STUDIES
STUDIES
Read Matthew 5:13-16
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Read Matthew 5:13
Context: The preceding verses are the Beatitudes
Think of the purposes and uses of salt. How can we apply them to our own lives?
The “saltiness” here cannot mean the savour of grace, which cannot be lost, being an incorruptible seed; but the savoury doctrines of the Gospel which may be forgotten, or that zeal with which the Gospel is preached
When we lose our way among the business of life, what can we do to get our zeal for Jesus back?
Read Matthew 5:14-15
Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes”
How can we be bold and make our missional activities more obvious to others on campus?
What attitude should we have in our mission so that people see what we’re doing as the “light” to their darkness rather than unnecessary?
Read Matthew 5:16
Wordless evangelism - “If any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives” (1 Pet. 3:1–2)
What are different ways we can show the light of Jesus through how we live our lives?
Intros, fun qs
Games
Pray
Read Matthew 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.
17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Intro Icebreaker Question:
If you could travel to any corner of the world tomorrow for two weeks with all expenses paid, where would you go and why?
In the passage, Jesus gives the same commission to both those who doubt and those who worship Him. How can we apply this to our own mission journeys when we feel weaker than others?
What do you think it means to “make disciples” through mission? How can we make disciples at university?
How does Jesus’ assurance of being with us “to the end of the age” give us confidence in mission?
Read Acts 1:8
Notice how the places listed get further and further - Jerusalem is their city, Judea is their country, and the ends of the earth
Missional question:
Name 3 progressively broader places you can start praying for.
E.g. 1. My Economics seminar class, 2. Students studying in the library, 3. University
End in prayer
Pray
Read Romans 3:23-26
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
26 He did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Intro Icebreaker Question:
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REST TO BE ADDED SOON
Pray
Read Romans 4:5-8 and 8:11-17
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Intro Icebreaker Question:
What’s one physical or personality trait you’ve inherited from a parent?
Read Romans 4:5-8
How can we earn God’s righteousness?
This Romans 4 passage describes the first part of salvation: Justification by faith alone. Think of it like a bank. Our account is full of debt, God’s is full of righteousness. Verse 6 states His righteousness is transferred to our account permanently. To accept this, we take the step of faith.
Read Romans 8:11-13
Verse 11 shows salvation is more than merely saving the soul but that body and soul alike will engage in the ultimate glory of eternal life. Christ was the “firstfruits” of our resurrection.
Describe in your own words the strong assurance given to us in verse 11.
Verses 12 and 13 are about the battle between flesh and Spirit. Either the flesh must die or we must. Note that we kill the flesh’s desires “by the Spirit” showing it can only be done as work of God, not of our own efforts.
How can we, in our daily life, strive to not quench the Spirit in favour of our own desires?
Read Romans 8:14-15
Adoption is inseparably linked to Justification & the New Birth. Before conversion, we are slaves to the world and vulnerable to its dangers but God rescues us and adopts us into His family, at great cost.
Verse 14 builds on the previous verses to set a criteria to be adopted - be led by the Spirit of God which is imputed to us by having faith in Christ’s righteousness.
Verse 15’s “spirit of bondage again to fear” refers to the law, which oppresses our conscience with fear.
How does verse 15 present a contrast between the spirit of bondage to fear and the Spirit of adoption?
How does it impact your relationship with God when you realise that He is your loving Father OR when you call Him “Abba Father”? What do you think that God can do for you as your Father?
A beautiful illustration is of a king’s throne room. Outside, queue dozens of the most accomplished people in their sector (minsters, businessmen, academics, etc.) grappling for favour to have a few minutes with the king. But the king’s son? He runs past all of them and straight into the welcoming arms of his father who will give him all his patience unconditionally. That’s the difference between relying on your own merit and relying on God’s free grace when you become His child.
Read Romans 8:16-17
Context: The Roman adoption ceremony was carried out in the presence of seven witnesses. Now suppose the adopting father died, and there was a dispute about the adopted son’s right to inherit. One or more of the seven witnesses would step forward and swear that the adoption was genuine. In this way, the adopted person’s right was guaranteed, and they entered their inheritance. So, Paul is saying that it is the Holy Spirit Himself who witnesses to our adoption into the family of God.
What effect does verse 17 and the historical context have on your outlook on life’s troubles?
Missional question:
How can we communicate this unique fatherly love to a non-Christian who has a legalistic view of God?
End in prayer
Pray
Read Romans 6:1-6, 10-12
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death?
4 We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with Him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like his.
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin
10 The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
Intro Icebreaker Question:
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REST TO BE ADDED SOON
Pray
Read Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Intro Icebreaker Question:
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REST TO BE ADDED SOON
Pray
Read Exodus 3:1-14
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?
12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
Intro Icebreaker Question:
What in nature makes you feel a sense of awe?
Read Exodus 3:1-2
Context: Moses is 80 years old when he encounters God in the burning bush. 40 years prior, Moses was a member of Pharaoh’s household and, being afflicted by an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, lashed out and killed the Egyptian. As this deed spread, Moses fled to Midian and built a family. Exodus 3 begins 40 years into Moses’ new life.
Moses is no longer the zealous young man he was, yet this is when God calls him to embark on probably the biggest endeavour in history. Consider God’s sovereign will compared to our expectations.
Angel of the Lord (pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ) is the merciful accommodation of God, whereby God can be present among a sinful people. Otherwise, His Presence would consume them (Exodus 33:18-20).
Why do you think God chose a common, lowly bush for this miracle rather than something majestic like an oak tree?
The thorny bush represents the Israelites. Fire represents the furnace of affliction, the bondage the people are in. But as the bush was not consumed, so the people were not consumed. God was miraculously preserving them and would deliver them.
