-
Who is this Man?
John 5:19–47
✦
This guide follows Keith's sermon on Jesus's own testimony about His identity — that He is equal with the Father, the giver of life, and the one who gets the final word over death. As you lead your group, create space for honest questions and real experiences alongside the theological truths; both belong in the room.
Part One
Getting Started
When you were growing up, who did the adults in your life say Jesus was? How has that picture shifted — or stayed the same — over the years?
Think of a time you had to form an opinion about someone based entirely on what they said about themselves. How did you decide whether to believe them?
· · ·
Part Two
Understanding the Passage
He's claiming equality with God. And this is where Christianity becomes beautifully scandalous.
In verses 19–23, Jesus makes three sweeping claims: He does what the Father does, He holds all judgment, and He deserves the same honor as the Father. Why would each of these claims have been so explosive to a first-century Jewish audience — and what do they mean for us today?Reflect
Jesus says in verse 24 that whoever hears and believes 'has passed from death to life' — present tense, not future. What does it mean that eternal life is something we enter now, not just something we wait for?Reflect
Keith draws a contrast between voices we often listen to about Jesus — our culture, our fears, our disappointments — and the voice of Jesus himself. Why do you think it's so easy to let those other voices shape our picture of who Jesus is?Reflect
Keith revisits the story of Thomas and notes that Jesus didn't shame him for doubting — He showed him His scars. What does that tell us about how Jesus feels about honest questions and unresolved doubt?Reflect
· · ·
Part Three
Personal Reflection
We've listened to our culture tell us who Jesus is. We've listened to our fears tell us who Jesus is. Maybe today we simply need to listen to Jesus.
Keith says faith is often challenged 'in the middle of real life' — a prayer unanswered, a diagnosis, a relationship that fell apart. Is there a situation like that in your own story that has made it harder to trust who Jesus says He is?Reflect
The sermon says Jesus invites us to bring our questions and disappointments to Him rather than pretending they aren't there. What is something you've been hesitant to bring honestly before God?Reflect
The illustration of the auction ends with the line, 'Whoever gets the Son gets it all.' If you're honest, are there things you've been searching for — peace, worth, hope, belonging — that you haven't fully trusted Jesus to provide? What makes that hard?Reflect
We tend to remember Thomas for his doubt, but he ends up saying 'My Lord and my God' — one of the boldest confessions in the Gospels. Where in your own faith journey have you moved from doubt toward deeper trust? What helped you get there?Reflect
· · ·
Part Four
Application & This Week
Jesus isn't asking you to pretend those things aren't there. He's inviting you to bring them to Him.
Keith challenges us to hear what Jesus says about Jesus before we decide what to do with Him. This week, set aside 10–15 minutes to read John 5:19–47 slowly on your own. What is one thing you want to sit with or ask God about as you read?Apply
Is there someone in your life who is asking 'Who is this man?' — genuinely curious or genuinely skeptical about Jesus? How might this passage give you a way to have that conversation with them?Apply
The sermon closes with the reminder that 'sometimes what we have declared dead, Jesus hasn't declared dead yet.' Is there a relationship, a hope, or an area of your faith that you've quietly given up on? What would it look like to bring that to Jesus this week?Apply
Keith mentions 15 people being baptized as a picture of passing from death to life. Whether you've been following Jesus for decades or are still figuring out what you believe, what is one small, concrete step you can take this week to move toward Jesus rather than away from Him?Apply
Close your time together in prayer.
Lord Jesus, we bring you our faith and our doubts, our certainty and our questions. Thank you that you don't ask us to pretend. Meet us here, show us your scars, and call us deeper into life with you. Amen.
-
Who is this Man?
John 5:19–47
✦
This guide follows Keith's sermon on Jesus's own testimony about His identity — that He is equal with the Father, the giver of life, and the one who gets the final word over death. As you lead your group, create space for honest questions and real experiences alongside the theological truths; both belong in the room.
Part One
Getting Started
When you were growing up, who did the adults in your life say Jesus was? How has that picture shifted — or stayed the same — over the years?
Think of a time you had to form an opinion about someone based entirely on what they said about themselves. How did you decide whether to believe them?
· · ·
Part Two
Understanding the Passage
He's claiming equality with God. And this is where Christianity becomes beautifully scandalous.
In verses 19–23, Jesus makes three sweeping claims: He does what the Father does, He holds all judgment, and He deserves the same honor as the Father. Why would each of these claims have been so explosive to a first-century Jewish audience — and what do they mean for us today?Reflect
Jesus says in verse 24 that whoever hears and believes 'has passed from death to life' — present tense, not future. What does it mean that eternal life is something we enter now, not just something we wait for?Reflect
Keith draws a contrast between voices we often listen to about Jesus — our culture, our fears, our disappointments — and the voice of Jesus himself. Why do you think it's so easy to let those other voices shape our picture of who Jesus is?Reflect
Keith revisits the story of Thomas and notes that Jesus didn't shame him for doubting — He showed him His scars. What does that tell us about how Jesus feels about honest questions and unresolved doubt?Reflect
· · ·
Part Three
Personal Reflection
We've listened to our culture tell us who Jesus is. We've listened to our fears tell us who Jesus is. Maybe today we simply need to listen to Jesus.
