1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

When you were ten, what did you think a good life was for? A job, a team, making someone proud, being left alone?

Leader. Get ordinary answers. You will contrast them with “for God” later. Do not correct anyone yet. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Creation is God making the whole world and everything in it. He made people in a special way so we could know, love, and reflect Him.

In the original language

Hebrew asah — to fashion, accomplish, or produce. Greek poieō — to make, to create, to do.

Memory verse · Genesis 1:26–27

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Together, open the flashcard for Creation. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Psalm 8:3–6

The memory work is Genesis 1. Psalm 8 looks at the same truth from underneath the night sky: people are small, and yet crowned. Stay in this psalm. Do not reteach the garden essay.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.In these verses, what belongs to God alone, and what is handed to human beings?Core

   Leader. God made the heavens. People receive mind, care, a crown, and a task. Dignity is given, not seized.

2. 2.The writer is looking at the sky while he says this. What kind of prayer is this — a boast, a question, or both?

   Leader. It is wonder. Creation theology that never becomes worship has missed the psalm.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Colossians 1:16 says all things were made through the Son and for Him. If the gospel is God’s story before it is our rescue story, what has to change in the way we usually explain Jesus?

   Leader. Listen for answers that still put us at the center. Gently move the subject from “what I get” to “who He is.”

2. 4.Genesis 3:15 is the first promise that the Creator will not abandon what He made. Why is that promise already gospel, even though no one in the story has been to a cross yet?Core

   Leader. The rescue was promised in the same chapter as the ruin. Creation and redemption are one story.

3. 5.Isaiah 43:6–7 says God formed a people for His glory. Where do the people in our town go looking for a glory that creatures were never meant to carry?

   Leader. Keep it local: work, kids’ sports, romance, reputation, ministry success. No need for personal confession yet.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

You were made by God and for God, and the gospel is how He remakes what sin broke.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God as Maker — of the room you are in, and of the people in it.
2. Confess the ways we treat ourselves as the center of the story.
3. Ask for eyes to see the person beside you as image-bearing handiwork, not as a problem to manage.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is a small, specific way someone loved you this month that you did not have to earn?

Leader. Concrete and recent. If answers stay abstract (“my family loves me”), ask: “What did they actually do?” Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Love is God choosing to give of Himself for our good. It is God’s faithful commitment to rescue and restore. It is seen most clearly in God sending His Son, Jesus, to save sinners.

In the original language

Greek agapē — to love, to delight in, to be well-pleased with.

Memory verse · John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Together, open the flashcard for Love. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Hosea 11:1–4, 8–9

The devotion already walked the lost son and John 15:13. Hosea shows the same love from God’s side of a badly failed relationship: a parent who will not hand the child over.

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away… Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms… I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love. How can I give you up, O Ephraim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger… for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What has the child done in this passage, and what does the Father refuse to do?Core

   Leader. The child ran. The Father will not give him up. Love is action against a real offense, not a compliment.

2. 2.Verse 9 says, “I am God and not a man.” How is His love different from the way people usually love when they are hurt?

   Leader. Human love often withdraws or pays back. His love stays holy and stays near.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Romans 5:8 says God shows His love “while we were still sinners,” not after we improved. How is that a different order from almost every relationship we know?Core

   Leader. We love the responsive. He loves the hostile. Let the room feel the reversal.

2. 4.John 13:1 says Jesus loved His own “to the end,” in the hour they were about to fail Him. What does love look like when you already know the other person will let you down?

   Leader. This is not romance. It is covenant stickiness. Connect it to parents, friends, and the church.

3. 5.If God’s love is a commitment to rescue and not a mood, where are we tempted to measure it by how this month feels?

   Leader. Suffering, silence, unanswered prayer. Do not explain their pain away. Point them back to the cross as the proof, not to their week.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

God’s love is God giving Himself for our good, and the clearest place we see it is Jesus on the cross.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Praise God for a love that does not wait for us to be worth it.
2. Name, silently, someone you have loved only when they were easy.
3. Ask for that person to meet the Father Hosea describes, and for this group to love more like Him.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

Tell about a time you braced for a consequence and got kindness instead. One sentence. You can pass.

Leader. Keep it light and short. The devotion already asked about “radical mercy” in depth. Do not turn the icebreaker into that journal question. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Mercy is God’s compassionate withholding of deserved judgment and His tender action toward helpless sinners. It is God’s desire to relieve the consequences of sin in those who deserve condemnation through Christ’s sacrifice.

In the original language

Greek eleos — mercy, kindness, goodwill toward the afflicted.

Memory verse · 1 Peter 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Together, open the flashcard for Mercy. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Jonah 4:1–2, 10–11

Jonah is not in the day’s reflection questions. He is angry that God showed mercy. That anger is still in most rooms, aimed at somebody.

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow… And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.Jonah can quote God’s mercy perfectly. What is his actual problem with it?Core

   Leader. He wants mercy for himself and judgment for Nineveh. Right theology, wrong joy.

2. 2.God compares Nineveh to the plant Jonah pitied. What is God saying about the value of people Jonah had written off?

   Leader. Jonah grieved a plant. God grieved a city. Mercy sees persons, not categories.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.1 Peter 1:3 ties mercy to a new birth and a living hope, not only to a canceled penalty. What did mercy do for us, beyond “not getting in trouble”?Core

   Leader. Mercy is not God looking the other way. It causes new life through the resurrection.

2. 4.James 2:13 says mercy triumphs over judgment. How can a church show mercy without pretending sin is small? Use the drawing if it helps: stocks still standing, fruit on the table.

   Leader. Both have to stay in the picture. Mercy that denies the sentence is sentiment. Sentence without mercy is not the gospel.

3. 5.Who is your Nineveh — a group you quietly hope will “get what’s coming”? You do not have to name them. What would good fruit, instead of rotten fruit, look like toward them this week?

   Leader. Push for a practice: a conversation, a prayer, refusing a slur, a meal. Not a vague “be nicer.”

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Mercy is God not giving us the judgment we had earned, and giving us life instead.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God that your group is not outside His mercy.
2. Confess Jonah’s instinct: mercy for me, payback for them.
3. Ask for one concrete act of mercy before you meet again.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is something good in your life you know you could not have bought for yourself?

Leader. Stay off the devotion’s “best gift you ever received” question. This one is about inability, which is where grace lives. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Grace is God’s unmerited favor freely given to sinners who deserve judgment, granting them salvation, forgiveness, and every spiritual blessing through Jesus Christ. It is not earned, deserved, or repaid; it flows from God’s sovereign goodness and love.

In the original language

Greek charis — grace, favor, a gift freely given.

Memory verse · Ephesians 2:8–9

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Together, open the flashcard for Grace. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

2 Samuel 9:6–8, 13

Mephibosheth is not in the chapter. A lame man from a fallen house is seated at the king’s table for someone else’s sake. That is the drawing, in a story.

And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” … So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What had Mephibosheth done to earn a seat? What, exactly, did David give him?Core

   Leader. Nothing earned. Land restored, fear lifted, a permanent place at the table, and the reason is Jonathan, not Mephibosheth’s résumé.

2. 2.He calls himself “a dead dog.” Does David argue with that self-portrait, or does he simply set a place for him?

   Leader. Grace does not wait for a healthier self-image. It seats the person who knows he does not belong.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Ephesians 2:8–9 says the gift includes the faith that receives it, “so that no one may boast.” What do we still try to slide onto the table as our contribution?Core

   Leader. Sincerity, a decision, a sad enough repentance, church loyalty, not being as bad as someone else.

2. 4.Romans 6:1 asks if we should sin so grace will abound. Where does “grace means my sin does not matter” misunderstand the feast?

   Leader. The table is for transformation as well as welcome. Titus 2:11–12: grace trains us. It is not a permit.

3. 5.2 Corinthians 8:9: He became poor so we might become rich. Grace was free to us and costly to Him. How does remembering the cost keep gratitude from turning into entitlement?

