Coming Up Next. New Studies for Summer 2015 TOPICS SCRIPTURE. Want to use Bible Studies for Life with other age groups?

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1 New Studies for Summer 2015 TOPICS Be Strong and Courageous: Everyday Leadership from Joshua BY Paul Jiminez Awake: The Call to a Renewed Life BY Ronnie Floyd SCRIPTURE BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE SENIOR ADULTS Coming Up Next Studies in the Book of Joshua and various Old Testament and New Testament passages SPRING 2015 LEADER GUIDE RONNIE FLOYD GENERAL EDITOR Want to use Bible Studies for Life with other age groups? Preview Bible Studies for Life for Kids, Students, Young Adults, and Adults at BibleStudiesForLife.com. CHECK OUT THESE ADDITIONAL STUDY OPTIONS FOR ANY OTHER TIME YOU NEED A BIBLE STUDY. Scripture: 1, 2, 3 John and Revelation Hearing God s Word General Editor: Jim Shaddix BY George Guthrie Disciple of Grace BY Ken Fentress and Mike Cosper LifeWay.com/ExploreTheBible SPRING 2015 HCSB Theological Theme: Gospel-Centered Life LIKE NO OTHER: THE LIFE OF CHRIST LIKE GLUE: MAKING YOUR RELATIONSHIPS STICK GospelProject.com SPRING _BSFL_Seniors_LDR_2015-SPR_COVER.indd 1-3 9/22/14 12:21 PM

2 Contents SPRING 2015 VOL. 2, NO. 3 BIBLE STUDY SESSIONS STUDY THEME: Like No Other: The Life of Christ 6 Suggested for week of: March 1 Session 1 Promised Like No Other March 8 Session 2 A Birth Like No Other March 15 Session 3 Power Like No Other March 22 Session 4 Teachings Like No Other March 29 Session 5 Death Like No Other April 5 Session 6 Resurrected Like No Other April 12 Session 7 Ascended Like No Other April 19 Session 8 Exalted Like No Other STUDY THEME: Like Glue: Making Your Relationships Stick 104 April 26 Session 9 Stick with Love May 3 Session 10 Stick with Encouragement May 10 Session 11 Stick with Forgiveness May 17 Session 12 Stick with Service May 24 Session 13 Stick with Humility May 31 Session 14 Stick with Acceptance

3 Contents continued FEATURES Leading Someone to the Greatest Decision of All A Word from Ronnie Coming In Summer This Leader Guide is designed for leaders of senior adults ages 70 and up. We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter, and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWay s doctrinal guideline, please visit doctrinalguideline. Bible Studies for Life: Senior Adults Leader Guide (ISSN: ; Item ) is published quarterly by LifeWay, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President LifeWay. Printed in the United States of America. For ordering or inquiries, visit call (800) , or write LifeWay Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN For subscriptions or subscription address changes, subscribe@lifeway.com, fax (615) , or write to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, orderentry@lifeway.com, fax (615) , or write to the above address. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Commentary Sessions 1-4: Eli Landrum is a retired editor from LifeWay Christian Resources. Eli is a member of First Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, where he serves as a substitute teacher for a couples Sunday School class. Sessions 5-8: Various writers contributed to these sessions. Sessions 9-11: Ronald (Dee) Vaughan pastors St. Andrews Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Sessions 12-14: Various writers contributed to these sessions. Group Plans Sessions 1-8: Jennifer Denning is a Q A analyst and freelance writer from Raleigh, North Carolina, where she serves on the curriculum team at The Point Church. Sessions 9-14: Amy Summers is a freelance writer from Arden, North Carolina, and is a women s Sunday School teacher at Trinity of Fairview Baptist Church. ERIC GEIGER Vice President, Church Resources RONNIE FLOYD General Editor DAVID FRANCIS Managing Editor JEFFREY HOLDER Content Editor PHILIP NATION Director, Adult Ministry Publishing FAITH WHATLEY Director, Adult Ministry Send questions/comments to: Content Editor Bible Studies for Life: Senior Adults Leader Guide One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, Tennessee, or make comments on the Web at 2 4

