Questions Sunday!

Pastor Scott answers questions from the congregation about some of the Bible’s most challenging teachings. Why does Jesus tell us to hate our families or let the dead bury their own dead? Why does Paul instruct women to remain silent in church? And how can we reconcile salvation by grace with the teaching that faith without works is dead? Through these questions and others, we discover that following Jesus means recognizing the extraordinary value of God's Kingdom, trusting in His grace rather than our own strength, and allowing our faith to transform how we live and love others.

Bible Verses Referenced

The sermon is structured around several questions submitted by members of the congregation, with each question focusing on a particular passage of Scripture.

• Luke 14:26 | Jesus' difficult statement that anyone who does not “hate” father, mother, spouse, children, siblings, and even their own life cannot be His disciple. Pastor Scott explains this as a radical call to count the cost of discipleship.
• Luke 14:27–33 | Jesus' teaching about carrying one's cross, counting the cost before building a tower, and giving up everything to follow Him.
• Matthew 8:21–22 | Jesus tells a prospective disciple, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” The sermon discusses the urgency and cost of following Christ.
• Matthew 16:24–26 | Jesus teaches that whoever wants to save their life will lose it, while whoever loses their life for His sake will find it.
• Romans 12:20 | Alluded to in the instruction to respond to enemies with kindness, described as heaping burning coals upon them.
• John 6:53–69 | Jesus' difficult teaching about eating His flesh and drinking His blood causes many followers to leave. Peter responds, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
• 1 Corinthians 14:26–40, especially 14:34–35 | Paul's instructions concerning orderly worship, including his statement that women should remain silent in churches. Pastor Scott discusses the historical and cultural context and the importance of orderly worship.
• 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 | Alluded to in the discussion of women covering their heads during worship in the Corinthian church.
• 2 Corinthians 12:7–10 | Paul's “thorn in the flesh” and God's assurance that His grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect in weakness. Pastor Scott suggests that Paul's thorn may have been poor eyesight, while acknowledging that this is only his theory.
• Acts 9:1–19 | Paul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, discussed in connection with the possibility of lingering vision problems.
• Galatians 6:11 | Paul writes, “See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!” Pastor Scott cites this as possible evidence of Paul's eyesight difficulties.
• Ephesians 2:8–9 | Salvation comes by grace through faith, not by works, so that no one can boast.
• James 2:14–26, especially 2:17 | “Faith without works is dead.” Pastor Scott explains that good works do not earn salvation but flow naturally from faith and the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Matthew 13:44 | The Parable of the Hidden Treasure, in which a man sells everything to purchase a field containing treasure.
• Matthew 13:45–46 | The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. A merchant sells everything to obtain one extraordinarily valuable pearl, illustrating the incomparable worth of God's Kingdom. The sermon also refers more broadly to Christian freedom, the Reformation, the relationship between faith and works, and the radical demands of discipleship.