6 sermon outlines and discussion guides to help god’s...

6 Sermon Outlines and Discussion Guides to Help God’s People Prepare for Easter

King James Version

Journey to the Cross6 Sermon Outlines and Discussion Guidesto Help God’s People Prepare for Easter

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Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

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and encourage the body of Christ— because we love him!

We here at CTA pray that the materials in this guide will help pastors and other church leaders prepare worshipers to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection victory on Easter Sunday. Such celebration can be-come even more deeply meaningful and rewarding when God’s people set aside time in the weeks leading up to Easter to study the Scriptures and meditate on all Jesus has done for us, personalizing it in their hearts and lives.

Each sermon outline in this booklet is accompanied by a set of questions suitable for sparking discussion among the adults or youth in your church. If your worship is more informal, these may be used in the worship setting itself. Or you may use them immediately fol-lowing the service if that’s more in line with your practice.

Of course, you may want to use the questions in small-group Bible study or cell groups that meet in homes during the week. They will work well in those settings, too.

This package includes . . .

• six free sermon outlines, one for each of the weeks in the season of Lent; and

• six sets of free discussion questions, one to accompany each sermon.

In addition to the free materials, these value-priced CTA products will help every member and visitor take the Resurrection message home.

Products for youth and adults:

• Softcover Devotional Book in KJV (JTC6SCKJ)

• Pocket Piece (JTC6PC)

• Rustic Nail and Cross-Shaped Bookmark (JTC6BC)

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Roman 6:23

Notes

• Crown of Thorns Pin with Presentation Card (JTC6CP)

• Scripture Cards for Holy Week (JTC6CH)

Product for children:

• Prayer Box with Devotion Tokens (JTC6AK, ages 3+)

God bless your church’s Easter preparation and celebration—and your personal preparation and celebration, too!

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Roman 6:23

Notes

Sermon 1: Planning for the Journey

NotesThere once was a family that was always late for church—five, ten, or even fifteen minutes late. If they sat down in the pew before the (name a part of your usual routine that occurs about 15 minutes after the service begins), then they considered themselves to be “on time.”

One Sunday, though, they arrived quite early. Daylight savings time had ended the night before, and they had forgotten to set their clocks back. Walking into the building, they immediately realized that they were fifty minutes ahead of schedule. (Notice they were only fifty minutes early; as usual, they were running ten minutes late.)

They could not believe they were early for church! They had never been early in their lives. They decided to celebrate by going down the street to get some breakfast at the local diner. After they paid the bill and walked back up the street to church, they were . . . you guessed it—ten minutes late!

Now, you might hear that story and think to yourself: You just described my family. Perhaps you are chronically late—late for church, late for work, late for everything. Perhaps your whole family is chronically late. Maybe you perpetually run behind schedule and arrive everywhere just a little disheveled.

Or maybe this story made you roll your eyes. Perhaps you pride yourself on being punctual. Perhaps you are chronically early.

Sometimes, though, being early doesn’t matter much. For instance, if you plan to travel with someone else, you can schedule your whole day down to the second, but you will still find yourself waiting around and counting those seconds until your always-tardy traveling companions show up.

Most of us have experienced being early. And most of us know what it’s like to be running late. But God is different. Our Lord never runs late or falls behind schedule. He never shakes half-baked schemes out of his sleeve at the very last second. The Almighty never strains to catch up or keep up. God’s plans always come together with perfection and right on time. We see this vividly as we consider God’s perfect plan to save us in his Son, Jesus Christ.

Notes• Jesus’ journey to the cross began long, long ago. It began in the

heart of God even before our world came into existence.

• Jesus’ journey to the cross took him throughout the cities and rural regions of Judea and Galilee. Our Lord crisscrossed these territories, teaching truth in a world choked by false beliefs and phony priorities.

• Jesus’ journey took him to the cross, where he suffered and died so that you and I can be forgiven, so you and I can have eternal life!

• Jesus’ journey took him beyond that cross, out through the open tomb, and into the sunrise of the very first Easter morning.

The prophet Isaiah speaks of God’s eternal plan to provide salvation in Jesus when he writes:

O LORD, thou art my God;

I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name;

for thou hast done wonderful things;

thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Isaiah 25:1

The Gospel of John also tells us about God’s eternal plan in Christ Jesus:

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:1–2

Long before Jesus walked the dusty streets of Jerusalem, God—through his prophets—had announced the Savior’s journey to the cross. Generations before Jesus was born into the line of David, God had promised to send his Son to earth to remove the curse of sin, the curse that every human being since Adam and Eve had brought down on ourselves by our rebellion. The Bible reminds us, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Before God created time, he foresaw Jesus’ journey to the cross. That journey lay at the very center of his sweeping, eternal, cosmic plan to save you, to save me. And to do it all for us, giving his saving


continued

Notesgrace to us as a free gift: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

God’s plan came together at exactly the right time. Jesus stepped out of eternity and into time, entering Mary’s womb just as the angel had promised—not a minute early, not a second late. Several short months after Gabriel appeared to Mary in Nazareth, a decree went out from Rome, from Caesar Augustus, calling for everyone in the empire to be registered for taxation purposes, as Luke tells us (Luke 2:1–2).

Joseph and Mary traveled together to Bethlehem, their ancestral home. There in Bethlehem—not a minute early, not a second late—Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born, greeted by barnyard animals and dusty shepherds. Heaven touched earth. God’s eternal, cosmic plan had begun to unfold.

God’s plans, however, are not just cosmic plans. God’s great plan of salvation intersects with your very own life and with mine! At just the right time and in just the right way, you have come to know and trust your Savior. Or you are coming to know and trust him right now, as you hear these words.

What plans did you make for this past week? How did those plans turn out? Perhaps you planned to visit a restaurant or stay at a hotel, only to discover that the photos on the website that helped shape your plans were just a little, well, “embellished.” Maybe on Monday or on Saturday you had your whole day scheduled, only to find your first task took much more time than you expected, throwing all your other plans far off-kilter. It’s frustrating to find our best-laid plans disrupted.

