Sermon Notes
1. All our testimonies originate from our brokenness before God.
2. For some of us, people have a hard time believing Jesus has changed us.
3. Sometimes, when we have a life-changing encounter with Jesus, people will push back!
4. We cannot be afraid in telling our testimonies.
5. In all of our testimonies, there is a journey of understanding who Jesus really is!
Follow-up Questions from Sunday:
Quick Review:
Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or that caught your attention, challenged, or confused you?
Digging Deeper:
1. Read aloud John 9:1-41. As you read this chapter, what are your first impressions of the blind man, his parents, his neighbors, and the religious leaders?
2. As you study this man’s journey with Jesus, what components in his testimony are similar to yours?
3. Read John 9:6-12. In the blind man’s testimony, his neighbors couldn’t believe Jesus had changed him. In your testimony, were there people that couldn’t believe Jesus changed you? Please share.
4. Read John 9:13-16,24. In the blind man’s testimony, some people pushed back against his experience with Jesus. When you share your testimony, what are some of the things people have said against Jesus? (Jesus is just a man, the Bible’s not reliable?) How do you answer them?
5. Read John 9:24-34. At one point, the blind man began defending his testimony and his encounter with Jesus. Why do you think it is important for us to not be afraid in sharing our testimony with others? Who was the last person you have shared your testimony with? How did it go?
6. The blind man first calls Jesus a man (verse 11), then a prophet (verse 17), then says He is from God (verse 33), later the Son of Man –which is a Messianic title found in Daniel 7 (verse 35), and finally Lord (verse 38). Where are you on your journey of discovering who Jesus really is? How did you get to where you are on your journey?
7. Would you say this man’s testimony ended or just began at the end of John 9? What do you think the rest of this man’s life looked like? How do you think he was regarded in the “church” he went to?
8. How has God used WCC in your continuing testimony to meet, know, and follow Jesus?
9. What people and relationships has God put in your life from this church to help you on this journey?
Prayer:
Close your group with prayer. Pray for one another thanking God for their testimonies with Him.
Taking it Home:
Take the time to write out your personal testimony:
How has God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Salvation, Grace/Works, Sin, Satan, etc. impacted your life? Use Scripture references. What Biblical truths did God use to draw you to Himself?
Your personal story. Where have you been? How did the Lord call you to Himself? How is your identity continuing to be shaped in the image of the LORD? What is your present level of intimacy with Him?
Draw a Personal Spiritual Timeline of people and circumstances that God used to bring you to Himself.
Some questions for your group this week:
1. What was something you learned or what stood out to you from the sermon on Sunday?
2. Name a time in your life when you were in a physically dark place; where was is and how did that make you feel? Then share a time when you were in a spiritually or emotionally dark place, and how Jesus brought light to that situation.
3. When you hear about another person’s misfortune, do you have a tendency to react like the disciples or Jesus?
4. What do you see differently now that Jesus is in your life?
5. If you didn’t have the chance to write on cardboard, what words would describe who you were before you met Jesus and what words would you use to identify how He has changed you?
6. As we wrap up the series and you have reflected on how Jesus has “changed” you, how do you see God “changing” you into the future?
7. How can we be “stirring in” these verses into our lives this week?