Trinity Bible Church Sermons: Recent Episodes
Trinity Bible Church, Morgan Hill, CA | trinitybiblechurch.org
Recent sermons from Trinity Bible Church in Morgan Hill, California. | We are a Bible-believing Christian church seeking to promote the preeminence of Jesus Christ in the lives of people, through knowing, living, and speaking the truth in love, for the glory of God and the joy of all in Him. | trinitybiblechurch.org
Redeemed living is crowned with a character that is truly from, through, and to the glory of Christ. Paul has systematically widened his focus from how the redeemed relate to God to how they relate to one another in Christ’s church. Now he widens it still more to see how Christ’s redeemed relate to the outside world. At every point, it is in and through Christ that the redeemed live. But nowhere is Christ’s character more manifestly on display than here. A Christian’s character toward evils done against them is foreign to fallen humanity. Here, the signet of Christ is deeply impressed upon self. Evil will not finally be overcome by sinners. But the redeemed are called to overcome evil with Christ.
A living love is to mark the communion of Christ’s redeemed. The church is to delight in, and spread her delight in, Christ and His love. And this is seen and felt at the local level. At the root of every weakness, failure, and conflict in the church is a self-full and Christ-less mind. Nothing does more damage to the life ministry of the church than a diminished view of Christ. And nothing resembles the world more than an inflated view of self. But the church is in and not of the world. She is the light of a new humanity. She is loved to love. She lives in, through, and to the glory of Christ. She is the only one who bears His image in this world. She is called out of the world and together for Christ.
Christians are loved to love. A genuine love to God will evidence itself in the whole of the Christian’s life through manifold motions of love in and to Christ’s church. The redeemed life walks in Christ, and thus walks in love. The gospel received transforms sinners, uniting them to Christ. All in Christ live out Christ’s love in their living, beginning with practical love to one another in His church. Paul makes this plain as he lists various traits of redeemed living. What might otherwise seem to be a disconnected assortment of virtues, is here ordered in and through love. Here the beauty of Christ’s character is put on display in His people as they offer themselves as a living sacrifice, with a living love.
Devotion to God reverberates in devotion to Christ’s church. This is further illuminated as Paul shifts from grace-gifts given for devotion to devotion’s premier demonstration. Love. At the heart of the gospel is the gift of a right relationship with God, won by His love. Paul now focuses intently on right relationships in the church, reflecting His love. Here the greatest of Christian virtues is pictured as the most powerful of Christian ministries. It is the holy hallmark of Christ in us. In Christ, the church is loved to love.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in all of Christianity, let alone human history. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ there is no Christianity. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ there would only be another religion filled with human effort. However, there is only One – Jesus Christ – who says of Himself, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). Join me in examining the magnitude of how the resurrection of Jesus Christ affects every believer.
Devotion to God is three-dimensional. It is never a matter that concerns only God and you. With His blood, Christ redeemed a whole company of sinners. In the ripple effect of redemption, the redeemed are gripped by the gospel to be devoted to God, and by virtue of their union with Christ, devoted to one another—His church. Here, a Christly mind not only sacrifices self and sobers self to mind majesty, it stewards God’s grace to serve the local church in holy humility as the soil of genuine love.
Devotion to God is three-dimensional. It is never a matter that concerns only God and you. With His blood, Christ redeemed a whole company of sinners. In the ripple effect of redemption, the redeemed are gripped by the gospel to be devoted to God, and by virtue of their union with Christ, devoted to one another—His church. Here, a Christly mind not only sacrifices self and sobers self to mind majesty, it stewards God’s grace to serve the local church in holy humility as the soil of genuine love.
Paul further unfolds the call to mind the majesty of God. Here, man’s chief corruption is seen in the gravitational center of his mind. Basic to human rebellion is pride, the mother of all vice. Such is the definitive will of this age. Yet high thoughts of self are indicative of low thoughts of God. Thus, ego is the malicious menace of the mind. But all in Christ are new creatures with a new center. They are redeemed and thereby graciously given a new inner self with the ability to think Christly. It is a mind without mirrors, meek and lowly, with the selfless Christ at the center. Its thought patterns are disciplined to seek the will of God. It delights in acknowledging the grace of God through Christ. Christians are here called to new habits of the heart, to be sound souls through thriving thoughts of God.
Peter concludes the present chapter with yet another exhortation to persevere in the faith despite ongoing persecution. The hope Peter gives is threefold: Christ suffered for the unrighteous to bring unbelievers to God, he was raised from the dead in victory, and he is now exalted in glory. Believers are to fear no trouble in this life because they are secure in Christ and ultimately will share his destiny in glory. This because his sacrifice for sinners was sufficient, and he now sits at the right hand of the Father with all angles, authorities, and powers subject to him.
The vitality of redeemed living subsists in minding the majesty of God. The gospel enables genuine devotion to God. In newness of the life that is in Christ, the redeemed are granted Christly minds to offer their bodies as sacrifices—living, holy, and pleasing to God. All of this speaks of tremendous transformation. The contrast between the old and the new self is stark. Though transformation is a work of the Spirit, the redeemed must train in it. Christians are not passive in their pursuit of God. Vital to Godward devotion is a Christly mind constant in thought replacement, discipline, and renewal. But even this has a higher aim. Transformation is the outgrowth of minding the majesty of God.
True devotion to God is always from the inside out. Only transformed lives can be devoted to God. And this is no will or work of man, it is only by the mercies of God. True transformation comprehends real change, beginning decisively in the new birth and increasing step by step to completion in Christ, by the Holy Spirit. In his masterful application of the gospel of God for redeemed living, Paul here explains how one devotes himself to God. The body is presented by the mind. The mind is redeemed to mind the majesty of God, to be restored to its intended purpose and delight the whole self in the purposes and ways of God. A redeemed mind is a priestly mind. Even more profoundly, it is a Christly mind.
The good news of God in Christ through the Spirit has been unfolded. God’s works prompt worship. Right doctrine leads to right doxology, and right praise to right practice. The soul that has tasted God’s mercy in Christ lives in the afterglow of that glorious gospel. This is where Romans 12 takes us. It is about redeemed living. Paul seeks to fan a flame. He sketches the ripple effect of redemption. The basic Christian life is not ordinary. In Christ, ordinary people live in the grip of an extraordinary gospel. Those whom God justifies are called to live conscious, intelligent, consecrated lives devoted to God.