   Leader. Entitlement says “of course.” Worship says “it cost Him.” Ask what entitlement sounds like in prayer.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Grace is God giving sinners the opposite of what they deserve, at Jesus’ cost, as a gift.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God for a seat you did not earn.
2. Name one boast you keep wanting to add.
3. Ask that grace would train the group this week, not only comfort it.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is a rule you broke as a kid that you were sure no one would notice?

Leader. Laugh and move. Do not collect childhood shame stories. That is the devotion’s question, and it is already done. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature, whether by doing what God forbids or failing to do what He commands.

In the original language

Greek hamartia — to miss the mark, to err, to trespass.

Memory verse · Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Together, open the flashcard for Sin. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Matthew 5:21–22, 27–28

Jesus moves the target from the act to the heart. The devotion already pressed guilt, Romans 2, and the Pharisee and the tax collector. Stay in the Sermon on the Mount.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.According to Jesus, where does the arrow leave the path — only when the act happens, or earlier?Core

   Leader. Anger and lust are already off the mark. The heart is in bounds or out of bounds before the hands move.

2. 2.Who is Jesus talking to — obvious criminals, or religious people who thought they were hitting the target?

   Leader. Disciples and crowds who knew the commandments. Respectable missing still misses.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.James 4:17 says that knowing the right thing and failing to do it is sin. The drawing has arrows that were never shot. Why is omission harder for us to call sin than a loud failure?Core

   Leader. We prosecute what we did. God also names what we withheld: truth, help, worship, justice.

2. 4.Romans 3:23 says we fall short of the glory of God, not of other people. Why do we prefer to grade ourselves on a curve?

   Leader. Comparison keeps us feeling like archers. The standard is God’s own glory.

3. 5.1 John 1:8–9 says denying sin is self-deception, and confessing it is the way into fellowship. What makes honest confession feel dangerous in a group like this?

   Leader. Image, leadership, family roles. You are not asking anyone to dump a secret tonight. You are asking why the room stays polished.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Sin is missing God’s mark in what we do, what we want, and what we fail to do.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Ask God to show the group the real target, not a softer one.
2. Confess, in silence, one miss you have renamed as a personality trait.
3. Thank Him that diagnosis is mercy when a Physician is in the room. Do not preach week 19. Just do not leave them in the grass.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

Have you ever tried to push a car with a dead battery? What finally had to happen?

Leader. The answer you want, eventually, is “someone else had to bring life.” Do not say it for them during the icebreaker. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Depravity refers to the deep corruption of human nature due to sin, resulting in our inability to please God, understand spiritual truth rightly, or come to Him apart from His grace.

In the original language

Greek nekros — dead, lifeless, without power. The day’s text calls us dead, not merely damaged.

Memory verse · Ephesians 2:1–2

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.

Together, open the flashcard for Depravity. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Ezekiel 37:1–6, 9–10

The devotion asked about spiritual blindness and about Romans 6. Ezekiel’s valley makes the same point with bones that cannot hear until God speaks. Read it as a story.

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones… and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones… Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What can the bones do for themselves in this story? Who acts?Core

   Leader. They are very dry. They do not decide, cooperate, or improve. God speaks, and breath comes.

2. 2.God asks, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel does not say yes. He says, “Lord, you know.” Why is that a better answer than optimism?

   Leader. Hope is in God’s power, not in the bones’ potential. Depravity kills our confidence in human potential without killing our confidence in God.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Ephesians 2 says “dead,” not “sick” or “confused.” What is the difference between “people need a little help believing” and “people need to be made alive”?Core

   Leader. Help still assumes a living patient. Death requires resurrection. This changes evangelism and parenting.

2. 4.Romans 8:7–8 says the mind set on the flesh cannot submit to God’s law. Why does that offend us — and why might it be good news if it is true?

   Leader. It offends pride. It is good news because the solution is no longer “try harder to be the kind of person who starts the boat.”

3. 5.John 6:44: no one comes to Jesus unless the Father draws him. How should that change the way we pray for people who seem unable to care about God?

   Leader. Prayer stops being a backup plan. If they are dead, asking God to speak is the work, alongside telling them the news.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Apart from Jesus we are not weak swimmers. We are dead, and only God can make us alive.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God for any spiritual breath in the room. It did not come from the bones.
2. Pray by name, if people are willing, for someone who seems dry.
3. Ask for humility. This doctrine is about us before it is about “those people.”

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

When have you been glad that someone in authority got angry — a parent, a coach, a judge, a friend?

Leader. You are rehabilitating anger as moral, not cruel, before you open the text. Keep stories short. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

The wrath of God is His holy revulsion against sin and His just judgment against sinners who rebel against His righteous standards.

In the original language

Greek orgē — settled anger, righteous wrath, not a tantrum.

Memory verse · Romans 1:18

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

Together, open the flashcard for Wrath. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Nahum 1:2–3, 7

The devotion already used Jesus cleansing the temple. Nahum holds wrath and refuge in the same chapter, which is the conversation you want.

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.List what this passage says God is against, and what He is for. Do not skip either list.Core

   Leader. Against adversaries and guilt. For the refuge of those who come to Him. Both lines are in the same breath.

2. 2.“Slow to anger” and “will by no means clear the guilty” sit side by side. What would be lost if we kept only one of those lines?

   Leader. Only slow: evil never matters. Only wrath: nobody can come home. The gospel needs both.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.If God never grew angry at cruelty, what would that say about how He feels toward the people cruelty crushes?Core

   Leader. Wrath is love’s refusal to call evil “fine.” Let victims in the room hear that God is not neutral.

2. 4.Romans 1:18 says wrath “is revealed,” present tense, not only at the end. Where do you see a world already living with the consequences of pushing God out?

   Leader. Romans 1 itself lists the fruit. Stay observable: lies treated as freedom, bodies used, truth suppressed. No partisan speech.

3. 5.How do we talk about God’s wrath to a friend without sounding like we enjoy it? What must the next sentence be?

   Leader. The next sentence is the cross: the storm has a lightning rod. If they cannot say that second sentence, they are not ready to say the first one in public.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

God’s wrath is His holy love refusing to make peace with evil.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Praise God that He is not indifferent to evil.
2. Confess any place you have enjoyed the idea of someone else under the storm.
3. Ask for courage and tenderness the next time you have to tell the truth about judgment.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

If your whole week were played on a screen for this group, what ten-second clip would you want to skip? You can pass, and you do not have to be heroic.

Leader. Light embarrassment is enough. Shut down oversharing. You are introducing exposure, not collecting sins. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Judgment is God fairly judging every person’s life and giving what is due according to His holy and righteous standard. For those apart from Jesus the verdict is always guilty, resulting in eternal punishment.

In the original language

Greek krisis — a separating, a trial, a decision, a judgment.

Memory verse · Hebrews 9:27

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.

Together, open the flashcard for Judgment. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Acts 17:30–31

Hebrews 4 was the devotion’s second question. Acts 17 puts the day of judgment in a sermon to people who were not Bible insiders, and it ties the date to a resurrection.

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What has God fixed, whom has He appointed to do it, and what is the proof Paul offers?Core

   Leader. A day. A man, Jesus. The resurrection. Judgment is not a vibe. It is scheduled, personal, and public.

2. 2.Paul is speaking to philosophers, not to church people. What does “all people everywhere” do to the idea that judgment is only a religious topic?

   Leader. The bench has jurisdiction over the whole city, including people who find the idea embarrassing.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Hebrews 9:27 puts death and judgment in one sentence, the way we put birthdays on a calendar. Why do we organize ordinary life as if the second half of that sentence were optional?

   Leader. Busyness, medicine, entertainment, even ministry can function as a way not to look at the chair.

2. 4.Read Hebrews 9:28 right after 9:27. Judgment is appointed — and so is a second appearing of Christ, “not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” What is the difference between those two futures?Core

   Leader. This is the gospel turn the devotion did not take. For the person in Christ, the Judge is also the Savior who already dealt with sin. Do not skip John 5:24 if fear fills the room: the believer does not come into condemnation.

3. 5.Romans 2:11: God shows no partiality. Whose sin do we grade on a curve, and whose do we not — in our church, our family, our news feed?