Keith says faith is often challenged 'in the middle of real life' — a prayer unanswered, a diagnosis, a relationship that fell apart. Is there a situation like that in your own story that has made it harder to trust who Jesus says He is?Reflect
The sermon says Jesus invites us to bring our questions and disappointments to Him rather than pretending they aren't there. What is something you've been hesitant to bring honestly before God?Reflect
The illustration of the auction ends with the line, 'Whoever gets the Son gets it all.' If you're honest, are there things you've been searching for — peace, worth, hope, belonging — that you haven't fully trusted Jesus to provide? What makes that hard?Reflect
We tend to remember Thomas for his doubt, but he ends up saying 'My Lord and my God' — one of the boldest confessions in the Gospels. Where in your own faith journey have you moved from doubt toward deeper trust? What helped you get there?Reflect
· · ·
Part Four
Application & This Week
Jesus isn't asking you to pretend those things aren't there. He's inviting you to bring them to Him.
Keith challenges us to hear what Jesus says about Jesus before we decide what to do with Him. This week, set aside 10–15 minutes to read John 5:19–47 slowly on your own. What is one thing you want to sit with or ask God about as you read?Apply
Is there someone in your life who is asking 'Who is this man?' — genuinely curious or genuinely skeptical about Jesus? How might this passage give you a way to have that conversation with them?Apply
The sermon closes with the reminder that 'sometimes what we have declared dead, Jesus hasn't declared dead yet.' Is there a relationship, a hope, or an area of your faith that you've quietly given up on? What would it look like to bring that to Jesus this week?Apply
Keith mentions 15 people being baptized as a picture of passing from death to life. Whether you've been following Jesus for decades or are still figuring out what you believe, what is one small, concrete step you can take this week to move toward Jesus rather than away from Him?Apply
Close your time together in prayer.
Lord Jesus, we bring you our faith and our doubts, our certainty and our questions. Thank you that you don't ask us to pretend. Meet us here, show us your scars, and call us deeper into life with you. Amen.Description text goes here
-
Do You Want to Be Healed?
John 4:46–5:18
✦
This guide walks your group through two healing encounters in John's Gospel — a desperate father and a forgotten invalid — and invites honest reflection on what it really means to want and trust God's healing. As a facilitator, create space for vulnerability; some of these questions may surface real pain, so lead with gentleness and remind your group that this is a safe place to be honest.
Part One
Getting Started
Think of a time when you were waiting on something you desperately needed — not necessarily a healing, but any situation where the outcome was completely out of your hands. What did that waiting feel like?
Have you ever made a long trip or gone out of your way for something you weren't even sure would work out? What drove you to try anyway?
· · ·
Part Two
Understanding the Passage
It's not the amount of faith you have that matters, but the object of your faith that matters like crazy.
The royal official was a powerful, prestigious man — yet he humbled himself and traveled a full day just to ask Jesus for help. What does his willingness to do that reveal about what desperation can do to our pride, and why might that be a good thing?Reflect
Jesus responds to the official with what sounds like a mild rebuke — 'Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe' — but then he heals the boy anyway. What does that tell us about how Jesus responds to imperfect or incomplete faith?Reflect
Keith made the point that in John's Gospel, Jesus calls miracles 'signs' because a sign always points to something greater than itself. What is the greater reality these signs are pointing toward, and how does that change the way we pray for healing?Reflect
At the Pool of Bethesda, Jesus moves from the halls of power to a place filled with 'a multitude of invalids.' What does it tell us about the character of Jesus that he moves so freely between the VIP and the forgotten?Reflect
· · ·
Part Three
Personal Reflection
Do you want to be healed? You know the answer better than anyone.
Keith asked the group to write in the margin of their Bible the name of what they want to be healed from. If you're willing, what is that thing for you — and have you ever actually brought it before God with that kind of directness?Reflect
Is there any part of you that is hesitant to be fully healed — maybe because your pain has become part of your identity, or because healing would require something of you? What would it mean to let that go?Reflect
The official didn't argue, didn't ask for proof, didn't wait for a receipt — he simply believed Jesus' word and started walking home. Where in your own life do you find it hardest to trust God's word before you see the evidence?Reflect
Keith talked about how parents dealing with a sick or struggling child often secretly ask, 'Is this my fault?' Have you ever felt that kind of shame or guilt in connection to someone else's pain — or your own? How has that shaped the way you approach God?Reflect
· · ·
Part Four
Application & This Week
God can use the worst mess for his own message.
Keith invited anyone who needs healing — physically, emotionally, relationally, spiritually — to come forward for prayer and anointing. Whether or not you raised your hand then, is there one specific area where you want to invite your group to pray over you this week?Apply
The official's household came to believe because of what happened to his son. Who in your life might be watching how you carry your pain or your faith right now? How might the way you walk through this season become a witness to them?Apply
Paul says the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds — even when the doctor's report hasn't changed, even when nothing looks different yet. What is one practical way you can choose to walk in that kind of faith this week rather than waiting for circumstances to shift first?Apply
Keith prayed that your church would look more like the Pool of Bethesda — a place where the busted and bruised are welcome before they have it together. What is one way you personally could help make your group or your church feel more like that this week?Apply
Close your time together in prayer.
Lord, we come to you as we are — bruised, broken, and sometimes unsure we even believe. Give us the faith of a mustard seed, guard our hearts and minds with your peace, and do in us and through us what only you can do. Heal us — body, soul, mind, and strength — for your glory. Amen.Description text goes here
