Sermon Discussion Questions: Dead Man Walking

Sermon Discussion Questions: Dead Man Walking

Sermon Discussion Questions: Dead Man Walking

Mark 1:35–45

The following outline and discussion questions have been prepared to accompany the sermon from February 24, 2018 “Dead Man Walking.” These questions can be used for discussion in small groups, family devotions, or for personal reflection. (PDF Link)

Main Idea: Complete cleansing and restoration are found in Christ alone.

Outline:
I. A Kingdom Lesson (Mark 1:35–39)
II. A Gospel Picture (Mark 1:40–42)
III. A Curious Conclusion (Mark 1:43–45)

Discussion Questions:

1. How should Jesus’ time of solitary prayer help us prioritize times of daily prayer in our busy and demanding schedules? Consider the ministries that you have led or served in over the past few years, or even your current small group: is prayer a fundamental ministry priority or an obligatory exercise?

2. How are the disciples out of synch with Jesus’ ministry priorities?

3. If Jesus is fully able to heal people from disease and deliver them from demonic oppression, why does he want to focus on preaching? (Cf. Rom 10:13–17; 1 John 17:20; Ezek 37:1–10)

4. How was leprosy different from virtually every other disease in the ancient world (physically, socially, religiously)?

5. Once diagnosed, what was daily life like? (Cf. Leviticus 13:45–46)

6. How does leprosy serve as a parable of sin?

7. How does his cleansing function as a picture of the gospel? (Cf. Isa 64:6; Pss 51:7–10; Pss 103:12; Isa 43:25)

Application:

1. Do you ever question God’s ability or willingness to answer your prayer? Which do you doubt more: his ability or his willingness?

2. How does Jesus’ compassion to this hopeless outcast expose your tendency toward insulation and isolation? How can we reflect the kind of compassion that Jesus demonstrates in this passage? Is there someone in your life that God has brought to mind (an “unclean outcast” who needs gospel compassion)?

3. What truths impacted you the most in this sermon? What do you think it would look like in your every-day life if you acted on these truths? Add these issues to your group’s prayer journal so that you can pray for one another and keep each other accountable.