Speak up!

Week 25: Discovering the Character of God through Thomas

25.1 Invite the group to quickly look over a complex math equation and assess whether it's possible to solve eg:

(12x + 3y)² = (7x/5) - 4x³ + xy(3x5y) + x(2x(2x-y)) + xy + 3

When they (hopefully!) realise that it isn't easy, offer them the value of x/y (just the offer is sufficient to make the point!) to help. Sometimes life can be like this: seemingly confusing until we ask for help or it is offered. From the little that we know of him, we can discover that Thomas lived his life in much this manner; often confused or cautious, but unafraid to request clarification.

25.2 Invite the group to picture the following scene:

After three years together, Jesus and His disciples are eating their final meal together, though the disciples do not know it. This is the night Jesus will be betrayed; the night before He will dies. The men with Him have witnessed incredible events: the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the dead live. During the last three years, Jesus has spoken often of the Kingdom and now, over dinner, He talks of His death. He has spent the last hour ('chapter') or so speaking of how they must serve one another, how He will be betrayed and, now, that He is to leave them. Finally, He says that 'after He goes, He will return to take His disciples with Him.'

It is here that Thomas interjects with one of his rarely documented outbursts. Read John 14:1-6. You would think that, after three years of following Jesus, His followers would have a full understanding of everything He says but, here, Thomas shows that there is still much to be confused about.

Return briefly to the math equation and consider it in a classroom setting; there, there are those of us who, in our confusion would simply ask for help. On the other hand are those who stay silent, fearing being thought stupid because 'we should know the answer'. In much the same way, we could be forgiven for thinking Thomas might opt to remain silent, given the amount of time he's previously spent with the Saviour. Instead, however, he is quick to speak up.

• If we were in Thomas' shoes, which would we do? Speak up, or not say a word?
• What can we learn of Jesus' nature from the way He responds to Thomas? (He does not criticise Thomas for asking for clarity)

God welcomes our questions - even if they seem silly or awkward to us. He longs for us to communicate with Him and for us to enjoy a sincere, intimate relationship with Him. Open, honest questions are a natural part of that relationship and He will not criticise us or push us away for asking them.

25.3 Rewind a few chapters and we'll see just how Thomas, once he has things clear in his mind, is unfazed by obstacles - even death.

Read John 11:7-16 and discuss the unfolding events, Thomas' words and his motivation.

We see in this brief exchange a surprise: having learned last week of Peter's strong faith and love for Jesus - and, of course, his habit of being quick to speak, slow to think - we could easily expect him to be the one ready to follow, and die with, his Master. Yet, here, it is Thomas speaking. His devotion and fearlessness are overflowing and reveal a valuable insight: Peter's love for Jesus wasn't unique. Anyone enjoying that 24/7 intimate relationship with Jesus could not help but love Him and be inspired to adoration, courage, faithfulness and fearlessness. Jesus manifests and matures these things within us.

25.4 Thomas' most infamous moment must, of course, be examined, for it teaches us much about Jesus. Read John 20:24-29.

Notice, first, that Thomas is not with the other ten disciples when Jesus appears to them. Discuss the implications of this (what we miss out on when we're not in fellowship).

Second thing to notice is Thomas' response. try to imagine why he was so determined not to believe the others' reports of Jesus' resurrection.

Finally, notice Jesus' reaction - and compare with last week's discussion of Jesus' response to Peter in John 21:15-19. Yet again, we discover the beautiful, astounding, character of Jesus: He doesn't condemn Thomas; He neither rejects nor punishes him; there is no demand for repentance for doubting. Instead, Jesus offers peace, shows patience and gently brings reassurance. With a single, simple command, He restores Thomas.


Week 25: Summary

For Thomas to have so little written about him, we can learn surprisingly much about Jesus through him...

