 The Way Maker (for the week of November 29, 2020) PDF at Bottom Note to Group Leaders: More than anyone else, you are aware of the size of your group, time constraints, the needs of your group, etc. Please read through the Scripture and material below and use whatever you believe will be most helpful to your group. This Week’s Scripture: Mark 1:1-8 and Isaiah 40:1-8 Key Idea from Sermon Everyone needs a Savior. Everyone needs to be prepared for Jesus. Every Christian needs to help others be prepared for Jesus. For Starters 1. Read Isaiah 40:1-8 and Mark 1:1-8 and answer the following questions.
For Further Discussion 2. What do Mark’s first words tell us about his gospel (v. 1)? Explain. 3. Who was John the Baptist, according to verses 2-3? Why was John sent? 4. How was Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled (v. 4)? What is your reaction to the fact that Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled? 5. What two things did John focus on in his preaching? 6. How did the people respond in verse 5? 7. Who was John referring to in verse 7? In what ways were the two men similar? In what ways were they different from one another? (vv. 7-8) Applying the Scripture 8. What does the message of Jesus offer to people? 9. What usually prevents us from being witnesses for Jesus? 10. How can a person’s witness reflect humility and respect for Jesus? 11. How can we make sure that our lives focus on Jesus and not ourselves? 12. What step could you take this week toward becoming a better witness for Jesus? 13. How can you encourage other Christians to be witness for Jesus? Devotion on Mark 1:1-8 God’s Providential Hope Mark 1:1-8 Four Hundred Years Four hundred long years had passed since Israel last heard from a prophet – from God himself. Four hundred years of silence. But now, there was one who spoke from the wilderness. His purpose? To declare the arrival of God’s promised one, the Messiah – the one who would rescue God’s people. How warmly welcomed that good news must have been, especially since Israel was under Roman rule. To finally be delivered from that oppression must have been the best news. The prophet John’s calling was to prepare the way for this mighty Deliverer by announcing his arrival. It was Jesus himself, just a few verses later (Mark 1:15), who would declare that his new Kingdom was now at hand. But how would a person become a citizen of this Kingdom? By repenting and believing God’s good news. God’s gracious and providential hope was still available after such a long time had passed. God never forgot his promises. And Yet And yet the good news of God’s Kingdom was not welcomed as good news. God’s Deliverer was not embraced as such. We know from the life, ministry, and teaching of Jesus, that he and the Kingdom he ushered in were not what the people of his day had in mind. Jesus didn’t fit the expectations many had for the Messiah. He didn’t seem to say and do what the people had hoped he would say and do. Still, he was God’s providential hope for his people. Their only hope. Israel needed to be rescued from something far greater than Rome. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, was willing and able to save his people once-and-for-all. But not many of his people were willing to be saved on his terms. Their hopes and dreams took the shape of temporal desire – to understandably be out from under the thumb of Roman rule. They allowed the good to become the enemy of the best. What are your expectations of Jesus? Are your hopes temporal only? Or, are your hopes filtered through an eternal perspective? In-Between Living Advent is the liturgical time of year in which we more fully and formally remember that we live between the two appearances of our Lord, Jesus Christ. His first arrival, which we celebrate during the season of Advent and Christmas, ushered in God’s Kingdom – his rule and reign in our lives. Our focus during this time of year helps us better reflect upon who Jesus is and why he came. It also gives us space to think about how we ought to live in light of his appearance. However, just as we are called to live responsively to his first advent, we must also live expectantly toward his second. That is the time, as C.S. Lewis put it, “when the author walks on to the stage [and] the play is over.” Lewis adds, “That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not.” Are you prepared for the coming of Jesus? How can you better prepare for that Day? Looking at and learning from his first advent informs how we are called and commanded to live in preparation for his second one. More than that, it is only as we repent of our sin and believe his gospel – the good news of his Kingdom – that we can enter the fullness of life he offers. 
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 Pastoral Intervention (for the week of November 22, 2020) PDF at bottom Note to Group Leaders: More than anyone else, you are aware of the size of your group, time constraints, the needs of your group, etc. Please read through the Scripture and material below and use whatever you believe will be most helpful to your group. This Week’s Scripture: Ezekiel 34:11-24 Key Idea from Sermon God loves and shepherds his sheep and promises to send a shepherd in the line of David to save them. For Starters 1. Read Ezekiel 34:11-24 and answer the following questions.
For Further Discussion 2. Read Psalm 23. Describe what the following phrases mean and how you have experienced God shepherding you in that way.
3. What is the hope expressed in Psalm 23:6? 4. Read John 10:1-18. 5. What was Jesus telling the Pharisees in John 10:1-6? 6. What does Jesus call himself in John 10:7-10? What does he mean by describing himself in such a way? 7. Jesus refers to himself as “the good shepherd” in John 10:11-18. Compare and contrast Jesus, the good shepherd, to the hired hands. 8. How does Jesus, the good shepherd, compare with the image of the shepherd in Ezekiel 34:11-24? Applying the Scripture 9. In what ways are you a shepherd to those entrusted to your care and leadership? 10. List the chief characteristics of a good shepherd that you find in Ezekiel 34:11-24, Psalm 23, and John 10:1-18. 11. Which of those attributes best describes you? Which one do you most need to work on? 12. Memorize Psalm 23 and recite it to someone.
