Saraland Sermons - saralandchristians.com

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Have you been afraid of something you know you shouldn’t be afraid of? Are you currently afraid of something you know you shouldn’t be afraid of? Maybe you are scared of the dark, scared of financial ruin, scared of negative opinions about you, or scared of something bad happening. Where do these fearful thoughts come from and how can we overcome them? This is a continual problem in Israel. Their oppressors instill fear in them when they really have nothing to be afraid of. If God is on their side, they cannot lose. But really the problem is that God is often not on their side. They repeatedly break covenant with God and chase after other gods. Their fear shouldn’t be directed toward their oppressors. It should be directed toward God who brought the oppressor. The Plague of Midian (6:1-10) The people of the land experienced rest after God’s victory with Deborah, Barak, and Jael. Rest for forty years. Forty years is a long time. But it did not last. The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. The Midianites, along with the Amalekites, were like a plague of locusts on the people of Israel. They would come from the east and the west as uninvited guests and eat up all of the produce of the land along with their livestock. They just moved right in and would fight with any Israelites who tried to stop them. So, the people saw their failure and called out to the Lord for help. In response, God sent a prophet. Judges 6:8–10 (ESV) — 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.” God reveals to his people that they have failed by fearing the gods of the Amorites and failing to obey God’s voice. These men of Israel believe that the false gods of the land are powerful and they have been worshipping and offering sacrifices to those gods. The Unlikely Judge (6:11-8:27) Like with Deborah, God sent a prophet who told the people their error, but he did not abandon them. This time, he will raise up a man to defeat the Midianites, and it’s not a man who has an army already. He chooses Gideon, a man who is secretly beating out the wheat in his father’s winepress cowering in fear of the Midianites. The angel of the Lord calls out to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”This is a joke, right? The man who is hiding in the wine press to keep Midianites from knowing about his wheat is a mighty man of valor? Gideon picks up on the phrase, “The Lord is with you” and wonders if it’s true. He respectfully asks, “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” He thinks that God has forsaken them because he brought the Midianites in to oppress Israel. The text tells us, “The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do I not send you?’” But Gideon replies incredulously, “Please, Lord, How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” God doesn’t care about that. God has chosen to be with Gideon and that is all that matters. Hearing that, Gideon goes and makes an offering. The Lord extends his staff and consumes it with fire. At the sight, Gideon knows who He is, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” Tearing Down Baal (6:25-32) God wants Gideon to start at home. He commands Gideon to cut down the idolatrous altars that his own father has and build an altar at the site. He did it that night and when the men of the town saw it, they were upset. They knew it was Gideon and wanted him to die. But Joash, his father said, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself.” They then renamed Gideon from “Cuts down” to “Let Baal contend against him.” God Shrinks the Army (7:1-8) After this event, the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon and he gathered the men of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to prepare for battle. But Gideon was still unsure. He asked God for two signs. The first was that He make the fleece wet and all the ground dry early in the morning. The second was that He make the fleece dry and the ground wet early in the morning. He wanted to test to see whether God would truly do the impossible and save Israel through him. God meets his request, and then he strips down his army two times. The first time Gideon commands everyone who is scared to leave. The second time he commands everyone who doesn’t lick up water like a dog to leave. This results in the army going from 22,000 men to 300. For God wanted it to be known that this victory was God’s and not Israel’s. Baal cannot contend for himself, but the Lord God can. God Wins The Battle (7:9-25) The 300 men gathered near the swarm of Midianites and Amalekites, 135,000 of them. Once again Gideon was terrified. God told him to go down into the camp and defeat them because God had given it into his hand. Can you imagine that? 300 men defeating 135,000? God just tells him to do it like it is no big deal. But God said, “If you are afraid, go down to the camp with your servant and see what they are saying.” He does and he finds that they have had a dream about him coming and destroying them. So, Gideon divided the men up, giving them empty jars with torches inside and trumpets. At his command they would blow the trumpets, smash the jars, and shout, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.” When they did this, their enemies started to flee, but many were killing each other. The 300 men pursued them and killed many. Then, other men from the surrounding tribes also came down and helped with the slaughter. Cracks Appear (8:1-27) On the way, Gideon and his men were hungry and they tried to receive assistance from men of Succoth and Penuel, but they would not help. So, after they defeated the Midianites and Amalakites, they came back and killed the men and elders of those towns. Then, the men of Israel wanted to make Gideon a king, but he refused. He wisely said, “The Lord will rule over you.” But then, he foolishly asked them to give him their earrings and purple garments so he could use them to make a golden ephod and put it in his city. All Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. Desperation &amp; Success Foolish idolatry brought suffering to Israel because idols can’t do anything. But God brought peace and prosperity. We could see the contrast in God who defeats his enemies with .002% of the men and idols who cannot save themselves.. God can defeat through floods, through hailstones, through fire from heaven, or he could even defeat them through blowing trumpets, breaking jars, and shouting. There is nothing God cannot do. If all 135,000 of the men would have risen up against Gideon and his 300, God would still have defeated them. But the lesson I want us to focus on tonight is the contrast from the beginning of this story to the end. In the beginning we see Gideon as the least of the weakest clan. He’s a nobody who is hiding in the windpress so the Midianites don’t steal his wheat. In this time of desperation, Gideon was willing to trust in the Lord and rely on him for success. God proved himself to Gideon and he worshipped God on multiple occasions. Then, he defeated the enemies and became hungry for glory. His vindictive actions and the golden ephod show that something is wrong. Fear can lead to panic and cowardice or faith and prayer. In times of desperation, are we clinging to false security that cannot help us? Like Gideon, we may doubt that God would be with us. We might even have hard feelings toward him. But when we put our faith in Him, He is able to bring us out of the mire. He can save us from any situation. When we experience success, what will we do with it? Will we have gratitude? If we choose vain glory, we will suffer the consequences. Gideon honored God, but he also sought to honor himself and his children paid the price, as we will learn about next week. God can give victory, but only a rightly ordered heart can receive it well. Choose God’s Glory Tonight, some of us are living in a winepress—hiding, anxious, tired, trying to protect what little we think we have. And God is not coming to shame you. He’s coming to call you out of it. He tells us what He said to Gideon: “I will be with you.” So we can bring our fears into the light. Tear down whatever competes with God. Gideon teaches us that victory doesn’t test our strength. It tests our heart. Jesus shows us what a heart looks like that can receive God’s victory without being ruined by it: a heart that loves the Father, trusts Him fully, and worships Him alone. Jesus has risen up to deliver us from the lowliest of towns. He stood, not with 300 but, alone against our greatest foe to save us from the oppression of sin. He is not satisfied with man’s honor. He seeks God’s glory. The lessons of Gideon should be our own. Nothing on earth can save us. No god we create. No strength we can muster. Our victory comes through the Lord. He came to earth to show us the truth about God. He’s not found in statues or golden Ephods. He’s seen in the image of Jesus our Messiah and king. Will we make Jesus our king? If God gives you victory (if He gives you relief, provision, momentum, influence) then worship Him harder. Hold success with open hands. Refuse vain glory. Don’t build an ephod. Don’t create a “religious substitute” that steals your trust. Don’t seek your own exaltation. Because the LORD can save by many or by few. And the safest place in the world is not the absence of enemies. It’s the presence of God.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > We have studied for weeks about prayer. How has that affected your prayer life? Are you praying more often? Is the quality of your prayers developing? If you are like me, you don’t struggle with whether prayer works or focusing on the right ideas in prayer. I haven’t taught you anything I didn’t already know. I know that I should pray through tears. I know that I should pray after failure. I know that I should keep praying when God says, “No.” I know to pray for the needs of others and for God’s kingdom. I pray for opportunities and choose to bear some of the burden. If we are honest, some of those prayers feel costly. They require humility, patience, and surrender. But I know deep down inside that there is more that I can grow in this subject. Today, I want us to study about a hesitation that might linger inside of us. Not a hesitation rooted in disbelief. But because somewhere deep down, we wonder how far we should go with our prayers. When is it presumptuous or prideful to ask for something big? Who am I to bring something like that before God? What I want us to see this morning is simple: We can pray big and bold prayers. Do you know that? If you do, are you praying that way, or do you think too little of yourself to pray big and bold prayers? I want us to see that we can pray big and bold prayers, not because of who we are, but because of who God is and what Christ has done. Here are three reasons why we can pray Bigger. 1. Pray Big Because God’s Your Father (Luke 11, Matt 18, Rom 8) The first reason we can pray big and bold prayers to God is the fact that Jesus tells us to call God our “Heavenly Father” in Luke 11. Jesus compares Jesus to an imperfect earthly father to say that we can trust Him to give us good things. This is an important comparison because it reveals to us the willingness of God. Do we pray small because we are unsure of God’s heart toward us? We don’t want to bother Him. We don’t want to ask too much. We don’t want to be disappointed when He says, “No.” We all have a perception of what an earthly father looks like, but what is a Heavenly Father like? Compare this statement about God from Luke 11 to a statement about us in Matthew 18. Matthew 18:1–4 (ESV) — 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Ultimately, I believe we don’t pray big because we aren’t childlike. My younger children don’t have a problem asking for things. They ask all the time. Jenna and I receive hundreds of requests every day from our three children and it wears us out. We say, “No” to 75% of the requests, but they keep on asking. They are relentless and persistent. If we don’t answer, they ask again and again. Jesus tells us that the greatest in the kingdom are like this. They are humbling themselves like children. The thoughts, “I don’t want to bother Him. I don’t want to ask too much. I don’t want to be disappointed when He says, ‘No,’” are all too mature and proud. They show self-reliance and a resistance to depending on God. That kind of prayer reflects the same self-reliance Jesus constantly confronted, and it’s not what God desires from His children. He wants more. The idea that God is inviting His children to ask, seek, and knock must change our attitudes. Paul says something similar in Romans 8. Romans 8:15 (ESV) — 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The contrast in this text is an older, “I have to do everything myself” mindset, and a childlike, “Dad! I need your help” mindset. My children, especially Phoebe, ask for things because she literally cannot do them. She cannot make her own breakfast or drink. She’s learning how to, and doing really well at it, but she recognizes what she needs and cannot provide herself, so she has to ask for help. But Paul says, we aren’t just children, we are adopted, we are chosen and greatly loved by our Heavenly Father. We can pray bigger and bolder prayers because God wants to hear them. Asking for more isn’t burdensome or annoying for God. It honors Him. Unlike me and other earthly fathers, God listens carefully to all of our requests at all times. He knows what we need even before we ask. He doesn’t turn away or silence us when we ask for something inappropriate. Don’t assume that boldness is unwelcome. 2. We Can Pray Big Because Jesus Opened The Way (Heb 10) But God didn’t just invite us to pray. He made a way for us to come near without fear. I’m convinced that the book of Hebrews is written to change the way we pray. The writer of this book wants us to see what Jesus has done for us and draw near with confidence. Drawing near to God is not a small thing. Those who know who God is, understand how unworthy we are to draw near to a holy God. In the Old Testament, God set up the Tabernacle and Temple as a representation of how God’s people are to steer clear of God. Only the Levites could enter the temple area and handle the holy objects. Only the priests could enter the holy place. Only the High Priest can enter the most holy place. Drawing near to God happened with sacrifice, but even sacrifices could only get you so close. Jesus, on the other hand, offered a sacrifice for us that makes us holy enough to enter the true holy places by His blood. Hebrews 10:11–14 (ESV) — 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:19–22 (ESV) — 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Confidence doesn’t come from personality, spiritual consistency, or having a good week. It comes from understanding the access Jesus gives to God’s people. Through His sacrifice, the curtain was torn in two, signifying we have unprecedented access to God. The throne we approach is not a throne of judgment, but a throne of grace. We don’t come hoping He won’t kill us. We come knowing He loves us because of what we have in Christ. That ought to change everything. Our prayers are bold. Not because we believe in ourselves. They are bold because we believe that Jesus really did what scriptures tell us He did. We boldly approach God’s throne, unashamed, because we aren’t trespassing. We were invited there by the Son of God. He paid the price for our access. God is the one who sent Him. So the real question is why wouldn’t we pray? 3. We Can Pray Big Because God Can Do More Than We Ask or Think (Eph 3) The final reason I want us to pray big is because of the words of Paul in Ephesians. These are words that need to sit with us for a while until they are absorbed into our brains. Ephesians 3:14–21 (ESV) — 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. These words are not a promise that God will give us everything we want. They are a promise that God is not limited by what we can envision. It’s a call for God to strengthen us from within to believe that God’s love for us is unlimited and His power toward us is unimaginable. If you were to go throughout OT history and look at God’s miracles for the first time, they would blow you away. Would you build a big boat in the desert? Who brings a sling to fight a giant? Who would have thought to sing praises to the Lord or bash your pottery with torches inside to scare an enemy into killing itself? God can do things that we could never imagine. This is why our prayers stink. We pray for what feels realistic, manageable, and reasonable. But God operates outside of what is physically possible. Paul says God’s power goes beyond our imagination. He can create a scenario that we would never plan or design. Conclusion So, when we pray, we need to understand that God wants to hear us pray. He wants us to be children who bring our every care before Him constantly. We need to understand that there is nothing about us that disqualifies us, no barrier between us and God, because of what Jesus has done. He asks us to come right into his throne room. We must believe that God’s power has no ceiling. The problem we face is not on God’s end. It’s our own. I know it sounds childish and foolish to say this, but open yourself up to God completely. Talk to him about what is on your heart and in your mind. Use the understanding we have gone through in the past five weeks to mold prayers that are pleasing to God, but don’t feel like you have to do everything right to be heard. This is not about you. It’s primarily about needing God and wanting Him to help you. Philippians 4:6 (NET) — 6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Imagine a world where you are so oppressed by evil people that you cannot step outside your town without the fear of being killed for sport. You don’t go outside your home at night because you don’t know what might be waiting for you. You live under an evil ruler with weapons powerful enough to crush you, and you have been completely disarmed. Nine Hundred Chariots This was the reality for Israel for twenty years. Jabin, king of Canaan, had been given complete control after Israel once again chose to worship the gods of the land. God sold Israel into slavery, much like He did in Egypt. This was the promised curse for covenant unfaithfulness—but this situation appears more dire than ever before. Their enemies had chariots of iron—nine hundred of them. They had the swords. They had the arrows. Israel was spread out, afraid, divided, and powerless to respond. And yet, the people cried out to God for help. They had been given multiple chances, and they continued in disobedience. They refused to learn the lesson. It would not have been unjust for God to let them live this way for another hundred years after such betrayal. But He doesn’t. He will save them. God’s Intervention Typically, in the book of Judges, we read about God raising up a savior, a deliverer, a judge. This man is usually mighty, able to rally the troops and defeat Israel’s enemies. But that is not what we find in Judges 4. The text tells us that Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. Instead of preparing troops for battle, she is sitting under a palm tree in Ephraim, giving judgments to the people of Israel, settling disputes and speaking for God. The first thing that stands out is that she is a woman. Women are occasionally given leadership roles throughout Scripture. Miriam was the first prophetess. But no woman is given as much independent authority as Deborah. She is both a prophetess and a judge. She is more teacher and preacher than warrior. And yet, one thing becomes clear: she is Israel’s deliverer. The text also tells us that she is the wife of Lappidoth. She is not presented as rejecting God’s order or operating outside of it. God has given her the spiritual gift of speaking for Him, making her a leader among Israel, and yet she is also presented as a wife within God’s design. This naturally raises a question: Why would God make Deborah a judge? Is it to prove that women are just as capable as men? Or is it because the men of Israel were failing to step into the leadership roles God had given them? Perhaps God is intentionally prodding them—exposing their weakness and calling them to step up. Whatever the reason, Deborah is Israel’s judge. And she summons Barak, the son of Abinoam, from Kedesh-Naphtali. She says to him: “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” Deborah’s words are rhetorical. She speaks as though Barak already knows this is his calling. He simply has not committed himself to it. Her words also reveal something about Barak: he has the influence to command ten thousand men—but he is unwilling to act. There is something about Sisera that terrifies him. Deborah’s message from God should be met with courage and resolve. It should be answered with a war cry. But it isn’t. Barak responds: “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” He is unwilling to fulfill God’s command without God’s prophet beside him. There is humility in that response—but there is also fear. He is afraid of making the wrong move. Afraid of acting without visible assurance. Deborah agrees to go. But she tells him that his hesitation will cost him the honor God intended to give him. The glory will belong to a woman. This answers the earlier question. God wants us to see the weakness of Israel’s men. He is exposing their fear and calling them to lead, to step forward as warriors for what is right. The Battle and the Unexpected Victory Barak gathers his men at Mount Tabor, and they descend to meet the Canaanite army that God has drawn out for battle. Israel may have planned an ambush—coming down from the mountains and trapping Sisera near the river. But God has different plans. Judges 5 tells us what chapter 4 only hints at: dark clouds rush in, and rain pours down so violently that the ground floods. Sisera’s chariots become useless. The army is swept westward. Barak and his men pursue and destroy those who survive. But Sisera escapes—fleeing east on foot. He comes to the tent of a Canaanite sympathizer, a Kenite named Heber. Heber is away, but his wife, Jael, is there. She welcomes Sisera and appears to offer him safety. When he asks for water, she gives him milk. She promises to stand watch. And as he falls asleep from exhaustion, Jael takes a tent peg and a hammer and drives it through his head. When Barak arrives, she is waiting for him. She tells him to come and see the man he was seeking. Just as Deborah prophesied, a woman receives the glory. The Song of the Delivered These events stand out in Judges because of how unusual they are. A woman leads. A prophet speaks. A foreign woman delivers the final blow. And then comes the song. Judges is a tragic book. Israel repeatedly fails to keep covenant with God. So this song is meant to slow us down and force us to reflect. The song teaches us that God deserves the glory. When Israel’s leaders failed, God did not. He was the lightning. He was the thunder. He was the flood and the earthquake. Without God, Israel would have remained oppressed—just as they were in Egypt. This deliverance is meant to remind us of Egypt. Chariots swept away by water. An enemy undone by God’s power over creation. At any moment, God can intervene and remove the strongest force on earth. He alone is all-powerful. The song also reveals the condition of Israel. They were terrified. Isolated. Disarmed. Only some tribes volunteered to fight. Naphtali, Zebulun, Ephraim, Benjamin, and parts of Manasseh stepped forward. Reuben, Gad, and others debated and stayed behind—busy with work, fishing, and shepherding. The song praises those who trusted the LORD and shames those who stayed home. It calls God’s people to remember His work and honor those who stepped forward in faith. Jael is even called “most blessed among women” for what she did. Our Fears and Our Faith When we read this story and the following song, we get a picture of fear, oppression, and the temptation we may have to do nothing when things are dangerous. The song in Judges 5 is not just celebrating a victory—it is teaching Israel how to think about fear and faith. If you listen closely, one idea rises above everything else: Fear paralyzes God’s people, but faith steps forward trusting that God will act. Fear Paralyzes God’s People The song tells us that roads were abandoned and people hid in villages. Life got smaller. Movement stopped. Risk disappeared. The song names tribes that showed up and tribes that stayed home. And the way it describes the ones who stayed home is almost painful: they aren’t portrayed as wicked men celebrating evil. They’re portrayed as men hesitating… weighing options… staying near what feels safe. That’s what fear does. It turns obedience into a debate. It doesn’t always make us run—it makes us retreat into what feels safe. We stop doing what God has called us to do, not because we hate Him, but because we’re trying to protect ourselves. Fear keeps us quiet when we should speak. Fear keeps us home when we should step out. Fear keeps us deliberating when God has already spoken. Israel wasn’t defeated because they lacked numbers. They were defeated because fear trained them to live carefully under oppression. The danger in this story is not only Sisera’s chariots. The danger is Israel learning how to live under oppression—how to adapt, how to cope, how to survive spiritually with the smallest amount of risk possible. Everything in the song turns on that contrast. Faith Steps Forward Without Guarantees The song praises those who volunteered. Not the strongest. Not the most confident. The ones who showed up. Faith in this story is not bold talk—it’s movement. It’s obedience without control. It’s trusting that God will act when you cannot. That’s why the victory belongs to God. The storm comes from Him. The flood comes from Him. The deliverance comes from Him. God does not ask His people to be fearless. He asks them to trust Him enough to move. God’s Power Exposes What We Trust Sisera’s chariots look unstoppable, until God turns them into dead weight. The song reminds Israel that the greatest threat to faith is trusting in what looks secure. And we have our own chariots. Threats of discomfort, instability, chaos, shattered reputation, and insecurity drive us away from the fight. God is kind enough to remind His people, again and again, that none of those things rule the world. He does. Why This Story Leads Us to Jesus Judges shows us a pattern: God’s people are fearful, divided, and hesitant—and God still delivers. That pattern points forward to Christ. Because the greatest oppression was not Canaan. It was sin and death. And God did not defeat that enemy with force, but with faithfulness. Jesus didn’t arrive with chariots. He arrived in weakness. And just like this story, the victory didn’t look like victory at first. But God acted. So the call of this text is not to be brave. It is to trust the God who still fights for His people. Fear asks, “What if I lose?” Faith asks, “What has God promised?” And the song of Deborah invites us to choose which voice we will live by.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > On occasion, we face events in our lives where we have to choose what we are going to do. There may be two roads we can go down. One road might be easier than the other, but we feel a burden to go down the difficult road. What will we do? There are many events in our lives that change our course. Doors close, and another door opens to reveal something unexpected. Many of us are guided by opportunities that show up along the way. We went to schools and surrounded ourselves with friends primarily because of the decisions of our parents. We took jobs because someone we knew recommended them, or we moved to an area because a house we wanted came up for sale. It’s interesting to think about the trail of our path and how we ended up where we are. Our study today is about the importance of considering God and spending time in prayer in our decision-making. We will look at a very important decision made by a man named Nehemiah. A Burdened Heart (1:1–11) When Nehemiah hears the report from Jerusalem, the city has been in ruins for about 140 years. The temple has been rebuilt. Worship has resumed. God has already shown His faithfulness. And yet Jerusalem remains exposed, humiliated, and vulnerable. For many, this had become normal. But it was not normal to Nehemiah. He is living far away in Susa, serving as the king’s cupbearer—the most trusted position in the palace and one of the most dangerous. His life quite literally depends on the king’s pleasure. And yet, when he hears about the condition of Jerusalem, something breaks inside him. This is not curiosity. This is not a political concern. This is a burden. Nehemiah mourns. He fasts. He prays—not for minutes or days, but for months. He does not rush to action. He goes first to God. And when he prays, he does not demand. He confesses. He does not argue his worth. He appeals to God’s word. He reminds God of a promise spoken through Moses over a thousand years earlier—that if God’s people returned to Him, He would gather them again. Nehemiah is not asking God to invent something new. He is asking God to be faithful to what He has already said. And then he prays something dangerous: “Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Nehemiah knows where this prayer may lead. Choosing to Meet the Moment with Faith (2:1-3) When the moment comes for Nehemiah to be the king’s cupbearer, he chooses a dangerous course. Instead of simply making his request known to the king, Nehemiah risks everything by allowing his face to show sadness. The king notices and asks him why his face is sad. The text tells us that Nehemiah was “very much afraid.” Pause and consider this. Nehemiah had presumably been serving the king for months after receiving this news. He had poured himself out in prayer to God, wept, and refused to eat or indulge in pleasures. Then he would walk into the king’s throne room with a smile on his face, wearing a mask of joy and contentment. Imagine enduring that suffering day after day. But one day, he lets his true feelings show—and it is startling enough for the king to recognize it. What would the king think? Is his trusted cupbearer being blackmailed or forced to provide poisoned wine to him and his queen? Nehemiah is terrified at the king’s words because his life hangs in the balance. He has no control over the situation, and this one small act has entered him into a world of uncertainty and anxiety. Did he regret it for a moment? Did he wonder whether God would really help him through this? We learn from this that God’s opportunities often come wrapped in fear and uncertainty. We have no idea what the future holds when we step out in faith to do what we believe God wants us to do. Fear is a normal part of it. We must believe that God has heard our prayers and that He stands with us if we are going to push through our fears and participate in His work, just as Nehemiah did. Faith Is Rewarded Nehemiah speaks carefully, respectfully, and clearly. He does not manipulate. He does not demand. He asks—and the king listens. Permission is granted. Time is given. Resources are supplied. Nehemiah receives everything he needs, not because of his cleverness, but because, as he says, the good hand of God was upon him. Nehemiah was trusting in God, and God delivered. This was not merely a reward for faith; it was an entrustment. Nehemiah was not satisfied with an easy life. He asked for a meaningful one. And God opened the door for him—along with opposition, responsibility, and cost. This is the main point of the story. God wants to give us lives full of meaning and value. He wants to shape us into people who labor for the building up of His people and the establishment of His glory for generations to come. God Is in Control When we look at this story, we gain a greater understanding of how God works providentially. Nehemiah believes in God’s providential working. He sees what no one else does, and he chooses to trust the One who is in control. Too often, we fail to see God’s work in the world we live in. I like the imagery given in a book I’ve read recently about God’s work in our world. The author begins by quoting an anonymous poet and tells us exactly what we need to hear: “Oh, where is the sea?” the fishes cried, As they swam the Atlantic waters through; “We’ve heard of the sea and the ocean tide, And we long to gaze on its waters blue.” These words remind us that we are so saturated in God’s working that we often fail to recognize it. God has power beyond our understanding, and He directs it through those in positions of power and authority. He raises up those who bend to His will and brings down those who refuse. Yet we are often blind to it. I cannot imagine what we would see if God opened our eyes to the spiritual reality that exists all around us. From Prayer to Calling When we reflect on this event and Nehemiah’s prayer, it is easy to observe what happened and leave it in the past. But Nehemiah’s prayer was pointing to something much bigger. When Nehemiah prays, he is not inventing a new hope. He is standing within a promise God had been repeating for generations. By Nehemiah’s day, that promise had already grown larger than a return from exile or the rebuilding of walls. Today, that promise has been most fully realized in Christ. The prophets made it clear that God’s gathering would not stop with Israel. Through Isaiah and Ezekiel, God promised that His restored mountain would become a place of worldwide invitation: “In the latter days the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains… and all the nations shall flow to it” (Isaiah 2:2). “God Himself would search for His scattered sheep and bring them back” (Ezekiel 34:11–16). “God would multiply them until the land was filled ‘like a flock’” (Ezekiel 36:37–38). “And God would place over them one shepherd who would feed them and lead them” (Ezekiel 34:23). That last promise is crucial. The gathering of God’s people was never meant to be only political or geographic—it was messianic. So when Nehemiah prays for God to regather His people to His mountain and restore the community, he is participating in a promise that stretches far beyond his own lifetime. His work in Jerusalem is real and necessary, but it is also partial. It is one step in a much larger movement of God. The New Testament shows us where that promise ultimately lands. Jesus presents Himself as: the true dwelling place of God, the shepherd who gathers scattered sheep, and the One through whom people come from east and west into God’s kingdom. What Isaiah saw as nations streaming to God’s mountain, and what Ezekiel saw as a growing flock under one shepherd, Scripture reveals as being fulfilled in Christ and His church—not by relocating people to Jerusalem, but by bringing people into Him. We should not expect God to restore a nation, rebuild a city, or expand physical borders. But we should expect God to remain faithful to the promise Nehemiah trusted: to gather people to Himself, to increase His people through the gospel, to remove shame through forgiveness and holiness, and to use faithful servants in strategic moments to advance His work. So the question we must ask ourselves is this: What role do I play in the gathering and increasing of God’s people? When we see an opportunity to act, we pray for God to work. We take on the burden. We ask Him to let us participate in the gathering He has already promised to accomplish. Just as Nehemiah prayed toward a moment when God would open a door before a king, we pray toward moments when God opens doors before neighbors, bosses, family members, friends, and coworkers—trusting that the same God who helped Nehemiah will help us, and expecting Him to gather His people under one Shepherd, for His glory.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > In this series on prayer, I’m ambitiously trying to push us past what’s normal. We’ve learned from Hannah what it looks like to pray through tears with faith that God hears. We’ve learned from David how to pray with humility when we’ve blown it. And last week we talked about praying when God says “No”—not quitting, not going cold, but continuing to trust Him. And I challenged us to start shifting the center of our prayers. Not just “Lord, fix my day,” but “Lord, grow Your kingdom in me… and through me.” I wanted our voices to unite around the will and glory of God. I don’t know how God will fulfill those prayers, but I trust Him to do it. Now let me ask you something. When you pray, how often is the prayer about what’s happening inside your house—your needs, your problems, your fears—and how often is it about what’s happening inside somebody else’s? Most of us don’t mean to be selfish. We’re just overwhelmed. But one of the marks of spiritual maturity is when prayer stops being only an emergency button and becomes love—love that carries other people. Today we’re going to look at Daniel 9. Daniel shows us what it looks like to pray for a mess you didn’t make, and to pray with humility for people who desperately need God’s mercy. The Choice To Pray For Others (1-19) Daniel’s life is one of the most instructive stories in Scripture. He was taken from Jerusalem as a young man and carried into Babylon. He lived in a pagan empire, served under pagan kings, and yet remained faithful to God. The world tried to reshape him, rename him, and re-train him, but it couldn’t take his God from him. While Daniel is doing well in Babylon, he has position and stability, his people back home are devastated. Jerusalem is ruined. The temple is destroyed. The heart of the nation has been crushed. Daniel is safe, but his people are not. Then Daniel does something that shows the kind of man he is: he opens the Scriptures. Daniel 9 tells us he was reading Jeremiah and realized the time of exile was coming to an end. God had foretold seventy years, and Daniel sees God working as Babylon is taken over by the Medes and Persians. So Daniel turns to God in prayer. But he doesn’t pray like a man demanding benefits. He prays like a man who has been humbled by God’s holiness and haunted by his people’s sin. And what strikes me when I read Daniel 9 is the language. Daniel doesn’t say “they.” He says “we.” He doesn’t stand above the people and critique them. He stands with the people and pleads for mercy. There are at least three things Daniel understands in this prayer. First, he understands God’s justice. He does not call God unfair. He does not treat judgment like a mistake. He agrees with God about sin and its consequences. Second, he understands God’s mercy. Daniel confesses, openly and honestly, not just the nation’s sin, but the sin of “us.” That is humility. It’s the posture that says, “Lord, I’m not above the people I’m praying for. I’m made of the same stuff. I need mercy too.” Third, he understands God’s promises. Daniel isn’t trying to manipulate God. He’s praying according to what God has already said—calling on God to remain true to His word and to exalt His name by restoring His people. Stepping Into The Gap When we read this prayer, it should strike us how Daniel is trying to call on God to intervene in Israel’s future according to what He has already said He would do. How many of us would do the same if we were in Daniel’s position? Would we think that this is a wasted effort? That God will do what He wants to do with or without my help? Would we be willing to let go of our bitterness towards God for ruining our perfect life and taking us away from our families? Would we understand how we too are sinful, in spite of our best efforts to live faithfully? Would we study God’s word to see the promises and call for God to fulfill them for his own glory? The words of Daniel’s prayer are impressive because his mind and spirit are focused on the mess that other people are primarily responsible for and dealing with hundreds of miles away from him. He could just be content and comfortable in Babylon, but instead, he chooses to pour himself out to God on behalf of the nation of Israel. He calls for God to do something that has no real benefit to him since he is already over 80 and unlikely to make the trip. What Daniel has done in this prayer is called, “Stepping into the gap.” Stepping into the gap is what love looks like when it prays. It’s refusing to watch people spiritually collapse from a distance. If you could imagine a breach in a wall and the need to fill in the breach so that the enemy cannot come in and destroy the city. Ezekiel 22:29–31 (ESV) — 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice. 30 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. 31 Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.” God tried to continue in his patience with Jerusalem and Judah, but he could not find anyone to “stand in the gap.” No one was able to build up the wall and strengthen the people spiritually. Their hearts could not be turned, and they could not be saved from judgment. Daniel is stepping into the gap and attempting to build the relationship between God and His people through appeal and petition. This is what great men like Abraham did for Sodom and Gamorrah, Moses for the golden calf incident, and Job for His friends. They all spoke up on behalf of the wicked people who made a mess. Do we have that mindset? Are we men and women of faith who would be willing to pray for the people who are around us? Do we have minds that are willing to dwell on the spiritual destruction others have created, and hearts that appeal to God on their behalf? The Goodness of God (20-23) Daniel’s prayer is not met with silence. God swiftly sends his angel, Gabriel, the very same angel who would reveal the coming of Christ to Mary. This angel speaks to Daniel and explains God’s plans for the future. Daniel 9:20–23 (ESV) — 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. “At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out… for you are greatly loved.” Think about that. Daniel is not twisting God’s arm. Daniel is not performing for God. Daniel is coming low—honest, humble, and hopeful—and God answers with this sentence: “You are greatly loved.” First, notice that Daniel’s humble prayer was heard by God. This is a consistent theme throughout scriptures. When the faithful humble themselves before God, he takes notice. He pays careful attention to the humble prayer and he responds. In this case, while Daniel was speaking this prayer God was already sending Gabriel to him. This reality of God’s swift response, shows us something else. God moves faster than we expect. It’s not like God has to mull it over for a period of time and decide on something. He is not cold. He is not annoyed by repentance. He does not look at broken people and say, “Prove yourself first.” The text tells us that God was moving while Daniel was speaking the words. He knew what answer he would have ready for Daniel. Don’t think of God as reluctant or uncaring. He loves and cares about each of his children. Third, we see that God’s mercy will fix the mess that Daniel is praying for God to fix. Daniel’s prayer was basically, “We don’t deserve it, but You are more merciful than we can comprehend. So please be merciful toward us.” God doesn’t turn around and say, “Pray to me one hundred more times” or “Offer me 10,000 sacrifices.” The answer is not, “Try harder.” God responds by revealing his coming grace and providing additional understanding and insight for Daniel. For someone who wants to know, additional insight and understanding is the key to removing anxiety and fear. Finally, God tells Daniel that He will provide what His people need most of all, but He provides it in His way at the time He has designed. God tells Daniel, in effect, “I’m not only rebuilding walls. I’m dealing with what broke the world.” Daniel 9:24 (ESV) — 24 “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Gabriel’s message stretches beyond Daniel’s immediate hopes. Daniel is thinking, “Rebuild now.” God is saying, “I’m going deeper than that. I’m dealing with sin itself. I’m bringing a salvation bigger than a city.” Lessons For Us So what do we learn from Daniel’s prayer? Daniel prayed facing Jerusalem, longing for the temple to be restored. But we have something Daniel only saw from a distance. We have the Messiah. We have the true sacrifice. We have access—not into a building in Jerusalem—but into the presence of God by the blood of Jesus. Hebrews says we have confidence to enter the holy places through Christ. If Daniel could see that, I think his heart would burst with awe. And I also think he would look at the freedoms and blessings we have—and the spiritual apathy that can creep in—and he would do what he always did. He would pray. Not with bitterness. Not with superiority. With humility. With tears. With hope. And that’s exactly what the Holy Spirit calls the church to do: 1 Timothy 2:1–4 (ESV) — 1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Notice: this kind of praying is not a burden God lays on you to crush you. It is an invitation to join His heart. God desires people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. When you pray for others, you’re not dragging God toward mercy—you’re stepping into the stream of mercy that is already flowing from Him. Here is what I want you to do this week: pray like Daniel prayed, humble, honest, and hopeful. Ask God for mercy. Ask God for growth. Ask God for open doors. And as you pray, remember this: God heard Daniel at the beginning of his pleas for mercy. He hears His people. He moves. And He delights to answer with grace. Aren’t you glad we have such a compassionate and merciful God?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Have you ever noticed how easy it is to drift? Nobody wakes up one morning and says, “Today I’m going to forget about God.” Nobody plans to disobey. Nobody puts it on the calendar: Start worshiping idols. Stop praying. Stop caring. Stop listening. That’s not how it happens. It happens slowly. Quietly. You miss one opportunity to obey. You ignore one conviction. You let one habit hang around. You start making peace with something God told you to kill. And before you know it, you’re still religious, still busy, still showing up—but your heart isn’t clinging to the Lord anymore. That’s exactly where Israel is when the book of Judges opens. God brought them into the land. He gave them victories they never could’ve earned. And Joshua’s last words weren’t a celebration speech. They were a warning. He told them to cling to the Lord, love Him, obey Him, and never mix their hearts with the nations and their gods. But Judges begins by showing us what happens when people stop clinging. They don’t usually sprint away from God. They settle. They stop short. They do enough to feel faithful, but not enough to actually be faithful. And partial obedience is dangerous because it gives you the illusion that everything is fine while your soul is sliding. So tonight, I want to show you three things from Judges 3, through the stories of Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar: What happens when God’s people drift How God sends saviors anyways Why those rescues point us straight to Jesus Because the big truth of Judges is this: If you won’t cling to God, you’ll end up chained to something else—but God still sends a Savior. The Warning God brought Israel into the land. He gave victories they couldn’t have earned. And Joshua’s final words were not a victory speech, they were a warning. He told them: cling to the LORD, love Him, obey Him, and do not mix your heart with the nations and their gods (Joshua 23–24). He said, in essence, “If you treat the covenant lightly, the land will become heavy.” But Judges opens by showing us they stopped short. They fought some battles, won some ground, but they did not finish what God commanded. They settled into partial obedience, and partial obedience is always more dangerous than open rebellion because it lets you feel faithful while you’re drifting. Judges 2 explains what God does next. The angel of the LORD announces: “You have not obeyed my voice… I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you” (Judges 2:1–3). And Israel weeps, not because their hearts are transformed but, because they realize the cost. And it doesn’t take long for the snare to tighten. The nations remain in the land, Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites, and Israel begins to blend. They intermarry. They adopt the worship practices. They stop teaching the next generation who God is. And the book is not subtle about what’s happening: Israel is forgetting the LORD. And God had already told them what that would mean. Deuteronomy was clear: faithfulness brings blessing, rebellion brings discipline, and foreign oppression would be part of that discipline. Judges is Deuteronomy playing out in real time. So what’s surprising in Judges is not that Israel sins. The surprising thing is that God doesn’t erase them. He disciplines them, yes, but He also keeps rescuing them. The Cycle After Joshua’s generation dies, the book shows a repeating cycle: Israel sins → God hands them over → Israel cries out → God raises a deliverer → the land has rest → and then they drift again. The judges are not primarily “heroes.” They are deliverers, saviors in the sense that God raises them up to rescue His people from oppression. And as the book goes on, the deliverers become more complicated, and Israel becomes more corrupt. The point is not, “Look at these great people.” The point is, “Look at this great God, and look at how deep the human problem goes.” So tonight we start with two early deliverers: Othniel and Ehud. The Saviors The Judges are really just saviors. They are men and women whom God raises up to lead the people against an oppressive enemy. As we read through the book of Judges, we notice that these saviors come from many different tribes. They are not “heroes” in the way we might view heroes. There are fifteen judges, if we count Eli and Samuel in 1 Samuel. Some we have a lot of information about, some a small amount. But one thing becomes obvious as we read about them. They are becoming worse and worse over time. It is obvious that they lack an understanding of God’s word, until we get to Samuel. Today, we are going to look closely at all of the lesser known judges, and in future lessons we will look at those we know more about, individually. Othniel and the Arameans Judges 3 tells us plainly what happens: “The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.” (Judges 3:7) They didn’t just sin. They replaced God. So: “Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim… and the people of Israel served him eight years.” (Judges 3:8) God sold them. This isn’t God being weak. This is God being faithful to His covenant warnings. Israel wants life without Him, and God lets them feel the chains that come with that choice. But then: “When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer… Othniel.” (Judges 3:9) And the center of the story is not Othniel’s skill, it’s God’s power: “The Spirit of the LORD was upon him… and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim… into his hand.” (Judges 3:10) And the result: “So the land had rest forty years.” (Judges 3:11) Othniel’s story is clean, almost simple. It’s the “best-case” version of Judges. And it sets you up to hope: maybe the people learned. But then the next words hit: “And the people of Israel again did what was evil…” (Judges 3:12) Again. That’s the ache. Rest didn’t cure the heart. Ehud This time, the text says something that makes modern people uneasy: “And the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel.” (Judges 3:12) God strengthens the oppressor, not because oppression is righteous but, because discipline is necessary. God refuses to let covenant rebellion drift without consequence. For eighteen years, Moab dominates Israel. Tribute is collected. Israel labors, and a foreign king grows fat on their work. And again Israel cries out. And again God raises a deliverer: Ehud, a left-handed man from Benjamin. Ehud brings tribute with a sword attached to his right thigh, hidden under his cloak. He tells Eglon he has a secret message, then Ehud assassinates him when his servants are out of the room. The story is graphic. It’s humiliating. It’s not the kind of scene you describe in detail in this setting. So what do we do with that? First, we don’t pretend it isn’t there. Judges doesn’t sanitize reality. Second, we don’t turn Ehud into a moral model for how to handle problems. And third, we recognize what Judges is showing us: God is rescuing His people in a dark time, through a deliverer who fits the darkness of the time. The method is not the point. The deliverance is. And after Ehud escapes, Israel rallies, and the LORD gives victory: “So Moab was subdued that day… And the land had rest for eighty years.” (Judges 3:30) But again, rest is temporary. The cycle will return. After Ehud comes Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Abimilech, Tola, Jair, Jephtha, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson, Eli, and Samuel. God uses all of these men and women to save his people. Lessons So here we are, staring at the cycle. Israel sins → God hands them over → Israel cries out → God raises a deliverer → the land has rest → and then they drift again. Our Future And if we’re honest, that cycle isn’t just Israel’s history. It’s a picture of the human heart. Some of us know exactly what it is to drift. Not in a dramatic way. Not in a headline way. But in a slow way. We still believe. We still come to church services. We still know the right answers. But we’ve stopped clinging to God. And here’s what Judges teaches us: if you don’t cling to God, you won’t stay free. You will be mastered by something (lust, anger, bitterness, fear, comfort, money, control, our own pride) And the scary part is, it doesn’t feel like chains at first. It feels like freedom. But sin always starts as a choice and ends as a master. Judges doesn’t exist to make you say, “Wow, Israel was awful.” God Sends A Savior Judges exists to make you say, “God is unbelievably merciful.” Because even when they forgot Him, He didn’t erase them. He disciplined them, yes—but when they cried out, He raised up a savior (Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar). They are temporary saviors providing temporary peace because the deeper problem still lives inside them. And that’s where Jesus steps in, not as the next judge in the cycle, but as the Savior who ends the cycle. Jesus doesn’t sneak into a palace with a sword. He walks up a hill with a cross. He doesn’t kill the king of Moab. He defeats the real tyrant, sin and death. He doesn’t give you forty years of rest. He gives you peace with God. And He doesn’t just rescue you from consequences. He rescues you from the heart that keeps returning to the chains. That’s why the new covenant promise is so beautiful: Jeremiah 31:31–34 (ESV) — 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” God doesn’t just call you back, He changes you. So tonight the question is “Are you clinging to the Lord?” Because we have all forgotten God. We’ve ended up chained to something else, but God still sent a Savior. And His name is Jesus. So don’t settle into partial obedience. Don’t live close to God but not with God. Don’t drift until the snare tightens. Cry out to Him. Come back to Him. Trust Him. Obey Him. And let the Savior do what only the Savior can do: break the cycle.