WEEK FIVE

Preparing to Invade Hell

Book Reading:  Supernatural, Chapters 9-10
Heritage Sermon:  Sunday, April 10 (watch here)

If there’s one thing humans have mastered, it’s failure. 

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" Isaiah 53:6.

From the beginning, God, in His unbelievable love and mercy, desired to bring Heaven to Earth. He wanted his earthly imagers to rule and to reign over His creation, spreading His love and kingdom across the world.

But we have failed time and time again.

God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed in the Garden. But they rebelled. Failure.

Humans became so wicked after their banishment from Eden that God decided to rid the earth of all but one family through a flood. Failure.

It didn’t take long before humans were then building a tower in an attempt to express their earthly dominance and control. Failure.

After being rescued from slavery, instead of wholehearted devotion to God, His people soon gave in to murmuring, complaining, and the worship of false gods. Colossal failure.

In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” If there’s one thing we should learn from the Bible - and from experience! - is that apart from God, we are totally incapable of good.

And yet, God cannot fail, so His plan to establish an earthly Kingdom would come to pass, but it would require the unimaginable: God would become a human to accomplish what we could not! Only Jesus was capable to resist all temptations and overcome the powers of darkness to bring Heaven to Earth. By defeating the enemy, He would rescue all of us from the consequences of sin and secure our place in His eternal family.

He alone is the Answer.
He alone is Savior.
He alone is the Messiah.
He alone is the Victor.

And He alone gets all the glory for our salvation!

Next week we reach the epic climax of this study. We will see just how powerful Jesus is to take on ALL the forces of evil and to obliterate Hell’s claim on humanity. But for now, take time as a group to reflect on the incredible story we’ve discussed so far. Consider concepts such as:

• There are powerful forces in the spiritual realm - some working for and with God, and some working against Him. Those who are against Him desperately want to lure the world away from Him.

• God gave His people laws as a way to help them live differently - to live in such a way that would draw a lost world back to Him as the source of life and purity. Even today, our good works serve a purpose: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

• We are here as living imagers of God. We are called to build and spread His Kingdom by dedicating the spaces we occupy for His glory. And every time we see a lost person pledge his or her allegiance to Jesus, the enemy loses.

• The Old Testament as a whole illustrates the clash between God and His chosen people with the false gods of this world and their followers. The battle continues to this day as we wrestle “against the rulers of the darkness of this world” (Ephesians 6:12).

Based on everything you have read so far, how would you express the Gospel message? How has the story of the Bible grown for you?

Choose as a group the most appropriate way to end your session together today. Consider:

• Prayer
• Worship
• Words of encouragement
• Sitting in silence to be still in His Presence
• Proclaiming a passage of Scripture over the group

Consider committing as a group to each bring someone to church on Easter Sunday. And pray that we would see the enemy lose in a major way as lost sons and daughters of God come home!

Easter Service Times
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
11:30 AM- 12:30 PM

Special Reminder
Is there anyone in the group who is a follower of Jesus but has never made the public declaration of baptism? We are having a special corporate baptism celebration the final Sunday of this series: April 24. It would be the perfect way to conclude this experience together!

Note to Group Leaders
Thank you for your willingness to walk with others in discipleship. We are here for you whenever you need us. We are praying for you and cheering for you. One tool we want to offer: ESPN.
Each time you gather together, make a point to:

E: Encourage (offer words of hope to everyone in your group)
S: Scripture (always let God's Word be your guide)
P: Prayer (prayer changes the atmosphere - we encourage you to begin and end your time together in prayer)
N: Next Step (if anyone is facing a particularly difficult circumstance in life, we have many Next Step tools available for you)

Reach out anytime:
Chrissie Forehand (Small Groups Pastor):

Or send a note to:
Brian Lassetter (Discipleship Pastor):