Romans 8:5-11 (NIV)

⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

The Holy Spirit lives in us

1. To help us live for God.

but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:17–5:5 (NIV)

▪ The way of life as the way of Christ

2. Christ is in us.

if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:13 (NIV)

3. To give us life.

he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? … ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. … ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:1–14 (NIV)

CONNECT WITH GOD (Select one of the below practices or choose the practice from the previous week) 

• Prayers of Intercession (5 minutes)

“I look at God, I look at you, and I keep looking at God.” - Julian of Norwich

Alone: As you sit in stillness in God’s presence, be attentive to who the Holy Spirit is bringing into your heart and mind. As they come to mind, pray for them. It’s okay if you don’t know what to pray for. It is enough to hold that person in love before God, trusting in God’s care for them.

Journal: If needed, journal your prayers, thoughts, or feelings as you pray for others.

• Practice of Gratitude (3-5 minutes): Select and Play a song from the Weekly Scripture Readings for September 24^th.

https://solanabeach.church/grace-weekly-scripture-readings

o As the song plays: 

• Listen. Breathe. Attend to the presence of God in your life at this moment.
• You may journal, draw, doodle, or simply close your eyes and breathe deeply. Let gratitude define the next few minutes.

CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER 

• Pray: for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to the words of Romans and pray for God’s Holy Spirit to do a transformative work in each one of you during your small group this week.
• Read: Romans 8:5-11 in pairs.
• Reflect together (in pairs): Spend 10 minutes in intentional conversation. Share initial reactions, reflections, or curiosities, using the below prompts if needed.
• What words, phrases, or images stand out to you in Romans 8:5-11?
• What’s the one verse that you want to ‘carry with you’ this week?
• What questions do you have after reading this passage?

CONNECT WITH SCRIPTURE (Select the best questions or customize the questions for your group.) Read Romans 8:1-4, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 3:22–24, Romans 2:1 and Romans 14:1-3.

• Review the main points from the sermon outline.
• What common or connecting themes do you see in the scripture verses listed above? 
• What does it mean to “live according to the flesh” and have a “mind governed by the flesh” (verses 5 and 6)?
• What does Paul say are outcomes of being in the “realm of the flesh”?
• How does Paul describe life in the Spirit?
• What is the promise and hope of Romans 6:1-14?
• What is hard about this passage for you?

CONNECT WITH GOD’S MISSION IN THE WORLD (select one question for discussion)

• How does Romans 8:11 shift, challenge, or equip me to participate in God’s mission in the world?

• Read 1 Corinthians 12:13-15.

o How might this passage found in our message outline teach us to live with one another and with churches of different contexts, cultures, or practices? What challenges or questions remain?

PRAYER 

Read Romans 8:11 as a prayer for one another, your small group, and our church this week. Close your small group time with different voices reading verse 11 and let that be how you close your time together--- going out into the world with the power of Christ crucified and raised from the dead.