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)
Discussion Questions:
- Clayton said on Sunday that gender and sexuality really are Gospel issues, and the Church must be addressing these things in today's culture. He said that he loves people, but he loves God and His Word more. If we don't love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength FIRST and FOREMOST, we won't be able to love our neighbors in a God-honoring way. Our desire as Christians MUST be to love our neighbors by sharing the truth in love. Is this true of you? Can you say, truthfully, that you love God and His Word more than you love people or their opinions of you?
- The Bible ALWAYS affirms heterosexual sex and marriage as the design of God. Read Genesis 2:18-24. Woman was a "helper suitable just right for him." The Hebrew phrasing here literally means "opposite but corresponds to." Clayton's made up word for this is "counterpartnerment" - counterpart, partner, compliment... LIKE me, BESIDE me, NOT like me. Males and females were created by God's according to His good design to have different but equal and complimentary roles. The two become one in ways that are better than the individual on their own. What are other ways males and females are complimentary to one another in ways that don't exist in same-sex relationships?
- Next, the Bible NEVER affirms homosexual practice. There isn't one single passage of Scripture that supports homosexual practice or even talks positively about it. No examples... not one in either the New or Old Testaments. How do you think people in support of homosexual practices that claim to be believers are able to reconcile their views and opinions with the truth of Scripture? Do you ever find yourself agreeing with your mind that God's Word is true and at the same time resist it in your heart because it doesn't always feel good? How do we get our hearts and mind to align behind God's truth?
- Love is love. You've probably heard this or seen it posted on social media in support of homosexual relationships. Love is love? No. God is love. He is the definition of love. The very first commandment is to love God first and with all we have. Remember, we can't love anything in our lives the right way unless we love Him first. The Bible's definition of love isn't just emotions. It's not self-asserting or self-serving. It's a selfless sacrificing of me and my interests and my rights for someone else. This is where culture, once again, twists the truth of God's good design. Jesus said deny yourself, not embrace yourself. He said loving Him looks like obedience. We cannot say we love Jesus and then choose to disobey Him. Has this "embrace yourself," "discover your true self" ideology crept into your thinking and opinions? How often are you thinking about denying yourself and following Jesus? What does your level of obedience say about your love for Christ?
- The big idea from Sunday was "Marriage = 1 man + 1 woman + 1 lifetime." That is God's good design. That is His best for the children that He loves and wants to protect. It is ALWAYS good to believe in, delight in and pursue God's good design. How do we, as Christians that want to uphold and honor truth, still love those in our lives that disagree with us on this issue or are actively living a homosexual lifestyle? What might it look like to speak the truth in love without affirming sin?
Prayer Topics:
- That we would love God first and most.
- That we would ALWAYS trust God's good design.
- That we would speak the truth in love.
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