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > At the start of the year, I told you that prayer is something I’ve struggled with at times. I’ve spent hours praying while driving long commutes, pouring out my heart to God. But I’ve also reduced prayer to habit—motions without expectation. When prayers are answered quickly, prayer feels powerful. When they aren’t, prayer feels pointless. And if we’re honest, that’s where many of us begin to drift. But how should we think about God when He doesn’t answer or when he answers, “No?” We can think about many things. We can think that He is evil and mean. We can think that He just doesn’t care about us or that we don’t matter. We can think that He has something in mind that we don’t know about. But we can also think that there is something wrong with us or what we are asking. Maybe we just don’t have enough faith. We struggle to pray because we don’t like the idea that God will tell us “No” to something we really think needs to happen. Today, we are going to see that when God doesn’t give us any response or when He seems to be saying “No,” He is not absent. He is revealing His wisdom, His purposes, and our hearts in the silence. After we understand that, we will see why we need to keep praying through the doubts, fears, and periods of suffering. Ten different reasons God says “No” When we look throughout History, there are multiple occasions when God says, “No.” Moses - Consequences and Finality (Deut 3:23-27) The first instance is when Moses was in the wilderness with Israel, he had failed to honor God by following His command to speak to the rock. Consequently, God told him he would die in the wilderness. But he prayed for God to let him go in and to let his eyes see the land. God said, “No” and He told Moses to stop asking. We aren’t really told why God wouldn’t change His mind on this, but it seems to make it clear that it was time for Moses to die. Sometimes, it’s about consequences and sometimes it’s just time for someone to die. Sometimes God says no not because He hasn’t considered the request, but because He has. We have to recognize God’s wisdom and knowledge in every situation. God did not change His mind, not because He was unkind but, because the judgment had already been considered fully and finally. David - Discipline and God’s Holiness (2 Sam 12:15-23) The second instance is right after the events we learned about last week. David’s adultery and murder of Uriah. Though God forgave David, He promised that He would bring evil upon David’s house. This started with the child that Bathsheba had born to him. The boy fell deathly ill when he was still young. Can you imagine having a child sick like that and knowing it was a consequence of your sin? David fasted, prayed, and did not move for seven days. He was constantly calling out to God for mercy for the child, and no one could budge him. Again, God said, “No.” The boy died. But what’s most interesting about this story is the part afterward. As soon as David found out that the boy had died, he got up, washed himself, and went to the temple to offer worship to God. David didn’t hate God or wallow in self-pity. He said, “I will go to him, he will not come back to me.” David didn’t stop believing when God said no. He stopped bargaining—and started worshiping. No bitterness. No accusations. No collapse of faith. David understood something we often forget: God’s holiness had not disappeared just because David’s heart was breaking. Habakkuk - Judgment and Trust (Hab 1-3) In Habakkuk, we read about a prophet who is told about the destruction of Judah before it happens. He prays for God to not do this, to fix Israel in some other way. But God tells Habakkuk, “No.” Again, the response is full of faith. Habakkuk says, “Even though everything around me is falling apart, I will praise you and rejoice in your greatness, believing that you will be with me and help me rise above my tribulation.” God said no to Habakkuk’s request, and yet Habakkuk ends his prayer with praise. Even if everything collapses, even if the fields produce nothing, even if life falls apart—he will rejoice in God. Why? Because his faith was anchored in who God is, not in what God allows. Paul - Formation and Humility (2 Cor 12:7-10) As we come into the New Testament, we can see that Christians don’t fare any better. Paul reveals that he had gone to God on multiple occasions asking God to remove a constant pain in him, but God told him, “No, my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness.” It turns out that in this case, the thorn in Paul’s side was keeping him from being conceited. There was an underlying function of the pain Paul wanted removed. Again, Paul doesn’t let this answer make him bitter. He instead continues in his efforts and glorifies God in his weakness, knowing that it is for his good. The very thing Paul wanted removed was shaping him into the man God was using. And Paul learned to rejoice—not in comfort, but in grace. Jesus - Redemption and Submission (Matt 26:36-46) And, of course, we know that God the Son, himself did not get what he wanted. Jesus went to God in Gethsemane and prayed for the cup to pass, but God said, “No.” It is interesting, in this case, that Jesus says, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done” in Matthew 26. This phrase is important. It indicates that Jesus leaves room for the wisdom and foreknowledge of God. That was trust. Jesus trusted the wisdom of the Father more than His own desire to avoid pain. And because of that “No,” salvation was accomplished. Why Does God Say, “No” To Me So, God does say, “No.” But why is He telling me no? When God says “No,” our minds race. Maybe He’s cruel.Maybe He doesn’t care.Maybe I don’t matter.Maybe I don’t have enough faith.Maybe something is wrong with me. And our culture has not helped us here. We live in a world that has turned prayer into a transaction. Push the right buttons. Say the right words. Have enough confidence. And if the miracle doesn’t happen, someone must be at fault. That kind of thinking has hurt people deeply. Because it teaches us to believe that unanswered prayer means failed faith. But Scripture tells a very different story. These examples are supposed to show us that faithful men are told “No” by God. Maybe there is a punishment like in the case with David. Maybe it’s just not a part of God’s overall plan, like in the cases of Moses, Habakkuk, and Jesus. Or maybe what I’m asking for is not truly what is best for me like in the case of Paul. I really don’t know which it is. But there are some things we can know. The Truth About Prayer Sometimes “No” is “Not Yet” (Luke 11:5-10, 18:1-8) The first thing we can know is that “No” might be “Not Yet.” Are there times in your life when you have prayed for something only to find it comes true years later, after you have stopped praying? Luke 11:5–10 (ESV) — 5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. When we read in Luke 11 about the man who doesn’t want to get out of bed and give bread to the neighbor, what are we supposed to notice? The main point seems to be the willingness of the man to grant a request due to the persistence of his neighbor. We connect this to the context and see that God will get up and open the door for us if we persist. He will give us what we ask of Him as we persist in prayer. He might tell us, “No” at first, but that “No” can turn into a “Yes.” But I believe there is more to this story than that. Jesus is not teaching us how to wear God down. He is teaching us who God is. If a tired, annoyed neighbor will eventually respond, how much more will a loving Father respond to His children? The issue is not whether God hears. The issue is whether we trust Him enough to wait and keep asking—even when the door stays closed longer than we expect. Is It Because I Sinned? (Luke 18:9-13) Also, notice that this story tells us that the neighbor says “Yes” to someone who is asking for things they should already have and He gives things when it’s not convenient for him to give. He rearranges the world to accommodate those who ask. Have you ever thought, “I shouldn’t pray because I’m a sinner and God doesn’t listen to sinners?” or “God’s got other things to worry about.” Everyone is a sinner. In Luke 18:13, we read that the sinner who knew he was a sinner was heard over a religious and seemingly righteous man. Why? It’s not that God doesn’t listen to sinners. We read that He is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. The proud are selfish and ask of God wrongly, with a focus on themselves and their own pleasures (James 4:3). So, it’s possible that there is something wrong with your heart and that’s why God is not providing what you are seeking. He is opposing you because of your pride. Repentance doesn’t force God’s hand—it corrects our posture and aligns our hearts. But I bet many of you aren’t receiving a “No” for that reason. It could be true of you, and if it is, you need to repent. But I bet the “No” is a “Not yet” or something else. God’s Kingdom Matters Most Of All (Luke 11) One core reason why I believe God tells us, “No” is because we aren’t focused on the right things. Notice what Jesus puts first in his model prayer. Jesus taught us to pray, “Hallowed be YOUR name; YOUR kingdom come.” Then, Jesus demonstrated this humility in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked God to take away His suffering, but then He recognized that it wasn’t about Him and His desire to avoid pain. It was about the kingdom and redemption of mankind. Do you put God’s kingdom above your request for daily bread? Is God’s kingdom more important to you? When we look at all of these examples of men who are told, “No.” Those who accepted it and worshiped God afterward did so because they valued their relationship with God, His glory, and His kingdom more than they valued the life of their child, the pain and suffering they were going through, or their own wellbeing. Maybe God is telling you “No” because your request is completely self-absorbed and self-centered. Remember Hannah’s surrender? She recognized that it’s not about her. Hannah did not ask God to serve her story. She asked God to use her story for His glory. It can’t be about me. It has to be about God and His glory. That’s our purpose in life so that should be our purpose in every request. I want the job, child, spouse, etc. so I can glorify God in them. Ask With Faith Now, think about what was repeatedly asked for in Luke 11, bread. In the model prayer, he asks for daily bread, not a storehouse full of bread. In the story the neighbor was asking for bread. In the end, he says fathers know how to give bread. The picture is that if you ask, seek, and knock for what you actually need to survive, believe that God will give that to you. He is a good heavenly Father for you. We simply need to keep asking and keep believing that is true. One might say, “I need this thorn out of my side,” “I need my child to live,” or “I need to avoid hanging on the cross.” These are all true statements to us, but why do you need those things? Is it not just because you want a comfortable life? What about the good that God can accomplish by allowing you to endure the loss of comfort? Do you need them for God’s glory? Let God’s will be done in my job hunt. Let God's will be done with having children or acquiring a spouse. May God’s will be done with buying a house or anything else my heart desires. If I start with God’s will as my focus and the exaltation of God’s kingdom as my focus, I will find that all things have worked together for my good because I loved the Lord more than myself. Some might hear that and say, “I shouldn’t even ask because I know He’ll say no.” But if you, like Hannah, have His glory in mind for the house, for the children, for the spouse, for the job, for the removal of pain or suffering, you should not only ask, but expect God to move in a way that benefits everyone. Believe that God always cares I’m not spouting out health and wealth doctrine. I’m not telling you God is your genie in the bottle. But I am telling you that we would all do well to think more positively about our God after He responds negatively to our prayers. Don’t assume the worst and don’t give up on Him. In light of all the no’s we read about in scripture and all the no’s we might face in our lives, it’s important for us to remember that praying to God is still worth the effort. Remember, God doesn’t say “No” because He doesn’t care about us. Peter tells us plainly to “cast your cares on Him because He cares for you.” If He tells us “No” it’s got to be because He does care. He is a good father who gives good gifts to His children. The problem is not with God. The problem is often with us, with what we are asking for, or with some larger scheme that God knows about and we do not. Conclusion: Pray Through The “No” Yes, it is true that faithful servants of God pray and do not receive what they ask for. I’d like to take a few moments and consider what might happen in this congregation if we took up a consistent routine of deep, passionate prayer for God’s kingdom in this place? What if we all spent fifteen minutes every day this week praying for God’s name to be exalted through us? Fifteen minutes of prayer before I get on social media. Fifteen minutes of prayer after I study my Bible. Fifteen minutes to start my day or to end it. But in those fifteen minutes I do not focus on myself or my family. I focus on God’s kingdom and His glory being exalted through me. What if we made our foremost joy in life the spread and exaltation of God’s kingdom on earth? Just think about how our congregation would be affected by all of us praying like this. We can pray for those who are weak to become strong, those who are lost to be found, those who are broken to be mended, and those who are enslaved to sin to be set free. The fullness of our prayers would become centralized on God being magnified through us. If we don’t believe God will reward us when we go to Him in faith filled prayer, we won’t pray and He won’t do it. If God is truly a good Father, then even His “No” is an act of love—and that means prayer is never wasted, never ignored, and never pointless.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > The God of Israel has shown Himself faithful to His promises. He delivered Jericho—the first major city in the promised land—into the hands of Joshua and His people. All they had to do was obey Him and trust His power. They watched as the walls of a fortified city collapsed without a single battering ram. Jericho was not won by Israel’s strength or strategy. Jericho was handed over by the LORD. But before they entered the city, God gave them one clear instruction. Joshua 6:17–21 (ESV) — And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction… all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord. Jericho wasn’t just a victory—it was devoted. Everything living in the city was placed under God’s judgment, and the metals were declared holy to the LORD. They were not Israel’s to keep. They belonged to God. Jericho was the firstfruits of the land, the first proof that God was fighting for His people, and God claimed it for Himself. If God gives the victory, God sets the terms. This makes sense when you consider what lies ahead. God is about to give Israel the whole land the same way He gave them Jericho. The victories east of the Jordan were only a preview. Rahab already told them the people of the land were melting in fear. No one could stand against them when God went before them. So the first major victory inside the land was devoted entirely to Him—because He is worthy of it. Unfortunate Events After Jericho, Israel’s confidence rises quickly. They feel unstoppable. Just up the hill sits a smaller city—Ai. Joshua sends spies, and they return full of confidence. “We don’t need many men for this.” So Joshua sends about three thousand soldiers. Instead of an easy victory, Israel is routed. Thirty-six men are killed. Thirty-six may not sound like many, but remember this: when God fights for Israel, no one falls. That’s what makes this loss so alarming. This isn’t just a military setback—it feels like God has withdrawn. Joshua and the elders tear their clothes and fall on their faces before the LORD. Joshua cries out, “Why bring us over the Jordan just to be defeated? Now the people of the land will hear of it and destroy us.” And the text tells us the hearts of the people melted and became like water. The fear that once gripped Canaan is now creeping into Israel. God responds, not with comfort, but with clarity. Joshua 7:10–12 (ESV) — “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned… therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies… I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.” God doesn’t tell Joshua to adjust his strategy. He tells him something is wrong in the camp. Someone has taken what was devoted to the LORD. God piles up the language: they took, they stole, they lied, they hid it among their belongings. This wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate. God’s presence is not optional. What makes this unsettling is that God speaks as if the whole nation is accountable. These are more than a million people—how could they possibly keep God in their midst if sin exists among them? But God is not demanding sinless perfection. He is exposing a specific kind of sin: covenant treachery—stealing what was holy and hiding it as if God cannot see. Can you imagine how foolish you must be to steal from the God who just tore down walls in front of you? That isn’t weakness. That is defiance. The Searchlight Falls Joshua rises early and brings Israel forward tribe by tribe. Judah is taken. Then the Zerahites. Then Zabdi. Household by household, man by man, the circle tightens until the lot finally falls on Achan. Joshua 7:19–21 (ESV) — “My son, give glory to the Lord… tell me what you have done.” And Achan answered, “Truly I have sinned… when I saw… then I coveted… and took… and hid them.” Achan’s confession gives us the anatomy of temptation: I saw. I coveted. I took. I hid. That is how sin grows when it is left alone. It moves from the eyes, to the desires, to the hands, and finally into the dark. Now imagine standing there as the lot narrows—tribe, clan, household, man—knowing you’re the only one who did this. And here’s what makes it even heavier: thirty-six men are dead because of what Achan buried under his tent floor. Achan is not remembered for courage. He is remembered for a secret he thought God wouldn’t see. He valued the treasure of a condemned city over the greatest treasure Israel had been given—the presence of the living God. Judgment That Offends Us The judgment is severe. Achan is stoned and burned, and his household is included. That is difficult for us to read, especially when children are mentioned. But the narrative is teaching something essential about life with a holy God in the midst of His people. Jericho was not ordinary spoil. It was devoted. The devoted things were holy to the LORD. Achan didn’t just break a rule—he violated something sacred and hid it in the center of his home, right in the middle of the camp. God is making something unmistakably clear: when I dwell among you, I will not be treated as small. You cannot host holiness and hide rebellion under the same roof. Israel raises a pile of stones over Achan, and the place is called the Valley of Achor—Trouble. And then we read the line that explains everything: “Then the LORD turned from his burning anger.” Restoration Immediately, Joshua 8 shows the restoration. God tells Joshua not to fear. He gives them a plan. Israel ambushes Ai and destroys the city. This time, God allows them to take the plunder for themselves. Jericho was unique. Jericho was firstfruits. Jericho belonged to God. After the victory, Joshua builds an altar on Mount Ebal. Burnt offerings and peace offerings are made. The law is written and read aloud so that everyone hears it—men, women, children, and sojourners alike. The covenant is renewed. The message could not be clearer: if Israel wants God in their midst, they must take His word seriously. When Sin Is in the Camp Sin in the camp is never just personal. Sometimes it is hidden carefully. Someone refuses to bring it into the light. They don’t want repentance; they want privacy. Over time, the whole congregation weakens. Trust erodes. Courage fades. Fear replaces faith. There are moments when a church must remove someone who has chosen stubborn rebellion—not because the church is harsh, but because God is holy and His name matters. The New Testament speaks with this same seriousness. Hebrews 10:26–31 warns about deliberate sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth—treating Christ’s sacrifice as something to step over rather than submit to. The writer calls it trampling the Son of God underfoot, profaning the blood of the covenant, and outraging the Spirit of grace. God is not going to be mocked. And notice this: the consequences of sin never stop with the sinner. Israel could not move forward until the devoted thing was removed. And churches cannot move forward while hidden rebellion is quietly protected. The elephant in the room must be addressed before God’s people can walk in strength again. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul tells the Christians to address the sinning brother who persists in sin. When we go through the process of rebuking and exhorting someone who is fully engaged in sin, we must be willing to withdraw and remove the bad leaven from the lump. Overcoming Achan’s Sin Achan is a picture of what we deserve. Every one of us knows what it is to see something we wanted, to crave it, to justify it, and to hide it. And once we get it, we realize it didn’t heal us—it only made us guilty. So what do we do? Jesus did what we could not do. He resisted temptation. He gave glory to God. And then He endured the judgment we deserved. We are the criminals. We are the rebels. And Jesus went to the cross so we would not bear the full weight of that judgment. The answer to sin is not silence. God knows. God sees. God judges secret things. So it is better to bring sin into the light, confess it, turn from it, and pursue a holy life that honors God. Grace is not permission to keep idols. When we accept the sacrifice of Christ, we put away the devoted things. We hide nothing. We walk in the light. And then we enter the spiritual battle with confidence—not because we are strong, but because God is with us. And where God is with His people, no enemy can stand.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Most people don’t plan to ruin their lives. They don’t wake up one morning intending to cross a line they can’t uncross. It usually starts smaller than that. A desire goes unmet. A wound goes unhealed. A restlessness sets in. And we tell ourselves we’re just trying to feel whole again. We’re desperate people. We’re trying to quiet the ache. We’re trying to feel alive. We’re trying to fix what feels broken inside of us. And for a moment, it feels like it works. Until it doesn’t. That’s when guilt shows up. Guilt has a way of pressing in on us. It tells us we’ve gone too far. It tells us we can’t undo what we’ve done. It tells us we’ve damaged something—maybe our integrity, maybe our family, maybe our relationship with God. And once that weight settles in, every person faces the same question: What do you do when you’ve blown it? Some people bury the guilt and keep going. Others try to outrun it with distraction or religion. But a few people do something different. They stop hiding. They come clean. They go to God. Psalm 51 is the prayer of a man who has done serious damage and knows it. Luke 11 reminds us why a sinner like that can still pray at all. Together, they show us that God is not repelled by honest repentance—He is waiting for it. Today, we’re going to walk with a man who crossed a line he never thought he would cross, felt the crushing weight of guilt, and discovered that God’s mercy is deeper than his failure. The Greatest Sin (2 Samuel 11–12) David is one of the most prominent people in Scripture. He is not a nobody. He is not ignorant. He is not unacquainted with God. God has been with him for a decade while he has struggled against Saul. Now, he’s the king of Israel and no foe can stand against him. And that’s part of what makes his collapse so sobering. While his army is away at war, David is at home. He sees a woman bathing and decides to take her—knowing she is Uriah’s wife. Then comes the panic. She becomes pregnant. David tries to cover his sin with more sin, and before long he’s arranging the death of a loyal man and pretending it’s just the fog of war. His one choice becomes a chain. Lust becomes deception. Deception becomes manipulation. Manipulation becomes bloodguilt. And for a moment it looks like he got away with it. Life keeps moving. The palace keeps functioning. The rumors quiet down. The marriage happens. The future seems manageable. Then God sends a prophet. Nathan approaches David, not with an accusation first, but with a story. A rich man has a visitor. Instead of taking from his own flock, he steals the one treasured lamb of a poor man—the little lamb that ate from his hand and lay in his arms and was like a daughter to him. The rich man snatches it, kills it, and serves it. David is enraged. Something in him still knows right from wrong. He thunders with judgment. “That man deserves to die.” And then Nathan turns the blade with five words that can stop a heart: “You are the man.” 2 Samuel 12:7–12 (ESV) — Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul… Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? … For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” Notice what the Lord says through Nathan. God doesn’t start with what David did. God starts with what He gave. “I anointed you. I delivered you. I gave you. I would have given you more.” David’s sin is not merely that he broke a rule. He despised the word of the Lord. He treated God’s generosity as if it were nothing. He reached for what was forbidden as if God had starved him. And God makes something else clear. David did it secretly, but God saw it openly. God watched the whole chain unfold—the look, the desire, the decision, the coverup, the letter, the death. David may have hidden it from the nation, but he never hid it from the Lord. That is a terrifying thought when you’re living in sin. And it is a merciful thought when you’re ready to come clean. Because it means you can stop pretending. You can stop performing. You can stop acting like God needs to be informed. He already knows. The question is whether you will agree with Him about what you’ve done. When you have blown it, what did you think was happening? Did you think God wouldn’t see? Did you think you could manage the consequences? Did you think your private life wouldn’t touch your public life? David teaches us something we don’t like to learn: sin never stays contained, and God never loses track. God’s judgment on David is severe, and it is warranted. David’s sin shattered trust, abused power, and spilled innocent blood. The consequences will reach into his home for years. And then David finally speaks with the only sentence a guilty person can say without lying. “I have sinned against the Lord.” That sentence is the hinge of this entire sermon. God’s Desire: A Broken, Contrite Spirit (Psalm 51) When you read Psalm 51, you are listening in on what happens after “You are the man.” This is what repentance sounds like when it’s real. David isn’t bargaining. He isn’t spinning. He is collapsing before God. He begins exactly where Jesus teaches us to begin: with who God is. “Have mercy on me… according to your steadfast love… according to your abundant mercy.” David is not asking God to be something God is not. He is appealing to what God has revealed Himself to be. Mercy. Steadfast love. Abundant compassion. And then the verbs pour out of him like a man scrubbing blood from his hands: Wash me.Cleanse me.Purge me.Blot out my transgressions.Let me hear joy again.Cast me not away from your presence.Take not your Holy Spirit from me.Uphold me with a willing spirit.Create in me a clean heart. That list matters because it shows what David understands. He doesn’t just need a second chance. He needs cleansing. He doesn’t just need consequences reduced. He needs his heart remade. He doesn’t just need God to overlook him. He needs God to hold him up. And David says the sentence that explains why his sacrifice won’t fix this: “You will not delight in sacrifice… The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” That is not David rejecting God’s instructions about worship. That is David rejecting the idea that worship can be used to cover sin. He knows you can sing while lying. You can give while hiding. You can offer a sacrifice and still be proud. You can keep your schedule full of “religion” and still refuse to repent. David says, “God, I don’t have an offering big enough to buy my way back. But I can give You what You actually want—truth in the inward being. A crushed heart. No deceit.” And that is where Luke 11 becomes so precious. Because the moment you become broken and contrite, you start to wonder: will God reject me anyway? Jesus answers that fear. He says when you pray, you say, “Father.” And then He teaches persistence—ask, seek, knock—because God is not irritated by repentant people who keep coming. He is not sitting in heaven saying, “If you were really sorry, you’d stop bothering me.” Jesus says the opposite. If a reluctant neighbor can be moved by persistence, how much more will your Father respond? And then Jesus lands the plane with a promise that sounds like it was written to sit beside Psalm 51: “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” David prays, “Take not your Holy Spirit from me… uphold me.” Jesus says, “Ask your Father. He gives the Spirit.” In other words: when you’ve blown it, you don’t come to a clenched fist. You come to a Father who gives what is good—especially what is necessary for a changed life. Here is the mindset Psalm 51 teaches, stated plainly. David knows what he has done.David knows the seriousness of sin before God.David admits the problem is deeper than one mistake.David knows he cannot pay God back with religious effort.David asks God to do what only God can do: cleanse him and remake him.David trusts that God does not despise the broken.And David believes restoration will result in worship and witness—“Then I will teach transgressors your ways.” That last piece matters. True repentance isn’t only sorrow; it’s reorientation. It’s a man being turned back toward God so that his life becomes useful again. So the question becomes personal. When you blew it—when you crossed the line you never thought you’d cross—did you hide? Did you justify? Did you minimize? Did you keep offering God religious activity while refusing Him honesty? Or are you ready to be broken and truthful before Him? Because God isn’t asking you to impress Him. He is asking you to come clean. The Joy of Undeserved Forgiveness (Psalm 32) Psalm 51 is the cry of repentance. Psalm 32 is the song of the forgiven. David’s consequences were painful and lasting. His sin damaged people. It damaged his home. It damaged his credibility. And in terms of what he deserved, the truth is simple: David deserved death. But God let him live. And God forgave him. Listen to the joy that comes out of a man who has been pulled up from drowning. Psalm 32:1–5 (ESV) — “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven… For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away… day and night your hand was heavy upon me… I acknowledged my sin to you… I said, ‘I will confess…’ and you forgave…” David says silence was killing him. Hiding was a slow death. Not because God was cruel, but because guilt is a kind of internal collapse when you refuse the truth. His strength dried up. His bones wasted away. He lived with God’s hand heavy upon him. But then confession happens. Not performance. Not spin. Confession. And forgiveness comes. And the way David describes God is one of the sweetest lines in all the Psalms: “You are a hiding place for me.” Think about that. The God you sinned against becomes the refuge you run to. The Judge you deserve to fear becomes the shelter you are safe in—when you stop lying and start confessing. That is what God wants for you. He wants you surrounded with steadfast love. He wants your groaning replaced with deliverance. He wants joy to return. Not cheap joy. Not “I got away with it” joy. The joy of being clean. And this is exactly what Jesus came to accomplish. Not merely to give advice, but to open a way for sinners to come home to the Father. He pours Himself out to make forgiveness possible, and He gives the Spirit to sustain a life that no longer has to chase sin for comfort. Acquiring joy: a sinner at Jesus’ feet (Luke 7) The New Testament gives a scene that feels like Psalm 51 in living color. A sinful woman walks into a dinner where Jesus is present. She doesn’t come to defend herself. She doesn’t come to negotiate. She doesn’t come to prove she’s worthy to be in the room. She comes broken. She weeps. She clings. Her shame is public. Her repentance is not quiet. And Jesus does not crush her. He exposes the coldness of the self-righteous and welcomes the one who knows she needs mercy. He speaks forgiveness over her, and He sends her away in peace. That story is a New Testament picture of what Psalm 51 has been teaching all along. God does not despise the broken and contrite. God is not impressed by the polished and proud. She didn’t fix herself first and then come to Jesus. She came because she needed to be fixed. And that’s the invitation for you. Closing call: what do you do with the weight? If you’ve blown it, you have two options. You can keep silent and let your bones waste away. You can keep covering, keep justifying, keep pretending, keep reaching for sin to numb the ache that Ecclesiastes says will never be satisfied under the sun. You can do that. And it will hollow you out. Or you can do what David did. You can come to the Father the way Jesus taught you. You can ask. You can seek. You can knock. You can confess with no deceit. You can pray Psalm 51 with your whole heart and trust the promise of Luke 11 that your Father is good, and He gives what you need—cleansing, restoration, and His Spirit to uphold you. Just because you’ve blown it does not mean it’s over. But you must stop covering it. Bring it into the light. Confess it. Turn from it. Ask your Father for mercy. And then receive the joy of forgiveness—the kind of joy that doesn’t come from getting what you want, but from being brought back to God.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Forty years have passed since Egypt was decimated by God’s mighty hand. News came in and spread that Israel has a God who fights for them. The plagues and defeat of Pharaoh’s army is known. For the last forty years the people in the land of Canaan have known that Israel lives in the wilderness to their south. But they have giants and fortresses no one can defeat. But recently, word has come that Israel was able to defeat the great nations just east of the river Jordan, Midianites, Moabites, Amalekites, and Amorites have all fallen in a crushing defeat. It wasn’t even close. Their God still fights for them. Fear and terror starts to grip the citizens of Canaan land. How will they defeat an enemy with such a powerful God fighting for them? The citizens of a fortress town of Jericho don’t have to worry just yet. The Jordan river keeps them away. Among the Israelites, a change of leadership has just taken place. Joshua has stood tall and courageous to lead the people. He sends out two spies to go throughout the land and get a sense of it. When they make it into Jericho, they stay with a prostitute named Rahab. There were lots of evil and immoral people in the land. Women were treated as a commodity and sold for financial gain. No doubt Rahab was one of those and she suffered through it. For some reason unknown to us, she shows hospitality to the Israelite spies. Then, at some point the news gets out that they are spies. Rahab learns of it about the same time as the king of Jericho. He sends soldiers to capture them. But Rahab does something odd. Imagine having soldiers coming to your house to arrest the guests who you are showing hospitality to. Imagine finding out these men are Israelite spies. Wouldn’t that be terrifying? Fear of them and their God has spread everywhere and you were housing them. Now there is a fear of your own people’s soldiers coming to capture them. But Rahab doesn’t cower in fear. She quickly takes the men onto the roof and hides them in stalks of flax that she arranged in an orderly way. Then she tells the soldiers that the spies left just before dark through the gate. This is such a fascinating decision. In that moment she chose to change her loyalty from her own wicked people to these spies, but it wasn’t really to them. Joshua 2:8–14 (ESV) — 8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14 And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” After this interaction, Rahab tied together a scarlet cloth to let them down the side of the wall, through a window in her home. Rahab then instructed the men on how to escape, asking only for salvation when Israel destroys her home city. She completely swaps sides. She is a traitor in every sense of the word, but she betrays the dark in order to step into the light. She knows judgment is deserved for her people, and she confesses her belief that the God of the Israelites is the one true God of heaven and earth. The men agree to her terms and promise her safety. Her scarlett cloth would let the people of Israel know that they should “passover” her house. She will be saved. But can they do that? Mercy &amp; Judgment What I find interesting in this whole interchange is the fact that the spies make a deal with someone, a prostitute, in the promised land. They aren’t supposed to do that according to the law. Deuteronomy 7:1–5 (ESV) — 1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, 2 and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. 3 You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, 4 for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. 5 But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire. Deuteronomy 20:16–18 (ESV) — 16 But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, 18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God. Moses made it clear that they are to exterminate the people of the land. There are no second chances. Everyone is to be killed for their sins. If they let them live, they will corrupt the Israelites and God would turn on them to destroy them. This just happened with the Midianites and Moabites. They started mixing with wicked people and idolatry led to their destruction. There is something inherently evil about these people and they must be destroyed. If that is true, why do these spies let Rahab live? Throughout the conquest of the promised land, Joshua and the people of Israel are not cruel and hateful in their task. They aren’t cold and calloused towards the Canaanites. They understand one very important issue that separates them from everyone else. They trust in the one true God and seek to do His will.Everyone who does likewise is to be saved from judgment. Elsewhere throughout the Old Testament, we read some important information. Exodus 12:48–49 (ESV) — 48 If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 49 There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.” Leviticus 19:33–34 (ESV) — 33 “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. God did not have a hatred of the people. His hatred was of their sin. Rahab had turned from that sin and decided to put her trust in the Lord. She chose to exalt God instead of fighting against Him. This is what makes her different from everyone else and able to receive mercy. As remarkable as it sounds, not many in Canaan would submit themselves to that same fate. Some would cower in fear, some would rise up in rebellion, but almost none would submit to the will of God. They loved their sin too much, and this is why they received judgment instead of mercy. Rahab is calling for God to extend His hesed, His faithful love, to her and her family as she extends hers to Him. God accepts the offer and shows tremendous love and compassion to an immoral woman who wants to change. Not only does he accept her, he makes her a part of his special family. Rahab would marry an Israelite. From her would come Boaz, David, and the many kings of Israel. Eventually, the king of kings. Why? Because God wants His message to ring through the ages. He doesn’t want to judge and destroy. He wants to forgive. Embrace Mercy, Escape Judgment The picture of Rahab and her family cuddled up in her house, listening to the trumpets sound and the walls crumble around them is frightening. Her little scarlet cloth hanging on the window was not forgotten. God upheld the promise of the spies. She would be saved from the judgment that destroyed everyone she knew outside of her own family. We are not unlike her. When we hear her story, we should feel drawn to it because every aspect resembles our own. Like Rahab, we were terrible sinners lost in the dark and sinful world around us. Like Rahab, people came into our lives telling us “judgment is coming” Like Rahab, we have a choice to make. Will we betray those who are still in darkness, those who fight and rage against the God of Israel? Or will we change our allegiance and surrender to the will of God? In the book of James, Rahab is mentioned. She didn’t just believe that God was all powerful. She responded with faith and faithfulness. She wanted God’s faithfulness so she pledged her own and put her own life on the line to show how serious she was. She ignored the false news that God would destroy her anyways. She didn’t cave into her fear and trepidation. She boldly brought her family in and withstood the storm of living in a dark world until the light came and set her free. What is your decision? Will you embrace God’s mercy and escape judgment? Jesus is our Joshua. He is coming to defeat the wicked people around us and set us free from persecution and suffering. We must only choose to be faithful to our words and submit our lives to Him. God will not tolerate idolaters and corrupt people among his own. But he will bless those who turn and remain faithful. Is that you?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Why don’t we pray? Why do we so often fail to pray at all? We believe in prayer. We talk about prayer. We tell others they should pray. Yet when pressure mounts, when disappointment lingers, when life feels heavy or confusing, prayer is often what we neglect rather than the first place we turn. That raises an uncomfortable question: what is going on in our hearts and minds that keeps us from speaking to God? When Jesus walked the earth, prayer was not an occasional discipline for Him; it was the rhythm of His life. The Gospels repeatedly show Him withdrawing from crowds, stepping away from demands, and separating Himself even from His closest companions so that He could pray. Sometimes He prayed early in the morning. Sometimes He prayed late into the night. Sometimes He prayed all night long. Prayer was not something Jesus fit into His schedule—it was the source of His strength and direction. Eventually, the disciples noticed. They saw how prayer shaped Him, steadied Him, and sustained Him. And in Luke 11, one of them finally speaks up. “Teach Us To Pray” (Luke 11:1–13) “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” That request is more revealing than it first appears. They do not ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, as if they simply needed better words or a better structure. They ask Him to teach them to pray. They want what Jesus has. They recognize that prayer is not merely a technique—it is a posture, a relationship, a way of living before God. Something about Jesus’ prayer life stood out to them. Perhaps it was the consistency of it. Perhaps it was the confidence with which He prayed. Perhaps it was the way prayer seemed to shape every decision He made. Whatever it was, they knew this was not empty religious speech. This was communion with God. Jesus responds by giving what we often call “The Lord’s Prayer.” But He does not give it as a formula to be recited mindlessly. He gives it as a framework for thinking rightly about God and ourselves. God is holy. God’s kingdom comes first. We are dependent creatures who need daily provision, daily forgiveness, and daily guidance. Prayer begins with humility and trust, not performance. That mindset would have been foreign to many who heard it, especially in a religious culture where prayer was often public, performative, and aimed at impressing others rather than communing with God. Jesus then presses the lesson further. He tells a parable about a neighbor who keeps knocking in the middle of the night. He follows that with the picture of a father who gives good gifts to his children. And He draws a clear conclusion: prayer requires persistence because it is rooted in confidence, not desperation. Ask, seek, knock—not because God is reluctant, but because God is good. This is the mindset Jesus wants His disciples to have toward prayer. God is not annoyed by our requests. He is not distant from our needs. He is a Father who delights to give what is good, ultimately giving His own Spirit to those who ask. Praying Through Tears (1 Samuel 1:1–2:10) To see what this kind of prayer looks like in real life, we turn to the story of Hannah. Hannah’s life is marked by quiet suffering. She is one of two wives of Elkanah, and like Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel before her, she is barren. She is deeply loved by her husband, but her pain is made worse by Peninnah, who mocks her relentlessly. Hannah lives every day with a grief she cannot fix and a humiliation she cannot escape. Each year, the family travels to Shiloh to worship. What should have been a joyful celebration becomes an annual reminder of Hannah’s sorrow. Surrounded by children she does not have, pitied by a husband who cannot heal her pain, and provoked by a rival who delights in her suffering, Hannah reaches a breaking point. One year, she cannot eat. She cannot pretend. She excuses herself and goes to the entrance of the tabernacle, and there she does something important. She brings God into her suffering. She weeps bitterly. She prays silently. She pours out her soul before the Lord and asks Him to see her, to remember her, and to act. She even makes a vow, promising that if God gives her a son, she will give him back to the Lord for all his days. Even then, misunderstanding follows. Eli the priest assumes she is drunk. But Hannah does not lash out or withdraw. She humbly explains that she is not intoxicated—she is devastated. She is pouring out her heart to God. Eli blesses her, and something remarkable happens next. She leaves. She eats. She is no longer sad. Nothing has changed yet, but her faith has. She believes God has heard her. In time, God answers. Hannah gives birth to a son and names him Samuel—“God has heard.” And when the time comes, she keeps her vow. She gives her son back to the Lord, trusting that the God who gave him is worthy to receive him. Her prayer turns into praise, and her sorrow gives way to joy. Lessons Learned Now, let’s connect these two texts together to see what we can learn about prayer. There’s something here to help us pray more. See the Power of Prayer Hannah’s story shows us exactly what Jesus was teaching in Luke 11. Hannah did not assume God was distant. She did not believe her pain was too small. She did not conclude that her suffering was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. She believed that the God who rules the world also sees His servants personally. Too often, we believe God can do anything—but quietly doubt that He will do anything for us. We trust His power in theory, but we question His personal concern in practice. We imagine God focused on the “big picture” while our daily griefs remain unnoticed. Hannah refused to live independently from God. She brought Him into the place that hurt the most. Her faith is visible at every stage of the story—when she prays, when she waits, when she believes, when she gives, and when she praises. Prayer was not a transaction for Hannah; it was a relationship grounded in trust. Believe in the “Yes” God has absolute power. He raises up and brings low. He gives life and takes it away. There is nothing beyond His ability. But with all that power, He is not distant from His people. He sees you. He hears you. He knows your trials and your tears. Jesus teaches us to pray believing that God wants to answer. That does not mean God always says “Yes.” Scripture is honest about that. Paul hears “No” about his thorn. Moses hears “No” about entering the Promised Land. But Jesus tells us to keep asking until God says no. So ask. Ask for healing. Ask for relief. Ask for wisdom. Ask for restoration. Ask believing that God is good and that He knows how to give good gifts to His children. We ask rightly when our prayers are shaped by God’s kingdom and God’s glory. That was Hannah’s heart. She trusted God not only with the gift, but with what she would do if He gave it. Do Not Leave God Out Do not leave God on the margins of your life. Do not suffer silently when God invites you to speak. If God loved you enough to send His Son to die for your sins, He cares about your pain now. Prayer is not a burden God tolerates—it is an invitation He extends. The reason we do not pray is often not because we doubt God’s power, but because we doubt His goodness toward us. Jesus calls us to reject that doubt and to come to God with confidence, persistence, and trust. So pray more. Pray honestly. Pray persistently. Pray believing that your Father hears you. And watch what God does when His children finally knock on the door. Conclusion So why don’t we pray? It is rarely because we doubt that God can answer. More often, it is because we quietly doubt that He will—at least for us, at least in this situation, at least this time. Somewhere along the way, we begin to live as though our burdens are either too small to matter or too complicated to bring before Him. And when that happens, prayer slowly fades from a relationship into a last resort. But Jesus tells us to ask, to seek, and to knock—not as a test of persistence, but as an expression of trust. He wants His people to believe that God is not irritated by their prayers, not distant from their pain, and not indifferent to their needs. He wants us to pray like children who know their Father listens. Hannah teaches us the same lesson. She did not clean up her grief before praying. She did not wait until she had the right words. She brought her broken heart into the presence of God and trusted Him to hear. And whether God answered immediately or asked her to wait, she refused to leave Him out of her suffering. That is the invitation before us today. Do not carry what you were never meant to carry alone. Do not assume silence means indifference. Do not stop asking simply because the answer has not yet come. Pray—because God is powerful.Pray—because God is good.Pray—because your Father hears you. And if you will believe that, if you will take Jesus at His word and bring your life to God in prayer, you may find that the greatest change is not in your circumstances, but in your confidence that you are never unseen, unheard, or forgotten by the God who loves you.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > I have a friend who moved to a city in California after learning to preach and teach the Bible. He hoped he could reach lost people there—and he was right. Many in that town were open to the gospel. Gang members, addicts, sexually immoral men and women heard the good news and committed their lives to Christ. But that blessing created pressure. The number of outsiders grew beyond the number of well-trained church members. They grew too big too quickly. And suddenly the church had to face questions that made them uncomfortable—questions that forced change. Not because the gospel failed… but because it succeeded. That story isn’t just a modern story. It’s a Bible story. The Scriptures are full of people who were pushed to the edges. Joseph was rejected by his brothers. Rahab was an outsider who aided Israel. Ruth was a Moabite. Hannah was barren and mocked. David was the overlooked shepherd. God’s people became exiles in Babylon—far from home, far from comfort, and easy to dismiss. Yet God chose to love them deeply. And when you open the New Testament, Jesus mirrors that same heart. He launches His ministry in Galilee, a region scorned by elites. He calls fishermen and tax collectors. He eats with sinners and outcasts. Jesus doesn’t avoid outsiders—He moves toward them. So here’s the challenge I want to lay on us today: embrace that mindset intentionally. Who are the outcasts around you—maybe the lonely neighbor, the struggling coworker, or the immigrant family? What would it look like for you to show them the care of God? That’s exactly where Romans takes us. We’re studying the closing chapters of Romans, and Paul is showing us God’s unchanging desire: to include the excluded through the gospel. From the beginning of the letter—where Paul announces the power of the gospel—to the end—where he calls for harmony—Paul’s whole vision is a church that is strong enough and united enough to welcome outsiders. Because let’s be honest: when visitors walk into a church where people are fussing and fighting, they feel it. They don’t feel drawn in. They feel like they walked into a family argument. But harmony creates an environment where outsiders can breathe, listen, and stay. So today we’re going to look at three key ideas from Romans 15–16: God’s Plan Paul’s Role Our Role God’s Plan (15:8–13) Romans 15:8–13 (ESV) — 8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Jesus came first to Israel—not to reject them, but to fulfill every promise God had ever made. Their rejection of Him was not a failure of God’s plan. It was a refusal to believe what God had plainly revealed. And even in that rejection, God’s mercy overflowed beyond Israel. Paul proves that this was always the plan by quoting Scripture—Psalms, Deuteronomy, Isaiah. These are not obscure lines. God repeatedly said the nations would rejoice, praise, hope, and be welcomed. This wasn’t Plan B. God has always intended to gather people from every background into one family. The real issue was expectation. Many were looking for a Messiah who would restore political power and reinforce cultural superiority. But God was doing something bigger. In Christ, outsiders weren’t just tolerated—they were given hope. That’s why Paul ends this section with a prayer: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing…” (Romans 15:13) Hope belongs to people who once had none. Outsiders are not second-class citizens in God’s kingdom. They are forgiven, transformed, and united in Christ. Superiority has no place here. In Christ, there is one people, one family, one hope. Paul’s Role (15:14–29) Paul is living proof that God can change anyone. He was once a “Hebrew of Hebrews,” fiercely loyal to tradition and deeply hostile toward Gentiles. But Jesus met him on the Damascus road and redirected his life toward the very people he once despised. So when Paul looks at the Roman Christians—mostly Gentiles—he doesn’t see a problem. He sees a family. Romans 15:14–16 (ESV) — 14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Paul’s mission is not just conversion; it is transformation. He wants outsiders to grow into mature, Christlike believers. It is not enough for people to say they follow Jesus. They must be shaped by Him. And Paul is careful to take no credit for this work. He credits Christ for his success: Romans 15:17–19 (ESV) — 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; That humility is striking. Paul works hard, travels endlessly, suffers deeply—and yet he sees himself as a tool in God’s hands. Not a hero. Not a celebrity. A servant. And that’s where this hits us, isn’t it? How often do we do good things and then quietly admire ourselves for them? How often are we more concerned with how we look than whether Christ is seen? We aren’t here to be admired. We are here to serve and be used for God’s glory. I am a tool for God to use—and I’m happy to be one. That posture is what fuels Paul’s ambition: Romans 15:20–21 (ESV) — 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Paul pioneers like the tip of a spear, bringing the gospel to places where people have never heard. His ambition matches God’s heart: bring outsiders in. Listen to those words again: “Those who have never been told… those who have never heard…” Paul understands that reaching outsiders is not a side project in God’s plan. It is central to who God is and what God does. And because it is central to God, Paul makes it central to himself. Our Role (15:30–16:27) Most of us are not Paul. We will not travel across empires or write Scripture. But Paul makes it clear that the mission depends on ordinary believers. First, we pray. Romans 15:30–33 (ESV) — 30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen. Paul begs the Romans to strive with him in prayer. He believes their prayers matter. They strengthen workers. They shape outcomes. Prayer is not passive support—it is participation. If we care about outsiders coming to Christ, we have to pray like it matters. Second, we watch out. Romans 16:17–20 (ESV) — 17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Paul warns that division creates obstacles. And obstacles don’t just harm insiders—they keep outsiders out. When churches obsess over preferences, minor grievances, and unclear disputes, outsiders feel it immediately. Fussing and fighting does not create a welcoming environment. Unity does. Guard against dividers who prioritize petty differences—legalistic rules, cultural barriers, ego, control—over the mission. Satan loves a distracted church. But Paul says God will deal with the enemy. Our job is obedience, wisdom, and focus. Conclusion (16:25–27) Romans 16:25–27 (ESV) — 25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. Paul ends where he began: with the gospel. God strengthens His people through the message of Jesus Christ. That gospel is the foundation for every hard thing we’re called to do. It sustained Paul. It will sustain us. If we lose sight of it, we will turn inward. But if we stay rooted in it, we will always look outward. So let me ask you again: who are the outsiders around you? The lonely neighbor. The struggling coworker. The family that feels out of place. Take them seriously. Sit with them. Listen to them. Pray for them. Make God’s kingdom your ambition. We are not here to be admired. We are here to be used. The church exists for the people who aren’t here yet. And there is no greater privilege than being a tool in the hands of a God who loves outsiders enough to bring them home.