   Leader. The curve usually favors people like us. Let that land without turning the night into politics.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

A real Judge is coming. His standard is His own righteousness, not our excuses.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God that the empty chair means there is still time.
2. Pray for someone who is living as if the bench were a myth.
3. Thank Him that the appointed Judge is the same Jesus who bore sin. Ask for eagerness, not only relief.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is a courtroom moment from a movie or a show you still remember? Did you agree with the verdict?

Leader. Fiction keeps this from becoming “tell us about your guilt,” which they already did in the book. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Condemnation is God’s judicial verdict of guilt for sinners, resulting in the sentence of judgment and eternal separation from God. It is the opposite of justification.

In the original language

Greek katakrima — a sentence of guilt, an adverse verdict.

Memory verse · John 3:18

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Together, open the flashcard for Condemnation. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Galatians 3:10, 13–14

Romans 8:1 was their reflection question. Galatians 3 shows the curse and the exchange: someone else became what we were.

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” — so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.Who is under the curse in verse 10, and what did Christ become in verse 13?Core

   Leader. Everyone who tries to stand on law-keeping is under the curse, because the law requires all of it. Christ became the curse. The sentence moved.

2. 2.What arrives on the other side of that exchange, according to verse 14? It is more than a cleared record.

   Leader. The blessing of Abraham, and the Spirit, through faith. The cell door opens onto an inheritance, not onto a parole office.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.John 3:18 says the unbeliever is “condemned already,” not waiting to become guilty. How does that change the way we talk to a friend who thinks they are a decent person on a spiritual journey?Core

   Leader. Evangelism is not “try to become acceptable.” It is “the verdict is in; there is a pardon with a name on it.”

2. 4.Romans 8:33–34 asks who will bring a charge and who will condemn, and answers with the risen Christ. Why is a living Jesus, and not only a forgiving feeling, the end of the prosecution?

   Leader. The defense attorney is the one who died and now lives at God’s right hand. The case cannot be reopened by the accuser.

3. 5.Where do Christians still live as if the bar on that door were locked — replaying a sin, a parent’s voice, a failure — even though the sentence has been served by someone else?

   Leader. Distinguish condemnation from conviction. The Spirit exposes sin to lead us to Christ (John 16:8). The accuser exposes sin to send us back to the cell. Help the room hear the difference.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Condemnation is the guilty verdict. In Christ, that verdict is not ours to carry.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank Christ for becoming the curse.
2. Pray for someone still inside John 3:18’s second half.
3. Ask God to silence accusation that pretends to be holiness.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is the most ordinary place you have ever met someone who turned out to matter a great deal?

Leader. Ordinary places. The manger is an ordinary place. Do not ask their favorite thing about Christmas. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

The incarnation is the act of the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, assuming a full and true human nature, becoming fully God and fully man in one person, Jesus Christ, to accomplish the work of redemption.

In the original language

Greek sarx — flesh. The Word became flesh, a real human life.

Memory verse · John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Together, open the flashcard for Incarnation. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Hebrews 2:14–18

Matthew 1:21 was the devotion’s question. Hebrews 2 tells you why flesh was required: to die, to disarm the devil, and to become a priest who has actually suffered.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.Why, according to these verses, did the Son have to share our flesh and blood? Name more than one reason if the text gives it.Core

   Leader. To die, to break the devil’s grip, to free people afraid of death, and to be a priest who can really help. Incarnation is for salvation, not for a seasonal feeling.

2. 2.Verse 17 says He had to be made like us “in every respect.” What would be missing if Jesus only appeared human?

   Leader. No real death, no real temptation faced, no real priesthood. A costume cannot make propitiation.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.John 1:14 says He “dwelt” among us — He pitched His tent. What does a manger say that a throne, by itself, could not say?

   Leader. Nearness. God comes into hunger, night, and poverty. Glory you can see, full of grace and truth.

2. 4.Hebrews 4:15: tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Why does it matter, on a hard week, that Jesus is not pretending to understand?Core

   Leader. Help is from someone who has been in a body. Do not imply He sinned. The text says the opposite, and that is why His help is clean.

3. 5.Where do we treat Jesus as an idea, a mood, or a distant coach instead of a person who took a real life and still has one?

   Leader. Prayer that never addresses Him, a gospel with no resurrection body, worship that wants a feeling more than a Lord.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

God the Son took on a real human life so He could live, die, and rise for us.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Worship Jesus as God and as brother.
2. Bring Him a temptation someone in the room is actually facing. Ask for the help Hebrews 2:18 promises.
3. Thank Him for coming near instead of sending instructions.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is news you could not keep to yourself — a birth, a score, a job, a recovery? How fast did you tell somebody?

Leader. Speed and joy. You are training the instinct to announce. Do not ask “the best news you have ever received.” They answered that in the book. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

The gospel is the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ to save sinners through His life, death, resurrection, and exaltation, calling all people to repent and believe for forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

In the original language

Greek euangelion — good news, a message announced, not advice offered.

Memory verse · Luke 2:10–11

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Together, open the flashcard for Gospel. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

1 Corinthians 15:1–5

Paul tells a church what the gospel is, of first importance: events, in history, according to the Scriptures. This is the definition text, and it was not their reflection assignment.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.Paul lists events. What are they? What kinds of things are missing from his list?Core

   Leader. Died for sins, buried, raised, seen. Missing: advice, politics, self-help, even many true doctrines. The center is Christ’s saving work in history.

2. 2.He says “of first importance,” and that they are being saved by it if they hold fast. What would it mean for a church to keep this news first instead of merely agreeing it is true?

   Leader. First means other good things — community, mercy ministries, moral reform — stay servants of the announcement, not replacements for it.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Where have we turned the gospel into tips for a better life? Name a phrase we use that could be said by someone who does not believe Jesus rose.Core

   Leader. “Follow your heart,” “be a good person,” “live generously,” even “God has a plan” with no cross. The horn has to say Christ.

2. 4.Romans 1:16 calls the gospel the power of God, not only information. Have you seen this news do something an argument could not do?

   Leader. Stories of a changed will, a repaired conscience, courage. If the room is quiet, tell one of your own in four sentences and ask again.

3. 5.Isaiah 52:7 says the feet of the messenger are beautiful because the news is. If this is public news and not a private hobby, what would a simple announcement sound like in ordinary words to a neighbor?

   Leader. Have two people try it out loud, badly. Clumsy and true beats polished and vague. Do not make this the devotion’s “who will you tell today” guilt trip. Practice the sentence.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

The gospel is the announcement that Jesus died for sins, was buried, and rose again, and that we must turn and trust Him.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God for news this good.
2. Ask forgiveness for the times we have made it smaller than Christ.
3. Ask for one open door this week to say the sentence out loud.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

When have you been lost — a store as a child, a trail, a parking garage, a city — and had to be found? What did your body do when you realized someone was coming?

Leader. Relief is physical. You are after that feeling, not a spiritual autobiography. The book already asked what they were drowning in. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Salvation is the gracious and sovereign act of God in which He rescues sinners from sin and judgment through faith in Jesus Christ, restores them to fellowship with Himself, and grants them eternal life by the power of His Spirit.

In the original language

Greek sōtēria — salvation, deliverance, safety, being brought out.

Memory verse · Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Together, open the flashcard for Salvation. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Exodus 14:13–14, 30–31

Psalm 18 was the devotion’s mirror passage. Exodus 14 is the church’s basic picture of salvation: an enemy, a sea, a God who fights, a people who did not part the water.

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians… and Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What are the people told to do? Who does the saving?Core

   Leader. Fear not, stand firm, see, be silent. The Lord saves. Their assignment is trust, not technique.

2. 2.Verse 31 says that after they saw, they feared and believed. What came first in the story — their faith, or God’s act?

   Leader. God acted, they saw, then they believed. Faith receives a salvation already worked. Do not turn this into a full ordo debate.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.What are the “swim harder” versions of Christianity we still preach to ourselves and to our kids?Core

   Leader. Try harder, feel more, serve more, as if those were the motor. They are fruit. The sea was opened by God.

2. 4.Scripture speaks of salvation as past (Ephesians 2:8), present (1 Corinthians 1:18, “being saved”), and future (Romans 13:11). Which tense do you forget, and what does that forgetfulness do to you?

