Verses Used:

• 1 Corinthians 15:3-9
• Romans 3:23
• Romans 6:23
• John 20:25-28
• Ephesians 2:1-2

Takeaways:

What Jesus Accomplished

• There is no forgiveness of sins without the death and resurrection of Jesus. This payment for our sins is a gift from God; it’s not something we earn, but something we receive.
• Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What Jesus is Doing Now

• Since the resurrection, Jesus has been revealing himself to people.
• He is saving people from sin, redeeming their stories, and giving them new purpose.
• Jesus is alive and still at work. The global church continues to rapidly expand.
• You can’t stop the risen Savior. No government, threats, or persecution has been able to. Jesus can’t be stopped.

What Jesus Can Do in You

• Apart from Jesus, we’re not just struggling, we’re spiritually dead.
• Jesus didn’t come to make bad people better - He came to make dead people alive.
• God’s desire for you is to be forgiven, to be set free from sin, to be restored, and to walk in a new life with him. Jesus sees you. He knows you. He loves you.

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Verses Used:

1. Matthew 21:1-11
2. Matthew 20:17-19
3. Zechariah 9:9
4. Matthew 5:38-39
5. Mathew 27:27-31
6. Romans 12:19

Takeaways:

The King Come On His Terms (Control)

1. Jesus doesn’t fit into our story - He invites us into His.
2. Some of us aren’t rejecting Jesus - we’re just quietly frustrated that He’s not running our life the way we wish he would.

The King is Humble (Humility)

1. Jesus not only models humility - He teaches a completely different way of responding to wrong.
2. We prefer strength. We prefer winning. We prefer outcomes we can point to and say ‘That worked’. But Jesus invites us into a different way of living; a life shaped by surrender and sacrificial obedience.
3. Some won’t follow Jesus because His way feels too slow, too weak, or too costly.

The King is Misunderstood (Condition Allegiance)

1. It’s possible to celebrate Jesus and still not surrender to Him.
2. The cross did not make sense. Until it did. God knows what he is doing.
3. Some of us aren’t walking away from Jesus - but we are quietly disappointed in Him.
4. We have a choice to follow Jesus because of what we thought he would do, or because of who He is.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some ways we become “quietly frustrated” with how God is running our lives?
2. Why is it difficult to trust God with the outcomes of our lives - especially when we’ve been wronged by someone else?
3. Where are you most tempted to hold onto control instead of trusting Jesus right now?
4. Why do we sometimes want Jesus to be different than he actually is? What kind of Jesus do we tend to prefer?

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Verses Used:

1. Ephesians 2:1-10
2. Ephesians 1:4-5
3. Ephesians 1:5
4. Mark 10:45
5. Luke 9:23
6. John 16:8

Takeaways:

1. Last week’s highlight is that: All people matter to God. Therefore, all people matter to us. You are not here by accident. No human life is an accident.
2. If life is random, then purpose is something you have to create for yourself; but if God made and planned you, then your life is not an accident.
3. To understand purpose, we have to understand identity, because ‘doing’ flows our ‘being’.
4. We are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our baptism reflects something of each member of the trinity. Father being family, Son is the servant, and Holy Spirit is missionary.
5. We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
6. Each part of our new identity, rooted in the trinity, has real life implications for us. Let’s look at each one, starting with our family identity.

We Are Family

1. It is important for us to understand God’s love and acceptance into his family because it shapes us.
2. God is pleased to welcome lost people into His family.
3. We get to treat everyone like family, even before they believe and are adopted into God’s family. Adopted people, accept people.

We Are Servants

1. We are baptized into the name of the Son, Jesus. From Jesus we got our servant identity.
2. You can’t follow Jesus’ example of servanthood and be a selfish person. Saved people, serve people.

