making Jesus known
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.”
Rev 22.13
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Group Fellowship Notes – 10/12 June 2003
God’s Questions No. 3 – What have you done?
Welcome
Chill with a drink!
Ask the question – “what would your ideal day look like?”
Worship
As we look at the question “what have you done?” – Let’s worship Jesus for all that he has achieved… “It is finished”
Word
Why do so often ask new acquaintances “what do you do?”
What does this question imply – in terms of how we value people?
And who would struggle with this question being asked?
Read Genesis 3:11-
God asks his third question “what have you done?”
What does this reveal about the way we live life? About the choices we make?
Who was responsible for the sin? (Who did God punish?)
The modern world has learnt so many ways of avoiding taking responsibility! In 1 Chr 21:8 David says “I am sorry, I was wrong” How many different phrases can you think of that people use to avoid taking direct responsibility?
(As one piece of office graffiti says: “The buck doesn't even slow down here”!)
Not only do we avoid taking responsibility – we place the blame at the feet of others – even God… look at Gen 3:12 – was Adam just blaming Eve – or God too? (They could have also moaned that God had made the tree too attractive!)
Are we good at taking responsibility for what we do wrong?
Take a look at Romans 7:14-
How does he balance the recognition of where sin comes from with the acceptance of guilt?
In writing about Paul’s claim to be the chief of sinners (1 Tim 1:16) Father Neuhaus writes: “I may think it modesty when I draw back from declaring myself the chief of sinners, but it is more likely a failure of imagination. For what sinner should I speak of if not of myself… About chief of sinners I don’t know, but what I know about sinners I know chiefly about me”
Read Luke 3:2-
God asks the question “what have you done? What are you doing now that you belong to me? What difference is it making to your everyday life?
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (v8)
John responds to the crowd, tax collectors, soldiers – his concern is not what they do in the temple but where?
Whatever you ‘do’ on a daily basis – God is interested in that – so what fruit should be produced in the repentant teacher, health worker, domestic engineer, administrator…?
Why did Jesus reserve his harshest criticism for the ‘religious’ people?
Take a look at Matt 25:14-
Taking responsibility has become a bit of a buzzword. Instead of taking responsibility for what lies within our own sphere of influence, powerful voices are trying to make us responsible for saving the whales, rainforests etc etc.
What are the possible outcomes when we have a great responsibility for loads of areas and yet are not told to whom we are responsible for those burdens.
Better surely to recognise our responsibility, to come clean and walk towards the healing voice of the Divine Questioner and into His forgiving arms
Witness
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Make a list of all the things we have done – and all the things Jesus has done.
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