The Gift of Grace – Bryan Lee
On this Christmas Sunday, Pastor Bryan Lee concludes the series "Christmas: The Season of Grace" with a message titled "The Gift of Grace" from Luke 2:14.
Receive the gift of God's grace, because it's for the undeserving.
1. God ________ grace to the undeserving
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth"
2. God is ________ in the undeserving
"peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
ICEBREAKER: What is one of your favourite Christmas memories?
1. Joseph is remarkable. Many details of his story were beyond his control, such as being uprooted due to Caesar’s decree, having a lowly status despite Davidic lineage, and caring for his supernaturally pregnant betrothed. Yet, he faithfully fulfilled his calling [Luke 2:4-5]. How do you account for his extraordinary character [cf. Matthew 1:18-25; 2:13-15; and 2:19-23]?
2. Every detail in the birth story of Jesus reeks of abject poverty [Luke 2:4-7]. Why did God the Father arrange for His Son to enter into the human race in such a humble fashion [cf. Isaiah 53:2-4; 2 Corinthians 8:9; and Philippians 2:5-8]?
3. Shepherds appear frequently throughout the Bible, and many of the great Old Testament saints tended flocks [cf. Abraham – Genesis 13:5-7; Jacob – Genesis 30:43; Moses – Exodus 3:1; and David – 1 Samuel 16:11]. Why do you think shepherds play such a significant role in the biblical story [cf. Genesis 48:15-16; 2 Samuel 5:1-2; Psalm 23:1; and Micah 5:2-5a]?
4. Why is fear such a common reaction when God’s glory bursts onto the stage of human history [Luke 2:9-10]? What does it say about God? What does it say about us [cf. Matthew 8:23-27; Matthew 28:5-10; and Mark 9:2-8]?
5. The angel’s message to the shepherds made at least six astonishing claims concerning the Baby lying in a Bethlehem manger [Luke 2:11]. What were these claims, and why were they crucial to our understanding of Jesus identity [cf. Matthew 16:16; John 20:28; and Hebrews 1:1-4]?
6. Angels play prominent roles in Jesus’ story [Luke 23:9-14]. What do you infer from their appearances and activities that encourages you today [cf. Acts 12:7-11; Hebrews 1:14; and Revelation 5:11-14]?
7. What did you find helpful or challenging about this Sunday’s message?
“So, God throws open the door of this world—and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable. Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. What religion ever had a god that wanted such intimacy with us that He came with such vulnerability to us? What God ever came so tender we could touch Him? So fragile that we could break Him? So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt? Only the One who loves you to death.”
Ann Voskamp
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- Dec 25, 2022The Gift of Grace – Bryan LeeThe Gift of Grace – Bryan LeeOn this Christmas Sunday, Pastor Bryan Lee concludes the series "Christmas: The Season of Grace" with a message titled "The Gift of Grace" from Luke 2:14.Receive the gift of God's grace, because it's for the undeserving.
1. God ________ grace to the undeserving
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth"
2. God is ________ in the undeserving
"peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
ICEBREAKER: What is one of your favourite Christmas memories?
1. Joseph is remarkable. Many details of his story were beyond his control, such as being uprooted due to Caesar’s decree, having a lowly status despite Davidic lineage, and caring for his supernaturally pregnant betrothed. Yet, he faithfully fulfilled his calling [Luke 2:4-5]. How do you account for his extraordinary character [cf. Matthew 1:18-25; 2:13-15; and 2:19-23]?
2. Every detail in the birth story of Jesus reeks of abject poverty [Luke 2:4-7]. Why did God the Father arrange for His Son to enter into the human race in such a humble fashion [cf. Isaiah 53:2-4; 2 Corinthians 8:9; and Philippians 2:5-8]?
3. Shepherds appear frequently throughout the Bible, and many of the great Old Testament saints tended flocks [cf. Abraham – Genesis 13:5-7; Jacob – Genesis 30:43; Moses – Exodus 3:1; and David – 1 Samuel 16:11]. Why do you think shepherds play such a significant role in the biblical story [cf. Genesis 48:15-16; 2 Samuel 5:1-2; Psalm 23:1; and Micah 5:2-5a]?
