JESUS IS. FIND A NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN BY JUDAH SMITH LEADER S GUIDE
SESSION 1: SCANDALOUS GRACE WATCH THE DVD Play Session 1: Scandalous Grace Read aloud as a group the following Scripture passages before continuing on to discussion: Ephesians 2:8-9 Acts 15:11 Romans 11:6 GROUP DISCUSSION: 1. In Jesus story of the lost son, what is most surprising to you concerning the father s reaction to his son coming home? 2. Why would the father lift up his robe, not being concerned with cultural expectations, and run toward a son who had left him as he did? 3. Do you find this story to be scandalous, as Jesus audience did, wondering how someone could be rewarded for this kind of behavior, or is it more of a comforting, feel-good story? What does your answer tell you about how you feel about God s love for you? Leader s Note: Most, if not all, in your group will say that this story is comforting to them, that in no way do they find it scandalous. A good follow-up question to this answer would be: And yet we still get caught up in who deserves good to happen to them and who deserves bad things. Why is that?
4. How did Jesus three stories answer the question, why does Jesus hang out with bad people? 5. Can a perfect God be wrong for loving you just as you are? What is the hardest part for you to comprehend about this? 6. In what ways have you found yourself putting your ducks in a row before coming to God, whether in prayer, by going to church, or in some other way? 7. How does it feel to hear that Jesus is like a groupie, obsessed with you?
SESSION 2: FRIEND OF SINNERS WATCH THE DVD Play Session 2: Friend of Sinners Read aloud as a group the following Scripture passages before continuing on to discussion: Romans 5:6-8 Romans 3:9-12 John 7:3-38 GROUP DISCUSSION: 1. Who do you think was more surprised to hear Jesus invite himself over to Zacchaeus s house for dinner Zacchaeus or the crowd? Why? 2. What do you think must ve affected Zacchaeus more at dinner: whatever Jesus topic of discussion was or simply the love Jesus showed him? Why? 3. What ultimately changed Zacchaeus s life? Leader s Note: What ultimately changed Zacchaeus was the power of Jesus love and the truth of the gospel. So why do we tend to get caught up in fixing people s problems and sins instead of sharing the only thing that can truly change them Jesus? 4. What did Judah say makes us acceptable and right before God? 5. What trees have you climbed in your life, thinking you would get God s attention and be able to impress him?
6. Besides Jesus, in what have you found yourself putting your trust? 7. What can you do this week to turn more of your attention to Jesus?
SESSION 3: WITH YOU ALWAYS WATCH THE DVD Play Session 3: With You Always Read aloud as a group the following Scripture passages before continuing on to discussion: Psalm 23:4 John 16:33 Romans 5:1-5 GROUP DISCUSSION: 1. Have you ever been let down by someone who failed to live up to his or her promise? How does this affect how confident you are that Jesus will always follow through with his promise to be with you? 2. Can you relate to the confidence of Judah s son when he was walking through the school with his dad? How do you feel when you re with someone you know you can depend on for anything? 3. What other promise concerning his eternal presence did Jesus make to his followers? (Hint: What did he promise to send when he left this earth?) 4. What is difficult for you to understand about the Holy Spirit concerning who he is and what his role in your life should be? Leader s Note: The Holy Spirit is a tough concept to fully understand, if in fact anyone can even do so. Use this question as a basis to allow conversation about the Holy Spirit and his role in
our lives. Avoid theological debates and instead focus on his presence in our lives as the fulfillment of Jesus promise to always be with us. 5. Jesus told his disciples that it would be better when he was gone, because then we would have the Holy Spirit with us always. How is that better? 6. As Judah asks at the end of the video, how would your public life be different if you truly lived knowing Jesus is always with you? What about your private life?
SESSION 4: ALIVE TOGETHER WATCH THE DVD Play Session 4: Alive Together Read aloud as a group the following Scripture passages before continuing on to discussion: Genesis 4:6-7 Romans 3:10-18 John 11:25-26 GROUP DISCUSSION: 1. What does the quote Every man dies; but not every man truly lives mean to you? 2. How does sin keep us from being truly alive? 3. Judah says than no human being can be alive and alone, but instead we are alive and together? What does he mean? 4. What is the difference between accepting Jesus as a supplement and accepting him as a Savior? 5. How do we begin to lose true fulfillment and meaning in life when we allow what should be our secondary pursuits to become our primary concerns? Leader s Note: Since we are all guilty of allowing secondary pursuits to control our lives at times, a good follow-up question would be: If we know these secondary pursuits don t bring true fulfillment, why do we still get distracted chasing after them from time to time?
