Sunday Bible Study | January 8, 2017

Grades 9-12 | What Would Jesus Be Called?
We’ve begun a new series looking at Old Testament prophecies about Jesus. We’re looking at the book of Isaiah, which painted a vivid picture of the coming Messiah 700 years before Jesus was even born.

In this first lesson, we explored Isaiah 7:14 and 9:2, 6-7, where the prophet introduces us to some extraordinary titles for the coming Messiah: Immanuel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Then we looked at Matthew 1:18-24 as an example of how Jesus fulfilled these names. Students were encouraged to embrace a deeper, awe-filled understanding of Jesus’ identity and consider how they can respond to him as a result.

This week, please spend a few minutes talking with your teenager about our lesson. Consider building your conversation around some of these questions:

• Which title for Jesus is the most meaningful to you, and why?
• How did Jesus fulfill each of these titles?
• What kind of response or action do these titles make you want to take?​

Grades 6-8 | Intro to Romans
Our teenagers have begun a new three-lesson series exploring the book of Romans—a book that is arguably the deepest and “heaviest” book in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul throws a lot of complex theology at us in just 16 chapters. However, as “deep” as the book is, it also helps form the foundation for our faith. The concepts within its pages unpack truths about salvation and what it means to live as followers of Jesus.

In our first conversation, we discussed the gospel—in other words, the good news of Jesus. The message of Jesus is good because it tells us that God loved us so much, that he sent Jesus to us. Jesus lived a perfect life, was crucified, and then came back to life. If we accept his gift of forgiveness, our sins can be forgiven and we can spend eternity with him.

As you interact with your teenager this week, consider using these questions to fuel your conversation about our lesson:​

• What exactly makes the message of Jesus such good news?
• Faith is a word we hear a lot at church. But what is faith? What does it look like?
• How has Jesus been “good” in your life as you’ve followed him

​
Thanks for all your prayers for our students and our ministry. Have an amazing week!