Small Group Guide

“The (Not So) Fine Print of Following Jesus”

Mark 8:27-38

Message Summary

In a more private teaching time with His disciples, Jesus questioned them about His identity—who people said He was and who the disciples said He was. After Peter correctly answered that Jesus is, indeed, the Christ, Jesus began to warn and teach them about the way that He would suffer, die, and rise again. However, the Jewish belief in the Messiah was One Who would come in power and Who would rule, not One Who would suffer and die at the hands of Jewish rulers. Peter, then, began to rebuke Jesus privately. Jesus took this opportunity to teach His disciples and the wider crowd about what it means to follow Jesus. He clearly taught that to follow Him means completely giving control of one’s life to God and willingly obeying in every place and way that He leads.

Discussion & Application Questions

After briefly reviewing the message summary, use these questions to further examine the sermon and to discuss how these truths apply to daily life, so we can “be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (Jas. 1:22). Based on your knowledge of the people in your small group, select the questions that will best help you frame the group’s discussion of this sermon and sermon text.

WHO IS JESUS AND WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR ME?

  1. The Jewish people generally believed that the Messiah would come in great power, lead reforms, and usher in a great kingdom. They didn’t have a theological category for a Savior who would suffer. How did Peter’s preconceived ideas about the Messiah impact the way that he received Jesus’ teaching?
  2. Application: Verse 32 indicates that Jesus taught clearly about His death and resurrection. However, His disciples both here and after His death were in shock. They, apparently, did not fully understand or believe what He repeatedly taught them about His death. How do we do the same with what we clearly read in God’s Word? How can we intentionally read God’s Word to do what it says without reading our own thoughts into it?
  3. How can our preconceived ideas about God impact the way that we read and interpret His Word and the way we are inclined to obey what His Word says?
  4. What did Jesus’ rebuke of Peter in verse 33 indicate about God’s sovereign will concerning Jesus’ suffering? How is a suffering Messiah different than our ideals of a Savior or hero?
  5. Application: Consider what you practically believe about Jesus. Ask yourself the question: who is Jesus in my life? If you consider Him to be Lord, what parts of your life have you not given Him control of? If you do not consider Him to be Lord, then who is?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW JESUS?

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. How does this truth fly the face of what our culture tells us daily about how we should live our lives as individuals?
  2. When Jesus said to “deny yourself” He made the claim that we accept Him on His terms and not ours. How do we try to “fit” Christ into our life instead of giving ourselves to Him?
  3. What are examples in which we as Christians should deny ourselves?
  4. How do we deny ourselves with joy?
  5. Application: Examine what areas of life you are trying to control. Write down areas that you are not surrendering to Christ and ask Him for grace to surrender them.
  6. What is the difference between taking up a cross unto death, as Jesus commanded in verse 34 and Paul’s description of a thorn in the flesh that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10? How are hardships such as health struggles, relational issues, and calamities that we endure in life different than suffering on behalf of Christ?
  7. In a secular culture what ways can you see that following Jesus is becoming less accepted and more ostracized?
  8. Application:What are you willing to endure because you are following Christ? What decisions do you need to take this week that are in obedience to Christ but may be costly to you personally?
  9. Application: Pray for those who are persecuted around the world because they are following Christ.
  10. The words translated “follow me” in the original language of Mark mean “let him be imitating me.” How does this continual language affect how we understand this command?
  11. What does it look like practically to follow Jesus?
  12. Application: In what ways are you obeying God in “big” ways but neglecting the daily, everyday, long-obedience to the Lord? How can you begin to be intentional about obeying God in each decision?
  13. Read Ephesians 3:8-9. What do these verses indicate about our salvation?
  14. What does it mean if we call Christ our Lord but do not obey Him? If we want to be a Christian but do not want to sacrifice and obey the Lord, what does that indicate about the change in our hearts? What are we wanting to get out of a relationship like this?
  15. Application:Examine where you are being disobedient to God’s will in your life. Confess that to a trusted fellow Christ-follower this week and ask for accountability for your obedience.

