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City Group notes.

Resources for our mid-week groups.
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Jesus' Glory Revealed.

Autumn Term 2024.

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This Autumn, our aim is to soak ourselves in the richness of who Jesus Christ is, so that our understanding of Him grows, our worship of Him deepens and we continue to willingly and joyfully submit our lives to Him. We’ll do this by working through John’s gospel – but we won’t be in a hurry, just covering the first four chapters over the term. There’s more than enough there to fill our hearts with wonder at the person of Christ, as His glory is revealed through miraculous signs, profound conversations and theological reflection. 

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​The questions and activities below are suggested ways of engaging with this outside of the Sunday service:  individually, with a friend, or as a basis for City Group discussions.  You should be able to use these questions even if you haven’t heard the sermon.  

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You may not have time for all of the questions in a City Group evening, so consider them as a menu of options to pick from, either in advance or in the moment as you see how the discussion progresses.  Make sure you include some of the “implications” section and/or “worship” section so that the discussion isn't just theoretical. Worship is a great way to respond to these passages, so City Group leaders might like to arrange a time of worship to come after the discussion (rather than before). 

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Quick Links
Tips for leading  |  Intro to John  |  Suggested songs  |  22 Sep  |  29 Sep  |  6 Oct  |  13 Oct  |  20 Oct  |  27 Oct  |  3 Nov  |  10 Nov  |  17 Nov  |  24 Nov  |  1 Dec  |  8 Dec 
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Tips for Leading Bible Discussions.

  1. In advance, try to at least read the passage, pray for the group, and decide which of the suggested questions and activities you’re going to prioritise. 

  2. You want to help the group to have a discussion with each other, so don’t talk too much yourself, and do encourage them to respond to each other’s contributions (“That’s an interesting point; what does everyone else think about that?” – especially useful if someone’s said something unhelpful.)

  3. Encourage people to discover things in the Bible passage, not just share their own ideas (“It’d be great if you could share which verse you’re looking at when you answer this question.”)

  4. Generally speaking, ask one question at a time, and keep it simple to understand (even if it’s not simple to answer!)

  5. Make sure everyone gets a chance to participate. Discussing something in 3s and 4s is a great way to do this.

  6. Don’t be afraid to leave silences, nor to call time on a side-track that’s gone on for longer than is helpful.

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Hints for understanding John.​​

Distinctive features of John's gospel include a focus on
  • The person of Jesus: the fullness of deity dwells in the person of Jesus, He is the Christ, the Son of God, and life is found in Him alone.
  • Glory: the holy otherness of the glory of the God who graciously dwells among his people is revealed only partially throughout the Old Testament but is revealed in full in the person of Jesus.   
  • Re-creation: this theme is made clear from the outset with the allusion to the Genesis creation narrative, Then, following the prologue, John’s narrative begins with a series of events that are carefully assigned to a series of seven days. A further central element of the theme of recreation is the concept of spiritual rebirth.
  • A Messiah for all humankind: the universality of Jesus’ messiahship is made clear through his interactions with Gentiles and the inclusive language of the prologue as well as the rest of the Gospel. 
  • Bringing grace, covering shame: God’s grace is expressed in abundance through the actions of Jesus.
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Our particular focus in this series will be John’s Christology:  i.e. what he communicates about the nature of who Jesus is and how he does so.  Different New Testament authors have their own distinctive ways of addressing this; John does so through​ miracles, dialogue, and Jesus' claims about Himself.​​
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Suggested worship songs.​​

Here are some suggestions of songs that might complement this teaching series well.

  • Sun of righteousness - Jules Burt

  • Holy, holy - Lou Fellingham

  • Holy forever - Chris Tomlin

  • I am a new creation - Dave Bilbrough

  • He's coming on the clouds (Lion and the lamb) - Leeland

  • What gift of grace (Yet not I) - CityAlight

  • What a beautiful name - Brooke Ligertwood

  • All to Jesus I surrender - Robin Mark

  • In the darkness (King of kings) - Brooke Ligertwood

  • I just wanna speak the name of Jesus (I speak Jesus) - Charity Gayle

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Suggested questions and activities.​​​​

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w/c 22nd September: John 1:1–13 (The Word, The Light)

By way of reminder: the Word – the logical basis, the rationale behind all things – is not an abstract principle, but a person: Jesus Christ. Our purpose is found in Him. The will of God is that we become children of God. We are not the captain of our souls. He is.

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read the passage.

  • Ask someone to re-read some or all of the passage.

  • In twos and threes, look over the passage again and pick out the different titles that John uses for Jesus.

Understand the passage:  

  • What does each of those titles tell us about Jesus?

  • Focus specifically on the title "The Word". What is John communicating by describing Jesus in that way?
    [Hint: See notes above, and/or think about the significance of God's word in the Old Testament.]

Implications:

  • Divide into three groups and give each group one of these sections to look at: v1 / v3+4 / v12+13. Ask the groups to discuss how their verse(s) should shape the way we think about the purpose of our lives. Report back.

