Big Idea God is faithful to His promise, even when it seems He is absent. Read Esther 1:1-22 Discussion Questions What was the most impactful thing from the text and the sermon the past two weeks? There has been a massive increase in the number of people who do not believe in God and claim no religious affiliation. Why do you believe so many people have a hard time believing there is a God? What can we do to help others know God? God is noticeably absent from the book of Esther, but He’s also very present and working behind the scenes to accomplish His purpose. Discuss what you learned during a time in your life when God seemed absent to you, but in hindsight you could see that God was working behind the scenes. One of the purposes for describing the elaborate scene in chapter one is for the readers to understand the greatness of the king and the pride that enveloped his life. Talk about how does pride manifests itself in your life? Sometimes the outcome of the event contains the reason for the author including the event itself. After the king listened to Memucan’s advice (Esther 1:16–20), what do we now learn about Vashti? What do we now learn about Ahasuerus? The king surrounded himself with “wise men who knew the times” (v.13). Talk about whether their advice was good or foolish? Discuss the kind of people you surround yourself with and look to for godly counsel. Prayer Focus As you pray this week, be sure to thank God for giving you His wisdom in Scripture so that you can wisely navigate life in a cursed world. Also, ask God for the strength to follow His wisdom and reject the strong pull of the wisdom of the world. ...

Big Idea People need to hear about the promise of forgiveness through faith in the living Savior. Read: John 20:19-23 Bible app link Discussion Questions What was the most impactful thing from the text and the sermon this week? John wrote that the disciples were locked in a room “for fear of the Jews” why were they afraid and what significance did Jesus’ message of peace have for them? Jesus sent His disciples to continue the mission He was given by the Father and promised to give them the Holy Spirit. In what ways does the Holy Spirit make us effective in continuing the mission of Christ? In what ways do we struggle to accept the promise of forgiveness through faith in Jesus today, and what steps can we take to overcome those struggles? How can we share the promise of forgiveness with others in our communities, especially those who may be skeptical or resistant to the idea? Next Steps In your devotional time this week, consider the depth of forgiveness you’ve received through faith in Christ. One way to accomplish this is to write a list of your sins each day in your journal. Then, after writing down those sins, write the word FORGIVEN in bold letters over that list. ...

Ice Breaker What’s one skill or hobby you’ve always wanted to learn, but haven’t had the chance to yet? Big Idea Jesus prays for the disciples because the Father delights to help His children. Read: John 17:6-19 Open Bible app Discussion Questions What was the most impactful thing from the text and the sermon this week? What did Jesus pray for his disciples in this passage? Why do you think these requests are significant? How are we sanctified? Jesus prayed openly in front of His disciples so that they could hear what He was requesting for them from the Father. What are some benefits of hearing someone carry your burdens to Father in prayer? Jesus prays for his disciples’ joy. How can our relationship with God and our faith in Jesus bring us joy, even in difficult circumstances? Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure and the mission they would carry out. What are some truths that we can apply concerning the relationship between prayer and any God-honoring endeavor? Next Steps Ask a brother or sister you encounter this week from CrossPointe how you can pray for them and then stop what you’re doing and openly ask God to meet their need at that moment. Praying for someone when they can hear it is a way to foster the kind of relational intimacy God desires among His people in the church. ...

Big Idea: Being a faithful and wise servant, means you are prepared for the coming judgment. You are obeying Jesus’ commands to make disciples, and you are a good steward with all that he has provided you. Christ’s return is your hope and you are ready for the coming kingdom. Matthew 24:45-51 For sake of context, we will read all of chapter 24 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ...

Ice Breaker: What is something that you own that you would have a hard time giving away? Big Idea: Salvation is only possible because of the person and work of Jesus. Anyone who is seeking eternal life must go to Jesus and simply repent of their sins and trust in Him for salvation. Jesus invites people to have life. Read: Matthew 19:16-30 16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. ...

Read Luke 19:1-10 19 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” ...

Big Idea A follower of Christ will put Christ and his commandments above everyone including self. Read: Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (ESV) ...

Big Idea Jesus invites people to have life. Read: John 7:37-39 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as[a] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. ...

Big Idea God is available and ready to hear His people who seek Him through prayer. Read: Psalm 5:1-12 To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David. 5 Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. 2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. 3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you[a] and watch. ...

Big Idea The Word of God is needed for spiritual life and development. Read: 1 Peter 1:22-2:3 22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” ...