Main Text: Matthew 21:23-27 (ESV) 23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Preaching Point: Jesus’ tactic for exposing counterfeits should embolden us to use similar tactics to engage those who appear genuine yet lack the sincerity to follow Jesus.

Teaching Points:

1. Probe for Genuineness (vv. 23-25a)
2. Expose Intent (vv. 25b-27a)
3. Refuse to Answer Insincere Questions (v. 27b)

Application Questions:

1. Why did the religious leaders confront Jesus at the temple in Matthew 21:23-27 on the subject of authority?
2. What did the religious leaders’ answer to Jesus' question reveal about their intent?
3. Why did Jesus refuse to answer their questions?
4. Read Matthew 21:23-25a and Proverbs 14:15. Why is assuming that every spiritual question is sincere unwise? Where have you seen this play out in real conversations?
5. How can you grow in your ability to probe for genuineness as you talk to others about Jesus?
6. Read Proverbs 20:5 and Matthew 21: 25b-27a. What are some of the potential benefits (for you and for them) of exposing someone’s intent before answering their questions?
7. What would exposing someone’s intent, as Jesus did, look like today? What would be a sinful or unhelpful way to expose someone’s intent?
8. Read Proverbs 26:4, Proverbs 23:9, and Matthew 21:27b. Like Jesus, why should Christian’s refuse (for the most part) to answer insincere questions?
9. What are the dangers of continuing a conversation with someone who refuses to deal honestly with the truth?

Main Text: Matthew 21:18-22 (ESV) 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Preaching Point: The words of Jesus should prompt us to consider the judgment awaiting all forms of counterfeit faith while encouraging us with the powerful effects of genuine faith in God.

Teaching Points:

1. Grasp God’s Disdain for Counterfeit Faith (vv. 18-19)
2. Expect God’s Generosity Toward Unwavering Faith (vv. 20-22)

Application Questions:

1. Write down one observation or application you found helpful from this week’s sermon. Why did it stand out to you?
2. Read Amos 5:21-24 and Matthew 15:7-9. Why do you think God rejects outward expressions of counterfeit faith?
3. How can you inspect yourself to make sure you aren’t a fruitless fig tree (Matthew 21:19) or someone who honors God with your lips while your heart is far from God?
4. Read Hebrews 11:6, James 1:5-8, and Matthew 21:21-22. Why is doubting, double-minded “faith” evidence of a lack of trust in God’s generosity toward genuine faith?
5. How can double-minded or wavering faith show up in your prayer life? How can you grow in faith-filled prayer?
6. Read 1 John 5:14-15. What is the difference between asking God out of selfish desires and asking according to his will?
7. How can you practically grow more confident that what you are asking for is God’s will?
8. Read Romans 4:18-21. What can you learn from Abraham’s trust in God’s promises?
9. How can his example shape the way you pray with both confidence and humility this week?

Main Text: Philippians 1:12–14 (ESV) 12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Preaching Point: You need to prioritize sharing the Gospel because God has placed you where you are for His redemptive purpose to reach unlikely people

Teaching Points:

1. Trust God is at Work (v. 12)
2. Remember God Reaches Unlikely People (v. 13)
3. Fearlessly Proclaim the Gospel Together (v. 14)

Main text: Romans 4:25-5:1 (ESV) 25 (Jesus) was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Preaching Point: We must trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection as the only means of dealing with our sin and securing our peace with God.

Teaching Points:

1. Own Your Sin (v. 25a)
2. Trust in the Risen Christ (vv. 25b-1a)
3. Enjoy Peace with God (v. 1b)

Application Questions:

1. Write down one observation or application you found helpful from this week’s sermon. Why did it stand out to you?
2. Read Isaiah 53:4-6 and 1 Peter 2:24. How do these passages show that your sin, not just sin in general, put Christ on the cross?
3. Why must anyone who claims to trust in Jesus fully own their culpability in his death?
4. Read Galatians 2:16 and Romans 10:9-10. If you stood before God today, what would you point to as the basis for your acquittal, and does your answer match what these passages teach? How so?
5. How would you explain to a friend or family member how the death and resurrection of Christ make it possible for them to be declared righteous before God? (Be ready to share in LifeGroup this week.)
6. Read Jeremiah 6:14-15. Israel’s leaders falsely assured the people they had peace with God, even though God promised judgment unless they repented. It is possible to believe you have peace with God when you don’t. How can someone know for certain that they are not deceived about their position before God?
7. Read Romans 5:9-11 and Isaiah 53:5. According to these passages and Romans 4:25-5:1, why should a genuine Christian have confidence that they have true peace with God?
8. What other benefits does the Bible say belong to those who have peace with God? (Write down the verses you find below.)

Main Text: Matthew 21:14-17 (ESV) 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “ ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” 17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

Preaching Point: We must respond to Jesus’ authority with humility and praise, knowing that our response reveals whether our relationship with God is genuine or merely a counterfeit commitment to Christ.