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Standing at the Edge of Promise The people of Israel are finally standing on the edge of the promised land. For forty years they have wandered—living in tents, burying loved ones, and learning the hard way what unbelief costs. This generation knows what went wrong. They know what God desires from them now. But one question still hangs heavy in the air: who will lead them? Moses is gone. But before he died, Moses laid his hands on Joshua, and Scripture tells us that Joshua became full of the spirit of wisdom. Joshua is not new to leadership. He has been near Moses since the early days. He fought battles in the wilderness. He watched what leadership costs when pressure mounts—because even Moses cracked under the weight of it. Taking Moses’ place is not just stepping into a role; it is stepping into a burden. God’s Call to Courage (1:1-9) That is why the opening of the book of Joshua is so kind. God does not hand Joshua a strategy or a pep talk. God gives Joshua Himself. The Lord makes Joshua the same core promises He once made to Moses. He promises the land. He promises His presence. And He anchors everything in obedience to His word. Then three times God says it: “Be strong and courageous.” That repetition tells us something important. Joshua needs courage—not because God is uncertain, but because the calling is heavy. Courage in Joshua is not self-confidence. It is an obedient faith rooted in the presence of God and the word of God. Joshua is told that if he meditates on the Law day and night, if he does what God has said, then he will succeed. Strength and courage are not emotional traits here; they are covenant faithfulness under pressure. Crossing into God’s Work (3-6) The conquest begins in a way that makes the point immediately clear. God is not asking Joshua to invent power; He is asking him to trust God’s presence. The priests carry the ark into the Jordan River, and the moment their feet touch the water, the river stops. Israel crosses on dry ground again. God tells them this is not merely a crossing; it is a confirmation. The people are meant to know that God is with Joshua just as He was with Moses. From there they move to Jericho, a fortress city. Israel is not told to build siege weapons or develop tactics. They are told to march. Quietly. Day after day. On the seventh day they circle the city seven times, blow the trumpets, and shout—and God brings the walls down. The victory is unmistakable. It is not Israel’s brilliance. It is God’s power. When Courage Is Tested (7-9) But immediately after this triumph, Israel learns a hard lesson. God’s power cannot be celebrated while sin is hidden in the camp. A man named Achan takes what was devoted to the Lord, and the next battle—against the small city of Ai—ends in humiliating defeat. One hidden sin drains the courage of thousands. Israel learns what all of God’s people must learn: without God’s help, they stand no chance, and with God’s help, they cannot continue in rebellion. Judgment follows, the camp is cleansed, and Joshua gathers the people to read the Law aloud—men, women, children, and even the foreigner among them—so that the nation is rebuilt around obedience to God’s word. Then comes another test, one that feels painfully familiar. The Gibeonites arrive with a convincing story. They look worn. They claim to be from far away. They ask for a treaty. It seems reasonable. It seems merciful. Joshua agrees. And Scripture tells us the problem in one simple line: they did not ask counsel from the Lord. The Gibeonites were neighbors, not travelers. They lied, and Joshua was deceived. Here Israel learns that not every failure comes through open rebellion. Some come through prayerless decisions that seem sensible at the time. Joshua refuses to break the covenant, and the Gibeonites become servants under Israel’s protection. The Lord Fights for His People (10-11) Soon after, five kings rise up against Gibeon, and Israel goes to defend them. God makes His power unmistakably clear once again. Scripture says the Lord kills more enemies with hailstones than Israel kills with the sword. God even extends the day so the victory is complete. Later, kings from the north unite, believing numbers will succeed where obedience failed. God hardens them in their rebellion, and after years of conflict, Scripture says the land finally has rest from war. The message is consistent throughout: the Lord fights for His people exactly as He promised. Remembering Who Gave the Victory (13-21; 23:1-11) Some cities remain unconquered, but the people now possess land, rest, and inheritance—everything God promised Abraham long ago. Joshua knows what comes next if they are not careful. When the fighting stops, forgetting begins. So Joshua gathers the people and reminds them of the truth they must never lose. It was the Lord who drove out great and strong nations. It was the Lord who fought for them. Therefore, Joshua says, “Be very careful to love the Lord your God.” He does not merely call them to rule-keeping. He calls them to love—and to be careful to love—because love does not die in a moment. It leaks. It cools. It is crowded out by comfort. A Final Warning and a Clear Choice (23:12-16, 24:1-28) Then Joshua speaks some of the most sobering words in the Old Testament. Every good promise God made has been fulfilled. Not one has failed. And the same faithful God who kept His promises will also bring covenant judgment if Israel serves other gods. Joshua sees the future clearly because he understands the human heart. The exile is centuries away, but the drift begins immediately. So he presses them to a decision. Remove the idols. Stop pretending you can serve the Lord while clinging to powerless gods. Choose. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The Commander Who Goes Before Us (5:13-15) The book of Joshua is meant to encourage God’s people—but not with shallow optimism. Joshua is not a superhero. He is a servant shaped by obedience, sustained by God’s presence, and carried by God’s faithfulness. And if there is one scene that interprets the entire book, it happens before Jericho ever falls. Joshua is near the city when he sees a man standing with a drawn sword. Joshua asks the question we all ask: “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” The answer comes back: “No.” Not because the man standing with the sword is neutral, but because Joshua is asking the wrong question. “I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” Joshua falls on his face and worships, and the commander tells him to remove his sandals because the ground is holy. That moment tells us everything. God does not join our side. We are called to submit to His. God is not a mascot or a power source for our plans. He is the King we bow before. Be Strong and Courageous When we read that scene as Christians, we cannot miss the shape of Christ. Jesus is the true commander who goes before His people. He is the one we worship. He is the one who leads the real conquest—not of cities and nations, but of sin, death, and darkness. His army is not just made up of men, but also angels. Hebrews 1:14 (ESV) — 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? So what battle are you facing? Maybe it is sin that has entrenched itself like a fortress. Maybe it is fear that keeps you silent about Christ. Maybe it is the slow drift where your love for God is cooling and you can feel it. Joshua tells us what we need—not swagger, not confidence in ourselves, but strength and courage rooted in God’s presence and God’s word. Jesus tells us what God has promised His people: a kingdom, comfort, mercy, inheritance, and an identity that holds when the world pushes back. We are called to be salt when it would be easier to blend in and light when it would be easier to hide. Because the same God who kept every promise to Joshua has not changed, and the same Lord who calls us to obey is the One who goes before us. So the decision lands exactly where Joshua landed it—not tomorrow, not when it is convenient.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > What breaks harmony in a local church? Wouldn’t it be something if we could identify the root cause of division and stop it before it spreads? If churches could stop tearing themselves apart, they could actually begin to look like the body of Christ Paul describes. Is the problem that we are too different? Too sinful? Too foolish? Paul’s answer, if we’re honest, is yes to all three. We are different. We have been sinful and foolish. And yet, Paul still believes that harmony is not only possible—but expected—among the people of God. So, in today’s text, Paul wants to get specific in order to address this obstacle head on. As Christians living in the twenty-first century, we must consider this text as a first century example of what harmony looks like in real life, and learn from it. What Does Harmony Look Like In Real Life? In Romans 14, Paul mentions one who is weak in faith and one who is strong in faith. Romans 14:1–9 (ESV) — 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. When we hear the words weak in faith and strong in faith, they may not compute. To put it simply, the person who is weak in faith believes that God wants us to abstain from unclean food or work on the Sabbath day. The weak are not emotionally fragile. They sincerely believe God requires this because it has been ingrained in them since childhood. They seek to honor God in their obedience, and their conscience would be compromised if they did anything else. The person who has a “weak faith” believes that God would be displeased with them if they ate meat that could be unclean or dedicated to idols. They are afraid that the food they eat might defile them and make them sinful before God. Their minds are focused on obedience in what is perhaps an unhealthy way and their consciences are sensitive to these actions. The strong in faith honors God by thanking Him for every food or drink and by living for Him every day of the week. These beliefs have developed over time and led them to understand what God really wants. He calls them strong because they have faith that it’s okay to stop keeping the Old Testament laws. Isn’t that fascinating? The person who has a “strong faith” knows that what we eat has no impact on our relationship with God. What matters is the intentions of the heart. They are called strong in faith because they trust God to save them even though they eat foods others view as sinful. Both are spiritually minded. The weakness is not devotion—it is misunderstanding. And the strength is not arrogance—it is trust in the sufficiency of Christ. Harmony Means We Welcome Others Paul doesn’t tell us to create different denominations or sects based on every opinion that men might create and which side we fall on. Paul says that the strong brother should welcome the weak, and not to quarrel with them. They are both brothers and they don’t have to have the same opinion about everything. It’s clear that there is nothing wrong in eating the food or ignoring the day because he calls the strong brother a brother. In the same way, there is nothing wrong with holding on to that conviction that unclean foods should be avoided and the Sabbath must be honored. Both are in a saved position because God has chosen to accept them both. Christ has died for each of them. In order for us to apply this to ourselves,we must consider what is an opinion and what is a core doctrine. Some teachings are core doctrine, that means that they cannot be subject to one’s own opinion. Others are dependent or subject to one’s beliefs or opinions. Don’t read this section and believe that all truths are matters of opinion. Paul is warning us against two errors that are extremes: 1. making opinions into doctrines and 2. ignoring opinions altogether. (There is a third error discussed elsewhere by Paul and the other apostles: making doctrines into opinions) But here he says that those with different opinions should be welcomed and not harshly treated. Harmony Means We Maintain A Clear Conscience Paul continues in these examples by telling us not to be judging or despising our brethren. Romans 14:13–23 (ESV) — 13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. In this section, Paul tells us to be careful when dealing with someone who has a different opinion. If we are right about the issue, we can still be wrong in how we handle it. He wants us to see that our goal is not uniformity. We aren’t trying to make everyone have all the same opinions about everything. If we try to do that, we will be creating obedience by coercion and compromising their consciences. This is not loving, but selfish. Paul even says that the one who forces a brother to do something they believe to be wrong is destroying the one for whom Christ died. This is a serious evil. He tells us that we are valuing food and drink more than the work of God and the kingdom. These things aren’t as important to God as we make them out to be. Our opinions aren’t either. The person who interprets a text differently about how to please God is not an enemy of God. They are striving to please Him. The real danger is not misunderstanding—it is acting against what you believe God requires. When a person does what they believe is sinful, they are no longer acting in faith. They are choosing self over submission. That is why Paul says the one who doubts and eats is condemned. Not because the food is sinful, but because the heart is rebelling against God as it understands Him. So, the person who eats the food offered to idols or neglects the Sabbath while believing they should observe it is doing something that will sear their conscience and lead to them falling away from the Lord if they continue in it. It is so important for us to do whatever we do with a firm conviction and confidence that God desires us to do it. But it is also important for us to recognize that people around us are trying to do the same thing. How can we possibly account for that? The truth is that it’s impossible to avoid offending everyone. Some people have very sensitive consciences and very strong opinions. Our goal is to see where we have done something others believe is sinful and carefully back away from the issue like it’s a grenade. Paul even says that the one who forces a brother to do something they believe to be wrong is destroying the one for whom Christ died. That is not emotional harm—that is spiritual danger. Pressuring someone to violate conscience trains them to override faith with self-authorization. If continued, that path hardens the heart and leads away from the Lord. Paul does not exaggerate this danger. He confronts it. Each of us must study for ourselves to turn the weak faith into a strong one. People cannot force us to do this, but we can do this through study and effort. Peter and Paul had to do this and so can we. Harmony Means We Follow Christ The goal of every Christian is to keep Christ in view. Consider how he lived on earth with a perfect understanding of what God really wanted and what God didn’t care about. How many times did He challenge men and how many times did He let it go to prevent people from stumbling? Romans 15:1–7 (ESV) — 1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Jesus accepted the criticism that men had against God. Jesus knew perfectly what pleased the Father and what did not. And yet, He often endured misunderstanding, criticism, and false accusations rather than crushing people who were wrong. He did not please Himself. He absorbed reproach so that others might be built up. That does not mean Jesus affirmed error. It means He prioritized redemption over self-vindication. So, if you are one with a strong faith, Paul is calling for you to bear with those who are judging you without despising them. This is very difficult. Someone who believes that everyone must agree with them on the head covering or dress a certain way to please God might condemn you. I’ve known people who believe that a pitch pipe is a musical instrument and therefore “unscriptural.” There is no end to the opinions we can come up with. Paul is encouraging us to bear patiently with them and live in harmony with them as much as possible. Our goal is not to tear them down, but to build them up and glorify God alongside them in one voice. If you have a strong opinion about something, believe that God can make everyone who disagrees with you stand. Have faith in that grace and mercy which forgave a sinner like you. Will You Harmonize or Destroy? The last words in this section go back to the idea of welcoming one another, but they give us an image. Paul says, “As Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Jesus doesn’t welcome us with extreme prejudice. He doesn’t take us through a checklist and make sure we believe all the right things before we can be a part of his people. He knows that we will need time to mature and develop an understanding of what is true. We will get there, but we aren’t going to be there when he accepts us and saves us. Are you someone who has strong convictions about something you have studied about? Do you feel like you know what God wants us all to do? That’s great, but what will you do with that information? That is the more important question. 1 Corinthians 13:2 (ESV) — 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. I’ve spoken to militant people who have no concept of this. They are blind and callous. They don’t care about anyone else or what anyone else has studied. They simply want to exalt their understanding, crushing people in the process. Paul is telling us that it’s possible to be right about truth and wrong about how we treat people who oppose it. He is also telling us that it’s possible to be wrong about some things and still be accepted by Christ. So, the real question is, “How are you going to treat people who oppose you?” Are they all false teachers? Apparently not. Some are false teachers. They promote a form of Christianity that is fundamentally opposed to (anti) Christ. Others are just immature. God calls us to love them and bear their criticisms and judgments. He calls for us to join them in praising God. Conclusion Imagine how difficult it must have been for Jews and Gentiles to worship together in the first century. Their instincts, backgrounds, and convictions could not have been more different. And yet God demanded that they become one body, praising Him with one voice. The question for us is simple and uncomfortable: Will we welcome the people Christ welcomes? Will we build up those who are still growing? Or will we tear down the work of God over matters that do not define the kingdom? This congregation will not remain uniform. New people will come. Some will not know what is “proper.” Some will misunderstand Scripture. Some will have sensitive consciences. The question is not whether that will happen. The question is whether we will harmonize—or destroy. Christ welcomed us while we were still growing. He bore our weakness. He did not wait for perfect understanding before calling us His own. Let us welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us—for the glory of God.

I entitled this series of sermons, “Echoes of Faith.” As we have studied these different Bible characters, many have demonstrated great faith. But many have shown their imperfection. They have failed to have a heart that is wholly devoted to the Lord. Today, we will hear of a man who has no blemish. I’m sure there were sins and failures, but none are listed. He is truly a hero of faith, a man men like David would look up to. His name is Caleb. Caleb’s faith wasn’t temporary, based on the momentary high of seeing God’s power. Caleb’s faith remembered what God had done and he clung to God in an amazing way. He is the prototypical example of what God is looking for in us. Standing Out (Numbers 13-14) Caleb was a man who experienced the rescue from Egypt. He was a slave who became free through ten plagues and the miraculous walk across the Red Sea. But he appears to look at those events differently than everyone else. They are a clear sign to Him that the God they are worshipping and following can do anything. Caleb is chosen from the largest tribe, Judah, to go with the spies into the promised land. The Israelites have been in the wilderness for a year and are now at the edge of the land of Canaan. They sent twelve spies to go throughout the land and see what it is like. Did it have trees, food, water, armies? Israel was curious about how good and how bad the land would be. Imagine moving through the region and seeing the wickedness in every city. They murdered children to worship their gods. They committed all kinds of sexual immorality. They were cruel and harsh, unjust and vile. These men and women in the land were selfish and would gladly betray one another. They were not good people. God was planning to use Israel to wipe them off the face of the earth. Caleb saw all this. He also saw how lush the ground was. He saw how fruit would grow wild, and might have helped to carry some of the pomegranates or the huge cluster of grapes back to his people. They spent forty days in the promised land surveying all that it had to offer and all the obstacles they would face. When they returned the people were excited to hear about God’s promised land. Unfortunately, ten of the spies brought back a bad report, “Sure the land is lush and beautiful. There is plenty of food for us all and it’s a beautiful landscape. But there are fortresses and giants we could never defeat. These ten men speak loud and feed the fear of the people. Their conclusion was, “We are not able to go in so let’s go back to Egypt.” Caleb steps out into this crowd with Joshua, the other spy who believes in God and contradicts the popular opinion. He says what no one wants to hear, “Let us go up. This land is exceedingly good and God has said he will give it to us. Don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t fear the people of the land. They are bread for us. They have no protection and the Lord is with us!” His words were full of faith and wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord. The people heard them, but refused to listen. They decided to stone Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb, but God filled the tent of meeting with his glory, letting everyone know that God has a say about this. He wants to disinherit them and destroy them, but Moses intercedes. Still God will not allow anyone over the age of 20 to enter the promised land with the exception of Caleb and Joshua. Every other person over the age of 20 will die in the wilderness over the next forty years. Enduring Wilderness Life Imagine that. If you were Caleb, every other Israelite you know over 20 is going to die. Imagine living through that. You see every rebellion. You witness all of these people dying as a consequence of their faithlessness. Everyone is living to help the next generation make it. They have no other purpose than that, and they do help. In their failures, they teach them what not to do. Listen to what God says about Caleb. Numbers 14:21–24 (ESV) — 21 But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, 22 none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23 shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. 24 But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. He has a different spirit. Moses reiterates this to the next generation forty years later. Caleb becomes the ultimate example of faithfulness. Deuteronomy 1:35–36 (ESV) — 35 ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!’ He stands out because his heart is completely devoted to the Lord. He doesn’t seek his own will or his own way. He seeks God’s will and God’s way. He doesn’t partially follow God and partially follow his own way. He wants God to be glorified through him. Not only that. Caleb remained faithful throughout the forty years of waiting. He was willing to endure suffering as a consequence of sinful people who did not trust God like he did. This was a man who submitted his life to God and loved Him more than anything. He didn’t grumble or complain, that we know of. He didn’t question God’s leadership or God’s plans. He trusted in the promises while suffering. What an example for us. Taking God’s Gift Caleb was there with the Israelites through everything. He saw all of the miracles and helped Israel finally cross the Jordan river on dry ground and enter into the promised land. He was there as they conquered every city with Joshua as their leader. In Joshua 14, we read that the people had conquered most of the land and were dividing up the inheritance. Caleb was 85 years old, but he wasn’t satisfied with the land they had already conquered. He had waited 45 years for the land that he knew God would give him and his family. He wasn’t just going to take anything. He wanted the hill country. He wanted to defeat and take over a fortress. We read that he was just as youthful and able to fight at 85 as he was at 40. He went out against the giants and the great fortified city of Hebron. God was with him and his men and they defeated them, taking what God had promised. He took it because he believed God could give it and he “wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. We have to be amazed at Caleb’s boldness and trust in the Lord. He didn’t shy away from the battle. He fully believed that God could give what he promised. So he went out in battle with faith. Isn’t it amazing that God provided him with everything He promised to give him? God saw Caleb’s faith, trust, and patience. God saw how Caleb believed God could give him more than he could earn on his own. He went after more, not out of selfishness, but out of faith. He wanted to show everyone what was possible if only they would believe. Nothing can stop their God. Not giants, fortresses, or old age. What do we believe? God had made us similar promises as He made to Caleb and the Israelites. We have to decide what type of person we are going to be. The beauty of Caleb’s story is that his childlike faith was rewarded. I imagine people made fun of him and didn’t believe like he did. He stood out. People didn’t last in the wilderness when things got tough. He endured. People settled for what was easy. He boldly took what God offered with faith. Hebrews 3:12–4:3 (ESV) — 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. 1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. Consider your own life. Does your spirit stand out like his or are you one to cower in fear at the enemy? God has made you promises. Do you believe them? Are you willing to go out and conquer your enemies? Are you willing to put your trust in God, and do what you are not able to do on your own? This is the message of Caleb that inspires us to stand out, endure the wilderness, and receive the promised inheritance. We need to wholly follow the Lord with the kind of faith we see in Caleb. Faith that takes over strongholds and works with everything he has. How? But, we might ask, “How can we do what Caleb has done?” Caleb’s motivation was the ten plagues. His motivation was what he saw at Mount Sinai and how God was constantly taking care of him and his family. We have one greater than Moses who has set us free from slavery. We have one who has performed greater miracles, the greatest of all being resurrection from the dead. Caleb was protected from death, but we are told we will rise from it, through Jesus our Lord. Jesus promises us an eternal inheritance. He promises to stay with us as we conquer our spiritual enemies with love and grace. He also leads us with wholehearted obedience and faith. He pioneers the way for us to follow. What we see in Caleb is multiplied when we look at Jesus, and Jesus is the ultimate one we ought to be following. Do we really believe in the promises, and will we really choose to follow our Lord and savior into the greater promised land. Will we pursue the greatest fortress and fight the largest giants with faith that our God fights on our side? Do not turn back in fear and join others who lack faith Do not grumble and rebel as you endure the wilderness of life Do not settle for safety when God has promised you more Follow Him fully and wholeheartedly. Love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. He will see it and reward the faithful.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Have you ever noticed how easy harmony feels in this room? Here we are different, having different upbringings, different talents, different opportunities, different opinions. But we are the same. We are striving to be good for Jesus’ sake. We believe the same and love the same person. We are striving for righteousness based on the same text. But then Monday comes. And suddenly we’re not in a choir anymore. We’re in traffic. We’re at work. We’re dealing with bosses, officials, leaders, neighbors, and strangers who don’t care about our song. Harmony in here feels like singing. Harmony out there feels a lot more like walking into a corral with wild mustangs. You don’t tame a mustang by yelling at it. You don’t win it with threats or force. You earn its trust with patience, steadiness, and a calm hand. You stay gentle when it kicks. You stay present when it bolts. And little by little, that wild heart starts to match your rhythm. That’s the picture I want you to have in mind as we open Romans 13. Last week we looked at harmony inside the body of Christ in Romans 12. We saw how we’re called to live in peace with one another, to outdo one another in showing honor, to overcome evil with good. That’s the music we make in here. Today, Paul shows us that harmony inside the church is just the beginning. The beauty of the harmony we create here is that it strengthens us to go outside these walls and spread Christ to the world around us. The church learns harmony here so we can sing Christ’s song out there—through submission, love, and holiness. We don’t go out to dominate, to crush, or to force people to bow to our way of life. We go out to sing a different song. A song of humble submission, costly love, and holy living in a dark world. And Paul starts with the place most of us least want to sing: our relationship with the governing authorities. Harmony That Resonates (13:1-7) After telling us not to retaliate against those who wrong us in Chapter 12, Paul tells us to submit to the governing authorities in Chapter 13. Romans 13:1–7 (ESV) — 1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Consider what this means. These Christians, living in Rome, are supposed to submit themselves to the wicked, corrupt, powers that be. Their lives are supposed to be lived in harmony with the authorities. They aren’t there to overthrow them by rebelling against them. God wants them to give respect and honor, even when leaders show themselves unworthy of it. They are not to retaliate against a brother or sister in Christ, nor should they retaliate against someone who is outside of the body of Christ. Paul wants them to let the worldly powers rule over them because God rules over those powers. Doesn’t that sound weak and pathetic? We live in a culture that rebels against unjust rulers. We said, “No taxation without representation.” That notion is engrained in our society. But in these seven verses, we read that those who are in authority over us are being controlled by God. He is the one who puts them in their position. His purpose is for them to keep order and justice. So, our choice to rebel against them is tantamount to rebelling against God. When a president comes to power who is against our Christian viewpoint, we honor him. When congressmen, governors, mayors, or employers come to power and take away our freedoms or promote ungodly behaviors (crude words, spite, malice, rage, self-exaltation, etc), we do not blindly follow in obedience. We do not stay silent in injustice. But we calmly, respectfully refuse to imitate worldly rage. We submit to their commands as much as is possible while obeying God’s will. This is the more difficult harmony. We have to play by the rules even when no one else does. Being in harmony with the authorities sets the example of righteousness for everyone to see. The government is meant to be a terror to those who do evil. If they are a terror to those who do good, they break the system. But Paul tells us that God will give them what they are owed. This harmonious way of life might seem weak to those who are truly weak. But it takes more strength to sacrifice yourself for a greater cause than to selfishly resist the government’s laws. Think of Jesus. Think of how this one act of submitting to the governing authorities can sink into the minds and hearts of those in power. It makes a statement. When the innocent have faith in God’s working while they suffer, everyone considers. That harmony with Christ resonates. Love Is The Key (8-10) Verses 1-7 start something important. They tell us to give to those who are in authority what is due. Give them money, respect, and honor where it is due. This is not always easy. Imagine having Nero as your emperor. Imagine vile, hateful, corrupt politicians who are power hungry throwing you in prison and holding you there to make people happy. You miss out on years of your life because of their wickedness. Are you supposed to just go down without a fight? No. But your fight is spiritual. The weapons of our warfare are not physical. We win that fight by remaining faithful. That’s what Paul is saying. How are we going to do this? What words can Paul give us to help us pursue harmony in a society that is wicked and selfish? The next words from Paul hit deeper. He wants us to think about every relationship we have with people outside these walls and inside them. Our goal is not to take from them what we can take from them, but to give them something only we can give: our hearts. Romans 13:8–10 (ESV) — 8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Those who follow Christ, those who have received the bountiful grace they do not deserve, are supposed to be men and women who give love to those who do not deserve it. We fulfill the purpose of the Old Testament Law even though we have been set free from it. We do not lust, seeking sexual gratification. We do not murder, seeking vengeance and self-exaltation. We do not steal or even covet because God has given us everything we could ever desire in the spiritual realm. Instead of taking, we choose to turn and serve others with love, and, in doing so, we fulfill the purpose of the law from the beginning. It will be difficult, but we are called upon to give love and never wrong our neighbor. We go above and beyond to serve them with love. This is in harmony with Christ. We do not become like those who are around us. We stand out. Everything they seek is meaningless and temporary. We have a higher calling. Wake Up (11-14) When we learn the gospel, we don’t yet understand who or what we are supposed to become. We know that Jesus is greater than we could imagine. He has done something amazing on our behalf. We have received it, but what are we supposed to become? We submit our lives to Him, and we wish to pay Him back. We will never be able to, but this is how we show our love for Him. This is not just a good idea, or an ideal thought. This is our higher calling. You and I were saved for this purpose. We aren’t here to serve ourselves and enjoy the wealth of a wealthy nation. We aren’t here to eat, drink, and be merry all the live long day. We are here to rise up and shine a light for all to see. Romans 13:11–14 (ESV) — 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. What is Paul talking about here? “You know the time,” he says. “The hour has come for you to wake from sleep.” He’s talking about spiritual apathy and drowsiness. He’s talking about Christians that are ignoring the spiritual realities. Christians everywhere are asleep at the wheel. They aren’t doing anything other than enjoying the comforts and pleasures of this world. This figurative language tells us this is not a time to relax and enjoy the rest God has promised us. We have rest coming. Notice the words, “Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” He is not talking about salvation from sin, but salvation from this vain life with all its pain and suffering. Salvation from this mortal body and the weakness of the flesh. Every day we live after obeying the truth is a day closer to our eternal reward. Now is not the time to sleep. It is the time to act with all our might. He says the night is far gone so we need to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. All of the difficult actions he has been discussing in this chapter are not just possible, they are expected of us. We have everything we need at our disposal to overcome sin and resonate the glorious harmony of Jesus Christ. We put Him on like a suit of armor that projects light, and we live a life that resembles his. The words of this passage are a battle cry. Paul is telling us to go to war with the spiritual forces of darkness. We don’t do that by playing the games of war that men play, deceiving, killing, stealing, and preserving our own vain glory. We stand in truth, refusing to yield to sin, loving our enemies, and honoring those who might slaughter us. Conclusion Paul has just painted a picture of a very different kind of life. We live under authorities we don’t always like, and we submit anyway because we trust the God who stands over them. We walk into a selfish world, and instead of taking, we choose to love. We feel the pull of comfort and pleasure, and instead of going back to sleep, we wake up, cast off the darkness, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. That is harmony that doesn’t stay trapped in a church building. That’s harmony that spills out into neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and governments. That’s the song of Christ. Think again about those two images. In here, we sound like a choir. We stand together and sing. We hear each other’s voices. We’re reminded we’re not alone. This is rehearsal. Out there, it’s not a choir loft. It’s a dusty corral. The world around us is like a wild mustang—wounded, scared, suspicious, kicking at anything that gets too close. If we storm in with force, yanking and jerking, we only prove their fears right. But Christ sends us out with a calm hand and a steady heart. We harmonize with a wild, wicked world not by agreeing with its sin, but by submitting where we can, loving when it hurts, and walking in the light when everyone else prefers the dark. We show respect when others spew contempt. We pay what we owe. We refuse to wrong our neighbor. We wake up and live as people who know the day is coming. Over time, that kind of life starts to do something. It stands out. It exposes what’s false. It makes people wonder. It softens hard hearts. It tames what once seemed untamable—not by our power, but by the power of Christ living in us. And here’s the thing: that is exactly what God saved us for. We were not rescued by Jesus so we could blend in, chase comfort, and sing only when we’re in the building. We were saved to present our whole lives to God as an offering, to be transformed in how we think and live, so that the world can hear, in us, a different kind of music. Listen to how Paul already said it: Romans 12:1–2 (ESV) — 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.” (Ecc 8:11) Have you ever seen this happen? I have. I was at a church with weak and practically non-existent leadership that refuses to address an issue when it comes up. Someone was in an adulterous situation. It was one of the leading man’s brothers. That sin is bad enough. But it’s made worse when no one does a thing to address it. Everyone knows, but they act like it doesn’t exist. When this happens, it does something to everyone. Slowly, it eats away at their zeal. It’s like we start thinking, “What’s the point? This is all a ruse. We aren’t serious.” We die inside. Today, we will be learning about an event like this which happens in Israel. But I want us to see that it relates closely with us. We are told in the New Testament that the events which happened to Israel were written down for us to learn their lessons and make the right choices (1 Cor 10) Israel’s Unfaithfulness (Num 25:1-3) At the time of these events, God has already saved his people from Egypt. He has brought them to the mountain and spoken His ten commandments. He has also brought them to the promised land, but they refused to go in. So, he has let them wander for 40 years in the wilderness, allowing everyone over the age of 20 to die off. All the while, he has provided for them with manna, quail, and water from a rock. Their shoes haven’t worn out. They have had everything they needed the whole time. Recently, God has given Israel great victories in battles outside of the promised land. He has helped them defeat the Amorites and the Amalakites, and everyone is terrified of this huge hoard of people in the wilderness. Moab’s king was so scared he tried to hire a prophet to curse the people. Instead all he could do was bless the people and we get a sense of how much God loves them and how much He will provide for them. They are beautiful in God’s eyes, “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel.” Each prophecy is like a love song God wrote for them to hear. God has great plans for them to rise above all the nations and be to the praise of His glory. The faithfulness of God stands out in stark contrast to what we read about Israel in Numbers 25. Numbers 25:1–3 (ESV) — 1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. Israel began to whore. This is a crude term that we don’t use, but it shows us how vile and evil Israel’s actions are. This indicates that Israel prostituted itself out and became adulterous. They left God for Moab’s gods, something God commanded them not to do. It’s interesting that when we teach our children about the commands of God, we tend to overemphasize the need to not murder, steal, or lie. However, in God’s commandments to the people, He emphasizes staying away from idolatry. He doesn’t want them to marry people of the land because they will turn their hearts away from God. The people of the land don’t recognize how much greater the God of Israel is than their made up idols. So God wants Israel to stay away from them, lest they be deceived. That’s what has happened here. “Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.” We learn elsewhere that this is how Balaam, the wicked prophet, got his money from Balak. He told him that God would not curse Israel unless they rebelled against Him. They were totally protected from outside. The only problem they had to worry about was within. And he was right. God’s Judgment (Num 25:4-5) Now, God speaks to Moses about how to address this issue, and He says something that seems really harsh. Numbers 25:4 (ESV) — 4 And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” He commands Moses to take the chiefs, and hang them in the sun. That most likely means they should break their hands and feet, then impale them on a stick for all Israel to see. This is a cruel and harsh judgment from God. Why would he say that? Notice that Moses thinks it is cruel. He disobeys and does what he thinks is just. Numbers 25:5 (ESV) — 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.” He tells the men who have been assigned as judges to give the death penalty to all of those who are engaging in this idolatry. That is, after all, exactly what God had commanded earlier. Finding someone engaged in idolatry was supposed to carry the death penalty. So, I imagine they started going throughout the camp and looking for people engaged in idolatry to kill them. But the camp got wise. They hid what they were doing. Then, after a while the judges slacked off. They didn’t want to kill people for idolatry. It seemed like such a small thing to them. Consequences (Num 25:6-9) But it wasn’t a small thing to God. He sent a plague upon the Israelites. A sickness that started taking the lives of thousands of people. Everyone was dying. All Israel gathered at the tent of meeting to weep and pray for God to have mercy and heal them of the sickness. While they are there weeping, one of the chiefs of the people walks by. His tent is close to the center because he is a head of the people of Simeon. Following behind him was a woman of Midian (the group that joined with Moab to overthrow Israel). This chief was bringing a foreign, idolatrous woman, a princess of the Midianite people, in to meet his family while all of Israel was suffering the consequences of this unfaithfulness. Imagine yourself in the crowd that witnesses this happen. Everyone looks around to see if anyone will respond. They look to Moses and Aaron. They look to the other chiefs. No one does anything. They have made the chiefs of the people untouchable even though God said to hang them for all to see. Numbers 25:6–9 (ESV) — 6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. The grandson of Aaron doesn’t stand around feeling paralyzed. He gets up, walks over to the tent, and steps inside. He walks into the tent with his spear, walks right up to this chief and his bride and impales them both with one thrust. “Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped.” I imagine that they went through all the chief camps and did the same. They finally decided to obey God’s commands in God’s way. The blood of the leaders was required. They were at the heart of the problem, and they were the ones God held accountable. What Happened Next After Phinehas did what God had commanded him to do, God spoke to Moses and revealed that Phinehas turned back God’s wrath by being jealous with God’s jealousy. Numbers 25:10–13 (ESV) — 10 And the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’ ” God then rewards Phinehas by giving him God’s “covenant of peace.” This covenant is one of the great covenants of the Bible, although it is hardly recognized. It resembles David’s covenant for an eternal king. This is about a perpetual priesthood. His descendents would always serve as the high priest. What Does This Mean? As we learn this story, we might wonder at the fact that God commanded Moses to hang these men up on a pole, that Moses tried to do it differently, and that God rewarded Phinehas for killing two people for idolatry. These are all uncomfortable truths we find in the Bible. But what does all of this mean? Is God rewarding some random person taking justice into his own hands and killing someone who didn’t deserve it? Comfortable With Idolatry What we see in this story is that the people have become lukewarm to the idea of idolatry. They engage in it without considering what it really means. Their God has saved them from slavery and saved them from enemies. He provides what they enjoy. Yet, they want to honor and worship a piece of wood or a piece of metal? Is God really supposed to let that go? When we see how much God has revealed about himself and given to His people, it becomes obvious that they have committed the greatest crime of all. These are commands number one, two, and three. They have broken God’s heart and rebelled against Him in a way that is very evil. He has shown himself to be full of mercy and compassion, but also unwilling to clear the guilty. The first lesson we learn is that God wants to be in the primary place in our lives and in our hearts. Nothing comes close. Don’t pursue any good thing as the ultimate thing. Keep God in His rightful place. Idolatry is making good things the ultimate thing. Attributing god-like attributes to people, tools, pleasures, or anything in this world. God is a jealous God. He does not tolerate our worship of other gods. Failed Leadership Another aspect of this story is the failed leadership of Moses and the chiefs of the people. Their failure to make God their ultimate spread throughout the people and they were the ones who God held responsible. The chiefs had “whored after” these foreign women. They fell to the temptations of the world and drug Israel down with them. Moses failed to see the importance of making an example of these men. He failed to be jealous with God’s jealousy. He tried to find another way to address the problem. Why? We are told that he was married to a Midianite woman back in Exodus. She was a worshipper of God, but this made him sympathetic to the Midianite people who were just as idolatrous as the Moabites. Jealous Zeal When we look at Phineas, we see a young man who could see through the bias and compromises that the leaders were making. But he wasn’t just any young man. He was a young man of the high priestly line. The responsibility would fall on him after Moses because Aaron had passed away. Phineas was the high priest at this time. His actions weren’t just judgment. God says Phineas has made atonement for the sins of the people. This is fascinating because it connects the death of the chief and his wife with the death of Jesus. I see typology in the chief and Midianite. Like Jesus, this chief was pierced and hung on a pole. His death atoned for the sins of the people. I also find it interesting that all people are represented, the Jew and the Gentile, in the chief and the Midianite princess. I also see typology in Phineas. Like Jesus, he was making atonement for the people and stopping death through the plague of sin. His actions resulted in a covenant of peace, but Jesus’ actions gave that covenant of peace to all the people. Phineas’ zeal and jealousy for God’s glory and honor also serve as a type for us. We are all part of a royal priesthood, we are supposed to be renewed in our hearts and minds so that we have a heart for God and a desire to honor him. This jealous zeal should motivate us to remove sin from the camp. God wants a people who are holy and righteous. He wants a people who love Him more than this world. I don’t recommend getting a spear and stabbing people. But I do recommend following the pattern in the New Testament for dealing with those engaged in blatant and rebellious sin. In 1 Corinthians 5, we read… 1 Corinthians 5:9–13 (ESV) — 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” Will we learn from Israel’s mistakes? Will we purge the evil from among us, regardless of what is politically correct? Will we be jealous for God’s glory and remove evil from our own lives?