   Leader. Only past: no growth. Only present: no assurance. Only future: no joy now. Most of us drop one.

3. 5.The crew went into the storm for people who could not save themselves. Who around you is still in the water, and what would it mean to point them to Christ instead of coaching their swimming?

   Leader. A name, a next step: a meal, an invitation, a clear sentence. Not a project to fix them.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Salvation is God rescuing us from sin and judgment through Jesus, not us escaping on our own.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God for a rescue you did not engineer.
2. Be silent for a few seconds, on purpose, as Exodus 14:14 says.
3. Pray for someone still in the water.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

Have you ever paid for something someone else broke, or taken a consequence that belonged to somebody else? Did you tell them?

Leader. Substitution, briefly. Not the book’s question about covering up your own mistake. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Atonement is the once-for-all work of Christ in His life and sacrificial death in which He, as our substitute, bore the penalty of sin, satisfied God’s wrath, fulfilled the demands of divine justice, and reconciled sinners to God, securing redemption for all who believe.

In the original language

Hebrew kapar — to cover, to purge, to make atonement.

Memory verse · 1 Peter 2:24

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Together, open the flashcard for Atonement. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Exodus 12:5–7, 12–13

Isaiah 1:18 was their reflection text. The Passover is the lamb in story form, and it matches the drawing without repeating the devotion.

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What kind of lamb does God require, and what does the blood actually do on that night?Core

   Leader. Without blemish. The blood is a sign God sees, and He passes over. The lamb dies. The household lives. A symbol without a death would not have done this.

2. 2.God says, “When I see the blood.” Whose obedience is the shelter — the family’s feelings, or the lamb’s blood applied?

   Leader. They had to put it on the door. The saving thing God sees is the blood, not the impressiveness of the people indoors.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Hebrews 10:4 and 14: animal blood cannot take away sins, and Jesus’ one offering perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. What could the old lambs do, and what could they never do?Core

   Leader. They taught, covered for a time, and pointed. They could not finish. Christ does not repeat Passover. He fulfills it.

2. 4.1 Peter 2:24 holds two purposes together: He bore our sins, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Which half do we quote more often, and what happens when we drop the other?

   Leader. Only the bearing: no new life. Only the living: no forgiveness. Atonement is both pardon and a new direction.

3. 5.Where do we still try to “cover” our own sin — image, excuses, religious busyness — instead of standing under the blood God sees?

   Leader. Covering yourself is the opposite of atonement. You hide the door. He covers the people.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Atonement is Jesus, our substitute, covering sin by His sacrifice so we can be brought back to God.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank the Lamb who was slain.
2. Confess one way you try to cover yourself.
3. Ask to live to righteousness this week for a reason: His wounds, not your reputation.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

When a real storm hits your town, where do you feel safest, and why?

Leader. Shelter. You will contrast a feeling of safety with an actual lightning rod. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Propitiation is the act by which God’s just wrath against sin is fully satisfied through a sacrificial substitute, Jesus Christ, so that God’s favor and forgiveness can be extended to sinners.

In the original language

Greek hilasmos — a sacrifice that turns away wrath, an appeasing.

Memory verse · 1 John 2:2

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Together, open the flashcard for Propitiation. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Romans 3:24–26

Exodus 34 was the devotion’s text. Romans 3 is the paragraph where Paul uses this word to solve a problem inside God: how He can be righteous and still justify sinners.

And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What problem of God’s, not only ours, does the propitiation solve in verses 25 and 26?Core

   Leader. How a righteous God can pass over sin and still be righteous. The cross displays justice and justification together.

2. 2.How does a person receive what God put forward? Find the phrase.

   Leader. “By faith” / “received by faith.” Not by intensity, pedigree, or sorrow measured in tears.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.If God “just forgave” with no cross, what would Romans 3 say had happened to His justice?Core

   Leader. He would not be just. Forgiveness without propitiation would be God pretending. The bolt has to strike somewhere.

2. 4.Mark 15:34: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Who is standing in the open field from week 7’s drawing?

   Leader. Jesus, the Son, under wrath that was ours. Say it with weight and without theater. Then be quiet.

3. 5.1 John 2:2 says “the whole world,” and Romans 3:25 says “received by faith.” How do we honor both without telling people they are safe while they refuse Christ, or shrinking the cross to our little circle?

   Leader. See the leader note. For a young room, skip the debate and say the pastoral sentence in the note instead of hosting an argument.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Propitiation means Jesus took the wrath we deserved, so God can be both just and the One who justifies.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank the Father for putting His Son forward.
2. Thank the Son for standing in the storm.
3. Pray for someone who thinks God is either too soft to judge or too hard to approach.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

Have you ever been cleared of something people assumed you had done — or watched someone else be cleared? What changed the moment the decision was announced?

Leader. The moment of declaration. Not the book’s question about how we justify ourselves. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Justification is the judicial act of God in which He declares sinners righteous in His sight, not on the basis of their works, but solely on the basis of Christ’s righteousness imputed to them and received by faith alone.

In the original language

Greek dikaioō — to declare righteous. A verdict, not a process of self-improvement.

Memory verse · Romans 3:24

And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Together, open the flashcard for Justification. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Romans 4:4–8

Romans 8:31–38 was the reflection reading. Romans 4 shows the mechanism: wages versus gift, and righteousness counted to someone who is ungodly.

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.Paul contrasts wages and gift. Who gets justified in verse 5 — the impressive, or the ungodly? What is “counted” to them?Core

   Leader. The ungodly. Faith is counted as righteousness. This is credit, not a paycheck. God justifies the kind of person we actually are.

2. 2.David’s blessing is about what the Lord will not count. How is “not counting sin” different from “you have caught up on your payments”?

   Leader. The record is not balanced by later goodness. It is not counted. Forgiveness and credited righteousness belong together.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Philippians 3:8–9: Paul wants a righteousness that is not his own, but one that comes through faith. What righteousness are you still tempted to hand the Judge as if it were currency?Core

   Leader. Ministry fruit, moral improvement since conversion, a doctrinal résumé. Even real fruit is not the ground of the verdict.

2. 4.Romans 5:1 says the justified have peace with God. That is peace of relationship, not a calm personality. What accusation still talks to you as if the gavel had not fallen?

   Leader. Let people answer without fixing them in the moment. Then read verse 1 again over the answer.

3. 5.If justification is a declaration, how is it different from sanctification — God making you actually holy over time? Why do we collapse them?

   Leader. Collapsed, you think the verdict depends on this week’s progress, or you think the verdict means progress does not matter. Week 27 needs this distinction already planted. One minute is enough.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Justification means God declares sinners righteous as a gift, because of Jesus, received by faith.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God for a verdict you did not earn.
2. Hand Him one false righteousness you keep carrying into court.
3. Ask for peace with God to become louder than the accusation.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is a gap you would not try to cross without help — a road, a conversation, a bill, a language?

Leader. Gaps, not their personal story of mediating a fight. That was the book’s question. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Mediation is the work of Jesus Christ, the God-man, by which He stands between God and sinful humanity as the only representative who reconciles the two by His atoning death and ongoing intercession as our Great High Priest.

In the original language

Greek mesitēs — one who stands in the middle, a go-between.

Memory verse · 1 Timothy 2:5–6

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.

Together, open the flashcard for Mediation. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Hebrews 7:23–25

The devotion asked why the incarnation matters for mediation. You are not repeating that. Hebrews 7 shows what the Mediator is doing now: He always lives to intercede.

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.Why did the old priests have to be replaced, and why will this Priest not be?Core

   Leader. They died. He continues forever. The bridge does not collapse when a generation changes.

2. 2.“Save to the uttermost” is tied to “always lives to make intercession.” What is Jesus doing, right now, for people who draw near?

   Leader. He is praying, representing, holding. Mediation did not end at 3 p.m. on Friday.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.1 Timothy 2:5 says there is one mediator. What other bridges do people try to lay across this gorge — good people, saints, their own sincerity, a spiritual experience?Core

   Leader. Honor real helpers. Refuse substitutes. Drawing near is “through him,” not through a system that replaces Him.

