Read Romans 7:7. It shows us the law reveals our sin and shows us the sinfulness of sin and hopefully leaves us convicted of our sin. Paul then gives us an example in the end of verse 7. He would not have known what it means to covet if the law would not have said "you shall not covet." To covet means to desire something that is not yours. The object of your desire is on something other than God meaning idolatry. Who is free of these? We are all guilty.
Read Romans 7:8. The law stirs up sin. It reveals the sinfulness of sin; the deep-seated rebellion, independent spirit, "don't tell me what to do" mindset in us. Just tell a two year old to share a toy and you'll get the idea. The essence of sin is independence from God. So the law reveals sin and stirs up sin. The Bible is clear that the problem is not the law but our sinfulness.
Read Romans 7:9. "I was once alive apart from the law" - meaning complacent, self-satisfied, self-righteous, thought he was fine. "but when the commandment came" - conviction of sin. "sin came alive and I died" - realized his sin, his guilt, and knew he was spiritually dead. The law condemned him, it condemned his sin. The law condems sin. So the law: reveals sin, stirs up sin, and condemns sin.
Read Romans 7:10-11. Note very carefully in verse 11 that the culprit is not the law but sin. "Sin deceived me and killed me." So going back to verse 7, "Is the law sin?". NO WAY. Read Romans 7:12. The law is completely good and blameless, it is holy. An x-ray machine is not bad because it exposes tumors. So likewise, the law is never responsible for my failure to keep it. The problem is sin. Read Romans 7:13. The law exposes the sinfulness of sin, the deep-seated rebellion against our maker and independence from God. "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way." Isaiah 53:6
Discussion Questions
1. What exactly is the law in Romans 7? Is the word sometimes used in other ways in the Bible?
2. Jeff talked about some of the purposes of the law. Are there other purposes that he did not discuss?
3. How might we define sin? Is there a good verse that gives the essence of what sin is? What sin or rebellion in your life is God challenging you about?
4. In what ways do you struggle with the law-keeping mentality or a performance mentality in the spiritual life? What can you do to combat this mentality?
5. What are the implications that we have been set free of the law?
Simply Jesus
Over the past 2000 years no individual has commanded the respect and honor like Jesus Christ. In Western Civilization, our laws and ethics are molded by his teachings. We preach and teach about his will and his ways, tell his stories from memory, celebrate him in worship, and serve him with enthusiasm. Yet underneath it all, many of us feel there should be more. He seems so far away, so historical, so much like church.
Read Philippians 3:7-11. Paul knows Christ, but wants to know him more. That's Paul's journey. This servant of God. Tireless worker to spread the gospel. His greatest possession was his relationship with Jesus Christ and his greatest desire was to know him more. That is and should be our journey, to know him more. How do we get there? Most of us would say that "I'm in, but how?" Here are five things we must do to know him more and to walk more intimate with Jesus.
1. The first key is in vs. 10 "I want to know him." Pretty simple, we must want it. Jesus is easy to find, we just have to spend the time with him.
2. We must be pure in heart. (Matthew 5:8) In other words, if you are not pure in heart today, don't expect to experience Christ in a compelling way. Bitterness, unresolved anger, pride, sexual impurity, untruthfulness, slander, etc... you are going to feel the distance. Jesus doesn't meet us on those playing fields. He will pull us out of the ditch, but he won't stay there. Read Psalm 139:23-24, that is how David became a man after God's own heart. David did alot of wrong, but he ran after the heart of God. He wanted God. You must search yourself and cleanse yourself.
3. You or Jesus. We are so in love with ourselves. We spend millions of dollars annually on self-help books or therapist's trying to understand "who I really am?" That's just the inside, on the outside we are consumed with our tans, weight, clothing, and eyelash extensions. We are so consumed with ourselves that Jesus can be pushed to second chair. To be a fully devoted follower of Jesus, life is an adventure in knowing him. When we live to know him, we find that knowing him is the key to understanding and accepting ourselves. We must find our purpose and value in being children of a risen God. As we die to self and run after Jesus we must walk in humility; understanding the world isn't about us. A good definition for humility is to stop thinking about self... period. Don't put yourself in the equation, don't ask 'how will this affect me?"
4. Rejoice in the Lord. We need to move from rejoicing in ourselves and start rejoicing in Jesus. When we move from ourselves to Jesus it frees us from worrying about being recognized, affirmed, adequately appreciated. It soothes our fragile egos, keeps us from being irritated when we don't get what we think we deserve, the praise we have earned, or a pat on the back. When we long for or believe we need these things what we are saying is "praise me". We are looking for others to rejoice in us! Read Jeremiah 9:23-24 and Colossians 1:14-18.
5. Value Jesus more than his blessings. A popular song in churches is "open up the sky, fall down like rain, we don't want blessing we want you..." Do you want God or do you want his blessing? Truth for most of us is both. But what if you could only have one? Sit on that question for a minute. God is calling us to want him no matter your situation, your needs, and your wants.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you want Jesus or his blessings? What would someone looking in from the outside say about you?
