Question:
Answer:
- What is our only hope in life and death?
Answer:
- That we are not our own but belong, body and soul, both in life and death, to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.
Warm-up
- Have you ever had the opportunity to show honor to someone that brought you joy? What was that like? What was it that made you want to participate in this?
Word
BIG IDEA
READ
WATCH/LISTEN
- We are not our own, and our plans, lives and desires actually belong to God, not us.
- We should live and die for God, and our lives should be directed by his will, not our own.
- Pursuing our own self-interest is ironically a trap that will leave us with nothing.
- We do not determine for ourselves what is right or wrong.
- We should put first what pleases God, and not what pleases ourselves.
- To give ourselves fully to God is actually what will bring the most into our lives.
READ
Romans 14:7-8
For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
WATCH/LISTEN
To hear this sermon in its entirety, please click here.
Old Self
- The people of the church are antithetical to the culture at large in our driving force. When you analyze the culture around you, what are the driving forces you notice that help people make decisions?
- Have you noticed times when these driving forces are effective or maybe when they are not effective?
- Do any of those driving forces specifically relate to you and your own disposition? Have they in the past?
New Self
- How does worshipping and honoring God actually enhance your life, as opposed to diminishing it? Do you notice any barriers in your life that keep you from this?
- How would you explain to someone that living a life unto yourself is actually a trap that will never bring about its’ original intent?
- How would you explain the solution?
World
- This week, pay attention to the driving forces of your decisions. Where are there opportunities to show God honor or evaluate your own motives? Where might you have opportunities for God to add to your life by honoring Him?
Prayer
Christ Our Hope, in life and in death, we cast ourselves on your merciful, fatherly care. You love us because we are your own. We have no good apart from you, and we could ask for no greater gift than to belong to you. Amen.