July 7-13, 2019

Take about 45 minutes during your missional community gathering to discuss what God is teaching you and how he is leading you in light of the weekend sermon.

Connecting:

1. Was there anything from the sermon this week that you felt like you really needed to hear or that stood out to you?
2. Have any heard the story of Aron and his rock climbing accident in Canyon Lands national park?
3. In an interview Aron said, “All I knew was that if I didn’t get from out from underneath that rock I was going to die.” After listening to Wes’ sermon what is that rock in your life that you need to get out from underneath?

Application: Jesus exposes the burden of thinking that who we are before God is based on what we do for God.

1. Read Matthew 11:28-30. What was a yoke and what was it used for?
2. What was the yoke that the pharisees were trying to tie onto their listeners? (Matthew 23:1-4)
3. In what ways is this opposite of the good news of the Gospel? (Acts 15:10-11)
4. How does taking on the yoke of the Pharisees impact the way we asses ourselves religiously, morally, financially, relationally, and physically?
5. How would you define what good is in those categories? How does our society define what good is? Can anyone be declared good before God?
6. How does depending on being good in those categories to be right before God lead to guilt, frustration, worry, debt, weariness, and pride?

Application: Jesus invites us to surrender our burdens

1. Have any of you ever felt like Tattoo the 8 month old basset hound from Tacoma Washington that Wes talked about who was dragged by his owners car after his leash got accidently stuck in the door? Have you ever felt like you were being dragged along spiritually as you ran just to try to keep up?
2. Wes states that religion is an invitation to a system while the gospel is an invitation to a savior. How would you explain this to an unbeliever?
3. Why is it central to Christianity to realize our relationship with God isn’t about us, but it is about Jesus?
4. Why is it so hard as Americans to come to the point of recognizing our relationship with God depends on our ability to receive from Jesus verses earning it?
5. Jesus said in Matthew 11 that we are to learn from him by taking on his yoke. How do we do this?
6. How would you describe the gospel of Jesus as being one of rest?