Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Matthew 10:16-33), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• Jesus told his disciples, “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake” (22). Sinners are enemies of God, enemies of Jesus, and therefore also enemies of the people who are associated with Jesus, who proclaim his kingdom. Are you surprised by the hostility of the world toward Jesus and toward his people, as he describes it? Why does Jesus tell us about this hostility? How have you seen the hostility of sinners toward you for Jesus’ sake? Why are sinners hostile to Jesus and his people? What exactly does the world resent and reject about Jesus and his kingdom?

• Jesus tells us to be prepared for this enmity, not to respond with similar hatred, but to respond with vulnerable love (“as sheep in the midst of wolves… wise as serpents and innocent as doves”). How has Jesus met the violent hatred of his enemies with vulnerable love? Why would anyone want to do this? Do you feel vulnerable to suffering for his name’s sake? How do you feel about telling people about Jesus and his kingdom, not knowing whether they will receive or reject the gospel? Can you view suffering the hostility of the world for Jesus’ sake as an opportunity to know Jesus more deeply?

• Jesus tells us not to fear the hostility of his/our enemies, but to fear God alone. Those fears are mutually exclusive. Either we fear God and embrace the ways of Jesus—and suffer—or we fear what other people can do to us—and suffer. Have you wrestled with Jesus in prayer about your fears? How often do you need to do this? Why is it better to fear God than to fear other people? What is it about God that is fearful, and how is this different from other fears? Can you describe the fear of God?