Week 7 – Can I Know God Personally? | Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2019
Message Big Idea
The way to knowing God is not by striving and trying harder. It’s through knowing and following Jesus.
Scripture
Video
Ice Breaker
Growing up were you more of a rule breaker or a rule follower? Share a story from childhood that reflects that.
Opening Thought
What does it take to know someone? What does that mean? What might it mean to know God?
Video Discussion
- Watch the Curiosity Collective video. In what ways can you identify with any of the stories in The Curiosity Collective? What did you find intriguing or compelling?
- What might be some reasons people resist knowing God personally?
Bible Discussion
- Read or listen to Romans 3:9-24. What details stand out to you about this passage?
- What is the author, Paul, saying about the character of humankind and the character of God?
Life Application
- Paul says everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. He’s saying we’ve all disrupted the harmony of the world and the lives of others and this falls outside of the glory of God and what he’s planned for us. Our response to sin is often one of the following: trying to be perfect, or trying to be good enough (trying to balance out the bad with the good and then God will accept us), or we give up trying. What tends to be your response to sin?
- To be justified meant to be “declared righteous,” which was a courtroom image of the judge finding in your favor and giving you the status of righteous. The term righteous can be understood in a relational sense “to be in a right relationship with God.” We are in a right relationship because of God’s grace and faithfulness. How is that different than the three responses to sin in question 5?
- What are some ways you can be in a relationship with God? How does that work?
Challenge
All of us are in a different place in our relationship with God. Some of us have been walking with God a long time while others of us are maybe just exploring. What response do you have to our discussion tonight? One way we can respond to God’s grace is baptism. Another way is to live a life of connection to God through prayer. What ways would you like to continue exploring a relationship with God?
