How many times have you sped up simply because no police officer was in sight? Our unofficial motto, rules are made to be broken, works against God’s law too, and the Apostle Paul says so plainly (Romans 8). This sermon shows how God traded the logic of the traffic officer for the logic of a Father: in Christ he paid our fines and gave us the Spirit who walks beside us as a guide. Listen if you are tired of fighting yourself for a life that pleases God.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Romans 7 Paul cries out, "Who will rescue me from this body of death?", and chapter 8 opens with "there is now no condemnation". How do these two passages connect?
- What does Paul mean by "the flesh" in Romans 8, and why, as the sermon stressed, is it not about the physical body itself, since Christ came in the same kind of body?
- The preacher said the unofficial Polish motto is "rules are made to be broken". Where do you see that same attitude in yourself toward God's commands?
- How does the picture of the guide, without whom you cannot enter the chapel in the Czech castle, help you understand the Holy Spirit's role in the fight against sin?
- Paul writes that we did not receive a spirit of slavery that leads to fear, but the Spirit who makes us God's children. What changes in your life when you see God as a Father rather than a police officer handing out fines?
- In what specific area where you often stumble do you want to consciously rely on the Holy Spirit's help this week instead of your own strength?
