week of 10/22

Unit 26  Session 3

THE BETRAYED PRIEST

MATTHEW 26

Even as Jesus was betrayed and arrested, He did not waver in His obedience to the Father and continued to trust in His plan to provide salvation.

As Jesus and His disciples left the upper room, Jesus embarked on the final leg of His journey to the cross. He entered the garden of Gethsemane, knowing all His disciples would fail to stand and watch and pray. He knew Peter would deny Him three times. He was utterly alone, but He never wavered. In the garden, Jesus did what Adam could not do. He stood against the devil and bowed His will to the Father's. By doing so, He brought many sons to glory.

Points to consider:

✞   The Son of Man predicts abandonment.

     * What can you do to show your thankfulness, 

        knowing Jesus was willing to face death to 

        bring about salvation?

     * How does the gospel change the way we view 

        the disciples' failures through the night of 

        Jesus' arrest?

✞   The Son of Man trusts in God's plan.

     * What can we learn from Jesus in the garden 

        when we are grieving and sorrowful?

     * How does Jesus' acceptance of God's will 

        instruct us on how we should pray during 

        difficult times?

✞   The Son of Man exercises restraint.

     * How does knowing God's timing is different 

        from our timing help us in dealing with 

        hardships?

     * Seeing prophecies fulfilled, what do we 

        learn about Scripture?

week of 10/14

Unit 26  Session 2

THE COVENANT-MAKING PRIEST

MATTHEW 26

In the Lord's Supper, Jesus presented a picture of the sacrifice He would make on the cross and also affirmed that He would be victorious: His kingdom would not fail.

Jesus continued His march to the cross, but He stopped to celebrate Passover with His disciples. The time of His departure was near, and one among them would betray Him. Yet Jesus did something more than simply predict His death and resurrection - He performed the first Lord's Supper. Christians have taken the Lord's Supper ever since as a reminder of Christ's broken body and blood shed upon the cross. This signifies the new covenant between Jesus and His people, a promise sealed by Jesus' blood to save His people from their sins.

Points to consider:

✞   The Son of Man will be betrayed as part 

     of God's plan.

     * How does God's plan of salvation reveal 

        His love?

     * How do God's plan and our choices work 

        together?

✞   The Son of Man will be sacrificed as part 

     of God's plan.

     * How does looking at the Lord's Supper 

        with fresh eyes change the way you 

        approach partaking of it with the church?

     * How does the word "covenant" help us 

        understand the security found in Christ's 

        sacrifice?

✞   The Son of Man will be celebrated as part 

     of God's kingdom.

     * Knowing you will see Jesus one day, how 

        does that encourage you daily?

     * How do songs of worship impact your life?

week of 10/8

Unit 26  Session 1

THE ANOINTED PRIEST

JOHN 12

Those who follow Jesus are called to sacrifice in order to show Him worth, prioritizing Him above all as they point others to Him.

One day before Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, six days before the Passover festival and His crucifixion, Jesus visited with His friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Just a short time earlier, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, calling him to come out of the tomb that had been his final resting place for four days. This visit no doubt was accompanied by celebration and thanksgiving for the miracle Jesus had performed, but it also gave rise to acts of devotion and rejection that would soon culminate in the great High Priest's sacrifice of Himself for the sins of the world.

Points to consider:

✞   Jesus' followers sacrifice greatly for Him.

     * What adjectives or characteristics express 

        the way we should serve the Lord?

     * What types of sacrifices can someone offer 

        to Jesus today?

✞   Jesus' followers prioritize being with Him.

     * Why is it sometimes easier to do good works 

        than to spend time cultivating our relationship 

        with Jesus?

     * Though Jesus is not with us physically, how can 

        we spend more time with Him?

✞   Jesus' followers help others believe in Him.

     * How have miracles in your life pointed you or 

        others to Jesus?

     * How does the hope of future resurrection 

        strengthen you now to live for Christ?

week of 10/1

 Unit 25  Session 5

THE TRUE PROPHET

DEUTERONOMY 18 ; MARK 1 ; JOHN 6, 14

Jesus fulfills the office of prophet, declaring words of eternal life to the world.

When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He immediately turned heads. He taught with authority in a way that completely stunned and amazed the people who heard Him. No one had ever seen or heard anyone teach the way Jesus taught. But Jesus wasn't accepted by everyone. In fact, though many people immediately desired to follow Jesus, they lacked staying power because the teachings of Jesus were very difficult for them to understand and accept. Jesus, the true Prophet, not only declared the way to the Father, but when He did, He revealed Himself as the only Way.

Points to consider:

✞   Jesus, the Word, possesses unique authority.

     * What are some things believers can do to 

        live in submission to the authority of Jesus 

        over their lives?

     * How does Jesus' being the final Word of God 

        shape our understanding of people who 

        claim to have new revelation?

✞   Jesus, the Word, provides eternal life.

     * What's the difference between a true disciple 

        and one that just follows for a time but one 

        day will turn away?

     * What's so amazing about eternal life?

✞   Jesus, the Word, reveals the Father.

     * If Jesus is the only Way, what are some of the 

        important distinctions between Christianity 

        and other religions?

     * How does knowing Jesus, the Father, and the 

        Spirit are One encourage you?