Catch up on how things have been since the last time your Impact Group met. Allow anyone new to introduce themselves. Then ask group members:
Ask for a volunteer to read Psalm 63 to the group, praying a short prayer that – however much they’ve come to know Jesus, they’d know him better as a result of your time together.
If you’re not gathered in person, the leader should project the video for the group through sharing their screen. If you’re using Zoom, make sure you have optimized your screen share for video.
Suggested questions to help your discussion.
After Israel were freed from Egypt, God commanded Moses to build a tent so that God could be approached in worship. This structure went by several names, including ‘the tent of meeting’, ‘the tabernacle’ and ‘the sanctuary’.
The sanctuary served as the portable room of God. Every detail taught the people something of God’s character. By David’s day, it had come to rest in Jerusalem. It was the place where God would live amongst and meet his people, primarily through an intricate God-given system of priests and sacrifices.
These sacrifices had overlapping functions (described in Leviticus 1-7) but together they reminded Israel of the severity of sin, and the way in which God’s forgiveness depended on another dying in their place. So these sacrifices weren’t a means of humans trying to somehow appease God, but a means of atonement provided by God himself.
The sanctuary was eventually superseded by a permanent structure, the temple (built by David’s son, Solomon). Both the sanctuary and the temple were fulfilled by Jesus, our perfect sacrifice. When Jesus died, once for all, he provided complete satisfaction for the sins of the world. Because we are declared righteous through Jesus’ atoning blood, every obstacle to friendship with God has been removed. Jesus’ death proves beyond doubt that God’s love is better even than life.
Discuss:
Share any further requests for personal prayer. Find out who’d like to lead the group in prayer, being assured that God hears your voices.
David pictures the love of God as being thirst-quenching. Watch the worship song All Who Are Thirsty:
Ideas for a shared challenge:
You may have people in your Impact Group who are new to reading the Bible, and who are already seeing how much emotional sense it makes of our lives:
Confirm the time that you’ll meet next week, and ask someone to close your time together in prayer.
Taking it further – links you might like to share with your Impact Group
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