Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
Ice-Breaker:
- How did your family celebrate Easter growing up?
Scripture
Jeremiah 31
31 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. 33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
31 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. 33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Discussion Questions:
- On Sunday, we looked at God's META-narrative or over-arching theme of the redemption story. Scripture is FULL of prophecies that point to the coming Messiah. This alone provides a TON of proof that Jesus was who He claimed to be. On top of the predictive prophecy, God has given us a preponderance of proof. Sunday we went through historical and even scientific proof of Jesus' resurrection from the grave. After hearing the evidence, what did it do for your faith? How assuring is it to know God doesn't expect us to believe on blind faith alone?
- Jesus rose from the dead and sent us His Holy Spirit. As a believer, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in YOU, and this changes everything! Because Jesus rose, God brings BEAUTY from ASHES. If He can raise a dead body, anything is possible! He can raise a dead marriage back to life. He can resurrect your finances. He can bring purpose where there seems to be none and make sense of our suffering. This is what God does... He takes the broken pieces of our lives and, like a stained glass window, fashions them into a masterpiece; something beautiful that is for our good and His glory. How has God brought beauty from the ashes of your life? Is there something in your life that you need God to resurrect?
- Because Jesus rose, God brings REDEMPTION from SIN. As Paul says in Romans 8 that there is now no condemnation for those who belong to Christ and that we are free from the power of sin that leads to death. And because the Spirit lives in us, we are no longer controlled by our sinful nature, but by His Spirit. We don't HAVE to be a slave to sin! Yes we still struggle and are far from perfect, but our chains have been unlocked. But, oh how we love to slip our wrists back into the cuffs. If we only realized the freedom we have in Christ! Scripture says He has given us everything we need for living a godly life. What do you think it looks like to daily be controlled by the Spirit and not your sinful nature? How do you know which is calling the shots in your life?
- Because He rose, God brings LIFE from DEATH. When God spoke into the darkness of that tomb and said, "Let there be light"… when that stone rolled away and Jesus walked out, everything changed! It marked the end of both sin and DEATH. Even though we still get sick and experience pain, we look forward to the day when all of that goes away for good... when He returns to make all things right. Can God heal us and end our pain? Of course He can! But does He always? No... sometimes ultimate healing comes when we are with Him in heaven. Which is the greater miracle? The temporary miracle or the eternal one? How does this affect your perspective on suffering? How do we believe for God to heal and answer prayer while, at the same time, trust Him when He doesn't?
- The conclusions we reached on Sunday were two-fold... First, we can believe WITHOUT seeing because His disciples believed AFTER seeing. God didn't expect THEM to go on blind faith, and He doesn't expect us to either. Our faith can be based in evidence and reason. Second, God has chosen RESURRECTION to bring about your REDEMPTION that produces His ADORATION. His resurrection means our sin can be forgiven and we can be made right with God. And when we FULLY grasp this truth and all the God has done for us, our only response can be adoration and worship. "Oh, what a Savior! Wonderful Jesus!" What is God saying to you through all that we've studied this week? What do you need to do or change?
Prayer Topics:
- That our faith would be rock-solid and based in actual evidence.
- That we would allow Him to bring beauty from our ashes.
- That we would choose trust when we don't understand.
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