EMPTY Easter Sunday 4.5.2015

  1. As Pastor Mark opened his sermon, he identified many of the ways that we look for fulfillment only to be left unsatisfied and empty. Take some time as a group to share ways that you have looked for fulfillment in the wrong places.

2. Even though Jesus predicted his death and resurrection 9 times, the disciples and his closest followers did not understand it would happen. What are reasons you hear today from people on why they don’t believe in the resurrection of Christ? Share together several facts that we know about the resurrection based on Luke 24:1-12.

3. After the death of Jesus, the women bought spices and came to anoint His body, a sad but necessary task. It is obvious by their actions that the women were not expecting to find Jesus gone; resurrected. In Luke 24:5 two angels at the tomb ask the women, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” How do you approach the resurrection? Is your tendency towards skepticism, investigation or do you tend to believe?

4. For those of us that believe in Christ’s resurrection, we have a story to tell. The tomb is EMPTY, and because of that, our empty hearts can be filled with the hope of eternal life through Him. Take 3-5 minutes each to share with each other your story of faith. I once was… Now I am…. You might even want to have each group member write out the ‘Now I am’ section on a piece of paper and take a picture as a group to share on Facebook or Twitter and tag it with #CCCOmaha.

5. At the end of the Easter service we were asked to hold out our empty hands for God to fill. What may you be holding onto that is keeping you from accepting what God has for you? Is there an area in your life that you doubt God cares about? Maybe there is something you need God’s resurrection power to intervene and fill the emptiness in the situation. If you feel comfortable, share with your group. Spend time praying for one another and for belief that the power of Jesus is available for us today.

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 12

This is the end! We have reached the end of our study in Exodus and we have come full circle to the beginning. At the beginning of Exodus, God was "conspicuously absent" and unseen by the Israelites. At the end of Exodus, God is overtly present and seen by the Israelites as He tangibly occupies the Tabernacle. In the sacrifices designed to keep the Tabernacle clean, we have a beautiful picture of God's willingness to encounter our sin and brokeness and His plan to address it so that we aren't stuck there. In an even great way, Jesus' sacrifice cleanses us so that we can become God's dwelling place. God no longer occupies a location, but has moved in to make our hearts His dwelling place!

Schedule note: if your group is continuing beyond these 12 sessions, make sure that everyone knows what the plan is moving forward. If the group is ending, we recommend having one more time together to share a meal and to celebrate the things that God did in your lives and the connections that were made.

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 11

This session deals with one of the more infamous failures in the Exodus account - the golden calf incident. At first glance, this seems like a breaking of the first commandment (you shall have no other gods before me). But when we look more closely, we see that it is actually a breaking of the second commandment (do not make any graven images). The Israelites were not creating a false god as much as they were creating their own way to approach and worship the God that brought them out of Egypt. They corrupted the plan that God had given them and tried to make their own way. We encounter this today when we meet people who have created their own "belief system" that includes things other than God's teaching in the Bible. Or when someone decides that something can't be true because of their life experience (ex. there is no hell because my deceased family member did not believe in Jesus, so I choose not to believe that).

We also encounter this principle when we try to live our lives differently than the way God directs us. When we decide to sacrifice our integrity in order to get ahead in our career or get a better grade in the class. When we decide that the stress is too great and we can't trust God to resolve the situation or provide for the need. When we go our own way we corrupt ourselves and God must guide us back to His path (and that is sometimes a painful process!).

Correction: there is a mistake on page 112 in listing the same 3 set of verses from page 111. The correct verses for page 112 are John 14:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, and Hebrews 3:12-13

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 10

The "slave laws" in Exodus 21 can present difficulty for modern readers. Some see these laws as evidence that God is not the loving person that He claims to be. A loving God, after all, would forbid slaver rather than give rules to regulate it. While this modern perspective is understandable, there are two main problems with it. First, regulating something does not mean that God is endorsing that matter. The giving of regulations is a way for God to protect the vulnerable in the broken world they live in. Divorce is another example of this. Laws are given in Leviticus and Deuteronomy for divorce, but in Matthew 19, Jesus makes it clear that God does not approve of divorce. The laws were given because God knows that divorce is part of living in a broken and sinful world. The laws protect those involved and help prevent things (divorce, slaves, etc.) from getting worse.

The second problem is sometimes called "modern arrogance," meaning that we assume our understanding is automatically superior to an older one because we are modern. In this case, we see that our modern understanding of the word slavery does not fit the practice of those to whom the laws were given. As Dr. Smith points out in the video, we are wrong to insert our understanding of slavery into these verses.

Regardless of the exact meaning of the word slavery, we can, however, say with a fair degree of confidence that we will not need these laws to help us live our daily lives. So do we just skip over them? No! As Dr. Smith shows us, these laws are beautiful and valuable because they are a window into God's character and His love for all.

Schedule note: this is the week that the group needs to start the conversation regarding what will happen after the 12th session. Depending on how frequently the group has met, there may be time for another short study before the summer season hits. If it is close to the summer (June-August) CCC can provide a plan for the group to stay connected through these sporadic months. If you or the group do not want to continue, then celebrate what God has done through the Exodus study and the connections that were made.

