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Cell Notes for Luke 18:9-14
[Maybe this week it would be appropriate to include thank or worship God for his amazing act of atonement]
Word
Luke 18:9 ¶ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
Luke 18:10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
Luke 18:11 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.
Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
Luke 18:13 ¶ “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.’
Luke 18:14 ¶ “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 struck you from this story and was there anything you didn’t understand?
From Sunday, how did an appreciation of the cultural backdrop to the story assist you in grasping its message and meaning? (see my preach notes below)
Whose actions challenged you more and why - the tax collector or the Pharisee?
When, how and why have you prayed over the past week - has this passage challenged you to do things differently? (find someone in the group to hold you accountable if you are committing to actions aimed at changing the way you do things)
Witness
Jesus knows the history and the inner struggles of every man and woman on this planet!
Maybe spend time this week asking God to reveal to you what is going on behind the scenes in the lives of any of your friends and neighbours.
Pray together for God to help you co-operate with the Holy Spirit in discerning and responding to what’s really going on in the lives of those around you.
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Robin Plummer, 04/10/2008 |
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