Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Psalm 27), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [1-3] Psalm 27 addresses specifically what is commonly called “the fear of men.” We often relate to other people in fear-driven ways, though this can be difficult to recognize. What are some significant ways in which you personally relate to others out of fear? Why?

• There are people who look to control others by intimidation (fear). For example, the rulers in Jerusalem tried to stop the disciples from preaching the Gospel by threatening them (Acts 4). Has someone tried to intimidate you in order to control you? Have you ever been too afraid or intimidated to share the Gospel? How can the Gospel help you interact with people who try to intimidate you?

• The Psalm makes a distinction between the reality of relational suffering (that we inevitably face) and the fear of relational suffering (that we need not have). Can you describe that distinction from this Psalm? Can you see that distinction in the life of Jesus Christ? Can you imagine making that distinction in your own life? How? (Be specific.)

• [4, 11] Having this “one thing”—having the Lord himself—overrules all our fear of men (peer pressure, people-pleasing, codependency, crippling anxiety). No interaction with other people could ever threaten your relationship with the Lord. In fact, all your interactions with other people only provide you with opportunities to grow in your knowledge and trust in the Lord, to follow him in his ways. Do you believe this? How can this truth transform the way you interact with others? (Again, be specific.)

• Can you manage your fear of men apart from the Lord? Without the Scriptures? Why do you think we try to do so?