Discussion Questions

1. Can you think of a time when you finally understood something that had confused you for a long time? What helped it click?
   
   
2. Was there anything in the text in sermon this week that jumped out at you, or anything you want to discuss in group?
   
   
3. Read Matthew 5:14–16. Think about Christians you've known who made Jesus attractive to you and others who may have had the opposite effect. What was different about them?
   
   
4. Do you ever struggle to share your faith or let others know that you're a Christian? What does that look like, and why do you think that is?
   
   
5. Jesus doesn't just tell people to listen; he warns them to pay attention to how they listen. What are some things that can make a person resistant to hearing something they don't want to hear, even when they know it's true?
   
   
6. What do you think is more dangerous to someone's spiritual growth: not knowing what Scripture says or knowing what it says and becoming comfortable ignoring it? Why?
   
   
7. Read James 1:22–25. James says that people can deceive themselves by hearing the Word without obeying it. How might someone genuinely believe they're spiritually healthy while overlooking serious problems in their life?
   
   
8. Reread Mark 4:24-25 and then Hebrews 3:12-13. The passage suggests that sin can deceive us and that we need other believers to help us recognize it. What makes it difficult to let other Christians speak into our lives? What makes that kind of relationship possible?