Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Micah 5:1-5a), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [1] Judah is at war with Assyria because Judah is at war with God. What do we mean when we say that sinners are at war with God? What are some real ways that being at war with God is the root of our war with each other? How are you at war with people in your life, and why? How do these wars reveal your personal war with God?

• [5] Biblical peace, or shalom, is “everything being the way it’s supposed to be” (in other words, the Kingdom of God extending to every aspect of life). The relational component of peace is primary; we long for peace in all our relationships, and that must begin with God. What does it mean when Jesus is said not just to give us peace, but to “be” our peace? (See also Eph. 2:14.) How is Jesus your peace with God? How is Jesus your peace with others? Is Jesus actually your peace, or is something else?

• Peacemakers are children of God who reflect the nature and character of God and his Son (Matt. 5:9). If Jesus alone is our peace, and Christians are privileged to be peacemakers, what does peacemaking look like? Does it mean trying to help others find whatever common ground will “work” to make them nicer to each other? Or does it mean something more specifically Christian, Gospel-centered, and evangelistic? Can we be hopeful about bringing shalom to conflicts where the parties are not interested in the Kingdom of God?