Incarnation #4 – Study Questions (Advent 2023)

Kyle Bartholic   -   December 14, 2023

The Prince of Peace & Children of Grace

Isa. 9:6 & Gal. 4:4-6

INTRODUCTION:  Through our Advent series, we have heard of God’s love for humanity. In fact, that is what Swiss theologian Karl Barth said was the primary function of the church. He said it this way when speaking to reporters from the San Francisco Chronicle in 1962, “Dr. Barth made it clear that he considers man’s problems in the modern world much the same as they have been since the beginning of time.… He told reporters that the function of the church today is to announce simply and clearly the doctrine of God’s love for man, not man’s love for God. The message, he said, is that man is not left alone, that God is not apart from him or against him, but forever with him.” [1] Did you catch that last part? That man is not left alone and that God is forever with him? This is the beautiful truth of Advent. Despite our sin and rebellion, God purposed to offer reconciliation and salvation to humanity through his Son.

This is also a core part of Paul’s message in Galatians. Theologian Todd Wilson helps us to understand Paul’s message. “Did you know a baby’s cry matches its mother’s language? A newborn child, just two or three days old, cries in a distinctive way, mimicking the sound of the child’s mother. Researchers recently studied sixty healthy newborn children from both French and German families. What they found was fascinating: each newborn baby has its own “cry melody,” a specific pattern of sounds that is unique to his or her cry. But more than that, they found that babies will match their cry to the sounds and intonations of their mother’s voice. I suspect, however, that very few mothers need a study like this to tell them something so obvious. From day one mothers know this to be true. That’s why they can hear their baby’s faint cry seemingly from miles away and even pick out the sound of their baby crying amidst a chorus of other crying infants. But did you realize this is true of God’s children? They too have their own distinctive cry, and this passage tells us what it sounds like: “Abba! Father!” This is the unique cry of the children of God. This is also one of the great privileges of being children of God. When God adopts us as sons or daughters, he sends his Spirit into our heart, causing us to cry, “Abba! Father!” (4:6). And this cry identifies who we belong to, who our Father is. But it also clarifies for us, and for others who hear our cry, whether we are children of God. Paul realizes the Galatians have begun to doubt their status as God’s children and thus are doubtful about whether they’ll receive God’s inheritance, eternal life. So, Paul points to this distinctive cry as a way for them to confirm their status as sons of God. As he reminds them, “If a son, then an heir through God” (4:7).[2]

 

What are heirs of? God’s grace and peace. How are we made heirs? Through faith in Christ. In Advent, we remember that God is not far off and that Jesus offers a peace that makes us whole.

 

 

GETTING STARTED – As a group, share about a time when you uniquely experienced peace. What was it about this experience that is memorable for you? What made it peaceful?

IN THE WORD –   Let’s dig back into the passage(s). It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.

First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)

Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.

 

 

Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?

 

 

Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?

 

Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions.

  1. Considering that peace in the Biblical perspective is about being made whole, how is that different and more complete than how we often think of peace as simply being an absence of conflict?
  2. In the sermon, we talked about our sin robbing us of peace. How have you experienced that? And do you agree that our greatest sense of happiness (joy) is only provided by Christ?
  3. Why is it good news that God is both righteous and just? Or, more specifically, that Jesus is the fullness of grace and truth? How do we see both truth and grace in Jesus? (cf. Jn 1:14)
  4. How do Paul’s words to the Galatian church encourage and convict you? What stands out to you from them?
  5. If you are an adopted child of God by grace, what does it mean or look like to live as one who is part of God’s family?

 

 

 

 

[1] Karl Barth, Barth in Conversation, 1959–1962, ed. Darrell L. Guder and Eberhard Busch, trans. The Translation Fellows of the Center for Barth Studies, vol. 1 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2017), 227.

[2] Todd Wilson, Galatians: Gospel-Rooted Living, ed. R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 133.