New Year Bible study for small groups: a ready 4-week January study for young adults
A New Year Bible study for small groups: four January sessions on Lamentations 3, Philippians 3, Isaiah 43 and Matthew 6, with questions and leader notes.
In this article
- The four weeks at a glance
- How to run each session (75 minutes)
- Week 1: Lamentations 3, mercy for what's behind you
- Week 2: Philippians 3, press on toward Christ
- Week 3: Isaiah 43, God is doing a new thing
- Week 4: Matthew 6, seek first the kingdom
- After January: keeping your group in the Word
- Frequently asked questions
This New Year Bible study for small groups runs for four weeks in January, one passage per session: Lamentations 3 (mercy for what's behind), Philippians 3 (pressing on), Isaiah 43 (a new thing) and Matthew 6 (seek first the kingdom). Each 75-minute session has an opener, discussion questions with verse answers, a leader note and a take-home step.
It's written for young adult groups, college ministries and any small group that restarts after the holidays and wants something ready to lead. Nothing to buy: you need Bibles, this page and someone willing to host.
If your group meets on Mondays, the four sessions fall on January 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2027. A Wednesday group would meet January 6, 13, 20 and 27. Either way, you finish before February.
The four weeks at a glance
The order is deliberate. Week 1 deals with last year, week 2 with how we run, week 3 with what God may be doing, and week 4 with what we'll put first.
| Week | Passage | Theme | Key verse | Take-home step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamentations 3:1-33 | Mercy for what's behind | Lamentations 3:22-23 | Write one honest sentence about last year and one line of Lamentations 3:22-23 under it |
| 2 | Philippians 3:1-21 | Press on toward Christ | Philippians 3:13-14 | Name one thing you're "counting as loss" this year |
| 3 | Isaiah 43:1-21 | God is doing a new thing | Isaiah 43:19 | Look for one sign of God at work and bring it next week |
| 4 | Matthew 6:19-34 | Seek first the kingdom | Matthew 6:33 | Choose one priority for February and tell your partner |
If your group is shorter on time, read only the key verses aloud and pick two questions from each part of the discussion.
For people who want to go further between meetings, the app has a quiz on every book, with every answer explained by its verse, so the group can see what stayed with them from the passage.
How to run each session (75 minutes)
Every week follows the same shape, which makes it easy to hand leadership to someone else in week 3 or 4.
| Minutes | Part | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Welcome | Food, coffee, catch up |
| 10 | Opener | One question everyone answers, short |
| 5 | Read | Read the passage aloud, two or three readers |
| 30 | Discuss | Observe, interpret, apply |
| 10 | Apply | Each person writes their take-home step |
| 10 | Pray | In pairs or as a group |
A few leader tips that apply to every week:
- Read the passage twice before the meeting. Once straight through, once with a pen. You'll lead better questions if you've noticed things yourself.
- Let silence sit. After a question, count to ten before you rephrase it. Someone usually speaks at seven.
- Send people to the text. When someone answers, ask "Where do you see that?" It keeps the discussion on the Bible, not on opinions.
- Let people pass. Week 1 especially can bring up hard things. No one has to share.
If your group is new to studying a passage together, our guide to how to study the Bible covers the observe, interpret, apply pattern these questions follow.
Week 1: Lamentations 3, mercy for what's behind you
Opener: In one word, how was your 2026?
Read: Lamentations 3:1-33. Have one person read verses 1-18 and a second read verses 19-33. The change of reader helps people hear the turn.
Lamentations mourns the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon. The writer, traditionally Jeremiah (the book doesn't name its author), is not writing after things got better. The city is still in ruins. The Lamentations overview has the background, and you can read about Jeremiah if your group wants context.
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
Observe
- How does the writer describe his situation in verses 1-18? Pick two images that stand out. (He's in darkness, verse 2; walled in, verse 7; his prayer is shut out, verse 8.)
- What changes in verse 21? (He chooses what to "recall to my mind." Nothing around him has changed yet.)
- What does verse 20 say about his memory of the pain? (He still remembers it. Hope doesn't require forgetting.)
Interpret
- Verse 24 says, "The Lord is my portion." What would it mean to say that about this year, instead of "my job is my portion" or "my relationship is my portion"?
- Verses 31-33 say God "will not cast off for ever" and "doth not afflict willingly." How do these verses hold together with the first 18?
