Irish singer-songwriter Bono wrote a song called “Grace.” Grace, she takes the blame. She covers the shame. Removes the stain . . . Grace, it's a name for a girl, It's also a thought that changed the world . . . What once was hurt, what once was friction, what left a mark no longer stings because Grace makes beauty out of ugly things. When interviewed about the song, he said, "There is atonement built in [into the world]: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Then enters Grace and turns that upside down. I love it.” So do we. Grace brings us together to hear the good news of how God, by grace, turns the world upside down. In Romans 4, Paul teaches us through Abraham. Don't expect God to jump for joy over your obedience; instead, you can jump for joy over what he's done for you. It's grace. And we’re delighted you’re here to receive it with us.
Imagine someone gives you a generous gift for your birthday. A new car. A trip. A sailboat. Wouldn't it be ridiculous and wrong for you to tell a friend, "Look what I earned!" To brag about what you've done for the gift would not only be untrue, it would also be an insult to the giver. The only thing you could boast about would be the generosity of another person on your behalf. In Romans 4, the apostle Paul describes a gift the patriarch Abraham received from God but couldn't boast about. We've received the same gift. We can't boast about what we've done to deserve it, but we certainly do boast about the generosity of the One who gave it. We call that worship, and we’re glad you joined us for it today.
Some jobs require you to "beat last quarter's numbers." It drives some to continuous improvement, but it drives others to find employment elsewhere. Who can live with the constant push to do better, do more, and be better? Well, we all do. It is in our fallen nature to imagine that if we're just a little better, God will be on our side. But part of us knows we’ll never get there. It drives some to search for God elsewhere. There’s a better solution. In Romans 3, we find the Spirit's answer to stress we can't bear and the truth we need. We’re glad you’re with us today to enjoy the banquet table of God’s grace. If you want to explore more of what you experience today, please let us know. We’d love to help you.
What kind of advantages have you had that you did not utilize? In what areas have you not lived up to your potential? Last week, the apostle Paul reminded us of our status before God: sinners because of our innate disposition toward evil but holy through the blood of Christ. This status is ours even as Gentiles. So what advantage did the Jews have, if any? What advantage do we have as God's people today? Let's continue to study Romans together, seeking God's wisdom in utilizing our advantages.
Everyone loves a good shortcut, but they’re usually called that for a reason. If it were truly the best option, it would just be the way. With a shortcut you’re sacrificing something or taking a risk. In Romans 2, the apostle Paul warns about spiritual shortcuts, a temptation
that plagued ancient Israel and first century Christians. Today’s world is no different. We want all the credit, but we want things easy. Let God’s Word teach you what the best and only way is through our study of Romans 2:25-29.
All rights reserved. Music used by permission under CCLI #1600166, OneLicense #A-709447, and Worshipflow.com. Pre-service music all rights reserved by Koine (koinemusic.com) & Michael Schroeder.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks that keeps people from listening to Christ and giving him a fair hearing is the hypocrisy of religious people. Yep, that would be us. The Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to speak to us about it in the book of Romans. He doesn’t speak to crush us, but to show us every reason we have to rejoice in the kindness, tolerance, and patience of God.
Think of a gigantic spring you're trying to compress. While you're pushing down with all your might, it's resisting you and wanting to spring back up into its original position. In Romans 1, Paul says that's what we do with the truth of God. By nature, we take that truth of God and press it down to get it out of our minds. Yet even with all of the strength we use to suppress that truth of God we just can't get rid of it. It's everywhere. It's pushing back up. Thank God, it's pushing back up. That’s why we gather -- to encourage each other and receive encouragement that the truth of God might have its way with us. If there’s any way we can serve you, please let us know.
John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople in the 4th century AD had the book of Romans read to him four times a week so that he would remain familiar with it throughout his life. English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge said Romans is "The most profound book in existence." Martin Luther wrote, "The epistle to the Romans is the true masterpiece of the New Testament and the very purest gospel, which is well worth and deserving that a Christian should not only learn it by heart, word for word, but also that he should daily deal with it as the daily bread of men's souls. It can never be too much or too well read or studied, and the more it is handled the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes." St. Augustine of Hippo, a 4th century church father in North Africa, wrote, "I wish to have seen Christ in the flesh and Paul in the pulpit."
Get fired up for our next worship series on Paul's epistle to the Romans. One way to get the most out of our study of Romans is to set aside ten minutes each day to read however far you get. Then the next day, pick up where you left off and read for another ten minutes. Or read chapter one every day for two weeks, then chapter two for two weeks, etc. Whatever your plan, you'll be among those who have found Romans to be a great source of transformation and blessing.
Isn't joy something that happens to you? Can you really control it? A recent Westside Christian School staff Bible study discussed the differences among joy, happiness, and gladness. Maybe the distinctions are arbitrary, but one that was proposed was that joy is more constant and less dependent on precisely what is happening in a given moment. Be inspired by the wise men of Matthew 2:1-12: their deliberate action and their joy.