Hillside Fellowship Podcast

What we think is strength keeps us blind; what we admit is broken brings belonging... Jesus changes everything

OUTLINE:

• Blindness (Luke 18:31-34)
• Brokenness (Luke 18:35-39)
• Belonging (Luke 18:40-43)

QUESTIONS:

1. 18:31-34  The disciples missed it.  Where might your expectations of what Jesus should do, blind you from accepting what He is doing?  Can you think of a time when you were near Jesus (in church, or ministry activity) but still completely missed what He was doing?  What kept you from seeing?
2. 18:35-39  The blind beggar had nothing to lose- What are you clinging to that keeps you from crying out to Jesus?  
3. 18:40-43  The moment he received sight, the beggar followed Jesus- Jesus became his center, direction and purpose.  What functions as your center (approval, comfort, control, success, family)?  If your life has been ‘captured’ by Jesus’ gravitational pull, where is that most noticeable? Where is it noticeably absent?

Jesus changes everything by exposing our illusion of being good, revealing the idols we love, and does what we could never do-He changes us from the inside out.

OUTLINE:

• Come Consistently (18:1-8)
• Come Confessionally (18:9-14)
• Come Childlike (18:15-17)

QUESTIONS:

1. (Luke 18:1,7-8) Where in your life have you been tempted to stop praying and lose heart? 
   1. Jesus already knows how easy it is for us to grow weary when answers seem delayed. As you reflect, consider where disappointment, delay, pain, confusion, or silence has made you less eager to come before God. Ask yourself where you have quietly concluded, “What’s the point?” and let that reveal the places where Jesus is calling you back to steady dependence.
       
2. (Luke 18:2-8) What does persistent prayer reveal about what you actually believe concerning God’s character?   
   1. The widow keeps coming because she believes someone must hear her case, but Jesus contrasts the unjust judge with our righteous God. The point is not that God is reluctant and must be worn down, but that if even an unrighteous judge eventually responds, how much more will a good and just Father respond to His people. As you answer, think about whether your prayer life reflects confidence that God is good, attentive, just, and faithful, or whether it reveals fear that He is distant, indifferent, or slow to care.
       
3. (Luke 18:9-12) In what ways are you tempted to approach God like the Pharisee rather than the tax collector?  
   1. The Pharisee’s prayer is full of comparison, self-congratulation, and a spiritual résumé. He is technically praying, but he is really admiring himself in God’s presence. As you reflect, consider how often you measure yourself against others, lean on your good behavior, or subtly believe God should be more pleased with you because of your discipline, morality, service, or knowledge. Ask God to expose the ways self-righteousness can hide inside spiritual language.
   2.  
4. (Luke 18:13-14) What would honest confession look like for you right now? 
   1. The tax collector stands at a distance, will not even lift his eyes to heaven, and cries, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” His confession is simple, honest, and unguarded. He is not managing appearances. He is acknowledging his need. As you answer, name what needs to be brought into the light before God without excuse, spin, or self-protection. Consider what it would look like to stop defending yourself and simply ask for mercy.
   2.  
5. (Luke 18:15-17) How is Jesus inviting you to trust Him more like a child this week, with dependence rather than control? 
   1. Jesus welcomes little children and says the kingdom of God belongs to those who receive it like a child. Children come empty-handed, trusting, dependent, and aware that they need help. As you reflect, think about where you are trying to manage outcomes, maintain control, or prove your strength instead of receiving from God with simple trust. This week, where is Jesus inviting you to surrender control, lean on Him, and come with open hands rather than clenched fists?
      
      
       

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:

Luke 18:1-17

NEXT WEEK:

Luke 18:18-30

 

OUTLINE:
Present (Luke 17:20-21)
Process (Luke 17:22-25)
Promise (Luke 17:26-37)

QUESTIONS:
(Luke 17:20-21)  Jesus says the kingdom of God is not something we can observe with our eyes.  Where are you tempted to equate God’s work only with what is visible or impressive?   Where do you currently see signs of the kingdom of God at work- in your heart, relationships, or community?
(Luke 17:22-25)  Jesus prepares His disciples for delay, confusion and suffering.  Why do we assume God should work quickly, efficiently, and painlessly?  How have delay, discipline, or difficulty shaped your faith more deeply than quick answers?
(Luke 17:26-37)  Jesus compares His return to the days of Noah and Lot- ordinary days right up to the moment of judgement.  In what ways has comfort, routine, or success lulled you into a sense of complacency?  What is one area of complacency Jesus is highlighting in your life?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:
Luke 17:20-37
https://www.bible.com/bible/100/LUK.17.NASB1995

Power doesn't flow until the circuit is closed- gratitude is the return wire that closes the circuit.

OUTLINE:
Request  (Luke: 17:11-13)
Response  (Luke: 17:14)
Return  (Luke: 17:15-19)

QUESTIONS:
(Luke: 17:11-13)  Where has pain in your life recently exposed something you were previously in denial about?  When you cry out to God, what are you usually asking for-relief or relationship? How can you tell the difference?

(Luke: 17:14)  Jesus sends the lepers before they see results.  Where might God be asking you to obey without immediate evidence that things will change?  In what area of your life do you want God to remove discomfort, but He may be trying to develop maturity instead?

