Session 4 – Small Group Study Guide
Download: Word | Download: PDF
Word: How this truth should be understood
- What does Jesus mean in verse 6 when he says that he has “manifested [the Father’s] name?” See also John 17:26.
- Jesus prays in verse 8, “For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.” We see the progression of receiving the Word, knowing the truth, and having faith in that truth. Why is this order so critical in the Christian life?
- Pastor Kim makes the distinction between understanding truth as a set of facts and letting truth be the reality you live in. What difference does that make for the Christian?
Worship: How this truth affects your heart
- What lies of the world are you tempted to believe (e.g. materialism, idolatry of family, someone else’s sin makes my sin not a sin, etc.)? And how does that affect how you live?
- Speaking of how Christ reveals the character of God, Pastor Kim observed, “Where we go astray is not knowing who God really is, or we hold to caricatures of who he is. For example, we may accentuate certain traits of who God is to the detriment of others.” Can you think of some aspect of God’s character where this might be true? (For instance, are you tempted to overemphasize God’s righteousness and justice at the expense of his grace and mercy? Are you overly focused on God’s sovereignty to the point that you neglect prayer?) How does focusing on Christ correct those imbalances?
- Christ reveals truths about himself as our Savior, which directly confronts our temptation to find salvation and hope in other things (possessions, politics, government, health, financial security, etc.). Where are you tempted to look to for false salvation and hope? How does focusing on Christ correct that temptation?
- In order to respond to the truth, we have to 1) study the Word and 2) meditate on the Word to fuel our faith.
A. What does your study of the Word look like currently? How would changing how you study God’s Word affect your life?
B. What does your meditation on the Word look like currently? How would changing how you meditate on God’s Word affect your life?
Work: How this truth works out in your life
- Write out a prayer of confession for the ways you are tempted to believe lies about the world and reject God’s truth.
- Pick one truth about Christ to meditate on this week. Use those times where you are tempted to think about the lies of the world to fuel your faith. Right a brief reflection on how this encouraged your heart.
- Pastor Kim said, “Your sole intake of the Word should not just be sermons and Sunday.” Pick one more additional way that you will implement to grow your study of the Word more – whether it’s listening to additional sermons, studying a specific passage of Scripture, reading the Bible with a friend, etc.
Sharing and Prayer
- The theme of our study in John is “to awaken and advance faith.” As you think about this season, what is one area in which you’d like to grow in living out your faith? Write this down and prepare to follow-up and track God’s work in our future sessions!
- What are some ways that you’d like to apply what you just learned to that one area you’d like to grow in living out your faith?
- Share other prayer requests.