4 A Word from Ronnie It s amazing how the Bible connects so well to our lives today! Our lives are filled with relationships, and the Bible addresses those so clearly. There is one person who is central to the whole Bible: Jesus Christ. He is like no other. If you have regularly read and used Bible Studies for Life, you know our studies are typically six sessions long. To look at the unique life of Christ, we ve broken that pattern and devoted eight sessions. In Like No Other: The Life of Christ, Tony Evans could have easily devoted a year s worth of studies to the incredible life and ministry of Jesus, but in these eight studies he has helped us see who Jesus is and how every aspect of His life changes our own lives. The ultimate relationship is with Jesus. And that relationship impacts all other relationships. In Like Glue: Making Your Relationships Stick, Ben Mandrell gives us six principles straight from Scripture to keep our relationships with others strong. We cannot live our lives apart from people, and the Bible guides us in making the best of those relationships, whether it is with our families, Bible study groups, or the guy down the street. Jesus Christ is all about people, and we should be all about people too. Ask God to create gospel conversations for you so you can tell people about Jesus Christ. Your group matters. So jump in to these studies and see what God does in you and in your group. But do not go alone! Ask someone to join you, even someone who is disconnected from God and church completely. General Editor 5

5 6 LIKE NO OTHER: THE LIFE OF CHRIST

6 He never wrote a book. Yet more books have been written about Him than about any other individual in all of history. He never wrote a song. But more songs have been composed and sung about Him than about anyone else in the world. He never traveled more than 300 miles from where He was born. Yet, you can find only a few places in the entire world where they have not heard His name. Jesus totally unique, unlike any person who ever walked the earth. But to simply worship or acknowledge Jesus as a great person, great prophet, or great leader is to insult Him. He is more than all of these. He is God, yet He became one of us God in the flesh. The perfect wedding of Deity and humanity coexisting, yet without being mixed. Jesus became like us in order to bring us back to Him. He entered our world in order to give us a way out of it. He died so that we may live. He gives us life for now and life for eternity. This study is for all of us. Jesus Christ is more than theology on a shelf, a picture of a man with a halo, or miracles from long ago. He is your friend like no other Tony Evans Tony Evans is founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, and chaplain of the NBA s Dallas Mavericks. He is the author of several books and studies, including The Power of God s Names. For more information, visit TonyEvans.org. 7

7 SESSION 1 PROMISED LIKE NO OTHER 8 Session 1

8 GET INTO THE STUDY The Point Jesus is the promised Messiah. The Bible Meets Life It s often hard to determine who is a reliable source for information. Anybody can post information online and create facts to back up his beliefs. Leaders invite our trust, but we find too many of them are not who they claim to be. This cynicism makes many people cast a skeptical eye at Jesus. How can we know Jesus is who He claimed to be? Is our concept of Jesus something that His followers created? Hundreds of years before His birth, prophets pointed to Jesus. We can believe Jesus is the Messiah because God pointed us to Him even before His birth. The Passage Isaiah 53:2-12 The Setting The prophet Isaiah ministered in the southern kingdom of Judah in the eighth century B.C. during the reigns of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Isaiah 53 is the fourth and final of Isaiah s Servant songs or poems about the Suffering Servant, prophecies about the coming Messiah, Jesus. Unlike other messianic prophecies, because these reflect the sufferings of God s Servant, they were not initially understood to be about the Messiah. 10 minutes GUIDE: Direct attention to the contents page in the Personal Study Guide (p. 3). Note that today the group begins an eight-session study on the life of Christ. Review the titles. (ENHANCEMENT: Note the session titles on Pack Item 1: Like No Other. ) GUIDE: To introduce session 1, direct the group to look at the picture (see p. 8; [PSG], p. 8). DISCUSS: Question #1 (PSG, p. 8): How do you decide whether someone is believable? GUIDE: Direct attention to The Bible Meets Life (PSG, p. 9). Stress that the little brother in the story was very disappointed when he did not receive what big brother promised. State that we can always trust that God will keep His promises. GUIDE: Introduce The Point (PSG, p. 9): Jesus is the promised Messiah. Hundreds of years before Jesus birth, God promised that He would come. SUGGESTED USE MARCH 1 9

