Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

God forgives and gives his Spirit to all who turn to the exalted Christ.

I. The power: the promised Spirit has come (vv. 1-13)

II. The message: the crucified Jesus is King (vv. 14-36)

III. The response: repent and be forgiven and filled (vv. 37-41)

Digging Deeper

The power: the promised Spirit has come (vv. 1-13)

1. In Acts 2:1-13, we see God empowering his people by the Spirit to preach the gospel (declare the mighty works of Jesus’ death and resurrection) across language barriers, that he might clearly show that the gospel is for everyone. What are some reasons we should rejoice and be thankful that God’s saving purposes through the Gospel are global (“every tribe, tongue, people and nation”)?

2. Acts 2:1-13 shows us that one of the things God wants to empower his people for, by the Spirit, is to speak about Jesus to others. Have you ever sensed the Spirit of God empowering you to bear witness to Christ? If so, please share that story.

3. What might it look like for you to seek a greater degree of the Spirit’s empowerment to bear witness to “the mighty works of God” as seen in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection?

4. What do you think might be some potential fruit of pursuing #3 above?

The message: the crucified Jesus is King (vv. 14-36)

5. This sermon helped us see from these verses (2:14-36) that Jesus is Lord in the fullest, truest sense: he is God himself; he is Christ, the King, who has been exalted to the right hand of God. Is there any sphere of your life in which you are less inclined to be mindful that Jesus is King and acknowledge him as such?

6. As Lord and King, Jesus is worthy of our absolute allegiance. What is a recent example of a choice you have made because of your allegiance to King Jesus?

The response: repent and be forgiven and filled (vv. 37-41)

7. The way we receive the free gift of forgiveness and the gift of the Spirit is by repentance. Do you remember the first time you repented? What did that look like? Please share.

8. What place does repentance have in your life currently?

9. Have you been baptized (as a believer)? If you have, please briefly share your baptism story.

10. If you have not been baptized (as a believer) - why haven’t you?

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Jesus' empowered people must proclaim his forgiving fulfillment to all nations.

I. Jesus' resurrection was persuasively physical (vv. 36-43)

II. His forgiving fulfillment must be proclaimed to all nations (vv. 44-49)

III. This proclamation proceeds from joyful worship (vv. 50-53)

Digging Deeper

1. Does the resurrection of Jesus ever feel “too good to be true” to you? How is this passage reassuring when we feel this way?

2. If the resurrection is true, the implications for how we live our lives are huge. What - specifically - does Jesus’s resurrection mean for you today?

3. Pick one of the Old Testament passages pointing to Christ mentioned in the sermon (Genesis 3, Exodus 12, Isaiah 53, Psalm 22). Spend some time reflecting on how it connects us to the Gospel.

4. When thinking about the task Jesus gives to us - proclaiming the forgiveness of sins that he offers to the nations - we may feel weak. But Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us to aid us in power to spread the Gospel everywhere. What needs and weaknesses do you need to trust the Spirit to supply in your life?

5. Spend some time thinking about people for whom God has laid a burden on your heart. Are you called to go and spread the good news of Jesus somewhere else? If so, where? If not, where - and to whom - in your spheres of influence are you called to proclaim it? Be specific.

6. How can we grow in making our “joyful worship” of God visible to the world, which needs to see our love for him?

7. When we go through hard seasons trying to follow Jesus, what truths from his word - especially in the Gospel of Luke - can help us endure and continue to trust his plan?

8. After Jesus ascended and blessed the disciples, they returned to the temple, blessing him. What blessings of God can you respond to in praise today? (think not only in physical/material terms, but also spiritual).

9. Where and how can we, as a Gospel Community - a family of disciples sent by God on mission to the world - proclaim Jesus’s forgiving fulfillment by the power of the Holy Spirit?

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

The resurrection of Jesus proves God has kept all his ancient promises and so will come through on all his promises that lie ahead.

Digging Deeper

1. What assumptions have you seen people have that keep them from “getting” Jesus? What barriers did you have to overcome to receive Jesus?

2. Jesus helps his disciples understand God’s plan by going to all the Scriptures (i.e., the Old Testament) and showing how it was about himself (24:27). How does Jesus’ approach affect the way we approach reading and understanding the Bible?

3. What was that moment like when you understood who Jesus was for the first time? If you haven’t yet experienced that, what do you think holds you back?

