Opening session
The Heavy Backpack
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Open (5 minutes)
What is one “rule” you grew up believing God required, that you later found was not in the Bible?
Read together
Matthew 11:28-30; Ephesians 2:8-9. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=heavy-backpack
Talk about it
- Look at the rocks in Sam’s backpack. Which one feels heaviest to people you know? Why?
- Jesus said “Come to me,” not “Come to my rules.” What is the difference in daily life?
- Ephesians 2:8 calls salvation a gift. What makes something a gift instead of a wage?
- This teaching says it is “not less, but better.” How could freedom lead someone to love God more, not less?
Remember this
You do not have to carry a backpack full of rules to please God. Jesus says, “Come to me,” and He gives rest to all who believe in Him.
Pray
Jesus, we bring You every rock we have been carrying. Teach us to come to You and find rest.
This week
Write down one rule that weighs on you, and give it to Jesus in prayer each morning this week.
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 1
A Promise Made with One Nation
“Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel.” Exodus 19:3
Open (5 minutes)
Have you ever been asked to keep a promise someone else made? How did that feel?
Read together
Exodus 19:3-6; Exodus 31:16-17; Jeremiah 31:31-34. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=one-nation
Talk about it
- Who did God speak to at Mount Sinai? Why does that matter when we ask if a law is for us?
- Why would God call the Sabbath “a sign” between Him and Israel?
- Jeremiah promised a new covenant written on hearts. What is different about a law written on a heart?
- Abraham was made right with God 430 years before the Law. What does that tell us about faith?
Remember this
The Law of Moses was a covenant God made with Israel, and the Sabbath was its sign. Even then, God promised a new covenant that would be written on our hearts.
Pray
Father, thank You for the new covenant. Write Your ways on our hearts, not just on stone.
This week
Read Romans 4 this week and underline every time the word “believe” or “faith” appears.
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 2
Jesus Came to Fill It Full
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17
Open (5 minutes)
Think of a project you finished. How did it feel to say “It is done”?
Read together
Matthew 5:17-18; John 19:28-30; Mark 2:23-28. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=fill-it-full
Talk about it
- What is the difference between tearing something down and filling it full?
- Tetelestai could be written on a paid bill. What does it mean to you that your debt is “paid in full”?
- Jesus called Himself “lord of the Sabbath.” What does that say about who is in charge?
- If Jesus kept the Law perfectly in our place, how should that change the way we see our failures?
Remember this
Jesus did not tear down the Law; He filled it all the way up and cried, “It is finished.” He is Lord of the Sabbath, and the rest we need is found in Him.
Pray
Jesus, thank You for finishing what we never could. Help us rest in what You have done.
This week
Each time you feel you have not done enough for God this week, say out loud: “It is finished.”
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 3
The Guardian Goes Home
“So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24
Open (5 minutes)
Who walked you through a hard season when you were young? What happened when you grew up?
Read together
Galatians 3:19-26; Romans 10:4; Romans 7:4-6. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=guardian
Talk about it
- Paul calls the Law a guardian. What did the guardian do well? Why did his job end?
- How is the Law like a mirror? What can a mirror not do?
- What is the difference between living as a servant and living as a son or daughter?
- If the guardian has gone home, who leads us now? How does the Spirit lead from the inside?
Remember this
The Law was a guardian that walked God’s people to Jesus. Now that faith has come, the guardian has gone home, and the Spirit leads us from the inside.
Pray
Holy Spirit, lead us from the inside. We are Your children, not hired hands.
This week
Notice one moment this week when you do right because you want to, not because a rule says so.
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 4
The Shadow and the Real Thing
“These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” Colossians 2:17
Open (5 minutes)
Have you ever recognized someone by their shadow before you saw them? What tipped you off?
Read together
Colossians 2:13-17; Hebrews 10:1-14; Acts 15:6-11. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=shadow
Talk about it
- Colossians 2:16 lists food, festivals, new moons and Sabbaths. Why might Paul put the Sabbath in the same list?
- What does it mean that “the substance belongs to Christ”?
- Why did the old sacrifices have to be repeated? Why was Jesus’ offering done only once?
- Peter called the Law a yoke “neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear.” Why would he say that about his own people’s law?
Remember this
The Sabbath, the feasts, and the food laws were shadows that pointed to Jesus. He is the real thing, and no one may judge you over a shadow.
Pray
Lord Jesus, lift our eyes from the shadows to You. You are the real thing.
This week
Read Hebrews 10 slowly. Circle the words “once” and “for all time.”
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 5
What About the Tithe?
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” Galatians 3:13
Open (5 minutes)
What were you taught about giving when you were growing up? How did it make you feel?
Read together
Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 23:23; Luke 18:9-14; Galatians 3:13. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=tithe
Talk about it
- Israel had more than one tithe. Why might that surprise people today?
- Who was Malachi speaking to, and where was the tithe supposed to go?
- In Luke 18, the man who tithed the most went home lost. What was Jesus teaching?
- If freedom from the tithe law is not freedom from giving, what is it freedom from?
Remember this
The tithe was part of God’s promise with Israel. Jesus took the curse of the Law on Himself. You do not give to escape a curse. You give because you are free.
