Jesus 120

This week, we explore the difficult topic of loving our enemies. One of the most challenging things Jesus calls us to do is to walk in forgiveness and love our enemies. Let’s learn from him how to have steadfast love, to experience the power of forgiveness, and to learn how to pray for those who hurt us. May God grant us the faith we need to love others well, and to grow more like our perfect Father as a result.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is loving our enemies so important to God? (See: Matt. 5:9, 44-45, & 48) What keeps us from loving our enemies? How can we balance avoiding abuse, drawing healthy boundaries, and yet not abandon the call to love our enemies? How does loving our enemies help us grow into being “perfect” (complete, mature, grown-up) like our Father?

2. Maturity as a believer involves being “steadfast” (see: James 1:2-4) and being people of “love” even when it’s difficult (see: 1 John 4:17-20). How do these 2 work together in our lives to grow and mature us in our faith? How can loving our enemies actually help us grow closer to God? (example: that’s what He does, and we can rely on Him to help us become like that too)

3. What role does forgiveness play in loving our enemies? On Sunday, Pastor Jake said forgiveness isn’t complicated, but it’s really hard - what does that mean to you? Why is forgiveness such an important key to loving our enemies?

4. How can prayer help us to forgive our enemies and learn to love them well? How can prayer help us change the cycle of bitterness and how we think about old wounds from others? What can we learn from Jesus on the cross about prayer and forgiveness (see: Luke 23:34)?

5. Consider the passages on the power of a small amount of faith removing trees & mountains (see: Luke 17:3-6 / Mark 11:20-25). Seeing these examples in the proper context describing the importance of forgiveness, does that change how you see exercising miraculous faith? Have you ever viewed un-forgiveness as an obstacle to miraculous faith? Why is forgiveness such an important part of growing in faith?

1. One of light’s purposes is to expose or reveal things hidden in the dark. How can we co-operate with God to allow his light to reveal sin and hurt that needs to be dealt with? What obstacles cause us to resist this? How can we find the courage to let Him shine a light in dark areas?

2. Light also shines on planted seeds in order to bring life and health which ultimately produces fruit. How can we allow God’s light to shine on seeds that have been planted in us? What do we do when that process is taking a long time? When we begin to see growth, how do we respond to Him in order to continue to grow and become fruitful? (see: Mark 4:23-25 and the role of “hearing and responding” to God)

3. Jesus also calls us the light of the world, & he wants his light in us to shine out to a dark world in need of light. On Sunday we contrasted a “flashlight” with a “house on a hill” as 2 opposite ways to shine a light for the world. How would you define a “flashlight” approach - can you think of some examples of this? How can we be a “house on a hill” kind of light to people? How was Jesus a “house on a hill” light to those around him?

4. What role should we play in each other's lives to help walk in light instead of darkness? How can we help each other when sin is being exposed? How can we help each other grow and flourish where Jesus has planted seeds in our lives? How can our life group and church family be a light that draws those in need?

In this week’s sermon, we discuss Matthew chapter 10 when Jesus sends out the 12 disciples to share the good news of the kingdom. Jesus gives them some very practical instructions on how to be intentional in sharing the gospel that we would do well to learn from. Jesus calls us to be carriers of the gospel of peace and to spend time investing in those whose lives are open to us. May we learn to be safe and wise as we pour into the lives of others.

Discussion Questions:

1. Consider Jesus analogy for us to be “wise” as serpents and “harmless” as doves - what can we learn from these animals that would help us understand how to be safe & wise? (Take time to discuss each animal and what characteristics we can learn from them).

2. How can we discern when to be patient and when to strike? How can we be a safe place and still “strike” with the truth of the gospel?

3. Which of the characteristics of snakes and doves come more naturally to you? Which of these do you struggle with? How can you grow in one of your areas of weakness to become a better ambassador?

4. Who in your life right now is someone who is a “person of peace” that you can reach out to and disciple? How can you be a “person of peace” towards them? Can you find some common ground or an opening to being more intentional with them? How can you be strategic in reaching out to them in the coming days/weeks?

