FAMILY FAITH TALK â Romans 6:15-23
1:10 JOURNEY GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE 1.
Who was your first “boss”? Was this person easy to work for, or a “slave driver”?
2.
Read Romans 6:15-23. What did you hear in the sermon that made an impression on you as a new, significant, or helpful insight?
3.
You are a slave to something. How will remembering this help you next time you are tempted to sin?
4.
How would you use this passage to answer someone who says to you: “I don’t like Christianity because it restricts my freedom.”
5.
How would you use this passage to answer someone who says to you: “Why do you bother to obey God, if He already accepts you?”
6.
How do daily choices make it easier to continue obeying either sin or God? Describe the contrast Paul is making in v 19.
Sunday, May 24, 2015 • Summit Evangelical Free Church, Alta, IA • Pastor Doug Corlew Series: The Righteous Shall Live By Faith (Romans), Message #19
FREE AT LAST ROMANS 6:15-23 The only way to be set free from sin is to become a _______________________________. Why should you?
7.
Can you think of examples from your past, or in the lives of those you know, of how slavery to sin is a kind of “death”?
8.
Read Psalm 1 and draw comparisons with the two ways to live Paul is describing in Romans 6.
9.
What insights from Psalm 1 can equip you to walk on the path that leads to eternal life?
1. _____________________________________________ (v 15-16)
2. _____________________________________________ (v 17-18)
3. _____________________________________________ (v 19) 10. If you are God’s willing servant this week, what will change in your attitudes and actions?
FAMILY FAITH TALK — Romans 6:15-23 Questions progress from targeting younger children (#1-2) to teens (#5-6).
1. What is your favorite kind of fruit? What type of tree or bush does it come from? 2. What kind of fruit comes from sin? What fruit comes from obeying God? (v 21-22) 3. What is it like to be a slave? Who does a slave obey? 4. If you obey sin, who is your master? What if you obey God? (v 16-18) 5. What are good responses to being set free from sin? Why? 6. What are some practical ways you can start being a slave of God?
4. _____________________________________________ (v 20-23)
Monday, May 25
Read Romans 6:15-23
Thursday, May 28
Read Romans 6:19
“The point of this text is difficult for most people to accept, so I want to state it simply at the beginning: There is no such thing as absolute freedom for anyone. No human is free to do everything he or she may want to do. There is one being in the universe who is totally free, of course. That is God. But all others are limited by or enslaved by someone or something. As a result, the only remaining question in this area is: Who or what are you serving? …Instead of being presented as slavery, sin is usually described as the very essence of freedom. That is what the devil told Eve, when he argued, ‘Don’t be bound by God’s word. Be free. Eat of the tree…’ Do not listen to those who tell you that sin is harmless. Above all, do not trust your own judgment in these matters. You must trust God, who tells you that to sin is to die. In fact, being a sinner, you are already dying. Your moral life is decaying. Your body is inclining to the grave. One day you will experience the second death, which is to be separated from God in hell forever—unless God saves you first. The only sensible reaction to sin is to turn from it and seek salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“There is no secret formula for holiness, no magic recipe. The only means is to realize what God has done for us and then discipline the parts of our bodies—our minds, eyes, ears, tongues, hands, and feet—to act accordingly. I cannot emphasize this point enough, because we live in a day in which Christian people are shirking hard work and are searching (if they even bother to search) for some easy solution or quick fix… Some who do this look for a special ‘victory’ formula (‘let go and let God,’ ‘take it by faith,’ or some other handy slogan). Some search for a powerful emotional experience. Still others pray for miracles. But these are not God’s answers. God is not withholding something from us, some secret we need to seek or for which we should pray. God has already done everything necessary for our salvation and given us everything we need to live a consistent Christian life. So, if we fail to do it, it is either because we have not been taught what God has done and therefore do not know how to conduct ourselves as Christians, or we are just too sinful or lazy.”
Psalm 115:3; 135:6 Isaiah 46:10
Romans 6:13; 7:5-6; 12:1 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-6 Romans 5:12
Tuesday, May 26
Revelation 20:6, 14-15 21:6-8
Read Romans 6:15-23
Titus 2:11-14 1 Peter 4:1-5
Friday, May 29
2 Peter 1:3-11
Read Romans 6:23
“The same act of Christ that has delivered us from sin has also made us ‘slaves of God’ (v 22). By His act of redemption, Jesus has purchased men and women for Himself, that is, to serve Him. ‘Ah,’ says someone. ‘What gain is that? What advantage is it to be freed from one master if all it means is that we become slaves of another?’ …Well, God is as good, kind, and loving a master as sin is cruel and harmful. But there is more to it than that. The Bible teaches that this ‘slavery’ actually brings freedom. What is this freedom? It is not autonomy, a license to do absolutely anything at all. True freedom is the ability to fulfill one’s destiny, to function in terms of one’s ultimate goal… If we choose sin, the result is bondage. True freedom comes through knowing the gospel and being committed to the Lord Jesus Christ in His service. Can I put this more sharply? The only real freedom you are ever going to know, either in this life or in the life to come, is the freedom of serving Jesus Christ. And this means a life of righteousness. Anything else is really slavery, regardless of what the world may promise you through its lies and false teaching.”
