This week, we began a new series called “Why Try.” We were reminded during the weekend message that apart from Christ, we are hopeless, lost in our sin, and headed toward death and eternal life apart from Him. Of course, Jesus changed everything when He came to earth to rescue us through His perfect life, death, and resurrection. This truth is the great hope that every follower of Christ has to claim, and it makes all the difference.
Describe a time someone showed you grace. How did their grace impact you?
1. Read Romans 7:14-23. In one or two words, describe Paul’s struggle. Is this struggle common in our world today? Why or why not?
Romans 7:14-23
So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 2 1I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
2. Read Romans 7:24-25. Where do people in our world today look for freedom, and why do those sources of freedom leave us empty?
Romans 7:24-25
Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
3. Read Romans 8:1-6. Why can’t obedience to the law save us?
Romans 8:1-4
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
4. Is the truth that there is “no condemnation for those who belong to Christ” easy or difficult for you to grasp? Why?
1. Can you relate to Paul’s struggle in Romans 7? Why or why not?
2. In what way have you experienced the grace of God in your own life?
3. What does it look like in our world today to respond appropriately to God’s grace?
The truth that “there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ is good, good news for us today.” Pair up into groups of three and answer this question: Have you lived as if you are still under condemnation, and what would it look like to live like someone who has been set free from condemnation because, indeed, you have if you have placed your faith in Christ. Over the next week, commit to memorizing Romans 8:1 and bring it to mind whenever you need the reminder that all who have placed their faith in Christ have been set free from condemnation.
We often use the word “grace” as we remember God’s generosity toward us. The word has become so common that we might not even realize we don’t fully understand its meaning. For the next few moments, we are going to look at three things Scripture teaches us about God’s grace to better understand what grace is, how it impacts us, and how we can respond to God’s great grace.
The first truth about grace that we must understand is that grace is a gift. It is freely given to us by God simply because He loves us. Everything else we can learn about grace hinges on the truth that grace is a gift to us from God.
1. Read Romans 5:12-17.
Romans 5:12-17
When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
2. Why is this teaching from Paul about grace difficult for some people to grasp?
3. How does understanding that grace is a gift help you better understand God’s grace toward you?
4. What is the result of being a recipient of the grace of God, according to this passage of Scripture?
In a world where almost everything must be earned or deserved, grace is different. Try as we might, we cannot earn God’s grace or work to deserve it. Because grace is a gift, which we just read about in Romans 5, it cannot be earned. It is a gift from God to all who place their faith in Him.
1. Read Ephesians 2:8-9.
Ephesians 2:8-9
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
2. Contrast God’s grace with the way the rest of the world operates?
3. As you consider your life, are you living as if you have to earn God’s grace? Why or why not?
4. Why is it important for us to understand that grace cannot be earned?
Like any gift, grace is given to us with the expectation that we will receive it and respond to it well. After all, no one gives a gift expecting it to be mishandled or put away, never to be seen again. God has been so gracious to us, and we are responsible for responding to His grace with gratitude and a sense of responsibility to handle His gift appropriately.
1. Read Romans 6:1-4.
Romans 6:1-4
Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
2. What is at stake if we mishandle God’s great grace?
3. How are we called to live in response to God’s grace?
4. Why does God’s grace motivate us to live differently from the rest of the world?
As you consider God’s gift of grace, how does what we learned today about the grace of God impact your understanding of God’s grace? Share your answer with your group, along with one step you can take this week to respond appropriately to God’s grace. End your time praying together. Thank God for His great grace, and ask Him to help you all respond well to His free, unearned gift of grace to you.
©2026 Sagebrush Church