4. Why is fear such a common reaction when God’s glory bursts onto the stage of human history [Luke 2:9-10]? What does it say about God? What does it say about us [cf. Matthew 8:23-27; Matthew 28:5-10; and Mark 9:2-8]?
5. The angel’s message to the shepherds made at least six astonishing claims concerning the Baby lying in a Bethlehem manger [Luke 2:11]. What were these claims, and why were they crucial to our understanding of Jesus identity [cf. Matthew 16:16; John 20:28; and Hebrews 1:1-4]?
6. Angels play prominent roles in Jesus’ story [Luke 23:9-14]. What do you infer from their appearances and activities that encourages you today [cf. Acts 12:7-11; Hebrews 1:14; and Revelation 5:11-14]?
7. What did you find helpful or challenging about this Sunday’s message?
“So, God throws open the door of this world—and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable. Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. What religion ever had a god that wanted such intimacy with us that He came with such vulnerability to us? What God ever came so tender we could touch Him? So fragile that we could break Him? So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt? Only the One who loves you to death.”Ann Voskamp - Dec 18, 2022Gracious Words (Grace and Others) – Deric BartlettGracious Words (Grace and Others) – Deric BartlettThis week, Pastor Deric continues the Advent series "Christmas: The Season of Grace" with a message titled "Gracious Words (Grace and Truth)" from John 4:1-26.1. Grace overrules ______ (v. 1-10)“He had to pass through Samaria”
2. Grace ______ for and with ______ (v. 4-7)“Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water.”
3. Grace ______ spiritual ______ (v.15-21)“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.”
4. Grace ______ difficult ______ (v. 16-19)“Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
5. Grace ______ distracting ______ (v. 1-3; 19ff)“Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
6. Grace ______ Jesus (v. 25-26)The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
ICEBREAKER: What are you best at fixing?
1. It was not geographically necessary for Jesus to pass through Samaria [John 4:4], yet He chose to do so. Why was this decision remarkable considering the ancient animosity that existed between Jews and Samaritans? What do you learn from Jesus about breaking down barriers [cf. Acts 10:34-35; Romans 2:9-11; and James 2:1-13]?
2. What do you make of John’s observation that Jesus was “wearied” from his journey” in John 4:6? What does this indicate about Jesus’ humanity that He experienced fatigue from physical exertion just as we do [cf. Matthew 4:2; John 19:28; and Hebrews 2:17-18]?
3. Why did the Samaritan woman seem surprised when Jesus asked her for a drink [John 4:7-9]? What does the context reveal about her life circumstances? What was counter-cultural about Jesus’ actions [cf. Matthew 5:13-16; John 9:35-39; and Romans 12:16]?
4. Why is Jesus’ use of the thirst-quenching properties of water such a potent metaphor for sharing the good news about Him [John 4:10-15]? How can you use this approach with people today [cf. Isaiah 55:1-13; John 7:37-39; and Revelation 21:6]?
5. Jesus exposed the Samaritan woman’s deepest thirst – to be loved [John 4:16-18]. She was a moral mess, yet He treated her with gracious compassion. What does Jesus’ approach teach you about treating others with grace AND truth [cf. Acts 13:44-49; Acts 17:16-34; and Acts 24:24-25]?
6. It is astonishing that two of the Bible’s key verses about the nature of worship were privately uttered by Jesus to this lowly, broken, unnamed Samaritan woman [John 4:23-24]. According to this passage, what is worship, why is worship our primary responsibility, and how must it be offered [cf. Psalm 100:1-5; Isaiah 6:1-8; and Revelation 14:6-7]?
