John 14:1-4 | “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”

Matthew 24:36-39  | “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.  “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Hebrews 9:28 | So also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

1. It is foretold that Jesus will return. Has this been fulfilled yet? When will it be?  
2. While no one knows exactly when  Jesus will return except for God the Father, what do we know the world will be like at that time? If you’re not sure, where could you go in the Bible to find out more? 
3. Jesus’ return will be a celebration for His people. Are you eagerly (excitedly) waiting for His return, like Hebrews describes? Why or why not?
4. Who in your life isn’t ready for Jesus’ return? Pray for them now and share Jesus with them today or this week! 

Ephesians 4:7-16 | However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.” (See Psalm 68:18) Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

1. Jesus left behind followers who would be called the Body of Christ or the church. What spiritual gifts did He leave for them? 
2. The gifts Jesus gave were foretold in the Old Testament and were left so that God’s followers would grow. How are these different from what we see in the Old Testament? 
3. Why is growing as a follower of God important?
4. What are you doing to grow in Christ? 
5. What gift have you been given and how are you using it?  

Isaiah 44:3b |  And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children.

John 16:7 | But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate [The Holy Spirit] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.

1. In the Old Testament and by Jesus to the disciples, it is foretold that who will come when Jesus ascends to Heaven? 

John 20:19-23 | That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

2. Why was Jesus sent by God? 
3. What does Jesus send His followers to do? 
4. Who does Jesus give His followers as a Helper? 

Acts 2:38 | Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

5. Who is given the Holy Spirit? When? 
6.  Do you have the Holy Spirit? How do you know? When/how have you experienced Him?

Psalm 110:1 | The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”

1 Peter 3:22 | Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.

Acts 7:54-56 | The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”

1. Psalm 110 foretells that Jesus is currently seated where? 
2. What is important about the right hand of God? [It is considered a place of _____]? 
3. Who sees Jesus in Heaven while facing death himself? 
4. Jesus will sit at God’s right hand until God “humbles His enemies,” according to Psalms. Who are God’s enemies? [Read Col. 1:21!] 
5. How will God’s enemies be humbled? These events are foretelling in Revelation, Daniel, and other books of the Bible. When will they be fulfilled?
6. When these events occur, will you be counted as God’s enemy or friend? How do you know?

Psalm 68:18 | When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the Lord God will live among us there.

Mark 16:19 | When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

Ephesians 4:8-10 | That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.” Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

1. What event is foretold in Psalm 68 and fulfilled in Mark 16? 
2. The ascension of Jesus to Heaven was witnessed by many and then recorded for us to account for the fulfillment of another foretelling. How do all of these moments strengthen your faith and point  to Jesus as the Promised Savior? 
3. What is Jesus doing in Heaven now? How do you know? 
4. How long will He stay there? 

Isaiah 53:4-6 | Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.


1. Who is Isaiah writing about?
2. What explanation does Isaiah give for the Savior’s undeserved death?

Gal 1:4 | Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.

3, When did God begin planning salvation through Jesus?

2 Cor. 5:21  | For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

4. As planned and foretold, Jesus bore our sins on the cross. Why was this needed for us to be able to be made right with God?

1 John 2:2 | He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

5. When Jesus died on the cross, did He pay for the sins of just those who would believe in Him or for the whole world, even those who would reject Him? Why?  

Psalm 16:10 | For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one  to rot in the grave.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 | I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

1. The Savior’s death and burial were foretold, but what important element was also foretold? (Hint- it’s why we celebrate Easter!)

Luke 24:5-7 | The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

2. Jesus had told people He would rise from the dead, but the women still showed up at the tomb the third day. Why do you think this is? 
3. How do you think seeing the empty tomb effected the faith of Jesus’ followers? 

Mark 16:5-7 | When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”

4. Jesus didn’t just disappear. He spent 40 more days with His followers. Why do  you think Jesus didn’t just go straight to Heaven? Why would He spend more time on Earth?
5. How are you celebrating Jesus’ resurrection today? How can you honor it each and every day?

Isaiah 53:9 | He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

Matthew 27:57-60 | As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left.

