At Trailhead, we believe that church is not just about growing in God’s Word but doing so in community. We have designed this study guide to help you follow along with Sunday’s message. Study the scriptures, take notes, and then reinforce what you learned by answering a few questions. Ask others to join you in discussion, whether it be with your family or online with your Trailhead study group. Let’s have church!
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Interactive Scriptures and Notes
This link is updated weekly so we encourage you to select the “Email” button at the bottom to send your notes to yourself when you’re finished.
Colossians 2:2-5 (NIV)
2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Hope is the
Faith is the
Love is the
Faith helps us to escape the
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
With hope comes the
John 8:2-11 (NIV)
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Colossians 2:11-15 (NLT)
11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Other Notes
Discussion Questions
1) Pastor Josh told a story of a time when his mom encouraged him to not live off of “someone else’s Jesus.” Why is it important that you have your own relationship with Jesus instead of depending on the spirituality of others? Why is it important that we teach future generations to have their own relationship with Jesus?
2) Setting your eyes on Jesus will help shape your future and not your current circumstance. Why is that? What can you do to ensure your faith is lined up with what God wants to do in your life?
3) Consider the story about the woman caught in adultery. How did the religious leaders see her? How did Jesus see her? What does this say about how we should react to the sins of others?