cornerstonepreschurch

CG Guide (Mark 6:30-32)

“Come and Rest A While”

Scripture: Mark 6:30-32

Suggested Group Discussion Questions

In your Christian life, what do you feel you most need rest from? Are you feeling tired, overwhelmed, busy, ashamed, ______ (fill in the blank)? Share and elaborate.
How does it change your view of God that he knows you need rest, he embedded it into the pattern of creation, and he invites you into his rest? What perception of God is challenged by this?
What are some ways that you can find rest in Jesus? What have you found to be spiritually restful for you?
Doxology: Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate, and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon?
Response: Formulate a one-sentence prayer that’s informed by the passage and the sermon. This prayer should articulate what you desire to walk away with and how you want God to apply it in your life. Have a few people share.

CG Guide (1 Timothy 3:8-13)

Community Discussion

*Note to CGs. These are suggested questions to discuss. You can add, subtract, and modify the questions in anyway you want to fit your group.

**Please remember to leave adequate time for prayer.

What, if anything, was particularly clarifying, convicting, or confusing about the passage and/or the sermon? Share insights, reflections, and questions.
Diaconal ministry deals with physical matters. How, then, is diaconal ministry considered a spiritual work? Why do you think the qualifications for this physical work are spiritual?
The qualifications for deacon are remarkable because they are so unremarkable – just marks of a mature Christian and fruits of the Spirit. So it’s appropriate for us to apply them to ourselves. Do you find any of the qualities listed in 1 Tim 3:8-12 to be particularly challenging to live up to? What hope does Christ give to those who fall short in these ways?
What have been for you the highs and lows of serving in the church?
Doxology: Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate, and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon?
Response: Formulate a one-sentence prayer that’s informed by the passage and the sermon. This prayer should articulate what you desire to walk away with and how you want God to apply it in your life. Have a few people share.

CG Guide (1 Timothy 2:1-7)

Community Discussion

*Note to CGs. These are suggested questions to discuss. You can add, subtract, and modify the questions in anyway you want to fit your group.

**Please remember to leave adequate time for prayer.

What, if anything, was particularly clarifying, convicting, or confusing about the passage and/or the sermon? Share insights, reflections, and questions.
What do you think are some distractions or obstacles to being godly and dignified in our lives today?
Have you been having a hard time loving your enemies? Have you ever tried praying for them? If not, why not? If yes, what are some ways you’ve been praying for your enemies?
Do believe that our CG is like the gospel that is inclusive and exclusive? In what ways can we improve or challenge ourselves?
God’s heart leads us to pray for all people, but it also leads us to share the gospel with everyone we meet. How can we as a CG grow in our evangelism? What are some specific ways that we can pray and share the gospel for all kinds of people?
Doxology: Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate, and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon?
Response: Formulate a one-sentence prayer that’s informed by the passage and the sermon. This prayer should articulate what you desire to walk away with and how you want God to apply it in your life. Have a few people share.

CG Guide (1 Timothy 1:12-17)

Community Discussion

*Note to CGs. These are suggested questions to discuss. You can add, subtract, and modify the questions in anyway you want to fit your group.

**Please remember to leave adequate time for prayer.

What, if anything, was particularly clarifying, convicting, or confusing about the passage and/or the sermon? Share insights, reflections, and questions.
What do you think are some obstacles to being spiritually vulnerable with others? Do you have any examples of this?
What’s required or necessary in order for you to feel safe being vulnerable with people? Can you share any instances where this was present?
Is it easier or more difficult to confess that you are the worst sinner? What helps you believe it or what prevents you from fully believing it?
In your experience, do you get the overall impression that Christians are humble people? Elaborate.
What would it look like for a household of God to really exhibit humility? Try to be specific.
Do you enjoying singing during congregational worship? When is it difficult/tough to sing at church? How do you get motivated to sing God’s praises?
Doxology: Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate, and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon?
Response: Formulate a one-sentence prayer that’s informed by the passage and the sermon. This prayer should articulate what you desire to walk away with and how you want God to apply it in your life. Have a few people share.

CG Discussion Questions

Summarize the main point/take home message of the sermon. If it was clearly stated, what was it? If it wasn’t, try to simplify it to one sentence.
Share something from the sermon/passage that was convicting or clarifying for you. What difference does hearing and having this insight make in your life (try to be as concrete at possible)?
The Word of God is ultimately about Jesus and thus preaching the Word should be about Jesus. How did this sermon help you understand, appreciate, or worship Jesus more? In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon?
Share how the Spirit of God might use this sermon and Scripture passage to prompt you toward prayer. What might you ask more to believe, change you might ask to take place in your heart, encouragement you might need to receive?

