Jesus goes up on a mountain to deliver the Sermon on the Mount. The crowd is eager to hear how his kingdom will deliver them the good life: more comfort, more security, more approval. Instead, Jesus gives them the beatitudes, a jarring set of blessings that run counter to everything we think about the good life. When we look closely at Jesus'words, we find that he is here to deliver a blessing that runs deeper than our circumstances, and that depends entirely on him.

Application Questions

1. When you imagine yourself living the life you want, what do you picture? Try to write some beatitudes (“Blessed are you when ________” ) based on that picture.
2. How do those“anti-beatitudes” shape your attitudes, decisions, and struggles?
3. What about Jesus'beatitudes scare you? Why? What about Jesus'beatitudes excite you? Why?
4. What do you think it would take to make your view of the good life the same as Jesus'view of the good life? How does the gospel fit in?

Palm Sunday is the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem to begin the last week of his life. In that way, Jesus the King arrives in his capital city to do battle with sin. We cannot understand sin without seeing how it intersects with our King. When we do, we are humbled, repentant, inspired, and most of all beloved.

Application Questions

1. Why does it matter that Christ“knew no sin” ?
2. How does understanding that Christ“became sin” increase your love for him?
3. What are some times you need to remember you are in Christ, and therefore fully righteous in the eyes of God?
4. What are some times you need to remember that Christ is in you, and therefore fully empowered to live an obedient life?

Christianity has always believed in a God of wrath, who stands in judgment over humans in their sin. But we don't talk about it much. What's more, for people in the West, God's wrath is hard to reconcile with God's love. If God is love, should he ever get angry? The Bible helps us make sense of God's wrath, square up to the reality of our situation, and appreciate the love of God displayed on the cross.

Application Questions

1. Do you think much about God's wrath? When you read passages in your Bible about God's anger or judgment, what do you do with them?
2. Where have you seen your own rage against God come out? What form does it usually take?
3. How does understanding God's holiness give us a key to understanding his wrath? How does God's wrath differ from human anger?
4. How does God's wrath make sense of the cross? Does understanding God's wrath make the cross more powerful for you?

We all want to change and grow, but we are sometimes fuzzy on the end goal. In what direction should that change and growth take us? What are we aiming for? God makes clear that the basic Christian life is growth in a single, encompassing direction: Christlikeness. As we walk in love for God and love for others, God is growing us to look more and more like his Son. We need to keep our eyes on him, then, as we walk, so we are walking in the right direction.

Application Questions

1. When you think about how you'd like to grow or change, what areas of your life or personality come up? What do those tell you about your goals in life?
2. What's on your "list" of a good person or a good Christian? Where did you get your list from?
3. If you haven't already, identify some of the false goals you are tempted to pursue. What about reaching those goals would be satisfying? What about reaching those goals would be unsatisfying?
4. Do you think that Christlikeness is ultimately satisfying? Why or why not?
5. How would your "list" change if you saw Christlikeness as the end goal of your Christian growth?

Jesus teaches that the greatest commandment, which encompasses all others, is love—love for God and love for others. In this sermon, we look more closely at growing in love for others as his disciples. Across the Bible, we find that loving others means close relationships with Christians, close relationships with non-Christians, and pursuing our God-given roles and responsibilities. These large categories—Community, Mission, and Calling—help us understand and enjoy our walk in the world.

Application Questions

1. Do you feel like you are walking in the world as a Christian? Why or why not?
2. What are some ways you have grown in love for others over the last year or two? How did that growth happen?
3. Do you have deep relationships with other Christians? What does Christian community look like for you?
4. Do you have deep relationships with non-Christians? What does Christian mission look like for you?
5. What are the different roles and responsibilities that God has given you? How are you pursuing those callings?

Jesus teaches that the greatest commandment, which encompasses all others, is love—love for God and love for others. In this sermon, we look more closely at growing in love for God as his disciples. Across the Bible, we find that loving God means listening to him in Scripture, speaking to him in prayer, and working what he says into our hearts. These large categories—Bible, Prayer, and Heart Work—help us understand and enjoy our walk with God.

Application Questions

1. Do you feel like you are walking with God in your life? Why or why not?
2. What are some ways you have grown in love for God over the last year or two? How did that growth happen?
3. Are you listening and learning from the Bible? What does that look like for you?
4. Are you talking and relating to God in prayer? What does that look like for you?5. Are you internalizing and applying what God says? What does that look like for you?

Application Questions
1. Why does God have such a profound heart for the poor and the marginalized?
2. Who are the poor and the marginalized in Los Angeles?
3. How can you cultivate a love and compassion for those who are suffering in these ways?
4. How is God calling you to serve the marginalized?
5. What stands in the way of Cornerstone being a community that is welcoming to the marginalized? What can you do to help make that a reality?

Application Questions
1. Why is it important to understand the reality of orphans in our city? Why do you think it is easy to forget? What can you do to help yourself remember?
2. Why should a Christian identify with orphans and value them? Do you see that at work in your own life?
3. Everyone is called to do something to care for orphans. What are some of the ways that you can care for orphans as a part of Cornerstone? What next steps will you take?

Application Questions

1. How have you tended to be pro-baby or pro-woman in the past in exclusion of the other?
2. How can we love and communicate God's grace to those who have had abortions in the past?
3. How can we as a church community serve and love prenatal children and their parents in ways that empower parents to know that they aren't stuck and that they have realistic choices other than abortion? 4. What are practical ways that you can sacrifice and set your own life and desires aside for the blessing and support of prenatal children and their parents?

Application Questions

1. How does God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 tell us about God's ultimate plan of redemption for all peoples? How is this reflected in Revelation 7:9?
2. What is the difference between race and ethnicity, and why is it so important?
3. How in your life can you stop being a wall to other ethnicities, and function as a bridge?