August (1 of 1): Small Group Discussion Guide
The Sin of Self-Rejection
Has God’s love for you actually changed anything in your life? Many Christians confess with their lips that they are loved by God, yet deep down live chained to feelings of inadequacy, shame, and worthlessness. The Psalmist cries out, “I am a worm and not a man” (Ps. 22:6), giving voice to our own hidden fears that God’s love is too good to be true. But Scripture insists otherwise: in Christ we are Taken, Blessed, Broken, and Given—beloved not because of our performance, but because of God’s relentless embrace. This week, we will confront the false stories we tell ourselves, name the lies that bind us, and hear again the Voice that calls us “beloved.”
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Resources
The Way of Love by Anthony De Mello
Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen
Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning
Sermon Video
Sermon Text
Song of Songs 2
She
2 I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
He
2 Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the young women.
She
3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall,
and let his banner over me be love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
6 His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
8 Listen! My beloved!
Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
He
14 My dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
15 Catch for us the foxes,
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.
She
16 My beloved is mine and I am his;
he browses among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
on the rugged hills.
Psalm 22:6
“But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.”
“There always lurks the fear that we invented the story of God’s love.” - Sebastian Moore
Satan’s greatest psychological weapon against Christians is a gut-level feeling of inferiority, inadequacy, and low self-worth. Although they understand their position as sons and daughters of God, they are bound by a terrible feeling of inferiority, and chained to a deep sense of worthlessness. - David Seamands
The real question is not “What can we offer each other?” but “Who can we be for each other?” - Henri Nouwen
The world tells you many lies about who you are. No one is brought to life through curses, gossip, accusations, or blaming. It calls forth only darkness, destruction, and death. These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself. -Henri Nouwen
We are obsessed with our shortcomings and disgusted by our own inconsistency. - Brennan Manning
“Without your wound where would your power be? In Love’s service only the wounded soldiers can serve. Draw back.” - The Angel that Troubled the Waters
The greatest gift my friendship can give to you is the gift of your Belovedness. I can give that gift only insofar as I have claimed it for myself. Isn’t that what friendship is all about: giving to each other the gift of our Belovedness? - Henri Nouwen