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > You’re sitting across the table from someone, and they choose to open up. They’re vulnerable. They trust you with something deep. A pregnancy announcement—while you’re begging God for a child. A cancer diagnosis—while you don’t even know what to say. A job promotion—while you’re wondering how to pay next month’s bills. How do you respond in those moments? We would all like to think we know. But real life exposes us. Our emotions don’t always cooperate. Sometimes joy feels out of reach when someone else is celebrating. Sometimes grief feels too heavy to enter. Sometimes our pride whispers, “Why them? Why not me?” Paul knows this tension well. For eleven chapters in Romans he laid out the power of the gospel—how God rescues broken people, unites Jews and Gentiles, breaks down centuries of hostility, and creates one family out of strangers. And then he says in Romans 12:16: “Live in harmony with one another.” Right before it, a phrase you could stitch on a pillow—but much harder to practice: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” So today we’re answering two questions: What does it mean to live in harmony? How do we actually do it? What Does Harmony Mean? A definition I’ve come to appreciate: Harmony is choosing to enter someone else’s emotional world— even when it costs you something. It’s choosing to be in sync with the lives around you. It’s choosing to care when caring is inconvenient. It’s choosing connection over comfort. A Picture From Worship If you grew up in congregational singing, you already know harmony is more than hitting the right notes. I remember the first time I ever visited a church of Christ as a teenager. The whole room lifted their voices—no instruments, no production—just people. And behind me stood a sister who had the voice of an opera singer. I’d never heard anything like it. It took me a while to learn that what I was hearing wasn’t just singing—it was parts blending together. Sopranos soaring. Basses anchoring. Altos weaving inside. Tenors carrying the melody. No one person made that sound beautiful. It was the togetherness that made it powerful. Singing the Same Song Harmony happens when everyone is working from the same sheet of music—same lyrics, tempo, key, and direction. If even one part drifts into a different song, everything sounds off. That’s the picture Paul is painting for the church. A congregation lives in harmony when its people are walking the same road—same convictions, same mission, same desire to please Christ. When someone gets off-tempo, we adjust. When someone stumbles, we slow down. When someone lifts their voice in praise, we lift with them. Paul isn’t calling us to uniformity. The beauty of four-part harmony is that we’re singing different notes. Different strengths. Different perspectives. Different experiences. But all serving the same song. Harmony means: I don’t need to be you. You don’t need to be me. But we both need to aim our lives at Christ. When we do, heaven sees a community singing the gospel—not with music—but with their lives. This is how God’s glory is exploding with praise before the spiritual beings who are all around us. Not just when we live a God-focused life in the good times and the bad times, but when we do that together. This harmony is like singing a song in harmony with our actions. How Do We Live In Harmony? Paul gives three practical steps in Romans 12 that make harmony possible. Without them, the church sounds like everyone warming up at once—noise instead of praise. A. Lay Down Self-Exaltation (12:3, 16) Nothing breaks harmony like someone singing louder than everyone else. Romans 12:3 reminds us to stop thinking too highly of ourselves. We all come to the cross the same way—empty-handed. There is no “first soprano” in the kingdom. No divas. No soloists demanding the spotlight. Then Paul says in verse 16: “Do not be haughty… Never be wise in your own sight.” Self-exaltation destroys relationships because it kills our ability to blend with others. It makes us stiff, impossible to correct, quick to judge, and slow to understand. And when one person elevates themselves, others instinctively rise to defend their place: “Who does she think she is?” “I’m just as important as he is.” Suddenly the song has become a competition, not a chorus. But harmony returns the moment we decide: I will exalt Christ, not myself. I will seek your good, not my glory. When everyone is working to honor someone else, the beauty of the body comes alive. B. Use Your Gifts (12:4-8) Harmony is only possible when we use our gifts. Romans 12:4–8 (ESV) — 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Consider the parallel to people singing out. If you refuse to sing, you aren’t in harmony with anyone. If you refuse to sing, you will create a silence that is heard, a silence that spreads. No one wants to sing when no one is singing around them. The louder we sing, the louder we sing. If we don’t do what we can to build up the body, the body won’t be built up and we are the reason why. When I first got here, I tried to do everything. I’m not sure if it was COVID or just my own immaturity, but I saw things that needed to happen and that no one was doing it. So I did it. I was trying to do everything, but I did nothing well. I finally realized this and stepped back so some of you can step forward and use your gifts. You have. You are stepping up and doing what is needed for this body to grow stronger. But we need more of you to use your gifts and honor God with your bodies as “living sacrifices” (Rom 12:1-2) C. Listen Before Speaking (12:9–13, 15) “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” We cannot do that from a distance. We cannot do that while distracted. We cannot do that without caring. Harmony begins long before you speak—it begins when you listen. Paul’s commands leading to verse 16 all push us deeper into each other’s lives: Genuine love Brotherly affection Showing honor Contributing to needs Hospitality We cannot do those things if we’re skimming the surface of someone’s story. You know what I struggle with? When someone is hurting, my first instinct is to fix it. Offer advice. Provide solutions. Patch the wound. But Paul doesn’t say, “Fix with those who are broken.” He says, weep with them. That means I slow down long enough to feel it. To enter their world. To let their grief touch me. And rejoicing? That’s hard too—especially when someone receives the blessing you’ve been praying for. Someone else’s engagement. Someone else’s promotion. Someone else’s answered prayer. Harmony means I celebrate even when my season is different. Because in Christ, their win is our win. The body moves together. D. Refuse Retaliation (12:14, 17–21) Nothing destroys harmony faster than payback. Paul says: “Bless those who persecute you.” “Repay no one evil for evil.” “Never avenge yourselves.” “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” You can’t sing harmony with someone you secretly want to see fail. You can’t rejoice with someone you resent. You can’t weep with someone you’ve written off. Retaliation fractures the church into adversaries instead of family. Paul’s remedy? Let God be the Judge. Lay down the weapons. Stop rehearsing the hurt. Treat your enemy like someone worth feeding and serving. This is not weakness. This is Christlikeness. And it is the only way a fractured church becomes a harmonious one. Conclusion At the end of the day, harmony is simply imitation. We harmonize with each other because we are learning to harmonize with Jesus. He never exalted Himself. He used His gifts to fulfill His purpose He listened to the broken. He wept at gravesides. He rejoiced in repentance. He refused retaliation—choosing the cross instead. His life is the melody. We’re learning the parts. So this week, when someone shares their joy or sorrow with you, ask: What note is Christ singing here—and how can I match it? This is our story. This is our song. Let’s sing it together.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > What does it mean for God to foreknow or predestine? How does God predestine or preselect a destination for those people whom He foreknows? Calvinism is the most popular way to understand these ideas. It says that God foreknows and predestines or chooses every individual who is saved and who is lost. Their claim is that God is sovereign over all and must be in total control of this because we are totally depraved and cannot make the decision to be saved on our own. So, we are “elected” unconditionally, meaning there is nothing we can say or do that will make us a part of God’s elect. It is 100% Him and 0% us. I don’t believe this is correct. It is close to correct, but not completely correct. Perhaps you don’t really care about this. Maybe you just want to move on to something else. This is important. Believing that God foreknows and elects individuals is, perhaps, the most popular view historically, and adopting that view will have consequences. So today we will understand “those whom he foreknew he also predestined” by asking three questions: 1. What was God’s plan? 2. Who is predestined? 3. How do we have faith? Each question takes us down to a deeper level of understanding. What Was God’s Plan? Romans 8:28–30 (ESV) — 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. This text in Romans is supposed to provide assurance that the Romans are a part of God’s special people, His family, when they chose to love God. Those who love God have God on their side, working all things together for their good. But there’s more to this text. We also see that they have become a part of God’s purpose because they were called according to it. God had a plan to save mankind through the gospel call. The words “foreknew” and “predestined” mean that something was planned out and determined before it took place. In this case, God knew and determined that He was going to take those who love God and have them conform to the image of Jesus. God's plan for you is that you would be like Him. Now, verse 30. What is that verse saying? This verse describes a sequence of events. It starts with God’s predestination and ends with our glorification. It is saying that everyone who loves God, loves Him because God predestined, called, justified, and glorified them. That’s what it says. Notice the emphasis of this text is on God, God planned to call us, justify us, and glorify us. Notice the conclusion is stated in verse 31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” We should not deny the fact that God is the reason we are saved. Do you know that your love for God was a part of God’s plan? Do you know that He has worked in your life to call or draw you to Himself? God wanted you to love Him so He called you. You might say, “Wait a minute, Casey, I’m the one who heard the call and decided to follow Christ.” This is true. We’ll talk about that decision soon. But for now, understand that God is the focus of this text. God has always worked to save a group of people who would love Him and whom He would love. He knew that He was going to bring Christ and create the gospel call. Listen to His words 600 years earlier. Jeremiah 31:31–34 (ESV) — 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” So God fore-knew that He would have a covenant people in Christ and predestined that whole group to adoption and glory. God has predestined that group to bring Him glory and praise by keeping God’s law. He puts it in them, writing it on their hearts. They belong to Him and He belongs to them. This covenant people won’t be born into the covenant and taught the laws they ought to obey. They will “know the Lord” because He will have forgiven their sins. Foreknew doesn’t mean God simply saw the future and picked favorites. It means He set His love on a people before time began — a people who would come to Him through faith. You see, God had always planned to send Jesus, reveal Himself as the definition of love, forgive the sins of the poor in spirit, and change the hearts of a people who would belong to Him. God did this. Who is Predestined? We know that God foreknew and predestined a people to be like Christ, to be called, to be justified, and to be glorified. This much we can all agree on. But does that mean He selects these people unconditionally? In other words, does that mean we are elected whether we want to or not, or that we are rejected regardless of what we do? Unconditional means there is not one condition one must meet to be saved or rejected. What about the person who says, “I decided to follow Jesus?” Is it true that salvation is a choice which depends on our acceptance? What we see as we study Romans is that In Romans 9, we read that God did not predestine everyone born an Israelite to be saved. In other words, God did not create the condition, “If you are an Israelite, you will be saved.” We also read that salvation is not a matter of human will or exertion. God did not create the condition, “If you do everything right according to the Law or if you try really hard to be righteous, you will be saved.” We see in this chapter all the way through chapter 11 that God rejects people who pursue God by Old Covenant status and works of law. He rejects those who are proud and boastful. In the first century, he hardened Israelites who rejected the gospel and saved the Gentiles who accepted it, choosing to pursue God by faith. Paul is clear that the predestined, foreknown, later he will call them “elect” people of God are those who believe. He is emphatic that “Everyone who believes,” “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is a condition. To say there is no condition is to ignore the conditions described. So, this answers the question, “Does God choose who to draw to Him and who to harden without considering anything they have done or what they have failed to do?” No. If they choose to have faith in Christ, they have accepted God’s call and will be saved. Salvation is not unconditional. It is conditioned on faith. The context doesn’t allow for any other interpretation. So, when we look at passages that mention God’s predestination, it’s important for us to see that God has not predetermined who will be saved individually. He has predetermined to have a group of saved people who have chosen to love Him in response to the gospel call. Those who would receive His love by faith, being justified and glorified because they are in Christ. How Do We Get Faith? But, wait one minute. We need to take this one more level deeper. As counterintuitive as it is, there are some who claim that faith is not something we choose to have. Faith, they say, is a gift from God. Let’s evaluate this. Election is based on faith, but how does one get faith? Is faith something we can develop on our own, or is it something given to us by God? One might look at Romans 5-7 and say, “Casey, you are claiming that man must do what man is unable to do. Don’t you know that Paul says we were dead in the trespasses and sins in which we walked? Dead people can’t do anything. Even the very act of having faith in Christ is a gift that God gives you, not a decision you make.” If you have ever heard someone say this, it sounds reasonable. The argument is: If faith were something we ultimately generate or contribute, it is a work and worthy of boasting. Faith must be a gift from God because anything you do is a work. They claim that faith is the gift of God. We are so totally depraved and dead in our sins that we couldn’t even choose to believe without God’s help. Salvation is 100% God and 0% you. Furthermore, if you do one thing then you are creating a works based system of salvation. This is a falsehood wrapped in truth. Think about it. Were you a horrible sinner unable to save yourself? Yes. Would you have ever decided to believe in God without Him providentially working in your life? Would you have ever believed in Christ without God’s word showing you the way? No way. There is no denying that “faith comes from hearing the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17). Without the word of Christ, we would still be dead. But we choose whether we hear the word or not. Plus, John 6 tells us that God must draw us to Christ for us to come to Him. But, the fact that God has to draw us does not mean we have to listen. We need to be thoughtful when answering the question, “How do we get faith?” First, we need to understand that faith or believing and trusting in God is an act we are doing. These are verbs. Second, we can go back to chapter 4 and see how Abraham chose to believe and it was credited to him as righteousness. In those texts, he contrasts the faith Abraham has and works of Jews according to the Law. Think about this. If faith is a gift from God, then it can’t count for anything. It’s not his faith. But Romans 4 specifically says that he considered the deadness of Sarah’s womb and he still chose to put his confidence in God. Third, even in the difficult chapter 9, we see that the Jews were “pursuing righteousness as though it can be obtained through law keeping.” It says, “they did not pursue it (righteousness) by faith, but as if it were based on works.” When we pursue righteousness by faith, we find it, and that is not works based righteousness. Believing, having faith, calling on the name of the Lord, is not about me. It’s about accepting what God has done for me. Think about what is happening at the moment one believes. There is an internal shift that happens. They go from living for themselves and pursuing empty things that never satisfy, to humbly accepting the gospel message of Grace. Did you do that or did God do that? The answer is, “Yes!” Don’t create a false dichotomy. They are both true. God is ultimately one one responsible, but we have to choose to accept this for ourselves. The seed and the soil were good and the Spirit was able to create new life through a spiritual resurrection you submitted to. Implications What you believe about this topic has big implications. What are they? If you believe that God predestines people to be saved or to be condemned, how do you know His will for you? If salvation depends on God’s random choice, assurance disappears — but if salvation depends on God’s unchanging promise to save all who believe, then assurance is anchored forever. They don’t believe the common refrain throughout scripture that “everyone who believes will be saved.” Really, it’s everyone He chooses to make believe will be saved. On the other hand, viewing God as urging people and letting them reject Him shows the level of love He carries toward His enemies. This means that God is providentially working in everyone’s life. In every instance, the hearer is being drawn by God. In some cases, God’s word pierces a heart of stone, or tenderizes it so it is receptive to the message (Ezek 36). In other cases, it doesn’t because those who hear reject the message. The greatest assurance comes in knowing that God will be faithful to you and will desire your salvation like a father longing for his prodigal son. When we choose to believe in His grace, surrendering our lives to Him, we have full assurance that we are one of the elect. Upon being baptized God circumcises our hearts (Col 2). As we look at Jesus, our inner selves are being transformed in His likeness (2 Cor 3:18). So we know that God is working all things together for our good, so long as we love Him. Conclusion What about you? Have you let God’s word penetrate your heart? If you have chosen to love God and give your life to Him, be baptized into Christ, receive His grace, and become a part of God’s special people. He wants you to be His child. Do you want to be His son or daughter?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Have you ever done all the right things for the wrong reasons? Today, we are going to look at a story of two men and a nation which will help us understand how our desires and our requests from God can be totally wrong. Balak’s Fear Israel is on a role in Numbers 21. They are near the end of their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, and all the surrounding nations are starting to get uncomfortable as they consider Israel. Canaanites and Amorites think that they can come out in battle against Israel and defeat them, but they find out that God is fighting for them. Israel took all their cities and defeated their kings. One nation that became really nervous about Israel was Moab with their king, Balak. Balak had been defeated by the Amorites and now Israel had defeated the Amorites. They knew Israel was a huge nation capable of wiping Moab off the map. So, Balak got together with the elders of Midian and convinced them to seek out help from a man named Balaam. Balaam was called many things: a “soothsayer,” a “diviner,” and a “seer.” He was a man well known for his ability to communicate with the gods and pronounce curses on people. It seems that whoever Balaam cursed was cursed and whoever Balaam blessed was blessed. This terminology is interesting because that appears to be God’s promise to Abraham, “whoever curses you, I will curse” and “whoever blesses you I will bless.” Anyway, the plan was accepted by the Midianites and they sent word to Balaam with the typical fees of divination.Balaam hears their request and tells them to rest while he goes and tries to communicate with Yahweh. It is interesting that he goes to Yahweh and God speaks to him. They talk about who has come to Balaam, and he lays out their request. But God refuses, telling Balaam that the people they want to curse are blessed by God. Balak, the king, is upset about this response from Balaam. He needs these people cursed so he will stand a chance at defeating them. So he sends more princes and more money to entice Balaam to come. Now, this is where the story takes an interesting turn. Balak says, “Don’t let anything hinder you from coming to me, for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come curse this people for me.” (22:17) Balak is going to pull out all the stops. He wants Balaam really badly. Balaam’s answer is honorable. He says the right thing, “If Balak gives me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more.” Then, he speaks to God again that night and God says, “Go with them, but only do what I tell you.” Balaam’s Odd Situation Now, this is very odd. Balaam appears to be fully devoted to God’s message. God has blessed these people and Balaam cannot curse them, but he’s going to see Balak anyway. Why? Is God going to change His mind and curse Israel? It gets even more interesting. As Balaam was on his way, God became angry with Balaam for going. He sent the angel of the Lord with a sword because Balaam was “an adversary.” This is a startling turn of events. God has told Balaam to go, but now He will kill him for going. Is God two faced? No. God didn’t change, Balaam did. The prospect of having a lot of money changed him internally. God knew that Balaam wanted to go see Balak and receive the reward. God knew about the plan that Balaam was cooking up in his mind, and He was ready to kill Balaam for those evil thoughts. Of course we know that Balaam is not killed by the angel. God decides instead to give Balaam a lesson on humility. He allowed Balaam’s donkey to see the angel with its sword drawn, but only the donkey could see it. Imagine being Balaam, riding along and conspiring how you can give Balak what he wants and receive what you want. Then, all of a sudden, your old trusty donkey starts veering off the road and he heads out into a vineyard. You have a stick so you start beating the donkey, bringing him back into the road where the angel is. The donkey sees the angel again and immediately veers to the side, but this time there is no where he can go. In his fear he squishes Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beats the donkey again. When the donkey saw that there was no way to avoid the angel, he laid down. At this point, Balaam is irate! He’s beating the donkey, but the donkey looks up at him and starts speaking. God gives the donkey the ability to see the angel and the ability to speak. He uses this ability to ask a question. He says, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day?” The donkey is so confused by all this. He is trying to save the man, but Balaam says, “I wish I had a sword so I could kill you because you have made a fool of me.” After this interchange God opened Balaam’s eyes to see the angel. The angel has a sword and tells Balaam, “I would have killed you if it had not been for your donkey.” Balaam was saved by his donkey who he rejected and hated for making him look like a fool when he actually was being a fool. God tells Balaam once again, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” In other words, stop conspiring and coming up with ways to get money and honor for yourself. Be my mouthpiece and nothing else. Israel’s Irrevocable Blessing When Balaam arrives at Balak’s city, the king comes out to meet him and starts laying it on thick. “Balaam, Balaam, Balaam, what kept you? You know I’m going to take care of you and treat you with honor.” Balak is laying it on thick. But Balaam seems ready to speak only what God has said. In chapters 23-24, we read about Balak taking Balaam up to a high place, Kiriath-huzoth, where they would worship God or their pagan gods. Balak offers up an ox and a sheep. The next day, they go to a high place that only shows part of the people called “Bamoth-baal.” Balak offered up seven bulls and seven rams, hoping to make God happy with him, so happy that he would grant him his wish of cursing Israel and blessing him. Balaam went and talked to God, but when he came back he said, “How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?” He goes on to talk about how innumerable Israel is and how he wishes his end could be like Israel’s end. Balak was not too happy about this. “What have you done! I told you to curse them and you blessed them!” Balaam responded, “I can only say what God tells me to say.” So, they moved to the next mountain and offered up seven more bulls and rams as they looked at another section of Israel. This time Balaam says, “God is not man that He would lie, or the son of man that He should change His mind. He will do what He has said and fulfill His promise. The Lord, their God is with them.” God makes it totally clear to Balak that this aint working. Israel was brought out of Egypt by their God and their king, and He is for them. He will make them devour their prey. This is not going at all as Balak had planned. So, he takes Balaam to one more high place. Once again, Balaam tells Balak to offer seven bulls and seven rams. But Balaam did not go look for omens. He looked upon all of Israel and the Spirit of God came upon him so that he prophesied a third time in favor of Israel. Balak becomes angry and strikes his hands together. “I called for you to curse my enemies and you have blessed them three times! Get out of here! God has kept you from receiving silver or gold today.” To this, Balaam responds with another prophesy. This time his words are greater than before. He tells Balak that “a star shall come from Jacob and a scepter from Israel that will crush the forehead of Moab.” Then, he foretells the destruction of all the nations through this star of Jacob who rules over all. What Do We Learn? The story is hilarious, but also very informative. It’s hilarious because the men in the story are so oblivious to who Israel is and what God has done for Israel. They are failing to see what is going on at every part of the story, and they keep doing the same thing expecting a different outcome. God tells them no, but they just keep trying. It’s informative because it shows us that God has determined to bless Israel, and He will not betray that promise he made to Abraham. He will raise one up to “crush the forehead of Moab.” It also shows us how dumb we can be. We resemble king Balak, wanting something that is totally opposite of what God is trying to do. We think we can buy God’s favor by offering sacrifices and make God change His mind for our lives. But what we really need to do is move over to His side and start wanting what he is wanting. We also resemble Balaam, trying to manipulate our situation so we can have our cake and eat it too. Balaam ends up conspiring a way to get his riches from Balak. We learn that he told Balak to corrupt Israel and make them curse themselves. God would protect them from outside, but Israel ended up cursing themselves by being lured away to temptations. The most important lesson we should learn from these characters is that we can do all the right things for the wrong reasons and find ourselves on the opposite side of the battle from God. Balak offered tons of sacrifices. Balaam only spoke what God told him to (until he didn’t obviously). God is after our hearts. Always has been. Always will be. James 4:2–6 (ESV) — 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Conclusion Thankfully, this story shows us a God who desires us, and is willing to protect us against the forces of evil that seek to destroy us. He has sent his star to crush the head of our greatest enemy, and the only things we have to fear are the lustful desires of this world which pull us away from God. Like Israel, we have received an eternal love, even though we are oblivious, gullible, and undeserving of it.God loves us because He is so good. Will we love Him in return? Will we choose to do the right things for the right reasons?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > I think many of us want to be leaders at one point in our lives. It starts in school where we all want to be the line leader. Then, it carries over into sports where everyone wants to be the captain. Eventually, we grow up and want to be the boss. This desire for prominence and exaltation is not something everyone experiences, but those who do want to lead need to recognize that the rewards are offset by the responsibilities. It’s interesting to me that the people who don’t typically want to be leaders make the best ones. They have a good understanding of the responsibilities and work is not about them. On the other hand, the people who want to be leaders tend to have the wrong attitude about it. That’s why it’s so important for us to be raising young men and women who have the right heart and attitude. It’s not enough for them to be capable. They also need to possess the right heart and desires. Today we learn about Miriam, a brave young girl, who became a zealous leader, the first recorded prophetess, and, eventually, a horrible sinner like everyone else. The Life of Miriam MIriam’s story begins in Egypt, like so many we have looked at recently. She too was subject to a very hard childhood of slavery and injustice. I wonder how many brothers, cousins, or friends were killed due to the wicked laws of Egypt. “Throw your baby boys in the Nile!” they would command the Israelite women. Can you imagine women being forced to do that? Jochabed obeyed the command with her son, but she put the boy in a little boat that would stay afloat among the reeds. Asking a Bold Question (Exo 2) Imagine being Miriam. Maybe she’s seven or eight. She’s hiding in some bushes and watching her little brother float in the water to see what will happen to him. The princess of Egypt approaches the water and her servant retrieves the boy. Now, consider how risky it is to go up to the princess of Egypt. Who would be willing to go up and speak to her? Maybe she was just one of those kids who just spoke to anyone. Maybe she didn’t recognize that this was the princess of the land, but her question is still bold. She saw or heard the sympathy the princess had and asks, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” This created the perfect opportunity for Moses to be raised by his own mother for a brief time, but it ultimately saved his life. Leading the Women (Exo 15) We don’t see too much of Miriam after this event, but I imagine she was there all along. The next time she is talked about is after they cross the Red Sea. We read about how God allowed them to walk through the Red Sea on dry ground. Again, imagine it: the terror of realizing that Egyptian soldiers were coming for you, the wonder of walking on dry ground that was once under water, the elation of watching the waters fall and crush your enemy as they ruthlessly pursue you. That whole event would bring a flood of emotions. After it happens, Moses writes a song and all Israel sings in praise to their God (Exo 15). Exodus 15:20–21 (ESV) — 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.” Here she is described as a prophetess. This means that she is a woman of faith who speaks on behalf of God like Aaron does. Many people believe that she took on a leadership role among the women in the camp and assisted her brothers in this way. But notice her zeal. She watches what God does and breaks out in her own song. She leads the women in playing a tambourine, dancing, and singing over God’s great work of salvation. By all accounts, she appears to be a very righteous and devoted person. The Tongue (Num 12) But devoted and righteous people make mistakes. They aren’t perfect, and the one area where that often shows up is with their tongues. The tongue really hurts us, especially when everyone around us is misusing it. In Numbers 11, we learn that all the people had started complaining. None of them were happy with the leadership because they longed to eat good food again. God solved this problem by spreading His Spirit to seventy elders. Then, in Chapter 12, Miriam and Aaron started talking about Moses, saying things like, “I can’t believe he married a Cushite woman. A Cushite! I wonder what makes him so special that he gets to tell everyone what to do. God speaks to us too. We could probably do a better job than Him.” Numbers 12:1–3 (ESV) — 1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. Miriam is listed first, indicating that she is an instigator in this. Aaron really seems susceptible to a persuasion. Notice that Miriam is upset with Moses because he married a Cushite woman. There is rivalry between her and her sister-in-law. She is jealous and envious of her and of Moses’ extremely important role. Her goal is to use Aaron to help overthrow Moses. Moses is portrayed in this text as being extremely meek. In other words, he would never say anything like what Miriam and Aaron are saying. Meekness is about being humble and lowly. It’s not about weakness. It’s about willingly holding back your strength in love for others. So Moses wouldn’t do anything to stand up to them. Moses is the opposite of Miriam. Miriam is forceful and pushy. She makes demands and wants to get her way. So, she is proud, thinking much of her own way and her own thoughts. God’s Responds God hears this proud and jealous talk against Moses, and He decides to speak up. Numbers 12:4–9 (ESV) — 4 And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. 5 And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed. God does what Moses wouldn’t do. He makes it clear that Aaron and Miriam are nothing like Moses. God, effectively, puts them in their place, exalting Moses and lowering Miriam in the process. But that’s not all. Numbers 12:10–16 (ESV) — 10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” 15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. 16 After that the people set out from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of Paran. Can you imagine the fear of being leprous when God’s cloud left? God sentenced her to the life of an outcast for being proud and jealous. For speaking against and desiring to overthrow Moses. Moses wouldn’t have done anything against her, but God made it clear that this attitude is not allowed in the camp. Can you imagine the embarrassment of having all Israel wait for you to suffer shame for what you’ve done? Nearly 2 million people are going to hear about this little incident, and you are a leader among them. Women look to you for guidance, but you failed to remain righteous. Application So Miriam was a great example of a brave and righteous prophetess, but she was also an example of selfish ambition and a loose tongue. Her good work was overshadowed by her foolishness, much like her brother Aaron. Self-Exaltation This error of Miriam is one of the most common errors throughout the Bible, self-exaltation. We could go back to Cain or go forward to Absalom or the Pharisees in the New Testament. The primary issue here is self-exaltation. When we open our mouths, hoping to cut down someone else and complain about an innocent man, we are selfishly ambitious. When we push our own agenda and our own way instead of working diligently in the role we are given, we are proud and jealous. Is God okay with that? Obviously not. This story really provides a contrast between Moses and Miriam. Moses is the meekest man on the earth at that time. He’s not wanting to be exalted. His goal is to serve God and help people get to the promised land. It’s not about him. Miriam is upset because she thinks that she needs to be on the same level as Moses. This text is showing us that God values and exalts the humble, those who are not self-seeking. This is exactly what Jesus taught while he was on the earth. He wanted to create a whole nation of people who were humble and lowly. Blessed are the “poor in spirit.” We have a similar situation to this in the New Testament. Mark 10:35–45 (ESV) — 35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” James and John wanted to be better than everyone else. They were seeking to exalt themselves, but Jesus said his kingdom will not be like the common kingdoms of the land. Those who desire to be great among you must be slave of all. That’s the example that Jesus, himself provided for all of us. He did not come to be served, but to serve. He even washed the disciples feet. Outdo One Another In Showing Honor Our goal in the church is not to be exalted to a position of authority or honor among the group. Our goal is to exalt others and serve them so that God is glorified. We must stay focused and committed to helping one another be as faithful and honored as they can be. When we speak out with complaints or in a way that belittles our elders or leaders, we are being envious and proud like Miriam and attempting to overthrow those who are over you. It’s one thing if they are actually sinning against someone, but it’s something entirely different if it comes from a selfish and self-exalting heart. Conclusion The thing I love most about the story of Miriam is the quick response of Aaron and Moses. There was no hesitation in forgiving them and calling for God’s mercy. Perhaps it is because she was their sister, but I think it is primarily because they loved their sister. There wasn’t a spiteful or vengeful bone inside of Moses. He didn’t even want her to suffer any punishment for going against him. But God knew that consequences were needed in this case. She needed discipline through shame. We, like Miriam, might experience the same consequences when we become proud and selfishly ambitious. I know I have. Being saved doesn’t mean we are beyond reproach. Faithfulness can be undermined by pride, envy, or discontent with one’s God-given role.But we have a mediator like Moses who loves us and wants us to suffer little. He wants us to be redeemed and restored. That’s who Jesus is.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Some of the brethren here are going through hard times. There seems to be a slew of difficult days that they keep being bombarded with. So today I want us to look at some passages that have been on my mind about suffering. Ecclesiastes 11:0-12:1 - 10 Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. 1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; Solomon gives advice at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes to enjoy your youth and make the most of those early years because they will soon pass away and “evil days come” when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.” The longer we live the more likely it is that we will go through suffering. As we get older, it is important for us to have the right understanding and attitude about suffering. Job was a great man because he knew to remain faithful to God in the suffering, but as the trials lingered he was missing a key understanding that we have been given. He didn’t know why God lets the righteous suffer. We do. We have Jesus. So today, I want us to look at a few passages that Christians ought to know which will prepare them for suffering and glory. Romans 8:18 (ESV) — 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Why do we suffer in this present time? Paul wrote this to Christians in Rome who faced hard times. They dealt with beatings, unfair arrests, and constant criticism from people who didn't believe. Paul knew this firsthand. He had been whipped five times with thirty-nine lashes, beaten with rods three times, stoned once, and shipwrecked (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). But he still said that our current pain is small compared to the glory God will show us one day. Sources of Suffering When we study the Bible, we see many different occasions that lead to suffering. It can come from our own wrong choices, like when King Saul disobeyed God and lost his kingdom (1 Samuel 15). It can happen because we're around sinful people, like when David had to run from his son Absalom during a family betrayal (2 Samuel 15). God might allow it to teach us and bring us back to him, as he did with Israel in the wilderness for forty years (Numbers 14). It can be God's way to keep us humble, like Paul's "thorn in the flesh" that he described in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Sometimes it's just the result of living in a broken world, what Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 calls time and chance. We might choose it for a good reason, like training hard as an athlete does (1 Corinthians 9:27). Or we accept it to help others or honor God, just as Jesus did on the cross (Hebrews 12:2). It's natural to ask, "Why is this happening to me?" We often think first, "Is God punishing me for something?" But that's not always the case. Remember John 9, where Jesus heals a man blind from birth? The disciples asked whose sin caused it—his or his parents'? Jesus said it was neither. It happened so God could show his power through that man (verse 3). Suffering often doesn't have a clear reason we can see, but it always has a purpose God can use. Responding To Suffering Most of the time, we won't know exactly why we suffer. A better question to ask is, "How can I grow through this?" Not every hardship has an obvious explanation, but we can always find ways to make it count. I understand if that sounds hard to accept. What good comes from losing a brother or sister? Or a parent when you're young? Or a spouse or child? What about ongoing pain, losing a job, or fights at work? Those things hurt deeply, and it's okay to feel that. But Paul teaches us to see suffering differently. He says it can lead to good things. Listen to Romans 5:3-5. Romans 5:3–5 (ESV) — 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. When we go through trials and periods of suffering, we learn to endure. The pain of suffering can do one of two things. First, it can build us up. It helps us learn to keep going—that's what Paul calls endurance. And endurance builds character. Character builds hope. Think of it like this: In tough times, we try to find comfort in other things first—maybe distractions or anger. Those don't last. Eventually, we turn to God, and that's when we grow. We get stronger against hard situations. We trust God's promises more. Peter said trials test our faith to make sure it's real, like fire tests gold (1 Peter 1:6-7). After the difficulty passes, we see the change in ourselves. The writer of Hebrews put it this way: Discipline feels painful at first, but later it brings peace and righteousness to those who learn from it (Hebrews 12:11). Second, suffering can make us bitter if we let it. If we expect God to make life easy all the time, we'll get angry when he doesn't. That kind of faith is weak—it falls apart under pressure. The book of Hebrews warns us not to ignore God's discipline or get tired of his correction. If we do, bitterness can grow and hurt us and others (Hebrews 12:12-15). So when suffering comes, we have to decide: Will it make our faith stronger, or show us where it's weak? We choose to trust God and his Word. That way, the pain helps us stand firmer. What Helps Us Suffer Well? Finally, I want us to think about what it would look like to suffer well. Some suffering comes from our mistakes or from God teaching us. But there is also suffering we choose on purpose. Why would we do that?Look at the disciples in the New Testament. At first, when Jesus was arrested, they ran away to avoid trouble. But later, in the book of Acts, they faced arrest and beatings without backing down. What changed them? They saw Jesus rise from the dead. That gave them confidence in the future God promised. It made them willing to suffer for others. Looking Ahead To Glory That's why Paul could write in Romans 8:18 that our sufferings now are nothing compared to the glory we'll see. No matter how much pain you've had—or will have—it won't seem important when you experience what God has ready for you. Those early Christians didn't worry about saving money for retirement. They weren't stressed about the best schools for their kids or sports teams. They didn't care if they missed a promotion at work. Their main focus was the hope of heaven. 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (ESV) — 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. They accepted suffering because they knew it prepared them for something much better. When we keep our eyes on that future, today's problems feel smaller. Focusing On The Mission Finally, we suffer well when we are so focused on the mission God has given us that we become fanatical about it. This is what we see in the disciples in the first century. They walk willingly into a hostile environment because they are so focused on saving lost souls. They have prepared themselves thoroughly and they want to make a difference so badly that they don’t care if they suffer. They see the mission of Christ and they see the lost souls with hearts wide open. 1 Peter 3:18 (ESV) — 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, I have noticed this about myself. When I become fanatical about something, I really get a lot of work done on it. My problem is that I jump from one fanatic thing to another. Have you ever noticed that in yourself? Maybe you are all about photography, then all about videography, then all about web design, or all about Alabama football, then all about 3d printing, then all about reading, or all about coaching soccer, then all about dieting, then all about budgeting, and it just goes on and on and on. The disciples were all about Christ and the spread of His kingdom. If they were fanatical about something else, it served the purpose of spreading the seed of Christ’s salvation to as many people as possible. If you want to suffer well, suffer with this purpose. John Piper wrote a book entitled, “Don’t waste your cancer.” Don’t waste your suffering. Use it to reach the lost and you will suffer well. Remembering God’s Presence One of the most comforting truths in Romans is that God doesn't leave us alone in suffering—He chooses to be right there with us. Paul makes this clear in chapter 8. He says that nothing can separate us from God's love: not trouble or hardship, not persecution or famine, not danger or sword (Romans 8:35). In fact, Paul quotes Psalm 44 to remind us that we might feel like sheep for the slaughter, but in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:36-37). What does this mean for us? God isn't distant, watching from afar while we hurt. His Spirit knows our thoughts and feelings and intercedes for us. And in Romans 8:28, Paul promises that for those who love God, all things, even the worst sufferings, work together for good, because God loves us and considers us to be His children. God is a God of comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction (2 Cor 1:3-7). He works through us to comfort one another. Think of times when, in the middle of pain, you've sensed God's comfort through a friend, a verse, or a quiet assurance. That's Him staying. This changes how we face the dark: We're not abandoned; we're accompanied. God walks the road with us, just as He did with Israel in the wilderness or with Jesus in Gethsemane. Conclusion Next time suffering hits, remember Paul's words, “The suffering of this present time is not worth comparing to the glory to be revealed.” Don't rejoice in the pain itself, but in what it can produce: endurance, character, and hope. Keep looking to the glory God promises. And hold tight to this: God stays with you, turning even the hardest moments for good. Love God and others well. What hard thing in your life right now could you start seeing as a chance to grow closer to God? Let's pray about that, and then go live it out. Amen.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > In our job, sometimes we justify doing what we wanna do when the boss isn’t around. It can be easy for us to do what we wanna do when God‘s not around or when we don’t feel his presence. Have you ever caught yourself saying, "God wouldn't mind if we…”? Perhaps you have looked around at other congregations and thought that changing up our worship would create a spark of excitement and help everyone to come alive emotionally. There are many congregations that use music to really get the crowd amped up. We don’t do that. Why not? Today, we are looking at a story about two men who made a mistake. They thought God wouldn’t mind, but they were wrong. We all make assumptions about God's will—based on Scripture's commands, examples, and implications. But when does a reasonable assumption cross into presumption? That's overconfidence, taking liberties that dishonor God's boundaries. Today, our central takeaway: Draw near to God with reverence, not presumption—honoring His holiness in worship starts with a humble heart. We'll see this through the shocking story of priests who got too casual about worship. Then, we'll apply it to our lives under the cross. Let's turn to Leviticus 10. The Fire That Fell Picture the scene. The Israelites, about 2 million strong, have been set free from Egypt so they could come to Mount Sinai to worship their God before He brings them into the promised land. A Feast At The Mountain (Exo 19-24) When they gathered at the foot of the mountain, Moses was told by God to bring the people out close to hear God speak to them His law. But He warned Moses that they must be washed and sanctified. Further, God said multiple times not to let anyone or any animal come near to the mountain to touch it. Because, if they did, they would die (Exo 19:21-25). These warnings were joined with a terrifying reality. From that mountain, God brought His glory down and spoke to them with lightning and thunder continuously flashing and rumbling. The people were so terrified at God’s voice that they called for Moses to listen to God and speak on their behalf. Then, something amazing happens. Moses goes up on the mountain with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and elders of the people and they have a covenant feast with God where it says they saw God (24:9-10). Can you imagine receiving an opportunity like this? Can you imagine getting to see God? Nadab and Abihu were the sons of Aaron, whom God will make the first high priest. They were to serve as priests, and one of them would become high priest after he died. One of them would have become high priest if they had not died first. Glory In The Tabernacle About a year later, God had told them to build a Tabernacle, a portable holy place, most holy place, and a courtyard where worship would be conducted for all Israel. In Leviticus, we learn about all of the sacrifices that the priests were to conduct for the people. At this time, the priesthood consisted of Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu. These three men were responsible for following all of the rules that Moses had been given by God. In Leviticus 8, Moses took them to consecrate them and prepare them to offer worship. He gathered all the people and told them that everything he was about to do would prepare these three priests to offer up worship on behalf of the people. He put special clothes on them and had them put their hands on the head of a bull and two rams to ordain them for the service of priesthood. This meant that they would serve as mediators between the people and God. They would draw near to God on behalf of the people and offer up sacrifices to God on their behalf. After the sacrifices have been offered they had to wait there for seven days in order to complete their ordination. On the eighth day, Moses called the people together again so that Aaron and his sons could be accepted with a burnt offering to the Lord. They were offering sacrifices first on their own behalf. A sin offering, a burnt offering, a grain offering, and a peace offering were given in worship to the Lord. They did everything exactly as God had commanded them. God told them the purpose of this sacrifice in verse 6, “This is the thing that the Lord commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” How amazing and magnificent! When they had completed everything they were supposed to do, fire came out from heaven and consumed the burnt offering! The people all shout and fall on their faces in reverence. But, in the excitement of the moment, Nadab and Abihu took their censers (metal sticks that hold flammable materials) and they created a form of worship that God did not command. The fire they offered to God was called, “Unauthorized” or “Strange” fire. So God sent fire from heaven to kill them. Failing To Sanctify What do you think about when you hear that God sent fire to consume His priests for offering the wrong kind of incense at the wrong time? Does that sound hasty or harsh to you?Listen to Moses’ response in verse 3. Leviticus 10:3 (ESV) — 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ ” And Aaron held his peace. The point of this story is to help the people see that God expects people who draw near to Him to set Him apart as different from man-made gods of the nations. This is not a god who will tolerate being treated as common. He expects those who draw near to Him to honor Him and respect what He has commanded them to do. The failure of Nadab and Abihu was presumption. They presumed that God would enjoy the same insense that other gods enjoy, incense that they concocted. Think about that. In their minds, they have worshipped gods like Yahweh. They just want to give Him what they have given to other gods, gods men have created. The problem is that this is not one of those gods. They would have been better off sticking to the commands of Moses. Would God be okay with that today? Does He want us to treat Him like a god we create for ourselves and worship Him how we desire or in a way that resembles what we see in the world? The Consistent Theme of Presumption Throughout the Old Testament, we can find this sin of presumption repeatedly. Korah’s rebellion, the sons of Eli, Saul becoming impatient, and refusing to wait for Samuel to offer a sacrifice. Later King Uzziah entered the holy place and was made leperous. Who could forget the sins of King Jeroboam and all of the northern kings of Israel set up worship to golden calves and drew the people to worship away from Jerusalem. God was never pleased when men worship in a presumptive way, ignoring what he had outlined for them to set up their own worship. On the other hand, those who seek to restore the principles of worship are always praised as having tremendous faith. David, Hezekiah, and Josiah stand out in this regard. You see, it’s not enough to be fired up for worshipping God. They are fired up for worshipping God in accordance with what His word reveals. The word worship means to adore or pay divine honor as to deity. We do this in every aspect of our lives, but especially when we gather together as God’s people on the first day of the week. Application So how do we apply this in a world without a physical tabernacle or corresponding priesthood? The New Testament isn’t about fearing every little thing we do might be displeasing to God. It’s about honoring God and avoiding the presumptive attitude which shows a corrupted heart. In Spirit and Truth The first text to consider is John 4, where Jesus said, “The true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth.” These words of Jesus tell us that God wants everyone to worship him. He’s not focused on establishing the Samaritan worship practices or the Jewish worship practices. He focused on the spirit of the individual being engaged in worship with a true heart and desire to honor God’s will. This idea is at the core of all New Testament teachings on worship. In Mark, Jesus condemns the religious leaders of his day for honoring God with their lips while their hearts are far from God (Mark 7:1-13). The New Testament reveals less about the order of our worship service and more about the condition of our hearts. When we read through the New Testament, there is a pattern we can follow, but God doesn’t focus on the pattern as much as he focuses on the heart. We don’t have a Leviticus to follow. Instead, we have a constant reminder of the importance of worshipping God with our hearts. In Acts 5, we see Ananias and Safira offering up a lot of money to God in worship, but they lied about it. God wasn’t interested in their worship. They, like Nadab and Abihu died. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that I could give all I have to the poor, I could offer myself up to be burned, but if I don’t have love, my worship is meaningless and profits me nothing. Drawing Near With Faith So, why are we here this morning? Are we here to worship, or to go through the motions? Think about it. How easy is it to become complacent or treat what we are doing as a common thing? Hebrews 10:19–25 (ESV) — 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. When we worship, we have access to the true holy place through the blood of Jesus! We get to draw near, not because we look the part, but because of what’s inside of us. Do we have true hearts, a full assurance of faith, clean hearts, consciences, and bodies. Are we drawn near with a strong confidence in God’s promises and an eagerness and devotion to build up the church. We have the opportunity to draw near so let’s not make this a place of entertainment and self-service. Don’t be distracted by the cares of this world. We aren’t here just to enjoy one another’s company. We don’t need the bands or the baptismal slides. (You can bet that they didn’t use those in the first century.) This is all about God, not us. We do what we do here to honor him, not to make ourselves feel good. What we do here matters. Don’t treat it as common. Don’t be presumptive about how we worship. Remember, “Among those who are near me, I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.”

