Review—Part one:

• God reveals Himself and His perspective what He thinks people are in bondage to
• God sees the impact of the curse and cares for Israel
• Bondage to false Gods,
• Broken relationship practices
• A life style that leads to spiritual and physical death

Romans 8:18–21 (NIV) ¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Undone Part 2: The Exodus story reveals who God is and His perspective of our relationship with Himself –we are not in right standing with God

• He is a Holy God – He is the model of good –He gets to decide what is right and wrong
• He is Holy and just – what is morally right and good –He is ethically Holy and Set apart from everything else
• HE gets to set the standards for right and a just penalty for choosing to miss the mark
• He has been wronged –it’s personal –it’s as grievous as He thinks it is
• His view is that we are not in right relationship to Himself
• The story of the Exodus tells us we are in a bondage we have all been born into and have helped to create for ourselves and others

Intro: God reveals the curses result in relation to Himself – The double curse and the double cure

• The curse Part 1– legal guilt deserving of just punishment
• Next week the residual curse that lives in our flesh – the sin nature

Leviticus 11:44 (NIV) ⁴⁴ I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.

Exodus 12:12 (NIV)

In the Passover, the Law, the sacrifices God reveals His perspective of sin

• God reveals what He thinks sin is…. 2 Timothy 3:13–17 (NIV)

1. God reveals who He thinks has sinned

• In the story of the Exodus – the death angel was coming to every home in Egypt unless it was covered by the blood of the lamb. Isaiah 53:6 (NIV).     Romans 5:12 (NIV)

2. God reveals He hates sin and He will judge it—judge it how?

• This knowledge of our assured future is a form of bondage
• The penalty for sin is death –what kind of death?
• God reveals in the law that sin equals death (what kinds)
• God hates sin – why? It destroys those He loves
• It reveals rebellion – rejection of who God is that leads to YEAST that spreads throughout the whole batch of dough.

                  Daniel 12:2–3 (NIV)      Revelation 20:11–15 (NIV        Romans 1:18–22 (NIV)

3. God reveals what He is willing to do to avoid judging us for our sin.

• He is willing to take a substitute
• Justified – declared righteous – yes, we deserve judgement but God had someone else pay for it –His Son Jesus

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) ⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

John 3:16–18 (NIV) ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 14:6 (NIV) ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Galatians 3:26–27 (NIV)   Romans 5:18–21 (NIV)

He presents us as one who is clean—Declared righteous –

• The curse and the cure part one
• Some say this means that before God it’s as if we hadn’t sinned –
• No – it’s we sinned but the penalty for sin was paid by another
• Clothed in Christ
• United with Him

Isaiah 53:4–6 (NIV) ⁴ Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 (NIV)

Next week the curse part 2 – Domination of the sinful nature to the inner help of the Holy Spirit – regeneration

Romans 6:1–12 (NIV)

For Small Group Discussion

Opening Question: Do you think you would fare better or worse, if those closest to you knew EVERYTHING about you (actions, thoughts, motives, etc.)? Would they like you more or less?

Main Point: Judgment is a reality we will all face. Judgment either leads to life or death, and there are only two ways to be square with the law: don’t sin, or pay the penalty for sin. We can do neither on our own. Jesus’ work on the cross is what satisfies God’s judgment – this is God’s gift of grace.

Main Scripture: Romans 8:1-11

Head Questions

• Do you remember when you first gave your life to Christ? What do you remember feeling at that time?
• What does it mean to you that God sees His Spirit in you when He looks at you?

Heart Questions

• When in your life have you felt most judged?
• Do you wrestle with God’s judgment? Do you tend to think God is too soft on people or too harsh with people?

Hands Questions

• How are you judgmental of others? If Jesus judged you like you judge others, would that be good for you?
• What can you do to actively keep in mind what Christ has done for you?

Additional Scripture: Colossians 3:9-11, Ephesians 4:20-22, Matthew 18:21-35

To watch Jim and the Sermon Team on The Overtime Podcast, go to: https://bit.ly/RLOvertime

For more sermon resources, podcasts, and other tools go to:  https://realliferesources.org/current-series/