Paul has been unfolding “the gospel of God” since the opening sentence of this magisterial book. At the heart of the gospel is God Himself. The saved are not the centrality of salvation, God is. Grace is not the ultimate good, glory is. The gospel is glorious primarily because it is the only means for sinners to enjoy the God who is central and supreme. This is seen clearest in the climax of Paul’s unparalleled explanation. Chapters of gospel reasoning mount to fuel a white-hot eruption of praise to God. Here revealed is a compendium of the glory of God, and it is our highest delight!
These few verses securely summarize Romans 9–11. They punctuate the conundrum of Israel and the nations with God’s sovereign purpose. Here, the compendium of glory and grace in the gospel of God is crowned in Christ. Mercy, not merit, is the grand and God-glorifying emphasis. The manifest pleasure of God in Christ is to meet disobedience with mercy for the salvation of sinners—both Jew and Gentile.
Paul reaches the vital nerve of his unfolding argument in Romans 9-11. Here culminating thoughts converge to point to the mysterious and majestic faithfulness of God. The fidelity of God’s promises to Israel have been doubted. It appears that Israel’s actions have thrown God’s actions into question. How can Christians trust God’s promises in the gospel if God’s promises to Israel have been cancelled or changed? God’s dealings with and the future of a Christ-rejecting Israel finds its clearest expression here. Awe displaces arrogance as God is revealed as utterly and unquestionably trustworthy despite all present appearances.
Paul reaches the vital nerve of his unfolding argument in Romans 9-11. Here culminating thoughts converge to point to the mysterious and majestic faithfulness of God. The fidelity of God’s promises to Israel have been doubted. It appears that Israel’s actions have thrown God’s actions into question. How can Christians trust God’s promises in the gospel if God’s promises to Israel have been cancelled or changed? God’s dealings with and the future of a Christ-rejecting Israel finds its clearest expression here. Awe displaces arrogance as God is revealed as utterly and unquestionably trustworthy despite all present appearances.
Paul continues revealing the grace and glory of God, now employing a unique grafting illustration. This illustration, found only here in all of Scripture, presents a vivid analogy for the redemptive-historical makeup of God’s people. It powerfully depicts culpability and grace at the same time. Whereas the last paragraph focused on the glory of God’s sovereignty over Israel’s sin, the focus here is on the glory of God’s grafting in Gentiles. Both showcase the wonders of God’s grace. The former promoted gospel jealousy, the latter gospel humility. While attention is clearly centered on the relationship between Israel and the church, the greater reality of God’s sovereign grace is the defining mark of the glory of God’s grafting.
Paul continues revealing the grace and glory of God, now employing a unique grafting illustration. This illustration, found only here in all of Scripture, presents a vivid analogy for the redemptive-historical makeup of God’s people. It powerfully depicts culpability and grace at the same time. Whereas the last paragraph focused on the glory of God’s sovereignty over Israel’s sin, the focus here is on the glory of God’s grafting in Gentiles. Both showcase the wonders of God’s grace. The former promoted gospel jealousy, the latter gospel humility. While attention is clearly centered on the relationship between Israel and the church, the greater reality of God’s sovereign grace is the defining mark of this grafting—it is glorious!
A great majority of Israel has stumbled over God’s greatest gift to them: Christ. God in turn punishes their wicked rebellion and rejection—they are hardened. But even this is not full or final. There is more to God’s purposes than meets the eye. Paul now unveils an utterly astonishing mystery, a startling glory. It is about the cross. Even human sin will serve God’s purposes. Nothing is outside of God’s power and rule. What an awesome reminder to all who would question God’s faithfulness and ability to follow through with His promises in the gospel. Here, Paul puts on display the majestic sovereignty of God to showcase grace for glory.
The word picture just painted stands vivid. With open arms, God is calling His rebellious nation to draw near to Him. But they remain contrary to Christ, the only means of drawing near to God. Paul now begins his conclusion concerning Israel’s apostasy. Israel is rejecting her God. But is God rejecting her? Though the answer is multi-dimensional, Paul can say with great force, “By no means!” There is glory in God’s purposes. His ways are not our ways. Here Paul unveils the glory of the remnant of Israel. God alone will receive the glory.
Every argument in Romans 11 extols the glory of God. And the functional emphasis of each ascending step celebrates His grace. Here the conundrum of Israel and the nations, trading places and inadvertently serving one another, finds its ultimate aim and answer in the sovereign purposes of a holy God. This chapter is a compendium of the glory and grace of the gospel of God.
We come to the close of a series on Christ our righteousness. He has been the sun about which every argument since Romans 9:30 has orbited, and His righteousness has been the only true light. In dark unbelief, Israel has rejected Christ for righteousness, assuming that she has it within herself to be right with God. The reason for her failure is most certainly not because she has not heard or understood the gospel. It is not because God has not invited her with open arms. No, it is because her heart is contrary to Christ. Here only humility and gratitude can grow and respond by faith in delightful affection and praise to God for Christ.
Christian hope is anchored in Christ’s resurrection. In this sermon, Dr. Joel Beeke addresses three different hopes as related to Christ’s resurrection. He touches on what could be considered a momentary yet miserable hope if Christ is not risen. Then the Christian’s magnificent yet moderate hope in this life because Christ is risen. And lastly, he calls us to see the unmovable yet moving and active hope that belongs to us in Christ as we labor fruitfully for the Lord who is risen!
Calling on Christ is the only way to be saved. Paul is still addressing the rejection of Christ by so many of his Jewish kinsmen. Here he traces the steps that lead to calling on Christ. His purpose is to show that the reason Israel has not is not because some step was missing. All the necessary conditions were met. Israel had full opportunity to call on Christ and are therefore without excuse. Here, all attempts to dismiss Israel’s culpability are refuted and the universal case for believing the word of Christ signaled.
