Alignment (Part 3): When It's Good to Feel Bad

TO START

As a group, make a list of the ways God has been wonderfully kind, tolerant and patient with you over this last week or two.

TO WATCH

Check out a clip from Tim’s Sermon.

TO READ & DISCUSS

This week, we looked at two more forces that can move us to repentance: Sorrow and Grace. Sorrow means that our sin makes us feel guilty; grace means that we don’t have to feel that way anymore. Our lives are lived best when these two forces are kept in balance. Like last week, start by reading 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 & then read 1 Corinthians 4:18-21 too (Tim speaks of the fact that Paul is writing to a people who are feeling stress and affliction due to Paul’s ministry being burdened by some in the city of Corinth)

  • We have been emphasizing that repentance should be viewed as a positive thing, even though it can be challenging. How does that come out in the verses we read?

  • Note that sorrow didn’t come easy. It took a “painful” visit and a “severe” letter from Paul. What do you make of that?

  • How is sorrow a force for repentance in these verses?

For the second half of Tim’s sermon, he directed us to the combination of sorrow and grace as a means to change us. In particular, he states that “grace isn’t God ignoring our sin, it is God dealing with our sin”. Before answering the following… Read Romans 2:4.

  • How can grace be a force for repentance too?

  • Additionally, do you have experience with these two forces (sorrow and grace) being out of balance? Describe what was going on in your life and what was that like.

  • Do you think we or you tend to lean toward one versus the other? (Tim mentions that grace actually intensifies sorrow in a good way)

Lastly, read John 8:1-11 together and close with the following questions:

  • How does the way Jesus treated this women help you face some of the sins you struggle with? Jesus loves and accepts us “as is”. Does that free you to truly repent and change? Why or why not?

  • Imagine what the rest of the woman’s story might have looked like. If she had struggled with Jesus’ forgiveness, how would you have advised her?

TO PRAY

This week, I want you to invite your group to share prayer requests and then invite other group members to pray over one another. Consider asking each person/family from the group to pray for one other family during the week ahead. Lastly, I want to invite y’all to pray for Champs Camp coming up in June & REMIND your group who plans to attend of the BBQ and Cornhole Tournament this coming Saturday, May 8th at 10:30am.

Matt DeLano