Opening Prayer: Pg.1
Father God, we gather here each week in the hope that we might learn more of your word and more about Your Son our Lord Jesus. Tonight we study the matter of our deliverance from bondage and our victory in Christ Jesus over sin and condemnation. Be with those of our group who are not here tonight, and share our blessing with them. Bless us now and give us understanding as we undertake this study. In Jesus name we pray AMEN
Deliverance from bondage
As we strive to obey God and walk in the Spirit, we will find ourselves falling short. It is at those critical times in our walk that we must remember that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Our sins and failures do not move the Lord to give up on us or to cast us out of the kingdom, for we are secure in Christ, and as such we live a life of faith and repentance, continually serving the Lord and putting sin to death.
Scripture study, Romans chapter 8: 1-9
Rom 8:1-9 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
Discussion
Before our conversion, sin is second nature to us because in this world that is who we came to be. But the Holy Spirit gives us a new heart in regeneration that hungers for the things of God (Psalm 42:1-2). Since the Holy Spirit at that point does not remove our free will or all the remnants of our fallen nature, we enter a lifelong struggle with our flesh. Humans were created by God to serve him and enjoy fellowship with him forever, and this was taken from us by our want to have our will take precedence over that which God willed for us. As Christians we reject all that is evil, envy, covetousness, pride, anger, selfishness, lying, stealing, and a great deal more as we travel our life’s road. But that rejection does not remove the temptation from us, it just clearly identifies our want to do it. Only as we understand the enemy of the flesh can we begin through Christ to offer ourselves, take up our cross, and live a life pleasing to God. The Lord is not content with our mere external holiness. He wants our hearts, and he measures holiness based on what lies within, not on how we appear, but on who we are. (Galatians 6:7-8)
Q.1 Does vs. 1 mean that, even if Christians sin, they will not be condemned? Why/why not?
Q.2 Does strict adherence to the 10 commandments prove our righteousness? Why or why not?
Q.3 What do you feel Paul means in verse 5, “minding the things of the flesh? Or of the Spirit?
Q.4 What motivated God to send his Son our Lord Jesus Christ to be a sin offering for us?
Q.5 Imagine God directing you to do that with one of your Children ?
Victory in Christ Pg.2
Repentance is a gift from God. We express contrition for our sins and their offense to our holy Creator, but the Holy Spirit must give us the ability to do this. Without His sovereign work, we do not care that we have offended the Lord by breaking His law. But when the Spirit works in our hearts, we see our sin and, hating it, turn to Christ. A life of repentance is a manifestation of an authentic conversion.
Scripture study, Romans chapter 8: 10-17
Rom 8:10-17 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation--but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Discussion
True conversion is necessary if we are to produce good works that please God. Such works are not done to secure our place in the kingdom, for nothing sinners do is good enough to merit a right standing before God. These good works prove that we have been justified in Christ alone through faith alone, demonstrating that we are citizens of heaven (Ephesians. 2:8–10). Moreover, genuine conversion involves a twofold turn—away from sin in repentance and unto Jesus in faith.
As we studied in our last session an authentic conversion involves death and resurrection. The
former slave to sin must die, and the new, free man in Christ must live (2 Corinthians. 5:17-18). Paul, in these verses, focuses more on the ongoing results of a genuine conversion than the decisive death to sin that happens when we first trust the Savior. Typically, we speak of conversion as a one-time event. In leaving the darkness for the light, we die to the power of sin and are raised to victory over evil in Christ. This act is effected by one person—the Holy Spirit of God.
On account of the Son’s work and the Father’s plan, the Spirit gives us the gift of repentance (John 3:5–7). Our once-for-all conversion happens in conjunction with our regeneration. The Spirit changes our hearts, creating in us a desire to repent and trust in Jesus. Sin’s power is broken in the Christian, but its presence remains. The sinful one that we were before we came to Jesus , which was dealt a mortal blow through the work of Christ and our union with Him, keeps trying to regain control. But do not lose faith. If our heart is true to our desire to repent, we will be glorified. We have to put sin down by the Holy Spirit through true repentance. Such repentance is sorrow for offending God. And even here the Spirit must give and strengthen such righteous desires. So let us pray that He would give us a yearning to follow after Jesus our Lord in a life of repentance (Ephesians. 3:14–19).
Q 1 What do you think Paul means by his words “His Spirit who dwells in you“ in vs.11?
Q.2 What does Paul mean by the words “debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh” vs.12?
Q.3 What do you think Paul means in verses 13 & 14
Q.4 Who Are The Children Of God, to whom Paul refers in: vs 14?
Q.5 What is the obligation To which Paul refers in vs.12?
Pg.3
Scripture Readings
Psalm 42:1 –2; As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Galatians 6:7-8; Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
John 3:5-7 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'
Eph 3:14-19 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Closing Prayer
Father God, we thank you for the gift of Your Son Jesus, the Strong Deliverer of our salvation and for the Holy Spirit our Helper who leads us in our struggle against sin. We pray that You will enhance our desire and ability to learn more of what we can become by following the teachings of Jesus and through study of Your word as given to us in the gospel. We pray now for Your comfort and healing to be upon those who those who are suffering from health or other issues in this life___________We pray that Your peace and swift healing will comfort them in their time of trial.
This we pray in the name of Jesus AMEN.
Pg.4
Meditation
Paul is teaching us about our need to walk in the Spirit, to learn from Jesus how it is that we are to resist our self serving need to partake in the worlds offerings of sin and the evil desires that too often become reality. We often think of living in the Spirit in purely subjective terms. We conceive of such life as pertaining only to what the Holy Spirit does in us as we follow Him in our sanctification. Yet the subjective experience of living according to the Spirit—while true and important—is not all that Paul has in mind when he talks about living in the Spirit. We are in a battle for our very soul, and we must win the battle.
There is a reality that will dawn on each of us, that what we are living since we have been justified, is a spiritual awareness that will make our conscious efforts at living a more righteous life more vital to our very existence, a richness of life, a realization that Christ now is indwelling us, and in every thought , word, and deed, we are reminded of the world of sin to which we are no longer slaves. We simply are transformed into a different being. Born again into another more purposeful life. This new person now imbued with The Holy Spirit, (our helper), is characterized by freedom from sin’s power, an inner peace, knowing that now we are at peace with God, not from any conscious act of righteousness or any good that we have accomplished on our own, but because of Christ’s righteousness, which now dwells within us, and adds strength to our life’s struggle against the sin we have come to recognize as dying within us.
In any case, there has been a decisive change in us with the coming of Christ’s indwelling Spirit. Now that The Spirit of God has been joined to us, our former sinful spirit, is passing away as the new Spirit becomes ever more present through the growth of the indwelling of Christ’s righteousness. Our right standing before God is now established. When Paul says we are in the Spirit, He means that through our confession that Jesus is Lord and savior of our soul, He is our strength and our defender, and now is our righteousness, we have surrendered our rebellious sinful spirit to His leading.
Our study tonight helps us to understand that there is no Christian who does not possess the Holy Spirit. If Christ had not taken care of our sin by His sacrifice, and if our record had not been made one of righteousness because of Jesus’ perfect obedience, God never could have sent His Spirit to give us life. The Spirit can dwell within us to bring us new life because Jesus' righteousness has been credited to our accounts and we are declared righteous in Him, and from that, we have become obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we are “in the Spirit”
To belong to Christ Jesus is to possess His Spirit, so if you have rested in Christ alone for salvation, the Holy Spirit is a part of you now and He is at work in your life. That is a promise from God to all of mankind. Mat 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.
In Jesus’ Holy Name AMEN
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