Jesus Over Everything Week 1
Welcome to our first week of Jesus Over Everything! This will be a great series over the next 8 weeks before Christmas. I want to encourage you as leaders that you will have the opportunity now to see the impact of the same theme on each person over a period of time. Be listening to the Holy Spirit as to what He is trying to accomplish in your group. Discover through prayer what God is doing and jump on board with Him! Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”
1) After hearing the first message of the series from Pastor Josh, what do you remember most?
2) Was there anyone that you thought of during the message that made you think, “Wow! I really wish _________ was here to listen to this message”?
****For Leaders – I included Question 2 to encourage and create a sense of urgency in your Group to ponder who they should invite to the Jesus Over Everything series. The Holy Spirit could be giving them promptings to invite others
Focus Questions: Going Deeper Together
Read these excerpts from Col 1:15-17 about Jesus “…He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation…for through him God created everything…Everything was created through him and for him…and he holds all creation together.”
1) It can bring out positive or negative feelings when we personalize the idea that someone is “over” us. What kind of emotional response does it give to you?
2) In sharing the story of getting a ticket from the police in his own neighborhood, Pastor Josh personally shared how it revealed an area of his life where he was driving by his own set of rules because it was an area in close proximity to his home. After hearing Josh’s message is there an area of your life revealed to you where you are living by your own set of rules?
***It can feel like we are going deep here really fast here, but give people the option that they do not have to reveal their deepest secrets. Pastor Josh simply talked about rolling a stop sign in his neighborhood. Perhaps they have something similar they can share.
Pastor Josh shared how he liked to make pottery for no other use other than he enjoyed it. We see in excerpts from Isa 64:8 and Rev 4:11 it says, “O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand…Thou art worthy, O Lord…for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
1) How can knowing that you were specially formed and made for God’s good pleasure have an impact on your life?
Read Eph 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
1) How can knowing that you were specially formed and made to do good things that he planned have an impact on your life?
***For Leaders – These verses above about being designed for God’s good pleasure and being designed to do good things do not conflict with each other. You can share the example of a parent loving their children when they are born. Infants don’t do anything to receive a parent’s love other than they just exist as parents can’t stop loving and admiring them. Parents also want kids to do something with the gifts that they possess yet need to be discovered by each individual.
BONUS RELECTION AND QUESTION: Jesus is the source of creation and He made us. We are not our own idea! God also made with specific abilities and gifts as part of this process. In Romans 12:6 it says that “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well…” Jesus was “over” the decision of what gifts each of us should receive.
1) Have you enthusiastically embraced the gifts that God has given you? Or do you long for the gifts that someone else has?
***For Leaders – Be advised that some people may not have any idea of the gifts they possess which will cause you to pivot in explaining the value in knowing how God has gifted each of them.
Closing Moments
Take prayer requests and pray for one another. Before you pray, ask the question again if there is anyone that people feel they need to invite to the Jesus Over Everything series. Ask for names. Pray for those people by name as a Group that God would help them to be receptive to any invitations to church.