Small Group Discussion Questions for November 20:

1) What is one thing that has struck you differently about Jesus during this sermon series?

2) In what way was Jesus resurrected body different than his previous body? In what way was it the same?

But look at his body. He appeared, not with a body like Lazarus’ body that had been raised from the dead, but a new kind of body. Jesus new resurrected body was able to pass through doors and walls and yet at the same time wasn’t just a wispy spirit thing but one that could eat, that you could touch, and one that would never die again. What this means for us is that the endless refrain of Genesis 5 – “and he died, and he died, and he died” – the endless refrain all through history, 1000s and 1000s of years, this chain of death is now broken! The claim of the resurrection of Christ is that here is someone who broke the chain of death by rising from the dead. Peter in his sermon in the Book of Acts says, “Death could not hold him.” And the picture there is that of a cosmic drama – this tug-o-war between the forces of death and evil and the power of God. Death was unable to hold Jesus down. The power of God overcame death and pulled Jesus free.

3) In what way can we look at death differently after Jesus’ resurrection than we could have before?

But Jesus is only the first fruits and we who trust Jesus will follow. We shall also rise from the dead. This moves everything beyond the merely academic to something very personal for each of us. Every shred of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is also evidence for our eventual resurrection. Because Jesus said very clearly in John 11:25: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live even thouigh he dies.” He said, “If the resurrection is true, then I can have confidence, based on the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection, that I someday will be resurrected as well”

4) Why do we no longer have to speculate about life beyond the grave?

Perhaps from history class you remember the Portugese explorer Vasco de Gama. He had this idea that you could sail to the far east by going around the bottom of Africa called the Cape of Storms. Actually other people of his day thought you could do it but no one had ever done it. A number of people had tried but no one ever came back to report it. So it was a good idea, but it was all speculation and a fair amount of evidence against it. But then Vasco de Gama finally did it. He sailed around the Cape of Storms to the far east and came back loaded down with all kinds of loot and now there was no denying it. And the name of the Cape of Storms at the bottom of Africa was changed to the Cape of Good Hope – and many others followed.

It is the same with death. We can speculate – guess – wonder about what happens beyond death. But Jesus went through death and actually came back to tell us about it much the way Vasco de Gama came back. What’s beyond death is no longer a question of guessing or speculation. Life beyond death is a sure and certain hope for the Christian because we will follow Jesus.

We think of the words of Job in chapter 19. Job, in the midst of his suffering is given an incredible vision into the future. He says, “For I know that my Redeemer lives”. Job knows he is going to die, that his skin is going to rot, but then he says, “And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another.” Job understands something of the physical resurrection of the body, that though his body will rot and turn to dust, one day he will rise and with his own eyes – not somebody else’s eyes – he will see the Lord whom he worships.

C.S. Lewis in his book Miracles speaking of the resurrection says, “He has forced open the door that had been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the king of death. Everything is different because he has done so.” This is the beginning of the new creation. So Jesus rose from the dead giving proof that his sacrifice for my sin is sufficient and giving certainty that we too shall rise from the dead.

5) Put the Great Commission into your own words.

The Great Commission is given in some form in all the Gospels and Acts as well. Undoubtedly the best known is Matthew 28:18f.______. John says it differently in his Gospel. John says “As the Father has sent me…I send you.” Here now is something new. All throughout the Gospel story it has been “Come to me – Follow me – believe on me”. And now we get here to the end and Jesus is saying something different. He is saying, “Having come to me, now go into the entire world. Go and make disciples. I send you out; I commission you to go out into the world, to all the nations.”

6) How do you see yourself as a “sent one”?

And the disciples didn’t get it. After Christmas we are going to see what a difficult time the disciples had in grasping this idea to go to all the nations. They could see fairly easily that they were to go to the Jews who were like them. But that’s not what God told them to do. God said to go to all the nations. That means the Gentiles – all kinds of people who were not like them. And they found that hard to do.

As we preach out of the Book of Acts after the new year, we are going to see that the Roman Empire that the early church was to go into was a pluralistic culture much like ours is today. It was a culture in which you could believe in your own religion and I could believe in mine. You didn’t impose yours on me and I wouldn’t impose mine on you. It was a very tolerant society. Polytheism – belief in many gods – is a very tolerant, philosophical system. But the Gospel doesn’t fit within polytheism. In the Gospel, Christ alone is Lord. He alone is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Christianity isn’t one more hat in a ring, but challenges the whole system of polytheism. The nations need to hear what the Gospel of Christ is, the grace of God that comes through Jesus Christ, that we can repent and believe and have eternal life.

So the Great Commission is saying it is not good just to believe these things are true and keep them under your hat or beside your bed on your nightstand. It’s just no good to believe these things are true and sit on it. We need to tell the world. Christianity by nature is a missionary religion. The word ‘mission’ or ‘missionary’ comes from the Latin ‘missio’ which means ‘to send’. The Christian is sent out to tell the world.

7) Pastor Dave has put before Redeemer an Acts 1:8 vision. Talk about this vision for our church and what it might mean for Redeemer’s future.

It’s a staggering command then, Matthew 28:19f____. After giving it, Jesus ascended back to the Father. Then 10 days later, the living, resurrected, ascended Jesus sends the Holy Spirit. And the Great Commission and Pentecost must always be seen as being tied together. Virtually every time in the Gospels where the Great Commission is given in any form, it’s also tied in some way to the fact that the Holy Spirit is coming to us and will be with us and will be in us. So Jesus sends us but promises to go with us through his Holy Spirit. He will be in us. We are given the commission, then told to wait for the Spirit of God to come to us. Acts 1:8 says _______. Here is a short outline to Christian history, right here in this version of the Great Commission: 1) Jerusalem – where they started, 2) all Judea and Samaria – out further north, and 3) to the ends of the earth. This is the same Acts 1:8 vision that is before our church.