Renewed Minds | Romans 12:1-8

During this first month of our All Things New series we are encouraging everyone to join us in a month of focused, intentional prayer. Don’t forget to check out our prayer guide to participate.

Discussion Questions:

  1. As a group, spend time reading Romans 12:1-8  in two or three Bible translations and answer the following questions:

    • What stood out to you from this passage?

    • What does this passage teach us about God (his character, his will, his plans, his principles)?

  2. The point of renewing our mind is to know the will of God. How can we then avoid the pitfalls of becoming an egghead through our reading and study of scripture?

  3. Confess ways the Holy Spirit is revealing things that are out of line with the will of God in:

    • Your relationship with God

    • Your relationship with friends and family

    • Your relationship with coworkers and neighbors

  4. Share with one another the ways God’s truths and presence has helped you recognize and combat the world’s pressure to conform. 

Prayer Points:

  1. Join and follow along in our month of dedicated, collective prayers by going to https://www.soundcitybiblechurch.com/articles.

God With Us in Our Joys | Luke 2:1-14

There is a large amount of Christian literature and sermons constantly aimed at encouraging us to hope in God in the midst of our fears and our sorrows, and we need to be shaken up periodically to realize that God is with us in the hum-drum moments of life. But when things are good it can be actually be hard for us to remember to trust God, let alone experience his presence on a daily basis.

Discussion Questions:

  1. As a group, spend time reading Luke 2:1-14 in two or three Bible translations and answer the following questions: What stood out to you from this passage? What does this passage teach us about God (his character, his will, his plans, his principles)?

  2. As you examine your heart, confess areas of your life where you struggle to accept the brokenness of the world, the brokenness of yourself and the holiness of God. 

  3. How does Jesus’ divine presence and the gift of the Holy Spirit provide joy that transcends the ups and downs of life? 

  4. Spend time praising and singing to God about his glory!

Prayer Points:

  1. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help remind and reinforce Jesus being the source and companion of all our joys. 

  2. Pray and give thanks for the gift of joy in Jesus that transcends the ups and downs of life. 

  3. Pray for those who you love to come to a saving knowledge of God and to experience true joy in Jesus.

God With Us in the Mundane | 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

Sermon Description

The word advent means “arrival.” In the season of advent, Christians from around the world intentionally focus on the anticipation of the long-awaited Messiah. The meaning of Christmas is that God, through the person of Jesus, has come to be with us in the flesh.

Discussion Questions:

As a group, spend time reading 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 in two or three Bible translations and answer the following questions:

  1. What stood out to you from this passage? What does this passage teach us about God (his character, his will, his plans, his principles)?

  2. Considering your life in relationship to God, to family, to friends, to coworkers, and to neighbors. Confess ways that in those spheres you run parallel with the world in idolizing the big, the important, the loud, and the fast. 

  3. Help each other find clarity in what seeking the kingdom first looks like in the everyday (mundane) life.

  4. Praise God and encourage one another by sharing different ways in which you’ve seen Jesus and his mighty works in your everyday (mundane) life. 

Prayer Points:

  1. Pray and give thanks for the presence of Jesus in our daily lives. 

  2. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help us individually and collectively cultivate a heart of worship and praise in every season of life. 

  3. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help us individually and collectively seek the kingdom first in everything that we do. 

God With Us in Our Hopes and Fears | Isaiah 7:1-16

The Advent season allows us to focus on the joyful and miraculous first coming of Jesus, God’s Son and our Savior. This Advent season our theme is Immanuel, which means God With Us. For this first sermon of the series we will explore, “God with us in our hopes and fears.” Whether we’re besieged by an overwhelming enemy, peacefully rocking our newborn baby, or any circumstance in between, God has promised to be with us; and God is faithful to keep his promise.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is an example of an event in the Bible or the life of another believer from history that you can see they trusted in God’s promise to be with them?

  2. When was a time that you were greatly comforted by the promise or experience of God with us?

  3. What is the difference between believing God’s promise with one’s mind and living out life in that promise?

  4. What makes it difficult for you to trust God’s promise to be with us?

  5. What do you tend to trust in rather than trusting in God and his

    presence/provision?

  6. What are some areas of your life that you need to live the experience of God with us?

  7. What are some ways that you may be able to help others to believe and live out the promise of God with us?

  8. What are some application points that this promise has for our church as a corporate body?

Prayer Points:

  1. Pray for the joy of Christ to flood our hearts this Advent Season!

  2. Ask God to impress upon each of us the depth and power of his promise to be with us.

  3. Pray for those who feel far from God or especially lonely. Pray that they will feel drawn to God through Jesus and will have their souls ministered to in a supernatural way.

  4. Pray that we will not only believe God’s Immanuel promise, but that we will trust it and live by it!

  5. Ask God to show us the glory of Christ’s coming to be our Savior and motivate us to join him in proclaiming Christ so that all may hear, believe, and be saved.