Teaching Points:

1. Notice the Kinds of People Who Come to Jesus (vv. 14,15b)
2. Distinguish Religious Activity from Genuine Faith (vv. 15a,15c,16a)
3. Speak Wonderfully of Jesus (vv. 16b-17)

Application Questions:

1. Write down one observation or application you found helpful from this week’s sermon. Why did it stand out to you?
2. Read Matthew 18:3-4, James 4:6 and Isaiah 57:15. What do these passages teach you about the kind of people who truly come to Jesus?
3. What area of your life do you need the reminder that God opposes the proud but draws near to the humble and contrite?
4. Read Acts 17:22-31. Why is it possible to be very religious and yet not truly know God? What are some ways this can show up even in a church context?
5. Where might you be relying on religious habits, knowledge, or background instead of genuine trust in the person and work of Jesus?
6. Read Romans 14:23. Paul teaches that whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. Where are you tempted to engage in “religious activity” that is not flowing from real faith?
7. What steps can you take to ensure that your beliefs, convictions, and actions are flowing from a genuine relationship with Christ and submission to his authority?
8. Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 and 1 Peter 2:9. How are you doing at speaking wonderfully of Jesus in your interactions with others?
9. Where are you most tempted to stay quiet about Jesus? How can you be more bold about speaking more wonderfully about Jesus in your daily life?

Main Text: Matthew 21:12-13 (ESV) 12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Preaching Point: We must confront and eliminate all forms of counterfeit worship and strive to establish true worship that pleases God.

Textual Points:

1. Decisively Remove Counterfeit Worship (v. 12)
2. Share Christ’s Zeal for Pure Worship (v. 13)
3. Share Christ’s Zeal for the Nations to Worship
4. Share Christ’s Zeal for Your Worship

Application Questions:

1. Write down one observation or application you found helpful from this week’s sermon. Why did it stand out to you?
2. Read Matthew 21:12. What does Jesus’ response in the temple teach you about how seriously you should deal with anything in your life that opposes God’s Word?
3. What is something in your life that you have had to, or need to, remove because it leads you to twist or reject God’s Word?
4. Read 2 Kings 22:8-13 and 2 Kings 23:24-25. How did King Josiah recognize the presence of counterfeit worship, and what stands out about how he responded? What can you learn from his example?
5. Read John 2:13-17. How does your attitude toward worship and reverence for God compare to Jesus’? Where do you see a need for growth?
6. Read Isaiah 56:1-8. How does Jesus’ quotation of Isaiah 56 in Matthew 21:13 deepen your understanding of Jesus’ desire for the nations to worship God?
7. Do you share Jesus’ desire for all nations to worship God? What in your life shows that you do, or don’t?
8. Read John 4:23-24. How are you actively pursuing genuine, God-centered worship? Where do you need to grow in sincerity, consistency, or reverence?

Main Text: Matthew 21:1-11 (ESV) 1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Preaching Point: Jesus reveals himself as the promised King of Kings and urges each of us to decide whether we will worship him as King or remain uncertain about who he is.

Teaching Points:

1. Recognize That Jesus Came to Be Your King (vv. 1-6)
2. Welcome Jesus as Your King (vv. 7-9)
3. Correct Your Deficient View of Jesus (vv. 10-11)

Application Questions:

1. Write down one observation or application you found helpful from this week’s sermon. Why did it stand out to you?
2. Read Matthew 21:1-7 and Zechariah 9:9-10. Why did Jesus intentionally ride a donkey into Jerusalem, and what does this fulfillment of prophecy reveal about the King he came to be?
3. Read Matthew 25:31-34 and Philippians 2:10-11. How do these passages show that Jesus is King over everyone, not just those who acknowledge him as such? How should this shape the way we think about evangelism and calling all people to submit to Christ?
4. Read Matthew 21:6-9 and 2 Kings 9:12-13. How do the actions of the people in these passages demonstrate honor and submission to a king?
5. What are some ways you can actively welcome and honor Jesus as King in everyday life? (think of your priorities, time, obedience, love etc.)
6. Read Matthew 21:10-11. The crowds described Jesus as a prophet, but their understanding of him was incomplete. What are some common misunderstandings people today have about Jesus?
7. What are some deficient views of Jesus that you have had to correct in your life either in the past or present? And how can you guard yourself against a distorted or deficient view of Jesus moving forward?

Main Text: Matthew 20:29–34 (ESV) 29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Preaching Point: Recognizing the compassionate authority of the Son of David should cause us to unashamedly depend on his mercy as we follow him daily.

Teaching Points:

1. Do You: Recognize the Merciful Son of David? (vv. 29-30)
2. Do You: Shamelessly Depend on Jesus? (v. 31)
3. Do You: Faithfully Follow Jesus? (vv. 32-34)

Application Questions:

1. Write down one observation or application you found helpful from this week’s sermon. Why did it stand out to you?
2. Read 2 Samuel 7:12-17, Ezekiel 34:23-24, and Luke 1:30-33. How do these passages deepen your understanding of why the blind men’s recognition of Jesus as the “Son of David” in Matthew 20:29-34 was so significant?
3. What could you miss about the identity of Jesus if you don’t recognize him as the Son of David?
4. How does God’s desire for your shameless dependence on him strengthen your resolve to “cry out all the more” (cf. Matt 20:31) in reliance on him?
5. Read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. Why might shameless dependence on Jesus be viewed as weakness in our culture? How can you resist the pressure to project independence when what you truly need is deeper dependence on him?
6. Read Mark 8:34-35 and Galatians 2:20. After encountering Jesus in Matthew 20, the blind men immediately followed him as his disciples. Since encountering the saving work of Christ, how would you characterize your pursuit of following Jesus?
7. In what area of your life have you been slow to follow Jesus, and what necessary change will you make to pursue faithful obedience in that area?