Judah Smith - Jesus Is Bible Study Participants Guide: Find a New Way to Be Human

2013 by Judah Smith

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4016-7807-4

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

J esus is _____. How would you fill in that blank?

That question is at the heart of a campaign The City Church launched a couple of years ago with the goal of getting Seattle to think about Jesus. Our purpose wasnt to tell anyone what to believe. We just wanted people to get Jesus on their minds. We gave them a chance to fill in the blank on our website, jesus-is.org, and thousands of answers came in. Some were profound. Some were hilarious. Some were spiteful. But all of them said something about the spiritual journeys of the people filling in the blank.

Who is Jesus to you? Your answer will affect how you make day-to-day decisions, how you face challenges and failures, how you love people, and how you relate to God.

The goal of this small group study guide is to help you fill in that blank by looking at what the Bible says about who Jesus is. My prayer is that Jesus will become the focus of your spiritual journey. Whether this is the first time you have ever approached this topic or you have known him for as long as you can remember, Jesus is waiting to show you more about his love, his grace, and his goodness. Jesus is a new way to live, and you are going to love the journey ahead.

An important part of this Jesus Is study is the small group discussions. Small groups are a great place to process the material in the book and the videos. Feel free to ask questions, discuss difficult topics, and learn from others about what God has been saying in their lives.

I would also encourage you to do your part to make your small group a safe place for everyone. That means letting other participants express their opinions, struggles, and questions without feeling as if you have to fix everyone. Jesus will take care of thatand hes better than any of us at fixing people.

By the way, this is not a curriculum about how to fix yourself, either. Im not going to tell you areas where you need to try harder or work more. Im just going to remind you how amazing Jesus is. How incredible his grace is. How complete your righteousness is. If I can help you keep looking at Jesus, I will have been successful. Really, its not me anyway: pointing people to Jesus is the Holy Spirits specialty, and we would do well to look where hes pointing.

Focusing on Jesus means thinking about who he is and what he does. It means looking at yourself less and at him more. As you read, discuss, and think about Jesus in the coming weeks, you will discover that when you focus on Jesus, loving God is easier. Loving other people is easier. Overcoming temptation and exercising self-control are easier. Life is richer, fuller, and happier.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Each session will begin with a DVD clip talking about the topic for the session. Following the clip, there will be time for group discussion.

Each session also includes five mini-topics for personal study during the week. These mini-topics consist of a Bible passage, a short devotional thought, and a few questions for reflection. This is an opportunity to expand on the weekly topic during your own prayer time each day.

If you would like to write out your answers to the daily questions, space is provided in the Participants Guide; however, this is a personal journal, and you dont need to worry about sharing your answers with others. The idea is that you take a few minutes to apply the concepts to your life, your circumstances, and your spiritual journey.

No matter where you find yourself in your relationship with God, these next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun. Jesus is your friend, your confidant, and your advocate. The closer you draw to him, the more you will enjoy his abundant life. Thank you for joining the discussion!

SESSION 1
SCANDALOUS GRACE

H umans are doers by nature. We are constantly going, doing, working, earning, building. We are taught from childhood that if something is to be had, it must be worked for. It must be earned.

Our work ethic is a good thing, but its no wonder we struggle to understand and accept the gift of Gods grace.

Grace can be defined as Gods unmerited, unearned favor. But we cant believe something as wonderful as that could be free, so we look everywhere for the strings we are convinced are attached. Surely we did something to earn this. Or maybe it was free to start with, but now God must expect something in return.

In order to benefit from Gods grace the way he intends, we must learn to embrace grace for exactly what it is: free, undeserved, and unconditional.

As you watch the video and listen to the story of the prodigal son, keep something in mind. Often, in a well-meaning attempt at humility, we compare ourselves to the son in regard to our sinfulness, our rebellion, and our desperation. We focus on our waywardness and our need for God.

Its true that without God, we are lost and desperate. But thats not the main message of this story. Theres another similarity between the prodigal son and each of us that is harder to spot, yet ultimately more dangerous. Its the way he related to his father. Its the tendency he had to measure his worth and his identity by his own good or bad deeds.

This is a story about grace. Scandalous, incredible, ridiculous grace. And its a story you and I need to take to heart.

WATCH THE DVD

Play Session 1: Scandalous Grace

Read aloud as a group the following Scripture passages before continuing on to discussion:

Ephesians 2:89

Acts 15:11

Romans 11:6

GROUP DISCUSSION

1. In Jesus story of the prodigal son, what surprises you most about the fathers reaction to his sons return?

2. Why would the father disregard cultural expectations and run toward a son who had left him as he did?

3. Do you find this story to be scandalous, as Jesus audience did, because someone is rewarded for bad behavior? Or is it comforting and reassuring? What does your answer reveal about your view of Gods love for you?