Each week, these sermon discussion guides are made available to help you engage the sermon text more fully. For those in a small group, this is what your group will use as its jumping-off point. You are also encouraged to use this in the context of your own home, whether personally or as a family, as you seek to apply the message to your life.
Sermon Summary: Exodus 20:4-6
Main Ideas
I. God cannot be duplicated in creation
II. Our worship patterns are passed to the next generation
III. Jesus’ gracious work swallows our works in salvation
Application Points
I. Just like we did as children we attach ourselves to things that we can cling to for comfort and security. Our struggle as Christians is learning to break those harmful patterns and better learning to attach ourselves to Christ for the security, fulfillment, and lasting joy He promises to those who seek Him.
II. Part of that involves properly assessing your patterns of worship. Is your pursuit of God preeminent in your life or covered up by other things?
III. Learning to better understand Jesus’ “moving towards us to take our sin and gift us His grace” as not a burden, but His greatest joy as He lives to intercede for us.
Quotes
“Jesus does not love like us. We love until we are betrayed. Jesus continued to the cross despite betrayal. We love until we are forsaken. Jesus loved through forsakenness. We love up to a limit. Jesus loves to the end.”
"Jesus is not trigger-happy. Not harsh, reactionary, easily exasperated. He is the most understanding person in the universe. The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms.” — Dane C. Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Suffers
Questions for Personal Response
Consider something in your life that at one point has effected your pattern of worshiping God. Consider sharing this with the group. How might this have been passed on to others?
Discuss the idea of Jesus “rushing towards our brokenness” to heal us as He lives to intercede? In what ways might we fight His work in this?