“This is one of the most familiar verses in the Bible... The appeal of this verse is in its summary of the two ways… What marvelous contrasts these are: death versus life, sin versus God, wages versus free gift… Salvation is the gift of God, yes! But how is it possible for God to be so gracious to us? How can He have given us the gift of eternal life, we being the sinners that we are? The answer, of course, is that it is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are saved from sin only because of Jesus’ work. That raises a final question— a personal one, because religion always is personal; it must be. Are you in Jesus? Is Jesus your Savior, your Lord? There are only two ways you can answer that question, ether ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ He either is your Savior or He is not. If He is, let me ask: Are you living for Jesus? If you are not, why not? He gave Himself for you. He died for you. He even lives for you… The other way you can answer my question is ‘No.’ And if that is the case, I ask why you would willingly keep going on such a self-destructive path, when the way of salvation is known to you? Haven’t you been trapped by sin long enough? Don’t you long for deliverance?”
Psalm 19:13; 119:32, 133 Luke 4:18-19; 16:13
Deuteronomy 30:11-20 Psalm 1:1-6
John 8:31-36 2 Corinthians 3:17
Wednesday, May 27
Galatians 5:1 James 1:25
Read Romans 6:16
“One reason Paul uses the word obedience is that it carries through the image he has been developing, namely that of being a slave either to sin or of Jesus Christ. It is the function of a slave to obey his or her master. But the use of the term goes beyond this, since obedience is an essential requirement of all who would follow Christ. And not just afterward, as if we are called first to believe and then to obey. Obedience is the very essence of believing. It is what belief is all about. When I am teaching about faith I usually say that faith has three elements: 1) an intellectual element (we must believe in something; this is the gospel); 2) an emotional element (the content of that gospel must touch us personally); and 3) commitment (we must give ourselves to Jesus in personal and often costly discipleship). It is in this last area that obedience is so critical. For, if obedience is not present, we have not committed ourselves to Christ, even though we may believe in Him in some sense. And without that commitment we are not saved; we are not true Christians.”
Genesis 22:1-18 Joshua 1:7; 24:15
Romans 1:5; 16:26 Hebrews 5:9
Saturday, May 30
Matthew 7:13-14 John 3:14-17, 36
1 John 5:11-13
Read Romans 7:1-6
As you prepare for next Sunday’s message, meditate on how the union of marriage illustrates our new relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:22 2 Peter 2:19-22 Devotional Thoughts by: James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) ROMANS, An Expositional Commentary, Vol 2: The Reign of Grace (Rom 5-8); Baker 1992
Who was your first “boss”? Was this person easy to work for, or a “slave driver”?
2.
Read Romans 6:15-23. What did you hear in the sermon that made an impression on you as a new, significant, or helpful insight?
3.
You are a slave to something. How will remembering this help you next time you are tempted to sin?
4.
How would you use this passage to answer someone who says to you: “I don’t like Christianity because it restricts my freedom.”
5.
How would you use this passage to answer someone who says to you: “Why do you bother to obey God, if He already accepts you?”
6.
How do daily choices make it easier to continue obeying either sin or God? Describe the contrast Paul is making in v 19.
Sunday, May 24, 2015 • Summit Evangelical Free Church, Alta, IA • Pastor Doug Corlew Series: The Righteous Shall Live By Faith (Romans), Message #19
FREE AT LAST ROMANS 6:15-23 The only way to be set free from sin is to become a _______________________________. Why should you?
7.
Can you think of examples from your past, or in the lives of those you know, of how slavery to sin is a kind of “death”?
8.
Read Psalm 1 and draw comparisons with the two ways to live Paul is describing in Romans 6.
9.
What insights from Psalm 1 can equip you to walk on the path that leads to eternal life?
1. _____________________________________________ (v 15-16)
2. _____________________________________________ (v 17-18)
3. _____________________________________________ (v 19) 10. If you are God’s willing servant this week, what will change in your attitudes and actions?
FAMILY FAITH TALK — Romans 6:15-23 Questions progress from targeting younger children (#1-2) to teens (#5-6).
1. What is your favorite kind of fruit? What type of tree or bush does it come from? 2. What kind of fruit comes from sin? What fruit comes from obeying God? (v 21-22) 3. What is it like to be a slave? Who does a slave obey? 4. If you obey sin, who is your master? What if you obey God? (v 16-18) 5. What are good responses to being set free from sin? Why? 6. What are some practical ways you can start being a slave of God?