We Are Missionaries

1. The Holy Spirit is working on drawing people to the family of God all over the world. When people say they found God, the truth is God found them because the Holy Spirit was working on drawing them to Jesus.
2. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world and in the lives of people. We get to live into our missionary identity. Found people, find people.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why does God give us a new identity in Christ? What’s wrong with the other things we tend to build our identity on?
2. Do you agree with the statement that “doing flows from being? If so, how have you seen it play out in your own life?
3. Why is it important to focus on identity before focusing on behavior?
4. Which of the three (family, servant, missionary) is easiest for you to live into? Which is the hardest?
5. Which of these identities do you most need to grow in right now? Family (accepting others), servant (serving others), missionary (living sent)
6. What is one thing you could do this week to lean into that identity?

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Verses Used:

1. Genesis 1:26-28
2. Galatians 3:28
3. Isaiah 66:13
4. Matthew 23:37
5. 2 Corinthians 3:18
6. Colossians 1:15

Takeaways:

Made In God’s Image

1. God exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
2. God is one God, existing in three distinct persons.
3. Masculinity reflects attributes of God. Femininity reflects attributes of God. Together, humanity reflects the image of our Creator.

Sin Distorts the Image

1. Humans were made to reflect God’s likeness, nature, and character. We were also created to bear God’s attributes like the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control).
2. Sin corrupted humanity, but the image is not destroyed, it is distorted.
3. The distorted image reflects pride replacing humility, selfishness replacing love, greed replacing generosity, violence replacing peace.
4. Jesus didn’t come JUST to forgive sinners. He came to restore the image of God in us.

Jesus Restores the Image

1. God’s plan is to restore His image in us.
2. The gospel is not just forgiveness, it’s restoration.
3. Jesus consistently gave dignity to people society ignored

Discussion Questions:

1. Can you give some examples of how you have seen certain people valued more than others?
2. Why do you think God wants to restore broken image bearers?
3. How did Jesus stand out in his day for the way he treated people?
4. Who are the hardest people for you to love? Why?

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Verses Used:

1. Genesis 12:1-8
2. Galatians 3:13-14
3. Ephesians 1:3
4. John 14:26
5. Isaiah 49:6
6. Galatians 3:28
7. 2 Timothy 1:9
8. 1 Timothy 2:5
9. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
10. 2 Peter 3:9-10
11. Isaiah 49:6
12. Revelation 7:9
13. Matthew 28:19
14. Acts 1:8

Takeaways:

What is the Mission of the Triune God?

To Bless and Restore Humanity

1. God the Father is the source of blessing
2. The Son (Jesus) is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s blessing
3. The Holy Spirit (the Helper) helps bring blessings into our lives

For Humanity to be In Fellowship with God

1. The Father chooses and calls His people
2. The Son redeems and unites His people
3. The Spirit forms his people into a living community

To Reach All Nations (The Global Mission)

1. The Father’s plan has always been global
2. The Son commissions the mission
3. The Spirit empowers the mission

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Verses Used:

1. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
2. Romans 1:16
3. John 20:21

Takeaways:

1. Sometimes we reduce the gospel, the good news, to a moment instead of a movement, a decision instead of power, a transaction instead of a transformation, or personal forgiveness instead of expanding God’s Kingdom.

Power of the Gospel

1. God’s words have power, and his gospel has power.
2. The gospel is power for salvation. It is freedom from sin, it is regeneration of a dead soul, and it is eternal life starting now.
3. The gospel doesn’t just save us from something - it saves us for something.

Purpose of the Gospel

1. The bigger gospel does not just save us, it sends us. The gospel gives us a purpose bigger than ourselves.
2. Our lives need a bigger purpose, and that is found in a bigger gospel.

Good New for All of Life

1. When we are living in God’s intended plan, we are living righteously.
2. If the gospel really makes us new creations, then it must affect every part of our lives.
3. Inner Life - where we deal with things like anxiety, shame, fear, identity, and ambition.
4. The gospel is good news for your Inner Life and says you are seen, you are loved, you are NOT your past. Because of Jesus you are not broken, you are enough.
5. Our Relationships - everything in our lives revolves around relationships and it is inevitable that we will face conflict with some of these people.
6. The gospel is good news for relationships and says “I don’t need to prove that I am right. I value the person and relationship more than getting even. I can work through this issue with humility and grace.
7. Our Work - The world would tell us that we are measured by what we do.
8. The gospel is good news for our work because it says your work is not about proving yourself and your worth. Your work is an opportunity to serve others in the world. Be faithful wherever God has you.

