Sermon Bible Study Guides

Mark 8:22-9:1 - March 9th 2018

Who do you say Jesus is?

Read Mark 8:22-9:1

1. What conversation had Jesus and his disciples been having immediately previous to this passage? What had Jesus asked them?
2. What happens in the first section of this passage? (v. 22-26)
   1. How does Jesus perform this miracle? What is unusual about it?
3. What questions does Jesus ask his disciples? (answer them for yourself)
4. What does Peter's answer mean? (what does Christ/messiah mean?)
5. Consider v.31-9:1, does Paul understand who Jesus is? How does this compare to the story of the blind man in the verses before? What is missing from Peter's understanding?
6. Why "must the Son of man suffer many things and... be killed, and after three days rise again"?
7. What does Jesus say is absolutely necessary to following him? (Consider each phrase, it's meaning, and what that might be lived out)

Application

1. How does Jesus miracle relate to spiritual realities? What does it show us?
2. Who do you confess Jesus to be? What does that mean?
3. Is the answer to that question important? If so why?
4. How can we follow after Jesus? What does it mean to deny yourself and take up your cross?
5. What things are you tempted to want to gain in this world? How do they relate to following Jesus?
6. In what ways are you ashamed of Jesus? What should we do?

Jude- March 2nd 2018

Contending for the Faith

Read Jude 1-16

1. Who is Jude, according to his introduction?
2. What did he want to write about?
1. What is he writing about instead, and why?
3. What kind of people does he want to warn against?
1. How would you summarize the images and stories he uses to describe these people?
4. What will happen to those people who are perverting the grace of God?
1. How are the perverting the grace of God?
5. Why does Jude want his readers to be reminded of this?

Application

1. What can we learn from the contrast between what Jude wanted to write about and what he ended up writing about?
2. How are the wicked people distorting the gospel? What warning is there for us?
3. What do the descriptions of these wicked people teach us about how we should think of those who corrupt the gospel? How should or shouldn’t we interact with such people?

Read Jude 17-25

1. What does Jude want his readers to remember? Why?
2. How does he encourage them to treat those who are confused by these distorters of the grace of God?
3. Where does he want them to place their confidence?

Application:

1. How should we then respond to the reality of ungodly people who claim to follow Jesus?
2. How should we respond to those who doubt because of these kinds of people?
3. Overall, how should this letter shape the way we think about the Christian life?