Sermon Guide

October 12: Daniel 9

What stood out to you most from the sermon? Why?

Key Takeaway:

1. Being known by God can be both comforting and terrifying.
2. God sees us completely and still loves us completely.
3. Confession and repentance are crucial in our relationship with God.
4. God's answer to our prayers may be bigger than what we initially ask for.
5. We are treasured by God not because of our actions, but because of who He is.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does the idea of being fully known by God make you feel? Why?
2. In this chapter Daniel records his passionate prayer of confession. How can we cultivate a similar honesty in our prayers?
3. Discuss the statement: "When you realize the God who knows you best is also the one who loves you most, that's when real change can occur in your life." How have you experienced this in your own life?
4. How does understanding God's love for us impact the way we approach Him in prayer?
5. How does the knowledge that you are "treasured by God" affect your daily life and decision-making?

Practical Applications:

1. This week, spend time in honest confession and repentance before God, acknowledging that He already knows everything.
2. Practice praying boldly, asking God for what you need while remaining open to His potentially bigger plans.
3. Write down three ways you can remind yourself daily that you are treasured by God.
4. Choose a prayer request you've been making and consider how God might be working in ways beyond your initial request.

 Sermon Guide

October 19: Daniel 10

What stood out to you most from the sermon? Why?

What was your initial reaction to the discussion of angels and spiritual warfare?

Key Takeaway:

1. There is an unseen spiritual realm where battles are fought.
2. Angels are created beings who serve God and minister to believers.
3. Satan and demons are real, but their power is limited and ultimately defeated by Christ.
4. Our protection in spiritual warfare comes from God, not our own strength.
5. The victory over evil has already been won by Jesus Christ.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does the reality of spiritual warfare affect your daily life and faith?
2. The sermon mentions that angels long to understand our salvation. How does this impact your view of your own relationship with God?
3. Discuss the difference between attributing all difficulties to spiritual warfare versus recognizing when something might just be a normal life challenge.
4. How can we balance being aware of spiritual warfare without becoming overly focused on demons or Satan?
5. Reflect on the image of putting on "Daddy's armor." How does this metaphor help you understand our relationship with God in spiritual battles?
6. The sermon states, "Defeating evil is not yours to do." How does this statement challenge or comfort you?
7. In what ways have you tried to fight spiritual battles in your own strength? What was the result?

Practical Applications:

1. This week, practice "putting on the armor of God" (Ephesians 6:10-18) each morning through prayer and meditation on Scripture.
2. When facing challenges or temptations, consciously remind yourself of Christ's victory and your position in Him.
3. Identify an area where you've been trying to fight in your own strength. Surrender it to God and ask for His protection and victory.
4. Memorize a key verse about God's victory, such as 1 John 4:4 or Colossians 2:15.
5. Thank God for His victory over evil through Jesus Christ. Ask for His protection and the strength to stand firm in faith, resting in His completed work.

 Sermon Guide

October 26: Daniel 11-12

What stood out to you most from the sermon? Why? Was there a particular historical detail or prophecy that caught your attention?

Key Takeaway:

1. God is in control of history - Every detail prophesied in Daniel 11 came true exactly as predicted
2. Evil has an expiration date - Suffering is real, but it's not forever
3. Hope is found in the Book of Life - Our rescue is secured by Jesus, not our good works
4. We don't need all the answers - We need to know the Author and keep walking in faith

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think God gave Daniel such specific details about the next 350 years? What purpose does this level of detail serve for Daniel's original audience and for us today?
2. Evil has an expiration date (Daniel 11:35). How does this truth change the way we view current world events or personal struggles?
3. What are the things you struggle to believe that God is still in control of? How does Daniel 11-12 speak to those specific areas?
4. Daniel 12:1 mentions those "found written in the book.” How would you explain to someone what it means to have your name written in the Book of Life? Is your confidence in this based on your performance or on Jesus' finished work?
5. What's the difference between nostalgia and biblical hope? Where are you tempted to rely on nostalgia instead of hope?
6. Daniel 12:4 says people will be "roaming about" searching for knowledge. How do you see this playing out in our current culture?How can we be "people of the word" in an age of information overload?
7. God's answer to Daniel in 12:9 was essentially "go on your way—keep living.” Why is this frustrating for us? What does it look like practically to "keep walking" when we don't have all the answers?