Having exposed the wrong way to get right with God, Paul now emphasizes the only right way. A Christless zeal for the Law, for God, and for righteousness is to absolutely no avail for salvation. Nothing less than a true and perfect righteousness is necessary to be saved from the just wrath of God against us because of our sins. Christ is the end of all self-attempts at righteous. The only right way to be right with God is by faith in the sinless Christ. Such faith is here explained as a calling on Christ—a desperate crying out, confessing, repenting, believing, and trusting in Christ crucified and risen. Though an offense to many, He is the righteous God who has done all that is necessary for salvation to everyone who calls on Him.
Having exposed the wrong way to get right with God, Paul now emphasizes the only right way. A Christless zeal for the Law, for God, and for righteousness is to absolutely no avail for salvation. Nothing less than a true and perfect righteousness is necessary to be saved from the just wrath of God against us because of our sins. Christ is the end of all self-attempts at righteous. The only right way to be right with God is by faith in the sinless Christ. Such faith is here explained as a calling on Christ—a desperate crying out, confessing, repenting, believing, and trusting in Christ crucified and risen. Though an offense to many, He is the righteous God who has done all that is necessary for salvation to everyone who calls on Him.
Resurrection—the concept is central to the Christian faith. The gospel promises resurrection life. But resurrection life is given only in and can only be known from Christ. It is more than a creed. This message is intended to refocus hearts on Christ, who is in Himself the resurrection and the life. It considers a most remarkable encounter filled with the deepest kind of pain and dreadful hopelessness. It enters that place where creeds scarcely comfort. By redirecting and refocusing, glory resounds as Christ reveals Himself.
We are all born outside of Eden. Our only frame of reference as fallen creatures is a fallen creation. While God’s glorious purposes and gracious plans still echo Eden in and all around us, all is presently broken and vain apart from a radical reversal. Humanity willfully suffers the consequences of obnoxious worship, even while marked under the curse of sin. The very first scene outside of Eden graphically illustrates in miniature our predicament and plight. Sin is played out with strokes of hostility. Though subtle hope too is present, even if in striking irony. This message is intended to help illustrate the need for Christ and the cross.
Suffering as Christians in humble faithfulness to Christ is a recurring theme in 1 Peter that is present in each chapter of the epistle. Peter here addresses persecution directly, along with the Christian’s appropriate responses to it. In these verses he presents three admonitions of how to respond when suffering for doing good: have no fear of your persecutors, be prepared to gently explain the motivation for your good behavior, and throughout maintain a good conscience. These comprise a powerful witness to a critical and unrighteous world.
Having exposed the wrong way to get right with God, Paul now emphasizes the only right way. A Christless zeal for the Law, for God, and for righteousness is to absolutely no avail for salvation. Nothing less than a true and perfect righteousness is necessary to be saved from the just wrath of God against us because of our sins. Christ is the end of all self-attempts at righteous. The only right way to be right with God is by faith in the sinless Christ. Such faith is here explained as a calling on Christ—a desperate crying out, confessing, repenting, believing, and trusting in Christ crucified and risen. Though an offense to many, He is the righteous God who has done all that is necessary for salvation to everyone who calls on Him.
In Acts 17:16-34, Paul fervently proclaims the truth of the Gospel after encountering a city entrenched in idolatry and intellectualism, passionately challenging beliefs and leading them to the message of Jesus.
Romans 9–11 deals with the problem of Israel’s unbelief. The center of this section concentrates with a new focus on Christ our righteousness. This opening passage reviews the chief reasons for Israel’s failure. But it does so only for the purpose of celebrating Christ. Here we see that the glorious and gracious Christ was counted as an offense. But this principle is not unique to Israel. Christ is an offense to all who trust in wrong views of God and self. Christ is an offense to all self-righteousness, religious and non-religious. The substance of this message is desperately needed. It proclaims Christ and Him crucified, to God’s glory and man’s joy.
Paul returns to his thesis of the utter trustworthiness of God. The conclusion of Romans 9 answers its opening challenge. Can those in Christ have confidence? Is it true that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ? Is the gospel promise unshakably certain? If so, then how is it that Israel is separated from God when He made promises to them? Has the word of God failed in this instance? Romans 9 answers these questions with a thorough justification of the God of grace. Israel has failed in her stewardship. The fault is hers. But even this was foretold in Scripture. God only promised that a remnant of Israel would be saved. To the very detail of His Word He has been faithful. More than this, He has been gracious to use Israel’s evil for the good of Gentiles. Crowning this chapter is a remarkable demonstration of God’s sovereign faithfulness. Its purpose is to engender confidence in all who are called in Christ.
God’s predestination of sinners is for God’s praise. Yet often predestination is construed as fatalism, even among Christians. But fatalism effectively makes God the author of sin, divine justice a charade, the gospel offer disingenuous, and man a heartless pawn. More importantly, it robs God of true worship. Romans 9 emphasizes the fact that God is glorified in His justice and mercy, not fatalism. Man is corrupt and culpable, consigned to disobedience. God is just and merciful, free to grant mercy on whom He pleases. Key to a biblical response to the charge of fatalism is the principle of means. God uses means. Answering this final detraction, Christ is restored to His rightful place in our economy of thought. Here we see just how profoundly praiseworthy predestination is.
When the local church gathers, she gathers to glorify God. This is a massive privilege and responsibility. It shapes and forms why we gather, when we gather, and what we do in our gatherings. The church gathers to make manifest the worth of Christ. She does this primarily in and through words—His and hers. Words of worship that celebrate truth. As such, she is called the “pillar and buttress of the truth.” It is highly important that we understand with clarity that the church was ordained by God for His redeemed people to regularly gather together in local geographies to promote Christ for God’s glory and man’s joy.
God’s predestination of sinners is for God’s praise. But many point to the flipside of election as a problem that detracts praise. The assumption in the argument is that if God positively chooses some then by the rules of antithesis He negatively chooses others. This sermon seeks to address the assumption of parity in predestination. Key to a biblical response is the principle of asymmetry. God does not reprobate and redeem in some sort of equal ultimacy. The idea that humanity is a morally neutral batch from which God randomly elects some for heaven and some for hell makes a mockery of God’s righteousness, violating His very character. God is just. God is merciful. But God is not behind salvation and condemnation in the same way. Salvation is undeserved, condemnation is deserved. Salvation is by grace alone; condemnation is by justice alone. God delights in lavishing mercy on sinners, but He does not delight in their destruction. Clarifying these principles helps to promote greater praise to God for His gracious work in predestination.
