Fired Up (part 5) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Sunday, May 25, 2025, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on John 15:26-16:4. This message was part 5 of the “Fired Up” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video from the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read John 15:26 – 16:4a
  3. In general, do you like to share good news?  Since the Gospel message is the BEST NEWS, why do you think Christians struggle to share this message with others?
  4. Have you ever experienced opposition to your faith in Jesus?  If so, when was that?  What happened and how did you respond?
  5. Will you determine now to stand with Jesus in morality, in saying He is the only Way, and in community with His people?  What are some areas where you may be tempted to walk away from Christ in today’s world due to pressure from those around you?
  6. The Holy Spirit comes to give witness to Jesus in a lost world and to work through His followers to give additional witness to who Jesus is to those who do not currently know Him.  How does knowing the Holy Spirit is present in our lives inspire you to be more bold in your witness for Jesus?
  7. This week, think through three different 1-5 minute versions of your personal testimony with Jesus that you could share with others as you give a witness for Him.  Think of the different things that Jesus has done in your life that you might be able to share with others in different circumstances.
  8. Pray for opportunities to be a witness for Jesus this week!
  9. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

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Fired Up #5 5.25.25

 

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Fired Up (part 3) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Sunday, May 11, 2025, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on John 13:15, 34-35. This message was part 3 of the “Fired Up” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video from the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read John 13:15, 33-35
  3. Have you ever thought of God the Father as being firm, while Jesus is fun?  The Father represents the Law and the Son Love?  The Father holiness and the Son helpful?  What kinds of dichotomies have you created about the identity of God the Father and God the Son?  How does the Holy Spirit fit into your thinking?
  4. Jesus commands His followers to love as He has loved them.  He defined love and modeled love for them.  How does Jesus define love?  How does the world around you define love?
  5. How are you doing loving others as Jesus loved you?  Any particular areas in which the Lord was challenging you during this message today?
  6. More than just a call to individuals, Jesus was collectively calling His people to love as He loved.  This creates a community that has evangelistic effectiveness and creates an environment of loving growth inside the church.  From your experience, do churches tend to be places marked by the love of Jesus, or something else?  How are you contributing to this environment (positively or negatively)?
  7. The standard that Jesus sets is well beyond our natural ability.  We need both forgiveness and empowerment.  Thankfully, Jesus gives both!  Do you need to ask Jesus for forgiveness today for a “less than Jesus love-full” life?  Do you need to ask His Spirit to enable you to love as He has loved? If so, spend some time with the Lord in prayer now.
  8. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

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Fired Up #3 5.11.25

 

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Fired Up (part 2) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Sunday, May 4, 2025, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on John 14:25-26 and 16:12-15. This message was part 2 of the “Fired Up” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video from the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read John 14:25-26, 16:12-15
  3. Have you ever had the chance to interact with the artist or author of a favorite song, book, or work of art?  If not, who would you LIKE to talk to about something they have created?  When you interacted with this person (or if you could interact with them) what did you/would you ask them?  How would you anticipate that interaction increasing your appreciation for the art they produced?
  4. In this morning’s message, we talked about how Jesus highlighted the Holy Spirit’s role in the formation of the New Testament.  What stood out to you most from this study?  Does the Spirit’s role in the formation of the Holy Spirit INCREASE your confidence and appreciation of the New Testament?  Why or why not?
  5. What would you NOT KNOW ABOUT were it not for the New Testament?  Take a moment to thank God for the gift of the New Testament.
  6. What is your plan for reading the Bible over the next 60 days?
  7. We shared a set of prayers mentioned in “The Bible Recap.”  Consider taking a few minutes and praying these prayers before your Bible reading over the next 60 days. These 4 prayers:  (1) God, give me wisdom, knowledge & understanding as I read.  (2) Let any knowledge gained help me love You and others more, not puff me up.  (3) Help me see something new about You that I haven’t seen before.  (4) Direct my steps according to Your Word.
  8. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

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Fired Up #2 5.4.25

 

