Group Discussion Guide
I am..., Part 1
GETTING STARTED
Begin your time together by catching up with one another. Take a few moments to share how you have seen God at work in your lives, your families, or your group: “How have you seen God in your life since we last met?”
Begin your time together by catching up with one another. Take a few moments to share how you have seen God at work in your lives, your families, or your group: “How have you seen God in your life since we last met?”
Scripture References from Message: John 6:26-51; Exodus 16:2-3
Big Idea: Be careful of letting “want” become “need.”
Big Idea: Be careful of letting “want” become “need.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Use these questions to talk through the message together.
Use these questions to talk through the message together.
- In John 6:26-27, Jesus tells the crowd they are looking for Him because He filled their stomachs, not because they understood what the sign revealed. Where are you most tempted to seek Jesus primarily for what you want Him to provide, fix, change, or give you rather than simply for who He is?
- The crowd asked what “works” they need to perform, but Jesus redirects them toward believing in the “One” God has sent. Why are we often more comfortable trying to do something for God than simply trusting and depending upon Him?
- Pastor Brad asked, “What is feeding your faith?” Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger” (6:35). What would regularly returning to and depending upon Him look like in your life right now?
- What are some good things - relationship, success, comfort, security, control, even religious activity - that can slowly occupy a place in our lives that belongs only to Jesus?
GOING DEEPER
For groups who want to dig further into the scripture or topic.
For groups who want to dig further into the scripture or topic.
- Read and compare Exodus 16:2-4 with John 6:30-35. In both passages, people are focused on bread, while God is trying to teach them something deeper about dependence upon Him. What does this connection help us understand about Jesus identifying Himself as the Bread of Life?
- Jesus says the bread He gives “for the life of the world” is His flesh (6:51), pointing toward His sacrificial death. How does the cross change our understanding of what it means for Jesus to satisfy and sustain us? What does Jesus give us that none of the other things we pursue can provide?
WEEKLY CHALLENGE
Pay attention this week to what you instinctively reach for when you feel empty, anxious, dissatisfied, lonely, or out of control. Instead of immediately trying to satisfy that feeling with something else, intentionally turn to Jesus. Spend time with Him in scripture and prayer and ask, “Jesus, what am I wanting right now, and what do I actually need from You?” Practice returning to the Bread of Life rather than asking temporary things to carry the weight of your deepest needs.
Pay attention this week to what you instinctively reach for when you feel empty, anxious, dissatisfied, lonely, or out of control. Instead of immediately trying to satisfy that feeling with something else, intentionally turn to Jesus. Spend time with Him in scripture and prayer and ask, “Jesus, what am I wanting right now, and what do I actually need from You?” Practice returning to the Bread of Life rather than asking temporary things to carry the weight of your deepest needs.