FLBC Community Group Discussion Guide LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS!
FLBC Community Group Discussion Guide February 24, 2018
Session #3
“Love Is…,” Series A 7-week series on loving God and others from 1 Cor. 13.
Series Time Frame: February 11---March 18, 2018 Key Verse for Series: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS! Sermon Verses: 1 Cor. 13:4b “Love…, is not jealous.” Matthew 20:1-16 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 "When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' And so they went. 5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day long?' 7 "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.' 9 "When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 "When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 "When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered and said to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 'Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?' 16 "So the last shall be first, and the first last."
1
Sermon Summary: Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth confronted his friends with the fact that a deep root of jealousy had invaded the ranks of the church membership. The congregation was split in several different factions, with each claiming that they were more spiritual than the next. Pride and jealousy ruined their relationships, so Paul included a brief description of love as “not jealous”. Jealousy or envy is like a bone cancer--it will eat you alive. It poisons all that is good in you and makes you miserable! Since envy is so bad, how can we avoid it? Jesus used parables or stories to help us understand how to live the Christian life. One of those parables about a vineyard dealt with jealousy and why to avoid it.
Discussion Questions: 1. The first mistake that the hired laborers made was to compare their paychecks. Some felt like they deserved more than they were promised----especially since others who worked less hours received the same pay. Why is comparison a bad thing? Tell of a circumstance where you compared yourself to someone else, only to regret that decision later. 2. Sometimes we long for something, even pray for it, but don’t receive what we desire. Then we see a neighbor, coworker, classmate or friend get the very thing we wished for. Do you have trouble celebrating with others when that happens? What steps can you take to avoid giving in to the feelings of jealousy in that situation? 3. One antidote for jealousy is gratitude for God’s grace. Grace is all the good things that God give us that we can’t earn and will never deserve. Share in your group how God has blessed you already this year. 4. When trouble comes our way, we are tempted to be jealous of others who seem to be healthier, happier, or wealthier. Even worse, we are sometimes tempted to not trust in the goodness of God. What’s wrong with a little grumbling and complaining from time to time (since we all seem to do it)? Do you think that trouble can provide a chance to strengthen your faith, rather than strain a relationship through jealousy? 5. Though scripture teaches that God is good (and he is) and that he has a wonderful plan for your life (and he does), jealousy can lead us to regret over what might have been. How can focusing on the providence of God on a daily basis make a difference in helping us realize the abundant life that Jesus promised?
2
Ministry Moment: Neighbors are everywhere and some of those neighbors seem to have it made in life. Their kids seem to always do well in school, they never seem to get sick, they don’t seem to have any trouble with debt, and even their grass seems to be a little greener than yours. Believe it or not, none of that is really true. Satan wants us to think that there are always those that who don’t struggle like us. If we are not careful, we’ll end up jealous. Make plans now to get to know your neghbors and find ways to serve them in the coming weeks. The opportunities that you have to share the love of Christ will help you get to know your neighbors better, and may just change them forever.
3
Session #3
“Love Is…,” Series A 7-week series on loving God and others from 1 Cor. 13.
Series Time Frame: February 11---March 18, 2018 Key Verse for Series: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS! Sermon Verses: 1 Cor. 13:4b “Love…, is not jealous.” Matthew 20:1-16 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 "When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' And so they went. 5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day long?' 7 "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.' 9 "When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 "When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 "When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered and said to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 'Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?' 16 "So the last shall be first, and the first last."
1
Sermon Summary: Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth confronted his friends with the fact that a deep root of jealousy had invaded the ranks of the church membership. The congregation was split in several different factions, with each claiming that they were more spiritual than the next. Pride and jealousy ruined their relationships, so Paul included a brief description of love as “not jealous”. Jealousy or envy is like a bone cancer--it will eat you alive. It poisons all that is good in you and makes you miserable! Since envy is so bad, how can we avoid it? Jesus used parables or stories to help us understand how to live the Christian life. One of those parables about a vineyard dealt with jealousy and why to avoid it.
Discussion Questions: 1. The first mistake that the hired laborers made was to compare their paychecks. Some felt like they deserved more than they were promised----especially since others who worked less hours received the same pay. Why is comparison a bad thing? Tell of a circumstance where you compared yourself to someone else, only to regret that decision later. 2. Sometimes we long for something, even pray for it, but don’t receive what we desire. Then we see a neighbor, coworker, classmate or friend get the very thing we wished for. Do you have trouble celebrating with others when that happens? What steps can you take to avoid giving in to the feelings of jealousy in that situation? 3. One antidote for jealousy is gratitude for God’s grace. Grace is all the good things that God give us that we can’t earn and will never deserve. Share in your group how God has blessed you already this year. 4. When trouble comes our way, we are tempted to be jealous of others who seem to be healthier, happier, or wealthier. Even worse, we are sometimes tempted to not trust in the goodness of God. What’s wrong with a little grumbling and complaining from time to time (since we all seem to do it)? Do you think that trouble can provide a chance to strengthen your faith, rather than strain a relationship through jealousy? 5. Though scripture teaches that God is good (and he is) and that he has a wonderful plan for your life (and he does), jealousy can lead us to regret over what might have been. How can focusing on the providence of God on a daily basis make a difference in helping us realize the abundant life that Jesus promised?
2
Ministry Moment: Neighbors are everywhere and some of those neighbors seem to have it made in life. Their kids seem to always do well in school, they never seem to get sick, they don’t seem to have any trouble with debt, and even their grass seems to be a little greener than yours. Believe it or not, none of that is really true. Satan wants us to think that there are always those that who don’t struggle like us. If we are not careful, we’ll end up jealous. Make plans now to get to know your neghbors and find ways to serve them in the coming weeks. The opportunities that you have to share the love of Christ will help you get to know your neighbors better, and may just change them forever.
3