CG Guide (Psalm 1:1)

“Psalm 1, Part 1” (Series: An Invitation to the Psalms)

Scripture: Psalm 1:1

Suggested Group Discussion Questions

What, if anything, was particularly clarifying, convicting, or confusing about the passage and/or the sermon? Share insights, reflections, and questions.
What are some things that you look to in order to find happiness? Can you share a time you were disillusioned with something that promised you happiness but couldn’t/didn’t deliver?
Have you personally experienced the connection between happiness and holiness? Or it’s opposite – being unholy and being unhappy? Share an example if you can.
Doxology: Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate, and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon?
Response: Formulate a one-sentence prayer that’s informed by the passage and the sermon. This prayer should articulate what you desire to walk away with and how you want God to apply it in your life. Have a few people share.

CG Guide (2 Corinthians 4:1-6)

“Don’t Lose Heart Sharing the Gospel” (Series: Grace for the Weak)

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Suggested Group Discussion Questions

Do you/have you ever lost heart sharing the gospel with a person in your life? What were the reasons? How did this make you feel about yourself?
Can you think of any ways that people try to tamper with God’s word and change the gospel message? How might this water down the hope of the gospel?
How do you strike the balance between trusting in God’s sovereignty and maintaining human responsibility in sharing the gospel? Do you find yourself leaning into one more than the other? What do you know are the repercussions of that?
Doxology: Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate, and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon?
Response: Formulate a one-sentence prayer that’s informed by the passage and the sermon. This prayer should articulate what you desire to walk away with and how you want God to apply it in your life. Have a few people share.

CG Guide (2 Corinthians 3:1-6)

“The Fruit of Gospel Ministry” (Series: Grace for the Weak)

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Suggested Group Discussion Questions

Can you think of a person whose life was a letter of recommendation that helped you see the power of the gospel? What was it about their lives that testified to this powerful reality?
Who can you be a letter of recommendation to and what are some ways you can be more intentional about it? What are some areas you need to concentrate on and ask God to give you the fruit of the gospel by the Spirit?
Do you think you can tell the difference between those who are living as nice people versus new people? What are some of ways you could distinguish between the two? How can you make sure you’re living out of the power of the gospel and not just self-improvement?
Doxology: Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate, and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon?
Response: Formulate a one-sentence prayer that’s informed by the passage and the sermon. This prayer should articulate what you desire to walk away with and how you want God to apply it in your life. Have a few people share.

CG Guide (2 Corinthians 2:5-11)

“Gospel Culture: Forgiveness” (Series: Grace for the Weak)

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

In our secular society, forgiveness is increasingly being questioned as a noble virtue. Some even believe it’s dangerous and that it stands as an enemy to justice. But forgiveness is one of the central tenets of Christianity, both as an ethic – “you must forgive” – and as a doctrine – “God has forgiven your sins through Jesus Christ.” When believers really embrace the doctrine, the ethic should naturally follow. You forgive others because you’ve been forgiven by God. When this happens in a church, a gospel culture is formed where forgiveness is extended and embraced.

This does not mean that sins and offenses should be overlooked or dismissed. Accountability is necessary. True love for a person means they should be disciplined. But this is because discipline should lead to repentance and repentance to forgiveness and comfort. Restoration, not excessive sorrow, is the goal of discipline. The church of Corinth at first needed to be told to pursue discipline over matters of sin. Later they needed to be corrected that upon repentance, forgiveness should be offered. This is what a gospel culture of forgiveness should look like.

When Apostle Paul talks about forgiveness, the word he uses has the nuance of something given graciously and freely (it’s the same word used in Romans 8:32 and 1 Corinthians 2:12). This is a very different approach than those outlined by Tim Keller in his book “Forgive.” He lists out the following competing models: Cheap Grace: nonconditional-forgiveness model (forgive as long as it’s good for you). Little grace: transactional-forgiveness model (forgive when they’ve earned it from you). No grace: no-forgiveness model (don’t forgive).

