Discussion Questions: On break until January 2026

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Hope in the King whose righteous rule will produce perfect peace.

I. His qualification is unquestionable (vv. 1-3a)

II. His rule will be righteous (vv. 3b-5)

III. His peace will be perfect (vv. 6-9)

IV. His majesty will be magnetic (v. 10)

Digging Deeper

Read Isaiah 11:1-10

1. What injustices in our world make you wish for peace? What does the coming of Jesus have to say about this?

2. When you want peace, who or what do you look to?

3. In the sermon, a distinction was made between what delights human rulers and what delights our King, Jesus. What is different about what Jesus desires from us, versus what earthly leaders and rulers often desire? (see Isa. 1:23)

4. What would it look like to grow in delighting in God, fearing him in a way that longs to honor him?

5. This sermon focused on the kind of righteous rule that Jesus, this promised King, will have. What do you most look forward to about his promised rule?

6. In Jesus’s righteous rule, he will enact justice always. As was said in the sermon, if this is our king, we had better live like him. How can we obey this call in our daily lives?

7. Reread Isaiah 11:6-9, which gives us a picture of what eternity with the Prince of Peace will be like. Which of these particular pictures of peace do you long for? Why does your heart long for this?

8. To get another picture of the peace which comes in eternity, read Revelation 22:1-5. What do these verses mean to you, and how can we start to live out this peace now between one another?

9. “When the King came the first time, it wasn’t to judge, but to save.” How did Jesus fulfill this purpose in his life on earth? What will be different about his second coming?

10. It can feel counterintuitive to consider this majestic, righteous, peacemaking king when Christmas is supposed to be about baby Jesus lying in the manger. Why do you think there is goodness in thinking this way about Jesus at Christmastime?

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Our hope for endless peace rests on a child who will reign forever.

I. The future for God's people is a dawn that drives out darkness (vv. 1-3)

II. This dawn will mean the end of enslaving enemies (vv. 4-5)

III. God will make this endless peace through a child who will reign forever (vv. 6-7)

Digging Deeper

Read Isaiah 9:1-7

1. “To be in darkness is to seem to be abandoned by God.” By a show of hands, have you ever or do you now feel this way? Share more if you’re comfortable.

2. “The first coming of Jesus was the beginning of the end of the darkness of the world.” How have you experienced this line from the sermon? How has darkness begun to end? How is it still present? Think in terms of the world and your own life.

3. Anticipating that Christ has come and is coming again should lead to hope and joy. How might we help one another be more intentional about giving thought to Christ’s first and second coming?

4. Do you see spiritual enemies (like sin, demons, the fear of death) as your greatest enemies? Why or why not?

5. How did Jesus’ death on the cross defeat our spiritual enemies?

6. Reread Isaiah 9:6, especially the end. Which of the four descriptors of Jesus catches your attention? Why?

7. What is a takeaway (s) for us from the fact that roughly 700 years prior to the birth of Jesus, Isaiah so clearly and so specifically foretold his coming?

8. Where do you long for peace in your life? With God? With yourself? With others?

9. There are many aspects to the peace Jesus came to bring for his people (e.g. - peace with God, peace among ourselves, peace within ourselves, etc.). Are there any aspects of the peace he brings that you have perhaps not appreciated as much as you should? Why might that be? How might we grow in gratefulness for all that Christ came to do for us?

10. Read Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” How has Jesus brought us peace through his death? How might we use this verse to share the gospel with someone this Advent season?

Prayer

Discussion Questions:

Sermon Overview

Receive Jesus as the king who restores peace with God for all creation.

Digging Deeper

Read Luke 19:28-48

1. What role does waiting have in your life currently as a follower of Jesus? What role should it have? What does it look like to wait well?

2. It was Jesus’ intention to communicate clearly that he is the long-awaited King. What are some of the things Jesus does in this passage to communicate that?

3. In vv. 28-40, we see the first truth from this passage: “Jesus is the King who will restore peace to all creation.” What does that mean?

4. In what way is all creation in need of being restored to peace?

5. In vv. 41-44 we see the second truth of this text: “Our reception of peace depends on our reception of the King.” Do you believe this to be true? Why or why not?

6. What are some things you can be tempted to think will “make for peace” in your life (e.g., a raise at work, less conflict at home, etc.)?

7. Why don’t (can’t) these things ultimately bring the peace we long for?

8. There is one way for us to be reconciled to God, namely by receiving the King (Jesus) who came to bring peace. Who is someone in your life who has not yet received Jesus as King? What would be a good next step for you as you seek to be used by God in his or her life?

