Is There More to My Story – Part 1
March 14, 2021

We all know we can look to our future and say tomorrow I will write a new story, a new future. I’ll go after my dreams, tomorrow, tomorrow, because tomorrow is only a day away. Or at least that’s what the great theologian Annie sang.

Perhaps each of us have some chapters in our life that we like to talk about and are proud of. Some chapters have caused pain and other chapters we’d like to eliminate or change, but we can’t. Which leads us to wonder. Is there or can there be more to my story?

We believe that God is writing a bigger story in your life, your family’s life, and friend’s life.

*Share with one another how you see God continuing to write your story now.

Today we want to deal with what may be one of the biggest things holding you back from you having MORE TO YOUR STORY. And that may, be YOU.

A Description of the Problem
Read together: Romans 7:15–19; 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good . . . 18For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

Scripture Support:
v. 15 – 19; here Paul shares three lessons that he learned in trying to deal with his sinful desires. 1. Knowledge of the rules is not the answer. 2. Self-determination, relying on one’s own strength does not cut it. 3. Becoming a Christian does not cancel temptation and sin from a person’s life. Paul is managing some serious tension in his life.

Becoming a Christian takes a moment of faith, becoming Christ-like takes a lifetime!

Paul is sharing his heart, peeling back the layers, being fully transparent, open, and honest. He is describing the experience of any Christian struggling with sin or trying to please God. Let us never underestimate the power of sin. God provides victory over sin through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit living and working in us.

*Share an example of something that invaded your faith story in the past or currently in the present. Would someone be so bold to share an example of how sin was entangled in your life?

So here is the big issue. Why is it we can teach our dog to stop doing bad things but struggle to teach ourselves from doing bad things? Seems like the trouble with a new chapter for you or a new story is that it can feel like no matter how hard you try for a new story, somehow it seems like you keep getting sucked back into the same old story.

Perhaps some of you have been trying to solve YOU for a long time.

*Share an example of how others have tried to solve you, or how you paid good money to have someone else help you, or how you may have lost friends, a spouse, or even a jog b because you couldn’t get YOU solved.

So, why is it that you can’t stop the things that keep invading your story? You probably have a theory. Christians have a theory. The apostle Paul explains it, it’s not super easy to understand, but we are going to try, because folks at GatheringPoint are not an average church. You can handle the hard things.

Read together Romans 5:6-12

Scripture Support:
v. 6; we were helpless because we could do nothing on our own to atone for sin. Someone had to come and rescue us, save us. Christ came at exactly the right time – according to God’s schedule.

v. 8; “while we were still sinners” – these are amazing words. God sent his son, Jesus to die for us, not because we were good enough but because he loved us…..period!

Remember that God loved you before you recognized your need for Him in your life.

*Share an example of what that looked like in your life. Looking back, where do you see God working in your life before you were able to recognize it?

v. 9, 10; The love that caused Christ to die is the same love that sends the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us every day. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power that saved you and is available to you in your daily life. Sometimes we need to be reminded to stop living below our privilege as sons and daughters of God.

v. 11; God is holy, he does not associate with sin. Sin is serious business. It has to be dealt with. Christ took our sin upon himself and took our punishment by dying on the cross.

v. 12; We are made of the same material as Adam and are prone to sin against God & others.

Let’s be honest, we all have different habits, hurts, or hang-ups. There may be several ways to interpret that, but either way it relates to sin you were born with and includes your personal sin as well.

In the words of Dr Phil, “how’s that working out for you?”
Paul says sin is more than a behavior. Sin is a power.

Read together Romans 5:13-19 and discuss.

*Share an example from your story where you were set free from sin. Celebrate this with one another.

Closing:
It’s difficult to solve a problem when you don’t know what the problem is.
Paul says the problem is deeper than behavior; it is SIN residing in you.
Paul’s audience didn’t know. So, he begins the next section with “Do you not know?”
That’s where we will pick it up next week because there is MORE TO YOUR STORY!