9 THE POINT Jesus is the promised Messiah. STUDY THE BIBLE Isaiah 53:2-3 READ: Invite a volunteer to read Isaiah 53:2-3. SUMMARIZE: Note that Isaiah s prophecies include a number of poems called servant songs. 10 minutes State that most Christian scholars view the songs as describing the promised Messiah s ministry as God s Suffering Servant. This session s passage comes from what is generally viewed as the fourth servant song (Isa. 52:13 53:12). Emphasize that in chapter 53, Isaiah s main focus was not on the Messiah s suffering, but rather His triumph and victory over and through His suffering. Isaiah 53:2-3 2 He grew up before Him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He didn t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at Him, no appearance that we should desire Him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; He was despised, and we didn t value Him. God prophesied the Messiah would become one of us. Isaiah prophesied in the eighth century during the reigns of four kings of the Southern Kingdom of Judah (see Isa. 1:1). Included in Isaiah s prophecies are a number of poems called servant songs (generally viewed as 42:1 4; 49:1 6; 50:4 9; 52:13 53:12). Most Christian scholars view these songs as describing the promised Messiah s ministry as God s Suffering Servant. Some suggest that Isaiah 61:1 3 also is a Suffering Servant song. Significantly, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1 2, without the reference to God s day of vengeance, to outline His ministry as God s Suffering- Servant Messiah (see Luke 4:16 19). The fourth servant song in Isaiah begins in 52:13, where God called attention to His Servant. God proclaims that His Servant would act in such a wise and intelligent way that He would be successful and exalted (Isa. 52:13). Although many were awestruck by the Servant s disfigured appearance, He would purify (or startle) many nations by His selfless suffering and resulting exaltation. None of the Servant s contemporaries believed the report of His suffering, and no one interpreted what took place as an expression of God s power. In Isaiah 53, the prophet s main focus was not on the Servant s suffering, but rather His triumph and victory over and through His suffering. Notes 10 Session 1

10 Verse 2: At the beginning of His redemptive role, God s Suffering Servant appeared to be lowly and unattractive. The phrase He grew up before Him stressed God s watchful and protective care for His Servant. To observers, a young plant was merely an ordinary shoot among many others, attracting little or no notice. A root out of dry ground existed in adverse circumstances and likely would wither and die. The phrases stressed the Servant s humble beginnings and the hostile environment in which He lived. The Servant s personal appearance (form) was unimpressive. People conferred no honor on Him. They paid no attention to Him; they gave Him no second look. One view is that the descriptions do not apply to His usual appearance but to His suffering s effects. In any case, there was nothing appealing about Him. Verse 3: People the Servant encountered by and large treated Him with contempt and drew back from (shunned) Him. He suffered pain and experienced human weakness. The phrase who knew what sickness was could have the sense of either the Servant being heartsick at people s rejection of Him or His involvement with others pain and sickness to relieve them. The Servant was someone people turned away from literally, hid their faces from as though they could not bear to look at Him. The repetition of the phrase was despised emphasized people s contempt for the Servant. They did not value Him; that is, they reckoned Him as nothing. They did not recognize the Servant for who He was and what He was accomplishing. Note the parallels between Jesus and the Suffering Servant. Jesus came as God s Suffering-Servant Messiah. His mother was a young peasant woman, and His legal father was a carpenter. He grew up as merely one more peasant boy in the lightly regarded city of Nazareth in Galilee. He grew as all Jewish boys grew and was only one among many. Few if any took notice of Him. As soon as He began His public ministry, He experienced rejection, and He carried out His entire redemptive mission in a hostile environment. Notes DISCUSS: Question #2 (PSG, p. 12): What words or descriptions in this passage tend to be contrary to our expectation of a great man? Why? (Alternate: Why is it easier to believe in someone touched by suffering and rejection than someone who has never had any trouble?) GUIDE: Isaiah s description of a suffering Messiah has been, and remains today, a stumbling block for many people. When they look at the life of Jesus, they see things they d rather not see. Note that the Messiah would not be impressive (v. 2). His appearance would not draw people to Him. People would despise Him (v. 3) and show contempt for Him. TRANSITION: Stress that Jesus did indeed become one of us, and His suffering may remind us of the pain and rejection we may have experienced ourselves. Yet God prophesied not only that Jesus would suffer, but that He would suffer for us. 11

