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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about the mystery of Christ.
Jesus Heals Many
29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
What comes to mind when you think about the word, “mystery?” Maybe a book, story, or movie does. But did you know that God’s Word says there is a “mystery of Christ?” In this passage of Scripture, it says that the crowd wondered. Today, we’re going to discuss what this means, and how it affects our lives today.
Realizing that it’s ok that we don’t fully understand God, we know:
Rev. 4, Is. 55:8-9, Ps. 18:30, 92:5
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God is full of compassion.
Matt. 15:32, Ps. 51:1-6, Rom. 3:23, 6:23
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God cares about our needs and wants.
Matt. 15:32, 37, 21-28, 6:30, John 2:3-5, 1 Pet. 5:7, Ps. 8:4
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God is all powerful
Matt. 15:34-36, 19:26, Luke 1:37, Gen. 18:14, Job 42:2, John 1:3
Knowing this, we are to receive the Kingdom of God like a child
Luke 18:17, Matt. 18:3, Mark 10:15, Heb. 11:1-6
Reflecting on God’s Word
Getting Started
- Take some time to read over Matthew 15:29-39 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?
- As we talked about this part of God’s Word, and the mystery of Christ, what stands out to you the most?
Diving In
- Read Isaiah 55:8-9. Have you ever fallen into the temptation of thinking that you knew everything about God? Why do you think it’s so difficult for us to admit that we don’t have God all figured out? What would help you to be more ok with not knowing everything about God?
2. Read Matthew 15:32. Even though we don’t know everything about God, we do know that He is full of compassion. How does remembering that help you in your relationship with Him? How can you better remember that He is full of compassion?
3. Read Matthew 15:32 again. Jesus cares about the physical needs of the crowd. How does remembering that help you in your relationship with Him? How can you better remember that He cares about your needs? Read John 2:3-5. How does that put into perspective the power of prayer?
4. Read Matthew 15:34-37. Again, even though we don’t know everything about God, we do know that He is all powerful. What have you been asking from Him? How does remembering that He is all powerful help you in your relationship with Him?
5. Read Matthew 18:1-4. What would it look like for you to receive the Kingdom of God like a child? How can you better receive the Kingdom of God like a child? How would doing that affect your relationship with the Lord?
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?