Leadership Packet Week of May 19, 2013 This week s Leadership Packet includes What Are You Afraid Of? DVD Week 5 o Can also be watched online at www.shadowmountain.org/fearvideos Leader s Notes Hot Sheet Bay Day Flyer www.shadowmountain.org/smallgroups 619.590.2122
5. Since death is not a destination but a journey, what do you look forward to when it comes to the actual final destination? (Remember Revelation 21:3-4.) What is your level of certainty that your final destination means being with God in Heaven? It will be interesting to see how thoughts and feelings change from question one to this question, especially after you look through the scriptures above. The second question, here, is included so that those who might not know Jesus can have an opportunity to come to know Him in your group. Bringing it Home 1. What we feel about a topic is often determined by what we think. Which of the Bible passages discussed today help you find a greater sense of peace and security when it comes to dying? Give group members a few moments to go back and look at the verses that you talked about earlier. Maybe give them a quiet moment or two to contemplate the reality of those verses. Then you could ask them something like, How does the truth of that verse change the way you feel about death and dying? How does it increase your peace and security? 2. Look back at the four reasons we no longer have to fear death. Which of these reasons is most compelling and reassuring for you? You will need to walk your group members back to that section of Dr. J s sermon in your notes ( The Fear of Death ) and let them look over the four reasons we no longer need to let the fear of death push us around. A potential follow up question- How does that truth bring you peace and reassurance? Final Thought- Leaders and hosts, this week we have a great opportunity to ask the people in our groups about their relationship with Jesus. We are praying that you have wisdom and courage to move toward this with your friends and family. Here are some follow-up questions that might help you with that: How do you feel about the different kinds of death? Have you ever heard of spiritual death or the second death? Are you all clear about how we escape spiritual death and the second death? Copyright 2013 by Shadow Mountain Ministries 2100 Greenfield Drive, El Cajon, CA 92019 www.shadowmountain.org/smallgroups 619.440.1802 Death: The Fear of Dying Selected Scripture May 19, 2013 Dr. David Jeremiah Sermon Notes I. The Fact of Death - Psalm 116:15 II. The Faces of Death A. Physical Death - James 2:26; Genesis 35:18; Ecclesiastes 12:7 B. Spiritual Death - Romans 6:23 C. Second Death - Revelation 20:13-15; John 11:25-26 III. The Fear of Death A. The prince of death has been defeated. - Hebrews 2:14-15 B. The power of death has been destroyed. - I Co. 15:55-57; Rev. 21:4 C. The process of death has been described. - Luke 16:19-31 D. The picture of death has been developed. - Psalm 23:4 Conclusion 1. Death is a journey, not a destination. - "Through the valley" 2. Death is a shadow, not a reality. - "The valley of the shadow" - John 11:25-26 3. Death is lonely, but you are never alone. - "You are with me." Psalm 46:1-2; 139:12; Hebrews 13:5 Small Group Questions Getting Started 1. Can you recall the time when you became aware of death as a reality of life? What led you to that awareness? This question allows your group members to connect to this topic personally. Most of us would prefer to keep this at arm s length, but that doesn t help us, especially when we are pushed around by fear. For me? Probably when we began to lose the family pets that we loved. But it really landed in my life when my grandfather died and then six months later my father died. The loss of my father was crushing because he rejected everything about my faith and belief in God. 2. It is common to soften the topic of death by the way we talk about it. What are some of the words or phrases we use to say that someone has died? Here are some I found online- Passed, in glory, called home, in a better place, expired, deceased, departed this earth, slipped away, in eternal peace, kicking the bucket, breathed his last, slipped into the silent night, went to his final reward, bought the farm, crossed over, etc Maybe a follow-up question is helpful here- Why do we prefer these euphemisms to the word died?