4. _____________________________________________ (v 20-23)
Monday, May 25
Read Romans 6:15-23
Thursday, May 28
Read Romans 6:19
“The point of this text is difficult for most people to accept, so I want to state it simply at the beginning: There is no such thing as absolute freedom for anyone. No human is free to do everything he or she may want to do. There is one being in the universe who is totally free, of course. That is God. But all others are limited by or enslaved by someone or something. As a result, the only remaining question in this area is: Who or what are you serving? …Instead of being presented as slavery, sin is usually described as the very essence of freedom. That is what the devil told Eve, when he argued, ‘Don’t be bound by God’s word. Be free. Eat of the tree…’ Do not listen to those who tell you that sin is harmless. Above all, do not trust your own judgment in these matters. You must trust God, who tells you that to sin is to die. In fact, being a sinner, you are already dying. Your moral life is decaying. Your body is inclining to the grave. One day you will experience the second death, which is to be separated from God in hell forever—unless God saves you first. The only sensible reaction to sin is to turn from it and seek salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“There is no secret formula for holiness, no magic recipe. The only means is to realize what God has done for us and then discipline the parts of our bodies—our minds, eyes, ears, tongues, hands, and feet—to act accordingly. I cannot emphasize this point enough, because we live in a day in which Christian people are shirking hard work and are searching (if they even bother to search) for some easy solution or quick fix… Some who do this look for a special ‘victory’ formula (‘let go and let God,’ ‘take it by faith,’ or some other handy slogan). Some search for a powerful emotional experience. Still others pray for miracles. But these are not God’s answers. God is not withholding something from us, some secret we need to seek or for which we should pray. God has already done everything necessary for our salvation and given us everything we need to live a consistent Christian life. So, if we fail to do it, it is either because we have not been taught what God has done and therefore do not know how to conduct ourselves as Christians, or we are just too sinful or lazy.”
Psalm 115:3; 135:6 Isaiah 46:10
Romans 6:13; 7:5-6; 12:1 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-6 Romans 5:12
Tuesday, May 26
Revelation 20:6, 14-15 21:6-8
Read Romans 6:15-23
Titus 2:11-14 1 Peter 4:1-5
Friday, May 29
2 Peter 1:3-11
Read Romans 6:23
“The same act of Christ that has delivered us from sin has also made us ‘slaves of God’ (v 22). By His act of redemption, Jesus has purchased men and women for Himself, that is, to serve Him. ‘Ah,’ says someone. ‘What gain is that? What advantage is it to be freed from one master if all it means is that we become slaves of another?’ …Well, God is as good, kind, and loving a master as sin is cruel and harmful. But there is more to it than that. The Bible teaches that this ‘slavery’ actually brings freedom. What is this freedom? It is not autonomy, a license to do absolutely anything at all. True freedom is the ability to fulfill one’s destiny, to function in terms of one’s ultimate goal… If we choose sin, the result is bondage. True freedom comes through knowing the gospel and being committed to the Lord Jesus Christ in His service. Can I put this more sharply? The only real freedom you are ever going to know, either in this life or in the life to come, is the freedom of serving Jesus Christ. And this means a life of righteousness. Anything else is really slavery, regardless of what the world may promise you through its lies and false teaching.”
“This is one of the most familiar verses in the Bible... The appeal of this verse is in its summary of the two ways… What marvelous contrasts these are: death versus life, sin versus God, wages versus free gift… Salvation is the gift of God, yes! But how is it possible for God to be so gracious to us? How can He have given us the gift of eternal life, we being the sinners that we are? The answer, of course, is that it is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are saved from sin only because of Jesus’ work. That raises a final question— a personal one, because religion always is personal; it must be. Are you in Jesus? Is Jesus your Savior, your Lord? There are only two ways you can answer that question, ether ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ He either is your Savior or He is not. If He is, let me ask: Are you living for Jesus? If you are not, why not? He gave Himself for you. He died for you. He even lives for you… The other way you can answer my question is ‘No.’ And if that is the case, I ask why you would willingly keep going on such a self-destructive path, when the way of salvation is known to you? Haven’t you been trapped by sin long enough? Don’t you long for deliverance?”
Psalm 19:13; 119:32, 133 Luke 4:18-19; 16:13
Deuteronomy 30:11-20 Psalm 1:1-6
John 8:31-36 2 Corinthians 3:17
Wednesday, May 27
Galatians 5:1 James 1:25
Read Romans 6:16
“One reason Paul uses the word obedience is that it carries through the image he has been developing, namely that of being a slave either to sin or of Jesus Christ. It is the function of a slave to obey his or her master. But the use of the term goes beyond this, since obedience is an essential requirement of all who would follow Christ. And not just afterward, as if we are called first to believe and then to obey. Obedience is the very essence of believing. It is what belief is all about. When I am teaching about faith I usually say that faith has three elements: 1) an intellectual element (we must believe in something; this is the gospel); 2) an emotional element (the content of that gospel must touch us personally); and 3) commitment (we must give ourselves to Jesus in personal and often costly discipleship). It is in this last area that obedience is so critical. For, if obedience is not present, we have not committed ourselves to Christ, even though we may believe in Him in some sense. And without that commitment we are not saved; we are not true Christians.”
Genesis 22:1-18 Joshua 1:7; 24:15
Romans 1:5; 16:26 Hebrews 5:9
Saturday, May 30
Matthew 7:13-14 John 3:14-17, 36
1 John 5:11-13
Read Romans 7:1-6
As you prepare for next Sunday’s message, meditate on how the union of marriage illustrates our new relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:22 2 Peter 2:19-22 Devotional Thoughts by: James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) ROMANS, An Expositional Commentary, Vol 2: The Reign of Grace (Rom 5-8); Baker 1992
