Study Guide
Romans Part 19, "Mother's Day"
Join us as we celebrate Mother's Day and hear an inspiring yet down-to-earth message from Pastors JoAnn Johnson and Kamar Bevil and learn how we can love others and live with eternity in mind.
Newbreak’s Sermon Study Guide is an in-house resource that serves sermon-based Life Groups and/or individuals who want to reflect further on how the message contributes to their spiritual formation.
Icebreakers for Life Groups
- What’s one thing you are grateful for today? What is one thing you need prayer about?
- What’s something you want to make more time for this year?
Read Romans 13:8-10 (CSB)
Loving others is my unending calling.
After discussing the Christian’s responsibility to the government in verses 1-7, Paul turns his attention to our responsibility to one another- namely, the invitation to love. In verses 8-10, the word “love” is used 5 times! As a general rule of biblical interpretation, when a word is repeated multiple times in a passage of Scripture, we should pay attention to the emphasis the author is placing on it. In this case, Paul is calling us to let love be the guiding principle for how we live and treat others. When we love others, we naturally follow God’s moral law. This doesn’t mean that we ignore God’s commands, but that love becomes the lens through which we view and fulfill all of God's commands. As we love others, we honor God’s commands and live in harmony with His will.
Paul loves to talk about love. When referencing how we exercise our spiritual gifts with one another, he famously talks about what love looks like in action in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant,5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends…
Whether you’re submitting to government authority (vs.1), caring for your neighbor (vs.9-10), or exercising your gifts, God’s love must be our guide.
Discussion Questions
- Why do you think Paul lists certain commandments in verse 9? How do they relate to loving-or not loving- others?
- How do you grow in your love for others? What hinders our love for others?
- What does it practically look like to let love be the guiding principle in your daily decisions?
Read Romans 13:11-14 (CSB)
Live with eternity in mind.
The early church lived with the expectation that Jesus could return at any moment. Just as Jesus told the disciples to stay awake and pray in the garden (Matt 26:36-46), Paul urges believers to “wake up from sleep” (vs.11) and live lives characterized by purity and purpose (Vs.12-14). In other words, Paul wanted them to live now with eternity in mind.
The more aware I am of the limited time I have on earth, and how soon Christ could return, the more I’m able to prioritize what matters. This mindset helps me to live with purpose, walk in purity, and stay even closer connected with Christ.
Where can we find the strength to “discard the deeds of darkness”? How can we live free from addiction, remain sexually pure, and stop letting unchecked anger destroy our lives? Paul’s answer is clear: we must continually put on Jesus and not let our flesh have its way (vs.14). The metaphor of “putting on Jesus” means daily identifying with Him, remaining open to His guidance, and prioritizing our relationship with Him over all things.
When we do this on a daily basis, we learn to live with eternity in mind.
Discussion Questions
- If someone looked at the way you spend your time, what might they assume is most important to you?
- What are some reasons that believers become complacent in faith? How does this passage inspire you to wake up and live with renewed urgency?
- How can we, as a group, encourage one another to “put on Christ” each day?
When in Romans
In the middle of the first century, in the heart of the Roman empire was a group of house churches that believed that Jesus of Nazareth, crucified and risen from the dead, was the true Lord of the world! The Romans had to be some of the bravest, most tested Christ-followers as they were heavily persecuted by the rulers of the day. Therefore, Paul writes a letter to them, expressing what he wishes he could say in person to them. The contents of this letter are so revolutionary that for 2,000 years churches all around the globe read it, reflect on it, and apply these truths to their lives. Join us as we venture through Romans and see how the gospel's message gives us a new identity and a new way to live!