Digging Deeper 1. Death spares none. Does that thought ever cross your mind? What is your gut response to that phrase when you think about your life? How about when you think about friends and family that you love? So why this question? It gives us a gauge for how our group members feel about death; their own and the death of loved ones. Where are our group members starting when it comes to the topic of death? My answer? It doesn t cross my mind too much. But when it does, I often find myself thinking about when life is at it s best here on earth then I think that it is going to be light years better there in heaven. In rare moments I think about the death of my wife and I simply ask God to let me be the one to care for her in that time. I want to be the one serving her, instead of the other way around. 2. When you think about popular culture (i.e., news, media and entertainment) what would you say are some of the dominant views on death? What messages about death get communicated either subtly or overtly? I m certain that many of our people are influenced by pop culture s take on death and dying; and there are many views on it. Some are very mystical about it, right? They seem to view it as a different dimension, but still here on earth. It s kind of like our departed loved ones are here around us all the time, looking out for us. Others view it kind of like cosmic recycling; the circle of life and we will simply reconstitute somewhere else in that circle. The popular movie Ghost portrayed death as a place of either punishment for an evil life or reward for a good life. You might start out the discussion on this by asking, Where in popculture do we see the topic of death? Then it might be easier to break down the message. 3. We found out this week that the biblical writers weren t afraid of the idea of death. Look at the following verses again and talk about why death doesn t have to be terrifying for followers of Jesus. There is an application component with these verses later in the Bringing it Home section. You might want to have group members jot themselves notes on these so they can return to their thought later. Psalm 23:4 Death is not a solo experience. God, our Shepherd, is with us, bringing comfort and protection. Luke 16:22 This verse indicates the mode of travel in death for Lazarus: ANGELS! Many find great comfort in this. Luke 23:40-43 Describe a place that feels like paradise to you. Jesus told the criminal that he would be with Him in paradise the day they both died. Paradise!! 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 When we are out of the presence of our bodies, we are present with God. That very minute. Contemplate that truth for a while. Philippians 1:21-23 The apostle Paul talked about death as gain. We gain something in death; it s not a loss and it s not a step back. It was so appealing to Paul that he preferred it to life. Revelation 21:3-4 Simply one of my favorite verse on death: God will be with us, no more tears, no more sorrow, no more pain. All that is over, once and for all. 4. Before this week had you ever heard of the three kinds of death mentioned in the Bible? As a group, summarize the three different kinds of death that Pastor Jeremiah outlined. I provided a few proof texts for each of the separations listed below. No need to spend a lot of time in those verses, if your group members get this quickly. Physical death is separation from. James 2:26; Ecc. 12:7 Your body. When you die, who you are is separated from your body. Spiritual death is separation from. Romans 3:23, 6:23 Spiritual death is the separation of natural man from God. Our sin separates us from God. In this state one is alive physically, though dead spiritually. The second death is separation from. Revelation 20:13-15 The second death is permanent/eternal separation from God. Now read John 3:3-8, 1 Peter 1:23, and John 11:25-26, and talk about how it is possible to escape the second death. John 3:3-8- You have to come alive both physically and spiritually. Physical birth isn t enough. 1 Peter 1:23- The second birth (coming alive spiritually) is imperishable; it is eternal. John 11:25-26- Believing Jesus is who He says He is (God, the Son of God), frees us from spiritual death and the second death.
Week of May 19, 2013 Announcements for your Small Group: Love-in-a-Bag It s not too late to participate in the Love-in-a-Bag Service Project! Bags are still available at the Small Group Table. Just bring them back filled up with the list of items needed by Sunday, June 2. Mark Your Calendar: Small Group Ministry Bay Day - August 3 You are all invited to our Annual Small Group Ministry Bay Day, Saturday, August 3, 10 am - 3 pm at Crown Point. BBQ, Jumpee for the kids, Volleyball, and more! Invites included in this week s packet. Foundations in Leadership Training Are you thinking about leading your own small group? Small Group Training is offered year-round on Sunday mornings. And summer-time is a great time to jump in (especially if you re thinking of starting a new group during our all-church small group sign-ups in September). For more info, go to www.shadowmountain.org/smallgroups and click on Become a Leader or contact the Small Group Office at 619.590.2122. Angel Tree Camp: July 21 - July 26 The Prison Ministry is putting on a Summer Camp at Indian Hills Christian Camp for kids of parents who are incarcerated, July 21 - July 26. And they are in need of camp counselors. If you are interested, contact Tom Heyer at 619.590.2107 or tomheyer@mac.com. Mandatory training meeting: June 8, 9 am to 3 pm. Announcements for Leaders & Hosts: Going on break this summer? Wow - there are only 4 more weeks until the official Small Group summer break. To get ready for this time, could you let us know if you ll be breaking or staying open this summer? We ll want to have a list of open groups for those who express interest in joining a group over the summer. So, when you know, just let Jeanne know at jmjohnson@shadowmountain.org or 619.590.2122. Upcoming Dates SG Ministry's official summer break begins Sunday, June 16. SG Season Kick-off Event: Saturday, August 24, 2:30 pm SG Sign-up Campaign - Saturday/Sundays, September 14-15 & 21-22