When you were small, what did you think your life would be like when you grew up? Did your life turn out to be what you dreamed of as a child?
When you were small, what did you think your life would be like when you grew up? Did your life turn out to be what you dreamed of as a child?
Is there anything about your childhood you would like to change or “do over”?
Introduction:
Meet the Robinsons is the story of Lewis, a young boy inventor growing up in an orphanage. He is determined to find out the identity of his mother, who left him as a baby. So he builds a memory machine to retrieve his memory of her. After entering his creation in a local science fair, Lewis is visited by a boy named Wilbur and pursued by a mysterious man in a bowler hat.
Things get complicated when Wilbur takes Lewis into the future with a time machine all while being pursued by the bowler hat man who can also time travel. All the while, Lewis learns about how his actions, both good and bad, will affect him, his family and others around him in the future.
This Disney computer animated film was based on the picture book, A day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce. At the center of the film is Lewis and the choices he makes. In the same way, God's word teaches us about our life choices: to obey God and be righteous or to rebel against God and be sinful. The Lord commands us to forgive and reject bitterness, to understand the progression of sin, and to always persevere through to the end. Today, let’s look at “Meet the Robinsons” and find the spiritual lessons that God wants us to learn.
- God warns us to not let a bitter root grow in our hearts – Play DVD clip - Chapter 9 to 40:45
Why was the bowler hat man so passionate about persuading Goob to not “let it go”?
Read Hebrews 12:14-17
What are some things that happen to people that embitter them? Have you ever become bitter? If so, what happened? The scripture says that trouble can be caused by bitterness-what kinds of trouble can a bitter root cause?
Read
Forgiveness of one another is commanded by God. How can forgiveness cure bitterness? How do we learn to forgive and to keep forgiving?
2. God wants to spare us the consequences of sin – Play DVD clip Chapter 16 to 1:07:50
What happened to Goob over time when he kept holding onto his anger?
Read James 1:13-15
According to James, what happens to us when we are tempted? How can we avoid giving into temptation and evil desires? What are some examples when sin grows up and gives birth to death? How can we prevent sin in our lives from growing out of control?
Read 1 Corinthians 10:13
The key to overcoming sin is to avoid it altogether. What are some examples of how God provides “a way out” of temptation?
3. God wants us to “keep moving forward” - Play DVD clip 41:39 to 44:10
As Wilbur explains, what were the positive benefits of “keep moving forward”?
Read Phil 3:12-14
In the scripture, Paul talks about “forgetting what is behind” and to move forward. What are some things that keep people “stuck” looking back at their lives? How can a person get “unstuck” from their past? How does a “pressing on toward the prize” attitude help us in our daily lives?
Read James 1:2-4
Trials are not fun. How can we develop a perspective of pure joy when we suffer? What are the benefits, spiritual and otherwise, of perseverance in our lives?
Conclusion:
God wants us to bless our lives today and live with us forever. He wants us to forgive and not be bitter, to understand how sin can progress and destroy us, and how we must persevere and keep moving forward. What future will you choose?
Play Chapter 19 through to the Walt Disney quote(with the subtitles on) to close the discussion.
Dan Lafever