Tag: Real Life

The Heart of a Follower of Jesus
(5 Ways Jesus teaches His disciples to remains strong in commitment and service.)
John 14:1-15

1. Jesus teaches His followers to have an untroubled heart (1-4).
   1. Jesus was distracted, discouraged, and distressed
   2. Jesus was dealing with betrayal, denial, and not being with his men much longer
   3. “Believe” is not an imperative, but indicative, meaning they believed in Jesus, he told them to act like it.
2. Jesus teaches His followers about the priority of the relationship (5-7).
   1. He is the way – the only, exclusive path tothe Father
   2. He is the truth – the truth intimately known
   3. He is the life – victory over death
3. Jesus teaches His followers to move beyond doubt (8-11).
4. Jesus teaches His followers about true confidence (12-14).
   1. He invites them into his work
   2. He involves them in greater works to come
   3. He increased their blessing – ask, and he will do it
5. Jesus teaches His followers lifestyle obedience (15).
   1. This is not a cold legalism – keep the commandment.
   2. This is personal affection – we serve and obey because we love him.

Questions for Further Study:

1. What are some widely accepted “truths” that you believe to be false?
2. In what ways do you resemble your parents?
3. What did Thomas ask Jesus? (John 14:5)
4. What did Jesus tell Thomas that He was? (John 14:6)
5. Whom did Jesus say that His disciples would know if they really knew Him? (John 14:7)
6. Whom did Philip ask Jesus to show them? (John 14:8)
7. What did Jesus ask Philip in response to Philip’s request to be shown the Father? (John 14:9)
8. How did Jesus characterize His relationship with the Father? (John 14:10-11)
9. What evidence did Jesus use to prove that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him? (John 14:11)
10. What did Jesus say that those who had faith in Him would do? (John 14:12)
11. Why did Jesus say that anyone who had faith would do greater things? (John 14:12)
12. Why did Jesus say that He would do whatever His believers asked in His name? (John 14:13)
13. What did Jesus say that He would do for His followers? (John 14:14)
14. In what way is faith in Jesus Christ exclusive or narrow?
15. In what way is Christianity an exclusive belief system?
16. How is Jesus the way, the truth, and the life in your life?
17. How are we related to Jesus Christ and God the Father?
18. What does it mean to know someone?
19. What does it mean to know Jesus and God?
20. What “greater things” are we doing today?
21. What can we ask Jesus to do?
22. What should our motivation be when we make requests of Jesus?
23. How can we bring glory to the Father?
24. What can you do this week to deepen your relationship with Christ?
25. What can you do today to bring glory to God?
26. Whom do you need to tell about the way Jesus offers a relationship with God?

PREPARED
(4 Ways Jesus Prepared His Followers to Be Sent Out)
John 13:1-38

1. Jesus establishes the principle of selfless service for His followers (John 13:1-9).
   1. Intention – he got up, volitional action.
   2. Genuineness – development of a servant’s heart.
   3. Lifestyle – I get to do this rather than I have to do this.
2. Jesus sets apart His followers from the world (John 13:10-17).
   1. I will do this and not wait for someone else to do it.
   2. Jesus sets an example which leads to an expectation.
   3. It comes from the heart, not just an activity for me to do.
3. Jesus identifies the enemy of His Lordship (John 13:18-30).
   1. The enemy is Satan, but also selfishness.
   2. Selfishness grieves the Master’s heart
   3. Satan’s influence go against the Lordship of Christ.
   4. Selfishness will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than what you want to pay.
4. Jesus calls His followers to a new command (John 13:31-38).
   1. We are to love one another.
   2. Love is the sign that we are followers of Jesus.
   3. How can we not be like Judas, with a calloused heart?