7. What did you find helpful or challenging about this Sunday’s message?
“Christ is not a reservoir but a spring. His life is continual, active, and ever-passing on with an outflow as necessary as its inflow. If we do not perpetually draw the fresh supply from the living Fountain, we shall either grow stagnant or empty. It is, therefore, not so much a perpetual fullness as a perpetual filling.”A. B. Simpson - Dec 12, 2022Grace and Truth – Deric BartlettGrace and Truth – Deric BartlettThis week, Pastor Deric continues the Advent series "Christmas: The Season of Grace" with a message titled "Grace and Truth" from John 1:14-18.1. Jesus is the ________ of grace & truth (v. 14)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”
2. We are witnesses of His ________ (v. 14-15)
“We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. “John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”
3. We are ________ of His grace & truth (v. 16-17)
“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.”
4. Grace & truth lead us into a deeper experience with the ________ (v. 18)
“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”ICEBREAKER: What card or board games do you like to play?
1. The Apostle John presents Jesus as the Word of God in John 1:1-5. What truths are recorded in these verses that reveal Jesus’ uniqueness [cf. Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:15-20; and Revelation 1:8]?
2. What do you observe about the ministry of John the Baptist in John 1:6-8 that motivates your witness about Jesus to the world [cf. John 5:33-35; John 15:27; and Acts 1:8]?
3. In John’s Gospel, the term “world” often refers to a system opposed to God. What did Jesus do for the world and how did it respond to Him in John 1:9-11 [cf. Isaiah 53:3; John 8:12; and Acts 13:44-51]?
4. What response was God looking for from people in the world [John 1:12]? What blessings come to those who receive and believe in Jesus? What is the basis for someone becoming a child of God according to John 1:13 [cf. Galatians 3:24-26; Ephesians 1:5; and Philippians 2:14-16]?
5. What difference does it make in your life to know that God became human and dwelt among sinful people during Christ’s earthly life [cf. John 1:14-18]? Also consider 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14-15; and Revelation 21:3-4 for further insights.
6. The Apostle John writes that Jesus was full of grace and truth [John 1:14, 17]. Why is this balance necessary to our salvation? Can you think of any other biblical examples where Jesus demonstrated both grace and truth [cf. John 3:1-15; John 4:1-30; and John 9:1-41]?
7. What did you find helpful or challenging about this Sunday’s message?
“A paradox is an apparent contradiction. Grace and truth aren’t really contradictory. Jesus didn’t switch on truth, then turn it off so He could switch on grace. Both are permanently switched on in Jesus. Both should be switched on in us… Truth without grace breeds a self-righteousness legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world from Christ. Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ. Attempts to “soften” the gospel by minimizing truth keep people from Jesus. Attempts to “toughen” the gospel by minimizing grace keep people from Jesus. It’s not enough for us to offer grace or truth. We must offer both.”Randy Alcorn - Dec 5, 2022Grace and Salvation – Deric BartlettGrace and Salvation – Deric BartlettThis week, Pastor Deric begins the Advent series "Christmas: The Season of Grace" with a messaged titled "Grace and Salvation" from selected passages.1. “Where are you?"
2. Call Him “Jesus” “Immanuel”
3. Grace brings salvation
ICEBREAKER: What was something courageous you personally witnessed someone do?
1. As you reflect on the fall of humanity into sin in Genesis 3:1-19, what do you learn from the process of temptation that helps you overcome it today [cf. Genesis 4:5-7; James 1:13-15; and 1 John 2:15-17]?
2. How does God respond both justly and mercifully in Genesis 3:8-24 [cf. Acts 10:42-43; Romans 5:12-21; and Romans 6:22-23]?
3. According to Matthew 1:20-21, what was the significance of Jesus’ identity, name, and mission [cf. Luke 2:11; John 1:29; and Acts 4:10-12]?
4. How can you use the meaning of the name “Immanuel” and the entire Christmas story to demonstrate that God is for us and desires to draw near to us [Matthew 1:22-23]? Also considering Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 57:15; and Isaiah 61:1-3.
5. How are believers to live considering God’s gift of grace [Titus 2:11-13]? Also consult Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 3:20-21; and 2 Timothy 1:8-10.
6. What did Jesus accomplish for us during His first coming 2000 years ago [cf. Titus 2:14]? Also examine 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7; and 1 Peter 1:18-23.
7. What did you find helpful or challenging about this Sunday’s message?
“The spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the difference in the world.” Stuart Briscoe
