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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about a passage where Jesus heals a couple of people.
Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak
32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Today, we read about how Jesus heals a man who was unable to speak, as well as a teaching moment with His disciples. By taking a look at this part of God’s Word, we can observe a practical example of what it looks like to put into action what God wants you to do.
Doing what God wants you to do involves:
1. A miraculous work of God
Matt. 9:23-33, 1 John 4:19, 10, John 3:16, 15:16, 2 Cor. 5:14-15, Titus 3:3-5, Eph. 2:3-5
2. Criticism
Matt. 9:32-34, 5:11-12, 10:22, 24:9, Luke 16:15, 21:16-18, John 15:8
3. Hard Work
Matt. 9:35, Col. 3:23, Prov. 12:24, 14:23, 16:3, 2 Thess. 3:10-23, 1 Cor. 10:31, 1 Thess. 4:11-12
4. A Kingdom mindset
Matt. 9:35, Matt. 6:33, Rom. 14:17, Luke 17:20-21, 1 Pet. 2:9, Phil. 3:20
5. Compassion for people
Matt. 9:36, Eph. 4:32, Col. 3:12-13, 2 Cor. 1:3-4, Gal. 6:2, 1 Pet. 3:8
6. Never ending work
Matt. 9:36, 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, 1 Cor. 3:9, John 4:35-36
7. Earnest prayer
Matt. 9:37, Heb. 4:16, 1 John 5:14, Actis 12:5, Mark 11:24
Reflecting on God’s Word
Getting Started
- Take some time to read over Matthew 9:32-38 and pray.
- Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it?
- What surprised you as we talked about it?
- Have you ever felt like doing what God wanted you to do was kind of unattainable because you’ve never really seen it done? How does looking at this passage of Scripture help you to get a picture of what it looks like to do what God wants you to do?
- As you think about your answer from above, take some time to think through and pray about what are the biggest things that God is asking you to do right now, and jot them down. Make sure to share that with a trusted Christian friend.
Diving In
- As you look over what all it looks like to do what God wants you to do, what is the biggest hurdle for you? Why is that?
- What is the easiest thing for you to accomplish from the list that we went over in the message?
- Read Matthew 9:35. Jesus is focused on His Kingdom. How can you be more focused on God’s Kingdom?
- How might being more focused on God’s Kingdom change your every day life?
- How would being focused on God’s Kingdom help you to better accomplish what God wants you to accomplish?
- Read Matthew 9:36. Jesus had compassion on the people. How easily does having compassion for others come to you?
- How might having more compassion for others change your every day life?
- How would having more compassion for people help you to better accomplish what God wants you to accomplish?
Applying the Scripture
What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word?
- What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture?
- How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord?
- Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?
Small Group Guide:
Open with prayer.
Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?
If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.
Prayer Time:
Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.
Staying Missional:
Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:
Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
What’s next?
Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?