The Stream at Riverside

For a deeper dive into the Olivet Discourse, check out this blog post.

Sermon Discussion Questions 

1) Because we know that the Word of God is true and surely won’t pass away, Christ the King will certainly return. What could be preventing you from believing this taught? How can seeking the truth push you closer in having faith in Christ? 

2) While Christ didn’t reject his disciples for falling asleep, he did rebuke them for not keeping watch during the night. Where have we not kept watch over ourselves? How can we be “woke disciples” and live an everyday life of obedience in light of Christ’s sudden and certain return? 

3) The return of Christ also brings the promise of hope with the restoration of the King and his elect. What are you longing to see with the Return of the King? How can we live with the light of this hope in mind?

Sermon Discussion Questions 

1) In Mark 13:5-11 Jesus warns us that scary times will shake the whole earth before the end (“these are the beginning of the birth pangs,” v.8). Our role in this time of global tribulation is to bear witness (vv.9-13). How does this challenge you during the COVID-19 pandemic? 

2) The prophecy of Daniel regarding the “abomination of desolation” apparently involves multiple applications in history. Ex. the abomination of Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC (Daniel 11:31), and the desolation of Titus in AD 70 (Daniel 9:26). How do you understand the final fulfillment of this abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27; 11:36; 12:1-11) Jesus references in Mark 13:14 to relate to Paul’s teachings regarding the “man of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2:1- 8? Why is this important to our expectation regarding the return of Christ? 

3) Many false “Christs/Messiahs” emerge during a crisis. What “messiahs” are we presently looking to as a culture (note 1John 2:18)? How does Jesus alone offer us hope during our present and future crises?

Sermon Discussion Questions 

1) Do you feel overwhelmed by all the things we’re “supposed to do”? Discuss our exhaustion, and how it leads us to despair or even resignation. How is Jesus’ distillation of all the Law and Prophets into two, simple commandments liberating? To quote St. Augustine: "Our precept is this: love, and do what you will.” Where does it feel even harder? 

2) How does the costliness of the commandments expose our bankruptcy? Where do you feel most exposed these days? Where are you crying out for grace? (Augustine also wrote: “O Lord, give what you command, and command what you will.”) 

3) How does Jesus’ fulfillment of the great commandments lead to our fulfilling the law ourselves through the Holy Spirit (hint: see Romans 5:5-8; 1John 4:7-12)?

Landon Jones, Josh Parks, James Walden and JayWill Wilson tackle all of the sermon questions that weren't answered on Sundays after the services. Recorded on 4/23/20.

Sermon Discussion Questions 

1) Re-read Mark 12:13-17. Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees and Herodians implies that the government - even an aggressive, pagan empire like Rome - has a legitimate place in the lives of the faithful that is to be appropriately honored as God’s ordained governing agency for the present moment. Besides paying our taxes, how else do we render honor to governing authorities (see 1Timothy 2:1-6; Titus 3:1-2)? 

2) If we are to render to God what is God’s, and everything belongs to God, what does this mean for us as disciples of Christ (hint: see 8:34-38)? How does this call personally  challenge you now? How might this ultimate allegiance lead us to acts of respectful but determined “civil disobedience” as Christians? 

3) Re-read Mark 12:18-27. Jesus grounds the doctrine of the resurrection in the nature of God - that is, as "the God of the living" who binds himself by covenant/promise to his people forever. How does this truth change how we negotiate our mortal fears, our personal insecurities and doubts as the people of his name?

In this week's sermon, Pastor James Walden takes us through another exchange between Jesus and the religious leaders in Jerusalem.

Sermon Discussion Questions 

1. Re-read Mark 11:27-33. The indecision of the religious leadership in answering Jesus’ direct and simple question wasn’t an instance of human ignorance. It was the evil repression of truth. Where have you experienced this? Discuss a time when your indecisiveness was a form of evasion, not ignorance. Are there areas of indecision in our lives now that may be us evading truth? 

