Small Group Questions

December 7 - 13

Sermon Series: Restored

Week 1: The Exile

Ice Breaker, if Needed:

What is your favorite Christmas movie? Why?

Discussion Questions for Small Groups or Individual Study

1. What is exile? What are the purposes of exile?
• Read Genesis 3:23-24 and 2 Kings 17:7-20.
• What is our location and condition compared to God’s? What does knowing our position in relation to God produce in us?
• Why might God allow you to enter into a state of exile/coming to the end of yourself?

2. What does God do when we come to the end of ourselves? Share examples from Scripture that point to His graciousness to people who came to the end of themselves. Read Genesis 3:15. Why does coming to the end of oneself signal the beginning of hope?

3. “At the end of yourself, you find the real goal.”
• Have you said to God, “I can’t do this!”? How did He respond?
• What choices do you have when you’re at the end of yourself?
• What if finding the Father is the goal? How will your response to His calling signal an end to exile?

4. “At the end of yourself, you often find the real problem.”
• How do you know you are chasing the wrong things? Or, if you are chasing the right things, but with a wrong heart? Why would that matter?
• How does coming to the end of yourself lead to examining what it really means to be submitted to Jesus?

5. “At the end of yourself, you find the real remedy.” Read Deuteronomy 30:4-6 and Jeremiah 24:7.
• Who is the remedy? How are we like the returned Israelite exiles?
• The arrival of Christ is the culmination of our wandering, longing, and restoration. How are you pursuing, knowing, and connecting with Him?