week of 11/26

 Unit 27  Session 4

THE CONQUERING KING

COLOSSIANS 1 ; HEBREWS 1 ; REVELATION 22

Jesus fulfills the office of king, ruling over all of creation and guiding and directing His people, the church.

We have been looking the last few weeks at Jesus as King, accused, crucified, and risen. And to sum up, He is the conquering King. He oversees the universe, guides the church, and rewards the faithful when He returns. He is sovereign over all and sovereign over us. As King, He is victorious over all. Therefore, Christians should respond to His mighty sovereignty and majestic grace through faith-filled obedience.

Points to consider:

✞   Jesus is the eternal King, ruling the cosmos.

     * What are some ways we should worship 

        Jesus?

     * What characteristics make Jesus the 

        greatest King?

✞   Jesus is the resurrected King, directing the church.

     * If Jesus is the Head of the church and first place 

        in everything, how should we submit our lives 

        to Him?

    * Where in your life are you experiencing peace 

        because of Jesus?

✞   Jesus is the returning King, rewarding the faithful.

     * How do we live our lives knowing Jesus is 

        returning soon and will reward those according 

        to their work?

     * How is Jesus the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning 

        and the End?

week of 11/19

Unit 27  Session 3

THE RISEN KING

MATTHEW 27-28

Jesus' resurrection from the dead on the third day is the linchpin of the Christian faith and is news to be shared with the world.

After a grueling trial and gruesome crucifixion, the beaten, lifeless body of Jesus hung on the cross. With Friday sundown and the approaching Sabbath, there was rush to dispose of the deceased. Determined to honor their Rabbi, some of Jesus' followers arranged to provide Jesus with a proper burial. But they didn't know that the borrowed tomb would only be needed for a very short time. Jesus would not be dead for long. God was about to make His most powerful move yet to fulfill His promise to rescue His people.

Points to consider:

✞   Resisting the Possibility of Jesus' Resurrection

     * How can you put Jesus in a place of honor in 

        your life?

     * How can someone try to explain why he or she 

        believes in Jesus' resurrection?

✞   Encouraging the Reality of Jesus' Resurrection

     * What other times has God used Heavenly 

        messengers to give authoritative, Divine news?

     * How does the reality of Jesus' resurrection 

        impact your life?

✞   Sharing the News of Jesus' Resurrection

     * How can I keep myself accountable on 

        prioritizing telling others the good news 

        of Jesus?

     * How might the reality that every person 

        will live on for eternity - either with Christ

        or without - change our everyday moments?

week of 11/12

Unit 27  Session 2

THE CRUCIFIED KING

LUKE 23

Jesus gave up His life to provide salvation to all who repent of their sin.

Only a handful of hours into His last day before death, Jesus had already been falsely accused and wrongly condemned to death. He was flogged by officials, forsaken by His followers, and left so weak that He could not even carry His cross as He marched to the place of His execution. Yet the emotional anguish and physical pain He bore could not keep Him from obediently fulfilling God's purpose. Christ came to be a ransom for sinners so that those who believed could become part of the forever family of God.

Points to consider:

✞   Jesus, the crucified King, extends forgiveness 

     to the executioners.

     * When in the midst of suffering and persecution, 

        what are your prayers typically geared toward?

     * Why is it difficult to forgive others?

✞   Jesus, the crucified King, promises salvation 

     to the repentant.

     * Which of these three truths do you think our 

        culture struggles with the most, and why?

✞   Jesus, the crucified King, entrusts Himself 

     to the Father.

     * What are the benefits of having direct access 

        to the Father?

     * What are ways we can fill our thoughts and 

        words with Scripture?

week of 11/5

Unit 27  Session 1

THE ACCUSED KING

LUKE 22-23

Jesus was arrested, tried, and condemned to die, even though He did no wrong.

After three full years of ministry, the time had come for the promised Messiah - the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King who had been anticipated for millennia - to finish what He had started. His mission was clear and His resolve strong. Through the enabling strength of the Spirit by the unshakable will of the Father, the Son of God set His face to the cross. Much suffering awaited Jesus, some of which would be physical, but it would also be emotional as He watched His followers and friends abandon Him, betray Him, and become a part of condemning Him to death.

Points to consider:

✞   Jesus, the King of the Jews, is wrongly tried.

     * What are some examples of Christians using 

        wrong methods when trying to share the truth?

     * What reasons did the religious leaders have 

        for wanting Jesus condemned?

✞   Jesus, the King of the Jews, is wrongly accused.

     * What are some things Christians are wrongly 

        accused of at times?

     * How does knowing Jesus lived a holy and 

        innocent life but still dealt with persecution 

        and injustice encourage you when you face 

        similar troubles?

✞   Jesus, the King of the Jews, is wrongly condemned.

     * Why is mob rule so effective?

     * What can we do to sin less?

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?