“Out of Darkness” (Mark 15:33-41)
OUT OF DARKNESS
(Mark 15:33-41)
INTRODUCTION: Why does the Bible warn against darkness?
I. COME OUT OF THE DARKNESS OF SIN.
II. COME OUT OF THE DARKNESS OF GUILT.
III. COME OUT OF THE DARKNESS OF SHAME.
Questions for Family Review/Discussion:
- Were you ever (or even now) afraid of the dark? Tell about it.
- What are some of the negative meanings of the symbol of darkness in the Bible?
- What three miracles does Mark report in our text? What is the meaning of each? How does each one show our great hope in Christ?
- What are some of the costs of secret sins: of lust and pornography? Of greed? Of hatred and bitterness? Of the envy of others?
- What is “the expulsive power of a new affection”? How does love for God cure his people from sin? How can we grow in our love for God?
- How would you define “guilt”? Why should we say that guilt is “objective”? Why is it a mistake to measure our guilt by our feelings?
- If Jesus bore the full penalty of our guilt for sin, then why do we sometimes still feel guilty of past and forgiven sins? And what is the true cure for the guilt ghosts of forgiven sin? What does it mean to “train our feelings to correspond to God’s truth? What do we do with the guilt of the sins we still commit after trusting Christ?
- What is shame? How does it differ from guilt? What does it mean to say that shame is “subjective”? If Jesus took our shame to the cross, naked and in the darkness, why do we still feel ashamed of forgiven sin?
- How can we be free from shame as well as from guilt? Why do we have no business carrying shame for forgiven sins of the past?
- What do you think will be the result if we fully believe what God says and are able to lay aside all guilt and shame?