Matt Zainea Rockford Campus November 13, 2022
DEVOTION FROM BETRAYAL
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
REMINDERS
- Fall Leader Refresh was a great way to spend some time together as leaders, reflecting on our expectations and ideals for community, and encouraging each other, through hospitality to extend grace to one another! Whether or not you could attend, please remember: we are here to encourage and support you as a leader!
- Let’s Chat! I’d love to continue to grow in knowing you Let me buy you a coffee or a meal and let’s chat soon! Reach out to Trent [email protected] or Kathryn [email protected]
TOGETHER IN LIFE
** We received our first flakes of snow this week! Reflect on God’s promises of a renewed heart, white as snow, from Job 37:5-7 and this prayer found in Every Moment Holy, Vol.1 (by Douglas McKelvey):
“O Christ, King of Snow, we bless you for bidding this blanket of white to cover us in holy hush, that our hearts might be quieted at the sight, that we might sense the emptiness of canvas, over which your Spirit broods, and upon which you would create and recreate our hearts in the image of the one whose word first spoke snow into existence. Amen”
TOGETHER IN THE WORD
One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged [Peter], “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.” John 18:26-27
** The story of Peter’s denial are one of the few stories that all the gospels have in common. Read them here:
Foretelling Fulfillment
Matt. 26:31-35 Matt. 26:69-75
Mark 14:27-31 Mark 14:66-72
Luke 22:31-34 Luke 22:54-62
John 13:31-38 John 18:15-18, 25-27
QUESTION: What are the similarities? What are the differences?
EXPOSED
**Jesus exposes his glory for one last time before his death while he was in the garden in declaring, “I am He”. At this, everyone drew back and fell to the ground…
QUESTION: What are the other “I am…” statements found in the Gospel of John?
QUESTION: Where else do we read: “Every knee will bow…”?
**From this moment forward, Jesus will reveal his glory in meekness and sacrifice.
QUESTION: How did Peter’s vision of a messiah differ from who Jesus was? How does this scene in the garden (John 18:1-14) show us this?
QUESTION: Jesus had prayed for his disciples to be one, just before this incident. How is Peter living out of alignment? In what ways does he finally expose the motives of his heart?
**Lies are compounding…Matt says, “If you are going to follow through on a lie, you better be ready to follow through with a second one, and then a third…”
TAKE A RISK: Share a time when you had been caught in a lie and ended up leaving a trail of them? How did that situation end? What did you do to make amends?
Matt says, “Peter was the most fervent and passionate follower of Jesus, willing to even fight off Rome with a sword with his Messiah by his side. He was self-deceived in his devotion to Jesus, running through red lights to his own demise.”
QUESTION: How could Peter have been so self-deceived? How do we deceive ourselves?
**All it took was Jesus not following Peter’s plan for Peter to be exposed, revealing his two minds: Peter the follower of Jesus, Peter the self-protector.
QUESTION: How do we cover our idolatry of “self-protector” with “follower of Jesus”? In other words, how can we use our “Christian” identity as a cover for other motives?
CRISIS
**Exposure of our true selves can often come in the midst of crisis. Pushed to the brink, low on resources and energy, what’s really going on under the surface often comes up. One way we can assess our true motives is by asking questions that lead to deeper understanding. Questions such as…
PRAY, THINK AND ANSWER: What is the state of your love relationship with Jesus right now?
QUESTION: How did you answer this? Was it a list of do’s and don’ts? Did you answer based on how you are living up to a moral code or standard? Or was it based on nearness and affection (relational terms)?
**Just because we are exposed and go through a crisis, does not mean that things will eventually work out the way they should. Sometimes it leads us into further disaster. The difference is this: when exposed to a crisis will you…
- …Turn to God, humble yourself and be open to his leading?
- …Use God to get what you want, demanding he meet you as you desire?
QUESTION: Think of a time when you felt you were in crisis. How did you handle it? How did you cope? What helped you through it? What ways did you feel close with God? In what ways did you feel far from him?
KNOW THIS:
If you are currently in a crisis, there is hope and community for you here. Lean into your group and your church; we are God’s gift to one another in seasons of challenge to not only lift one another’s tangible needs, but to love each other to deeper relationship with Jesus. Consider reaching out for prayer in this season.
If you are not currently in a crisis, consider how you can set yourself up to trust in the Lord ahead of time. Relationships are built over time. Pour seeds of trust into yours with the Father now and you will be blessed by the harvest of fruit down the road. Consider also how you may be a blessing to others who may be in a challenging season.
TOGETHER IN ACTION
Take some time this week to consider: How do I have Two Minds (the mind of Christ and the mind of self-preservation)?
Take steps to identify moments when you lean toward self-preservation and away from Christ. Talk about these with your group.
