Pete Scribner Sermons

Study/review questions: 1-We began the sermon this Sunday by talking about the presence of “What is true” and “What to do” in God’s word. How do these two types of statements relate to each other, and why is it important to keep them in the right relationship to each other? 2-This passage talks about drawing near to God? What gets in the way of our doing this, and why is this an issue? 3-Verse 20 says that Jesus allows us to enter into the holy places “by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.” What does it mean that he has done this “through his flesh?” 4-In what sense does Jesus serve as a sacrifice, and in what ways does he differ from the sacrifices of the Old Testament? 5-What are the duties of a priest, and how exactly does Jesus serve as our high priest? How does he differ from the priests of the Old Testament? 6-We are called in verse 22 to have the “full assurance of faith,” and in verse 23 to “hold fast the confession of our hope without

Sermon review/study questions: 1-What reasons do we have to believe that the scribe’s question in this passage is not a trap like those of others who have recently confronted Jesus? (Hint: What is different about both the way he comes asking and the way Jesus responds?) 2-In answering, Jesus first references the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. How does the first part of the Shema (“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”) relate to the second part (“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”)? 3-After this, Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:8 in pointing out a second great command (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”). How does this second command relate to the first? 4-When the scribe concurs with Jesus, he points out that true love of God and true love of neighbor are more important than all the religious activity we might be involved in. What might you do to make love of God and love of neighbor more central t

Sermon Review/Study Questions: 1) It is easy to point to the Saduccees s the “bad guys,” but what are some specific ways that we act just like them? For help, remember the three points in the sermon: • We try to make God answer us on our terms • We fail to submit to God’s Word • We think only what we can imagine is possible 2) Jesus cites Exodus 3:6… “And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’” This is a formula used over 20x in the Pentateuch alone (the very part of the Scriptures that the Saduccees accepted). What are some of the reasons that it is important that he used this passage? 3) Of course the Saduccees didn’t have the New Testament (and would have no doubt rejected it if they did), but what does Paul say about the importance of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:1-19? 4) What are the implications of the following point which C.S. Lewis makes in his book, The Weight of Glory? “It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible g

Study/Review Questions: 1-Mark uses his common “sandwich” structure in placing the story of the fig tree surrounding the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple. What are the connections between the two stories? 2-What kind of fruit specifically was Jesus looking for from Israel? 3-Why specifically is Jesus so angry at the money-changers and those selling pigeons? 4-The cursing of the fig tree cursing (and, by extension, the cleansing of the Temple) is not just about historical Israel. It is also about us as the people of God. How so? 5-Some people think that simply being “religious” will be sufficient to avoid the judgment of God. What does this passage have to say to us about that? 6-Others think that just being a part of the Church is sufficient. What does this passage teach us about that perception (see also Hosea 2:12 and Micah 7:1-6)? 7-Why do you think Jesus pivots to teaching on prayer toward the end of this passage? 8-Are there people in your life who have wronged you that you need to forgive? T

Study/Review Questions for Mark 10:46-52... 1-What similarities and differences do you notice between the healing of the anonymous blind man in Mark 8:22-26 and the healing of Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52? Based on what happens between these two stories, what lesson(s) do you think Mark is intending to teach us? 2-Mark 10:46-48 demonstrates Bartimaeus’ example that a true disciple cries out to Jesus. How have you cried out to the Son of David? In what situations in your life do you need to continue to cry out to him? 3-Do you have any “beggars” in your life? How can you interact with them in a way that brings the love and truth of Christ to their lives? 4-Read Ephesians 2:1-3 and Romans 10:13. How do you apply these truths to your life? 5-Why is what Jesus says in Mark 4:24-25 so important related to our attentiveness to the teachings of God’s Word? 6-Mark 10:49-52 demonstrates Bartimaeus’ example that a true disciple is healed by Jesus. How has “Jesus stopped” and healed you? In what other ways do you

Study/review questions for this week: 1-What very real reasons did the disciples have for being fearful? What very real reasons cause us to be fearful? 2-Jesus’ three predictions of his death in Mark 8-10 each had a different emphasis (its necessity, its certainty, and its immediacy). Why was each of these important? 3-How else was the prediction in 10:32-34 different from the previous two (8:31 & 9:31)? What can we deduce from this? 4-What seems to be the motivation behind James’ and John’s request? What is especially ironic about this? Do you think they are different from the other disciples in their mindset? 5-How does truly believing the words of the 23rd Psalm (“The Lord is my shepherd…”) combat fear and self-centeredness and free us up to live Christ-like lives? 6-In 1 John 3:2 we read, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” Since transformation comes through seei

This week's study/review questions: 1-Jesus elevates the place of children amongst his people by not only receiving them into his arms and blessing them, but by explicitly saying (v. 14) “to such belongs the kingdom of God,” and (v. 15) “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” How exactly is it that we must become like little children? How is the mindset of the Rich Young Ruler very different from this? 2-Jesus seems to approach the questions of the Rich Young Ruler very differently than he does the similar questions that the scribes and Pharisees brought him. Why do you think he responds so differently? 3-In verse 21, Mark tells us that Jesus “looking at him, loved him.” How exactly did Jesus love the Rich Young Ruler here, and how is it similar to how he loved his disciples when “Jesus looked at them” in verse 27? 4-Why did Jesus tell the Rich Young Ruler to give away all he has when he doesn’t always require this of his followers? What should