2. 4.Hebrews 4:16 invites us to the throne of grace for timely help. If Jesus is the bridge, why do we still pray as if we were shouting across the canyon?

   Leader. We pray like outsiders. Intercession means we come with Him, not instead of Him and not without Him.

3. 5.Who in your life is standing on the other cliff, and what would it mean to introduce them to the Mediator instead of trying to be one yourself?

   Leader. We can witness. We cannot be the bridge. That relieves pressure and raises urgency.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Jesus is the one Mediator. He brings us to God by His death, and He still prays for us.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank Jesus for a bridge that is a Person.
2. Draw near out loud for one specific need. Do it through Him, not around Him.
3. Pray for someone on the far cliff.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is something you were glad to be done with — a loan, a chore, a season — because somebody else finished it?

Leader. Done-ness. Avoid the book’s “greatest debt you ever owed” prompt. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Redemption is God’s gracious act of purchasing and freeing His people from slavery to sin, death, and judgment through the payment of Christ’s blood, securing their release and restoration to Him.

In the original language

Greek apolytrōsis — a release secured by the payment of a ransom.

Memory verse · Ephesians 1:7

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

Together, open the flashcard for Redemption. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

1 Peter 1:18–19 and Mark 10:45

The devotion already walked Ruth and the line “free, but not cheap.” Peter names the currency. Mark names the mission. Read both. They are short.

You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What were they ransomed from, and what was not valuable enough to pay it?Core

   Leader. Futile inherited ways. Silver and gold cannot do it. The price is Christ’s blood, lamb-like, unblemished.

2. 2.Mark 10:45 says He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom “for many.” What kind of exchange is that?

   Leader. His life for their slavery. A ransom is paid to set captives free. This is purchase, not advice.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Ephesians 1:7 ties redemption to forgiveness “according to the riches of his grace.” If the price is blood, why does Paul still call the purchase grace?Core

   Leader. Costly to Christ, free to us. Grace is not the absence of a price. It is the presence of a Payer who is not you.

2. 4.1 Corinthians 6:19–20: you were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body. How does being bought change ownership, not only feelings?

   Leader. Redemption transfers the title. The question is no longer “what do I feel like doing with myself?”

3. 5.What futile way, inherited from family or culture, still acts like it owns a Christian? What would it mean to live as someone whose ransom has already cleared?

   Leader. Patterns: anger, image, money, a family script. Be gentle. Ownership by Christ is freedom, not a new slavery to the group’s opinions.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Redemption means Jesus paid with His blood to free us from slavery to sin and bring us back to God.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank Christ for a price silver could not touch.
2. Name a futile way you want to stop obeying.
3. Pray for someone still living as if they were unbought.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is a small wall people build without noticing — a closed door, a group text, a seat saved, a silence?

Leader. Ordinary walls. Do not ask them to retell a resolved conflict and how it felt. That is the journal question. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Reconciliation is God ending the war and separation our sin created by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, and granting us lasting peace with Himself.

In the original language

Greek katallagē — a change from enmity to friendship. Also eirēnē — peace.

Memory verse · Colossians 1:19–20

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Together, open the flashcard for Reconciliation. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Ephesians 2:13–18

Romans 5:10 was the devotion’s reading. Ephesians 2 is the wall in the drawing: hostility between people, and between us and God, broken by one cross.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What did the wall divide, and what, specifically, tore it down?Core

   Leader. Jew and Gentile, and both from God. The wall comes down in His flesh, by the cross, not by the groups deciding to be mature.

2. 2.Paul says Christ “himself is our peace.” How is that different from Christ giving us some advice about peace?

   Leader. Peace is a Person we are brought into, not a technique we master. Nearness is “by the blood.”

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Colossians 1:21–22, if you read it, remembers that we were hostile in mind. What does reconciled peace with God make possible that a truce would not?Core

   Leader. A truce pauses the shooting. Reconciliation changes the relationship: holy, without blemish, welcomed. God is not barely tolerating His people.

2. 4.The same cross reconciles us to God and to one another. Where is our church still living as if a wall Christ killed were still load-bearing?

   Leader. Race, class, age, politics, old offenses. Be concrete and local. Do not let this become a speech. Ask what obedience would look like this month.

3. 5.2 Corinthians 5:18–20: reconciled people are given the message of reconciliation. If peace has already been made from God’s side, what are we actually asking a friend to do?

   Leader. Not to appease an angry deity with gifts. To receive a peace already accomplished, and to come home. Ambassadors announce terms. They do not invent them.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Reconciliation means God ended the war our sin started, through the blood of the cross, and brought us near.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank Christ, who is our peace.
2. Confess a wall you have maintained.
3. Pray for one relationship, and for one person still far off.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is a notification, a bill, or a reminder you would love to see disappear and never reload?

Leader. Ordinary relief. Do not ask how God’s forgiveness differs from ours. That was the journal. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Forgiveness is the gracious act of God by which He fully pardons sinners of their guilt, cancels their debt of sin, and no longer holds their transgressions against them because of Christ’s work on the cross.

In the original language

Greek aphesis — release, pardon, the cancellation of a debt.

Memory verse · Colossians 1:14

In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Together, open the flashcard for Forgiveness. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Luke 7:41–48

Psalm 103:12 was their reflection text. Luke 7 puts two debts, a table, and Jesus’ own words in the room. Read the short parable and the verdict, not the whole chapter, unless you have time.

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” … And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.Both debtors are cancelled, not just the smaller one. What made the difference in their love, according to Jesus?Core

   Leader. They both couldn’t pay. The one who knows the size of the cancellation loves more. Forgiveness is the same act. Awareness differs.

2. 2.The table guests ask, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” Why is that the right question?

   Leader. Only the one who holds the debt can cancel it. Jesus is acting as God, not as a therapist who helps her move on.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Micah 7:18–19: God pardons iniquity and casts sin into the depths of the sea. What do we do with a sin we believe God forgave but we keep retrieving?Core

   Leader. Retrieving is unbelief dressed as seriousness. The sea is not a filing cabinet. Be pastoral, not scolding.

2. 4.Ephesians 4:32: forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you. The standard is not “when they deserve it.” Where are you offering a payment plan to someone Christ already taught you how to release?

   Leader. This is not “pretend it didn’t happen.” Cancellation can include truth-telling and boundaries. It cannot include a private ledger you mean to collect.

3. 5.Colossians 1:14 puts redemption and forgiveness in the same breath. Why is “I forgive myself” a thinner sentence than “In Christ we have forgiveness”?

   Leader. You are not the lender. Self-forgiveness language often skips the cross. The release comes from the One who was owed.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Forgiveness means God cancels our debt of sin in Christ and does not hold it against us.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God for a torn record.
2. Confess a sin you keep fishing out of the sea.
3. Ask for strength to tear up a ledger you have kept on someone else. Silently is fine.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is a promise someone kept long after it stopped being convenient?

Leader. Kept promises. Do not ask them to map wedding vows onto Hebrews 13:5. They did that reflection already. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

A covenant is a divinely established, binding relationship in which God commits Himself to His people with promises and often confirms it with signs and blood.

In the original language

Greek diathēkē — a covenant, a binding commitment, a testament.

Memory verse · Hebrews 9:15

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Together, open the flashcard for Covenant. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Genesis 15:7–18

God makes a covenant with Abram by walking the aisle of cut animals alone, as a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, while Abram is in a deep sleep. The devotion used the wedding picture devotionally. This text shows who carries the oath.

And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” … “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners… and they shall come back here.” When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land.”

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.In the ancient ceremony, both parties normally walked between the pieces, taking the curse on themselves if they broke faith. Who walks in this story? Where is Abram?Core

   Leader. God, pictured as fire, walks alone. Abram is asleep. The covenant’s certainty rests on God’s oath, not Abram’s performance that night.

2. 2.God tells Abram the future, including hard years, “for certain.” What kind of promise can talk that honestly about suffering and still be good?

   Leader. A sovereign promise. Covenant is not a guarantee that the path will be easy. It is a guarantee that God will do what He said.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Jeremiah 31:33–34: God will write His law on hearts, be their God, and remember their sin no more. Which of those three promises do you live as if He might withdraw?Core

   Leader. Usually the third, sometimes the first. The new covenant is God’s “I will,” not our “we might.”