Day to Day Life

1. The gospel is good news for day-to-day life.
2. It says the ordinary spaces of our lives are transformed into places of mission. We get to partner with the working of the Holy Spirit in amazing ways.

Discussion Questions:

1. How was the gospel first explained to you? Was it shared as a big gospel or a small one?
2. What benefit do you think there could be to understand both the power and purpose of the gospel? How might that change things?
3. Why would applying the good news of the gospel to all of life be helpful to the follower of Jesus?
4. How could it make a difference to apply the good news to your family, work, or school environment?

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Verses Used:

1. Matthew 11:28
2. Hebrews 12:11
3. Genesis 2:1-3
4. Isaiah 40:28
5. Exodus 20:8-11
6. Deuteronomy 5:15
7. Exodus 31:13
8. Colossians 2:16-17
9. Mark 1:35
10. Luke 5:16
11. Matthew 11

Takeaways:

God Rested - Creation

1. Adam and Eve’s first full day of life was not a work day - it was a rest day.
2. Humanity was created to live from enjoyment, not from exhaustion.

Sabbath is Given - Israel’s Rest

1. By the people of Israel keeping this rhythm they were acknowledging the God who made them and living his intended pattern.
2. Rest is a blessing to them as free people.
3. Slaves don’t get days off - free people do. Sabbath is not a burden, it’s a gift.
4. Most of us live like this: Work all week… collapse at the end. Repeat.

Jesus and Rest

1. Jesus said He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.
2. Circumcision and Sabbath were covenant signs with God.
3. Jesus models rest. He shows us, rest in not escape. Rest is return to relationship with God.
4. Rest is not just a day. It’s a person. His name is Jesus and we are invited to be with him.

Bringing It All Together

1. Making space to be with Jesus by pausing from the grind of life. From doing to being, from control to trust, and from striving to abiding.
2. Rest reminds us: I am a beloved child before I am a productive worker. Make the shift from doing to being.
3. Rest is releasing control. Rest is trusting that God is at work even when I am not. Make the shift from control to trust.
4. Rest is not laziness. It is returning to the Father and living from Jesus’ finished work. Make the shift from striving to abiding.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think so many people are pushing themselves to the brink of burnout in our world?
2. What are your thoughts on the Sabbath that God gave to the people of Israel?
3. Which of those three shifts do you feel strongest need to embrace? Doing to being, control to trust, or striving to abiding? Why?
4. What makes it difficult to rest; to practice this spiritual discipline?

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Verses Used:

1. Matthew 11:28
2. Hebrews 12:11
3. Psalm 63:1-8
4. Mathew 6:5-13
5. Romans 8:15-16
6. Matthew 6:16-18

Takeaways:

1. Prayer turns our hearts back toward God while fasting loosens our grip on what competes with Him. Both are ways of making space for Jesus. Prayer names our desire; fasting resets it.

Prayer - Expressing Desire to God

1. Adoration - Praising God for who He is
2. Confession - Bringing our sin into the light
3. Supplication - Bringing our needs to God
4. Intercession - Praying for others
5. Prayer is not primarily asking God for things; it is learning to be present with the God who already loves us.
6. Before requests. Before needs. Before confession. Prayer starts with relationship.
7. Prayer gently brings us back to this truth: God is the safest place for our desire.

Fasting - Making Space by Resetting Our Desire

1. Gluttony is when we look to food to fill a spiritual hunger.
2. Fasting exposes what we turn to for comfort and reorients our desire back to God. These desires can be for comfort, control, approval, distraction, or enjoyment. Our true desire is to be full physically and spiritually.
3. The point is not what you fast from, the point is what you’re fasting towards. It could be a skipped meal, time without social media, an evening without screens.

Prayer turns our hearts toward the Father. Fasting loosens our grip on the things that pretend to satisfy.

