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Sermon Discussion Guide - 10/04/2026
Published October 3, 2026
A Better Story:
When Good People Miss God
Sermon Recap
In Luke 18:9–14, Jesus contrasts a Pharisee who trusted his own goodness with a tax collector who simply asked God for mercy. The story exposes the danger of comparison and self-righteousness and points us toward the gospel: right with God is received, not achieved. Our obedience matters, but it is the fruit of mercy, not the price we pay to earn it.
Ice Breakers
- If life had a leaderboard, what category would you probably be #1 in?
- What is something you get way more competitive about than you probably should?
Discussion Questions
1. Where are you most likely to compare yourself to other people? (Example: work, family, money, appearance, faith, etc.)
- Context: Jesus told this story to people who trusted in their own righteousness and looked down on others. The Pharisee could feel good about himself because he had found someone who appeared worse by comparison.
- Application: How does comparison affect the way you see yourself and others? What might change if you stopped asking, “How am I doing compared to them?” and instead looked to Jesus?
2. When has it been difficult for you to admit that you were wrong, struggling, or needed help?
- Context: Unlike the Pharisee, the tax collector offered no excuses and made no comparisons. He stood at a distance and prayed simply, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The sermon described this kind of honesty as repentance beginning to take shape.
- Application: Is there anything you have been explaining, minimizing, or trying to fix on your own that you need to bring honestly before God?
3. What kinds of things tend to make you feel like you have to prove your worth or earn someone’s approval?
- Context: Jesus says it was the tax collector, not the outwardly impressive Pharisee, who went home justified. The sermon summarized the point this way: “Right with God is received, not achieved.” Obedience is a response to grace, not a way of purchasing God’s acceptance.
- Application: Where are you most tempted to treat your obedience, service, or spiritual discipline as proof that God should be pleased with you? How would receiving grace change the way you approach those same practices?
4. How do you naturally respond when someone openly admits they are still struggling with something significant?
- Context: The sermon noted that Christians can be more comfortable with testimonies that are entirely in the past tense: “I used to struggle.” But the tax collector comes to God while his story is still unfinished, knowing he needs mercy and change.
- Application: How can we become people, and a group, who take sin seriously while also creating space for people to be honest about struggles that aren’t resolved yet?
5. Who are you most tempted to reduce to a label, a mistake, a lifestyle, or something they struggle with?
- Context: Jesus’ warning is particularly important for religious people because following Him for a long time does not make us immune to pride or contempt. The sermon encouraged us, when we catch ourselves looking down on someone, to pray for them before talking about them, and to begin with, “God, have mercy on me.”
- Application: Think about someone you find difficult to view graciously. How might beginning with your own need for mercy change the way you pray for, speak about, or interact with that person?
Prayer
- Make sure to spend time in prayer as a group when you meet.
- Have group members share prayer requests, and pray for them.
- You could have one person pray for all the requests, or each member pray for one person.
- Keep a record of those requests and ask about them on a weekly basis.