Jesus Redefines Expectations
Small Group Guide: Jesus Redefines Expectations
Series: Follow the King
Text: Mark 2:13-22
Speaker: Erica, Family Pastor
Opening Prayer & Icebreaker (10 minutes)
Icebreaker Question:
Share about a time when reality turned out drastically different than your expectations. Was it a good surprise or a challenging one?
Sermon Review (5 minutes)
Key Points:
Discussion Questions (30-40 minutes)
Understanding Worldviews
1. What is a worldview? How would you describe your own worldview in a few sentences? What experiences or beliefs have shaped it most significantly?
2. The "Trading Spaces" analogy: Erica compared worldview disruptions to coming home and finding your house filled with sand or missing a wall. When has your worldview been challenged in a way that felt this disruptive? How did you respond?
Jesus and the Pharisees
3. Why were the Pharisees so upset about Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners? What were they trying to protect? Can you sympathize with their concerns at all?
4. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." What does this statement reveal about Jesus's mission? How does it challenge religious expectations then and now?
5. Rigidity vs. Flexibility: The Pharisees added extra rules to protect themselves from breaking God's law. In what ways do we sometimes create our own "extra rules" in our faith journey? How can this lead to rigidity?
The Wineskin Metaphor
6. New wine in new wineskins: What does this metaphor teach us about the kingdom of God? Why can't the "old ways" contain what Jesus is bringing?
7. Old wineskins made new: Erica explained that old wineskins could be softened through water and oil (echoing baptism and the Holy Spirit). What does this process look like in our spiritual lives?
8. Personal reflection: In what areas of your life might you be operating with an "old wineskin" mentality—rigid, inflexible, unable to receive what God wants to do?
Application to Our Lives
9. Expectations vs. Reality: "When it comes to following Jesus, reality often looks drastically different than my expectations." When have you experienced this in your own faith journey?
10. Diversity in the Body: The sermon mentioned diversity in worship styles, Bible translations, age, nationality, etc. How comfortable are you with expressions of faith that look different from your own? What might God be inviting you to in this area?
11. Holy Spirit, Come: Erica's closing prayer was simple: "Holy Spirit, come. Soften my heart to see where you are at work." What would it look like for you to pray this prayer regularly this week?
Key Takeaways
Practical Applications (15-20 minutes)
This Week's Challenge:
Choose one (or more) of the following:
Daily Prayer Practice:
Each morning this week, pray: "Holy Spirit, come. Soften my heart to see where you are at work today." Journal about what you notice.
Worldview Examination:
Identify one area where your expectations about God, church, or faith might be limiting your experience of His kingdom. Bring it to God in prayer and ask Him to expand your perspective.
Embrace Disruption:
When something disrupts your expectations this week, pause before reacting. Ask: "God, what are you trying to show me through this?"
Study the Wineskin:
Do a deeper study of Mark 2:13-22 on your own. Look up additional context about tax collectors, fasting practices, and wineskins in biblical times.
Accountability & Prayer (10-15 minutes)
Pair up or stay as a group:
Closing Prayer:
"Holy Spirit, would you come? Would you do a softening work in our lives? Lord, we praise you that you are so much better than we could ever ask or imagine. Lord, would you help us to see where you are working, see where you are moving? We want to follow you. Would you go before us this week? We love you and we praise you. In Jesus' name, amen."
For Further Study
Related Scriptures: Matthew 9:9-13; Luke 5:27-32; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 12:2
Reflection Question: How does the concept of "new wine in new wineskins" relate to Paul's teaching about being "transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2)?
Leader Notes
Be sensitive to those who may be processing recent disruptions or challenges to their faith
Encourage honest sharing about struggles with rigidity or expectations
Celebrate testimonies of God working in unexpected ways
Create space for silence and reflection—not every question needs to be answered quickly
Remember: the goal is transformation, not just information
Series: Follow the King
Text: Mark 2:13-22
Speaker: Erica, Family Pastor
Opening Prayer & Icebreaker (10 minutes)
Icebreaker Question:
Share about a time when reality turned out drastically different than your expectations. Was it a good surprise or a challenging one?
