IX “Roman numeral nine”
SESSION 9 – Week of November 13 /
ROMANS
THE SERMON SERIES
A word about the study guides:
Each weekly study guide is meant to help you engage the Scripture lesson and explore its meaning for your life. You may use the study guide in a variety of ways. You can follow it carefully, point by point. You can skip over sections if you do not find them helpful. If you sense the Spirit leading you to ask other questions or highlight points not mentioned in the study guide, follow that path. Bottom line – the study guide is intended to facilitate discussion and deeper reflection, use it in ways that best suits your group.
Check In
· Begin with prayer
· Share your lives a bit – one happening from the past week for which you are thankful.
v Did you see God at work in your life this past week, which might not necessarily be a pleasant thing – God often speaks to us through difficult things we encounter?
Bible Study: Romans 4 and Genesis 15:1-7
· Since the OT and NT texts are so closely related, read through both of them before you begin your discussion.
· Focus on Romans 4: 3 and Genesis 15: 6. Take some time to consider the OT passage. The encounter between Abram and God continues through the end of chapter 15; however, I encourage you stay focused on the opening seven verses.
v What is the importance of the setting and background for the conversation the Lord had with Abram in verses 1 – 7?
· The sermon emphasized that Paul chose to focus on Abraham as the exemplar of faith because it was through the faith of Abraham that God created His covenant community, to which both Jews and Gentiles belong through faith in God’s grace in Christ.
v How do we, how do you, experience being part of God’s covenant family?
· Paul spends a lot of time discussing circumcision in this passage.
v What’s the point Paul is making regarding circumcision and receiving God’s righteous?
v Do you recall some of what the sermon said regarding the great emphasis Jews placed on circumcision?
· Focus on Romans 4: 16 – it’s packed with several key words and thoughts.
v What are key words for you?
v What important thoughts do you find?
· Focus on Romans 4: 19 - Consider Sarah and Abraham … “as good as dead
v What must it have been like, to be in Sarah’s or Abraham’s position – waiting so long for God to make good on His promises?
v Continued…
· REFLECT AND THINK:
v What are some of the ways people, in general, talk about faith in our society?
v What do people place their faith in?
· Focus on Hebrews 11: 1. This verse provides an excellent definition of biblical faith – read it.
· REFLECT AND THINK:
v Do you have “heroes of faith” in your life?
v How can “heroes of faith” show faithfulness?
v What motivates “heroes of faith” to be faithful?
· The sermon said the key to biblical faith is that it’s God centered and God directed. It is not faith in human ability or potential. Biblical faith is trusting in God’s faithfulness to us. Karl Barth said, “Faith is trust in the divine faithfulness.” Abraham certainly demonstrated this biblical faith. He trusted exclusively in God. He believed God would fulfill his covenant promises to him.
v Do we do that?
v Why do we find it hard to trust in God’s faithfulness to us?
v How might we grow in faith?
· Faith involves belonging. Faith is individual in that each of us must exercise personal trust in God’s grace in Christ. But faith then brings us into God’s covenant family.
v What specific ways does this faith in Christ compel you to live in the church, the body of Christ?
v Why might living in the church be hard to do?
Prayer
It’s always a good practice to reserve ample time for prayer.
· This is a marvelous chapter on biblical faith. Pray that God will increase our faith.
· Pray for specific ways, and for specific circumstances, where you need deeper trust in God’s faithfulness. (Illness, relationships, or other challenges, where it’s hard to believe that God will be faithful.)
· Thank God for his faithfulness to you. Thank God for heroes of faith He’s placed in your life.