Click here for the sermon discussion questions or see them listed below. We highly encourage you to listen, think, and talk about the sermon. These are questions you can reflect on by yourself, with your family, or with your small group.

Discussion Questions

1. When have you felt most discouraged in your walk with the Lord?  What causes us to become discouraged and what are the negative effects of it?  

2. What do you think prompted Joseph of Arimathea to “come out of hiding” at the lowest and most discouraging point for anyone who believed in Jesus?  What did Joseph do to show his love for Christ and why was this such a beautiful display of faith?  What should this teach us, especially when we may feel like we’re all alone in the cause for Christ?

3. John Piper said that God is always doing 10,000 things in your life and you may be aware of three of them.  What do you think he meant by this?  How does this help us during our times of discouragement?

4. Why do you think it was the women who followed Jesus, and not the men, who came forward to prepare Jesus’ body for burial?  What does this tell you about the women’s love for and faithfulness to Jesus?  

5. What do the beautiful acts of love displayed by Joseph and the women tell us about God’s sovereignty even in the midst of great discouragement?  How could you use this passage to encourage someone who is discouraged?