Sunday 21st September, 2008
To listen to the notices and testamony from this Sunday, click here. (12 mins)
To listen to the message from this Sunday, click here. (14 mins)
You can right-click and choose "Save as..." or "Download..." to save the mp3 file to your computer.
Below is the film clip shown in the service.
SIN: OUR PROBLEM
- How do you feel about calling yourself a ‘sinner’? Do you feel like a sinner? Do you think your answer to that question is a healthy way to consider yourself or not?
- Are there things that you do or behaviours you fall into that you feel hold you back from having a character like Jesus? Why do you do these things and where did you learn them? What do you think would need to happen to move beyond them?
- Why do we sin? If we know it’s bad, why don’t we just stop? Do you ever justify your sin and let yourself off the hook? Is this a good or a bad thing?
BIBLE PASSAGES TO HELP US THINK ABOUT SIN
- Read Hebrews 12:1. Does this seem ridiculously unrealistic?
- Think of a sin-behaviour that you fall into. Have you drawn an imaginary line that once you cross you’re sinning? Is the line in the right place? Can you recognise any patterns or triggers? How could you do something positive before you get to that point?
- Read Hebrews 11:1 through to 12:13 out loud.
- Pay special attention to the passage of Hebrews 12:7-11. What do you think God’s discipline is? Do you think it’s connected to sin?
- Read 1 Timothy 1:15-16. Why did Paul think he was the worst sinner? What can we learn from this? (It’s often suggested that Paul is thinking about things in his past like the events in Acts 7:57-8:3, but surely the people who actually stoned Stephen would be worse.)
- Read 1 John 1:5-10 out loud. Try rewriting it in your own words, as if you were going to convey all of the ideas in the passage to one of your friends. Don’t be afraid to read between the lines. Take as many words as you need to get the point and emphasis across.
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Labels: Forgiveness Series
posted by Dave @ 10:30
4 Comments
4 Comments:
Some notes I wrote down today:
Sin:Devils way of saying, ha you f***ed up, God wont want you anymore, may as well give up...
Does God know what sin is? When he's created us all perfect? Surely he only see's our brilliance?
We're made in God's image, does he then make mistakes? Could enviromental disasters be those mistakes?
Sins not only the Devil's action in us, but his ONLY creation in the world, and his secret as it doesn't bother God?
Can God see, understand or know what we call Sin? Or is it our insecurity and lack of faith that were doing whats right. Or the will of God?
Forgiveness need not be requested nor given if what were doing "wrong" is the life he's laid out for us to live?
Alot of questions and thought that just came into my head when listening to today's talk, maybe they can be answered, but I just feel that God leads in my life through my 'mistakes' and 'sins' than in many of my other actions.. Its when I do something thats really bad. that I can see how amazing God is that as much as I stray he just screams louder that he loves me.. If my life was all peachy, would it have the same effect?
Theres a quote somewhere in the bible, maybe Mark 2 somewhere? that says something along the lines of:
'Only the sick go to the doctor: and Jesus came for the sinners.'
(can tell I'm not a bible nose)
So yes, we all do things that we shouldn't. but there is a reason for that mistake, everytime I *uck up I remember, that God can give me that millionth chance, and it just makes me feel closer to him everytime I go back asking for forgiveness..
Heard once somewhere:
A man turns to god and says 'father I've done it again' God says to him, 'done what?'
Its not about washing a slate clean. Its rejoicing in the fact we have a God, a Father, a Creator who says.. *UCK THE SLATE. I'M GOING TO LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO. And from that we learn to love all the people around us, and one day find a way to live in peace?!
PRAISE TO GOD. He's pretty.. great?
- Side note! Thank you to everyone who's smiled at me already, and just made me feel welcome, its great to find myself in a church again...
And have come at just the right time, as since telling all my friends, actually guys im going to give my life to god again, they've turned to me and said how can you when you've done so much wrong.. and well I have a chance to say all what I've said here, and I guess being with you, we can learn from one another. Love one another.. and hand in hand go closer to God :)
Peace and Love.
Derry
It is amazing how God somehow uses our mistakes, weaknesses and short-comings to turn them to his purposes and our benefit... but I guess this doesn't necessarily mean it is a good thing.
It'd be a bit like running out of petrol while driving to a party. You phone your parents, who come out in the middle of the night to bring you a fuel can. You would think, "that's amazing, they really love me to go to all that effort." You have some evidence of their love, but they would have still loved you whether you'd have run out of petrol or not. Just now you've missed out on going to the party.
There was a group in the early church that were amazed by this idea of God's grace and forgiveness. They thought the best way to meet with God was to deliberately sin so they could experience his forgiveness.
But this misses the point of what God wants us to be like... to live life God wants us to lead. To experience God fully (and the life we were made to live) we need to be freed from sin's limitations.
Paul writes about this in Romans 5 and 6.
Listening to Clive’s analogy of a ship & anchor and the need to break the ‘chain’ of sin on Sunday got me thinking about sin in my own life…
For me sin feels more like barnacles stuck on your hull – sin doesn’t stop you from moving in the right direction altogether, it is perfectly possible to be a Christian and be a sinner at the same time, in fact due to our human nature it’s inevitable as witnessed by the fact that our Church (like every other Church) is full of sinners!
But left unchecked barnacles (like the sin in our lives) can grow and slow you down. Your journey therefore becomes harder, slower and ultimately less satisfying / enjoyable because sin stops you from being the person God wants you to be and therefore enjoying the abundant life he has in store for us…
The trouble is I have become so sanitised to sin that I have lost touch with the feelings of genuine remorse and therefore the need to ask for & receive God’s forgiveness.
Sin has come to mean ‘murder, theft, adultery’ which I wouldn’t dream of committing but not helping someone in need, copying someone else’s CD, lusting after another woman / image has somehow become excusable & justifiable in my life.
I have come to realise my hull has far more barnacles growing on it than I care to admit and scraping them off is not going to be easy but fortunately I’m not alone and don’t have to do this on my own either! This 6 week series is going to prove to be challenging but if week 1 is anything to go by ultimately rewarding!
I have been thinking alot about sin, and how it can stand in our way stopping us getting closer to God. I had known in my head how much God loved me and what Christ did for me on the cross, but this week as I was preparing the ladies bible study, God had given me one of his 'Gems' a real understanding , a more indepth heart felt understading about my view on sin and the love God has for me,It dawned on me that Christ had to go to hell before he rose again and was seated on Gods right hand, that really blew me away, my Lord, the one I love with all of my heart had been to hell and back for me, I wrote these notes, "I hadn't really realised just how much it cost for you to go to the cross for me, although I had realised in my head but I hadn't transfered it to my heart just how much you love me, and went to the deepest darkest places of the universe so that I could have a relationship with you.When I find myself tempted into 'sin' I want to visualise you in that dark place, and how much that cost, I dont want to make a mockery of your sacrifice, If we truly understood the price you paid, I think we would think about our actions very carefully, and not take for granted that we are forgiven by your blood." I know I wont be perfect and will fall often from Gods grace, but something has snapped into place, this part makes sense to me now, like never before, It's like the crucifiction is in H.D techicolour in my heart and not just black and white, (if that makes any sense?)Im going to try and not take for granted that Im forgiven and so it wont matter if I sin a little, because i'm starting to understand just what a sacrifice it was.
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