Things to Consider

If you have people in your group who did not hear the sermon, read Mark 8:27-38 together and briefly summarize the main points of the sermon. Recapping the sermon text and sermon outline can also be a helpful way to start the group, even if everyone did hear the sermon.

At the end of the sermon, Dennis noted five real-life, practical questions that could arise after studying this passage. Most everyone in your group will likely be struggling with one of them. Use the questions and notes to lead your group to discuss issues that may have already come up in discuss, or use them as further application of the sermon.

Real Life Questions

  • Is it possible for me to be saved and Jesus not be Lord in my life?

The short answer is “no.” Read Matthew 7:21-22 and Luke 6:46-49. Salvation and lordship go together; failing to recognizing Jesus as Lord and a lack of desire to follow Him is an indication that we much examine whether we truly repented and placed our faith in Him.

Application: Do you want Jesus to be Lord of your life? Confess your sin of disobedience, repent, and turn to Christ in faith.

  • Can someone pray a prayer, walk an aisle, or even be baptized and go about his life as if nothing happened…and still call himself a Christian?

The short answer is, again, “no.” Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. God tells us in His word that those who have trusted in salvation are new. Their lives should not reflect the life of one who is of the world. That does not mean that discipleship is not an ongoing process—it is. All believers should be continually transforming into the image of Christ. But, one who is not bearing fruit (Gal. 6) and not desiring to become more like Christ over time should examine his salvation.

Application: Examine your life this week. Does your life reflect someone who has been changed by Christ? If it does not, have you ever truly made a decision to follow Christ? Find a friend who is a Christ-follower and talk this through with them.

  • If I love Jesus but struggle constantly with sin in my life, should I doubt my salvation?

Like the answer to the previous question, discipleship is a lifelong process on this earth. All believers will be constantly struggling against the sinful nature of our bodies. Conviction of sin is a sign of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. The person who is not convicted of sin, who accepts sin, and who disregards the Word of God in favor of his own merits is the one who should examine his salvation.

Application: Confess your sin to someone who can help with accountability. In what ways can you practically begin to help you in this area?

  • Should my child understand lordship before trusting Christ for salvation?

The short answer is “yes.” The truths that apply to salvation for adults also apply to children. Obviously, age appropriate language and theological understanding is different for children. However, the issues are the same, and a child is able to understand that following Jesus means that He forgives their sin but also is their Boss. Following Jesus means following Jesus at every age; obedience and lordship may look a little different on the outside for a ten year-old compared a forty year-old, but the truths and principles are the same.

Application: Think through how you can biblically explain the gospel to the children around you. How would you explain Jesus as their Boss? Make a decision and a plan to be ready to share the gospel with your children or those around you so that when they ask questions, you can share confidently.

  • When I share the gospel with someone, I want them to have assurance…so should I include what the Bible teaches about lordship or should that come later?

As with the first question, salvation is not a two-step process. Salvation is a free gift, but it produces a changed life. Salvation is free, but it is not cheap. If someone wants a cheap gift, then their decision is not based on full information. A decision to follow Christ should be made after counting the cost (Luke 14:25-33).

Application: Practice sharing the gospel with a friend this week. Practice asking each other questions that often come up with others when sharing so that you can be prepared to share the full gospel and the commitment Jesus requires.

Encourage group members to consider which question that has grabbed their attention the most for their lives and to work through the answer and application part this week.

Weekly Prayer Focus

Pray for Our Church:

  • Praise God for revealing who Jesus truly is.
  • Thank God for saving us through Christ, and pray that we would be bold in our confession of Who He is.
  • Ask for God’s strength to help as we take up our crosses daily and follow Him.

Pray for Our City:

  • Pray for Brother Bryan Mission, that each client could return to his family, church, and community free from addiction and with stable employment, housing, and a healthy relationship with God and others.
  • Pray for Christ the King Anglican Church and for Pastor Lyle Dorsett

Pray for Our World:

  • Pray for the seventeen Brook Hills’ Mid-Termers who are serving around the world this summer.
  • Visit brookhills.org/missionaries for more ways to pray.

The Church at Brook Hills “The (Not So) Fine Print of Following Jesus,”May 21, 2017 | Page 1