True Prayer | Matthew 6:7-15

Jesus spent a great deal of time alone in prayer communicating with the Father. Knowing how important true prayer is in the life of those who follow him, Jesus teaches us how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer that shows us the attitudes we should have during prayer as well as the topics we should include when we pray. This passage and the sermon based on it are intended to encourage and equip you to have a robust, genuine, and powerful prayer life.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do so many Christ-followers find prayer difficult? 

  2. What specific barriers get in the way of your own praying? 

  3. When was a time that prayer was a meaningful or powerful part of your life?

  4. What parts of the Lord’s Prayer speak deeply to you? 

  5. Which aspects of the Lord’s Prayer are most difficult for you to embrace, believe or practice? 

  6. How does Relationship with God inform your praying? What does it mean that God is our Father? 

  7. Why is it difficult to depend on God for our “daily bread” when we live in relative luxury and apparent self-sufficiency? 

  8. How does it make you feel that God expects you to give grace to others as a result of the grace he gives to you? Is there someone to whom you are unwilling to grant forgiveness?

  9. Do you believe and live as if there is a spiritual realm that is real and dangerous?

  10. Would God lead us into temptation? How should we understand that part of the Lord’s Prayer?

Prayer Points:

  1. Pray that the Lord will empower Sound City Bible Church to be a praying church.

  2. Pray that God will help us each to embrace the simplicity of prayer and step out in faith to open our hearts to God by regularly and consistently praying. 

  3. Pray that God will move us with joy and conviction to be disciplined to set aside times to pray and to apply ourselves to learning and growing in our prayer lives. 

  4. Pray for those who are intimidated by prayer that God will free them from the barriers, fears and anxieties that hold them back from praying. 

  5. Pray for those who do not yet know our Father who is in heaven that they will hear and heed his drawing them to believe in his Son, Jesus.

True Motives | Matthew 6:1-6

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you ever find yourself acting in a way to prove that you’re a good person?

  2. What does “Justification” mean?

  3. How does the Gospel help you not strive for the approval and attention of others? 

  4. In your pursuit of good works, is God’s glory or self glory the motive? How can you tell the difference? 

  5. Can you be content with your good works if no one ever knew them or observed them?

 

Prayer Points:

  1. Pray that we would be a church steeped in the gospel so that we can live for God’s glory in the pursuit of all that we do. 

  2. Pray that God would root out any desire for self glory in our lives. 

  3. Pray that God would remind us of our identity in him through the finished work of Jesus. 

Love Your Enemies | Matthew 5:38-48

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you been wronged recently? If so, how should you apply Jesus’ teaching about loving your enemies?

  2. What encouragement can we gain from knowing that God provides the sun and rain for the just and unjust?

  3. How does this passage enable you to confess your sins and shortcomings?

  4. If Jesus came to fulfill these laws, how does he fulfill loving his enemies and how can we demonstrate that love?

Prayer Points:

  1. Pray for your enemies. Ask God to bless them in every way. 

  2. Pray for God to melt your heart with the gospel to love your enemies.

Truth-Tellers | Matthew 5:33-37

Discussion Questions 

  1. What does Jesus' teaching on oaths teach us about his character? 

  2. As Jesus confronts purposeful dishonesty and reckless promises, in what ways does our culture promote this form of sin?

  3. What does our dishonesty and reckless promises reveal about our relationship with God?

  4. Is God calling you to turn from dishonesty and reckless promises? What steps can you take to honor God with your words?

Prayer Points 

  1. Pray that God would be our highest priority and that the words we speak would glorify him. 

  2. Pray that the words we speak to our brothers and sisters in Christ would be edifying in every way.

  3. Pray that Sound City would be a church that reflects Jesus to the world with the words we speak.

Marriage & Divorce | Matthew 5:31-32

Discussion Questions 

  1. What does Jesus' teaching on marriage and divorce teach us about his character? 

  2. God created romantic love as a portrait of divine love. How have human sins distorted this picture and in what ways do you fall into these distortions?

  3. Marriage isn’t ultimate, so whether you’re single or married, what steps can you take to guard the portrait of marriage as a reflection of God’s divine love?

  4. Share and celebrate with your community group members and/or other Christians examples of the God honoring marriages you have seen lived out.

Prayer Points 

  1. Pray that God would be our highest priority and that marriages would be seen as a gift that reflects his love. 

  2. Pray for the marriages at Sound City to draw non-christians to Jesus' divine love.

  3. Pray for the protection and flurisment of the marriages at Sound City. 

  4. Pray for the singles and married couples at Sound City to always find their identity and hope in Jesus.

Sins of the Heart | Matthew 5:21-30

Discussion Questions 

1. What does Jesus' teaching on anger and lust teach us about his character? 

2. In what ways have you tried to fight anger and lust through loveless obedience? In what way are you diminishing the work of the cross when you live in legalistic, loveless obedience? 