God’s predestination of sinners is for God’s praise. But many pose the argument: If God is sovereign, as in predestination, then how can I be held responsible? This sermon seeks to address that argument. The biblical principle that God’s sovereignty rules in and through the choices of people is expounded. Man is culpable for his cravings. We make real choices with real consequences. We alone are responsible for our rebellion, not God. And God alone is responsible for our salvation, not us. Understanding these twin truths helps to clear misconceptions and thereby promote greater praise to God.
If God is sovereign then how can man be responsible? This constitutes the core objection of the passage and is primarily about the eternal salvation of sinners. While the question is thoroughly expected, the answer given is not. Rather than entertain objectors with philosophical musings, Paul answers the question by masterfully focusing all attention on the nature and character of God. In Romans nine, Israel’s rejection of Christ has launched Paul into a series of rejoinders that revel in the glory of God and marvel at His mercy. This passage is the crescendo. While it asserts the responsibility of man and God’s pleasure in the ultimacy of His grace, it chiefly justifies God in His awesome sovereignty. This message addresses the second and third emphasis of the passage.
If God is sovereign then how can man be responsible? This constitutes the core objection of the passage and is primarily about the eternal salvation of sinners. While the question is thoroughly expected, the answer given is not. Rather than entertain objectors with philosophical musings, Paul answers the question by masterfully focusing all attention on the nature and character of God. In Romans nine, Israel’s rejection of Christ has launched Paul into a series of rejoinders that revel in the glory of God and marvel at His mercy. This passage is the crescendo. While it asserts the responsibility of man and God’s pleasure in the ultimacy of His grace, it chiefly justifies God in His awesome sovereignty.
Life is but a vapor, a breath, a passing shadow. Any significant marker in the passing of time prompts meaningful reflection and recalibration. It is a time to review how we are leading our life, what we are prioritizing, and why. Can we say with the Apostle Paul, “one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”? This message is a plea to make much of Christ in the stewardship of your life. It is a call to be resolved for Christ.
Glory surprisingly saturated the nativity scene. It was all far more significant than anyone knew. It is a story painted in bright illumination and baffling irony. God discloses Himself in the most unsuspecting manner. Figures find their fulfillment, anticipations their answer. All the promises of God and hopes of His people locate their singular meeting place in the revelation given that holy night. All the shadows of glory prefigured give way to their substance in the presentation disclosed here. This is a Christmas message that beholds the glory of God presented in birth of Christ.
The grand wonder of Immanuel, meaning “God with us,” was not a New Testament invention. Before the foundation of the world, God had purposed to enter it—personally. The dwelling place of God was to be with man. But sin had made a separation between God and man, as it always does. God’s holiness cannot mix with sin’s heinousness. Still God, in many times and in many places, communicated His intended purposes to dwell with man. Various figures, types, and shadows were used to illustrate how. And all these find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ. This message makes much of Christ through one particular shadow of His glory. It stands as one of the most profound symbols in the Old Testament. Powerfully does it illustrate the prefigured glory of Christ, a long expected glory relevant for our own day.
God rules over all persons and powers according to the glorious purpose of His own will. God is thus absolutely sovereign. His acts put His nature on display. Without a clear and correct view of God and self, we will never truly see the glorious wonder of God’s mercy. Paul has justified God’s mercy and justice in the statement, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Now he shows that it is outrageous to charge God with injustice for acting in mercy. The attributes and acts of God are stoutly defended as God’s mercy is justified.
A hymn of triumph erupts as Paul contemplates the infatigable certainty of redemption in Christ. The golden chain of salvation commands celebration. The first of several exultant notes are here sounded as questions of invincible purpose. The case has been made. Now the gospel’s gauntlet is thrown down. The Father steps forward and shines a more focused and brilliant spotlight on the Son. In this light, the full force of the gospel’s logic exultantly answers a series of progressive questions. The trusting heart is reduced to nothing but praise, thanksgiving, and secure joy. It is a meditation in the undefeatable gospel.
Certainty marks the purposes and promises of God. And all the promises of God find their “Yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). The Christian’s hope for glory is exclusively anchored here—in Christ. Here, Paul grounds and explains the golden guarantee (8:28) as a certainty in and for Christ (8:29-30). While these verses have been rightly recognized as the golden chain of salvation, they point to much more. Christ occupies the central position in this unbreakable sequence of divine links. The guaranteed certainty of glory is emphatically in and for Christ, which is purposed to induce and fortify both hope and holiness in us.
Certainty marks the purposes and promises of God. And all the promises of God find their “Yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). The Christian’s hope for glory is exclusively anchored here—in Christ. Here, Paul grounds and explains the golden guarantee (8:28) as a certainty in and for Christ (8:29-30). While these verses have been rightly recognized as the golden chain of salvation, they point to much more. Christ occupies the central position in this unbreakable sequence of divine links. The guaranteed certainty of glory is emphatically in and for Christ, which is purposed to induce and fortify both hope and holiness in us.
Certainty marks the purposes and promises of God. And all the promises of God find their “Yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). The Christian’s hope for glory is exclusively anchored here—in Christ. Here, Paul grounds and explains the golden guarantee (8:28) as a certainty in and for Christ (8:29-30). While these verses have been rightly recognized as the golden chain of salvation, they point to much more. Christ occupies the central position in this unbreakable sequence of divine links. The guaranteed certainty of glory is emphatically in and for Christ, which is purposed to induce and fortify both hope and holiness in us.
Gospel hope is more than a fond wish. It is the present certainty of a future realization grounded in the promises of God. Christ has procured the promise and the Holy Spirit secures us in it. Now, Paul gathers together the weight and momentum of these inspiring truths to produce a pleasant string of consoling comfort and encouragement. Contained in this colossal verse is the cure to despair. It possesses the power to transform our perspective, to translate our trails, and to enlarge the certainty of our hope with unspeakable comfort. It is the golden guarantee of grace.
The apostle Paul, through the Holy Spirit, reveals the mystery of the church and God’s plan and purpose for eternity. All the saints will be united under Christ for God’s glory and our joy. Let us take comfort in knowing that our Lord is faithful and true as adopted sons of a blessed hope.