• He invites questions
• He inspires love, devotion and courage
• He is patient with us
• He doesn't condemn us when we doubt
• He reassures us

One Foot in the... Mouth

Week 24: Discovering the Character of God through Simon Peter

24.1 Invite the group to share times when they've 'put their foot in it'. I.E: having said or done something without thinking it through first.

• Did they regret it?
• Wiish they could have retracted it?
• Did they learn from it?

This week's study focuses on someone who was a master of speaking first, thinking second, regretting third and learning from it... after doing it a few more times: Peter.

Enquire if the group know anything of him and, if so, to share.
*Likely that the 'walking on water' will be mentioned, as, probably, will be Peter's denial. In both instances, invite those who volunteer these to turn up the passages for later use (Matt 14:25-32 and Luke 22:54-62, respectively).

24.2 Just as with our own lives, there is far more to Peter than these incidents and, through them all, we learn a lot about God. In fact, we see through all of Peter's mess-ups a whole lot about God's grace. Through this ordinary man, we discover an extraordinary God.

Read Mark 1:16-18 and Luke 5:4-8 to see - and discuss - just how ordinary Simon Peter was. Go on to discuss what these brief passages show us of God's nature (clue: doesn't look for perfect people!).

24.3 Read the passage bookmarked earlier of Peter's 'walk on the wet side' in Matthew 14:25-32.

• Invite the group to imagine themselves in this situation. Where would they place themselves in the story?
• Zoom in on Peter for a moment; why was it that he began to sink? What about Jesus' response: why didn't He help sooner?
• Notice that He goes straight to the heart: 'Your faith is small.' What would they imagine Peter might have replied?

24.4 Peter always seemed to have one foot lodged securely in his mouth, but his heart was usually in the right place. Read Matt 16:13-23 and Matt 17:1-7. Within 6 days, he goes from having it so right to being so wrong before settling somewhere in the middle.

Break this period and passage into the three stages and discuss each. If the group is large enough, split into three groups to deal with each section. In each case, look for one thing to learn about Peter's nature (see if they can see how we might identify) and 2 things about God.

24.5 Perhaps Simon Peter's most infamous moment came on the passover night where he denied all knowledge of Jesus - however, many don't even realise that the 'story' doesn't end there. Read Luke 22:54-62 (bookmarked earlier). Again, put ourselves in Peter's shoes: would we really fare any better?

Move forward in our imaginings: if we had been the ones denying Jesus, and then He came back from the dead, what reaction would we expect to receive from Him?

Go on to read John 21:15-19. Note that Jesus neither judges nor condemns; nor does he demand repentance or reject Peter based on his actions. No, Jesus' overriding concern is how Peter would respond to the bigger question: 'do you truly love me?' Jesus knew that repentance and changed lives follow from a 'true love' for Him. He also knew that Peter had spent long enough beating himself up over what he'd said; now, the key was to focus on loving Jesus instead of dwelling on the mistakes of the past, so that God would be able to use him.


Week 24: Summary
Peter is perhaps one of the figures of the Bible who we can most closely identify with. We, too, spend most of our lives with one foot firmly in mouth; we, too, can start out with bold, secure faith yet in the next moment our circumstances can come crashing around us and draw our attention from the Saviour. Yet, there is hope. Jesus questions us in that same, gentle manner as He did, Peter; not condemning, but inviting sincerity and a fresh start based on our reply to his question: 'Do you truly love me?'

Various characteristics discovered of God's character this week include:

• He uses ordinary people and gives them purpose
• He invites us to trust Him but won't do everything for us
• He restores us
• He doesn't condemn us
  

The Final Signpost

Week 23: Discovering the Character of God through John The Baptist

23.1 Pose two questions to the group for their thoughts and discussion:

• How do they think they'll be remembered? What might people say about them?
• How do they want to be remembered? What do they want people to say about them?

This week, we're studying God's character through John the Baptist and what better way to begin than by looking at what Jesus had to say about him? As a group, read Matt 11:7-11. Discuss the implications of verse 11a: John is greater than Moses, Jacob, Abraham... everyone the Jews had ever held in high esteem and considered their route to God, Jesus was now saying John surpassed them all. In a moment, we'll see what it is that sets him apart but for now let the thought linger in the background!

