Series Resources

sermon-based study guide

This guide is designed to guide a group discussion around the weekend sermon. You can also use this as an individual, but we highly recommend finding a friend and inviting them to discuss with you. Menlo Church has Life Groups meeting in-person and online using these guides. We’d love to help you find a group.

What you will find in this guide: A discussion guide for groups and individuals. If you are using this as an individual be sure to engage with each question in a journal or simply in your mind as you prayerfully consider what you heard in the sermon and seek to discover what God is inviting you to know and do.

Study Guide: Receiving The Protection of Prayer

Connect

How has this series on prayer impacted your understanding of prayer and your relationship with God?

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Engage

Read Matthew 6:12-15

What are the key themes of these verses?
What do these verses reveal about the relationship between our forgiveness of others and God’s forgiveness of us?
How do these verses challenge your understanding of forgiveness?

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Apply

Phil mentions the concept of “righteous reflexes” coming from healthy habits of prayer. Share some examples of how prayer has shaped your reflexes in daily life.
Forgiveness is a key theme of Jesus’ prayer. How do you personally struggle with forgiveness? Have you ever experienced a situation where forgiveness was difficult but necessary?
Consider the analogy of having your debts paid off by an anonymous benefactor. How does this relate to God’s forgiveness in your life? How should this impact our relationships with others and extending forgiveness?
How can you actively practice forgiveness in your daily life?

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Prayer

Spend time sharing in your prayer needs together and share what you are thankful for in this season of life.

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Close by saying the Lord’s Prayer together:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

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Going Deeper

Menlo Midweek Podcast:

Tune in every Wednesday for a conversation with the previous week’s speaker. It’s a deeper dive into the message and an engaging time to learn, reflect, grow—and have fun.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/menlo-church-sermon-podcast/id129950807