December 31, 2017 | Kyle Brenon | Matthew 20:1-16, Romans 6:23, 1 Corithians 3:13-14
Community Group Questions
Years ago I was sharing the gospel with someone very close to me. Their immediate response to the free gift of God’s grace was a bit surprising. Their reaction was, “That’s not fair!”
In one sense they were absolutely right. It isn’t fair…
During our conversation it became apparent that their issue was how unfair it seemed that a believer who placed their faith in Christ an hour before they died, would be given the same inheritance (heaven) as the believer who had spent the majority of their life obeying God’s commands.
Shouldn’t the one who “sacrificed more” earn more? Shouldn’t the one who “worked” longer be paid more? The very premise of these questions shows the position of our heart.
In the story Jesus tells us in Matthew 20, we are given a glimpse into the true nature of the “kingdom of heaven”. Like the laborers in the field, when we think the story is about us, we miss the point all together. But when we realize the story is all about our master, truth begins to surface and everything begins to fall into its rightful place.
Read: Matthew 20:1-16, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 3:13-14
Discuss:
1. Have you ever felt as if you had been ripped off? That someone who deserved less than you was given the same reward as you, or better? Share a time where this has been the case.
2. What is the root of that? What causes us to grow jealous of another person's wages/reward?
3. Which laborer in the story do you most identify with? Do you feel like the laborers who have been in the field all day, or the laborers who were hired during the final hour?
4. The owner of the vineyard responds to the laborers grumbling in verse 15. “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?" What does his response say of the laborers motives?
5. As those who have been called to labor in His field, what should our response be to God, and to those who labor with us?
Prayer for the week:
Pray this week that we would shift our focus away from the gifts and back onto the giver. That we would find our true joy in the King Himself, not in what He gives us.
