Jesus tells a parable that hits at the heart of the human experience. Comparison feels like an innate part of being human. We are constantly trying to figure out how we measure up and how we might justify our own actions (or our own existence). But Jesus shows us that comparison is a trap, and that true freedom and confidence can only be found in trusting him with the confident trust of a child.

Application Questions: 

1. What are ways you find yourself comparing yourself to others?

2. How have you found the self-righteousness of comparison to leave you empty and insecure?

3. What keeps you from the simple, regular admission that you are a sinner desperately in need of God's mercy?

4. What characteristics of child-ish-ness to you still need to grow out of?

5. What characteristics of child-like-ness do you need to hold onto or recapture?

What do we do when we are overwhelmed by injustice? How do we cope and where do we turn when it seems like there is no answer to our pleas to God to make things right? Jesus tells a parable that gives us simple and powerful guidance for these big questions and reminds us of not only his power, but his compassionate kindness to us while we wait for justice to come.

Application Questions: 

1. What personal injustices burden your soul?

2. What injustices in the world burden your soul?

3. How do you typically cope with the weight of that burden?

4. Why can we trust that God is just and will ultimately bring justice?

5. How does the invitation to prayer bring peace to our season of waiting?

Jesus teaches us to pray, "Your kingdom come," and we get a sense of what that means in this passage. When the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God will come, he says it is right in front of them. Because he is the King, his person and ministry shows them what the kingdom is like: freedom from sin, suffering, and death. He tells his disciples that he came into the world in humility, to suffer and die on our behalf. But later he will come to judge all evil and wickedness, bringing his Kingdom in its fullness. We live in between his two comings, which means we should hold things in this world loosely and find our identity and treasure in him. 

Application Questions: 

1. What about Jesus' time on earth makes you want his kingdom to come? 

2. Why does it matter that Jesus comes not once, but twice? Why do we need both? 

3. How can you hold onto things loosely, so that you are ready for the future? 

Jesus, on the way to Jerusalem, teaches His followers the marks of true faith: Forgiveness, Humility, and Worship.

Application Questions: 

1. What are the differences between the world's forgiveness and the Bible's forgiveness?

2. Why is forgiveness so hard? Why is that necessary for understanding the gospel?

3. How can you seek reconciliation in your life?

4. What would it look like to cultivate the heart of a servant in your life?

5. How can you spend more time praising than complaining?

Jesus is always teaching on the kingdom of God, and in this passage he talks with the Pharisees about what gets you into the kingdom—and what can keep you out of it. What you need, Jesus says, is to be justified by God. In other words, you can't make a name for yourself as a way of entering God's kingdom, you need God to give you a name. When he does, it lasts forever, and it changes your life here and now. 

Application Questions: 

1. What are some ways in your life you are looking to "make a name" for yourself? 

2. What does it look like to receive a name from God instead of making one for yourself? 

3. Are there ways you are tempted to ignore or adjust God's Word? 

4. How can Jesus giving you a name, through his death and resurrection, create a generous spirit in you now?

Jesus makes it clear that following him will impact your whole life, including how you handle your money. Using a story about a dishonest manager shrewdly investing in his own future, he teaches his disciples to think about how they use their money in light of eternity. We find a way of relating to the resources in our lives that is unique and radical: we view ourselves as stewards, not owner; we invest in eternity, not just this life; and we use money instead of worshiping it. 

Application Questions: 

1. Do you view yourself as a manager of God's resources, or as an owner? How does that manifest itself in your life? 

2. How often is eternity a part of your thought process when it comes to money? Why do you think that is? 

3. Why does Jesus connect money and worship? How have you seen that in your own life? 

4. How does grace and the gospel release you from the hold money and resources have on you? How can you apply that this week? 

In one of Jesus' most famous parables, we learn what makes Christianity so radical among other religions and philosophies. Jesus teaches that God is not distant and withdrawn but seeks after lost and broken people. In a surprising turn, it is not just the prodigal son who is lost. The outwardly obedient older brother is also lost. Both need the grace and love of the Father to draw them into the feast of his love. When we find that love looking for us in Jesus Christ, we too can be brought home to our Father in heaven.

Application Questions: 

1. How do these stories strike you? Do they line up with your ideas about God and yourself? 

2. Do you relate more to the younger brother or to the older brother in the story? 

3. How can this parable put your heart at ease about what God is really like, and lead you to accept his grace? 

The cost of discipleship is high, and Jesus uses harsh language to communicate it. But underneath the harsh words, we find healthy reminders of the supremacy of Christ and our souls' deepest desires being met in him and his kingdom. 

Application Questions: 

1. Do Jesus' words about hating your loved ones offend you? 

2. How often do you consider Jesus' call to bear your own cross in following him? 

3. What things are holding or threatening to hold too high a place in your life? 

4. In what ways can your walk with God be more salty?

Who is the kingdom of God for? What kind of people are a part of his kingdom? Jesus uses an exclusive dinner party as an occasion to confront people's assumptions about God and his kingdom. And as he does he confronts many of our assumptions as well.

Application Questions: 

1. What types of position or status are you tempted to pursue?

2. How have you seen those pursuits leave you spiritually bloated?

3. What would humbling yourself entail in those areas?

4. In what ways do you feel excluded?

5. What distracts you from accepting Jesus' invitation or living in light of your identity in his kingdom?

Jesus begins his ministry saying he is bringing the kingdom of God. In this passage, he tells us more about it. Jesus compares the kingdom to seeds and leaven, things that do not look impressive but eventually produce powerful effects. Entering the kingdom means going through a narrow door—so narrow that you can carry nothing with you, not even your own righteousness. Only through Jesus Christ himself will you find yourself in the kingdom of God, eating at his table and enjoying his own fellowship. 

Application Questions: 

1. The way God works in the world—and in our lives—is often overlooked, but has powerful effects. Have you ever experienced that in your own life?

2. How are you tempted to use your moral performance or religious activities as ways of getting "in with God? 

3. What are you tempted to hold on to that won't fit through the narrow door of following Jesus? 

4. How does the love of God in Jesus Christ encourage you to put those temptations aside and pursue life with God as king?