The Gospel Comes with a House Key
Judas in the Church (3|3)
The Borderland of Hospitality
• Lost Sheep and Prowling Wolves
• Simon the Leper
• Mary
• Is It I, Lord?
Pages 134-141
TOGETHER read the book and discuss the content below.
INDIVIDUALLY take notes in your journal on what stands out (try to keep it brief).
Matthew 26:10-13 (NIV) “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Psalm 16:1-2 (NIV) Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
2 Peter 1:10-11 (NIV) Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The humility of the eleven faithful ought not be overlooked. “Is it I?” is the best question that any disciple can ever ask when Jesus warns about sin, when any church discipline takes place, whenever we hear about the sin committed by someone else. These three words, “Is it I?” reveal the heart of true believers, who know that they are capable of any imaginable sin and that it is only Christ’s saving grace indwelling them that reveals the truth about them and their desires.
TOGETHER pray for one another.
INDIVIDUALLY answer the questions in your journal - process your notes and pray.
Never confuse knowing facts with knowing the Shepherd. It’s all or nothing. Either Jesus owns your heart, or you are exalting yourself to your imminent destruction.
What is your response to that statement?
The world can produce evil dictators, but only the church can grow a Judas. Dictators intend to control; they start as hypocrites.
Where have you seen hypocrisy in your own life?
There is always a deadly combination - a gentle rebuke from Jesus and a flaring rage of entitlement by an image bearer in response. Ironically, this heart sin asks a vital question: Who are you to treat me this way? But it doesn’t stay quiet long enough to hear the Lord’s answer.
What is your response to that statement?
There are two ways to ask the question “Is it I?” One way is a teachable heart, one that is willing to repent when the Lord exposes sin. The other is with a hard heart, using the question as a way to demand that the Lord becomes your debate partner, that He explain on your terms why your sin is so very intolerable.
How can you cultivate a teachable spirit in your life?
Pause and Pray - feel free to pray your own words as you meditate on this chapter or use the prayer below:
Lord, thank you for the gift of church discipline that sets apart your people, upholds the truth of the gospel, and wakes up each member to the reality of sin. Lead me into daily confession and repentance. Help me cultivate humility, teachability, and repentance in my own life, and work to see this in the lives of others as well.
EXTRA READING:
“If through one man’s life there is a little more love and kindness, a little more light and truth in the world, then he will not have lived in vain.”
- Alfred Friedrich Delp (1907 - 1945)