1. What details of Jesus’ burial are foretold in Isaiah? How are they fulfilled in Matthew 27? 
2. Why was the stone rolled in front of Jesus’ tomb and His tomb sealed? (Read Matthew 27:62-65 to find out!)
3. What do you think the three days that Jesus was buried were like for His followers? 
4. Knowing that Jesus’ tomb was sealed and guarded, what explanation is left for His body to be missing when His followers show up at the tomb 3 days later?
5. Why are these details about the Savior’s death/burial important? How important is Jesus’ resurrection to the Gospel? Why?


Additional Foretellings: 

• Lots cast for his clothes | Psalm 22:16-18 // John 19:23-24
• Offered Vinegar | Psalm 69:19-21 // Matthew 27:34
• His body didn’t see decay | Psalm 16:9-11 // Acts 2:31

Zechariah 12:10 | “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.

Psalm 34:20 | For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!

John 19:31-37 | It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.) These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and “They will look on the one they pierced.”

1. Two unique foretelling are made in the Old Testament about the body of the Savior when He is put to death. What are they?
2. How do we see these foretelling fulfilled in Jesus’ crucifixion? 
3. Zechariah mentions mourning for an only son. Who is this speaking about?
4. How is Jesus’ sacrifice cause for mourning (or sadness) and celebration? Do you feel both of these things when you think about Jesus’ gift? 
5. Spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ incredible sacrifice as Easter approaches. Offer God your praise in prayer, worship, journaling, and/or sharing what He has done with others! 

Isaiah 53:10-12 | But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Luke 23:32-33 | Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

1. Who was Jesus crucified with? 
2. Jesus died a death He did not deserve. How do we see that in the crucifixion? 
3. The men crucified with Jesus deserved their death, but what is told to one of the men because of his faith? (Read Luke 23:39-43 to find out)
4. What does this account teach you about God’s love, grace, and mercy? 
5. Is there anyone who cannot be saved? Is it ever too late for someone to receive salvation? 
6. Spend some time praying today for people in your life who still need to put their faith in Jesus. Invite them to Easter service this weekend! 

Isaiah 50:6 | I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.

Matthew 27:27-31 | Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters  and called out the entire regiment. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

Mark 14:65 | Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.

1. Isaiah foretold that the Savior wouldn’t fight back when mocked or spit on. What happens to Jesus before He is nailed to the cross that fulfills this prophecy?
2. Why didn’t Jesus fight back or punish the people who were hurting Him? 
3. Who in your life mistreats or hurts you? How can you offer love to them like Jesus would?


Psalm 22:7-8 | Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, “Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!”

Matthew 27:41-44 | The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.

4. What foretelling in Psalms 22 is fulfilled while Jesus hung on the cross? 
5. Why wouldn’t Jesus ask God or call for angels to rescue Him from the cross? 
6. Jesus willingly laid down His life for you. Thinking about all that He went through, how does this make you feel? How does your life show your gratitude?

Isaiah 53:7 | He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.

Mark 15:3-5 | Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise.

1. What does Isaiah foretell will happen when the Promised Savior is on trial for his life? 
2. How do we see Isaiah’s foretelling fulfilled through Jesus? 
3. Take some time to read through Jesus’ two trials in Mark 14:53-65 and Mark 15:1-15. What some things they tried to accuse Jesus of? 
4. Even in the face of false accusations or lies, Jesus was quiet. Why do you think that is? 
5. Is Jesus’ response a natural or normal one? Do you think there had been many people before or even after Jesus who faced lies during their trial without fighting back? How does this confirm Jesus as the Promised Savior?
6. Have people ever lied about you or falsely accused you of something? How did you respond? What can you learn from Jesus’ example?

Zechariah 11:12-13 | And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord.

Matthew 26:14-16 | Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

1. The value of the Savior’s betrayal was foretold. What was it? 
2. Today, the equivalent value of Judas’ payment is a few hundred dollars. Are you surprised Judas would betray Jesus for so little? Why or why not? 

Note- Judas would end up returning the payment in regret, which is also foretold in Zechariah. 

Psalm 41:9 | Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

John 13:18-30 | “I am not saying these things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfills the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’ I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I am the Messiah. I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.” Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!” The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table. Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, “Who’s he talking about?” So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. So Judas left at once, going out into the night.

