I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel
How God sends His gospel in surprising ways
May 2, 2010
Romans 9:30–10:21
Certainly God is faithful, trustworthy and doesn’t change. He is rock solid and completely dependable. But that dependability does not rule out the possibility of surprise. God has delivered His surprises throughout history and in many lives here.
In fact, I’m arguing today that God sends His Gospel in surprising expected ways
Why does God tolerate the Hitler’s of the world?
April 25, 2010
Romans 9:22–24
Then we consider what we’ve been taught about God. He is supposed to be good and all powerful. If He is, why does He tolerate these unjust situations? Why did God allow Adolf Hitler to be born and grow up and take power? Why did God tolerate that 12 year reign of terror? Why Stalin or Pol Pot, Rwanda and Darfur? Why does He put up with terrorists and those who kill Christians? We believe God is all powerful and could stop the suffering. Yet He doesn’t. Why does God endure the Hitler’s of the world? How would you answer someone who asked you such a question?
I’m here to tell you friends, that there are some very good answers to these tough questions. The Bible text we’re looking at today gives them to us. They will not completely resolve our issues with this question. But they give us a glimpse into the mysterious yet wondrous ways of God in this crazy world. I believe by the end of our time together, you’ll have at least two good answers to the question “Why does God tolerate the Hitler’s of the world?” We’ll see part of God’s tolerance has to do with us!
Does God Keep His Promises (even 4000 year old ones?)
February 14, 2010
Romans 9:1–29
Trust is a vital component for any relationship to progress. One way you build trust or keep trust is by keeping promises. When a promise is kept, trust grows. Break a promise and trust suffers. Relationships that lack trust suffer a ball and chain existence. The question of trust hangs over everything. Will our trust be treasured or trashed? Broken promises weigh down relationships and can sometimes lead to the end of a relationship.
So if broken promises make a huge impact on human relationships imagine the potential impact if God broke His promises. If God doesn’t keep one of His promises, how can we trust all of His promises? If we can’t trust all, which ones can we trust? If God doesn’t keep His Word our whole faith is blown. This church is a based on a false premise. We’ve all got to find something else to do Sunday mornings and we’ve got to look elsewhere for satisfaction of our thirsty souls. Maybe something has happened in your life where you wonder about God’s faithfulness. Or you wonder about God’s promise keeping ability.
But I’m here to tell you today that God keeps His promises (even 4000 year old ones) sometimes in ways we don’t expect. God is the ultimate promise keeper. But He sometimes surprises us in the way He keeps His promises.
God’s Response to Our Doubts
February 7, 2010
Romans 8:31–39
Doubt is hesitation, uncertainty, reservation, misgiving, distrust and disbelief. We can doubt our children’s ride report or teeth brushing report or hand washing claim. We might doubt someone’s word or a salesperson’s promise. There might be times we even doubt God. You might doubt God for some reason today. You may doubt whether or not He is really for you. You may doubt if He’ll come through. Or you may doubt His love for you.
Doubts about God come in several ways. The devil and his forces like to seed doubt about God. He likes to whisper and sow seeds of doubt in our spirit about God’s goodness or love. The devil looks for opportunities to scatter seeds of doubt in our lives.
Philosophical Doubts can cause us to hesitate with respect to God. We may doubt God’s existence. We can’t see how Science and the Bible can both be true. We may wonder if Christianity is founded on solid evidence or if it’s just one of many irrational faiths that weak people turn to.
Emotions or Circumstances may cause doubts about God when bad times come. Maybe you face tough circumstances; a difficult diagnosis; an exhausting week. You may see little or no hope at work or in your marriage or at school. You wonder “where is God in all this?”
What Do You Live For?
January 31, 2010
Romans 8:18–30
There are smaller podiums in life like getting a ribbon for a swimming level or receiving a certificate at a training seminar. There are medium podiums like passing a grade, graduating from high school, completing a degree or earning your working certification. There are large podiums like securing a permanent position, entering into marriage, parenting or influencing a child’s life, leaving a legacy, retiring after decades of service and seeing your grandkids.
