John 18:1-11
1. We began by talking about the background of this passage.
A: One of the more interesting aspects of the background is seen in v. 3.John notes that lanterns, torches, and weapons were brought. As Pastor Nate shared, were prepared for Jesus to attempt to flee. However we see in v. 4 that Jesus does not flee, but faces his betrayal. What does Jesus’ facing the situation rather than fleeing teach us about Jesus?
B: John finds it important to say that “Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him…” is made clear. Why is it important to understand that Jesus knew all that would happen?
2. We then talked about various aspects of Christ’s supremacy.
A: We started by talking about the chutzpah of Jesus, his courage & audacity in the moment. Why do intense moments reveal true character? What motivates Jesus’ courage in this moment?
B: We also talked about Jesus’ supreme authority in v. 4. Jesus asks the questions and directs the conversation. Pastor Nate said, “There is no panic with God, there is only the perfect plan of God.” Why is it so good to believe that Christ is in supreme authority & control in every moment of life? What keeps us from living like we believe that God is in authority of life?
C: Next we talked about Jesus’ supreme power in v. 5-6. God speaking is powerful in this passage & throughout the Bible (Gen. 1:1-4). How does believing that God’s Word is powerful motivate you to read the Bible? If there is a disconnect between believing God’s Word is powerful & consistent Bible reading…why is that?
D: In v. 7-9, we talked about Jesus’ supreme faithfulness. It was said, “We belong stay with Christ…not because of our faithfulness, which is fickle, but because of Christ’s faithfulness, which is firm.” If Jesus doesn’t lose any of his sheep, how does that bring security to salvation?
E: We ended by looking at the supreme obedience & love of Christ in v. 10-11. Christ takes the cup of wrath & judgement on our behalf. He does it out of obedience to the Father & love for us. How do love & obedience work together in the Christian life? What motivates your obedience in life?
F: We ended by thinking on the fact that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. READ 1 JOHN 4:10. What does it mean that Jesus is our propitiation? Why is this important & good news?