Home Group Study Questions // Aug 30th
What Would Jesus Say Session 24: What Would Jesus Say About You?
[Matthew 7:21–23]
- How or when have you questioned the genuineness of your faith and if you were truly saved? Have there been seasons where these concerns were more or less pressing? Why?
- Compare other passages where Jesus uses the phrase, “Lord, Lord” in his teaching. (Matthew 25:1–13; Luke 6:46–49; Luke 13:22–30) What are common themes or applications from these verses that also appear in Matthew 7:21–23? How might these themes and applications help explain what Jesus is teaching in Matthew 7:21–23?
- How might Isaiah 29:13–14 also shed light on what Jesus is teaching Matthew 7:21–23?
- What possible explanations can you list for the people who do miracles in Jesus’ Name, but who are not savingly believing in Jesus? See Matt 24:24; Acts 19; and 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10 for possibilities.
- What does Jesus teach is the important distinction between those who do and those who do not enter the kingdom?
- Compare the sobering warning of Matthew 7:23 with the encouragement Jesus offers in John 10:11–18; 27–30? What is true about the people Jesus describes in John 10 that is not true of the people in Matthew 7? How does the promise of Jesus in John 10 provide hope for the Christian who is shaken by Matthew 7?
- How can a Christian know if his or her profession of faith is genuine? What might other people see in him or her that could give positive or negative evidence? To what must the individual ultimately look for hope? (See John 10:7–18; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 3:13)
- Exhort and pray for one another using both the warning of Matthew 7:23 and the encouragement of John 10:27–28. As your group prays together, you are practicing looking to Jesus for your hope and grace when your faith is tested.