The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. The spaceship has landed, the doctor has arrived, the general has taken command—mission: search and destroy the works of the devil. John Piper

Connect
Reflect on and share your responses to either or both of these questions:

What have you found challenging this week?
Describe a time you experienced victory.

Pray
Spend a few minutes quieting your heart and directing your attention toward God.

Consider these prayer points, changing the me/my to us/our if praying in a group.
◾ God, help me grow in my understanding of spiritual warfare.
◾ Help me learn how to live in the victory of Jesus.
◾ Help our group have meaningful conversations about things that really matter.
◾ Please help me identify at least one specific takeaway from this week’s message.
◾ God, thank you for the ways you work in my life.

Read
Colossians 2:13-15 (NIV)
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Explore and Discuss
Insight: The phrase dead in sins refers to a spiritual state of alienation from God. It means that people are spiritually dead, even if they are physically alive (see Romans 3:23; Colossians 1:21). The uncircumcision of your flesh is a term used to describe non-Jewish people who were not part of God's covenant (see Genesis 17:10-12).

1. Have you ever felt spiritually dead? Explain.

2. Have you ever felt like an outsider because of your sin? Explain.

3. According to this passage, what specific things did Jesus do?

4. What do each of these things mean for you personally?

5. How does this passage help you understand why Jesus had to die?

6. What does it mean to be alive with Christ?

7. What are you doing to draw life from God?

8. Christ’s death and resurrection resulted in the victory of Christ and the saints over Satan. What’s the difference between fighting for victory and fighting from victory?

9. What are ways you can walk in victory?

For Further Study
What do these passages teach you about having victory in Jesus? Jot down some thoughts, and ask God what He wants you to know.

Make a Move
Spend a few minutes in silence and ask God what he wants you to know and remember from this week’s study and discussion. Is there an emotion or thought He’s stirring in you? Is there a specific step God is leading you to take?

Memorize
One of the best ways to hear God throughout the day is to store His words in your heart and mind.

Based on this week’s theme, commit these words of Scripture to memory:

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. Colossians 2:13 (NLT)

App and the Daily Devotional
Spend time with God with the Daily Devotionals available on the App. You can also find Sunday Message resources and videos, leave prayer requests, give and more.

Why Jesus?
If you’ve never experienced God’s forgiveness and grace, we’d love the opportunity to talk with you about a life-changing relationship with Jesus. Email thepastors@brookwoodchurch.org or call 864.688.8200

Additional Study Tools
For additional Bible Study tools, guides and devotionals, check out bible.com, youversion.com, biblegateway.com and blueletterbible.org.