11 THE POINT Jesus is the promised Messiah. STUDY THE BIBLE Isaiah 53:4-9 READ: Invite a volunteer to read verses 4-9. DISCUSS: Question #3 (PSG, p. 14): Which prophecies about Jesus in Isaiah 53:4-9 do you find compelling? (Alternate: What ideas or images come to mind when you hear the word prophecy?) GUIDE: Note that Isaiah 53 contains a number of prophecies: Jesus piercing, His scourging, His silence in the face of oppression and accusation, His grave, and His purity. 10 minutes Isaiah 53:4-9 4 Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. 6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not open His mouth. 8 He was taken away because of oppression and judgment; and who considered His fate? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was struck because of my people s rebellion. 9 They made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man at His death, although He had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully. God prophesied the Messiah would suffer for us. Verse 4: At first, people who viewed the Servant s sufferings drew the wrong conclusion. In accord with the accepted view of their time, they viewed His sufferings as God s punishment for His sins. The words stricken, struck down, and afflicted stressed the intensity of the Servant s suffering and the violence involved. In a dramatic reversal of their thinking, they came to understand that the Servant suffered Notes 12 Session 1

12 for them by taking on Himself people s sicknesses and pains. Both Hebrew words convey the idea of pain, of His suffering the consequences of others sins. He did not suffer for His own sins but suffered for others on their behalf. Verse 5: In the clarity of their insight concerning the Servant s sufferings, people realized that their transgressions (rebellions against God) and iniquities (perversity, wrongdoings) led to the Servant s being pierced and crushed. His violent, excruciating death resulted in people s peace their being made whole and brought spiritual healing through forgiveness. He provided the remedy for sin, which brought reconciliation and peace with God. Verse 6: The realization that the Servant suffered on others behalf led to confession of sin s universality. The phrase we all excludes no one. The words went astray have the sense of committing error, of wandering and being separated. In self-will, people deliberately had turned from God s way to [their] own way. God, however, provided a way of reconciliation, a way to overcome the separation sin causes. God s Suffering Servant was a substitutionary sacrifice, bearing people s sins and providing a means of forgiveness. We must be careful how we interpret the Lord has punished Him. The Servant was not being punished for anything He Himself had done. The Hebrew word translated punished means to cause to light on or to cause to fall on. The Servant s suffering involved His taking on Himself everyone s iniquity (wrongdoings). All people sin, and the Servant provided the means of atonement for all their sins. Verse 7: The term oppressed means to be exacted or to be driven and has the sense that the Servant is being treated harshly. The word afflicted is the same term used in 53:4 and has the idea of suffering violence, of being mistreated. The Servant endured His suffering in regal silence. The images of a lamb led to the slaughter and of a sheep silent before her shearers drive home the point that the Servant made no cry of protest as He suffered. He did not cry out to God for vengeance on His tormentors or protest the gross injustice of His sufferings. His lack of complaint indicated He suffered willingly on others behalf. Verse 8: Isaiah 53:8 seems to describe the Servant s trial and death. The phrase taken away because of oppression and judgment has been interpreted as the Servant s being GUIDE: Emphasize that Jesus, God s Suffering Servant, was a willing, substitutionary sacrifice, bearing people s sins and providing a means of forgiveness. Jesus was not punished (v. 6) for anything He Himself had done. Instead, He was punished for the iniquity of us all. Explain that Jesus came not only to bear our sins, but also our burdens. Direct attention to verse 4: He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains. READ: Invite a volunteer to read the brief paragraph on PSG page 15: In your pain, know this one truth: You are not alone. Jesus sees. He knows. He cares. He s been there. And because He has suffered, He offers a comfort not merely rooted in intellectual assent but in compassionate understanding. Notes 13