Gospel hope is more than a fond wish. It is the present certainty of a future realization grounded in the promises of God. Christ has procured the promise and the Holy Spirit secures us in it. Now, Paul gathers together the weight and momentum of these inspiring truths to produce a pleasant string of consoling comfort and encouragement. Contained in this colossal verse is the cure to despair. It possesses the power to transform our perspective, to translate our trails, and to enlarge the certainty of our hope with unspeakable comfort. It is the golden guarantee of grace.
Hope is essential for life in this sin-cursed world. And the hope of glory is found only by faith in Christ, the sin-bearer. This hope helps us to persevere through the present tribulations and sufferings of this world. We Christians are sustained by hope. But even hope is not sustained in our own strength. Romans 8 has been teaching us how the Holy Spirit ministers in various ways to the children of God for their holiness, comfort, and security. Now, emphasis underscores the Holy Spirit as the helper of hope. By highlighting prayer with glowing significance, the Holy Spirit reveals deep and wonderful truths about His ministry in and for us in these two rich and insightful verses.
Hope vitally redirects and redefines. It is the inseparable companion of faith in Christ. The gospel announces promises to be trusted, hope is confident trust in those promises. Salvation is thus linked with hope (8:24). Spirit-borne hope anchors the soul tossed by the storms of life, keeps an otherwise sinking soul afloat, and fills the sails of the soul to press on to the shores of glory. Paul advances his message of security in the Spirit by focusing on the hope of glory. So immeasurably great is the work of God in Christ that the material universe itself is brought into view with eager longings and excited expectations. The cross has cosmic consequences. Nothing short of a completely renovated new creation awaits our full and final redemption. All of this speaks of an unfathomable glory. Deeply practical. Profoundly relevant. It is the Christian’s definite and defining hope.
Hope vitally redirects and redefines. It is the inseparable companion of faith in Christ. The gospel announces promises to be trusted, hope is confident trust in those promises. Salvation is thus linked with hope (8:24). Spirit-borne hope anchors the soul tossed by the storms of life, keeps an otherwise sinking soul afloat, and fills the sails of the soul to press on to the shores of glory. Paul advances his message of security in the Spirit by focusing on the hope of glory. So immeasurably great is the work of God in Christ that the material universe itself is brought into view with eager longings and excited expectations. The cross has cosmic consequences. Nothing short of a completely renovated new creation awaits our full and final redemption. All of this speaks of an unfathomable glory. Deeply practical. Profoundly relevant. It is the Christian’s definite and defining hope.
God Himself secures our salvation, from acquisition to application—from no condemnation to no separation. Redemption is richly trinitarian: the Father provides, the Son propitiates, and the Spirit procures personally. In the afterglow of meditating on the gospel of the Holy Spirit, Paul directs attention to its blessings. To be sure, all who are Christ’s are to live as Christ’s. This is the Spirit’s leading. But living as a child of God is grounded in being a child of God. The wonder of God’s love being poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, adopting us as His very own children, is one of the loveliest portrayals of the Spirit’s work found anywhere in Scripture. Here, all who are in Christ are presented with one of the most profound and penetrating grounds of joy and security.
Paul now shifts focus. The gospel of the Holy Spirit is still beaming. And in the warmth of its light, attention is drawn to the distinguishing mark of living by the life of the Spirit. Paul moves from reception to response. All who are Christ’s are to live as Christ’s. Paul has already insisted that a true Christian does not live according to the flesh (8:4, 5, 6), but rather his mind is set on the things of the Spirit (8:5, 6). Here he sounds a new note: obligation. Eternal life is a gift. Yet living that life requires a putting to death the deeds of the body. Yet even here, more good news is given. For even this obligation comes with the Spirit’s leading.
There is only one gospel. It is the good news of Christ crucified, of which Paul says he is not ashamed. In sum it proclaims, “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Indeed, Romans is written to expound the gospel. Chapter 8 opens in celebration of it with a unique emphasis on the part and power of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is gloriously trinitarian. The inestimable work of Christ is not left to sinners to apply. Not only does the Spirit regenerate the sinner, apply the atoning blood of Christ, and condition and pattern their new mind to abide, He also takes up residence within them as the guarantee of a salvation yet to be fully realized. The greatness of Christ’s work is applied through the greatness of the Spirit’s work. This is the message that Paul here proclaims. It is the gospel of the Holy Spirit.
There is only one gospel. It is the good news of Christ crucified, of which Paul says he is not ashamed. In sum it proclaims, “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Indeed, Romans is written to expound the gospel. Chapter 8 opens in celebration of it with a unique emphasis on the part and power of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is gloriously trinitarian. The inestimable work of Christ is not left to sinners to apply. Not only does the Spirit regenerate the sinner, apply the atoning blood of Christ, and condition and pattern their new mind to abide, He also takes up residence within them as the guarantee of a salvation yet to be fully realized. The greatness of Christ’s work is applied through the greatness of the Spirit’s work. This is the message that Paul here proclaims. It is the gospel of the Holy Spirit.
God condemned our sin in Christ crucified. There remains, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And this gift that justifies the unjust is purposed for pleasure—God’s and ours. God delights in His Son and adopts us in His Son to delight in us. Positionally, in Christ, we please God. Practically, in our minds, it varies. While this is not a passage of law, a list of commands, or instructions for how to achieve a certain way of life, it is a passage deeply concerned with the nature of a Christian. Many people claim to be Christian whose thoughts are for the most part vain and earthly. Who set their minds on the things of self. Who think little of pleasing God. This message is designed to help the Christian be renewed in the spirit of their minds, for God’s pleasure and theirs.
Out from the suffocating reign of the law of sin and death Paul steps his readers into a new atmosphere. An exclamatory gasp of fresh new life-giving breath is sounded: “No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” It is thoroughly celebratory. But not because something new is being announced. Rather the occasion of this celebration points to a crowning blessing that he has saved for last. Considered by some to be the greatest chapter in the Bible, Romans 8 opens and closes presenting Christ as the ground and goal of the gospel. It uniquely features the Holy Spirit as the sign and seal, power and preserver, liberator and leader of all in Christ. The celebration of this golden chapter joins the gospel wonder of both justification and sanctification in Christ by the Spirit.