Questions for Further Study:

1. What can you learn about a person from the way he or she dresses?
2. How do people reveal their convictions through their life-style?
3. What does it mean to love someone?
4. What did Jesus say when Judas had gone? (John 13:31)
5. What did God do through Jesus? (John 13:32)
6. How much longer did Jesus say He would be with His disciples? (John 13:33)
7. Why was Jesus saying farewell? (John 13:33)
8. What was Jesus giving to His disciples? (John 13:34)
9. What did Jesus command His disciples to do? (John 13:34)
10. How did Jesus say people would know His disciples? (John 13:35)
11. What question did Peter ask Jesus? (John 13:36)
12. What did Jesus tell Peter? (John 13:36)
13. What did Peter pledge to do? (John 13:37)
14. What blunt statement did Jesus make about Peter? (John 13:38)
15. How is God glorified by our behavior?
16. What does it mean for you to love people as Jesus has loved them?
17. What kind of love was Jesus talking about?
18. How is love a sign that someone is a disciple of Christ?
19. How do we deny Christ with our words or life-style?
20. When and why are we tempted to deny Jesus?
21. How does our denying Christ affect our relationship with Him as well as our relationships with
    other Christians?
22. Who is someone you need to love as Christ has loved you? How?
23. What can you do to stay loyal to Christ this week with either your words or your life-style?
24. How can you show Christ’s love to others at your place of work, at home, or in your neighborhood?
25. What steps can you take to become more loving to others?

God’s Salvation and Man’s Crisis
5 Apologetics of the Christian Faith
John 12:27-50

1. The Name of God (John 12:27-29).
2. The Message of the Cross (John 12:30-34).
3. The Relevance of Jesus (John 12:35-37).
4. The Need of this Present Culture (John 12:38-43).
5. The Accountability with the Truth (John 12:44-50).

Questions for Further Study:

1. Who or what in life encourages you to be self-centered?
2. Are you moire likely to panic at a big crisis of a small one?
3. When have you set aside your own needs temporarily to meet the needs of other people?
4. What did the group of Greeks ask Philip? (John 12:20-22)
5. What brought these gentiles to a Jewish festival?
6. For most of John’s book, Jesus is telling people his time had not yet come (John 2:4, 7:6, 7:30), so what happened? (John 12:23)
7. What did Jesus say had come? (John 12:23)
8. What did Jesus say about a kernel of wheat? (John 12:24)
9. What did Jesus say about loving and hating life? (John 12:25)
10. What did Jesus say about the person who wants to serve Him? (John 12:26)
11. How did Jesus feel? (John 12:27)
12. What was Jesus’ attitude? (John 12:27)
13. Why didn’t Jesus ask the Father to save Him? (John 12:27)
14. What did Jesus ask the Father to do? (John 12:28)
15. How did the crowd react to God’s voice? (John 12:29)
16. What time did Jesus say it was? (John 12:31)
17. What did Jesus say would happen when He was lifted up? (John 12:32)
18. How did the crowd respond to Jesus’ words? (John 12:34)
19. In what way was Jesus’ audience running out of time? (John 12:35)
20. What did Jesus tell the crowd to do? (John 12:36)
21. How do we love our own lives?
22. How does Jesus want us to hate our lives?
23. When and why is it difficult for you to serve and follow Jesus?
24. What does it mean for us to “walk in the light”?
25. What tempts you to wander in the darkness rather than walk in the light?
26. What example has Jesus set for us to follow?
27. How can a group of people all have the same experience but interpret it differently?
28. What is one change you can make in your life to become more attentive to the needs of others over your own?
29. In what areas of your life are you in denial?
30. Where is Jesus calling you to die so that you might live?
31. On to what do you tend to hold rather than follow Jesus?
32. Do you feel more like you are walking in darkness or in the light?
33. To whom can you be helpful today? How?

The Narrowing Effect of Following Jesus
John 12:1-26

1. As revealed in Jesus’ visit to Lazarus’ house (12:1-11).
   1. The broader view of the Christian life: good deeds.
   2. The proper view of a follower of Christ: a strong commitment to the message of Christ’s love and redemption for the world.
2. As revealed in the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem (12:12-19).
   1. The broader view of the Christian life: interested in “the intermittent experience.”
   2. The proper view of a follower of Christ: surrender to His rule and reign as King.
3. As revealed in Jesus’ words (12:20-26).
   1. The broader view of the Christian life: knowing more about Jesus.
   2. The proper view of a follower of Christ: forsaking all to follow Jesus.
4. Conclusion: How does this better instruct me in the vision of the church? How does this better form my role as a part of the Body of Christ?

