Only by Faith

Sermon Notes October 22, 2017 Matthew 20:1-16 Short Review Some Questions for Discussion: Think about, Solo Fides – we are sinners who have the right to stand before a holy God only by faith in Christ. 1. What is celebrated about the lives of the following people: Abraham Lincoln, Madame Curie John F. Kennedy, Hugh Hefner, Dorothy Sayers, Mother Theresa, Madalyn Murray O'Hair? Google searches permitted! 2. What kind of life is celebrated in society? Will these lives continue to be celebrated 100 years from now? 3. What are the ways in which being acceptable to God differs from being accepted and celebrated by society? 4. What is the division between the two groups of workers in Matthew 20? a. Apply this to how people see their own lives and the just reward they deserve. b. Are the workers who only worked an hour treated fairly? Is this good or bad? 5. Summarize Martin Luther’s struggle: a. What did the lightning strike do to him? [How can brushes with death and great loss serve as a blessing from God? Has that happened to you – could you share the story?] b. Why did he respond so strongly to the selling of indulgences? [Can you define what an ‘indulgence’ was?] 6. Have you heard the phrase solo fides? What does this (only by faith) mean? 7. Discuss the following Scriptures and try to put them in the language/setting of the parable in Matthew 20. a. Romans 4:4-5 b. Romans 1:16-17 c. Romans 3:23, 24 d. Romans 5:1,2 8. What are some reasons why people struggle with the concept of “faith alone” as the reason for our hope? How would you help them? 9. When/how did you come to understand this as the heart of the gospel (Romans 1:7)?