3. Remembering Jesus’ fulfillment of the law, examine your heart and life specifically towards the sin of anger and lust. What steps of confession, reconciliation, and safeguards do you need to take in your life right now?

4. Share and celebrate with your community group members and/or other Christians the way you see loving obedience in their lives and how it has challenged and encouraged you. 

Prayer Points 

1. Pray that we—as disciples individually and a church collectively—would live with an ever-deepening understanding of Jesus’ gift of righteousness. 

2. Pray that God would empower and guide us to live a life of loving obedience. 

3. Pray that we can reflect the gift of righteousness in a way that draws people to Jesus. 

Christ and Torah | Matthew 5:17-20

At the beginning of the sermon on the mount, Jesus addresses an objection that was being leveled against him: he did not come to destroy or abolish the Torah. Instead, Jesus claims to offer the correct interpretation of the Torah, as he was the fulfillment of everything it points to.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why is it so important to have solid hermeneutics (tools) when it comes to interpreting the bible? What are some tools that have helped you personally? 

  2. Where are you guilty of relaxing the commandments of God? Also, where might you be guilty of adding to the commandments of God? 

  3. If you truly believed that your righteousness is a gift of God through Jesus, how would that change your daily thoughts, feelings, actions, and words? 

  4. How does this understanding of the sermon on the mount help us tell people who have yet to believe about Jesus? 

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that we—as disciples individually and a church collectively—would live with an ever-deepening understanding of Jesus’ gift of righteousness. 

  2. Pray that God would help us to study the scriptures with wisdom, clarity, and diligence.

  3. Pray that our evangelism would be full of truth and grace.

Salt & Light | Matthew 5:11-16

The sermon on the mount is very helpful in the life of a Disciple. Jesus teaches his followers what it looks like to live as citizens of the Kingdom of God and not of this world. For our passage this week, Jesus focuses on the idea that as his followers we are the salt and the light of the world. When others take notice of our lives they should see something different than the world around them. They should see Jesus in us.

Discussion Questions

  1. . Take some time to discuss what it looks like to practically be the salt and light of the world. 

  2. Share with one another times where maybe you didn’t live out the call to be salt and light and how you could make changes in the future to do this differently going forward.

  3. Share with one another, as an encouragement, examples of how you’ve seen eachother model being salt and light.

Prayer Points

  1. Pray for opportunities to be the salt and light of the world to unbelievers in your life.

  2. Pray that God would continue to remind you that you can only be salt and light because Jesus is our model and because of the Holy Spirit working in and through us.

  3. Pray for God’s Spirit to show you areas in your own life where you need to make changes to be saltier and shine brighter for his glory.

The Blessed Life | Matthew 5:1-10

Throughout all of human history, people have searched for blessings, for “the good life.” In this famous section of the sermon on the mount known as “the beatitudes,” Jesus lays out his vision for the good life and how a person can get in on this blessing.

Discussion Questions

  1. Read James 3:17-18. What is the relationship between this passage and the beatitudes? How does the verbiage of James help us better understand Jesus’ teaching on “the blessed life?”

  2. In your own life, where are you tempted to seek a cultural version of “the good life” instead of Jesus’ vision? What promises of “the good life” are likely to grab your attention?

  3. Which beatitude needs to grow in your life? How can you participate with the work of the Spirit in your life?

  4. How are these beatitudes needed in our broken world? How would these character traits help us in our evangelism?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that these character attributes would be what mark our lives individually and our church collectively.

  2. Pray that these character attributes would make us better evangelists for the gospel of Jesus.

Life in the Kingdom | Matthew 4:23-25

In his famous “sermon on the mount,” Jesus lays out his vision for a new kind of kingdom: a kingdom where God rules and reigns in love, justice, and peace. In order to understand this revolutionary sermon, it is important to understand the kingdom that Jesus embodies.

Discussion Questions

  1. Discuss the idea of “gospel in the air” (kingdom) and “gospel on the ground” (personal). Why is it important to think about the gospel from both perspectives? 

  2. Why is it important to think of the Sermon on the Mount as the constitution or manifesto for the Kingdom of God? How does it frame our ethics and morality? 

  3. How are grace and mercy the foundation of the sermon on the mount? Why is it important to remember that we won’t keep it perfectly? 

  4. How might a well-articulated “gospel of the kingdom” help us to be more effective evangelists in our current cultural moment?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that God would use these next few months in the Sermon on the Mount to shape and grow us as a church

  2. Pray that we would be agents of the gospel of the kingdom, bringing God’s love and wisdom and grace into a broken world.

