Livestream services will be available every Sunday at 8:45 am. 

Click here for the sermon discussion questions or see them listed below. We highly encourage you to listen, think, and talk about the sermon. These are questions you can reflect on by yourself, with your family, or with your small group.

Discussion Questions 

1. In our sermon, we heard of Elizabeth’s great joy over the birth of her son, but how this joy arose primarily from God’s great mercy towards her.  We learned that our joy in this life will be intimately related to how we view the mercies of God towards us.  In what ways has God shown you mercy?  How can you increase the joy in your life?  Although the answer to the previous question may seem obvious, why is it sometimes difficult to apply?
   
   
2. In our message we heard that we sometimes don’t recognize God’s mercies because we are living an “entitled life”. The entitled one thinks, “I deserve more and I should get something better than what I am receiving right now.”  Why do we sometimes feel entitled?  How does entitlement lead to bitterness rather than joy?  Why is it good to remind ourselves what we truly deserve before a holy and righteous God?
   
   
3. For 9 months, Zechariah was afflicted because of his unbelief.  During that time, Zechariah learned to believe and obey God.  His suffering was not in vain. When you are afflicted do you tend to turn towards God or away from Him?  Why is it hard to see our affliction as coming from the hand of a loving God?  How does a clear recognition and understanding of God’s mercies, help us better understand and deal with our afflictions?
   
   
4. We see the roots of John the Baptist’s future humility in his parents. In our sermon we heard that parents are the greatest influence in their children’s lives and therefore need to be authentic Christians as they parent their children. This is true for every believer and not just parents.  How would you define an “authentic Christian”?  How can you become a more authentic Christian?
   
   
5. The main character in the story of John the Baptist’s birth was God.  Behind all the characters in the Bible is the great and mighty revelation of God. How does it help you in your daily walk, knowing that behind the scenes of every story in your life, there is a merciful, patient, long-suffering God caring and walking with you?