What plans have you made for your life? How are those plans turning out? Certainly you did not plan to get cancer. You did not plan to suffer the pain and loss of a miscarriage. Surely you did not plan to have your job shipped overseas. You did not plan to have your marriage end in divorce. It wasn’t your plan to have your spouse die at such a young age. Nobody plans to have financial trouble. Nobody plans for family fights or broken relationships. Chronic pain. Financial loss. Death. These all disrupt our plans. They can even devastate our lives.


continued

NotesBut take heart! God’s plans to bring you hope, to relieve your guilt, to ease your grief, to set you free from fear, and, yes, to give you joy . . . those plans are always right on time, and they are much, much richer and more comforting than you could ever imagine. Your heavenly father’s plans are never early. They are never late. And they never disappoint!

God does have plans for you—good plans! His plans for your life are built on the foundation of his love and on the salvation his Son won for you in his journey to the cross and beyond. No matter what comes your way on Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday, God intends to draw everything in your life together for your good; those plans will come together at just the right time.

No matter how dark the valley gets on Thursday or on Friday, your Savior walks beside you. No matter how high that mountain of tasks you have set aside for Saturday rises, your heavenly Father will somehow include them in the eternal plan of love he has set in place from all eternity just for you.

That means you can face tomorrow with confidence. Whether that lump is cancer or completely benign, God’s love for you will not change. Your financial future may look sunny or your investments may get caught up in a hurricane of falling prices and unfavorable exchange rates. Either way, God is working in it all for your good. If the plans you make for yourself pan out or if those plans get disrupted and disappointed, don’t be dismayed.

Rather, take heart! Join in with all God’s people down through the ages whose lives have proven his promises true. Join in with them as you say with confidence: “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).


continued

Discussion QuestionsPlanning for the Journey

Notes1. Read the list below. Put a check next to each item that applies

to you. When everyone in your group has finished reading and marking, compare notes. Based on your responses, would you describe yourself as chronically late or compulsively early?

h At least once, I have tried to eat oatmeal while driving to work.h I always leave ample time between my calendar appointments.h I never wear a watch.h Vacations are better if I plan an hourly agenda ahead of time.h I started preparing for retirement at age 10. h I should prepare for retirement?!?h I will most likely arrive late to my own funeral.

2. Read Ephesians 1:3–10. Then use the questions below to think about the truth that God sent Christ just as planned in “the fulness of times” (v.10).

a. What images come to mind when you think of fullness?b. What comes before fullness? Does fullness imply a time of

emptiness?c. Read Galatians 4:4–5. What new insights does this passage

add?d. Based on this, what comfort do you find in God’s plan to send

the Savior at just the right time?

3. The Old Testament prophets proclaimed God’s plan to send a Savior, a Savior who would journey to the cross.

a. Isaiah 40:1–5 is one example of this. What plans for your personal future does God reveal in these words? What comfort do you take from this text?

b. Isaiah wrote centuries before Christ was born, some scholars think seven centuries before Jesus’ birth. How does that add to the comfort the passage brings?

4. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became a true human being. Born in Bethlehem, he lay cradled in his mother’s arms.

a. In what way was this the first step on Jesus’ journey to the cross?

b. According John 1:1–5 and 14–18, our Savior’s journey to the cross began much earlier. How much earlier?

Notesc. How does it bring you peace to know that God planned from

all eternity to send Jesus to be your Savior?

5. Your life will take many twists and turns. Everyone’s does. At some points, you may find yourself on a smooth path, surrounded by obvious blessings. At other times, you may find yourself on a rough road, wondering how you landed here. There may be zero blessings in sight—at least, not any that you can identify.

a. Tell about a time when the path you planned and followed teemed with blessings. Which of those did you enjoy most?

b. Tell about a time when your plans turned to dust and you encountered pothole after pothole along life’s path. What makes it hardest to be thankful in times like that?

c. Looking back at both the easy and the hard times in life, where do you now recognize that Jesus was walking alongside you to steady, support, and encourage you?

6. Jesus’ friendship with you rests on the salvation he won for you. His ultimate plan for you is life with him in the indescribable bliss of heaven.

a. Read Romans 8:28. What makes this verse a favorite of many Christians?

b. What help does this verse offer as you look for ways to integrate your plans for your life into God’s much bigger plan for your salvation?

7. Share with your group any plans you are praying about right now. Pray for one another in light of the plans you discussed in this study.


Discussion QuestionsPlanning for the Journey

continued

Notes

Stepping out of the metro train and onto the platform in Washington, D.C., a young man walked toward the wall and positioned himself beside a trash basket. By all outward appearances, he was just an ordinary guy: a young man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a tattered baseball cap. Just an ordinary guy, until he removed a violin from a small case. He tinkered with it for a moment and then, placing the open case at his feet and throwing in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, he began to play.

It was 7:51 a.m., the middle of rush hour, one Friday in January 2012. During the next 43 minutes, the violinist performed six different, exquisite classical pieces. As he played, 1,097 individuals passed by.

None of those passersby noticed it or guessed it, but the fiddler standing against that bare wall was one of the finest classical musicians in the world. He was playing some of the most beautiful music ever written. And he was playing this music on one of the most valuable violins ever made. That violin was worth 3.5 million dollars. The violinist was Joshua Bell, and three days earlier he had played to a sold-out house in Boston’s stately Symphony Hall. Patrons at that concert had paid an average of $100 for each seat.

So, what do you think happened as Mr. Bell played on the subway platform?

As you might guess, many people simply walked by without acknowledging the performance. Seven people stopped to listen, and of these, only one recognized Bell. For his amazing 45-minute concert, the virtuoso collected $32.17.

More than a thousand people passed through that subway station that morning, but only one recognized Bell. All but one commuter failed to notice the amazing free gift, the performance going on right in front of them.

Now, imagine you had been that one person. What would you have done?

• Perhaps you would have shouted for joy, telling everyone around, “Stop what you are doing! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

• Perhaps you would have pulled out your cell phone and started the video record feature to capture the moment to share with others.

