Michael Abrams

Psalm 46: Silence and Solitude

  1. What has worship on a Sunday looked like or felt like over the quarantine? 

  2. What are some different or creative ways you or your family can meet with people while still social distancing this week? 

  3. What has your personal time with the Lord looked like in quarantine? What has the Lord been teaching you?

  4. Where do you like to go to experience solitude and silence? 

  5. Read Psalm 46. What verse or verses stood out to you and why? 

  6. How can we receive solitude and silence from the Lord that calms our hearts and minds even amidst chaos? 

Psalm 42: Honesty with God

  1. What do you miss the most about physically worshipping together with our church family? 

  2. Read Psalm 42. What verse or verses resonate with you right now and why?

  3. Are we being honest with ourselves and others about how we are really feeling right now? If so, how has this helped us navigate our new normal? If not, what is stopping us from processing our disappointment and negative emotions?  

  4. Are we being honest with God about how we are really feeling right now? If so, how has this helped us navigate our new normal? If not, what is stopping us from being honest with God? 

  5. God’s character and attributes are vast. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Is there a particular aspect of who God is that is bringing you encouragement in these days? Why is that particular one encouraging to you? 

  6. How can we “preach the gospel to ourselves?” How can we “preach the gospel to others?”

 

The Psalms are such a gift from God. They let us see how we can be honest with God about how we feel, and yet simultaneously trust in Him, His character, and His promises. This week, use one of the Psalms as a template to write your own Psalm to God that expresses how you really feel and how at the same time you are trusting Him, His faithfulness, and His never-ending love.

Palm Sunday

Discussion Questions

  1. Why does Mark tell this story (like many others in his gospel) with imagery that points us back to the Old Testament?

  2. This story points to Jesus being the coming king. In our lives, do we see Jesus as our king? If so, how? If not, why not? 

  3. In a time that has slowed down and it seems like not much is happening, what do we find ourselves missing? Why do we miss them? 

  4. We know the truth of scripture tells us that God is with us. How have we experienced this truth in a real and personal way over the last few weeks? 

  5. How can we see and experience God in the ordinary and seemingly mundane things of life? What meaning does this give to the things we do every day? 

  6. What anxiety or fears are we holding on to that we need to cast on the Lord because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7)?

The Messiah

Sermon on Mark 8:27 – 35

Discussion Questions:

 

  1. In this passage, Jesus asked the disciples two questions. The first one was, “Who do people say that I am?” If we asked this question to people today, “Who would people say that Jesus is?”  

  2. The second question was directed at the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” This is the most important question you will ever answer. Who is Jesus to you? How have you come to know him, or what is it like as you seek to know him? 

  3. Jesus tells the disciples what the Messiah or Christ must go through (v.31 – 35). This is not what the disciples expected to happen. How has Jesus surprised you in your own life by doing unexpected things? What was the outcome and how did it strengthen your faith in Jesus? 

  4. Many of us just wish Jesus would take this suffering that the Coronavirus has brought away. While that is not a bad thing to pray for, how is it revealing that our trust or faith was in our routines, circumstances, people, places, markets, and things over Jesus? In this time, how can we put Jesus back in his rightful place in our hearts and faith as our first love (Rev. 2:4)?

  5. Michael talked about how it feels like we have lost our lives in the last few days. We are trying to embrace a new routine for a while. What are ways we can seek Jesus during this new routine? How is this different than before?

  6. In this new routine, what do you think a little slow down has shown you about your life in just a few days? What do you hope to do with life slowing down just a little bit, and how can you remember to bring this with you when life gets back to “normal”?