Read Exodus 3:3-5
How does Moses’ decision to “turn” to God in these verses relate to the salvation narrative in Christ?
Read Exodus 3:7
How does this verse influence your thinking of God as your Father?
Read Exodus 3:8
“land flowing with milk and honey” is a physical representation of God’s blessing and promise to the Israelites.
How is this imagery of a promised ultimate, perfect destination reflected in the New Testament and how does it affect our outlook on the journey of life?
Read Exodus 3:11-14
Missional question:
How can we discern the call of God in our lives and respond in action with confidence?
End in prayer
BONUS Q (if time): How does a fire that starts and sustains itself on its own symbolise God’s holiness?
Dealing with this can help to build a picture as to the majesty, glory and purity of Almighty God.
As you speak of God's holiness + the gracious call of God, this gives a natural segue to the gospel - how we God can only be approached through his only begotten son (John 14.6)
Pray
Read Psalm 36
1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen; They have been cast down and are not able to rise.
Intro Icebreaker Question:
The Psalm paints an atmosphere of tranquility and fullness in God’s presence. What is your go-to place or hobby when life gets hectic?
Read Psalm 36:1-4
Which quality of the ‘wicked’ person in these verses sticks out to you?
The end of verse 4 is a fascinating point as it says “He does not abhor evil.” We can conclude that if someone does not hate evil, it is certain that he is for evil, stemming from Romans 12:9 - “Abhor what is evil”. Our modern society, including churches, are strong on benevolence but weak on sin. Dealing with them both is the Gospel. We forget that the strongest condemnations of sin are from the loving lips of our Saviour Himself. “You that love the Lord, hate evil!”(Psalms 97:10)
How can we communicate the gravity of sin to people while stressing God’s redeeming grace?
Read Psalm 36:5-6
In these verses, nature is used to present the qualities of God. In the Bible, the theological principle of divine accommodation is used where the infinite God ‘stoops’ to human level to reveal Himself in ways we can understand. These illustrate graphically to us so we are able to better appreciate Him.
Verse 6 is all one sentence, so each part of it is linked together. Consider how the verse applies to us in the light of Jesus’ sacrifice.
Read Psalm 36:7-9
These verses focus on the condition of those who trust in the Lord.
What’s the difference between the rewards which God’s children and worldly people receive?
What do you think the “the fullness of Your house”, “the river of Your pleasures”, “Your light” are actually referring to?
Verse 9 flourishes the section, talking about how only in Jesus is life itself found. “In Your light we see light”, means God is stating there is no life apart from Him; all else is vanity. By focusing on Christ, we see the source of all good things and the real light which many in the world try and fail to replicate.
”The friends and pleasures of which you speak cannot compare with the joys which I seek.” - ”Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan
Missional question:
How can we present to an unbeliever the eternal fullness (”abundantly satisfied”) of God’s house compared to the worldly pleasures they are striving after?
Read Psalm 36:10-12
These verses act as a kind of bridge between the first part (wickedness) and second part (God’s fulfilling nature) by pivoting to praying that God will be in the future such as he has been in the past.
Calvin’s Commentary: In verse 12, David says “There the workers of iniquity are fallen”, deriving confidence from his prayer, not doubting that he has already obtained his request. And thus we see how the certainty of faith directs the saints to prayer.
What kinds of prayers does Psalm 36 motivate/lead you to pray for yourself or for others?
End in prayer
Pray
Read Luke 14:15-24
15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,
17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’
18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’
19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’
20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’
22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’
23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ”
Intro Icebreaker Question:
If you were hosting a massive BBQ, who are the first three people you’d invite?
Read Luke 14:16-20
This grand supper was the sort of occasion that people of sound mind would be thrilled to attend. But notice that not only do the invited guests all make excuses, their excuses are absurd. Why would someone buy oxen or land then go see if they are of good quality? For example, we don’t buy a car until we test drive it.
An interesting point is they feel the need to make an excuse because they acknowledge their obligation to respond to the invitation.
Another interesting point in verse 20 is where one plainly says “I cannot come”, putting the matter to bed and showing there was no room for persuasion.
What are some inconceivable excuses you’ve heard by an unbeliever on why they reject Christ and how do you respond to them?
What do the excuses tell us about the power of the material things of the world?
Read Luke 14:21
What is the role of the servant here and who does it remind you of?
van Oosterzee: “the blind had no field to view, the lame could not go behind his oxen, the maimed had no wife who could have hindered him from coming; only the feeling of poverty could have held them back; but this feeling also vanishes, since they must be in a friendly way led in by the servant”
The lowly are the ones that qualify to be accepted into the great banquet. In what ways are we to identify with these groups to partake in the banquet?
Read Luke 14:22-23
In verse 21, the servant goes out into the city, symbolising the evangelism of the Jews.
In verse 23, the servant’s remit is expanded to the “highways and hedges”, symbolising the spread of the Gospel among the Gentiles
What would have been the reaction of Jesus’ audience to hear the expansion of God’s Kingdom to the Gentiles (non-Jews)?
“Compel” is used to describe the Holy Spirit’s ministering to people, and is defined by ‘to drive to with urgency”
What does this tell us about the impact of the Spirit’s intervention and our role in response?
How does this affect our view of evangelism - Are we as Christians “compelling/urging/pressing the necessity” upon people to seek forgiveness and new life and fellowship with Jesus Christ?
Isaiah 26:6-9 speaks of a great feast prepared by the Lord Almighty on Mount Zion for all nations. It symbolises God’s ultimate victory, our salvation and union, featuring rich food and aged wine, marking the destruction of death and the end of sorrow.
Missional question:
After looking at this parable and the different characters, how are you equipped to act out the Great Commission in faith?
End in prayer