Recovery @ The Rock| Step Four: A Searching and Fearless Moral Inventory
Recovery at the Rock • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 5 viewsThis teaching on Step Four of the Twelve Steps—"Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves"—guides individuals in recovery through the biblical call to honest self-examination. Using scripture and spiritual insight, it helps break the chains of denial and opens the door to healing and transformation.
Notes
Transcript
Theme Scripture:
“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” – Lamentations 3:40 (NKJV)
I. Introduction: Why Step Four Matters
I. Introduction: Why Step Four Matters
Step Four begins the inward journey of healing.
Many people get stuck here because it's painful to face the truth.
However, freedom is always on the other side of truth.
John 8:32:“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
II. The Purpose of the Moral Inventory
II. The Purpose of the Moral Inventory
To face ourselves honestly, without excuses or blame.
To uncover patterns of sin, self-centeredness, fear, and woundedness.
To prepare us for God’s deeper work in our hearts.
Psalm 139:23–24:“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
III. What Makes It Searching and Fearless
Searching: We dig deep—not surface-level. We include hidden motivations, not just visible behavior.
Fearless: We do not hide from the ugly parts. We trust God's grace will meet us.
Proverbs 20:27:“The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord,
Searching all the inner depths of his heart.”
Hebrews 4:13:“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
IV. Inventory Categories to Consider
IV. Inventory Categories to Consider
Resentments – Who do you still blame? What grudges remain?
Ephesians 4:31-32 – "Let all bitterness... be put away from you."
2. Fears – What are you afraid of? What lies have shaped your life?
2 Timothy 1:7 – "For God has not given us a spirit of fear..."
3. Sexual Conduct – How have you hurt others or been hurt?
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification...”
4. Harms Done to Others – Where have you caused pain?
Matthew 5:23–24 – "Go and be reconciled to your brother..."
5. Patterns of Behavior – Addictions, manipulation, dishonesty, pride
Galatians 5:19–21 – Works of the flesh
Galatians 5:22–23 – Fruit of the Spirit (what we aim for)
V. The Attitude We Must Bring
V. The Attitude We Must Bring
Humility – We're not looking to punish ourselves, but to be honest.
Hope – God already knows it all and still calls us His own.
Trust – This step doesn’t save us, but it opens the door to healing.
James 4:10:“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
Romans 5:20:“But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.”
VI. Closing Thoughts
Step Four is a spiritual practice, not just a self-help exercise.
It’s not about listing sins to feel guilty—it’s about confession leading to transformation.
What we uncover, God can recover.
Prayer to End the Session:
“Father, give us the courage to face ourselves with honesty and grace. Let Your Spirit guide our inventory—not with shame, but with Your love. Help us bring every dark place into the light. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Small Group Discussion Question:
Small Group Discussion Question:
"When you think about doing a 'fearless moral inventory,' what is one area that feels hardest for you to examine—and why do you think that is?"
"When you think about doing a 'fearless moral inventory,' what is one area that feels hardest for you to examine—and why do you think that is?"