Discussion Questions for Further Study:

1. Jesus Anointed at Bethany – John 12:1-11
2. When have you indulged another person with an expensive gift? How did you feel? How did they feel?
3. If you have a year’s wages, on what would you spend it?
4. How do you deal with the tension of helping people in need while enjoying your wealth and possessions?
5. When did Jesus arrive in Bethany? (John 12:1)
6. What was done in honor of Jesus in Bethany? (John 12:2)
7. What did Mary do to Jesus? (John 12:3)
8. How did Judas respond to Mary’s act? (John 12:4-5)
9. What motivated Judas’s response to Mary’s act? (John 12:6)
10. Why did Jesus say that Mary had anointed Him with perfume? (John 12:7)
11. What did Jesus say about the poor? (John 12:8)
12. Why did the large crowd come to Mary and Martha’s home? (John 12:9)
13. What did the chief priests plan to do? (John 12:10)
14. They were going to kill Lazarus too. Do you see the irony?
15. Here is a great outline of John 11 and 12…
    1. Lazarus was dead – John 11:14, 39 – who can tell the story of YOUR death, and coming to life?
    2. Lazarus was disabled – John 11:44 – in what ways have you been disabled, unable to life as God intends for you?
    3. Lazarus was dangerous – John 12:10-11 – when have you been this dangerous to the adversary? Is this your desire, to be evangelistically and great commission inclined?
16. What motive did the chief priests have? (12:11)
17. If you had a dinner in honor of Jesus, who would you invite?
18. How do you worship Jesus with your resources?
    1. Have you developed the habit of tithing?
    2. Does anyone have the gift of giving?
19. What concern should we have for the poor among us?
20. What are your thoughts on the guys at intersections with cardboard signs?
21. When have you helped due a compelling story but later realize you had been duped?
22. In what way can we help those less fortunate than ourselves?
23. What organizations do you support, or with which you volunteer?
    1. When/how do we know if what we are doing is helping the poor?
    2. Do we give them what they ask for or give them what they need?
24. Why are there poor people?
25. Can poorness be cultural? Self-perpetuating? A preferred lifestyle? A rut into which a generation will not get out?
26. What did Jesus mean when he said the poor are always with us?
27. How do we selfishly use God’s resources for our own pleasure?
28. What about missions and benevolence?
29. Do we/you sacrifice in giving or give out of your/our excess?
30. When have we masked our own selfishness with the appearance of concern for others?
31. How can you worship and honor God with your resources today?
32. When have you been the most dangerous to Satan, our enemy?
33. How is your budget a reflection of your spiritual priorities?
34. How can you help someone less fortunate than yourself this week?
35. If you had a year’s salary to spend on the kingdom of Christ, what would it be?
36. What impure motives do you need to confess to God and ask Him to purify?

A Conspiracy that Could Not Stop the Gospel
John 11:45-57

1. What was this conspiracy? John 11:45-48
2. What did this conspiracy attempt to accomplish? John 11:49-50
3. How did this affect the gospel? John 11:51-54
4. What does this mean for the church? for Me?

Questions for Further Study:

1. Without naming names, who is the most dishonest and self-serving person you’ve ever known?
2. What examples of selfishness do you see in a typical day?
3. How do you deal with problem people in your life?
4. How did many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary respond to Jesus’ miracle? (John 11:45)
5. Who was told about Jesus’ miracle? (John 11:46)
6. What did the Sanhedrin fear? (John 11:47-48)
7. What did Caiaphas say about Jesus? (John 11:49-50)
8. How did Caiaphas prophesy? (John 11:51-52)
9. What did the Jewish leaders of the Sanhedrin plot to do? (John 11:53)
10. How did Jesus respond to the Sanhedrin’s plot? (John 11:54)
11. Why did many people go to Jerusalem? (John 11:55)
12. For whom did the people in Jerusalem look? (John 11:56)
13. What orders had the chief priests and Pharisees given to the people? (John 11:57)
14. What motive other than ministry might people have for engaging in Christian service?
15. What personal ambitions might subvert the goal of serving God and others in Christian organizations?
16. When have you intentionally or unintentionally used the church to pursue your own agenda?
17. Why is it so difficult to have pure and selfless motives in life?
18. How do you respond when your goals and your motives conflict with one another?
19. How might Christianity be challenged or threatened by Jesus if He were to come back today?
20. How would you tell a self-centered person the gospel message?
21. What self-centered motive will you ask God to help you change?

