MAIN POINT:

Christians should be marked by the life that comes from following Christ, rather than the death that comes from following the flesh. 

ICEBREAKER:

Have you ever tried to modify behavior or habits (yours or someone else’s)? How did that work out?

INTRODUCTION:

Too often Christianity can devolve into behavior modification rather than life transformation. We fix our eyes on overcoming our sin instead of focusing on Christ who has already overcome our sin. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” We can find rest from our constant struggle to overcome our sin. We need to shift our focus to Christ and be led by the Holy Spirit. 

ENCOUNTERING GOD THROUGH BIBLE STUDY:

Read Romans 7:18-25.

1. Can you relate to what Paul says? Discuss. 

2. Who can deliver us from the “body of death”?

3. Why do we keep taking on the “body of death” (our sin) and continue trying to get rid of it ourselves?

Read Luke 9:23. 

4. Pastor Matt Grimes asked, “do you hate your flesh?” He mentioned that it is less common for senior saints to follow fleshly desires than for younger Christians. “Seniors have tasted enough death to know where it leads.” Has this been your experience? How have you evolved and grown as far as dying daily to your flesh?

5. Today the cross is a symbol of Christianity. We see it in jewelry and on bumper stickers. It can be easy to forget that the cross was a means of painful execution. What does it mean to “take up our cross”?

Read John 15:16-17 and John 15:26. 

6. How have you experienced the Holy Spirit? What has the Holy Spirit reminded you that Jesus taught you?

Read John 16:7-15. 

7. How has the Holy Spirit guided you in truth? 

Read Romans 8:1-17.

8. If you have surrendered your life to Christ, does the Holy Spirit live in you?

9. According to verse 12-13 we have an obligation. What is it?

10. Being led by the Holy Spirit does not make us slaves (see verse 15). Discuss how being led by the Spirit and living within the bounds of God’s law makes us free. 

LEADER NOTES:

2. Christ delivers us. 
3. Possible reasons: Pride (we think we do not need God, and we want to do it ourselves), sinful nature (we have habits of the flesh that are ingrained), lack of faith (we don’t trust that God can truly remove our sin-we think it is too bad). 
5. Again, this is a reminder that we must die to self. Discuss how this dying to self plays out in our interactions with others: our family, our coworkers, our social media contacts. 
8. Yes!
9. We have an obligation to live according to the Spirit/to be led by the Spirit.