CrossWay Community Church | Bristol, WI

<p>Sermon Application Questions:</p><p> </p><p>1. It’s hard for all of us to acknowledge our sin. What tendencies to avoid acknowledging your sin do you see in yourself? What are the affects you experience as a result of not acknowledging your sin?</p><p> </p><p>2. What part of God’s solution to your sin problem is most meaningful to you? What is the most meaningful way you have expressed your gratitude to God for his provision?</p><p>_____________________________</p><p>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

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<p>Sermon Application Questions:</p><p><br></p><p>1. What are the ways you are “prone to wander”? Do you find any connections between the “wanderings” of the people outlined in Nehemiah 13 and those of your own life? How would God call you to respond to the awareness of your wanderings?</p><p><br></p><p>2. Stop and consider that simple phrase in v. 22: “The greatness of your steadfast love.” Do you sense that you feel the weight of the reality of the “steadfastness” of God’s love for you? What scripture helps you to know and feel this? Consider some of the passages that were referenced in the sermon, e.g. Psalm 25, Psalm 103, Romans 8, Hebrews 12.</p><p>_____________________________</p><p>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:</p><p><br></p><p>1. Read Jeremiah 32:36-44, a prophecy about the return of God’s people from exile in Babylon. What do you see fulfilled in this prophecy in Nehemiah 11-12?</p><p><br></p><p>2. Why did the people gather to rejoice in Jerusalem?</p><p><br></p><p>3. We saw four pictures of devoted and joyful community. Which of them was most encouraging or inspiring to you and why? </p><p><br></p><p>4. How might your small group grow to be more like the picture of devoted and joyful community seen in Nehemiah 11-12?</p><p><br></p><p>_____________________________</p><p>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions: </p><p><br></p><p>1. Did God "highlight" anything in the passage--did anything jump off the page as a message for you? </p><p><br></p><p>2. What are some ways your gospel community can commit to holiness--to be distinctly good in ways that represent God's grace to outsiders? </p><p><br></p><p>3. Is your commitment to God empowered by the gospel? Why or why not? </p><p><br></p><p>4. Is there anything in your life that is keeping you from a wholehearted commitment to God? </p><p><br></p><p>_____________________________ </p><p>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. If you were asked to describe what God is like in a word or two what would you say? Why did you choose the words you chose?<br> <br>2. How does reading through the history of Nehemiah 9:9-31 affect you? Are there any similarities there to your own history?<br> <br>3. Think about how you have experienced the mercy of God. What stands out?<br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. How do you come to the gathering on Sunday mornings? Take a moment to actually think about the state of mind and heart you are typically in on Sunday. How would you describe that in a word or two? Does it match with what Nehemiah 8 pictures for us?<br> <br>2. Stop and imagine for a moment what your life would really be like without God’s word. In the absence of God’s word what would you most likely live by?<br> <br>3. Which of the six components outlined in the sermon is most in need of attention for you? What practical step can you take to strengthen your commitment to and practice of that component?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>Do you feel like you live with an awareness of God’s personal knowledge of you and his care for you? What convinces you that God is, in fact, personally attentive to you?<br> <br>2. How aware are you that while God cares about your here and now, he is also moving you (and others) toward some great future time and place? How real is that to you day to day and what difference does it make? What difference should it make?<br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. When was the last time you faced opposition for being committed to Christ and his kingdom? What form did that opposition take? How did you respond? How do you wish you would have responded?<br><br>2. What about God most strengthens your desire to stay with the work? Think carefully about this recognizing that particular truth about God should have particular effects in our lives<br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. What makes it challenging for you to be generous? Is there a particular desire, for example for security or comfort, that makes it challenging for you to give to others? How does the gospel motivate us to be generous?<br><br>2. Do you find that you’re in close enough relationships with others that you see opportunities to be generous? If not, what can you do to grow in your relationships at CrossWay?<br><br>3. Why does God describe the relationship he wants with his people using the word “fear”? Describe the kind of fear that is right for Christians to have towards God. Do you find yourself growing in this right kind of fear? How can you pursue greater growth?<br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. Where do you see opposition to Christianity and Christians in our culture today? In what form do you experience opposition?<br><br>2. Do you find yourself tempted to discouragement or fear when you see or experience opposition? What form does that take? If not one of those, how does it affect you?<br><br>3. How does directing your thoughts to truth about God help you avoid discouragement and fear? What specific truths about God help you?