2. 4.Hebrews 9:15 says a death redeems transgressions committed under the first covenant, so the called receive an eternal inheritance. Why was a new covenant needed at all if the old one already had sacrifices?

   Leader. The old exposed sin and pointed forward. It could not finally clear the conscience or secure an eternal inheritance. Christ’s death does. Hebrews 8–10 if someone wants more later.

3. 5.The drawing is a wedding. Ephesians 5:25–27 says Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. What do marriage vows teach about covenant that a contract does not — and where does the analogy break?

   Leader. Vows are personal, exclusive, and lasting. The analogy breaks where we are equal partners earning the relationship. We are the bride He washed. He is not lucky to have us.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

A covenant is God binding Himself to His people by promise, and the new covenant stands because Jesus died.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Praise God for promises that do not depend on our staying awake.
2. Ask Him to write His ways on a place in you that still bargains.
3. Pray for the marriages and the single people in the room to trust Christ’s vow more than their own.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is something you noticed was alive only because you had seen it dead — a plant, a neighborhood, a friendship, a field in spring?

Leader. Contrast, not their conversion story. The book already asked what changed when they came alive. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Regeneration is being born again through the Holy Spirit. It is a supernatural work of God in which a spiritually dead person is made alive.

In the original language

Greek palingenesia — rebirth, regeneration. Also zōopoieō — to make alive.

Memory verse · Titus 3:5

He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Together, open the flashcard for Regeneration. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

John 3:3–8

Second Corinthians 5:17 was the reflection text, with its put-off and put-on. Nicodemus hears that entering the kingdom requires a birth from above, and that the Spirit is as free as wind.

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old?” … Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.Nicodemus is a serious religious teacher. What, according to Jesus, can he still not do unless he is born again?Core

   Leader. See and enter the kingdom. Religion without new birth leaves him outside. This humbles the competent.

2. 2.Jesus compares the Spirit to wind. What can you tell about the wind, and what can you not control?

   Leader. You hear the sound and see the effects. You do not steer the Spirit. New birth is God’s act. The effects are visible later.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Ezekiel 36:26–27 promises a new heart and God’s Spirit, causing people to walk in His ways. How is that different from deciding to be a better version of the old heart?Core

   Leader. The material changes. God does not motivate the dead half of the tree. He gives life. Obedience follows the new heart. It does not create it.

2. 4.Titus 3:5 says the washing of regeneration is mercy, not works done by us in righteousness. What “works done in righteousness” do people still offer as the reason God made them alive?

   Leader. A prayer prayed well, a raised hand, a moral cleanup before believing. Those may accompany. They do not cause.

3. 5.John 3:8 says you hear the sound. What is the sound of new birth in an ordinary week — not a spectacular story, a real one?

   Leader. New desires, a conscience that wakes up, love for a people you used to avoid, hunger for the word. Affirm quiet stories. Do not rank them against dramatic ones.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Regeneration means the Holy Spirit makes a dead person alive. It is new birth, and it is God’s work.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank the Spirit for any true life in the room.
2. Pray for someone who is still only the dead half of the tree.
3. Ask that the sound of new life would be obvious in this group without becoming a performance.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What object in your life proves something is yours — a key, a title, a ring, a signature, a stamp?

Leader. Proof of ownership. The book already asked how sealing helps them feel safe, and it used Philippians 1:6. Do not repeat those. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Sealing is the divine act by which the Holy Spirit marks believers as God’s own possession, guarantees their future inheritance, and secures them for salvation.

In the original language

Greek sphragizō — to seal, to mark with a sign of ownership and authenticity.

Memory verse · Ephesians 1:13

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

Together, open the flashcard for Sealing. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Ephesians 4:30 and 2 Corinthians 1:21–22

Ephesians 1:13 is the memory verse. These two short texts show what the seal means on a bad day: do not grieve the Spirit who sealed you, and God is the one who establishes you.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.You can grieve the Spirit. Can you, according to these verses, unseal yourself? What was the seal for?Core

   Leader. Grief is real. The seal was for the day of redemption. Sin saddens the Spirit. It does not dissolve the mark. This is the distinction the night needs.

2. 2.Who establishes, anoints, and seals in 2 Corinthians 1? What is the Spirit called besides a seal?

   Leader. God does it. The Spirit is a guarantee — a down payment. The future inheritance has already put money down in the heart.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Ephesians 1:13 puts the seal after hearing and believing. What does that order protect us from? What does it not mean?

   Leader. It protects us from claiming the seal with no gospel faith. It does not mean the Spirit was absent from drawing us. Don’t build a minute-by-minute ordo. Do insist the seal belongs to believers.

2. 4.A seal can be broken by someone stronger than the one who set it. Read John 10:28–29 beside the wax. Who would have to be overpowered for you to be unsealed?Core

   Leader. The Father, who is greater than all. Assurance is only as strong as the Sealer. That is the point.

3. 5.If grieving the Spirit is possible for a sealed person, what is a real way this group could grieve Him together — and what would honoring the seal look like instead?

   Leader. Gossip, contempt, lying, using people. Honoring looks like truth, tenderness, and not treating the mark as permission. Ephesians 4:25–32 is the neighborhood of the verse.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Sealing means the Holy Spirit marks believers as God’s own and guarantees He will bring them to the end.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank the Spirit for being both the seal and the guarantee.
2. Confess a way you have grieved Him as if the mark made obedience optional.
3. Pray for someone who is afraid they have undone their salvation.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is a place you did not start out belonging, where someone eventually made a place for you?

Leader. Being brought in. The book already asked about belonging, church conflict, and loneliness. Stay out of those three prompts. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Adoption means God welcomes believers into His family as dear children, giving us full rights and love as heirs in Christ.

In the original language

Greek huiothesia — placement as a son, the legal act of adoption.

Memory verse · Ephesians 1:4–5

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

Together, open the flashcard for Adoption. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Galatians 4:4–7

Paul moves a person from slave to son to heir, and puts “Abba, Father” in their mouth. That is the doctrine in one paragraph, and it is not the journal assignment.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.Trace the sequence: what did the Son do, what do we receive, and what does the Spirit cry?Core

   Leader. Born under the law, He redeems. We receive adoption. The Spirit cries Abba. Sonship is not a mood. It follows redemption and comes with the Spirit.

2. 2.What is the difference, in verse 7, between a slave in the house and a son?

   Leader. A slave may work on the property. A son inherits it. Duty without adoption is not the gospel.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Romans 8:15–17 says the Spirit does not lead us back into fear, and that children are heirs — heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him. How does adoption speak to fear, and why does Paul refuse to separate sonship from sharing Christ’s sufferings?Core

   Leader. Abba answers fear. Glory later includes suffering now. Adoption is not a promise that the family avoids pain. It is a promise you do not face it as an orphan.

2. 4.Ephesians 1:5 says this was “according to the purpose of his will,” in love. What happens to assurance if we think we were adopted because we were the promising kid?

   Leader. The purpose was His. The love was His. Promising kids burn out trying to stay adoptable.

3. 5.John 1:12–13: he gave the right to become children of God to those who received Him, born not of the will of the flesh. Who in your actual life still thinks they have to earn a seat at a father’s table — maybe even yours?

   Leader. A child, a friend, a new believer. Ask what a word of welcome would sound like that does not add a condition Christ did not add.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Adoption means God receives believers as His own children and heirs, through Jesus, because He loves them.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Pray the word Abba slowly. Let it be awkward if it is awkward.
2. Thank Him that you are not staff in the house.
3. Pray for someone who only knows fathers as fear.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

Who would you call first if something in your house caught fire, and why them?

Leader. A name and a reason: near, able, willing. Do not ask people to narrate a trauma or the threats God rescued them from. That is the book’s question. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Rescue, or deliverance, is God saving people from danger, freeing them from sin, evil, and judgment, both now and forever through Jesus.

In the original language

Greek rhuomai — to rescue, to deliver, to draw someone out of danger.

Memory verse · Colossians 1:13

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.