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Romans 11:33–36 (ESV) — 33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Paul asks at the end of this chapter, “Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” Does anyone here think that they know what God is thinking? There has been a movement in our day where people claim to know God’s plans for them. This movement is largely based upon Jeremiah 29:11. Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) — 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. This is a passage where God states that He has plans for the remnant of Israel, plans to bring them a good life in Babylon. People want that to be true of them in our day, but has God made the same promise to you and I? Perhaps God has different plans for us? Maybe he intends for us to suffer for Christ’s name to be promoted. In Romans 11, Paul is explaining God’s plans for the Jews and Gentiles in the first century. People like to take the words of Paul in Romans 11 to be prophetic. They assume that he’s talking about God bringing all the Jews into the church at the end of time. But this is really about the spread of the gospel in the first 30+ years of the church’s existence. God had a plan in place to bring the Gentiles into Israel, and Paul talks about that here as a great mystery that has been revealed for them to understand. Temporary Hardening Saves Gentiles (11-15) In verses 11-15, Paul helps everyone understand that God has not rejected the Jews. He has simply allowed them to stumble and be hardened so that the Gentiles can become a part of the remnant who are saved. Romans 11:11–15 (ESV) — 11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! 13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? Notice here that the impact of the Jews hardening helps mankind in two ways. First, it brings in the Gentiles. Second, it helps bring the Jews down a notch. You see the Gentiles are going to receive all the promises that the Jews were promised and that will make the Jews jealous. Notice in verse 14, he says “and thus save some of them.” The Israelites who have chosen not to believe will be faced with another decision. Do I enjoy what the Gentiles have accepted and humble myself to say I was wrong, or do I harden myself further? Paul points out that some will humble themselves and their reconciliation will bring glory to Christ. Connecting To Christ (16-24) The next section takes this explanation further by providing an analogy of an olive tree. Romans 11:16–24 (ESV) — 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. In this analogy, we see what God is doing further explained. God has created an olive tree with a holy root. This root is known throughout Isaiah and other prophets to be the Messiah, Jesus. He’s called the shoot of Jesse. Those who are attached to Him by faith are made holy. This analogy is simple. Gentiles are a “wild olive shoot” that can be grafted into the tree and made holy. So, he tells them not to be arrogant toward the “natural branches,” the Jews. In this analogy, we have a picture of God’s kindness. He is willing to add anyone who humbly believes into the olive tree. We also see His severity. He will cut off those who disbelieve and not spare those who become arrogant. The choice to believe is still available for the disobedient Jews, and the choice to become arrogant is still possible for the Gentiles. Now, I want you to consider what this means because this has direct application to us today. If Paul is saying that a Gentile can become arrogant and be cut off after they were made holy, he is teaching that it is possible to fall away. He is teaching that those who stop believing in Christ and start putting stock in themselves, thinking they are better than others, will be cut off from the Olive Tree’s Root. Branches will not live without the nourishment that comes from the root. This illustration is, to me, the most clear picture of the falsehood of “once saved always saved.”The kindness of God says that you can be grafted back in if you repent and humble yourself. So, I don’t want us to miss that either. God is kind and severe. He is willing to forgive and willing to hold accountable. But He bases what He will do on our decision. The Jews chose to disbelieve (23). The Gentiles chose to believe (9:30). The Mystery Revealed (25-32) All of this talk about the olive tree is pointing to the fact that God has a strong desire to save all of mankind through Jesus. Romans 11:25–32 (ESV) — 25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. In this section, Paul repeats what he has said earlier in this chapter and in this letter. God has partially hardened Israel so that he could do three things. 1. Bring the Gentiles in 2. Make some Jews jealous enough to believe 3. Thus save all who are truly Israel. Paul’s words in verse 26, “In this way all Israel will be saved” cannot contradict his previous statement, “Not all Israel is Israel.” (9:6, 8) If you see people claiming that the physical nation of Israel is God’s chosen people, don’t listen to them. The remnant of Israel is every Jew and Gentile who connects themselves to Jesus. God wanted to save the Jews in 30-69 AD, but then He destroyed their city and destroyed their temple with no promises to bring them back. This is a confusing text to a lot of people, but I hope you can see that this is the mind of God. He made plans in the first century to harden the Jews for the purpose of bringing in the Gentiles. He made plans to make the Jews jealous to bring some of them in after they were hardened. But most of all, verse 32 says, He made plans to “consign all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.” This is the mystery Paul wants Christians in Rome to understand. It’s the same mystery God reveals in Ephesians 3.God made plans to save all mankind. Everyone who would believe the gospel Paul preaches and submit their lives to Christ can be saved. Will We Believe? As we read this text, two things should become obvious. 1. Christ is the only root we can attach to in order to be made holy. We have to make the choice to believe in the gospel to be saved, and we must not become arrogant in our salvation. The only reason why we have hope of being made holy and righteous is because God was willing to send His son to sacrifice Himself for us. We must recognize our own insufficiency and need for God’s mercy and grace. If I become proud and arrogant, I’m like those Jews who disbelieve and I, like Paul says in Galatians, nullify the grace of God by thinking I am good enough without Christ. Remember, Christ is the root. Don’t become arrogant or fail to see the purpose of His sacrifice to save the lost. 2. We have no clue what God’s plan is for us here in Saraland church of Christ. His plan in Jeremiah’s time was for the remnant to set up long term living in Babylon. They were going to be there for 70 years. They didn’t think that would happen. In the first century, everyone believed that the Messiah would gather all the Jews to himself, but Paul reveals that God also wanted to gather the nations to himself. He wanted to use the Jewish rejection of the Messiah to bring the Gentiles in. No one saw that coming. We don’t know what God is doing here. I’ve heard that this congregation was at one time around 150 people. Why did it have that many? Why does it now have 60 on Sunday morning and 30 who show up on Wednesday night for Bible class? Why have so many people moved away? We don’t know why we are going through what we are going through. God may intend for us to rise up out of this with the greatest evangelistic effort this congregation has ever seen. What we do know from this text is that God’s plan is all always about saving the lost. He saved the remnant in Babylon because He wanted to bring the Messiah through their descendants. He hardened the Jews to save the Gentiles. He made the Jews jealous to save some of them who He had previously hardened. Paul is telling the Gentiles this because he wants them to be open minded and loving toward the rebellious Jews. God is always working to bring about the salvation of men, and we have to choose to be a part of that plan. Do we want to be a part of His plan to save disobedient people, or do we want to be one of the disobedient who need saving?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Have you ever had things going really well in your life and been scared to lose it? Imagine being the sole ruler of the greatest civilization on earth. The Nile river provides abundant resources, the wealth of the nations have poured into your economy as a result of a famine, and you have at your disposal the largest slave labor force in history (Over 600k able bodied men). Life is good if you are Pharaoh, but this prosperity is fragile. You have to keep the slaves in their place so that they don’t rise up against you. In Exodus, we read that there was a Pharaoh in power who tried to suppress the Hebrew people by killing off their male children. Then, we read about slavery and oppression that was constantly going on. It seems as though the Egyptians have been playing psychological games with the Hebrews to completely break their spirits so they wouldn’t want to change the way things have become. When we studied through the life of Moses, we could see that Israel was convinced that they had it good in Egypt. Nevermind the whips, the working from dawn to dusk, and the lack of financial prosperity. Hebrews were not treated fairly in any way. God Hears About Pharaoh (Exo 3:7-22) In the wilderness, Moses is told to go to Pharaoh and command him to let God’s people go. Exodus 3:7–10 (ESV) — 7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Imagine God hearing the cry of every Israelite. They were so tired and wishing for relief and wishing for God to deliver the promises he made to Abraham. They want to be free, but they don’t know how to become free. The response of God was to send Moses to Egypt, knowing how stubborn Pharaoh can be. Exodus 3:18–22 (ESV) — 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” God points out that He knows the king of Egypt. He is not going to be easily persuaded to let go of his free labor force. Losing the Hebrews will bring major discomfort on the Egyptians. Has anyone ever come to you and told you about a sin you were committing? Did you enjoy that? How many thoughts went through your head at that moment? Did you feel everything inside of you resisting? Did you run through all the scenarios and catastrophize about what changing might mean? Perhaps the sin you are committing is how you have always lived and all you’ve ever known. Or maybe you have put everything into this sin and you fear what will happen to your life if you give it up. In business they call that a sunk cost, meaning you would rather go down with the ship than sell a bad purchase. Now, you are being called upon to give that up. After Moses agrees to go to Egypt and do what God asks him, God gives Moses a little bit of information about His plans. Exodus 4:21–23 (ESV) — 21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’ ” This is a brief summary of all the events that follow in Chapters 5-14. Increasing The Hardness? (Exo 7-14) Moses will go to Egypt and speak to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh will refuse to listen to Moses and refuse to obey God. Instead of listening, he will increase the workload of the people and make life even harder. He hopes to pressure all of the people into being afraid to speak out. It seems to work. All of Israel is mad at Moses and Aaron for getting them into trouble. But God doesn’t stop. He’s not going to let Pharaoh win. He sends Moses and Aaron back to Pharaoh, but he once again tells them of His plan to harden Pharaoh’s heart. Exodus 7:1–5 (ESV) — 1 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” Then, God has Moses demonstrate miraculous signs, but Pharaoh won’t believe. After that, he begins to bring plague after plague upon Egypt and Pharaoh. The king’s response is nothing short of insanity. Listen to what one commentator said. There is a kind of madness to Pharaoh’s actions. Calamity after calamity is inflicted on Egypt, but he refuses to submit. At one point his officials beg him to relent (10:7)—but he keeps on inviting more suffering on his country. He cannot concede because his pride is at stake. It’s insane. Chester, T. (2016). Exodus for You (p. 69; C. Laferton, Ed.). The Good Book Company. Any reasonable person would have tapped out when the whole place is covered in frogs or when hailstones are falling out of the sky, killing people and animals everywhere. The number of tragic events that happen after Moses calls for them should have been a clue that God was really behind this. But Pharaoh isn’t acting purely based on reason. He has been pushed to the point of insanity by God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. He says he will let Israel leave, then he doesn’t. He tells them to leave their wives and children behind, all their cattle behind, and to worship in the land, but they refuse and he refuses to let them go. In the end, Pharaoh lets Israel go because God kills his first born son along with all of the first born of the land of Egypt. But even after letting the people go, he cannot stand his decision. He changes his mind and sends out an army of 600 chariots to round them up and bring them back. This is when God tells Moses the following. Exodus 14:16–18 (ESV) — 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” The result of the hard hearted Egyptians was catastrophe for them, but also glory for God over them. Hardening A Wicked Heart Now, there are many people out there who read that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and they get the wrong ideas in their heads. Some look at this and think that God hardening a man’s heart is in some way forcing them to do evil and compromising their free will. But, if you pay attention to the story of Pharaoh, it’s easy to see that Pharaoh is already evil. All God does is remove any restraint. When it comes to rulers being established in kingdoms, God sets up certain people for certain purposes. Some are set up to take people captive like Nebuchadnezzar, others are to set people free like Cyrus. God has a purpose in everything he does, and He controls the kingdoms of men. But notice that this is not an instance where God took a good man and made him evil. This was already an evil and oppressive ruler who was selfishly ambitious. God has the power, authority, and right to give someone like that over to his passions and evil desires (Romans 1). He does it with a plan to have glory among the nations. Glory in His power to save and in His power to defeat all who stand against Him. This whole story of hardening Pharaoh’s heart amplified the message and revealed how great his power is. Consider that God had every right to kill Pharaoh and all the Egyptian people with the snap of his finger. Instead he uses them to help people understand who He is so they might turn and worship Him. In The NT This same thing happens throughout the Bible and even in the New Testament. Consider that Jesus recognized that the people weren’t really believing in Him. So what did He do? He started speaking to them in parables, and he refused to entrust himself to them. He called for them to think harder and listen more closely, but his actions actually led them to separate themselves more and stop following Him. John 12:37–43 (ESV) — 37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. This text provides a powerful explanation of what is really going on in the minds and hearts of the Jews. God seems to harden them after they made their choice. He pushes them deeper into the foolish and darkened mind which ultimately led to Christ being crucified. Only for them to later be awakened by a powerful message at Pentecost. This leads us to the critical points of all of this. 1. God doesn’t harden the righteous or those who are trusting in Him. 2. God doesn’t always harden men to destroy them. He does that sometimes, but other times he hardens them with hope that they will be ashamed. Will We Honor God? So, the question we have to ask ourselves as we look at Pharaoh is how are we going to respond when God calls for us to do something we don’t like? He’s not going to ask us to “Let My people go!” But he will ask us to let go of something we are holding onto, something we don’t want to give up.Throughout this, there is certainly a sense in which God is the one hardening Pharaoh’s heart, but it started with Pharaoh hardening his own heart. God knew Pharaoh would do that, but Pharaoh is the one who made that decision. The same can happen to us. Hebrews 3:7–14 (ESV) — 7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. 10Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ 11 As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ” 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. God told Moses, “I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.” What will it take for you to hear God’s message for you and to let go of the sin you are holding on to? Why are you being so stubborn!?!? Does it scare you to know that if you persist in this God might harden your heart and use you as an example of what not to do to your shame? He has every right to do so. Feel ashamed and cut to the heart over your passions and desires. Jesus said to, “Cut off your right hand” if it causes you to sin. LET IT GO! Jesus said it like this, “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” Do you have an evil and unbelieving heart that is unwilling to submit to God? Jesus died for you to be saved, but those who refuse to trust in Him have no hope. God wants to give you a new heart and a new spirit that resembles Christ’s humble and obedient one. Please come forward and let Him do that for you.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > You pray for someone year after year. You share the gospel with tears in your eyes. They shrug it off. Maybe even laugh at it. At some point you sit in your car afterward and ask, “What is the point?” or, “Why am I doing this?” That ache Paul felt for Israel is the same ache you feel for that friend, that child, that sibling. Paul says he would give anything to see them come home to God. You have felt that too. So, how should he feel toward his people after they have refused to believe? Should he shake off the dust of his shoes and forget about them? Is that what God has done? Today we see that God is not done with them. Nor is He done with you. God is faithful, even when people are stubborn and slow to believe. Israel Has Rejected God In Chapters 9 and 10, we have seen how Israel has refused to believe in Jesus. They have chosen to reject the savior and pursued righteousness through law keeping. It will never get them to the point of salvation. God has made it easy for them, but they refuse to believe what they have heard and have understood. Romans 10:18–21 (ESV) — 18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” 19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” 20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” 21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” These questions and answers are fascinating because they point out that everyone has heard and everyone has understood, but the Jews will need some additional nudging. Even the Gentiles have heard and understood the message. They have found salvation and they weren’t even looking for it. So, it is not as though Israel was unable to understand it. The problem is that Israel is disobedient and contrary. They have “stumbled over the stumbling stone.” God Wants To Save He furthers his point in Chapter 11 by asking the question, “Has God rejected His people?” This is a powerful question. One that Paul has been hinting at throughout the book. Has God rejected His people? God had never totally rejected His people. Even after Judah had completely abandoned Him and worshipped all kinds of idols, God saved a remnant. Romans 11:1–6 (ESV) — 1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. To explain this, Paul gives us two examples to chew on. Paul The first example is himself. He says, “I am an Israelite and I am saved.” Think about that. Paul was a stubborn and rebellious Israelite. He persecuted Christians. He did not deserve mercy, but God chose to have mercy on him. 1 Timothy 1:12–17 (ESV) — 12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Paul was not saved because he accepted the truth the first time he heard it. He rejected the truth to the point of destroying the lives of people who believed. God wanted to make him an example for all to see how merciful Jesus can be. God is not the one rejecting His people. They have rejected Him and He is still working to save them and showing them mercy through Jesus Christ. Sometimes, I wonder if we see how gracious God wants to be toward everyone. He was willing to save Paul and to make him an example of the perfect patience of Jesus. I think I would have really struggled to do that if I had known Paul before his conversion. God give us eyes to see what you see! Elijah The second example goes further by pointing to Elijah. Elijah was a prophet who really loved the Lord and hated how evil Israel had become. He prayed that it would not rain so that Israel could be punished for their sins. Then, he prayed for it to rain and won a great contest by demonstrating God’s power on Mount Carmel. Elijah was sure that the contest would result in Israel putting away their Baals and worshipping God again, but instead Jezebel turned Ahab against Elijah and sent men to kill him along with all the prophets of the Lord. This is the context of God’s word to Elijah. He was distraught thinking that he was the only one left who was faithful to God. But God responded with a revelation that there were still 7000 who had not bowed a knee to Baal. What does this example say about God rejecting Israel? Paul uses this example to say that we don’t know how many Jews are out there who are sincerely confused about the gospel. There are many who will be taught the truth because God is gracious and merciful and willing to patiently wait for them to hear it. Like Elijah, it looks bad right now, but we have no idea how many are still on the fence and about to be converted. Application: As we think about this, I think it’s important for us to carry the same attitude that Paul is bringing to this conversation. Maybe there are people around us who deny Christ and refuse to submit to the will of God. Don’t let that get you down. Don’t think, like Elijah, “No one else believes and no one ever will.” God doesn’t think that way. He sees those who are still struggling with the truth, and he has plans to help them come to the light. God’s message for Elijah was, essentially, “Get back to work.” That’s our message as well. Stop being distracted with worry and fear for those who seem hostile, and keep shining a light for all to see. Let God handle the growth. The Mind of God (7-15) If God hasn’t fully rejected His people, what has happened? What is going on in the mind of God, and how should the Christians in Rome view the hostility of the Jews towards them? The next section gives us a glimpse. Romans 11:7–15 (ESV) — 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” 9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” 11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! 13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? He reiterates that Israel has failed to obtain what they were seeking. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. They rejected the truth of the gospel and refused to believe. Then, notice what God did. He hardened them. They refused to accept His grace, and he didn’t just write them off. He gave them over to their sins and let them become extremely foolish. I want to point out something briefly right here that I plan to explain further tonight. God doesn’t harden them to destroy them. He hardens them with hope that they will see their error, become jealous of the Gentiles, and submit to God’s will. He doesn’t harden them against their will. He hardens them in accordance with their will. This is the same thing we see God say He was doing in Chapter 1. The point of what Paul is saying is that God never gives up on those who stumble. Paul doesn’t see the Jewish people as beyond hope. They have stumbled, not fallen, and God can use that to bring the Gentiles in. But God can also use the Gentiles coming in to make the Jews jealous. If you or I were living in that time, we would have no concept of this. The Jewish hostility would be so confusing to us. We would ask, “Why do your own people reject you, God?” How quickly do we write off people who reject the gospel and move on. But Paul is telling the Gentiles and Jews in Rome to trust that God is still working on the hearts of the rebellious to turn them back to Him. That’s who He is and what He does. The gospel is for every disobedient soul. Conclusion The words in this section reassure us that God is the one who knows and gets to decide who will be saved, but also that God wants everyone to be saved. Do you? There have been times in my life where I have taken rebellion and a refusal to hear the message as a sign that someone is done. They just aren’t going to listen. They made fun of me, cussed me out, or laughed in my face, and I decided not to throw my pearls before swine. I thought that once their heart is hardened, there’s no coming back from that. But Paul doesn’t have that attitude at all. He believes God can bring the Jews back. In the book of Acts, Paul makes it clear that he will preach to the Jews one more time even if they kill him and they nearly do. He keeps going back because his love drives him to do so. We started this section with Paul stating that he greatly desires Israel to be saved, and now we see God does too. Someone is on your mind right now. You love them. You fear for them. You have prayed and waited. Take courage. God has not walked away. He is patient beyond what we can imagine. He kept reaching for Israel. He kept reaching for Paul. He kept seven thousand for Himself when Elijah saw no one. He may be closer to reaching your loved one than you think. Don’t give up on them. Don’t write them off. Don’t be Elijah in the cave thinking that there is no hope. God says to Elijah, “What are you doing here Elijah?” Get back to work and don’t give up because God hasn’t. There are souls to rescue, there are souls to save. Perhaps they have just stumbled and not fallen.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > There are words I hear a lot in my house, “Daddy, please help me.” Those words get old sometimes, and I expect the kids to use them less and less as they get older. But I love the words because they mean that I am relied on. There may come a time in my life where my kids become self-reliant and don’t call me for help when they need to. That will make me sad. Everyone believes in and relies on something. Perhaps it’s family members, friends, your own hard work, luck, or a sports team. We tattoo our loyalties, chase our securities, but when the real storm hits, these people and things we put our trust in will struggle to help us, if they try at all. Only one name has the power to answer: the name above all names. That's the heartbeat of Romans 10:9-15. He's describing the cry of a soul turning to Jesus for help, not as a distant fan but as a desperate sinner willing to surrender all. How Can We Be Saved? To unpack this, let’s turn to one of the Bible's most used passages: Romans 10:9–13. Paul describes a beautiful, intertwined response to Jesus: inward belief that spills out in confession and calling on his name. Romans 10:9–13 (ESV) — 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” It's not about mustering superhuman strength or checking off a list—it's about trusting God to handle what we can't, a far cry from the exhausting grind of trying to earn righteousness through the law every single day. This path saves us from the wrath our sins deserve (Romans 5:9), open to anyone, anywhere. Believing In Your Heart Let’s take a look at belief in this text. Believe is a verb, an inward action. It is something we choose to do or to not do. Faith is something you have or don’t have. It’s a noun. You have faith when you choose to believe what you hear. Here we find the explanation of faith when he says, “Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.” He repeats for emphasis, “With the heart one believes and is justified.” The word faith is sometimes a confusing word to people. Some think having faith simply means you believe that something is true. But faith is deeper than mental agreement. James tells us that even the demons believe and shudder, but they don’t have faith. This text shows us that saving faith is rooted in the heart. It’s about being so convinced something is true that you bet your life on it. In this case, the truth is that Jesus is who he claimed to be because God raised Him from the dead. If you want to be justified and stand as righteous before God, you must believe in your heart that Jesus has been resurrected from the dead. If you believe this, then it should follow that the rest is true: Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Believing in your heart is the first and most critical step. It is the point where one is counted as righteous and experiences justification. Abraham believed and was counted as righteous for that belief. Paul will go on to say that this is the critical issue with the Jews. They refuse to believe this in their hearts. The book of John is full of people who believe, but not in their hearts. The great thing about this is that it’s something everyone old enough to understand can choose to do. But we will see next how Paul doesn’t only say believe and you will be saved. He tells us to do something else. Faith is the first and most critical step, but there is another. Confessing Jesus is the Lord The first thing he mentioned is, “Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.” Belief obviously comes before confession. If you confess something you don’t believe, it’s of no value. But what does he mean here? Do we just say these words, “Jesus I believe you are the Lord of my life” and, abracadabra, we are saved? Some might read this in that way. But that’s not the point of what Paul is saying at all. Much like belief is given the qualifier, “In your heart.” This confession is more than merely saying words. In Matthew 7, Jesus says, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord! Lord! Did we not cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?’ And I will pronounce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness.’” Jesus is not going to be impressed by people who say certain phrases or call Him Lord. So what is this about? Calling someone Lord is about submitting to their rule and authority, not just recognizing it. Everyone will recognize that “All power in heaven and on earth” has been given to Jesus on judgment day, “every knee will bow.” (Phil 2:9-11) So Paul isn’t just telling us to recognize Jesus is the Lord in order to be saved. It’s about accepting Jesus as Lord over all areas of our lives. We see more about this when we keep reading. What saves? Pause for a second and think about some ideas in this text. He says those who believe will be justified. Then, he says that confessing Jesus is Lord saves you. Then, he says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved. These are different ideas, but they are all linked. They are talking about the same events. Let me explain. Imagine a person who goes to the doctor and finds out they have cancer. They are going to die if nothing is done. But there’s good news. The doctor knows where the cancer is and it can be easily removed. Now, we come to the first choice. Do you thank the doctor for finding this and having a plan to solve it or do you argue with him in disbelief? That act of complimenting the doctor is faith and belief that you have a problem and that he can solve it for you. Rejecting him would show the doctor that you are stubborn and defiant. He has all the facts on his side. He knows what this is and how to treat it. Then, we have the second choice. Will you allow the doctor to surgically remove the cancer or will you go home and forget it ever happened? After you recognize that you have cancer and believe that the doctor can fix it, you have to call for him to do it. You call on his name or call on his authority to cut away your cancer and make you healthy. This is what we must do once we believe in our hearts that Jesus is the resurrected Son of God and Lord of Lords. We must call on the name, the authority of the Lord to forgive our sins. We must humble ourselves and submit to the surgery with faith that He can cut away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. Is that what you’ve done? Making The Choice It’s important for us to see salvation as a process. Paul describes it this way. Romans 10:14–15 (ESV) — 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” It begins with someone being sent to preach. Those being sent must preach. Then the hearers must listen and believe the message in their heart. Once they believe the message, they have to call on His name, call for Jesus to save them and be the Lord of their lives. Notice that this simple process does not include becoming a really good person. Jesus doesn’t hold back salvation until we have our lives figured out. He’s not creating hoops for us to jump through. But the act of calling on the name of the Lord does imply a willingness to change and submit to His Lordship. The surgery we actually need is a heart transplant. If you are going to surrender yourself to Jesus, you need to surrender everything. Jesus has to become the Lord of your mind, your thoughts, and your desires. His thoughts have to become your thoughts. His ethics and values must become your own. Everything we think and do must be subject to His will and desire. When we go to work, when we speak to family or friends, when we spend our time pursuing fun things or doing work for Him, it has to be about Him. He isn’t saving us so we can go on living with a get out of jail free card. He is saving us so we can serve His purpose and bring others who are lost into the fold. Making the choice to receive salvation is making the choice to follow Jesus, repenting of all your sins and working for His glory and praise. If we make that choice, we will find that His way is better. His thoughts are higher than ours, and his blessings are more valuable than anything we could ever earn without Him. Peter calls it an imperishable and unfading inheritance. Have You Called On His Name? Some of you might already believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and be working to make Him the Lord of your life. You have taken the first step on the path to salvation. Did you call on His name? You might say, "Yes, I said a prayer" or "I confessed my belief." That is good. That is what David seemed to do when he was told by Nathan that he had sinned. We can read his prayer in Psalm 51. But in the New Testament, we are told that baptism is how we “call on the name of the Lord.” When we baptize someone we say, “I baptize you ‘in the name of’ the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” or “in the name of Jesus.” Both are examples we find in the book of Acts. Both indicate we are calling on his name when we baptize. In baptism, we are appealing to God for a clean conscience (1 Peter 3:21), asking Him to wash our sins away. In Colossians, Paul speaks about baptism being a surgery made without hands, a spiritual circumcision where God cuts away the flesh and we are raised from spiritual death to spiritual life. In baptism, Paul says we are putting our faith in the powerful working of God. Similarly, Ananias told Paul in Acts 22:16, “Why do you wait, rise and be baptized, washing away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” If you believe, why are you waiting? Call on His name and receive the gift of the renewal that is promised in scripture. Crucify yourself and be renewed by God’s Spirit today. Have faith in Jesus and make Him the Lord of your life. If you have already put on Christ in baptism, are you living for Him? Is there some part of your life that you haven't submitted to Him? Tell us what you need so we can help you and pray for you.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Have you ever known someone whose life seems eclipsed by one colossal mistake? Think of Bobby Petrino's scandalous motorcycle crash with his mistress, or Richard Nixon's Watergate unraveling. These stories haunt us, don't they? We reduce people to their failures. Tonight, we meet Aaron—a man forever linked to a golden calf. But let's look deeper: his story isn't defined by idolatry. It's a testament to God's relentless grace for the weak. The Call of Aaron (Exodus 4–12) Aaron and Moses grew up in the same brutal era under Pharaoh's whip. Unlike Moses, adopted into Egyptian luxury, Aaron endured the Hebrews' slavery—immersed in their cries, their compromises, their sin. The life of Aaron is a complicated one. After Moses was selected to be the leader of the people, he refused due to his inability to speak eloquently. God knew that Aaron would serve Moses well in this regard. Exodus 4:10–16 (ESV) — 10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. God made it to where Aaron would be with Moses all the time. He saw everything that God did through Moses and became like a prophet with Moses being like God. Aaron would play a significant role in the redemption of God’s people. He was there for every plague and walked across the dry ground. But Aaron wasn’t Moses. Don’t you wonder what that would have been like? He was like the puppet in the ventriloquist act. In some ways Aaron appears superior to his brother. He was three years older. It seems like Aaron had Moses beat in his ability to speak, but God chose Moses to lead the people. What would that feel like? Have you ever been in a position where you are forced to follow someone who is younger than you? The Fall (Exodus 32) After the people are saved from Egypt and make it to Sinai, Aaron stays beside Moses and works with him to lead the people. He even would go up on the mountain with Moses to hear the commandments from God. He was there with the seventy elders when they had the feast that ratified the covenant they were in, along with his two sons. After that covenant was ratified, we learn that God wanted Moses to go up on the mountain alone. He leaves Aaron and Hur in charge. Moses is being shown heavenly realities and all of God’s plans for Aaron and his sons as high priest. Aaron takes center stage and appears to be the one whom God chooses to off sacrifices and stand as an intermediary for the people, offering the sacrifice and working in the tabernacle. But as Moses is being told about all of this, Aaron is convinced by the people that Moses is not coming back. So, he does something awful. Exodus 32:1–6 (ESV) — 1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Aaron appears to be easily led and persuaded by the people. He seems to value their opinion and be more faithful to them than he is to God. He believes that this hunk of metal is the Lord. Exodus 32:21–25 (ESV) — 21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” 22 And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” 25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), Aaron’s response to Moses shows that he was weak. Aaron wasn’t a strong and faithful leader for Israel. He was not trustworthy and could not be left in charge of anything. His own words appear to be deceptive and do not match what is said about him earlier. He put up no fight against the people and willingly engraved the calf, telling them to worship it. So, as we read the story of Aaron, we have to understand that he is beset in weakness. He is overly sympathetic for the people and values their approval to the point of ignoring the commands of God. But his words to Moses show that he has reverence and fear toward God. Notice that God does not destroy Aaron. He sends a plague to destroy many, but not Aaron or his family. Later, Aaron will make another mistake by challenging Moses’ authority along with Mariam. It seems like he has no longer been allowed to enter God’s presence and he’s upset about that, but God sets him straight. Restoration (Numbers 16) In spite of all these failures of Aaron, we see God being compassionate and merciful toward him. Moses even says in Deuteronomy 9:20 that he had to intercede for Aaron. But Aaron was selected to be the high priest, and God stuck to that decision. He made Aaron the high priest and selected his sons to be priests for all time. On one occasion, the sons of Korah stood up and said, “You’ve gone too far, Moses and Aaron!” They were rebelling against God’s decision and so God destroyed them. Then leaders of the Israelites came up after that and tried grumbled about so many people dying, but God made Aaron’s staff bud and flower. After this event, shortly after destroying the sons of Korah, God sent another plague throughout the wilderness camp killing thousands. But Aaron grabbed a metal torch and ran out to save the people who had sinned against him and rebelled against the Lord. We see Aaron being proven by God as His choice for High Priest. God selected Him and no one was going to overthrow God’s selection. But we also see Aaron taking on that role of intercession, affirming his calling as High Priest. Lessons As we read the story of Aaron, we learn about a man who was weak and sinful being chosen for a high position in God’s kingdom. He saw the works of God, but he still failed to be faithful like Moses was faithful. The main thing for us to notice in his story is that his failure did not define him. Moses interceded for him and God was willing to place him in the same position of high priest. God also defeated those who tried to remove him from that position. This teaches us that God is able to put us in a high position even though we are flawed and we fail. Have you ever looked at yourself and thought, “I could never teach, shepherd, lead others.” Are you sensitive to your weaknesses enough to notice that you are a flawed individual? That’s called being poor in spirit. We need that kind of heart. But God can take the weak and sinful and lift them up out of their failures, and establish them as powerful examples for all of God’s people. We must learn not to be persuaded by the people around us and to stop falling to sin. But we must also learn that when we do fall, God is there for us. Jesus is able to intercede for us, and God will make us into an example of His mercy and grace. What’s important is that we learn form those mistakes and become more faithful. We must carry the censer and love those who have hated us like Aaron and ultimately like Christ. What Do We Learn About Christ? In this example we have a contrast to Christ and a comparison. Aaron was a weak high priest. He had to offer a sacrifice for himself before offering an atoning sacrifice for us. Christ is so much better than Aaron. Hebrews 4:14–16 (ESV) — 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 7:22–25 (ESV) — 22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. 23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 8:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Imagine offering a gift to someone you love, only to have them push it away. That’s what God experiences with His people. In Romans 10:21, Paul writes, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” God extends His grace to Israel, yet they reject it. Today, we’ll explore Romans 10:5-21 to understand why Paul makes this statement about Israel. How have they rejected God’s open hand and what does this mean for us? Look at Moses (5-10) Romans 10:5–10 (ESV) — 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Paul first quotes Leviticus 18:5, which says that keeping God’s law perfectly brings life. Imagine trying to climb a mountain with no mistakes—one slip, and you fall. That’s the law: perfect obedience is required, but no one can achieve it. Then, Paul cites Deuteronomy 30:11-14, where Moses urges Israel to obey God from the heart as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy, God predicts Israel’s failure: they’ll obey for a time, then rebel and face exile. Yet, later God promises mercy. When Israel turns back to Him with all their heart, He will transform them—giving them a new heart to love and obey Him. Paul’s point is clear: righteousness doesn’t come from perfect law-keeping but from faith in Christ. Some say, “God’s law is too hard!” That’s not faith—it’s defiance. Faith says, “God has made His grace accessible through Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection. I believe, and I confess Jesus as Lord.” Through faith, God forgives us and transforms our hearts, enabling us to live for Him. Everyone Who Believes (11-13) Not only has God held out His hand for Israel, Paul wants to make it clear that His hand is held out for everyone. Romans 10:11–13 (ESV) — 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Notice the repetition in this text. “Everyone,” “all,” and “Jew and Greek” are intended to clarify that the words of Moses are for all who will turn to God, believe in His mercy, and call out to Him for grace through Jesus. You know, sometimes I wonder if we recognize the beauty of this truth. God’s hand is not just held out for Israel. It has been extended for us as well. There is no one God’s hand cannot reach. He makes his grace available to all. Only those who accept it will be saved, but He does not discriminate. God wants to “bestow his riches on all who call on him.” The Gospel’s Power To Save (14-20) Paul explains how salvation works in Romans 10:14-15: Romans 10:14–15 (ESV) — 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” The process is simple: God sends messengers to preach the gospel. People hear it, believe it, and call on Jesus for salvation. We will look more closely at this next week, but for now, notice how easy that is compared to keeping the law. Do you see how it could be said that God has his hand open? Do you also see the main point of this letter, that the gospel is God’s power to save everyone who believes? Yet, Paul says, Israel heard but didn’t believe. Romans 10:16–20 (ESV) — 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” 19But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” 20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” In Romans 10:16-20, he quotes Isaiah and Moses to show that Israel’s rejection was foretold. They heard the message, but their hearts were hardened, choosing disobedience over faith. Application Israel had the chance to accept God’s grace but rejected it, just as they hesitated to enter the Promised Land. What about you? God’s hand is open, offering forgiveness and a transformed life through Jesus. Have you accepted it, or are you resisting? Faith isn’t just agreeing with facts. It’s trusting that Jesus’ sacrifice makes righteousness possible. It’s saying, “God, I see Your grace, and I want it.” It’s living obediently, not to earn salvation, but to honor the God who saved a sinner like you. God wants a people who recognize their failure, believe in His greatness and mercy, call out to Jesus for salvation, and stop living disobedient and contrary lives. Is that what you have done? You know, some of us can be very stubborn just like Israel. Someone tells us that we need to do something, but we resist. We think the truth doesn’t apply to us. We refuse to listen and suffer the consequences. Everyone is that way. The question is, “Will you continue to be that way or will you become poor in spirit and receive God’s grace?” Israel rejected God’s open hand. Will you? God is calling for you to come. All are welcome.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Moses had devoted his life to God and to his people. He gave up the palace for the desert. He gave up the comfort for a calling. He faced down Pharaoh, led Israel through the sea, and met with God on Sinai until his face glowed. He wasn’t perfect, but he was faithful. He carried the burden of a nation on his shoulders — a people who never seemed to understand the cost of what he was doing for them. And in the end, the people he loved most rejected him. 1. The Season of Obedience (1-10) For nearly a year, everything looked right in Israel’s camp. Every morning, the people woke to find the ground dusted with manna—soft, white flakes like dew from heaven. The children would run out laughing, scooping it up like snow. Every evening, quail descended, filling the camp. When they were thirsty, Moses struck the rock and water gushed out. Life was steady. Predictable. Peaceful. When the cloud of God rose, they marched. When it stopped, they rested. At night, they could see the glow of fire over the tabernacle—proof that God Himself was in the middle of their camp. Imagine the comfort of that! You could tuck your kids in at night, glance toward the flickering light of God’s glory, and whisper, “He’s with us.” For eleven months, they lived in step with God. Whenever it was time to leave, they still had God leading them. The ark would set out and Moses would raise his voice over the camp: “Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered!” And when it rested, he’d say, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.” 2. The Cracks Begin to Show But their hearts grew restless as they suffered some discomfort. Soon the complaints began. There were whispers in the dark that turned into open grumbling. Traveling with two million people was no small task. Tempers flared. The food bored them. The routine wore thin. “We remember the fish in Egypt,” they said. “The cucumbers, the melons, the garlic…” They were willing to be enslaved again to enjoy some seasoning on their food. Moses heard the crying from every tent — a low, rising roar of dissatisfaction. He’d led them out of slavery, but he couldn’t seem to lead them into gratitude. The pressure broke him. Listen to his words: “Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth? Where am I supposed to get meat for them? I can’t carry them anymore, Lord. The burden is too heavy. If this is how it’s going to be, just kill me now.” That’s not a man giving up — that’s a man collapsing under weight no one else could carry. God answered — not by killing him, but by sharing the load. Seventy elders were filled with His Spirit to help. And to the people craving meat, He sent so much quail that it piled knee-deep around the camp — until their greed became their judgment. They engorged themselves, and God struck them with a plague. The wilderness had exposed their hearts. 3. Betrayal from Within Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ own sister and brother, started murmuring behind his back. “He married a Cushite woman,” they said. “Does God only speak through Moses? Doesn’t He speak through us too?” It wasn’t about his wife—it was about his authority. Moses said nothing. The text says, “He was the meekest man on the earth.” He had every reason to defend himself—but he didn’t. So God defended him. A cloud descended, and the Lord said, “When I speak to a prophet, I speak in dreams and visions. But not so with My servant Moses. With him I speak face to face. Why then were you not afraid to speak against him?” When the cloud lifted, Miriam was covered in leprosy. White as snow. Aaron panicked, begging Moses to forgive them. And the man they wounded prayed for their healing. “Lord, please heal her.” That’s meekness, compassion, and love. It’s hard enough to be rejected by strangers. But when it’s family, people who should have your back, it cuts deeper. 4. When No One Listens Eventually, they arrived at the edge of the Promised Land. The spies returned, carrying fruit so large two men had to carry it on a pole. The land was everything God promised. But there were giants. That night, the people wailed. “We’re going to die! Our children will be taken as slaves! Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt!” Moses and Aaron fell facedown in the dirt, speechless. God’s anger burned. He said, “I will wipe them out and start over with you, Moses.” But once again, Moses stood in the gap: “Lord, if You destroy them, the nations will say You failed. Show mercy—not because they deserve it, but because Your steadfast love is great.” And God relented. He spared the nation—but not without consequence. Everyone over twenty years old would die in the wilderness. Now pause for a moment. Let that sink in. That’s roughly two million people. That means for forty years, about fifty thousand people died every year. Every tent saw death. Every family buried loved ones. Every sunrise was a reminder of what rebellion costs. 5. Rebellion Without End Even after all that, the rebellion didn’t stop. Some tried to enter the land anyway and were crushed by their enemies.- Korah’s family rose up to seize control, and the earth swallowed them whole.- The people complained again, and God sent fiery serpents into the camp.- They gave in to Moab’s idols and immorality, and God struck them down again. It’s a downward spiral—sin, judgment, mercy, repeat. The people wouldn’t submit to God from the heart. And eventually, even Moses himself reached a breaking point—he struck the rock in frustration instead of speaking to it as God commanded. That one act cost him entry into the Promised Land. The Rejected Servant By the end of his life, Moses stood on a mountain overlooking the land he’d longed for. He could see it—but he could not enter it. He had carried those people for forty years, prayed for them, fought for them, loved them—and they rejected him. It’s one of the saddest and most beautiful moments in Scripture. Because Moses’ story points to someone greater. Like Moses, Jesus came to deliver His people.Like Moses, He interceded for those who sinned.Like Moses, He was rejected by His own.But unlike Moses, He never faltered. He bore the rebellion of men, and through His rejection, brought redemption to us who accept Him. What This Means for Us Gratitude must replace grumbling.We must learn from the failure of the Israelites. God’s people are not meant to complain about what they lack. They ought to rejoice in what He provides. Our wilderness reveals what’s in our hearts. Israel’s unbelief cost them forty years of wandering and countless lives. Failing to trust in God and pursuing shortcuts always leads to death. Believe in God’s promises and walk by faith, not by sight. Meekness is stronger than pride.Moses teaches us that silence under attack often speaks louder than defense. The meek will inherit the earth—not the loud. I love how Moses remained quiet and God spoke up for him. We are told in the NT to do good for our enemies because God will give them the judgment they deserve if they don’t repent (Romans 12:19-21) Christ is the greater Moses.Moses is one of the greatest men to ever live, but he could only do so much to help the people of Israel draw near to God. He was able to enter God’s presence and his face shone, but Israel was outside. Consider how much greater Jesus is. Jesus brings us in. He intercedes even now for those who once rejected Him and makes a way for them to enter God’s presence.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Who will be saved? That’s the question every soul eventually faces. You can ignore it for a while, you can debate it endlessly, but at the end of the day, everything comes down to that one question. Last week, we heard Paul’s heart break for his people. He said he would trade his own salvation if it meant Israel could be saved. He loved them deeply—but love doesn’t rewrite God’s plan. Paul reminds us that God’s mercy doesn’t follow our family lines or our moral résumés. He chose Isaac, not Ishmael. Jacob, not Esau. Before they were even born, before they could do good or evil, God made His choice. Why? Because God’s choice of who to save is not about us. It’s about God and His willingness to show mercy. That truth can be unsettling. It shakes our sense of control. But in today’s text, Paul shows us who God has chosen to have mercy on and who ends up hardened. It’s no mystery, in fact it has been true throughout history. He explains this by walking us through some Old Testament moments that reveal God’s heart. Mercy Toward the Rebels Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Pharaoh are all events in the OT that prove God has the power to save who He wants to save. Starting in verse 14, he brings in a quote from Moses. Romans 9:14–15 (ESV) — 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Do you know where that comes from? “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (Exodus 33:19) Israel has just built a golden calf. They’ve betrayed the very God who rescued them from Egypt. God could have wiped them out. But Moses pleads on the basis of God’s reputation, and God responds by judging some and having mercy on others. Then, Moses asks God to reveal His glory, His very nature. And what does His glory look like? Mercy. Compassion toward the undeserving. That’s why Paul quotes this passage—to show that God is not unjust to choose mercy. Mercy, by definition, is undeserved. The rebels, people like Aaron, people like us, receive mercy not because they’ve earned it, but because God is glorified when He gives it. So, who will be saved? Not necessarily the best of the bad. Not the ones who sinned less. But those who receive God’s mercy. Resisting God’s Will Second, notice the OT allusion from Isaiah. Romans 9:19–21 (ESV) — 19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? Paul knows what people are thinking: “If God’s in control, how can He blame anyone?”That question comes straight out of human pride. The person who asks this question is essentially claiming, “If we are all bad, it’s your fault because you created us this way!” His words here resemble what he said earlier in Romans 3:5-8, where they might say, “God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us.” That’s not a question of curiosity—it’s a question of rebellion. It’s the same tone Israel had in Isaiah 29:16, when they tried to turn the tables and shape God into their image. They treated the Potter like He was the clay. You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? (Isaiah 29:16, ESV) Paul’s answer? “Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?” When we accuse God of being unfair, we reveal how little we understand His holiness. Justice would destroy us all. Mercy saves some. Who will be saved?Whoever God wants to save. We have no say in the matter. Not My People Are My People The third, fourth, and fifth OT texts tell us very similar things to the previous two. Romans 9:24–29 (ESV) — 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ” 26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ” 27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.” Paul then turns to Hosea, that heartbreaking story of mercy. Hosea’s wife betrayed him again and again, yet God told him to go love her. Why? Because that’s what God does. He loves the unfaithful. He calls “Not My People”—His people. Then Paul quotes Isaiah: even though Israel’s numbers were vast, only a remnant would be saved. The pattern is consistent: God’s only option is to save from the pool of rebels and rejects.He turns the rejected into the redeemed.He welcomes the outsiders, Jew or Gentile alike, because salvation was never about pedigree or worthiness. Stumbling In Pursuit of Righteousness (9:30-10:4) The last section we will look at today unveils a very important text to understand who God will save. This text and all of the words around it explain who God will save and who He will reject. Romans 9:30–10:4 (ESV) — 30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Paul now comes to the heart of it. “The Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it… but Israel, who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness, did not succeed.” (Romans 9:30–31) Imagine two runners. One has trained his whole life, following every rule. The other is unhealthy and hasn’t run unless a bear was chasing him. The trained runner got to the race early and started as soon as he could. He has been running for longer and pushing himself as hard as he can, but he can’t seem to find the finish line. The other shows up late, takes one step and he’s arrived at the finish. That trained runner was going the wrong way. That’s Israel’s tragedy. They had zeal, but not understanding. They worked tirelessly to prove themselves righteous, never realizing that righteousness was standing right in front of them, Christ Himself. God put a big rock to help them see which way to go, but they stumbled over the very stone God placed to save them. Those who believed, who rested their hope not on their performance, but on His promise, were lifted up. “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” Conclusion Who will be saved? Note we have the answer to our question. Not everyone who works hardest.Not everyone who prays the longest.Not everyone born into the right family or the right nation. Everyone who believes in Jesus as the foundation of their righteousness. The Israelites stumbled because they trusted in themselves. But they have never been able to maintain righteousness. They didn’t last forty days in the wilderness. The Gentiles were made righteous because they trusted in Christ. The difference is faith. So today, you stand at that same crossroads. Will you stumble over the stone—or will you build your life on Jesus Christ? God’s mercy isn’t limited to a select few. It’s offered to all. But few will accept it. If you believe, if you’re ready to put your trust in Him, the invitation is open: Turn from self-reliance. Be baptized into Christ. Let Him be your righteousness. Let Him make you into His child forever.