Unlocking the Bible Story Study Guide Volume 3

by Colin Smith

Overview

Pastor Colin Smith's four-volume masterpiece moves you past Bible stories to understand the Bible as one story--the glorious, unbroken account of Christ's work to redeem a fallen world. With this accompanying Study Guide, you'll be able to make the journey even more rewarding. The Volume 3Study Guide matches the first volume of the book series, and will help you unlock the Bible Story from Matthew to Acts.

Unlocking the Bible Story Study Guides will help you:

• Focus you or your small group's study time to be as productive and rewarding as it can possibly be
• Enrich your understanding of the book and your comprehension of God's Word
• Apply the book's lessons in ways that will change your life forever

Once you've finished volume 3, volume 4 is highly recommended as it will complete your study in the New Testament--you or your small group could move through the entire New Testament by using volumes 3 and 4 in less than a year. And why not dive into the Old Testament study guides also by using volumes 1 and 2?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781575677972
Publisher:	Moody Publishers
Publication date:	03/01/2004
Series:	Unlocking: Bible Studies , #3
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	605,395
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

COLIN SMITH serves as senior pastor of The Orchard with six campuses across Chicagoland. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Colin received his Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Master of Philosophy from the London School of Theology. Colin is the author of several books including The Ten Greatest Struggles of Your Life. He can be heard daily on the Open the Bible radio broadcast and at openthebible.org and openthebible.org.uk. Colin and his wife, Karen, have two sons and five granddaughters.

Read an Excerpt

Unlocking the Bible Story Study Guide Volume 3

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By Colin S. Smith

Moody Publishers

Copyright © 2004 Colin S. Smith
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-57567-797-2

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CHAPTER 1

Fulfillment

Read MATTHEW 1

Who is Jesus and why did He come?

Launching

1. Who is someone you trust to fulfill any promise he or she makes to you? Why? ________________________________________________________________

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Exploring

God's "To Do List"

2. What are three key items on God's "to do list" that are reflected in Jesus' genealogy? ________________________________________________________________

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3. What is the status of each at the end of the Old Testament? How did Jesus fulfill each of them? ________________________________________________________________

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Getting God's To Do List Done

4. How does the fact that Jesus' fulfilled prophesies written hundreds of years before His birth affect your view of Him? If non-Christians you know were informed about these prophecies, how do you think they would respond?

5. Which of the fulfilled prophesies do you find particularly amazing? Why? ________________________________________________________________

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The Portrait on a Different Wall

6. How would you respond to someone who said that Jesus was just one of many great religious leaders? ________________________________________________________________

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Getting Our To Do List Done

7. How did Jesus fulfill the Law through ...

a. His life? _____________________________________________________________

b. His death? ____________________________________________________________

c. His people? ___________________________________________________________

A New Desire and a New Direction

8. Read Romans 8:3–4. How is Jesus able to bring us into righteous living where the Law was unable to? How have you experienced this in your life? ________________________________________________________________

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Applying

9. What have you found increases your hunger and thirst for righteousness? What quenches it? In light of this, what can you do this week to fuel your hunger and thirst for righteousness?

10. What would you say to someone who was trying to justify himself (or herself) before God by being moral? How can Christians fall into this trap? ________________________________________________________________

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CHAPTER 2

Repentance

Read MATTHEW 3

What does it mean to repent?

Launching

1. What thoughts or images come to mind when you think of the word repent? ________________________________________________________________

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Exploring

Time for a Change

2. Suppose someone told you she attended a Billy Graham concert and went forward at the altar call to be saved. If her lifestyle remain unchanged, how would you question her concept of salvation? What advice would you give her? ________________________________________________________________

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A Change of Direction

3. What is repentance and why is it necessary to be part of God's kingdom? ________________________________________________________________

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The Power of Confession

4. What is the role of confession in repentance? How do you practice confession? ________________________________________________________________

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Here's What You Can Do Now

5. If you had been standing on the bank of the Jordan River and asked John the Baptist what you should do, what do you think he would have said to you? ________________________________________________________________

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6. What is some fruit of repentance you have seen in your own life? ________________________________________________________________

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The Ministry of Matchmaking

7. If someone had walked away after hearing John with a deep repentance and renewed motivation to live more righteously, what would they have been missing? How can we do this same thing today? What would you want to tell them? ________________________________________________________________

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Drenched in the Life of God

8. What does it mean for Jesus to baptize someone with the Holy Spirit and fire? What impact will that have on their lives? ________________________________________________________________

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9. What is your reaction to the testimony on pages 33 and 34? What danger does this testimony point out? How can someone know if they were in this same situation or not? ________________________________________________________________

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Applying

10. What is something you feel the Lord is calling you to repent of? How can you respond immediately and specifically to this? ________________________________________________________________

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Optional Small Group Exercise:

Discuss what role, if any, confession should play in your small group experience.

CHAPTER 3

Kingdom

Read MATTHEW 13

If Christ's kingdom has come, why is there so much evil in the world?

