This week, we began a brand-new series called Party Poopers. In this series, we are going to take a look at the way Jesus lived and treated people versus the way the religious leaders, who were real-life party poopers, lived and treated others. Today, specifically, we will see how Jesus invited and spent time with the most surprising people to follow Him, proving that His ministry is for everyone, and how the religious responded to this. Throughout our study, we will be reminded to put aside judgment and share the hope of Christ with everyone around us.
Who are the top people included on your guest list when planning a party?
1. What would keep people from including someone on a guest list for a party?
2. Read Luke 5:27-32. Compare and contrast Jesus’ reaction to Levi and other tax collectors versus the response of the religious leaders.
Luke 5:27-32
27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. 29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” 31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
3. Why did Jesus say that He interacted with tax collectors and other sinners?
4. What kept the religious leaders from accepting the tax collectors and religious leaders?
1. What blind spots do people have today when it comes to sharing the hope of Christ with others?
2. How does the Scripture today encourage you to share the hope of Christ with everyone around you?
3. How can you grow when it comes to reaching out to those who are far from Christ?
Who have you overlooked in your own life who seems “too far gone” to accept and receive the hope of Christ? (You do not have to share names.) Share that person with your group and how you can reach out to them this week. Commit to reaching out to that person with the hope of Christ this week. Finally, pray together. Ask God to give you boldness and confidence as you reach out to those who are far from Christ. Pray also that they would come to accept His love and forgiveness.
At the heart of the religious leaders’ problem was perfectionism. Because they sought perfection, they did not recognize who Jesus was or their need for Him. In fact, they were blind to their own sin and blind to Jesus. We know from Scripture that perfection is impossible, and it leads us further from God instead of toward Him. Let's take a few moments now to discover how Scripture dismantles perfectionism and how to fight against it when we are tempted to lean toward it.
The religious leaders strived for perfection. They thought that if they could just live in the right way and obey all of the laws, then they could be made right with God. The truth, however, is that perfection is impossible. Therefore, when we pretend that we are perfect, we are only fooling ourselves.
1. Read 1 John 1:8-10.
1 John 1:8-10
For If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
2. What is the impact of striving for perfectionism, according to this passage of Scripture?
3. What is a better way to respond than to strive for perfection?
4. How did the religious leaders deceive themselves by striving for perfectionism?
5. How does the teaching from this passage of Scripture help us fight against perfectionism?
Perfectionism is impossible to achieve because we have a sin problem. Each one of us has broken God's heart and blatantly disobeyed Him, making perfection impossible to achieve, try as we might.
1. Read Romans 3:10-11.
Romans 3:10-12
For As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
2. What does the Scripture teach about humanity and sin?
3. How does this passage of Scripture refute perfectionism?
4. How does understanding our sin problem help us fight against perfectionism?
Those who strive for perfection look to their good works and achievements for approval. Because each one of us has sinned, we cannot look to our good works and achievements for approval and validation. We must look to Someone far greater than our good works for salvation: Jesus.
1. Read Romans 3:23-25a.
Romans 3:23-25a
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.
2. What does this verse teach us about how God responded to our sin problem?
3. How is Jesus a better Person to look to than our own good works for hope and salvation?
4. How does the teaching from this passage of Scripture help us fight against perfectionism?
Pick a verse from our Scripture reading today to memorize. Bring this Scripture to mind when you are tempted to lean on perfectionism. Share with your group the verse that you chose to memorize to help you battle against perfectionism and commit to memorizing it this week. When you are finished, pray together. Ask God to help each one of you let go of perfectionism and turn to Him for hope instead of good works.
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