week of 4/2

Unit 19  Session 5

THE SAVIOR IS FOLLOWED

JOHN 1

Jesus invited His first followers into relationship with Him and promised that they would experience great things.

John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the world as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He understood Jesus's role from the start. Jesus was the sacrificial substitute, laying down His life for His people. John again, the following day, called Jesus the Lamb of God (John 1:36), specifically telling two of his own disciples, allowing them to follow Jesus and become His disciples. The call to follow the Lamb is the foundation of John's Gospel and the basis for the entire story of the Bible. From cover to cover, the Bible invites the reader to look at Jesus, follow Him, and be saved.

Points to consider:

✞   The Messiah invites others to follow Him.

     * What does it mean to follow Jesus for 

        the modern reader?

     * Why is it sometimes difficult to share 

        about Jesus with others?

✞   The Messiah reveals His identity by His power.

     * What names of Jesus resonate with you 

        at this point in your life, and why?

✞   The Messiah promises greater things to come.   

     * What causes you to believe that Jesus 

        really is Who He says He is? 

     * Who do you say that Jesus is? 

week of 3/26

Unit 19  Session 4

THE SAVIOR IS FAITHFUL

MATTHEW 4

In overcoming Satan's temptation, Jesus affirmed He is the greater Adam Who succeeded where the first Adam failed.

The wilderness provides the backdrop for a well-known interaction between Jesus and Satan. In essence, the wilderness is a backdrop to the story of the Old Testament. The Israelites spent decades wandering in the wilderness as a result of their sin. This was a place of judgment, a place of failure, a place of hopelessness and death. The wilderness was anchored in the Israelite mind as the foremost location where they experienced the implications of sin. The Messiah entered into His ministry through the wilderness, presenting Himself to the world as the One Who succeeded where Israel failed.

Points to consider:

✞   The Son of God trusts in the Father's provision.

     * What might we learn from the high point of 

        Jesus' baptism being followed by a difficult 

        time of challenge, such as facing Satan in the

        wilderness?

     * How should we react knowing Satan is real 

        and ready to tempt us at any time?

✞   The Son of God trusts in the Father's providence.

     * How does succumbing to temptation lead us 

        astray from God's mission for our lives?

     * Why did Jesus use Scripture to counter Satan's

        attacks?

✞   The Son of God trusts in the Father's plan.   

     * What are some occasions when we might be 

        tempted to use our power and position 

        pridefully? 

week of 3/19

 Unit 19  Session 3

THE SAVIOR IS BAPTIZED

MARK 1

John the Baptist was the herald who prepared the way for the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah.

In his Gospel, Mark first introduced Jesus to the world through the eyes of John the Baptist. The pacing of Mark's Gospel is fast - it's the shortest of all the Gospel accounts and the oft-used term "immediately" demonstrates that Mark was intent on progressing the stories quickly so that his readers could focus their attention on Jesus's work on the cross. Therefore, it is worth noting that Mark slowed down to consider how John paved the way for Jesus- both through his declaration of Jesus's identity and by baptizing Him in the Jordan River. 

Points to consider:

✞   The herald prepares for the Son.

     * How should the steady use of Old 

        Testament prophecy in the story 

        of Jesus's birth encourage us?

     * How would John's practice of 

        baptism help people understand 

        Jesus's message?

✞   The herald points to the Son.

     * What does baptism do?

✞   The herald baptizes the Son.   

     * Why did Jesus get baptized even 

        though He had nothing to repent 

        of or confess?

     * How can growing in our under-

        standing of the triune God help us 

        worship Him more? 

week of 3/12

Unit 19  Session 2

THE SAVIOR IS PRESENTED

LUKE 2

Even from childhood, Jesus fulfilled all of the law, showing that He is the Messiah, the righteous One who came to bring salvation to the world.

The Gospel writers spent almost no time covering the details of Jesus's life following His birth up until the time He began His public ministry around the age of 30. Their main focus was the three years of Jesus's ministry in and around Jerusalem proclaiming the kingdom of God and, uniquely, His death, burial, and resurrection. Mark started his gospel with Jesus's ministry and spent roughly half of the total time of his writing describing the final weeks of Jesus's life. In Luke's gospel, however, we are given one of the few glimpses into Jesus's early years to reveal His perfect character. 

