03-28-2021
03-28-2021
Dr. E. Dale Locke (West & Online), Rev. Trevor Johnston (East), Pastor Efrain Silva (Español)
Sermon Series: Descending Into Greatness
Week 6: Whose?
English PDF file for printing.
Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español
1. Practice the Scripture memory passage we’ve had for this series. Philippians 2:5-11: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
2. What has been the most helpful idea for you so far during this sermon series?
3. Read Matthew 16:21-28:
“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 ‘Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’”
4. The expression “That’s my cross to bear” is a saying in our culture. What do people generally mean when they say that? How is that different from what Jesus actually meant here?
5. Note that Jesus was fully aware of what he would suffer in Jerusalem, yet he continued to move toward it. How would you have felt if you were one of the disciples listening to Jesus say this?
6. Why did Jesus call Peter “Satan” here?
7. Pastor Dale quoted a common slogan you’ll often hear Christians say, “The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.” But he said it’s not actually true. What did he mean by that?
8. Karl Barth said, “But the Church exists to set up in the world a new sign which is radically dissimilar to the world’s own manner and which contradicts it in a way which is full of promise.” What did he mean by that?
9. Jesus gave a prophecy to Ananias about Paul’s future life at the outset of Paul’s conversion to Christianity in Acts 9:15-16: “The Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.’” Imagine if Jesus had prophesied this about you as you were starting out the Christian life. How would you have felt? How is this different from what many people expect the Christian life will be like?
10. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer watched the German Nazi army training, he said that – as Christians – our commitment to Jesus, our discipline, and our willingness to suffer must be greater than that of the world. Share some examples of where you’ve seen people have amazing commitment, discipline, and willingness to suffer for some cause other than Christianity.
11. The world says elevate yourself. Jesus says deny yourself. God’s promise is: you will find yourself! Explain what Pastor Dale meant by each of these three points.
12. How can we today live out what Jesus said about taking up our cross and following him? How are you personally seeking to live it out?
Ready for your next step?
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