The Vineyard- June 24, 2012

The Vineyard

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5

Luke 15:1-10

- What do these parables tell you about God’s love for us?

- We often minimize how much God cares for us by thinking, I’m just one person.  According to these parables, does God see it that way?

- According to these parables, do sinners still have value in the eyes of God?

- Why do you think God wants all of the “sheep”, and all of the “coins”?  Why not be content with 99 of the 100, or 9 of the 10?

II Peter 2:1-22

-  Peter warns us against false teachers, and heresies in this epistle.  They are guilty of “denying the Master who bought them” and they “blaspheme the glorious one”.  What does this tell you about the nature of their false teaching?  What did it concern?

-  What does the character of these false teachers that Peter refers to seem to be?  When we see words like greed and adultery associated with them, what does it lead us to think about their lifestyle?

- By describing false teaching as a waterless stream, what is Peter trying to get us to recognize about it?

-  Have you ever returned to “wallow in the mire” of your former sinful life?  If so, in what ways can your faith be strengthened to prevent it from happening again?