Home Group Study Questions // May 4th
History Session 14: Built on the Rock
Matthew 7:24: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
[Read Matthew 7:24-27; James 1:22]
- In His sermon on the Mount, Jesus used a story about two house builders to show his disciples the purpose and importance of obedience. What does this story illustrate?
- In our story, what do the two builders have in common? What is the difference between the two builders?
- What is wisdom? Although both people in the story hear the words of Jesus, only one is obedient to His teachings. The wise builder is the one who hears and does them. Why is ‘hearing and doing’ wise? How is this illustrated in the story? How is our obedience to Christ a foundation secure in the bedrock?
- What do we learn about obedience in James 1:22? What does it say? How do we deceive ourselves by not doing what we are commanded by God?
- What do we learn in our story from the ‘foolish builder’? Why is hearing and not doing likened to building a house on the sand?
- Notice that both builders experience storms. What does this say about our lives and what we will experience as we are obedient to Jesus?
- Do we struggle with hearing the Word of God and not putting it into action? How? How might this apply to our study of God’s Word? [Hint: The easy part is to have the Bible study or listen to a sermon. The challenging part is to put it into practice. Right? Why?]
- [Think about it] Obedience shapes our lives, our faith, and our relationship to Jesus Christ. How does obedience shape these things? What is the purpose of obedience? [Hint: Obedience is not earning the love of God or our salvation.]