 From Punishment to Pardon (for the week of November 15, 2020) PDF at the bottom This Week’s Scripture: Zephaniah 1:1-6 and 3:9-17 Key Idea from Sermon “God disciplines so as to bring purification. This involves justice and love that leads to restoration.” Discussing the Scripture 1. Zephaniah was a prophet during the reign of King Josiah. “King Josiah instituted a sweeping reformation of worship in Judah (2 Kings 22:3–23:25), which officially abolished the worship of Baal and the stars mentioned in Zeph. 1:4–6. [However, it] might be the case that such worship continued secretly between 621 and 609.” (Holman Bible Dictionary) How does Zephaniah start of his prophecy in verses 2-3? 2. Read Zephaniah 1:4-6. What sins are listed by Zephaniah for which Judah (indeed, the whole world) was going to be punished? 3. Read Exodus 20:1-7 and Deuteronomy 5:6-11. Write down the first three commandments. How were the people in Zephaniah’s day violating these commands of God? 4. The name, “Baal,” literally means “lord” or “master,” but was commonly used to refer to the Canaanite storm god. What do the following texts say about worshiping Baal?
5. Nelson’s Bible Dictionary says idolatry is “the worship of something created as opposed to the worship of the Creator Himself. Scores of references to idolatry appear in the Old Testament. This shows that idolatry probably was the greatest temptation our spiritual forefathers faced. While we find bowing down to a statue no temptation, they apparently slipped into idolatry constantly. So serious was this sin that the prohibition against the making and worshiping of images was included near the beginning of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:4–6).” What are ways Christians practice idolatry in our day? If most Christians know that idolatry is wrong (sinful), how do you explain why they (we) can slip into it so easily, even if unintentionally? 6. In what ways do unbelieving “secularists” practice idolatry in our day? 7. Based on the Scripture you have read in this lesson, as well as Romans 1:18-25, why is idolatry wrong? Explain your answer. 8. We find another form idolatry called syncretism, in verse 5. Syncretism is a blending together of opposing beliefs and practices. How does verse 5 describe God’s people doing that? 9. As in Zephaniah’s day, syncretism seems to be common in our day as well. How have you observed syncretism being practiced today by Christians? Have you ever unintentionally blended your Christian beliefs with other beliefs and practices? Explain 10. In the first century, the Roman empire was very pluralistic. They allowed for the belief and worship of many gods. What got Christians into trouble with Rome was not that they believed in and worshiped Jesus. It was that they worshiped him only and would not bow down to the Emperor as a god. How does our larger culture influence the church to adopt beliefs and practices which are not consistent with the Christian faith? 11. Even though God judges idolatry, he is merciful and calls his people to repent and blesses them when they do. Read Zephaniah 3:9-17. What is God’s promise of hope for the faithful remnant of God’s people who remain faithful to him? How is that promise fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ? Applying the Scripture 12. How can you learn to spot idolatry in your own life? What will you do once you spot it? 13. What unchristian (inconsistent and contradictory) beliefs and practices have you adopted in your life? What steps will you take to turn away from them and embrace biblical truth only? 14. What steps can you begin taking today to help you stand firm for Christ, even when it is hard and unpopular?
 Show Me the Life Change (for the week of November 8, 2020) PDF at bottom Note to Group Leaders: More than anyone else, you are aware of the size of your group, time constraints, the needs of your group, etc. Please read through the Scripture and material below and use whatever you believe will be most helpful to your group. This Week’s Scripture: Amos 5:18-24 Key Idea from Sermon “God does not want our outward pretension. He wants our hearts and lives to sincerely change.” Discussing the Scripture 1. In verse 18, God asks his people why they are looking forward to the Day of the Lord. He says it will not be what they hope it is. Read Amos 5:1-17. What problem did God have with the way Israel had been living? 2. What will the Day of the Lord be like, according to Amos 5:18-20? 3. Read the following verses about the Day of the Lord from the New Testament. What does each say about the Day of the Lord?
4. Based on these verses, why do we need to place our faith in Jesus Christ? 5. Read Amos 5:21-23. According to these verses, what does God despise? Describe the imagery Amos uses to make this point. What does Jesus say about this same thing in Matthew 15:8-9? 6. What does God desire, according to Amos 5:24? Why? 7. Read Matthew 23:13-39. What is Jesus most concerned about in these verses? How do his words agree with the words in Amos? Applying the Scripture 8. How would you respond to a relative or coworker who said he or she did not want to become a Christian because of all the hypocrites in the church? How is their concern valid? Explain your answers. 9. Why does God care about the inner condition of your heart (disposition, attitude, relationship) toward him, as long as you’re outwardly doing good deeds? 10. What might a false “appearance of piety” look like in our day? Have you ever been guilty of presenting yourself as godlier than you really are? What were some of your motivations for doing so? 11. What are some reasons people try to present themselves as someone they are not? 12. What are three things you can start doing today to help keep you from hypocrisy?
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