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Fired Up (part 1) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Sunday, April 27, 2025, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on John 14:1-6, 16-20.  This message was part 1 of the “Fired Up” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video from the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read John 14:1-6, 16-20
  3. In John 16:7 Jesus told His disciples that it was to their advantage that He go away and send the Holy Spirit to them.  Jesus was saying that it was better to have the Spirit inside of them than to have Jesus beside them.  In what ways do you think this is true?  What questions do you still have about His statement?
  4. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, showed great concern for His disciples’ future in John 14:1-6.  Jesus was making THE TRUE WAY for all who believe in Him to experience everlasting LIFE.  In what ways has Jesus prepared YOU for YOUR eternal future?
  5. Jesus also shows great concern for the disciples’ PRESENT (and for our present as well!)  He sends the “Helper,” the Holy Spirit, to strengthen and encourage us in this life.  What did you learn about the Holy Spirit from Jesus’ comments in John 14:16-20?
  6. In John 14, there are many things that point toward the Trinity.  What stands out to you most about the Trinity from our discussion today?  What questions do you still have about the Trinity?
  7. If the Holy Spirit is God, and the Holy Spirit is in all believers in Jesus in a permanent way, then we have access to God WHEREVER WE ARE, we are never alone, and our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit today.  Any specific applications come to your mind about these conclusions drawn today?
  8. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

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Fired Up #1 4.27.25

 

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Easter Sunday 2025 Sermon Questions, Audio, & Video

On Sunday, April 20, 2025 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on John 20:1-18.  This message was the Easter Sunday sermon for 2025.  Below you will find questions related to this message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find the audio and video of the sermon to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read John 20:1-18
  3. Culturally, Easter is associated with “happy things” … bright colors, nice weather, etc.  Does this festive “color” of the season on the outside match how you are feeling on the inside today?  Why or why not?
  4. Imagine you were one of the key people we talked about this morning:  Mary Magdalene, John, or Peter.  With Mary, we talked about how Jesus was a part of her past, but she probably was grieving the loss of Jesus in her present or future.  With John, we talked about the business John had left to follow Jesus, and he may have been wondering if that was worth it.  With Peter, we talked about how he had denied Jesus 3 times, and may have been wondering if it was “over for him” even if the Jesus movement continued.  Can you identify (at this stage of your life, or at a previous stage of your life) with any of the feelings of these people ?
  5. Jesus’ body was dead and buried in John 19.  Are you experiencing any despair or mourning related to serious illness or death today?
  6. The story of Easter is a “first day” story.  Easter is not the end, but the beginning!  Jesus reminded Mary, John, and Peter (AND US) that He was making all things new.  How does Jesus’ interactions with His people in John 20 encourage you as you “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” today?
  7. Have you trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins?
  8. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

To listen to message offline, click the link:

Easter Sunday 4.20.25

 

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Trial to Triumph (part 5) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Sunday, April 13, 2025, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on John 19:1-16a.  This message was part 5 of the “Trial to Triumph” Easter sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video from the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read John 19:1-16a
  3. For 2,000 years now humanity has surveyed the wondrous cross of Christ.  When you think of the cross, what comes to your mind?  How do you think God wants you to respond to the cross of Christ?
  4. More than just moving us to tears or pity, God desires that we understand the significance of the cross.  Read again the verses covered this morning from Romans 3:22-25.  According to these verses, what is the significance of the cross, and how does God desire that you and respond to it?
  5. The Jewish religious leaders had A LOT of information and religion … but it did not make a significant difference in their lives.  Do you know of any current examples of movements or people who have a lot of information and religion but fail to trust in Jesus for salvation?  Take some time for the “veil to be lifted” (2 Corinthians 3:15-16) and people to come to faith in Christ.
  6. Pilate was afraid of Jesus, but he was even more afraid of the crowd and his potential loss in power.  What do you fear MORE?  Other people, circumstances, or God.  If you revered God most, how would that impact your daily life decisions?
  7. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

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Trial tomb Triumph #5 4.13.25

 

