Lord:

I pray You would guard my heart and mind against the agenda of the culture around me. Convict me where I have compromised and not spoken up for You and Your Word. Use this week’s lesson to strengthen my faith in You, and remind me to love You more than anyone or anything else.

In the name of Christ I pray, Amen.

Memory Verse

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace.” Ephesians 1:7, NASB

Background

Our culture is promoting lifestyle choices that are directly opposed to God’s holiness. Since God is our Creator, He has the authority to define for us the standard by which we should live. This lesson will cover homosexuality and abortion as well as who we are in Christ. Regardless of the sins of your past, you can find full forgiveness of your choices by placing your faith and trust in Christ alone.

Personal Response to God

Some sins are open and obvious, such as a homosexual lifestyle. Some, such as abortion, can have significant and lasting consequences to the sinner as well as to others. Other sins can be more hidden, or “culturally acceptable,” or impact only the sinner. But despite the visibility or the consequences, all sin is an abomination against God, and all have sinned and are in need of forgiveness. Regardless of our sins, we can find complete forgiveness and restoration in Christ.

Some believers say that they know God has forgiven them, but they just can’t forgive themselves. Can human standards be higher than God’s? No, this is false humility! Stop that wrong thinking and live in the freedom of forgiveness that Christ offers!

Spend some time in prayer and reflection about how vast your sin is, yet how much greater God is for voluntarily and willingly forgiving you. Then ask God to search your heart to see if there is someone you need to forgive.

Journaling Questions
  1. What new insights did I learn from the online recorded teaching for this week’s lesson?
  2. How can I apply what I have learned in this lesson and through the teaching?

Study Guide Available

For the corresponding study guide, please contact Melissa Renner at melissar@stonebriar.org.