The King Restores [Luke 5:33-6:11]

Sermon Discussion Questions

The King Restores [Luke 5:33-6:11]

• "The Honeymoon is over" Ryan said as he began talking about Jesus. In the sermon passage this week there was much confrontation against Jesus concerning religious rules. Do we get lost sometimes in the details of the rules? Do we sometimes forget the purpose of a rule as we think about the technicalities of the rule? 
• Our calenders are often full (They may even be overflowing!). Living at a relentless pace we feel the need for rest. Jesus points us to the Sabbath, to embrace the rest God has provided weekly. Is the Sabbath a day that you keep moving at the same pace? Are you missing out on the deepest longing for rest by rushing through the Sabbath rather than resting on it? 
• The Pharisees had 39 rules how to not break the Sabbath. Legalism doesn't free us to be more human, it actually enslaves us to be less human. Jesus is the leader who defends his people from legalism and leads his people into becoming more human. What experiences have you had with legalism in your own life? How has Jesus lead you from a place enslavement to a place of freedom in him?
• We are constantly pursuing life, sometimes in the wrong places, whether it is in passing pleasures, a relentless pace, or in religious rules. At the end of the day and all our pursuits of life have left us only hungry for more, what do we have? Do we turn to the life of Jesus to find life in him? 

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The King Heals [Luke 5:12-32]

The King Heals [Luke 5:12-32]

Sermon Discussion Questions

• King Jesus has both a wide scope of healing and his healing has significance in our lives. How big is the scope of Jesus healing? Does Jesus meet more than just the physical needs of those he encounters? 
• Following Jesus is hardly a spectator sport. How did Jesus meet the needs of the three individuals he met, the Leper, the Paralytic, and Levi the Tax Collector? What were the responses of these three after the healing of Jesus?
• All the various needs that Jesus met are all broken needs we have today. Ryan listed off many different needs we share due to the first sin of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. If we still die, and sin, what is the significance of Jesus healing in our lives today?
• Ryan said that these stories of the works of Jesus are "brochures of the coming world." What is our role in Jesus healing ministry that points to the coming world and how did Ryan encourage us as a church to continue in this work?
• Some of the hardest realities of reading the miracles of Jesus, is experiencing similar suffering without immediate healing in our own lives and the lives of those we love. There is a temptation to despair; we fear we will never heal.  How do you hang onto the promise of Jesus to heal all things when you face this temptation?

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Following the King [Luke 5:1-11]

Following the King [Luke 5:1-11]

Sermon Discussion Notes

• Have you ever driven behind someone, back in the day before GPS? It is frustrating to follow someone driving. Ryan used this to illustrate how following Jesus is sometimes frustrating. We often say "follow Jesus", but this can be a bit vague. What does it mean to follow Jesus? 

• Ryan defined following Jesus as going where he is leading: the first place he leads us is into a deeper repentance. This repentance that Jesus leads us to leads to both a greater awareness of Sin, and a greater acceptance of Grace. How do we see this awareness of Sin and acceptance of Grace in this passage? Do you see these in your life?

• The second place Jesus leads us is into a bigger purpose: casting the net of the gospel. The gospel meets people's most dire needs. Do you see the people in your life as needy? 

• Sometimes the casting of the gospel net can feel like a burden. Is fishing for men a humble privilege, or an anxious responsibility?

• Finally, Jesus leads us into greater freedom. This isn't a change in vocation, rather a change in identity. Our identity is no longer in what we do, sound like, or look like. Our identity is found in the one we follow. What do we need to leave behind now that we are free to follow Jesus? 

• We don't always know where Jesus is leading. This is why following him is frustrating. Ryan finished by talking about how in orienteering only a slight drift can cause a massive shift in the destination. Are you aware of your own tendencies to drift? Are we more concerned with knowing Jesus, or knowing where he is leading? 

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The King's Agenda [Luke 4:31-44]

The King's Agenda [Luke 4:31-44]

Sermon Discussion Questions

• There were three responses to Jesus that Ryan talked about on Sunday. Some people studied Jesus, (Luke 4:32-36 for Studied reaction), some people sought to seize him (Luke 4:42-44 for Seize reaction), and another sought to serve him (Luke 4:38-39 for Serve reaction). What did these reactions look like in the text? 
• The people were astonished by Jesus teaching and by his deeds. Both his teaching and deeds revealed his authority. Are we in awe of Jesus? Many study the supernatural, but do we submit to Jesus? 
• Jesus didn't always use his authority the way the people wanted him to, sometimes he said no to healing and other requests the people around him had. Do we doubt Jesus' authority when he doesn't grant us something immediately, or even after many years of prayer?
• There was one person who responded to Jesus with service (Luke 4:38-39). She was made free from her sickness by Jesus, we have been set free in the gospel of Jesus. What does it look like to respond to Jesus be an open book before God and before one another? Are there places in our hearts that are little outposts of rebellion? 
• Jesus healed Peter's mother in law, but many were left not healed. Do we trust Jesus in his authority and in his timetable? 
• Ryan mentioned Mike Matheny and the letter he wrote now known as the "Matheny Manifesto". Matheny had an agenda, and he was asking the parents who had invited him to coach their sons to go "all in" and fully commit to his agenda. King Jesus has an agenda, what does it take for us to say to Jesus "I'm in, I'm all in"? 

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The King's Agenda [Luke 4:16-30]

 The King's Agenda

Sermon Discussion Questions

• We tend to attach ourselves to political agendas. Jesus himself has an agenda. Yesterday Ryan talked about how a bridegroom had an agenda, he wanted Ryan to quote the movie "Princess Bride" during his wedding homily. Ryan ultimately said no to the bridegroom's request because it wasn't keeping with the agenda of the wedding. When you think about Jesus' agenda what is your response?
• Ryan said that that the people hearing Jesus in the synagogue responses were "tepid at best", are you tepid or apathetic to the Kingdom agenda? What ways do you find yourself opposing Jesus' Kingdom agenda? 
• The agenda Jesus has is radically inclusive. For the people listening to Jesus, Jesus agenda was offensive because it included gentiles. Are there people who would feel uncomfortable at CPC? Who would you not invite to Covenant Church because they would feel uncomfortable? Why is that? 
• When we think of exclusivity we tend to blame others, and that is easy to do. Don't just think about other people in the church and how others may make CPC exclusive. What are some ways that you are exclusive when it comes to Jesus Kingdom agenda? 
• There are two pitfalls that are on either side of our following of Jesus' radical inclusion agenda, one is to sacrifice doctrinal truth for the sake of being welcoming to outsiders, the other is to exclude outsiders for the sake of doctrinal truth. How can we find a balance, between right inclusion and right doctrine? 
• Jesus wasn't afraid to be called a friend of sinners for sake of his doctrine. Are we afraid to be called friends of sinners? 

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