23.2 As a group, read John 1:19-37. Part of what made John unique lies not only in what Jesus said about him, but in what he said of himself. Invite the group to share and discuss John's replies when questioned about who he was; notice what he's more interested in drawing people's attention to (Jesus). So, on the one hand, we have Jesus saying: 'John the Baptist is greater than any other person ever born,' while, on the other, John says: 'Who I am doesn't matter - it's insignificant in light of who I point to. I'm just a signpost.' Invite the group to share their thoughts on the juxtaposition of these two statements: can they complement each other, or do they completely contradict each other?

The truth is that the smaller we make ourselves in our own eyes, the more God increases our worth in His eyes. Check out Matt 23:12; God requires - and blesses the humble.

23.3 John wasn't just humble; he was also honest and direct. This was as much (in fact, probably more so), the Holy Spirit within him as it was his nature. Read Luke 3:3-14 and discuss, as a group, these essence of John's message in this passage (faith accompanied by action).

Stress to the group that John is not saying 'Your acts are going to save you.' Ephesians 2:8-10 make it clear that we cannot earn salvation.

Drew McClure tells the story of a husband coming home to his wife one day with a bouquet of flowers. As he gives them to her, her face lights up, and she gets so excited: "What made you do this? I mean, it’s not my birthday, it’s not Christmas; it’s not Valentine’s Day. Why’d you bring these to me?" "Well, I heard that there's a manual somewhere that says that this is what husbands are supposed to do, so… here it is." Imagine how quickly those flowers would fall drop from her hands. How quickly would all the joy be taken from her? By contrast, imagine the same scene, with the husband, the flowers and all the questions only this time, the husband's reply is, "I just wanted to do something nice for you,'cause I love you."

The actions in our lives should be a response to God's love, grace and mercy... not an effort to earn them and this is John's point. John is saying (quite bluntly): our actions should be an outward indication of the change that has gone on inside of us. The fact that the Jews weren't living fruitful lives gave John reason to challenge their motives: were they willing to change their lives out of changed hearts, or were they simply there because they were worried that they were missing out?

23.4 Our last glimpse into John's life teach the consequences of being obedient and living that transformed life. Read Luke 3:19-20 and Mark 6:17-29. John's fearlessness in speaking the truths of God's Law offended people. But it didn't silence him; he was unafraid of man (compare Psalm 56:3-4). he was full of the Holy Spirit and willing to endure whatever price he must for the Gospel.

His ministry had a cost. All ministry has a cost. Jesus told his followers to 'take up their crosses' and later stated that 'the world would hate' them. God calls us to put the things - the fears and desires - of the flesh to death in following Him.

Can the group think of anything God has asked/may be asking them to sacrifice?

23.5 We end this week by returning to the question of what set John apart. Was it his fearlessness? His honesty and bluntness? His humility? No, it was something more.

All of the Old Testament prophets - in fact every person who had gone before - only knew God from a distance. He was a God who 'lived in a box'*, behind a curtain, that only priests could access. Now, God had become a man and John could literally point people to Him. Re-read John 1:36-37. John had the very first privilege of introducing people to intimate relationship with the Messiah. He was not just a signpost; he was the final signpost.
*Andrew Wilson (Mission:Worship '09)


Week 23: Summary
This week's study has been a deeply challenging one; moreso than any of our previous sessions and it is perhaps fitting. No longer can we look at God through the telescope of the Old Testament men and women; no, Jesus has come and, just like John: we are encouraged to get serious about knowing him. Some of these challenging characteristics of God include:

• God requires - and blesses - humility
• God wants our hearts, not our actions
• He calls us to a costly ministry

Expect the Unexpected

Week 22: Discovering the Character of God Through Mary (Mother of Jesus)

Coming Soon!