Sermon

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS

1. What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful, or difficult to understand from this Sunday?
2. What traditions does your family celebrate with Easter?
3. Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 15. What do these verses tell you about you? What do they tell you about Jesus? What is the significance of the resurrection to the Christian faith? Why is it necessary and “of first importance”? What are the implications for our daily lives?
4. How have you seen the resurrection of Jesus contested by culture and society? Why do you think this is?
5. What sets Jesus apart from all other religious leaders? Why does this matter?
6. Discuss the following statement: God uses our consciences, the law, an awareness of sin, a sense of eternal destiny, frustration, and the broken physical world to point us to resurrection. How have you seen this to be true? What examples can you think of?
7. In what ways do we …look for temporal extension rather than eternal redemption? …look for happiness rather than joy? …look for financial security rather than eternal security? …look to excuse our sin rather than seeking forgiveness of our sin?
8. Why did Christ have to take our place in order to save us from the penalty of our sin?
9. How is the strength of sin”in the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56)? How does Jesus remedy this?
10. What does it mean to “give yourself fully to the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58, NIV)? Why is this tied to the resurrection?
11. Spend some time in prayer over the things you’ve discussed. Take time to thank the Lord for the resurrection and all that it means. Pray that He would help you not just grasp the resurrection intellectually, but to really believe it in a way that deeply impacts your life.