John 1:1-18
ICE BREAKER
Who do you know with a first name of Grace or Charis?
This name is so common because grace is important to us.
Share why grace is so important to you in your relationship with Christ and in all your relationships.
How does the sprinkling of grace affect your life on an ongoing basis?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Because of our sinful mindset all the beauty of creation is just not enough for us it seems.
If we stop and contemplate the beauty of the world and we allow it to bring us to the creator, then when we realize more deeply our rejection of this grace.
Because of our rejection of this first grace Christ comes with another grace–”grace upon grace”. Christ comes to dwell among us and to die for us.
What comes on the heels of our rejection of Him is unthinkable–God responds with another wave of incredible grace:Christ’s birth, death and resurrection.
The more we contemplate the beauty around us the more we will be in awe of the creator.
Block off 30 minutes to contemplate/enjoy something beautiful in your life or in creation and allow that to take you back to the source of beauty–Christ Himself.
Next contemplate the second grace of Christ coming into the world to save us.
Think about the depth of value He places upon you.
What is it about you(and every person you meet) that He so deeply values?
- Group leaders consider giving the group some quality time to reflect on the grace they have experienced with Christ and in relationship with people.
After some reflection time ask them to share their thoughts on the following statement:
When we ponder grace upon grace it shrinks our daily feuds.
After pondering grace we can offer grace and good gifts to one another.
Ask the group who they would like to offer fresh grace to.
Ask them to be as specific as possible.
Group leaders if your group spent time on last weeks’ sermon fostering the love of God in their lives consider checking back in with them.
Here’s the question from last week for your review:
How much do you believe God loves you?
Consider making it a goal for the next 30 days to intentionally read, meditate, reflect on verses where God speaks of His love for you.
Jeremiah 31:20 (message), Zephaniah 3:17 are great verses to consider.
NOTES AND QUOTES
The progression in John chapter one is like a funnel:
Jesus is God, Jesus is the creator, and now in verse 14 He is coming into the world to “dwell” among us.
John 1:14 speaks of the Word and the Word became flesh and He “…dwelt among us…”.
Jesus is becoming more intimate.
Christ created the world yet the world does not know Him–the very one who created it.
This is shocking!
This gap is due to sin.
Imagine that today is the first time you realized that all you see was created by Jesus.
Then imagine that the very next thing you discover is that He came to dwell on this earth.
What would you think He would be like upon His entrance into this world?
What incredible, glorious display would this mighty creator of all things reveal?
We may anticipate a huge show beyond the measure of a superhero.
We could imagine that He’s super powerful and He would have a glow.
But, Jesus did not come like this. He came humble.
He came and He pitched a tent to be with His people for a time.
God has moved into the neighborhood and He lives right next door.
God’s glory is now being expressed through Christ.
His glory is not expressed in a showy manner, it is expressed relationally.
The trinity is one God and yet three distinct persons and they relate gloriously from eternity past.
He eats with us and walks with us and talks with us.
He loves us beautifully.
Why does John say, “grace upon grace” in verse 16?
To answer this question, let’s think about gift giving.
Our western heritage has a view of gifts that affects our thinking.
Our culture speaks of making it on our own.
In our independence we tend to think of God’s grace as individualized.
We think the best gift is one given with no strings attached–no expectation of anything in return.
In the ancient near east gift giving comes with an expectation of return.
Gift giving is an essential part of building community in the ancient near east.
Someone gives and then someone responds with giving in return.
When gift giving goes back and forth(I give and you give back) it builds community and interdependence.
The biblical concept of grace includes an expectation of a transformed life.
Biblical grace anticipates a profound communal response of transformation.
So, what does “grace upon grace” mean?
It means the first grace is the grace of creation itself.
The second grace is Christ dwelling with us.
