Sermon Referenced During Sunday Night's Lord's Supper Message

Sunday night, just prior to our partaking of the Lord's Supper together, I referenced a sermon I had heard that influenced my thinking on the David and Goliath text that I preached from. The sermon I preached can be viewed here.

The sermon I referenced was preached by David Prince, the pastor of Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, KY. The title of the sermon he preached was "David and Goliath We Never Knew You: The Good News that the Bible is Not All About You." You can listen and/or download the message here. I highly commend it to you.

Discussion Questions from 08/29/2010 Sermon at WBC

Yesterday morning, I had the privilege of continuing the series on Luke's Gospel. My text was Luke 19:28-44. You can get the outline and watch/listen to the message here. The title was "The Things that Make for Peace." Here are a few discussion questions to further your thinking and application:

1. Why does Luke record for his readers the fact that Jesus ordered two of His disciples to get a colt that had never been ridden? Why not just tell us that Jesus rode a colt into Jerusalem? What's the significance?

2. How does the fact that Jesus knew every detail that was about to come His way demonstrate His love for sinners?

3. Why exactly would the rocks have to cry out if the crowd did not say what they said when Jesus entered Jerusalem (See Zechariah 9:9 and Psalm 118:26)?

4. What was it exactly that caused Jesus to weep when He entered Jerusalem?

5. What was the crowd thinking would bring them peace? What does that say about what they thought their biggest problem was? What is humanity's biggest problem?

6. What do you think Jesus was referring to when He said, "the things that make for peace"?

7. If separation from God due to our sin is our biggest problem, how can one have peace?

Check out the "Chosen Before Time" Blog!!!!

My incredible and remarkable and beautiful wife has put together a blog for the purpose of highlighting and documenting the events leading up to and surround our adoption from Ethiopia. She calls it "our" blog (meaning mine and hers), but truth be told, she is doing all of the blogging.

She is doing a great job, and I encourage any and all of you to go and check it out.

Chosen Before Time

Discussion Questions from PM Hosea Sermon

Sunday night, I officially began a series on the Minor Prophets entitled, "The 'Not So Minor' Minors." I started out with the prophet Hosea. You can watch or listen to the message here. During the last two weeks, during the PM services, I recommended a book by Anthony Selvaggio entitled The Prophets Speak of Him: Encountering Jesus in the Minor Prophets. It is a remarkable and helpful read.

At the conclusion of each chapter, Selvaggio provides some discussion questions to help the reader further reflect on the truths presented in each Minor Prophet. I liked them so well, I thought I would include a portion of them here for your own application and discussion.

1. Read Ephesians 5:22-32 and list all of the things Christ does for His bride, the church.

2. What are some of the broken promises people experience in this world? Discuss how God's faithfulness to His promises can be used to minister to people who have experienced the pain of broken promises.

3. Hosea highlights what God has done for us in making the church a beautiful bride and a faithful son. However, there are also commands for us that flow from this glorious work of Christ on our behalf. Discuss the nature of these imperatives as revealed in the following texts: 2 Corinthians 6:18-7:1; Ephesians 5:1-16; and 1 John 3:1-3. Can you think of other passages which teach similarly?

4. We also learned that Jesus makes us sons of God's family. This doctrine is referred to as the doctrine of adoption. Read the following verses and list all the benefits wich result from our adoption by God: Psalm 103:13; Proverbs 14:26; Matthew 6:30-32; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; Hebrews 12:5-6; and 1 Peter 5:7.

Discussion Questions from AM Sermon and Link to Spiritual Gifts Inventory

Yesterday (o8/22/2010) I had the task of preaching Luke 19:11-27. You can watch or listen to the sermon here. For me, it was a difficult text to swim through. The primary point seemed to be that followers of Jesus are to use the gifts given them by the Lord to make disciples of all nations until Jesus returns. There are other details, of course, but this seems to be the primary point.

Below are just a few discussion questions to help you think through and apply the truth(s) from the passage.

1. What is your spiritual gift and how are you using it now?

A link to a spiritual gift inventory can be found here: http://www.brookhills.org/pdfs/impact_homework_2.pdf

(Note: this inventory is used with permission from The Church at Brook Hills)

2. List some things that God has given you. How might these things be used to make disciples of all nations?

3. What is your personal strategy for making disciples of all nations? What is your family's personal strategy? What is your small group/Sunday School class's strategy?

4. If Jesus were to return today, where would you fall in the parable? Would you be the one found with 10 minas? The one with 5 minas? The one with the same mina? Or, those who are to be brought before Jesus to be slaughtered?

5. According to Luke 19:27, how does Jesus define one of His enemies? Are there areas in your life where Jesus does not have full reign?

6. According to Luke 19:21, the man who did nothing with the mina that he had received refused to work because he had a wrong understanding of his master. What are you currently involved in and actively doing to grow in your biblical knowledge of God?

Luke Starts Kindergarten Thursday

Okay, so I am emotional already about our firstborn starting kindergarten this week. But when I read this piece from Michael Kelley yesterday, I got really emotional. Parents with children starting school: read with care.

Arkansas Baptist News Runs Story on Wynne Baptist

Check it out here.

Reading it makes me want to be "Radically intentional about making disciples of all nations to the glory of Jesus Christ."

Discussion Questions from 08/15/2010 Sermon at WBC

Okay, so its been a while since I have blogged or posted discussion questions from sermons. For those who care, my apologies. Various reasons have kept me from it. But, Lord willing, I plan to be much more diligent and purposeful (and dare I say, 'radically intentional') about blogging and posting questions for further understanding and application from sermons in the days, weeks, months, and years (?) ahead.

Yesterday's message was entitled "Amazing Grace: Was Blind, But Now I See." The Scripture passage was Luke 18:31-43; 19:1-10. You can listen/watch the message here.

Discussion Questions for Further Understanding and Application:

1. Read through Luke 18:31-43; 19:1-10 and note any references to seeing and blindness.

2. Why do you think the disciples were kept from understanding the most important reality in the universe? (see Luke 18:34 and 1 Corinthians 15:3-5) When did they have their 'eyes' opened? (See Luke 24:44-45)

3. Why do you think Luke recorded the story of a blind man immediately following these verses?

4. Why did this blind beggar call Jesus the Son of David? (See 2 Samuel 7:13-14)

5. According to Jesus, what saved the blind beggar? (See Luke 18:42) Reread Luke 18. What are some other ways Jesus (Luke, inspired of the Holy Spirit) emphasized salvation (justification) is by faith in Jesus alone?

6. How does the story of Zaccheus help the reader piece everything from chapter 18 together? (Hint: note Zaccheus' occupation and his monetary status; note also the fact that he was small of stature and therefore could not 'see' Jesus).

7. When Jesus said 'Today, salvation has come to this house' (see Luke 19:9), was this because Jesus wanted to see what Zaccheus would do first? Why or why not? (Hint: the fact that Jesus calls him a son of Abraham implies that he is a man of faith).

8. Since Zaccheus was right with God through his faith in Jesus, he joyfully gave liberally to the poor and made all his wrongs right by repaying people up to 4 times. What does this imply about those who 'know God' through faith in Christ?

9. How does your life reflect that God is your God and not your money or stuff or reputation?

10. Obviously God must do the work of 'opening eyes' to the truth of the Gospel, (See 2 Corinthians 4:4, 6) but what part did the blind beggar and Zaccheus play in their 'salvation' story? What does this say about divine sovereignty and human responsibility?