Eastpark Church | Chapters of Faith

chapters of faith - audio

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CHAPTERS OF FAITH STUDY QUESTIONS

2. Burning Bush Encounters With God - Exodus 3

04/19/26

Icebreaker Question: Share about a time when something unusual or unexpected got your attention and changed the direction of your day. What happened?

Key Takeaways:

We're not just called from a sinful life; we're called to a holy life with Jesus.
God has an eternal plan—our lives are not wasted; God is preparing us for His purposes
God's holiness matters—God removed the distance between us, not the difference between us
We live in God's presence constantly—as believers, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, making us holy ground
We must ‘take off our sandals’—we have a responsibility to remove the sin from our lives and ‘put on’ the character of God.

Discussion Questions:

1. Read Exodus 3:1-6. What details in this passage stand out to you?
a) What do they reveal about God's character?

2. Read Exodus 3:4. Have you been hiding from God? If so, do you hear Him calling your name?

3. Read Exodus 3:7-10, Romans 8:28 and Joel 2:25. Moses had spent 40 years as a shepherd thinking his life was wasted. How does God's timing in this story challenge our assumptions about ‘wasted’ seasons in our lives?
a) How might God be using your past experiences—even the painful ones—to prepare you for His purposes?

4. Read Isaiah 6:1-5 and Revelation 4:2-11. How do these visions of God's throne room shape your understanding of God's holiness?
a) How does this compare to how you typically think about God?

5. The sermon mentioned that God removed ‘the distance between us, not the difference between us.’ What does this mean?
a) Why is this distinction important?

6. ‘When we come to faith and discover the unconditional love of God, we can be so excited about the grace of God we fail to recognize the glory of God.’ Have you experienced this? How can we hold both God's grace and His glory in proper balance?

7. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. What does it mean practically that ‘your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit’?
a) How should this truth affect our daily lives—how might knowing you carry God's presence change your perspective on today's activities?

8. Read Exodus 3:5 and Ephesians 4:17-32. Moses was told to ‘take off your sandals’ as an act of reverence and humility. Why do you think God commanded Moses to stop and remove his sandals before revealing His plan, rather than immediately sharing the mission He had for Moses?
a) What ‘sandals’ (sins, habits, attitudes) is God asking you to remove from your life right now?

9. Read Hebrews 4:14-16 and 12:28-29. The gospel brings a paradox: we can approach God's throne with confidence, yet we must worship Him with reverence and awe. Jesus removed the distance between us and God, but not the difference. We can become so comfortable with God's grace that we lose sight of His glory. But proximity doesn’t mean liberty—accessibility doesn’t mean equality. Intimacy doesn’t eliminate identity. Greater access actually requires greater reverence. How can you cultivate both confidence and reverence in your relationship with God?
a) How seriously do you take worship and gathering with other believers? Are there ways you've become casual or flippant about being in God's presence?

For Further Study:

How does the Old Testament tabernacle/temple system help us understand God's holiness? (Read Exodus 25-27, Hebrews 9-10)
What does it mean to be "set apart" (sanctified) for God's purposes?
How does understanding God's holiness affect our view of sin?
Recommended Reading: The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer / The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

Personal Reflection:

In what area of your life are you most tempted to find your identity in something other than Christ?
What current challenge or hardship is God inviting you to view through the lens of "living hope"?
How can you remind yourself this week that your citizenship is in Heaven, not here?

Action Steps:

Memorize 1 Peter 1:3-5 - Write it on a card and review it daily
Identity Check - Each morning this week, remind yourself: "I am chosen by God, an exile here, and made holy by Him"
Reframe Suffering - When facing a difficulty this week, pause and ask: "How might God be using this to strengthen my faith or show His power?"
Eternal Perspective - Identify one area where you're living too much for "now" and take one step toward living for eternity
Presence Practice - Set three daily reminders on your phone to pause and acknowledge God's presence with you

Prayer:

Thank God for choosing us and giving us a living hope through Jesus
Pray for those in the group facing specific trials or suffering
Ask God to help us live as exiles in this world

3. Salvation by Blood - Exodus 11-12

04/26/26

Icebreaker Question: What's one family tradition or ritual that helps you remember something important? Why is it meaningful to you?

Highlights:

The Passover was a divine preview of the Cross—every detail pointed forward to Jesus
Salvation requires a perfect sacrifice—we cannot save ourselves; we need a Savior
The blood makes the difference—God makes a distinction between His people and the world
Communion is serious and sacred—it’s not just a ritual, it’s a profound act of remembrance
Salvation is completely life-changing—like the Israelites with sandals on, ready to go, our life is changed immediately

Discussion Questions:

1. Read Exodus 12:3-13 and Ephesians 2:1-9. Israel was delivered from physical slavery through divine intervention. How does this mirror humanity’s bondage to sin, and what does it reveal about the nature of God’s initiative in salvation, rather than human effort?

2. Read Leviticus 17:11, Romans 5:8-10, Hebrews 9:11-15 and 1 Peter 1:18-19. The Passover lamb in the Book of Exodus plays a central role in Israel’s deliverance. How does this foreshadow the sacrificial role of Jesus Christ, and what deeper meaning emerges when comparing the blood that spared Israel with the blood that redeems the world?

3. Read Exodus 11:7. How does God still make a distinction between His people and the world today—and how should this distinction be apparent?

a) How should this affect how we live?

4. Read Exodus 4:21, 9:16 and Romans 9:17. Why do you think God ‘hardened Pharaoh's heart’? What does this teach us about God's purposes and His power?

5. Read Exodus 12:11. The Israelites were told to eat the Passover meal ‘with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand.’ What does this posture of readiness teach us about how we should live after experiencing salvation?

6. Read Exodus 12:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. Jesus' sacrifice was complete—no spiritual ‘leftovers’ were needed—yet we can sometimes live like we’re trying to add our good works to Jesus' finished work on the Cross. What are some things you might even subconsciously be doing to add to Jesus' sacrifice, instead of fully trusting in the sufficiency of the Cross?

7. Read Exodus 4:22-23, 11:4-5 and Romans 8:17, 29. In Christ we have all the rights of the ‘firstborn’ now—with inheritance rights, family privileges, and responsibilities, yet many Christians live like spiritual orphans or distant relatives rather than firstborn heirs. How might an awareness of your true ‘firstborn’ status as a child of God change how you live?

8. Read Exodus 12:29. God moved at midnight—the darkest hour. God often moves in our ‘midnight moments’—when circumstances are darkest and hope seems gone. Where are you in a midnight moment right now?

a) Instead of demanding or waiting for ‘daylight’, what difference could it make if you trusted God works best in darkness?

9. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Paul emphasizes that he ‘received from the Lord’ what he delivered—how does this shape our understanding of the authority and sacredness of Communion, and what does it suggest about the continuity between Jesus’ original act and the church’s ongoing practice?

a) When Jesus says, ‘Do this in remembrance of me,’ what kind of remembrance is implied—mere mental recall, or something more active and transformative—and how should that influence the way believers approach Communion today?

b) Verse 26 connects the act of Communion with proclaiming the Lord’s death ‘until he comes’—how does participating in Communion function both as a reflection on the past and a declaration of future hope, and what tension does that create for how Christians live in the present?

10. Read 1 Corinthians 11:27-30. Why is Paul so serious about taking communion in an ‘unworthy manner’?