Group Guide

March 10th, 2024

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:

Are you afraid of needles? When you give blood, do you look away or watch it all go down?

Discussion Questions:

Have someone read John 8:10-11 aloud.

On Sunday, we took a dive into one of The City Church's CORE VALUES. We all have core values. They are deeply ingrained in who you are and what you build your life around, what you teach your kids, build your marriage on. Craig Groeschel says, "What we value determines what we do. What we worry about the most reveals what we value." What are some of the core values that have shaped your life, family and parenting?
In John 8, we see the story of the woman caught in adultery. The religious leaders were ready to stone her to death, as was the law. But Jesus stepped in and showed her grace. Imagine that moment. It wasn't like she wasn't guilty. She was caught in the act with no defense. She deserved death by stoning. And Jesus, because he was the sinless Son of God, had the most right to throw the first stone... yet he didn't. He extends grace, something she didn't deserve and definitely didn't earn. We've been extended that same grace, and it's that grace that FREES us from the penalty of our sin. Just like this woman, we deserve death. But Jesus took that punishment for us. Reading this story, we might think it's only about not judging others and showing grace instead. But have you ever considered that fact that you are the adulterous woman in this story? How does that hit you?
Jesus told the religious leaders to go ahead and cast the stones... IF they were without sin. No one did, and they all walked off. But this isn't the end of the story! Jesus, who had just shown this woman an incredible amount of grace, tells her to "go and sin no more." He's not just excusing her sin. He forgives her, but he's also calling out her sin into a better life. He's telling her that he's not overlooking her sin. He's telling her TRUTH in LOVE. It's truth that GUIDES us. Some of us can tend to err too far on the side of grace and neglect the truth. Others are too heavy on truth and show no grace. What about you? What is your tendency? How can you bring more balance in order to follow Jesus' example?
What is truth? Well, it's not just whatever you think it is. It's not what culture says. It's God's Word... this is the standard of truth. Palm 119 verse 105 says, "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." God's Word should be what our lives are built upon. The first question is, do you know his Word? Do you read it, do you study it? The second question is, even if you read it, do you actually live it out? Is God's Word truly your standard of truth? Is there any place in here that you are falling short?
GRACE and TRUTH transform us! Jesus forgave her sin and then sent her off into a new life of sinning no more. Here's a quote from the core value: "Jesus being full of grace and truth means you come to Jesus as you are but He won’t leave you the way you are. When you believe in Jesus, you are transformed into and are always becoming a disciple that denies yourself and loves, follows, worships and serves Jesus.” Notice, it's not clean yourself up first. It's come as you are and THEN let Jesus transform you. This is sanctification, becoming more and more like Jesus, living a life of holiness, being set apart, in the world and not of it. Does this describe your life? Is there sin in your life that is keeping you stuck in a loop of shame and self-condemnation? Are you allowing God to transform you? What is God asking of you?

Prayer Topics:

That we would be people of grace and truth.
That we would remember we are the adulterous woman.
That we would go and sin no more, allowing God to transform us.

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