Enslaved to Freed

Matt Williams | Sep 15, 2019

Study Guide

We become slaves to whatever we obey, but through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection to save us, we have a choice. Freedom is the freedom to stay free, to choose the ways of Scripture and righteous living, and to obey the One who gives life not death.
Application

Romans 6

  1. Read Romans 6:11. What does the word “consider” mean in this verse? What does that change about the way you view the power of sin? What does it practically mean in your life now to “consider yourself dead to the power of sin”?

  2. When you ask yourself, “Is sin losing or gaining power in my life?”, what are some of your initial thoughts? Think through your past—where have you played with sin and thought it had no momentum, but it ended up leading you down a painful and consequential road?

  3. What idols have you depended on for life, hope, energy, etc. instead of God? How have you cut them out, and if you haven’t, how are you going to do that? What will you do when it feels like death to cut it out of your life?

  4. What is a sin in your life that you cut out, and it felt like death for a while, but now it is freedom? How does that encourage you?

  5. How have you understood being enslaved to sin and free in Christ in your life? How does Romans 6 actually describe freedom?

  6. We feel entitled to make our own decisions about sin because we believe God is making us miss out on something good. What attitude or action do you often feel entitled to that is actually sinful?

  7. Our core values can be a tool for diagnosis and direction as we learn to depend on God and trust him. Is there anything in our core values that are off for you? What is it and why?

    1. Biblically Oriented
    2. Prayerfully Dependent
    3. Relationally Connected
    4. Ministry Focused
    5. Culturally Engaged
    6. Courageously Generous
Key Points

  • In our church, we have people under the power of sin who think they are “free” but are actually using the grace of God as a covering for sin.

  • As believers, we must choose daily to die to sinful behaviors (Romans 6:2-4).

  • Through salvation, we are removed from the penalty of sin, then in our earthly lives removed from the power of sin, and finally eternally we are removed from the presence of sin.

  • With every sinful temptation, we have to consider (believe to be true, reckon it true) that we are dead to sin and alive to Christ (Romans 6:11).

  • It is ironic that walking away from the thing that is destroying you feels like death when the thing that’s destroying you, and is death, feels like life.

  • Instead of having faith and trusting God to get us through a difficult season of learning how to trust him and not just comforting ourselves, we often panic and return to a form of control that feels familiar. Over time, the glory of God should become more important than our comfort.

  • Relapse after coming out of a world of sin and self-destruction most often stems from keeping secrets and a lack of structure.

  • Freedom does not mean a lack of boundaries or our own sovereignty. It does mean we have the choice to live the kind of life that keeps us free.

  • God will not obey himself for you. He gave you a new life, a new heart, and regenerated your soul, so now you have the ability to stop worshipping idols and worship God.

Scripture: Romans 6

Topics: Choice, Control, Core Values, Death