In this week’s message, we explore the parable of the soils that Jesus told in Matthew 13. Jesus describes several ways that we can be ripped off from truly understanding the life-giving words of His kingdom, Instead, He offers a way forward that will produce a fruitful life if we purpose to truly integrate His words into our lives. May we all gain a true understanding of His Kingdom’s power and availability to set us free from the empty kingdoms of this world.

Discussion Questions:

1. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? Was there something specific in your life Jesus was highlighting to you?

2. Can you share a specific skill, interest, or passion that you have become proficient in? How did you first get started? What were some key steps to helping you grow? What can you use from that experience to help you grow in Kingdom Understanding?

3. In the parable of the 4 soils, the first 3 types of soil describe different challenges that keep us from growing in our understanding of Jesus’ “kingdom words” - is there one of these, in particular, you have struggled with recently? If yes, can you share an example?

4. What does Paul’s phrase “always learning, but never coming to the knowledge of truth” mean to you? How can we potentially fall into this trap? How can we avoid it and arrive at an understanding of truth that grows us?

5. If understanding equals fruit - what will that fruit look like in our lives? (examples: character development, impact in the lives of others, etc.) How can we better cultivate the growth of kingdom fruit? What if we can’t identify healthy growing fruit in our lives?

6. Consider Warren Wiersbe’s illustration that we learned a few weeks ago of how we can understand and explore the parables of Jesus by viewing the parables as a Picture/Mirror/Window. How can we use this parable as a “window” into co-operating with God’s Kingdom in the lives of others around us?

It’s Resurrection Sunday! In this week’s sermon, we consider the risen Jesus through the eyes of Simon Peter. After a long night of fishing with nothing to show for it, Jesus calls out to him from the shore of the Sea of Galilee, the same place where Peter was first called to follow him, where Jesus calmed the deadly storm, and where Peter joined his Master for a walk on the water. May we have eyes to see our risen savior Jesus, and faith to take the plunge as he calls us into resurrection life.

Discussion Questions:

1) What was the Lord speaking to you this weekend? Did something touch you from one of our services, or in your own time of devotion with him? What is Jesus asking you to do in response to that?

2) On Good Friday we explored 7 statements Jesus made from the cross (see attached notes for reference). Did something, in particular, stand out to you from that time of reflection? What do you think the Lord is showing you through that?

3) On Easter, we looked at 3 stories from Peter’s life - the miraculous catch, Jesus calming the storm, and Jesus inviting him to walk on water. Do you relate to any of those moments in your life right now? And if yes, why? What step of faith do you think the Lord is calling you to right now?

In this week's sermon, we focus on one of Jesus' primary concerns between Palm Sunday and Good Friday. Jesus spent time with his followers emphasizing the need for them to be ready - ready for his second coming, ready for the challenges they would face while they waited, and ultimately the call to be ready to minister to a world in need. May we all be ready to participate in Jesus' present activity while we receive strength and patience from him as we await his victorious return!

As we continue our journey exploring the hidden nature of God’s Kingdom, we spend time focusing on how important it is to develop a healthy sense of curiosity in our relationship with Jesus. The biggest difference between Jesus' disciples, and all the other folks who witnessed His life, miracles, and teachings - was that Jesus' followers were hungry to understand what he was all about. Many people had good news right in front of them but missed it because they were unable to truly understand what Jesus had to offer. It wasn’t about their level of intelligence or even their spiritual acumen - it just boiled down to where they focused their attention. Will we purpose to behold Jesus and discover the riches of His kingdom?

Discussion Questions:

1. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? Was there something specific in your life Jesus was highlighting to you?

2. Can you share an example of an interest or hobby that you really enjoy thinking about and exploring? What is a fun or surprising thing you have discovered by exploring that interest?

3. How would you define Kingdom Curiosity? What role does curiosity play in our relationship with God and our ability to participate in his Kingdom activity? How can we practice this more in our relationship with Jesus?

