Small Group Guide
BEHOLD THE SEEKING SAVIOR
The Church at Brook Hills Matt Mason December 6, 2015 Luke 19:1-10
MAIN TRUTH
Message Outline
To download the outline for this week’s sermon, visit brookhills.org/media.
Message Summary
As we conclude our two-year Bible reading plan this month, we will focus on the person and work of Christ during this Advent season. This familiar story of Zaccheus highlights Jesus as the One Who came “to seek and to save the lost” (Lk. 19:10). And for a chief tax collector, the equivalent of a slumlord, to turn to Jesus, to receive grace, and to make restitution to those he had wronged – demonstrates salvation as a work of God’s sovereign grace. As Jesus intentionally traveled through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem and knew that He would encounter and dine with Zaccheus (Lk. 18:31-19:5), Jesus made the first move in order to make our salvation possible. The gospel – and the story of Zaccheus - is not a story of seeking sinners, but the story of a seeking Savior.
WHY IT MATTERS
Digging Deeper
The Christmas season presents a unique opportunity for Christ-followers to share with unbelievers about Jesus and the hope and salvation He offers. As a small group, discuss ways that the true meaning of Christmas can be woven into conversations. For example, this could be done through a conversation about family traditions if your family reads the Christmas story on Christmas morning or if you do something special for Advent. Instead of simply saying, “we read the Christmas story together,” you can go into more detail and essentially explain the story of Jesus’ birth and the purpose of His coming in the conversation. Does everyone in the small group feel equipped to share the story of Jesus’ first coming and to explain why He came? Who are the lost people in your spheres of influence that you can be praying for and sharing with during the holidays?
Author A.W. Tozer once wrote that the most important thing about a person is what they think about God. When you think of Jesus, what comes to mind? Why would your view of God or Jesus be the most important thing about you? What does your belief about Jesus indicate about your worldview and how you live your life? At Christmas, we often think about Jesus as the baby in the manger scene, but this baby grew into a man, was tortured and rejected by His own people, and was unjustly crucified. He is both fully man and fully God. How does this uniquely position Him to be the Savior of the world? Why is it important to focus on the whole gospel story and not just Jesus’ birth at Christmas?
NOW WHAT DO WE DO?
Group Discussion & Application
Use the following questions to examine what the sermon and its text mean, to apply the Word to your life, and to guide how you pray.
1. Read Luke 19:1-4. What do these verses tell us about Zaccheus? Why would the Jewish people have disliked him?
2. How do we respond to people that we clash with or despise? How should we respond to them? What often keeps us from responding in a way that is loving and Christ-honoring? How did Jesus respond to Zaccheus?
3. How did Jesus view Zaccheus? How should we view the difficult people in our lives?
4. How can we change our attitude towards someone that we dislike?
5. Read Luke 19:5-10. What does this text tell us about Jesus?
6. Why is verse ten the punch line of this story? Why is this story in the Bible?
7. Why were the Jews offended at this truth? Why would they be offended that Jesus would want to save Zaccheus?
8. In the sermon, Pastor Matt noted that God awoke in Zaccheus a “poverty of spirit” that prepared him to receive grace. What is a “poverty of spirit”? Why is humility a necessary posture for someone to become a Christian? Why is humility a necessary posture for Christian as they continue growing in their relationship with God? How do we cultivate humility in our lives?
9. Why is it important to recognize that every time Luke’s Gospel mentions tax collectors, they are receiving grace from Jesus (3:12; 7:29; 15:1; 18:10)? How does this distinguish Jesus from other religious leaders of His day? How does this treatment towards such unsavory characters distinguish Him from the gods of other religions?
10. How is your sin never bigger than the mercy of God? Why would we even think that we could be too foregone for God’s grace?
11. Is there anyone in your life that you have given up on with regards to their conversion or with their life changing? If so, why have you lost hope or stopped praying for them? How does this passage offer hope regarding Jesus’ ability to change hearts and lives?
12. What distinguishes a “nominal” or “cultural” Christian from someone who has been transformed by Christ? How are the two different?
13. Why should our faith in Christ result in both internal and external changes?
14. How was your salvation evident in your life? What changed in your life because of Christ? (For some, the change might have been dramatic, but if someone got saved a young age, it might not been as striking.)
15. What needs to change in your life this week based on the truths in this text and in this sermon?
Resources for Small Group Leaders
Weekly Prayer Focus (from Our Worship Guide)
· Pray for Our Lives:
o Praise God for pursuing us despite our sin.
o Ask God to keep us focused on Christ throughout the holiday season.
o Pray for opportunities during Christmas to tell others about Jesus.
o Pray for the lost to recognize their need for a Savior and for God to lead them to faith.
· Pray for Our City:
o Pray for Pathways, a United Way agency dedicated to serving homeless women and their children in Birmingham.
§ Pathways offers a range of emergency, transitional, and long-term services for 12,000-15,000 women and their children each year.
o Pray for Urban Hope Community Church, Fairfield, and Alton Hardy, Pastor.
· Pray for Our World:
o Pray for Nepal.
§ Two years ago, at a church-wide Prayer Gathering, our faith family prayed for Tibetan Buddhist peoples of Nepal and for God to open doors for our faith family to participate there. He has done this in more ways we can imagine through Mid-Termers, partners, Short-Term teams, and partner organizations like Mountain Child.
o Praise God for the way He is using the Global Offering.
§ Each December, Brook Hills collects a Global Offering, which is used to support mission efforts around the world.
Weekly Readings for December 6, 2015
Habakkuk 2-3, Zephaniah 1-3, Haggai 1-2, Luke 21-24, and John 1-3
“Behold the Seeking Savior,” December 6, 2015 | Page 1