For Further Study

It's Hard to Stop a Habitual Sin | Proverbs 23

Sin offers us freedom, but in the end it takes away the very freedom that it promises. But in the middle of our sins, our habits, and our addictions, we see that true and lasting freedom is found in Christ.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why is it important to understand sin both as a choice of the will and as enslavement? What happens when we leave out or minimize either side of the equation?

  2. Why is it important to remember that deep, lasting, true freedom is found in Jesus? How does the gospel empower our pursuit of freedom?

  3. Is there someone in your life who struggles with addictions that you have treated with judgment, anger, or impatience? Who might you need to repent to for these attitudes?

  4. What addictions or habits are you “stuck” in right now? Who does God want you to reach out to right away so that you can begin your journey toward freedom?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray for people who are stuck in addictions or other sinful patterns and habits.

  2. Pray that we would have gospel-shaped hearts of love, compassion, and grace for others as we seek to help them walk out their freedom.
    Pray that God would give you the courage and the hope to confess your sins and addictions to others who can help you walk out your own freedom in Christ.

For Further Study

  •  2006 Week 12, Packers @ Seahawks game

  • Addictions, a Banquet in the Grave book by Ed Welch

  • Sin as Slavery sermon by Tim Keller

It's Hard to Interact with People of Other Faiths | Isaiah 60:1-5

As followers of Jesus in a pluralistic, multicultural society, it can be challenging to know how to interact with people of different faiths. We often feel uncomfortable or even fearful. But the more we understand the good news of the gospel of Jesus, the more we are able to share his love with people who believe differently than us with grace and truth.

Discussion Questions

  1. . What people in your life have different beliefs than you, particularly those who are adherents to different faiths? How do you feel about having conversation with them regarding deeper things around faith? 

  2. Why is it important to remember who the “real enemy” is? How does that free us from the trap of forcing the gospel on others?

  3. If Jesus is building a kingdom made up of people from every nation, tribe, and language, we will inevitably need to tell the gospel to people of different faiths. How does the gospel empower us for the work of mission?

  4. What specific avenues of ministry and evangelism has the Lord opened up for you? How can those in your group help you work out the missional opportunities God has given you?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray for individuals in your life who don’t believe in Jesus. Pray that God would give you opportunities to share the incredible truths of the gospel with them.

  2. Pray for our church to be full of both grace and truth as we interact with people of other faiths.

It's Hard to Come to Grips With Hell | Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Discussion Questions

  1. What do you think of when you think of hell?

  2. How has your understanding of hell impacted you over your lifetime?

  3. Why do you think the doctrine of hell is so difficult for people to accept?

  4. What are the arguments against hell’s existence that you find most sympathetic?

  5. Is God just and good and loving when he judges sinners?

  6. What Scripture passages impact you the most about hell and God’s judgment?

  7. How have your views changed or not changed after the sermon on hell?

  8. What impact does your view of hell have on the realities of hell?

  9. What impact do your beliefs about hell have on your joining God on mission to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10)?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray for those in our church who are struggling to understand and believe the truths of God regarding God’s righteous judgement of sinners.  Pray that they will submit to God’s sovereignty and trust in his grace and goodness.

  2. Pray for those in our church, community, and world who are lost in their sins and need to hear and believe that Jesus is the Savior and their only hope.  

  3. Pray for us to be bold in our evangelism and confident in our sharing of Jesus. 

  4. Pray that the Truth of God will prevail in the hearts and minds of our western society which dismisses God and his truths; putting forward their own narrative.

It's Hard to Truly Believe That You're Loved | 1 John 3:19-24

Love. Countless songs have been written about it. It’s at the core of every good book or movie. It’s one of the most important aspects of being a human being, and yet so many times it is an elusive feeling. In 1 John, we see that our desire for love finds its deepest fulfillment in the love of God that was shown through Jesus Christ.

Discussion Questions

  1. What sorts of ways do you commonly give love? What ways do other people communicate their love to you? How can we help one another grow in both?

  2. Why is God’s love at the center of our experience of all love? What is the greatest demonstration of God’s love to us?

  3. In what ways do you experience shame? Why is it so common for us to hide our shame instead of bringing it to God for his healing?

  4. How does God’s love empower us to take the message of the cross out to a world that needs to know God’s love?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that God would make us a more deeply loving church. Pray that we would all know and feel that we are truly loved.

  2. Pray that God would help us to take his love to our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. so that they could come to know his perfect love.

It's Hard to Believe Abuse Could Happen in the Church | 2 Peter 2:1-14

Abuse is a horrible and all-too-common problem in the world, but what are we to do when we learn that abuse happens in the very place where healing is supposed to happen: the church? As followers of Jesus, we need to learn about this important topic so that we can live out the protection, wisdom, and healing of our savior.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why is it important to know the distinction between hurt and abuse? How can we grow in our understanding and clear thinking on this subject?