2. Re-read Mark 12:1-12. The greatest crime in human history - the murder of God, the killing of the world’s only Savior, the violent rejection of the Beloved - was committed under the leadership of the impeccably religious and lawfully credentialed rulers of Jerusalem (see more in Matthew 23:1-3, 29-39). Religion often covers  the grossest evil, as we seek to replace heaven's reign on earth with our own - and we do it “in God’s name”! Where have we seen this in history? Getting personal, in what areas of your life does Jesus need to increase, and you decrease? 

3. Re-read Mark 11:18, 32; 12:12. The religious leaders feared not God but the masses, from which their authority and status were derived. Without public approval and acknowledgement, they were nothing. And this was their great evil. It led them to both dance to the popular tune of the day and at the same time despise the populace who played it. What do you fear? What are the sources of security, identity, and power you tend to worship/serve and then despise (as a fickle and merciless master)? How is serving God instead liberating

In this week's sermon, Pastor Landon Jones walks us through Jesus' teachings about faith that can move mountains.

Sermon Discussion Questions 

1) Christ gives a strong command to have faith in God, without having any doubt. Yet, we know there is a place for doubt, as Jude writes in his epistle, “Have mercy on those who doubt.” (Look at Jude 17-22). What is the difference between doubting in faith and doubting in unbelief? What doubts are you wrestling with that we can bring to the Lord together in prayer? 

2) Prayer is an often be an elusive thing to understand how to do. How do you define prayer? What other Scriptures help inform your view of prayer? (Consider Matt. 6:9-13, John 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23-24; 1 John 5:14) How could the Lord’s prayer (Matt. 6:9-13) give you confidence in praying in faith [The simple acronym ACTS has helped Christians to keep the Lord’s prayer in mind: Adoration (praising and  honoring God), Confession (of sins done and left undone to God); Thanksgiving (gratitude toward God for specific ways he has blessed); Supplication (asking the Lord for ourselves and others needs).] 

3) Jesus teaches us in Mark 11 that Christian faith (the faith he expects from his disciples) manifests in prayer. However, we often don’t pray or turn prayer into an “email inbox” of requests before God. What is your life of prayer like? How does faith influence prayer? How does obedience influence prayer? (Consider 1 John 3:21-22) How does lack of forgiveness influence prayer? (Consider Matt. 6:14-15; Mark 11:25)

In this Easter sermon, Pastor James Walden walks us through the story of the resurrection of Jesus from the Gospel of Mark.  

Sermon Discussion Questions 

1) Holding to a high view of the Bible and yet acknowledging the imperfect copies and translations we have available to us has always been part of the church’s attempt to read Scripture faithfully. Read and discuss Augustine’s comments in a letter to his friend, Jerome (who translated the Latin version of the Bible): 

2) The women coming to anoint Christ’s body were not expecting any of the things they found: the stone rolled back, an empty tomb, and a young man in dazzlingly white clothes announcing Jesus’ resurrection (16:3-5a). They were alarmed (16:5b). They fled the tomb with “tremulous astonishment,” mute with fear (16:8). Far from a comfortable familiarity, everything about this first Easter was jolting, unexpected, and even terrifying. How does the resurrection astonish you, and fill you with awe, or “fear and trembling” today? How does it lead you to trust and obey Jesus as the Son of God? 

3) Like the many manuscript witnesses of the New Testament documents, we bear both flawed and faithful testimony to Jesus and his resurrection. We each have our own sets of weaknesses, errors, and incomplete parts as disciples. But altogether, both as a local congregation of individual believers, as well as part of a broader network of congregations in our city, state and world, our corporate witness through God’s Spirit is powerful and true. How can we, especially during this extraordinary time, give witness to the astonishing reality of the resurrection, and the hope it offers the world?

Landon Jones and Josh Parks discuss how to steward our stimulus checks (and our money in general) to take care of our brothers and sisters and support the community.  Recorded on 4/7/20.

Landon Jones, Josh Parks, James Walden and JayWill Wilson discuss the unique challenges and opportunities a church of small groups has during a pandemic crisis and how we engage with our church family during this time.  Recorded on 4/1/20.