Sermon Discussion Guide 8-30-26

Sermon Discussion Guide
Romans | The Majesty of the Gospel | Romans 1:1-7

Gathering Question:
What is one way you’ve seen God at work in your life this week?

Gathering Prayer
Father, by Your Spirit, would you guide us into all truth. Help us to hear and be attentive to Your voice as we work through this study. In the name of Jesus, Your Son, we pray. Amen.

Opening Questions

• What stood out to you in the sermon? 
• What insights did you gain? 
• What questions did it raise?

Read Romans 1:1-7

Good News, Not Good Advice

• How do you think most people would define the “gospel?”
• The early Christians used the Greek word euangelion (“announcement of a victory”) to describe their message. We translate that word as good news, or gospel. How does that background change the way you hear the word "gospel"?
• Reflect on this quote by N. T. Wright in Simply Christian,

“Christianity is about something that happened. Something that happened to Jesus of
Nazareth. Something that happened through Jesus of Nazareth. … The need which the
Christian faith answers is not so much that we are ignorant and need better information,
but that we are lost and need someone to come and find us, stuck in the quicksand
waiting to be rescued, dying and in need of new life.”

• What stands out to you most in Wright’s statement that Christianity is about “something that happened”? Why do you think that distinction is important?
• How is the idea that Christianity is “news” different from thinking of Christianity primarily as advice, self-help, or a collection of moral teachings?
• Where do you see people (including Christians) trying to solve spiritual problems by getting more information, trying harder, or becoming more disciplined?

A Servant of Christ

• What is the difference between saying, “I belong to Jesus, so I need to obey him,” and “I obey Jesus so that I can belong to him”? Why does that distinction matter?
• Our culture emphasizes self-reliance and personal autonomy. How does the gospel challenge this idea that we belong to ourselves and get to define our own life? 

Put it into Practice

• Have you ever found yourself, like John Wesley, doing the right spiritual things but still lacking peace or assurance? What might be the difference between religious effort and genuine dependence on Christ?
• If the resurrection is something that actually happened, how should that change the way you live this week?

Closing Prayer