SERMON SERIES STUDY GUIDE CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF JASPER 10.17.2010 to 10.31.2010 LUKE 9:28-50
THE TRANSFIGURATION Luke 9:28-36 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen. BIG IDEA The reality is Jesus is the son of God sent by the Father for our salvation.
Open It 1. What special events in your life do wish could have lasted forever? 2. When youʼre deeply involved in something, what does it take to get you to listen to something else? Explore It 3. Who went with Jesus up a mountain? (9:28) 4. Why did Jesus and His disciples go up the mountain? (9:28) 5. What happened to Jesus while He was praying? (9:29) 6. Who suddenly appeared, and what did they do? (9:30-31) 7. How did Moses and Elijah describe Jesusʼ departure? (9:31) 8. How were Peter, John, and James feeling at this point? (9:32) 9. What did Peter and his companions see? (9:32) 10. How did Peter react to the amazing scene? (9:33) 11. Why were the disciples suddenly afraid? (9:34) 12. What did the voice from the cloud say about Jesus? (9:35) 13. What happened to Moses and Elijah? (9:36) 14. How did the disciples handle their experience? (9:36) Get It 15. If you had been with Peter, James, and John, how might you have felt? 16. What does "bring to fulfillment" imply about Jesusʼ departure? (9:31) 17. In describing Peterʼs suggestion about the shelters, why did Luke say, "He did not know what he was saying"? 18. What would have happened if it were possible to stay on the mountain with Moses and Elijah? 19. What does the timing of the voice from the cloud say to you? 20. What might God want to say to us about Jesus today? 21. Why do you think the disciples told no one what they had seen that day? Apply It 22. What book or passage of the Bible could you read to help you better understand your relationship to Jesus? 23.What can you do in your private devotions to help you listen to Godʼs Son? 24. With what person or people could you share what you have learned from this passage?
THE HARD TRUTH Luke 9:37-45 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not." "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here." Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men." But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it. BIG IDEA Even though Jesus is the greatest, he is letting his followers know not everything is going to go as they (or we) think it will go.
Open It 1. What is it like to feel that youʼre not in control of your body? 2. What do people today think about demon possession? 3. What are typical first reactions to things we donʼt understand? Explore It 4. What did Jesus and His disciples encounter when they came down from the mountain? (9:37) 5. Why did the man ask Jesus to look at his son? (9:38) 6. What had been happening to the boy? (9:39) 7. What had the father tried to no avail? (9:40) 8. To what did Jesus attribute the disciplesʼ failure to heal the boy? (9:41) 9. What happened to the boy while he was being brought to Jesus? (9:42) 10. What three things did Jesus do? (9:42) 11. What was the crowdʼs reactions to what they saw? (9:43) 12. How did Jesus respond to the peopleʼs admiration? (9:43-44) 13. What did Jesus predict about Himself? (9:44) 14. How much did the disciples understand of what Jesus told them? (9:45) 15. What was the disciplesʼ overriding emotion at the time? (9:45) Get It 16. What must life have been like for the father and son Jesus met? 17. What is the connection in this story between belief and healing? 18. What is the connection between belief and healing in our lives today? 19. How would you contrast the peopleʼs belief in Godʼs working through the disciples and through Jesus? 20. What similarities to this story do you see in the way people approach belief today? 21. Why would Jesus speak to His disciples about being betrayed instead of preaching to the crowd about the miracle they had just seen? 22.What could have kept understanding hidden from the disciples? 23.What clouds our understanding of Jesus? 24. What can we do when we are confused or uncertain about God? Apply It 25. What area of unbelief do you want to talk with God about this week? 26. For those aspects of Jesus that you still donʼt understand, what is one step you can take to learn more?
WHO IS THE GREATEST? Luke 9:46-50 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all he is the greatest." "Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us." "Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you." BIG IDEA Jesus is the greatest. Unfortunately, most of us spend most of our time trying to be number two.
Open It 1. What does greatness mean to you? 2. What do you like and dislike most about children? Explore It 3. How did an argument start among the disciples? (9:46) 4. About what did the disciples argue? (9:46) 5. How did Jesus find out what was happening? (9:47) 6. What did Jesus use to reply to the disciplesʼ ambition? (9:47) 7. What connections between the child and God did Jesus make? (9:48) 8. What reason did Jesus give for connecting children with God? (9:48) 9. How did John change the subject? (9:49) 10. Why had the disciples tried to stop the man? (9:49) 11. What did Jesus think of the disciplesʼ gallantry? (9:50) 12. What reason did Jesus give for not stopping the man who was driving out demons? (9:50) Get It 13. What effect must the example of a child have had on the disciples? 14. What opportunities do we have to welcome children (and thereby welcome Jesus and God the Father)? 15. What different ambitions and motivations can we see in churches and other religious organizations today? 16. What reaction was John probably expecting to his efforts to stop the man from driving out demons? 17. What kind of teamwork might Jesus be looking for today among His followers? 18. How can we be more cooperative with each other? Apply It 19.What is one step you can take to subject your ambitions to the ambitions of Jesus? 20. How can you foster a spirit of teamwork in your church or religious group in the weeks ahead? All Scripture verses taken from New International Version.
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