Stu Quackenbush // Rockford Campus // June 30, 2024
True Worship
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
REMINDERS
Summer Events: Reminder to check out the Events page on the website for a list of summer events for men, women, families, and students. You can see a list of Sunday night programming, Guys Nights Out for men, women’s bonfires and playdates, and Kids and Teens Worship Arts Camp.
TOGETHER IN LIFE
We’re heading into the 4th of July holiday week. Spend a moment sharing if you have any plans for the 4th of July.
TOGETHER IN THE WORD
THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Luke 7:36–50 | A Sinful Woman Forgiven
Note: We encourage you to read the entire text together as a group out loud.
The Hardest and Greatest Things
“He that has learned to feel his sins, and to trust Christ as a Savior, has learned the two hardest and greatest lessons in Christianity.” – J. I. Packer
Stu noted in his sermon that we must feel our sins in two ways: intellectually and emotionally.
To feel our sins intellectually is to understand how our sins hurt others, hurt us, and most importantly how they hurt God.
To feel our sins emotionally is to allow our sins to impact our feelings and emotions, because we care about Christ and the holiness of God.
QUESTIONS:
- What evidence do we have in the story of the sinful woman that she felt her sins and yet also trusted Christ as Savior?
- Do you allow yourself to feel your sins both intellectually and emotionally? Which one is easier for you?
- How does Packer’s statement get to the heart of the gospel?
An Emotional Faith
“If great things of religion are rightly understood, they will affect the heart. The reason people are not affected by infinitely great and wonderful things is because they are blind. Otherwise it would be impossible and utterly inconsistent with human nature for their hearts to be unmoved.” – Jonathan Edwards
QUESTIONS:
- What role do emotions play in your daily worship of God?
- When was the last time that you felt strong, overwhelming emotion over God’s gracious, undeserved, and life-altering love for you?
Forgive Us Our Debts
Re-read verses 39–43.
Compare these verses to Matthew’s version of The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13). Matthew quotes Jesus as saying “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Consider this concept of sin as debt. Have you ever owed a debt that you were unable to pay or that caused considerable pain and stress in your life? Now imagine the debt was instantly removed. How would you respond? What emotions would you feel?
QUESTIONS:
- Do you think of your sins as an overwhelming debt that needed to be paid?
- How does this affect your view of forgiveness?
- Stu said in the sermon that forgiveness is the doorway to worship. Does understanding that your debt has been paid stir you toward greater worship?
Two Truths
“Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” – John Newton
John Newton’s statement highlights two important truths of the Christian life. Take a moment to reflect on each of these.
I am a great sinner.
While these words can create discomfort in us, Stu noted that we miss out on the joy of grace when we try to hide or excuse our sin. It’s only by recognizing the depth of our sin that we can begin to understand the magnitude of God’s grace to us in Christ.
That leads us to the second important truth:
I am a great sinner. Christ is a GREATER Savior.
Once we recognize the depth of our sin, we don’t have to stay stuck there. We can allow the feelings of discomfort to motivate us to look to Jesus Christ and be overwhelmed with worship for what a great Savior he is!
Read 1 John 1:9 as you think about this.
TOGETHER IN ACTION
Our next steps as a church this week are to:
- Pray and ask God to cause you to feel the weight of your sin. Journal and write out even those things you don’t want to admit. Pray for the courage to face the reality of sin in your life.
- Look to Christ and trust that He truly is a great Savior. Re-read Luke 7:36–50 and consider first what you’ve been forgiven of and then how this might increase your worship with both your mind and your emotions.
TOGETHER IN PRAYER
Spend a few moments quietly reflecting on these two important truths: I am a great sinner. Christ is a greater Savior. Then pray for the following:
- For eyes to clearly see your sin and emotions to feel your sin.
- For understanding that Christ is a great Savior who paid the full price for our sins.
- For the joy of the gospel to be experienced.
- For passionate worship in your life that engages both your mind and your emotions.
- For this passion to motivate you into risk-taking worship of Jesus, gladly sharing this good news with others.
