Application Questions

Reflecting on all the centuries that the people of God were pining in sin and error, what do you think it was like for the Messiah, the Savior to finally come?

What does following the humble example of Christ look like practically in your life?

What would it practically mean for you to make the following three resolutions for 2016:

1. To love others sacrificially
2. To deliver the message of the gospel of peace to those who haven't heard
3. To address oppression as Christ's hands and feet in our city and our world

The last chapter of the Old Testament story shows us God bringing his people out of exile, just as he promised. But while the people lived in their historic land again, their hearts were still elsewhere. The Old Testament ends with the people needing their hearts to come home, and in Jesus we find the one who can bring all of us all the way back home to God.

Application Questions:

1. If "home is where the heart is," where does your heart look for home here on the earth? Think about your relationships, vocations, and activities. Which of those "homes" are an extension of the home you have in God? Which of them are an attempt to seek a home apart from God?
2. Are there areas of your life that you are neglecting or fighting against because your heart is looking for home somewhere else? How would you treat those areas of life if you knew you had a permanent home in God that could never be taken away?
3. Brainstorm together with your Community Group: what are some practical ways we can abide in Christ? Share the ways you still "live in your old home" with your emotions, reactions, and more. How can we help each other move in to our new home in Jesus?

During the time of the exile God, through the prophets, got more explicit than he had ever been before about what he had planned for his people. It was this time that God promised he would establish a New Covenant with his people, a New Covenant that would fulfill and supersede the old covenants, a New Covenant that would be the climax of all history. This is the covenant that we live under, through Christ, and it is the covenant that has changed everything.

Application Questions:

1. How does having instant forgiveness change your life and how you view your future? Why does having instant forgiveness ​not​ just cause you to sin as much as you want?
2. How does having an invigorated heart change your life and how you view your future? In what ways are you tempted to worship things that naturally result in a heart of stone?
3. How does having the internalized law change your life and how you view your future? In what specific ways do you find yourself empowered to obedience when it would have been impossible before?
4. How does having the indwelling Spirit change your life and how you view your future? How does having God dwelling inside of you shape your relationship with him?

The people of God were taken into exile not only for judgment, but also so that God could free them from their idolatry of the kingdom and set their hearts back on the true King. But for us, instead of sending us into exile to save us, Jesus was exiled on our behalf, so that we might be brought back to God by grace. In response to this grace, we are now called to live​ as​ exiles in a world that doesn't know him, and to be the beacons of his glory for the good and blessing of our city.

The period of the United and Divided Kingdom in Israel is both the Golden Age of the Kingdom of Israel and the most devastating. Under David and Solomon the Kingdom experiences great peace and security, great provision and prosperity, and a distinct presence of the LORD, and yet when they turn their eyes from Him and lose sight of eternity these promises begin unravelling, leaving God's people longing for a future Kingdom with a perfect King. When Jesus comes He brings this Kingdom with Him, and its far greater than anyone ever could have imagined.

Application Questions:

1. What are the three Kingdom Promises of God and how do they relate to the Garden?
2. How is the Kingdom of God Jesus brings greater than the Kingdom of Israel?
3. Why does it matter that the Church is now the representative of the Kingdom of God on earth?
4. How can Cornerstone be a place that reflects the Kingdom values of Christ, bringing peace, provision, and presence to our community? How can you make that happen in your own life?

The Old Testament takes time to reflect in the wisdom literature, five books in the very center of the Bible. Instead of telling more history, these wisdom books examine how to live life well in light of what God has done in history. As we look through three of the wisdom books, we find the importance of wisdom to give our lives meaning, the center of wisdom in the fear of the Lord, and how to cultivate wisdom in the psalms that teach us how to encounter God. In the New Testament, we see Jesus becomes our wisdom and opens the door to a life of fearing the Lord.

Application Questions:

1. Where in your life do you forget the reality of God? How does that affect your attitude, decisions, and relationships?
2. Think of some ways you have looked for meaning from things on earth that can't provide it. How would wisdom help you treat those things differently?
3. Do you fear God? Why or why not? How would fearing God change your life for the better? How would fearing God make you more of a blessing to others?
4. Why do you need to encounter God through his word to be wise? Are you regularly engaging with God in scripture?

Israel asks God for a king, but Samuel warns them that while a king defeats your enemies, he also has absolute authority over you. God then promises to King David that an eternal King is going to come, and we too must ask ourselves- are we ready for King Jesus to defeat our enemies AND have all authority over our lives?

Application Questions

1. How does Hannah's prayer in 1 Sam. 2:10 reflect a transition in Israel's history?
2. What are the two responsibilities of a king and what is the warning God gives to Israel about appointing a king (1 Sam. 8:10-18)?
3. What does God promise King David in 2 Samuel 7?
4. How does Jesus fulfill the promise of 2 Samuel 7, and how is He a different kind of King?
5. What is the difference between "you must do" and "let there be"? In what ways in your life is God saying "let there be..."?
6. How are you fighting against His loving Kingship by seeking control?

The book of Judges gives us a long-range historical perspective that is difficult to find anywhere else. It provides realism about life and human nature apart from God. The people of Israel's rebellion continues in a downward spiral that is both shocking and tragic. However, through it all, God is weaving his redemptive story, and story that highlights his patience, grace, goodness, and power to redeem even the darkest story.

Application Questions:

1. How does the book of Judges help you see that the world is worse off than you think?
2. How does the book of Judges help you see that you're worse off than you think?
3. How does the book of Judges help you see that your redeemer is greater than you've ever imagined?
4. How do the examples of Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi demonstrate what faithfulness looks like in your own daily life?
5. How do the examples of Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi demonstrate how God might use you to bring redemption in the world?

The book of Joshua shows God's people receiving the gift of a land to call their own. Originally settled by Abraham, after 400 years God delivers Abraham's family back home. While there are difficult issues to deal with in the conquest of Canaan, the book of Joshua shows us a God who keeps his promises—and points us to a Jesus that brings us a better gift of salvation, rest, and changed life.

Application Questions:

1. When you think of your biggest problems—now and in the past—do you focus more on your circumstances or your own heart? How might a closer relationship with God change things even if your circumstances stay the same?
2. Are you more tempted to have a "business" relationship with God (going through the motions to keep everyone satisfied) or a "personal" relationship with God (having lots of positive feelings but not a changed life)? Why do you think that is?
3. What are some ways your live your life based on pride and/or fear? How does the gospel change our motivation for obeying God? What are a few ways you can apply that to your life now?

Deuteronomy sums up the first five books of the Bible on the edge of the promised land, with God renewing his promises to a people that so far have been stubborn and sinful. Before the go into the promised land, Moses gives them a long sermon on what it means to be in a covenant relationship with God. Deeper, wider, and broader than any other relationship we can know as humans, God's covenant draws us close and saturates our life with His presence and love.

Application Questions:

1. When you think of your biggest problems—now and in the past—do you focus more on your circumstances or your own heart? How might a closer relationship with God change things even if your circumstances stay the same?
2. Are you more tempted to have a "business" relationship with God (going through the motions to keep everyone satisfied) or a "personal" relationship with God (having lots of positive feelings but not a changed life)? Why do you think that is?
3. What are some ways your live your life based on pride and/or fear? How does the gospel change our motivation for obeying God? What are a few ways you can apply that to your life now?