Doors: The Door to Freedom

John 8:31-36

Connect:

• Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.

Prayer:

Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.

Review:

God often works through moments of transition — thresholds, turning points, and decisions that invite us to move from where we are into something new. Throughout Scripture, doors represent opportunity, invitation, and response. Some doors God opens. Some doors he closes. And some doors require us to choose whether we will step through. Together, these doors tell a story — not just of what God offers us someday, but of the life He desires for us now. This week, we looked at the critical choice of the door to freedom in Christ…

The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…

o What did you learn about God?

o What did you learn about people?

o What did you learn about yourself?

o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?

Reflection:

Personal Experience & Discussion:

• Think back to a time you were a child and had made a BIG mistake (at least it seemed like it at the time), and it got found out (oops!). DISCUSS: How did it feel to be known for your mistake? What did it take to get past it? If you could go back and talk to yourself now, what might you say in that moment of being ‘found out’?

• Reflective Discussion (Remember to look at the context of the verses as you are reading!):

  • What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Discuss what the critical elements are to give a definition of that word.

  • Read John 8:31-32. In this passage, Jesus sets up a pattern for the Christian life that Pastor Luke walked us through this Sunday. Look up the following passages for each key word and Discuss: What does it mean to…:

    • HOLD: (active obedience) (Deut 6:5, John 1:6, John 14:15, John 15:14, Rom 2:6-8, 2 Jam 1:25, 1 John 3:18, 2 John 1:6)

    • REALLY ARE: (Identity in relationship) (2 Cor 5:17, Eph 1:5, Eph 2:10, 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 2:20, Col 3:12, 1 Pet 1:29)

    • KNOW: (Understanding aligned with reality and God’s intent) (John 16:13, John 17:17, 2 Tim 2:24,25, Rom 8:16)

    • FREE: (Experience of freedom in Christ) (s 61:1, Rom 6:22, Gal 5:1, and v16-25, Jam 1:22-25, 1 Pet 2:16)

  • Discuss: Is it possible to “know” the truth in the sense Jesus was using the word in John 8, and at the same time willfully and consciously reject God’s reign in our lives? Why or why not? 4

  • There is a journey to experiencing freedom that includes hearing the invitation (Rom 10:13-15), responding to the invitation (John 1:9-13), repenting of sin (Acts 20:21), accepting forgiveness (1 John 1:8,9), setting our minds on the things of the Spirit (Rom 7:21-8:13) and walking in freedom (John 8:32). DISCUSS: Is it possible to experience forgiveness and freedom without repentance and faith? Why or why not?

Application:

What are the areas where we feel trapped because we have not given them over to the Lordship and Life of Christ? Do business with the Lord about those things tonight.

Prayer:

Spend some time this evening thanking God for His amazing gift of grace in Christ and committing to being His disciple in His strength.

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