Ice Breaker Option
What is one act of service you experienced this week that made an impact on you or someone else?
HOPE:
Did God use you to encourage someone this past week or were you encouraged? How did this act of giving or receiving strengthen your faith?
SERMON SUMMARY:
Pastor Justin Kendrick explored Jesus’ description of the final judgement in Matthew 25 when the righteous are separated from the unrighteous based on their actions toward the "least of these.” He warned, however, against the danger of viewing salvation as based on good deeds. Instead, our true mark as believers stems from a heart transformed by grace, leading us to serve out of love rather than obligation. He concluded with an invitation for each to serve just one, learning to love each other within the body of Christ and seeing God’s love spill out into the world.
HEART:
• What frame do you tend to work from? The imminent frame focusing on the here or now, or one that focuses on your eternal life?
• When have you struggled with the impulse to serve? What challenges are there to making serving others a higher priority in your life?
HEAD: Read Matthew 25:31-46
• Compare and contrast the actions of the righteous and the unrighteous. How do these two groups respond to the King’s judgement?
• What is the parallel that the King draws between himself and the least?
• How do we understand the meaning of this passage, knowing we are saved by grace and not works?
• Through this parable, how is Jesus describing the identity of those who inherit the kingdom?
HANDS:
• How would you describe the defining mark of our community of faith? What opportunities do you see to be part of what God is doing?
• Identify one person in your life who you could serve this week. What specific action will you take?
• What steps can you take toward keeping your heart serving out of love rather than obligation?
Going Deeper: Questions to reflect upon and encourage the conversation to go deeper.
Pastor Justin spoke about how the three parables in Matthew 25 all tie together. Spend time reading and reflecting on these three stories.
• How do you respond to the question, ’what is the defining mark of your life’?
• How do each of these three parables give us a fuller picture of how we are to live in relation to our eternal life?
• What one action can you take this week to live in response to this truth?