November 14, 2021 | Romans 12:3-8 | exposition

How are you getting through the day? Have you believed the lie that you belong to yourself, that you’re responsible for discovering the meaning of your own life? The beginning of wisdom and of self knowledge, is to first know God and then know ourselves. And to know God, we must give ourselves fully to him. As we learned in Romans 12:1-2, Paul called believers to give themselves fully to God and be transformed by the renewing of their minds, so that they might discern and know the will of God.

Now in Romans 12:3-8, Paul instructed believers to think with this transformed and renewed mind, so that they might rightly discern and know themselves. We can rightly know ourselves.

November 7, 2021 | Romans 12:1-2 | exposition

Would you say that you have given your life fully to the Lord Jesus and experienced the transformed life that the gospel promises? Do the people around you, family and friends, take note that your life is different than it was before you placed your faith in Christ? If not, why not? The truth is that many Americans who call themselves Christians are more apt to share the beliefs and practices of the secular culture than they are the beliefs and practices found in the Scriptures. They aren’t leading transformed lives and therefore, those who are outside the faith see no attraction to the faith.

Yet Paul saw that believing and receiving Christ as Lord would mean giving ourselves completely to Him in order to truly experience the transformed life–– the life that reveals Christ in us for His glory. In chapter 12 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he appealed to believers to give themselves completely to God, so that they might experience a truly transformed life. We can give ourselves completely to God and experience a truly transformed life.

October 31, 2021 | Romans 11:25-36 | exposition

Not all mysteries are fun. Sometimes the unknown causes fear and anxiety. Or it can cause some to avoid thinking about it or even to reject it. That’s how some respond to the mystery of God’s mercy. Some are apathetic about it. Some say they don’t see God’s mercy at work in the world today. Some feel they don’t need it.

When Paul uses the word “mystery,” he doesn’t mean it like the novels, movies or games mean it. It’s not something we can put on our Sherlock Holmes hats and deduce on our own. He means a divine truth previously hidden that can only be known by God’s revelation. God revealed the mystery of His mercy to Paul and in chapter 11 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wanted believers to understand the mystery of God’s mercy towards all people, both Jew and Gentile alike. We can understand the mystery of God’s mercy.

October 24, 2021 | Romans 11:11-24 | exposition

Do you ever wonder what God is up to in the world today? Things seem to be getting worse in the world. Pandemics, natural disasters, terrorism, wars, economic turmoil… Where’s God? Have we stumbled and now God is just going to let us fall?

That’s the question Paul posed concerning Israel. Did God let them stumble because He wanted them to fall? The answer is No! Instead, God has a plan for our salvation and He wants to reveal it to us. It’s a plan of hope! In chapter 11 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he reveals God’s plan of salvation for the world. We can understand God’s salvation plan for the world.

October 17, 2021 | Romans 11:1-10 | exposition

Most of us understand that we are saved by God’s grace, His unmerited favor, that we couldn’t save ourselves, so we needed Jesus to save us. But many of us aren’t certain that God’s grace will preserve us, keeping us right with Him. We wonder whether God might reject us someday because we don’t work hard enough to stay right with Him, that we might lose our salvation. So we are filled with doubt.

Is that you today? Either you’ve never trusted Christ Jesus for your salvation and therefore you haven’t experienced His saving grace. Or you’ve believed on Him, but now you’re plagued with doubt because you haven’t understood God’s preserving grace. You think He might save you, but then reject you because of your lack of faith or continued struggles with sin?

In chapter 11 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he explained that God had not rejected Israel, but by His grace, had always preserved a remnant of Israel for Himself. We can trust that God not only saves us, but preserves us by His grace.

October 10, 2021 | Romans 10:14-21 | exposition

God is just and righteous and He has revealed Himself to all of us through the glory of His creation and He has a plan for the good news about Jesus to be proclaimed to the whole world too.

In chapter 10 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he described how God had given Israel every opportunity to hear the gospel and respond by faith, yet only a remnant of them had believed. We can be part of God’s plan to give everyone an opportunity to respond to the gospel.

October 3, 2021 | Romans 10:1-13 | exposition

How have you responded to God’s plan for our salvation, for making us right with Him? Many of us are like the Jews of Paul’s day. We believe that we can be good enough to please God. You can knock on most doors in this city and ask people to answer, “If you died today and stood before a holy God and He asked, ‘Why should I let you into My heaven?’ What would you say?” Most will answer, “I tried to be a good person.” They think they can climb into heaven by their own self-effort, their own “trying to be good.” Or they think it’s by be religious: “I go to church/synagogue/mosque.”

Yet, the Bible teaches that we can only receive God’s salvation through faith in Christ alone. However, even this triggers our flesh. We hate being told there is only one way to do a thing. In chapter 10 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he explained why Israel had failed to receive God’s salvation because they had sought to establish their own by keeping the law, rather than placing their faith in Christ alone. We can see why God’s salvation can only be received through faith in Christ alone.

September 26, 2021 | Romans 9:14-33 | exposition

Perhaps you’ve heard people question God’s justice and goodness. Questions like: If God is good, why is there evil in the world? If God is just, why does He allow suffering? If God is truly loving, why would He send anyone to hell? If God is fair, why is faith in Jesus the only way to be made right with Him? Aren’t there many paths to pleasing God? What about the person who has never heard? Many see these and other questions as reasons not to believe in God’s existence or to believe in some man-made version of Him instead.

Have you questioned God’s justice and goodness? Or have you learned that your arms are too short to box with God? In chapter 9 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he dealt with the question “Is God unjust?” The Spirit inspired Paul to answer that God’s justice is beyond question. We can understand that God’s justice is beyond question.

September 19, 2021 | Romans 9:1-13 | exposition

“Has the Word of God failed?” Or putting it in the present, “Can the Word of God fail?” Or making it more personal, “Will God’s Word fail for me?” How do you answer that? Now I know you good Christians are answering it with, “No, no way, not ever! God’s Word cannot, will not ever fail!” Yet, we live like it will. We try to earn our way to pleasing God, though His Word says salvation is a free gift. We doubt our salvation, though His Word says that we can be assured that nothing can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus.

What if you could rest and live in the knowledge that God’s Word never fails? In chapter 9 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he expressed his great sorrow that the vast majority of his Jewish brothers had rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Yet, he was convinced that God’s Word had not failed.