Assumptions
Wk2 THREE SERIES
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 (NIV)
WARM UP:What were you first told about where babies came from? How old were you when you learned the real story?
Christians often make a lot of wrong assumptions about who God is and what He is like because we were told, “This is the way things are” without examining God’s word to see if its true or not. Holding wrong assumptions about who God is and what He can be dangerous and costly because it takes us away from the reality of God’s intended purposes for our lives and it separates us from His loving guidance.
Question:Is it possible that you are holding onto some assumptions about God that are not based in truth? Is it possible that those assumptions might be hurting or holding you back in your spiritual journey?
Bible Study Section: John 14:15-31, John 15:7-16
- What motivated Nicodemus to come to Jesus (vv. 1-2)? Why do you think he came at night?
- Why do you think Jesus skipped over the “chit-chat” and started the conversation off by talking about being “born from above”? How does being “born from above” give new meaning to “born again”?
- What point was Jesus trying to make when he compared spiritual birth to the wind?
- If you believed you were getting to heaven because you were Jewish/Baptist, kept God’s law, and were a good person, how would Jesus’ requirement for heaven gone over with you?
From the Message:
- What wrong assumptions do people hold about what it takes to get into heaven? How do they line up with God’s word?
- What did you think when Pastor Steve told Pastor Danny that he had God in the box? What point was he trying to make?
- If someone is a Christian, how should their life be different than those who aren’t Christians?
- What do non-Christian think when we tell them that we have the Holy Spirit (GOD) living in us but they can’t see any evidence of His presence in the way we live?
This morning Pastor Steve quoted Luke 11:13 which says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
- If God gives the Holy Spirit to us at the moment of salvation, what was Jesus talking about?
- After that, Pastor Steve said,“When it comes to the Holy Spirit, the issue is not God’s willingness to give the Holy Spirit but our capacity to receive it.” If you want more of the Holy Spirit in your life, what needs to change first: your desire for Him or your capacity?
- What struck you the most from this morning’s message? Why that?
- What challenged you the most? What changes do you plan on making as a result?
Reflection and Prayer:
God want us to want what He wants to give.If the Holy Spirit has more to give us, how could we not want more? If we want to see more of the Holy Spirit in our lives, if we want to see lives changed, marriages healed, addictions broken, we have to increase our capacity. We have to make room. We have to surrender control and we have to ask for more.
Do you want more of the Holy Spirit in your life? Be honest with yourself. Have you asked God to increase your capacity?
Our God is not too small. Our capacity is. Ask God for a bigger box…