Let us
examine the Scriptures like the Bereans who "received the message with
great eagerness and
examined
the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11 (NIV)
June 27, 2004: “Forgiveness” by Dale Shaw, Elder and Director of Outreach at College
Park Church. Brother Dale presented a
powerful message on the beauty, cost and implications of forgiveness from Luke
7:36-50.
Note to Leader:
Before you come together as a group, pray as Dale and his intern, Sean
Davis, did, that God would speak to each person and reveal an area of life that
He would like to come into the Light of His grace and mercy, and that they
would be motivated by the Holy Spirit to take appropriate action. And when you begin your discussion this
evening, ask how has God been speaking to you as you’ve spent 10 minutes a day
thinking about the story in Luke and the passages in Isaiah
that Dale Shaw asked us to read and meditate upon.
As we read Luke 7:36-50, three characters emerge. Who were they and what can we say about each
person?
1.
How would you
describe Simon?
(Simon was a Pharisee, a religious leader, a
political leader, and man of authority, a man of high
class, yet quite hypocritical, who ignored common courtesy towards Jesus, and did not recognize Jesus as the Christ, nor love Jesus. He simply wanted
to know if Jesus was a prophet.)
2.
How would you
describe the woman visitor?
(The woman was described as a sinful woman,
a prostitute, who had heard of, and perhaps seen, Jesus and knew who he is and
what he had been doing. She was a woman
of low class, authentic,
sincere, who went beyond common courtesy by
humiliating herself in order to worship Jesus, loved
Jesus and demonstrated an outpouring of love for Him because she knew He was
the Christ who could forgive and save her of her many sins, and empower her so
she could turn her life around.)
3.
By contrast,
how would you describe Jesus?
(Jesus the Christ who is in a class by Himself, incapable
of hypocrisy or insincerity, accepted the
woman’s worship and praised it, loved both
Simon and the woman, knew the hearts and even the thoughts of Simon, and
gave listening ear, an understanding response, and wise counsel to both.)
Brother Dale described in great detail the outpouring of
love that the sinful woman displayed in her encounter with Jesus.
1.
Are
you one who is so overwhelmed with what Jesus can do, or has done, in your life
that you glow with an outpouring of love for Jesus as you relate the events to
others? If not yourself, do you know
someone who is so inclined?
2.
Are
you willing to share with an overflow of love for Jesus what he has, and is
doing in your life, even when others look down on you and think you are foolish
for giving God praise, honor and glory?
a.
If
yes, share something about the occasion and what resulted from your sharing.
b.
If
not, share an occasion when you wanted to do, or say something, you knew God
wanted you to do, or say, but were hesitant to do so because of your concern
for the negative reaction of others.
Why are you hesitant?
3.
What
would you like to do next time a similar situation (as in your answer to the
question above) presents itself?
Brother Dale made the excellent point that when Christ forgave the Woman (in v. 48 and 50b) He did so with the agony of the Cross in mind. He knew that to be able to say to her “your faith has saved you” He Himself would have to pay the ultimate price: receive all the pain and burden of Sin, be separated from His communion with the Father, die, and receive God’s entire wrath for Sin.
·
When
you ask Jesus to forgive you for something, do you remember how much He had to
go through in order to restore us into fellowship with the Father?
Brother Dale concluded his message with a challenge to each
of us to consider how big is the God we serve, and gave several examples of
those whose focus is upon Jesus. If our
focus is on self, then by implication we have a very small conception of
God. But if our focus is on the creator
of the universe, the awesome God we serve, then we can do great things for Him
as he works in and through us to accomplish his purpose.
Dale encouraged us to read Isaiah 6:1-4; 57:15-19 and
consider all of Creation, that Jesus made it all, and that we come to realize
that we are not the reason God saved us!
God redeems us, not for our own
good, but so that we can magnify Him!
1.
When
confronted with life’s situations, do you think more about yourself, or more
about Jesus?
2.
Do
you tend to think more about the situation, how to solve it, or about the Lord,
His promises to you, and His ways?
3.
When
confronted with situations, do you pray for God the Father to empower you
through the Holy Spirit and magnify Himself through you so that His son Jesus
will get all the glory, and approach the situation knowing that it is only
through Him that you are able to accomplish His will and purpose in this
situation?
4.
What
is one thing you could commit to doing starting today that would lead you
become a better magnifier and lover of Jesus, and/or less focused on yourself
and your problems or desires? How can
we in the Flock Group help you in doing that?