Sermon Discussion Guide - Not Prepared

Care

What is one thing that caught you off guard this week, good or bad?

Leader: before you move on, pray for one another out loud. If it fits your group, read Psalm 46 aloud together and thank God that he is with us when everything shifts.

Accountability

Last week Russ and Dillon taught us about people for whom things are not going well — the paralyzed man whose friends carried him to Jesus. Who did you carry this week, and what did you actually do for them?

Tell us the story. How did it go when you showed up for someone?

Leader: ask with encouragement, not pressure. The goal is "help me move forward," not "did you fail?"

Before anyone opens a Bible, pray. We are not here for information. We are here because God speaks, and we are expecting him to speak tonight. Leader, pray this out loud first (or in your own words), then ask two or three others to pray too.

Setting the Scene (read this to the group before you read the passage)

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council. That is about as high as a man could climb in religious life. He comes to Jesus at night, most likely so no one sees him with the teacher who is upsetting everything. Like most Jewish leaders, he expected the Messiah to arrive with political and military power and put Rome in its place. He also believed that being born a Jew already made him part of God's people. So when Jesus tells him he must be born again, the most educated religious man in the room has no idea what Jesus is talking about.

Read the passage

Now read John 3:1-21 aloud together, slowly. Ask everyone to note the one word, phrase, or verse that stands out to them.

HIGHLIGHT — What stands out?

Which word or verse stood out to you? Say it out loud, then tell us why you think it caught your attention.

EXPLAIN — What does it mean?

In verses 1-4, what does Nicodemus get right about Jesus, and what does he completely miss?

In verses 14-17, what does God do, and why does John say he did it?

APPLY — What does it mean for me?

Leader: before anyone answers, take one to two minutes of silence. Read verse 16 again slowly and let the room stay quiet. Do not rush the quiet — that is where people actually hear.

Where are you in a season right now that you had no training for?

Who came to mind when we read this — someone with questions they are afraid to ask out loud?

RESPOND — What will I do?

God already moved first, before anyone was ready. What is one honest thing you can say back to him tonight?

Practice out loud. Turn to one person and, in 60 seconds, tell them one hard thing God has brought you through. That is your story. Most of us never rehearse it, so it never comes out when someone needs it.

Role-play it. One person plays a friend who just got bad news. Practice what you would actually say. No fixing, no advice. Just presence and one honest question.

Setting Goals

Name one person whose life just got turned upside down. Write their name down.

In the next 24 hours, text or call that person and ask one question: how are you actually doing?

Plan one specific way to show up for them before next Sunday. A meal, a ride, a visit, a cup of coffee.

Leader: have everyone write their goal down in their phone or on paper. We come back to these next week in Accountability.

Prayer

Confess it: where have we handed people good advice when they needed good news?

Ask the Holy Spirit for eyes to see the people around us who were caught off guard, and courage to say something.

Pray out loud, by name, for the people written down tonight.

Leader: keep praying for your group during the week. Text one person mid-week and tell them you did.