Sermon 2: The Journey Begins

Notes


continued

• Perhaps you would have run up the stairs and into the streets to tell everyone what was happening and invite them to join you on the subway platform.

Jesus’ journey to the cross proceeded just as inconspicuously as Joshua Bell’s subway concert. Our Lord did not step from heaven into a lavish palace here on earth. No lavish fanfare and flourishes announced his arrival. Jesus did not enter our universe by way of an important city like Rome or even Jerusalem. Rather, as God had planned from the very beginning, Jesus’ journey to the cross took him first to a lowly manger in Bethlehem.

Our Savior was not born in a dirty subway station; he was, however, born into the ancient equivalent. Jesus Christ entered our world in a lowly stable. Creation’s king was born into the most unlikely set of circumstances: born to a virgin named Mary, greeted by a symphony of bleating sheep and the braying of donkeys, crowned only with the stray pieces of straw that happened to festoon his head. The Savior arrived without fanfare, fireworks, or parades. Like a world-renowned musician playing to nobody in a subway, Jesus began his earthly journey to the cross in a manger in Bethlehem with almost nobody noticing.

Almost nobody. As you know, a few people did recognize Jesus. Shepherds took notice of what was happening in Bethlehem’s most important manger. The shepherds noticed, because angels came from heaven to tell them what had taken place. The shepherds went—probably running—to see the Christ Child. Luke, in fact, tells us that the shepherds rushed to the stable: “They came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger” (Luke 2:16).

From there, the shepherds went back to their sheep. They returned with joy in their hearts and good news on their lips. Luke tells us, “When they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child” (Luke 2:17). Anyone awake at that hour heard those shepherds proclaiming the good news: The Savior’s journey had begun!

The good news did not stop there. It continued on its way through-out the region and beyond. Luke tells us, “All they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds” (Luke 2:18). Those people, no doubt, told others. And on it went.

Notes

Thirty years later, Jesus went about the countryside teaching and healing. The good news of God’s promised salvation spread still farther. Everywhere Jesus went, the good news went with him. Every time he opened his mouth to teach, the good news spread. Whenever the disciples invited others to hear, to repent, and to believe, the good news spread. After the Savior died and rose again, the good news of forgiveness in the cross of Christ spread still farther. And it spread. And it spread.

It has gone on spreading in all the centuries since, until you and I today are hearing the good news of Jesus’ journey to the cross. What began with some shepherds in a stable halfway around the world has come to us!

And from us, the good news of Jesus will continue to spread. That Gospel message of forgiveness and peace keeps on touching deeper and deeper places in our lives and hearts. The Gospel of Jesus Christ spreads to cover and cleanse all our sins. His mercy pours into our brokenness and makes us new, whole again! God’s grace floods the valleys of our sadness. His peace flows like a river into every nook and cranny of our being, bringing new life.

As you leave this place, you are like that one person who recognized a world-class musician playing away in a subway station. You will leave this place with joy in your hearts and good news on your lips:

• Christ’s journey to the cross was God’s plan from the beginning—a plan of incomprehensible love for sinners, for those who rebel against the rule of God in their lives.

• Christ’s journey to the cross speaks good news into brokenness and sin, fears and failures, all our todays and every tomorrow.

You can leave today, knowing that God’s mercy and peace, forgiveness and grace have come to you. Jesus’ journey to the cross has made that possible for you—for you personally! Like the shepherds, you can share that good news! Let your Savior’s journey to the cross continue to transform your heart, your life, your family, and your community.


continued


Notes

Discussion QuestionsThe Journey Begins

1. Extraordinary things occur all around us, but we often fail to notice them. The miraculous and extraordinary become commonplace when we see them day after day.

a. What is the most extraordinary sight you have ever seen?

b. What amazing occurrences do you often overlook or take for granted?

c. Why do we so easily overlook everyday miracles?

2. Read Luke 2:8–20. As you do, keep track of the ordinary and extraordinary occurrences mentioned in this text.

a. What ordinary occurrences did the shepherds encounter?

b. What extraordinary occurrences did the shepherds encounter?

c. What occurrences might have seemed ordinary but, in reality, were extraordinary and even amazing?

3. “Christ the Savior is born” is news that is too good to keep to ourselves!

a. What is it about the birth of Jesus that makes it news?

b. What makes this news so good?

c. In what ways have you shared the good news of Jesus with others? Which do you most enjoy? Why?

4. Read Luke 4:14–15. It describes the good news of Jesus’ birth spreading throughout the surrounding country.

a. What was the primary form of communication in the time of Jesus?

b. What are the primary forms of communication in our time?

c. What are new ways you would like to try using to communicate the good news about Jesus to others?

5. The good news of the salvation Jesus earned for us on his cross transforms every nook and cranny in life.

a. Is there a particular part of your life in need of good news? If so (and if you are comfortable doing so), share that need with one or two other people in your group.

Notes

b. How does Jesus’ journey to the cross speak to each specific hurt or struggle you just shared with one another?

7. Now, pray for one another. Ask the Lord’s guidance and help with the specific hurts and struggles you have mentioned. Ask that the miracle of God’s love for each of you in Christ would transform every part of your lives.

Discussion QuestionsThe Journey Begins

continued

Notes

Sermon 3: People All Along the Way

Some of you may remember “Carnac the Magnificent,” a comedy routine Johnny Carson used to do on late-night television. Ed McMahon would read an answer, a word or phrase from the back of a sealed envelope. “Carnac”—Johnny—would hold the envelope against his forehead, pretend to meditate for a moment, and then supposedly discern the question found inside the envelope.

For instance, if the answer was “A thousand clowns,” Carnac’s answer would be, “Who are the candidates for mayor of Los Angeles?”

If the answer was “England, France, and Greece,” Carnac’s answer would be “Name two countries and the luncheon special at the NBC Commissary.”

So how about this one? Some magicians, a soldier, and a mother. This trio is no joke, and there’s no question about it.

