Main Point: Prayer prepares the path.

Questions:

1. Read Nehemiah 1-11. What do you notice about these verses? What words stuck out to you? What people and powers are involved in this passage? What questions do you have after reading this passage?

2. The historical context of Nehemiah influences our understanding of this passage. The Israelites have been in exile since the Babylonians destroyed the city wall and the Temple around 605BC. Zerubbabel rebuilds the temple in 538BC, Ezra follows by bring spiritual reform, but the wall is left incomplete. What would it be to live in a defenseless city? How does an understanding of the context of this passage help to deepen your understanding?

3. Read Nehemiah 1:1-4. What two questions does Nehemiah ask his brother? What is Hanani’s report? What does is mean that the Israelites were in “great trouble and disgrace”?

4. What was Nehemiah’s response to learning of the condition of the wall? Why do you think that he felt that way?

5. Read Nehemiah 1:5-9. Nehemiah starts by addressing the character of God in his prayer. What words does he use? Why are these words important to an understanding of prayer? The word love (hesed) means God’s covenantal lovingkindness towards his people. Why is this love important to understanding Nehemiah’s prayer?

6. Nehemiah spends time confessing his sins and the sins of the Israelites. Why is this an important part of his prayer?

7. In verse eight, Nehemiah reminds God of his promise to his people. Why is this important to his prayer?

8. Read Nehemiah 1:10-11. God’s character and his people’s character is on display throughout Nehemiah’s prayer. What do you notice about God, his people, and Nehemiah in these verses? What is Nehemiah’s request? How does being a cupbearer relate to Nehemiah’s prayer?

9. What did you learn about God in these verses? What did you learn about yourself? What is God asking you to understand or to do as a result of what you have learned?

10. By God’s grace what is one thing you can do to apply what you have learned this week?

Main Point: As we pursue God, he Provides Joy for the Journey and Motivation for the Mission.

Questions:

1. What were the highs and lows of your Christmas this year? What things are you thankful for?

2. What challenged you or encouraged you from the message this week?

3. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. What do you notice about these verses? What words stuck out to you?

4. What does it mean to rejoice always? What is the difference between Joy and Happiness? Which one do you experience more of in your life? How can you cultivate joy in your life?

5. What does it mean to pray continually? What would this look like in your life? How does inviting God into every area of your life change your perspective? How could it change your daily focus?

6. How hard is it to give thanks in all circumstances? What are the things that keep people from being grateful? How is gratitude related to experiencing God’s joy? How can gratitude fuel our mission to live our lives for God?

7. How is pursuing a relationship with God connected to experiencing God’s joy? What things can you do in 2022 to grow deeper in your relationship with God and experience His joy?

8. God has given His people a mission. Jesus sums it up in Matthew 22:37-39. We are to love God and love people. This involves personal devotion and engaging in mission by serving and sharing the Gospel. By God’s grace, how can you live more fully into God’s mission?

9. What did you learn about God from this study? What did you learn about yourself? What is God asking you to understand or to do as a result of what you have learned?

10. By God’s grace what is one thing you can do to apply what you have learned this week?

Outline: The Wonder of Peace

True peace comes only from Jesus!

The wonder of the symbols

The wonder of the theology

True peace removes anxiety, and brings fulfillment and rest!

A source of satisfaction

A source of completion

True peace involves conflict

It divides people

It brings conflict to hearts

Questions:

1. Did the Holy Spirit speak to you about anything today?

2. Peace is such an important theme of Christmas. When you think of peace, how would you describe it? What is the biblical definition of peace? How might it differ from what you have thought before?

3. What can you learn from the Jewish rites that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph went through in Luke 2:21-24?

4. What is most striking to you about Simeon’s words of praise to God (vs 29-32) and his words to Joseph and Mary (vs 33-35). What does this tell us about Jesus?

5. Think about Simeon’s life’s purpose. What are some realistic thoughts he might have entertained? What kinds of emotions might he have experienced in this encounter with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph?

6. What do these words mean? “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against…”

7. How can peace come from conflict? Consider repentance and obedience, and how each of them might have produced conflict or pain within you?

Main Point: True joy is found in Jesus.

Questions:

1. What challenged you or encouraged you from the message this week?

2. Joy is a word often used during the Christmas season. How do you define joy? How is a biblical concept of joy different than happiness? Why is understanding the difference between joy and happiness important?

3. Read Luke 2:8-20. What do you notice about these verses? What words stuck out to you? Who are the people involved in this passage? What questions do you have after reading these verses?