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > When we look at the life of Moses, it can be broken up into three forty year periods. The first forty year period is when he was in Egypt living in Pharaoh’s palace. The second forty year period was after he murdered an Egyptian and escaped to the wilderness, living as a shepherd. In the third period we have seen God empower Moses to save the people of Israel from Egyptian captivity. Today, we will look at what happens next, Moses’ leadership on the way to Sinai and what happened when he got there. Next week, we will finish with a look at what happened after Sinai. Picture yourself as Moses' aide, dusty from the march, heart pounding as Pharaoh's chariots vanish behind you. Leading To Sinai (15-17) Three days out from the Sea, no water in sight. Imagine over a million souls—men, women, kids, elders—stumbling across the Sinai peninsula. Throats raw, regrets bubbling. They hit Marah, but the water's bitter as gall. "What are we gonna drink?" they lash out at Moses. You feel the heat and wonder, “What are we going to do?” Moses cries out, and God hands him a log to toss in, and it turns sweet. Then comes the promise: Obey me, and I'll be your healer, not your curse. To seal it, they camp at Elim: twelve springs, seventy palms shading the weary. But the cycle spins again. Bellies growl because there is no food in this waste. "At least Egypt had pots of meat!.” God tells Moses, "Watch this." Manna rains each dawn like coriander seed—bread from heaven. Quail flutter in at dusk, plump and ready. Gather only what you need; learn dependence, day by day. Again, think about the craziness of these events. First, people grumble because they are running out of tasty food, then God brings food from the dew every morning! Can you imagine witnessing all of this? Then they moved deeper into the wilderness and didn’t have water again! So they complain again, but this time they are ready to stone Moses to death! Instead, God tells Moses to strike a rock and water comes streaming out of the rock for all the people. God is obviously able to take care of the more than one million people, but they get in trouble and blame Moses for their pain. Moses is going through a lot at this time, and he never seems to call for God to destroy them or retaliate against them. But there is even more stress going on than what it seems. As they were approaching the mountain where Moses had seen the burning bush, his father-in-law came out to meet him with his wife and sons. Over a meal, Jethro sizes up the strain: Moses is juggling prophetic duties (teaching God's ways), priestly mediation (pleading with God), and endless judging (settling squabbles for a million). "You're burning out," Jethro warns. "Delegate—appoint godly men for the small stuff. You handle the big: God's word to the people." Smart counsel. It frees Moses to focus as prophet and budding priest. All this happened on the way to Sinai. Arriving at Sinai (18-24) When they got to Sinai, they came there to offer a sacrifice to God, but first, God wanted to offer them an opportunity to be in a special relationship with Him. If they would keep a covenant agreement with God, He would protect them like He did in Egypt. He would make them his treasured possession, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (19:4-6). The people all agreed to this so God wanted to meet with them. That’s an amazing idea, isn’t it. God wanted to be clear about this covenant. He is not an imaginary god of the nations. This is the one, true, and living God. Up to this point, Moses has met with God, but no one else has entered into HIs presence. God tells Moses to prepare the people for this. They need to wash themselves and be completely set apart for the Lord’s presence to come down on the mountain. The language surrounding this event give us the impression that God takes His holiness very seriously. Exodus 19:21–25 (ESV) — 21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.” 23 And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ” 24 And the Lord said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them. Imagine a dark cloud descending on the mountain with flashes of lighting and the sound of a trumpet. The mountain starts smoking and a voice comes out speaking, thunderously booming, the ten commandments. You shall love and serve no one and nothing more than me.You shall not make any images to worship.You shall not take my name in vainYou shall remember the Sabbath day and keep it holyYou shall honor your father and your motherYou shall not murderYou shall not commit adulteryYou shall not stealYou shall not bear false witness against your neighborYou shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighborThis causes the people to tremble and ask for Moses to speak to God for them and let God speak to Moses so they do not die. They are terrified of the voice of God. Moses tells them not to fear, but to understand the seriousness of this covenant they are entering into with God. Then, Moses walked upon the mountain’s thick darkness to speak to God and receive other commands. When he came down, all the people agreed to the covenant and chose to serve God and receive His blessings. Worship and Sacrifice (Exo 25-Leviticus) After the covenant was confirmed in Chapter 24, we read about God commanding Moses to build a Sanctuary or Tabernacle where He could meet with His people and they could offer their worship. He gave specific instructions to Moses by showing him a pattern in heaven itself. This place would resemble God’s home on earth and it could become the central focus of the nation. God told them every detail about how to make the Tabernacle and He even inspired some men so that they could create intricate artwork that would resemble the heavenly realities. As God was explaining all of this to Moses and showing it to him over the course of 30 days on the mountain, the people became impatient. They decided that Moses must be dead. There is no way he could have survived going up on that mountain and being there for 30 days.. So they exalted Aaron and Aaron had them give all their jewelry to sacrifice it to God. This is totally made up off of the top of Aaron’s head, by the way. They threw the gold into the fire and the melted metal resembled a golden calf so they started worshipping it like they had worshipped Egyptian gods. All they had to do was wait! But they failed to wait and they worshipped an image, the very thing they had agreed not to do. God told Moses what they were doing and Moses had to intercede for the people to prevent their destruction. What they had done showed that they weren’t going to be able to keep a covenant relationship with God. After Moses interceded for the people, the Lord relented and didn’t kill them all. But he did send a plague as he said he would when they disobeyed Him. From this point on, Moses would receive instruction at a tent of meeting where the people could see him every day. He would enter, God’s glory would fill the tent and speak to Him, then he would leave with a veil over his face because he was shining. God renewed His covenant with the people and promised to bless them after Moses interceded for them. Then, we read about them finally establishing the Tabernacle and priesthood so they can offer their sacrifice to God as He had commanded them. They did all of the construction to the exact specification that God commanded. Of course, the actual sacrifice takes place in Leviticus and it didn’t go perfectly. Fire came out and consumed the sacrifice to everyone’s delight, but priests disobeyed God and fire came out and consumed them. But they offered their sacrifice and now they were ready to go to the promised land. Application &amp; Conclusion When we see Moses lead the people to Sinai and witness what unfolds there we notice that Moses has a special relationship with God. He has the proper respect and awe, but he also draws near with faith. Moses is constantly providing for the needs of the people. He goes to God and ensures that their needs are met. He intercedes for them when they have greatly sinned against God. He even gets stuck trying to judge between them when they sin against one another, but he finds his way out of that, thanks to his father-in-law. As we see this part of the story unfold, Moses becomes a true leader of the people. When they look at them, they understand how great and loved by God he is. They hear his words and want to obey the Lord and uphold the covenant. It’s really only when he goes away that they devolve into chaos. His meekness and faithfulness to the people made him a great servant leader, even though the people were very evil and unappreciative of the Lord’s blessings. What do we learn from this part of the story of Moses? We see in this that greatness is not found in dominating others. Greatness is found in bringing people to God and bringing God to the people. He sets a great example for us to follow in that. But we also learn that God is holy and He is worthy of reverence and awe. We learn that He wants people to be his treasured possession. He wants His kingdom of priests. Moses, unfortunately, couldn’t make that happen. God’s work to save them from Egypt did not convince the people to be faithful and Israel will not ultimately become what God envisioned them to be. Do you know that all of this is a shadow for us? The Hebrew writer tells us that we have a greater Moses who provides more for us than Moses did. Hebrews 3:1–6 (ESV) — 1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. He will go on to say that Jesus has entered into the true presence of God to offer himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. He makes us a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:9-10). Israel resembles us in the story and Moses resembles Christ. The question, then, becomes will we hold true to our covenant? We have a new law, the law of Christ. Will we submit to it? Will we seek to honor God and His Messiah with our faithful obedience? There is one more text I want us to consider. Hebrews 12:18–25 (ESV) — 18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. Will we appreciate the mountain we are approaching in worship? Will we offer our worship with reverence and awe? This is a much greater mountain than Sinai. This is Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. Take it seriously.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > How much time do you lose sleep over the lost souls around you? Do their names echo in your prayers like a relentless ache? When we first grasp the truth of salvation, it ignites a fire: we share it boldly, only to feel the sting of rejection. Our joy in Christ clashes with heartache for those blind to it—their coming judgment weighs heavy, unchangeable. Doesn't that shatter you? We might tempt ourselves to soften the edges: "They're good people; surely God will bend the rules." But today's text in Romans 9 shatters that illusion. It reveals a God whose mercy is not a matter of partiality or sentimentality. It’s not swayed by man’s will or desire. It is based firmly on God’s desire. Paul’s Desire Romans 9:1–5 (ESV) — 1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. Have you ever felt that? We wish that our friends and relatives would believe the truth, but consider Paul’s situation. He was brought up around people who were diligently studying scriptures and sacrificial serving God. They knew the promises of God and were hoping for God's deliverance. You will struggle to find a group of religious people more zealous than they were. But, after they spent all that time looking for the Messiah, He came and they killed Him. Then, He offered them salvation anyway and they refused to believe it. The situation with the Jewish people in the first century is one of the most tragic of all. Paul says, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” He even wishes that he could somehow give up his own salvation so that his kinsmen could be saved. He has just gone through this detailed explanation of how great our salvation is. He has made it clear that we now have been adopted as children of God and God is on our side. Now, he says, “I would sacrifice that wonderful blessing if I could change the hearts of the Jews.” Is this the type of heart you have? In this Paul is aware of how evil they have been. He knows that they deserve judgment, but so did he. If they would just open their hearts and believe in Christ, they could receive all the things they are longing for. But imagine the glory if they'd repent: God's wisdom on display, mercy cascading to the world. Instead, rejection breeds chaos and sin. Is your heart this tender? Paul's zeal wasn't naive; it mirrored God's own longing, even amid human hardness. Not of the Flesh (6-24) Israel's unbelief can rattle us: "If God couldn't save them—with all their heritage—how can He save anyone?" Paul anticipates this, echoing chapter 3: "What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?" No. God's Word stands firm. Romans 9:6–9 (ESV) — 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” Paul is pointing out that God has never given His blessing based on man’s desire. Abraham and Sarah chose to have Ishmael through Hagar, and tried to make him the promised child. God did not go with their plan. He chose Isaac over Ishmael and the next section tells us he also chose Jacob over Esau. Romans 9:10–13 (ESV) — 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” “God chose Jacob before he was born.” Now, this has been taken to mean that God makes choices arbitrarily. Notice that’s not the point of Paul’s argument. His point is that the blessing doesn’t come as men would expect or desire. In the story of Isaac and Rebekah, Isaac wants Esau to receive the blessing because he is the first born. But God, knowing how men might choose, created Jacob soft and tender and chose to make him the son of promise. it’s obvious God gives it to whoever He wishes. We cannot dictate who receives His promise. It Depends on God (14-24) We cannot say, “I give up my salvation for my family to be saved.” No, salvation is about the graciousness of God toward mankind based on HIS SELECTION CRITERIA. We cannot assume that God will save based on what we want or that He will make exceptions to what He has promised. God has to dictate the terms because it’s His salvation to give. Romans 9:14–18 (ESV) — 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. The most powerful man on the earth, Pharaoh, could not overturn God’s decision. He points to the Exodus and says, “I raised up Egypt and Pharaoh for the purpose of demonstrating my power and ability to save the children of promise.” God can give mercy to whoever He wants and He can overpower whoever He wants. It’s all for His glory. In this instance, we see that God has a greater purpose behind His choosing. Throughout the OT, we learn that God ties His reputation among the nations to Israel. He wants them to see His ability to save an ungodly and rebellious people and bring them to the promised land. He can do whatever He wants and no one can stop Him. Romans 9:19–24 (ESV) — 19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? This last part really summarizes the right God has to do as He wills. He has the right to judge and to provide mercy. We should all be grateful that He chooses to show mercy. I love verses 22-23, “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory…” He depicts God as the one who is in complete control, but chooses to show mercy to people who deserve wrath. This is what God is doing. Israel has rebelled against His Messiah and God is holding back wrath, just like He always has, in hopes that they will repent. Those who do repent, even among the Gentiles are being saved. But those who refuse to repent and trust in Jesus will be judged. What Is Your Desire? What do we learn from this section of Romans? When we have feelings of heartache and pain over the lost state of someone else, we are getting a taste of what God feels. But God will not bend the rules to save those who remain rebellious. He will only save those who submit to Him, turn from their sins, and put their faith in Jesus. He shows no partiality. It doesn’t matter if you have been brought up in a good home or if you were brought up in a crack house. God will accept all who repent and reject all who refuse. How does this information affect you? Are you like Paul, longing so deeply for the salvation of someone you love that you would give up your salvation to save them? I’m sorry to tell you, but that’s not possible. Forgiveness of sins is not ours to give. We cannot make someone repent. We cannot make God forgive someone who refuses to repent. Nor should we claim someone is forgiven who never gives their life to God. When we raise our children, it is critical for us to impress upon them their own responsibility for their faith and their salvation. At some point they will get old enough to understand what sin is and what Christ has done for them. They will have to choose to accept or reject the truth. You cannot save them, but you can prepare them. This is why we don’t baptize infants. They aren’t aware enough to repent of anything and to submit their lives to Christ. We aren’t saving anyone by forcing them to be baptized. Baptism means nothing without faith and repentance. When we interact with people in our family, our spouse, cousins, brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, etc. We cannot do anything to force them to believe the truth. They have to make that decision on their own. I have known many people put pressure on their family members to be baptized as though that will do anything without that person’s submission, repentance, and faith. But, what can we do? We can impress upon them the importance of truly giving God their heart. We can talk about spiritual things often enough that it gets them thinking about things differently than they ever have before. We can invite them over and over and over again to show them that what we do in this building and in smaller group Bible studies is valuable to us. The same goes with friends and coworkers. Be the person who is outspoken about your faith. Be the person who encourages others to trust in Jesus. If you really love them, if you heart breaks to think of them in a lost state, open up to them about the truth of the Bible in a loving way and try to encourage them to join you in Bible study. God will not save them because you are faithful and you really like them. He will not save them even if you offer your own salvation as a sacrifice. That’s not the basis of salvation. We will see this more next time, but understand this right now. Romans 9:30 (ESV) — 30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; The only way to be saved is for them to put their trust in Jesus and receive His salvation. The same goes for you. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9; ESV)

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Today, we are looking at a command that might get a lot of funny looks. Ephesians 5:21 (ESV) — 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Paul tells us all to submit to one another. Jesus and Peter tell us the same thing in different ways. Do you struggle to submit to someone else? Is the thought of submission cringe to you? For years our culture today has been trying to create a generation of rebellious dictators who submit to no one. That doesn’t mean all young people have taken the bait. In fact that is changing rapidly, but many have no clue what submission is about because no one talks about it or emphasizes it. It’s taboo and not politically correct. People who value submission are called archaic and old school or some derogatory term. Why is that? Because submission was given a bad reputation. Today, I hope to clarify and correct this with four brief points. We will look at what submission is, why it’s hard to submit, who should submit, and why. What is submission? To many this word assumes inferiority and superiority. Submission is not about value, but about order and fulfilling roles within God’s design. Everyone in every position is taught to submit to someone else. No one is above submitting, from the ruler to the slave. In the book of Daniel, we read about the great king Nebuchadnezzar considering himself to be over all and submitting to no one, but his pride led him to suffer until he recognized that God is over all and submitted to Him. Submission is seen as a measure of greatness or weakness. It’s a picture of one dominating the other. But is that the order that God has established on the earth? Christianity is not about the weak being dominated by the strong, but about the strong serving and exalting the weak. Following Christ is about submitting to God and one another “out of reverence for” what Christ has done on our behalf. Consider, God is over all, but he is most often portrayed as a loving God who alters His will for the betterment of those who submit to Him. He listens to them and provides them with what they ask for and need. Submission, then, can look totally different than a powerful domination of one person over another. God always has the ability to dominate, but it’s not His desire. He gave His Son in hopes that He could convince everyone to submit willingly. So, if you believe submission is about domineering and leading by force, you are dead wrong. God avoids that system of rule in favor of steadfast love. Jesus exemplifies it. Philippians 2:1–11 (ESV) — 1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. He calls for us to set aside selfish ambition or conceit and lift up those around us with humility. He calls for us to look out for the best interest of one another. This is what Christ did. He could have forced mankind to bow down to Him. He deserved submission, but He sacrificially gave Himself for those who rebelled against His rule. We don’t submit to governments, elders, husbands, parents, or masters because we are weaker than them or inferior to them. We submit to them because our God calls us to. We submit to them because Jesus was submissive even though He was greater than everyone he came into contact with. Why Don’t We Submit? Have you ever been in a situation where you did not want to submit? Maybe your boss at work was unjust and showed favoritism to another employee. He put a heavy burden on you for some reason, and you wanted to ruin his reputation. You wanted to bring him down a notch. Or maybe it was your husband who was acting foolishly, and you wanted to set him in his place. The elders made a decision you disagreed with. The government failed to pass a law, or passed something wicked. Or maybe it’s just a brother out sister in Christ who is acting ungodly. In this same text, he points out some obstacles we have to overcome: Selfish ambition, vain conceit, pride, complacency, and a failure to trust in God’s timing. Do you see that going on within yourself? Do you know that raging against those who are placed over you is raging against the order that God has set for your life? 1 Peter 2:18–21 (ESV) — 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. When we are defiant and rebellious against God’s established order and we suffer for it. That’s to be expected. But Peter says, when we overcome our selfish ambition, conceit, and pride, choosing to submit and honor those in authority, we are acting as Christ acted on this earth. We are starting to know the suffering of Christ more fully. But he also says, “This is a gracious thing.” Notice that the greater is being gracious towards the inferior. Your position does not indicate inferiority. Rebelling against those who are in authority over us is common. Psalm 2:1–3 (ESV) — 1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” This is the opposite of submission. Men try to dominate God. They rebel against His authority and order. We struggle to submit because submission means I don’t get to do what I want to do. Choosing to submit means humbly denying yourself and relinquishing control or power that you have for the good of someone else. Submission can be about humbling yourself and exalting the will of someone lesser than you just because they are in a position of authority over you. When we think that submission indicates weakness, we are missing out on the more beautiful form of submission that exists. Let’s be clear here. We aren’t talking about merely complying with commands and giving in to the will of someone who has proven themselves stronger than us out of fear of them. We are not talking about begrudging giving up our will. Those who submit with a heart to merely avoid punishment will rebel when they no longer fear punishment. We give up our will and our desires to serve a greater cause, to demonstrate love toward God and love toward the one we submit to. Who should submit to whom? Submitting happens when people have authority over other people, but the one in authority must submit to the one higher up than they are. We all submit to someone.This means that in our society, submission should be happening across the board. Wait, who is supposed to submit to whom? Who is the submitter and who is the submittee and how would their submission look? Examples To help us understand this better, I want us to look at the examples that Paul uses in our text. He speaks about submitting as husbands and wives, children and parents, a slaves and masters. These are all examples for us to use to grasp the concept of submission. The first one is husbands and wives. Ephesians 5:22–33 (ESV) — 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. In this text, we see the dual nature of submission. Wives Wives are supposed to submit to their husbands, as to the Lord. Remember, it’s not a matter of the lesser serves the greater. Paul compares their type of submission to the church’s submission to Christ. There is obviously a greatness difference there, but that’s not the point. Christ is in the headship role in the church. He is the one who leads the house of God, and we are the bride of Christ whose role is to submit. Can you imagine a church where we collectively tell Christ what He’s supposed to be doing? Where we collectively decide that loving and serving others is optional, that we can operate like a country club, or that we should worship God in an idolatrous way? The church should strive to discern the will of God. Wives also are supposed to recognize the authority God gives the man in the family, submit their own desires and will, and to support the leadership of the man. Wives, I’m not saying you simply comply without questioning. I’m not saying you stay silent and let the husband lead you to an early grave or financial ruin. That wouldn’t be submission or honoring him in the right sense. That’s submitting without care or concern for the wellbeing of our husbands or our family. This submission relinquishes final control and authority to the husband’s will but works to influence that will in a positive way. This might appear to be over the top in our society. For years egotistical male domination in the home has made our society fearful of men leading the home. But this is God’s design. If men lead well, the home is a better place for everyone. Women have to encourage them to lead and submit to their role, not because men are necessarily going to be good at it, but because God calls them to it. Ladies, don’t you want a man who provides, protects, cares and leads for you and your children? No woman wants a dead beat for a husband. Husbands Husbands, do you see yourselves needing to submit to anything in this context? I hope so. Husbands are compared to Christ. What did Christ submit for His bride? He submitted His life. The one who is the more authoritative role, has the greater burden and responsibility to serve others. Jesus lived His own words where He said, “The greatest among you will be your servant.” He washes feet! He submits his desires, comfort, time, attention, and everything he enjoys to the service of his people. Husbands, in your leadership do you submit to God and listen to the needs of your wife? This is your command, that you love her as Christ has loved the body. Now, that doesn’t mean you are a “Yes Man.” There are requests and needs that you might see as detrimental to your spouse at the time. But men, we are supposed to be laying our lives down for our family. That means, I don’t buy video games, TV screens, new tech devices, enjoy boys night, or even a round of golf while our finances are in chaos. I don’t push my wife with more responsibility than any human could handle while I take it easy on the recliner. We submit ourselves to making her holy and honored. We are commanded to listen to our wives and to speak the truth to them in a loving way. We need to spend some time thinking about how our role as leaders has been affected by our society. What do we expect of our wives? Do we lead them to greater holiness and love? Do we provide for them? This is what it means to submit to them. It’s not about relinquishing control, but it’s about humbling yourself to seek their best interest over your own. Children and Parents Now, take all that we have just understood how husbands and wives submit, let’s apply it across the board. Paul points to children and parents. Children are supposed to obey their parents. This is the same as the wife submitting her will to her husband. Children, your parents will tell you to do things that you won’t agree with. Sometimes they will be wrong. Again, it’s not about who is right or who is stronger, smarter, or better. But God calls for you to submit to their authority. That’s your role in the family. Parents, your responsibility is to lead with submission to God, providing what the child’s needs. This is why Paul says in verse 4, “Fathers do not provoke your children to anger.” Our desire is not to give them everything they want, nor is it to use them to make ourselves happy. We don’t burden them beyond what they are able to bear. We lead them with love and tenderness, but with children we also have commands to discipline and instruct because of their youthfulness. We train them in the way of the Lord. Members and Elders Members are supposed to submit to elders in the same way as wives submit to husbands (Heb 13:17). There should be respect and honor given, but also there should be a willingness to follow their leadership. We must learn the difference between our preferences and God’s clear commands. If elders are failing to lead in a way we like, we need to clarify our needs and relinquish control. Elders, your responsibility is not to give us everything we want, but to give us what we need to fulfill our purpose and glorify God. Good elders are watching out for our souls (Heb 13:17). To do this, you have to listen and understand the needs, put yourself last and lift others up. Message We could go through example after example, but the point remains the same. It’s not a matter of greatness, but a matter of humbling yourself towards others. If you find yourself in a position of authority, be careful to submit to the needs of those in your care. If you are under authority, which all of us are in some sense, be careful not to be self-promoting or rebellious against that authority. Why? To close today’s lesson out, I want to talk about why we would choose to live this way. Maybe you are reluctant to submit. Where should we draw the line on submission? You know of situations where submitting to those in authority would put you at odds with your submission to God. That’s an obvious situation where we must obey God rather than man. There are other situations where we see Christians avoiding capture by authorities. It’s not that we are called to suffer needlessly. But there are situations where disciples submit to authorities for the opportunity to preach the gospel. There is something that drives us more than survival or self preservation. We submit to one another because Jesus submitted everything to us. He deserved recognition as the greatest, but he absorbed malicious hate and violence so we could have what we ultimately need, forgiveness of sins. This is why Paul tells us to submit to one another in all of our situations. Ephesians 5:21 (ESV) — 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Make the decision today to stop living a stubborn, selfish, self-exalting life. Stop promoting your way, and submit to God’s way. His way is better.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > The Opportunity and Failure of Moses (1-2) After the death of Joseph and all his brothers the people of Israel, (Hebrews), multiplied greatly in number. God was making them, in a short amount of time, into a great nation. They keep having babies to the point where the Egyptians start getting nervous. So, Pharaoh commanded all the midwives to kill all the babies that are boys. As soon as the sons are born, he orders them to be put to death in a seemingly discreet way. But the midwives rebel and refuse to kill the boys, saying, “These Israelite women have their sons before we get there. We cannot do it like you want.” Afterwards, Pharaoh decided to be more obvious. He commanded all of the Hebrew sons to be cast into the Nile. Can you imagine living in that kind of society? We think our days are bad. Every young Hebrew mother was forced to kill their newborn sons. How corrupt and immoral can you be to enforce or abide by a law like that? This is murder! But one day, a man named Amram and a woman named Jochebed chose to disobey. They put their third child, Moses, into the Nile but they put him in a little floating basket and kept him among the reeds. This would still be dangerous since the current of the Nile could increase at any time. Also, crocodiles could come and find him. But in one of the greatest ironies in scripture the baby was found by the daughter of Pharaoh and would end up being nursed by his own mother. So Moses started out sentenced to death as the son of a slave and ended up the grandson of Pharaoh, growing up in the palace with all of the benefits of an Egyptian. Can you imagine living in the palace of the wealthiest king in the world? Hebrews 11 tells us that he would reject the passing pleasures of Egypt and choose to join in the suffering of his people. He knew the Egyptians were treating his people unjustly. So one day, he went down to where the Hebrews were working, he saw an Egyptian man beating up a Hebrew, and he decided to murder the man for his cruelty. He saw himself as a justice warrior and savior. He hoped that this act would unite the Hebrews with him, but instead they bickered with one another and rejected him as a leader because they knew he had killed a man. Finding out that his murder was well known, he fled to the wilderness to escape punishment. While in the wilderness, he chose to protect some young shepherdesses as they were watering their father’s flocks. This act of kindness resulted in Moses being given a home, becoming a husband, a son-in-law to a priest, and a role as a shepherd for forty years. Isn’t it interesting how one act of kindness set Moses up while he was on the run? God took care of him. God’s Calling and Encouragement (3-4) God was not finished with Moses. While in the wilderness, he noticed a fire up on Mount Horeb. It kept burning and didn’t go out. He had no idea where the fire came from or why it was continuing so he went up to investigate. When he got close, he heard the sound of God calling out to him, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.” To which God told him not to come near and to take his sandals off of his feet because he is standing on holy ground. Then, God told him who he was, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that God had seen the affliction of His people and that he wanted to give the promised blessing to them in the land of Canaan, and that he wanted Moses to lead them out. This is great news! God is going to work to save His people! He heard their cries and witnessed the sufferings they have gone through. He has not abandoned them. However, Moses is meek and lowly at this point. He once thought that he was in a position where he could help the people, but now? Who is he to save anyone? We see that he has given up those foolish and childish dreams. He is content to live out his days in the wilderness tending sheep. But God has a mission for him to fulfill, and his humility makes him the perfect candidate. This is one of the more interesting conversations in all the Bible. Moses is told what God wants him to do, but he is reluctant to do it. He doesn’t seem to doubt that God can do this, but he doesn’t consider himself worthy or able to accomplish this. He says, “I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” (4:10). He sees himself as broken and worries about messing things up. So, God allows Moses’ brother Aaron to help him in this and he promises to demonstrate miraculous power to solidify his words to Pharaoh and the people. But, what is more interesting, is the fact that God tells Moses Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you because God will harden his heart. So this is not going to be an easy mission, but God wants Moses to do it anyway. Pause a moment. Do you know that God calls all of us to do something scary? He calls us to be salt and light in a dark world. Consider how Moses responds with humility and still God pushes him to do what he cannot do on his own. Understand that God always expects us to fulfill that opportunity with faith. Delivering A Beaten Down People (5-14) By the time Moses returns to Egypt all of those who had previously sought to capture him and imprison him have died. So he and Aaron go to the people, perform signs, and convince the people that the Lord was going to save them. They bowed and worshiped God in response. But after Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and commanded him to let the people go, things took a sharp turn in the wrong direction. Pharaoh did not like the idea of letting his free slave force go anywhere. Moses did signs in front of him, like turning his stick into a snake and then picking it up again, but Pharaoh wasn’t persuaded. His magicians could do the same. So Pharaoh accused the people of Israel of being lazy and called for heavier loads to be placed on their backs. The people heard this and were dismayed. They blamed Moses and Aaron for their suffering and thought they were going to die at the hands of the Egyptians. Moses, himself, asked God why He had ever sent him to this place. All it has done is brought pain and suffering. How often do we give up too early on a work that we feel like we can do? We fault the Israelites and Moses for giving up and not waiting, but do we do the same? But all they really needed to do was wait and trust in God. God reinforced His promise to Moses. He told him to get ready because he is about to do something that has never been done before. He is about to redeem them, save them, and bring them into the land He has promised them. The people refused to listen because they had a broken spirit due to the harsh slavery they had been in. So God told Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh and show him miracles. But Pharaoh would not listen. He had his magicians perform similar signs. So God turned from miracles to plagues, and still Pharaoh would not listen. So the plagues increased in severity. Moses would continually go before Pharaoh and announce the plague before it happened. But every time, Pharaoh refused to listen. Moses would come back after the plague had taken place, listen to the begging of Pharaoh, and plead for the plague to stop after Pharaoh promised to let the people go. But Pharaoh always went back on his word. This repeated nine times, but on the tenth time, God killed all the firstborn children and firstborn livestock in the land. He passed over the Israelites who obeyed and put blood on their doorposts, but killed the Egyptians. Once that happened, they were free to go. Everyone was giving them all of their riches and telling them to get out. So they quickly left Egypt. But God had one more twist up his sleeve. He had Moses lead them toward the Red Sea instead of down the road toward the promised land, knowing that Pharaoh would once again harden his heart. When the army of Pharaoh came to capture the Israelites and bring them back, the people panicked: “We would rather serve them than die out here!” God brought a fog to confuse them. He had Moses lift his staff and God brought a strong wind to blow the sea to the side so He could lead his people across the Red Sea on dry ground. Then, when Pharaoh’s army tried to pursue them, he brought the sea crashing down on them, killing them all. Connecting Moses to Jesus: The Greater Deliverer Moses’ story points to Jesus, the true Savior (Hebrews 3:1–6). Like Moses, Jesus escaped a king’s infanticide (Matthew 2:13–16), frees from slavery to sin (John 8:34–36), and intercedes for God’s people (Hebrews 7:25). The Passover lamb spared Israel; Jesus, the Lamb of God, spares us from death (1 Corinthians 5:7; John 1:29). Where Moses faltered, Jesus obeys perfectly. Scripture exalts Him: “The law came through Moses, but grace and truth through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). The salvation from Egyptian bondage is a major marker in all of history that our God reigns over the universe. But Jesus’ death and resurrection is the most important event ever, signifying a defeat of all mankind’s greatest enemy—death. Application: Trusting God to Save As we look at Moses in the first part of his story, it’s important for us to see that he was an ordinary man who was given a great opportunity. But it turned out that things didn’t go how he thought they would. Have you ever had that happen in your life? Have you ever believed that something was going to work out one way in your head, just to find out that it wouldn’t. But notice how God brought it about in a totally different way. He used a broken and humble Moses instead of the proud and powerful Moses. In a world that is growing increasingly oppressive, violent, proud, and immoral, we might be inclined to dominate those around us. But God didn’t operate like that in the New Testament. Jesus could have dominated everyone around Him, but he sought to help them. He loved, forgave, taught, and lifted them up. He made a way for them to be saved at great pain to himself. It’s not about how strong we are. It’s about how strong our faith in God is. God calls us to trust His deliverance. Like Moses, you might feel unqualified, but He chooses to work through the weak and unqualified. Paul said, “Who is qualified to teach these things?” (2 Cor 3:4-6) When seas block your path, stand firm and watch for Him to make a way.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Have you ever doubted God’s love for you or spoken to someone who has? Typically, the root of our concern is that He lets bad things happen. If God is all good and all powerful, why did He let me suffer this tragedy or let me experience this extreme pain? It just doesn’t seem like the type of thing a loving God would do. Then, someone tries to explain how God is really using this event to help you grow or to make you stronger. In some cases, this is true. But, other times, the event or the pain is having the opposite effect. It’s making us weaker and removing a source of strength we once relied on. Why would God do that if He really loved me? We don’t really know all that is going on in the mind of God in every situation. There are too many factors that he is aware of, which we have no idea about. But one thing is for certain. He has proven that He loves us. The gospel proves it beyond a shadow of doubt. Today’s study is going to ask questions that are based upon the truth of the gospel. If we believe the gospel message is true, that Jesus died for the ungodly, enemies of God to be saved, then we have to believe these three things. 1. No one can stand against us. 2. No one can condemn us. 3. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. What do these statements mean, and do you believe these three things? No One Can Stand Against Us (8:31-32) The first claim is bold and sounds a bit unreal. Romans 8:31–32 (ESV) — 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Paul asks, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” We know that people will turn against us and hurt us. They will make us feel as though we are losing and helpless. They have transformed the culture and the world around us so that many people are trying to stand against us. But God has chosen to save us through Jesus, and He has decided to make us His children. What does this mean for us? It means that those who are against us should be very afraid. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” When they see what God gave up for us, they should know that they will lose. These words indicate how far God will go for you. God did not hold anything back. He’s not trying to convince you that He loves you by giving you temporary presents or verbal affirmations. He has sacrificed what He loved most of all to purchase your freedom. Does that not show that He wanted your heart more than anything? If that is true, which we believe it is, why would He then turn around and refuse to give everything He’s promised to you once you have chosen to love Him in return? He will not hold back. But the real question is, “What has He promised?” Not riches and fame or a totally comfortable life. He never promised any of that. He promises peace, but not peace with the world. He promised hope, but not temporary hope. He promised riches and glory, but not on this earth. Those things are futile and vain in their current temporary state. When it says He will graciously give us all things, he’s not talking about all temporary and weak things. He’s talking about the good, eternal things. In the text we looked at last week, we saw how we along with all creation are groaning as we wait for the eternal, heavenly state. That’s what He’s promised. That’s the “All things” this text is talking about. This text is telling us that no one can stop us from receiving these truly valuable things if God has decided to give them to us. God has promised them to us, and we are assured that He who gave us His Son will deliver them to us. No One Can Condemn Us (8:33-34) The second claim is so powerful that it has caused people to assume that once we are saved, we are always saved no matter what. Romans 8:33–34 (ESV) — 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. We all sin and fall short of God’s glory. We are still weak and we struggle to be what God calls for us to be. When we sin, we feel guilt and shame. We long to undo what we have done. Perhaps these struggles against sin convince you that God could never love someone like you. You could never be good enough to be called His son and enter His presence. So now you pray, “God, I just hope that maybe one day I might make it.” Do you hear what this text says to you? Who is going to say you cannot enter God’s presence? Who is going to say you aren’t forgiven for your sins? If God justifies you, you stand justified. If Jesus intercedes for you, you stand innocent, holy, and righteous. This text tells us all the elect have no need to worry about the judgment day. Satan’s power to condemn us has been taken away by the blood of Jesus. In this section, Paul calls God’s children, “Elect.” That simple terminology throws some people off, but in the context of adoption, it makes perfect sense. Elect means that we meet the criteria God has selected to adopt as his children. We are, “poor in spirit,” “meek,” “mourning our sin,” and “hungering and thirsting for righteousness.” In another text, Paul points out that “not many wise according to worldly standards, not many noble, nor many powerful” received this salvation (1 Cor 1:26-31). Elect means you were humble enough to listen to the gospel message. That’s the type of person God foreknew He was going to save, and predetermined to be conformed to the image of Christ. Don’t be twisted around the axel with that terminology. If you stand in humble submission to God’s will with a full reliance on the blood of Jesus, our Christ, you have no need to fear. Don’t let anyone unsettle you or trouble your faith. Instead, show gratitude and joy at the thought that God loves you and has provided total assurance. Our only fear is being deceived into giving up on God and doubting His goodness, or trusting in yourself and falling away from grace. Once saved, you are saved until you choose not to submit to God any longer. No One and Nothing Can Separate Us From God’s Love (8:35-39) The third claim is most powerful of all. Romans 8:35–39 (ESV) — 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Adam and Eve experienced separation from God. Their sin caused them to lose their relationship and die spiritually. Jesus has made that separation a thing of the past. Paul gives us two lists in this text to try to persuade us that no one and nothing can separate us from God’s love. The blessing of Christ has totally removed the curse. The first list includes struggles we might go through in this life. Tribulation, distress, persecution, or famine were all daily realities for first century Christians. Consider how alone you might feel while suffering in these ways. Then, Paul quotes Psalm 44:22, where the Psalmist is calling out to God for help in a time of serious trouble. After this verse, he says, “Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!” You see, when things get difficult, we tend to believe that God doesn’t see or know what’s happening. Paul is telling us God is not separated from you. He is still with you. The second list is all inclusive. He brings up existential threats (life and death), Spiritual threats (angels or rulers), Temporal threats (things present or to come or powers), spacial threats (height or depth), and every other threat imaginable. Paul wants us to see that whatever anxiety or fear enters our minds and causes us to doubt God’s ability to help or see or be with us is preposterous. There is not one thing that can separate us from God’s love if we love Him and choose to seek His love. One more point in this is really powerful. He says, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” More than conquerors? How do you become “more than a conqueror?” I thought that being a conqueror made you top of the food chain. Nope. Think about it. Jesus is more than a conqueror. He stood before conquerors. He appeared to be conquered, but He was beyond their power. The worst they could do is kill his body. This phrase, “more than conqueror” doesn’t mean we defeat everyone by force. It means we defeat everyone by faith. We can be killed, but not truly conquered. Never conquered. Are You Convinced? Do these three statements have any impact on you? Does it help you at all to know that God is for you and able to give you all the things you desire? How does it help? Perhaps knowing this promise of being a child of God helps you let go of your vain desires in this world. We all need to center our hearts on God’s will. We need to let the world oppose us and do what is right and godly with great boldness. Does it help you to know that you stand uncondemnable so long as you strive to serve God with faith in His sacrifice? Think about how much better life will be without fear. The perfect love God has shared with you casts out your fear. Now, we live to please him and strive against sin for His glory. Does it help you to know that nothing can separate you from God and Christ? This should affect us all every day. God and Christ are with us. They never leave. They see every action and hear every thought. When we are in the lowest lows or the highest highs, they don’t abandon us. No one and nothing can cause them to do that. That’s not who they are. We mean more to them than we could ever understand. Paul wants us to be convinced of that. Are you?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > What does it mean to be a son of God? How many of us consider ourselves sons and daughters of the creator of the universe and everything in it? People around us might hear that and think we are crazy. Surely, this is a figment of our imagination. We are finite, weak, helpless, and ignorant. How could the creator want us in that way? But, the last verses we looked at last week bring to light an amazing truth. The truth is that our new spirit is the spirit of a son because we are sons. Reciprocal Relationship (15-17) So, if we are truly sons and daughters, what does that mean for our relationship with God? Paul tells us it’s a reciprocal one. Romans 8:15–17 (ESV) — 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. What does it mean to be a son of God? It means we can cry out to Him in our grief and He hears us. The words, “Abba! Father!” are the words spoken by Jesus in the garden on the night he was betrayed. Mark 14:36 (ESV) — 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” These two words express the relationship that Jesus had with God. He loved and respected God. He believed that God could help Him in His hour of need. He cried out for Him, but He also recognized and respected His will. In Roman’s, Paul wants us to see that we have the same closeness to God that Jesus has. Then, Paul goes further. He says that if we too are children then that makes us joint heirs with Christ. We have the opportunity to share in his inheritance, authority, and glory. God doesn’t just want to save us from our sins and forgive us. He wants to change us from the inside out, he wants us to be close enough to call Him out Daddy, and He wants to exalt us as joint heirs. This is a reciprocal relationship. We change to honor God and glorify Him. He, in turn, honors us with a position as sons and daughters, along with all the glory that comes with that position. Suffering With Hope (18-25) If I’m being honest, I haven’t always felt like I’m His son. When I suffer, I wonder if He sees or cares. Being a son of God does not guarantee a life of ease. In fact, verse 17 gives us the expectation that we will suffer. We are children of God, and yet we are made to suffer. I hate it when people around me suffer. I’ve experienced some pretty extreme feelings of grief and internal pain in my life. Most of it wasn’t really anyone’s fault. Sometimes things just happen in this life. The writer of Ecclesiastes said, “What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.” Ecclesiastes 1:15 (ESV) Becoming a Christian doesn't exempt us from the suffering of a fallen world. In fact, it gives us a new perspective on that suffering and a new kind of suffering—the pain of seeing the world through God’s eyes. Romans 8:18–25 (ESV) — 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. There is suffering when becoming a child of God. It’s the suffering that all creation experiences. This text is referring back to the beginning, where Adam and Eve fell to Satan’s deception and opened the door for suffering of every kind. He depicts all creation as groaning in verses 19-22. They had it good in the garden, but now they suffer along with us. Creation is groaning in childbirth, waiting for the day when everything that is broken will be made new just like God foretold in Isaiah 66. The terminology he uses is futility and bondage to corruption which echoes back to Ecclesiastes. Paul is telling us that, as we move toward the life of godliness, we share in creation’s suffering and in their hope. As a new heavens and new earth is promised where everything is changed. We are promised a new body. This is what we’re waiting for. But we suffer as we wait. We seek to be more godly and we seek for a more godly society, sharing in God’s suffering that He has had from the beginning. Now, we long for things that are broken to be fixed with greater understanding. This text says that part of our suffering is being subjected to futility. When we see the world as God sees it, we grow in wisdom and understanding of how broken everything is. The suffering that comes with being fully aware of how much Satan and sin have ruined this world is immense. This past three weeks, a school shouting happened, an innocent girl was murdered for no reason, and a political activist named Charlie Kirk was assassinated. This violence and many other events have made many people feel a deep longing for all the bad things in this world to become untrue. We cannot make that happen, but God promises to bring us into that new world in the future. So we wait with hope. In this text, Paul explains the suffering, but only to highlight the hope we have. Paul tells us that the sufferings of this time are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us. There is coming a day when the sons of God will be fully revealed in all their glory. They will be seen as free from corruption and bondage to sin. Our bodies, so weak, tempted, and tried with sin will be redeemed, transformed, and revealed in splendor. Paul is telling us that God meets our suffering and grieving with hope that is as certain as any promise God has ever fulfilled. His message here about us being sons of God fills us with hope for the future. We are the only ones who have it. Men put their hope in a lot of things that will not save, but we have hope in God’s promise. We don’t see it yet, but we believe it to be true and we wait for it with patience. The Path To Glory (26-30) I’ve spoken to Christians who are groaning. But Paul’s next words are full of encouragement to keep your eyes fixed on the future glory. The worst thing we can do is give up on God or believe that our suffering means He has given up on us. That’s not who He is or what He does. This final section we are going to look at today tells us that God is right here with us all along the way. Romans 8:26–30 (ESV) — 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. This text teaches us that in our weakest moments, when we don’t know how to pray as we ought to pray, and when we don’t know what God is doing in our lives, we can trust God to understand what we are going through and work all things together for our good. As I say these words, there may be a number of thoughts going through your minds. How does God do this? What does this mean for me? I want to address those because many people take this the wrong way. Paul is not saying everything has a reason. Paul is not saying that all things are really good things. Paul is not saying God will make everyone feel happy about everything that happens. Paul is not saying that each event in our lives will work out for our good. The truth is that some things happen for no reason at all other than, “That’s what happened.” Freak accidents happen. Evil things happen. God lets them happen, but there is no guarantee that God had any purpose behind it at all. It could just be all part of living in a fallen world. Paul says that all things work together for the good for those who love Him. That means God will use the compilation of all the events that happen to benefit . Don’t ignore the words “work together.” Some events by themselves have no value. In fact, they may be more of a detriment. However, other events have tremendous value. Also, don’t ignore the qualifier, “those who love Him.” Those who do not love God will not have all things work together for their good. But for those who do love God, we have a promise that God is working in our lives to bring good. What does that word “good” mean? Ultimately, we know that glory awaits those who are faithful to the end. But also, notice the words right after. He says, “For those whom He foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” The good he is talking about is once again, referring to the transformation of our character to be like God’s Son. We are being made good. Isn’t this what we hope for: God to sanctify us and make us like Him? Don’t doubt God wants to work in your life and bring you closer to His glorious image. Say, “Abba! Father! Let this cup pass. But let your will be done!” Application Being a child of God means conforming your hearts, thoughts, motives, and attitudes into the will and ways of God. Because we are sons and daughters of glory, we can endure suffering, we can pray in our weakness, and we can live like Christ. As we apply this to ourselves, I think it’s important for us to zone in on one particularly important phrase in this section of Romans. Paul says in verses 16-17, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” There is a requirement placed on us. Sons and daughters have wonderful blessings and tremendous hope, but also an expectation. Being a son and daughter of God means we choose to suffer for God’s glory. No suffering, no glory. There is a cost to discipleship. There is a cost to bearing the image of Christ. Are you willing to pay the price to bear the image of Christ? We all suffer in this life. Being God’s child doesn’t mean He keeps us from suffering. If He did that, He wouldn’t love us. The suffering we go through makes us groan, longing for a future home where these sufferings don’t exist anymore. They make us want to draw closer to God who knows this isn’t the way things are supposed to be. Don’t be deceived by Satan. The world is broken because of him and because of our poor decisions. Giving in to sin won’t take the suffering away. It will only make it permanent. God wants to save us from this broken world and transform us into agents of light who spread the hope of eternal life, joy, and peace to the lost world around us.