Apply
- What do you need to "recall to mind" as you start this year?
- Is there something from 2026 you haven't brought to God honestly yet?
Leader note: Don't rush to verse 22. The point of this week is that God's mercy meets us in the real story, not a cleaned-up one. If someone shares a loss, thank them and pray for them before moving on.
Take-home: Write one honest sentence about last year, then copy Lamentations 3:22-23 underneath it. Read it each morning this week.
Quick quiz: Lamentations
Which city, according to chapter 1, has multiplied her sins and become an object of revulsion?
“Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed”: the whole book mourns the ruin of Jerusalem. Lamentations 1:8
To what is Jerusalem compared in the first verse of the book?
“How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow!” Lamentations 1:1
When are the LORD’s compassions renewed?
“His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22–23
There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.
Week 2: Philippians 3, press on toward Christ
Opener: What's something you started last year and didn't finish?
Read: Philippians 3:1-21.
Paul wrote Philippians from imprisonment ("my bonds in Christ," Philippians 1:13), yet it's one of his most joyful letters. In chapter 3 he lists his religious credentials, then throws them out. You can read more about Paul and the book of Philippians.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Observe
- What did Paul have to be proud of, according to verses 4-6? (His birth, tribe, training as a Pharisee, zeal and law-keeping.)
- What does he call those things now, in verses 7-8? ("Loss," and in verse 8, "dung.")
- In verse 9, where does Paul say his righteousness comes from? (Not "mine own," but "the righteousness which is of God by faith.")
Interpret
- Verse 12 says "Not as though I had already attained." Why would Paul, of all people, say that?
- What do you think "forgetting those things which are behind" (verse 13) includes? Only failures, or successes too?
- Verse 20 says "our conversation is in heaven" (in the KJV, "conversation" here means citizenship or way of life). How should that shape how we plan a year?
Apply
- What's something you lean on to feel good about yourself that Paul would call "loss"?
- What does "pressing toward the mark" look like for you this month, in one concrete habit?
Leader note: This passage is about the gospel before it's about goals. Paul presses on because Christ has already "apprehended" him (verse 12). Make sure someone in the room hears that righteousness is a gift received by faith, not a New Year's project.
Take-home: Name one thing you're "counting as loss" this year and tell your check-in partner. If your group is talking about goals, our guide to Christian New Year's resolutions has a simple way to write one.
Week 3: Isaiah 43, God is doing a new thing
Opener: What's one new thing you're hoping for this year?
Read: Isaiah 43:1-21.
Isaiah 43 speaks to God's people in exile. Verse 14 names Babylon. They're far from home and wondering whether God is done with them. The Isaiah overview gives the setting.
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Observe
- List what God says about his people in verses 1-4. (He created, formed, redeemed and called them by name. They are his, "precious" and loved.)
- What does God promise in verse 2? Does he promise there will be no waters or fire? (No. He promises to be with them in them.)
- What "former things" might verse 18 refer to, given verses 16-17? (The way through the sea at the exodus, Exodus 14.)
Interpret
- Why would God tell people to stop dwelling on the exodus, the greatest rescue in their history?
- Verse 10 says "Ye are my witnesses." Witnesses to what? How does that apply to a small group?
- Verse 21 says, "This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise." What does that say about the purpose of a new year?
Apply
- Is there a "former thing" you keep measuring God by, good or bad?
- Where might God be making "a way in the wilderness" for you right now, even if you can't see it yet?
Leader note: The new thing in Isaiah 43 is God's rescue, not a personal upgrade. Christians read these promises in light of Jesus, the Redeemer they point to (Isaiah 43:25 speaks of God blotting out transgressions). Keep the discussion on what God does, then on how we respond.
Take-home: Watch this week for one sign of God at work, in Scripture, in prayer or in someone else's life, and bring it to the next meeting.
Quick quiz: Isaiah
In the year of which king’s death did Isaiah see the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up?
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” Isaiah 6:1
What did the seraphim cry to one another in Isaiah’s vision?
“One cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3
What name will the virgin give to the son announced to Ahaz as a sign?
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Shear-jashub is Isaiah’s own son (7:3). Isaiah 7:14
There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.
Week 4: Matthew 6, seek first the kingdom
Opener: What did you worry about most last week?
Read: Matthew 6:19-34.
This is part of the Sermon on the Mount, the teaching that fills Matthew 5-7. Just before this passage, Jesus teaches the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), which asks for "our daily bread." The Matthew overview has more background.