Jesus is Life
John 11:1-46

Principle #1: The Good that Jesus Brings is not limited by Your Present Situation. (John 11:1-5)
The Application: Don’t give up on God.
What determines your situation?
People?
Predicament?
Promise?

Principle #2: The human reasoning of your present circumstance should always stand contested by faith in Christ. (John 11:6-16)
Application: Trust Jesus even when it doesn’t make sense.
…When His timing doesn’t always make sense
…When following Him is not always comfortable or safe
…When problems seem so irreversible
…When there always seems to be a battle to fight

Principle #3: The Truth of Christ is the only way to respond to a crisis of belief. (John 11:17-27)
Application: When in doubt, hold tight to your relationship with Jesus Christ.
DOUBT: Circumstance and Culture
BELIEF: Jesus

Principle #4: The compassion of Christ is stronger than your deepest sorrow. (John 11:28-37)
Application: Confess your inability to deal with “this” on your own, and fall before the Savior.
Urgency
Openness
Comfort

CONCLUSION: If the Truth of Christ raised a dead man, what will His Truth do for you? (John 11:38-44)

Questions for Further Study:

1. What do the people you know fear most in life?
2. What sort of miracle would be the most spectacular to witness?
3. How did Jesus feel when He went to Lazarus’s tomb? (John 11:38)
4. In what type of tomb was Lazarus buried? (John 11:38)
5. What did Jesus tell the others to do? (John 11:39)
6. How did Martha respond to Jesus’ request? (John 11:39)
7. How did Jesus show Martha the importance of her belief? (John 11:40)
8. What did Jesus do before He called to Lazarus? (John 11:41-42)
9. What did Jesus say to the Father? Why? (John 11:41-42)
10. How did Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead? (John 11:43-44)
11. What did Lazarus do when Jesus called to him? (John 11:44)
12. What did Jesus tell the people to do? (John 11:44)
13. When have you been deeply moved?
14. Under what circumstances have you doubted the power of God?
15. When have you had faith in God’s ability to work out an impossible situation?
16. What is one miracle God has done in your life?
17. How does God show His glory to us?
18. In what way has God shown His glory to you?
19. In what way has God “raised you from the dead”?
20. If you had been there when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, how do you think you might have responded?
21. What specific situation do you need to trust God to work out in your life?
22. For what “miracle” do you want to thank God today?
23. What can you do today so that others might believe in Jesus?

Jesus’ Impact as the Good Shepherd
John 10:7-16

JESUS SAID, “I am the Door” – (3 ways this is applied)
Presence
Provision
Protection

JESUS SAID, “I am the Good Shepherd” – (3 ways this is applied)
Physical
Relational
Spiritual

For the Church, this is vision.
For the one who is lost, this is hope.

Questions for Further Discussion:

1. What person or group did you and your friends “follow” when you were a teenager?
2. What qualities do the best friends possess?
3. Who did Jesus say was a thief and a robber? (John 10:1)
4. What kind of relationship do sheep have with their shepherd? (John 10:2-4)
5. Why won’t sheep follow a stranger? (John 10:5)
6. What effect did Jesus’ words have on His audience? (John 10:6)
7. What did Jesus say He was? (John 10:7)
8. To whom did Jesus say the sheep did not listen? (John 10:8)
9. What did Jesus say would be the result of entering through Him? (John 10:9)
10. How did Jesus contrast His coming with the coming of a thief? (John 10:10)
11. Who did Jesus claim to be? (John 10:11)
12. Why did Jesus say the hired hand would abandon his sheep? (John 10:12-13)
13. What type of relationship did Jesus say He had with His sheep? (John 10:14)
14. What did Jesus say He did for His sheep? (John 10:15)
15. What did Jesus say He had? (John 10:16)
16. Why did Jesus say the Father loved Him? (John 10:17-18)
17. What effect did Jesus’ words have on the Jews who heard Him speak? (John 10:19-21)
18. In what way is Jesus like a gate?
19. How has Jesus been a gate in your life?
20. In what way is Jesus like a shepherd?
21. How are we like sheep?
22. In what way is Jesus your shepherd?
23. How would you describe your relationship with Jesus?
24. How can we better hear the voice of Jesus?
25. What tempts people to follow a stranger? Why?
26. How has Jesus made your life full?
27. How can you develop a more intimate relationship with Jesus this week?
28. How can you be more attentive to the voice of Jesus?

