LEADER’S STUDY GUIDE 12.6.2020
Advent Week 2: Peace
OPENING:
This Sunday marked the second Sunday of Advent. Each week, we are reflecting on a different theme related to Christ’s coming. (Hope, Peace, Love, Joy). This week is Peace.
QUESTION: What comes to mind when you hear the word peace? How does the Bible use the word peace?
NOTE: The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, which means wholeness or being complete. Peace is not just the absence of war or conflict, but the positive presence of something else. The Bible uses different dimensions of peace. This is not an exhaustive list, but some examples include: future peace, peace with others, peace with God.
OBJECTIVE: Our objective for today is to consider how God’s provision of peace comes through Christ alone.
Discussion 1: Here’s the intelligence briefing on the conflict behind Isaiah 9:1-7. Assyria was a military superpower who was expanding its empire in the region. Ahaz, the king of Judah, rejected the way of faith, and sought peace by putting his trust in security in Assyria. He paid the king of Assyria to come rescue Judah, and it resulted in the deportation of the northern kingdom. Instead of seeking peace in God, he sought peace in his own plans, policies, and power. Alternative ways of salvation always end in destruction. In what ways do you seek peace apart from God?
How do you know the difference?
- Aaron used the example from Jesus about the house built on rock and the house built on sand. The two houses might look the same above the surface, but underneath the surface is a different story.
Discussion 2: There are different dimensions of peace throughout the Bible. Future peace. Peace with others. Peace with God. Below are some questions to prompt discussion around those three ideas.
Future Peace
When the Bible talks about future peace, what is it referring to?
How do we live in the present?
Peace with Others
Read Col 3:15 and Romans 12:18. What do these verses tell us about having peace with others?
Have you ever been in a difficult situation of relational strife? Were you able to make peace? If so, how?
Peace with God
Read Ephesians 2:14-17. What does it mean that Jesus is our peace? Confession and being made right with God (justification) is our starting point to having peace with God.
Aaron made the following statement, “For those who belong to God, to experience his presence is to experience his peace.” How has God’s presence in your life provided peace?
If we are not right with God (living in sin, troubled guilty conscience), we cannot have peace with God. His presence can be a frightening thing. But in confession and repentance, God offers us his peace.
Pray