Small Group Questions:  Hanging by a Thread

Summary:  Satan's lie is that we can hang our hopes on the thin threads of health, wealth,
achievement, or human relationships.  While these may appear to bring fulfilling life, these threads will
snap, leading only to despair and death.  We must hang our hopes on the unbreakable cable of true
life God has provided.  The cable of true life is about knowing God and Jesus whom he sent.  Knowing
him begins with obeying the Gospel and living it out daily.

Optional Starters:
- What did you like to collect as a child?  Now?
- What would you like to be doing 10 years from now?

Explore:  (Luke 12:13-21)

1.  Why did Jesus tell this parable?  How do you think the person in the crowd who
asked Jesus to arbitrate for him might have felt?  In what way might his problem
have been like the man in the parable?

2.  Is there anything wrong with being successful in life?  After all, isn’t it natural to
want to have a “good” life?

3.  (Read John 10:7-10; 17:3)  What is the difference in the rich man’s definition of
“life” in the parable, and Jesus’ definition of “life?”  How does Jesus’ analogy of the
“gate” or the “door” fit into his definition of life?

4.  Is “eternal life” something to look forward to in the distant future, or is it something
to have, enjoy, and live now?  Explain.

Apply:

5.  What is your perspective on eternal life?  Is it something in the future, or
something you have, enjoy, and live out in the now?

6.  Since life is about giving Jesus control of you life as the “door” or the “gate” for
life, what are some areas in your life that still need to be given over to God to rule?

7.  What are some of the reasons you retain control over those areas that are not
given over completely to God?

8.  How could you “share” life with those around you?

Respond:
Use Gal 2:20 as a guide to your prayer