Participant Guide
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Pastor Ian Edwards
Following Jesus
Set Your Face
John 12:12-19
As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He knew what awaited Him: betrayal, denial, suffering, and death. Yet Luke tells us that Jesus “resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” He didn't merely do the right thing; His actions flowed from a heart fully surrendered to and trusting the Father.
Building on last week's challenge to Observe, Embrace, and Become, this message asks us to look beneath our behavior. We can do many of the right things while still being motivated by fear, self-protection, approval, obligation, or unresolved hurt. Sometimes wounds give way to lies, lies shape the promises we make to protect ourselves, and those patterns eventually keep us from becoming who God is calling us to be. Jesus invites us to trust Him enough to let Him into those places, replace lies with truth, and lead us toward freedom.
Group Discussion Questions:
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Pastor Ian Edwards
Following Jesus
Set Your Face
John 12:12-19
As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He knew what awaited Him: betrayal, denial, suffering, and death. Yet Luke tells us that Jesus “resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” He didn't merely do the right thing; His actions flowed from a heart fully surrendered to and trusting the Father.
Building on last week's challenge to Observe, Embrace, and Become, this message asks us to look beneath our behavior. We can do many of the right things while still being motivated by fear, self-protection, approval, obligation, or unresolved hurt. Sometimes wounds give way to lies, lies shape the promises we make to protect ourselves, and those patterns eventually keep us from becoming who God is calling us to be. Jesus invites us to trust Him enough to let Him into those places, replace lies with truth, and lead us toward freedom.
Group Discussion Questions:
- Why does it matter not only that we do what Jesus did, but that we increasingly become motivated by what motivated Jesus?
- When you face something difficult, uncomfortable, or costly, how can you recognize whether fear or trust is driving your response?
- How can painful experiences or wounds shape what we believe about ourselves, other people, or God? And how might those beliefs continue influencing us long after the original hurt?
- When we recognize a lie that has shaped us, how do we move beyond simply identifying it and begin allowing God's truth to reshape us?
- Where might God be asking you to “set your face” toward something you've been avoiding and take one step forward in trust?