June 16, 2019 - Summer Series, Building Blocks - Believing Jesus

June 16, 2019 The smaller groups in our church community are inside our homes where we go deeper, build friendships, and walk out the Christian life with each other. HOME CHURCH GUIDE + “Breaking the Ice” question (group facilitator) + CHECK-INS: Introduce, check-in + CARE: Needs in the group + COMPASSION: What is the group planning? Are you inviting your neighbours to join in? + GROUP ANNOUNCEMENTS Church-wide, group-only + DIG IN: Discuss questions as a group + END AND HOMEWORK: Final questions, prayer huddles for personal requests. Consider breaking into small groups (huddles) of 2-4, by gender, if large enough. General “guest sunday” DISCUSSION questions: + Read again (two translations) John 1:1-18. What does this passage bring to mind for you, both from the teaching and outside of the Sunday teaching? Last Week’s Left Out - Traditional List of “Attributes” + In the Old Testament, God acts regularly by means of his “word”. What he says, happens. How does this help us understand what John is trying to tell us about the “Word [who] became flesh” (verse 14)? *Go deeper challenge: Search the debate between Divine simplicity and personalist approaches to this “oneness” of God. 1. God is __________________________________________________ 2. God is __________________________________________________ + This is the theme of John’s gospel: If you want to know who the true God is, look long and hard at Jesus. How does our understanding of God get off track when we try to think about who He is apart from Jesus? 3. God is __________________________________________________ + In what ways does the darkness either fail to understand or actively resist the light of Christ in our own lives and the world around us? How is your thinking “darkened”? 5. God is __________________________________________________ + Verse 12 states unequivocally that this salvation is “to anyone who did accept him.” God wants people from everywhere to be born in a new way, a new family began through Jesus. Anyone can become a “child of God” in this sense – which goes BEYOND the fact that all humans are special in God’s sight. This can happen in this life now, when people “believe in His name.” How does believing in the name of Jesus transform someone’s life turning them into a new person? Prayer Requests: 4. God is __________________________________________________ 6. God is __________________________________________________ 7. God is __________________________________________________ 8. God is __________________________________________________ *Go deeper and search the debate around how God experiences time. E.g. Determinism, Molinism, Open, Compatibilism, etc. 9. God is __________________________________________________ “Love is not merely something God does; love is what God eternally is. Everything God does, therefore, expresses perfect love. God’s power, therefore, is simply an aspect of his love, the love that is defined by the cross... The same thing must be said of all the other attributes of God. All of them are ultimately expressions of God’s servant love... When God demonstrates his love by giving up his life on Calvary (Rom. 5:8), he is, at the same time, expressing the true nature of his power. Though the cross looks weak in the eyes of the world, in truth it is the only thing that could defeat Satan, overcome all evil, liberate humans from our self-inflicted bondage and ultimately transform the whole cosmos into the Kingdom of God. No amount of power to control people and crush enemies could have hoped to accomplish this.” Overview of the Gospel of John DATE: Written around ~80-100 AD/CE - late first century, reign of emperor Domitian AUTHOR: John, “The disciple Jesus loved” - other views... PLACE: Ephesus most likely SUMMARY VIEWS OF PURPOSE: ‘The Spiritual Gospel’ ART/IMAGERY: The eagle “Fly-Over” Outline of John: 1:1-18 The Prologue 1:19-12: The Book of the Signs 13-20 The Book of Glory 21 The Epilogue TODAY’S TEACHING A. The Word’s activity in creation 1:1-5 “In the beginning” echoes Cosmos “Light” and “life” There is a difference between the Bible as “the word” and Jesus as “The Word”. B. John’s witness concerning the light 1:6-8 “so that all might believe” C. The incarnation of the Word and the privilege of becoming God’s children 1:9-14 “The basic sin in John’s Gospel is the failure to know and believe in Jesus.” -Raymond Brown The Divine Name “Dwelt” “To pitch one’s tent among…” “Glory” “Grace and Truth” D. John’s witness concerning the Word’s preeminence 1:15 John the Baptist is identified as a prophet and witness – but NOT to be confused with the Messiah as some were doing. E. The final revelation brought by Jesus Christ 1:16-18 “Fullness” of Jesus “Grace upon grace” Closest possible relationship with God the Father. APPLY IT/SO WHAT? RECAP Key verses to memorize 1,14, 17 and the Nicene Creed Constantinople 381 There is great art and beauty in the poetry... Christianity tells us that “Sin is not a series of bad choices, but a state of being from which bad choices continually come. This means... The light is available to all, we are now carriers of that light. This little light of mine...are you gonna let it shine? What does that look like for you? The word and Word of God is still speaking and creating light and life. Finally, it’s not good enough to be born into a Christian family, blood does not save you nor make you a believer, rather receiving the light of Jesus by faith - believing he was and is alive and is fully God- and obedience following his teaching. You can be Mennonite and be without the eternal love. Our only hope is a divine invasion. Jesus is our hope.