3. Psalm foretells another detail of Jesus’ betrayal. When does the foretelling about sharing bread with His betrayer get fulfilled? 
4. Jesus knew Judas would betray Him. Why would He not try reject Judas as a disciple or try to change Judas’ mind? 
5. Why was Jesus deeply troubled? What would happen to him later that night and in the days following? 

Zechariah 9:9 | Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem  Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.

1. Zechariah was written about 500 years before Jesus’ birth. What does He foretell will happen? 
2. What three characteristics does Zechariah use to describe the Promised Savior?  
3. How do you see these three traits in Jesus?  

Matthew 21:1-11 | As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.” This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,  “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’” The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!” The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked. And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

4. God took great care to foretell and fulfill very specific details through the birth, life, and death of Jesus. Why do you think this is? 
5. Why are people celebrating Jesus?
6. This event takes place the week of Jesus’ death. How is it possible that the crowds go from celebrating Jesus to shouting for Him to be crucified? 
7. There’s no doubt that there were people in this crowd shouting praise who would later follow a different crowd and celebrate Jesus’ death. Do you struggle with following the crowd, proclaiming Jesus when others do, but hiding your faith when the crowd isn’t “Jesus-friendly?”

Isaiah 43:11 | I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior.

Isaiah 45:21b-22 | For there is no other God but me, a righteous God and Savior. There is none but me. Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other.

1. The Old Testament and New Testament both point to Salvation through who?  
2. How could the Old Testament point to salvation through Jesus when He hadn’t laid His life down on the cross yet?
3. Salvation was  offered in the Old Testament before Jesus. How did the way of salvation in the Old Testament reflect or point to Jesus?

John 14:6 | Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

4. How does Jesus provide the way to the Father? What keeps us from getting to God the Father on our own?

Acts 4:11-12 | For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

5. Why is Jesus the only way of salvation? What did He provide that no one else could?

Psalm 69:4a | Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head.

John 15:18 & 25 | “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. // This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’

1. Did Jesus do anything to deserve being hated? 
2. Why were people so offended by Jesus and his message?

Isaiah 53:3 | He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

4. What does it mean to be despised? 
5. What does it mean to be rejected?

Mark 6:1-3 | Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.

6. How do we see Jesus despised and rejected in this passage? What about in other places in Scripture?
7. Jesus teaches that people will hate you simply because they hated him. When have  you experienced being disliked or mistreated for your faith or values? Do you think people were rejecting you or God in you? Why? 
8. When you are mistreated or disliked, how do you respond? How do you think Jesus responded?

Isaiah 35:5-6 | And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.

1. Who is Isaiah writing about? 
2. Isaiah foretells that what types of miracles will happen? Can you think of examples of each of these happening through Jesus?

Matthew 11:2-6 | John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”

3. What question does John the Baptist ask Jesus? 
4. Jesus doesn’t answer with yes or no. Thinking about the passage from Isaiah, what is Jesus telling John? 
5. How did Jesus’ miracles throughout the New Testament prove who He was and why He had come? 

Isaiah 6:9-10 | And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’ Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.”

Matthew 13:10-15 | His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

1. Who are some people who heard Jesus’ teachings over and over again but never really understood them? 
2. The Bible foretold that some people wouldn’t understand Jesus’ teachings. Jesus said these people weren’t really listening to Him. Why do you think this is? 
3. What promise did Jesus make for those who did listen to His teaching? 
4. Think about yourself. When you read the Bible or are corrected by a parent, leader, or pastor’s sermon, do you have a hard heart that doesn’t want to hear or a heart that listens and tries to understand? 

Psalm 78:1-2 | O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past.

1. Is Psalm in the Old Testament or New? [Check your Bible’s table of contents if you’re not sure]. 
2. What major event marks the end of the Old Testament and start of the New? 
3. This verse is foretelling that Jesus would teach in parables. A parable is a story about everyday things that teaches something about Heavenly or spiritual things. Which of Jesus’ parables are you familiar with? 

Matthew 13:34-35 | Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables. This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet: “I will speak to you in parables. I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.”