13 THE POINT Jesus is the promised Messiah. DISCUSS: Question #4 (PSG, p. 15): How can you testify to Christ bearing your sickness and carrying your pain? SUMMARIZE: Wrap up this segment by using the Bible commentary 1 to emphasize the parallels between Isaiah s prophecy concerning the Suffering Servant and Jesus experience. TRANSITION: Not only did God prophesy the Messiah would become one of us and suffer for us, God prophesied the Messiah would rescue us. taken from confinement to a trial and the verdict of death. An alternate view is that the words taken away refer to the Servant s death, a result of oppression and injustice. That is, the unjust judgment was an instrument of oppression. The rhetorical question, who considered His fate? expected the answer no one. None of the Servant s contemporaries gave careful consideration to His death. The word fate refers to the result of His unjust trial, not to the dictates of some irresistible power. The Servant was killed (cut off) as a result of people s rebellion (willful disobedience of God s commands). Verse 9: The people who killed the Servant intended to make His grave with the wicked, but God s intervention placed Him with a rich man; He received an honorable burial. An alternate view is that the wicked and the rich were identical. People generally considered His death to be a result of His own sins; thus He deserved a dishonorable burial. The Servant was innocent of any crime; He had done nothing deserving of death. The Hebrew term rendered violence could mean wrong, including hurtful language and harsh treatment, rude wickedness or ruthlessness. The Servant was innocent of any wrongdoing. In addition, He had not misled anyone with His speech; He had not dealt treacherously with anyone. He had no sin or guilt. 1 The parallels between Isaiah s prophecy concerning the Suffering Servant and Jesus experience are many and obvious. Jesus adopted the Suffering Servant model for His ministry, and His disciples saw that His suffering was mirrored in the words of Isaiah s song. Early believers viewed Jesus excruciating death on the cross as voluntary and vicarious; He willingly died on sinners behalf. At Jesus trial, He remained silent in the face of false charges. His trial was a mockery, His sentence of death was undeserved, and He was crucified unjustly. He was not guilty of any crime, and He spoke only truth. His burial was intended to be that of a common criminal, with His corpse likely thrown into the Valley of Hinnom. Joseph of Arimathea, however, provided a new tomb and gave Jesus an honorable burial. Notes 14 Session 1

14 Isaiah 53: Yet the Lord was pleased to crush Him severely. When You make Him a restitution offering, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, and by His hand, the Lord s pleasure will be accomplished. 11 He will see it out of His anguish, and He will be satisfied with His knowledge. My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will carry their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion, and He will receive the mighty as spoil, because He submitted Himself to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet He bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels. KEY WORDS: His seed (v. 10) The phrase His seed likely indicated the Messiah s spiritual descendants people who would enter His family of faith through commitment to Him and be marked by His high moral quality. Portion (v. 12) The Hebrew word refers either to a share of the spoils of victory in war or to a parcel of land allotted to or possessed by people. God s Messiah would be victorious, and He would be rewarded for His faithfulness to God s redemptive purpose. God prophesied the Messiah would rescue us. Verse 10: God took no delight in the Servant s suffering. Rather, God took the provision of forgiveness and reconciliation on Himself. The phrase the Lord was pleased has the sense of God s will or purpose. God s will was that the Servant give Himself on others behalf, even to the extent of being crushed (bruised) severely (literally, made sick ). God s purpose was that the Servant give Himself, even to the extent of death. The Servant s voluntary self-sacrifice was a restitution offering; His offering Himself provided the means of people s forgiveness and was complete. Notes STUDY THE BIBLE Isaiah 53: minutes READ: Invite a volunteer to read verses SUMMARIZE: Stress again the parallels between the Suffering Servant and Christ: Christ voluntarily suffered and died to provide atonement for sins. He was raised to life and gained spiritual offspring faithful followers who extend His redemptive ministry. Through Jesus atoning selfgiving, sinners can be made right with God. Because of Jesus faithfulness to His mission, God has drawn many people to Him and has exalted Him as sovereign. Jesus died between two insurrectionists (rebels against Rome) and was counted as one of them. Yet He actually intervened on sinners behalf by bearing their sins. He provided a means of rescue from sin and its consequences. 15

