Sermons

Sermon Description
The Book of Job is notoriously hard for modern people to read and understand. Why is Satan in heaven talking to God? And why does God take him up on a bet? Why does Job suffer so much? While Job is undoubtedly a dense and challenging book, one key that helps us understand the book is this: the people in the book of Job do not have a covenantal framework to know how to relate to God.

Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever read (or tried to read) the book of Job before? What questions did you have? Did you struggle to understand it? Why or why not?

2. What is your understanding of the term “covenant”? Do you think of it as the ancients would have, as a “completely normal word”? Or do you exclusively think of it in divine terms?

3. Why is “no covenant” such an important key to understanding the book of Job? How might Job’s actions and the friends’ conversations be different if they had clear rules of engagement with God?

4. Even though all of God’s covenants are good, why is the new covenant in Jesus’ blood the best one possible? How does the new covenant give us confidence? Why should we be thankful and loyal?

Prayer Points

• Pray that God would use this series in the book of Job to grow our trust in him, to deepen our resolve in times of hardship, and to make us more like Jesus.

• Pray that Jesus would give us opportunities to help people come into right relationship with God through the new covenant that has been offered to us.

More Resources

• How to Read Job book by Tremper Longman and John Walton

• God’s Names in Job blog post by Michael Minkhoff Jr.

• The Covenants lecture by R.C. Sproul

• Bible Project video on covenants

Sermon Description

Paul was imprisoned by the Roman government and we have been quarantined at home for safety by order of our government.  In both cases, the Gospel is not restricted but flows powerfully and effectively.  In fact, the more you restrict the Gospel, the more powerfully it advances.  The question now is: will you and I join in the powerful overflowing of the Gospel into the world and the lives of people who so desperately need Jesus the Savior?

Discussion Questions

1. Do I know the core parts of the Gospel message and can I communicate them in my own words right now?  How do I need to improve on this?

2. How can I build connections with others both in the church and outside of the church?  

3. Am I living my life more for my own personal kingdom or for the Kingdom of God?  What areas of my heart or my life are insulated from the mission of the Gospel?

4. Who in my circle of influence needs to hear the Good News of Jesus?  What are some steps I can take to begin to share Christ with them?

Prayer Points

• Pray that we will not be discouraged by the uncertainty of the future but will be confident in the power and effectiveness of the Gospel of Jesus.

• Pray that we will each answer the call to join with Christ in the mission to share the Gospel and advance the Kingdom.

• Pray for one individual who needs to hear the gospel and for the opportunity to share with them.

More Resources

• 10 Simple Ways to Evangelize During a Pandemic | Blog Post

• Video Training on How to Share the Gospel | Video

• Easy Way to Share the Gospel of Jesus | Video

• Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream | Book

• Sharing Jesus Without Freaking Out: Evangelism The Way You Were Born To Do It | Book

Sermon Description

As we enter into discussions about reentering public life—worship gatherings, small groups, family gatherings—people have a wide variety of opinions and feelings on what we should do. Jesus cares deeply about the manner in which we approach these subjects. While we can disagree, we have an obligation to do so in love and free from judgment.

Discussion Questions

1. If we truly kept our eyes on Jesus and ourselves instead of on the actions of others, how would that free us from the trap of judgmentalism?

2. In what areas of your life are you a “stronger” brother or sister? What areas are you a “weaker” brother or sister? How can you relate to both positions?

3. How does the gospel free us to disagree with our brothers and sisters in love? How does Jesus’ accommodation of our weakness help us to sympathize with those who we might deem “weaker” than ourselves?

4. How does our loving, judgment-free disagreement fuel evangelism in a world that is so polarized and fractured?

Prayer Points

• Pray that God would break down your pride, particularly for those who are “stronger.”

• Pray that we would love each other without judgment as brothers and sisters.

• Pray that our unity and love would cause others to come to faith in Jesus.

Sermon Description

What we see today is that Jesus prepares his disciples, namely Peter, for the life-shaking events of his death, burial, and resurrection by giving them at least three rock-solid truths to believe in no matter what comes.

Discussion Questions

1. How is the truth that Jesus will build his church a comfort to you right now?

2. Do you take comfort in the fact that there is no power or authority that can overcome Jesus or his church? How?

3. When was the last time you longed for Jesus Kingdom to come on this earth?

Prayer Points

• Pray for our church and others in the North Puget Sound area to be built on the right foundation- the gospel.

• Pray for courage to share Christ with people during this season.

• Pray for Jesus's Kingdom to become manifest through our lives.

More Resources

• The Unseen Realm: Discovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible book by Michael S. Heiser

Sermon Description

As we face this global event, many of us deeply desire to “get back to normal.” But, what is the “normal” that we want to get back to? What if this season was an opportunity for followers of Jesus to reevaluate the rhythms of our life to see if they match up with how Jesus lived his life?

Discussion Questions

1. Be honest with yourself and others: does your lifestyle (not just ethics) match up with the patterns of Jesus? Why does our culture seem diametrically opposed to the spiritual habits and disciplines of Jesus?

2. Of the four life-rhythms highlighted (Scripture, solitude, Sabbath, and simplicity), which is the hardest for you to practice and why?

3. Even if we had the spiritual disciplines nailed, how is the gospel—what Jesus had done for us—our only true hope?

4. How can the spiritual habits and lifestyle of Jesus actually serve to further the mission of Jesus in our lives?

Prayer Points

• Set aside time for individual solitude and prayer. Pray both out-loud and silently. Bring your requests before God, but also spend time in stillness and reflection on God’s truths.

• Pray that God would shape us to be a church that doesn’t just only believe the truths of Jesus but lives the lifestyle of Jesus.

• Pray that our lifestyles would further the mission of Jesus by showing his easy yoke to a world that is living under a crushing weight.

More Resources

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry book by John Mark Comer

• You Now Have A Shorter Attention Span Than A Goldfish