4. For three years, Jesus spent a lot of time teaching. Thinking back to the parables you noted for question three, what are some spiritual or heavenly lessons Jesus taught during that time? 
5. Where can you find Jesus’ parables and teachings? [Jesus taught the people walking the Earth with Him then, but is still teaching us today!] 

Isaiah 61:1 | The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.

1. Isaiah was written 700 years before Jesus was born, but God led Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets to write about Jesus. Why do you think this is? 
2.  The story of Jesus unfolds throughout the Old Testament, long before God the Son is sent to Earth. What does this tell you about God’s plan?

Matthew 11:4-5 | Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”

3. What prophecy foretold in Isaiah 61:1 is fulfilled in this Matthew passage and throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry? 
4. Why did Jesus bring the good news and healing to the poor? Why didn’t He go straight to kings, leaders, and the rich?
5. What is the Good News? (Hint- the Good News is also known as the Gospel)
6. Is the Good News only for the poor? Why or why not and how do you know?  

Isaiah 35:4 | Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”

Luke 24:46-47 | And he [Jesus] said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations,  beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’

1. What foretelling were there about Jesus’ life and death? 
2. Jesus had the choice to go God’s way or to go His own? Where did going God’s way, or following God’s plan for His life lead Him? 
3. Why did Jesus choose to follow God’s plan, even though it cost Him so much? 
4. What plans does God have for you? How committed are you to God’s ways? 
5. Because Jesus obeyed God, salvation is promised for those who have repented. What does repentant mean? What does a repentant life look like?

1 Corinthians 12:12-14a | The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ [the church]. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

1. What makes someone part of the church or the body of Christ?  
2. How does someone receive the Holy Spirit? 

1 Corinthians 12:14b-18 | Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.

3. Which parts of the body of Christ are important? 
4. Is any one person in the body of Christ more or less important than another person? Why or why not?
5. Who decides which part of the body you are — or what gifts you have and the role you play in the church?

1 Corinthians 12:19-27 | How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

6. What gifts, talents, and abilities has God given you? 
7. We should use our gifts to serve God and others. How are you serving God/others by serving the body of Christ (the church)? How are you serving God/others as the body of Christ (outside of the church)? 

1st Peter 2:9 | But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

1. What purpose does God have for all His people? 
2. How are you showing people around you the goodness of God?
3. What is your own story of being called out of darkness into light?  Who can you share that with today? 

Matthew 28:19-20 | Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

4. How are you doing the work of the Great Commission- making and teaching disciples? If you are not, what needs to change?

Acts 1:8 | But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

5. Are you faithfully being a witness of God’s love and power everywhere you go? In what ways? 
6. Where or around who is it difficult bear witness of the gospel? Why? How will you tell these people about Jesus this week?

Acts 2:44-47 | And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

1. What example are we given by the early church for how we should take care of other believers?
2. How can meeting the needs of others in our body and in the community lead others following the Lord? 
3. What part are you playing in serving or meeting the needs of others in and through the church?

James 1:27 | Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

4. Who do you know that is in need? What is their need? How can you help meet that need right now? 
5. What needs are represented in your church or community? How can you partner with other believers to meet these needs?

1 Thessalonians 5:11 | So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

1. What does it mean to encourage someone? 
2. When have you been encouraged by another believer? How did it effect you? 
3. How can encouraging someone strengthen their faith (or trust in God)? 
3. Have you been encouraging other believers? Who is someone you can encourage today? (Do it!)

Hebrews 10:24 | Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

4. One way to help others want to love on and serve others is to do it together! Who is someone you can link arms with to serve and love on others together? (Reach out to them and put a plan together today!)  
5. Another way to encourage someone to love on and serve others is to help them recognize their own giftings and how to use them. What giftings and talents do you see in believers around you? Pray for God to show those people their giftings and ways to use their abilities to serve Him.  

Romans 15:14 | I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.

6. Sometimes we think it is the pastor’s job to teach the church. Romans 15:14 actually says what? 
7.  Who are you teaching or discipling? In other words, who are you helping grow stronger as a follower of Christ? In what ways? 
8. Who can you begin discipling in their faith?