15 THE POINT Jesus is the promised Messiah. SAY: It is during the times when we hit rock bottom that we find out no one but Jesus is sufficient to meet our needs. SUMMARIZE: Through His death, Jesus secured our pardon. Through His resurrection, He secured our daily hope. He is the promised Messiah who not only came for us but also remains as our lifeline and assurance. DISCUSS: Question #5 (PSG, p. 17): When have you felt like only Jesus was enough? (Alternate: What do these verses teach us about God s character?) At this point the verb tenses become future. The Servant s death would not be the end for Him. He would be vindicated and victorious. He would have spiritual offspring who would continue His influence. Also, He would prolong His days, a statement that seems to suggest resurrection. Restored to life, the Servant would be successful in advancing God s redemptive purpose toward its goal. Verse 11: Through His atoning death, many people would be made right with God. Because the sinless Servant would carry people s iniquities, they would have access to God through Him. Verse 12: God is the Speaker in verse 12. Because the Servant faithfully would fulfill His redemptive mission, God would give Him the many as His portion. This verse is translated in two ways. The first has God giving the Servant numerous followers as the recompense for His self-sacrifice (HCSB). The second interpretation has the Servant among the victorious dividing the spoils (NIV, ESV). An additional reward would be His receiving homage from the world s mighty. Some interpreters take spoil as plunder or booty taken in war; thus the Servant would receive His share the greater share of His victory s results. Others view the world s great ones as the Servant s spoil or reward; He would be sovereign over all others. God would exalt His Servant because the Servant willingly gave Himself to the extent of dying. He was branded as a rebel against God, One who transgressed against Him. The truth, however, was that the Servant bore the sin of many. The Servant voluntarily died for the sake of the true rebels people who stubbornly revolted against God those willfully refusing to obey Him. The Servant s intercession for people guilty of evil has been viewed as His continuing ministry on their behalf. His intercession also has been taken to mean His praying for His tormentors. Most likely, the term interceded should be rendered intervened. The idea seems to be that the Servant went to the greatest possible extent to act on sinners behalf. In a real sense, He intervened between people and their sins consequences. He died to rescue sinners. Notes 16 Session 1