Together, open the flashcard for Rescue. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Mark 2:1–12

Friends tear open a roof because a man cannot get himself to Jesus. Jesus delivers him from sin and, then, from the stretcher. The devotion sent them to pray for someone in darkness. This story asks what kind of deliverance Jesus leads with.

And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed… And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” … “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he said to the paralytic — “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What did the friends expect, as far as we can tell, and what did Jesus give first?Core

   Leader. They brought a body. He forgave sins first, then raised the man. The deepest rescue is the kingdom transfer, not only the symptom.

2. 2.How did the man get into the room? What does that show about his ability, and about theirs?

   Leader. He was carried. Other people can bring you to Jesus. They cannot be Jesus. Faith, here, is even visible in the friends.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Colossians 1:13 says delivered from a domain and transferred into a kingdom. A domain is a government. What still acts like it governs a Christian whom Jesus has already moved?Core

   Leader. Shame, a habit, an old crowd, despair, the approval of people. Transfer means a new King. The old one does not get a spare key.

2. 4.Psalm 40:1–2: He drew me up from the pit and set my feet on a rock. Rescue in that psalm includes waiting. Why is waiting not the same thing as God failing to come in?

   Leader. The firefighter’s timeline and ours often differ. Waiting is part of many deliverances. It is not proof you are still in the old kingdom.

3. 5.The four friends made a hole in someone else’s roof. What is a costly, practical way this group could carry someone toward Jesus without trying to be their savior?

   Leader. A ride, a meal, sitting with them in a service, a conversation that actually names Christ. Costly and specific. Not “we should love people more.”

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Rescue means Jesus delivers people out of the dominion of darkness and brings them into His kingdom.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank Him for coming into the fire.
2. Pray for someone you would carry to Jesus if you could get them through the roof.
3. Ask for freedom where an old domain still gives orders.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

Where do you hate to let someone else drive, carry the tray, or hold the ladder — and what are you afraid they will do?

Leader. Control. The book asked where they rely on works and what steps would deepen reliance. You are only opening the theme of weight. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Faith is trusting Jesus alone to save you and relying on Him instead of yourself.

In the original language

Greek pistis — faith, trust, reliance, a confidence that rests its weight on another.

Memory verse · Romans 5:1

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Together, open the flashcard for Faith. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Genesis 15:1–6

Abraham is old, childless, and asked to trust a promise he cannot perform. God calls the belief righteousness. Romans 4 will preach this text. Stay in the narrative first.

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless…?” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What is Abram unable to produce, and what does God tell him to look at?Core

   Leader. An heir. The stars. God moves his eyes off his body and onto the promise. Faith looks where God points.

2. 2.Verse 6 is famous. What, exactly, is counted to Abram as righteousness — a great deed, or believing God?

   Leader. Believing the Lord. Before circumcision, before Isaac, before the law. This is why Paul loves the verse.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Romans 4:4–5 uses this story to say God justifies the ungodly who do not work but believe. How is sitting in the chair different from inspecting the chair, complimenting the chair, or holding yourself up while you touch it?Core

   Leader. Agreement is not reliance. Many church people inspect Jesus for years. Faith puts weight on Him.

2. 4.Matthew 11:28–30: “Come to me… and I will give you rest.” Jesus offers a yoke, not a couch with no Lord. How can rest and obedience fit in the same faith?

   Leader. You rest from self-salvation and take His yoke. Faith is not passivity about holiness. It is passivity about earning, and activity about following.

3. 5.James 2:17 says faith by itself, if it does not work, is dead. Does that cancel Romans 5:1? What is a dead “faith,” and what is a living one?

   Leader. James is describing a chair nobody sits in — a claim with no reliance and no fruit. Paul is describing the sitting that justifies. They are not two ways to be saved. Fruit shows the seat was taken. Do not let a debate replace that sentence.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Faith is trusting Jesus alone to save you — sitting down, and letting Him hold your weight.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Tell God, simply, where you are still holding yourself up.
2. Thank Him for counting belief as righteousness.
3. Ask for a living faith that rests and follows.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

When did a wrong turn cost you real time, and how long did you argue with the map before you turned around?

Leader. Delay and pride. Do not ask them to inventory godly sorrow or to attack “easy believism.” Both are the book’s questions. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Repentance is the turning of a sinner away from sin and toward God, involving a change of mind, heart, and direction of life.

In the original language

Greek metanoia — a change of mind that turns the whole person.

Memory verse · Mark 1:15

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.

Together, open the flashcard for Repentance. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Luke 19:1–10

Zacchaeus turns in public, in his money, the same day he is welcomed. You can see the U-turn. You are not asking the group to confess a secret sin out loud.

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and rich. … And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” … And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house… For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.Who moves first — Zacchaeus climbing, or Jesus calling? What does Zacchaeus do after Jesus comes to the house?Core

   Leader. Jesus seeks and calls. Zacchaeus responds with joy and with a costly turn: generosity and restitution. Repentance is response to a Seeker, not a self-improvement project that earns the visit.

2. 2.Jesus calls this “salvation,” and He calls Zacchaeus “lost” a moment later, even as a son of Abraham. What was he lost from, if he was already religiously nearby?

   Leader. Lost is not only “far from church.” A wealthy insider can be lost. Salvation reaches his house, not only his mood.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Mark 1:15 refuses to split repent from believe. What does a so-called faith look like with no U-turn, and what does a turn look like with no gospel to turn toward?Core

   Leader. Faith without turning is a claim. Turning without the gospel is moralism or despair. Jesus holds them together.

2. 4.Acts 3:19: repent and turn again, that sins may be blotted out. Acts 26:20: repent and turn, performing deeds in keeping with repentance. Why is restitution, when it is possible, part of a turn and not a way of paying Jesus back?

   Leader. Zacchaeus does not purchase salvation. The welcome came first. The money shows the turn is real. Where payback is impossible, the turn still shows up in confession and a new direction.

3. 5.You do not have to name a sin in this circle. What is the shape of a turn — what would have to change direction, not just be regretted — that you already know about?

   Leader. Shape, not spectacle: a habit stopped, a person repaid, a lie corrected, a relationship approached differently. Offer silence. Do not go around the circle demanding answers.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Repentance is a real turn — mind, heart, and direction — away from sin and toward God, joined to faith in the gospel.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank Jesus for seeking the lost instead of waiting to be found.
2. Ask for a turn, not only a feeling, where you have been delaying.
3. Pray for a house, like Zacchaeus’s, that needs salvation to arrive.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is a piece of clothing, a uniform, or a jacket that changed how you carried yourself when you put it on?

Leader. Identity you wear. Do not ask them to list unholy things to take off. That was the journal response. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Sanctification means God has set you apart as holy and His, and now He is making you more like Jesus.

In the original language

Greek hagiasmos — holiness, consecration, being set apart as God’s.

Memory verse · 1 Corinthians 6:11

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Together, open the flashcard for Sanctification. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Colossians 3:1–4, 12–14

Paul starts with “you have been raised,” then tells them what to put on. The devotion asked them to define positional and progressive sanctification and to commit to taking garments off. You will let the text show the order instead of quizzing the definitions.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another… And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What does Paul say is already true of them before he tells them to put anything on?Core

   Leader. Raised with Christ, died, life hidden with Christ, chosen, holy, beloved. The command lands on people who already have a status. Imperative follows indicative.

2. 2.Look at the wardrobe list in verses 12–14. Are these mostly private feelings, or ways of treating other people?

   Leader. Mostly relational: compassion, patience, bearing with, forgiving, love. Holiness shows up in the room, not only in a quiet time.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.1 Corinthians 6:11 puts washed, sanctified, and justified in the past tense — “such were some of you.” How should a Christian’s past be talked about: erased from honesty, or no longer in charge?Core

   Leader. Paul names the past in the previous verses and then says “were.” Honesty without ownership. The old life is not the name on the robe.

2. 4.Philippians 2:12–13: work out your salvation, for God is at work in you to will and to work. Where do we slide into “God does it, so I will not” or “I do it, so it depends on me”?

   Leader. Both slides deny the verse. We work because He works. Effort is not earning. Passivity is not faith.

