Sermon and Small group questions
- Guilty pleasure is a buzzword today. What is your guilty pleasure?
READ
- Read or summarize the passage.
- Share any observations or questions from the passage or the sermon.
REFLECT
- Verse 17 says Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. How does this frame your understanding of God's character and intentions?
- If Jesus did not come to condemn, why are those who do not believe "already condemned"? How can we reconcile this with the idea of a loving God?
RESPOND
- Given the struggles described in Romans 7, why is Romans 8:1 such a shocking and liberating statement? If there is no condemnation, why do Christians often still struggle with feeling condemned? How does this verse reshape your thinking about lingering guilt or shame in your life?
- How does this verse relate to John 3:18 regarding belief and judgment?
- Read and discuss the following quote of Martin Lloyd Jones. Do you agree with his assessment? “The difference between an unbeliever sinning and a Christian sinning is the difference between a man transgressing one of the laws of the State, and a husband, who has done something that he should not do in his relationship with his wife. He is not breaking the law; he is wounding the heart of his wife. That is the difference. It is no longer a legal matter, it is a matter of personal relationship and love. The man does not cease to be the husband legally, in that instance. Law does not come into the matter at all. In a sense it is now something much worse than a legal condemnation. I would rather offend against a law of the land objectively outside me, than hurt someone whom I love. In that case you have sinned, of course, but you have sinned against love. You may and you should feel ashamed, but you should not feel condemnation, because to do so is to put yourself back ‘under the law.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
PRAY
- Adoration
- Confession
- Thanksgiving
Supplication
