Group Guide

November 19th, 2023

This Week's City 7:

3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)

Ice-Breaker:

Anyone still remember the 13 colonies? All 50 states? Extra credit if you can sing the song.

Discussion Questions:

Have someone read Matthew 1:1-6 aloud.

Let's be honest... when we are reading the Bible and we get to a list like this one in Matthew, most of us just skip over it, right? But how often do we study it? After all, it's there for a reason. Sunday we looked into two women in that list; Rahab and Ruth. To read about Rahab, who was a prostitute, you have to go back to Joshua chapter 2. Rahab protected the spies that Joshua had sent into Jericho. She saved their lives and then makes a declaration: "For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below." So Rahab not only recognized who God was, but she responded. She exercised her faith, and then she asks God for favor. That's not how most of us operate, is it? Most of us ask for favor before we ever exercise our faith. We make deals with God.. if he will just get me a better job, fix my marriage, make my kids obey...THEN we will be obedient. What about you? Are you obedient even before God comes through? Or is your obedience dependent on how much God is blessing you in the moment?
Next we have Ruth. Ruth was a widow who is left with nothing in her life except for her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi tells Ruth she should go back to her home land and her people, but Ruth makes a vow to never leave Naomi. She makes a faith declaration saying, "Your God will be my God." God rewards her faithfulness by sending Boaz into her life who marries her and pulls her out of poverty. Ruth received favor because of her faithfulness. Before Boaz, both Naomi and Ruth’s future was hopeless - they were widowed and destitute, with no one to carry on their family line. But then Boaz marries Ruth and she is adopted into God’s people. Ruth was faithful to God and to Naomi, so she received favor. How faithful are you to the things you say you'll do? How faithful are you to God?
Through this family tree, from Abraham to Jesus, we are left a legacy of FAITH. When Rahab heard about what God had done, she abandoned her own king and culture and responded in faith. Ruth left her home and culture and was faithful. To have faith in something is simply to live as if it's true. It means to put your trust in something or someone and remain loyal to it. The question for you isn't DO you have faith... the question is WHO or WHAT is your faith in? WHO or WHAT are you loyal to? What do your actions and choices say about who your faith is in?
Next, we've been left a legacy of ADOPTION. Rahab's faith meant she was adopted into God's family. Ruth's loyalty meant she would no longer be destitute but would have a family. And then there's you! There is only one decision you have to make to be a part of this legacy, to be adopted into God's family. That is to choose to put your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Have you made this decision? How amazing is it to think about being adopted into God's family, to be co-heirs with Christ? How grateful are you for God's saving grace?
Finally, we've been left a legacy of KHESED. The Hebrew word "khesed" is hard to translate into any language because it combines the ideas of love, generosity, and enduring commitment all into one. Khesed describes an act of promise-keeping loyalty that is motivated by deep personal care. This will be the legacy of The City Church. You've heard us say that we aren't building a crowd, we're building a family. And it's our prayer that we would all be bound together with promise-keeping loyalty and enduring commitment to one another. That's what family is all about. How grateful are you for your church family? Talk about how you've been blessed by being a part of it. How can you be more invested in this family?

Prayer Topics:

That we would be faithful like Ruth and Rahab.
That we would put our faith in God alone.
That we would be grateful for God's grace.

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