Week 5, January 27 - February 2, 2019

New Testament
John 21

• Why did Peter jump out of the boat in John 21?
• Jesus told Peter that if he loved Jesus he needed to feed His sheep.  How are your love for Jesus and your love for others related?

1 John 1

• According to 1 John 1:3, why is John proclaiming what he has seen and heard?
• What two things does God do when we confess our sins?

1 John 2

• John says that if we sin we have an advocate with the Father.  What defense can Jesus offer in our behalf?
• Why does John say in 1 John 2:15 that you cannot love the world and love the Father?

1 John 3

• John says, "He appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.  No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him."  (1 John 3:5-6)  How has Jesus freed you from sin?
• 1 John 3:16 says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."  What do you need to do to obey this?

1 John 4

• 1 John 4:4 says, "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."   How does this truth create confidence in you?
• 1 John 4:13 says, "This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit."  In what ways do you recognize the Holy Spirit in you?

Old Testament
Exodus 21 - 40

• What was the purpose of the "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" command in Exodus 21:24?  
• How do the instructions in chapter 21 relate to Jethro's advice in Exodus 18?
• Why would God say, "do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit," (Exodus 23:3) but also say, "do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits" (Exodus 23:6)? 
• Exodus 24:9-10 says that Moses and other leaders saw God.  John 1:18 says no one has ever seen God.  How can these both be true?
• According to Exodus 25:8-9 what was the purpose of the tabernacle?
• According to Exodus 28:2 what purpose did Aaron's garments serve?
• God says in Exodus 29:45-46, "Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God."  This is one of many places in the Bible where God expresses His desire to live with His people.  How and when do you draw near to God?
• What was the point of God giving a recipe for sacred anointing oil and sacred incense and telling Israel not to make it for any other purpose?
• For what purpose was Bezalel son of Uri filled with the Spirit of God?
• Why did Aaron make a golden calf in Exodus 32?
• In Exodus 33:15, why didn't Moses want to go on without God's presence?
• Why did Moses have to stop people from bringing offerings for the tabernacle?
• What did Moses find when he inspected all the materials for the tabernacle at the end of Exodus 39?
• What happened in Exodus 40:34 when the tabernacle was completed?

Psalms
Psalm 15 - 17

• Psalm 15 explains that it is the blameless person who can come near to God.  What hope is there for sinners?
• David wrote in Psalm 16:2, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."  Do you see every good thing in your life as coming from the Lord?
• David wrote, "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings." (Psalm 17:8)  Do you expect this kind of favor from God?

Week 4, January 20 - 26, 2019

New Testament
John 16

• Jesus told His disciples in John 16:12 that He had much more to say to them and in verse 13 told them that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth.  How eager are you to learn what God wants to show you?
• Jesus said in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace."  Do you have the peace that Jesus spoke of?

John 17

• John 17 records Jesus praying to the Father.  It is 26 verses long, but Jesus only asks for a few things.  His prayer reads more like a conversation with the Father.  Do you pray like this?  How can you learn to pray more like Jesus did?
• In John 17:11 Jesus prays for the protection of His disciples.  What did He want them protected from?

John 18

• Why did the people who came to arrest Jesus fall down in John 18:6?
• In this chapter Peter denied that he was a follower of Jesus.  It happened three times.  What do you think you would have done in that situation?  What gives you the strength to tell others about your faith in Jesus?
• Why did the Jewish leaders bring Jesus to Pilate instead of sentencing Him themselves?

John 19

• What reason did the Jewish leaders give Pilate that Jesus should be crucified?
• Why did the soldiers break the legs of the other two men who had been crucified beside Jesus?  Why didn't they break Jesus' legs?
• What two men buried Jesus?  What did they have in common?

John 20

• What did Peter and John find in the tomb?
• Why was Thomas slower to believe than the other disciples?
• What did John say was the purpose of what he had written?