Practical Applications:

1. Write down 2-3 areas where you're struggling to trust God's control and next to each, write a truth from Daniel 11-12 that speaks to that struggle. Pray over these daily, asking God to replace anxiety with hope.
2. Journal about what it means that your name is written in the Book of Life Who in your life needs to hear about this hope? Pray for one specific opportunity to share the gospel this week
3. Commit to reading one chapter of Scripture before checking your phone/social media each morning. Keep a simple log of what you read and share one insight with the group next week.

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 Sermon Guide

November 2: 1 John 1:5-2:2, Romans 7:5-24

What stood out to you most from the sermon? Why?

Question: I know you give grace, and you forgive my sins, but as I have been following you for you so long I feel tired of sinning and doing what I don't want to do. What am I supposed to do knowing I'm not supposed to sin but that I always will? I know you always forgive. What should my mindset be? Just try to not sin? But we always sin!

Key Takeaway:

1. Don't Give Up - Struggling with sin means you're alive in Christ, not dead spiritually
2. Don't Fake It - Honesty about our sin is essential; confession is not negotiation
3. Jesus is Our Substitute, Not a Supplement - We don't add Jesus to our efforts; He is our complete righteousness
4. Walk the Same Way You Came - We continue in grace the same way we started—with empty hands and humble hearts
5. There is No Condemnation - Romans 8:1 reminds us that guilt and shame have been removed through Christ

Discussion Questions:

1. In the D-Day illustration of two soldiers, one alive and flinching, one dead and calm. How does this change your perspective on spiritual struggle? What does it mean that "the fight itself is evidence that Jesus has already won"?
2. Read 1 John 1:8-10. Why do you think John emphasizes both "if we say we have no sin" AND "if we say we have not sinned"? What's the difference between these two statements?
3. In Romans 7:15-24, Paul describes an intense internal battle. Have you ever felt like Paul—doing what you don't want to do and not doing what you want to do? Share an example (if comfortable).
4. "Jesus isn't a vitamin... He's your substitute." What does it look like in practical terms to treat Jesus as a supplement versus a substitute? How have you been guilty of this?
5. Discuss the statement: "Your standing with God doesn't rise and fall with your performance." Why is this so hard to believe? What lies do we believe that contradict this truth?
6. Sin becomes most obvious when we decide not to do it—like walking into brighter light reveals imperfections. Have you experienced this? Why might increased awareness of sin actually be a sign of spiritual growth rather than spiritual failure?
7. Read 1 John 2:1-2. How does understanding Jesus as our "advocate" change the way you approach God after you've sinned?
8. The sermon outlined a cycle: Don't give up → Confess (Don’t fake it, deny it, or rename it) → Enjoy forgiveness → Accept the cleansing → Rest in Jesus → Rinse and repeat. Which part of this cycle is hardest for you? Where do you tend to get stuck?
9. We often rename sin instead of confessing it plainly ("mistake," "slip-up," "error in judgment"). What sins do you tend to rename? What would plain, honest confession sound like?
10. Colossians 2:6 says, "Just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him." What does it practically look like this week to "walk the same way you came"—with empty hands, dependent and grateful?

Practical Applications:

1. When you sin this week, practice plain confession without excuses, minimizing, or renaming. Simply say to God: "I sinned. I [specific sin]. Please forgive me." Then receive His forgiveness and move forward.
2. Set aside 15 minutes to look back over the past year. Write down specific ways Jesus has changed you, even small ones. Thank God for the progress, not perfection.
3. Memorize Romans 8:1 and 1 John 1:9. When you struggle with guilt or shame this week, speak these verses out loud as a declaration of truth.
4. Each day this week, notice when you're trying to "supplement" Jesus with your own efforts versus resting in Him as your substitute. Journal about what you discover.
5. Share one lie you've been believing about God's forgiveness or your standing with Him. Pray for each other, thanking God for Jesus as our substitute and asking for grace to walk in freedom.