Then there is the ultimate podium; the one that towers over our entire lives both now and forever. That podium stands behind Jesus on Judgment Day. God’s verdict about us that Day determines whether or not we will reach that ultimate podium. What is this podium and how can we know that we will make it?
That’s what we will hear about today. If you’re a Christian, I have great news for you again. God supports His children through tough training and will get us all onto the ultimate medal podium.
So Christian, don’t fret when you don’t know what to pray. Many times this will happen. But that’s okay. God doesn’t leave His children without resources. Here is a link to an entire message dedicated to Romans 8:26–30 in 2008. Please go there to discover more about this great help of God.
http://www.svbc.ab.ca/sermons/2008/nov/02/when-we-dont-know-what-to-pray/
Our Adoptive Father
January 24, 2010
Romans 8:12–17
Since Our Father adopted us, we must adopt our new status as His children. Now when I make that statement, I am using the word “adopt” in two different ways. “Our Father adopted us” means God is like an adoptive parent. So adopt means “to take into one’s family through legal means and bring up as one’s own child.” The second use of adopt means “to take on or assume.” So since Our Father adopted us, (took us into His family as His own children), we must adopt, take on, or assume our new status as His children. We are going to explore what that looks like today.
Why there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus
January 17, 2010
Romans 8:1–11
But Christians here all have God Almighty who holds an eternal priceless inheritance for His children. Yet there are times we wander away from God. Sometimes we’re tickled with God and other times ticked. We find ourselves wanting to honor God in our minds, but sometimes in our actions we dishonor Him.
Does this mean our inheritance is in doubt? Do we have to wait until the Last Day to find out if we made it? Well friends, our text today brings some very remarkable news. It reveals that our God is unlike Grandpa or anyone of us when it comes to news about our inheritance.
Link on Parallel Commentaries on Condemnation.
God’s Gospel and Sin’s Hijack
January 10, 2010
Romans 7:7–25
Credit Card bills. They’re coming and for some they make the winter bluer. Not only is the holiday season over. Not only are the days short. Not only is it cold. But it’s time to pay bills; big bills for some; maybe even monumental bills.
Our issue might not be overspending. It might be a sharp tongue or a wagging tongue or a judgmental heart or a real problem with that person. We desire to do good in that area of struggle. Yet we often blow it. What’s going on?
Today’s Bible passage explains what’s happening. It reveals that inside of us there is a powerful force that opposes our desires to do right. What’s worse, this force uses God’s law as an opportunity to head off our good intentions and direct them in a different direction. This force is Sin. It often hijacks our good intentions.
The Gospel Moves Us to a New Place
January 3, 2010
Romans 7:1–6
God’s Gospel moves us to a completely new place in life. But there might be times we don’t want to live there. We may hang on to our old way of life or our old way of thinking. Or we circle around and around some sin. It might be a sin we commit habitually. Or it might be a sin because we omit addressing it—like reconciling with that person—or neglecting to reach out in love or show mercy. As we look into 2010, we’ve convinced ourselves “this part of my old life will be with me until I die.”
But the Gospel moves us to a completely new place. So how do we live here, embrace life here and bear fruit here? That’s what we’re going to look at today in our return to the letter to the Romans.
You’re not the person you used to be so you can never handle like you used
November 15, 2009
You’re not the person you used to be so you can never handle life like you used to handle it.
Romans 6:1–14
Today, we’re going to find out how God’s Word clearly defines everyone in this room. When we know who we are, we can better live out what we are. This is important because I believe many people here today live with the wrong definition of themselves. I think God’s Word can correct that with life changing results. I believe God says to Christians here today You’re not the person you used to be; so you can never handle life like you used to handle it.
From the slums to a sea side inheritance
November 1, 2009
What’s wrong with the world and how to make it right
Romans 5:12–21
We all were born into the slums. We all have a slum heritage. We all had slum attitudes and engaged in slum behaviors. We lived in these slums reigned by brutal task masters. As hard as we tried, there was nothing we could do to get ourselves out of those slums. But some of us have been set free from the slum master’s reign. Oh, we still live among the slums. But we serve a new master and look forward to an inheritance of life by the sea.
