Group Guide

December 4th, 2022

This Week's City 7:

4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)

Ice-Breaker:

Honesty check: Have any of you ever heard of "catching the woah" before?

Discussion Questions:

Have someone read Luke 11:37-54 aloud.

Once again, Jesus is laying into the Pharisees and other religious leaders. Clayton shared five different takeaways from this text on Sunday. First, the GOSPEL is for the IRRELIGIOUS and the RELIGIOUS. Throughout his ministry, Jesus sits and eats with sinners AND hypocrites. BOTH groups need the Gospel! Both are clinging to something that will ultimately bring about their destruction. In our political landscape we think in terms of left and right. Which is the irreligious and which is the religious? The answer is YES! Both sides are incomplete. Both sides need the Gospel. When it comes to your political leanings, are you able to recognize that both parties are incomplete pictures of the gospel? How willing are you to, like Jesus, sit down and talk with people that don't believe the way you do rather than putting them on blast?
Next, the GOSPEL is INSIDE-out, not OUTSIDE-in. The pharisees were offended that Jesus did not perform the hand-washing ceremony. This ritual wasn't about cleanliness; it was an addition to law of God that was passed down through oral tradition. They elevated it to actual Law of God. You see, they were obsessed with outward show. Paul said pursuit of that outward display was like dung. And we like to compare, whose dung pile is bigger! We care a LOT about outside appearances. We care what people think about us, how we compare to others. But religious routine doesn’t please God. He’s after your heart. And true heart change leads to outward, behavioral change. How concerned are you about the outward show and appearances? How do you know if you care too much about what man thinks?
Third, the GOSPEL is EASY to CARRY. The scribes and religious lawyers prided themselves in making it SO difficult to be a faithful Jew. They were proud that they were the only ones that were able to perceive and understand God's Word. They didn’t understand God's way of making us right with himself. They were confused by what it meant to be righteous. The Law says, "keep all the Law." Faith says, "I can’t keep the Law, so I need a Savior." Religion says, "do," while the Gospel says, "done."God came down to us so that we don’t have to work up to him. Does living for God feel like a heavy burden at times? Do you know what it's like to rest in the freedom of his grace? How do you know which way you tend to view the Gospel?
While it may be easy to carry, the GOSPEL is HARD to HEAR. These religious leaders tell Jesus they are upset that he had hurt their feelings. And to this, Jesus responded, "Yep!" Because the truth hurts sometimes. And the TRUTH is that people that are lost are foolish, ignorant and dead on the inside. They are sick and dirty. They need a savior. One thing our culture fails to see is that God's love is TRANSFORMATIONAL, not AFFIRMATIONAL. We have become addicted to affirmation. "You mean I’m not perfect the way I am??" Jesus would say, "Nope." What is the difference between affirmational and transformational love? Which one is for our ultimate good? How do we learn to show this kind of love to others?
Finally, the GOSPEL is the ONLY way. Jesus is telling his audience of hypocrites that HIS interpretation of the law and scripture are true and right, and THEIR interpretation is wrong and evil. Every single person has to choose: Will you bow up or bow down? Jesus alone is the Way, Truth and Life. Salvation is found in no one else. Jesus says to all of us, "WOE to you!" It's important to remember that Jesus, when rebuking the pharisees, is talking to US as well! If your heart truly belongs to him, you will love the things HE loves and hate the things HE hates. God is looking past your behaviors and is judging your heart. What is your heart telling him? How would you look different if all you cared about was what God thought about your heart?

Prayer Topics:

That we we would be changed by the Gospel from the inside out.
That we would care more about our hearts than the outward show.
That we would seek his transformational love.
That our hearts would align with his.

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