  • Pray for one another, that a fresh revelation of Jesus’ identity would help us rightly understand our purpose.

Worship:

  • Read out again a key verse or two from the passage.

  • Take a few minutes of quiet to reflect on why you’re glad about the things you’ve discussed about Jesus.

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, worshipping Jesus for who He is.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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w/c 29th September: John 1:14–28 (The Glory Revealed)

By way of reminder: God's glory – revealed in part in the Old Testament – is seen in a new way in Jesus. What John says about the incarnation would have shocked some readers, but it is God's grace to us that He has revealed Himself to us in Jesus.

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read the passage.

  • Ask someone to re-read some or all of the passage.

  • In twos and threes, look over the passage again and pick out any verses which say something about Who Jesus is.

Understand the passage:  

  • How would you paraphrase v14 in your own words for someone who didn't know much about the Bible?

  • According to this passage, in what ways does the coming of Jesus build on or deepen the Old Testament revelation of God?

  • In what ways could this passage be surprising or shocking to some people – either now or in the First Century?

Implications:

  • In threes and fours:  How do you respond to this passage? Confusion? Wonder? Over-familiarity?

  • Is there anything in this passage that is sparking a fresh wonder at who Jesus is for anyone here?

  • Pray for one another to appreciate afresh the glory of God seen in Jesus.

Worship:

  • Read out again a key verse or two from the passage.

  • Take a few minutes of quiet to reflect on why you’re glad about the things you’ve discussed about Jesus.

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, worshipping Jesus for who He is.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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w/c 6th October: John 1:29–34 (The Lamb of God, Baptiser in the Spirit)

By way of reminder: we honour Jesus who existed before creation, takes away sin from the world (both by judgement and by sacrifice) and who baptises His people in the Holy Spirit. Someone being filled with the Spirit is something we expect to be noticeable – e.g. through the praise, evangelism, prophecy, or prayer languages He empowers.

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read the passage.

  • Ask someone to re-read the passage.

  • In twos and threes, look over the passage again and pick out any phrases which say something about who Jesus is.

Understand the passage:  

  • What might it mean to say that Jesus is "the Lamb of God"?

  • What did it look like when Jesus baptised people in the Holy Spirit? (Look at Acts 2, 8, 11, 19...)

​Implications:

  • In threes and fours:  What experience have you had of being baptised/filled with the Holy Spirit?

  • Pray for one another, that you would be filled with the Spirit as you follow Jesus this week.

Worship:

  • Read out again a key verse or two from the passage.

  • Take a few minutes of quiet to reflect on the blessing of sins removed and the Spirit poured out.

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, worshipping Jesus that He does these things for us.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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w/c 13th October: John 1:35–51 (The Messiah)

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read the passage.

  • Ask someone to re-read some or all of the passage.

  • In twos and threes, look over the passage again and pick out any verses which say something about who Jesus is (make a list for everyone to see).

Understand the passage:  

  • In twos and threes: pick two of the things from that list (at random?!) and explore whether there's any connection between them.

  • Messiah/Christ means "anointed". What kind of people were anointed in the Old Testament? 

  • What does it therefore mean to say that Jesus is anointed/Messiah/Christ?

Implications:

  • In threes and fours:  Jesus being Teacher and King implies that we are to submit to Him. How do you feel about that?! What are there areas of your life where you particularly need to let Jesus teach and rule you at the moment?

  • Pray for one another.

Worship:

  • Read out again a key verse or two from the passage.

  • Take a few minutes of quiet to reflect on why you’re glad about the things you’ve discussed about Jesus.

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, worshipping Jesus for who He is.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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w/c 20th October (standalone sermon)​​

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w/c 27th October: John 2:1–12 (The Creator)

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read the passage.

  • Ask someone to re-read some or all of the passage.

  • In twos and threes, think about Jesus' miracles in general and discuss whether there's anything unusual about this one.

Understand the passage:  

  • Why do you think John chose to include this miracle in his gospel?

  • What do Jesus' actions in this passage tell us about who He is?

  • How might this miracle symbolically point to Jesus' identity and mission?

Implications:

  • How would you say Jesus has turned "water" into "wine" in your life?

  • Pray for one another, for a renewed gratitude for Jesus’ transforming power.

Worship:

  • Take a few minutes of quiet to reflect on why you’re glad about the things you’ve discussed about Jesus.

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, worshipping Jesus for who He is.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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w/c 3rd November: John 2:13–25 (The True Temple)

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read the passage.

  • Ask someone to re-read some or all of the passage.

  • Can someone summarise what the significance of the temple in Jerusalem was in the Old Testament?

  • In twos and threes, look over the passage again and pick out anything it says about the temple.

Understand the passage:  

  • What do Jesus' actions in the temple tell us about Him?

  • Why does Jesus talk about His resurrection here?

  • Why does Jesus call His body a temple?

