Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Matthew 7:7-12), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [7-11] In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is talking about the Strange Blessing of life in his kingdom. It is in this context that he promises that the Father hears and answers our prayers by giving good things (i.e., “the Holy Spirit,” Luke 11:13) to his children. What do you ask/seek/knock for in prayer to God? What prayers do you really wish he would answer? Do you believe that he does answer the kind of prayer Jesus teaches us to pray? Do you pray that you would be able to participate in the blessed life of Jesus as outlined in the Sermon on the Mount? What might the answer to that prayer look like in your life?

• [11-12] The Father gives good gifts, because he gives what he himself would want to receive if he were in our place. The Triune God lives by the “Golden Rule.” In the incarnation, God actually entered our place so that the Father could give the Spirit to his Son as a human being, so that the Son could receive the Spirit on our behalf. The incarnation is God loving us as he would want to be loved. What does this reveal about God? What do you think about this God? What do you think about this “Golden Rule” as a fulfillment of what the Scriptures say about love? How has Jesus fulfilled the Golden Rule? Have you asked for his Golden-Rule love of God to fill you in the Spirit? What would it look like for you to begin to fulfill the Golden Rule in your life and relationships?

• FOR THE CHILDREN: Do you want to treat others how you want to be treated? Is that an easy thing to do? What if they don’t treat you well at all? Does that make it more difficult to love them? Can you pray for God’s help to treat others how you want to be treated? Do you think God will answer this prayer?