Prayer
Because the primary goal of our time together is to establish relationships and learn how to walk with one another in all that God has called us to be and do, we’d like to begin by praying for one another. So, does anyone have anything you’d like us to pray for or anything to share regarding how you’ve seen God moving in your life that we can celebrate together?
Opening Question
What is the farthest place you have ever journeyed to?
Explanation
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
– Matthew 16:21
In the sermon, we heard that Jesus began explaining his future suffering after Peter identifies him as the Messiah, the Son of God. Why must we first recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, before we can begin to understand the work he did on the cross?
How has Jesus revealed himself as Messiah to you?
What areas of your life are in need of God’s redemption, freedom, and salvation?
Confrontation
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
– Matthew 16:22-23
The disciples would have expected the Messiah to set them free from the political oppression of Rome. How did God’s plan for redemption differ from theirs?
How can we keep our hearts and minds open to God’s plan when it differs from our expectations of him?
Invitation
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
– Matthew 16:24-28
God’s journey for us includes three unique invitations:
Prioritizing God’s Concerns
Given your understanding of the gospel, what do you believe concerns God most in the world?
Given your understanding of God’s love for you, what do you believe concerns him most in your life currently?
How can you prioritize God’s concerns for the world and for you this week?
Humility
What are some characteristics of a humble person?
Who in your life has modeled humility for you?
What spiritual practices help you grow in humility?
Test the Limits of How You Love People
What kinds of circumstances or situations in your work, home, or social life make loving others challenging?
Jesus’s love for us involved great sacrifice. How can we cultivate love like that in our daily lives?
Closing Thought
End your time together praying for any needs the group may have, asking God to help light the path of the journey he has us on individually and corporately.