Leader Guide 6-29-08 / Luke 23:1-25

Small Group Leaders Guide
June 29, 2008

Under Pressure

Luke 23:1-25
Mark 15:1-15
Matthew 27:11-26
John 18:28-19:16

Getting Started:
1. Has anyone ever accused you of something you didn’t do? How did you respond?


Going Deeper:
2. Read Mark 15:2 and Mark 8:27-29. Obviously, this is an important question. Why is the answer to this question important to Pilate? Why is the answer important to the disciples?

3. In Luke 23:4, Pilate finds Jesus innocent. Yet, he ultimately condemns Him anyway. What pressure was he feeling that caused him to turn Jesus over to be crucified?

4. What type of pressure is most likely to cause you to choose something that satisfies “the crowd” while choosing against what you know to be right. Financial pressure? Peer pressure? Sexual pressure? Emotional pressure? ___________________ pressure?

5. In Mark 15:15, Barabbas is exchanged for Jesus. How is this descriptive of the Gospel message? What other passages give pictures like this one to illustrate the Gospel?

• Leviticus 9:7 Moses said to Aaron, "Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded."
• Leviticus 16:8 He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. 9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.
• 1Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
• Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

6. When you are with unbelievers, do you find yourself going along with their jokes or saying nothing when they speak of spiritual matters? If so, what dynamic do you think causes this behavior? What would happen if you took a firmer stand in accordance with your convictions?

7. Share with your group a time when you chose to satisfy “the crowd” against what you knew to be right and regretted it later.

8. Read Matthew 27:24. Did this act absolve Pilate from any wrongdoing? When has the pressure of following Jesus made you want to wash your hands of it?


Putting it into practice:
9. Pressure can sometimes make someone do what he/she wouldn’t do in other circumstances. Pray in your groups for God’s power to stay strong in your faith in the face of the pressures of life.


Quote Of The Week:
The intensity of pressure doesn’t matter as much as its location. Does it come between you and God, or does it press you closer to Him?
--Unknown

Leader Guide 6-22-08 / Luke 22:54-62

Small Group Leaders Guide
June 22, 2008

Under Pressure
Luke 22:54-62

Getting Started:
1. If someone used the expression, “scared the pants off of me,” how scared do you think that person was? Read Mark 14:51. How scared do you think the “young man” was?

Going Deeper:
2. In Luke 22:53, Jesus says, “darkness reigns.” What do you think He means by that? How is darkness reigning in the passages that follow? Read John 9:4.

3. Read Luke 22:31-32. What does it mean that Satan “asked?” Where in the Bible is another occasion where Satan “asked?” In both cases there were constraints placed on him. How are the two similar? Different?

• We can be certain that the old snake didn’t check in with God out of politeness or protocol. He had to get permission, and this means the devil operates under constraints. He can't do what he wants, whenever he wishes. He has to clear it with God. God must control evil. And He does so because He is good. If not, the devil would be without constraints, free to do whatever he pleased. This means the world would be much worse than it is. Evil can raise its ugly head only when God deliberately backs away for a specific and intentional reason. God permits what he hates in order to achieve what he loves. It’s just that most of us wont see it until the other side of eternity.

4. Read Luke 22:54-55 and notice the use of the words, “they” and “them.” Who is being referred to with those pronouns? How does Peter interact with the “they?” How does he interact with the “them?” Why the change?

• Peter follows “they” at a distance. Why? Because Jesus is with them and he is afraid of being punished with Him.
• Once the fire had been lit, Peter sat down with “them.”
• So, we see that when Jesus was being taken away, Peter did not want to be identified with Him. However, when there was a fire to gain warmth from, Peter didn’t seem to mind being identified with “them.” In fact, just to reinforce the point, he vehemently denied even knowing Jesus.

5. In this passage, it may be easy to make a list of negative character traits displayed by Peter. What positive trait or traits do you see here?

• Even though Peter is in fear for his own life, he doesn’t completely abandon Jesus. He stayed close even when it looked like he may be identified as one of the followers of Jesus.
• Peter’s tears reveal something about him also. He was overcome at his inability to endure the pain required to remain true to Jesus. His bitter tears reveal his disappointment in, if not hatred of, himself for the way he was responding to what was happening.
• In Mark 14:38, Jesus said that the spirit was willing but the body was weak and that they should be praying that they will not fall into temptation. Peter was experiencing this weakness and persevering through it in his own imperfect way.

6. When the cost of following Jesus increases, do you find yourself “following at a distance?” Peter clearly drew a line in the sand when the cost of following meant a beating and possibly death. Have you ever drawn a similar line? Discuss this line in your groups.

7. What does it look like to follow Jesus at a distance in our day and age? Is it even possible for a person to call oneself a follower of Jesus, when keeping distance between him/herself and Jesus?

