Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (John 5:18-20), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [18] Many people doubt that Jesus thought of himself as God or that he claimed to be God. Do you know anyone like that? Do you see how this verse addresses that doubt? Can you think of other passages in the Gospels that might address such doubts? What is the effect of sharing such Scriptures with non-Christians? Is it persuasive? Why or why not?

• [19] The Son does not act autonomously or independently of the Father, which means it is a part of God’s very nature to defer, to submit, to be humble. Does that surprise you? How does it compare with your instinctive presuppositions about God? Can you think of how this compares with the imagined gods of other religions? What does the humility of God mean for your relationship to him and others?

• [20] God wants us to marvel as we witness the Father’s love for the Son throughout his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. How do the Gospels show us the Father’s love for the Son? (Don’t you usually think the Gospels demonstrate God’s love for us?) Why is this marvelous?