God’s Law is holy, yet helpless. It cannot justify (3:20) or sanctify (6:15). Indeed, the Law appears to affect quite the opposite: it awakens sin (7:9) and arouses sinful passions (7:5). The result is an awakening of death—recognition of the wretched condition of human depravity. A reasonable question follows: “Did that which is good, then, bring death to me?” (7:13). Paul has argued that God’s Law is holy, righteous, good, and now adds, spiritual (7:14). The problem is not with the Law. The culprit to the Law’s impotence is fallen, sinful flesh. In vivid illustration, Paul exonerates God’s Law and advances his argument by depicting the inability of sinful man to obey God’s Law in his own strength. It is a dramatic scene and the title of the play features a clever play on words. For those setting their mind on God’s Law, another law is acted out: The Law of Sin and Death.
God’s Law is holy, yet helpless. It cannot justify (3:20) or sanctify (6:15). Indeed, the Law appears to affect quite the opposite: it awakens sin (7:9) and arouses sinful passions (7:5). The result is an awakening of death—recognition of the wretched condition of human depravity. A reasonable question follows: “Did that which is good, then, bring death to me?” (7:13). Paul has argued that God’s Law is holy, righteous, good, and now adds, spiritual (7:14). The problem is not with the Law. The culprit to the Law’s impotence is fallen, sinful flesh. In vivid illustration, Paul exonerates God’s Law and advances his argument by depicting the inability of sinful man to obey God’s Law in his own strength. It is a dramatic scene and the title of the play features a clever play on words. For those setting their mind on God’s Law, another law is acted out: The Law of Sin and Death.
Faith is not merely passive. Its living and thriving involve fighting. Nor is faith in Christ merely a onetime decision. The Christian must continually contend. The fight is good, just not easy. Unbelief, doubt, and disbelief though different species share the same genus. The believer lives in a world of unbelief and is not immune to its way of thinking. Christians, therefore, are called to an ongoing battle against unbelief within. This sermon sets out to devotionally connect high Christology to everyday relevancy.
Solus Christus is a Latin phrase that means Christ alone. It was used by the Reformers of the sixteenth century to contend that sacred Scripture reveals that salvation is found in and through Christ and Christ alone. No cooperation. No contribution. No competition. There is no other way to be redeemed except through the one and only Christ and Him crucified. This is the most offensive of all the solas. The exclusivity of Christ has always been an affront to our pluralistic world, but never quite as it is in our day. This message considers Christ’s own claim and unfolds its ground and glory. Timeless and practically relevant, for God’s glory and man’s joy.
Strikingly, sin and the Law have been closely linked. The Law is said to bring the knowledge of sin (3:20), increase sin (5:20), and arouse sinful passions (7:5). Paul now clarifies. He extols the Law as holy and yet shows that it is at the same time helpless to enable what it commands. While the fault lies with the sinner, not the Law, the fact remains that the Law is helpless to justify or sanctify. Sanctification, or growing in the life and likeness of Christ, is Paul’s primary concern in this section of his letter. And in this we see again the grand glory of Christ for righteousness, positionally and practically. Only union with Christ secures both justification and sanctification.
The gospel is the newly revealed power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16-17). Though redemption has always been by grace alone, the just and glorious means of it have only now been revealed in Christ and Him crucified (Romans 3:21-26). Faith in this Christ is the only way that a sinner can be right with God. Obedience to the Law of God does not justify. But does it sanctify? Now, Paul shows that though we are slaves to God and His righteousness in Christ we are not slaves to the Law. For in Christ, we are not under the Mosaic Law. Christ has revolutionized both history and hearts, changing eras and egos. The glorious means of justification is revealed in Christ. And in Christ there is also revealed the glorious new way of life and love, of service and sanctification, of faith and fruit to God.
Christ has impacted this world in many ways, but none more forcibly or more definitively than in His resurrection. The ancient world was utterly struck by the sheer power and beauty, irony and clarity, simplicity and depth of this event. Nothing in the whole realm of reality remains untouched by it. Nothing in all of religion, philosophy, or science can contend with it. Radiating from this epic event of one man, in one place, at one particular point in time streams the light of immortality and the warmth of an invigorating hope. The gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection reorients life. For those who have tasted its power, reality is recentered—an emphasis most needed in every age.
Redemption is solely and entirely by God’s grace. It is never by or with any contribution of a sinner’s good deeds or intentions. In fact, condemnation is all that our deeds could ever merit. Yet deeds still matter. They simply serve a different purpose. Moral choices were never intended to work salvation for sinners. Rather, they always and ever serve to disclose our hearts, bearing witness to what we value and count as right and good. Addressing Christians, Paul brings Romans chapter six to a close by outlining several clear incentives of grace designed to stimulate the redeemed to live their moral lives more intently and exclusively for Christ.
Following Peter’s mandate for servants to be subject to their masters with all respect, which also applies to employees submitting to and respecting their employers, we now come to the pinnacle of his reasoning to do so: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
Peter continues the theme of submission to authority introduced in 1 Peter 2:13-17 where he instructed how we are to live in the civic realm: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” He now calls believers to likewise submit to authority in the workplace, regardless whether treatment there is gentle or is unjust. In a future message, he will exhort trust in God as necessary and gracious in God’s sight, urging us to follow the example of Christ who suffered and entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
All in Christ are liberated from sin, not for sin. They have been justified by grace through faith and are thereby freed from sin’s penalty tomorrow, but not its presence today. They have been united to Christ and have thereby died to sin, but sin has not died to them. Sin’s power remains in the world but not in those united to Christ. In Christ, the shackles of sin are shattered. The Law did not accomplish this liberty. The true Christian is the product of God’s grace, not God’s Law. But liberty from the Law does not mean liberty from the Lord. In this passage we learn that all people live under a lord. Our morals reflect our master. For those in Christ, thanks be to God! His grace has won us to a new dominion, a dominion where grace reigns and new desires grow for God’s glory and our joy.
