3.1.26 - The Wild, Gracious Gift of Starting Over (Kenny Camacho)
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:17-28, John 3:1-3
YOU CAN ALSO READ KENNY’S MANUSCRIPT FOR THIS SERMON HERE!
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How do you feel when you read what Jesus says it will take to “enter the Kingdom of Heaven”?
Kenny talks about how trying to be better or fixing our flaws is like trying to perfectly sand a wall: why isn't “trying harder” enough to meet God's standard of righteousness?
In what areas of your life have you been trying to “sand down the rough edges” rather than allowing God to help you start fresh?
In Matthew 5, how does Jesus reframe the commandments “You shall not murder” and “You shall not commit adultery”? Why is this distinction between merely not harming and truly honoring others so important? What does it reveal about us and what we’re made for?
How do you typically handle anger or conflicts with others? What would it look like to truly honor them as image-bearers of God?
The sermon compares trying to become righteous through our own efforts to “carving a tree from a block of wood”: What makes being “born again” (John 3:1-3) such an important concept for understanding Christian growth?
What areas of your life might need to be approached with a “growing from a seed” mindset rather than a “chiseling into shape” mindset?
Do you believe Jesus’s righteousness really can become your righteousness? What might change in your life if you could?