SERMON KEY POINTS

• We all struggle with wanting to do right but often doing wrong. There is a “war of wants” going on deep inside our hearts. The key is understanding that our new, “true self “in Christ is at war with our old, self-centered “false self.”
• There's a very real, ongoing, internal struggle—“a war of wants” going on between our "true self" in Christ and our "false self" (the flesh). Paul talks about this struggle in Romans 7 and Galatians 5 by saying, “I” want to do the right things, but “I” don’t do them. There’s something in “me” that opposes the “me” who wants to do good. The question is: Who is the “me” that’s not me?
• The “flesh” is the patterned person you became growing up in a fallen, broken world. The “flesh” is a fabricated self—a self we created in the first 20 years of our lives in a self-centered world. This “false self” was and still is fed by three things: What I have to have, what I have to do, and what I need you to think of me in order for me to feel significant and secure. The flesh is the “me” that’s me apart from Christ.
• You are not defined by what you have, what you do, or what others think. Your true identity is found in Christ alone.
• The ”me” that’s not “me” is my true self in Christ that continues to struggle with the old “me” of my false self. (cf Eph 3:22-23; Col 3:5-14)
• The goal of the Christian life is not to become a better version of ourselves but to allow Christ to live His life through us.
• Spiritual formation is a lifelong process where the Spirit forms us into Christ's image.
• We can't defeat the flesh with more flesh—only Christ in us can transform us.

*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.

SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS                  

Remember, these are “suggested” questions. You do not have to go through every single one of them. In fact, some of these questions may prompt other questions that may be important to group members. So, feel free to explore other questions as long as they don’t become “rabbit trails.”

Opening Prayer: Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to open your hearts and minds to understand and apply the truths about our freedom in Christ.

Have someone read Galatians 5:13-18 and Romans 7:15.23

1. How does Paul’s description of the internal struggle between “flesh” and “Spirit” resonate with your own experiences of wanting to do right but sometimes doing wrong?
2. In what ways have you encountered or struggled with “performance-based” Christianity, and how does Paul’s emphasis on grace challenge that mindset?
3. How does understanding the concept of the “false self” versus the “true self” in Christ change your perspective on spiritual growth and sanctification?
4. What are some practical ways we can learn to live “from the inside out” rather than trying to change ourselves through outside-in rule-keeping?
5. How does the idea that “flesh can’t defeat flesh” challenge common approaches to overcoming sin and temptation?
6. In what areas of your life do you find it most difficult to “die to self” and allow Christ to live His life through you?
7. How might focusing on our identity in Christ, rather than on what we have, do, or what others think of us, transform our daily lives and relationships?
8. What does it mean practically to “walk by the Spirit” in our everyday decisions and interactions?
9. How does Pau’s teaching on freedom in Christ both liberate us and call us to a higher standard of love-driven behavior?
10. How does Paul’s benediction in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 help us understand how God makes us into the people He created us to be in Christ?

Closing Prayer: Close by praying 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 over the group, asking God to continue His work of conforming us to the image of Christ in spirit, soul, and body as we wait for Jesus’ return.

Things to think about:

• This week, when you feel unhappy or frustrated, ask yourself: Is it because I can't do something I want to do, don't have something I want to have, or am I concerned about what others think of me? Use this as an opportunity to surrender those desires to Christ.
• Practice "inside-out living" by spending time each day in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to renew your mind and transform your heart. Ask the Spirit to help you surrender anything and everything in you that might come from your “false self” rather than your “true self.” 
• Identify one area where you've been trying to change through willpower alone. Surrender this to God, asking Him to work in you through His Spirit.
• Be attentive to the Spirit’s desire to love others unconditionally–especially those who you think are unlovable.