The Reformation: Waking up to the God, Truth, & Joy

Small Group Guide

“The Reformation: Waking Up to the God, Truth, & Joy”

Psalm 19:7-12; Romans 4:2-5

Message Summary

This week, we pause our Life Together series in order to reflect on the Protestant Reformation, which celebrates its 500th anniversary this year. The Reformation kickstarted when German monk Martin Luther took his objections to the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings, called the 95 Theses, and nailed them to the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany, on October 31, 1517.

Luther did not set out to be a revolutionary; he originally set out to address the heresies and abuses of power he had seen within the Roman Catholic Church. One of his biggest complaints had to do with the sale of indulgences, which people would purchase in order to free a family member from purgatory, but this whole idea is heresy (not to mention the Catholic church used the sale of the indulgences as the way to fundraise for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome). Although Luther intended the 95 Theses to start an internal conversation among church leaders, God used his actions to wake all of Europe up to the truth of the gospel.

But what originally alerted Martin Luther to the truth of the gospel? Studying the Bible for himself, particularly the book of Romans. Through reading the Bible, Luther realized that we cannot save ourselves by our good works. The sacraments, prayer, stuffing our evil desires, buying indulgences, etc. – none of this can save us because the Bible tells us that salvation is by grace, not by works. However, in Luther’s day, the average person could not read the Bible because it was only translated into Latin instead of the language of the people. To rectify this, Luther translated the entire New Testament as well as Psalms and the first five books of the Old Testament into German, so the people could read God’s Word for themselves.

Because of Reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and others, heresies of the Roman Catholic Church were exposed, the Bible was translated into the modern languages of the people, and the church saw a return to the truth that is proclaimed in the pages of Scripture. In particular, five Latin slogans emerged during the Protestant Reformation to summarize the essential truths proclaimed by the Reformers:

Sola Scriptura – “Scripture alone”
Sola Fide – “faith alone”
Sola Gratia – “grace alone”
Solus Christus – “Christ alone”
Soli Deo Gloria – “to the glory of God alone”

As we remember the Reformation, Pastor Matt focuseson two of thesepillars in this sermon: Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide. First of all is the recognition that the Bible alone is our highest authority, standing above religious traditions, cultural values, and personal preferences. Everything we learn about God and His world should be interpreted in light of Scripture. In the Bible, we learn that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, which prevents all self-righteous boasting, and because we do not attain, receive, or maintain acceptance with God by our words, we can experience the deep joy that comes from experiencing God’s forgiveness and resting in His assurance of our salvation.

Discussion & Application Questions

After briefly reviewing the message summary, use these questions to further examine the sermon and to discuss how these truths apply to daily life, so we can “be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (Jas. 1:22). Based on your knowledge of the people in your small group, select the questions that will best help you frame the group’s discussion of this sermon and sermon text.

SCRIPTURE ALONE: WAKING UP TO TRUTH

Looking back at the five slogans of the Protestant Reformation, why are these five doctrines significant?
What is your view of the Bible? What comes to mind when you think of the Bible? What does this indicate about your understanding or attitude towards God’s Word?
Read Psalm 19:7-12. How does this psalm describe the Word of God? Based on this psalm, what does the Word of God do?
If the Bible does not liven the Christian’s soul, why?
How does reading and studying the Bible help us live as though this world is not all there is? How does the Bible help us combat the temporal glories that rivals for our affections in this life?
Application:What can you do to set aside time to study God’s Word this week? Or if you are spending consistent time studying the Bible, how can you take a next step this week in meditating or applying what you are reading?
What happens when we as Christians do not live as though the Bible is authoritative?
If we do not yield ourselves to what the Bible says, what does that suggest about our view of God and our view of ourselves?
Why is it important to recognize that the Bible is not just for scholars but for every person? How should that affect our attitude towards reading and studying the Bible?

FAITH ALONE: WAKING UP TO JOY

Why did God send His Son Jesus to earth to die and be raised to life? How would you explain this in simple terms to someone who is unfamiliar with the gospel?
How does the biblical truth that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone affect the Christian’s motivation for obedience? How does this doctrine stir up joy within the Christ-follower?
If salvation were by works instead of grace, what would be people’s motivation for obedience?
Why is our motivation for obedience important?
Application:What has been your motivation for obedience and for disobedience today?
If you recognize your motivation is wrong, how do you change your motivation?
Often, we say we believe that salvation is by grace, but we act as though it is by works. Give examples from your own life of how you have seen this discrepancy play out.
For those who trust in Christ for salvation, how is it possible that God delights in us as His children?
How can we as Christians have an assurance of salvation (see Jn. 6:35-40; 10:27-29)? Why would God want us to have such assurance?
Application: What truths from God’s Word give us joydespite our circumstances? How can we marinate in and remind ourselves of these truths this week?
Application:What does it mean to “preach the gospel to ourselves”? Why is this important?In what area do you need to do this (e.g., shame and guilt, anxiety, etc.)? How can you diligently remind yourself of these truths this week?

Things to Consider

If you have people in your group who did not hear the sermon, read the sermon text 1 Timothy 2) together and briefly summarize the main points of the sermon. Recapping the sermon text and sermon outline can also be a helpful way to start the group, even if everyone did hear the sermon.

Begin by asking the group members to identify 2-3 people whom they consider to be their faith heroes. These can be people from the Bible, from church history, or from their own lives, but they are people whom they have looked up to in the faith. How did God use them to teach and shape us?

In the beginning of this sermon, Pastor Matt offered a brief word about the study of biography and history, reminding us of the value of studying God’s grace in and through the lives of believers who have gone before us, and Hebrews 13:7-8 points us to imitate their faith. While studying history or biographies should not be greater than our study of the Bible, we can learn much from fellow believers, past and present.

Take time to praise God for those whom God has used to draw us to Himself, and ask Him to use us to advance His Kingdom for His glory.

Weekly Prayer Focus

Pray for Our Church:

Praise God for the gift of His Word. Thank Him for all the faithful Christ-followers who have gone before us, paving the way for our own faith.
Pray we will all grow in faith and obediently follow God.

Pray for Our City:

Pray for Lifeline Children’s Services (lifelinechild.org), a full-service adoption and orphan care ministry headquartered in Birmingham that serves families and children in the U.S. and around the globe.
Pray for North Shelby Baptist Church and for Pastor Allan Murphy.

Pray for Our World:

Pray for the Sherpa people of Nepal. There are approximately 145,000 Sherpa in Nepal, 0.3% of whom are Evangelical Christians while most Sherpa are Buddhists.

The Church at Brook Hills “The Reformation: Waking Up to God, Truth, & Joy,” October 29, 2017| Page 1