Understanding Sin and Repentance
August 18, 2015 | by: Lee Murray | 0 Comments
Posted in: Sermon Questions
PARTICIPANT'S GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP GATHERINGS
Sermon: Understanding Sin and Repentance, August 16th, 2015
Series: Nehemiah: Building for the Future
Speaker: Pastor Anthony Orzo
Primary Passages: Nehemiah 9:1–10:39
Cross Referenced Passages: Matthew 23:27- “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean."
Titus 2:11-12- For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live Godly lives in the present age.
Sermon Questions:
1. Has your idea of what sin is in your life ever been challenged? How do you approach sin as it relates to your relationship with God?
2. Pastor Anthony quotes Miller Erickson (Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology) on the definition of sin saying “Sin is any act, attitude or disposition of the heart that fails to completely fulfill or measure up to the standards of God’s righteousness. It may involve an actual transgression of God’s law or failure to live up to His norms or failure to hit God’s mark.”
He goes on to say: If we only see sin as external behaviors, we will miss that sin is actually a deep seeded matter of the heart. Dealing with sin is aligning the motive of our heart with the motive of God’s heart.
- Do you find yourself seeking God’s heart or pushing Him away?
- When have you been able to change the direction of your heart to be more like God’s heart?
3. In the message, Pastor Anthony talked about how sin is like an iceberg below the surface of the water. From that, he said we can start to deal with our sin by 1. Letting God be part of the conversation and 2. Understanding that God will always be more honest with us about where we are with Him, then we are willing to be with ourselves.
- Has there ever been a time you didn’t let God in to show you the “iceberg” of your sin “below the water”? If so, explain.
4. The main point of Nehemiah 9 and 10 is living in the power of the cross-where you see God as your ultimate source of strength to become who He wants you to be. At the cross, Jesus doesn’t just want to clean up your morality, He wants to make a way for us to be vitally united to Him.
- Have you considered the depth of what His action (at the cross) has toward sin in your life?
- Have you found hope in the truth that Jesus has dealt with the sin in our life, whatever that sin may be?
5. Since you won’t experience God’s Grace if you hate the consequences of your sin more than you hate sinning against your God. Where do you find yourself on that spectrum in your life?
- Is your heart aligned “with” and “for” God, or is it more concerned about self?
6. To genuinely repent and be freed from sin you have to get comfortable owning the “iceberg below the water.” Without doing this, you will be robbed of the Grace God wants to show you. How can you begin looking below the surface and letting God into the conversation?
Conclusion Discussion: Think about a time that God has drawn you back to Him. Do you think He is drawing you back to Him now? If not, where are you with God today?
