Grace South Bay

11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

1. Can you share a personal experience where you've felt a tension between your intentions and your actions?
2. The sermon states that "Rules + Effort = Failure" when it comes to truly overcoming sin and living righteously. In what ways have you experienced the truth of this statement, perhaps in your own attempts to live a "good" or "holy" life?
3. Bob talked about "Chapter 7 Christianity" as relying on our performance for our self-worth and relationship with God. How might the "upwardly mobile meritocracy ethos" (the belief that hard work and following rules lead to success) subtly influence how you approach your faith or view your spiritual struggles?
4. Paul is adamant that in Jesus you are not a slave to sin, which means change is possible and real. How does this truth empower you or challenge your perspective on ongoing struggles or areas where you've felt stuck in a "Romans 7 world"?
5. Bob said to find "windy places"—environments or practices that allow God's Spirit to work in us (e.g., prayer, worship, Christian community, accountability). What are some "windy places" in your life right now, or what steps can you take to create more opportunities for the Spirit to have His way in you?
6. Bob said to "get quick on the draw" to cry out for rescue when experiencing Romans 7 struggles, to be quick to confess, repent, and move to worship and praise (Romans 7:24-25, Romans 8:1). What does this practical advice look like for you in your daily life? How can focusing on Jesus and praise help shift you from condemnation to freedom?

14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1.What are some "rules," expectations, or authorities (even seemingly minor ones) that you find yourself resisting or wanting to bend, and what drives that resistance?
2.Sin makes a deceptive offer of freedom and satisfaction, but it's a lie. Can you share an experience where something you pursued, thinking it would bring freedom or satisfaction, ultimately led to the opposite (the "wages of sin")? 
3.Do you have a story about a time when you make a hard, righteous decision that led to deep satisfaction?
4.Do you ever find yourself trying “autonomous morality” to avoid slavery? How does it work or impact you?
5.Is there any place in your life now or in the past where you were unconsciously relying on cheap grace?
6.What makes Jesus a master worth following? Are there any ways in your life in 2026 you hope to follow him more closely?

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Worship in the Midst of Doubt: Matthew 28:17 says that when they saw Jesus, they worshiped him, "but some doubted." Does it change your perspective of faith to see that worship and doubt can exist in the same moment? Why do we often feel like we have to "fix" our doubts before we can serve God?

The Authority of Jesus: Abraham Kuyper famously said that Christ claims every "square inch" of our existence. Is there a specific "square inch" of your life (career, finances, a specific relationship, or a worry) that you find difficult to surrender to His authority right now?

Caught, Not Taught: Xavier mentioned that the Christian life is often "caught more than taught." Think about the people who influenced your faith—was it their "superstar" knowledge or their everyday hospitality and character that impacted you most? How does that take the pressure off your own witness?

People vs. Projects: The sermon reminds us to treat people like people, not "discipleship projects." Who is someone God has placed in your life right now (a neighbor, coworker, or family member) that you can simply love and invite to "come and see" without feeling the need to "fix" them?

The Comfort of "Behold": Jesus ends the Great Commission not with a task, but with a promise: "I am with you always." How does knowing that His presence is your greatest resource change how you feel about the challenges or uncertainties you are facing in the coming weeks?

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

1. The sermon begins by asking "Why should you try to be and do good?" What typically motivates you to act morally or pursue goodness, and how does Paul's identity-based rationale compare to those?
2. Paul states that in baptism, Christians are "baptized into his death" and become "set free from sin." What does it practically mean for you to consider yourself "dead to sin," and what implications does this have for how you view temptation?
3. Bob said fighting sin is not about "sheer determination, hard work, white knuckling it," but about "living real-time in Jesus." What has been your experience with willpower in resisting sin, and how might focusing on union with Christ offer a different path?
4. The sermon provides two scenarios (nasty email, internet shopping) to illustrate real-time application. Can you share a personal struggle or temptation and discuss how intentionally "choosing to be in Jesus" might transform your response in that specific situation?
5. What are the things that make you conscious of being in Christ? What practices or rhythms in your life help you actively "reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God"?
6. Paul concludes the passage with "you are not under law, but under grace." How does understanding your identity through grace, rather than law, impact your self-perception, your approach to personal change, and your relationship with God?

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1.     What does it mean to you personally to understand that you were born into the "kingdom of sin and death" through Adam, and how does that understanding shape your view of humanity?

2.     How do you reconcile the idea of being represented by someone else (Adam or Jesus) with our cultural emphasis on personal autonomy and individual responsibility?

3.     Do you find the human origin account in Adam to be a powerful explanation for both humans’ inherent worth and deep brokenness?

4.     In what ways are Jesus and Adam similar as representatives, and in what ways different? How does that inform your understanding of Jesus’ obedience and salvation?

5.     How are these three powerful in your life: what’s been done to you, by you and for you? How would it impact you if what’s been done for you was the primary felt power over your life?

6.     If you are now a "citizen of a new kingdom" through Jesus, what are some ways you might still feel like a "caveman," and how can you begin to live more fully into your new reality?

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

1.     When have you experienced feelings of imposter syndrome?

2.     How important is it to you to feel like you belong somewhere, in some group? What are those places for you? Where does belonging to God and his Kingdom fit into that?

3.     Belonging to God is a gift from him. How easy is it for you to accept that? When/how do you feel like you have to earn your spot with him?

4.     How often do you feel like a “sunk cost” for God? How often do you realize he really still loves you?

5.     Have you ever noticed the difference between suffering belonging somewhere and suffering belonging nowhere? 

6.     Can you trust that suffering with Jesus leads to finding God’s love? Where do you need to “dig” to find it?

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
     and whose sins are covered;
 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised…

13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

1.What is challenging about living by God’s promises rather than our performance? Why do we want to be in charge?
2.Does it make sense that God would be more interested in people trusting him than performing for him? How are trust and obedience related? In what ways are they similar, in what ways different?
3.Has God promised you anything?
4.If you desire to be godly, righteous and alive, do you need a miracle or more hard work and discipline?
5.Where in your life are you saying, “I must,” and where could you be saying “God, you must”?
6.Have you been able to sustain ‘hope beyond hope’? How?

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.