<br><br>4. This passage shows us how God uses both our praying and our working (i.e. our participation in strengthening his kingdom and helping others enter it) in accomplishing his purposes. Are you more likely to neglect praying or working? How does remembering what God is like help you pursue the more neglected of those with renewed vigor?<br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. When was the last time you experienced the effect of a fellow Christian’s sin? When do you think was the last time someone experienced the effect of your sin? When you felt the effect of another’s sin, were you tempted at all to disengage from serving God?<br><br>2. How have you experienced “multiplied” and enriched relationships in the course of your engagement with God’s work?<br><br>3. As you look around and see others engaging in Kingdom work, whether large or small, what effect does that have on you?<br><br>4. What brings you the most joy?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. When you read a book like Nehemiah do you ever think something like, “What does this have to do with me?” How did this sermon help you with that question?<br><br>2. Are you convinced that God actually does listen to you when you pray? What effect would really believing that--or not believing that—have on your praying? When was the last time you prayed truly believing God was listening?<br><br>3. How much of your day do you spend with at least some awareness that you are part of God’s work in the world? What specific effects does it have on you when you live in that awareness?<br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br>(None for September 4)<br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. Surveying the entire Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, in what ways do you see God's desire to dwell with His people appear? What do these reveal about the character of God?<br><br>2. Do you find it easier to see God as a God of grace or as a God of righteousness? Why is it dangerous when one side nullifies the other? How would daily meditation on the cross of Christ help keep both God's grace and God's righteousness in proper perspective?<br><br>3. Jesus longs for you to be with Him where He is. How does this truth stir your own love and longing for Jesus? Why is it important for us to long to be with Jesus? What are some influences in your life that pull you away from longing for Jesus, and what are some influences that increase your desire for Him? What are practical things you can do to minimize the bad influences and maximize the good influences?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. As you reflect on how God brought you to faith in Christ, did your observation of relationships among Christians play any part in you perceiving the reality of Christianity?<br><br>2. As you think about your relationships with other Christians, especially at CrossWay, do they bear the marks modeled by the unity among God the Father, Son, and Spirit (shared truth, mutual love, common aim)? Is there one of those marks you could take a step to strengthen in your relationships?<br><br>3. What place does the unity of God’s people have in your prayers? How can you make this a greater priority?<br><br>4. Is there a relationship with another Christian where you think you need to take a step to bring greater unity to the church? What step do you think you need to take?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. How would you define a disciple of Jesus Christ? Do the ideas of distinct and deployed appear in your definition? How should these realities of what it means to be a disciple show up in your prayers, in your priorities, and in your weekly rhythms?<br><br>2. How do you typically pray when you are in a difficult circumstance? In what ways could God use a challenging circumstance you are in right now to advance the gospel?<br><br>3. Author and Professor, Dr. Carl Trueman states “One of the temptations at a time of tremendous flux and change is to fixate upon the immediate challenges to the Christian faith… Yet there’s a danger here: we can become so preoccupied with specific threats that we neglect the important fact that Christian truth is not a set of isolated and unconnected claims, but rather stands as a coherent whole… If, as I contend, modern sexual and identity politics are functions of deeper notions of selfhood, then we need first to know what the Christian view of the self is in order to address them. And as the Bible teaches that the human self is made in the image of God, we need a good grasp of the doctrine of God. In short, we stand strong at this cultural moment and address the specific challenges we face only if our foundations in God’s truth are broad and deep.”<br><br>How are you regularly reading and meditating upon God’s Word to keep your foundations in God’s truth broad and deep?<br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. If you are a Christian, what effect does it have on you to reflect on the reality that God chose you for eternal life and gave you to Jesus (v. 2)?<br><br>2. In what ways are you tempted to make eternal life a result of your own works, rather than a free gift? What are you tempted to feel like you must do in order to be confident you have eternal life? How are you helped by being reminded that Jesus purchased it for you through his death?<br><br>3. When you think about eternal life, is what you most treasure and anticipate knowing God (v. 3)? Why or why not? Since for Christians eternal life has already begun, how can you seek to know God better now?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. Reread Matthew 7:13-29. Which of these illustrations that Jesus uses at the end of the Sermon on the Mount is most sobering to you? Why is that?<br> <br>2. If you are already a committed follower of Christ, what effect do you think Jesus intends these illustrations to have on you?