Discussion Questions:

1. What desires have you been hesitant to bring to God in prayer? Why?
2. How does our view of God directly affect our prayer life?
3. What challenges do you find with fasting as a spiritual practice?
4. Why might it be helpful to name our desires before fasting? The idea of praying and fasting together?

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Verses Used:

1. Hebrews 12:11
2. Matthew 11:28
3. Luke 10:38-42
4. Matthew 7:21-23
5. Revelation 3:20
6. 1 Timothy 3:16-17
7. Hebrews 4:12

Takeaways:

1. Jesus invites us to a different way of life. A life of abiding.

Jesus’ Availability

1. Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem.
2. Jesus doesn’t say “I don’t have time”, “I’ll catch you on the way back”, or “my schedule is kind of full.”
3. Jesus is available. He is close, never distant, he enters ordinary homes, and he welcomes relationship.
4. Sometimes we think our spiritual formation is about us initiating something, like it’s all up to us to “get our life together”, “need to pursue God harder”, or “need to make ourselves worthy”.
5. You don’t have to get your life in order before being with Jesus. He is already there. Reading scripture is simply welcoming Him into the room.

Being Present with Jesus

1. Jesus is saying that presence matters more than productivity.
2. In the story about Mary and Martha, the heart of the issue is priority, not effort.
3. A relationship with Jesus is more important than doing things for Jesus.
4. Spiritual formation does not begin with doing more for Jesus, but with being present with Jesus.
5. Being with Jesus is not rushing through chapters, checking off boxes, proving devotion.
6. Being with Jesus is slowing down, listening, being present.

Making Space in the Word

1. The goal is listening. Getting to know the God of the Bible. Telling him, “Jesus, I want to hear You more than I want to hear myself.”
2. Start small and stay consistent. Consistency forms us more than intensity.
3. Have a simple plan. Use whatever helps such as apps like YouVersion Bible, Blue Letter Bible, or Dwell.
4. Take notes or journal. Start with 4 simple questions: Who is God? How do we know? Who am I? How do I get to live?
5. Remember to show yourself grace if you miss a day.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does it make you feel that Jesus is available to meet with you? Why?
2. How can spiritual disciplines sometimes turn into religious duties?
3. What are some helpful tips you have for being consistent with in scripture?
4. What barriers have you faced in having a regular rhythm of being in the word?

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Verses Used:

1. Genesis 1:31
2. Genesis 3:23
3. Romans 3:23
4. Genesis 12:2-3
5. 1 Peter 3:18
6. Acts 1:8
7. 1 Corinthians 3:16
8. Revelation 21:3-5

Takeaways:

1. We don’t just live life through facts and information - we live life through narrative, or storyformed. To be storyformed means that we are shaped by the stories we believe and live in.
2. The story you believe about life becomes the lens through which you interpret everything. This includes what success, suffering, and love means as well as what your purpose is.
3. When we step into God’s Great Big Story, we begin to see ourselves - and everything else - clearly.
4. The Bible isn’t just a collection of disconnected lessons - it’s the true story of the world.

The Tree- Creation

1. God created everything and called it very good.
2. Humans were made for purpose, beauty, and belonging with Him.
3. Genesis 1:31 - Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

The Broken Heart - The Fall

1. Sin entered when Adam and Eve disobeyed God.
2. Brokenness affects every part of life and separates us from God.
3. Romans 3:23 - For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.

The Stars - Promise

1. God chose Abraham and promised blessing for all nations.
2. Even when people fail, God remains faithful.
3. Genesis 12:2-3 - All the families on Earth will be blessed through you.

The Cross - Jesus

1. Jesus lived perfectly, died for sinners, and rose again.
2. He restores our relationship with God.
3. 1 Peter 3:18 - Christ suffered for our sins once for all time... to bring you safely home to God.

The Fire - Spirit & Church

1. The Holy Spirit empowers God’s people to share the gospel.
2. God now dwells in the hearts of His followers.
3. Acts 1:8 - You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

The Crown - New Creation

1. Jesus will return, defeat evil, and renew creation.
2. God will wipe away every tear forever.
3. Revelations 21:3-5 - Look, I am making everything new!

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