Because They Feared God…

The moral dilemma of Exodus 1:15-22.

• The Hebrew midwives are ordered to the children.
• The Hebrew midwives show (to Pharaoh’s face).
• The Hebrew midwives to save (behind Pharaoh’s back).

When is it acceptable to lie in the eyes of God?

Exodus 1:18-19, 20:16; Joshua 2:5; Proverbs 12:19; Romans 3:7; 1 John 2:21.

• When it saves a life: .
• When it may protect efforts to spread the Gospel in countries hostile to Christianity? … but we should still seek to be completely .

What it means for us to fear God in uncertain times…

Acts 5:29; Exodus 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 16:14; 1 Peter 3:13-17; Isaiah 54:17.

• We obey God rather than .
• We should be and .
• We need to be as prepared for earthly as we are for the divine .
• We don’t have to fear the of this .

Small Group Questions

What do you think?

What struck a chord with you from City Church’s most recent service?

The story of your life.

1. In the beginning of the message, Pastor Kyle shared a few inspiring stories of Christians during the World War II era who helped hide Jews from the grip of the Nazis, often at the cost of their own lives. What is a story of Christian heroism that has been meaningful to you?
2. Another thing we looked at on Sunday was the need to obey God rather than man while being reasonable and respectful. Tell about a time when you saw a Christian disagree in a winsome way that led to unity rather than further division. Please be intentional not to get into politically sensitive conversations during this discussion.

Digging deeper.

1. Pastor Kyle shared about the topic of the “biblically defensible lie” Sunday, referring to the Hebrew midwives who refused to kill innocent babies. Another story where we see this concept is found in Joshua 2 where God uses Rahab the prostitute to protect His people (by lying and hiding them). Read the chapter in its entirety and answer the following questions.
   1. What does this story tell us about God/people?
   2. What insights might we glean about handling “sensitive information” OR the issue of the biblically defensible lie?
   3. Is there anything else from this text that you found relevant?
2. One thing we saw as a direct application from Exodus 1:15-22 is that there are times when our fear in the Lord means we must obey God rather than men. That quote comes from Acts 5:29. Let’s unpack that whole story from Acts 5:12-42 to get a fuller understanding of what Peter had in mind when he said it. Read it aloud and answer the following questions.
   1. What does this story tell us about God/people?
   2. What does this story tell us about peaceful disagreement?
   3. What other wisdom can we glean when folks seem to be at odds with one another?
3. On the topic of peaceful disagreement, 1 Peter 3:13-17 talks about what it means for a believer to defend the Christian faith. Peter is explicit that Christians are to share the information a specific way. Read it out loud and answer the following questions.
   1. What does this passage tell us about the calling to share Christ?
   2. How might it affect us either positively or negatively when we share our faith?
   3. How might the last part of verse 15 help Christians better handle situations when folks are locked in disagreement?

Personal reflection and application.

1. Have everyone in the group share one thing (that someone else said) that resonated with them from this discussion.
2. Take some time to pray for one another before closing the group.