On Sunday, March 8, 2015 I preached a message at Wildwood Community Church that was based on Mark 10:35-45. This message was the fourth in the series – “Passion Road: Meeting Jesus on the Way to the Cross.” Below are a set of questions tied to this message for further reflection or group discussion.
Questions:
- Read Mark 10:35-45
- What are some specific ways following Jesus has you live in a “totally different time zone” from the rest of the world around you?
- James and John come to Jesus and want to ask Him to give them “whatever they want.” Though this request seems ridiculous on the pages of the Scripture, in what ways do you find a similar attitude in yourself when you go before the Lord in prayer?
- Has there been a time in your life where your expectations of what you wanted Jesus to do went unmet causing you to have a crisis (large or small) in your faith?
- Jesus does not rebuke James and John for their request. Instead, Jesus simply recalibrate their expectations of what it would look like to follow Him. Instead of His followers getting “whatever they ask” they sometimes experience a “cup” or “baptism” or hardship or persecution. Have you ever experienced this in your own life?
- Make no mistake, Jesus had good plans for James and John. Their lives were (and are in eternity) deeply blessed. How does their example help you persevere when you experience difficulty in life?
- Instead of the Christian life being about luxury and privilege, it is a life of service to others (following the example of Jesus Christ.) In what ways are you most challenged for your daily life by the example of Jesus living as a “slave to all”?
- What are some specific ways you can serve others around you this week?
- Have you ever placed your faith in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the ransom our sins demanded? If so, when? If not, why not?
- What stood out to you most from this message today?