ENGAGE INSPIRE EQUIP

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Life Group Sermon Study

Hard Words October 25/26, 2014

Break the Ice:

ENGAGE

(The purpose of these first questions is to help your group open up. Please don’t feel like you have to ask each question. Once you feel like the group is ready, move onto the “Inspire” section.)

• What was a typical day like for you as a 12-year-old? • What did God teach you during the message this weekend? Did anything in particular stand out? Prayer: Take some time to pray for God to speak to your group through this week’s study. Questions:

IN SP IRE

(Since the group may need time to process each question, don’t let silence scare you. Try to avoid filling the space with unnecessary explanation or moving on from the question too quickly.)

As a group, read John 6:41-71 out loud before you start. 1. In verse 48, Jesus describes Himself as the Bread of life. • What did Jesus mean by this? What does this look like for us in our everyday lives? • Read verse 56 again. What does it mean to abide in Jesus daily?

2. In verse 44, Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” • Is this a difficult thing for you to understand and/or accept? • What role does God have and what part do we play in others coming to know Jesus? • We see in this passage that God actively pursues people. How does this help you understand God and His heart for others?

3. This past weekend, Aaron talked about how in order for us to respond to God, we first have to humble ourselves. • Why is humility so critical when we come to Jesus? • What does humility look like in your life? Where have you most recently needed to practice humility?

4. Many disciples came to the conclusion that Jesus’ teaching was too hard (verse 60-66), and they walked away from Jesus. • Are there any of Jesus’ teachings that have been especially difficult for you to accept? If so, which ones? How did you come to the place of humbling yourself to continue following Him? • Have you known someone who stopped following Jesus? Was it for a similar reason? How did that affect you?

Application:

EQUIP

(These questions will challenge your group members to apply the study to their daily lives. It is highly important that you go over this section with your group each week for the group study to be a success. Set aside 15-20 minutes at the end of your study to go over this section.)

Aaron shared that the differentiating line for followers of Christ and those who will walk away is that false discipleship cannot come to grips with the total Lordship of Christ. He then gave us four kinds of false discipleship that, if continued, would cause someone to walk away from Jesus. 1. A false disciple is someone who follows the crowd. 2. A false disciple is someone who pursues Christ for the miraculous. 3. A false disciple is someone who pursues Christ out of guilt. 4. A false disciple is someone who follows because they enjoy being right. Do you find yourself gravitating towards any of these? If so, which ones? How can you make sure you are following Jesus honestly? Prayer: Take some time to pray over each group member’s identified action steps and life issues. Equip Your Mind: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44, ESV)