So what do these people have in common? What’s their connection? They are all unlikely recipients of God’s mercy. As Jesus journeyed to the cross, he engaged many different people along the way. Some belonged to God’s covenant people, Israel. Others, though, were not Jews by birth. Nonetheless, they became friends of God through Israel’s Messiah, the Lord Jesus. Let’s take a deeper look at each.

First, the magicians. None were named Carnac—at least, so far as we know. We read about them—the Magi—from Matthew’s Gospel:

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Matthew 2:1–2

Scholars tell us it’s likely the Magi came from Persia—modern-day Iran—not Israel. Even though they were from outside the family of Abraham, God drew them to worship the promised Savior, Jesus. The Magi believed, and they became unlikely recipients of God’s mercy.

Notes


continued

The soldier’s story comes from Matthew 8. He was a centurion, and he had somehow heard about Jesus. Then, a terrible need arose in his household:

When Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

Matthew 8:5–8

The centurion was of Roman, not Jewish, descent. Even though he was from outside the family of Abraham, God drew him to worship the promised Savior, Jesus. The centurion believed, and he became an unlikely recipient of God’s mercy.

We read about the mother in Matthew 15:

A woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

Matthew 15:22

This woman was of Canaanite, not Jewish, descent. Even though she was from outside the family of Abraham, God drew her to worship the promised Savior, Jesus. She identifies him as “Son of David”—a title reserved for the Messiah. This mother believed, and she became an unlikely recipient of God’s mercy.

You may know, though, that her story is more complex than that. It can be a difficult story for modern hearers to understand. In fact, this is probably one of the more challenging accounts in all the Gospels. So, let’s start from the top. Jesus has journeyed to the region of Tyre and Sidon—a non-Jewish region. Enter this Canaanite woman. The Canaanites were known for their worship of idol-gods. In recent years, archeologists have verified much of what the Bible tells us about their violent worship and its horrors.

Still, this woman comes to Jesus. She begs him for help. The disciples try to intervene. They tell Jesus, “Send her away; for she crieth after us.” Jesus seems to pile on, saying, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:23, 24).

Notes


continued

It’s as though the Lord were saying, “I am not some wandering miracle worker, some itinerant healer to the nations. I was sent to be Israel’s Messiah, to heal the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Even then, the woman does not go away. Instead, she comes back, begging, “Lord, help me” (v. 25). But Jesus rebuffs her yet again: “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs,” he says (Matthew 15:26).

Her response is nothing short of astonishing. It is hard to amaze Jesus, but this woman does it! She sets herself unconditionally under Christ’s lordship, at the feet of God’s mercy, saying, “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table” (Matthew 15:27).

Note: She asks for just a crumb of mercy. She knows who Jesus is: Lord and Son of David. She knows the purpose for which God sent Jesus: to save the lost sheep of Israel. And still she worships Jesus, asking for a crumb of his mercy, knowing it will be more than enough for her. The Lord has drawn from her a firm declaration of faith. A Canaanite by birth, she is now—by rebirth—a member of the family of faith. The Holy Spirit has given her new life, eternal life!

Now let me ask you some serious questions:

• How about you? Have you unconditionally placed yourself under the lordship of Jesus Christ? Or do you try to set limits on what Jesus can and cannot do in your life?

• Do you unconditionally worship Jesus on his terms, not your own?

• Do you unconditionally surrender your calendar, your relationships, your bank accounts—your life—to Jesus? No strings attached? No stipulations as to what is in bounds and what is out of bounds?

We are unlikely recipients of God’s mercy. We are broken, sinful, wayward, rebellious people. We are not worthy to stand in the presence of Jesus. Our sinful self-focus testifies to the fact that we have no place at the table of God. As Jesus journeys to the cross, he has every reason to pass us by.

Notes


continued

Still, Jesus does not do that. Just as he came to the Magi, the centurion, and the Canaanite mother, so Jesus comes to us and makes us his unlikely friends. Because Jesus journeyed to the cross, we have become recipients of God’s mercy.

Have you ever watched a toddler eat? At first, all the food is on her plate: meat, broccoli, potatoes, bread. But as she eats, crumbs collect beneath her chair. These crumbs are not tiny morsels, either. When a toddler eats, a whole meal can wind up on the floor!

God covers us with his mercy in the same way a toddler covers the floor with crumbs! Even a crumb of God’s mercy is more than enough. Such a crumb is a banquet of grace! Crumbs from your Savior are more than enough to forgive your sins, to restore your brokenness, to give you new life. A crumb from God’s table is more than enough to sustain you day by day in this life and to carry you on into life with him forever.


Notes

Discussion Questions People All Along the Way

1. Think about some famous underdogs—from the Bible or from everyday life today. How many can your group name?

a. Why do most people like the idea of an underdog unexpectedly finding success?

b. In what ways are all of us underdogs in the Kingdom of God?

2. The Magi studied the stars. This background helped them to recognize the one star that led them on their journey to their toddler King—Jesus. Still today, many features in the natural world point us to our divine Creator. Think together now about three examples.

a. Consider the detailed and precise coding found in densely-packed human DNA. How does this wonder reflect the words of Psalm 139:13?

b. Consider the vastness of the universe and the many surprises and wonders being discovered there by today’s astronomers. How does Psalm 19:1–6 reflect those wonders?

c. Finally, read Job 38:1–18. In what other ways does the natural world direct our focus to the wonder-filled works of God?

3. The centurion described in Matthew 8 came to Jesus, asking healing for his servant. This warrior had a good deal of worldly power and influence.

a. How can influence and power distract us or tempt us to get off-course as we journey through life with Jesus?

b. How can the material blessings that come along with wealth do this same thing?

c. How does ambition pose temptations similar to those of power and wealth?

d. How did the centurion apparently resist these temptations?

e. Jesus had great mercy on the centurion. How does that bring hope to your own heart?

4. In contrast to the centurion, the Canaanite woman described in Matthew 15:21–28 was an underdog in the society of her day.

Notes

Discussion Questions People All Along the Way

continued

a. On the surface, it seems that Jesus treated her like an underdog. What makes his words to her so difficult for us to understand today?

b. Judging from the outcome, what motive lay behind Jesus’ words? Did he accomplish what he set out to do? Explain.

c. In what ways do ethnic and racial suspicion still cause pain and separation today?

d. How can God’s people help to break down these barriers? Why should we bother?