Jesus, Our Peace | Psalm 131

Discussion Questions:

  1. The world promotes empty encouragements that create faulty foundations for our lives. Contrast the differences between worldly encouragements and gospel peace. 

  2. Everyone experiences anxiety. What causes anxiety in your life and what does your response look like?  

  3. Are you experiencing anxiety in your life right now? If so, how can you apply the big idea of Jesus being our peace to your anxiety? 

    1. Peace with God | Romans 5:1

    2. Peace with humanity | Ephesians 2:14

    3. Peace with all things | Revelation 21:3-6

    4. Peace within us | John 16

    5. Heavenly Peace | John 14

    6. Peace Beyond understanding | Philippians 4

  4. Remembering that practical help is great as long it’s built on Jesus, what steps can you take and be held accountable to grow in the peace of God?

    1. Pay attention to your body 

    2. Pay attention to your limits

    3. Practice regular stillness

    4. Interact with your anxieties 

    5. Practice gratitude

Prayer Points:

  1. Together as a group, read and pray through Psalm 131.

  2. Pray and confess areas of your life where you’ve been holding onto your anxiety and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the peace of God. 

  3. Pray that God would cultivate a heart of humility and thankfulness at Sound City as we face the challenges and the anxieties of life.

Seeing Jesus in the People of the Old Testament | Genesis 45

Discussion Questions

  1. What area(s) of Joseph’s life had you never associated with Jesus’ life?

  2. How has studying Jesus in the Old Testament impacted your view of Jesus?

  3. How can Jesus being seen in Old Testament people help us relate to Jesus now?

  4. Who is in your sphere of influence that needs to hear the Gospel of Jesus?

Prayer Points

  • Pray for unity in the church

  • Pray for opportunity to share Jesus with others

  • Pray for personal spiritual growth

Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament Sacrifices | Hebrews 10:11-18

Discussion Questions

  1. “Jesus is the one who made the covenants. Jesus is the one who keeps the covenants.” What about this statement helps us believe that all of scripture points to Jesus?

  2. In what areas of your life are you prone to believing in the “shadow of the real thing” instead of Jesus himself?

  3. Read together Hebrews 4:16. Do you find yourself struggling to approach the throne of grace in time of need, why or why not? How can we encourage one another to live out this truth?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that God would deepen our faith and reveal himself clearly as we read all of scripture. 

  2. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help us believe and worship Jesus instead of merely the shadow of the real thing. 

  3. Pray that God would give our church a deep assurance in the finished work of Jesus so we can be a church body that boldly approaches the throne of grace.

Jesus is Our Firm Foundation | Matthew 7:24-29

Peter and John face increasing opposition from the religious and political leaders, and find themselves in prison. When an angel shows up to free them, he gives them one instruction: go tell people about “this life.” This phrase is important to understanding what it means to follow Jesus. When God saves us, the very life of Jesus becomes our life, a life that comes with both blessings and challenges.

Discussion Questions

  1. One of the primary ways that the Bible speaks about salvation is the idea of “death to life.”
    How have you seen this idea play out in your own life and salvation? What does it mean to you personally that Jesus’ very life has become your life?

  2. Of the blessings highlighted in this passage (forgiveness, Holy Spirit, restoration, perseverance, community), which one are you most grateful for? Which one do you need to spend more time thinking about?

  3. What distractions, fears, etc. keep you from regularly experiencing the life of Jesus in your own life? What changes do you need to make in order to live the life that Jesus has for you?

  4. As our culture pushes historic, orthodox Christianity to the margins, how can we cultivate an attitude of “rejoicing that we would be counted worthy to be treated shamefully on behalf of the Name”? How can we suffer like Jesus, without arguing and complaining?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that we would experience the life of Jesus in greater measure as individuals and as a

    church community.

  2. Pray that we would rejoice in the blessings of Jesus’ life, and that we would embrace the

    challenges with an attitude of rejoicing.

True and False Disciples | Matthew 7:12-23

As Jesus begins to close the Sermon on the Mount he levels a serious warning toward all who would claim to be his disciples. All believers are called to consider if their devotion to Jesus is genuine or not, regardless of how much has been done in the name of Christ. In this counterintuitive passage Jesus shows us that the most important thing about us is not in us, but in him.

Discussion Questions

  1. How have you read the narrow and wide paths in the past? How were they interpreted in the sermon?

  2. What assurance is there to gain from being known by Jesus VS only knowing about Jesus?

  3. What would you say is the main warning from this passage?

  4. How should the urgency of Jesus’ warning affect us in sharing the gospel?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray for Jesus’ warning to bolster your resolve to be a true disciple that loves him with outward and inward affection.

  2. Pray that God would give our church a deep assurance of knowing and being known by Jesus.

Livin’ on a Prayer | Matthew 7:7-11

Discussion Questions:

  1. What about Jesus’ character do you learn from this passage?

  2. Jesus calls his disciples to be a praying people.  What underlying beliefs do you have about prayer that leads you to or leads you away from praying?

