『Unfair Grace』のカバーアート

Unfair Grace

Unfair Grace

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Throughout the Bible, God is described as just – which we usually take to mean that he is fair and right in all of his actions. But when it comes to the forgiveness we can receive through Jesus, it turns out God isn’t “fair” at all! Instead, he gives us forgiveness even though we’re incredibly undeserving. This week we’ll face into God’s lavish love for us, and learn how that can motivate us to spread that love into our world. Watch Full Service Discussion Guide To view a .docx version of this guide, click here. Before we begin, let’s take a quiet moment and pray for God’s direction of our time together. Then we’ll take a couple of minutes to go around and share where we’ve seen God at work in our lives this week and specifically how we were able to apply the Action Steps from last week’s discussion. Introduction We are in the second week of a series called Wait, Jesus Said What? We’re looking at some of Jesus’ most startling and difficult sayings and work together to understand the truth he wants us to learn. In this discussion, we’re going to look at this statement from Jesus: “those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last.” But before we think and talk about this, let’s start with something a bit easier! Connect Let’s start our discussion time with some “get-to-know-you” questions. What is something you remember saying “That’s not fair!” about as a kid? Are you usually the person who arrives early, right on time, or a little late? When have you received something good that you didn’t expect or earn? Opening “That’s not fair!” Most of us learned to say those words pretty early in life. We have a strong instinct for fairness. We notice when someone gets more than we do, receives something we think they didn’t earn, or gets an opportunity we think should have been ours. Fairness matters. But Jesus tells a surprising story that challenges the way we sometimes think about fairness when it comes to God. Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly shows compassion to people who don’t seem to deserve it. Sometimes the surprising part isn’t God’s grace. It’s how people who have already experienced that grace respond when God extends it to someone else. Jesus invites us not only to receive God’s grace, but to participate in it by helping others experience the same kindness and forgiveness we have received. This leads us to our main idea for the week: We can participate in God’s lavish grace. Unpack Read each set of verses out loud as a group, making observations as you go. Afterward, discuss each of the connected questions before moving to the next set of verses. Read Matthew 20:1-16 In this passage, Jesus tells a story about workers hired at different times of the day who all receive the same generous payment. Put yourself in the story. Which group of workers would have had the hardest time accepting the landowner’s decision? Why? The first workers received exactly what they had agreed to receive. Why were they still unhappy? What do you think is behind the landowner’s question, “Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?” What would it look like for us to become people who are excited when someone else experiences God’s grace? Read Jonah 4:1-11 In this passage, God shows mercy to the people of Nineveh, but instead of celebrating, Jonah becomes angry because he wanted the evil people of Nineveh to get God’s judgment. According to verses 2–3, what does Jonah already know about God’s character? What seems ironic about Jonah appreciating God’s provision for him while resenting God’s compassion toward Nineveh? Why do you think it can sometimes be difficult to see God show grace to someone we believe deserves consequences? What does God’s final question reveal about the people he cares about? Read Psalm 103:8-12 In this passage, the psalm writer celebrates a God who is compassionate, patient, and willing to forgive rather than treating us according to what our sins deserve. What words or phrases in this passage describe God? Which description of God’s forgiveness stands out to you most? How could regularly remembering God’s grace toward us change the way we respond to the failures of other people? Action Step This is where we take what we’ve discussed and put it into practice! Read the action steps below and discuss how you can live them out this week in practical ways. 1. Thank Jesus for the “unfair” ways he has forgiven you. Take a few minutes this week to remember specific ways God has shown you patience, kindness, and forgiveness. Instead of comparing yourself to someone else, simply thank Jesus that he has given you more grace than you could ever ...
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