Life Group Discussion Guide for January 29, 2023
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Resolute: A Focused Study of Luke
1.29.23
To Tell You The Truth
Luke 11:14-23
Dinner Table Questions
How do you decide if something is true? How do you determine if someone is telling the truth?
Open Bible Questions
Read Luke 11:14-20.
– There are several enormous worldview assumptions packed into these two verses. Consider just a few…
o A man was mute, and the primary cause was not a vocal cord issue, or a brain injury symptom or even a psychosomatic condition caused by trauma but rather the activity of a demon who was keeping him from talking, apparently against his will.
o Jesus had the ability not only to see what was going on but to “drive” the demon “out.”
o The power to do something like that either came from God or from “Beelzebul.”
– Immediately we have some decisions to make:
o Is Luke telling the truth? Does he know what he is writing about?
o Is Jesus telling the truth about who He is?
o How do you decide? How does it shape your worldview if Luke is telling the truth? How does it shape your worldview if Jesus is telling the truth?
Read Luke 11:21-22.
– Most scholars believe Satan = “strong man.” This certainly makes sense of why the man was mute against his will.
o Read Luke 4:16-21. Does this fall into the category of “freedom for the prisoners?” Flip the pages between chapter 4 and chapter 11. Are there other stories recorded by Luke that fall into that same category? What do you make of that? Can Satan still hold people captive? Does this still happen? How does this happen? Does this happen all at once against a person’s will?
– Most scholars also believe Jesus = “someone stronger.” If that is true how does that have the potential to be very good news? What (or who) is the “plunder” of verse 22?
Read Luke 11:23.
– What effect does a story like this have on our worldview? Is this the way most of those around us understand the world? How do most people decide what is good and evil, right and wrong, true and false?
– In what ways does this worldview, packed into this story in Luke, raise the stakes on a decision about Jesus as described in 11:23?
– How do you balance what Jesus says in Luke 9:50 with what he says in 11:23?
Monday Morning Questions
If Luke (and Jesus) are telling the truth about what is actually going on behind the scenes or our world, what impact does that have on the way that you will go about your work on Monday? How does it affect your interaction with those you love…with those you have a hard time loving?