The thrust of the sermon is why Jonah, and why do we still today, as recipients of the Great Commission disobey God? While it may appear that we can run or hide from God, we are only fooling ourselves. God is in control of things, not us. When we choose to disobey him, we should expect bad consequences. From the moment Jonah went his own way, things started to go wrong. But though he has forgotten God, God in His mercy has not forgotten him. God still loves Jonah, still longs for him, and still hopes for him. And so in mercy, He sends a storm after him. The love of God is wider than the measure of man’s mind (2 Peter 3:9). Our role may not be as dramatic as Jonah’s, but we have a duty to God to carry it out to the best of our ability.
All in Christ are liberated from sin, not for sin. They have been justified by grace through faith and are thereby freed from sin’s penalty tomorrow, but not its presence today. They have been united to Christ and have thereby died to sin, but sin has not died to them. Sin’s power remains in the world but not in those united to Christ. In Christ, the shackles of sin are shattered. The Law did not accomplish this liberty. The true Christian is the product of God’s grace, not God’s Law. But liberty from the Law does not mean liberty from the Lord. In this passage we learn that all people live under a lord. Our morals reflect our master. For those in Christ, thanks be to God! His grace has won us to a new dominion, a dominion where grace reigns and new desires grow for God’s glory and our joy.
The power of the gospel is seen in the free and total salvation it offers, without compromising justice or contradicting the character of God. And the greatest joy of the gospel is seen in God’s giving Himself to the redeemed in Christ. Through the gospel the redeemed are united to Christ in order to gain Him. Not, first and foremost, to gain forgiveness or sanctification or righteousness or heaven, or any other blessing. The redeemed are united to Christ to gain Christ, in whom all other blessings are found. The hearts of the redeemed must begin and dwell here. Only by this can the Christian begin to truly understand sanctification. Only by this gracious and glorious union with Christ can we grow into what we are in Him. Here the vital signs of the new birth are manifest. Since all in Adam are born dead to God and alive to sin, yet all in Christ are reborn dead to sin and alive to God.
The glory of Romans 6 is seen in the centrality of Christ. His life, death, and resurrection form the only hope the sinner has to be set right with God. Justification has no other object on which faith can rely. But God’s grace affects more than justification. It abounds and reigns for the sanctification of redeemed sinners. Here too Christ is central. For sanctification is grounded in the saint’s union with Christ. Understanding union with Christ is indispensable to the Christian life. The fact of union with Christ calls for a discipline of faith if the saint would grow in sanctification. This passage wonderfully emphasizes the discipline of the mind, the grand importance of redeemed reasoning for the glory of Christ and our growth in Him.
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The emphasis up to this point in Romans on free grace and justification by faith rather than works is so clear and astonishing that it invites logical, practical, and moral criticism. Masterfully, Paul addresses the anticipated objections with unanticipated explanations. A fatal flaw in the objector’s reasoning is exposed. Salvation involves more than justification and effects more than forgiveness. It is more than legal. It is more than mechanics. The glory of this passage is seen in the centrality of Christ and the works of His grace upon sinners. In Christ, we are more than forgiven.
The church is beloved as the bride of Christ, who nourishes and cherishes her as His own body (Ephesians 5:29). Christ loves His bride and calls us to join Him in that love, which nourishes and cherishes her. And this is overtly practical. It is immediately connected to the health and growth of His church. Growth is not measured in size but in similarity to Christ. While Christ gives her life and all that she needs for it, here we are reminded that we are all responsible to steward the gifts that He gives to build her up in love. This sermon seeks to help us minister to one another effectively, for the glory of Christ and the gladness of His bride, the church.
The church is beloved as a bride. To Christ, she is beloved beyond anything she presently sees or senses. Nevertheless, she has taken into her heart as true and certain the testimonies and promises of this love. As a result, she has been graciously transformed—with newly made affections and expressions. While Christ has given her many gifts, one stands above all others for the united expression of her new heart. One gift uniquely exemplifies her marriage and celebrates her love. It powerfully extols her Husband and expresses her delight in Him. No other gift is so wonderfully emblematic of her chief end. With a new heart, she has been given a new song. The bride’s melodious boast is a blessed testimony to her love and devotion to her Beloved. This message focuses on the purpose and priority of singing.
The church is beloved as a bride. To Christ, she is beloved beyond anything she presently sees or senses. Nevertheless, she has taken into her heart as true and certain the testimonies and promises of this love. As a result, she has been graciously transformed—with newly made affections and expressions. While Christ has given her many gifts, one stands above all others for the united expression of her new heart. One gift uniquely exemplifies her marriage and celebrates her love. It powerfully extols her Husband and expresses her delight in Him. No other gift is so wonderfully emblematic of her chief end. With a new heart, she has been given a new song. The bride’s melodious boast is a blessed testimony to her love and devotion to her Beloved.
Christ presents precious and powerful depictions of His affection for the church. None are more lovely and vivid than the brilliant metaphor portraying her as a beautiful bride. She is dearly beloved—beyond what she naturally sees or senses. She is not defined by herself or those around her. Not even her duties and deeds define who she is. She is something far more wonderful than she presently knows. She is pursued by Christ and preserved for Him. She is beloved as a bride—the bride of Christ.
Peter continues the theme he began in in 1 Peter 2:11-12 of how believers are to properly behave before and interact with an unbelieving, hostile, and watching world, to bring glory to God. He sharpens his focus in these verses by calling believers to readily submit to every human institution, not as automatons or slaves to civil authority, but willfully for the Lord’s sake, and to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
The truest attraction of Christmas is an unseen goodness greater than the sum of all its fruits. Nothing less than “great joy” can describe its meaning. From where does this great joy come? It beams from the shining goodness of the news that Christmas proclaims. It is all about Christ, the greatest gift the world could ever receive. Here the first public proclamation of the gospel was preached. Here joy, of an indescribable kind, is proclaimed to the glory of God. Here, in deepest humility, gentleness, and love, Christ is good news of great joy.
Romans 5 magnifies the glory of Christ by celebrating the gospel’s faith-alone-justification. The chapter has been developing the theme of glory guaranteed in Christ. In its progression, commending confidence steps into an unexpected comparison between Adam and Christ. The exalted language of a “much more” Christ adds to the crescendo. Having completed his contrast between Adam and Christ, Paul finally reveals his real interest in mentioning the cosmic tragedy anchored in Adam. The chapter concludes with a culminating crown. The last word is not about Adam, sin, or death. The curtain comes down with Christ alone at center stage, compelling our confidence in Him. Nothing could sum up better the cornerstone of confidence than the glory of grace abounding in Christ.
