These questions are connected to the message “Is _____ a sin? (Deep Faith, Wide Embrace, Part 3)” from Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. You can watch it here.
- As you think back through this sermon (and the past two (Part 1) and (Part 2)), is there anything that was new? Challenging? Inspiring? Complicating? Discuss or journal about it.
- Read Matthew 5:23-24. Think about what being at the altar meant for people at that time. The journey would have taken days. They would have been tired, maybe hungry and thirsty. The sun was probably beating down on them. The lines were long, there were people and animals everywhere. It probably smelled. If you waited in a long, hot, smelly line and you finally got to the front of the line, would you get out of line if you remembered that things weren’t right between you and your friend? How might you justify going ahead with your altar plans? What does it say that God would want us to make right with others before making right with God’s self? Speculation: Would God even need the altar sacrifice once the reconciliation has taken place? (Ponder Isaiah 1:10-17 especially in The Message!)
- Are there old covenant beliefs you still hold onto? Why are they so hard to let go of?
- We’ve all asked the question – Is __________ a sin? We don’t want to sin, but we don’t want to miss out. Sit with that idea for a moment. How does it make you feel?
- Andy Stanley has said, “To celebrate God’s love for me while withholding my love for the person next to me … is the epitome of hypocrisy.” How could you love someone in your life a little better this week? Who do you find it hard to love?
- What does love look like here at Lakeside? How does this get or feel messy?