HEARING AND RESPONDING TO GOD’S VOICE SPARES US FROM PAINFUL CONSEQUENCES. 

SCRIPTURE | 2 Kings 17:6-20 

CENTRAL TRUTH 

We often ignore God’s voice because it isn’t what we want to hear when we’re pursuing sinful desires. We desperately need God’s voice of truth each day. The longer we ignore it, the farther we wander and the weaker we become in battling sin and idolatry. It matters greatly that we position ourselves to hear God’s voice and then follow it. 

KEY QUESTION 

WHY DO WE IGNORE GOD’S VOICE? WHAT HAPPENS THE LONGER WE DO? 

KEEP IN MIND 

Students often think consequences won’t happen to them; they believe they’re the exception, and the warnings are for other people. When it comes to sin, they often react the same way to the warnings in God’s Word and from His Spirit living within them. They read them; they hear them. They nod and acknowledge the truth in them, but they think they’re stronger than they really are. They tell themselves that they can handle the pressure and the temptation better than other people who failed before them. The truth is that God’s warnings and instructions are for every one of us. We’re weaker than we think, and to stay strong, we must cling to Christ. We must help students reframe how they view warnings. God’s warnings flow from His great love and care. 

APPLICATION 

ONE OF ISRAEL’S GREATEST SINS WAS DESIRING TO BE LIKE THE NATIONS AROUND THEM. WHY DO WE FALL INTO THIS TRAP? HOW CAN WE CHOOSE DIFFERENTLY? 

THE WIN 

FOR THE STUDENT: Instead of looking at the world and desiring what it desires, students can keep their eyes fixed on the greatest treasure—Christ. Instead of blending in, students can walk in their identity as God’s people. 

FOR THE LEADER: Whether you realize it or not, students watch the way you live to determine if fixing their gaze on Christ is worthwhile. If your life reveals that Christ is the greatest treasure, then that truth overflows onto them. Your life can show students that God’s way is so much better than anything the world can offer them.