The Faithfulness of God in Christ

1. Introduction & Hook

Leader's Script:

Say (Setting the Foundation): "Just so everyone is on the same page, we're in a series called 'Meeting God in Jesus.' The entire series is built on one core idea that Jesus himself gave us. In the gospel of John, Jesus says, 'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.' (John 14:9). That's our ground verse for everything we do here. So, in this series, we look at Jesus's life to understand what God the Father is truly like."

Say (Transition to Icebreaker): "Tonight, we're looking at a specific attribute of God: His faithfulness. And to get us thinking about that in a real-world way, let's do a quick icebreaker."

Ask: "I want you to think of a person in your life—a friend, a parent, a sibling—who you know, without a doubt, 'has your back.' What does that phrase actually mean to you? What does it look like in real life when someone 'has your back'?" ask the new people

[Teacher's Insight & Notes]: The goal here is to let them define faithfulness in their own terms (loyalty, defense, showing up, keeping secrets). Listen and affirm their answers. This is a positive, low-pressure way for everyone, especially new people, to contribute.

Say (Affirming their answers): "Okay, great answers. So when someone has your back, they're loyal, they defend you even when you're not there, they show up when you need them."

Ask (The Pivot): "Now for the tougher part. Let's be honest. Have you ever been in a situation where you should have had someone's back... but you didn't? Maybe you stayed quiet when other people were gossiping about your friend. Or maybe you made an excuse because you didn't want to get involved. You don't have to share the specific story, but just think—what does that feeling of failure feel like?"

Say (Transition): "That feeling—that conflict between our best intentions and our actual actions—is at the very heart of our story today. And remembering our ground verse, if we want to know what God the Father's faithfulness is like—how He truly 'has our back'—we look at Jesus. We're going to see one of Jesus's best friends, Peter, fail in the most public way imaginable, and discover how Jesus responds when we fail to have His back."

2. Gospel Story Discovery: Peter's Failure & Jesus's Faithfulness

Leader's Script:

Setting the Scene: The Intimacy of the Relationship

Ask: "Before we even read our first text, let's set the stage. Where were Jesus and Peter just a few hours before this story begins? What had they just done together?"

[Teacher's Insight & Notes]: They just shared the Last Supper. This is crucial. Peter has just partaken of the body and blood of Christ, the ultimate sign of their unity, friendship, and union. This raises the stakes of his denial—it's not just a public failure, it's a deeply personal betrayal of intimacy.

Part 1: The Promise (Luke 22:31-34) ESV pg. 882

Say: "Okay, with that in mind, let's look at our first text. Turn to Luke, chapter 22, verses 31-34." (Read the text aloud).

Ask: "So, Jesus knows Peter is about to be tested. What does Jesus promise he will do for Peter?"

[Teacher's Insight & Notes]: Jesus says, "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail." His faithfulness is proactive. He is already interceding for Peter before the failure. His prayer isn't that Peter won't stumble, but that his faith won't be ultimately extinguished. The phrase “Satan has asked to sift you like wheat” shows God's sovereignty. Like in the story of Job, evil and temptation must operate under God's authority. This doesn't mean God isn't proactive; it means He is faithful even in the test. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape."

Ask: "How does Peter respond to this? What promise does he make to Jesus?"

Part 2: The Failure (Luke 22:54-62)

Say: "Now let's see what happens. Turn to verse 54 in the same chapter." (Read verses 54-62 aloud).

Ask: "What happens here? Does Peter keep his promise?"

Ask: "Verse 61 says, 'The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.' Can you imagine that moment? What do you think was going through Peter's mind when he saw Jesus's face?"

[Teacher's Insight & Notes]: This is the moment of total failure. Peter, the rock, has completely crumbled. His self-reliance is shattered. This is the bedrock of human unfaithfulness.

Part 3: The Restoration (John 21:15-17) ESV pg. 906

Say: "Now for the final part of the story, after Jesus has been crucified and resurrected. Let's go to John, chapter 21, verses 15-17." (Read the text aloud).

Ask: "Jesus asks Peter the same question three times. Why three times?"

Ask: "What is Jesus's goal here? Is he trying to shame Peter, or is he doing something else?"

Ask: "Peter's final response is, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Have you ever felt like that? Where you have failed and feel disgusted with yourself, but deep down, in the middle of that conflict, you can still honestly say to God, 'You know my heart, you know that I love you'?"

[Teacher's Insight & Notes]: Jesus is restoring Peter, not punishing him. The three-fold question lovingly cancels out the three-fold denial. Jesus doesn't just forgive Peter; he recommissions him ("Feed my sheep."). He restores his identity and purpose. The goal of God's faithfulness is not just pardon, but restoration to relationship and mission.

