As we consider the ways that people in Scripture connected people to God, we want to encourage you to think about what you should do to connect people to God too! The goal of this series is to motivate you to consider the spiritual needs of those in your circles of influence and do whatever it takes to get them connected. In this study, we will see who Jesus is and what we need to do to know Him as our Savior.
Today, people are constantly saying things like this: “That may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.” In postmodern society, God has been removed as the foundation for morality, human dignity and truth. People in a postmodern society determine/create truth that promotes their agenda. There is no right or wrong—true or false. They do not have any moral absolutes; rather, postmodernists believe that all different perspectives should be celebrated. With this kind of worldview, how can we communicate the truth of God’s Word to them?
When it comes to the spiritual leader named Jesus, everybody has an opinion. Jesus has a polarizing effect on people. You can talk about God and spiritual things all day long, but people don’t always like it when you talk about Jesus.
Who is Jesus? Is He a man? Was He a man? Is He a myth? Or is He God? The answers to this question are as varied as the people who supply them. People have been asking this question for the past two millennia. In fact, Jesus Himself was the first to ask this question. Who did Jesus claim to be?
Hell is the absence of God and every good thing that His presence brings to this world. If hell is the absence of God, then it is also the absence of everything good—joy, pleasure, laughter, music, art, food, water, etc. Can you imagine? God patiently offers us the free gift of eternal life with Him, but when man exercises his free will and chooses not to follow God’s plan, then his choice has determined his fate. John 3:17-18 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Four events occurred in a dramatic succession on that Easter weekend: The Upper Room, The Garden, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection of Jesus. Let’s look at each of those events and their implications.
In prayer, we must focus on: Receiving God’s Word as truth; Believing God’s Word; Exhibiting unity among believers; Remaining faithful to God; Being protected from the devil; Being sanctified by the Word; Being sent into the world.
In John 17, Jesus prayed for…Himself, Followers of Christ and Future Christ Followers
John 16:16-33, Do you have confusion about the future? Sorrow will change into Joy. Prayer is a specific example of the change.
John 16:4b-16 People will often admit to failures, vices and crimes; but it takes the mighty work of the Holy Spirit to convince and convict people of their sinfulness.