(Luke: 17:15-19)  Where has gratitude faded in your life- not because God stopped working, but because life moved on?  What blessings have become expectations in your life?  Where does forgetful ingratitude exist in your heart? How has that ingratitude ‘short circuited’ joy, peace, intimacy and love in your life?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:
Luke 17:11-19

In Luke 17:1–10, Allyn Anderson challenges us to consider who we are becoming as followers of Jesus, emphasizing the seriousness of our influence on others and the importance of self-watchfulness in community. Jesus calls us to faithful obedience marked by repentance, forgiveness, and small acts of faith that shape us over time. Ultimately, obedience is not about earning God’s favor but about surrendering humbly to Him as a natural response to His grace.

OUTLINE:

Jesus’s warning
Community
Faithful Obedience
Surrender

QUESTIONS:
(Luke 17: 1-2) Jesus says temptations are inevitable, but woe to the one who causes others to stumble. What does this reveal about how seriously Jesus takes our influence on others? How might recognizing the weight of our impact reshape the way we relate to people in community?

(Luke 17: 3) Before addressing others, Jesus calls us to “self-watchfulness”, reminding us that we are constantly being formed by our words, thoughts, actions, habits, and choices. Right now, how would you honestly answer the question, “Who am I becoming?” In what ways are you currently being deformed by sin, and in what ways are you being transformed by Jesus?

(Luke 17: 3-4) Jesus commands rebuke, repentance, and repeated forgiveness. How does this relational rhythm confront our natural tendencies either to attack or to withdraw in relationships? In what ways could consistently practicing honest confrontation, genuine repentance, and costly forgiveness reshape both your own soul and the culture of your community?

(Luke 17: 5-6) When the disciples ask for increased faith, Jesus points to faith as small as a mustard seed. What does this teach about the connection between faith and daily obedience? How might small, simple acts of obedience form you more deeply over time than waiting for dramatic spiritual breakthroughs?

(Luke 17: 7-10) Jesus concludes with the image of the unworthy servant who has only done his duty. How does this reframe obedience—not as a way to earn God’s favor, but as the fitting response to a loving, good, and gracious Creator? How might embracing this posture of surrender cultivate humility, freedom, and deeper joy in following Jesus?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:
Luke 17:1-10

OUTLINE:

• Identification16:19-23
• Disintegration16:24
• Separation16:25-26
• Deception16:27-31

QUESTIONS:

1. 16:19-23  Lazarus is named; the rich man is not.  Lazarus’ name means “God is my help.”  What do the things you instinctively turn to for help reveal about what you're bonded to?  In chemistry, what we bond to names us, we become what we are bonded to.  What things are you bonded to and building your life on that most shape what you are becoming and will ultimately become?
2. 16:24  Even in torment, the rich man still gives orders.  Where do you notice sin shrinking your empathy and compassion toward others?  When you are at your worst- impatient, defensive, controlling- what bonds are being exposed or threatened?
3. 16:25-26  Small separations become fixed chasms over time.  What subtle distancing patterns-avoidance, numbing, self-protection- might God be inviting you to address before they harden?
4. 16:27-31  The rich man never repents- he redirects.  He shifts responsibility and manipulates to maintain control.  Where do you see manipulation, deflection or externalization show up in your own thinking?  Where are you tempted to demand more clarity when God may be asking for more obedience?
5. Jesus took hell onto Himself.  He experienced separation, darkness and judgement so that we wouldn't have to.  How does this deepen your understanding of the seriousness of sin and the magnitude of your Savior's love?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:

Luke 16:19-31

https://www.bible.com/bible/100/LUK.16.NASB1995

NEXT WEEK:

Luke 17:1-10

https://www.bible.com/bible/100/LUK.17.NASB1995

Two masters. One heart. One winner. What you desire most will decide your direction--everytime.

OUTLINE: 
Management 16:1-13 
Motives 16:14-15 
Morals 16:16-18 

QUESTIONS: 
16:1-13 Jesus says no one can serve two masters- even though we try. Where do you sense the strongest pull between Jesus and something else right now? In physics, not force determines direction- over time the strongest force always wins. What desire currently has the greatest ‘pull’ in your life? 
16:14-15 The Pharisees looked righteous on the outside but were driven by hidden motives. What motives are easiest for you to hide from others? When God exposes a backstage motive, what is your typical response- defensiveness, ridicule, denial or repentance? 
16:16-18 “Holy hopscotch” describes skipping over uncomfortable truths. Where are you most tempted to minimise, redefine, or avoid what Jesus clearly says? When obedience feels costly, what competing desire usually steps in to take control? Where do you need to remember and be reminded that Jesus is the perfect manager who paid your debt in full? 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Luke 16:1-18 https://www.bible.com/bible/100/LUK.16.NASB1995

Jesus’ Mission Through His People explores God’s heart for the nations from beginning to end. From God’s promise to bless all peoples through Abraham, to Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations, to the future picture of every nation worshiping together, this sermon reminds us that Jesus’ mission has always been global. We are invited not just to believe the gospel, but to live it—aligning our lives with Christ’s mission and joyfully participating in God’s work of making His name known to the world.

OUTLINE:
Biblical reality- Genesis 12:1-3
Present reality- Matthew 28:18-20
Future reality- Revelation 7:9-10
 

QUESTIONS:
In your own words, how would you define Jesus’ mission in this world?
In what ways does Jesus’ mission shape how you view your mission? Where is your mission misaligned with his?
What barriers exist in your life that hinder your joy in salvation overflowing in joyful proclamation to others?
How might you seek to grow in your love and service of the nations? What would that look like? 
 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:
Matthew 28:18-20
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/MAT.28.ESV 

NEXT WEEK:
Luke 15:25-32
https://www.bible.com/bible/2692/LUK.15.NASB2020