3. 5.Colossians 3:4 says Christ is your life, and glory is still future. What would change this month if you believed holiness is becoming who you already are in Him, rather than becoming someone God might finally like?

   Leader. Fear-based change exhausts people. Identity-based change can tell the truth and still rejoice. Tie back to adoption and justification without reteaching them.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Sanctification means God has already set you apart as His, and He is making you more like Jesus.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God that “holy and beloved” is already how He names His people.
2. Ask for one piece of the wardrobe — name it — to be put on this week toward a real person.
3. Ask Him to keep working in you so your effort is not a panic.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is something you are looking forward to that you are confident will happen, not just something you wish would happen?

Leader. Confidence versus wishing. The book asked how trials reveal where hope lies, and it used Ephesians 1. Do not reopen those. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Hope is the confident expectation of future good, grounded in the promises of God and secured by the finished work of Jesus Christ.

In the original language

Greek elpis — confident expectation, not a wish.

Memory verse · Hebrews 6:19

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.

Together, open the flashcard for Hope. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Hebrews 6:17–20

Read the memory verse in its paragraph. The anchor is God’s oath and Jesus’ priesthood, not a technique for sad people. Then Romans 8 will take you into groaning, which the journal did not study.

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What two things make the hope strong, and where does the anchor actually go?Core

   Leader. God’s promise and God’s oath — He cannot lie. The anchor enters behind the curtain, where Jesus has already gone. Hope is tethered to a Person in God’s presence.

2. 2.Who is this encouragement for, according to verse 18? What had they done?

   Leader. Heirs of the promise who have fled for refuge. Hope belongs to people who needed a place to run, not to people who have it together.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Read Romans 8:23–25. Paul says we hope for what we do not see, and we wait with patience. How is that different from pretending this week is fine?Core

   Leader. Christian hope tells the truth about groaning and still expects the adoption, the redemption of the body. It is not denial.

2. 4.1 Peter 1:3–4 ties living hope to the resurrection and to an inheritance that does not fade, kept in heaven. What are you hoping in that can fade, spoil, or be taken — and what cannot?

   Leader. Health, money, a political outcome, a child’s success, even a ministry. Name them without shaming. The inheritance is kept. They are not the anchor.

3. 5.The chain in the drawing goes up, out of the water, where the sailor cannot see the flukes. What does it look like, practically, to “hold fast” a hope you cannot currently see?

   Leader. Prayer that tells God the truth, staying with the saints, opening the promise again, refusing a smaller god. Not a smile you wear for the group.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Hope is a confident expectation of future good, anchored in God’s promise and in Jesus, who has already gone in.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God that He cannot lie.
2. Tell Him one groan you are not supposed to pretend away.
3. Ask for a hope strong enough to wait.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is something ordinary you have seen become beautiful when the light hit it right?

Leader. Light, not a list of hardships they want to escape. That list was the journal question, along with Philippians 3:20. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Glorification is the wonderful moment when Jesus returns and God instantly makes every Christian completely perfect, like Jesus Himself, with no more sin, pain, weakness, or death, so we can live with Him forever in glory.

In the original language

Greek doxa — glory, weight, honor, splendor.

Memory verse · 1 Corinthians 15:42–43

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.

Together, open the flashcard for Glorification. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

1 John 3:2 and Revelation 21:3–5

John aims the hope at seeing Jesus and becoming like Him. Revelation aims it at God dwelling with His people and making all things new. Together they keep glorification from shrinking into “a better body, same old center.”

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.What do we already know, and what has not yet appeared? What does John say we will be, and why?Core

   Leader. We are children now. The future form has not appeared. We shall be like Him because we shall see Him. Sight of Christ is what completes the likeness.

2. 2.In Revelation 21, what is the center of the new world — the absence of pain, or the presence of God? What happens to death, mourning, and pain, and who does it?

   Leader. God with His people is the center. The wiping of tears is His act. Do not let “no more pain” replace “God himself will be with them,” even though the pain line is the one we want first.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Romans 8:30 puts glorified in the past tense, in the same chain as called and justified. Why would Paul talk about a future resurrection as if it were already decided?Core

   Leader. Because God, who started it, does not drop the last link. Glorification is as certain as justification for those He has called. It is promise, not guess.

2. 4.1 Corinthians 15:42–43 contrasts perishable and imperishable, dishonor and glory, weakness and power. Which of those three contrasts do you feel most in your body or your battle with sin right now?

   Leader. Let people answer simply. Then remind them the raising is God’s, sudden, and complete — not a long self-improvement into glory. This is different from sanctification’s slow robe.

3. 5.1 John 3:3 says everyone who hopes this way purifies himself, as He is pure. How does a future likeness produce present cleanliness, instead of the attitude “nothing matters until then”?

   Leader. You become, in practice, what you are sure you will be. Hope of glory is fuel for holiness, not a reason to quit. Week 27 and week 29 belong together.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Glorification means that when Jesus appears, God will make every Christian perfectly like Him, body and soul, forever.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Thank God that what you will be has not appeared yet, and that He already knows.
2. Ask Him to make the hope of likeness purify one present habit.
3. Pray for someone who is weary in a perishable body.

1 · Icebreaker · 7 min

Open the room

What is a story you love where, by the end, you realize the ending was being prepared from the first chapter?

Leader. Prepared endings. The book asked about peace in storms and about names not being erased in Revelation 3:5. Leave both alone. Say that passing is allowed, especially the first few weeks.

2 · The word · 8 min

See it, then say it

Definition, from the book

Election is God’s choice, made before the world began, to save people through Jesus, not because they earned it or were better than others, but because of His love and mercy.

In the original language

Greek eklegomai — to choose, to pick out, to call one’s own.

Memory verse · Ephesians 1:3–4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Together, open the flashcard for Election. Say the word, the definition, and the verse once. Then put the phone away.

3 · Open the Bible · 15 min

Deuteronomy 7:6–8 and Romans 8:29–30

Deuteronomy tells Israel they were not chosen for being impressive. Romans 8 walks the whole chain, from foreknowledge to glory, which is a way to look back over this entire study without retaking the final exam.

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Have two readers if you can. Bibles open. The excerpt is only here so a forgotten Bible does not stop the night.

From the passage

1. 1.In Deuteronomy 7, what reason does God refuse for His choice, and what reason does He give?Core

   Leader. Not because they were numerous or impressive. Because He loves them and keeps His oath. Election empties boasting.

2. 2.Walk Romans 8:29–30 slowly. Which words from this thirty-week study do you hear inside that chain?

   Leader. Called, justified, glorified, conformed to the Son. Let them connect creation’s goal, justification, sanctification’s end, glorification. Do not force every word to fit. Celebrate the ones that do.

4 · Around the room · 20 min

A conversation this chapter did not assign

1. 3.Ephesians 1:4 says He chose us in Him — in Christ — to be holy. How does “in Christ” keep election from becoming either a reason to be proud or a reason to be paralyzed?Core

   Leader. Proud: “I was the impressive one.” Paralyzed: “I cannot know, so I will not come.” The answer is to look at Christ, not at a secret list. Those who come to Him find they were welcomed.

2. 4.John 6:37: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” What does the second half do to the fear that election locks the door on someone who wants in?

   Leader. The door’s rule is: the one who comes is not cast out. Election explains why anyone comes. It is not a bouncer against the willing. Say this clearly. It is the pastoral center of the night.

3. 5.You have thirty words now. Using any five of them — no notes for a moment — how would you tell a friend what God has done in Jesus? Try it in under a minute. Clumsy is allowed.

   Leader. This is the commissioning exercise. Listen, encourage, add only what they dropped if it was the cross or the response of faith. Do not grade vocabulary. If the group is large, do it in pairs.

5 · Say it · 5 min

In one sentence

Election is God’s choice, before the world began, to save a people through Jesus, out of love, not because they were better.

Ask for two volunteers, not the whole circle. They may look at the sentence, then try it without looking. Clumsy and true is the goal.

6 · Pray · 8 min

Leave silence between these

1. Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the words of Ephesians 1 if you can.
2. Thank Him for every word in this study that has become more than a word.
3. Ask for courage to say the gospel, this week, in ordinary language. Pray for one name.