If we make performance our main measurement for value, we will be desperate to find a reason for why we fail.
Talking Points:
- The lie we believe is that when we fail, we don’t deserve to be loved and should be punished. We think that one mistake makes our whole lives a mistake.
- When we fail, we either blame it on ourselves or on others. Either way, it can be hurtful to us and to the people around us.
- God’s answer to this is that he took away our failure when he sent his son to die on the cross for us. Jesus took the punishment that we deserved onto himself. Romans 5:7-11, 1 John 4:9-10.
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Describe a time you failed in something. How did that situation affect you?
- Why do we have the need to find fault when failure occurs?
- When you fail, are you more likely to blame yourself or someone else? Explain.
- Define propitiation in your own words. What does it mean to you that Jesus absorbed the punishment you deserved?
- Read Romans 5:7-11. At what point did Jesus die for us? Why is that timing significant? What does that say about your value to God?
- 1 John 4:9-10. How different would our relationship with God be if we had to earn his love? What does it say about God that he loves us despite our failings?
- Based on this lesson, how should you view failure moving forward?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
Based on the book Search for Significance by Robert McGee
