Centuries before Jesus was born, the prophets predicted the town He’d be born in, the price He’d be sold for, and the rich man’s tomb He’d be buried in. We'll walk through 9 Old Testament prophecies that have been fulfilled, and show why following Him doesn’t mean checking your brain at the door.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

- Read Acts 17:1–4, 10–12. What role did evidence and reason play in your own coming to faith—before you believed, or after? Is there a question about Christianity you’ve wondered about but never asked out loud?

- Compare Isaiah 35:4–6 to Jesus' answer in Matthew 11:2–6. Which part does Jesus point to, and which part doesn’t He mention? Why might John the Baptist have struggled? Then share: When has Jesus not done what you expected, and what helped you keep trusting Him?

- Read Luke 22:21–22 & Acts 4:24–31. How can something be both God’s plan and a wicked choice people are fully responsible for? (Joseph’s words in Genesis 50:20 may help.)

- Read Acts 26:22–29 & John 5:39–40. If the evidence is as strong as the sermon argued, why doesn’t it automatically produce faith? The sermon said, “Knowing it’s true isn’t the same as trusting Him.” Where do you see that gap in people you love, or in your own life?

God promised Abraham a land and descendants like the stars, and he died owning a cave and holding two grandsons. Yet Scripture says he died “old and contented.” In this final study of Abraham's life in Genesis 25:1-11, we'll tie up some loose ends: what the New Testament says about Abraham's faith, a careful look at Sarah and 1 Peter 3, and the one question every listener has to answer—who will you be gathered to when you take your last breath?

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

- Read 2 Timothy 4:6-8 and Psalm 92:12-15. Genesis says Abraham died “old and contented” — satisfied, full of days. Jeff also pointed out that age peels away our ability to paint over who we really are: some people grow more beautiful every year, and some grow more bitter. Tell the group about someone you watched finish well — a grandparent, a mentor, an older saint at church. What did they have that you want? And honestly: if the trajectory you're on right now simply continued for 30 more years, which direction would it be heading?

- Read Isaiah 26:3 and Philippians 4:6-8. What are you doing to fill your mind with life-giving things? Is there anything you need to stop filling your mind with?

- Read Malachi 2:13-16 and Colossians 3:19. Peter's word to husbands came with a warning attached: live with your wife in an understanding way, honor her as a coheir, so that your prayers will not be hindered. Malachi said the same thing centuries earlier — God wasn't accepting the offerings of men who were faithless to the wife of their youth. What does it mean, and what does it not mean, for a husband to live with his wife in an understanding way?

- Read Mark 3:31-35 and John 1:12-13. Abraham was “gathered to his people” — not a bloodline, but the family of faith that went before him. Jesus redefines family the same way. Jeff asked, "Who are your people?" Do you honestly feel more at home with the church or with the world? If the answer is the world, why?

A servant travels 500 miles to find a bride for a man she has never met, and her family asks her one question: “Will you go with this man?” In this verse-by-verse study of Genesis 24, Jeff Thompson unpacks the chapter's stunning picture of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Church — plus how God shepherds our decisions when no Bible verse tells us exactly what to do.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

- Read Romans 12:1-2, James 1:5, and Proverbs 15:22. Jeff gave 5 steps for when there's no verse that covers your situation: desire to please God, pray, seek counsel from mature believers, listen for the Spirit, and move forward in faith. Paul says a renewed mind is how we discern God's will, not a voice. Be honest: which of those 5 do you tend to skip (for most, it's the counsel one). So name names — who are the mature believers in your life you'd genuinely take a hard word from? If you can't name 2, that's the answer to the question.

- Read Philippians 2:12-13 and Nehemiah 2:4-5. Jeff called this chapter's theme the unknowable dance between God's sovereignty and human decisions. Nehemiah prays a split-second prayer to the God of heaven and then, in the same breath, makes a specific ask of a pagan king. Both things at once. Does believing God is sovereign tend to make you more passive or more active? Be honest about which way you lean.

- Read Colossians 3:23-24. A caravan of thirsty camels, a 3-gallon jar, steps down to the spring — Jeff put it at 70 to a 100 trips, hours of hard labor, for a stranger who never asked her to do it. And the servant stood there and watched to see if she'd get cranky. She didn't. Tell the group about someone who served you like that — quietly, at real cost, when nothing obligated them to. Have you thanked them? Then turn it around: where does your own serving come with grumbling attached, out loud or under your breath?