Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
Ice-Breaker:
If you played sports as a kid, what was your most embarrassing moment?
Discussion Questions:
- In Luke 18:18-30, Jesus encounters a rich man that wants to know how to obtain eternal life. But Jesus, instead, takes issue with the man addressing Him as "good teacher." Jesus asks, "Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good." Jesus is pointing out that the man has a defective understanding of what goodness is. The standard by which our goodness will be judged isn’t a human moral standard. God's standard of goodness is much different. This man mistakenly thinks he is better than he actually is. We make the same fatal flaw, mainly because we usually don't think sin is all that bad. We undervalue our sin and overvalue our righteousness. What about you? Is there a chance that you believe you are better or more righteous than you actually are? How often are you grieved at your own sin?
- The rich man failed to realize the FOOLISHNESS of his own EFFORT. He thought there was something he could DO to earn eternal life. He thought he could get there by keeping the commandments. But the law wasn't meant to be steps to get to God, it was meant to be an x-ray that shows how broken you are. An x-ray doesn't heal you, it shows you where you're broken. This man should've asked himself... if he kept the law so perfectly, why was there still something missing in his life? Maybe some of us should ask the same question… If I go to church, I volunteer, I give money, pray from time to time, why is there still something missing? Why am I not satisfied? Ever been there?
- Jesus eventually tells the man to sell everything and give the money to the poor. He exposes this guy's heart. The man chooses his wealth over God and goes away sad. Then Jesus says it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. He's saying that rich people (or in other words, US) have a particularly difficult time when it comes to total surrender and choosing God over our stuff. Here is a quote from Darrell Bock... "This passage challenges us to ask where our fundamental anchors of identity lie. Possessions can be one such root. They can shade our sight from the central values and chain our heart to the wrong point of identity. Few biblical figures are as tragic as this young rich man as he walks away from Jesus’ invitation. But other factors, such as achievement, pride, and family, can also reside in the place that should be reserved for God. Anything that excessively anchors us to the earth rather than freeing us as commissioned representatives from God indicates a breakdown in the discipleship process. What is really frightening is how easy it is for all of us to choose earth over heaven." Thoughts?
- After we realize the foolishness of our own efforts we must recognize the WISDOM of the CROSS. In verse 31, when Jesus foretells of His own death, His disciples don't grasp what He's talking about. This was probably because Jesus having to suffer and die didn't fit their theology of what the Messiah would be. They were looking for a coronation, not a crucifixion. But Jesus knew He had to die in order to forgive the sins of many. Think about this for a minute... God didn't HAVE to save anyone. And in that case, Jesus wouldn't have to die. But he WANTED to save us because He loves us and wanted to have a relationship with us. And if that were going to happen, Jesus would have to die as a sacrifice. Do you remember when your eyes were first opened to the wisdom of the cross? What was it like to realize that you were forgiven for all that Jesus did for you?
- Before we can realize the foolishness of our own effort, and before we can recognize the wisdom of the cross, we must receive the MIRACLE of SIGHT. This is a work only God can do for us. He's the one that must do the miracle. The rich guy asked, "What can I do...", while Jesus asked what HE could do for the blind man. We must realize we can't perform our way to a relationship with God. When we think we must perform and strive, it puts so much pressure on us and pressure will ultimately lead to failure. So many of us are on this treadmill of religion. Jesus is telling us that this whole earning system isn't going to work. He doesn't want our church attendance, our religious duty, our songs...All that is good, but He says, "I want your heart." He wants our unrivaled affection. Does He have yours?
Prayer Topics:
- That we would realize the foolishness of our own effort.
- That we would recognize the wisdom of the cross.
- That we would look to Him for the miracle of sight.
- That God would have our unrivaled affection.
2 Comments
An awesome reminder!! ❤️
Put God first.