Sermon Discussion/Study ?s - Sept. 18 Sermon

Ice Breaker
The sermon was fairly heavy dealing exclusively with the sinfulness of sin. What forms of wickedness in the world or in yourself are most likely to leave you with a sense of that heaviness? 

Did the Holy Spirit reveal anything new or hit you with anything in particular regarding sin during the sermon?

Total Depravity

• What did Pastor Thomas say it is not? And what is it?
• Why is a nursery full of toddlers a setting that points to the reality of indwelling sin and total depravity? 
• Why has the predominant view of humanity in our culture become “people are essentially good” when our history and track record and God’s Word all point in another direction?
• How does a “people are essentially good” view line-up or divert from the Gospel shared in the Bible? 
• What does a “people are essentially good” view say about the necessity of Jesus’ death on the cross?
• How does embracing the Bible’s teaching about my own depravity put me in position to actually put my depravity behind me and find transformation?

The Wear and Tear of Sin

• Read Psalm 38. This psalm transparently expresses many of the feelings and experiences that invade us when we sin.
• Go back through the psalm and make a list of how his sin (“iniquities) made the psalmist feel, think, and fear. 
• Which of the psalmist’s descriptions can you identify with?
• What is the sole solution that the psalmist believes can truly help him? Where do you see it in the text?

The Savior’s Victory Over Sin

• Romans 5 is one of most thorough explanations and celebrations of precisely how God brings an end to our sin and condemnation through the work of Jesus. 
• Read Romans 5:12-21 and make two lists. 
• List #1: write down what Adam “earned” for you and all humanity. 
• List #2: write down what belongs to all Christians because of their relationship with Jesus.      

Write a brief message to your sin nature based on what you’ve studied. 
Write a brief message to your Savior, Jesus, based on what you’ve studied.