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Justification by Faith (Part 2)
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We see in Isaiah 7 that we are called to a faith in Christ to save, not a faith in man. But as we make our way through this passage, we’ll notice four things play out: a problem for God’s people, a plea for faith, a pious faithlessness, and a promise to faithfully save.
Of all the places in the world, it was Bethlehem that hosted the birth of the Messiah. Micah says, "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel..." From this little place came the Christ. God, once again, working in an unexpected way in an unexpected place. The highest of Kings born in the humblest of places. Sunday we look at how an unexpected place brought us an unrivaled king who brings us unending blessings.
So many advent sermons are soft and sentimental. This is not one of them. We begin Advent in a passage that at first glance might not strike you as much of a Christmas passage. As we look at Genesis 3:15, though, I hope we see the cosmic war that was being raged as Christ came that holy Christmas night. I also hope we can see how the scriptures had already predicted and promised the winner of that cosmic war between God and Satan. Genesis 3:15 will show us how we can have ourselves a merry snake-crushing Christmas this year and why that is such great news!
Pastor Robbie Symons of Hope Bible Church Oakville leads us through a study of Isaiah 66:1-2, and the three character traits God promises to show favor toward.
Ok, here we are. The final words of Paul's letter to the Romans. The letter closes with a worshipful doxology, declaring that God is worthy of all glory forever. As Paul glorifies God, he reminds us of an important reality that we must cling to as we close this book: the gospel is not only the power to save us, it is the power to strengthen us as well. So as we close our series in the book of Romans, we do so with the strong reminder that God, who strengthens us in the gospel, is worthy of all glory forever.
The end of Romans has many features customary of how Paul closes a letter, but there are two unique features. One of these uniquenesses is that he interrupts his greeting section for some final exhortations and encouragements to the church. Today we look at what was so important to Paul that he interrupts his greetings to make sure he says these final words to the Romans. In this, he highlights a problem for us to watch out for, a promise for us to believe, and a prayer for us to live by.
You open to Romans 16, and what do you find dominating the first 16 verses?
Names.
27 of them to be exact.
It's easy to come to sections like this of Paul's letters and speed read through them. But we need to slow down here. What do all these names and descriptions tell us about a congregation and people known and loved by Paul? How does this section help us understand that all the gospel doctrine and ethics Paul has laid down in this letter are rooted in a deep love for the people on the other side of the letter? We have much to see here for how gospel doctrine gets lived out in the context of personal relationships within a congregation.
Paul had an ambition to preach the gospel where Christ had not yet been named. In other words, Paul lived with a passion for the gospel frontiers. He wanted to go to the places where the gospel had yet to go and announce the good news of Christ there. In this week's passage, we see Paul's eyes fixed on a new gospel frontier of Spain. As we walk through this together we want to pull out four factors for forward movement to gospel frontiers. Let's let God's word fill us with a greater zeal for the gospel frontiers in our day where the gospel must go forward!
Why witness? How should we witness? This morning we unpack the heart of witness—We witness to the glory of God, so the lost can experience our glorious God.
In the church at Rome there were some conscience controversies:
"Should we eat that or not?
"Should we drink that or not?
"Should we celebrate that day or not?"
In our congregation today there are unique matters of conscience as well. Last week we looked at Five Gospel Unifiers for us on matters of conscience. Those Five Gospel Unifiers from last week lay a foundation for us to build on as to how we practically live with one another in these matters. Today we tackle this by looking at Romans 14:13-15:13 and from this passage will make 3 resolutions to love my neighbor in matters of conscience.
It is evident how much Paul wants to drive home the reality that people who have come to believe the gospel will now live lives marked by gospel-empowered love. In this passage, Paul summarizes that to love is to fulfill the law. He also helps us see that walking in love and walking in the light go hand-in-hand. Let's look together at what a gospel-empowered life of love and light looks like.
It is evident how much Paul wants to drive home the reality that people who have come to believe the gospel will now live lives marked by gospel-empowered love. In this passage, Paul summarizes that to love is to fulfill the law. He also helps us see that walking in love and walking in the light go hand-in-hand. Let's look together at what a gospel-empowered life of love and light looks like.
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities..."
Crickets.
Really? But Paul, do you have any idea what our governing authorities are doing? Certainly this doesn't apply to us in the political climate we are in, right? Well, let's take a look at what this passage says. It is very clear. The Word here has important truth for us to understand in the political climate we live in and this election season we find ourselves in the throes of. There is no better passage for us to understand what it looks like for us to live as gospel citizens as it relates to how we live subject to our governing authorities. Buckle up...here we go.
