Jesus 120

Jesus 120

By Jimmy HarrisReligion & Spirituality
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Jesus 120 episodes

  • #3. First temple cleansing

    13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

    18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,[a] and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

    23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

    Group Questions

    1. What did Jesus teach you during the sermon this week?

    2. What is Jesus teaching you in this passage?

    3. What is significant about the timing of this temple cleansing?

    4. Does this story match your picture of Jesus?

    5. Why doesn’t Jesus "entrust" himself to the crowd? What does this teach you about Jesus? What does it teach you about people?

    6. How can you live out what Jesus is teaching here?

    7. Why do we want you to teach what you are learning to someone else? Who will you teach this story to?

    Family Questions

    Elementary (what?)

    • What happened?
    • What did you learn about Jesus?

    Middle School (why?)

    • Why is Jesus teaching this?
    • Why does this matter?

    High School (how?)

    • How does this apply to me?
    • How would this look in my life?

    14 min
  • #2. Jesus in the wilderness

    4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

    “‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
    and him only shall you serve.’”
    9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,

    “‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    to guard you,’
    11 and

    “‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
    12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.


    Group Questions

    1. What did Jesus teach you this week?

    2. Why does the Holy Spirit lead Jesus to be tempted?

    3. What are the three temptations?

    4. What are the three responses?

    5. Which of the 3 temptations challenges you the most?

    6. Who could you teach this story to? Try to think of at least 1 person (friend at work, spouse, kids) that you could share what you are learning about Jesus with each week.

    7. What could we be praying for?

    Family Questions

    Elementary (what?)

    • What happened?
    • What did you learn about Jesus?

    Middle School (why?)

    • Why is Jesus teaching this?
    • Why does this matter?

    High School (how?)

    • How does this apply to me?
    • How would this look in my life?

    18 min
  • #1. Baptism of Jesus

    13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”


    Group Questions

    1. What did Jesus teach you this week?


    2. What is Jesus teaching you in this passage?


    3. Why did Jesus get baptized? What is the purpose of God's response?


    4. Has anyone in this group been baptized? Tell your story. Why were you baptized?


    5. What does this story teach us about baptism?


    6. How are you planning to follow Jesus this week?


    7. Who do you know that is curious to learn more about Jesus?

    Family Questions

    Elementary (what?)

    • What happened?
    • What did you learn about Jesus?

    Middle School (why?)

    • Why is Jesus teaching this?
    • Why does this matter?

    High School (how?)

    • How does this apply to me?
    • How would this look in my life?

