Remember to prep for your group
- Pray for your group by name.
- Review the sermon recap, key scriptures, and takeaways.
- Choose which questions you will use for your group.
- Plan the prayer and ministry time.
🎬 Sermon Recap
Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17–20 challenge some common Christian assumptions about “the law.” Rather than abolishing the Law and the Prophets, Jesus says he came to fulfill them and insists that not even the smallest part of the law will pass away until all is accomplished. He criticizes the Pharisees not because they are “too obedient” but because they are hypocritical and lawless—they teach the law but don’t practice it.
The sermon argued that:
The sermon argued that:
- Jesus expects his followers to obey God’s law as he interprets and fulfills it, not to discard it.
- The law is not an impossible burden; “perfect” law-keeping includes repentance and reconciliation when we sin.
- God’s law is fundamentally about love of God and neighbor and is meant to protect the vulnerable and restrain the powerful.
- Gentile believers are not bound by every specific Torah command 1:1 (e.g., food laws), but we are called to meditate on the whole law, learn its wisdom, and apply its principles—together, by the Spirit—in our own time and context.
- Keeping the law is like tending a community garden: we cultivate a shared way of life where we help one another obey, restore one another when we fall, and bear one another’s burdens.
Key Scriptures
- Matthew 5:17–20
- Matthew 23:2–3
- Deuteronomy 30:14
- Psalm 1:1–2
- Psalm 51:17–19
- Isaiah 44:2–5
- Isaiah 55
- Ezekiel 36
- Deuteronomy 28–30
- Matthew 16:27
- Matthew 19:16–17
- Acts 10–15 (esp. Acts 15)
- Acts 21:24–26
- Leviticus 23:22
- Matthew 8:4
- Galatians 6:1–2
- (Leviticus and Deuteronomy are referenced more broadly; you can choose a few passages to look up together if time permits.)
Key Takeaways
- Jesus did not abolish the Law; he fulfilled and clarified it.
He reveals the law’s intended meaning and expects his followers to practice and teach his commands. - The Pharisees were not “too righteous”; they were hypocritical.
Jesus says to do what they teach from Moses but not what they do, because they don’t practice what they preach. - The law is not an impossible, cruel burden.
Built into Torah is sacrifice, repentance, and forgiveness—meaning “perfect” obedience includes turning back to God and others when we sin. - Righteousness is not flawless performance but faithful love and reconciliation.
Being righteous means doing right by others and seeking reconciliation when we cross boundaries. - The heart of all God’s commands is love of God and neighbor.
Jesus and the Pharisees agreed on this: the entire law can be summed up in love. - The law especially protects the vulnerable and restrains the powerful.
Many commands function to safeguard the poor, foreigners, and those at risk, and to limit what the powerful may do. - Gentile believers still need to meditate on Torah.
We aren’t called to woodenly copy every law, but to learn to reason with it (as the apostles did) so we can apply its wisdom to our generation. - Law-keeping is a community project, empowered by the Spirit.
We interpret and apply God’s commands together, restore one another gently, and so “fulfill the law of Christ.”
Leading the Group
👋 Welcome
Thank everyone for coming and making this group a priority in their lives.
💛 Vision
Why We Meet as a Group
1. We Follow Jesus Together (Life on Life)
We’re learning how to be with Jesus, and live like Jesus—growing in our faith, applying His teachings in everyday life, and helping each other take next steps.
2. We Become a Spiritual Family Together (Life in Community)
We’re building real relationships where we can be known, supported, and encouraged. As we practice things like prayer, Scripture, and sharing life together, God transforms us from the inside out, and we become more like Jesus.
3. We Live on Mission Together (Life on Mission)
We care about the people in our lives who don’t yet know Jesus. Together, we look for ways to love and impact our friends and neighbors with the gospel, and invite others into this community.
1. We Follow Jesus Together (Life on Life)
We’re learning how to be with Jesus, and live like Jesus—growing in our faith, applying His teachings in everyday life, and helping each other take next steps.
2. We Become a Spiritual Family Together (Life in Community)
We’re building real relationships where we can be known, supported, and encouraged. As we practice things like prayer, Scripture, and sharing life together, God transforms us from the inside out, and we become more like Jesus.
3. We Live on Mission Together (Life on Mission)
We care about the people in our lives who don’t yet know Jesus. Together, we look for ways to love and impact our friends and neighbors with the gospel, and invite others into this community.
📬 Announcements
📍 Introduction
We are in a journey together to explore Jesus’ famous sermon on the mount, where He gives us his vision of the good life; what life lived under his rule and in His kingdom is like in the midst of a broken world.
