Post Category: Discussion Questions

In chapter 7, Mark sets the scene for a conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders over ceremonial washing. Instead of answering the Pharisees' question, Jesus addresses the true nature of defilement before God; a sinful heart. Remarkably, Jesus declares all foods clean and all human hearts unclean. As J.C. Ryle wrote, "Every man has within him the root of every sin"...

This devotional is based on Matt Gray's sermon, Evangelism, given on September 25, 2016. Day 1: Who is God? Quotes: "The power of God unto salvation is located in a message, the message of the Gospel, the message of Jesus Christ; all that he was and all that he did to reconcile sinners to a holy God." Matt Gray "If we don't start with God, we have nothing to do with ...

Day 1: Worldly Orientation Quotes: "James personifies the entire church as the "bride" of Yahweh or Christ. At best she has become distracted from and at worst unfaithful to her groom . . . The audience has the wrong object for a lover the fallen world system and values of the unregenerate." Craig Blomberg "The intention to be a friend of the world makes a person an ...

This devotional is based on Jeff Purswell's sermon, The Poison of Partiality, given on April 3, 2016. Day 1: The Partiality of AppearancesJames 2:1-4 Quotes/References: "When we show favoritism, when we assess people by externals, we are usurping God's exclusive right to stand in judgment over others. You're taking the place of God." Jeff Purswell "If we have faith...

Review Job suffered because of his blamelessness, not because of his sin. It was to show that God is worthy of the worship of a man even when worldly goods are lost. Job did not suffer because of his sin, but he sinned in his suffering. Job's why questions lose their power when he encounters the greatness of God. "I had a million questions to ask God, but, when I met him...

The Complaint Job has come to the conviction that he does not live in a well-run world. What begins as a general lament before God in prayer gradually becomes a sinful complaint or charge before God, accusing him of mistreatment. If you, like Job, have suffered severely and even at times presume that you can better run the universe than God, lean in. The LORD has mercy fo...

Introduction CJ begins by recapping how far we have come in Job. In short: Job's suffering Job's "why question" Job's friends' accusatory (wrong) explanation for his suffering and Job's disagreement Chapter 28 interrupts the arguments between Job and his friends. It effectively ends the ongoing debate between them and allows the author to address Job's (and our) "...

Introduction Cyclical Discussions From chapters 4 to 19, the book of Job has been a series of three cyclical discussions between Job and his friends; each cycle has the same theology. His friends come with rigid, cold, cause-and-effect theologyyou do good, you prosper; you do bad, you suffer. In reality, a man's relationship with God cannot be determined by his circum...

Summary: CJ began by recapping Job 1-3. He highlighted Job's vividly described agony and explained how Job should humble us when we find ourselves complaining. Job's lament captures his fear that the worst has come to fruitionGod has abandoned him. But despite all of Job's suffering to this point, the worst may be yet to come. Satan slithers away and Job's closest compani...

Summary C.J. explains that we are about to venture into one of the darkest chapters in scripture (not the darkest). It lets us into the heart and mind of Job, a man undergoing unbearable misery. We transition from Job's obedient suffering to his lament before God. Job 2:11 13 Job's friends were legitimate friends. Little did they know, they would eventually be of no h...

Summary After reading this Doxology, H.B. emphasized the Father's ability to keep you when you cannot keep yourself. He proceeded to summarize the rest of Jude's letter beginning with a call to arms by taking a stand for the Gospel of Truth, warning the Church of false teachers, and concluding with an appeal to the Saints to persevere. Our attention was then turned to th...

Introduction Ultimately, no pastoronly the Holy Spiritcan communicate what happened in Gethsemane. The scene in the garden gives us a unique glimpse into the humanity of Jesus. Here, we encounter the mystery of the incarnation. Marvel at his humanity, but don't just marvel; be grateful! It is the basis for your salvation. Thesis Jesus' Suffering for our Sin through th...

Introduction: Bob opened by explaining that singing is Biblical (Psalm 96:1-2, Ephesians 5:18-19, Colossians 3:16). There are 400 references to singing in the Bible, 50 direct commands to sing, and Psalms (a book of songs) is the longest book of the Bible. There are three schools of thought when discussing singing in the Church: Music supersedes the words Words by the...

Introduction Traditions teach Jesus inaugurates a unique tradition for his family in Mark 14:22-25. The Tradition of the Lord's Supper The Purpose is that we might remember the central importance of his death. "The Lord's Supper, which was instituted by Jesus, and which is the only regulative commemorative act inaugurated by him, dramatizes neither his birth nor h...

Summary In this sermon, Brian exposits Hebrews 10:19-25, encouraging us with the foundation of Jesus' high priestly ministry and exhorting us to strive toward fellowship with God and one another. Consequently, we are shown how we should then live as faithful Christians. Foundation of Faithful Christian Living (10:19-21) The author of Hebrews is writing into a context ...

Introduction (Mark 14:10-21) C.J. compares chapter 14 to the slow climb of a roller coaster before the big drop. Mark decelerates his Gospel account to prepare us for the crucifixion of Christ. C.J. highlights three key components of this passage: Outline Judas' Preparation for Betrayal (Mark 14:10-11) We see a dramatic change in mood from Jesus' anointing by Mary. ...

