Group Guide Copy
This Week's City 7:
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
Ice-Breaker:
If you were named president at eight years old, what would be your first executive order?
Discussion Questions:
Have someone read 2 Chronicles 34:1-5 aloud.
- This series has been all about LEGACY. Many people, when they think of legacy, think about leaving money or property or a will. But it's much more than that. Mary Gormandy White defines legacy as, "When a person dies, the mark the individual left on the world represents that individual's legacy. While a person's legacy can involve money, the concept of legacy is much larger than the value of an individual's estate. It is about the richness of the individual's life, including what that person accomplished and the impact he or she had on people and places.” Legacy is living a life that makes a DIFFERENCE and goes beyond your TIME. How much thought do you give to YOUR legacy? Who is someone in your life that comes to mind when you think of someone who has left a rich legacy?
- We talked on Sunday about Josiah's lineage. His father and grandfather were horrible kings, some of the worst in scripture. They went their own evil ways and refused to be obedient to God. Josiah then comes to power at only eight years old. By the time he was 20 he starts to clean up Judah and Jerusalem and turn the land and people back towards God. INFLUENCE is not determined by AGE. Reflect on this quote by Shane Pruitt... “If you treat students like they're too young to do anything significant for the Kingdom of God, they will believe you. However, if you treat students like they're the church right now called to do significant things for the Kingdom of God, they will believe you.” God consistently used young people throughout scripture to do big things. Parents, are you encouraging your kids that they are the church NOW and that God can use them to do great things NOW? Non-parents, is their a young person in your life that you can encourage in the same way?
- Yes, Josiah was young, but he was obedient. When he was restoring God's temple, he found a book of the Law. He had it read to him and then he responded to God's Word in obedience. He renewed the nation's covenant with God. He removed idols and worship of false gods and remembered the God of his ancestor, David. God's Word is sharper than any two-edged sword and has the ability to cut between what is good and evil. Most people cherry pick verses that make them feel better about themselves. But as we've said, this results in shallow, weak, ineffective Christians. Have you seen your love for God's Word grow in the past couple of years as we've been teaching verse by verse? Has your own study of scripture increased? If so, what has the impact on your life been?
- Josiah didn't just remove the idols, he remembered the one, true God. He resumed the celebration of Passover, which was to remind God's people of when he delivered them from Egypt. Remembering is a huge part of our faith. Throughout scripture we see that when God did something big, people would build an alter there or set up a few stones. Then they would give that place a name, all to remind them of the great thing God did. Remembering strengthens your faith by reminding you God is faithful, and it helps you pass on your faith to others by re-telling your story. What are the things God has done in YOUR life that you need to remember and share? What have been the biggest faith-building moments of your life?
- The big idea Sunday was that your history doesn't determine your legacy, and neither does your lineage. No matter what you've done in your past or how many times you've gone the wrong way, God can still rewrite your story. Even if your own family history looks a little like Josiah's, full of people that have run from God, your lineage can change with you. Where you come from doesn’t have to determine where you’re going. Jesus bloodline was full of the overlooked and those who messed up big time. And now we’ve been invited into that bloodline as God's adopted sons and daughters. How amazing it is that we serve a God that is all about redemption and restoration! What will your legacy be?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would seek to leave a rich, godly legacy.
- That we would have a love for God's Word.
- That we would remember how faithful God is.
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