Announcements

  1. Summer Extravaganza- Sunday, July 21st come join us for a wildly fun evening of family-friendly competition!!! We will buddy up to see which color team has what it takes to win a little game we like to call Organized Mass Chaos! Mark your calendars now!
  2. Volunteer for Kids Ministry- Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten as many new volunteers as we had hoped and our number of children on any given Sunday continues to grow. Parents, we might have to begin asking you to take your kids to service with you if our classes reach max capacity. The good news is that this problem has an easy solution! We need more volunteers. If you would be willing to serve both our children and families on Sunday mornings, would you please apply on our app?

Objectives

  1. Identify Jesus as the source of all Spiritual insight and understanding of the gospel.
  2. Identify Jesus as the source of our ability to be a witness of the gospel.
  3. Discuss the different possible responses of mankind to this gospel.

Key Passages

Matthew 9:27-34

Summary

The Sermon on The Mount in chapters 5-7 was a holistic summary of Jesus’ teaching ministry in which he described the nature of His Kingdom of Heaven and its citizen’s righteousness. Now in chapters 8-9, he reveals by word and deed his authority over all things (especially over the consequences of sin). Not just through preaching and teaching, but now through signs and wonders, he is showing his fulfillment as the prophesied Jewish Messiah. 

In Matthew 9:27-30 Jesus heals two blind men, which is not only physical healing but a metaphorical telling of the spiritual insight and understanding that Jesus alone can grant.

Matthew 9:32-34 concludes this section of Jesus’ miraculous demonstrations of his divine authority. It reveals not only Jesus’ compassionate act of physical healing but also reveals the metaphorical ability to proclaim Jesus as Messiah. The conclusion of this section reveals the difference of responses to Jesus’ authority; the Pharisees can’t deny these miracles, so they claim that they are from Satan’s power, and the crowds are amazed at this possible Messianic figure. 

Sample Questions

Feel free to use or reword the questions below that you think will be most helpful to meet the objectives above. Remember, these questions should ultimately cultivate discussion of ways to respond to or apply what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us through Scripture.

  • How have you come to know Jesus as the source of your spiritual insight and understanding?
  • Under what circumstances are you most likely to witness to the gospel?
  • Have you ever prayed for something that never happened? How do we reconcile Jesus saying “according to your faith” without falling into the trap of leaning on our own strength?

Sample Responses

Either in smaller groups or as a whole GC:

Let’s take time for confession. Austin mentioned that the enemy desires for us to remain in secret, but the Lord invites us into the light. The enemy keeps us by saying that if we were to confess, we would be separated from others. However, Jesus says that because we belong we can live in the light! 

Take some time to confess whatever the Spirit convicts you to confess- especially areas of your life in which we are tempted to trust in anything other than God. Then take time to reiterate the good news over each other: how we are fully known and fully loved by the Father.