Lifegroup Guide 12-13-21

by | Dec 10, 2021 | adult ministry, Church Wide, LifeGroup Guide

LIFEGROUPS: DISCUSSION GUIDE

Week of December 13, 2021 

SERIES: Advent: The Light Has Come   

TITLE: Week #2: Preparation and Peace 

Isaiah 40:3-5

Message Review: 

I hope you are having a great week and enjoying this Advent season! Below are the notes for Pastor Brian’s upcoming sermon “Preparation and Peace.” See you on Sunday! 

Introduction

  1. Advent is anticipating the coming of Jesus. This time of year, we celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem; the incarnation. 
  2. But his first coming always makes us think about his second coming. We are anticipating…When will he come again? 
  3. Isaiah gives us important work to do as we wait and anticipate his coming.  

#1: Preparation is the Work of Repentance and Faith. (40:3-4) 

  1. We understand that Isaiah is speaking to the people in a symbolic way. 
    1. There is a voice (a messenger) crying in the wilderness… prepare a way for the LORD.
      1. Prepare a highway for God.
      2.  Lift up the valleys and make the mountains low.
      3. Make the uneven ground level and the rough places plane.
    2. Does God need a straight path to navigate the wilderness? No…
  2. Psalm 68:4 ESV “Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him!”
  3. Isaiah is telling the people to prepare for their lives for the coming of the Lord.
  4. Matthew 3:1-3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
  5. This preparation (leveling mountains and cutting straight paths) is repentance. Faith is believing that He will come. 

#2: Prepare Because We Shall See the Glory of the LORD (40:5) 

  1. This is obviously prophecy concerning the second coming of Jesus. 
    1. The first coming was his birth in Bethlehem. The incarnation or infleshing of God in Christ. Jesus being fully God and fully human. 
  2. Jesus himself talks about His second coming which Isaiah tells us to prepare for…
    1. Matthew 24:27 ESV “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
    2. Matthew 24:37-39 ESV “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
    3. Luke 12:36 ESV “…and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.”

#3: Proper Preparation Leads Us to Peace in Christ 

  1. A life of repentance and faith in Christ really will give us peace – both as we live today awaiting his second coming and as we meet him face to face in judgement.
  2. A lot of people think they are doing all the right things to prepare and to have peace with God, but they are actually chasing hell. This makes Jesus weep.
    1. Consider 1st century Jerusalem: (Religiosity but not relationship)
      1. Luke 19:42 ESV “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.’”
    2. Going through religious motions. Condemning those who were unclean. Hypocrisy and sacrifices. These were not the things that made for peace. Wrong preparation!!!
  3. Proper preparation is a lifetime of repentance and faith in Jesus. 
    1. The baby born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago is the Son of God, born of a virgin. He is fully God and fully man. He was crucified. He was resurrected. He is actively seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He really will return. 
    2. When we repent and turn to him in faith, he changes us and establishes us before God. 
      1. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 ESV “…so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”
  4. Jesus is our shalom. He is our peace.
  5. Luke 2 records a sky splitting moment when a multitude of angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem. The angels praised God at the birth of Jesus and said…
    1. Like 2:14 ESV “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”

Response

  1. How is your preparation and peace? 
  2. I often have to ask myself, “Is my life today characterized by repentance and faith?” 
    1. This is my preparation, and ultimately it is my faith in Jesus that brings me peace. 

ICEBREAKER QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION

How is God at work in and through your life? What is he teaching you during this Advent season? Begin your time together sharing God Moments from this past week, and how God is speaking to you as you journey through this time of anticipation as we prepare to celebrate his birth at Christmas. Also take some time to pray for one another and any requests that are mentioned. 

  1. What are the “God moments” from this past week?  How have you seen God at work that is unmistakably Him? 
    1. How has He been working not just in your life personally, but in the lives of your family (spouse, kids, grandkids)? 
  2. How did God speak to you through His Word this past week? 
    1. How are you hearing and obeying? 
  3. How can we specifically pray for you and others this week? 

Pray as a group – thanking God for how He is at work and asking Him to answer the requests that were mentioned. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Ask and discuss the following questions

Q: Read Isaiah 40:3-5. In these verses, who is Isaiah telling us is to come? (Hint: See Matthew 3:1-3). 

Q: What does the incarnation (God in flesh and blood) teach us about the character and nature of God? How can this bring us peace? 

Q: What kind of preparation work should we do as we await the second coming of Jesus?  

Q: How does Jesus speak about his second coming? Read Matthew 24:27, 37-40 and Luke 12:36. How can this help us prepare for this day? 

Q: How does a life of repentance and faith lead you to peace in Christ? How have you experienced this in your life? 

Q: What does it mean to be like many in 1st century Jerusalem, choosing religiosity but not a relationship with Jesus? How could we fall into this same way of living? 

Q: What are you most excited about when it comes to the return of Jesus?

Q: How should this influence how you are living this Advent season?   

WRAP-UP

A life of repentance and faith in Christ really will give us peace – both as we live today awaiting his second coming. How is your preparation and peace? 

Let’s discuss a few more questions as we end out time and look to living out what God has spoken to us this week. 

  1. What did you hear? 
    1. What is your one “take-away” from this week? How did God speak specifically to you through this week’s passage and study? 
  2. What do you think? 
    1. How did this passage and study affirm, challenge, or change the way you think about God and the truths shared? 
  3. What will you do? 
    1. What is your next step? How will you take the truth of God’s Word and apply it to your life this week?   

Pray for any needs that were shared. Pray for the families represented in the group. Pray that the peace of Christ will permeate the families in your group in powerful and tangible ways this next week! 

SCRIPTURES FROM THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE: 

  • Isaiah 40:3-5, Psalm 68:4, Matthew 3:1-3, Matthew 24:27 & 37-39, Luke 12:36, Luke 19:42, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, Luke 2:14   

UPCOMING MESSAGES: 

  • Next Series: “Advent: The Light Has Come” 
    • December 12th: “Peace” 
    • December 19th: “Love” 
    • December 24th: “Joy”