How can our lives, church and world be restored by the love and power of Jesus?

25 April 2021 - 11am Service

Resurrection + Restoration: Restored World

This Sunday we finish our current preaching series Resurrection + Restoration with a message from Tim Dobson on ‘Restored World’.

Following on from Easter, our series Resurrection + Restoration will help us grasp what Jesus’ resurrection means and the hope we carry in our everyday lives.

Rather than wave quickly goodbye to Easter, we’re taking some time to look at Bible passages from the Gospels after Jesus was resurrected. We’ll be looking at scriptures that address personal restoration, the great commission, and how we can bring hope into the world. Each week, we’ll be trying to earth these stories in our own lives and call as a Church today.

Remember, our 7pm service will be looking at the same topic and Dave Mitchell will be sharing with us. Check it out!

DISCUSSION NOTES

INTRODUCTION | Matthew 28:16-20

Matthew 28:16-20 carries the hope of restored creation. God has always wanted his world to be filled with his image-bearers (Genesis 1:27-28 ‘Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it’). Here in Matthew, the disciples are called to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth (every nation) and subdue (teaching them to obey everything).

STUDY QUESTIONS

The word for nations here is ‘ethne’ (from which we get ethnic) and was used by Jewish people to designate gentiles, non-Jews. What is the significance for the disciples of this particular call in the light of Israel being a ‘chosen people’?
How much do we prioritise in our sharing of Good News about Jesus people very different to ourselves? Does the commission of these eleven disciples extend to us? What does that say about the priority of the global mission for Christians?
How much is racial unity and inclusion an important practice for us at Woodlands? What do you think Jesus wants for us in this area?
We live in a world where environmental degradation, species loss and climate change are stark realities. What is the Christian response to Creation itself?
How might we teach people to obey the teaching of Jesus as these verses tell us to? What place does baptism have for people who are serious about obeying Jesus words?