3. Theological Insight Part 1: Christ's Faithfulness FOR US

Leader's Script:

Ask (The Big Discovery): "Based on this entire story—Jesus's promise, Peter's failure, and Jesus's restoration—what does this show us about the character of God's faithfulness?"

Say (Transition): "This story reveals a huge theological truth. We often think our job is to muster up enough faith in God. But the Bible says something even better. Listen to this quote from a theologian named T.F. Torrance:"

Read Quote: "We in faith flee from our own acts even of repentance, confession, trust, and response, and take refuge in the obedience and faithfulness of Christ…"

Ask: "What does that mean, to 'take refuge in the faithfulness of Christ'? How is that different from taking refuge in your own faith?"

[Teacher's Insight & Notes]: This is the core concept of vicarious faithfulness (vicarious: something done FOR someone else or in place of someone else). Jesus wasn't just faithful as an example for us to follow. He was faithful in our place, as our substitute. Our salvation doesn't depend on the quality of our faith, which wavers like Peter's. It depends entirely on the quality of Christ's perfect faithfulness, which we receive as a gift.

Ask: "In the story, was Peter saved because he had strong, unwavering faith? Or was he saved because Jesus remained faithful to him even when his faith completely failed?"

4. Theological Insight Part 2: The Faithfulness of God's WORD

Leader's Script:

Say (Transition): "So we see that God's faithfulness in action is what saves us. This brings up a great question about whether God has been faithful in his words to us. Is what He gave us in the Bible enough?"

Ask: "The question was something like this: 'Why wouldn't God give us more detailed, scarier information about hell? Wouldn't that fear make more people believe?' What do you all think about that?"

Ask: "Let's reframe it. What does the Bible say heaven is, at its core? Is it just a place with mansions and gold streets?"

[Teacher's Insight & Notes]: Heaven is the consummation of the marriage between Christ and the church (Rev. 19.6-9). It's eternal life, which John 17:3 defines as knowing God. It's ultimate, unending, joyful presence with God.

Ask: "So if heaven is being with God in perfect relationship, what must hell be, at its very essence?"

[Teacher's Insight & Notes]: Hell is the opposite: ultimate, unending, chosen separation from God, the source of all life, goodness, and joy. It's human evil and death allowed to flourish without God's common grace (the unnoticed kindness God extends to all humanity, like the sun warming us, our ability to love, and our capacity to see beauty), perpetuating into utter misery and self-destruction.

Ask: "This gets to a huge question: Does having more information or seeing more miracles automatically create faith? Think about the Israelites in the desert. What did they get to see God do?" (Parting the sea, pillars of fire, manna from heaven). "And what was their response?" (Rebellion, idolatry with the golden calf).

Ask: "So what does that tell us about whether more 'proof' or 'scarier details' would actually solve the real problem?"

[Teacher's-Insight & Notes]: The problem isn't a lack of information; it's the state of the human heart. The Bible presents the problem as spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1 “1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins” ), not a lack of data. A dead heart can't be scared into life; it must be resurrected.

Say (The Big Idea): "This shows us that God has been perfectly faithful in what He has revealed. He knows that fear of punishment can't raise a dead heart to life. Only seeing the beauty, love, and faithfulness of Christ can do that. God has given us exactly what we need for salvation: not more facts to scare us, but a Person to trust and love."

5. Application & Closing

Leader's Script:

Say (Synthesis): "So tonight we've seen two sides of God's faithfulness revealed in Jesus: He is faithful in his actions to save us even when we fail, and he is faithful in his words by giving us exactly what we need to know for salvation."

Ask (Personal Application): "How does knowing that our salvation rests on Christ's faithfulness, not our own, free you from the pressure of having to be a 'perfect' Christian?"

Ask: "How does knowing that God has given us a sufficient Word—a Person to trust, not just a list of facts—change how you read the Bible?"

Ask: "Let me put it another way. Is reading the Bible more like studying a textbook for a test, or is it more like getting a text from someone you really want to know and who wants to know you?"

[Teacher's Insight & Notes]: It removes the assurance roller-coaster. Our confidence isn't in our grip on Him, but His unbreakable grip on us. We can be honest about our failures. We read the Bible not to accumulate data, but to meet a Person.

Ask (Challenge): "Where is one area this week where you can stop trying to rely on your own effort or understanding, and instead choose to rest in the perfect faithfulness of Jesus for you?"

Say (Closing): "Peter's story is our story. We all fail. We all break our promises. But Jesus shows us a God who is relentlessly faithful in His actions and perfectly sufficient in His Word. His faithfulness is the solid ground we stand on."

Preview: "Next week, we'll look at 'The Power of God in Christ.' What makes Jesus so powerful to deal with our sins?"