5. Jesus extends his grace to unlikely people, people truly in need of it—people like the Magi, the centurion, the Canaanite mom.

a. What makes us as unlikely and needy as each of them was?

b. How can you be sure God’s grace in Christ is yours?

6. Think about the grace of God covering your life right now.

a. How does that grace calm your worries and fears?

b. How does that grace soften your regrets?

c. How does Christ’s forgiveness transform frustrations and feelings of inadequacy?

7. Who in your circle of concern needs God’s grace to help them in their journey through life right now? Pray for these people, uniting your hearts with others in your discussion group before you leave today.

Notes

Sermon 4: Places along the Path

Journey to San Francisco, and you will certainly want to stop at Fish-erman’s Wharf. Journey to Fisherman’s Wharf, and you must stop at Boudin Sourdough Bakery. The fragrance alone will lure you inside. Boudin’s has been making sourdough bread since 1849.

• Boudin’s started baking sourdough bread before the Civil War.

• Boudin’s started baking sourdough bread before the invention of telephones, automobiles, and radios.

• Boudin’s has been baking sourdough bread since before the invention of sliced bread!

Sourdough bread is unlike other types of bread. Sourdough does not use yeast; rather, it relies on something called starter dough or mother dough. Bakeries often use their starter dough for decades and, sometimes, even centuries. The starter dough at Boudin’s dates back to the year 1849. This starter dough is made of two simple ingredients: flour and water. When flour and water are mixed together, enzymes in the flour begin to break down the starch. As these enzymes go to work, a type of natural yeast begins to form within the starter dough.

This starter dough is alive. It is active, and it multiplies. When you bake sourdough bread, you take a portion of the starter dough and mix it in with the other ingredients. This starter dough is absolutely vital to the bread. Without this living portion, you have an inedible collection of ingredients—flour, butter, milk, salt, and sugar—yet no bread. But with this living portion, you have all that is necessary to turn the other ingredients into delicious, life-sustaining bread.

As Jesus and his disciples journeyed from place to place, bread was a staple in their diet. During the three years of his earthly ministry, our Lord ate bread to sustain himself as he journeyed to the cross. Jesus also performed several miracles using bread.

For example, you may remember the incident sometimes known as “The Feeding of the 5,000.” A great crowd had gathered that day to hear Jesus teach. As evening drew near, the Lord asked Philip, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (John 6:5).

Philip scratched his head, looked around for the nearest bakery, and announced, in essence, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one of them to have one

Notes


continued

bite!” Then Andrew showed up with five small barley loaves and two little fish. Meager though it was, Jesus used what was available in that place to feed all those people!

After everyone went home and the disciples had picked up the leftovers, Jesus sent them across the Sea of Galilee in a boat, while he went into the hills to pray. The next day, after the Lord rejoined the disciples, he explained the point of the miracle to them and to the crowds:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath ever-lasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever.

John 6:47–51

Jesus is the Bread of Life. He is the living bread. He is the portion that makes eternal life possible. He is the living portion that causes us to rise from the lifelessness of our sins and to live always in newness of life. When we are buried in hopelessness, he is the living portion that causes us to rise in hope. He is the living portion, and one day he will even cause our dead bodies to rise from their graves. He is Jesus Christ. And he is life!

Jesus gives you life today, and Jesus gives you life tomorrow. Jesus gives life eternal to all who believe. He alone is the indispensable source of life. He is the living portion that gives rise to new life in ev-erything else.

Without Jesus, we have only the ingredients for living here on earth: food, water, clothing, shelter. Jesus is the living portion that takes those basic ingredients and gives them life. He is the one who makes it possible for us to live truly authentic lives, eternal lives, in relationship with him and with one another.

Without Jesus, we have only the ingredients for meaningful work: our minds, skills, creativity, sweat, and passion. Jesus is the living por-tion that takes those basic ingredients and turns them into purpose-ful labor, giving us meaningful ways to demonstrate his love and power in the lives of other people both now and forever.

Notes


continued

You may have all kinds of wonderful ingredients at your disposal: a great family, an enviable education, a wonderful job, a loving spouse, faithful friends, amazing talents, many hopes, and beautiful dreams. Yet, without that living portion, those basic ingredients are only that. Real life, the life God intends for you, will forever escape you. But with Jesus, that living portion, these ingredients take on eternal significance! With Jesus, your hopes and dreams give rise to many significant, eternal differences in your own life and in the lives of those around you.

As you journey through this life, you will inevitably grow weary. Some days, you may even feel like giving up. Nevertheless, Jesus will nev-er fail to nourish and encourage you. He will continually give rise to new life in you and through you.

So journey on in confidence! Your Savior is your friend, your brother, your companion. He walks beside you to encourage and strength-en you. He is the living portion continually giving rise to the new life of faith he has started in you. He has journeyed to the cross—for you! Jesus lay lifeless in the tomb—for you! Jesus marched out from the tomb, victorious—for you! He is the living portion giving rise to eternal life for you.


Notes

Discussion Questions Places along the Path

1. Bread is an ancient food enjoyed by many different nationalities. Bread is sometimes just a familiar, everyday staple, but other times it is a rare and delicious delicacy.

a. What is your favorite bread to eat or, perhaps, to make?

b. What accounts for the central place bread holds in the diets of nearly every culture in every age?

2. Review the incident sometimes called “The Feeding of the 5,000” from John 6:1–15.

a. In the story, Jesus asked Philip where they could get bread to feed all the people. What might Jesus have been trying to ac-complish with this question?

b. How would you have answered Jesus’ question?

3. Jesus performed this miracle using food that was already present in that place: five loaves of barley bread and two small fish.

a. How would it have changed the miracle had Jesus multiplied his own bread and fish? Explain.

b. What does it say about Jesus that he was willing to use what is already present in a community to do his work? What insights or new hope do you glean from this?

c. Have you ever seen God perform a great work using humble ingredients? If so, tell the group about it.