2. What challenged you the most about this message? What was the Holy Spirit speaking to you?
3. Do you have a heart like David's that is continually asking: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Read Philippians 3:7-11. Paul knows Christ, but wants to know him more. That's Paul's journey. This servant of God. Tireless worker to spread the gospel. His greatest possession was his relationship with Jesus Christ and his greatest desire was to know him more. That is and should be our journey, to know him more. How do we get there? Most of us would say that "I'm in, but how?" Here are five things we must do to know him more and to walk more intimate with Jesus.
1. The first key is in vs. 10 "I want to know him." Pretty simple, we must want it. Jesus is easy to find, we just have to spend the time with him.
2. We must be pure in heart. (Matthew 5:8) In other words, if you are not pure in heart today, don't expect to experience Christ in a compelling way. Bitterness, unresolved anger, pride, sexual impurity, untruthfulness, slander, etc... you are going to feel the distance. Jesus doesn't meet us on those playing fields. He will pull us out of the ditch, but he won't stay there. Read Psalm 139:23-24, that is how David became a man after God's own heart. David did alot of wrong, but he ran after the heart of God. He wanted God. You must search yourself and cleanse yourself.
3. You or Jesus. We are so in love with ourselves. We spend millions of dollars annually on self-help books or therapist's trying to understand "who I really am?" That's just the inside, on the outside we are consumed with our tans, weight, clothing, and eyelash extensions. We are so consumed with ourselves that Jesus can be pushed to second chair. To be a fully devoted follower of Jesus, life is an adventure in knowing him. When we live to know him, we find that knowing him is the key to understanding and accepting ourselves. We must find our purpose and value in being children of a risen God. As we die to self and run after Jesus we must walk in humility; understanding the world isn't about us. A good definition for humility is to stop thinking about self... period. Don't put yourself in the equation, don't ask 'how will this affect me?"
4. Rejoice in the Lord. We need to move from rejoicing in ourselves and start rejoicing in Jesus. When we move from ourselves to Jesus it frees us from worrying about being recognized, affirmed, adequately appreciated. It soothes our fragile egos, keeps us from being irritated when we don't get what we think we deserve, the praise we have earned, or a pat on the back. When we long for or believe we need these things what we are saying is "praise me". We are looking for others to rejoice in us! Read Jeremiah 9:23-24 and Colossians 1:14-18.
5. Value Jesus more than his blessings. A popular song in churches is "open up the sky, fall down like rain, we don't want blessing we want you..." Do you want God or do you want his blessing? Truth for most of us is both. But what if you could only have one? Sit on that question for a minute. God is calling us to want him no matter your situation, your needs, and your wants.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you want Jesus or his blessings? What would someone looking in from the outside say about you?
2. What challenged you the most about this message? What was the Holy Spirit speaking to you?
3. Do you have a heart like David's that is continually asking: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Romans 7:1-6
Read Romans 7:1. We must know who we are, the spiritual life begins in the mind. Before we come to Christ we are bound by law, bound by rule-keeping, rules and regulation's, do's and don'ts, legalism. We are enslaved. When Christ died, that ended. Read Romans 7:2-3. An illustration is given, the point is not of marriage but of civil law. In Roman law when two people were married they were bound to each other, they were bound to each other until death. The point is: death severes relationships.
So now we are to apply that concept to Mosaic Law. Read Romans 7:4. In the illustration (vs. 2-3) it says: if your spouse dies then the bond ends and you can marry again. In vs. 4 it says when you die the bond ends and you can belong to another. It might be a little confusing, but the point is that death severes the bond to Law. We died with Christ, and are crucified with Christ. We are in Christ, joined to him. When Christ died, we died. The bond to the Mosaic Law ended, we don't belong to the Law anymore. Now we belong to Christ, there is no more rulekeeping or legalism with him, we have died to that. Yet, so many Christians still live under the Law.
What does it mean to "bear fruit?" It means becoming like Jesus, having Christlikeness. Galatians 5 connects the Holy Spirit with fruitfulness. (Read Gal. 5:22-23) Does God see these things in you? Do these things characterize you more and more? If not, why not?
Read Romans 7:5. Living in the flesh means that you are living for yourself rather than for Christ. The Law is not bad, but it tends to stir up sin and the result is we start to bear fruit of death. (meaning guilt, shame, misery, broken relationships, etc.)
Read Romans 7:6. We are in a New Day. We are released from the Law. No longer under the Law, that was Old Testament life. We live in the New Testament in the New Covenant. We no longer serve God under the Law, we serve God in the new way of the Spirit. We can live life in the Holy Spirit: led by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, and baptized by the Spirit. This is a New Day and the Age of the Spirit.