The good news today is God offers a free sea side inheritance to spiritual slum dwellers.
What assurance do we have today that we’ll be okay when we die?
October 18, 2009
Romans 5:1–11
Now say a financial advisor came to you and asked “what assurance do you have today that you’re family will be okay when you die?” I suspect the amount of importance you place on that question depends on your assessment of how close you are to death.
The closer we get statistically to death, the more weight you might place on this issue.
The same can be true spiritually. Imagine I’m your spiritual advisor coming to visit you this morning. I also have a question that is similar yet has one important difference. See if you can pick out the difference. “What assurance do you have today that you’ll be okay when you die?” Did you catch the difference? I’m not asking if you’re family will be okay. I’m asking if you’ll be okay.
The Good News this morning is God provides great assurances that true Christians will be okay when we die. But now I face the same dilemma any financial advisor faces in trying to get people to take this question seriously. The value you place on this assurance may directly depend on how close or far you believe you are from death. That value dictates whether or not you will listen over the next minutes.
Is Goodness Enough to Guarantee Heaven?
October 4, 2009
Romans 4:1–25
But how does God decide who gets into heaven and who doesn’t? Do the good works of people factor into His decision.
Today, we get to consider this by looking at one of the most famous characters in the Bible. He was both hero and forefather to the Jewish people. Eleven chapters of the Old Testament book Genesis detail his life and relationship with God. The Bible tells us he was justified – that means he had right standing with God. He would make it into heaven. But on what basis did God make that decision?
Who does God justify? To answer that question, we are first going to take a brief look at this person’s life. Then we’re going to look at what Paul the author of Romans says about this person’s life and justification. There we will find 2 very surprising answers to the question, who does God justify? Finally, we will think about
How can God justly forgive lawbreakers?
September 27, 2009
Romans 3:21–26
We are studying the letter to the Romans. Two weeks ago, we saw Paul declare “I am not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; the Jew first and also the Gentile.” We learned Gospel means good news. The Gospel is good news because it provides the means for our salvation from sin. God saves Christians from the penalty of sin at the moment of their conversion. That’s Justification. He is saving Christians today from the power of sin through the Holy Spirit’s work in us. That’s sanctification. He will save us on Judgment Day through our glorification. We will receive our resurrection bodies and rewards from Him. So the Gospel contains and delivers all this good news. But then last week, Paul gave us the bad news. God’s attributes include holy wrath. Both immoral and moral people are under sin and under God’s wrath. In light of the bad news, how can God actually deliver the good news? How can He forgive us without compromising His justice? That’s what Paul explains in the next part of his letter.
Bad News can make Good News sweeter
September 20, 2009
Romans 1:18–3:20
Today as we continue our study on Romans, we get to hear the Bad News. There will be some tough things in this bad news. But I want you to remember throughout that this bad news will sweeten the good news. So if you’ve heard the Gospel many times and perhaps its gone a little stale, this review of the bad news might rekindle your joy in your salvation. Or if you’ve heard the Gospel is good news but never saw how it might be good news for you, the bad news might put that into perspective. Or if you’ve never heard of the Gospel – we’re starting at the beginning. You came at a great time. So I invite you to come along today to hear the bad news which may dramatically sweeten the good news.
We need not be ashamed
September 13, 2009
Romans 1:1–17
Christians sometimes have to deal with the shame caused by someone or something else. Sometimes, we’re ashamed because of the way another Christian acts. Their bad actions reflect on us. Sometimes, we have to deal with the shame cast upon Christianity because of something in history. Sometimes, we deal with shame because of the message of the Gospel.
Imagine yourself going about a normal activity on a weekday: at the office or job site, in class or hanging out with friends, at the playground, at a community meeting or sports event. Someone says “the Christian gospel is racist and intolerant.” Would you speak up? Would you identify yourself as a Christian?