Group Guide
Ice-Breaker
Does anyone miss the days of searching through movies at Blockbuster? Those were the days that renting a movie was an event! What was your favorite part of that experience?
This Week's City 7
The City 7 are seven truths that tell us why we believe what we believe.
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
Discussion Questions
Read Luke 5:33-39 aloud.
- At the City, we are committed to teaching Scripture verse by verse. We believe doing so will produce in us a deeper faith and a more profound love for Jesus. We also believe it is important for all of us to be together, in person. Since COVID hit, many have gotten out of the habit of coming to church regularly, opting instead to stay home and watch online. Some stay away for health reasons, but others just find it easier to stay home. Watching church online, however, can never replace being a part of a spiritual family and growing together. Church isn't just about receiving content. It's about serving and growing with a church family. Have you ever found yourself opting for church online for an extended period of time? Why is this such a temptation? What are the possible negative effects of this?
- In verse 33, people question Jesus about why his disciples don't behave like others. His disciples were happy, hanging out with each other, never doing penance or following the typical religious customs. They were never seen fasting. The Pharisees, on the other hand, fasted every Monday and Thursday because those were the busiest days at the market. This was their opportunity to be seen by others. They were committed to the outward show, the routine, but there was no genuine love for God in their hearts. Every time we hear Jesus call out the Pharisees in Scripture, he's talking to us. This is because we all have the tendency to have the same religious spirit. So when he speaks to them, we should ask ourselves what he's saying to us. Can you see this tendency in yourself? Do you ever get too concerned with the outward show?
- Jesus makes the point that no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The analogy here is about the Old Covenant verses the New Covenant. The old wine is the Old Covenant, the sacrificial system and the Law. When someone sinned under this covenant, a bull or goat would be killed in order to make that person ceremonially clean. But this could never actually take away the sin. The new wine is the New Covenant. This is what Jesus came to do... to fulfill the Old Covenant and start something brand new. This wasn't about religious duty and penance, not about sacrificing animals to be made "clean", but about having our sins wiped out for good, getting a new heart, receiving God's Spirit that lives within us. It was about his Law being written on our hearts, not on tablets of stone. The problem is that we default to, "The old is just fine with us." Jesus is saying our tendency is to turn to the law. We want to try to earn our standing with God, while the NEW is that, through faith, the righteousness of Jesus is credited to us. Do you ever get stuck in the religious routine instead of having a love relationship with Jesus? What does this look like when it happens in your life? What are the ways you opt for the "old wine" instead of the "new wine" Jesus died to give us?
- Get a picture in your head of "old wine", religious Christians. What are they like? What do they value? How are they perceived by others? Are they happy? Do they smile? On the contrary, picture someone with a vibrant, rich, personal relationship with Jesus, someone who lives daily in the Spirit, whose life exudes the fruits of the Spirit. What does this person look like? What do they value? How are they perceived? Now, which one do you want to be? How do you get there? How do you keep from sliding into back into the "old wine"?
- The challenge from Sunday was to "Take off the OLD and put on the NEW!" Your OLD garments are religion, shame, striving... But your NEW garments are garments of praise, righteousness, peace, grace, faith and perseverance. Ephesians 4 tells us to daily "put on your new nature". Out with the old, in with the new. What is the "old" you need to take off today? What is the Holy Spirit speaking to you?
Prayer Topics
- That we would stay in the habit of meeting together, in person.
- That we would resist the urge to slide into a religious spirit.
- That we would never be satisfied with the "old wine".
- That we would seek to live for the "new wine" and have a rich, vibrant relationship with Jesus.
6 Comments
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New format 😮ðŸ˜â¤ï¸
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I can't figure out how I did it 🤔😔
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Soooo good!
Love it!