The words of Jesus in the New Testament can be a source of enormous comfort: “I will give you rest.” “I am with you always.” “I give you my peace.” But Jesus wasn’t just a one-note positivity preacher – he was also known to use his public speaking to shock and challenge his listeners to teach them vital spiritual lessons. Happening upon these lesser-understood passages from the Bible can confuse us even to this day.
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Discussion Guide
To view a .docx version of this guide, click here.
Welcome to the first week of Life Groups! Let’s spend a few minutes getting acquainted (or reacquainted) before we begin. Please share your name with the group and if you’ve been a part of a life group at Journey of Faith before.
Introduction
This week, we’re beginning a new series called Wait, Jesus Said What? We’ll look at some of Jesus’ most startling and difficult sayings and work together to understand the truth he wants us to learn. Today, were going to look at this confusing statement from Jesus: “If your eye or hand causes you to sin… gouge it out or cut it off.” Wait, what? But before we start discussing this, let’s start with something easier!
Connect
Let’s start our discussion time with some “get-to-know-you” questions.
Opening
We often try to manage unhealthy patterns through small adjustments. Most of us would rather deal with problems gradually. But sometimes something matters enough that a small adjustment isn’t enough; we need to take it seriously.
Jesus taught that sin is like that. Sin is anything that damages our relationship with God, others, or our own soul. Jesus wants us to recognize the damage sin can cause and be willing to take meaningful and sometimes radical steps to deal with it.
This leads us to our main idea for the week:
We should respond seriously to sin in our lives.
Unpack
Read each set of verses out loud as a group, making observations as you go. Afterward, discuss each of the questions below the verse, before moving to the next set of verses.
In this passage, Jesus uses intentionally shocking language to show how seriously we should take anything that pulls our hearts away from God. His point is not to harm our bodies, but to remove what helps destructive desires grow.
In this passage, we read the story of Cain and his brother Abel. God warns Cain that the anger growing inside him is becoming dangerous. God invites Cain to recognize what is happening in his heart before it becomes an action.
In this passage, the writer of Proverbs encourages us to pay careful attention to the direction of our lives, beginning with what is happening in our hearts.
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.
Have an honest conversation with Jesus about your heart.
Set aside a few quiet minutes this week and ask: What is happening in my heart that God wants me to notice? Pay attention not only to your actions, but also to the desires, anger, fears, envy, resentment, or other attitudes underneath them.
Create some distance from something that feeds a sinful habit.
Identify one practical “eye or hand” in your life, something that makes a particular temptation easier to act on. Consider one concrete step you could take to limit its influence or remove your access to it. If appropriate, ask someone you trust to help you follow through.
As you think about these steps, what will you commit to this week? Share with the group so you can encourage and pray for one another.
Closing
Jesus’ words about tearing out an eye or cutting off a hand sound extreme because he wants us to understand that what happens in our hearts matters.
God loves us too much to ignore the things that slowly damage our relationship with him, with others, or with ourselves. We don’t have to disguise them, minimize them, or hide them. We can bring them honestly to Jesus.
Sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is create real distance between ourselves and something that is hurting us.
We should respond seriously to sin in our lives because God seriously cares about us.
Pray Together
As we wrap up, we’ll go around and invite anyone to share anything they’d like prayer for together. You can share or just pass. Also, below is a Journey of Faith Missionary we can pray for as we close.
Missionary Focus
**For some of our missionaries, certain details are kept private to protect their safety and the sensitive nature of their work. Thank you for understanding as we share what we can.
Tom P. is serving in the South Pacific through Youth With a Mission. He is on staff in Queenstown, New Zealand assisting with a discipleship training school and co-leading cross-cultural mission trips for students.
Spend a few minutes in prayer for Tom
Reflection Verse for the Week
Read this verse, then encourage the practice of reflection and memorization throughout the week.
Proverbs 4:23
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
When practiced consistently, memorizing Bible verses can be an important spiritual practice that centers your mind around the truth that God has given us.
Daily Devotional Verses
Use the “Discovery Method” to reflect on the verses below. For each passage of Scripture, ask yourself these questions:
Each day this week, you’ll read a verse related to…
Day 1: Psalm 51:10–12
Day 2: Proverbs 28:13
Day 3: Romans 6:11–14
Day 4: 1 Corinthians 10:12–13
Day 5: James 1:13–16
Day 6: 1 John 1:8–9
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