Coming Up: Sonday July 27, 2014
Descending into Daily Victory - Romans 7
Read: Romans 7:1-6
If we read God’s law in the Bible for the first time without feeling convicted, challenged and burdened then there is something terribly wrong. It is impossible to read God’s word and honestly look at ourselves without being horrified by just how far we fall short of His righteous and holy standards. If we are being realistic then God’s law is a burden that we simply cannot bear. When we feel this burden Paul’s words here in Chapter 7 about how we have been given freedom from the law through Christ give us great encouragement.
Paul begins with an illustration from the law to make his point about freedom from the law. Paul points out that a wife is only bound to her husband as long as her husband is alive. If, during that time, she marries another man then she is guilty of adultery. However, when the man dies the wife’s obligation and duty to him dies also and she is free to marry whomever she wishes.
Paul’s point is not primarily about marriage, divorce or adultery. This example merely serves to illustrate the principle that death brings freedom from legal obligation. In the same way that death frees the wife from her obligation to her husband death frees us from our obligation and bondage to the law. Paul explains
But this freedom is not in order to do whatever we want. We have not only been freed from something but we have also been freed for something. Notice this in the second half of verse 4: “that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.” We are freed from the burden and obligations of the law so that we might serve God instead. So that we might serve in the new way of the spirit (vs 6)
What a tremendous relief this is. All the condemnation that stood against us because of the law, all the burden we felt seeing how far we fall short, all the fear of falling short and bearing God’s wrath is done away with by Christ’s death. Christ bore on Himself all the suffering and punishment that we deserve. We are now freed to live for God by the power of His spirit.
How much does this freedom change the way we read God’s Word! No longer do we merely encounter condemnation, conviction and burden when we read God’s law. Instead we find insight and guidance for how we life and serve God in the freedom He has given us.
Prayer:
Use the Bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Thank God for the gathering of your church yesterday. Pray that the preaching of God’s word would stick deep in your mind and your heart and that God would be working to change you through it. Pray that God would be at work in all in the congregation.
¥ Pray for the Christians around the world who were unable to gather yesterday or who had to gather in secret because of persecution. Pray that God would encourage and strengthen them so that they might endure and be bold in sharing their faith with others.
It is important when sharing the gospel that we also share the problem of sin and the burden of the law. Without the conviction of sin that comes from these things we cannot truly appreciate our need for the gospel.
1. What would you say to someone who told you that they read God’s law and His requirements but didn’t feel any conviction of sin at all?
2. Recapping last week’s studies, how would you explain what it means that we have died with Christ?
Intro: There’s nothing quite like fresh fruit straight off the tree! So beautiful, sweet and juicy fresh.
Share: If you can, a time when you had fresh fruit straight off the tree. What sort of fruit was it? How did it taste?
Read: Romans 7:4. Did you know that we are supposed to bear fruit too? According to this passage who do we bear fruit to What sort of fruit do you think he is talking about? What sort of fruit do you think you could bear for God? Can you think of an example at school? An example at home? With your friends?
Pray Together: Thank God that He saved us through Jesus. Pray that God would help us to bear fruit for Him.
Intro: There’s nothing quite like fresh fruit straight off the tree! So beautiful, sweet and juicy fresh.
Share: If you can, a time when you had fresh fruit straight off the tree. What sort of fruit was it? How did it taste?
Read: Romans 7:4. Did you know that we are supposed to bear fruit too? According to this passage who do we bear fruit to What sort of fruit do you think he is talking about? What sort of fruit do you think you could bear for God? Can you think of an example at school? An example at home? With your friends?
Pray Together: Thank God that He saved us through Jesus. Pray that God would help us to bear fruit for Him.
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