4. The crowds that day experienced the miracle, enjoyed the meal, and wanted to make Jesus their king. They saw in Jesus a steady and inexhaustible source of free food. The disciples experienced the miracle, listened the next day as Jesus explained its deeper meaning, and began to wonder if they were willing to complete the journey with Jesus they had begun. Read John 6:47–51.

a. What makes Jesus’ explanation hard to understand?

b. How does eating bread, fruit, cheese, or any other food cause that food to become a part of you?

c. How does faith in Jesus and in the forgiveness he won for you on the cross make him a part of you?

Notes

Discussion Questions Places along the Path

continued

5. When Jesus is alive in us by faith, he transforms the deadness in our lives and relationships. For a few minutes, think and pray about that on your own. Use one or more of the questions below. After you have thought through your answers, write a journal en-try or a prayer in response. (Use this sheet or a separate piece of paper.)

a. What dead or dying relationship do I have that needs new life? What would I do to address it, if I knew Jesus would stay with me every step of the way? Jesus, I want to talk to you about that . . .

b. What dead habit of heart or life in me needs to be transformed? What help do I need from Jesus to make transformation possible? Jesus, help me . . .

c. Is there a dead weight resting on my heart? Where does it come from? Jesus, help me see you moving it for me . . .

6. Jesus is the living portion that gives rise to new life. What are some ways that Jesus, the living portion, could give rise to new life in you and for you? How might regular prayer, Bible reading, and the encouragement of other believers help with that?

7. Relationship with Jesus matters as we journey throughout life.

a. Describe a time in your journey when you felt distant from Christ.

b. Describe a time in your journey when you felt close to Christ.

c. How does closeness with Christ sustain you on your way?

8. Pray with a partner or on your own. Ask that Jesus will give you and each member in your group a closer walk with himself as you journey through life.

Notes

Sermon 5: Persistence in the Journey

History teems with epic expeditions and victorious voyages:

• Magellan’s triumphant voyage around the globe in the 1500s

• Lewis and Clark’s remarkable excursion to the American west in the 1800s

• Apollo 11’s momentous moon landing in 1969

History also records plenty of troublesome trips and ruinous journeys:

• Christopher Columbus’s attempt to reach India in the 1400s

• Henry Hudson’s hapless search for a northwest passage in the 1600s

• Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated expedition in the Antarctic in the early 1900s

What do all these trips, expeditions, and journeys have in common? They all required great persistence. Whether a journey ends in complete success or total failure, persistence is almost always a central facet. For example, in Shackleton’s unsuccessful attempt to cross the continent of Antarctica from sea to sea, only persistence—and lots of it—kept the explorer and his crew alive through many terrible ordeals and brought them all safely back home.

Jesus’ journey to the cross demanded greater persistence than all of these put together. It demanded greater persistence than any journey in all of history. That journey took our Savior to places far more challenging than the Antarctic! Going toe-to-toe with Satan in the wilderness took much more courage than a trip to the moon. Judas’s betrayal, ending in Christ’s crucifixion, was colder by far than the icy waters of Hudson Bay. Bearing the full weight of your guilt and mine took far more strength than any challenge Lewis and Clark overcame.

Despite every obstacle that stood in his way, Jesus persisted in the journey our heavenly Father had laid out for him. Despite temptations to doubt and to deviate from his course, Christ persisted in his mission, faithfully fulfilling the Father’s will. Jesus’ journey took him all the way to the cross and from the cross into death—all for you.

We see that persistence early in our Savior’s earthly ministry as he visits his hometown—Nazareth. Nazareth was a small, backwater

Notes


continued

sort of place. Small towns usually celebrate and often even exaggerate the successes of any locals who have made it big. Not this place.

As Jesus comes to his hometown, he is met with immediate resistance. “From whence hath this man these things?” the locals ask (Mark 6:2). In other words: “Who does he think he is? What gives him the right to try to teach us? How is he really doing those miracles we’re seeing? There must be some trick to it.”

The skepticism doesn’t end there. They stop asking questions, only to pull out insults: “Is not this the carpenter?” they ask (Mark 6:3). These cynics couldn’t fathom the fact that Jesus, the neighbor they had known for 30 years, had amounted to anything after he moved away. After all, he had worked as a common laborer, hadn’t he? His hands were as calloused and his fingernails were as dirty as their own. Right? So what could he possibly teach them?

Then their insults grew even more personal. “Isn’t this the son of Mary?” they asked. In most cases, they would have referred to Jesus as the “son of Joseph,” for lineage was traced through a person’s father. Scholars believe they brought up Mary for a reason. The gossip that had surrounded Jesus’ birth decades before still floated around in Nazareth. People had done the math, and rather than trusting God’s angelic messenger, the residents of Nazareth chose to believe the rumormongers.

Simply put: The people of Nazareth took offense at Jesus. In every way, he scandalized them.

Lambasted by gossip, slander, doubt, and hate, what did Jesus do? Did he pack it in, saying, “You’re right. I am just a simple carpenter. My journey, my mission ends here”? Did he throw in the towel and say, “I can’t do it! I can’t go to Jerusalem to be killed. I can’t take this journey to the cross. I can’t face that kind of death. I can’t go toe-to-toe with Satan for ten rounds. No one will believe I’m the Savior, anyway. I quit!”?

Of course, our Lord Jesus did nothing of the sort. Jesus did exactly the opposite. He spoke a word of peace saying, “A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country” (Mark 6:4). Then he quietly healed a few sick people and left the region, moving steadily onward on his journey, moving purposefully to accomplish his mission to save us.

Notes


continued

Jesus did not cower in terror as he thought of the cross. He did not hesitate, wondering whether or not he should die to restore a sin-spoiled creation. Jesus did not flag, flinch, or falter. Why? His persistence grew from his unwavering love for us. He followed his course, taking step after steady step, committed to you! Committed to earn forgiveness for you! Committed to win for you eternal life!

As we began, we talked about several famous journeys, several heroic travelers. Which of those best reflects your own personal journey through life?

