Stories Worth Living

Take a brief moment to review this fall’s sermon series, “Stories Worth Living: Parables of the Kingdom.” Which of the stories most resonated with you? Which was the most challenging? How have you seen God draw you more toward Him in this last season? 

Read Luke 19.45-20.9. What is the primary implication of the text? What stands out to you in the text? Where do you sense God speaking to you most personally? 

This story is set on the Wednesday of Passion Week. Why does the setting matter to the telling of this parable? 

What does Jesus mean when He says, “My house will be a house of prayer?” Why did He call it a “den of robbers.” 

Review the following passages and call the line of J.D. Walt. Note where and how you see God initiating dramatic activity in each of these passages. 

• Judges 6.25-26 
• 1 Kings 18.30-31
• 2 Kings 23.4-6
• Amos 5.21-24 (MSG)

What did the Temple in Jerusalem represent? How is our church similar in its presence? How is our church different? 

When people drive by Sanctuary, what do they know about our house? Would they define our house as a “house of prayer?” 

What about your house? When people drive by your house, with whom or what do they associate your house? The people that come in and out of your house, your children, friends, and family. Do you they sense your house is a house of prayer? If not, with what or whom do they associate your house? 

Reread Luke 19.47-48. Note the last phase. Why were people “hanging on His words?” 

Reread Luke 20.1-2. Note the phrase, “Proclaiming the Good News.” What is the Good News Jesus is proclaiming? How is that news still good today? How do you continue to receive His Good News? 

Jesus is challenged by the Scribes and Pharisees. In His response, Jesus doesn’t directly answer their question. Why does He instead answer with another question? 

What is the point of the discussion regarding baptism? What’s the difference between John’s baptism and the ritual baptism practiced at the Temple? At Sanctuary, we celebrate believers’ baptism. How does believer’s baptism align with John’s baptism? 

Read Isaiah 5.1-7 alongside the Parable of the Tenants here in Luke. What’s the purpose of the parable? What is the main point Jesus is making in telling this story? How does the parable and prophecy of Isaiah speak to the hearts of the Pharisees? How are these Scriptures speaking to you? 

Reflect on the line from J.D. Walt. “Whenever God wants to initiate dramatic activity in Israel’s midst, he begins with their worship practices.” What dramatic activity is God doing in your midst? How is His activity affecting the way you worship? 

Spend some time praying for your neighbors, your neighborhood, and our church. That He would rule and reign our bodies, minds and hearts. Give Him praise for His continual work in your life. 

Do you think the rich man’s fate was fair? Why or why not?

Do you think “The Parable of the Man Who Never Noticed” is a better title than “The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus”?

To what extent do you truly see and respond to the needs of those people God has put in at your gate? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the many requests for help you receive?

Have you hardened your heart to some of the foundational things Jesus taught (specifically the idea of God’s judgment and hell) because our culture disagrees with them?

If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of God’s judgment, what do you do with the fact that Jesus regularly and voluntarily returned to that subject?

Are you willing to ask God to show you other possible areas of spiritual hardness in your life?  What are some steps you can take to soften your heart?

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Read Luke 16:1-9.

As we have studied the parables of Jesus, what have you appreciated about the parables Jesus told? How does a better understanding of the parables of Jesus help you to know the heart of Jesus?

The parable of the Dishonest Manager is known as one of the most difficult parables of Jesus to understand. What questions do you have as you read this story?

The manager is silent in response to the accusations that are made, which seems to communicate guilt as he asks himself the question, “What shall I do?” When was a time in your life where you have asked the question, “What shall I do?”

D.A. Carson points out that the phrase “in/to himself” combined with some verb of saying, thinking, or realizing, appears at significant junctures in three other Lucan parables: The Rich Fool (12:17), The Prodigal Son (15:17), and The Judge (18:4). Why do you think this turning point is repeated in several of Jesus’ parables?

There are a lot of theories around what the manager was doing when he altered the debts, but he is called “dishonest,” so it seems best to assume that he was not acting uprightly. What is the motivation for this deception?

There are not really any surprises in this parable until we get to verses 8-9. What is your response as you read these verses?

It is key to see that the manager is praised for his “shrewdness,” not his unrighteousness or dishonesty. Why do you think Jesus tells us a story that highlights his desire for his followers to be “shrewd”? How can our eternal security result in us not being “shrewd?”

As we have seen several times in these parables, Jesus came announcing the Kingdom of Heaven. Here, Jesus reminds us that the temporary resources that we steward can be utilized for eternal purposes. How does that reality challenge you today?

When you read a passage or hear a sermon like this regarding your resources, do you hear a call to sacrifice or an invitation to invest in the kingdom? How are those two attitudes different for you?

Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19 and reflect on the final words of verse 19, “so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” Pray that God would give you a heart to desire His kingdom above all things, and eyes to see the opportunities to invest in eternity with the temporal things you have been entrusted with today.

In your own words, what does it mean to “repent”? What is the difference between “changing your mind (your way of thinking)” versus “changing your behavior”? 

In your own words, what is “the Gospel”? Read Ephesians 2:1-10. Read Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, and 10:9. Read John 3:16. Have you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord? Do you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead? Take a few minutes to talk to God about the Gospel. If you are willing, affirm (or re-affirm) to Him what you believe in your heart. 

Read Luke 15:11-17. Where do you find yourself in this story? e.g., do you resonate with the younger brother, the older brother, the father, or somewhere in between? Explain.

Why do you think the father lets the younger son leave in the beginning of the story? Why do you think the father ran towards his younger son “while he was still a far way off” and before he even knew what he was going to say? 

“The father went out and pleaded with him (the older son)”. I love how the father also pursues the older son. In your own words, what message do you think Jesus is “pleading” to the Pharisees and teachers of the Law?