Read Text
- Matthew 5:17–20
- Matthew 23:2–3
- Deuteronomy 30:14
- Psalm 1:1–2
- Psalm 51:17–19
- Isaiah 44:2–5
- Isaiah 55
- Ezekiel 36
- Deuteronomy 28–30
- Matthew 16:27
- Matthew 19:16–17
- Acts 10–15 (esp. Acts 15)
- Acts 21:24–26
- Leviticus 23:22
- Matthew 8:4
- Galatians 6:1–2
- (Leviticus and Deuteronomy are referenced more broadly; you can choose a few passages to look up together if time permits.)
Open in prayer
🔥 Warm-Up
- Share about a rule you grew up with (at home, school, or sports) that you didn’t like or understand at the time—but later realized was actually wise or loving. What changed your perspective?
💬 Suggested Discussion Guide
Please choose ahead of time which of the following questions you want to use for your c-group.
Discussion Questions
You don't have to answer all of these. Choose the most helpful for your group.
- Clarifying the Text & Myths
- When you heard Jesus say, “I have not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it,” what did you previously think that meant?
- How does the sermon challenge common sayings like “we’re free from the law” or “it’s just about the heart, not obedience”?
- Pharisees, Hypocrisy, and Our Own Hearts
- How does Jesus’ critique of the Pharisees (teaching but not doing) expose similar patterns in today’s church—or in your own life?
- Can you think of an area where you “preach” something (to kids, friends, online, etc.) but struggle to live it yourself?
- Law as Love and Protection
- The sermon highlighted that many laws protect the vulnerable and restrain the powerful. Where do you see that pattern in Scripture or in your own experience of healthy rules?
- Who are the “vulnerable” and “powerful” in your context (workplace, home, city), and how might God’s law of love speak into those dynamics?
- Repentance as Part of Obedience
- How does redefining “perfect” obedience to include repentance and reconciliation change the way you think about holiness and failure?
- Is there a relationship right now where obedience to Jesus might look like taking the first step to reconcile?
- Reasoning with the Law Today
- The sermon used the example of leaving the edges of the field for the poor (Lev 23:22). If you applied that principle to your current job or financial world, what might it look like?
- What are some modern areas (social media, technology, sexuality, money, politics) where we especially need to “reason with Torah” together as a community?
- Community Garden vs. Fragile Glass
- How does the “law as a garden, not a piece of glass” image help you understand obedience in community?
- Have you ever been gently restored by another believer (or helped restore someone else) in a way that actually strengthened the relationship and the community?
- Obedience, Grace, and Motivation
- How do you personally hold together grace and obedience—God’s gift of salvation and his call to keep Jesus’ commands?
- In what ways does seeing obedience as a grateful response to God’s rescue (not a way to earn salvation) change your motivation to follow his commands?
Practical Applications
Of all we have discussed tonight, what is one step God is calling you to take in order to follow Him more fully this week?
In addition, you can mention some of these steps to consider.
In addition, you can mention some of these steps to consider.
- Meditate on the Law with Jesus.
- Read Matthew 5–7 and ask: “What does Jesus say obedience looks like here? What needs to change in my life?”
- Optional: also read Psalm 1 and one short law passage (e.g., Deuteronomy 24:10–22; Leviticus 19:9–18) and look for how it protects the vulnerable and restrains the powerful.
- Practice Repentance as Obedience.
- Ask the Spirit to show you one relationship where you need to confess, apologize, or move toward reconciliation. Take a concrete step this week.
- Reason with One Law for Your Context.
- As a group or individually, pick one Old Testament law (e.g., Sabbath rest; caring for the poor; honesty in business) and ask:
- Who does this law protect?
- Who does it restrain?
- What would it look like for me to embody this principle in my job, family, or neighborhood?
- As a group or individually, pick one Old Testament law (e.g., Sabbath rest; caring for the poor; honesty in business) and ask:
- Bear One Another’s Burdens.
- Identify someone in your church or small group who is “caught in a sin” or struggling, and instead of judging or gossiping, move toward them gently to encourage, listen, and pray (Galatians 6:1–2).
- Invite the Spirit to “Write the Law” on Your Heart.
- Daily this week, pray: “Holy Spirit, write your law on my heart. Show me where I’m lawless, and teach me how to love God and my neighbor today.”
- Pay attention to any nudges toward obedience or reconciliation and act on at least one.
🙏 Prayer
Close your time by praying into these themes. Invite the group to pray either in smaller groups (men with men or women with women) or all together using this guide.
- Thank God for giving his law as a good gift, and for sending Jesus to fulfill and clarify it.
- Confess areas of personal and communal lawlessness—places where you’ve known what Jesus commands but chosen convenience, comfort, or self-protection instead.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to:
- Write God’s law on your hearts,
- Expose hypocrisy and replace it with integrity,
- Give courage to repent and reconcile where needed,
- Teach your group how to protect the vulnerable and restrain misuse of power in your spheres of influence.
- Pray that your church would be like a well-tended garden—restoring those who fall, bearing one another’s burdens, and so fulfilling the law of Christ.