Jeff explains how Jesus’ foretelling of the destruction of the Temple represents the passing of the Old Covenant and the coming of the New. Although He is aware of His impending crucifixion, He is not preoccupied, but instead focuses on pastoring His disciples. This passage is meant to identify the conditions required of Jesus’ disciples to live faithfully until His re...

Earlier in the day, the religious leaders assailed Jesus with various quesitons. For instance, the Pharisees and Herodians asked a question pertaining to taxes (Mk. 12:13-17), the Sadducees interrogated concerning the resurrection (Mk. 12:18-27), and a Scribe inquired about the law (Mk. 12:28-34). However, after a day of questions, Jesus asks the question of the day—a qu...

Summary: Jesus interacts with a scribe, who asks for clarification pertaining to the "first command above all others" (Mk.12:28). Jesus first answers by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mk.12:30). Additionally, he provides the second greatest commandment from ...

Summary : Jesus takes another step closer to the cross as a result of his confrontation with the Sadducees. The Sadducees are the chief rivals to the Pharisees politically and theologically. They are characterized by three doctrines: 1) they only affirm the authority of the 5 books of Moses (Pentateuch), 2) they disavow the doctrine of the resurrection, and 3) they deny t...

Introduction (1 Peter 5:1-4): Elder (spiritual maturity) = Pastor (caring/teaching) = Overseer (governing/ruling) Elders will stand before the throne and give account for the way they served the flock. (1 Timothy 4:16). Cultural and congregational pressure exists to conform pastors to expectations rather than biblical teaching. Outline: Significance (What) Peter...

Summary: Mark chapter 11 concluded with an interaction between Jesus and the religious leaders on the topic of authority. Chapter 12 begins during the same interaction, but now Jesus moves from a discussion on authority to the telling of a confrontational parable. From the very moment that he enters Jerusalem, Jesus' approach toward opposition changes. He is now on the of...

Sermon summary and discussion questions from C.J.'s message on 1 Timothy 2:1-7...

The writer of Hebrews knew that, even as Christians, our hearts are prone to wander. That wandering can be subtle and easily go unnoticed if we are not actively guarding our hearts. This passage prepares and protects us from the tendency to wander so that by God’s grace we may be preserved to the end....

Marking our two year anniversary, CJ preached from Jeremiah 9:23-24 in order to deepen our joy in the Lord's faithfulness. He discussed two facets of the passage: (1) Personal humiliation, and (2) God glorifying exaltation....

Sermon summary and discussion questions from C.J.'s message on Mark 9:38-41....

Sermon summary and discussion questions from Jeff's message on Hebrews 12:1-2...

Sermon summary and discussion questions from C.J.'s message on Mark 9:30-37....

Sermon summary and discussion questions from Brian's message on Ephesians 4:11-16....

Sermon summary and discussion questions from Jeff's message on Mark 9:14-29...

This week, CJ pointed us to the drama of the Transfiguration text in Mark 9:2-13. In this passage we see the revelation of the concealed majesty of Jesus, the Son of God....

In Mark 8:31-9:1 Jesus gives a stunning prediction. As the Messiah, he must suffer and die, but will conquer death through his resurrection. This leads to a description of what it means to live as a disciple of the suffering Messiah....

Sermon summary and discussion questions from Kevin's message on Matthew 20:1-16....

At the center of the narrative in Mark’s Gospel, there are two provoking questions that serve to clarify the true identity of Jesus. Is he just a prophet or is he God’s messiah and anointed deliverer? In Mark 8:27-30, the Messiahship of Jesus is magnified: he is the Christ, the anointed one, and the king! As readers of this narrative, we are challenged to ...

Sermon summary and discussion questions from C.J. Mahaney's message on Mark 8:10-26....

Discussion questions for Bob's message on Revelation 5...

Sermon summary and discussion questions from C.J. Mahaney's message on Mark 8:1-9....

This Sunday, C.J. preached from Mark 7:31-37, expounding on the story of Jesus’s healing of a deaf and mute man in the Decapolis. In this sermon, we encounter the power of God in Christ and the coming of his kingdom. Below is an outline and summary of C.J.’s sermon entitled: A Beautiful, Unusual Miracle....

On Sunday C.J. preached from Mark 7:24-30, expounding on Jesus’ shocking response to the Syrophoenician woman. Through this sermon, C.J. helps us gaze upon the beauty of humble faith and the abundant generosity of our Savior....

This Sunday, C.J. continued our series in the Gospel of Mark. In his sermon, True Defilement, True Forgiveness, C.J. expounds for us the ultimate source of impurity and our need for Christ. Below is an outline and summary of the sermon. ...

Discussion questions for C.J.'s message on 1 Corinthians 3:18-4:5...

Discussion questions for Shawn's message on Ephesians 2:1-10...

Discussion questions for C.J.'s message on Mark 7:1-13...

Discussion questions for Mack Stiles message on 2 Timothy 2:14-19...

Discussion questions for C.J.'s message on Mark 6:53-56...

Discussion questions for C.J.'s message on Mark 6:45-52...

Discussion questions for C.J.'s message on Isaiah 53...

Discussion questions for Jeff's message on Mark 6:6b-30...

Consider discussing CJ's message from 1 Corinthians 4:6-13 with your family and other church members....