Week 1: Re-Investigating Jesus

Week 1: Re-Investigating Jesus

“Why Take The Time?”

Our Personal Impression of Jesus & Christianity.
What first comes to mind when you hear the name Jesus?
What are your spiritual experiences/background?

Our Culture’s Impression of Jesus & Christianity.
Emperors acknowledge His greatness…quote from NapoleonBonaparte

“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”
Historians acknowledge His greatness…quote from H.G Wells
“I am a historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all of history.”

Claims Jesus Made About Himself
Jesus is about knowing God, not about keeping religious rulesRead John 17:3

“And this is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Jesus is only the way to get to GodRead John 14:6

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”

Jesus came to fully satisfyRead John 4:14; John 15:11

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Jesus says that the entire Bible points to HimRead John 5:39-40

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

Misconceptions of Christianity
Christianity is a religion with a list of rules to get to God
Following Christ will limit my joy
Do you feel this way when you think about Jesus and Christianity?

Next Week – “What is man’s position before God?”

Week 2: Re-Investigating Jesus

“What is man’s position before God?”

Last week Jesus made 4 claims . . .

Claim #1 Jesus is about knowing God… not about keeping religious rules

Claim #2 He is only way to get to God.

Claim #3 Jesus came to fully satisfy.

Claim #4 The entire Bible points to Jesus.

If you were to stand before God, and He asked “Why should I let you into heaven?” What would be your response?

Who is God?
In order understand our position before God we must look at who God is.

Read Exodus 34:6-7

God is:

What is man’s position before God according to the Bible?
Read Romans 3:10-18, 23

Which is the biblical view of mankind? “Good but messes up sometimes” or “Sinful by nature and have fallen short of God’s standard”
Read Ephesians 2:1-3
What does “dead in the sins in which you walked” mean? What does it mean that we are children of God’s wrath?
Read Isaiah 64:6
Why is man incapable of becoming right with God?
Misconception: We can reach God with our good works

Why does Jesus matter?
Read John 14:6 What makes Jesus the only way?

Read John 1:1,14 Who is “the Word”?
Read 1 Timothy 2:5 What does this say about who Jesus is?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:21 What man knew no sin?

Next week- “What Jesus has accomplished?”

Exodus 34:6-7 TheLordpassed before him and proclaimed,“TheLord, theLord, a God merciful andgracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfastlove and faithfulness,keeping steadfast love for thousands,forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, butwho will by no means clear the guilty,visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Romans 3:10-18as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one: no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.”

Ephesians 2: 1-3“And you weredead in the trespasses and sinsin which you once walked, following the course of this world, followingthe prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work inthe sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived inthe passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the bodyand the mind, andwere by naturechildren of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Isaiah 64:6 “All of us have become like one who is unclean,and all our righteousacts are like filthy rags”

John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”

John 1: 1, 14“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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.”

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

2 Corinthians 5:21: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Week 3: Re-Investigating Jesus

“What did Jesus accomplish?”

Recap- If you standing before the gates of heaven what would you say?

Review of man’s condition – good works aren’t enough!

Review - Why does Jesus matter?

Discussion question- On a scale of 1-10: How sure are you that God would let you into heaven? Explain your answer.

What had to happen for us to be right with God?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:21What is this verse saying?

Read 1 Corinthians 15:17What is this verse saying?

How are we saved?

Read Ephesians 2:8-9

What does this say about our Good works?

III. How did God express His love and compassion for us?

Read Titus 3:3-5

Why did God save us?

IV. How must someone enter the kingdom of God?

Read John 3:5-6 and John 1:12-13

What does Jesus mean by saying, “you must be born again”?

What does it mean to “believe” in this context?

What makes a person a “10”?

A born-again Christian believes and should be fully assured of their salvation.

This week…. Think about the truth that you are either a “0” or a “10”. There is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus.

Next week - “How do we respond to God’s Free Gift?”

2 Corinthians 5:21- God made him who had no sin to be sinfor us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Corinthians 15:17- And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Ephesians 2:8-9- 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9not by works, so that no one can boast.

Titus 3:3-5- At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit

John 3:5-6- Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

John 1:12-13- But to all who did receive him,who believed in his name,he gave the rightto becomechildren of God,whowere born,not of bloodnor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Week 4: Re-Investigating Jesus

“How do we respond to God’s Free Gift?”

What does it mean that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior

2. Counting the Cost: Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior

-ReadLuke 14:25-33 - What does it mean to count the cost?

-ReadMark 1:17-18 - How did these men respond to the challenge from Jesus?

-Read Philippians 3:7-9 - Why did Paul count everything as a loss?

-What will YOU have to lose and what will you gain if you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? (you can write it out on the space below)

LOSE GAIN

DO YOU WANT TO WANT TO ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR?

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?

Luke 14:25-33 - 25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Mark 1:17-18 - 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Philippians 3:7-9 - 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith