Discussion Questions:
What is the purpose of marriage according to God’s design? Why is it important to keep this at the centre of marriage?
If married, how is your marriage reflecting the mystery of the union of Christ and the Church?
If unmarried, how does the passage encourage you to remember the centrality of your union to Christ by faith?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Do you know and believe that there is a real difference between Christian thoughts & life; mind & practice? Discuss where these differences are lived out and seen in real life.
How do you make sense of your own Christian imperfection and experience of brokenness and fallenness that often resemble the lives of unbelievers?
What is the key to our “Christian contradiction”? And how is it different from “hypocrisy”?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What is your experience of the love of Christ in your current season of life?
How has it been, trusting that the Father is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think?
How can your fellow brothers/sisters encourage you in your faith today?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What were we once upon a time as Gentiles in the flesh? What has changed now in Christ?
How did God bring down the dividing wall between the Jews and Gentiles?
How does your identity in Christ strengthen your faith in relation to the rest of the Church?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How can you understand “spiritual death in sin” when biologically you are very much alive
According to the sermon, what is “unique, stubborn and defiant” about God’s love?
What is the purpose and direction of your life and work? Can you say that they are by God and for God which He prepared beforehand?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Do you live in the wealth of your Christian inheritance? Are the “eyes of your hearts enlightened”?
Which particular “inheritance” do you experience and enjoy the most?
How does the power of Christ rule “not only in the age to come, but also in this one”?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What is your treasure? (—whether they be financial security, health, reputation, family, other relationship(s), …or, perhaps it is Christ, redemption, and resurrection hope?
What does the “location of your treasure” reveal about the condition of your heart?
Considering God’s great gift and sacrifice of His Son Jesus, how can we better understand the Father’s heart, and grow in faith?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Why is the doctrine of election meant to be such a deep comfort to Christians struggling to find assurance in God?
How does the gruesome historicity of the crucifixion actual comfort Christians questioning God’s love?
How does the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit encourage and assure Christians wrestling with doubt and fear?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What new things about Paul’s activities or spiritual/theological mind-set have you learned in the sermon?
What significance does the Ephesian church hold for the early church development?
How does “grace and peace” communicate a unique New Testament Christian greetings to the church?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
When/where in your life are you tempted to make your boast in things of the flesh?
What does it look like for you to make Christ your only boast in life?
How can we encourage and spur one another on to make our boast in Christ, and not things of the flesh?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
According to the sermon, why do we struggle, compete and often experience burden
and bitterness?
Why is sense of purpose and calling so important in life?
According to the passage, what kind of sowing and what kind of reaping make
everything, even struggles and trials, worth all the while?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How are you going in your daily battle against the flesh? What are some particular areas of weakness?
How does the gospel empower you and encourage you to walk in the Spirit and put to the death the flesh?
What does it actually look like to ‘put to death’ the misdeeds of the flesh? Why is it so important?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What is at stake if the resurrection is not true and Jesus is still dead?
How does the resurrection of Jesus radically shape and direct the way you live your Christian life?
How does the resurrection of Jesus give you comfort and hope when you experience death in your life?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What is the big deal about circumcision in Judaism?
What sort of things bind us or weigh us down against spiritual freedom?
What does true freedom in Christ look and feel like, and what can we do with our freedom?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What is indicated by the “fleshly effort” vs. free, inheritance, and promise?
Why is the gospel of grace better than merit-based rewards?
How does the “flesh” persecute your spiritual pursuit?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Where do you see the slavery of legalism in your own life? What impact does it make?
How does the sometimes hard truth of the gospel actually set you free from slavery to sin?
Why is it so important to constantly be on guard against legalism and keep returning to the gospel?
What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?