<br> <br>3. What has been the overall effect of the Sermon on the Mount on you? Has it made you feel more like you gotta do better? Or has it strengthened your gratitude and joy for the way that Christ is at work in you and for his promise to continue to bring that work all the way to completion?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. How might you go about assessing whether you’ve got the “log” of self-righteous judgment in your “eye”? If you detect it, what steps might you take to remove it?<br> <br>2. Should you ever be concerned about the “speck” in your brother’s eye? What does v. 5 suggest? Have you ever experienced the good of someone helping you with some “speck” in your life?<br> <br>3. How strong would you say the impulse is in your heart to “ask”, “seek” and “knock”? Is that a pretty much constant impulse or is it something that shows up only occasionally? What might you to do cultivate a more consistent posture of active dependence on God?<br> <br>Bonus Question – How consciously and consistently grateful are you for all the “good things” you have received from God in Christ? What good things are you most regularly grateful for?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. What things in this world tend to draw your heart away from full devotion to God? This is a simple and straightforward question but honesty and clarity here is a critical first step in helping you respond to and benefit from Christ’s words in Matthew 6.<br> <br>2. What things do you tend to be anxious about? Again, be honest and specific here. Bringing the small “t” truth of personal honesty alongside the big “T” truth of God’s word will produce good results.<br> <br>3. “Our anxiety about things reveals that we’re focusing too much on the things of this world.” Do you think that statement is true? If it is true, where does it point for a solution?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. Are there any ways that you are tempted to "heap up empty phrases" in your prayer?<br><br>2. What are some ways that you pray for God's name, kingdom, and will?<br><br>3. Are you more comfortable praying about God's name, kingdom, and <a href="http://will...or" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">will...or</a> your own needs? Why?<br><br>4. If God knows your needs, and can give you what you need, how should that affect the nature and frequency of your prayer?<br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. Think of various “acts of righteousness” you engage in. Where do you most persistently or strongly experience the temptation to “be seen”? What does that look like? Is there a particular person or group you want to “be seen” by?<br> <br>2. Describe what goes on in your heart when you do receive the praise of men? How rewarding is that?<br> <br>3. Are there some adjustments, along the lines of Jesus’ instruction, that you need to make to purposefully protect against the temptation to seek the praise of men and to help direct your heart exclusively to God?<br> <br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. Is there a past hurt in your life regarding which you are finding it difficult to forgive and desire good for the person responsible? Do you find help in considering how Jesus endured difficulty by entrusting judgment to God (1 Peter 3:23)? <br><br>2. When Jesus calls us to love our enemies (v. 44), is there someone who comes to mind for you? Is there someone who has sought or continues to seek to harm you, whether by keeping you at a distance, slandering you, or in some way persecuting you? What could you do to love that person according to Jesus’ teaching?<br><br>3. Is there someone for whom you think you ought to begin consistently praying, whether for God to change your heart towards them, for God to do them good in a particular way, for God to grant them repentance and forgiveness or for all of the above? How will you remember to pray for them?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. What is on your list of “sacred things”, things that you would want to guard and protect at virtually any cost? Is your own trustworthiness on that list?<br> <br>2. If you are married, think back to the time you spoke your vows. Do you still feel the weight and “sacredness” of those vows? Do you experience joy in honoring and protecting them?<br> <br>3. Has there been a recent time that you’ve been tempted to evade or shade the simple truth in your speech? What might you need to put in place to protect your trustworthiness?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. Are you ever tempted to think, “Well, as long as I don’t commit such and such an act I’m all right”? In other words, do you see things going on in your heart and mind as real sin that needs to be stopped?<br><br>2. What temptations to sin are most painful to you, things that you wrestle with and wish you could be done with?<br><br>3. Where does God want you to go in your struggle with sin? Look at and carefully consider Hebrews 4:15-5:3. Pay particular attention to both the logic and the language used, e.g. words like “weaknesses”, “need”, and “wayward”. Pay especially close attention to v. 16.<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>

<p>Sermon Application Questions:<br><br>1. What is your first instinctive reaction when you read Matthew 5:20? How does understanding v. 17 help you rightly understand v. 20?<br> <br>2. Why do you think Jesus stresses the truth found in these verses before we get to the things he’s about to talk about in the remainder of chapter 5?<br> <br>3. Are you ever tempted to revert back to a “scribes and pharisees” kind of righteousness? What things in life tempt you that way? What should you do when you face that temptation?<br><br>_____________________________<br>Music and Lyrics Used by Permission CCLI# 1595532</p>