Group Guide

December 8th, 2024

This Week's City 7:

6. Is the Bible God’s Word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)

Ice-Breaker:

What plans do you have for Christmas?

Scripture:

Isaiah 9
6 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!

Discussion Questions:

In Isaiah chapter 9, the prophet is prophesying of a day when all the pain, darkness, tears, war and death would end forever, and that there would be an everlasting reign of peace, a return to Eden, when God will come back to stay, make wrong things right and the dark things light. Verse 6 refers to Jesus as the Prince of Peace, and verse 7 says His government and its peace will never end. How amazing does that sound? EVERLASTING PEACE. Peace is something every one of us desperately need and are searching for, but only ONE can deliver this peace. Peace is only found in the PRINCE. Were are some other places you search for peace in vain? Describe a time when you had peace in the middle of a chaotic or difficult circumstance that you KNOW came from the Prince?
Jesus' birth, victory, reign and provision gives us an opportunity to have Peace with the PRINCE. Each of us have a choice to choose our way or God's way. Our way brings war with God, but to God HIS way means we trust in HIS punishment that brought us PEACE (Isaiah 53). To respond to God with our own self-effort, our own righteousness, is delusional. Tim Keller said this: "Christmas means that we are so lost, so unable to save ourselves, that nothing less than the death of the Son of God himself could save us. That means you are not somebody who can pull yourself together and live a moral and good life." How can you remind yourself and others this Christmas that it's only because of Jesus that we can have peace with God?
Lastly, Jesus' sacrifice gives us peace with the PLANET. Because of sin, the ground itself is cursed. But when the Prince of Peace returns, Revelation says He is going to make ALL THINGS NEW. We'll have new bodies. We'll live in a new city. We'll have an all-new planet! The old earth will be gone and a new restored one will come. Jesus' victory cancels the curse and restores peace with God, ourselves, others and even the ground. How often are you thinking about eternity? How amazing is it going to be when He makes all things new?
The big idea on Sunday was that ADVENT is the ARRIVAL and ANTICIPATION of PEACE. We live between the two advents... between the first coming of the Prince of Peace and the time He returns to bring ultimate peace. We wait for this second advent. We can easily get impatient, wondering why God is so slow to move. But Peter reminds us that “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). How should all these truths change the way you live your life day to day? Your attitudes? Your relationships?

Prayer Topics:

That we would seek to walk with the Prince of Peace.
That we would pursue peace with God and each other.
That we would wait with anticipation the PEACE that is to come.

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