Mark 9:2-13
5 Major topics to hit in this passage:
1. The glory of Jesus
2. The fulfillment of the law and the prophets
3. Listen to Jesus
4. Jesus is enough
5. Come Down off the mountain
1. The Glory of Jesus (vs. 2-3)
-Jesus was fully God and fully man. How does that work? Why is that important? Why couldn't Jesus just be fully God? Or maybe just fully man? Why is it significant now that Jesus has been shown to have the glory or God? What does that do for his authority here on earth?
2. The fulfillment of the law and the prophets (vs. 4)
-Who was the celebrity when it came to authority in the biblical world up until this point? Moses. So why was is significant that Jesus come to fulfill the law (written by Moses?). Because the limited access to God was known blown open. That's a big deal!
-Who was the biggest celebrity when it came to the prophets? Elijah. So why was it significant that Jesus came to fulfill the words of the prophets? Because the people of God didn't have to wait any more! The one that was sufficient was here. The savior was here. The very presence of God was with them. That's a big deal!
How have these things changed then?
1. The prophets were the spokesmen of God to the people. What's different now that Jesus is here? Priesthood of the believer. We all have access to God now, not just a priest inside the temple at certain times. That's a great freedom!
2. The prophets demonstrated the power of God to help people believe in God. What's different now that Jesus left in Acts 1? Holy Spirit now dwells in each of us as believers. It's our responsibility to demonstrate the power and authority of God in order to point people to Him. That's a huge task!
3. The prophets talked about the future coming of Jesus. What's different now that Jesus came? It's our responsibility to tell people about not only when Jesus was here on earth, but also that he's coming back. That's an urgent mission!
3. Listen to Jesus
-I bet that every person in your rGroup knew all of those responsibilities listed in the list of 3 mentioned above. Why? Because you have heard them before. Now, here's another question: Are you doing them? If not, it's probably because you have heard them before, but just weren't listening. Listening leads to comprehension, which leads to learning, which leads to action! Go back up and list them again. Go over our responsibilities that God has entrusted us with. Listen so that you can apply them in your life!
-What are some of the best known commandments from God that we are most guilty of hearing instead of listening to? Telling others about Jesus, spending intense time in prayer and in the Word to know God more, being fishers of men, etc.
4. Jesus is enough
-Peter wanted the experience. Peter wanted the guy that wrote the book (Moses) and the most powerful communicator (Elijah). But God knew that he just needed Jesus. What is the 1 in your "Jesus + 1"equation? What are the things that are in your life that are keeping you from saying "Jesus (and Jesus alone) is enough?
5. Come down the mountain
-What has God taught you lately? What have you been studying in the Word? What do you think God has been saying to you lately? The follow-up question has to be, "Now what are you doing with it?" How are you taking what God has been teaching you and coming back down to your everyday life and applying it?
List out some of the main points your group has gotten out of the Jesus is... series. Now, write down some ideas on how your group can move forward and put those principles into practice. Come off of the mountain of Sunday morning and put into practice what God taught you on Monday!
-Maybe you can each write down 1 name that you are going to talk to this week about Jesus. Then next week when you get back together you can pull the names back out and talk about how those conversations went.
-Maybe you can go ahead and plan out the next service opportunity for the month of November so your group can "grab a corner of the mat" and get people to Jesus.
