252 – Luke
14: What Does God Want From Me?
One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat
dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching
him closely. There was a man there whose arms and legs were
swollen. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in
religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day,
or not?” When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the
sick man and healed him and sent him away. Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you
doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t
you rush to get him out?” Again they could not answer. LUKE 14:1-6 NLT
God
wants me to:
Rest
from work, but not from doing good
As for the rest of you, dear brothers
and sisters, never get tired of doing
good. 2 THESSALONIANS 3:13 NLT
When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to
sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: When you are invited to a wedding feast,
don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than
you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person
your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever
seat is left at the foot of the table! “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table.
Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better
place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be
humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” LUKE 12:7-11 NLT
Humble
myself, or he will teach me humility
No, O people, the LORD has told you
what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love
mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. MICAH
6:8 NLT
Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said,
“don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they
will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
Then at the resurrection of the
righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay
you.” Hearing this, a man
sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to
attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!” LUKE
14:12-15 NLT
Care
for his people and not just my own
Therefore, whenever we have the
opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. GALATIANS 6:10 NLT
Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast
and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his
servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said,
‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs
of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t
come.’ “The servant returned and told his master what they had
said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys
of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the servant had done this, he reported,
‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country
lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house
will be full. For none of those I first invited will get
even the smallest taste of my banquet.’” LUKE
14:16-24 NLT
Find
lost people who want to be found
Community Group Discussion Questions