Guilt Free

This plan is designed to have a Nurturer guide the study, feel free to have other cell members support any of the sections as part of nurturing. All instructions are identified for Nurturer. A separate document (cell content) is meant to be shared.

This cell plan is based on the sermon shared on Sunday, May 18th, 2025 from Pastor Ted Tham.

Prepare Ahead

• Read Cell Vision Statement
• Meditate on Hebrews 9:11-28
• Pray and discern next steps for your cell for outreach / prayer partners / grad transition
• Link to sharable version for members: Cell Content

Opening

Nurturer: If there are new members today joining for the first time ask everyone to share something about themselves.

• Note: Has it been a while since your cell has reviewed the cell vision statement? Review it together at: Cell Based Ministry

Icebreaker: What are you looking forward to this summer?

Worship

In addition to the regular musical/prayer/reading worship section, we will be incorporating a bible reading section

Ask: How was your bible reading in the last 2 weeks, share something from your readings with the group!

Note: If sharing is scarce and always the same people, can start a rotation schedule

Go into musical worship if someone is scheduled. Continue to ask if members of the cell are willing to lead this portion in the future.

Please pray for the group to begin the study.

Nurture: For those who would like to allot this portion of the night to something else feel free to use the prayer exercise:

• Prayer Exercise
• Lectio divina

Word

Hebrews 10:1-18 NIV

¹The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. ² Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. ³ But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. ⁴ It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
⁶ with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.’”^[a]

⁸ First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. ⁹ Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

¹¹ Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. ¹⁴ For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

¹⁵ The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

¹⁶ “This is the covenant I will make with them
    after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
    and I will write them on their minds.”^[b]

¹⁷ Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts
    I will remember no more.”^[c]

¹⁸ And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

Discussion

Reminders and Recommendations for Nurturers:

• Spend some time in the sermon review to ensure the group has a grasp of the main point of the sermon
  • Ask if there’s anyone who wasn’t able to join, if there is, spend a bit of time to go through the sermon summary being going in to the review questions
  • If everyone was at the sermon, skip directly to the review questions
• Review the questions ahead of time and decide which questions to ask your group. Typically, a good discussion will only be able to accommodate 2-3 questions for a meeting.
  • If being asked in a large group, invite others to join in and response if they have shared similar experiences or thoughts
  • Try to avoid from going around in a circle, as the nurturer, ask follow-up questions and avoid giving advice.
  • In order to allow for deeper discussion, consider breaking the group up into smaller groups to allow more space for sharing.
• Reminder to leave space and time for prayer and witness

Sermon Summary

• Bible teaches that moral guilt (sin) is real, it is also
  • Universal: Romans 3:23
  • Extensive: James 2:10
  • Deadly: Romans 6:23
  • Present: John 3:18
• God’s plan for Salvation from Sin is:
  • Not by Law
    • The Law didn’t take away moral guilt
    • The Law is a mirror that serves as a constant reminder that we are sinful
    • Salvation is by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9)
    • Sustained in grace (Galatians 3:1-3)
  • Only by Christ
    • Jesus’ sacrifice (second) supersedes the Old Testament sacrifices (first)
    • Jesus’ sacrifice was
      • Prepared
      • Prophesied
      • Willing
    • Salvation is found in no one else (Acts 4:12)
    • Jesus is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6)
  • One and Done
    • We are set free to love God (Romans 8:2b)
    • Christian hedonism: when our desires are aligned with God’s desire so what we want to do is what God wants us to do.

Sermon Review

• Core theme: Guilt of Sin
• Main Takeaway: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, we are free to live guilt free under Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross
• Review questions:
  • What does the passage say about Old Testament sacrifices?
  • How does Jesus’ sacrifice compare to that?

Main Reflection & Response:

• Share: How do you deal with guilt?
• Share: Do you feel like you’re bound by sin or free from guilt/sin?
• Response: What is one way you can act freely this summer in accordance to God’s will for you?

Additional questions:

1. Are there times when you don’t feel like you continue in God’s grace/salvation?
2. Are there things you may be continued to be shackled by?

Witness

• Grad transition:
  • Today: June is coming up (or already here), discuss plans for grad outreach. The full list of grads will be ready by the end of May.
    • Is your cell ready to invite and receive graduates? Pray over the process.
    • What events are planned for summer (alternating weeks of cell and event)?
  • Contact Andrew or Josh for details about the grads and any support needed for grad transition (communication, etc.)
• 35th Anniversary Carnival:
  • The church’s 35th Anniversary Celebration will be held on Saturday, June 28th, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the church. The event is suitable for all ages. This celebration is exclusively for GCGC attendees. Event participants must present the church’s commemorative keychain as an entry pass. Hot dog lunches will be available for $2 each (attendees are encouraged to bring their own water bottles). Lunch tickets and keychains will be available for purchase/pick up after worship at the foyer or at the church office. Ticket sales will close on June 22nd. Many volunteers are needed for the event. Please sign up to volunteer no later than June 13th. For event details and volunteer registration, please visit gcgcny.org/em/carnival/
• Bible Reading:
  • This year, we will be going through a 2 year bible reading plan together. Access to plan at gcgcny.link/readbible. Use this to share regularly in your cell about what you’re hearing from God.
• Prayer and Outreach
  • As discussed in our last meeting, we will be shifting outreach to be a zone wide initiative to encourage similar life stage members to partner together to witness to their friends, with cell being a place for them to join once they are ready to be a part of the community, as part of this shift:
    • New Outreach Chat to invite others along when you are looking to do something with friends
    • Establish prayer partners
      • Suggestion: Monthly same gender rotations to encourage biweekly checkins to strengthen relationships.
      • Note that the above is a suggestion and may not be the best approach based on the make up of your cell, pray and discern how best to approach this for the benefit of your cell