Ben Phebus                                                          Rockford Campus                                                May 19, 2024

 

Storytellers: Judge Not

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

 

REMINDERS

THANK YOU LEADERS! – All this month we’re taking time to meet with and celebrate our Life Group Leaders. Thank you so much for all you do to enable our church to grow closer with the Lord. Keep up the great work!

 

TOGETHER IN LIFE

This week Ben told a story about a woman who had been lost while hiking. Have you ever been lost? Or maybe just not where you thought you were?

 

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Luke 6:37–42

Note: We encourage you to read the entire text together as a group out loud.

 

Commands and Blessings

In verses 37 and 38, Jesus gives a list of commands and blessings in rapid succession. From the broader context of Scripture we know that obedience is the result of salvation, not the cause of salvation. Jesus is describing how someone who has been rescued is supposed to act.

Look through those two verses (37 and 38) again and read aloud the commands. We long for people to treat us this way!

QUESTIONS:

• If this is how we want to be treated, why is it sometimes hard to treat others this way?
• Which of these stands out as the hardest to do? Why?

Looking again, read aloud the blessings Jesus lists.

QUESTIONS:

• Which of these blessings do you long for most? Why?
• Do you find it easy or challenging to believe that God will give you these blessings? Explain your answer.
• Based on your life experience and knowledge of other Bible passages, how long do you think people have to wait to receive these blessings after following these commands?

 

Comparisons

Judging often happens when we compare ourselves to others. When we are doing well, we are sometimes tempted to think we’re the better person. But as Ben pointed out, when we think that way, we are using the wrong standard. Christ is the standard. “He needed no mercy.”

QUESTIONS:

• How has God shown you mercy?
• Re-read the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt. 18:21–35). How should we respond to God’s mercy? How often? Where should mercy end?
  • Why do you think it was so hard for the unmerciful servant to let go of what was owed to him? If you had a chance to talk him down before he confronted the men who owed him money, what would you say to try and change his mind?
• Often we are tempted to keep track of faults (clipboard) versus helping those in need (the first aid kit). Where are you most tempted to carry the clipboard around and track the faults of others?

 

Blind Guides and Blocked Eyes

The one who judges or is unmerciful is like a blind guide. It’s as foolish to follow him or her as it is to accept eye care from someone with a log in his or her own eye. Instead of judging others, we must focus our attention on our sins and our problems—but not to condemn ourselves! We note them to remember what we have been saved from. Only when we daily remember God’s grace and mercy will we be equipped to help others find it, too.

QUESTIONS:

• If we live in self-condemnation, how are we likely to treat others?
• What does it mean to find your identity in Christ?
• What do you do to remember God’s grace and mercy in your life?
• When is the last time you thanked God for His grace and mercy?
• If Christ is willing to forgive us and deal generously with us, what is stopping you from forgiving and dealing generously with others?

 

TOGETHER IN ACTION

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8–9)

Take time together to confess any sins of judgment God has laid on your heart. Repent and let go of any desire to keep holding the clipboard of judgment and condemnation.

 

TOGETHER IN PRAYER

Close in a time of prayer thanking God for His grace and mercy. Be specific about the grace God has shown you. Know that He loves you, and that He will never leave or forsake those who trust in Him. If you have put your faith in Christ, you are an adopted child of God, a new person, united with Christ, and indwelt with the Holy Spirit. You have right now everything you need, including forgiveness and mercy enough to cover every sin.