Jesus is invited to a Pharisee's home for a meal and doesn't follow all of the rituals they follow. He uses this as an opportunity to outline the difference between external religion and internal heart transformation. The hope of the gospel runs deeper into our souls than any behavior modification ever can.

Application Questions: 

1. What are ways that your walk with Christ is too shallow, aiming to change external behaviors rather than the heart?

2. How does a life aimed from the inside out bring wisdom?

3. What kind of humility results from the gospel touching down in the depths of your heart?

4. How do pride and insecurity feed each other? And how does the gospel free you?

5. Are you seeking your own glory or Christ's?

Many are looking for a sign, argument, or circumstances that will settle the issue about Jesus once and for all. If only we had more illumination than we do now, we could come to a deeper faith and move forward fully convinced. In a challenging set of teachings, Jesus confronts us with the reality that the issue is not a lack of light, but a lack of sight. Jesus's teaching and ministry are more than enough light for us to come to a deep and satisfying conclusion about who he is. What we need is eyes that can see—and if we turn to Jesus, we'll find our eyes healed and beholding him.

Application Questions: 

1. Do you find yourself wishing there was more evidence that God was real and Jesus Christ is who he said he was? How so? How does that affect your life, spiritually and otherwise?

2. Jesus shows us that our doubt is complicated. What are some ways your doubt might be more complicated than you realized?

3. How do the cross and resurrection of Jesus help with our doubts?

4. How might you turn to Jesus and ask him to open your eyes?

 In a passage full of references to demons and Satan, we get a surprisingly practical lesson on our own struggles and how we can be delivered from them. The Bible paints a realistic, complex picture of the forces that work against us in the world and in our own hearts. When we experience those forces, we turn to a variety of places for deliverance, yet the changes we experience are short-lived, superficial, and leave us worse off. Only Jesus can deliver us from the forces arrayed against us thoroughly and permanently.

Application Questions: 

1. How have you experienced "the world, the flesh, and the Devil" interacting in your own life? 

2. Are there places you are tempted to look for deliverance other than Jesus? Have you ever felt they left you worse off? 

3. How can you apply the power of the gospel to enjoy more freedom in your daily life? 

It can be easy to think of God like a genie or a butler when it comes to prayer. But the Lord's Prayer shows us the true purpose and power of approaching the throne: getting more of God. 

Application Questions: 

1. In what ways might your prayer life be disordered? How can the Lord's Prayer reorient your approach? 

2. Are you worried about bothering God with your prayers? 

3. How does the promise of the giving of the Holy Spirit change the way you pray?

Sisters Martha and Mary invite Jesus into their home- Mary sits at the feet of Jesus to listen and learn, while Martha is serving and handling logistics. In the midst of her serving Martha's heart is off- and Jesus gently corrects her, reminding her that He must be the first priority of her life.

Application Questions: 

1. Why is Jesus so concerned with our inner life?

2. What are areas of distraction you see in your life right now?

3. How does worry manifest itself in your life?

4. Do you battle against distraction and worry in your life by remember Christ as the "good portion"?

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus provides a picture of what the Christian ethic looks like in practice. It is rooted in love that is compassionate, risky, and sacrificial. Exactly like the love he has shown us.

Application Questions: 

1. In what ways have you found yourself trying to justify your life and your choices the way the lawyer did?

2. How does the way Jesus has loved you echo the love of the Good Samaritan?

3. How have you seen the love of the Good Samaritan lived out in our church family corporately?

4. How have you seen the love of the Good Samaritan lived out in your life individually?

5. What is one way you could manifest the love of the Good Samaritan more faithfully in your life?

The 72 disciples return from their mission full of joy at the success they experienced. But Jesus cautions them: their joy needs a deeper foundation than success. Instead, Jesus urges the disciples to ground their joy in the reality that their names are written in heaven. Here we find the secret to lasting joy that can carry us through a life full of victories and setbacks. When Jesus himself rejoices—even on the way to the cross—we see how solid and eternal our joy can be. 

Application Questions: 

1. Where are you tempted to look for joy in things that can't always provide it? 

2. How can God's grace give you joy in the midst of the circumstances you're dealing with now? 

3. How does it anchor your joy to know that Jesus rejoices over your salvation, despite what it cost him? 

Jesus sends out 72 of His followers to heal and teach people about the Kingdom of God. The harvest is plentiful, Jesus tells us, and the laborers are few—so pray and ask the Lord to raise up more laborers, and be diligent in the work. 

Application Questions: 

1. How does the "mission of God" intersect with your daily life? 

2. What would be different if your life was lived first and foremost for the spread of His glory and kingdom?

3. How does the need and opportunity of the gospel speak to your life and interactions with those who don't know Christ?

4. What simple steps can you take in your life to live missionally?

5. How does your experience of the gospel inspire and empower you to live missionally?

Jesus was singularly focused on his mission to redeem his people. He was unwilling to be distracted or deterred, even when those around him didn't understand what he was doing. Following him means being singularly focused on his mission too. And this means being willing to follow him without excuse and without delay.

Application Questions: 

1. In what ways might you be able to relate to James and John's mistaken enthusiasm?

2. What are the aspects of life that distract you from following Jesus?

3. When do you find yourself saying to him: "Let me first..."?

4. Who are the people in your life that may be telling you "You should first..."?

5. Who are the people in your life who are helping you follow Jesus more closely?

When Jesus comes off the mountain, he finds a world in disarray. When he brings his majesty to bear by healing a young boy, people marvel—but then he says this majesty will take him to a cross. Throughout the passage, we see ourselves in the disciples as they struggle to following Jesus. The message they need—the gospel that moves toward suffering to bring healing—is the same message we need to follow Jesus in our own lives. 

Application Questions: 

1. How does it encourage you that Jesus moves from the mountaintop into the mess of people's lives? 

2. The disciples find themselves moving toward self-sufficiency, status, and worldly security. How do you find those things at work in your own life? 

3. How does the gospel free you from those things to find your sufficiency, status, and security in Christ?