Four Ways to Know the Difference between Real and Artificial Faith.
John 10:25-30

1. RELATIONSHIP – My sheep know ME, that is personal and relational. Salvation is not based on my family connection to God, or my involvement in the church, or the work of my hands.
   1. Believing (John 10:25-26)
   2. Hearing (John 10:27)
2. DISCIPLESHIP – Jesus calls us to follow him.
   1. Joining – Matthew 4:18-22 – they dropped their nets.
   2. Honoring – 2 Corinthians 4:6 – we will shine and give God glory.
   3. Following – Luke 9:23 – deny self, take up our cross, and follow.
3. KINGDOM LIFE – Jesus gives life, abundant and free, not just life in heaven but life that comes up from everywhere here on earth.
4. CONFIDENCE – no one can take us away, we are secure in Christ, we hold his hold, but more importantly, he holds OUR hand, like a father grasps the hand of his daughter, he will not let go. The security is based on the father’s ability to hold on, not the daughter’s own strength or effort.

Questions for Further Study:

1. What truths are hard for you to accept? Why?
2. How did your family typically handle conflict when you were growing up?
3. What question did the Jews ask Jesus? (John 10:22-24)
4. How did Jesus answer the Jews’ question? (John 10:25-26)
5. What did Jesus say His sheep did? (John 10:27)
6. What did Jesus say He gave to His sheep? (John 10:28)
7. What did Jesus say that no one could do to His sheep? (John 10:28-29)
8. With whom did Jesus claim to be one? (John 10:30)
9. Why do people today fail to realize that Jesus is God?
10. In what way are you Jesus’ sheep?
11. What makes you feel secure in your relationship with your friends?
12. What makes you feel secure in your relationship with God?
13. How secure is your relationship with God?
14. How will you demonstrate your thankfulness to God today for your secure relationship with Him?
15. What steps will you take to follow your Shepherd closely this week?

The Truth of Jesus Proven Through a Life Restored
John 9:1-41

First Observation. What Jesus did. (John 9:1-7)
Jesus brought the needs and inabilities of the blind man into the realm of God’s Work.

Second Observation. What the blind man did. (John 9:8-12)
The blind man responded to Jesus reordering His steps.

Third Observation. What the culture did. (John 9:13-34)
The culture was skeptical of the supernatural change Jesus brought to the blind man.

Fourth Observation. What change does. (John 9:35-41)
The blind man believed and worshipped.

Questions for Further Study:

1. Who do you know who has challenged “the establishment” or “the system”?
2. About what do you tend to get complacent?
3. To whom was the blind man taken? (John 9:13)
4. On what day did Jesus heal the blind man? (John 9:14)
5. What did the Pharisees ask the blind man? (John 9:15)
6. Over what were the Pharisees divided? (John 9:16)
7. Who did the blind man think Jesus was? (John 9:17)
8. Why did the Pharisees send for the blind man’s parents? (John 9:18)
9. How did the blind man’s parents answer the Pharisees’ questions? (John 9:19-21)
10. What did the blind man’s parents fear? (John 9:22-23)
11. What did the Pharisees ask the blind man to do? (John 9:24)
12. How did the blind man respond to the Pharisees? (John 9:25)
13. What question did the blind man ask the Pharisees? (John 9:27)
14. Whose disciples did the Pharisees claim to be? (John 9:28)
15. What did the blind man say was remarkable? (John 9:29-30)
16. What did the blind man say nobody had ever done? (John 9:31-32)
17. What convinced the blind man that Jesus was from God? (John 9:33)
18. What did the Pharisees do to the man who was born blind? (John 9:34)
19. What divides Christian leaders today?
20. How would you react to a miraculous healing?
21. Why do you believe Jesus is from God?
22. When have your parents disappointed you?
23. How do you respond when your authority is challenged?
24. What authority have you ever challenged?
25. How do people respond when the status quo is disturbed?
26. In what way has Jesus upset the status quo in your life?
27. When have you allowed fear to control your behavior?
28. In what way are Christians today complacent?
29. In what way has Jesus opened your once-blind eyes?
30. What area of your life about which you have become complacent do you need to allow Jesus to revitalize? How?
31. What program in your church about which people have become complacent can you help revitalize?
32. How would you challenge someone this week who disputed the authority of God?