Launching

1. If you had the power, what is something you would change in this world? ________________________________________________________________

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Exploring

The Parable of the Sower ... and the Bomber

2. How is the ministry of God's Word more like sowing seeds than dropping bombs? Why can this be frustrating at times? How can it be liberating? ________________________________________________________________

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The Power of Patience

3. What are the implications of this for our own spiritual growth? Our efforts to impact others? ________________________________________________________________

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Sabotage in the Field

4. What are the implications of living in a world with "weeds"? ________________________________________________________________

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5. How have you experienced growth through the presence of weeds in your world? ________________________________________________________________

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Buried Treasure

6. Why was the man who discovered the treasure able to sell everything he had with great joy? What would you say to a non-Christian who thought the cost of becoming a Christian was too high? ________________________________________________________________

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Tension and Balance

7. What is some specific evidence around you of the kingdom of God? ________________________________________________________________

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8. What is some specific evidence that the kingdom has not come in its fullness? ________________________________________________________________

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9. How can you relate to the feelings and doubts of John the Baptist? How would Jesus' reply have been an encouragement to John? How do His words comfort and encourage you? ________________________________________________________________

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Applying

10. How will what you learned about the kingdom from these parables impact ...

a. your expectations of life in this world? ___________________ ________________________________________________________________

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b. the way you minister to others? ______________________________ ________________________________________________________________

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c. your perspective on evangelism? ____________________________ ________________________________________________________________

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d. your own struggles and doubts? _____________________________ ________________________________________________________________

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Optional Small Group Exercise:

Read Revelation 21:1–7, and spend a few minutes thanking the Lord for how wonderful life will be once His kingdom has come in fullness.

CHAPTER 4

Disciples

Read MATTHEW 28

How can we make disciples?

Launching

1. Who has helped you grow in your faith? How did that per son do so? ________________________________________________________________

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Exploring

Walking the Wards

2. Describe in your own words what it means to be a disciple. Why is this a privilege? ________________________________________________________________

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The Secretary on the Second Floor

3. Suppose you had been alive in Jesus' day and He had called you to follow Him. What would have drawn you and what might have held you back from following? ________________________________________________________________

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The Compelling Christ

4. In what ways did the disciples see the glory of Jesus? What would it mean for us to see the glory of Jesus today? What has helped you to see the glory of Jesus? ________________________________________________________________

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More Than a Million Dollars

5. Rate yourself as to how much you are experiencing the glory of Jesus, with 1 meaning not at all and 5 meaning a great deal. How is this impacting your spiritual life?

1 2 3 4 5

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How to Make Disciples

6. What might happen if we apply the methods of discipleship, accountability, spiritual disciplines, and small groups but fail to help people see the glory of Jesus? How can we help people to see the glory of Jesus? ________________________________________________________________

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Our Model of Ministry

7. How did Jesus train His disciples? How can we emulate these principles in our efforts to help others grow? (How can these principles be incorporated into your small group?) ________________________________________________________________

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The Cost of Discipleship

8. What do you think the cost of following Jesus completely will be for you? Are you ready to pay the price? Why or why not? What is the payoff for following Him? ________________________________________________________________

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Applying

9. How have the principles of this chapter challenged or reinforced your view of discipleship? How will it change the way you approach discipleship? ________________________________________________________________

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10. What can you do in the next few weeks to gain a greater view of Jesus' glory? ________________________________________________________________

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If you are willing to follow Jesus at any cost, write this in the back of your Bible. Also record the price you are willing to pay. Sign and date this commitment.

Optional Small Group Exercise:

If you recorded a commitment to follow Jesus at any cost, tell members of your small group at the end of the meeting, so they can rejoice with you, find encouragement themselves, and help you be accountable.

CHAPTER 5

Lord

Read MARK 4:35–5:43

Can I accept Jesus as Savior without owning Him as Lord?

Launching

1. What kinds of stories do you find most disturbing on the evening news? ________________________________________________________________

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Exploring

2. How can the Christian life be like a trip to the grocery store? What demands of the Christian life do you find yourself wanting to circumvent? How do you handle this? ________________________________________________________________

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The Dogs of Human Darkness

3. Natural disasters, human evils, horrible illnesses, and death are part of life on this planet. How does the potential of any of these affect your mental state on a day-to-day basis? ________________________________________________________________

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Lord over Natural Disasters ... Demons ... Disease ... Death

4. What thought and emotions might you have felt if you had watched Jesus perform all of these miraculous works—deeds that defeated disasters, demons, disease, and even death? Which would have impressed you the most? Why? ________________________________________________________________

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5. How does the demonstration of Jesus' lordship in these areas expand your view of Him as Savior? Have you ever experienced Jesus' power in any of these areas? In what way? ________________________________________________________________

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Why Doesn't He Do It?

6. Why do you think the people from Gerasenes where Jesus cast out the demons wanted Him to leave? Why do you think the people in our culture do not want Jesus around? How does this make them even more vulnerable to the "junkyard dogs"? ________________________________________________________________

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(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Unlocking the Bible Story Study Guide Volume 3 by Colin S. Smith. Copyright © 2004 Colin S. Smith. Excerpted by permission of Moody Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Fulfillment
2. Repentance
3. Kingdom
4. Disciples
5. Lord
6. Hell
7. Miracles
8. Born
9. Tempted
10. Transfigured
11. Crucified
12. Risen
13. Ascended
14. Coming
15. Father
16. Son
17. Spirit
18. Christ
19. Power
20. Gentiles