 people share a most meaningful thought and how they applied it.
Bonus Material: Object Lesson – “Put Off and Put On”
Use this illustration with props to drive home the point of Colossians 2:8 and 2:12. Colossians 3:8 is the “put off” verse. It is a picture of all the sin that we want to get rid of. Use a black sweater or coat with the words in the verse attached to it (anger, rage, malice, etc). Colossians 3:12 is the “put on” verse. It is a picture of the character qualities God wants us to clothe ourselves with. Use a white sweater or coat with the words in the verse attached to it (compassion, kindness, humility, etc.).
First put on the black sweater and let everyone see the words of sin.
Would you want to approach anyone who exhibited these qualities?
Then try to put the white sweater on top of the black one.
Does this really work? Is it possible to just cover up these sins? There is a struggle between the two natures when you have them both on. We are only able to exhibit godly character qualities when we allow ourselves to be controlled by God’s Spirit.
Take both sweaters off and put on the white one.
When you put off your sins by confessing to them to God then God can give you godly qualities to clothe yourself with.
Think about it: Which person would you want to approach? Which person do you want to be remembered as?
Conclude Session
Wrap-Up
Closing Prayer / Prayer Partners
