This Week:

Feasting & Fasting

Pastor Brian McGuffin

May 5, 2024

 

Introduction

 

Can you think of some traditions/practices that you and/or your family have that would make you sad if they disappeared?

 

Scripture

Matthew 9: 14 – 17  NIV

“Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Discussion Questions

1.Fasting (a time when eating was suspended) was a tradition that the Jewish people kept. The Pharisees fasted twice a week even though the Old Testament didn’t require fasting that often.

1a) Can you think of traditions that churches have kept over many years that aren’t required in scripture?  (e.g. traditions in the Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Eastern and Russian Orthodox, etc.)

1b) What do you think has been so attractive about these traditions/rites?

 

2.   We can get caught up in life situations that seem very important to us, but may actually take us away from God.

2a) What tends to take up a lot of your time each day?

2b) What in our culture today tends to take us away from God?

2c) Why could some things almost be called an addiction? (e.g. TV, phones, computers, gaming systems, hobbies, sports, etc.)

 

3.  Jesus tells 2 parables: one is about attaching new material to old material; the other is putting new wine into old wineskins. Both would destroy the original material. Jesus is talking about the new relationship we will have with God because of Jesus’ death and resurrection – although his disciples certainly don’t understand that yet.

What is actually required for us to be a Christian?  Read the following verses and put what they say into your own words.

Ephesians 2: 1 – 10  NLT

“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the        powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and       inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

            4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were  dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only             by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ  Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

            8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is   a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

 

4.  We are not perfect people. We don’t live concentrating on God every moment of our day.

4a) What are some things you do enjoy in being a Christian? (e.g. going to church, Christian music, etc.)

4b) If a person had an excellent relationship with God, what do you think that would actually look like?  Is this possible?

4c) What are some ways we can improve our consciousness of God’s presence in our lives? How will you know your relationship improved?

4d) If we wanted to spend more deliberate time with God, what could we do?

 

5.  Fasting is not mentioned a lot in the New Testament. The first verses in Acts 13 talk about fasting and praying as the leaders in the church were asking God about sending Paul and Barnabus on their first missionary journey. At the end of Acts 14, it mentions that Paul and Barnabus fasted and prayed with the men they had appointed leaders of the new      churches just before they returned to Jerusalem.

5a) Have you ever fasted? How did it go?

5b) Could fasting be something other than not eating? (Give some examples.)

5c) Are there any things you might need to cut out of your life in order to improve your relationship with God?

Last Week:

Mercy

Pastor Brian McGuffin

April 28, 2024

 

Introduction

 

Today, are there churches or religious organizations that have customs/rites that are not given in scripture, yet are considered very important?

 

 

Scripture

 

Matthew 9: 9 – 13  NIV

“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

Discussion Questions

 

1. Matthew was a tax collector. He was disliked by the Jewish people because he worked for the Roman government, and likely overcharged the taxes to get wealthy. Yet Jesus asked him to follow him, and eventually even went to Matthew’s house for dinner.

Are there people you tend to ignore – or even dislike – because you don’t approve of what they are doing?

 

2. Matthew responded to Jesus invitation “Follow me” right away. When he left that day, he wouldn’t get his job back. His income would stop.

Are there any things you decided to give up as a result of giving your life to Jesus (e.g. people you don’t see anymore; things you don’t do anymore)

 

3. Since you became a Christian, what in your life seems to be easier? What is harder?

 

4. Jesus refers to a verse in the Old Testament: Hosea 6: 6

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt sacrifices.  (NLT)

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. (NIV)

For I desire and delight in (steadfast loyalty; faithfulness in covenant relationships) rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.  (AMP)

 

4a) When you read this verse, what does Jesus really want from you?

 

4b) Pastor Brian said that the verb “follow” means that Matthew is to follow in that moment, but also for the rest of his life. To be a disciple means to live a life of obedience and calling. What would that actually look like in practical ways?

 

4c) Have you seen changes (small and/or big) in people’s lives after they became Christians?

 

4d) What doesn’t God want? What do you think “sacrifice and burnt offerings” would be in our culture today?

 

5. The Pharisees are disgusted when they discovered that Jesus went for dinner at Matthew’s house with “many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners” (v. 10)

 

5a) In what ways do we tend to act like Pharisees – think we’re better than others, be judgmental about people, get upset about others’ points of view?

5b) Jesus invited Matthew, the tax-collector, to join him and he calls us to be loving too. How can we be friends with non-Christians and not get led into sinful behaviour?

5c) How should we treat non-Christian family, friends, co-workers?

5d) Can you tell us about a time when you had an opportunity to talk about Jesus with someone? How did it turn out?

5e) How can we share Jesus in our everyday life with those around us? Do you see Jesus using you even in small ways?