Discussion Questions
1. After studying Romans 6 and part of Romans 7, is your sense of identity changing? Are you seeing yourself more like Christ sees you? Are you talking to yourself rather than listening to other voices? How could you do this more?
2. Contrast a life "in the flesh" and a life "in the spirit." How would you define each of these, and what are the implications of each kind of life?
3. Would you say you are moving more towards a life in the Spirit?
So now we are to apply that concept to Mosaic Law. Read Romans 7:4. In the illustration (vs. 2-3) it says: if your spouse dies then the bond ends and you can marry again. In vs. 4 it says when you die the bond ends and you can belong to another. It might be a little confusing, but the point is that death severes the bond to Law. We died with Christ, and are crucified with Christ. We are in Christ, joined to him. When Christ died, we died. The bond to the Mosaic Law ended, we don't belong to the Law anymore. Now we belong to Christ, there is no more rulekeeping or legalism with him, we have died to that. Yet, so many Christians still live under the Law.
What does it mean to "bear fruit?" It means becoming like Jesus, having Christlikeness. Galatians 5 connects the Holy Spirit with fruitfulness. (Read Gal. 5:22-23) Does God see these things in you? Do these things characterize you more and more? If not, why not?
Read Romans 7:5. Living in the flesh means that you are living for yourself rather than for Christ. The Law is not bad, but it tends to stir up sin and the result is we start to bear fruit of death. (meaning guilt, shame, misery, broken relationships, etc.)
Read Romans 7:6. We are in a New Day. We are released from the Law. No longer under the Law, that was Old Testament life. We live in the New Testament in the New Covenant. We no longer serve God under the Law, we serve God in the new way of the Spirit. We can live life in the Holy Spirit: led by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, and baptized by the Spirit. This is a New Day and the Age of the Spirit.
Discussion Questions
1. After studying Romans 6 and part of Romans 7, is your sense of identity changing? Are you seeing yourself more like Christ sees you? Are you talking to yourself rather than listening to other voices? How could you do this more?
2. Contrast a life "in the flesh" and a life "in the spirit." How would you define each of these, and what are the implications of each kind of life?
3. Would you say you are moving more towards a life in the Spirit?
Romans 6:15-23
Read Romans 6:15. Begins with a question, the point of the question is to say that we do not live under the law but under grace. Read Romans 6:16. The Christian life begins with the mind. We need to know who we are in Christ, that we are no longer a slave to sin. The Bible assumes that we are a slave to somebody, it is either to sin or to God. We have two choices on how to live: slave to sin or slave to God, obey sin or obey obedience, live in death or live in righteousness. If we are slaves to God then it leads to life; if we are a slave to sin then it ruins our life, it hurts us, and leads to death. At one time, we had no choice but now we have a choice.
Read Romans 6:17-18. Once we were slaves to sin, serving sin, dominated by sin. But no more, we are now liberated to serve God. Read Romans 6:19. We were once slaves to impurity and lawlessness which led to more lawlessness wondering how we were to get off this "path" of sin. Then Christ came and the quickest and shortest way off our path of destruction was to get onto his path and surrender to him. We are going to have to surrender to somebody, is it going to be to sin or to God?
God calls us to a life of holiness, once we surrender to him we start to become like him. As we surrender, beauty emerges, that of Christlikeness. We will be different when we surrender to him, we cannot not be different.
Read Romans 6:20-23. When we were slaves to sin we didn't worry about righteousness. But the fruit we were producing was ruining us and hurting us. With Christ there is sanctification, holiness, Christlikeness, and eventually eternal life. This is free gift of God, nothing we have done has ever allowed us to deserve the eternal life that Christ will give us if we surrender to him.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you know who you are in Christ?
2. Do you know your known areas of rebellion? How are you dealing with those areas to ensure that you do not compromise to them?
3. Do you know your role in the Kingdom of God? What is your calling? What is your battle station?
Read Romans 6:17-18. Once we were slaves to sin, serving sin, dominated by sin. But no more, we are now liberated to serve God. Read Romans 6:19. We were once slaves to impurity and lawlessness which led to more lawlessness wondering how we were to get off this "path" of sin. Then Christ came and the quickest and shortest way off our path of destruction was to get onto his path and surrender to him. We are going to have to surrender to somebody, is it going to be to sin or to God?
God calls us to a life of holiness, once we surrender to him we start to become like him. As we surrender, beauty emerges, that of Christlikeness. We will be different when we surrender to him, we cannot not be different.
Read Romans 6:20-23. When we were slaves to sin we didn't worry about righteousness. But the fruit we were producing was ruining us and hurting us. With Christ there is sanctification, holiness, Christlikeness, and eventually eternal life. This is free gift of God, nothing we have done has ever allowed us to deserve the eternal life that Christ will give us if we surrender to him.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you know who you are in Christ?
2. Do you know your known areas of rebellion? How are you dealing with those areas to ensure that you do not compromise to them?
3. Do you know your role in the Kingdom of God? What is your calling? What is your battle station?
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