4. Read Luke 2:8-14 What do you know about shepherds in the first century? How were they viewed in the Jewish culture? What is the significance of the angels appearing to the shepherds? What is their initial response to the angel? How does the angel’s message change their response?

5. What is the angel’s message to the shepherds? What is the significance of the words the angel uses to describe Jesus? How is the angel’s announcement a source of joy for all people?

6. After the angel’s initial announcement, a great host of angels appear. What is their message? What does their message mean?

7. Read Luke 2:15-19 What do the shepherd do in response to the angel’s message? What do the shepherds do once they have seen Jesus? Why do you think they responded this way?

8. What did you learn about God from this study? What did you learn about yourself? What is God asking you to understand or to do as a result of what you have learned?

9. By God’s grace what is one thing you can do to apply what you have learned this week?

Main Point: True love is shown in the birth of Jesus

Questions:

1. What challenged you or encouraged you from the message this week?

2. How would you describe the love of God? How is the love of God similar and how is it different than human love?

3. How have you experienced the love of God? When would you say you have felt most loved by God?

4. Read Matthew 1:18-25. What do you learn about the Joseph in this section of Scripture? Where is his character put on display? Why would it have been hard to take Mary as his wife? How does Joseph show love in this situation?

5. Read Luke 1:26-38. What do we learn about Mary in these verses? What is her initial response to the angel’s words? After hearing the angel’s description of the child she would give birth to, how does Mary respond?

6. Read Luke 2:16-20. On the night Jesus is born, God sends angels to the shepherd nearby to let them know of Jesus’ birth. The shepherds arrive to see Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. How do the shepherd’s respond? In verse 19, what is Mary’s response? How does this response show her love?

7. Read John 4:7-10. According to these verses, where does love come from? What does it mean that, “God is love”?

8. How does God sending his Son into the world show God’s love? What does it mean that Jesus was “an atoning sacrifice for our sins”? How does our experience of God’s love relate to Jesus’ atoning sacrifice?

9. What did you learn about God from this study? What did you learn about yourself? What is God asking you to understand or to do as a result of what you have learned?

10. By God’s grace what is one thing you can do to apply what you have learned this week?

Main Point: The hope that faith in God provides leads to deep joy and peace.

Questions:

1. What challenged you or encouraged you from the message this week?

2. How do you normally prepare for Christmas? What do you do to prepare for Christmas? Are there any important Christmas traditions in your family? How familiar are you with the season of Advent?

3. How do you define hope? Name a few things that people put their hope in.

4. Read Isaiah 9:2, 6-7. This is the Advent reading for this Sunday. Isaiah wrote these verses hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth. What do these verses tell us about the hopes the prophet had for the birth of Jesus?

5. Read Romans 15:13. What do you notice about this verse? What does this verse tell us about hope?

6. This verse is Paul’s closing prayer for the Roman believers. Summarize his prayer in your own words. What is he asking God to do? What does his prayer reveal about God?

7. How do you define joy and peace? How are these two characteristics linked to trust in God?

8. God is the source and supplier of hope. How is hope that is rooted in God different than hope rooted in the world? How has God shown Himself worth of our hope?

9. What did you learn about God in these verses? What did you learn about yourself? What is God asking you to understand or to do as a result of what you have learned?

10. By God’s grace what is one thing you can do to apply what you have learned this week?

Main Point: Prayer is powerful, relational, and transformational.

Questions:

1. What was your biggest take away from the message this weekend? What challenged you or encouraged you?

2. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” What do we learn about God’s character in this section of the Lord’s Prayer? What does it say about God’s closeness and his transcendence? What do we learn about our relationship with Him? Is viewing God as a loving father more challenging or comforting for you?

3. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” What is God’s Kingdom? What does it mean to pray for God’s kingdom come? What are the benefits of focusing on God’s will instead of my will? What are the challenges?

4. “Give us today our daily bread” This is a prayer for the everyday needs of life. What attitudes or beliefs about God hinder us from praying for our daily needs? Is God to busy to be bothered by “little prayers” like these?

5. “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” If Christians are already forgiven, why would they need ask forgiveness? What impact does confession have on our relationship with God?

6. Read Matthew 6:14-15 and 18:21-35. If we are unwilling to forgive others, what might that indicate about our experience of His forgiveness? Does forgiving a person make what they have done okay? What is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation? What is required for reconciliation?

7. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” God does not lead us into temptation (see James 1:13-14). Why is praying that we would not succumb to temptation so important? How is prayer against temptation linked to deliverance from the evil one?

8. What did you learn about God in these verses? What did you learn about yourself? What is God asking you to understand or to do as a result of what you have learned?

9. By God’s grace what is one thing you can do to apply what you have learned this week?