Don Denyes // Rockford Campus // May 18, 2025

SMALL GROUP
DISCUSSION GUIDE

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Luke 18:9-14

REMINDERS

Men @ Magnify Summer Bonfire (Wednesday, May 28, 7:00-9:00pm, The Barn 5330 Kies Road, Rockford)

All Men at Magnify are invited to hang out around a bonfire, eat snacks, play yard games, and talk about being a Godly Man in 2025. No need to register. Just bring a camp chair, a friend, your sons, grandsons, or nephews and if you want, a snack or drink to pass.

Check out the website for more details here.

Summer is Coming!

Summer events are on the way! Stay in the know by keeping an eye on our events page.

TOGETHER IN LIFE

This week, Dr. Don led the sermon by talking about stories with plot twists being some of the best ones. 

Share some of your favorite stories (tv shows, movies, books, etc.) that include plot twists and why they’re so interesting.

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Luke 18:9-14

Note: If you are meeting as a group, we encourage you to read the text together out loud.

KEY QUESTION:

• In what ways can you humble yourself before the Lord in prayer this week?

GOING DEEPER:

Luke’s Themes

Luke’s gospel isn’t always chronological, sometimes the passages are organized thematically. Check out the surrounding texts found in Luke 18. 

QUESTIONS

• What would you say the themes are found in these sections?
  • Luke 18:1-8
  • Luke 18:9-14
  • Luke 18:15-17
  • Luke 18:18-30
• Why do you think these are grouped together?
• What do you think the overarching theme of these texts help us understand about God and ourselves?

The Pharisee

In the first century, Pharisees were not religious by trade, but rather served as “laymen” who sought moral purity by upholding the Old Testament law (as found in the Pentateuch which are the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). In many ways they were morally “pure”. They sought to be the most zealous group of rule-followers and were held in high esteem in the community. On paper, these were “good men”. However, Jesus often had many confrontations with them due to their hardness of heart.

QUESTIONS

• What stories of Pharisees from Scripture can you recall?
• What stands out to you about what you know of Pharisees?
• Why do you think Jesus was so upset with the Pharisees?
• The Pharisee stood in judgment over the Tax Collector and held him in contempt. He had a good eye toward himself, a bad eye toward the Tax Collector and no eye toward God. In what ways might you be tempted to do the same?
• What does it look like to treat people with contempt? Who are you tempted to treat this way?
• What is the main problem with judging others, especially without regard to mercy?

The Tax Collector

Tax Collectors of this day were treated as traitors amongst their people. Common across the Roman Government were those who would pay fees to become Tax Collectors amongst their local people group and gather the promised amount of tax to the Roman Government, while then charging more fees they’d collect for their own use. Often the taxes were incredibly high and essentially legalized extortion of the people. Tax Collector was seen as the “lowest of the low” in terms of professions and often despised and excluded in the Jewish community.

QUESTIONS

• What other stories of Tax Collectors from Scriptures do you recall? 
• How might you feel about a friend or close acquaintance extorting you with the support of the government? 
• Why do you think Jesus often associated with “tax collectors and sinners” (cf Mark 2:16-17)?
• “Mercy” means not receiving what we rightly deserve (i.e. judgment, God’s wrath, etc.). We contribute nothing to the invitation to mercy. Share a story of when someone was merciful to you or someone else.

 

Comparing the Prayers

Parables were used often by Jesus to communicate the heart of the Father directly to His people. He wanted them to see how much He loved them and how much they needed him. As Jesus tells this story, there are clear similarities and differences in the pray-ers. 

QUESTIONS

• Where did each man pray?
• What posture did each man pray in?
• Who was the audience of their prayer?
• What was the content of their prayer?
• Why was the Pharisee so fixated on himself?
• Why was the Tax Collector so fixated on God?
• Just because we are obedient (outwardly) does not mean we are humble. How are these different and what does it look like for someone to be humbly obey God versus doing so in pride?
• One of the key issues of the Pharisee was his comparison to others sin. Have you ever considered that this might be true of you? Have you had the experience of comparing your goodness on account of someone else’s bad decisions?

 

TOGETHER IN ACTION

• Humility can be a difficult fruit of the Spirit to demonstrate and exercise, precisely because it feels prideful to talk about it. Discuss as a group ways in which you:
  • See humility in others in the group.
  • See humility play out in others you know.
• Find ways to replicate this humility in your life this week. Talk as a group about what might be involved in humbly bringing yourself before the Lord to humble yourself so that He may exalt you.

TOGETHER IN PRAYER

“Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5b)

• Pray in humility at the feet of your God in…
  • Adoration: “God you are…”
  • Confession: “God, I’m sorry for…”
  • Thanksgiving: “God, thank you for…”
  • Supplication: “God, I need…” 
• Pray Psalm 139:23-24 regularly this week.
• Pray for your group mates to consider how they can grow in humility. Trust the Holy Spirit’s work in their hearts to show them the way.
• Pray for those you know who do not love Jesus. Pray that the Spirit would awaken their hearts to His love and compassion for them in their sin and that He would bring them to new life.