What Child is This?: Son of God

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Family Meal Discussion

Greeting + Meal

Take the first 45 minutes to gather into the home, share some food, listen to each other.

Storytelling

Transition from the dining table to a more relaxed area, like the living room, if possible.

This weeks story to share:

*Taken from Luke, Matthew, Hebrews, & John

              We see through the story of the Bible how Jesus was not just fully man, but fully God. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the first big example of this when an angel appeared to her saying that she would be pregnant with the messiah:             
              Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.” The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. (Luke 1)

             As Jesus spent time with His disciples, he would confirm that He was God's son: 
             When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?”
             Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. (Matthew 16)

             Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words! (Hebrews 1)

              People would encourage their friends to come meet this Jesus. When Jesus saw a man named Nathanael coming up to him, Jesus was bragging of how great of an Israelite Nathanael was:             
              Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.” Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!” (John 1)

               Jesus had a moment of anger when he saw the temple look like a market:             
               When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength. 
               Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” That’s when his disciples remembered the Scripture, “Zeal for your house consumes me.” (John 2)

                 There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.”
                 Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.”  (John 3)

                  Jesus would share about how important it was to know that he was the Son of God:                       “If anyone hears what I am saying and doesn’t take it seriously, I don’t reject him. I didn’t come to reject the world; I came to save the world. But you need to know that whoever puts me off, refusing to take in what I’m saying, is willfully choosing rejection. The Word, the Word-made-flesh that I have spoken and that I am, that Word and no other is the last word.
                 I’m not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it. And I know exactly what his command produces: real and eternal life. That’s all I have to say. What the Father told me, I tell you.”  (John 12)

               Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.  (John 20)

3 Ways to Tell That Jesus is the Son of God:

  1. Jesus looks like Him
  2. Jesus acts like Him
  3. Jesus has His DNA

Closing + Goodbyes

Ask if anyone has additional thoughts or questions about the story or points. Close with an appropriate prayer time based on the faith level of those there tonight.


DNA Group Discussion

DISCOVER (PRE-WORK) Before and while you read these passages ask the Spirit of God to illuminate your heart and mind and bring conviction and clarity of his truth for your life. Take some time during your own personal study to read through these four key questions:

1. Who is God (what does this passage tell me about God’s character)?
2. What Has God Done (how do I see God’s character in action here)?
3. Who Am I (How does God’s character and action shape how I see myself)?
4. What Do I Do (if I believe 1-3 how would I respond and relate to others)?

Scripture: Luke 1, Matthew 16, Hebrews 1, John 1,2,3,12, and 20

QUESTION: What did you DISCOVER during your study?


NURTURE Confess out loud to one another areas of personal struggle or unbelief that the Spirit revealed during your personal study.

In light of this week’s sermon, consider these questions together:

  1. Does Jesus look like God?
  2. Does Jesus act like God?
  3. Does Jesus have God's DNA?

QUESTION: How will you REPENT and BELIEVE the gospel?

ACT In light of your time together, what steps will you take to act on your new discoveries and affirmed beliefs?

Consider these questions:

1. What is a tangible way that you can bear witness to the gospel in your school,

workplace or neighborhood this week?

2. How can you demonstrate God’s involvement in your life? How can you be more

aware of it and draw attention to it?

3. What does it look like to bear witness in the midst of adversity? What adversity are

you facing currently and how can you bear witness to God’s control?

4. Is there someone in your life that you think struggles with the secular narrative they

hear around them? Who are they and how can you bear witness to the greater reality of the transcendent God this week?

QUESTION: What will you DO and who will you TELL about what God has done?


 

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Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.