Susan Farnham guest posts for us today to help our lifegroups go a little deeper in their discussion of Sunday’s message, which can be heard at the link below.
“If the reward you aim at in fasting is the admiration of others, that is what you will get and that will be all you get. In other words, the danger of hypocrisy is that it is so successful. It aims at the praise of men, and it succeeds. But that’s all.” John Piper – “A Hunger for God”
“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1
Ever used the phrase ‘do as I say, not as I do’?….and then chuckled after you said it?
Where is the hypocrisy in your life? Can you narrow it down to a particular component of your life? How would this change if you allowed Jesus into that part of your life that you only think you are keeping isolated?
Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive. -Luke 17:3-4
In Sunday’s message, Steve defined repentance as ‘ a change of mind that leads to a change of action.’ He then redefined by changing the word ‘mind’ to ‘heart’. Why?
When you have sinned against a family member, or someone else, be they fellow Christian or not, and you are seeking forgiveness, has repentance been required of you? If not, have you shown it, anyway?
If the roles have been reversed and a family member, or someone else has been in need of your forgiveness – have you required repentance?
What happens when repentance is not part of the process of forgiveness with your fellow man?
What happens when repentance is not part of the process when seeking forgiveness from God?
Peter said to them “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” -Acts 2:38