Points to consider:

✞   The Messiah will fulfill the law entirely.

     * What benefits might we discover in 

        dwelling upon Jesus's humanity? 

✞   The Messiah will bring salvation globally.

     * What are some ways we should respond 

        to the good news of salvation?

     * What do we learn about God when we 

        see Him keep His promises?

✞   The Messiah will obey the Father completely.   

     * What character traits are demonstrated by 

        Jesus's listening to and asking questions in 

        the temple?

     * How should we reconcile our obedience to 

        God and our expected obedience to human

        authorities? 

week of 3/5

 Unit 19  Session 1

THE SAVIOR IS BORN

John 1

Jesus is the Word, the Son of God Who came into the world to bring salvation.

At the start of the New Testament, the situation was bleak for God's people. Even after God's people returned to their land, they were still under the power of the Medo-Persians - after them, the Greeks, and after them, the Romans. The prophets were silent. The kingdom was broken. The future was dark. Greek and Roman culture had enveloped the whole area, and the elitist Pharisees and Sadducees had come into power to try to lead the Jews, but their only real hope was the coming of the Messiah. But when would that be? Into this, Jesus was born. Everything changed when Jesus showed up.  

Points to consider:

✞   The Word of God in Creation

     * What makes it hard for you to 

        think about the Son of God 

        existing as God when God 

        created the world? 

✞   The Word of God in Redemption

     * Why might it be difficult to share 

        the truth of Jesus Christ?

     * How does this passage say people 

        are saved from sin and darkness?

✞   The Word of God in Glory    

     * What attributes of God are revealed 

        through Jesus' incarnation for our 

        salvation, for which we should praise 

        and imitate Him?

     * Why might we find it difficult to speak 

        and act in grace and truth?

week of 2/26

 Unit 18  Session 5

A BURDENED PEOPLE

MALACHI ; JAMES 2

All humans are guilty because of sin, but those who feel the shame of their sin and repent will receive the Lord's compassion.

Ezra and Nehemiah both led groups of exiled Jews back to Jerusalem, recognizing God's hand in putting them under Persian rulers who didn't mind their return to their homeland and worship of their God. But just because God's hand was leading didn't mean the people had turned back to the Lord completely. Just like Moses dealt with the sins of the Israelites who had accompanied him out slavery in Egypt, so Ezra and Nehemiah dealt with sin even in the midst of rebuilding the temple and the walls. Had they fallen so far away from God that they didn't even feel their guilt?  

Points to consider:

✞   The sins of the wicked incur their guilt.

     * How does God use guilt and shame to 

        draw us back to Himself? 

✞   The boasting of the wicked reveals 

     their shamelessness.

     * What are some examples of harsh 

        words we might be guilty of speaking 

        against the Lord?

✞   The fear of the Lord among the righteous 

     prompts His compassion.    

     * What are some ways we should speak to 

        one another as those who fear the Lord?

     * Seeing how spiritual disciplines helped 

        the Israelites in this volume to act with 

        righteousness, how can these disciplines 

        help us to fear and serve the Lord?

week of 2/19

Unit 18  Session 4

A CONFESSING COMMUNITY

NEHEMIAH 9 - 10

We are to confess our sin so that we might be restored with God.

In Nehemiah 8, we saw that God's people had begun to weep as they heard the words of the law, pbviously realizing the gravity of their sins. But Ezra interrupted their time of consideration of sin because it was actually a time of festivity: time to celebrate God! And because God's Word is supreme, they obeyed. But when the festival was over and the booths had been put away, the tug of conviction was still strong. The people still needed to repent of their sin, and they did through a prayer recounting the mighty and gracious works of the Lord in contrast to the sinful works of His people, both past and present. 

Points to consider:

✞   Confession begins with a proper view of God.

     * Who has God shown Himself to be thus far 

        in our study of the storyline of the Bible?

     * Looking back at your own life, in the good 

        and the bad, what are some reasons you 

        can say, "God is faithful"? 

✞   Confession acknowledges the reality of sin.

     * How should we view sin in light of the 

        character and actions of God?

✞   Confession humbly seeks pardon and restoration.    

     * How do humbling circumstances serve the 

        purpose of bringing God's people to confession 

        of sin?