Jesus Argues Against the Traps of Religion / John 8:12-59
(4 Ways to know the Difference between Religion and a Relationship with Jesus…)

1. Religion: obligation; Relationship: encounter.
   1. Do you follow Jesus out of obligation or habit rather than because you have had an encounter with the living God?
   2. Do you believe what others have said about Jesus rather than discovering Jesus through his Word?
2. Religion: association; Relationship: change.
   1. Are you a part of the church because of the relationships here, or because your family is connected to the church rather than being here due to an encounter with Jesus producing a changed mind and heart and habits?
   2. Are you happy and content with personal preferences at church or open to change than might bring in new people and expressions of worship?
3. Religion: claims; Relationship: devotion.
   1. Do you make claims over the church rather than recognize that the church belongs to Christ?
   2. Are you able to express your devotion to Jesus in all circumstances and methods without making claims and objections that uphold personal preferences in worship?
4. Religion: institutionalism; Relationship: Christ-centered.
   1. Is your focus really on Christ and his mission at church or do earthly methods prevent you from encountering and enjoying the worship of God and the fellowship of other believers?
   2. Have you embraced the institution of the church tighter than the Lord over the church?
   3. In what ways have you sought to build your own kingdom rather than allowing Christ to build his kingdom here at King’s Grant?

Questions for Further Discussion:

1. To what sort of things do people today become enslaved?
2. What does it mean to you to be free? What doesn’t it mean?
3. What did Jesus say to the Jews who had believed in Him? (John 8:31)
4. What did Jesus say the truth would do for those who knew it? (John 8:32)
5. How did the Jews respond to Jesus’ statement about freedom? (John 8:33)
6. Who did Jesus say is a slave to sin? (John 8:34)
7. How does Jesus distinguish a slave from a son? (John 8:35)
8. What is the result of being freed by the Son? (John 8:36)
9. What did Jesus say the Jews were ready to do? (John 8:37)
10. Who did the Jews say was their father? (John 8:39)
11. In what way were the Jews mistaken about Abraham? (John 8:39)
12. What did Abraham not do? (John 8:40)
13. What claim did Jesus’ accusers make? (John 8:41)
14. Of what did the Jews accuse Jesus? (John 8:48)
15. How did Jesus respond to the accusation against Him? (John 8:49)
16. What did Jesus say He wasn’t seeking? (John 8:50)
17. What did Jesus say would be the result of keeping His word? (John 8:51)
18. How did the Jews respond to Jesus’ claim? (John 8:52)
19. What question did the Jews ask Jesus? (John 8:53)
20. Who glorifies Jesus? (John 8:54)
21. Whom did Jesus claim to know? (John 8:55)
22. What made Abraham rejoice? (John 8:56)
23. Why were the Jews so astonished by what Jesus said? (John 8:57)
24. Before whom did Jesus claim He had existed? (John 8:58)
25. What did the Jews attempt to do to Jesus? Why? (John 8:58-59)
26. How are you like your mother or father?
27. To what sin are you a slave?
28. From what sin have you been set free?
29. How does truth set someone free?
30. How has the Son set you free?
31. In what way are we like God our Father?
32. When do we act like illegitimate children?
33. How can you better enjoy your freedom in the Son?
34. How do you usually respond to things you don’t understand or can’t explain?
35. How do you respond to situations that you can’t control?
36. How do you respond when your authority is being challenged?
37. To what authorities in life do you appeal for truth?
38. Whose glory do you seek?
39. How can you honor God with your life?
40. How does a person keep Jesus’ word?
41. How well do you keep Jesus’ word?
42. How do you know that you know God?
43. From what enslaving sin will you ask God to set you free?
44. What action will you take in order to act more like a child of God?
45. What is one way that you can honor God with your life today?
46. How can you seek God’s glory rather than your own in your work this week?
47. What do you need to do in order to keep Jesus’ word?