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > When we talk about our "spirit," what comes to mind? It’s that inner part of you—the real you. It’s your thoughts, feelings, values, and what makes you unique. Picture it as the spark that defines who you are deep down. There’s the you everyone sees, your flesh, and the you that no one can see except for you, your spirit. So, what’s your spirit like? What do you care about? What drives you? That’s where we’re headed today as we dive into Romans 8:9-17. We’ve been talking a lot about change, but our goal in today’s study is to understand how God changes us from the inside. This is the heart of what it means to be a Christian. Receiving God’s Spirit (9-11) Romans 8:9–11 (ESV) — 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Paul says, “You’re not in the flesh.” In other words, “You aren’t controlled by your old sinful self anymore, but by the Spirit, if God’s Spirit lives in you.” Notice a few things here. 1. Most believe he is talking about the Holy Spirit, hence the capital S in your translations. 2. To say the Holy Spirit lives in you is still about giving control or rule to God. 3. The lower case “s” works just as well, if not better. This way of thinking actually fits well with the greater context. Notice Paul starts out saying, “The Spirit of God.” Then, he says “the Spirit of Christ.” Then, “The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead.” Finally, “His Spirit.” Why do that and why say, “If Christ is in you? Why call the Holy Spirit all these things instead of just saying the Holy Spirit? What if that’s because he’s not speaking literally about the person of the Holy Spirit, but metaphorically about the type of spirit God has? When it says God has put His Spirit inside of us, that could be the same thing as someone telling you, “You have the spirit of your dad in you.” It’s not about having your dad’s actual spirit inside of you, but it’s about having the same feelings, thoughts, emotions, values, and passions. It’s about having the heart with desires like your dad’s. The old spirit that was in us was of the flesh, full of selfishness, sin, and death. It was a broken spirit that was lost in the flesh. The new spirit is powerful and full of righteousness and life. This works so well because this is a text about our spirit being transformed. It is rooted in Old Testament prophecy. To help us with this, we have to read Ezekiel. Ezekiel 36:23–27 (ESV) — 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. This prophecy is the basis for everything we are reading in Romans 8. God did not save us to forgive us and to have a forgiven people. He saved us to transform our hearts and spirits into the image bearers we were always called to be. We have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but God has done something amazing to, not only cleanse us but, change our hearts. In Ezekiel, God makes a promise that He will put a new heart and a new spirit within us. We will go from a heart of stone, a rebellious heart that doesn’t change or listen to the truth, to a heart of flesh, meaning a tender heart that is open and respectfully caring about the will of God. He also says we will be given a new spirit and, “I will put my spirit within you.” What does that mean? Notice the explanation. He says, “And cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” So, when we go to Romans 8:9-11. It’s important for us to look at this text in its context, and understand what it means for God to put his Spirit inside of us. It means we have a new spirit that is careful to obey God’s commands instead of continuing in sin. Led By The Spirit (12-14) So, it is akin to the valley of dry bones, and us receiving new life and a new and living spirit, but it’s also about changing our hearts and our desires in life. Notice that he continues by explaining what type of spirit is this that God has given to us? This is what Paul will explain in the following two sections we will look at. Romans 8:12-14 (ESV) — 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. One might assume we have the same kind of broken enslaved spirit. In Chapter 6, he kind of laid this out as though we have just switched masters. We are still crushed with the debt of paying back what we owe, so our spirit didn’t really change all that much. We are still focused on working really hard to put the deeds of the body to death! But, notice the difference. He says we are debtors, who are putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit and not by the flesh. What does this mean? We are doing the same thing, but we have a different spirit. Our old spirit tried to fix sin on its own, relying on self-effort. That led to pride when we succeeded or despair when we failed. But the new spirit works differently. It’s about trusting God’s grace, believing the gospel, and letting His love guide us. We still fight sin, but not out of fear or guilt. Instead, God’s love pushes us to change and live for Him. The spirit inside of us is a spirit of repentance, and it’s a spirit constantly thinking about, focused on, and motivated by the gospel. What God has done is driving us to change and become more like God out of love instead of obligation. The Spirit of Sons (15-17) But that’s not all. At the end of verse 14, he takes this one step further. You want to know what kind of spirit God has put inside of us? It’s the spirit of a son! He says all who are led by the Spirit (putting to death sin by faith in God’s sacrifice) are sons of God. Consider what kind of spirit an adopted son has. Romans 8:15–17 (ESV) — 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. This image is so important for us as Christians. We are not sons of God by our own doing anymore than I can make myself Elon Musk’s son. God has chosen to make us His sons and daughters through adoption. Think about an adopted child: they might start out scared, used to fending for themselves. But in God’s family, they learn they’re safe, loved, and don’t have to fear. The Holy Spirit, himself, seals this deal, signing the adoption papers, so to speak. So we have assurance that we belong to God. He sees our heart—our desire to please Him—and that’s a comfort when we’re struggling. God’s cheering us on, like a dad rooting for his kids to grow and become like Jesus. We are sons and daughters of our creator. Think about the assurance that provides you. When you were growing up, you might have had a pretty bad father. But how bad did you have to be for him to kick you out? When our child sins against us, we don’t kick him out on the street. We are rooting for them to grow and develop and become better than us. In this case, becoming like God and Christ is the ultimate goal. What About You? What’s the spirit inside you like? How do you feel about sin? About righteousness? Has Jesus changed how you think and live? Paul puts it beautifully in Galatians 2:20: “I’ve been crucified with Christ. It’s no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” This new spirit is about becoming like Jesus—not to earn God’s love, but because we’re already loved. Feed that spirit with God’s Word. Let it grow. Live like Christ every day, knowing God’s in your corner, rooting for you like a proud father. This isn’t about hearing voices or chasing mystical vibes. It’s about God transforming your heart to reflect Jesus. It’s about living with the confidence that you can call God “Abba! Father!” because you’re His.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > For weeks, we’ve been wrestling with the challenge of change. We’ve seen how sin fights to sit on the throne of our hearts, pulling us toward desires that lead us away from God. Our spirits long to do what’s right, but our flesh—those cravings, emotions, and urges—often feels like an anchor dragging us down. Romans 7:21–23 paints this struggle vividly: “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” Sound familiar? It’s the spiritual battle we all feel. But are we doomed to stay stuck in this battle until we die? Or is real change possible? Today, we shift to the hope-filled truth of Romans 8. Paul moves from the despair of sin’s grip to the freedom found when we put God on the throne of our hearts. Let’s explore the key to lasting change: the transformative power of the Spirit. Learning To Trust the Spirit’s Victory Romans 8:1–4 (ESV) — 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. This is incredible news! The “law of the Spirit of life” breaks the chains of sin and death. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, God did what we could never do: He defeated sin’s power over us. Colossians 2:13–15 echoes this, saying God “canceled the record of debt that stood against us” by nailing it to the cross, disarming the forces that accuse us. Imagine a courtroom where every charge against you is dropped—not because you’re perfect, but because Jesus paid to set you free. That’s the freedom we have in Christ. Sin no longer has the final word; the Spirit does. So, what does this mean for us? It means we’re not condemned, even as we battle in our flesh. When you fall short, do you feel saddened and depressed? Your feelings aren’t in touch with reality. In actuality, sin has already been dethroned by the Spirit. Do not be deceived. Trust in the victory we have in Christ. Trust in the fact that you have left the realm of sin and death and entered into the realm of the Spirit of life. Put God back in His rightful place and keep fighting the spiritual battle. The texts we are looking at today are empowering us to live differently, fulfilling His righteous requirements not by our strength but through the knowledge of what God has done for us. What is the sin that you regret and hate yourself for? Drop it at the cross and move forward to righteousness. Learning To Choose Your Focus (5-8) Romans 8:5–8 lays out a clear choice: Romans 8:5–8 (ESV) — 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Think of life as a fork in the road. One path is the flesh—chasing self-centered desires, like pride, comfort, or instant gratification. This path leads to death, not just physically but spiritually, as it pulls us away from God’s purpose. The other path is the Spirit—aligning our minds with God’s will, submitting to God, and seeking to please Him. This path leads to life and peace. Choosing between the flesh and the Spirit is like standing in your kitchen after a long day. You’re tired, and that bag of chips or takeout menu looks so easy—scrolling social media or snapping at your family feels the same way. It’s tempting but leaves you empty. Now, picture choosing a fresh, home-cooked meal—maybe it’s reading a Bible verse or taking a moment to pray before reacting. It takes effort, but it fills you with peace and strength. Romans 8:5–8 says setting your mind on the flesh leads to death, but focusing on the Spirit brings life. So, ask yourself: Where is your mind set? Are you chasing fleeting pleasures or seeking God’s will? I’ve spoken to and been around a lot of people who claim they love God, but they aren’t living for Him. They are living for passions and desires that conflict with God, choosing to focus on what pleases them and makes them feel good. I’ve struggled with those same bad decisions. Those decisions lead us to an unhealthy relationship with God. That’s living by the flesh and rebelling against God. Instead, we all must choose to focus our minds on God’s will with every decision we make, even the small ones. Living by the Spirit means constantly choosing to live by God’s Word with a heart eager to please Him, letting His truth shape your choices. Learning To Change From Within (9-11) The last words we are going to look at are so uplifting for the Romans. In the last section, they might look at themselves and think, “Oh no! I’m in the flesh. I will surely die!” But this text gets them back in touch with reality. Romans 8:9–11 (ESV) — 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Notice here that Paul doesn’t say you are in the Spirit, if you are making all the right choices and always focusing perfectly on God’s will. But the condition is that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Paul uses the phrase “in the Spirit” like he spoke about being in Christ to show a unity with God. Being in the Spirit and having the Spirit in us reminds me of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 that His followers would be one with Him and the Father. The Spirit dwelling in us aligns our desires with God’s. A lot of people wonder what it means for the Spirit to be in us, but it means the exact opposite of sin dwelling in us and taking control of us to bring us death. If we choose to set our minds on the Spirit—loving what God loves, hating what He hates—we belong to Him. And here’s the promise: The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies. God isn’t just saving our souls for heaven; He’s transforming us now, making us holy, reshaping our desires to reflect His. This echoes Ezekiel 36:26–27, where God promises, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you… I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.” God is at work, sanctifying us, bringing our fleshly desires in line with His will. Change isn’t just possible—it’s God’s promise. Our ability to change goes from dialup to fiber. He has infused us with new life! Application So, how do we change? Reject the lie of condemnation. When we stumble, Satan’s first tactic is accusation: “See? You’ll never change.” Romans 8:1 is your shield: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” When guilt hits, don’t wallow. Confess, thank God for Christ’s victory, and get back up. Don’t live like you’re on probation — live like you’re adopted because you are! Starve the flesh, feed the Spirit. Paul says the “mind set on the flesh” leads to death. That’s what you give attention to. Audit your week. Where do you habitually feed the flesh (scrolling, gossip, self-indulgence)? Where do you feed the Spirit (prayer, Scripture, service)? Make one deliberate shift this week — replace a flesh-feeding habit with a Spirit-feeding one. Live in resurrection hope. After we have been accepted into Christ, we have a new life. God wants us to see ourselves as risen from spiritual death to live anew. This new life isn’t supposed to be spent serving sin, but uniting ourselves with our God. This is a relationship that is similar to a marriage. We are learning about ourselves and learning about the one we are in a covenant with. We are constantly changing to please them and become the person we should have been all along. Conclusion Change isn’t easy, but it’s not hopeless. The law of the Spirit of life sets us free from sin’s grip. By choosing to walk in the Spirit, we align ourselves with God’s purpose, and His Spirit works in us to make us holy. Let’s leave today asking: What’s one step I can take to set my mind on the Spirit this week? May we trust God’s promise to give life to our mortal bodies and lead us into true, lasting change.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Have you ever tried to change something deep within yourself—maybe a habit, a mindset, or a way of living—only to find it feels impossible? Last week, we talked about how true change starts from the inside out, like reformatting a computer to run a new program. Our hearts need that kind of transformation. But two big questions arise: Why is this change so hard? And how can we actually do it? Today, we’ll tackle the first question by exploring three barriers to change Paul identifies in Romans 7:1–8:4: our covenant, our challenge, and our weakness. Let’s start with the covenant and discover how God sets us free to live in true freedom. Freed From the Covenant (Romans 7:1–6) Romans 7:1–6 (ESV) — 1 Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. 4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. Imagine being locked into a contract you can’t escape, like a phone plan with no way out. That’s what the Old Testament law was like for God’s people—a binding covenant. Paul uses marriage to explain this. When you say, “Till death do us part,” you’re committed until one spouse dies. Similarly, the law held God’s people under contract. There were three ways to respond to this contract. 1. Rebel against it. 2. Become delusional about your ability to keep it. 3. Try to keep it while realizing your failure.. Here’s the good news: in Christ, you’re free! Paul says, “You have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another” (v. 4). Joining yourself to Jesus’ death broke the old covenant’s grip, like a spouse being freed by death to marry another. Now, you belong to Christ, raised from the dead, to live a life that bears fruit for God. One might say, “Wait, I’m not a Jew and therefore not born under the OT law.” True. But you are under the moral law, which is just as binding, and we are set free from that as well. Okay, that sounds like good news, but do we still act like we’re stuck in the old contract? Do we live like we’re still chained to an old covenant, or do we trust that we belong to Christ? We struggle to change because we don’t fully grasp that we’re free. We keep resisting like rule-breakers or selfishly striving like rule-keepers, instead of trusting we belong to Jesus and desiring to serve Him. Jesus is not like the law. He’s not cold and callous. He is full of compassion. He leads with warmth and tenderness. We have to stop living to do the bear minimum, and start loving Him back. This heart transformation is tough because we’re slow to believe we’re truly His. The old covenant fueled rebellion or self-reliance, but in Christ, we’re called to a new way of serving by the Spirit, not a written code. Next week, we’ll unpack what this “new way of the Spirit” looks like. The Challenge of Sin (7:7-13) The second barrier is just the challenge of sin itself. One might wonder, “Why was the law given if it was just going to be removed? Why not have everyone saved from the moral code?” From the outside, the law appears to have just caused men to sin. Romans 7:7–13 (ESV) — 7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. If the law can’t save us, why did God give it? Did it just make us sin more? Paul says, “By no means!” The law isn’t sin—it’s a spotlight that exposes sin. Think of it like a smoke detector: it doesn’t cause the fire, but it screams to let you know danger’s there. Paul explains, “I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet’” (v. 7). The law reveals the sin already hiding in our hearts, like coveting, showing us where we’re broken. But it gets worse. The law doesn’t just expose sin—it stirs it up. Paul says sin “seized an opportunity” through the commandment, producing “all kinds of covetousness” (v. 8). It’s like seeing a “Wet Paint” sign and suddenly wanting to touch it. The law, meant to guide us toward life, awakens our rebellious nature. Paul reflects, “When the commandment came, sin came alive and I died” (v. 9). Sin, like a virus, was dormant until the law provoked it, revealing our spiritual deadness. Is the law bad, then? No! Paul insists, “The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (v. 12). The law does its job: it shows sin for what it is—“sinful beyond measure” (v. 13). Sin’s the real enemy, a destructive force that deceives and kills if left unchecked. This means we have to overcome something that is already inside of us and killing us. The Problem Is Me (7:14-23) But that’s not all. We struggle with leaving the law. We struggle with the sin that’s inside of us. This means the biggest barrier to putting God on the throne is me. Romans 7:14–23 (ESV) — 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Why is heart transformation so hard? Paul points to the real problem: me. The law shows us what’s right, but our sinful nature fights back. It’s like being stuck in a car with a mind of its own—your hands are on the wheel, wanting to go one way, but the car veers toward danger. Paul confesses, “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (v. 15). He loves God’s law in his heart (v. 22), but his “flesh”—his weak nature—keeps dragging him toward sin. This inner battle is relentless. Paul says sin “dwells within me” (v. 17), like an unwelcome guest that won’t leave. You want to be patient, but rage bubbles up. You want to stay pure, but wrong desires pull you away. The law makes you see these sins clearly, even hate them, but you feel powerless to stop. “I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out” (v. 18). It’s tempting to make excuses or give up, thinking, “This is just who I am.” But Paul’s point is clear: sin is a captor, holding us hostage in our own bodies. Does this mean we’re doomed? No—there’s hope beyond ourselves. The struggle with sin sets the stage for the freedom found in Christ. How Can We Be Free? (7:24-8:4) Romans 7:24–8:4 (ESV) — 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Paul’s cry—“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me?” (7:24)—is our cry. The law exposes sin but can’t save us. Our flesh is too weak. So, who can free us? Paul shouts, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:25). The gospel is the good news: Jesus’ sacrifice breaks sin’s power. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1). Through Christ’s death, God condemned sin, freeing us to live by the Spirit, not the flesh (8:2–4). Three truths bring this home: The law reveals our need for freedom, not the freedom itself. Jesus’ sacrifice frees us from sin’s slavery and condemnation. The Spirit empowers us to live a new way, fulfilling God’s law through love, not legalism. If you haven’t trusted Christ, choose Him today. Baptism is your first step to freedom, dying to sin and rising with Jesus. If you’re a believer struggling with sin, don’t give up—God’s Spirit is with you, forgiving your stumbles and empowering you to overcome. Reflect: Am I ready to trust Christ’s power to free me from sin’s grip?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > When I first came to the faith, I needed to change. I didn’t know how much I needed to change, but I definitely needed to change. It wasn’t really until I started studying Romans 6-8 that I came to understand how much I needed to change. Did you know that sin, and I mean every form of sin (lying, slothfulness, gossipping, lashing out with our tongue, idolatry, etc.) is really a bad habit? It’s a tendency that needs to be broken. How can we overcome these habits? God has given us the solution. Paul wants to help us with this as we study our text this morning. We are going to look at who rules our lives, who rules our hearts, and what will be our reward. Who Rules Your Life? (12-14) First, Paul tells us that we have to choose who rules over our lives. Romans 6:12–14 (ESV) — 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. This text is about a choice we must make. Picture a throne on your heart. Who is sitting on that throne? Who is dictating what you desire and what repulses you? Paul says that sin wants to be on that throne. Until we come to Christ, we want him there, but Christians have kicked him out. We have decided that we want to please God. We have said that the throne of our heart is God’s home. We willingly give Him complete dominion over us and every action that our bodies engage in will be directed by His will, and not sin. How do we know who is on the throne? Who Will You Serve? (15-19) Second, Paul tells us that it’s not enough to say we are serving God. We must show our allegiance to God over sin. Romans 6:15–19 (ESV) — 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. Now, what is Paul really talking about? When we understand the gospel, we understand our slavery. Perhaps you don’t think of sin that way, but have you ever lost control of your anger? Has anxiety or fear over something ever taken over your thoughts? Did you lose something so dear to you that you felt like you had lost your meaning in life? What is it that pushed you over the edge? What is the ultimate thing that caused you to lose control? It was your master. Paul moves from the picture of a throne on our hearts to a picture of us as obedient slaves, and there are really only two options, serve God or sin. Now, he wants us to demonstrate who our master is by our actions. Every choice we make in life shows who we are really working for. It’s either sin or God. There is no part time work in both houses. In the Roman time period a slave was considered property, and masters didn’t share property. If a master tried to work for two slaves, they would inevitably run into a conflicting situation where they would be forced to disobey one master to fulfill the request of the other. So, Paul is telling us that we have to choose whom we are going to serve. Then, after we make that choice, we must be all in or expect consequences. Our choice of the ultimate thing to serve may be different, but it has the same impact and control over us. It is our idol and our master. These idols constantly lead to death. We make good things our ultimate thing instead of God. But they never satisfy or fill us with joy. What Do You Hope To Receive? (20-23) Finally, Paul wants us to understand the significance of the choice we are making. When we put sin on the throne there will be consequences. Conversely, when we say we are putting God on the throne, there will be expectations. Romans 6:20–23 (ESV) — 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Before Jesus, serving our sinful desires was all we knew. We were trapped in a dead-end job, so to speak, with a cruel boss, racking up debt. We felt nothing but emptiness and shame, and there was no way out. But now God’s grace has set us free. We don’t work for sin anymore. Now we work for God, who is a good master. Working for God means that we aren’t lifting up empty things as though they are the ultimate things. This obedience to God will lead us to a fruit bearing life that glorifies our Father. The work we do isn’t paying off some debt. All expenses are covered. All sins are forgiven. Paul says, “You have been set free from sin, and have become slaves of God.” That might sound like an awful situation. Wouldn’t we rather be free from serving anyone? But working for God leads to sanctification with eternal life in view. This master comes bearing gifts instead of demanding them. Those who live to serve sin will be given nothing but suffering and death. Application and Conclusion What Paul is really saying is that we are removing our own sinful passions like snapping at someone in anger, mindlessly scrolling our phones, or chasing some new idol. We are replacing those passions and desires with desires to suffer to glorify God. We spend hours dwelling on how to teach people God’s word. We devote time to visiting those who are sick or shut in. We let someone who wrongs us off the hook. Why would we move our sinful desires off the throne to let God rule? Why would we hate those desires and replace them? This is the most difficult thing we will ever do and it takes so long to put these sinful desires behind us. There is only one reason we will do this, continually. Because we know God has moved us out of the realm of sin and death. We are no longer under law, but under grace. Justification in Jesus has removed our requirement to be righteous, but it has created a desire to be righteous because we place God on the throne of our hearts. We are surrounded by a culture that believes sin can stay on the throne of Christian hearts while God forgives us of all our sins. Paul has made it clear in Chapter 6 that this will not be the case. Those who live to serve sin will receive what sin provides. When you look at your life, who is on the throne of your heart? Who is in control? Do you decide what you will do based on what feels good to you? Are you driven by your own passions, desires, and impulses? Sin is on the throne. Or do you spend countless hours pouring yourself into God’s word and pouring yourself out to God in prayer? Do you concern yourself with the wellbeing of those who need your help? We have a lot of people in this congregation who need help, but we don’t have a lot of workers. Disciples of Christ are supposed to be servants of others. Have you been serving anyone but yourself? I’m sure we have a lot of mothers and fathers in the audience who pour themselves out for their young children. I’m sure we have a lot of members who do serve others. I want you to know that your efforts are the fuel of this congregation. We would be dead without you. But there may be others who want to serve, but you feel unsure about what to do. Please join yourself to someone who is doing the work you want to be involved in. I don’t imagine anyone who is visiting the sick will be upset if you ask if you can go with them. If you want to be more evangelistic, but don’t know how to teach, invite your friend to hear me teach you how to teach them. I pray that this room is full of men and women who know what that means and have committed their minds and hearts to God. If you are struggling with sin, fighting a spiritual battle against temptations and enduring trials with faith, God is on the throne of your heart and you live to serve Him. Those bad habits will gradually be resolved if you are working to change them. Progress won’t come in a day, but it will be noticed in a month or year. God is working with you and for you. He is forgiving you and training you all along the way as you pray for His help and open His word and study it. But if you are continuing on in sin without a care in the world, assuming you are under grace, what do you expect your wages to be?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Some people think Christianity is just a self-improvement program, but it’s not. It’s a death and a resurrection. We aren’t just turning over a new leaf. We are chopping an old tree down, and planting a new seed to grow a new tree, free of disease and sure to last forever. Christianity is not a refreshing of the old you. It’s a rewriting of the software from the ground up. Last week, we studied Romans 5 and learned about the assurance we have that Christ has moved us from the reign of death under Adam to the reign of grace and life under Christ. This news is supposed to assure us of our salvation, but sometimes we struggle to accept it. We wonder if God has really given us that salvation. Today, we will begin learning about one event that marks a transition in our spiritual lives. This one event is where we moved from the domain of law, sin, and death to the realm of life and grace in Christ Jesus. Do you know what that event is? Let’s see together. Dead To Sin, Yet Still Living In It? Romans 6:1–2 (ESV) — 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? To start with, we notice the question, “What shall we say then?” This chapter is building on the last. Adam brought death and death reigned. The law came to increase sin and death, but grace abounded over all the evil we participated in. So, now he asks the question, “Does grace’s domination of sin and death mean we can go on sinning?” It makes sense to think this way. The law increased sin to show God is exceedingly gracious. The more we sinned, the more God showed how compassionate and merciful He could be. But there is a problem with this line of thinking. He says, “By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” What does it mean to die to sin and what does it mean to live in it? To die to sin is to transition from a love relationship to a hate relationship with sin forever. We have heard people say in a relationship, “You are dead to me.” Sin has to be dead to us. Or, to use the illustration from last week, someone who has been brought out of sin and death’s dominion after finding it inescapable should not continue as though they still live in the land of sin and death. They ought to know that being enslaved to sin is a miserable existence. That way of living should be dead to them. Some people might hear that and think Paul is saying, “Christians should never sin again once they are out of the land of sin and death.” But notice Paul says not to “still live in it.” Later he will say “continue in it.” This is something we find repeated throughout the New Testament. We, as Christians, have died to sin, but we are still weak and we make mistakes. Our heart has been changed to where we don’t want to sin anymore. 1 John 1:8–2:1 (ESV) — 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Philippians 3:12 (ESV) — 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. We all struggle to overcome sin because we fail to see it and control ourselves. Living in sin means sinning willfully or practicing sin continually without repenting. That repetitive sin leads to death all over again. We are willingly leaving the land of grace and entering into the land of sin and death. We should never do that and think that God will be gracious toward us. Instead, we should believe that sin’s guilt, shame, and power over me is removed by my intercessor as I strive to obey Him. There is no condemnation. There is now justification through Christ. Buried With Christ After explaining how we must not go on living in sin, he provides us with a further explanation. Romans 6:3–4 (ESV) — 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. In this text, Paul simply explains how we can feel 100% assured in our salvation. The answer: “We were buried with Jesus into His death, that we might walk in the newness of life.” We cannot go on sinning because we aren’t the same person we were before. We have experienced death and new life through the process of baptism. The meaning of baptism contradicts going back to live in sin. “All of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death.” In other words, all of us who were baptized are dead to sin and do not go on living in it. What does this mean about baptism? Three things. It is universal. He’s talking about baptism as though it is fundamental. All believers are baptized. This is an assumed reality in the first century. It is an immersion in water. One cannot have dirt sprinkled on them or poured on them in a small amount and consider themselves buried. Baptism is spoken about multiple times in the Bible. It means to immerse or dip. In Acts 8, Philip took the eunuch down into the water to baptize him. In John 3, “John was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there. It is where we are joined to Jesus. This text tells us that baptism into Christ was an immersion into Christ’s death. In baptism, we are crucifying the world to ourselves and ourselves to the world. We are saying, effectively, “I have counted the costs and I will forsake all to follow you.” Romans 6:5–7 (ESV) — 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. Baptism is the place where we put our old self to death, crucifying him so that we can get rid of the body of sin and death. Notice the language here. Baptism is not an outward showing of an inward faith. It’s not just symbolic of something that has already happened. It is an event where we submit to crucifying the old self with Christ, bringing the body of sin to nothing. Now, I know that some might say, “I thought faith was counted as righteousness. Isn’t baptism a work or an ordinance or a sacrament?” Faith is counted as righteousness as we studied in Chapter 4. We aren’t saved by keeping a law, but by having faith like Abraham. Consider that Abraham believed God and moved. He obeyed God in faith in order to receive the promise making his faith real. His actions weren’t “work” that earned him something. They were acts of faith, just like all those spoken about in Hebrews 11. Faith doesn’t say that sin is put to death before baptism, as many people say today. That is going beyond what is revealed in the word. When we do that, we doubt God’s work in baptism. That’s not faith in God. That’s faith in our traditional “faith only doctrine” over the word of God. Paul says we put our faith in God’s work in Colossians 2:12, declaring you have “been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God.” Notice that Paul says we had faith that God was working in our baptism. Our faith when being baptized is the instrument God uses to provide the promise. So, the all important questions are, “What did you believe your immersion in water was all about? Did you believe God was doing something, or not?” Can God forgive our sins without baptism? Sure, he could. He is powerful enough to do it. Jesus did on multiple occasions. But He didn’t promise you He would. In Acts, the promise is to forgive all who believe, repent, and are baptized (Acts 2:38-39). Our faith has to be in His promises, not popular teachings of our day. This text clearly tells us that every one of the Roman Christians were baptized to die with Christ to sin and death. Paul is incredulous because they should all know that their baptism was the point where they were united with Christ’s death. In baptism, they all were forgiven of their sins and released from slavery to sin. This is foundational information. Raised To Life If someone followed you around this week, would they know you’ve died to sin? Or would they think you’re still alive to it? Would they see God’s peace, comfort, hope, and joy radiating out of you, or would they see someone who is still searching for life in the things that kill us? Romans 6:8–14 (ESV) — 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Life after that death is supposed to be different. Death has lost its grip on the baptized believer. Now we live, not to please sin and death, but to please God. We know that if we’ve been buried with Christ, we don’t have to wonder if we are forgiven. Sin’s chains are broken. Now we live with a sense of joy and satisfaction instead of emptiness, guilt, and fear. Now we live to serve God and His people. This is like the slave who has been set free saying, “I’m never coming back again!” Colossians 3:5–10 (ESV) — 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. We believe that we live with Christ, and we will never die again in a spiritual sense. Death no longer has dominion over us. We have died once for all time, and now we live to never die again. In other words, this experience of baptism has transferred us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col 1:13). So, we have hope of enjoying eternity with God. What happens along with this spiritual rebirth? If we have died to sin and death, we enter a new realm where emptiness, guilt, and fear are out of our minds. If we have died to sin, sin’s powerful hold over us is gone. Grace reigns in its place and we, consequently, live to serve God with joy, peace, and satisfaction. Conclusion Do you hear God’s word of assurance in this text? We must die, but if we do we can truly live forever with Him. Death is the only way we can be united to Christ forever. So let me ask you again—have you died? If you have, don’t go back to the grave. Live as someone who’s already crossed over from death to life, because in Christ… you have. There is coming a day when our weak and sin prone bodies will be put off and we will put on a new body that matches the spiritual reality. A body where sin is not a problem and death is just a faint memory. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that the perishable will put on the imperishable and the mortal will put on immortality. We have that future hope awaiting us. Until then, we know that our sins are covered by the blood of Christ. We don’t carry sin anymore. We aren’t enslaved. We don’t live for sinful desires or indulge in things that bring death. Grace reigns, not so that we can keep on sinning, but so that we will put sin to death in our lives and live for God. Are you experiencing that blessing and aren’t you thankful? I have often seen Christians returning to a life that is just like the rest of the world. It is like they gave up on trying to be a new creation and fell back into slavery to sin. Don’t put sin and death back on the throne of your life. Have faith in God’s power to save you through baptism into Jesus. Remember, the baptized believer has been crucified to the world, and the world has been crucified to them. We no longer live to please ourselves, but to please God who has regenerated our dead souls by breathing new life into our mortal bodies. Is this the way you see your life? Are you resurrected spiritually? Our purpose in life was supposed to shift from serving sin and death to serving the God who made you and recreated you in Christ.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Thus far in Romans, we have seen how God sent Jesus to redeem us. This act of love and grace wasn’t based on how righteous we are, but based on how righteous and faithful God is to His promises. All we have done is respond to the gospel with faith and confidence in God’s provisions. In Chapter 5 thus far, we have seen that we should be rejoicing over the hope this gives us. There should be an inner joy over having peace with God. If God would save us while we were enemies, we are completely assured that He will save us now that we are striving to do His will. For the next few weeks, we will really dive into that assurance and we will see how what God has done for us mold us. He has already said that suffering produces character and character produces hope that will not put us to shame. What does he mean by that? He has also said that God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. What does he mean by that? These are concepts we will explore as we study through Chapter 8. Adam’s Sin Brought Separation Today, we need to start in the beginning. Paul is going to talk about Adam so we must remember what happened. God gave Adam one command in Gen 2:17, “Do not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for in the day you eat of it you will surely die.” Then, in Chapter 3, what did he do? He ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and verse 7 says that his eyes were opened and he knew that he was naked. The knowledge of good and evil made him and his wife aware and ashamed of their current situation. So they made clothes out of fig leaves. Then, verse 8 says they hid themselves from the presence of God. When God comes walking into the garden, he finds them and immediately knows what they have done so he immediately strikes them dead. No, that’s not what happened. God clothes them with animal skins and then he removes them from the garden in verses 22-24. Cherubim with flaming swords were placed outside, preventing them from entering the garden again. They did not die physically on that day, but their relationship was severed because of their transgression. They lost access to the tree of life, eventually leading to physical death. Comparing and Contrasting Adam and Jesus With this story as the backdrop, Paul wants us to understand how what Jesus has done for us is similar to what Adam has done for us. You might say, “ Wait, that does sound good.” But it is. It’s very good! Romans 5:12 (ESV) — 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— Now, you will notice in your Bibles that there is a dashed line at the end of verse 12. That’s because all the translators recognize that Paul starts an argument and doesn’t finish it until verse 18. First, we are going to see his argument, and then we will see why he stopped making the argument to give us this parenthetical statement. Skip down to verse 18 to see the rest of the argument. Romans 5:18-19 (ESV) —18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Paul is saying that death or condemnation reigned because of the decision Adam made. We all come to an age where we know the difference between right and wrong and we all sin and find ourselves guilty (Romans 1-3). Spiritual death is the consequence of that disobedient sin. Adam’s sin had an impact. His sin led to mankind being kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Cane, Abel, and Seth were not allowed to enter in. All of mankind was condemned to a life separated from God. This is what Paul means when he says, “death spread to all men.” Lack of access to the garden meant a change in relationship with God and no access to the tree of life. So, in a sense, Adam affected us all. He wants us to see that the consequences of his sin spread to us as we also sin. We suffered condemnation and spiritual death as a result of Adam’s mistake. Comparing The first verse provides the first part of an argument saying, “Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin.” But he waits to give a rational conclusion for the “just as” clause until verse 18, where he says “so one act of righteousness.” The argument goes like this. Just as one man’s disobedience affected all mankind, so one man’s obedience affected all mankind. Just as Adam’s single act of sin made many sinners, so Jesus’ single act of righteousness made many righteous. Just as Adam’s sin brought death (condemnation) for all who sinned, so Jesus brought life (justification) for all who receive the grace of God. Jesus has done the one thing all mankind has needed since the very beginning! He has opened the gates to the tree of life! Through Jesus God has undone what no man in all of history has been able to undo. He has set us free from the reign of death. Contrasting Now, for those of you who were paying close attention, or perhaps for the 'prudent Bible students' among us, you might be wondering about those verses we skipped in the middle – verses 13-17. Paul includes this 'parenthetical' not to confuse us, but to provide crucial clarification and to emphasize just how different Jesus' work is from Adam's, even in their similarities. Romans 5:13–17 (ESV) — 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Why provide such a huge parenthetical? This is Paul’s attempt to clarify some things. First, he wants to say that the law didn’t bring sin into the world, Adam did. The need to be righteous by our own pure and perfect lives started in the day he ate of that tree. We all sin, as he said back in Chapter 2:15, when we go against our consciences and feel accused or attempt to excuse ourselves. The only way sin cannot be counted against us is if we find righteousness without the law. So, he says, “The free gift is not like the transgression.” After the transgression, death reigned, but the free gift brings life! It brings justification instead of condemnation. The most interesting thing about this is the phrase, “death reigned.” He depicts death as a being with power to reign over us. It’s like being in a country that is oppressive and enslaves you and you cannot escape from it. But notice verse 17, “those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. “ Jesus created a country where death doesn’t reign anymore and he built a bridge where we can cross over. So the parenthetical tells us that even though what Jesus did was on the magnitude of what Adam did, it has the totally opposite result. Now, we have entered into the country where we are free to choose. We can let God who freed us be in control of our lives, or we can choose to return to the country where death reigns. Grace Abounds In the final section of our text Paul restates this, bringing out the power of grace. Romans 5:20–21 (ESV) — 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul says that the law’s purpose was not to save us, but to increase our sin, increase our death, and increase our guilt. Consider that for a moment. When we emphasize the law and law keeping as a means of becoming righteous, we are putting sin and death in a higher position. But God brought Jesus in to remove the rule of sin and death and put grace on the throne of our lives. In the new country, grace abounds over the sin and death that the law produces. God has made it to where we are exceedingly sinful so that He could be exceedingly gracious. He wants His grace to reign. This picture of a new country where grace reigns is powerful. Application This means that we must base our righteousness on faith in what Jesus has done, not on our ability to keep the law. Isn’t that hard to do? God has provided us with salvation apart from the law, but we struggle to accept it. This text teaches us that Jesus has completely flipped the script for humanity. He has created the opportunity for us to be released from sin and death’s stranglehold. How many times have Christians let their concern over the tiniest failure cloud their assurance of righteousness? What are we doing when we do that? We are putting sin and death back on the throne. Satan’s goal is to cast us down with accusations, but God moves us out of the country where death has dominion over us. We have intercession now through King Jesus and grace abounds. We are making too much of ourselves and not making much of God. We must be like David who believed God had forgiven him after he did atrocious sins, not because he made up for his sin, but because God’s grace abounds. We are consuming our time with guilt instead of fulfilling our purpose with joy. This peace with God and hope of righteousness from Jesus should result in a joyful, fruit-bearing life. God has demonstrated how wonderful He is in order to woo us to Him, creating a passion and love for Him. Let go of the guilt, tear down the idols of your life, and put God in the highest place with joy and devotion. He should be your everything! Conclusion Jesus’ righteousness has brought a tremendous opportunity for us to be reconciled to God. God has given us a second chance to be in a relationship with Him. Will we take advantage of it? Jesus has brought us into a new era of light and life. Will we choose to be reconciled and “reign in life?” If you have not been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, and you are of the age of accountability, you are falling short of the glory of God. Make that decision today then choose to live for God and enjoy the blessing of a continued relationship obediently living for God’s glory. If we can help you let us know.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Proverbs 18:19 - "A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle." This proverb describes how our words and actions create a very difficult situation, full of pain and suffering for both parties. It speaks of the difficulty in repairing broken relationships. How many of us have lost a relationship with friends or family members because of something they did or something we have done? Many times we break the relationship and there is nothing we can do to resolve it. We need forgiveness. Today, we will continue our one another series. Last month we learned about our need to bear with one another, and we saw how important it is for us to be patient and endure with the pain of being around one another. To "bear with" is to patiently tolerate and endure someone's flaws, weaknesses, or annoying habits without complaining or retaliating. It's about accepting them as they are, even when they're difficult. But today’s focus goes deeper. If bearing with one another is one level, forgiveness is ten levels higher. Forgiveness can be one of the hardest things we will ever do, but it is absolutely required for all followers of Christ. Plus it is the one act of love that has the largest impact in improving our own lives and the lives of those around us. So, we are going to look at the command, the reason behind it, and our struggle so that we can hopefully practice this command well. The Command To Forgive To begin our study, we are going to look at a text in Ephesians and find clarity on God’s command to forgive. