Promises of God Part 6

October 18-24, 2020

Jeremiah 31:31-34 / Psalm 62 / Revelation 3:15-22 / John 3:16-21 / Matthew 5 / Romans 8

1. In Matthew 5:21-48 (in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount), Jesus uses the refrain, You have heard it said…but I say to you 6 different times in regards to the Law (10 Commandments).  Just before this, in Matthew 5:17, Jesus proclaims, Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  In perfect fulfillment of the Law, Jesus tells us that we misunderstand the Law.  No matter if sins are in thought, word, or deed, they’re still sins.  In what ways are our “quiet sins” more harmful than our “big sins?”  Why do you think Jesus equates sinning in thought with sinning in deed (action)?
   
   
2. Discuss some turning points in your life when your sins may have been revealed.  Was  there an event that took place?  Was it a “mid-life crisis?”  An intervention of the Holy Spirit?  Describe the changes that took place within your heart, and therefore, your life.
   
   
3. Conviction is vastly different than condemnation.  Jesus convicts our hearts; Satan condemns us.  In Romans 8 St. Paul discusses this difference.  We know that condemnation is not from God, so then, why do thoughts of condemnation continually invade our lives?
   
   
4. Conviction leads us to repentance.  Repentance is followed by forgiveness.  Read John 3:16-21.  Conviction (not condemnation) is from God, and God disciplines His children.  Why is it important to ask forgiveness?  Do you tend to hold on to the “small sins” in your life?  Why?  Discuss what it means to “live in freedom.”
   
   
5. In Jeremiah 31:31-34, the prophet gives the promise that all who know the Lord shall be known to Him, and…I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.   Do you truly believe that God forgives and forgets your sins when you repent?  The truth is, we aren’t worthy of God’s grace by our actions, but God gives it anyway — because He loves you.  What are some reasons we feel unworthy at times?

End your time praying the Lord’s Prayer.  Pray it slowly and allow the words you’re saying to be meaningful.  Open your arms to God’s forgiveness.  We all need to be reconciled to God.  He alone offers reconciliation.  He alone offers forgiveness.  He alone offers peace.  

Now pray for each other to walk in the freedom Christ brings us through forgiveness.