1. Which of the three points made the most impact on you and why? How do you plan to do respond to this?
  1. Have you ever tried doing things so that God will be more pleased with you? After listening to today’s message, what is your view about earning God’s favor? And how do plan to respond to this?
  1. Do you want to receive what the Gospel says about Jesus reaching down to you? Do you want to stop trusting in your good works to draw you near to God, and start trusting in Jesus alone for your salvation?

1.Thank God for reaching down to us to make a relationship with Him possible.

2.Pray for God to help us understand the difference between living under the Law and living under His grace and to help us to make the right choice about this every day.

3.Pray for an opportunity to share the Gospel with others.

Week 1: Jesus Came(Incarnation)

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1.What do you usually do during Holy Week? Why do you do them?

2.Do you know someone whom you would consider as hard to reach? What makes you say this?

3.Are there certain expectations that you find impossible to fulfill?

Holy Week is coming.For many people, this is a holiday: a time to go on vaca-/“staycation.” For others, it’s a“holy day”: a time for being extra good so that God will not be angry at their sins.

Or we can choose to be different by using Holy Week as a time for thinking about how we relate to God. And while the Holy Week is only for a few days, what we learn about here is for a lifetime.

  1. View 1: Working our way up

“For the law was given through Moses…” (John 1:17a)

Many people relate to God through what the Bible calls the “Old Law” or the “Law of Moses.” The Law works like a contract: there are terms to fulfill; if any of these is not met, the one with the shortcoming is penalized. The Law, therefore, demands a life of perfect obedience to all of God’s commands. And anyone who has ever tried to do this will realize that this is impossible, which is exactly the reason why God created the Law in the first place.

What are common examples of people relating to God under the Old Law? How does Galatians 3:10-11 describe living in this way?

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  1. View 2: Reaching down to us

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”(John 1:14, 16, 17)

The good news is that because God knew it’s impossible for us to be perfect, He made a way to make a relationship with Him possible: by reaching down to us through Jesus. He, who was himself God, became a humble human and lived among us. From Him we are able to live, not under God’s law, but under His grace, or undeserved favor or blessing.

How did Jesus save us from the Old Law according to Galatians 3:13? What are some common examples of living under God’s grace?

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  1. Our choice: Living in light or darkness

“He came to his own,and his own peopledid not receive him.But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11-13)

The view we choose becomes the life we live. Our rejection or acceptance of the Gospel message means that we live either in darkness or in the light, under a curse or under His grace and favor.

If people wish to receive Jesus in their lives, what do they need to do? Please read Romans 10:9.

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