• Is your journey like that of Apollo 11—right on course and coming together as planned? Are things landing where you had hoped? Are you on track to declare “Mission Accomplished!” in the years ahead?

• Or is your journey through life like the trek of Lewis and Clark from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean? Are you climbing steep, mountainous problems? Are you crossing the treacherous tributaries of events that threaten at any moment to sweep you off your feet?

• Or are you more like Christopher Columbus, thinking you’re on your way to India and ending up far, far short of your goal? Are you slowly realizing that the places where you had hoped to land are no longer anywhere on your horizon?

Like all journeys, your journey through life requires persistence, more persistence than you can muster, more persistence than anyone can muster. The weight of sin, like an anchor, threatens to drag you down. The winds of temptation try to blow you off course. Regret and guilt, bitterness and anger litter your path like icebergs. Health problems loom large and cast frightening shadows, darkening your future. Financial concerns sit heavy on your heart and mind. Stress and struggle, suffering and sadness gnaw away at your strength. And death is ever-near, well able to crush every voyager, to disrupt every voyage.

Who can persist in the face of all that? Who can persevere? Who can “keep calm and carry on,” as they say?

Here’s the good news: Though you lack persistence, Christ Jesus abounds in it. He persevered in his journey, all the way to the cross.

Notes


continued

Jesus is your steady, constant, totally reliable friend. Jesus is not shaken or thrown off course by anything—not even by your sins and shortcomings. He has paid for your guilt, dying in your place on the cross. Jesus overcame the suffering of the cross, and he triumphed over the death that sent him to his tomb. Jesus dealt with despair and death—and won!

Jesus Christ is the same victorious Savior yesterday, today, and forever. And he is with you! His victory is your victory. His eternal life is now your eternal life, purely by his grace! It’s his gift to you.


Notes

Discussion Questions Persistence in the Journey

1. Think about the trips you have taken.

a. What is the longest distance you have ever traveled?

b. What is the longest time you’ve ever spent away from home?

c. Which trip felt like your longest trip ever—even if it was not literally the longest in time or distance? What kept you going?

2. Jesus persisted in his journey to the cross. Since Jesus is true God, it may seem strange that his journey required something so “human” as persistence.

a. In what ways did Jesus need persistence?

b. How does it help you in your own struggles to realize that Jesus knows all about persistence and what it takes to keep going through all kinds of difficulty?

3. Mark 6:1–6 records what happened when, partway through his earthly ministry, Jesus went back to his hometown.

a. Describe the rejection the Savior experienced there.

b. Why do you think the people of Nazareth had such a hard time believing Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah?

c. What makes it hard for people today—even we ourselves, at times—to persist in the belief that Jesus is God and Savior? How does Jesus’ love for you, love that took him all the way to the cross, make that persistence possible?

4. Think back on times your persistence failed, times you gave up on some task or perhaps even some person.

a. Under what circumstances or in what challenges do you most often throw in the towel?

b. Is giving up always wrong or unwise? When might giving up be the best choice?

c. In some situations, giving up is the only wise thing to do! When we give up on trying to earn God’s love, that love floods into our life as his free gift! When we give up on trying to make up for our own sins and, instead, ask Jesus to forgive us, we find ourselves fully forgiven because of his cross! The only way to receive these gifts from God is simply to give up and trust him. Still, what makes this kind of giving up so hard?

Notes

Discussion Questions Persistence in the Journey

continued

d. In other parts of life, though, we want to persist. We want to “stay calm and carry on.” What challenges that call for persistence are you facing right now? When do those challenges especially grind away at you?

e. How can Jesus’ persistent love and forever friendship change these struggles? How can the enduring encouragement of other believers help, too?

7. No matter how persistent we think we are, none of us will win the struggle with death. Unless our Savior returns first, we will all succumb to what the Bible calls “the last enemy” (1 Corinthians 15:26). How does Jesus’ cross give us hope even then?

8. Pray with a partner or with the whole group as you close. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern when to give up and when to persist. Ask for the humility that will release you from trying to save yourselves and the courage to persist in challenges, relationships, and tasks that will honor the Savior.

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Notes

Sermon 6: The Purpose of the Journey

Have you ever . . .

• walked into a room and then forgotten why you were there?

• pulled out of the driveway and mindlessly started driving in the wrong direction?

• ended up utterly lost as you drove around and around in a new city, looking for familiar landmarks?

Most of us have made mistakes like these at some point. The truth is we sometimes forget where we are going and why. We move from the kitchen to the garage, and then ask ourselves, “What was I doing here?” We move from the driveway to the end of the street and head off toward work, when we intended instead to go to the store. We journey to a new town and, when our smart phone apps fail us, find ourselves driving aimlessly, trying to orient ourselves. Where was I going? What was I doing? Where in the world am I? We’re all too familiar with questions like these.

As Jesus journeyed to the cross, he never once took a wrong turn. He never once lost sight of why he had come to earth. Step by step, he followed in every detail God’s eternal plans for your salvation. The individuals he met, the places he went, the challenges he faced—none of these distracted him from his eternal purpose: To offer up his life up as a sacrifice so that you could have eternal life in him.

Today we will consider one of the last chapters in our Lord’s earthly ministry. We will watch him as he journeys into Jerusalem where suffering, death, and resurrection await him:

And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

Mark 11:7–10

Notes


continued

The word hosanna means “Save!” or “Rescue!” In using it, this first Palm Sunday crowd is praising Jesus, shouting some of the words from Psalm 118:

Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD.

Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD.Psalm 118:25, 26

Their praise for Jesus could not have risen higher. Their celebration of Jesus could not have grown any louder. Worshipers in that crowd set adoring eyes on him. Palm branches fluttered in the air like victory banners. The cheers of the crowd swelled to become mighty waves of worship.

So how did Jesus respond? Did he let the adoration of the crowds distract him from his purpose? Did he step down from the colt and crown himself king? Did he veer to the left or to the right of his eternal purpose?