6. What does Judah mean when he says that Jesus is a new way to be human? 7. What should a life look like that has Jesus as the primary emphasis?
SESSION 5: ACCUSERS & ADVOCATES WATCH THE DVD Play Session 5: Accusers & Advocates Read aloud as a group the following Scripture passages before continuing on to discussion: Hebrews 7:23-28 1 John 4:17-18 Romans 5:1-2 GROUP DISCUSSION: 1. Discuss with the group any thoughts about what Jesus may have written in the sand for the mob about to stone the adulteresses to see. 2. How do you think the woman may have felt upon Jesus telling her that he was not there to stone her but to set her free? 3. How do we become no longer obligated to sin, as Judah described the adulteress to be? 4. In what ways can you relate to the adulteress about to be stoned? How can you relate to the ones about to stone her? 5. If you are truly honest with yourself, what sins in others lives often cause you to pick up stones? 6. What makes it difficult for you to be not an accuser but an advocate for those in your life who are doing something of which you may not approve?
7. How could you better assume the role of an advocate? Leader s Note: A transition needs to happen in people s minds during this discussion. Rather than seeing ourselves as good people who judge bad people, or even good people who pity bad people. We need to realize that we are bad people too. We are in the same place as the worst of sinners in need of God s grace.
SESSION 6: COUNT THE WAYS WATCH THE DVD Play Session 6: Count the Ways Read aloud as a group the following Scripture passages before continuing on to discussion: John 3:16 1 John 4:19 1 John 3:19-20 GROUP DISCUSSION: 1. Mary and Martha s first response upon Lazarus becoming so ill was to send for Jesus. Is he usually your first response in time of crisis? What other things or people might we turn to first? 2. How does it feel when you know that you are loved by someone? 3. Where outside of Jesus do we tend to look for love? Can any of them love us as he does? 4. Why should we be grateful that Jesus acts in our lives because of his love for us and not because of our love for him? 5. Judah says that in the heated moments of our lives, what should preoccupy our thoughts is Jesus and his love for us. But what other things seem to slip in and take precedence?
6. Take time now to consider all the ways God loves us, and share with the group. Leader s Note: Allow people time to express in concrete ways how God shows his love for us. Be prepared to prime the pump with one or two suggestions.
SESSION 7: WITH US AND FOR US WATCH THE DVD Play Session 7: With Us and for Us Read aloud as a group the following Scripture passages before continuing on to discussion: Jeremiah 29:11 Psalm 23:1-4 Romans 5:1-5 GROUP DISCUSSION: 1. As Judah asks in the video, why is Jesus with us? Why did he make the promise to always be with us and to send the Holy Spirit as part of that promise? 2. What does it mean that Jesus is for us? 3. As Judah says, if God is for us, then those who are against us should really be a minor issue. But why do we let the people and things coming against us become bigger obstacles than they really are? 4. Is it difficult for you to come boldly to God and ask him for things? Why or why not? Leader s Note: At this point in your study, hopefully your group is comfortable enough to be sharing more openly with one another. If that is the case, the entire group could benefit if someone volunteered to share about a time in his or her life when he or she went boldly to God to ask for something.
5. How have you seen God taking the most difficult experiences in your life and working them together for good? 6. How can tomorrow be different for you knowing that whatever it brings, Jesus is both with you and for you?
SESSION 8: LIVE LIKE YOU RE RIGHTEOUS WATCH THE DVD Play Session 8: Live Like You re Righteous Read aloud as a group the following Scripture passages before continuing on to discussion: Romans 5:18-19 Ephesians 4:17-24 Colossians 3:1 GROUP DISCUSSION: 1. Thinking of Judah s chocolate bunny analogy, what does a hollow faith look like? 2. In the 1 Corinthians passage Judah refers to, what did Paul say would be true if Jesus truly did not resurrect from the dead? What else would that mean if that were the case? 3. Judah refers to the Bible passage that says it s impossible to please God without faith. But in what other ways do we try to still please him? 4. What does it mean that we ve been transformed from the inside and given a new nature? Leader s Note: A possible follow-up question to this would be: How much of this depends on how we view ourselves? Meaning, in order for us to really have a new nature, do we each need to see ourselves as someone who has been changed from the inside out, or has a follower of Christ truly been changed no matter what he or she feels?
5. What does Judah mean when he says that we are no longer by definition sinners, when obviously we still all sin? 6. What does Judah mean when he says we should live from who Jesus made us, not for who Jesus wants us to be?