Team Background & Preparation

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Denis Morrison
5 years ago
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1 TOPIC 9: GOD S PROMISE & PLAN OF SALVATION Team Background & Preparation KEY THOUGHT Why should we trust in God? Where is God? Why doesn t he answer when I pray to him? Why does God seem so absent in the world? Aren t there better things to be doing and better ways to help our neighbor than to spend Sunday morning in Church? Modern man is quickly abandoning the Gospel with modern culture having sowed seeds of doubt in his mind. If we are going to answer the questions that sit at the back of the mind we have to do some groundwork first. The next few lessons are preparation for a fuller announcement of the Gospel (that has been mostly alluded to at this point). We know the world is messed up. There is no disputing the point. We know people do horrible things to each other. Where is God, then? We are going to spend some time showing our participants that God is still here, still acting in the world, and just like in the Bible, his promises are still good. Sometimes though, we have to slow down and listen for God s voice. It often starts as a whisper in the silence of our own hearts. SCRIPTURAL BACKGROUND Gn 3:15 God promises a Savior. Mt 1:21 Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in Mary to save us from our sins. Lk 1:26-38 God invites Mary to participate in his plan for our salvation. She freely says yes. Jn 10:18 Jesus has the power to lay down his life and to rise again; he does this freely. Rom 5:18-21 Adam s sin condemned us to death, but Jesus Death acquits us and gives us life. Eph 5:2 Jesus gave himself, in death, to God out of love for us as a sacrifice for our sin. 1 Tm 2:4-5 God wants us all to be saved, and Jesus is the ransom for us. 1 Jn 4:10 God sent his son, Jesus, to atone for our sins through his death. GROUP LEADER HANDBOOK EVANGELIZATION TOPICS 111

2 CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH After Adam and Eve sinned, God promised salvation. 488 God chose Mary to cooperate with him in his plan of salvation out of her own free will. 539 Jesus is faithful, the New Adam, and the perfect servant of God. 557, 560 Jesus goes to Jerusalem, where he suffers and dies, and starts his Kingdom.) Jesus Death is redemptive and accomplishes God s plan for our salvation The economy of salvation is fulfilled in Jesus Paschal mystery. 112 SEEKER SMALL GROUPS ST. PAUL EVANGELIZATION MINISTRIES

3 TOPIC 9: GOD S PROMISE & PLAN OF SALVATION Talk Outline PREPARATION 5 minutes Pleasantries and welcome Opening considerations A little boy was heartbroken to find that his pet turtle was lying on its back, lifeless and still beside the pond in his backyard. His father did his best to console him, Don t cry, son. We ll arrange a funeral for Mr. Turtle. We will make him a little coffin and line it with silk. We will get the undertaker to make a headstone for his grave, with Mr. Turtle s name carved on it. Then we will have fresh flowers placed on the grave each day and make a little picket fence to go all around it. The little boy dried his eyes and became enthusiastic about the project. When all was ready, the procession was formed father, mother, and child, the chief mourner and they began to move solemnly toward the pond to bring in the body. But the body had vanished. Suddenly they spied Mr. Turtle emerging from the depths of the pond and swimming around merrily. The little boy stared at his friends in bitter disappointment. He then said Let s kill him. (reference) Each of us are called to love and care for our neighbor. This little boy was thinking more about himself than his friend, Mr. Turtle. That is the problem of the human condition. Often times our motives are selfish, which causes us to do things that we would not otherwise do. This fallen nature of ours can be redeemed in Christ, who gave us the golden rule. Following after Christ can perhaps save us from killing off our friends prematurely just to enjoy a good funeral. PROCLAMATION Even though we are inclined to do evil and care only of our own self-interest, we can be saved. God promised to send a Savior as an answer to sin. GROUP LEADER HANDBOOK EVANGELIZATION TOPICS 113

4 EXPLANATION 30 Minutes First Proposal: Due to Adam and Eve we have lost the first gifts of our creation and are prone to sin. Adam and Eve, as our first parents, were given extraordinary gifts: they had free will to make their own decisions, they did not suffer from pain, they had intellects that could see and understand quickly and easily, and they were made to live forever. Adam and Eve chose to do evil anyway having been tempted by Satan, a fallen angel. They took something that was good, and used it in a disordered way. Pride got in the way. Through the sin of Adam and Eve, we are all inclined to choose sin instead of what is good for us, we struggle to learn and see what is good and true, and every one of us is subject to pain, suffering and death. No matter how good we are, we will still die at the end of this life. Second Proposal: There is no sin in heaven and nothing imperfect c an be in heaven. God is not the cause of evil. Read Romans 7: Nothing impure can enter heaven. There is no sin, no pain, and no suffering in heaven. (Revelation 21:27) Why is there evil and suffering in the world? Sin is the root of evil. Our free will allows us to choose evil. Third Proposal: Due to our sin we are separated from God. The wages of sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). This is the great problem that faces all mankind. We are made in the image and likeness of God, Who is love. We are meant for God, but we are prone to choose sin. That sin leads to hell. There is no possible way on our own to get to heaven because of this wound of original sin. Fourth Proposal: Even in the midst of our first sin God promised to save us. Read Genesis 3:15. This is the first announcement of the Gospel. Even at the very moment of the first sin, God was planning to save us. This plan was set from the very foundation of the world. God loves us and his mercy endures forever. God permits evil, but God is not powerless over evil. 114 SEEKER SMALL GROUPS ST. PAUL EVANGELIZATION MINISTRIES

5 God will send a Savior who can redeem us from the natural consequence of sin: death and separation from God. Fifth Proposal: Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. Jesus opens up Heaven to us by his own suffering and death. As God, Jesus conquers death. His death was that of an innocent victim and the consequences of sin do not apply to Jesus. He was resurrected. We freely choose evil when we sin, and we are able to freely choose to cooperate with God s grace and be redeemed. APPLICATION Small Group Discussion 1. Why do you think the sin of Adam & Eve affects us? 2. Do you sense that there is something broken or lacking in yourself? Where does that sense come from? 3. Have you ever experienced a personal struggle with evil or a desire to do something you knew was wrong? 4. Why do you think God gives us free will when evil is possible? CALL TO ACTION 5 Minutes Sixth Proposal: God s promises apply to our life. The promise that God made to Adam & Eve was not the only promise that God made in the Bible. No one who denies the Son has the Father. He who confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he has promised us, eternal life (1 John 2:23-25). Pascal s Wager: What do you have to lose in trusting in the promises of God? HANDOUT Further Reading: Handout on the effects of original sin. GROUP LEADER HANDBOOK EVANGELIZATION TOPICS 115

6 116 SEEKER SMALL GROUPS ST. PAUL EVANGELIZATION MINISTRIES

KINDERGARTEN * COLLEGE PARK CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON OVERVIEW. CURRICULUM: Jesus, What a Savior, published by Children Desiring God

KINDERGARTEN * COLLEGE PARK CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON OVERVIEW. CURRICULUM: Jesus, What a Savior, published by Children Desiring God KINDERGARTEN COLLEGE PARK CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON OVERVIEW * 2016-2017 CURRICULUM: Jesus, What a Savior, published by Children Desiring God WHAT YOUR CHILD WILL LEARN OVER THE YEAR Each lesson in Jesus