Benjamin Murphy
Small Group Questions
Benjamin Murphy
Sermon Series Highlights
Sermon Series Highlights

Heaven

All Things New

Introduction:

Three Things You'll Never Do In Heaven: (Revelation 22:1-5):

  1. Face Death . (Rev 22:1-2)

    John 4:14 - ...whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

    Proverbs 3:18 - She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.

    Proverbs 11:30 - The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.

    Proverbs 13:12 - Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

  1. Find Sorrow . (Rev 22:3)
  2. Feel Alone . (Rev 22:4-5)

    1 Corinthians 16:22 - If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!

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Small Group Discussion
Read Revelation 22:1-5

  1. What was your big take-away from this passage / message?

  2. Share a misconception you used to have about heaven.

  3. Which “curse reversal” are you most looking forward to?

  4. If we don’t need water or food to survive in heaven, why is there water and food (the river of the water of life and the tree of life)

Breakout
Pray for one another.

Coming Soon: All Things New.

Introduction:

Heaven: Where Jesus Makes All Things New. (Rev 21-1-22:5)

  1. The new HEAVEN and EARTH . (Rev 21:1)
  2. The new JERUSALEM. (Rev 21:2)
  3. The new way of LIFE. (Rev 21:3-5)
  4. The new DEMOGRAPHIC. (Rev 21:6-8)
  5. The new NEIGHBORHOOD. (Rev 21:9-22:5)

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Small Group Discussion

Read Revelation 21:1-22:5

GROUP

1 - What aspect of heaven, according to John’s description, are you most looking forward to? Why?

2 - What aspect of heaven, according to John’s description, was “new information” to you?

3 - In this description of heaven, why are John and us reminded 3 times (Rev 21:8, 27, 22:1) of who and what will NOT be in heaven?

4 - In the list of “unrepentant sinners” excluded from heaven, the first kind named is the “cowardly” (Rev 21:8). What type of sin is this referring to? How is someone “sinfully a coward”?

BREAKOUT

Pray for one another, and thank God for this place being prepared for you!

Getting Back to an Eternal Perspective

Introduction:


It Gets Better: An Eternal Perspective Keeps You On Track.

  1. It gets better, and no one is more Excited than God. (Mal 3:16-17)


  2. It gets better, but not for Everyone. (Mal 3:18-4:1)
  1. It gets better, in Every Way. (Mal 4:2-3)

    2. Luke 1:78 - ...the sunrise shall visit us from on high.


  2. It gets better, and I'll wait Faithfully. (Mal 4:4-6)

    3. Review: Matthew 17:10-13

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Small Group Questions (Whole Group):
Read Malachi 3:16-4:6

  1. What exactly does it mean to "fear the Lord" (Mal 3:16)? List ways people display the fear of the Lord, and ways people don't. (Bonus if your list comes from things we've seen in Malachi.)

  2. How much does eternity fill your thoughts? How can you grow in having eternal perspective?

  3. "No One Is More Excited than God" about eternity. How do we know this from Malachi 3:17?

  4. Bonus theological discussion: How do you understand Malachi 4:5-6 in light of the ministry of John the Baptist and the future (not yet fulfilled) Day of the Lord?

Breakout Questions:

Pray for one another to constantly be seeking to get back, and stay, on track - especially in the 5 areas Malachi mentions: Worship, Marriage, Holiness, Giving, and Looking Beyond Today(Eternal Perspective). 

Heaven

The Eternal State

Review
  1. When do believers go there? Immediately! (Philippians 1:23 | 2 Corinthians 5:8)

  2. What’s so great about heaven? Everything! (Revelation 21:1-8)

    1. Everything is New. (Rev 21:1-2,5)

    2. Everything is in God's perfect Presence. (Rev 21:3,7)

    3. Everything that Hurts is gone. (Rev 21:4)

    4. Everything Satisfies. (Rev 21:6)


  3. What's the Alternative? (Rev 21:8)

    4. Matthew 25:46 | Luke 16:24


  4. How do we Get there? (John 14:1-6)

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Small Group Questions (Whole Group):
Read Revelation 21:1-8

  1. Prior to this study, what was your idea of heaven? What have you learned? Why are there so many weird ideas about heaven?

  2. Some people have said, "Heaven sounds boring." Agree or disagree? How would you respond to this statement?

  3. C.S. Lewis said "The gates to hell are locked on the inside." What does that mean? Agree or disagree?

  4. What are you looking forward to the most about heaven?

Breakout Questions:
Pray for one another.

Questions from the Congregation - Part 2

GENESIS

Why does Genesis seem to have two accounts of creation? Or is chapter 2 an expansion on Day 6? Gen. 2:4 seems to start the account again.

If "death" in Romans 5 is taken as spiritual death as it is in other places in the New Testament (eg John 3:16), what is preventing us from taking the creation account of Genesis 1 - 2 as non-literal? In other words, is there any way God could have created the world not in one week ~6000 years ago?

Who are the Giants of Genesis 6 and will they be back? "As in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the coming of the Son of Man."

REVELATION

What does the Scriptures say about the timing of the rapture of the church? Will it occur before, or at the start of, the end times?

Does the Bible indicate if the antichrist actually knows he is the antichrist?

Satan and ⅓ of the angels fell from God's grace because of sin (him wanting to be God). How can I be sure it won't happen to ME in eternity (I certainly know I'm no angel)? Revelation 7:4 and 14:1,3. Is the number of 144,000 a literal number of those who will be marked with the seal of God? What does this mean? Will only 144,000 people (believers) make it into Heaven?


HEAVEN and HELL

How will we relate/react to our earthly spouse when we are in Heaven?

If God loves all people as His children and is all powerful, how can He allow ANY of His children to be eternally separated from Him in hell?

Is there a purgatory?

I recently heard a message on the radio that said "sheol" is not the same as "hell". It was said that "sheol" is a holding place. Is this where the Catholic religion gets their model for "purgatory"? Also, IS "sheol" different from "hell"?

When someone dies who is not saved and their loved ones say "he/she is in heaven/in a better place", I don't feel that it's the proper time to explain that is just not so (meaning at the time of the funeral/death). What do I say, then, in response to this at this time?

In 1978, Pope Paul (VI) said, "One day we will see our pets in the eternity of Christ" and a few weeks ago, Pope Francis said, "Paradise is open to all God's creatures." Is there any Biblical basis for either of these statements?


DOCTRINAL ISSUES

What is the deal with the apocrypha? Why is it not included in the protestant canon?

If Jesus forgave us for all of our sins on the cross, why does 1 John 1:9 say that we need to confess our sins and then we will be forgiven? What happens if we don't confess? Are we not forgiven? Signed: Confused!

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