Even Greater (Part 1): Prophet
TO START: As Easter approaches, the Even Greater sermon series seeks to answer the question: "Why is Jesus worthy of our celebration & imitation?" This series explores how Jesus fulfilled and transformed the three key roles through which God worked in the Old Testament—prophet, priest, and king.
In our first week, we discussed how Jesus is an even greater prophet than anyone who came before him. Those who are united with Jesus are invited to follow in his prophetic footsteps—listening to God’s words and sharing them with others.
READ: Deuteronomy 18:15-18
DISCUSS:
(1.) The purpose of the Even Greater series is to prepare ourselves for the Good News of Easter. What holiday or time of year do you typically prepare for the most? How have you prepared for Easter in the past?
(2.) Deuteronomy 18:15-18 states that the people requested a prophet, or a mediator, to listen to God on their behalf and speak His words to them. What instances can you think of in the stories of Moses and the stories of Jesus where they spent time listening to God or speaking what God had spoken?
(3.) Who or what are the top three voices or sources you spend the most time listening to based on the attention you give them in a given week (e.g., relationships, podcasts, shows, YouTube channels, news networks, musicians, etc.)?
(4.) This week's message clarified that a prophet hears God's words and then shares them with others for their encouragement and guidance. Which comes more naturally to you—listening to God’s words or speaking words of life to others?
(5.) Who do you sense God is asking you to listen to and speak words of truth to in your life?
BLESSING PRAYER:
To close small group, we invite you to continue the practice of blessing prayer together. Blessing prayer is the practice of bringing God’s heart and head down to someone in a moment of prayer. The model has three steps 1) Listen: take time to slow down and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us through words, images, Scriptures, etc. (seek God’s desires for this person) 2) Name: point to God’s character (name who God is) and then secondly, name the way God views that person or his people as a whole. 3) Bless: bless what God has done and is doing and ask for God to reveal anything He would like for you to boldly share over that person. This week, we invite you to to ask who would like to receive prayer then consider spending a few minutes in silence to start the prayer asking the Spirit to highlight specific words of life you are meant to pray over them (Scripture, a song, a characteristic of God, a way God delights in them, etc.)