8. As Jesus prepares for an excruciatingly brutal, painful, and humiliating death, what seems to be His main concern in the following passages: Luke 22:31-32, Luke 23:28-31, Luke 23:34, John 13:1-17, John 14:1-4, John 17:6-19, John 17:20-26, John 18:4-8, John 19:25-27.

9. How do you think Peter’s experience in these “dark” times changed him? Do you think what he went through proved to be a part of his divine training?

10. In Luke 22:61-62, Jesus turned to look straight at Peter. What was Peter’s reaction? Have you ever felt that you let Jesus down in such a way as to be unforgivable? Was Peter ever forgiven for his denials of Christ? Read John 21:15-19.

11. Let’s say someone came up to you said, “I know Christ can forgive, but I’ve messed up so much, I don’t know if He will.” What would you say to him/her?

Putting it into practice:
12. As a follower of Christ, in what way could you close the “distance” between yourself and Jesus? Pray about this in your groups.
13. On Sunday, we talked about Christ’s dying for our sins, once and for all. Do you struggle believing that Christ can fully forgive you? If so, share that in the group.

Quote Of The Week:
Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle.
--James Russell Lowell

Leader Guide 6-15-08 / Luke 22:39-46

Small Group Leaders Guide
June 15, 2008

Under Pressure
Luke 22:39-46

Getting Started:
1. When you pray, how do you know what the answer is? What do you do when you get a “no” answer?

2. Can you think of a time you really wrestled with doing God’s will, but obeyed anyway? Share that experience.


Going Deeper:
3. Jesus refers to a “cup” in this passage. Why does He pray for the cup to be taken from Him? What cup is He talking about? What other scripture passages speak of the cup in this way?

• Psalm 75:8 In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.
• Jeremiah 25:15 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.
• Revelation 16:19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.

4. What about the cross bothers Jesus? Do you think it is the physical pain or something else?

5. In this passage, Jesus twice tells His disciples to pray that they will not fall into temptation. Why do you think Jesus is so concerned about the disciples at this time?

• Satan is attacking the disciples. Luke 22:31 Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
• The disciples begin falling away. Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: ““I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.””
• Darkness is now reigning. Luke 22:53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. but this is your hour – when darkness reigns.

6. When Jesus prayed for the cup to be taken from Him in verse 42, what was the Father’s answer? Did Jesus find the answer during His prayer time or was it revealed to Him as the night wore on? What makes you think so?

• Because we know how the story ends, we know God’s answer was “no.”
• I think Jesus got the answer during His prayer time when the angel appeared to strengthen Him.
• In John 18:11, Jesus clearly knows that God’s will is for Him to drink from that cup.

7. When Jesus received the answer to His prayer, how did He respond?

• Even after the angel came to strengthen Him, He was filled with agony and prayed even more earnestly.

8. What strikes you about Jesus when you read the description of His anguish and sweat pouring out like drops of blood? When have you ever been in that type of anguish? How does this help you understand the “humanness” of Jesus?

9. When do you find it most difficult to submit your will to God? Is your will sometimes so opposite that of God’s that it would cause you great anguish to follow God? What should you do in that case? What do you do in that case?


Putting it into practice:
10. Are you struggling right now with putting God’s will over your own in some matter? Pray about this in your groups.



Quote Of The Week:
I believe the will of God prevails; without Him all human reliance is vain; without the assistance of that Divine Being I cannot succeed; with that assistance I cannot fail.
--Abraham Lincoln

Leader Guide 6-9-08 / Luke 22:1-6

Small Group Leaders Guide
June 8, 2008

I Just Can’t Get Enough
Luke 22:1-6

Getting Started:
1. Have you ever felt “betrayed?” What happened?


Going Deeper:
2. Read Luke 4:13 and Luke 22:3. If these two verses are connected, what do you think may have made this time “opportune?”

3. Where in Scripture can you learn more about Judas’ disposition toward money?

4. In Luke 22:3 it says that Satan entered Judas. In the verses that follow, the actions that Judas took are credited to Judas. In what way do you think Satan was directly responsible for Judas’ actions and in what way do you think Judas was responsible for his own actions?

5. Read 1Timothy 6:17-19. Look at the contrast between putting hope in wealth and putting hope in God. What would it look like to make that command more realistic in your life? Is there anything you would have to change? Are there any attitudes you would have to adjust?

6. In Luke 22:1, the chief priests and teachers of the law are looking for a way to get rid of Jesus. Why? What was the sentiment of the people regarding Jesus?

7. Judas ultimately betrays Jesus with a kiss in Luke 22:47. What is ironic about this action? Do you think Judas had any idea that he was being used by the devil?


Putting it into practice:
8. In your life, where have you experienced the most significant challenge in staying strong in your walk with Christ?

Quote Of The Week:
Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice.
--William Jennings Bryan