    13 min
  • Devoted - Pt 7: "A Legacy of Devotion"
    Daniel’s devotion to God was his defining feature. It was such a part of who he was that his enemies knew it would be the best way to trap him. By choosing to cultivate a life that was committed to God, Daniel was able to enter the lion’s den without fear. He was also able to tame his tongue and use it to pray and praise God. Daniel chose to entrust his life to God and was rescued through adversity and danger.
    Discussion Questions:
    Key Verses: Daniel 6:1-3, 10-11, 21-24, James 3:3-10, Psalm 31:1-22
    1. Daniel was elevated to the highest position in the land because of his character and devotion to God. Have you ever witnessed someone like that? What were some qualities that you noticed or admired about that person?
    2. Daniel was hated by the other men in leadership because of his position. Have you ever experienced opposition because of your faith or devotion? How did you handle it?
    3. His enemies recognized how strong his commitment to God was and they knew that would be the only way to trap him. If someone wanted to trap you, would your devotion be the only way they could do it? Why or why not?
    4. Daniel implemented Godly disciplines in his life that anchored his faith for later trials. Is it important to be disciplined in your spiritual life? Why or why not? How has your spiritual life been impacted by discipline or lack of it?
    5. Pastor Jake said that the real dangerous and untamed beast in Daniel 6 was not the lions but the tongue. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Do you think that prayer changes the nature of our speech? Why or why not? Do you think that Daniel would have responded differently to his accusers if his tongue had not been tamed?
    6. What legacy did Daniel leave? What about the men who had accused and trapped him? Are you choosing to lead your life in a way that will allow you to leave a legacy like Daniel's? If not, what do you think you want to change?
    Leaders: you may want to read Psalm 34:1-22 aloud with your group and reflect on it through the eyes of Daniel with your group.
    51 min
  • Devoted - Pt. 6: "Character in Crisis"
    Today we look at the story of the “writing on the wall” found in Daniel Chapter 5. Daniel finds himself in the midst of a kingdom that is falling apart. Daniel stands out in his response to this crisis situation - he neither ignores the problem by getting caught up in distractions nor does he panic and become devastated in the midst of the storm. Instead, Daniel trusts God and remains faithful during this time of great upheaval. May we learn from Daniel’s godly example how we too can navigate life in the midst of inevitable times of crisis and turmoil.
    Discussion Questions:
    1. As we saw in the story from Sunday - 2 common responses to crisis are to either party or panic. In other words to distract ourselves and ignore the problem, or to be devastated and consumed by the difficulty. Have you recognized either of these responses in your life? Can you think of a specific example where you did this?
    2. In this part of Daniel’s life he has gone from being very influential and involved to being disregarded and forgotten. When in the middle of a crisis - it will often expose how little control we really have over our circumstances, and a common response is to feel very alone - God can feel distant, as if he doesn’t see or care. How do you handle not being in control? When Daniel seemed to be forgotten and alone he responded by remaining faithful in his role, and attentive & watchful for the Lord - How can we practice those same things?
    3. Daniel after being ignored is offered a position of status, influence, and financial success if he will help the king. It’s important that we be aware of the temptation to settle for earthly measures of success and comfort instead of allowing God to define us and take care of us. This is the difference between being defined by our reputation vs. being defined by our character. How would you describe the difference between reputation and character? What are the dangers of being focused on worldly measures of success - status, influence, reputation, wealth? What are the potential dangers if we gain these things? What about if we lose them?
    4. How has the lack of focus on godly character hurt the church? If not godly character, then what are we looking for in our leaders? Why does the church put up with this, and even enable this in our leaders? (See: 2 Timothy 4:3). Why don’t we focus more on our individual lives, and in the church at large on developing godly character? How can we adjust our aim from focusing so much on gifting, reputation, status, etc., and focus more intentionally on growing in Christ instead? (see: Galatians 5:24-26) What will happen if we don’t?
    5. The story ends with a lot of change and turmoil, yet Daniel is protected and even elevated by God in the midst of the chaos and change. What can we learn from Daniel in this situation? Is there one takeaway from this story in Daniel’s life that you can apply in your life today? What do you think the Lord might be highlighting to you about Himself from this story? What is one thing God might be asking you to do in response to what he is showing you?
    48 min
  • Devoted - Pt 5: "The Mad King"
    The book of Daniel is an incredible story of faith and self-control by God’s devoted servant Daniel and his friends, but there is another person’s story woven through the book. The story of God’s pursuit of Nebuchadnezzar is filled with reminders and lessons for our lives; reminders of how no one is exempt from God’s perfect judgment or His unending mercy.
    Key verses: Daniel 4:2, 4-8, 17, 19, 30-37, Romans 1:24-28, 29-32
    1) There are many warnings that we can find in the story of Nebuchadnezzar. Let’s discuss how some of these warnings apply to our lives now.
    a) Don’t assume that being at “ease” and “prospering” is a sign of success and God’s favor. Have there been times in your life when things seemed good and easy, so you excused behavior that you knew wasn’t pleasing to God? Have you ever looked down on others because your life felt settled and easy and theirs seemed difficult? Looking back, how was the enemy able to use that attitude to strain your relationship with God or other people?
    b) When faced with a big decision or difficult circumstance, where do you turn first? Nebuchadnezzar was able to gather the best and brightest minds in his kingdom for advice and interpretation of his dream, and Daniel (God’s faithful servant) was the last person he asked. Think back to a time when you had a difficult decision or circumstance. Where did you go first? Why? Do you think you would have seen or handled the situation differently if you had taken it to the Lord first?
    c) Don’t allow the culture around you to define your image of God. When the world feels like it's in total chaos (….right now), it is so easy to let God be defined by our fears or how we want Him to be handling things. How have you allowed your view of God to change during difficult times, or how has culture warped your view of who He is? How have you been able to remind yourself of his real attributes?
    d) We have a real problem with God’s judgment in our culture, but it’s the truth that we need to hear. Why is God’s judgment such a difficult subject for our culture? Is it difficult for you? Why?
    2) Nebuchadnezzar had to face God’s judgment in order to be humbled. His entire world was taken away in order for him to finally see who God is and why humility was so important. Have you had times in your life when the judgment of God seemed like it rocked your whole world? Looking back at that time, can you see God’s purpose for that time? Were you able to see it while you were in it? Why or why not?
    3) Nebuchadnezzar fell victim to his own pride, and God allowed him to suffer until he was willing to humble himself, but thankfully, His mercy is endless. 1 Peter 5:5 says that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Why do you think it took 7 “periods of time” for Nebuchadnezzar to humble himself? Have there been times that God’s mercy was available to you, but you were so stuck in your own pit of pride that you weren’t able to see it? Why is it so difficult to humble ourselves? Why do we need to feel right? How has your past experience of being right vs being humble taught you to look at future situations?
    50 min
  • Living in Community
    Today we are spending some time reflecting on the importance and benefits of living in community with the family of God. In Water Baptism we are identifying ourselves with Christ’s family by making a bold public declaration of our commitment and obedience to Jesus. And in our Lifegroups we are committing ourselves to live life among the family of God thru loving Jesus-centered relationships. May we all find our lives enriched by the glorious grace of Jesus through communion with Him and His family!
    25 min
  • Devoted - Pt 4: “What do you Worship?”
    We continue in our series today by exploring the story of Daniel’s friends and the fiery furnace. Let’s pray for clarity to recognize the idols we worship, for the courage to take a stand for our true King only, and for help that we may be saved and purified in the midst of the fiery trials we are sure to face.
    51 min
  • Devoted - Pt 3 "What do you see"
    In Part 3 of our series, we explore the impact that devotion to God has on our perception of what’s taking place around us. God is calling us to shift our focus to Him, and through prayer we can do just that. As we develop real intimacy with God by spending consistent time with Him, we learn to hear His voice and gain insight into even the most difficult circumstances of life.
    53 min
  • Devoted - Pt 2: “A Challenging Invitation”
    In today’s message, we take a look at Daniel’s first steps toward remaining devoted to the Lord, which is in stark contrast to the world around him. The challenges he faces are immense, but the invitation to remain faithful comes with its own unique rewards. May we all consider the challenges we face when choosing a life of faithful devotion, and respond with a committed yes to the Lord’s invitation!
    46 min

About Jesus 120

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to the Jesus 120 Podcast. We'll be looking at 120 different stories from the life of Jesus. In each episode we will take 1 of those stories & talk for about 20 minutes or less. Welcome to…