Advancing the Kingdom Together
Week #2: Developing a Heart Like God's Heart
Good Question: These lessons have groups talking.
www.joshhunt.com

Big Idea: As we draw near to God, we develop a heart like God's heart that cares about people who are far from Him.

Luke 15:4-32 ⁽¹⁾

OPEN

• Let's each share our name and one time you were really lost.

ACCOUNTABILITY

• Last week we talked about having a party and inviting every member and every prospect to the party. How are we doing with our party plans?
• How are we doing with inviting every member?
• How are we doing with inviting every prospect? ⁽²⁾

DIG

1. Let me read this passage out loud. As I do, I want you to say the word, "lost" out loud with me whenever you see it in the text. ⁽³⁾
2. When we hear the word lost in church, we think right away about a religious word, or a theological word. But, when Jesus used the word, it was not a religious word at all. It was just as normal word. So, I want us to think about how we use the word in normal life. Let me get two or three of you tell of a time when you lost something-or someone, perhaps a kid-and were desperate to find them.
3. What would be some adjectives that might describe how this shepherd felt when he lost this one sheep? ⁽⁴⁾
4. Wouldn't leaving the ninety-nine sheep put them at risk? How could he justify doing this? ⁽⁵⁾
5. How did the shepherd feel when he found the sheep?
6. Would you assume this woman is a rich woman, a poor woman, or what? ⁽⁶⁾
7. How would you describe her feeling as she loses a tenth of what she has? ⁽⁷⁾
8. I want you to get this feeling firmly in your mind. Someone else describe a time when you lost something and were desperate to find it. ⁽⁸⁾
9. How does the last story of something lost differ from the others? ⁽⁹⁾
10. What do you think this father spent his time doing the years his boy was away? Imagine it was you. What would you spend your time doing if you were the father in this story?
11. What made the son come to his senses?
12. What did the father do when he saw his boy? ⁽¹⁰⁾
13. When was the last time you got into an all-out run? ⁽¹¹⁾
14. What do we learn about God from these three passages? ⁽¹²⁾
15. The closer we get to God, the more godly, or like God we become. In a sermon on this topic, John Ortberg, ⁽¹³⁾ says, "It is impossible to love the Father without sharing His heart for those who are far from Him. The more spiritually mature you are, the more you will want to reach out to people who are far from God. It is psychologically impossible for you to desire to live in grace and forgiveness and not want it for others. Some have created models of Christian growth that suggest that we can have one attitude toward God and a different one toward those who are far from him. When we do that we make Christianity repulsive to people on the outside and sometimes to people who go to church." Let me read this a second time. React to that statement. Do you agree? ⁽¹⁴⁾
16. At what point in your life would you say you had the warmest heart toward people who are far from God?
17. What tends to warm your heart toward people who are far from God?
18. What tends to cool you off in your feeling toward people who are far from God?
19. Josh Hunt tells a story about someone who said to him, "You are darn right I don't like being around sinners. They drink and they act like they have been drinking. The smoke and they smell like they have been smoking. They curse. They use the Lord's name in vain. They have materialistic values. I don't like being around them." How would you respond to such a statement? ⁽¹⁵⁾
20. Think about your own life. Some of you were saved as an adult. ⁽¹⁶⁾ How did you feel church people felt about you when you were far from God?
21. How do you cultivate a heart for people who are far from God?
22. Let's pray together. Let's pray for our own hearts that God would give us a heart for people who are far from God. Let's pray for people we know that are not living the kingdom life. What else should we pray about?

1. "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? [5] And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders [6] and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' [7] I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

[8] "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? [9] And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' [10] In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

[11] Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. [12] The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

[13] "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. [14] After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. [15] So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. [16] He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

[17] "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! [18] I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' [20] So he got up and went to his father.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

[21] "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

[22] "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. [23] Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. [24] For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

[25] "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. [26] So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. [27] 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

[28] "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. [29] But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. [30] But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

[31] " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. [32] But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " Luke 15:4-32 [NIV]

2. Within reason, spend as much time as you need to on this.

3. The point is just to emphasize in the minds of the group that this chapter is all about lostness.

4. Focused. Driven. Obsessed may be too strong, but really, really focused.

5. He may not have been thinking all that clearly. He was focused on the one lost sheep. He may have kind of lost his mind a bit.

6. Poor.

7. Desperate.

8. Feel free to edit, delete, adjust. You have a feel for how the session is going. You might want to leave out this question.

9. It is more personal, and the lost son is lost on purpose, as a willful act.

10. Ran.

11. This question will work better if your group is middle-aged and up. Most of don't do a lot of running once we reach our middle-aged years of life. It tells us about the joy the father had in seeing his boy that he ran to meet him.

12. Although He is God and can think about everything all the time, in way, He doesn't. His mind is focused in the same way that our mind is focused when we lose something.

13. The name of the sermon is Huts of Refuge and is available at www.willowcreek.com These sentences are all from the sermon, although, they are not all in one paragraph as I have them here.

14. You may have some people disagree. That is O.K. See if you can agree on this: it is good to develop a heart like God's heart that cares about people who are far from Him.

15. Do you think they can feel that? Is it any wonder they don't like coming to church?

16. Hopefully this is true. If your group is composed of all people who grew up in church it highlights the fact that we need to do a better job with outreach.