LifeGroup Questions Based On: Luke 18:9-14 July 9, 2017

Overview There was a time in my life when I thought I was a runner. I would go running and be able to go several miles without a problem. All this activity came later in life. I didn’t do any running or for that matter anything remotely physically active while in High School. It is easy to think of yourself as a runner when you are running by yourself. You set the pace. You determine how far you are going. I also consider myself to be fast. How fast am I? Let me clarify. When I run at the park and there is an elderly couple out for an evening stroll. I will leave them in my dust. They don’t stand a chance of staying caught up. I have also been known to fly by moms pushing strollers who also have toddlers walking next to them. I am only fast because of who I want to compare myself too. In today’s passage there are two men who go to the temple to pray. One of them is a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. In his prayer the Pharisee thinks of himself as being righteous. He compares himself to all the worst people he can think of. When compared to all of them his Pharisee lifestyle looks really good. The tax collector keeps his eyes on God and realizes how sinful he is. Only by looking at God does he realize broken he is. As believers we have a tendency to compare ourselves to those around us. All of us like to think of ourselves in a positive way. One way to think of yourself in a positive way is to compare yourself to people who you consider to be worse, more sinful. Whether we verbalize these comparisons or just think them they are just as dangerous. Believers are told in Hebrews 12:2 to fix our eyes on Jesus. Keeping focused on Jesus will put perspective on how broken we are. Part of the danger of comparing ourselves to those around us is we might start thinking of ourselves as righteous. Comparison can lead to thinking we can earn grace. Creating a list of good deeds and thinking God somehow owes you. When praying we need to realize we approach God by His righteousness, not any we bestow upon ourselves.

Bible Study 1. Read Luke 18:9-14. Discuss as a group some of the main differences by which these men approached God. (for example: how they prayed, where they stood, posture, what was said)

2. What are some areas in life people tend to compare themselves to others?

3. Why is it dangerous to compare yourself to those around you?

4. In the Pharisee’s prayer he focuses on his own accomplishments. How you do stay focused on God’s work in you instead of your achievements? Think of some practices or consistent phrases you can pray to keep the focus on God

5. Read Psalms 51. Focus on verse 16-17. This is King David’s prayer of repentance. Take a few moments and think about what you would write as a prayer of repentance.

6. Jesus gives a surprise ending to this story. Everyone thought the Pharisee was the righteous man. In what ways does this parable impact your perspective on what it means to be righteous?

7. How do people like to exalt themselves? What does this look like in the church and in prayer?