No. Jesus did none of that. He remained steadfast, faithful, focused on the mission for which he had journeyed to our earth. The Gospel of Luke tells us that as the time for the Lord’s crucifixion drew near, He “set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). This verse echoes the words of the prophet Isaiah. Writing about the Messiah centuries before, he had said:

The Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

Isaiah 50:7

While everyone else was praising and celebrating him as the Messiah, Jesus focused, his face as hard as flint, on the work he would do as Messiah just five short days later. Step by faithful step, Jesus journeyed toward the cross—for you!

The Gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus was coming from Bethany to Jerusalem. He was traveling east to west. From that direction, he would have entered the city through the Golden Gate. This gate was sometimes also called the “Beautiful Gate.” (Consider showing a map of Jerusalem to help clarify this point.)

Notes


continued

Coming into Jerusalem from the east through this gate meant that Jesus faced west toward Golgotha, the place of his coming crucifixion. He faced it head on, eyes straight ahead. He rode toward Calvary and its cross. Not metaphorically or figuratively, but literally, Jesus faced the cross and the suffering he would soon endure there. He had not forgotten the purpose of his earthly journey. He moved toward it, his face set like flint in determined love.

While everyone else lined the street in praise, Jesus had in mind the price he would pay to answer their hosannas, their prayers asking him to “Save!”

Jesus looked to the cross, knowing he would offer up his life on that cross as a sacrifice for you. And now, in faith, you and I look to Jesus. As we journey through life, we fix our eyes and hearts on him. We need to remember that we will face temptations designed to pull us off-course, temptations to focus on something other than our Savior.

• The praise of others may tempt us to take our eyes off Jesus: “You’ve earned this promotion.” “You deserve this job.” “You have raised such wonderful children.” “You are so beautiful.” “You are so smart.”

This is temptation to take charge, to control our own lives, to believe the lie that we should live for ourselves. This is temptation to sinful pride and selfishness.

• The blessings of life may tempt us to take our eyes off Jesus: “Congratulations, it’s a girl!” “You got the job!” “We’d like to promote you.” “They accepted your offer on the house.”

This is temptation to distraction, to focus on the “deceitfulness of riches”—all kinds of “riches”—against which Jesus warned us in the Parable of the Sower. Even blessings can “choke the word,” causing it to prove “unfruitful” in our lives (Matthew 13:22). We are tempted to focus on the gifts, forgetting all about the Giver.

• The pain, problems, and suffering in life may tempt us to take our eyes off Jesus: “It is cancer.” “You do not have long to live.” “I am sorry but we have to let you go.” “I want a divorce.”

Notes


continued

This is temptation to worry, to faithlessness, to despair. We believe the lie that we face life alone, that God doesn’t care, or that he doesn’t care enough to help us.

• The regrets of life and the shame of our sins may tempt us to take our eyes off Jesus: “What were you thinking?” “How could you?” “What would make you do something like that?”

This is temptation to believe that that one “big” sin in our past or our present is too big even for God’s forgiveness, the temptation to think that “this time I’ve gone so far, even Jesus won’t take me back,” the temptation to tell ourselves, “I’ve sinned too often, too much, to ask even Jesus himself to wipe my record clean.”

Any and all of these temptations draw our attention off the Savior and his sacrifice for us. Any and all of them shroud our minds and hearts in the fog of forgetfulness and hopelessness. If you recognize these temptations, if you have fallen for any of them, ask your Lord to forgive you and to refocus your attention. Ask the Holy Spirit to redirect your thoughts. Look to Jesus. Focus on him and on his cross. He has never lost sight of you! He has never stopped focusing on you!

His purposeful love has earned forgiveness and new life for you. Whatever your sins or challenges or blessings today, pray to him: “Lord, save!” And he will. He has! The empty cross and the empty tomb prove it. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23)!


Notes

Discussion Questions The Purpose of the Journey

1. Think back to a time you were lost, perhaps in the woods or on an unfamiliar hiking trail. How did it happen? What thoughts ran through your mind? How did you eventually get back to safety?

2. Jesus avoided getting lost as he journeyed to the cross.

a. Read Matthew 26:36–45. How did prayer keep Jesus focused on the purpose of his journey?

b. Read Matthew 21:42–46. How did knowing Scripture keep Jesus focused on the purpose of his journey?

3. Read Mark 11:1–10. The crowds threw their cloaks on the colt and spread them over the road.

a. Scholars have interpreted this as an act of worship. How so?

b. We today have different kinds of opportunities to worship the Lord Jesus. Which of those do you most value? Why?

c. What barriers sometimes keep you from worshiping as fully and as often as you and your Savior would like?

4. The crowd that gathered on the first Palm Sunday shouted worship words taken from Psalm 118. By shouting “Hosanna!” (which means, “Save us!”), the crowds made it clear they wanted Jesus’ help.

a. What do earthly kings do to “save” their people?

b. What do politicians promise as the means by which they will “save” their people?

c. What did Jesus do to “save” his people?

5. As Jesus journeyed into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he literally faced Calvary, where the Romans crucified criminals and traitors. There, five days later, he would give himself into death for you.

a. Suppose Jesus’ enemies had brought him by force into Jerusalem. How would that have changed the meaning of his journey?

b. Suppose Jesus had avoided going anywhere near Jerusalem. How would that have changed the meaning of his journey?

c. Suppose Jesus had accidentally ended up in Jerusalem. How would that have changed the meaning of his journey?

Notes

Discussion Questions The Purpose of the Journey

continued

6. The temptations and diversions of daily living threaten to change our focus and steer us off course as we journey with our Lord.

a. Which diversions are most troublesome for you?

b. No matter how often we take our eyes off Jesus, he keeps his eyes on us in love. He holds our lives in his hands, hands that still bear the scars of the nails by which he earned forgiveness and eternal life for us. How does Christ’s unwavering love for you make your life all the more purposeful?

7. As you close today, pray with a partner or with the whole group. Ask Jesus to forgive your failures to focus on his purposes for your life and his focus for your life. Ask that he will realign your purposes with his purposes. Thank him for all his many blessings, especially the blessing of his love and the unshakable relationship with himself he earned for you on his cross.

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