Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time, and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
Ice-Breaker:
- Did you know that just by living in this country you are among the top 1% wealthiest people that have ever lived on planet earth?
Scripture
1 Peter 1
10 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.
12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
10 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.
12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
Discussion Questions:
- In verse 10 of chapter 1, Peter is explaining how the prophets of old were curious about the specifics of the Messiah that was to come. The prophets were ones who spoke the words of God to the people of God. They proclaimed God's word, gave the people warnings about coming judgement for sin, and they spoke of events that would happen in the future. Most notably, they foretold of the Messiah's birth, life and suffering with incredible accuracy. Jesus perfectly fulfilled over 300 of these prophecies. If you remember, the odds of one man fulfilling this many predictions is one in ten followed by 2,000 zeros. Of the 45 books on earth today from varying religions that claim to be scripture, only ONE has actual predictive prophecy. What does this knowledge do to your confidence in the truth and accuracy of the Bible?
- Although the prophets had a small glimpse into the Messiah's coming, they wondered WHEN and HOW He would come. All they knew was that their messages about Him weren't for them, but for US, as seen in verse 12. In other words, you weren't an afterthought! The messages the prophets passed along thousands of years ago was to make sure YOU knew and understood God's gracious plan of redemption. They were pointing us all to Jesus. How overwhelmed are you by the love and mercy that God has shown to you? How often is your heart grateful to Him for calling you and revealing Himself to you?
- The prophets of God foretold of Jesus' coming, and then the Apostles PREACHED it. They preached by the power of the same Holy Spirit that spoke through the prophets. Peter is saying that the gospel that was being preached by the Apostles is the WORD and REVELATION of God. God has revealed Himself to us so that we don't have to guess or speculate about who He is or what He's like. We don't have to wonder how to have a relationship with God or what happens after we die. How awesome is it that the God of the universe has not only revealed Himself to you, but truly wants you to know Him? Are you taking advantage of this by consistently reading and studying scripture? Do you really have a longing to know Him more?
- In verse 12, Peter tells us that even the angels are eagerly watching from heaven as the story unfolds. Angels are created, spiritual beings that have a high intelligence but without a physical body. And Peter is saying that it's like they are lined up along the railing of heaven, peaking over the edge and watching things happen. Scripture tells us that angels rejoice when even one sinner repents. Can you imagine the scene around the throne as someone comes to Christ, as a drug addict gets help, when a criminal stops stealing, when an adulterer or porn addict or homosexual turns from their sin, or when the gossiper or slanderer or complainer shuts up?! In other words, heaven is like one continuous party rejoicing over all the sinners on earth repenting and turning to God. What has God saved YOU from? What are things that God has done in your life that has caused heaven's angels to rejoice?
- The prophets PREDICTED it, the Apostles PREACHED it, and we, Christian, are to PRIZE it. We must realize that not only are we financially wealthy, but we are so spiritually rich that even the prophets, Apostles and angels envy us! How are we to respond? First, by doing what Jesus commanded us to do... prophecy that a day of judgement is coming when He returns. Second, by being ambassadors and preaching the same message the Apostles preached... the gospel of Jesus. And finally, by daily pondering the sovereignty and glory of God, the gospel of his Son, Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit. And the more we ponder these things, the more we learn, the deeper we go, the more we study, the more worship and love for God it produces in our hearts! Pondering these things produces not just knowledge, but knowledge on FIRE, a LIVING faith and ZEALOUS evangelism. What is your spiritual temperature? Is your heart truly on fire for Him? How can you tell? What is God asking you to do?
Prayer Topics:
- That God would fix our eyes on eternity.
- That we would live with hope and expectation.
- That our hope would be in HIM alone.
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