  3. Spend time examining your heart and mind. In what areas of your life is the Holy Spirit calling you to repent of your self sufficiency and seek God’s will and persevere in prayer? 

  4. Who in your life has encouraged your faith through their prayer life? 

Prayer Points:

  1. Spend time in prayer praising God for his love and faithfulness. 

  2. Pray that God would fill us with the joy of communing with him through prayer. 

  3. Pray that God would root out any form of self-sufficiency and cultivate a heart of dependency for him.

Judging Others | Matthew 7:1-6

Discussion Questions 

  1. “To judge or not to judge, that is the question”. In what ways has this passage clarified your understanding of judgment? 

  2. In what ways do we accurately or inaccurately represent the gospel by the way we pass judgment? 

  3. Jesus is clearly teaching that once again, the heart is at the center of the issue and therefore, he does not forbid judgment, but rather calls us to discern and judge rightly. How do you see this practically lived out in your life?  

  4. Through Jesus we are recipients of God’s mercy. Spend time encouraging one another through scripture the reminder of this truth.

Prayer Points 

  1. Praise God for his mercy shown to us through his son Jesus Christ. 

  2. Pray that God would remind and steep us in the truth of his mercy in our hearts. 

  3. Pray that God would root out any pride that hinders us from practicing right judgment.

Abandon Worry; Trust in God! | Matthew 6:25-34

We each have many legitimate reasons to worry and be anxious. Added to that, there are plenty of unrealistic fears and worries that we can succumb to. In this portion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us to not give in to anxiety, but to live out faithful trust in the Father.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What are areas of worry and anxiety that repeatedly come up for you?

  2. Why do you think you worry about those things? 

  3. What underlying expectations or desires explain your worry / anxiety?

  4. How does having “faith like a child” challenge our worrying? 

  5. How has worrying interfered with your living a faithful Christ-following life?

  6. What are ways that you see God’s heart of love and care for you and others?

  7. How can you know that God knows your needs and desires to meet them?

  8. How can you know that God has the power to meet any need or situation you encounter?

  9. What does it look like to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness first?

  10. How do worries and fears show the priorities of our hearts and lives? 

  11. Who is an example of seeking first the kingdom of God that inspires you?

  12. What are some steps you feel led to take to combat worry in your life?

Prayer Points 

  1. Ask God to show you how you indulge in worry. 

  2. Ask God to help you see his loving heart and all the ways that he cares for you. 

  3. Thank God for all the ways that he has provided for you and met your needs. 

  4. Pray for God to put your needs in perspective with his power and ability to meet those needs. 

  5. Pray for the faith to trust God and to seek his kingdom first. 

Additional Resources 

  1. An example of great faith! George Mueller’s life story told by John Piper.

  2. Blog: “What Does it Mean to Take Every Thought Captive?”

  3. Trusting God in the worst of circumstances! The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

  4. Gospel Hope for Anxious Hearts: Trading Fear and Worry for the Peace of God by Charles Spurgeon

True Generosity | Matthew 6:19-24

In the second half of Matthew 6, Jesus pivots from addressing a genuine righteousness of one’s inward life to a genuine righteousness of one’s outward life. In doing so, Jesus instructs his followers to seek heavenly treasures above earthly ones because what we treasure reveals what we love. Or, more importantly, who we love.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you as zealous for funding your retirement as you are for storing up heavenly treasures? How does the idea of heavenly treasures change the way you think about money?

  2. What encouragement can we gain from knowing that God wants us to seek heavenly treasures?

  3. Does this passage convict you about covetousness, the inordinate love of wealth and possessions? If so,  what do you need to confess?

  4. Who can you challenge with the truth that we all choose to serve either Jesus or the things of this world?

Prayer Points:

  1. Pray for God to reveal ways you choose earthly treasures instead of seeking him and confess them.

  2. Pray that God would make us a more generous church so that everyone would see how much we value Him above all earthly goods.

True Fasting | Matthew 6:16-18

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that is practiced by all the major religions in the world. In fact, it is also currently a health craze, intermittent fasting is being touted as a cure for almost anything that ails you. It is true that fasting has health benefits but the fasting that Jesus is talking about in our text today is a Spiritual Discipline designed for us to seek out the presence and power of God.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What has captured your attention or heart? 

  2. What do you need to set aside so that you can focus of God?

  3. How can fasting help you to realign your priorities? 

  4. Is it ok to let other people know you are fasting?

  5. What did Jesus mean when he said, “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face”?

Prayer Points:

  1. Pray that God will reveal the thing that has captured your attention

  2. Pray that Sound City Bible Church will desire to feast on the Word and Will of God

  3. Pray for those in the world that are suffering and struggling 

  4. Pray for an opportunity to minister the Gospel to someone this week