CHOICE

THIS IS TABLE ROCK FELLOWSHIP – PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Choice

One of the big takeaways from our study of Matthew 5:17-20 was that each person who contemplates a real relationship with Jesus Christ needs to make a very real choice.

That choice is summed up well in the following message from Luke’s Gospel:

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.””

Luke 18:9-14 NIV-11

Option #1

The choice before each follower of Christ has been given to us in this parable by Jesus.

One side of the choice is represented by the Pharisee.

· How would you describe the actions and attitudes being expressed by the Pharisee in this message?

· Does this position toward God and toward the tax collector attract you or repulse you?

· Be real… have you ever expressed something like this toward God when you are caught comparing yourself and your walk with God to that seen in others?

Option #2

· How would you describe the tax collector’s approach toward God?

· Do you see a sense of entitlement and pride in the tax collector?

· What signs of humility do you see in the tax collector’s actions?

Response

In verse 14 Jesus said,

“‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’”

· What was it in the tax collector that led Jesus to hold up his response to real worship as the model choice for all true worshipers?

· How can you take the good from the Pharisee and from the tax collector as you think about how you will respond to God today?

Reflection

· In your day today, where will you likely encounter the choice between humility and self-exaltation?

· How can you make the right choice now, before that situation arises?

In Christ,

Ryan Laden

OUR MISSION AS A CHURCH

“TO ENCOURAGE AND EQUIP EACH OTHER IN LOVE TO KNOW JESUS AND MAKE HIM KNOWN”

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