Session 1

THESE DAYS ARE GLORY DAYS

The Promised Land — hope, life, passionate faith, fertile relationships. Should these be the exception or the rule? The book of Joshua helps us see the wilderness is not our true home and the Promised Land awaits all those who are ready to enter. Glory Days are just around the corner, just across the river, close enough to touch. So prepare yourself and step forward. Your Glory Days await you.

Introduction

Do we ask too much of God? Do we desire more than we should? Is God weary of our longings and dreams? In The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis responds to these questions this way:

It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

As the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness, they looked back on their time in Egypt with selective memory. Although they had been in slavery, beaten, and oppressed ... at least they'd had basic food. After God delivered them from Egypt with a powerful hand, parted the Red Sea, and rained heavenly bread from the sky, they looked over their shoulder and cried, "We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost — also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic" (Numbers 11:5).

The Israelites stood in the wilderness with the Promised Land ahead of them and Egypt behind them. But instead of dreaming of the Glory Days that awaited in a land flowing with milk and honey, they remembered the cucumbers and onions of Egypt.

It is time to march, run, skip, and press forward. No matter how good things might seem in the rearview mirror, what lies ahead can be better. It is time to dream big, to ask of God with boldness, and to believe that our Glory Days are ahead of us.

Talk About It

Welcome to the first session of Glory Days: Living Your Promised Land Life Now. If you or any of your fellow group members do not know one another, take some time to introduce yourselves. Then, to get things started, discuss one of the following questions:

C. S. Lewis says we can become like children who are content making mud pies in a slum when God offers a holiday by the sea. What are some of the small things we can become entangled in and enamored with that keep us from experiencing the fullness God wants to offer?

or

What are some of the good, big, and beautiful things we can receive from God if we open ourselves to the greatness of his love and the wonder of his generosity?

Video Teaching Notes

As you watch the video teaching segment for session one, use the following outline to record anything that stands out to you.

The Great American Immigration period: millions of people boarded boats bound for the hopeful shores of America, a land that spoke of a new hope and new beginning

The journey of the Israelites: the highlights and the lowlights

The seven years of conquest represented a fresh start and a new season for the Israelites ... and we need a fresh start and a new season as well.

The book of Joshua dares us to believe the best days of our lives are ahead of us — that God has a Promised Land for us to take.

The Promised Land was the third stop on the Hebrew people's iconic itinerary: first there was Egypt, then the wilderness, and finally Canaan.

Each stop represented a state of mind: the Israelites were enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt, slaves to fear in the wilderness, and finally people of promise in Canaan.

Canaan symbolizes the Promised Land life we can have right now — a dream of Promised Land living and our Glory Days.

So many of us are living humdrum lives — as if we, like the Israelites, are stuck in the wilderness — but how would the world change if we marched into our Promised Land?

Video Discussion and Bible Study

Take a few minutes with your group members to discuss what you just watched and explore these concepts in Scripture.

1. Think of a time when God led you to a new beginning and a fresh start. What would you have missed if you had refused to follow God into this new chapter of life?

2. During this session's teaching, we saw how the people of God had been through hard times of loss, hurt, and brokenness. Their history was peppered with pain, and their memories often brought tears and shame. Why is it important for us to honestly remember the low points, rebellion, and struggles of God's people?

If we are going to follow God into the Promised Land and experience our Glory Days, why is it essential for us to look back and remember our own pain, loss, and struggles?

Pause at this point and spend three or four minutes in silence as a group reflecting on your own life, struggles, rebellion, pain, and loss. Ask God to help you remember where you have come from so you can take delight in what he has prepared for your future.

3. Read Joshua 21:43–45. This glorious and hope-filled summary comes near the end of Joshua. It is a highlight of the whole history of God's people. What kind of picture do these verses paint? What could your life look like if these words described the next season of your life?

4. Israel's pilgrimage to freedom began in Egypt, continued in the wilderness, and culminated in the Promised Land. Talk as a group about each of these chapters in the journey of God's people:

Egypt

• What did God's people experience?

• What challenges did they face?

• How was God present and at work?

• What lessons did they learn?

The Wilderness

• What did God's people experience?

• What challenges did they face?

• How was God present and at work?

• What lessons did they learn?

Canaan (The Promised Land)

• What did God's people experience?

• What challenges did they face?

• How was God present and at work?

• What lessons did they learn?

5. Read Romans 8:37–39, Philippians 4:4–7, and Colossians 3:15–17. The Promised Land is not a physical place but a spiritual space. It is the space in which we live when we understand who Jesus is and who we can become as we follow him. What do these passages tell us about ourselves and how we should live as we walk with Jesus?

What is one way you can walk more closely with Jesus in the coming weeks so you can experience the promises declared in these passages?

6. Read Exodus 15:22–24, 16:1–3, and 17:1–4. What patterns do you see in the attitudes and words of God's people? How do we tend to act just like the people...