Community Group Questions:

Engage Yourself:

Does the idea of God being your father encourage you or give you anxiety? Would you feel comfortable explaining your answer?

What sort of feelings are roused in you when you consider the doctrine of adoption?

Engage the Text:

Read Exodus 4:22-23 and Hosea 11:1. If Israel is described as God’s son and even his “firstborn son”, how might we interpret Matthew’s use of Hosea in Mt. 2:13-15? Who is Jesus, and what does that mean for the church who is in Christ?

Read Romans 8:12-17 and 8:29. What stands out in these verses, and how might they relate to the question above?   

Engage your Neighbor:

To be the offspring of the Father, and the younger siblings of Jesus means that we should bear a family resemblance. How might you demonstrate the love of Christ to those in your immediate circles?

With your Family:

Talk to your children about how prayer is one of the primary ways we engage with God. Spend some time practicing the Lord’s Prayer with them.