Week 16 - The New Testament

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Fun Small Group Warm Up Question:

What is your favorite song?

New Testament

John 14 ~ John 15 ~ John 16 ~ John 17 ~ John 18

1.     Read John 14:6. Do other world religions lead to an eternal relationship with God? (see also 1 John 2:23) Read Acts 4:12. Do good works (our own name) bring someone to Heaven? (see also Ephesians 2:8–9) Why are these verses so important today?

2.     Jesus says in John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  What does He mean by this?  Why would a true love of God be evidenced by obedience?  Why would a lack of love be evidenced by disobedience to God’s commands (John 14:24)?

3.     What does it mean to “abide” in Jesus (John 15)?  How can we better “abide” in Jesus on a daily basis?  What ways does Satan, the world, and our flesh come against our “abiding”?

4.     What verse stands out to you in John 15? Why?

5.     How does Jesus’ teachings serve “to keep you from falling away”? (John 16:1)

6.     What is some of the work of the Holy Spirit? (John 16:8-14)?  How does the Spirit serve as Helper through this work?  How should our awareness to His work change our prayer lives?

7.     Where do we find peace? Where do we find trouble? How do we have hope? (John 16:33)

8.     How is John 17:3 a definition of “eternal life”?

9.     How do you pray generically for larger groups of people?  How do you pray differently for a family member than you pray for a stranger?  Why does Jesus say He is praying for His followers and not the whole world? (John 17:9) If Jesus loves the whole world (John 3:16) how is His love for you even better?  When you read that this is Jesus’ prayer for you (see John 17:20), how that affect you?

10.  What is one of the main things Jesus is praying for His followers? (John 17:21) Why is this so difficult to achieve? In marriage? Families? Workplaces? Churches?  Why is this so important (John 17:23)?

11.  When you hear someone’s name, what comes to mind?  When someone hears your name, what do you want to come to mind?  What does Jesus mean when He says that “I have made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known”? (John 17:26). How is that our purpose as well?

12.  When Jesus steps forwards into His arrest and path towards the cross, God says He does it “knowing all that would happen to Him” (John 18:4).  How does that help you to see the love that Jesus has for you?

13.  Peter goes quickly from fighting for Jesus (John 18:10) to denying Jesus (John 18:17, 25, 27).  How is that a warning to us?  

14.  Luke 22:61 tells us that when Peter denied Jesus for the third time, “the Lord turned and looked at Peter.”  Peter’s immediate response to his failure was that “he broke down and wept” (Mark 14:72).  Later, in John 21, Peter enthusiastically returns to Jesus and enjoys His presence.  How are Peter’s responses different than Judas’?  What do Peter’s responses evidence? Provide?