16 ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/BOB SCHATZ Again, the parallels between the Suffering Servant and Christ stand out. Christ voluntarily suffered and died to provide atonement for sins. He was raised to life and gained spiritual offspring faithful followers who extend His redemptive ministry. Through Jesus atoning self-giving, sinners can be made right with God. Because of Jesus faithfulness to His mission, God has drawn many people to Him and has exalted Him as sovereign. Jesus died between two insurrectionists (rebels against Rome) and was counted as one of them. Yet He actually intervened on sinners behalf by bearing their sins. He provided a means of rescue from sin and its consequences. Massive foundation stone from ancient Lebanon. In Acts 4:11, Peter identified Jesus as the cornestone referenced in Psalm 118:22. The following excerpt is from the article, The Early Church s Use of Messianic Passages (Spr. 1983), which relates to this session and can be purchased at com/biblicalillustrator. Shortly after Paul was converted, he appeared publicly in the synagogues of Damascus to proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah and the very Son of God (Acts 9:20-22). Luke indicates that Paul bewildered his Jewish opponents with arguments that proved Jesus was the Messiah. Although Acts does not demonstrate precisely how Paul proved Jesus messiahship, we should understand that he used the Old Testament messianic passages and proclaimed that they were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. Read The Suffering Servant in Isaiah in the Spring 2015 issue. Previous articles, Old Testament Burial Practices (Spr. 2009), and The Servant Songs in Isaiah (Fall 1988), relate to this session and can be purchased at com/biblicalillustrator. Look for Bundles: Bible Studies for Life. Subscribe to Biblical Illustrator at or call DO: Invite volunteers to share their responses to the activity, The Promised One (PSG, p. 17). SHARING THE GOOD NEWS The reason the Messiah suffered was because He took our sins upon Himself. He offers us forgiveness and a relationship with God when we place our faith in Him. Each week, make yourself available either before or after the session to speak privately with anyone in your group who wants to know more about becoming a Christian. See the article, Leading Someone to the Greatest Decision of All, on page 2 for guidance in leading a person to Christ. Remind group members that page 2 in the PSG offers guidance in how to become a Christian. Encourage believers to consider using this article as they have opportunities to lead others to Christ. 17

17 THE POINT Jesus is the promised Messiah. LIVE IT OUT 5 minutes DO: Emphasize The Point: Jesus is the promised Messiah. GUIDE: Review Live It Out (PSG, p. 18; see text to the right). Invite group members to think about which application speaks most to their needs. Emphasize that the same Jesus who came for us so long ago, is present with us today to empower us to live for Him. Wrap It Up GUIDE: Comment that no one is like Jesus. He is and forever will be there for you like no other. Jesus is that friend who stays closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24). He is a helper who is always found in times of trouble (Ps. 46:1). He is your Mediator, and your Master. He is your risen King. LIVE IT OUT Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior who came for all who place their faith in Him. Even though this good news may be very familiar to you, spend some time this week reading Isaiah 53:2-12 again. Meditate on selected portions that speak to you in a special way. Ask God to open your heart and mind to respond appropriately to the Savior who came for you. > > Test the water. Read and meditate on verses 5-6 this week. Consider your initial response. If you are a believer, thank God each day this week for the willing sacrifice Jesus made for you. If you have never turned in faith to Jesus, don t delay. Read the article on page 2 for guidance. > > Wade in. Review the entire passage. Note the verses that reference Jesus pain and rejection. Write these verses down. Pray about your own experiences with pain and/or rejection or those of someone close to you. Rest in the knowledge that Jesus knows just how you feel. Trust Him to help you endure. > > Dive deep. Adopt this reading plan: Monday (vv. 2-3); Tuesday (vv. 4-5); Wednesday (vv. 6-7); Thursday (vv. 8-9); Friday (vv ). Spend at least 20 minutes a day reading and praying over each passage. Write in a notebook how God speaks to you. Review your notes at the end of the week. Thank God for what he shows you. PRAY: Thank God for His promise to send His Only Son, Jesus, the Messiah, so that we might be saved from our sins. 18 Session 1

18 My Thoughts My Group's Prayer Requests Additional suggestions for specific groups (women, men, boomers, and singles) are available at BibleStudiesForLife.com/blog. And for free online training on how to lead a group visit MinistryGrid.com/web/BibleStudiesForLife. The Brother of Jesus He s the Messiah, no matter what anyone says. James froze in place: What? Even in the noise of the crowd, his mother spoke loud enough to be heard. He is the Messiah. I ve known that since before He was born. This was the final blow. You ve believed Him all along. Yes. His mother didn t break eye contact. Even when I wanted to doubt Him, to protect Him, I believed To continue reading The Brother of Jesus from Home Life magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles, and enter the article title in the search bar. Or use your smartphone to access the article directly by scanning the QR code. 19