Table of Contents
PRAYER
Our main goal in this time together is to build relationships and learn to walk alongside one another in all that God has called us to be and do. Let’s start by praying for each other.
Does anyone have prayer requests or personal stories of how God has been moving in your life that we can celebrate together?
ARISE TOPICS
Sin’s Pain :: Known Union :: Living Free
THIS WEEK
We’re in a new series called ARISE—a study of Romans 6 and what it means to walk in the new life Jesus offers.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll take this journey together, celebrating the one life that changed everything—Jesus. Because of Him, anyone can experience a fresh start. No matter your past or what you’re walking through right now, we’ll discover how Jesus meets us right where we are and leads us into a future that’s brand new.
This past Sunday, Pastor Alvin kicked off the series with a powerful message, Learning to Live Free. Teaching from Romans 6:6-10, he helped us see why we often struggle with the freedom God offers—sometimes staying stuck in sin simply because it’s familiar. He shared three life-changing truths to help us break old patterns and step into a new identity.
To start our time together, let’s begin with the following questions:
In what areas of your life do you feel stuck? What do you think holds you there?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
SCRIPTURE
Have someone read Romans 6:6-10 aloud. As you listen, notice any words or phrases that stand out, and ask the Holy Spirit to highlight something for you.
Romans 6:6-10
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
Have you ever felt so familiar with pain or dysfunction that the idea of peace or freedom felt foreign or even frightening?
What We Know
In a technologically-advanced world, where identities are often stolen, hijacked, and forged, sin is the greatest theft of identity humanity as suffered from in it giving us a false identity, convincing us that our worth is based on performance, achievements, or following rules. It distorts who we are, trapping us in patterns of shame, pride, fear, and insecurity.
Like Brooks in The Shawshank Redemption, we often find ourselves more comfortable in the bondage of the past because it feels familiar, even when we’ve been set free. However, Paul writes in Romans 6:6-7 and reminds us that in Christ, our old self—enslaved to sin—has been crucified, and we’ve been set free. But if we don’t truly grasp this truth, we’ll continue to cling to the chains of the past, missing the freedom Christ offers.
What are some false identities sin has tried to convince you of, and how has knowing Christ’s truth helped reshape those beliefs?
In what ways have you found yourself holding on to old patterns or behaviors, even after knowing you’ve been set free in Christ?
Like Brooks, when have you felt “freedom” was more uncomfortable or uncertain than staying in familiar bondage?
How does knowing and understanding Romans 6:6-7 help you break free from the cycles of sin that feel familiar but are not truly life-giving?
What does it look like for you to walk in the new identity that Christ offers, and what challenges do you face in embracing that fully?
What We Believe
In Romans 6:8-9, Paul reminds us that it’s one thing to know we have a new identity in Christ, but it’s another to fully believe it and confidently walk in the freedom He offers.
Just like knowing a warranty exists isn’t enough unless you trust it and use it, knowing Christ’s victory isn’t enough without believing it deep in our hearts.
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection guarantee our freedom from sin and death, but we must choose to believe and trust in this truth to live in the fullness of our new identity.
This is the key to walking in freedom and purpose—arising in the life Jesus died and rose again to give us.
How is knowing you have a new identity in Christ different from fully believing and walking in that freedom?
What false beliefs about yourself or your circumstances are still keeping you from fully embracing your new identity in Christ?
How does believing in Christ’s victory over sin and death change the way you approach challenges or sin in your life?
Like a warranty that guarantees something, how does Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection serve as a guarantee for your freedom, and how can you lean into that truth daily?
What does it look like for you to truly believe that “sin and death no longer have mastery” over your life?
How We Live
Paul writes in Romans 6:10 to remind us that Jesus died to sin once for all, and now lives fully to God—showing us what it means to live in freedom with purpose.
Like Brooks from The Shawshank Redemption, we can be free but still live bound if we’re shaped by old beliefs. What we believe determines how we live—either rising into our identity in Christ or retreating into the false security of sin.
Jesus didn’t only just save us from something—He saved us to and for something: a new life filled with worship, purpose, and power through the Holy Spirit.
What does it practically look like to “live to God” in your daily life—and what might still be holding you back from that?
Have you ever been tempted to return to something familiar, even if you knew it wasn’t good for you? What does that reveal about your beliefs?
How does knowing Jesus died once for all change the way you view your past mistakes or struggles?
In what areas of your life do you need to stop dwelling in the ashes and start rebuilding around your identity in Christ?
CLOSING THOUGHT
In closing, freedom in Christ isn’t just an idea—it’s your new identity and gift of salvation to be received, known, believed and lived in.
In Romans 6, Paul reminds us that our old self was crucified with Jesus, and we are now alive in Him, no longer defined by sin and its false identity but empowered to live by the Spirit. Still, many of us settle for what’s familiar instead of fully embracing the life Christ has already secured.
The call is clear: know the truth, believe it deeply, and live it boldly.
Where you live, work, and play, let your daily choices reflect who you are now—free, loved, and called to live for God.
Don’t go back. Arise.
Let’s close in prayer: Father, thank You for the gift of freedom through Jesus—freedom not just from sin, but for a new life in You. Help us to truly know who we are in Christ, to believe that we’ve been set free once and for all, and to live each day in that truth by the power of Your Spirit. Where we’ve been tempted to go back to the familiar lies of sin, give us courage to arise and walk in the new identity You’ve given us—loved, chosen, and alive in You. Let our lives reflect Your grace, and may we live fully to God, just as Jesus does—where we live, work, and play. In His powerful name we pray, Amen.
Alvin Brown, the Lead Pastor of Mosaic Church Fort Worth, brings over a decade of pastoral ministry experience and more than 20 years of operational and technical leadership expertise. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications Management from DeVry University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. He enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Mallary, and their three children and contributing as a writer to various media outlets.
