6. Jesus' Identity Revealed

LOOKING BACK

+ Praise

Read a scripture and sing worship songs.

(Optional) Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator also between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all. (Philippians 2:11b;

¹¹and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

1 Timothy 2:4-6a).

⁴who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.⁵For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,⁶who gave himself as a ransom for all people.

Caring for each other

Minister to one another’s needs in prayer, biblical counsel and encouragement.

Ask each person to tell one highlight and explain one challenge they experienced this week.
Ask, “What do you want Jesus to do for you this week?” Pray for each other’s needs.

Celebrating Faithfulness

Encourage loving accountability to obey Jesus

Ask, “What happened as you trusted God with your goals and I will statements?”

+ Motivation and Encouragement

Choose a way to cast vision for who they can become in Christ or what God can do through them by:

a scripture that reminds them of the Father’s Heart and of the end vision.
reflecting on the changes in their life since they started following Christ
reminding them of what God wants to do through them

Our vision is: “A church for every village and community, and the gospel for every person.”

LOOKING UP

Context

Ask the group to tell the story from last week.

Read

Read or watch Matthew 3:13-17 two times as others listen.

The Baptism of Jesus

¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.¹⁴But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

¹⁵Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

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Discovery Discussion (Everyone answers)

What caught your attention or what did you like best? Why?
What is new or has developed at this point in Jesus story?
What do we learn about the humanity or divinity of Jesus from this passage?
How can we live differently now that we know this story?

Additional Questions:

What are his followers learning?
What is Jesus modeling to us about life and ministry or godly leadership?

Read, Tell and Correct

Read the story again. Have someone tell the story and ask the group to correct if necessary.

+ Summary

Jesus travelled south to an area near Jericho, about 3-4 days journey from his home in Galilee. He may not have been sure of His next steps, but the Father led Him to be baptized by John. Baptism was used to identify a messenger and his message. Luke 3:23

²³Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,

the son of Heli,

says he is about 30 years old when he began his ministry.

Further Study: Luke 3:21-23;

²¹When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened²²and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

²³Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,

the son of Heli,

Mark 1: 9-11.

⁹At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.¹⁰Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.¹¹And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Practice giving and communion here or in the Preparing for Mission section

LOOKING FORWARD

Preparing for the Mission

Practice needed skills or previous topics to help prepare to minister to others:
- Prayer, Care, Share
- Gospel
- Foundational Bible Studies.

Going on the Mission

Identify people or places you will take the initiative to minister to this week.
Write “I will by when” statements and share with your small group.

Praying For the Mission

Commit everyone's goals to the Lord. Ask the Lord to help us be faithful and use us to start a movement of disciple-makers.

6.

Jesus' Identity Revealed