The Jerusalem Road

Sermon Notes March 25, 2018 Matthew 20:17-28 Short Review Review the main points of the morning message. Some Questions for Discussion: Focus the discussion on: What it means to be in step with Jesus when His prayer is “Not my will by Yours be done.” 1. Have you observed toddlers lately? What do they fight over? Can you describe an incident? 2. 3. Do you remember squabbles and fights in your family as you were growing up? a. What were most of the ‘fights’ about? b. Why did those issues (as children, teens, or adults) seem so important at the time? 4. What were James, John, their mother and the other apostles (vs. 24) hoping to gain? a. What was wrong with the request? Isn’t requesting ‘spiritual blessings’ a good thing? b. What did Jesus say was wrong with the request – vss. 25-27? c. How was it contrary to the character of Jesus? See if you can get people to share Scriptures which describe Christ’s attitude. [For example: Phil. 2:3-6] 5. Our culture has often been described as “individualistic.” What are some good things which have come from the spirit of individualism? 6. How can ‘individualism’ get in the way of keeping in step with Jesus? How has it affected the church and our attitude towards church life? 7. When we disagree with someone about something, why is it hard to judge whether the issue is worth fighting over or not? [Think of family, marriage, church, workplace] 8. Can we trust our own judgments about whether or not something is important enough to stand up for? Why not? [Do we tend to defend our point of view, no matter how unimportant it is, by quoting verses, referring to spiritual principles and right and wrong?] 9. How can we make wise decisions about when to shrug something off and when to stand up for something? How do you decide? 10. How does keeping in step with Jesus make us in step with other Christians? How do you practically do this in your family, or in church life?