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) — 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. This command is surrounded by important qualifiers. We might wonder, “What do we mean by forgive?” Perhaps we want to call forgiveness, bearing with someone. We want to claim we have forgiven when all we did is hold ourselves back from destroying the person who offended us. But notice the words around this command. First he says, “Be kind to one another.” Kindness implies thoughtfulness and loving care. If we see an opportunity to help one another, we are supposed to go out of our way to provide that help. Second, he says, “Tenderhearted.” Tenderheartedness is a quality of care and sweetness toward others. If someone has a need we aren’t acting inconvenienced, begrudging, or upset about helping them. We don’t do it in a harsh or reckless way. We are tender and gentle in our thoughts, desires, and attitudes towards them. These two ideas, kindness and tenderheartedness, are explained as forgiving others. We don’t wish any evil to fall on those who trespass against us. We have a heart full of affection and well wishes towards those who hurt us. This is a command to give forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it. Look at the last part of the verse, “As God in Christ forgave you.” How did God forgive you? Was He upset about it? Did He do it angrily and bitterly? Was He reluctant or wishing He didn’t have to? Consider how God forgave you. We just studied Romans 5 where Paul pointed out that God offered what was needed to forgive us while we were still enemies. Hopefully, we know that God didn’t forgive with any form of harshness. He was created the opportunity to forgive us because He hates to destroy the wicked. He would much rather the wicked turn from their wickedness and be forgiven. Our Struggle But our forgiveness may not be so tender and kind. We may be very reluctant and harsh, if we forgive at all. When someone lies to us, betrays us, or hurts us, anger prevents us from forgiving those sinners. Our anger and wrath may control us, if we let them. Bitterness might well up inside of us and prevent us from being kind or gracious toward those who sin against us. Paul knew that anger, bitterness, clamor, slander, malice, and wrath would be a struggle we would have to deal with. But notice four truths he tells us about these decisions. Anger is not sinful in and of itself (26). Jesus commands us not to be angry with our brother in the sermon on the mount, but Paul here clarifies that anger is an emotion that is normal and natural. God has given it to us. It is an emotional response that could lead us to sins of many different types so we must find a way to release our anger without venting it out on anyone else and sinning. Paul says, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.” This means addressing it quickly. In other words, find a way to get rid of that emotion when it pops up. Practical ways to do this might include: taking a moment to pray and give your anger to God, writing out your feelings to process them, speaking calmly to a trusted friend or counselor, or even taking a walk to release some of that tension in a healthy way. The goal is to prevent it from festering. So, we have to have a gameplan for when our spouse, friend, or enemy gets to us. Our anger gives opportunity to the devil (26). We don’t fully understand what is going on in the spiritual realm, but we do know that the devil is seeking to deceive us and accuse us of evil. He wants us to fall into a state of disobedience and rebellion. When we get angry, we become weak and vulnerable. We must demonstrate self-control and shut the door before sin weighs us down. Our words can corrupt and harm others (29). After discussing the dangers of the emotion, he gives us a practical example of what can often happen when we get angry. Our words can tear down the faith of others. We can sin against the one who has sinned against us by simply opening our mouth. Often times, we resort to gossip, slander, and spreading hateful things about the brother or sister who has sinned against us. But we ought to seek to be gracious towards them. We don’t want to destroy the body of Christ, but to build it up. We can grieve the Holy Spirit (30-31). As we consider our response to a brother or sister who has offended us, we need to recognize something important. God has made us into His Holy Temple. God’s Spirit dwells inside of us, and the last thing He wants to see is our tearing down another temple instead of building it up. When we are full of bitterness, a deep-seated resentment from a wrong that hasn’t been forgiven, the Holy Spirit is grieved within us. He knows our heart. He sees every thought and hears every word. When we as Christians fail to act like Christ the Holy Spirit within is grieving our spiritual downfall. We had an opportunity to shine a light into darkness, but we failed. These four truths help us understand what is really going on when someone sins against us. We have emotions raging inside of us and a tendency to sin in response. But that sin pleases Satan while grieving the Holy Spirit who has given us spiritual life. We are effectively destroying the work that God sent His son to die for and we must repent. Lord, Help Us Forgive Kind and tender forgiving attitudes should be at the heart of all Christians, but we struggle with that. As we have seen, anger, bitterness, malice, and wrath are close at hand when someone sins against us. So, we need some help and some motivation to let go of our anger and freely forgive those who do not deserve it, like God has forgiven us. Ephesians 5:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Imitate God The first bit of motivation comes from the phrase, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Do you recognize how kind and gracious God is? I think a lot of people get this wrong in the religious world. They like a preacher who preaches hellfire and brimstone! But that is not an accurate portrayal of God. He can and will inflict judgment against the wicked. He does have a place of torment for the wicked. But He is not a hateful and unloving God. He is simultaneously love and an all consuming fire. Listen to His description of Himself. Exodus 34:5–7 (ESV) — 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” God will by no means clear the guilty, but notice how that is a small part of His description. The repetition of His goodness is supposed to be our example. Forgiveness is at the heart of who God is. He loves and He forgives. Imitate Him. Remember, it is godlike to forgive. Fulfilling Our Purpose The second bit of motivation for us to forgive is found in the phrase, “Walk in love.” Do you know that forgiveness is demonstrating love? Love is the most important thing we can do. It is in the greatest of all commandments, “Love God and love your neighbor.” When we forgive others, we are giving them love and fulfilling our role in the kingdom. This is the fruit God was hoping to see in us when He saved us. We need that perspective. Offering A Sacrifice Finally, in this text we see that forgiving others is the ultimate sacrifice. Sacrifices hurt to give. Jesus sacrificed himself on a cross. He didn’t lash out in anger. He didn’t have bitterness and malice in His heart on the cross. He was handing out forgiveness. Do you know that it costs a lot for someone to forgive you? They lose something when they have to forgive you. They suffer. Christ was suffering as He asked God to set us all free. Suffering injustice, loss, grief, shame, humiliation, physical pain, and emotional anguish. Forgiveness costs. It means letting go of our right to revenge, our desire for the other person to "pay" for what they did, or even the expectation of an apology or a changed behavior from them. It's important to remember that forgiveness is not forgetting, nor is it excusing the wrong. It's choosing to release the bitterness and resentment that binds us to the offense, and entrusting justice to God. Let’s not be ignorant of that. But what better way is there to show your love for God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, than to love the unlovable and forgive those who don’t deserve forgiveness. Conclusion There is one more motivating factor that I will close with, and I believe it is obvious. When we choose to forgive others, we have the joy of reconciliation instead of the pain of bitterness. Holding on to our anger and venting our wrath might sound appetizing, but it will only bring more pain and suffering. When we forgive, we gain a brother. I will remind you of the prodigal son. Remember the father embracing his son, having forgiven him of all his wrongs and being overjoyed at the prospect of having a relationship with him again. The brother refused to forgive. Don’t be like him. Have the joy of the father. You have a short amount of time in this life, make the most of it. I would also encourage you to look carefully at Matthew 18 for a process of forgiving a brother who is continually sinning against you. Further steps are needed to bring that brother to repentance for their own spiritual good. This passage outlines a path for confronting a brother or sister who has wronged you, seeking their repentance. While our personal act of forgiveness (releasing resentment) is unconditional, the restoration of the relationship often depends on the offender's acknowledgment of their sin and their willingness to change. Forgiveness is for our spiritual freedom; reconciliation is for relational healing, which sometimes requires the other person's participation. If you are here and in need of forgiveness, God is not reluctant. He is not wishing He didn’t have to forgive you. He is on the edge of His seat, hoping that you will accept His invitation.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > This week, I met a teenager shattered by loss and poor choices, realizing her pursuits offered no true joy. Whether that's your story or a subtler struggle—like lingering anxiety or unmet expectations—many of us chase fleeting happiness only to find emptiness. Does this resonate with you? Are you grappling with where true joy comes from and how to grasp it? You've likely heard that Christians, above all, should radiate joy—beaming with an inner light that makes others ask, "What makes them so different? How do they stay content amid suffering?" I confess: for years, I didn't grasp Christian joy either. I wondered if I had to fake it. But Romans 5 shows us that genuine joy springs from peace, hope, and assurance. Let's explore these sources. 1. From Wrath to Peace (1) Christian joy begins with peace. Romans 5:1 (ESV) — Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans chapters 1-3 paints a stark picture: we've fallen short of God's glory, traded truth for lies, and chased fleeting pleasures over our created purpose. The cultural myth that everyone is inherently "good" crumbles under God's righteous judgment. Our choice to sin has made us enemies of God. We deserve wrath, not heaven. Yet, embracing this "poor in spirit" humility opens the door to peace beyond comprehension. This peace is like a war-ending treaty, a lifelong pardon, or reconciliation after betrayal. We know the dread of punishment when we do something evil and feel guilty.. Even if no one else knows about it, our conscience terrifies us. But this means God removes our deserved punishment, forging peace between us and Him. Anxiety, stress, guilt, and fear give way to rest, knowing we're forgiven and loved by our Creator. This isn't constant emotional calm in every circumstance, but a foundational state: at peace with God. The outcome? Deep inner joy—a restful happiness rare in our world. It's like knowing a movie's happy ending while others fret. God doesn't seek our destruction; through Christ, He offers forgiveness, presence, and guidance despite our unworthiness. Have you experienced that peace, the removal of concern over your eternal resting place? That’s what God wants us all to experience. 2. From Despair To Hope (2-5) As forgiven believers, joy also flows from hope. Romans 5:2–5 (ESV) — 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. We often tie our joy to our circumstances and our expectations. So when trials come, we often consider them to be ripping our joy away from us. We go through periods of darkness, where we feel no joy. Instead we have despair and hopelessness. But faith sees a light at the end of the tunnel and that is called “Hope.” We have hope that all suffering leads us to a greater place. These words are wonderful. “We have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” We stand. We don’t fall, lie down, sit, or stumble. We stand. This is a posture of stability and strength in the midst of trials. Why? Because, he says, “We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” This phrase or terminology is confusing. We rejoice in what? The hope of God’s glory. What does he mean by that? It is the hope of reaching the glory of God we fell short of (3:23) by becoming His image bearer. The hope of reaching the glory we fell short of. We have hope that we can become proper image bearers of God, as we were created to be. Look at verses 3-4, where he tells us that our character is being transformed now. There is tremendous hope that we can be more and more like Christ in this life. Finally, we can become what we were created to be. Think about it. There, in the midst of the greatest suffering you have ever experienced you have an opportunity to shine a bright signal beacon indicating you belong to God. You aren’t broken, afraid, or losing control. You don’t have a sudden desire to give in to sin. You are about to show all of the heavenly beings what you are made of, and how much faith you have in Christ. You have stood on grace and let it transform you into a Christlike state, and now you suffer well, knowing God is watching with love and affection in His heart. We suffer knowing that He will not allow us to be ashamed. Suffering doesn’t take away our hope. It increases our hope. We are supposed to be people who have the most positive outlook on life of anyone because we understand the point of living. As my mentor said, “We aren’t living to die. We are dying to live.” We can be real about how suffering is dreadful, but at the same time, we have to recognize that suffering develops us spiritually and draws us closer to our Savior who suffered for us. 3. The Blessed Assurance Finally, joy surges from assurance in Christ's sacrifice. Peace and hope fuel it, but this crowns all: God's ultimate guarantee. Romans 5:6–11 (ESV) — 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Christian joy isn't worldly pleasure—discard that notion. It's anchored in the gospel: God did the unimaginable, dying for us despite our profound sinfulness. His blood offers forgiveness to all. Remarkably, He acted "while we were still weak... ungodly... sinners... enemies." No merit earned it; God chose us in our evil. This text provides Scripture's most profound assurance: If God reconciled enemies through His Son's death, how much more will He save His reconciled friends through His life? It's like forgiving a loved one's murderer and freeing them—would you then begrudge their imperfect love? God's forgiveness eclipses ours. This isn't license to sin (as chapter 6 clarifies), but a marvel: God's love poured into us via the Holy Spirit, sealing us as His. He died for enemies; now, as we live by faith, Jesus lives for us. Assurance overflows into joy. Application &amp; Conclusion I understand that peace, hope, and assurance aren’t always at the forefront of our minds. When money is tight, we grow concerned about food and paying bills. When someone around is causing us suffering, we tend to only think about the evil injustice of our situation. When suffering finds us, it’s hard not to long for the day when suffering will end. But those who are in Christ have a deep, inner peace that no trial can take away. Whatever the conflict, it pales in comparison to the wrath we deserved from God. Whatever the darkness of our current situation, there is always hope lighting the way at the end of the tunnel. We do not need to be afraid or depressed to the point of despair. God assures us of His love. He is not punishing us, but training and strengthening us to provide a greater glory of being like Christ. 1 Peter 1:8–9 (ESV) — 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. The young woman I spoke to last week can find a way out of the brokenness she is in, and so can we. We don’t have to let sin, guilt, shame, and suffering rob us of joy. The spiritually strong and mature are content and maintain a positive outlook that stems from an inner joy. We are here to help one another in this. This shines a light of faith that builds up our brothers and sisters in Christ.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > Why Faith? (Romans 4:9-25) Last time, we saw that God chose faith as the criterion for salvation. He did not choose works of the law, for fear that man would boast about his accomplishments instead of seeing the enormity of God’s grace. When we look back at the Old Testament, we see that it has always depended on faith. Abraham was told that his faith was credited to him as righteousness. David was forgiven without having done anything to atone for his sin. He simply believed that God would forgive him for his evil deeds. Today, we will explore why faith, not works, unlocks God’s promise of salvation, using Abraham as our guide. The Abraham Case Study Have you ever faced a situation so impossible that only God could fix it? That’s where Abraham stood. Abraham is one of the most important figures in all of history. The relationship God chose to have with him has shifted all the nations of the earth in significant ways. So, Paul wants us to focus on Abraham and understand a few things. 1. Faith First (9-12) The first thing he wants to do is explain circumcision. For years, circumcision was held as an identifier for God’s people. Paul tells us that circumcision was not what drew God to Abraham. Romans 4:9–12 (ESV) — 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. God promised Abraham a son and a legacy when he was 75, and he believed. A decade later, at 86, God visited Abraham, who was still childless, and promised him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and he believed again. Another decade later, at 99, circumcision came as a seal—a visible sign of the faith he already had, just before Isaac was born. Like a wedding ring symbolizes a marriage vow, circumcision marked Abraham’s trust in God. This order was intentional: God wanted Abraham to be the father of all who believe, whether circumcised or not. For that to happen, faith, not outward marks, must be what makes us children of Abraham. What does this tell us? God wants to do something overwhelmingly generous for Abraham because Abraham believes God can, and that He is good enough to do it. God’s decision to be generous toward Abraham did not start with his acceptance of circumcision. God was able to look at Abraham’s belief and say, “Here is a man I want to bless.” How does that shift your attitude toward God? Do you see God’s promises to you and believe, or are you trying to rely on some kind of payment system? 2. Faith’s Guarantee (13-16) The second thing Paul wants us to consider about faith is how it opens the door to grace on a grander scale. Before, the law was constantly keeping score and requiring a sacrifice for every mistake. That’s very unstable ground to walk on. Now, faith opens the door to the steadfast lovingkindness we need, like being welcomed into a family. Romans 4:13–16 (ESV) — 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, Paul wants to be clear about how different the law and faith truly are. We cannot mix the two or pollute faith with the law because the law always brings wrath when we transgress it. We don’t want righteousness to have anything to do with law-keeping. But faith causes the promise to “rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring.” Faith makes it possible for grace to come to all mankind without the wrath we learned about in Chapters 1-3. This means that faith is the key to everything. Those who hear the gospel and confess their faith in it have put their trust in God to be gracious toward them when they deserve wrath. They have set down their own righteousness and surrendered to God’s righteousness and the way of faithfulness demonstrated by His Son. This grace is described as a guarantee. I know that seems too good to be true, but take that in. God wants His children to rest assured in His promises and in His love for them. He wants us all to believe that He is good and desires to forgive us of every trespass through the sacrifice of Christ. Isn’t that amazing? He will later reveal that we cannot go on sinning that grace may abound, but don’t let that notion distract you. Just take in this wonderful promise of grace being guaranteed for all who have chosen to faithfully surrender to His promises. 3. Faith’s Power (17-25) In the final section of our text, I want to ask you a question: Do you see your faith as similar to the faith of Abraham? This text teaches us that our belief is very similar to Abraham’s. As Abraham believed God could do the impossible, so do we. Romans 4:17–25 (ESV) — 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Abraham believed that God could give him a son at 86 years old. He considered the deadness of his body and the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No life should ever come from them at this point in their lives. But Abraham heard God’s words and became fully convinced that God was able to create new life instead of believing that it was impossible. Now, I said that our faith is very similar to Abraham’s. How is that? Abraham believed God could bring life from a barren womb; we believe God brought life from a tomb. Like Abraham, God counts our faith in God doing the impossible as righteousness. He equates the deadness of Abraham’s and Sarah’s reproductive systems producing life to the deadness of Jesus rising from a crucified death. Both are unbelievable. Then, He connects that to our spiritual deadness. If we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, we also believe that He can raise us from spiritual death. That belief makes us like Abraham, and we are similarly counted as righteous. The hopelessness has turned to hope. The depression has turned to joy. When we were dead in our trespasses, unable to save ourselves, God made us alive with Christ, canceling our debt through His cross and raising us to walk in newness of life. This faith isn’t just intellectual agreement—it’s a conviction that God’s power overcomes the impossible, transforming us from death to life. Believe that God is willing and able to do the impossible for you. Faith’s Value Looking at Abraham reveals that our faith has tremendous value in the sight of God. When we believe that He can do the impossible, verse 20 says, we are giving God glory. When we trust God to do the impossible—forgiving our sins through Christ’s resurrection—we become righteous in His sight. God’s not asking you to blindly accept this. He wanted Abraham to consider how unlikely it all was. But, at the end of the day, with all evidence considered, Abraham chose to trust God, and he received the blessing. The dead lived. What about you? If you’ve never confessed faith in Jesus, will you trust Him today and let us guide you to baptism? If you’ve believed but haven’t been baptized, take that step to seal your faith. Be raised from spiritual death and walk in new life, sealed by the Holy Spirit into Christ. And if you’re walking with Christ, share your faith this week to point others to His glory. Let’s live as children of Abraham, trusting God’s promises and resting in His guaranteed grace. Will you take that step today?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > If someone wrongs us, we feel like they are indebted to us. If someone breaks the law, they owe time, money, or community service to pay for what they’ve done. This is normal and natural to us. But God has a way of shaking up what is normal and natural to us. He makes it clear that he’s not like us. We have studied Romans 1-3 and understood our need for the gospel. Everyone wrongs the God who made them. We dishonor Him by believing a lie. We worship and serve things that are created instead of our creator. We learn the truth about right and wrong, but refuse to practice what we preach. We sear our conscience and grow numb to the evil we commit, attempting to make excuses and justify ourselves. We pile up debt with God, and no one can escape the debt they owe. But God is righteous. He does not want to inflict wrath on those who have sinned against Him. He wants us to understand what we’ve done and feel ashamed. Then, He wants us to see what He has done through Jesus and receive forgiveness and grace. The gospel is the truth about our sinfulness and the truth about God’s righteousness. It reveals the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. Romans 3:23–26 (NET) — 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.26 This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness. Today, we are going to study a section of Romans that explains to us how we receive forgiveness of our debt and keep it paid off. The answer is found in verse 25, “Through faith.” This is the key phrase or idea in the book. We have spent a few weeks looking at Habakkuk to understand what faith is. Now, I want to apply that to our study of Romans. “By Grace” and “By Faith” Verse 24 says, “They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” All of our sins are freely justified by His grace and the redemption of Christ. Grace is an undeserved gift, a totally free offering that makes up for all the sins we have committed. It pays the debt. Then, verse 25 says, “God publicly displayed him at his death as a mercy seat… God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.” God displayed Jesus as the passover lamb, the sacrifice that allows for the forgiveness of all sins and wrongs. This forgiveness is made available through God's goodness and righteousness, demonstrating His desire for all humanity to know His own greatness. God's amazing grace was exemplified by both God and His Son as they endured pain and suffering to open the door for this forgiveness. We have a mercy seat available to us because of God’s gracious action. There is no doubt that we are saved by God’s grace. Without his love, power, and wisdom we would have no hope of being justified, redeemed, or forgiven. But there is another important phrase that we find in this section. This is a phrase we will really focus on throughout this lesson. In the NET version, He says that the mercy seat is “accessible through faith.” The ESV says it is “received by faith.” This is a BIG DEAL. God doesn’t go through all this trouble to make grace available and then hide it behind some huge paywall. He makes it accessible. We see the gospel in this, for, “The righteous will live by faith.” What God told Habakkuk is true. God will make those who are spiritually dead alive again through His grace and through their faith. No Boasting Now, to say that we are saved by God’s grace and through faith implies a few things. First, it implies that our salvation is not by keeping the law, which no one could do anyway. Second, it replaces pride with thankfulness. Let’s see how this is true. Romans 3:27–31 (NET) — 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! 28 For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law.29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! 30 Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the law. As I said at the beginning, when we do wrong, we have to pay for what we’ve done. That is expected. But God breaks that mold. He does what we cannot do. He pays our debt for us with the precious blood of Jesus. That kind of breaks our perception of reality. We can now be forgiven without paying for our sin? Surely, that’s not the case. That would mean that those who have sinned more than us are given a reset and are forgiven when they do not deserve it. Can’t you just see the Jews gears turning in this way, “That means all our efforts to keep the law were meaningless.” They were proud of what they had done, and wanted their efforts to count for something. Paul wants to address this. He was a “Hebrew of Hebrews.” He had devoted his life to keeping the law, but it was never enough. He wasn’t making progress. In fact, he was becoming increasingly violent and, unknowingly, opposed to God. But God, in his grace, had made it to where he can be forgiven. There was no other option. The lawkeeper’s best efforts will never be enough to save them. But God, in his mercy, has extended that grace to save the Jews and the Gentiles. He’s their creator too. While He is forgiving, He might as well forgive all the sinners who will humble themselves and accept His forgiveness. He wants all mankind to be forgiven, and He wants that forgiveness to be accessible through faith, not law keeping. This doesn’t mean that the law is meaningless. He forgives Jews and Gentiles for breaking the law, so that they can willingly uphold the law. We go from righteousness based on our ability to uphold the law to a righteousness based on God’s kindness. That changes our posture from one of pride to gratitude. Blessed Without Law This principle sheds new light on the Old Testament. Who was really righteous in the Old Testament? Who did God seem to draw near to and bless in the past? It was always those who had faith. Paul’s words in Chapter 4 make these ideas obvious. The righteous have always lived by faith. No one has ever been spiritually alive because they kept the law well enough. Abraham Romans 4:1–5 (NET) — 1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has discovered regarding this matter?2 For if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to boast about—but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation.5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness. Abraham was declared righteous by God because He believed God was trustworthy. By faith he left his homeland and traveled to a land he did not know in order to receive the gracious blessing that was promised. He lives by faith, and, consequently, he becomes spiritually alive to God. He is declared righteous. What happened with Abraham was not the result of works of law. There was no law given at that time. One could even argue that he broke the law of his conscience by lying to the Egyptians about his wife. But God chose to count his faith as righteousness. Notice the words in verse 5 again, “believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous.” He’s calling Abraham ungodly, and says that God had to declare him righteous or justified on the basis of his faith, not his work. David Romans 4:6–8 (NET) — 6 So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.” David is a great example of this. What could David have done to make up for his sin? He committed adultery and murder. There is no making up for that. No amount of sacrifices can clear away his guilt and sin. But He repents and asks God for forgiveness. Then, he believes the prophet, Nathan, who tells him that God has put away his sin. That’s why he says what he says in Psalm 32, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.” David was able to be counted as righteous because God is gracious and David chose to believe in Him. Our Forgiven Mentality Given this explanation of salvation, what is our mentality toward God’s grace and righteousness in general? Undeserving - Too many times I hear Christians talking about salvation as though it is something we get because we deserve it. Not one soul on earth deserves it. We have to give up on deserving salvation or righteousness. It cannot happen. Confident - It’s not that we think we cannot be saved, but that we believe we need help from God. This is one of the most fundamental flaws in our society. We tend to go from one extreme to the other. Either we rely on no one but ourselves, or we expect everything to be given to us on a silver platter. The middle ground says, “I don’t deserve anything, but I appreciate and trust that God wants to forgive those who live by faith in Him.” This confidence is the faith we saw in Habakkuk that must be in us. Overwhelming Gratitude - It’s not that we disregard God’s law, but that we aren’t chained to it for righteousness. Those who are in Christ want to keep the law from their heart. They don’t see keeping the law as burdensome, but as an act of love toward the God who loved them. We aren’t satisfied with simply abiding by the rules. We want a deeper relationship. We want to be sanctified and holy so we can draw nearer to the God who forgives and provides. Conclusion For some of us, it may be difficult to grasp how forgiving God is showing Himself to be. We would never forgive on the level that He is forgiving. There is no way! But consider that if God was willing to give His Son for us, we can rest assured that He loves us and that He wants us to be forgiven. He takes no pleasure in punishing the wicked. Faith has confidence in God’s willingness to fulfill His promises and provide forgiveness through Jesus. Do you believe that the sacrifice of Jesus is enough to cover your sin and shame? Consider the sinners forgiven in the New Testament. Jesus is willing to take a criminal hanging on a cross to heaven with Him. God forgives David, Peter, and Paul. Will He not forgive you? Don’t waste time with anxiety. Be joyful and grateful for the blessing of forgiveness. Confess your mistakes and believe that God has removed them as far as the east is from the west.

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > What would it mean for us to have confidence in God? It’s one thing for us to believe that God can do something amazing, and it’s another thing to live faithfully while the world is crumbling around you. Habakkuk has revealed how terrible the world has become in His lifetime. The Law is paralyzed, justice is perverted, and the innocent are in a constant state of suffering. Judah is the last remaining country belonging to God’s people and most of them are living in complete and total rebellion against God’s will. He sees all this and wonders how long God will let this go on before stopping it. Can we relate? Things are changing rapidly in America. Skepticism, materialism, and distorted teachings are rampant, making it easy to wonder if God is still in control. Now, imagine God raising up Islam to persecute and destroy those who profess to be Christians. Would we still have confidence in God after that happens? Or, let’s get more down to the personal level. What if God lets you suffer some form of pain, loss of funds, loss of family, loss of ability, etc? How much confidence will we have in God during that trial? Chapter 3 contains a prayer/song and a post script where Habakkuk demonstrates an unshakable faith. Throughout this chapter, we see that confidence in God isn’t just believing He’s powerful enough to act—it’s trusting His plan, even when it looks different from what we expect. What’s one area in your life where you need that kind of confidence right now? Pleading For Revival and Mercy Habakkuk’s words in Chapter 3 have to be considered based on what he says in verses one and two. Habakkuk 3:1–2 (ESV) — 1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. 2 O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. The time spent conversing with the Lord has caused Habakkuk to write poetry. He is giving his people a prayer, “according to Shigionoth.” This means that what he writes here is similar to the Psalms and he intends for it to be sung with enthusiasm and triumph. This word in particular points to highly emotional, passionate song of praise. Verse two introduces this prayer/song, saying that he has heard the report of God’s work, and, though he fears it, he calls for God to revive it, to make it known, and to show mercy in His wrath. In other words, Habakkuk knows how God has treated His people in the past. He knows how God has constantly tried to convince His people to pursue His ways and be holy as He is holy. When they failed, God always brought the sword, famine, or pestilence to correct them and remind them that He demands obedience. He had never destroyed the people completely, and Habakkuk is hoping that He won’t do that this time. He deeply wants God to revive His people and glorify His name. He’s asking God to create a spiritual awakening and renew people’s hearts like in the days of Samuel and David. Awe at God’s Power In the next section, we will see an amazing description of God coming to destroy His enemy. Habakkuk 3:3–15 (ESV) — 3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power. 5 Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels. 6 He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. 8 Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation? 9 You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah You split the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high. 11 The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear. 12 You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger. 13 You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah 14 You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret. 15 You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters. What is this? Is this a recounting of all that God has done or a vision of what God is going to do? It’s both. He starts with God coming down from Teman and Mount Paran. Teman and Paran are mountains in the south where God wandered with Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. So, he is referring to a historical event and illustrating how God conquered Egypt before moving into Canaan where He defeated all of His enemies in the promised land. This prayer is a reminder to Judah that God has the power to defeat all those who rise up against Him. He split the rivers and made the sun and moon stand still. So, this is about looking at the past to focus on the future. If God has done this previously, He can completely destroy everyone He decides to destroy. This is also a picture of what God’s coming judgment will be like. Notice in these verses the immense power and destruction He is bringing. Nature itself is witnessing and unable to stop His wrath. Raging rivers, towering mountains, the depths of the sea, the sun and moon, all are trembling at the coming fury of God. God is more powerful than nature because He is the one who set nature in motion. Verse 4 even alludes to the idea that what we have seen previously is a veiled display. We cannot handle God in His fullness. The overall point of this text is to say that everyone ought to be terrified of God’s wrath and fury. There is no man on earth who is able to stand against His judgment. He will crush the heads of His enemies and pierce them through from thigh to neck. Singing about this is supposed to motivate us to trust in Him and believe in His salvation. He will save His people and His anointed. This is crucial. We don’t worship and praise a figure of our imagination. We worship and praise the one true God over all that we experience. This song and prayer makes me think about the greatness of God when I sing praises to God. I often fail to focus on that. Do you focus your mind and heart on how great and powerful He is? Unshakable Faith The final section of this book is the post script. In light of what God has revealed to Habakkuk, and what was spoken in the prayer/song, Habakkuk has this to say about how he views God and what he is planning to do during these dangerous times. Habakkuk 3:16–19 (ESV) — 16 I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. The news that Habakkuk’s people are going to suffer the wrath of the Babylonians is terrifying, but the idea of suffering the wrath of God is even more so. Habakkuk knows whose side to choose. He knows to put his faith and trust in the Lord. Notice how his words transition in verse 16. He goes from saying, “Rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me” to saying, “Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.” God’s words have strengthened and emboldened him. He doesn’t want to suffer or die, but he has chosen to trust God to deliver a far worse degree of suffering on Babylon. They will not be able to stand the punishment they are about to receive. In the rest of this section, we see wonderful statements of confidence in the Lord. It’s as though this greater understanding of God has led him to a humble, submissive, and accepting demeanor. He appears to be fully devoted to God even though financial, career, and relational aspirations are completely hopeless. He has decided to rejoice in the Lord. He has just been promised that the world will fall all around him and he decides to make God his lone source of joy and satisfaction. He trusts God to give him strength and lift him up on the mountain heights because, “The righteous will live by faith.” Finding Confidence in The Lord’s Will How many of us would share in his joy? If we were told by God that all of our 401k will disappear in an instant, would we rejoice in the Lord? What if all the grocery stores were emptied, the crops died out, the animals caught some disease and died, or were killed by an enemy? How would we respond? What we see in the final part of this book is an amazing statement of trust, that’s hard to imagine. We hear these scenarios and we might claim that we would be joyful because we think, “It will never happen to me.” But Habakkuk is being told by God that this is exactly what is about to happen to him. Yet, he makes the decision to keep trusting in God. He’s not explaining how he plans to resort to violence, stealing, or coming up with some bunker to survive in. He could have created a bunker, but he says that he’s going to believe in God’s ability to save him. I want us to take a moment and consider the message this book is giving us.Just look at Habakkuk’s response to this terrible news. He starts with a plea for God to remember mercy as he brings wrath, then he offers a prayer that recognizes God’s greatness and power, and he ends with a resolute statement of faith. What a great example. Is it any wonder that New Testament writers bring up Habakkuk in powerful ways? The Message Habakkuk’s words show us that, in the darkest of times, the righteous live by faith. Things will get really bad for Habakkuk. People will be killing people, food will get scarce and he and his family might starve to death. All their financial prosperity might disappear, but God can provide the strength and exaltation he desires better than sin ever could. This is faith. It’s a deliberate choice to trust in God, no matter what. We know He has the power to save us and we believe those who remain faithful will be saved. So, we endure. This teaches us what living by faith looks like, finding joy and rest in His promises. The New Testament shows us that this is the mentality required to be a follower of Christ. Matthew 16:24–27 (ESV) — 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this Habakkuk level trust. He chooses to trust in God even though it meant suffering a terrible death on a cross. His trust and suffering resulted in our salvation and the ultimate exaltation. Conclusion As we conclude this series on Habakkuk, let’s remember how truly blessed we are to live in such a wonderful and blessed community. But also, don’t be deceived by the spiritual depravity of our day. God sees and knows what’s going on. He desires to save. But don’t forget that there is a day of judgment that is promised for all of mankind. Don’t be deceived into believing that God will ignore our willful disobedience. He saves and forgives all those who live by faith in him. Is that you?

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > When something doesn’t make sense to us, we ask questions and try to understand it better. That’s normal. Kids ask a lot of questions. They struggle to fully grasp or accept what we say, so they ask more questions. This questioning can go on for hours. So, we might be tempted to say, “Because I said so, now be quiet!” But at some point, our children have to just hear what we say and trust that we know what we are talking about. Until they experience enough of life, what we say will not make sense to them, no matter how many questions we answer. God doesn’t lose His temper like we do, but He does expect us to listen carefully when He speaks and to trust that He knows what He is talking about and what He is doing. Last week we left Habakkuk standing on his watchpost. He was grappling with God’s perplexing vision. We saw some signs of faith and recognition of God’s superiority. He doesn’t ask the question, “Why?” with disrespect or without first considering what is being said. Today, we will hear God’s amazing response. God’s Answer Why would God allow the Babylonians to destroy His people? They are a nation much more wicked and terrible than Judah. Can God allow the wicked to succeed like this and still be righteous? And what about the righteous? Will God keep the righteous alive or let them die? Habakkuk 2:2–4 (ESV) — 2 And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. 3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. 4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. The first part of God’s answer shows that God is not going to change His original answer. The words He has spoken will stand. He is trustworthy and what He has spoken “will not lie.” It might delay, but it will happen. So He tells Habakkuk to write it down so it can be spread everywhere and prepare people for the fulfillment of it. Verse four says, “His ego is inflated; he is without integrity.” God knows that the Babylonians and the Judeans are very proud, deceptive, and evil. Notice the rest of the sentence says, “but the righteous will live by his faith.” Here we have a confirmation of what Habakkuk has stated in Chapter 1. The proud and those without integrity will be judged, but the righteous will be saved from death and judgment. Judging The Wicked (5-19) I want you to see God’s description of the wicked. He says, “Their ego is inflated, and they are without integrity.” The description of the wicked is that they are proud and arrogant. They think much of themselves, and they, narcissistically, care only about themselves. In the rest of this Chapter, we see God making His judgment against the proud more clear. These proud, wicked Babylonians will never find lasting joy, peace, and satisfaction. Habakkuk 2:5–19 (ESV) — 5 “Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.” 6 Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, “Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own— for how long?— and loads himself with pledges!” 7 Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble? Then you will be spoil for them. 8 Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them. 9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! 10 You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. 11 For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. 12 “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity! 13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing? 14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! 16 You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory! 17 The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them. 18 “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! 19 Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. All of this tells Habakkuk that the joys and pleasures of this life will betray those who indulge in them. They believe that they will be satisfied when they prosper on earth, but all of their greed and power will leave them empty. Those taken into captivity by the Babylonians will take up their taunt against them and give five woes. Greed (6-8) The first woe points to greed. Greed is a funny thing. It disguises itself as ambition. Don’t get me wrong. Nothing wrong with having some ambition if it’s not self-focused. When we connect ambition with self-focus, we get greed. The people in control have plenty to get by with and some they could share. They are blessed beyond measure, but they press on for more and more. They hoard it up for themselves. Think of the endless consumerism of our day, and the complete unwillingness to contribute to the needs of others. Eventually, they go for too much and end up in debt and cannot pay back what they owe. Those who are greedy will eventually be plundered. Their goods will be taken from them. Where do we see this kind of greed in our society? This lifestyle is not the way of the righteous who live by faith. Self-Serving (9-11) The second woe is to those who are self-serving and self-promoting.They don’t care what happens to other people, so long as they get what they want. There is no consideration or love in them. They will be ashamed and lose their life. He says that the materials gained by this selfish way of living will cry out against them. What lengths will we go to to ensure that we are secure and safe? Would we be willing to sacrifice our integrity and cheat to elevate ourselves? Violence (12-14) The third woe is to the violent. They use their power and strength to hurt and destroy other people’s livelihoods.These violent people are destroying everything men work so hard to create. Whatever they violently take will just be burned up. It will all come to nothing. The only glory that will stand is the glory of the Lord and it will be everywhere. Cruelty (15-17) The fourth woe is similar to the third, but this time he talks about being cruel, going beyond what is reasonable in their punishment of God’s people. People who are cruel believe they can get away with anything. Notice, they will get away with nothing. The evil they do to others will be done to them. They will go from being strong and unstoppable to completely weak and terrified. Idolatry (18-19) The final woe is unlike the others. Here, God wants to speak out against idolatry. In this woe we see those in captivity pointing to the idols and saying that they will seek help from their pieces of wood and find none. These idols are imaginary friends who cannot move, speak, or help anyone. The day will come when these arrogant men will be unable to stop their enemies. Now, all of these judgments are interesting, but what do they tell us? Habakkuk wants to know how God could use a people more wicked than Judah to judge Judah. These judgments make it clear that God will judge the one whom He sends to destroy. He will not let their wickedness go unpunished. When we feel like this world is full of injustice and evil, we must understand that God is going to give the wicked a taste of their own medicine. Don’t fall for the deception that the wicked are right. Don’t believe that the choice they have made is the correct choice. It is not. God’s PlansBut God’s response doesn’t just include judgments. It also includes a promise for salvation. He tells us the righteous will not die. Who will qualify as righteous? Those who live by faith will be saved from God’s wrath. So, the question becomes, what does it mean to live by faith. To live by faith means to trust in God’s character when things in the world are confusing, trust God to give the justice that is deserved in his own time, and live upright while you wait. This is not a passive hope, but an active, obedient trust in God’s will for your life! Living by faith is the harder path to choose, but it has the greater result, eternal LIFE. God is telling mankind, “Don’t put your faith in yourself, this world, or some dumb idol. Put your faith in me!” Then, He points us to a time when all the earth will be filled with His glory as waters cover the sea, a future hope. This is what the end will look like. Jesus When we come to the New Testament, we see that God has revealed His plan to give eternal life to those who have faith. They need not be afraid. New Testament writers, like Paul in Romans, refer back to this response to explain what Jesus has accomplished. The earth will be filled with His glory as we walk by faith in God and not by trusting in ourselves. As we look at the resurrection of our savior, we know that God will be proven true and just in the end. We don’t have to be afraid of what man can do against us. The Gospel tells us that we can be forgiven and loved by our God. Conclusion The final words of this chapter are perhaps the most interesting of all. Habakkuk 2:20 (ESV) — 20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” At first glance, this might sound like God is giving a frustrated dismissal, but it’s not. God tells Habakkuk what Paul told the Romans. There is not one person on earth who can stand before God’s presence based on their own goodness. He will judge the proud and give grace to the humble. After looking at the chaos of the world, the cries for justice, the questions about God's ways, the ultimate truth is this: God is on His throne. He is in control. And for us, the challenge remains: Will we, like Habakkuk, move from questioning to confident, patient faith in the one true God? Will we silence our doubts and listen to His unchanging word, trusting that the just will indeed live by faith?"

<a tabindex="0" role="button" class="previous" aria-label="Previous Slide" > <a tabindex="0" role="button" class="next" aria-label="Next Slide" > We are going to take a few Sundays break from our study of Romans to look at an Old Testament book, Habakkuk. This is a shorter book, but it contains an idea that is at the core of the New Testament. This morning we will look at Chapter 1. Have you ever called out to God, asking Him to do something? Do you find yourself discontented with the way things are and worried about the future? Perhaps you feel that way more now than ever before. Do you take those feelings and share them with your God? Many times we get in a habit of saying the same old things in our prayers. We don’t really talk to God about the things that are weighing on our minds and hearts. A lot of us hold those thoughts and emotions inside. We don’t share them with anyone, not even our spouse. Therapists make lots of money just asking people to share what’s going on internally because we don’t share it. We bottle it up and keep it to ourselves. Habakkuk is a book about one man who chooses not to bottle it up. He approaches God’s throne and boldly asks God, “Where are you, and what are you doing?” Crying Out In An Evil World (1:1-4) Habakkuk 1:1–4 (ESV) — 1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. 2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. The words and emotions of Habakkuk are full of judgment against God. He wants to know where God is in the midst of evil and chaos in Judah. He looks around and sees nothing but injustice, evil, and lawlessness spreading throughout his country. Isn’t God supposed to be their personal God? Why doesn’t he get rid of their king or give them a new king who can do something? Why not bring a plague that wipes out all the bad people and leaves the righteous strong and healthy? People do evil because they get away with doing evil. What they really need is for God to come in and make an example of some of them. Then, everyone will straighten up and learn to obey. Have you ever felt this way? The truth is that we are very blessed and there are a lot of really good, honest people around us. But I imagine that all of us have had some personal struggles with the society we live in. Think for a moment about all the things you are afraid of happening to you or your family. Would any of those fears exist in a society where there is no evil? There is no end to the scammers, sexually perverted, cruel, and selfish people in our society. I don’t want to make everyone here gloomy, but our country is far from where it needs to be. Our towns in south Alabama aren’t too bad, but we have plenty of wickedness and abuse going on all around us.Have you gone to God and asked Him what He is doing? Have you tried to think up a way for our country to turn itself around? Have you wished for a better President, a better Mayor, a better boss, or a better husband? Do you want God to fix them all? We sing a song called, “Oh Heal Us All.” It’s a beautiful song about how broken everything is. Listen to the things he calls for Jesus to heal: sickness, sadness, callousness, worldliness, fear, doubt, unrestrained self-indulgence, pain from friends, no rest, and enslaved to sin. All of these ideas point to the brokenness of God’s people. When we sing this song, we are crying out for God to do something to heal us all. God’s Unexpected Response (1:5-11) Habakkuk 1:5–11 (ESV) — 5 “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. 6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. 7 They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. 8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. 9 They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand. 10 At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. 11 Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!” God’s response to Habakkuk is heart-breaking. He reveals that he is not inactive, but God would not be giving a new king, a plague, or some small suffering as punishment. All Habakkuk has to do is look up and see what He is doing. He will raise up the Chaldeans to bring terror on his land and his people. This would be totally unexpected for Habakkuk. In his mind, there is still hope for his people to turn things around and repent. He wants God to build the people back to their former glory, but God is planning to destroy them using a very wicked nation. Sometimes, we pray to God, asking for Him to do something big for us. We want to be healed, whatever that means in our prayer. But sometimes God’s plan is not to heal. That’s a hard pill to swallow. We don’t want to think that “No” is something a good God would say, but He does. How will we respond when God determines to take away what we love instead of healing, improving, or fixing it? It’s important for us to remember in these moments of sorrow and grief that we are being tested. Habakkuk is being tested. God has told him that He will fix the evil society he loves by destroying it. This begs the question, “How will Habakkuk respond?” Will he abandon God or curse Him? Having Faith While Confused (1:12-2:1) Habakkuk 1:12–2:1 (ESV) — 12 Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. 13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? 14 You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. 15 He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad. 16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. 17 Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever? 1 I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. Habakkuk’s words here reveal where his heart is. He asks, “Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? This question shows us that he is wise enough to recognize God’s superiority. So many people look at the events in the world and believe that they know better than God. Not Habakkuk. He points out God’s superiority. He recognizes that his understanding pales in comparison. This is such a mature response. How many times have we gotten upset only to realize that we didn’t have enough information. Our angry response made us look like fools. Habakkuk is wise enough to recognize that He doesn’t know enough to determine whether this is just or not. It doesn’t seem just from all appearances, but this is God, the creator and sustainer of life. Then he has the faith to say, “We shall not die.” We don’t see that promise anywhere in God’s response to him. So, where did Habakkuk get the notion that his nation would not die? God has promised it elsewhere. Habakkuk remembers God’s promises to Abraham, David, and all Israel. He knows that God is faithful to His word and he trusts in His steadfast love. But, he still doesn’t understand. I like this section because it shows that he trusts God while being totally confused about God’s decision. The Babylonians are not worthy of God blessing them with success. So he uses an analogy of a fisherman gathering up fish and worshiping his net. The Babylonians are pagan and more worldly, ungodly, and immoral than most. How could God do this and be just? Also, how long will he allow this to go on? He repeats his question from before, longing for it to be over with. The last part of his response to God is verse 1 of Chapter 2. He says, “I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower. He is waiting for God to respond and explain this to him. I love this picture. Habakkuk hasn’t abandoned God. He is like a curious child waiting patiently for God to explain how this all works. I wish I were more like this. Oftentimes I get impatient and expect an answer in my own time, not in the time of the people I’m contacting. Hoping In Christ’s Return There is a wave of American Christianity that wants to improve your life here on earth. They promise you material blessings and healing after you give them your money and demonstrate enough faith. That kind of blessing is not what we find being promised in scriptures. The truth is that our requests from God will often find a “No.” This world will never get fixed the way we think it should. Those we love will die. People will still be evil. Many things will go wrong, but we must choose to respond like Habakkuk. We must recognize we are talking to the eternal God, trust Him to be faithful toward us, and eagerly await His response. When Jesus came down to earth, he removed the shroud of uncertainty. Jesus shows us how aware God really is of all our suffering in the evil world by being God and living as a human in our midst. God is fully aware. He is not ignoring our cries. He shows us that He has the power to fix everything that is wrong, but He cares more for our hearts and our souls. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus tells us to pray to God and expect good things because He is a good Father. We should take our stand at our watchposts, and call out to God for help and understanding. But, Jesus’ mission was to reveal to us that the ultimate solution to the broken world we live in will not be realized until after this life is over. He opens the curtain on the afterlife, promising eternal paradise with God for those who have the type of faith Habakkuk had. This is what Jesus told us to set our heart and our treasures toward. Those who are evil will be destroyed. They will not go on delivering injustice forever. One day they will see the fruit of their ways. Paul and Peter didn’t tell Christians to try to fix the world. He told them to pray for rulers, but to live for Christ and the eternal reward without compromising faithfulness for physical needs. These two men happily lost everything, dying to spread the gospel. So we must be men and women who are living for eternity, trusting in God, and hoping in Jesus’ return. In the next Chapter, God will explain all of this, and say something that rings true throughout the whole Bible, “The righteous will live by faith.” Is that you? Will you pass the tests and show your faith to be genuine?