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 9

This session is all about the Law. It will focus more on the laws in general than the specific laws in Exodus 22-23. In the video, Dr. Smith wants us to see that many of us have overlooked the legal sections of the Old Testament to our detriment. He reminds us that the laws are good and they are the inspired words of God. Dr. Smith also helps us understand a healthy perspective of the laws, how they matter to our lives today, and how being "in Christ" impacts the role of the law in our lives.

For those in your group (and maybe yourself!) who have always glossed over these sections, encourage them to intentionally study to discover God in the legal sections of the Old Testament.

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 8

The common understanding on "Don't take the name of the Lord in vain," is to not say "Oh, God!" or "Jesus, that hurts!" While this is part of the intent, Dr. Smith helps us see that it is much larger than that. In fact, we may be guilty of breaking this command more than we thought! Dr. Smith suggests that "taking the name of the Lord in vain" is more about how we represent His name to the world (we are God's treasured possession in session 7) and ways that we try to manipulate and control God. Has anyone ever been surprised to learn that you are a Christian based on your behavior? Have you ever been surprised that God didn't do what you wanted Him to do because "you did all the right things?" You were likely guilty of taking God's name in vain in that moment. Schedule note: if your group is meeting every week, this is the week that you need to start the conversation with the group regarding the ending or continuation of your group. As the host/leader, you need to have decided if you want to continue beyond the 12th session or not. If you do desire to continue, invite the group to join you for 6 more sessions and allow people to opt out if that is what they desire.

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 7

In Exodus 19:1-8, God invites the Israelites into a formal agreement to be His special people among all the nations. If they obey Him, they will be His "treasured possession." As Dr. Smith points out, it is important to note that this offer is made after God has rescued them from slavery. God has freed them and now He offers them a deeper relationship with Him. Similarly, God has already paid the price to forgive every person of their sins. The offer of that forgiveness is available to all, but God does not impose His forgiveness on anyone. He has made the special relationship possible, but we must choose to enter into that relationship. Many people struggle to think of their lives in terms of putting God on display to the broken world around them. Every interaction and situation is a chance to display God to others. In fact, the impact God makes in our lives is the one undeniable argument for the power of Jesus. Who can argue that Jesus isn't real when He has changed your life so dramatically? So...what is your life displaying about God these days?

Note: verse 4 is a great tie in with the part in session 3 about remembering what God has done

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 6

In this session the Israelites are confronted by a nagging enemy, the Amalekites. Moses sends out fighters and then goes to a nearby hilltop to pray for their victory. This is a great example of the power of intercession. Moses was not in the battle, but he was a key part of it nonetheless. His role in prayer support was actually the deciding factor (verse 11)! This dynamic shows us two things. First, sometimes God will fight the battle for us (like He did with the Egyptians) and other times we have to step up and fight the battle ourselves. We have to listen to God's prompting to know when He is telling us to wait and let Him take care of things and when He is telling us to contribute to the fight ourselves. Second, we must not underestimate the power in the work of intercession. Our prayers on someone's behalf (or theirs on our behalf) can make all the difference in our situation. When we find ourselves in a situation where we can't "do" anything to help (Moses was not of fighting age to join the battle), our prayers can be the most powerful force in their life.

Schedule note: if your group is continuing beyond these 6 sessions, make sure that everyone knows what the plan is moving forward. If the group is ending, we recommend having one more time together to share a meal and to celebrate the things that God did in your lives and the connections that were made

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 5

This session focuses in on God’s command to offer up every first born male (of both animals and people) to God. There are ways to redeem some of the first born and others that must be redeemed. What is God doing here? Why this focus on the first born? As Dr. Smith says in the video, there is a strong connection with the last plague that killed the first born males of the Egyptians. God is building into the life of the nation a way for them to remember what God had done in redeeming Israel out of slavery. But it is also a way for them to honor God with their “first-fruits.” They only have these first born animals and children because of what God did in rescuing them. As their nation grows in both numbers and prosperity, they are to give an offering from that growth as a way to honor and worship the LORD. At first glance, this seems like a pretty irrelevant set of commands for our lives. But when we consider the principles behind the commands, we find that they are extremely relevant. How are we remembering what God has done? Are we honoring and worshipping God through giving our “first-fruits” to Him?

Exodus Leaders Notes Session 4

Session 4In this session, the great show down between God and Pharaoh begins. God has given Pharaoh the ultimatum to let His people go. Pharaoh has rejected this. Now God begins the assault on Pharaoh's power as well as many of the Egyptian gods.

As we see in this passage, Pharaoh's response to each challenge is to harden his heart and reject God. He is blinded by his commitment to his gods and his own position as a deity to the Egyptians. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence of God's power, he clings to his gods and rejects the true God.

Some people in the group may wrestle with the thought that God actively hardened Pharaoh's heart throughout the plagues. This clashes with our perceptions of our free will and what we think God is "allowed" to do. Allow people to wrestle with this and don't feel that the issue needs to be solved in that discussion. Encourage them to lean into God and godly advisers as they continue to wrestle with the issue.

Schedule note: if your group is meeting every other week (i.e. twice a month), this is the week that you need to start the conversation with the group regarding the ending or continuation of your group. As the host/leader, you need to have decided if you want to continue beyond the 6th session or not. If you do desire to continue, invite the group to join you for 6 more sessions and allow people to opt out if that is what they desire. If you do not want to continue, inform the group of this and let them know that the group can either end or the CCC staff can help the group transition if someone is willing to step in and become the host/leader.