I Am God . . .
and You Are Not!
Discipleship Group Questions
for September 18, 2005
Scripture
Psa. 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in
trouble. 2 Therefore we will not
fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the
sea, 3 though its waters roar and
foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah 4 There is a river whose
streams make glad the city of
Matt.
20:1 “For the
kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire
men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
Matt. 20:3
“About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace
doing nothing. 4 He told them,
‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is
right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour
and did the same thing. 6 About
the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked
them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
Matt. 20:7
“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
Matt. 20:8
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the
workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going
on to the first.’
Matt. 20:9
“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10
So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But
each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began
to grumble against the landowner. 12
‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have
made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the
day.’
Matt. 20:13
“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you
agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to
give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I
want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
Matt. 20:16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Discipleship Questions:
1.Please read Psalm 46. Verse
10 “Be sill, and know that I am God,”
and I would humbly add 4 additional words – before you judge me for
adding anything to God’s Holy Word – listen to what they are, “Be still, and
know that I am God – AND YOU ARE NOT.” Please reflect upon this sublime reality
and answer this question: “How can you
and I not make the mistake of wanting to play God?
2.God
is God and you and I are not! God is not
beholding to us but rather we are subject to Him! He is God and we are not! God in Christ mediated to us in the Holy
Spirit is our all in all! He is
everything! He completes
everything. Without Him all eventually
turns to dust! Please reflect upon how hard that reality is
to grasp!
Please read the Gospel reading and
identify another primary theme in it.
I’ll give you a hint – it’s found in verse 15 :
15 Don’t I (God) have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because
I am generous?’ Please reflect upon God’s infinite generosity.
3.
Please reflect upon the following
statements: “God’s generosity supersedes
His justice! Justice would demand that
the later workers would get less but God’s generosity overrules His
justice! Thank God that this is true –
were I to get what I justly deserved I would be frying in hell right now!”
4. There is a challenge in this for us. Please read Psalm 145 verses 17 and 18. What is the imperative upon us?
5. How do we “call upon the Lord?” Please discuss.
6.
Please pray the following prayer and complete
for yourself: – let’s pray “O Lord – sovereign
and righteous and merciful Lord – we call upon You –
we invite You to come upon each and every one of us with Your infinite power
and Your infinite mercy. Come upon us
blessed Lord – reveal Yourself to us! Show us your infinite power and Your infinite mercy.
O Lord many of us need Your touch today. We need to know that You’re
here with us in the middle of our trials.
We need, O Lord, Your touch!”
Come – we call upon you now to touch us – to reveal Yourself
to us. Many of us also Lord need you to touch us with your infinite mercy –
Your infinite loving kindness – Your love.
O Lord we call upon you to bless us with a sense of Your Presence right
here amongst us – with each and every one of us. . . .”