Small Group Guide
WALKING IN THE LIGHT: THE POWER OF HONESTY
The Church at Brook Hills Ray Ortlund August 7, 2016 1 John 1:7
MAIN TRUTH
Message Summary
Through His death and resurrection, Jesus created a new type of community, one marked by honesty and openness. Because of the forgiveness and grace God extends to sinners, those who turn to Him can know liberation, renewal, cleansing, and joy. In 1 John 1, the Apostle John writes to sinners urging them to be like God by walking “in the light.” Although we are Christians, we continue to sin, but the expectation is to bring our sins to light instead of hiding them. Such honesty with God frees us from the need to impress others or to be fake in our interactions with other people. Walking in the light actually creates fellowship with fellow believers. At this place of shared forgiveness and grace, we find fellowship in recognizing that we aren’t the only ones who struggle and fail. We begin to see that all of us are on a journey of growing in Christlikeness, and as a community, we help each other remember how trusting in Jesus’ death and resurrection cleanses us from sin and removes our guilt and shame.
WHY IT MATTERS
Digging Deeper
In 1 John 1:7, John uses the word “walk.” We are to walk in the light. Not run. Not speed-walk. Not jog. Not crawl. But walk. Why is this an important distinction? As 1 John 1:7 points out, this walking is something we do together as believers. In fact, walking in the light creates and sustains the fellowship of Christian community. So where honesty and openness is lacking among believers, true fellowship will also be absent.
This sermon sets up an opportunity for small groups to begin or to deepen authentic sharing in the group. If the group is new or lacks vulnerability, pick through the discussion questions to help the group understand why it is important to be known and how this small group can and should respond to each other. How is each person in the small group responsible for being honest and open? How is each person in the group responsible for creating an environment where others feel safe being vulnerable? What types of things can the group do to create such an atmosphere? If the group is co-ed, what are the implications for this type of group that might be different if a group consists just of people of the same gender?
An important piece of this discussion involves fearing how people will respond when they find out who we truly are. As Christians, how should we respond to others who confide in us about their weaknesses, sin, and struggles? How would you want someone to respond to you? What types of expectations can group members have if they do risk sharing something with a fellow group member?
What is accountability? What is accountability not? Why is it important to distinguish between the two? How can accountability easily become legalistic? How can we avoid that as a group?
As the group leader, consider posing some of the following questions to your group: Does anyone know what’s really going on in your life? Who truly knows the real you? Why are you authentic and vulnerable with them and not other people? What qualities or characteristics do they have? If you don’t have someone who truly knows you and whom you can share with, why? How can you begin to find a fellow believer to keep you accountable?
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. What is heresy?
2. What type of heresy in John addressing in 1 John? Why is that heresy? What problems would ensue if Christians or non-Christians believed that?
3. In 1 John 1:5, John states that “God is light.” What does this mean?
4. What are the implications of God being light? Why should this truth incline us towards confession and authenticity with Him and with others?
5. How does God respond to sinners who turn to Him? In light of this truth, why do we often withdraw from Him instead of turn to Him when we sin?
6. How can we keep the truth of God’s character regularly in front of us? Why is it important for us to do this?
7. Read 1 John 1:7. What does it mean to “walk in the light”?
8. Read 1 John 1:5-10. What does walking the light not mean?
9. In the sermon, Pastor Ortlund stated that openness and honesty defines the insiders of the Christian community. What is it about Christianity that creates such a community? How is this different than the world?
10. Why is honesty and openness so important among Christians?
11. Why is honesty and openness often lacking in churches and in small groups?
12. As Christians, we want to live in the light, but at the same time, we often fear the light. Why? How do we overcome such fear?
13. Why are we often afraid as Christians to call sin “sin”? How does that diminish the gospel and demean God?
14. When fellow believers confess or share something that they struggle with, how should we respond? What types of responses are unhelpful, especially in the immediate conversation?
15. How can you be more like Jesus in how you respond to sinners? What is one specific thing that you can do to grow in this area? How will you take a step to grow in this area?
16. How is a small group different than a self-help group? What are the goals of these two types of groups? Why is it important to make a distinction between these two types of groups?
17. What would it look like for The Church at Brook Hills to be the most honest church in town – where sinners have nothing to fear in coming out of the shadows? What would it look like for your small group to be a microcosm of this? How can your group move in this direction?
18. How do we help each other live honest and open lives? How can that be fostered in this small group?
Resources for Small Group Leaders
Weekly Prayer Focus (from Our Worship Guide)
· Pray for Our Lives:
o Praise God for granting us access to the gospel and for leading us to faith and repentance.
o Pray that we will follow Him in every area of our lives and that He will unite us together in fellowship.
o Ask the Spirit to give us the strength to confess and repent of our sins.
· Pray for Our City:
o Pray for Hearts in Hands, Inc., a local non-profit ministry founded by Brook Hills members that provides critical home repair services and wheelchair ramps to widows and seniors who cannot afford them.
o Pray for Chelsea Creek Community Church and Pastor Matthew Roskam.
· Pray for Our World:
o Pray for Carly C., a Brook Hills Mid-Termer serving in New York City this summer with Urban Nations Outreach.
“Walking in the Light: The Power of Honesty,” August 7, 2016 | Page 1