9. How can we, as a Gospel Community, help each other grow in boldness and faithful witness for our King?

10. The third truth we saw from this passage (in vv. 45-49) was that “The primary peace he restores is peace with God.” Jesus has brought this about through his death. Why was it necessary for Jesus to die in order to restore peace between God and man? What did his death accomplish that made peace with God possible?

11. Peace comes to those who receive Jesus as King by submitting to him and surrendering their lives to him. Why is this necessary?

12. How might the peace we have with God through faith in Christ effect other parts of your life?

Prayer

Discussion Questions:

Sermon Overview

As you wait for Jesus, live as a faithful steward and you will reign with him forever

Digging Deeper

Read Luke 19:11-27

1. How does verse 11 help us understand what Jesus wants to teach through the parable in v. 12ff?

2. Luke 19:12 says, He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.” Who should we understand the nobleman to be? What is the far country? What is the return?

3. What can we learn from this parable about the person of Christ?

4. What does it look like for you to “engage in business until (Christ) comes (again)” (v. 13)?

5. How would you rate your stewardship of the following things God has entrusted you with: relationships, spiritual gifts, and money?

6. What are you stewarding well? How?

7. What could you grow in stewarding? How?

8. How can we help each other be more focussed on and more eager for the return of Christ?

9. God promises eternal rewards for faithful stewardship. How can eternal rewards help us live a life of loyalty and obedience to God?

10. In the parable, the third servant did nothing with what was entrusted to him, because he was afraid of the nobleman (v.20-21). Our perception of God, his character, and his posture toward us will inevitably affect the choices we make. Have you seen this to be true in your own life (either in a positive or negative way)? Please share.

Prayer

Discussion Questions: On break until January

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Those who enter the kingdom depend on Jesus completely and treasure him supremely.

I. Who enters: those who depend on Jesus completely (vv. 15-17)

II. Who enters: those who treasure Jesus supremely (vv. 18-30)

III. How Jesus makes entry possible: suffering in our place (vv. 31-34)

IV. How entry looks: dependent faith produces joyful following (vv. 35-43)

Digging Deeper

Read Luke 18:15-43

1. Jesus exhorts us to receive the kingdom of God like a child, in complete dependence. How does this help us in entering his kingdom?

2. What’s the opposite of being like a child in approaching God? How could/does this show up in your life?

3. Wealth isn’t evil, but it is a danger. How is wealth a powerful rival to God?

4. Where do you struggle when thinking about money? Greed? Discontentment? Jealousy? Overreliance on it for security? What might you do or change to grow in this area?

5. Those who follow Jesus give up much now, but also receive much now. If you follow Jesus, what good things have you already experienced because you are a part of God’s kingdom now?

6. It was asked in the sermon, “Do you see Jesus’s love?” What does it mean to see His love, and how does it help us enter his kingdom?

7. The blind man at the end of the passage is a picture of the one who enters the kingdom. How do we live our lives marked by the kind of joyful following that the blind man exhibits upon being healed?

8. What is one specific thing that keeps you from entering the kingdom? Self-righteousness? Pride? Wealth that consumes your life? How do you flee from it?

9. How can we live in such a way that witnesses to unbelievers about the goodness of entering the kingdom of God?

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Come to God, trusting not in yourself, but in Jesus. God's saving mercy and grace are only for those who know they don't deserve it.

Digging Deeper

Read Luke 18:9-14

1. In our passage, the Pharisee comes to God trusting in himself (and how good he is). Where do we see this in the text?

2. What are subtle or obvious ways we can trust ourselves instead of Jesus?

3. “Whenever we feel God does not love us because we have failed, we have adopted the Pharisee's approach.” Do you experience this? If so, how can you respond to these feelings? How can we help each other?

4. One of the ways Pharisee-like self-righteousness reveals itself is in a propensity to treat others with contempt (cf. v.9b). Reflect on some of the words (and tone) you have used with others around you in the past. Do you see any supporting evidence that you may have, at times, been guilty of treating others with contempt? What heart-level attitudes might such words reveal?

5. How tempted are you to compare yourself with others to determine how good or bad you are? A lot? A little? Something else?

6. What’s the problem with assessing yourself based on comparison to others?

7. How easy is it to view yourself like the tax collector, claiming no righteousness of your own?

8. It was said in the sermon, “... we are all far more sinful than we think. And it is only when we grasp this that we can receive the good news.” What was meant by this? Do you agree?

9. How might we use this parable (and the truths it teaches) to engage with unbelievers about the good news of the Gospel?

10. What one specific application from this passage might God want you to consider and take with you into the week ahead? Please share.

Prayer