  2. Why does unhealthy treatment from an abusive person often feel like (get mistaken for) love? What about our fallen condition as humans makes it so that we are drawn to harmful people at times?

  3. How did Jesus face misuse of power and abuse at the hands of earthly authority? How does his death offer us healing and protection?

  4. What practical steps can you take to help abuse-proof your family, your neighborhood, your small group, our church, etc.?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray for those who have experienced abuse to experience the love and healing of Jesus.

  2. Pray our church to be wise and protected against any and all abuse.

  3. Pray that non Christians in our region would be drawn to Jesus and the healing that he

    offers.

It's Hard to Pray | Romans 8:25-30

As disciples of Jesus, we know that prayer is important, but so many of us struggle to make prayer a regular part of our lives. The more that we understand the gospel, the more we are able to take the bible’s practical instruction regarding prayer and apply it to our lives.

Discussion Questions

  1. How would you describe and rate your prayer life? What are the primary obstacles that keep you from being as regular in prayer as you want to be?

  2. How is the gospel of Jesus the indispensable key to a robust prayer life? How does Jesus make it possible for us to pray at all?

  3. What practical steps can you take this week to grow in your prayer life? How can we help one another and hold each other accountable to grow in prayer?

  4. How would a more robust prayer life help you be a missionary of the gospel to those in your life who don’t yet know Jesus?

Prayer Points

  1. (Personal) Choose one of the practical prayer helps (e.g. prayer journal, silent prayer) that was mentioned in this week’s teaching, and commit to trying it every day for 2 weeks.

  2. Pray that God would help us continue to grow as a prayer-soaked church community.

  3. Pray that God would use us to proclaim the gospel. Pray that he would save people who are currently far away from him.

Additional Reading

Belief Begets Boldness | Acts 28:11-31

Discussion Questions

  1. Do you have a lack of boldness for Christ? How could a Christian community help you with this?

  2. Have you suffered for the gospel message recently? If so, how?

  3. Jesus is our hope not only for salvation, but a perfect world under the rule of God. Have you been able to explain either of these with someone recently?

  4. Are you willing to confront unbelief in yourself or others? What hesitancies do you have?

  5. God will save people with the message of Christ. What encouragement to persevere does this offer us?

Prayer Points

  •  Pray that God would grant us boldness to speak about Christ as we should.

  • Pray that this boldness would come as an overflow of our affection for Christ Jesus.

Stormy Seas and Shipwreck | Acts 27:1-28:10

As Paul is sent to Rome via ship, he encounters a series of fearful and chaotic events, including storms, shipwreck, and snakebite. But through it all, Paul remains confident that Jesus will use the chaos for Paul’s good and God’s glory.

Discussion Questions

  1. Think about the imagery of “waters of chaos” in the Bible. What stories/events come to mind for you? How might a 1st century Jew have thought about this story in Acts 27?

  2. Read Genesis 1:28. What does it mean that God commanded the humans to “subdue the earth” prior to the first sin and the fall? 

  3. What storms are you currently experiencing? How is Jesus using these storms to draw you closer to himself? How is he using them to change you? 

  4. Why is it so important to remember evangelism/mission when we walk through life’s storms?

Prayer Points

  •  Pray for those who are currently facing storms. Pray that Jesus would meet them in the storms and use them for cleansing. 

  • Pray that our challenges and storms would help us propel forward in evangelism, not shrink back from it.

God Raises the Dead | Acts 26:1-32

No official discussion questions or prayer points this week. Instead, do three things:

  1. Have a resurrection party with your group. Celebrate the incredible truth that God raises the dead.

  2. Pray for each other's needs, that God’s resurrection power would move mightily.

  3. Pray for a non-Christian in your life, and then share the gospel with them.

For Further Study

Paul and Politics | Acts 25:1-27

In the final chapters of Acts, it is notable how many different political and governmental leaders Paul interacts with. In these interactions, he is able to use the government of the day as a way to advance the gospel while at the same time keeping his primary allegiance to Jesus and the kingdom of God as his priority.

Discussion Questions

  1.  “Politics has replaced religion in America.” Do you agree or disagree? Why?

  2. Where do you personally trend: overly political or politic-avoidant?

  3. Why is it important to remember that Jesus isn’t just the king of one people group or nation, but over the entirety of creation? How does the gospel of the kingdom give us the right perspective on Jesus’ rule and reign?

  4. Do your current political interactions with people (in person, social media, etc.) make them desire to be a part of God’s kingdom? How might your political interactions change when you remember your primary citizenship is in heaven?

Prayer Points

  • Pray that our church would embody the politics of the kingdom of God, living out the values in the sermon on the mount by God’s grace and empowered by the Spirit.

  • Pray that we would be politically engaged as citizens of the kingdom, reaching those who are still captives of the kingdom of darkness with the love of Jesus.