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Trial to Triumph (part 4) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Sunday, April 6, 2025, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on John 18:28-40.  This message was part 4 of the “Trial to Triumph” Easter sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video from the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read John 18:28-40
  3. Today’s verses involve looking at Pontius Pilate’s and the Jewish leaders’ responses to Jesus.  Before today’s message, what did you know about Pontius Pilate, and the reasons for the Jewish leadership’s rejection of Jesus?
  4. The Jewish leaders wanted Pilate’s help in executing Jesus in order to kill Jesus in a way that would publicly humiliate Him, and hopefully squash the Jesus movement as a result.  They assumed that hanging Jesus from a tree would reveal that He was cursed before God.  However, Jesus took the curse of sin in order to free us from the curse our sin required!  God used the sinful and selfish decisions of men to work together His perfect plan of salvation.  How has this study helped you understand the purpose of the cross?
  5. How would you describe your response to Jesus?  Like His disciples have you received Him (John 1:12), or like the Jewish leaders have you rejected Him (John 1:11)?
  6. In what ways (if any) are you tempted to have your religious practice take priority over your relationship with God?
  7. Jesus, the innocent, died in the place of us, the guilty.  Take a moment and thank God for this saving exchange!
  8. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

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Trial tomb Triumph #4 4.6.25

 

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Trial to Triumph (part 3) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Sunday, March 30, 2025, at Wildwood Community Church, Care Pastor John Abernethy preached a sermon based on John 18:15-18, 25-27.  This message was part 3 of the “Trial to Triumph” Easter sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video from the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read John 18:15-18, 25-27.
  3. Peter left everything to follow Jesus. He then spent 3 years observing (and participating in) the miracles and teachings of Jesus. List some of the truths about Jesus that he should have learned.
  4. Peter told Jesus he would go to prison and even to death with Him. Then Jesus told him that, instead, Peter would deny Him. How do you think Peter felt? Could it have influenced his actions in the Garden during Jesus’ arrest? [proving himself?] How would you have felt if Jesus told you that you would fail Him?
  5. When Peter followed Jesus into the courtyard and then denied Him, what should or could he have done differently?
  6. Read 1 Pet. 3:13-16 and 1 Pet. 5:5-9. Which commands from these verses stand out to you?
  7. Think of a time when you have “denied Christ…” Which point from these passages did you fail to live out?
  8. Read John 21:15-17 and summarize the passage. What is happening? What does Jesus want Peter to do?
  9. List some ways that the restoration of Peter encourages you in your life and faith.
  10. Read Acts 4:18-21. How has Peter changed since he denied Christ?
  11. Spurgeon says, “He perseveres in the falsehood he has spoken. He adds lie to lie and sinks deeper in the mire. Left to himself his course is downward…” What are some reasons people might continue to lie once they have started? What should they do instead?
  12. What is one particular application that you took away from this message?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

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Trial tomb Triumph #3 3.30.25

 

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Trial to Triumph (part 2) Sermon Audio, Video, & Questions

On Sunday, March 23, 2025, at Wildwood Community Church, Care Pastor John Abernethy preached a sermon based on John 18:12-14, 19-24 & Matthew 26:57-68, 27:1-2.  This message was part 2 of the “Trial to Triumph” Easter sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video from the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read John 18:12-14, 19-24  &  Matt. 26:57-68, 27:1-2
  3. Like the Jewish leaders, some people have a mistaken or incomplete view of who Jesus is. What are some mistaken views of Jesus that you have heard? (For example: Jesus was a good, moral teacher but definitely not God.)
  4. Why do you think people hold that (or those) views? (Example: They haven’t read or studied what Jesus claimed.)
  5. C. S. Lewis said, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic…or else He would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
    What is the main point that Lewis is making? How might it help you as you share / discuss the Gospel message with others?
  6. What about you personally…where might you have a mistaken or incomplete view of who Jesus is or what He has done? What effect might that be having on you?
  7. What stood out to you most about Jesus’ trials?
  8. Jesus was bound for His trials. Spurgeon said Jesus was bound with our bonds instead of us being bound. What did Spurgeon mean?
  9. How does Jesus’ willingness and humility to endure these trials and go to the cross encourage you in your faith?
  10. What is one particular application that you took away from this message?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

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Trial tomb Triumph #2 3.23.25

 

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