John 5:19-30
Life Group Questions:
1. If you were not able to hear this week’s sermon, consider going to the church website and listening to it. What are some main ideas that you gathered from the sermon? What, if any, questions did the sermon cause for you or do you desire to have additional clarification?
2. What do you think of when you consider the idea of authority? In what way is authority misused by people today? What do you think to be the typical response to authority in our culture and world today? How might this impact the idea of God’s authority? Do you enjoy having God as the authority over you? Explain.
3. Look at our passage and describe some of the commonalities between Jesus and God the Father. In what way does our passage speak to the equality of Jesus with God the Father? Do you believe that Jesus is completely equal with God the Father? Explain.
4. How can Jesus be equal with the Father and yet different from Him? Does Jesus being different from the Father make Him less than God? Does Jesus submitting to the Father mean that He is less than God or less in authority? Explain. Are children less than parents? Or, are wives less than husbands? Why or why not?
5. Why do you think that the Father wants us to marvel at the Son? What are some reasons for which we should marvel at the Son of God? List some things that impress you about other people (i.e., talents, skills, appearance, etc.). How should the Son generate more marvel from us in these areas and why?
6. What does it mean that the authority of the Son is derived from the Father? Do you agree with this theological statement? Why or why not? Read the following passages and discuss anything that appears significant to you: John 3:35, 17:1-2; Psalm 2:6-9, 8:6; Matthew 11:27.
7. If God is called the Judge of all the earth (cf. Genesis 18:25) then what does Jesus mean by stating that He has been given all judgment (cf. John 5:22)? For what reason has judgment been given into the hands of Jesus?
8. Do you ever worry that you will be judged for your actions by God (2 Corinthians 5:10)? How should knowing that Jesus will judge all people impact the way in which we live? What is the difference between the judgment received by those who know Christ and those who have rejected Him?