4. In the sermon, it was said that we can sometimes think Jesus is far away, even when he’s right alongside us. How might this be (or has it been) true in your life?

5. Why doesn’t God always conform to your expectations? Why might this actually be a good thing?

6. How can you grow in letting God’s Word define your expectations for life?

7. What situation or circumstance in your life right now tends to overshadow the power of the resurrection?

8. Consider a circumstance you’re in right now. How can the fact that Jesus is truly alive help you endure it well?

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Because Jesus was raised as he predicted, you can trust all his promises.

Digging Deeper

1. When you think about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, what questions arise in your mind?

2. Why is it important to see (and believe) that Jesus’ resurrection is both true and meaningful? What is lost if we abandon either of these?

3. Please read: Luke 24:6–7 “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” It was noted in the sermon that, in verse 6, the angels don’t tell the women to remember that Jesus said the Son of Man would be delivered, killed, and raised—but that he must be delivered, killed, and raised. It had to happen. Why? Why did it have to happen?

4. How does Luke 19:10 (“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”) help us arrive at a solid answer to #3 above?

5. What are some of the historical details Luke provides for us, his readers, so that “we may have certainty” regarding the historical truthfulness of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead?

6. Jesus predicted (promised) that he would rise from the dead, and then he did what he said he would do: he rose from the dead. Does this fact strengthen your confidence that he will do the other things he has promised to do as well? How so?

7. Jesus claimed that he could forgive sins (sins ultimately done against God). How does Jesus’ resurrection from the dead help us trust that through him we truly can find forgiveness for our sin, guilt, and rebellion against God?

8. Jesus promises eternal life to those who trust him. How does his resurrection help us believe this promise?

9. Jesus has promised to come again to take his own to himself. How does his resurrection help us believe he will do what he has said in this regard?

10. Was there anything in particular from this sermon that helped you once again to marvel at the majesty of Jesus in his triumphant resurrection victory over sin, Satan, and the grave? Please share.

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Recognize and depend on the King who saves through dying.

Digging Deeper

Jesus speaks four times in this passage, and each time he does so, he reveals something about himself and his accomplishment on the cross. Jesus’ first words in this passage reveal his authority: the condemned is in control (vv. 26-31).

1. Jesus is the one with all authority, even when he is weak. He is in complete control, even when he has been condemned to die. How does knowing these things are true help us rely on him?

The second time Jesus speaks in this passage, he reveals his mercy: the crucified prays for his killers (vv. 32-34).

2. For some of us, it can be hard to move beyond a particular sin(s) we have done in the past. We struggle to believe that God could actually forgive us for that, and actually love us and accept us. How does Jesus's act of forgiving those who were crucifying him shape your understanding of His willingness to forgive you for what you have done? Please share.

3. At times, we can find it difficult to forgive others. In this passage, Jesus provides help for us by giving us an example to follow (of forgiving one’s enemies). But he gives us far more forgiveness-enabling help than that. What else in this passage do we need to be mindful of when we are struggling to forgive another person?

The third time Jesus speaks in this passage, he reveals his generosity: paradise is freely given to criminals (vv. 35-43)

4. It was pointed out in the sermon that even though the criminal put his faith in Christ, his circumstances did not change. He was still crucified for his crime. But his suffering was no doubt transformed by the knowledge that he had been forgiven of his sin and now had the hope of paradise with Jesus. How have you seen these realities (the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life) transform your perspective on and experience of suffering/?

5. How might the story of the criminal on the cross trusting in Christ give us hope and courage to continue to pray for the salvation of those in our lives who have thus far been resistant to God’s work in their lives?

The fourth time Jesus speaks in this passage, he reveals his victory: he reconciles through bearing wrath (vv. 44-49)

6. Jesus has fully and completely satisfied the wrath of God that we deserved. This was his glorious victory - on our behalf! Because of this, we can now be reconciled to God through faith in Christ. How can we help each other never forget these precious realities, but instead continue to grow in amazement, wonder, gratefulness, and delight in what Christ has done on our behalf?

Our Response:

7. One of the ways we can rightly respond to this passage is by recognizing Jesus - seeing him for who he truly is. Is there a particular moment(s) in your life when God enabled you to see Christ more clearly for who he really is? What effect did that have on your life? Please share.

8. Another way we can rightly respond to this passage is by relying on Jesus. We can all be tempted to rely on our own “good” deeds, and our own (perceived) goodness / righteousness apart from Christ. Why is forsaking any and all sense of our own goodness / righteousness a key and necessary part of what it means to rely on (trust in) Christ alone for our acceptance before God?