4. How did the disciples come to grow and understand the life Jesus offered? What can we learn from them and implement in our lives on a more consistent basis?

5. How would you define mammon? Can you give an example of struggling with this in your own life? Why is it such an obstacle to treasuring Jesus? How can we shift our gaze from mammon to Jesus?

6. Warren Wiersbe gave a great illustration of how we can understand and explore the parables of Jesus. He used the analogy of the parables being like a Picture/Mirror/Window. How can we use this to better cultivate a kingdom focus when reading through scripture and exploring what Jesus is doing in our daily lives?

In today’s sermon, we explore the important role that prayer plays in helping us to participate in God’s Hidden Kingdom. Jesus lived his life fully grasping the purpose of prayer and therefore giving it a high place in his daily life. Thankfully we can learn from his example, and receive the wonderful gift he has given us so that we can experience the power of a life connected with God.

Discussion Questions:

1. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? Was there something specific in your life Jesus was highlighting to you?

2. Jesus’ primary purpose in prayer was to know the Father. How can we practice that in our prayer life? Do you agree with the statement: prayer is not about manipulating outcomes, but inviting and surrendering to God’s desired outcomes. How much of our prayer life is asking for things, versus listening to God? How can we grow in our ability to hear God’s voice?

3. What can we learn from Jesus about prayer’s place in our lives? How can the time, location, and regularity of prayer help us grow in our prayer life? What are some obstacles that keep us from growing in prayer?

4. Why is the Holy Spirit such a central part of our prayer lives? In John 14:16-21, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit’s role in connecting us with the Trinity. The Holy Spirit helps us to see God, experience His love, and live in responsive obedience. How does the Spirit help us in each of these ways?

5. As we have discussed in this series, being a disciple is about Following Jesus, Being Changed by Jesus, and being on Mission with Jesus. How does prayer directly affect each of these areas? Is there something you can change in your prayer life that would help you grow in one of those specific areas?

In today’s sermon, we explore Jesus’ call for us to live on mission with Him. In Matthew 28 we see Jesus' final words to his followers where he gives a clear directive of his plan for us to live with purpose, awareness, and power to reach the world with the good news of the kingdom. May we all be intentional as followers of Jesus to live on mission with Him!

Discussion Questions:

1. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? Was there something specific in your life Jesus was highlighting to you?

2. We looked at 3 aspects of living on mission with Jesus. The first one was living with purpose - how would you define living on purpose? How does that fit with the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20)? What does it mean to make disciples as we go?

3. How does a purposeful mindset translate into a daily awareness? How can we live with more awareness of the opportunities around us daily? What practices can you implement in your life to walk this out?

4. We explored the important role that living on mission plays in our own personal spiritual growth. Do you agree that is true? If so, why is that so important and how does it help us grow?

5. A big part of living on mission is realizing Jesus is with us and has all we need. How does that affect our willingness and ability to impact others? Have you ever held back or missed an opportunity because you didn’t feel like you could do it? What would it look like to rely upon Jesus’ presence and power in your interactions with others?

When Jesus calls us to follow him, he intends for us to change and grow as we walk with him. Throughout the gospels, Jesus makes it clear that this will be a difficult process, but that it's exactly what we need. Let’s purpose to answer love’s invitation to change, by embracing truth and learning to co-operate with the growth and change we all need!

Discussion Questions:

1) Why is changing so costly? If it’s so costly, then why does Jesus call us to such radical change? Is it worth it, and if so how can we find the motivation to follow through on what he’s calling us to?

2) What are some common excuses people use to avoid changing? (See sermon for examples: What about this? What about them?) Do you struggle with any of these? Can you give an example from your life?

3) How can we co-operate with the change Jesus is calling us into? What part of our growth and change is done by Him? What’s our part in the process of change?

4) Why does God call us to participate in community with humility to help us grow? Is growing in community really that important or can we just change on our own? What are the obstacles that can keep us from real relationship with each other?

5) Can you give an example of how relationships have helped you change? Why is humility such an important part of this process?