Dig Deeper

1. Looking back at your notes from this week’s message, was there anything that particularly caught your attention or challenged you?

2.Memory verse:God says, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:18-19, NLT). In what way can this verse impact how you live withChrist?

3.What is the best Christmas you have ever experienced? Why? The worst Christmas ever?

Read Romans 11:33-36

4.What stands out for you in these verses? Why?

Do you have any specific questions concerning these verses?

5.List at least five of the ways God is described in Romans 11:33-35.

6.What comes to your mind when you think about “the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God”?

7.Discuss the following quotes about God’s wisdom:

“In the Holy Scriptures wisdom, when used of God and good men, always carries a strong moral connotation. It is conceived as being pure, loving, and good.… Wisdom, among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means. It sees the end from the beginning, so there can be no need to guess or conjecture. Wisdom sees everything in focus, each in proper relation to all, and is thus able to work toward predestined goals with flawless precision.”A. W. Tozer

“Wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it. Wisdom is, in fact, the practical side of moral goodness. As such, it is found in its fullness only in God. He alone is naturally and entirely and invariable wise.” J. I. Packer

What do the following verses say about knowledge and wisdom:

  • Isaiah 40:28
  • Psalm 147:5
  • Hebrews 4:13
  • Proverbs 15:3
  • Job 11:7-9, 12:13
  • Isaiah 40:28, 55:8-9
  • Colossians 2:3

7.Every gift we have is from the gracious bounty of the riches of God. He is the source of all things. He is the sustainer. And all exists for his purpose and pleasure. It is when we lift our eyes to this view of God that we can say, “Here I am to worship” and with Paul, “To him be the glory forever! Amen.” Take time right now to worship God because “His ways are not our ways.”

Read Romans 12:1-3 as a reminder of what worship “includes”.

(extra if time) His wisdom can be ours: James 1:5, 3:17, Proverbs 2:6, 3:13-17, Psalm 119:98-100

MAKE IT PERSONAL

Discuss one of the Personal Journey Challenges that you will apply this week.

PRAYER REQUESTS

awaken a new joy of God’s great love

1. Take time to reflect on and memorize:“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:18-19, NLT).Allow God to use this verse to impact how you react or respond to others this week.

2. The true beginning of wisdom and knowledge is entering into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If you have never trusted Christ as your savior, or if you are unsure of you standing before God, all you need to do is admit that you are a sinner (Romans 3:9-10, 23) and cannot save yourself (Acts 4:12). Acknowledge that Jesus came to earth to die on the cross for you sin (Romans 5:8), and put your faith in Him alone to save you. Ask Him to save you today (Romans 10:13), receive Jesus as your Savior (John 1:12). Tell someone (Pastor or Christ-follower) if you make this decision.

3.Whose wisdom are you trusting in? Your own? Some self-help book? Your circumstances? Another person whose knowledge is limited and whose judgments are fallible? Or are you trusting in God and in His perfect wisdom? Follow James instruction: “But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to all people, so he will give you wisdom.But when you ask God, you must believe and not doubt” (James 1:5-6).

awaken a new joy of God’s great love

Experience the Miracle

The Miracle of the Method

Romans 11:33

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:18-19, NLT).

God’s Methods Surpass Us

God’s Methods Include Us

God’s Methods Lead Us to Worship

God’s Methods Change Us

awaken a new joy of God’s great love