week of 7/30

Unit 23  Session 4

DISCIPLES LIVE FOR THE KINGDOM

MATTHEW 13

In telling the kingdom parables, Jesus taught that His kingdom is unique and of unsurpassed value.

Having come to seek and save the lost, Jesus now tells His followers what a life devoted to Him looks like. Those who have been pursued and rescued by God will now in turn pursue His kingdom and His righteousness. Jesus illustrates this discipleship by telling His listeners several parables about the kingdom of Heaven. By telling these stories, Jesus is provoking His listeners to think deeply about the growth, value, and purity of His kingdom.

Points to consider:

✞   The Growth of the Kingdom

     * Where have you seen the 

        growth of the kingdom 

        of God?

     * For what reasons might 

        God be pleased to build 

        His kingdom through 

        small and insignificant 

        things? 

✞   The Value of the Kingdom

     * In what ways have you 

        radically embraced the 

        kingdom of Heaven in 

        faith?

     * How has following Christ 

        brought you great joy?

✞   The Purity of the Kingdom

     * Why is judgment a 

        necessary part of God's 

        final work?

     * What should be our 

        response to the warning 

        of God's judgment?

week of 7/23

Unit 23  Session 3

DISCIPLES ARE FOUND

LUKE 15

In telling the parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son, Jesus expressed God's heart, One that seeks after lost people.

The kingdom of Heaven that Jesus brings reorients all of humanity's priorities, understandings, and thoughts. By realigning human hearts to God's ways about what it means to be blessed and how to practice righteous deeds, Jesus turns His disciples' attention to why He has come to bring about this radical reorientation: namely, to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10).

Points to consider:

✞   The lost are sought with urgency.

     * What kind of people do some 

        perceive to be beyond redemption 

        in our day? 

✞   The lost are sought with diligence.

     * How does the doctrine of election 

        humble us and keep us from 

        exalting ourselves?

     * How might we rejoice with those 

        who come to faith in Jesus?

✞   The lost are sought with compassion.

     * What are some reasons people seek 

        restoration?

     * How do you respond when someone 

        who seems undeserving of salvation 

        comes to faith?

week of 7/16

Unit 23  Session 2

DISCIPLES LIVE FOR GOD'S GLORY

MATTHEW 6

The actions of those who follow Jesus are done not for their own notoriety but rather so that they might grow in their faith and please the Father.

As Jesus taught His disciples about the nature of the kingdom, He was pointing them to the reality that His kingdom was a different kind of kingdom than what they were expecting. While many wanted the physical kingdom, the overthrow of Rome and the liberation of the promised land, Jesus' message in the Sermon on the Mount offered a better kingdom - a Heavenly kingdom that had come to change the way followers of Jesus live, reorienting their practices and purposes for doing their righteous deeds.

Points to consider:

✞   Jesus' disciples give secretly.

     * How did Christ's example 

        enable us to live for God's 

        glory alone?

     * How can you grow in 

        trusting the Lord to be 

        generous to His work? 

✞   Jesus' disciples pray sincerely.

     * What changes might we 

        experience by beginning 

        with a focus on God in our 

        prayers?

✞   Jesus' disciples fast humbly.

     * What are some ways people 

        seek to draw attention to 

        their righteous deeds today?

     * How might you grow in the 

        discipline of fasting?

week of 7/9

Unit 23  Session 1

DISCIPLES ARE BLESSED

MATTHEW 5

Jesus has called His disciples to live in such a way as to reveal God's glory to the world.

As people waited for the Messiah, they expected Him to bring the promised blessings of the covenant - wholeness, a restored land, health, and prosperity. When Jesus came and brought healing over sickness and cared for people's needs, many associated His actions with being blessed. What Jesus brings in His blessing, however, is greater than physical wellness and material prosperity. When Jesus blesses His followers, He brings the saving rule and reign of the kingdom of God to them while they wait for the consummation and restoration of all things.

Points to consider:

✞   Jesus' disciples are blessed.

     * Why is it difficult to see 

        suffering as a blessing?

     * What values seen in the 

        Beatitudes do you need to 

        display more of in your life? 

✞   Jesus' disciples are the salt of the earth.

     * In what ways can we be 

        salt in the world?

✞   Jesus' disciples are the light of this world.

     * In what ways do people hide 

        the light of Christ?

     * How do we make sure we are 

        shining our light for God's glory 

        and not our own?

week of 7/2

Unit 22  Session 5

JESUS OVER ALL

JOHN 10 ; HEBREWS 1

Jesus' divinity is revealed in His works, His claims, and in His very nature.

John 10 may not be chronological with this unit, but it is certainly thematic. Not surprisingly, Jesus is in the midst of a tense debate with Jewish authorities over His healing of a blind man (John 9). The crowd had confirmed that this man was born blind, and Jesus had revealed that those who didn't believe His miracles were spiritually blind (vv. 39-41). He went on to point out a distinct divide between those standing around Him: those who followed Him and those who didn't. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but not all Jews were His sheep.

Points to consider:

✞   The Son's works reveal His deity.

     * How can we be prepared for 

        situations in which others are 

        hostile toward us because of 

        our faith?

     * How can someone humble 

        himself/herself to become a 

        sheep of Jesus, a true believer?

✞   The Son's claims reveal His deity.

     * When trials come because of 

        your conviction as a child of 

        God, how do you stand firm?

✞   The Son's radiance reveal His deity.

     * How should the truth of these 

        verses shape your personal 

        worship time?

     * Why do you think some people 

        don't believe that Jesus is God?