Sermon Review (5 minutes)
Key Points:
- Jesus was disruptive everywhere he went, challenging people's worldviews
- Worldview = the lens through which we perceive everything around us
- The Pharisees struggled with Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners
- Jesus used the wineskin metaphor to explain why old rigid containers can't hold new life
- We need the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts to see Jesus at work
Discussion Questions (30-40 minutes)
Understanding Worldviews
1. What is a worldview? How would you describe your own worldview in a few sentences? What experiences or beliefs have shaped it most significantly?
2. The "Trading Spaces" analogy: Erica compared worldview disruptions to coming home and finding your house filled with sand or missing a wall. When has your worldview been challenged in a way that felt this disruptive? How did you respond?
Jesus and the Pharisees
3. Why were the Pharisees so upset about Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners? What were they trying to protect? Can you sympathize with their concerns at all?
4. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." What does this statement reveal about Jesus's mission? How does it challenge religious expectations then and now?
5. Rigidity vs. Flexibility: The Pharisees added extra rules to protect themselves from breaking God's law. In what ways do we sometimes create our own "extra rules" in our faith journey? How can this lead to rigidity?
The Wineskin Metaphor
6. New wine in new wineskins: What does this metaphor teach us about the kingdom of God? Why can't the "old ways" contain what Jesus is bringing?
7. Old wineskins made new: Erica explained that old wineskins could be softened through water and oil (echoing baptism and the Holy Spirit). What does this process look like in our spiritual lives?
8. Personal reflection: In what areas of your life might you be operating with an "old wineskin" mentality—rigid, inflexible, unable to receive what God wants to do?
Application to Our Lives
9. Expectations vs. Reality: "When it comes to following Jesus, reality often looks drastically different than my expectations." When have you experienced this in your own faith journey?
10. Diversity in the Body: The sermon mentioned diversity in worship styles, Bible translations, age, nationality, etc. How comfortable are you with expressions of faith that look different from your own? What might God be inviting you to in this area?
11. Holy Spirit, Come: Erica's closing prayer was simple: "Holy Spirit, come. Soften my heart to see where you are at work." What would it look like for you to pray this prayer regularly this week?
Key Takeaways
- Jesus doesn't fit into our expectations—He's far too marvelous to be contained by our worldviews
- Rigidity prevents us from experiencing new life—We need flexible hearts to receive what God is doing
- The Holy Spirit does the softening work—We can't muscle through this; we must surrender and invite Him
- God is already at work around us—We need eyes to see where He's moving, even when it looks different than we expect
- The kingdom of God is actively breaking in—Jesus continues to disrupt norms to bring His kingdom
Practical Applications (15-20 minutes)
This Week's Challenge:
Choose one (or more) of the following:
Daily Prayer Practice:
Each morning this week, pray: "Holy Spirit, come. Soften my heart to see where you are at work today." Journal about what you notice.
Worldview Examination:
Identify one area where your expectations about God, church, or faith might be limiting your experience of His kingdom. Bring it to God in prayer and ask Him to expand your perspective.
Embrace Disruption:
When something disrupts your expectations this week, pause before reacting. Ask: "God, what are you trying to show me through this?"
Study the Wineskin:
Do a deeper study of Mark 2:13-22 on your own. Look up additional context about tax collectors, fasting practices, and wineskins in biblical times.
Accountability & Prayer (10-15 minutes)
Pair up or stay as a group:
- Share which practical application you're committing to this week
- Share one specific prayer request related to today's discussion
- Pray for one another, specifically asking the Holy Spirit to soften hearts and open eyes
Closing Prayer:
"Holy Spirit, would you come? Would you do a softening work in our lives? Lord, we praise you that you are so much better than we could ever ask or imagine. Lord, would you help us to see where you are working, see where you are moving? We want to follow you. Would you go before us this week? We love you and we praise you. In Jesus' name, amen."
For Further Study
Related Scriptures: Matthew 9:9-13; Luke 5:27-32; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 12:2
Reflection Question: How does the concept of "new wine in new wineskins" relate to Paul's teaching about being "transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2)?
Leader Notes
Be sensitive to those who may be processing recent disruptions or challenges to their faith
Encourage honest sharing about struggles with rigidity or expectations
Celebrate testimonies of God working in unexpected ways
Create space for silence and reflection—not every question needs to be answered quickly
Remember: the goal is transformation, not just information
Posted in Follow The King