Summary:
In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus intentionally addresses a parable to a specific group of people — people who were confident in themselves, that they were righteous. Re-read this passage. In His parable, Jesus identifies the problem we all share: that none of us are righteous enough for God. Jesus contrasts two opposite ways we might go about obtaining righteousness:
1) through striving for our own goodness or
2) through recognizing our sinfulness and crying out for mercy.
In the end, Jesus makes clear that salvation (justification) comes only as a result of God’s mercy — not through any of our righteousness.
Discussion Questions:
- As you “mature” in Christ, do you detect a tendency to self-righteousness? What does this look like in your life?
- Look at the passage again, and discuss how self-righteousness effects our view of God (ie v.9, 14) and our view of others (v.9, 11-12).
- What might you do to guard against self-righteousness? How might you take care to remember that your confidence before God is His grace alone, and none of your goodness?
- How does this passage inform the way you share the Good News? Where do you see the Gospel in this passage — why is it Good enough and urgent enough to share?
Summary:
“Where would we be without forgiveness?” Sin is a pressing weight, a seemingly insurmountable obstacle between me and God — between me and others. “Where would we be without forgiveness?” Apart from the blood of Jesus Christ, we would be crushed under the weight of sin and estranged from God and one another. But, Jesus laid aside what was important to Himself (namely, unity with the Father, purity, innocence, etc.) in order to obey the will of the Father and to attain that which was most important to you and I — namely, forgiveness. Read Phil.2:4-8
Discussion Questions:
- Read 1 Jn. 1:5-10. How are the following questions answered in this particular passage of Scripture:
- What is required if I am to be forgiven (or “cleansed”)?
- If the blood of Christ has been applied to my sin (or someone else’s), what are the results?
- Describe the “opposites” or antonyms of these effects. In other words, “where would we be without forgiveness,” according to 1 Jn. 1:5-10?
- How might this effect the way you think about yourself before God, even though you aren’t perfect?
- How might this effect the way you think about others, even though they are not perfect?
- How might your relationships with people (including yourself) better reflect the biblical description of the results of forgiveness found in 1 Jn. 1?
Last Sunday we celebrated God’s work in the lives of three young men: Tim Donohue, Josh Bishop and Josh Dingwell. Their testimonies were followed by water baptism. What a blessed day! If you missed their testimonies or would like to hear them again, you can listen to them below.
Luke 17:11-19
Summary:
There were 10 lepers who came to Jesus, all in desperate need of the same thing… the same thing we all need… the very thing Jesus came into the world to furnish. All of the lepers were healed of leprosy. One of the lepers recognized that Jesus was here to provide far more than physical healing. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet, worshipping Him as God. For his faith in who Jesus is, Jesus declared the man’s sins forgiven! He spent time praising Jesus for who He is — not merely delighting in the good thing Jesus had done for him… in this passage, Jesus is helping us to understand a key element of faith.
Discussion Questions:
- Re-read the passage, considering: “What is Jesus commending here? What is He looking for — what does He want from me?”
- Our natural inclination is to become more preoccupied with the gifts than the Giver. In this passage, Jesus is here to save us from drifting into a self-centered, entitlement-driven faith by directing our gaze to the same object admired by the One leper.
- Consider how you spend times of prayer. God commands us to bring our needs and requests to Him — but it’s easy for these to take over our prayers. Are your prayers and affections harnessed to the beauty and salvation of Christ — or are you often “stuck” on your current need.
- If you were to imitate the leper (as Jesus clearly implies we should), what would that look like in your day? In the way you pray? In the way you conceive of Jesus?
If you missed the Sovereign Grace Ministries ministry videos, you can view them online! The South Korea Missions Update (shown October 24) can be viewed here. And the update with CJ Mahaney (shown October 31) is here. As you watch these, join me in giving thanks for God’s mercy in allowing us the privilege of advancing the Great Commission by planting Gospel-centered churches around the world!
Summary:
In Romans 8:18-30, God reveals how he uses all things to work together for good for those who love God. When we look at the context of Romans 8:28 we are able to see why we can be so confident of this. Here you will see that, as a Christian, God foreknew you, predestined you, called you, justified you, and will glorify you.
Discussion Questions:
When are you tempted to think, “God causes some things (but not all things) to work for my good”?
Which of the following truths helps you the most in trusting God with your suffering and why?
God foreknew you, predestined you, called you, justified you, and will glorify you.
How can you seek to make Romans 8:28 “the pillow you sleep on”?
As we consider how God’s Word is spreading around the world (Korea, Bolivia, etc.) and in our own region, take some time to reflect upon the following: “How is God calling me to partner with the expansion of the Gospel?”
