Wk2 “You Are Not the Boss of Me”

Pastor Steve TaylorLife Groups

Coming Clean

If you could go back and change one thing or event in your past, what would it be?

“Our past will remind me but it will not define me.” This is one of the most powerful lessons we can learn when it comes to dealing with our sin and our shame; not to let out past sins define us.  Jesus’ death on the cross set us free from the power of sin, death, and condemnation so that we can walk this new life without fear and in freedom. There’s just one problem. We have an enemy who looks for every opportunity to remind us of those past sins and failures in order to render the life of Christ in us ineffective. He doesn’t want us to walk in freedom but in fear and shame. Maybe this in part explains why so many are afraid to bring their sins into the light. They are afraid of being condemned.

Read About It: Mark 5:24-34

  1. What’s the longest you’ve had to suffer with a physical aliment?
  2. Have you ever felt “unclean” and hopeless?
  3. What do you think gave her the courage to touch Jesus’ clothes?
  4. What do considered being the worst of this woman’s problems: her physical suffering or her emotional and spiritual suffering?
  5. Why was it important to Jesus to know who touched him?
  6. What is the most significant thing to you in this woman’s story? In what ways does this woman most remind you of yourself?

Think About It:  All of us carry a certain amount of guilt from our poor past decisions and our sinful behavior.  Like this woman, some of us have carried it for years not knowing or believing that Jesus wants to heal us and set us free from it. If we would learn to bring our guilt and our shame to Jesus, we would find healing, cleansing, and forgiveness, not condemnation.

  • If you could reach out and connect with Jesus right now, what do you need Jesus to heal you from tonight?

The next time Satan reminds you of your sinful past, you need to remind him of his future.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17 (NIV)

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free… Gal. 5:1