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Jesus, the guiltless, was condemned so that the guilty could go free.

Digging Deeper

Read Luke 23:1-25

Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, and yet chose his job over justice. How might we respond when faced with situations like Pilate’s?

How does it affect you to hear that you are “guilty”? Why is it hard to apply this idea to ourselves?

"Under all our sins is the fundamental sin of not keeping God always first.” How can you grow in this as a believer?

Barabbas going free is a picture of what God has accomplished for us in the guiltless Christ being condemned, while we are set free. Listen to the song “I Am Barabbas” by Josiah Queen, and discuss how it impacts you: https://open.spotify.com/track/3GPaQ3dloevmilym0a1V3O?si=2ed9d78d19d945c1.

Have different people read the following passages: 1 Peter 3:18, Colossians 2:21-22, Revelation 1:5b. How are we like Barabbas?

Christianity isn’t fundamentally about doing better for yourself, but receiving what Christ has done for you. How and why can we receive what Christ has done without making that a “work” which we have to do?

Sermon applications: Trust, Praise, and Follow him

How can we communicate the goodness of receiving what Christ has done to people who tend to view Christianity as works-based (non-Christians, legalists, etc.) without going too far in the other direction?

How could we grow in viewing ourselves not by what we’ve accomplished, but by what Christ has accomplished?

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

By remaining true in mistreatment, Jesus now reigns–and enables us to be true.

I. Jesus’ words prove true in Peter’s failure (vv. 54-62)

II. Jesus’ words prove true in his mistreatment (vv. 63-65)

III. Jesus himself proves true—and now he reigns over all (vv. 66-71)

Digging Deeper

Read Luke 22:54-71

1. How have you been tempted to act like Peter and downplay your faith when it is tested by others? How might you respond differently?

2. Peter’s story didn’t end that night. One day in the future, he would die, remaining true to his faith - crucified upside down, according to tradition. How does this reassure you to move forward when you fail?

3. In vv. 63-65, Jesus doesn’t fight back even when being brutally - and unjustly - beaten. What does this show about his character? What does this show about how we are to handle injustice?

4. The chief priests and scribes think they are “putting Jesus on trial,” but it’s the other way around. How should they have responded when Jesus says, “But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God” (v. 69)?

5. Jesus submitted even to death on a cross. What would it look like for you to die to yourself and thereby deny yourself, instead of denying Him?

6. Jesus now sits in full authority over the entire universe at the right hand of the Father. God has sent his “Holy Spirit to help us live openly, consistently, joyfully for Jesus, regardless of the cost.” How do these truths help you live true to God this week?

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Rejoice and rest in Jesus' devotion to his Father's will and our salvation.

I. He was strengthened by submitting (vv. 39-46)

II. He conquered by surrendering (vv. 47-53)

Digging Deeper

Read Luke 22:39-53

1. In the first section of our passage, we see that Jesus was strengthened by submitting (vv. 39-46). How do the two identical commands to “pray that you will not fall into temptation” (v. 40b & v. 46b) help us understand what this section is about?

2. Read Isaiah 51:17 and Jeremiah 25:15-16. What is “the cup” in Luke 22:42 that Jesus asks his Father to remove?

3. In vv. 39-46 Jesus shows us how to face temptation. But “before it’s something he did for our example, it’s something he did for our salvation.” What’s at stake for us in understanding this?

4. Is there currently an area of your life where you sense God may be testing you? What truth(s) from this passage might help you endure and remain faithful?

5. In the second section, we see that Jesus was victorious by surrendering (vv. 47-53). What do we see in the text that shows us Jesus is in complete control as he interacts with Judas, his disciples, and his enemies?

6. “Jesus surrendered to the power of darkness so that we could be delivered from it and be brought forever into his kingdom.” (see Heb. 2:14 & Col. 1:13). What implications does this have for how we live our lives, with darkness yet remaining in the world and darkness yet remaining in our hearts?

7. What would it look like for you to rejoice in Jesus’ devotion to his Father’s will and our salvation?

8. What would it look like for you to rest in Jesus’ devotion to his Father’s will and our salvation? Is there an area of your life in which you are not resting in what Christ has done for you?

9. What from this passage could you share with an unbeliever that might help him or her better understand the person of Jesus and what he came to do for sinners?

Prayer