Solomon's Song Week Three

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SOLOMON’S SONG: Week 3 - The Art of Sex Open in Prayer W elcom e/Introductions/Cast Vision Rem ind the Grow Group of the ground rules Share context/sum m ary of the story [Provide context by sharing the information below.]

The Song of Solomon is a celebration of the goodness of romantic love. It emphasizes the supremacy of love in the husband and wife relationship. This also points to the intimacy of the spiritual relationship between God and believers. Solomon’s love displays God’s love for His people, while the Shulamite’s love is like a believer’s response. Today’s passage looks at Solomon’s wedding and the much anticipated wedding night. Tell the story – Song of Solomon 3:6 – 5:1, Ephesians 5:22-33 [Have someone tell the story.] Rebuild the story [Group members tell the story together based on what they remember.] Read the story out loud [Read the scripture passage to see if anything was added or omitted.] Discuss these questions:

1. What do we learn about God from this passage? [God desires the wedding to be a divine moment which recognizes God as the author of the marital relationship; God designed sex to illustrate the unity He desires in every aspect of the marital union (Gen. 2:24); God knows us fully and yet loves us deeply; sexual intimacy experienced in a godly marriage contains no shame (Gen. 2:25); God wants us to meet the sexual needs of our spouses (I Cor. 7:4-5); God commands us to treat others how we want to be treated; etc.]

2. What do we learn about Man/Us from this passage? [I can become selfish in the marital relationship only wanting my needs met, and not seeing the needs of my spouse; I forget that my marriage is a picture of the gospel lived out before others; I need to continually surrender to the Lordship of Christ and abide in my personal relationship with Him; I need to praise and edify my spouse more than I do; I can devalue marriage and treat it more like a contract than a covenant; etc.]

3. What is God saying to you specifically through this passage as it pertains to your life, marriage, family, and work? 4. In light of what you’ve learned today, what do you need to do to obey God? Other questions specific to this passage:

1. Marriage is a beautiful example to a lost world of the relationship between Christ and the church. How has society distorted this view? How can believers restore it? 2. How is God’s view of sex more satisfying and pleasurable than that of the world? Assign next week’s passage – Song of Solomon 5:2 – 6:13 [Ask someone to tell the story.] Close in Prayer

SOLOMON’S SONG: Week 3 – Leadership Coaching The purpose of this page is to help you sharpen your skills as a Grow Group leader. Each week, we will include concepts, challenges, and resources designed to assist you as you lead and shepherd your Grow Group and grow as a disciple yourself.

Leading [learn to facilitate your group more effectively] Value the vision. The vision of Redemption Church is: “We exist to glorify Jesus Christ by making disciples in South Alabama, America, and the World.” We define disciples as those committed to following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and on mission with Jesus (Matt. 4:19). The purpose of our Grow Groups is to provide a relational environment, led by an intentional leader, that can reproduce disciple makers. Pray and share this vision with your Grow Group every week!

Shepherding [know the sheep, feed the sheep, lead the sheep, protect the sheep] Relationships are the vehicle through which discipleship can happen. God uses relationships to help us spread the gospel and grow in our own faith. Because of that, we must fight for them. We need a desire to work out tensions, biblically forgive, and work to truly understand the heart of the people in our Grow Group. Being proactive about these things in your discipleship relationships will show that you value relationships the way God does.

Developing [grow as a disciple yourself] Is there a relationship in your life that you are struggling with? Pray and ask God to help you show grace and forgiveness. Read through these verses this week to remind yourself of God’s desire for relationships in your life. o Ephesians 4:2-3 - “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” o John 15:3 - “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” o Luke 6:35 - “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” o 1 John 4: 7, 11 - “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God…since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”