Light: John 1:1-18

Use this curriculum to help you further engage with the sermon, the scriptures, and each other. Allow the Holy Spirit to bring things up to encourage and guide you so that you are always growing in your faith. If the Spirit leads you away from these questions and into conversation and prayer that encourages and points you to Jesus, go for it.

scripture

Read the following scriptures together: John 1:1-18.

overview

On Sunday, we began our series Light focusing on Jesus’ life and teachings from the book of John. Humanity was trapped in darkness and sin, needing a Savior, which is Jesus, the Light. While Matthew’s gospel starts off with Jesus’ lineage from Abraham to David, John instead begins by telling us Jesus came directly from heaven, demonstrating that Jesus is God. As a human, Jesus showed us who God is, his heart, and his love for his children. As we journey through this book, pay attention to all the ways that Jesus shows us God’s heart – it’s going to be a journey that gives us the opportunity to experience God in a deeper sense and draw us even closer to him. The light shines in the darkness.

question 1

How can our perspectives and expectations be transformed when we choose to remember the light that Jesus brings to us individually and the world at large, rather than dwelling on the darkness we sometimes sense or see?

discussion

Jesus’ mission was to deliver us from darkness and lead us into the light, freeing us from our own sin and shame. One of the gifts from a life with Jesus is that he makes his home in us – he dwells in us. Before Jesus’ resurrection, people could only access God through the priests, but for those of us who believe in Jesus we now have total access to God. We will never experience anything apart from God and so we are never alone.  The Holy Spirit provides believers with the strength and courage to live a life that honors God, even in the face of challenges and trials. It empowers us to resist temptation and overcome sin, enabling us to live a life more in line with God's will. It also helps us to be effective witnesses of the Gospel, sharing God's love and truth with others. 

question 2

How has knowing that the Spirit of God dwells in you, affected or enriched your own life? 

Ryan encouraged us to “stand on our right” to access God. Jesus has made us children of God and children have direct access to their parents. As believers, we are part of a new family, the family of God where we now have brothers and sisters who will pray for us, show up to encourage us, bring us a meal, or talk with us. We also get to be family members who offer the same things to other believers. Some people, however, don’t feel as if they belong in the family of God because of their past, current shame, or other deeper reasons. The truth we need to believe for ourselves is Jesus HAS taken away our sin and shame – we need to receive this confidence and use our “all-access pass”.

question 3

Do you ever feel as if you don’t fully belong in the family of God? Talk about the reasons why you may feel this way. Do you want to be more connected with your church family? What would this look like for you? 

final thoughts

If you do have a hard time feeling connected, spend time with God and someone else in deeper prayer for healing. If you do feel right at home, what are some ways you might encourage another brother or sister this next month?