Study/Review Questions: 1. When the Pharisees ask Jesus a question about divorce, are they actually looking to learn from his instruction? What is it that they are looking to accomplish? 2. Jesus responds by making the discussion primarily about marriage instead of divorce. He is essentially making the point that marriage as God intended is a good thing, not to be taken lightly, but rather held in the highest esteem. In short, it is to be lived out to the glory of God. What are some ways that we can do this? 3. When we consider what Christ has to say about marriage, should we be more concerned with how the culture at large falls short of his design, or should we be more concerned about the church? Consider how 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 might apply. 4. Look back at these verses specifically to review the six distinctives of God’s design for marriage listed in this week’s text: Mark 10:6 Mark 10:7b Mark 10:7a Mark 10:8 Mark 10:9a Mark 10:9b 5. We also covered a seventh distinctive of God’s design for marriage,

Study/Review Questions: 1) In his classic work, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis said that pride is “the essential vice, the utmost evil,” and that “unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison.” Why did he say this? Do you think he was right? 2) What are some times in your life when pride has casued you to be too concerned with appearances? What did this end up costing you in the end? 3) How is the mindset of Christ different than the world’s in terms of who is most important? 4) Why is a child such a perfect illustration of the point that Jesus is making in this passage? 5) In what ways do we act as “glory hogs” in our lives? 6) There have been those in Christian history who have taken the words of Christ in verses 43-47 literally, plucking out eyes and cutting off hands. How is this to miss the point of what he is saying and why would it fail to keep us from sinning anyway? 7) How do the world’s standards of importance tend to influence our own? How can we guar

Study/review questions for this week: 1) True faith is focused on Jesus. What other things can we be tempted to focus on instead of Jesus, and what steps can we take to resist the temptation to have our focus diverted from our Lord? 2) How does the compassion of Jesus encourage us to stay focused on him? Consider Hebrews 12:2 as you think through this. 3) Why do you think the disciples were unable to deliver the boy from the demon when they had been succesful with such efforts in the past? What were they depending on? 4) Compare and contrast the father’s request with that of the leper who came to Jesus for healing in Mark 1:40. How are their requests similar? How are they different? 5) The man suggests that if Jesus has both the power and the compassion, his son might be delivered. What was the one other element that Mark (and Jesus!) highlights here? 6) In what ways do we fail to exercise faith? In other words, what are the times when we too could say, “I believe; help my unbelief!” just like the fath

Study/review questions for this week (and remember to join us Wednesday night when we cover these!): 1) This week we looked at how the Kingdom of God comes in power through holiness, through the word of God, through love, and through Christ’s substitution. In considering these, how does God use his power, and how does it differ from how we use whatever power we have? How might we use our power differently, and thus be more like him? 2) In what ways does the presence of Moses & Elijah with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration inform what his mission is? 3) At some level, we all hunger for glory, because we were created for glory. What do we learn from this passage about the path to glory? 4) Rev. Scribner made the point that we need to regain a fear of the Lord…and have that fear calmed by the loving touch of Jesus. What would it look like to regain a fear of the Lord, and how does it differ from other fears we have? 5) There is power in love. What are some examples of times (either in your life or t

Study/review questions for this week's sermon on Mark 8:22-38... 1) Rev. Scribner suggested that perhaps the healing of the blind man was not primarily for the sake of the blind man, but actually to teach a lesson to the disciples (and to us). What are some ways that God might work in your life that are not primarily for or about you? 2) The two-step healing of the blind man reminds us that Christian growth is ongoing and staggered, not an “all-at-once” proposition. How should this knowledge direct us toward humility, and how might that humility play itself out in our interactions with others? 3) Jesus says to Peter, “You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” What types of things is he talking about, and in what ways are we prone to setting our minds on the things of man instead of the things of God? 4) In his sermon Sunday, Rev. Scribner mentioned that we tend to have a well-developed theology of glory, but we don’t always have a well-developed theology of the cross.

Study/review questions for Mark 8:1-21... 1) Some find it unbelievable that the disciples could be so dense as they seem to be in Mark 8. This ignores the fact that they repeatedly act in such dense ways (and so do we!). What causes such things? 2) Much like the disciples, we are at times guilty of sinful forgetfulness. What things has Christ done for you that ought to encourage you to trust and faithfulness, but you sometimes fail to apply to your life? 3) In out passage Mark 8, Jesus is moved by compassion to feed the crowd. Do you think of Jesus as being “compassionate?” How would it change your faith to spend more time meditating specifically on the compassion of Christ? 4) The miracles of Jesus are not just magic tricks, but are signs pointing to certain truths about him and his kingdom. What is it that he was demonstrating through the feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand? 5) Jesus warns the disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. If indeed this “leaven”