The biblical model of forgiveness, however, is based on costly grace. The gospel introduces the vertical dimension that says sinners have received forgiveness from God graciously and freely. This empowers the horizontal dimension of forgiving others. The gospel is the good news of two realities. First, God is so holy and just that he took your sin seriously and punished it. Second, God is so gracious and merciful that he sent Jesus to take that punishment for you on the cross. Through Jesus, we are forgiven. A gospel culture takes root in a church as we understand first what it means to be forgiven before we understand what it means to forgive. Forgiven people are empowered to forgive people.

A gospel-culture of forgiveness doesn’t just happen, it needs to be cultivated in the church (we need to work for it)
A gospel-culture of forgiveness is cultivated not by how much we talk about forgiveness but by how well we practice it (we need to live it out)
A gospel-culture of forgiveness is practiced not by our power but by the power of Christ’s forgiveness at work in us (we need to receive it first)

Suggested Group Discussion Questions

What’s been your sense of the state of forgiveness in the culture at large? Have you seen evidence of the three models/approaches Tim Keller mentions? Do you think this has an effect on you or the Church? Is it good or bad? Discuss.
Have you ever been to a church or part of a community where there was a culture of forgiveness? Can you share about that experience? Or perhaps you’ve been a part of a church/community where the culture was harsh judgment and no forgiveness. Can you share about that experience?
What are some healthy and redemptive things that we can begin to do to cultivate a gospel culture of forgiveness? Are there things we’re already doing that is helping? Are there things that are getting in the way?
Doxology: Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate, and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon?
Response: Formulate a one-sentence prayer that’s informed by the passage and the sermon. This prayer should articulate what you desire to walk away with and how you want God to apply it in your life. Have a few people share.

CG Guide (Psalm 63)

“Song of the Satisfied Soul”

Scripture: Psalm 63

The existential truth for all people is that every single one of us has desires in our souls. And we all thirst for something to satisfy this deep longing. This was the experience of David as he wrote this psalm. King David, being forced to flee from Jerusalem, forced to flee from his throne, was in the wilderness facing the danger of death at the hand of his own son. But in the wilderness of his life, David turns his heart to God and rejoices to know that the Lord is all he needs for life and eternity. This psalm points us to ask ourselves these two questions:

Do you earnestly desire God? David opens his psalm by declaring that God is his God. He has a personal and intimate relationship with the God of the universe. And it is this God that David so desires, so longs after. So much so that David likens his desire and his search to a thirsting and a fainting in a dry and weary land with no water. If you’ve experienced real thirst before, you probably understand what David is comparing his desire to here. David even goes on to say that God’s steadfast love is really all that matters. God is better than life itself. His steadfast love is more precious than life itself. Does David’s desire for God reflect your desire for him?

Are you satisfied in God? David knows that his search, his desire, for God would ultimately be ended because he knows the only way to satisfy the deep thirst and longing of his soul and flesh is found in God alone. He knows that he can find true satisfaction and delight in God alone. After reflecting on God, after beholding his steadfast love, his power and his glory, David is assured that his soul again will be satisfied. And David’s confidence in God’s satisfaction is grounded in the reality that God would before him and defeat all of his enemies.

In the same way, we can find our satisfaction in Christ, for he is the living water who fully satisfies. No longer do we need to look to other sources of water to temporarily quench our thirst, for we have the living water, Christ Jesus himself, who deeply and fully satisfies all of the desires of our souls. Just as David’s confidence was in knowing that God would defeat his enemies, our confidence is grounded in that same reality. David knew his enemies would be defeated but for us, this reality is already true – Jesus has gone and has delivered us from the greatest enemy and has fully satisfied our deepest need. God has satisfied our deepest need through Jesus Christ, for Jesus went to the cross and thirsted on the cross so that our thirst and our longing would be satisfied completely. Because of this, we can rest assured that the desires of our souls are fully satisfied by him alone.

Suggested Group Discussion Questions

What, if anything, was particularly clarifying, convicting, or confusing about the passage and/or the sermon? Share insights, reflections, and questions.
Where do the desires of your heart lie? Do you desire after God with the eagerness of the psalmist? If so, what does it look like in your life? If not, what do you find yourself seeking instead?
Where do you turn to satisfy the thirst of your soul? What are you chasing after to truly satisfy?
Doxology: Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate, and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon?
Response: Formulate a one-sentence prayer that’s informed by the passage and the sermon. This prayer should articulate what you desire to walk away and how you want God to apply it in your life. Have a few people share what they came up with.