Old Testament
Exodus 1 - 20

• Why did Pharaoh subject the Israelites to slave labor and command that Hebrew baby boys be killed?
• How did Moses' mother get paid for nursing her own baby?
• Why was Moses so reluctant in Exodus 3 and 4 to do what God was telling him to do?  Is there anything standing the way of you obeying the Lord?
• In chapter 5, when Moses first spoke to Pharaoh, did things get better or worse?  What should you do if obeying the Lord seems to make things worse?
• In Exodus 7:3-4 God said, "I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you."  Why did God send all the plagues on Egypt if He knew in advance that Pharaoh would not listen?  (See what God says about this in Exodus 9:16)
• Exodus 9:20 shows that some of the Egyptian officials feared the Lord and acted to protect their property from the plagues.  10:7 shows that Pharaoh's officials were urging him to let the Israelites go?  Why was Pharaoh so stubborn, refusing to let the people go?
• Where does the term "Passover" come from?
• Exodus 12:37 says that when the Israelites left Egypt they were, "six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children."  Verse 40 says they were in Egypt for 430 years.  Genesis 46:27 says that they numbered 70 when Jacob moved his family to Egypt.  This means that they grew by an average of 2.5% per year over all those years.  This shows God's steady protection and provision for His people over centuries.  Do you recognize God's protection and provision and thank Him for it?
• According to Exodus 14:1-4 why did God want Pharaoh to pursue the Israelites?
• In Exodus 15:26, God says, "I am the Lord, who heals you."  What did God say Israel needed to do to avoid the diseases that they had seen inflicted on the Egyptians?
• God provided manna in Exodus 16.  He provided enough for each day and it would not keep until the next day, except on the Sabbath.  Are you able to trust God for His provision each day or do you worry about tomorrow?
• Why would God give victory to Israel over the Amalekites only when Moses' hands were raised?
• If Moses was being directed by God, why did he need Jethro to advise him to delegate responsibility in Exodus 18?
• What command in Exodus 20 includes a promise to those who obey it?

Psalms
Psalm 11 - 14

• Psalm 11:4 says that God, "observes everyone on earth."  How does knowing that God sees and knows everything impact they way you think and live?
• Psalm 12:6 says, "And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times."  Do you give the Word of the Lord the attention and respect that this verse shows it warrants?
• David wrote in Psalm 13:1, "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?"  We know that God had not forgotten David.  Why did David write this?
• Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'"  What would cause a person to deny the existence of God?

Week 3, January 13 - 19, 2019

New Testament
John 11

• What did Jesus mean in verses in verses 9 and 10 when he spoke about walking in daytime and walking at night?
• Jesus said in verses 25 and 26, "“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  How does this knowing this change the way you live?
• Why did Jesus weep in John 11:35?

John 12

• In John 12:4-5, Mary was accused of being too extravagant in her worship of Jesus.  Jesus had recently raised her brother from the dead.  What should you be doing to honor Jesus?
• Jesus' answer beginning in John 12:23 seems to have nothing to do with the request that was made in John 12:21.  Why did Jesus answer in this way?
• John 12:42 says that there were Jewish leaders who believed in Jesus, but who wouldn't acknowledge it openly because of fear.  Is there anything that fear is keeping you from doing?

John 13

• After washing the disciples' feet, in verse 15 Jesus said, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."  What opportunities do you have to follow His example?  
• When Jesus said, "one of you is going to betray me," why weren't the disciples able to guess who He meant?
• In verse 35 what did Jesus say would cause people to recognize those who are His disciples?

John 14

• In John 14:2-3 Jesus promised His disciples an eternal home in the Father's house.  How does this promise impact the way you look at your life now?
• What does it mean for Jesus to say in John 14:6, "I am the way"?
• Jesus said in verse 14, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."  To what extent have you experienced answered prayer?
• In verse 27 Jesus commanded us, "Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  How do you obey this if your heart is troubled?

John 15

• In John 15:1-5 what command do we need to keep in order to bear much fruit?  What does it mean to bear fruit?
• Did Jesus teach us that if we follow Him the world would love us?

