Years have passed since your conversion, yet you still wrestle with the same sin and think: this is not how it was meant to be. The sermon turns to Romans 7, where Paul describes with disarming honesty the split in a person who wants good and chooses evil, and explains why knowing God’s law has never on its own changed anyone. Using the picture of Eustace, whose dragon skin is torn away by Aslan’s claws because the boy could not remove it himself, it leads to a very uncomfortable conclusion about our own effort. Listen in if you are tired of trying harder and want to hear what Christian transformation actually rests on.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Paul writes that he would not have known sin if the law had not said "you shall not covet," and that the commandment meant to bring life brought death. According to Romans 7:7-13, what role does the law play, and where does the real problem lie?
- In Romans 7:14-25 Paul describes doing not what he wants but what he hates. How is this person different from someone who schemes and bends the rules, and why is this confession so honest?
- The speaker told the story of the fire alarm with a 1000 dollar fine sign and mentioned that forbidden fruit tastes better. In what situations do you notice that a prohibition itself stirs up a desire to break it?
- Justin's story, heading to an anger management class and then hitting a man in a moment of testing, shows that knowledge is not enough. Where do you see a gap between what you hear on Sunday and how you live on Monday?
- Paul does not say "try harder" but cries out asking who will rescue him, then thanks God for Christ. What strikes you in the picture of Aslan tearing the dragon skin off Eustace, and what does it teach you about how Christ changes a person?
- The speaker concluded that the Christian life is not about trying harder but about surrendering more to Jesus every day. Which room in your house, that is, which area of your life, are you still keeping in your own hands, and how can you make room for the Holy Spirit there this week?
