Our Blog
Pray for Fellow Sunday School Teachers
Lord, I pray today for my fellow Sunday school teachers. I thank You that our church has a team working together to train people how to live for Christ. I value their ministry, whether they are teachers of younger ages or a different class of adults. Thank You for the privilege of serving You with others.
I pray that my fellow teachers might be filled with wisdom and understanding as they direct their classes. Give them the creativity to teach their students that every week the class is excited to learn about You.
Give my fellow teachers encouragement in their ministry. I know that they, like me, will have those days and weeks where busyness, troubles of various kinds, and interruptions tend to suck the energy and life from their spirit. Help them to persevere for You. Let them know that their work has eternal results and eternal rewards.
Help me to be an encouragement to my fellow teachers. May I never be a source of frustration or irritation. Instead, help me to be a great team player for the cause of Christ. I pray all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Victorious Living
Lesson 7 - January 15, 2017
Focus Text: Romans 8:1-17
Central Truth: We can have victory over sin through Christ's grace.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify some signs of victory in the Christian life.
Lesson Outline:
- The Provision for Victorious Living (Romans 8:1-5)
- The Priority of Victorious Living (Romans 8:6-11)
- The Power of Victorious Living (Romans 8:12-17)
What causes a person to act contrary to their desires?
In "Biblical Perspective" Gordon Snider writes:
If the law is not the problem (v. 16), then what causes me to act contrary to my own desires? Paul answered by distinguishing between I and sin that dwelleth in me. The former is the man as created by God, which in verse 15 made good decisions. The latter is the principle of sin that entered the human race at the Fall and holds controlling influence in the natural man.
Source: Studies in Romans: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 36.
What does it mean to die to the law?
In "Biblical Perspective" Gordon Snider writes concerning Romans 7:4:
In verses 1-3 Paul had shown how death changes the relationship of the surviving marriage partner to the deceased. In this analogy the sinner is married to the law. But death (i.e., being crucified with Christ) breaks that bond. We would have expected that if man is married to the law, the law would have had to die in order for man to be free to marry another. It is not the law that dies, but the believer dies to the law. So long as we live for the law, we cannot live for Christ. That ye should be married to another. The person who is satisfied merely to be delivered from guilt does not truly understand the work of the cross. We are delivered from the law to be united with Christ, that we should bring forth fruit. In 6:22 Paul spoke of “fruit unto holiness,” and that thought seems to be carried on here, as the next two verses suggest.
Source: Studies in Romans: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 34.
The Struggle of the Believer
In "Word Focus" Glenn McClure writes:
In verses 18 and 21, we have another important word that helps us to see the struggle of the believer — to will is present with me (v. 18), and evil is present with me (v. 21). The Greek word for is present with means “to lie beside” or “to be near.” It can be defined also as “to be present, at hand.” What a paradox! The “will” or intent to do good is present or at hand, but to “perform” (carry the desire into effect) is not present. In other words, the desire to do good was possible, it was in his power, and it was his habitual inclination and purpose of mind to do right. But in contrast, verse 21 also says that evil is present with him. This “evil” is as near at hand as the desire to do good. It raises its ugly head unbidden and undesired, to turn one from doing good. Thus we see here man with sin dwelling (or making its abode) within him and causing him to miss the design of doing good. Even when the will to do good is present, the power of sin is also present. There is only one Power that can enable man to overcome the power of sin — that is the indwelling power of the blessed Holy Spirit.
Source: Studies in Romans: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 34.