Pray
Father, free us from fear about money, and fill us with love that gives.
This week
Pray before you give anything this week. Ask God what love would give.
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 6
Giving from a Happy Heart
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
Open (5 minutes)
Tell about a gift you gave that made you happier than the person who received it.
Read together
2 Corinthians 8:1-9; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Acts 4:32-35. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=happy-heart
Talk about it
- The Macedonians were poor but begged to give. What do you think moved them?
- “Decided in his heart” means choosing ahead of time. How could planning your giving change it?
- What is the difference between a cheerful giver and a pressured giver?
- Paul points to Jesus, not a number. How does the cross set the bar for giving?
Remember this
God does not want your money pulled out by fear. He wants your heart moved by love. And love often gives far more than ten percent.
Pray
Jesus, You gave everything. Make us glad givers who look for needs around us.
This week
As a group or on your own, meet one real need this week: a widow, a family, a neighbor.
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 7
The Rest That Never Ends
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” Hebrews 4:9-10
Open (5 minutes)
What does real rest look like for you? When did you last have it?
Read together
Matthew 11:28-12:8; Hebrews 4:1-11; Romans 14:5-6. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=rest
Talk about it
- Why do you think Matthew puts “I will give you rest” right before the Sabbath argument?
- Hebrews says we rest “from our works.” What works do people try to earn God’s love with?
- Paul let believers decide about days. Why is that freedom important? Why is judging others dangerous?
- Why do believers gather on Sunday, if not because of a new law?
Remember this
The Sabbath was a picture, and Jesus is the real rest. Stop working to earn God’s love. Rest in what Jesus finished, every day of the week.
Pray
Lord, we stop striving and rest in You. Teach us to enjoy the rest You give.
This week
Take a real day off this week as a gift from God, not a rule. Notice how it feels.
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 8
Jesus Against Religion
“They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” Matthew 23:4
Open (5 minutes)
What is one “mask” people feel they have to wear at church?
Read together
Matthew 23:1-4, 23-28; Mark 7:1-13; James 1:27. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=religion
Talk about it
- Jesus was gentle with people and hard on systems. Where do you see that in the Gospels?
- What is the difference between a tradition that helps and one that stands between people and God?
- “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” How can rule-keeping crowd out mercy?
- James describes the religion God wants. Who are the “widows and orphans” in our town?
Remember this
Jesus was hard on man-made religion and gentle with people. He did not come to give you a better mask. He came to give you a new heart and real rest.
Pray
Jesus, take off our masks. Make us honest, gentle and merciful like You.
This week
Visit, call or help one lonely person this week.
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 9
What Must I Do to Be Saved?
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31
Open (5 minutes)
If a scared friend asked you tonight, “What must I do to be saved?”, what would you say?
Read together
Acts 16:25-34; John 3:16; Luke 23:39-43; Ephesians 2:8-10. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=saved
Talk about it
- Paul’s answer to the jailer fit on one line. Why do people add so much to it?
- Pisteuo means leaning your whole weight on something. What does that look like with Jesus?
- The thief on the cross did no good works. What does his story teach about grace?
- Where do baptism and good works fit, if they do not save us?
Remember this
When the jailer asked how to be saved, Paul gave no rules, no formula and no price. He said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus.” That is still the answer today.
Pray
Lord Jesus, we put our whole weight on You. Thank You for saving us by grace.
This week
Practice telling the gospel in one sentence. Share it with one person this week.
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 10
Hard Questions, Straight Answers
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1
Open (5 minutes)
What hard question about faith have you been afraid to ask out loud?
Read together
Galatians 5:1-6; Romans 13:8-10; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=questions
Talk about it
- Which of the hard questions in this teaching have you heard most? How would you answer it now?
- Why does picking one part of the Law make a person “a debtor to keep the whole law”?
- Paul says love fulfills the law. Give an example of love going further than a rule.
- How can we answer people who disagree with us without judging them?
Remember this
We are not under the Law of Moses, but we are not lawless. We live under the law of Christ, and His law is love.
Pray
Father, give us clear answers from Your Word and kind hearts toward everyone who asks.
This week
Have one gentle conversation this week with someone who sees these things differently. Listen first.
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.
Session 11
A Jesus Revolution
“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.” Acts 17:6
Open (5 minutes)
What would it look like if our group “turned our town upside down”?
Read together
Acts 17:1-6; Acts 3:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 8:36. The teaching is at wordsoftheapostle.com/teaching.php?t=revolution
Talk about it
- The first believers had no temple, no tithe system and no buildings. What did they have?
- Repentance means changing your mind. What do we need to change our minds about?
- What does a church with no masks look like?
- What is one small, real thing our group can do in the next month?
Remember this
The first believers changed the world with no rules and no system, only a risen Savior. When religion gets out of the way, Jesus can do it again through you.
Pray
Jesus, start a revolution in our hearts. Let Your life spill out of us onto everyone we meet.
This week
As a group, choose one act of love to do together before you meet again.
Leader tip: be hard on rules and gentle with people. Some in your group may have carried these burdens for years. Let them talk.