Paul comes to what we call a "rapid fire" section of his letter. A series of commands and instructions that come quickly and pointedly in Romans 12:9-21. Though it is rapid fire, they aren't entirely disconnected. Verse 9 serves as a proper header for these verses around the theme of genuine love. Last week we looked at what genuine love for one another in the body of Christ looks like. This week we tackle what genuine love for our enemies looks like.
Paul comes to what we call a "rapid fire" section of his letter. A series of commands and instructions that come quickly and pointedly in Romans 12:9-21. Though it is rapid fire, they aren't entirely disconnected. Verse 9 serves as a proper header for these verses around the theme of genuine love. This week we look at what genuine love for one another in the body of Christ looks like. Next week we will tackle what genuine love for our enemies looks like.
Lord, keep me low. Lord, build your church. Lord, use me.
As Paul moves to his instructions for what a life shaped by the gospel looks like, he begins with an appeal. His appeal is that his readers would live as sacrifices to God. What kind of sacrifices are we to be? How does this define for us what true worship is? What would prevent us from becoming these sacrifices? What is the catalyst that leads us to this kind of gospel-shaped sacrifice? All this is answered in two really important verses of this book.
As Paul moves to his instructions for what a life shaped by the gospel looks like, he begins with an appeal. His appeal is that his readers would live as sacrifices to God. What kind of sacrifices are we to be? How does this define for us what true worship is? What would prevent us from becoming these sacrifices? What is the catalyst that leads us to this kind of gospel-shaped sacrifice? All this is answered in two really important verses of this book.
Noah's Ark. This remarkable story of a catastrophic, global flood where God's wrath is poured out on the utter depravity of the world. And yet, God's mercy and kindness is all over this story as he preserves some through an ark-shaped vessel of his mercy. As we look at this story, I pray we see both the fullness of God's wrath toward wickedness, and the riches of his grace and mercy. Most of all, may we see how this global flood points us to gospel glories!
It is time to come back to the Lord. There are times we run from God. Sometimes those are blatantly obvious by the outward expressions of our life. Other times everything looks good on the outside, but we are spiritually cold on the inside. In 1 Kings 18 we see a showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal that turns the people's hearts back to the Lord. As we walk through this story together, there are three things we need to see and act if we need to return wholeheartedly to the Lord as well.
In Numbers 22-24 we find an entertaining and humorous story about a king, a pagan prophet-for hire, and a donkey. The donkey is significant because God makes the animal speak in a human voice, which is why this story is so memorable. But the story is not really about the donkey. This story is all about our God who is faithful to keep His promises. And His greatest promise, a coming Savior, was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, in whom all the promises of God find their Yes!
In Romans 11:25-36, Paul reveals the fuller picture of God’s plan of salvation by explaining the “mystery” that in the end, “all Israel will be saved.” He goes on to focus on the centrality of God’s mercy in the salvation of all the elect, both Jew and Gentile. Finally, in concluding this section of his letter to the Romans, Paul writes a doxology in which we are reminded that this entire plan of salvation is designed specifically for God’s glory. Our salvation isn’t the ultimate goal; God’s glory is.
God's ways are not our ways. We see this throughout this section of Romans. God is doing a great work for maximum redemption of both Jew and Gentile, and he is carrying that out in a way he knows is best. Paul says a remnant of Israel has been chosen by grace, the rest have been hardened, but we see in this week's passage how God is using even that hardening for greater salvation for Jew and Gentile alike.
Romans 10 ends a bit heavy with these words Paul quotes describing Israel's heart, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." This leads him to begin chapter 11 with a really important question: Has God rejected his people? The answer to that is an emphatic no. God is redeeming a remnant of grace from within Israel while he is hardening the rest. But even God's hardening has redemptive purposes of which we will uncover as we make our way through Romans 11. This Sunday we sit in the glorious realities of grace and, Lord willing, will leave with deeper gratitude for the grace of God.
Romans 10:14-21 | Romans 10:14-21 helps us learn our next step in rightly responding to the good news. This passage is pivotal in shaping our understanding of what must take place in order for lost sinners to be saved by God. It is also a crucial text for supplying believers with passion and urgency to share the gospel. Through this passage, we see how God graciously breaks down the excuses we tend to make to neglect our next steps of obedience. He does this to lead us into the delight of obedience so that He may be glorified. God, be magnified through our obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.