Old Testament
Genesis 34 - 50

• At the beginning of chapter 35, why did Jacob's household still have foreign gods to get rid of?
• Why did Joseph's brothers hate him so much they wanted to kill him?  Why did they sell him into slavery instead?
• Joseph was sold into slavery and unjustly thrown into prison.  But Genesis 39:23 says, "the Lord was with Joseph" when he was in prison.  What does it mean for the Lord to be with you when you are in a situation you don't want to be in?
• How was Joseph able to interpret the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker in Genesis 40 and of Pharaoh in Genesis 41?
• Why did Joseph pretend not to know his brothers in Genesis 42?
• Why was Judah willing to become a slave in Genesis 44?
• What promises did God make to Jacob on his way to Egypt in Genesis 46?
• Why did Jacob cross his arms in Genesis 48:14?
• In Genesis 50:20 Joseph said, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good."  Are you able to look at the past and see what God was doing, even during difficult times?  Are you able to let go of bitterness you feel toward people who hurt you?

Psalms
Psalms 8 - 10

• David wrote in Psalm 8:3-4, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?"  Why does God care for you?
• David wrote in Psalm 9:10, "for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."  Do you have confidence in God never forsaking you?
• Psalm 10:4 says, "In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."  How do you make room for God in your thoughts?  How does it change you to make room for God in your thoughts?

Week 2, January 6 - 12, 2019

New Testament
John 6

• Do you think more like Philip in verse 7 or Andrew in verse 9?
• In verses 26 and 27 Jesus told people they were following Him for the wrong reason.  What do you need to do to follow Him for the right reason?
• Jesus said in verse 44, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them."  How are people drawn to Jesus?

John 7

• Why did Jesus say in John 7:7 that the world hated Him?
• In verses 37 and 38 Jesus said,  “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  What kind of thirst did Jesus mean?  Do you have the living water Jesus spoke of?

John 8

• How did the teachers of the law and the Pharisees think they would trap Jesus in John 8:6?
• In John 8:21 Jesus told people, "you will die in your sin."  What does it mean to die in your sin?  In verse 24 Jesus said, "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins."  What changes when a person believes in Jesus?
• Jesus told believers in verses 31 and 32, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  How do you hold to Jesus' teaching and what does it mean to be free?
• Why did Jesus say in verse 58, “before Abraham was born, I am!”?

John 9

• Does the disciples' question in 9:2 focus on the past or the future?  Does Jesus' answer in 9:3 focus on the past or the future?
• In chapter 9 the Pharisees were troubled that Jesus healed a blind man.  They didn't want to believe in Jesus.  When they questioned the man who had been healed he gave a very simple answer in 9:25.  Why did the Pharisees insult the man and throw him out?

John 10

• In John 10:10 why did Jesus say He came?  What do you need to do to live the life God has in mind for you?
• Jesus said in John 10:27, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."  What do you need to do to hear Jesus' voice?  When you hear Him are you willing to follow Him?

Old Testament
Genesis 19 - 33

• Genesis 19:16 says, "for the Lord was merciful to them."  Who was the Lord merciful to?  How did He show them mercy?
• Genesis 19:29 says, "So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived."  What did remembering Abraham have to do with what happened in this chapter?
• Why did Abraham claim that Sarah was his sister in chapter 20?  (Abraham had done something similar in Genesis 12, but chapter 20 took place between the promise made in Genesis 17:21 and the fulfillment of it in Genesis 21:2.  So God's protection of Sarah from Abimilech had added significance.)
• Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?
• Why was it so important to Abraham in chapter 24 that his son not marry someone from the Canaanites?
• What command and what promises did God give Isaac in 26:2-5?
• In 27:37 why did Isaac consider his blessing of Jacob, which was based on Jacob's lie, something that couldn't be undone or corrected?
• What promises did God make to Jacob in 28:13-15?
• Why did Jacob leave Laban in chapter 31?  Why did Jacob and Laban have such different opinions about who was in the wrong?
• How did the encounter in Genesis 32:24-29 change Jacob?

Psalms
Psalm 5 - 7

• In Psalm 5:3 David said, "in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly."  Do you pray in this way, making a clear request and then waiting with expectation for the answer?
• Psalm 6:9 says, "The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer."  What gives you confidence that the Lord has heard your prayer?
• David wrote, "Lord my God, I take refuge in you." (Psalm 7:1)  How do you take refuge in God?