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Observe
- What two kinds of treasure does Jesus compare in verses 19-21? Which one lasts?
- Verse 24 says "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." What is mammon? (Wealth or money treated as a master.)
- What reasons does Jesus give for not worrying, in verses 25-32? (The birds, the lilies, the fact that worry can't add to life, and that "your heavenly Father knoweth.")
Interpret
- Verse 21 says "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Does the heart follow the treasure, or the treasure the heart?
- What does it look like to "seek first the kingdom of God" on an ordinary Tuesday?
- Verse 34 says "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." How is that different from not planning at all?
Apply
- If someone looked at your calendar and bank statement from January, what would they say you're seeking first?
- What's one priority you'll put first in February?
Leader note: Many young adults are anxious about jobs, money, school and relationships. Don't treat worry as a simple failure of faith. Jesus speaks gently here ("Are ye not much better than they?"). Pray specifically for the things people name.
Take-home: Choose one priority for February and tell your partner. Close the series by having each person share one thing God showed them this month.
Quick quiz: Matthew
What does the name “Emmanuel,” given to Jesus, mean?
Matthew quotes the prophecy: “they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23
What gifts do the magi offer the young child?
Having opened their treasures, the magi “presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11
How is Matthew described in the list of the twelve apostles in his own Gospel?
The list names “Thomas, and Matthew the publican”: Jesus had called him while he was “sitting at the receipt of custom.” Matthew 10:3
There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.
After January: keeping your group in the Word
Four weeks is a good start, not the finish line. Here are a few ways to keep going:
- Read a book together. Philippians (4 chapters) or James (5 chapters) make good next studies. Our list of Bible study topics for young adults has more ideas.
- Read the same plan on your own. Our New Year Bible reading challenge gives everyone the same daily chapter, so the group has a shared conversation each week.
- Journal between meetings. The SOAP method gives everyone something to bring: one verse, one observation, one application, one prayer.
- Add a quiz night. A quick round from the Bible trivia hub makes a good opener, and it shows what people remember.
Some churches use a church-wide study in January instead. Lifeway publishes a short-term January Bible Study each year meant to bring a whole church together around one biblical topic; the current one is on Colossians. If your church already does that, this four-week study works well for the young adult group in the weeks around it.
For anyone in your group who wants a solo version, the New Year devotional for young adults uses three of these passages in a 20-minute personal reading.
If your group wants to keep reading together after January, the app gives each person a reading plan of 1 to 5 chapters a day with a short quiz after each reading, and friends can see each other's weekly streak.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good New Year Bible study for small groups?
A good New Year Bible study is short, rooted in a real passage and practical. This four-week January study uses Lamentations 3, Philippians 3, Isaiah 43 and Matthew 6, moving from mercy for the past year to pressing on, to trusting God's new work, to seeking his kingdom first. Each 75-minute session has questions and leader notes.
What should a small group study in January?
January works well for passages about new starts and priorities: Lamentations 3:22-23 (mercies "new every morning"), Philippians 3:13-14 (pressing on), Isaiah 43:18-19 ("I will do a new thing") and Matthew 6:33 (seek first the kingdom). A short book like Philippians or James also fits a four- to five-week January study.
How long should a small group Bible study session be?
Most small group sessions run 60 to 90 minutes. This study plans for 75: 10 minutes to welcome, 10 for an opener, 5 to read, 30 to discuss, 10 to apply and 10 to pray. If you have only 45 minutes, skip the opener, read only the key verses and pick two discussion questions from each part.
Can I lead this study if I've never led a Bible study before?
Yes. The questions are written out, and the answers to the observation questions point to specific verses. Read the passage twice before your meeting, ask "Where do you see that?" when people answer, and don't be afraid of silence. You don't need to have every answer. You can say "Let's look at that together."
Is this study good for college students and young adults?
Yes. It was written with young adults in mind: the openers are short, the application questions are about everyday life (calendars, money, worry, last year's disappointments), and the leader notes help with hard moments. It fits a college ministry, a young adult group or a church small group restarting in January.
What should we study after this four-week series?
Philippians and James are natural next studies, at four and five chapters. Another option is to have the whole group read the same daily plan on their own, such as the Gospel of John in January, and discuss the week's chapters when you meet. That keeps everyone reading between sessions.