Week 21 What to Do if Someone is Trying to Put Out Your Light?
“Blowing out someone’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter.”
Amber Teamann
Passage
9 The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked goes out.
Proverbs 13:9 (NASB)
"Blow out a candle" by Frank PRAT is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Background
Quote-Amber Teamann serves as the Director of Technology & Innovation for Crandall ISD, a fast-growing district outside of Dallas, Texas. During her educational career, Amber’s comprehensive understanding of student learning has resulted in a successful blend of technology and leading. Through her campus and district-level leadership, she has helped initiate instructional change district-wide, empowering teachers at all levels. Amber knows we can all be better together and strives to make every day the very best it can be for each member of her staff and students. As an award-winning administrator, she has been a featured speaker in multiple states helping motivate, encourage, and help develop the capacity of teachers and leaders nationwide.
Passage-The genre of Proverbs is mainly “Proverbs” as the name describes, there are also some Parables and Poetry. This book was written mainly by Solomon, the wisest king ever to rule, however some of the later sections are written by Lemuel and Agur. It was written during Solomon’s reign 970-930 B.C. He asked God for wisdom to rule God’s nation and He granted the request.
The main purpose of this book is to teach wisdom to God’s people. Proverbs are short clever explanations, which are easy to remember. They contain truisms. These are things which are typically true however, not always. For example, "He who tills his land will have plenty of bread" (12:11), it is typically true that one who works his land will have bread but it is not a guarantee to always be true. They deal with life, principles, good judgment, and perception. They often draw distinctions between a wise man and a foolish man with parable type examples.
Lesson Notes
Opening Statement
This week’s lesson is longer than usual. Let’s jump right in.
Ask: First, what does that mean “someone is trying to put your light out?”
Point: It does not mean kill you or even physical fight, but it might. It means they are working in opposition to you when you are working in your God-given gifts on His path, not your own.
Ask: When you identify this as happening what should you do first?
Point: Turn inward and pray asking God to grant you the vision to ensure you truly are on His path doing what He wants rather than what you want. This is a very important first step.
First Reading (Isaiah 11:1-4 (NASB)
Ask: Who is the “shoot” and the “stem of Jesse” and “branch from his roots?”
Point: Jesus.
Ask: If someone is trying to oppose our efforts on God’s behalf, working in our gifts, trying to reflect His light to the world, why should we seek God’s council first?
Point: Because we could be wrong. We could be walking in our own strength, on our own path, doing our own thing and not God’s thing.
Ask: Why is it important to understand if we are on our path or God’s path?
Point: Second Reading (Revelation 3:14-22 (NASB)
Ask: If we determine we actually are not on God’s path what should we do?
Point: The person opposing our actions is the chastisement of the Lord helping guide us back to Him. Our next steps should be introspective using prayer to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us back to God.
Ask: We have determined we are on God’s path. Now what should we do when someone is opposing our efforts pursuing God’s goals?
Point: Third Reading (Romans 5:3-5 (NASB)
Ask: Perseverance leads to hope, but when we are opposed by someone in our efforts on God’s behalf, what do we hope for?
Point: Fourth Reading (Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB)
Ask: Which brings us back full-circle. Why are we shining our light in the first place?
Point: To help other people, and sometimes we are the other people who need help which is why we need to be surrounded by a “…cloud of witnesses.”
Ask: Why should we make sure we are only helping people in a way approved of by God?
Point: Fifth Reading (Isaiah 55:6-8 (NASB)
Ask: Does that mean when we have a choice between how the World wants to do something or how God tells us He wants things done in the Bible we are wrong if we pick the World’s way?
Point: Yes.
Closing Statement
Let’s close this week not with what I want to say but with what God has already said.
The Free offer of Mercy
1 "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.
2 "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.
3 "Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
4 "Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, A leader and commander for the peoples.
5 "Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, And a nation which knows you not will run to you, Because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you."
6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
12 "For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 "Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, And it will be a memorial to the LORD, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off."
Isaiah 55:1-13 (NASB)
Questions for the Week
Question 1 Spend this week pulling apart the closing statement from Isaiah, Prophet of God.
Scripture
First Reading
1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
Isaiah 11:1-4 (NASB)
Second Reading
14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
21 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Revelation 3:14-22 (NASB)
Third Reading
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:3-5 (NASB)
Fourth Reading
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB)
Fifth Reading
6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:6-8 (NASB)