Asking Abba, Part 3

Matthew 6:11-15

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Asking Abba, Part 3 -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:11-15
8 August 2017

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.  Discuss the two negative responses to the Lord’s Prayer mentioned at the beginning of the sermon: “going overboard” or “reacting against.” How much thought have you given to the idea that prayer is work/labor/struggle? (Colossians 4:12; Romans 15:30)
2.  Where do we see our weakness and vulnerability in the Lord’s Prayer and in the final petition in particular?
3.  How does God provide protection both from and in/through temptation? What actions can you take to avoid entering into temptation? (James 1:13-14; Matthew 4:1; Genesis 22:1; Matthew 26:41)
4.  Why is it so dangerous not to believe in the “evil one” and take him seriously? Discuss Satan’s nature, rule, craftiness, mission, and ferocity. (John 17:15; Luke 10:18; Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-15; 1 Timothy 3:6; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 11:14; John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8)
5.  How is Satan often active in the small things?
6.  Why must our confidence be in Christ and not ourselves as we face temptation?
7.  What role do the Bible and prayer play in overcoming temptation? (Psalm 119:11; Matthew 26:41)

Asking Abba, Part 2

Matthew 6:11-15

(NOTE:  Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download button for recording to begin.)

Asking Abba, Part 2 -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:11-15
30 July 2017

Deep Sheet:  Sermon Study Questions
1.      In what ways have you struggled to view God as your “Forgiving Father”?  Are you confident that God is ready and able to forgive when you ask?  (Exodus 34:6-7; Psalm 32:5; Nehemiah 9:17; Ephesians 1:7)
2.      What does it mean to recognize that “all sin goes straight to heaven”?  (Psalm 51:4)
3.      How do “debts,” “trespasses,” and “sins” capture different aspects of our wrongdoing and guilt before God?  (Matthew 6:12, 14-15; Luke 11:4)
4.      How does Colossians 2:13-14 vividly portray our “Past Pardon”?
5.      Why do Christians, those who have already been forgiven, need to ask God continually for forgiveness? What are some of the negative effects of not doing this daily? (1 John 1:9)
6.      In what ways have we already seen the relationship between God’s forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others in the Sermon on the Mount?
7.      Who do you need to forgive, and how might a lack of forgiveness be hindering your prayer life? (Matthew 5:7; Mark 11:25)

Approaching Abba

Matthew 6:7-9a

(NOTE:  Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download button for recording to begin.)

Approaching Abba -- Lonnie Bell
The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:7-9a
25 June 2017

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.  How is prayer both assumed and commanded in our passage? Why should prayer be a habitual way of life for the Christian?
2.  Why is prayer the greatest test for spiritual life and health?
3.  What is the “wrong thinking” as well as “thoughtlessness” that Jesus is criticizing in pagan approaches to prayer? Discuss the mindset reflected in the prayers of the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:26-29?
4.  How do we love God with our mind in prayer? What does it look like to heap up empty phrases, and how can we avoid it?
5.  Do you find yourself trying to win God’s favor when you pray? Do you think you need to inform him of your needs? How does Jesus’ emphasis on God as our “Father” instruct us?
6.  What does it mean to tailor our prayers to the priorities and purposes of God? How could you practically begin using The Lord’s Prayer as a model, guide or skeleton for your prayers?
7.  When it comes to The Lord’s Prayer, what does it mean that we have a tendency “to invert and then erase”?