Implications:

  • Jesus is the true temple, where God's presence is, and where His people can approach Him and worship Him. In our culture, what are the competing "temples" that try to offer us an alternative revelation of "God" and an alternative form of "worship"?

  • Pray for one another, for resurrection-confidence in Jesus the true temple.

Worship:

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, honouring Jesus as the true temple.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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w/c 10th November: John 3:1–8 (Entering the Kingdom)

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read the passage.

  • Ask someone to re-read some or all of the passage.

  • This passage is less focused on who Jesus is than some others we have looked at so far this term. In twos and threes, look over the passage again and pick out the most common repeated words or ideas.

Understand the passage:  

  • Divide into three groups and ask each group to discuss what one of these phrases means in this passage: born again // kingdom of God // Spirit and wind (same word as each other in the original). (Feed back to the whole group.)

  • Put yourself in Nicodemus' shoes! As someone who knew the Old Testament well, would you expect Jesus' teaching here to come as a surprise to him? Why/why not?

  • If Christian conversion is new birth, brought about by the Spirit, how does it differ from other changes in our lives (of lifestyle, circumstances, belief, etc?)

Implications:

  • Could anyone share their experience of what being born again was like for them?

  • What are the implications of this passage for our evangelism?

  • Pray that we would see many people born again!

Worship:

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, worshipping God for the new birth He has given us by the Spirit.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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w/c 17th November: John 3:9–21 (Having Eternal Life)

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read Numbers 21:4–9.

  • Ask someone to re-read John 3:5–8 from last week and read this week's passage: John 3:9–21.

  • This passage is less focused on who Jesus is than some others we have looked at so far this term. In twos and threes, look over the passage again and pick out the most common repeated words or ideas.

Understand the passage:  

  • What are the similarities between the incident in Numbers 21 and the mission of Jesus?

  • ​Divide into three groups and ask each group to discuss what one of these phrases means in this passage: Son of Man // eternal life // condemn. (Feed back to the whole group.)

  • The lifting up of the Son of Man (v14) probably refers both to Jesus' death and His resurrection/ascension. If all you had was this passage, what would you know about the meaning of those events?

Implications:

  • What are the implications of this passage for our evangelism?

  • Pray that we would see many people saved through Jesus!

Worship:

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, worshipping Jesus our saviour.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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w/c 24th November: John 3:22–36 (He Must Increase)

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read the passage.

  • Ask someone to re-read some or all of the passage.

  • In twos and threes, look over the passage again and pick out any verses which say something about who Jesus is.

Understand the passage:  

  • How does this passage recap things we've already seen about who Jesus is in John's gospel?

  • Why does John the Baptist use this analogy of the bride, the bridegroom and the friend?

  • How does John the Baptist's understanding of who Jesus is shape his view of himself?

Implications:

  • How does your view of yourself need adjusting in the light of who Jesus is? Take a few minutes to be quiet and ask God to speak to you all about this, and then discuss in threes and fours.

  • Can anyone give an example of what that might mean in practice this week?

Worship:

  • Read out again a key verse or two from the passage.

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, worshipping Jesus for Who He is.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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w/c 1st December: John 4:1–45 (The Giver of Water, Saviour of the World)

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read the passage.

  • Ask someone to re-read some or all of the passage.

  • In twos and threes, look over the passage again and pick out any verses which say something about Who Jesus is.

Understand the passage:  

  • What strikes you as the main things John is communicating about Jesus in this passage?

  • Why does Jesus make such an impression on this Samaritan woman?

  • Why does Jesus promise no-more-thirst (v14)?

Implications:

  • How does this passage encourage you to share the woman's amazement at meeting Jesus?

  • How has Jesus quenched the thirst in your life?

  • Jesus still speaks into people's lives today (like vv17–19) through prophetic gifts in His Church. Have a few minutes of quiet and ask everyone to ask God whether there's anything He wants to say through them to someone else in the group. (If you think you hear something, be brave enough to share it! If someone shares something that doesn't seem right, be mature enough to gently put it aside!)

Worship:

  • Read out again a key verse or two from the passage.

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, worshipping Jesus for Who He is.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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w/c 8th December: John 4:46–54 (The Healer)

[The sermon on this passage will be preached at The Evening Service only.]

Observe the passage:  

  • Ask someone to read the passage.

  • Ask someone to re-read some or all of the passage.

  • In twos and threes, think about Jesus' miracles in general and discuss whether there's anything unusual about this one.

Understand the passage:  

  • Does the miracle happen because the official believes or does the official believe because the miracle happens?

  • Are signs and wonders supposed to help us believe (v48, 53, 54; see also 2:11)?

  • What strikes you as the main thing John is communicating about Jesus in this passage?​

Implications:

  • Jesus still heals people today through healing gifts in His Church. What healing stories can you share with each other?

  • Is anyone in the group sick? Pray for them in faith, in Jesus' name (even if they're not present!)

Worship:

  • Invite a few people to lead the group in prayer, worshipping Jesus the healer.

  • Spend some time expressing your worship in song.

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