HOW TO USE THIS DISCUSSION GUIDEAs you lead the discussion, we follow a discipleship framework that helps move us from learning to transformation: Head → Heart → Hands → Share → Check-In
Leader Reminder: There are multiple questions in each section. Leaders should prepare ahead of time and use discernment to choose the questions that best serve their group. The goal of this discussion is not just conversation but transformation. Encourage participation, honesty, and practical obedience.
ICE BREAKER
Choose one or two:
- What's something you were convinced you'd never like, but now you love?
- Have you ever been completely wrong about someone after your first impression? What changed your mind?
- Who is someone you've learned you can always count on? What makes them trustworthy?
SERMON RECAP
Life's disappointments, unanswered prayers, and unexpected suffering can quietly give way to skepticism about God's goodness. In Mark 15, as Jesus hangs on the cross, the crowds mock Him and demand that He prove Himself on their terms. Yet Jesus refuses to come down from the cross because His greatest purpose is to save us. The cross becomes the decisive proof of God's unconditional love, moving us from "if-then" thinking to "no matter what" conviction.
The cross also reveals our deep need for grace, reminding us that we all stand equally in need of Christ's saving work and through the cross there is unlimited access to the presence of God for all who trust in Him. Like the Roman centurion, we are invited to gaze upon Jesus and discover that He truly is the Son of God. As we continually fix our eyes on the cross, the gospel becomes the great antidote that heals a skeptical heart.
SCRIPTURE
READ: Mark 15:27–39
HEAD
What does the scripture show?
- As you read this passage, what stands out to you? What surprises you or raises questions?
- What do the responses of those around the cross reveal about the way people view Jesus?
- What do the hours of the cross reveal about the heart of God?
- What do the torn curtain and the centurion's confession teach us about what Jesus accomplished through His death?
HEART
What do we believe?
- How does looking again and again at the cross move you toward a "no matter what" confidence in His love? What helps you keep your gaze fixed on Jesus?
- How has God been showing you your ongoing need for His grace?
- Because of the cross, we have unlimited access to God. How does that truth encourage or challenge the way you approach Him in this season?
HANDS
Practice Together in Community
- What is one thing God is inviting you to believe, do, or change because of this passage?
- Where is God inviting you to replace skepticism with greater trust in Him? What is one specific step of faith or obedience you will take?
- How will you intentionally "draw near with confidence" this week because of the access to God Jesus purchased for you?
Complete this sentence: "This week, I will live out this sermon by ______________________________."
SHARE: MISSION
Living Out the Message This Week
- Who will you share this takeaway with this week?
- Who will you intentionally pray for this week?
NEXT WEEK CHECK-IN
- Encourage the group to return next week ready to share how they practiced the HANDS step and how they lived out the SHARE: MISSION step.
- Ask, what is one takeaway from your study of this past week's chapter in Mark?
PRAYER
- Praise God for the unchanging proof of His love and faithfulness found at the cross.
- Ask God to replace skepticism with confident trust rooted in the finished work of Christ.
- Confess your ongoing need for God's grace and ask Him to cultivate humility and childlike dependence.
OTHER SCRIPTURE
Psalm 22, John 2:19–22, Hebrews 10:19–22, John 10:10