Romans 8:17-18
1. We started with a reminder of all that has been said thus far in Romans 8.
A: From all that we’ve talked about: from living in the Spirit, to the privilege of living in the Spirit, to the proof of living in the Spirit…what has stood out to you from our time in Romans 8 over the past few weeks?
B: If it is hard to really know what stands out from Romans 8 over the past month, why is that the case? Is it because of truth amnesia, the text not making sense, failure to think through & live in light of what was implied in the text or something else?
2. We then looked at Romans 8:17 & the goodness of what belongs to children of God.
A: The text talks about us being “heirs of God.” An heir is one who receives an inheritance & it was said that an inheritance is only as valuable as the one who’s giving it. So what does it then mean to be an heir of God?
B: It was said that the God gives us the greatest gift of all: Himself. In our lives, what competes for the position of “greatest gift”? Why do all other gifts fall short of the greatness of the gift of God?
C: The text also says that we are “fellow heirs with Christ” & in Hebrews 1:2 we see that Christ is the heir of all things…so how does this concept of being fellow heirs with Christ highlight the power of the grace of God? How does knowing where we were on our own & now reading of where we are as children of God show us the radical, transforming grace of God? How can we remind ourselves of this truth consistently?
3. Next we saw from Romans 8:17b who really is an “heir of God” & “fellow heir with Christ.”
A: The condition given is suffering for God, suffering that comes from obedience to God’s Word…how is this kind of suffering different from other types of suffering?
B: Read John 15:18-21, Philippians 1:29-30, 2 Timothy 3:12…how important is it that we not neglect to speak of the cost of following Christ?
4. Finally we looked at Romans 8:18 & the comparison that Paul speaks of.
A: Paul uses the phrase, “for I consider” in this verse. Why is it necessary that a person take time to evaluate & consider the cost of following Christ? What happens when a person feel pressured to rush to a decision?
B: Read Mark 8:34-38 & John 16:33…why is this kind of hostility & difficulty often so foreign to us?
C: How could we face persecution for the sake of Christ as we seek to be faithful & obedient to the Word of God? What is an area of life where you want to walk more obediently to the Word of God & it might lead to hostility & difficulty for doing so?