ENGAGE INSPIRE EQUIP

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Life Group Sermon Study

Slaves to Sin November 29/30, 2014

Break the Ice:

ENGAGE

(The purpose of these first questions is to help your group open up. Please don’t feel like you have to ask each question. Once you feel like the group is ready, move onto the “Inspire” section.)

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What did you enjoy most about the Thanksgiving holiday? What are you most grateful for? What did God teach you during the message this weekend? Did anything in particular stand out?

Prayer: Take some time to pray and ask God to speak to your group through this week’s study. Questions:

IN SP IRE

(Since the group may need time to process each question, don’t let silence scare you. Try to avoid filling the space with unnecessary explanation or moving on from the question too quickly.)

As a group, read John 8:31-59 and Romans 7:15-20 out loud before you start. 1. In John 8:31-59, Jesus had an interaction with Jews who initially believed in Him, but did not fully understand who He was. • What did Jesus say to the Jews in verses 31-32 that caused them to question Him? • Who did the Jews claim as their Father? How did Jesus respond and who did He say their father was? • What did Jesus say in verse 58 that provoked a violent response from the Jews? What do you think He meant by this statement? Why do you think this upset the Jews?

2. Jesus told the Jews that to be His disciples truly, they must abide in His word. He didn’t want people just to believe in Him; He wanted them to follow Him. • What does it mean to abide? Is this difficult for you to do in your relationship with Christ? Share with the group. • Do you experience difficulties associated with being a Christian in today’s culture? If so, what are they and how do you overcome them?

3. This weekend, we learned that freedom does not mean living without a master; instead, freedom means living with the right master. • Who is your master right now? To help answer this, discuss the questions below as a group: o Where do your thoughts go when you’re alone? o How do you spend your money? o What would crush you if you lost it? o What determines your mood? • Jake said that we could experience a life of freedom by being obedient to Jesus, and making Him our Master. How can you do this in a practical way? What does being obedient to Jesus look like in your life? Application:

EQUIP

(These questions will challenge your group members to apply the study to their daily lives. It is highly important that you go over this section with your group each week for the group study to be a success. Set aside 15-20 minutes at the end of your study to go over this section.)

We encourage our mixed groups to split up into men and women for the following questions: Jesus said that anyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. In Romans 7:15-20, Paul described his battle with sin very similarly, saying that he does what he hates, and he is unable to do what he wants to do. • How is your struggle with sin similar to Paul’s? In what ways can you relate to him? • Applying what you learned this weekend, how can you experience freedom in Jesus? Prayer: Take some time to pray over each group member’s identified action steps and life issues. Equip Your Mind: “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:31-32, ESV)