Bible ReadingGalatians 5:16-25 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
[01:06:57]1 Corinthians 5:1-2 “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.”
[01:16:49]1 Corinthians 6:18-20 “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
[01:20:03]Mark 7:20-23 “And he said, 'What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.'”
[01:15:08]Matthew 23:1-36 “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 'The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.'”
[01:12:04]Observation questions- In Galatians 5, what contrast does Paul make between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit, and what warning does he attach to that contrast? [01:35:33]
- In 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, what was happening in the church at Corinth, and how were the people in the church responding to it?
- According to Mark 7:20-23, where does Jesus say defiling sin comes from, and what kinds of sins does He list first? [01:15:08]
- What are the three kinds of guilt that need to be distinguished: true guilt, false guilt, and no guilt? [01:09:52]
Interpretation questions- If true guilt brings clear conviction, repentance, and reconciliation, how is that different from guilt that only leaves a person stuck, ashamed, and powerless? [01:10:16]
- Jesus condemns religious leaders who load people with heavy burdens in Matthew 23. How can guilt be used to manipulate people in spiritual settings, families, or relationships? [01:12:13]
- If people can do wrong and feel no guilt, what does that reveal about the human heart and the sin nature described in Mark 7? [01:14:54]
- Paul says, “You are not your own” and “glorify God in your body.” How does that shape the way a Christian should think about sexual choices, freedom, and personal boundaries? [01:20:03]
Application questions- Is there an area of true guilt that needs to be named honestly before God instead of hidden, excused, or delayed? What would confession and reconciliation look like in that situation? [01:10:24]
- Has false guilt been carried in an area where God has not actually condemned anything—perhaps from pressure, unrealistic expectations, or someone else’s control? What would it look like to reject that imaginary burden? [01:12:27]
- Where is the greatest temptation to slip into “no guilt” by minimizing sin, shifting blame, or telling a softer story about something God calls wrong? [01:14:02]
- Are there any habits, relationships, media patterns, or private behaviors that are pushing life toward impurity rather than toward holiness? What practical step would help flee that temptation this week? [01:17:23]
- “Not feeling guilty does not make a person not guilty.” Where is there a temptation to let feelings define right and wrong instead of letting God define it? [01:33:55]
- Which fruit of the Spirit is most needed right now: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control? What recent situation makes that especially clear? [01:38:19]
- A person can start badly and still finish well by the grace of God. Where is hope needed for real change in character, conduct, or relationships? What would a different trajectory begin to look like now? [01:28:59]
