Obedience A closer look at temptation, sin, repentance and forgiveness... Speak Talk about what you think Think of the word obedience. Does it seem like a negative or positive word to you? Why or why not? 7 lesson We all struggle to live by God s truth each day. What truths do you have a hard time making a part of your new life in Christ? In what ways are obedience, sin and forgiveness related? Engage with the Bible Study How do you think God feels when we don t live by all His truth? John 8:1-12 Understanding Forgiveness 1 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning He went back to the house of God and all the people came to Him. He sat down and taught them. 3 The teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers came to Him. They brought a woman who had been caught doing a sex sin. They made her stand in front of them all. 4 Then they said to Jesus, Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of doing a sex sin. 5 Moses told us in the Law to throw stones and kill a woman like this. What do You say about it? 6 They were trying to set a trap to find something against Him. Jesus got down and began to write in the dust with His finger. 7 They kept on asking Him. Then He stood up and said, Anyone of you who is without sin can throw the first stone at her. 8 Again He got down and wrote in the dust. 9 When they heard what He said, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones until they were all gone. Then Jesus was left alone with the woman. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, Woman, where are those who spoke against you? Has no man said you are guilty? 11 She said, No one, Sir. Jesus said to her, Neither do I say you are guilty. Go on your way and do not sin again. 12 Jesus spoke to all the people, saying, I am the Light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will not walk in darkness. He will have the Light of Life. In this passage Jesus responds to the religious leaders who believe that a woman who was caught in a sin like adultery should be stoned to death. Jesus answers them in a profound and clever way that stops them in their tracks. He then turns to the woman and offers her an opportunity to live her life in a new way - accepted by him, and freed from her sin. He offers her a life of reconciliation and forgiveness.
1 2 3 4 5 Discovering the key themes Sin and its consequences This woman was caught in adultery. Do you think that the punishment of stoning was too severe? What do you think should happen to someone in this case? The law of Moses, that the Jewish nation lived by, was a guideline for life before the time of Christ. Certainly, the heart of these laws was not just to punish people, but to restore them to a relationship with God. But, the reality of the law was that everyone who committed a sinful act, even if it was not as severe as adultery, was judged by the law. (James 2:10). Even though we no longer live under the Jewish laws, sin is still very serious. Sin always moves us away or separates us from God and his perfect way of life for us. What can we do about our sin? Jesus responds to the woman s accusers when he asks a question about sin in v 7. As you can see, he does not address the specific sin, but in general he asks if any of them are without sin. Do you believe that everyone sins or does things that are against God s perfect way of living? What can you do about sin in your life after you become a Christian? Just because we become a Christian does not mean that we naturally live our lives according to God s truth. Learning how to deal with our desire to live our lives the way we want to vs. how God wants us to, is crucial for growing in our relationship with God. It is a constant battle against our tendency to live the way we selfishly want to. Condemnation vs. forgiveness In v 10 Jesus asks the woman if any of the religious leaders had condemned her. Why do you think no one decided to condemn her? Jesus offers the woman an opportunity to change. God does not condemn her but offers her something more. The opposite of condemnation is to be acquitted or to be forgiven. As believers in Jesus Christ, God forgave us for all of our sins. So it is by faith that we walk in a constant state of forgiveness before God. Our motivation How did Jesus motivate the woman to obey and leave her life of sin? What motivates you to want to live according to God s truth? Jesus didn t inform her of the dangers of sin or how dirty sin had made her. He motivated her by offering his grace and his acceptance. Our motivation for obeying God s truth should always be his love and acceptance of us and not our fear of his judgment or condemnation. God gave his only Son to face death and condemnation in our place on the cross, so that we would not have to carry this fear any longer. Living a life of obedience Jesus tells the woman to leave her life of sin. How does the woman respond to Jesus question in verses 10-11? What does she have to do to no longer be condemned? Jesus challenges the woman to leave her life of sin, showing that sin is still an issue, even though she is forgiven. We should never assume that because we are forgiven, we can be careless about sin in our lives and continue in it. Our condition of forgiveness should only encourage us not to allow sin to lead us away from God s truth. 2
In summary we can see some key things in this passage that help us understand obedience: First of all there are two opposing choices that we face. We can choose to follow sin (which is following our will and our way) or to follow God (his will and his way). We make this choice to follow God, initially, when we become a Christian and because of that choice we are no longer condemned. We also make this choice every day when we find ourselves in sin or tempted to sin. We choose to rest in our place of forgiveness and refuse to let sin find a home in our lives. 1. Second, to obey then means to submit to the authority of someone else. In this story, Jesus was offering the woman an opportunity to submit her will to his and to follow him. God will always call us to live more and more by his truth. When he shows us how we are sinning, our response should be to admit our 2. mistake and turn away from it (to repent) and to seek to align our actions with his truth. This is a process that will continue our whole lives as God draws us closer and closer to him. Skills Temptation 1. 2. Applying it, experiencing it, practicing it Forgiveness This is the foundation upon which we build our obedience. Do you feel totally forgiven every day? Or do you still have feelings of being dirty and then clean and then dirty and then clean again? Can you identify and write down what makes you feel unforgiven or unclean? 3. Temptation is not sin. Temptation is only the bait that draws us into sinful actions. When we take that bait, we end up in sin. Write down three temptations that you face regularly. The Holy Spirit will regularly show us sin in our lives that we need to turn away from. Take time to ask God to show you where you are not in obedience. Then write down what he reveals to you and then bring it before your small group or study leader for prayer and support. Sin Would you say that you are careless about sin in your life or do you feel the Holy Spirit helping you to hate sin? What specific sin do you need help from God to hate? Repentance 3
Skills Summary: Of course obedience isn t only getting rid of sin. It is also about following God s instruction and living like he wants us to. And this is our desire as believers - to develop HABITS of walking in God s ways day after day. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will grow wiser and stronger in our obeying. However, remember that sinless perfection is something we will only experience when we get to heaven. In the space below write down some specific spiritual habits you desire to develop in your life of obedience. (e.g. Daily times of prayer, being accountable to another Christian, reading and memorizing specific Bible verses ): Story Real Stories from Central and Eastern Europe Watch DVD Watch DVD Obedience Duski Obedience Karolina How does this work out in you this week? SUMMARY VERSE AND MEMORY VERSE FOR THE WEEK: Habits John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 4
EXPERIENCING IT DURING THE WEEK: Theme Passage Questions 1 st Day Your strength Psalm 26 2 nd Day The trap Galatians 2:20-21 3 rd Day Tracking Psalm 139 4 th Day Obstacles Psalm 1 5 th Day - How does it happen? John 16:13 Hebrews 4:12 6 th Day Failure Psalm 32 7 th Day Your experience Jonah 1-3 What are your areas of strength in walking in God s truth? Write down at least 5 examples (e.g. Confidence, unselfishness, wisdom). How can you avoid the trap of trying to make God like you more by obeying more? In what practical way do you track or record what God is teaching you about growing in obedience? Are there some obstacles that make it more difficult for you to obey in certain areas? (e.g. Certain people, habits, places) What does it feel like when the Holy Spirit reveals an area of sin to you? How do you handle failure in this process of obedience? How do you respond to your own failure? (e.g. Fear, doubt, discouragement, anger). Can you tell a story of something that you repented of that resulted in something positive? A closer look at temptation, sin, repentance and forgiveness. 7 lesson Obedience