The theme of the cross has led to the theme of confidence in Christ. Paul is seeking to enlarge our senses. He wants to deepen and heighten our apprehension of Christ’s glory for our confidence in Him. He labors to show that all who are justified by faith in Christ have peace with God, hope in God, and love from God. But he doesn’t stop there. His heart is singing a song of christological confidence, with “much more” as his chorus. His unexpected comparison between Adam and Christ serves only to extol the praises of a “much more” Christ.
From the fountain of justification by faith flows the stream of confidence in Christ. We are called to rejoice in God and the assurance of final salvation because of His love demonstrated in Christ crucified and risen. The momentum of this celebration is both advanced and applied in what follows. Paul at once, in one challenging step, takes us both deeper and higher in christological confidence. Here we are called to see on a larger scale why the justified can be so certain that they will be saved from wrath to live in glory with Christ. Here the person and performance of Christ is compared to Adam in order to magnify Christ and multiply our confidence in Him.
God’s love is no mere ingredient in the achievement and assurance of a sinner’s salvation. Love is salvation’s life and soul—its ground and goal. God’s love is the final link in the chain of Paul’s argument concerning the guarantee of glory for all who are justified in Christ through faith alone. Arguing from the greater to the lessor, Paul demands that we see there is yet more—much more—still to come. And it is God’s love, above all, that assures us that we will yet receive it. The justified are already but not yet saved. They have a sure and certain future because they are loved by God. His love will carry them to glory and cause them to glory in Him along the way and forevermore.
The central thrust of the passage has been stated: “we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (5:2). Now, Paul takes us deeper into the heart of hope—into the very heart of God. Here the Guarantor of glory demonstrates the greatest ground of hope. What was presented in terms known only to justice is now presented in the language of love. Hope is secure supremely because it rests on God’s love, and God’s love is given in more than words.
All who trust God in His gospel of promise are guaranteed glory in Christ through the Holy Spirit. This is Paul’s main point at the beginning of Romans 5. It speaks thoroughly of New Covenant hope. It also unmistakably extols the triunity of God and emphasizes that “salvation belongs to the LORD” (Jonah 2:9). As the saved sinner’s only boast is in God, so his final certainty of future glory rests in God, whom he trusts. This section begins by celebrating the consequences of justification and exulting in God as the one who guarantees our future glory.
All who are justified by faith in Christ have assurance of peace with God. This is Paul’s opening proclamation as he moves us into a new section. Paul has shown that all are corrupt and culpable (1:18–3:20), but that by faith in Christ a sinner can be set right with God (3:21–4:25). Now, in chapters 5 through 6, he expounds upon the glories of life in Christ. Justification by faith alone has definite consequences. This section begins by celebrating the consequences of justification and thereby exulting in the assurance of having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We stand in a legacy. One that demands the stewardship of those awakened by its light. Life without light is unthinkable. So is spiritual life without sacred Scripture. Life thrives in light, not darkness. So God’s people thrive in Scripture. Throughout history much darkness has enveloped the world, threatening to extinguish even the life of the people of God. Yet God in His gracious providence, at various times and in various places, has brought about a revival of life through the shining light of divine revelation. Wherever there is a return to the sacred Scriptures, an awakening of revival and reformation result. Its effects are both inward and outward, penetrating the heart, reforming the church, and influencing society. We stand not in a legacy of men, but a legacy of light—the living light of the written Word.
Upon ascending a great mountain, one delights to take in the vistas before moving on. This section of Romans is a great and glorious summit with breathtaking views. Before marching on into chapter 5, this message seeks to take in the grandeur. With a wide-angle lens, it surveys the whole spectacular scene that explains how a sinner can be made right with God.
The central theme in this series has been “good news”—the one and only gospel. It unveils the only way that the unrighteous can be counted righteous before God. In it, the unjust are justified in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone. Righteousness by faith over and against a presumed righteousness by works has been the leading edge. Now, Paul illustrates his thesis one last time, continuing with the example of Abraham. But this time his focus shifts from the act of faith and its function to the nature of faith in light of its object. It is about faith in God’s faithfulness. Here, Paul brings us full circle from Abraham to Christ and Him crucified and raised, showing that the gospel is about God’s promise, and promises are believed not earned.
As the gospel of grace reverberates the great exchange from the cross of Christ, faith stands alone as its sole conduit. The very nature of the gospel, being “good news” and not “good law,” requires that a sinner’s status before God is put right by faith alone in Christ alone, with no admixture of self-merit. Building on this necessity, Paul masterfully supports the thesis of justification by faith alone through the examples of two most prominent figures in redemptive history. The mystery of Christ is newly revealed, yet it is not a novelty. The very intelligibility of the gospel derives from the Old Testament. But even more, the stress of this passage shines a brilliant light on the function of faith. Here, we see precisely how justification works. Here, the great exchange is supported and clarified. Here, Christ is magnified as sinners are counted righteous by faith alone.
The crux of the gospel has been sounded. The rest of Romans unfolds it, starting with the grand doctrine that insists that the unjust are justified by faith alone (sola fide). This statement later became the battle-cry of the Reformation. Most central to it is Romans 3:28. This whole passage stands as a compendious response to the cross work of Christ. Only humble faith truly answers to such grace. Paul has emphasized what faith alone includes, now he shows what it excludes. Faith was portrayed instrumentally, now its exclusive sufficiency for justification is the focus. Here, the place of both the law and faith are clarified. Here, in no uncertain terms, the sinner is shown that one is justified by faith alone, for the promotion of Christ to God’s glory and man’s joy.
To this point in Romans, the gospel has only been announced by name. Immediately upon its announcement, its necessity was systematically demonstrated: everyone, everywhere, without exception, are corrupt and culpable before God. All are unrighteous and stand in desperate need of a righteousness from God. Only after every defense has failed before the bar of perfect justice—only after the weight of hopelessness is felt—can a person see the glory of God in the gospel. Paul now manifests the mystery of Christ, explaining the crucial and decisive point of the gospel. This passage has been called the acropolis of the Christian faith and the most important paragraph in the Bible. Indeed, this is the clearest and most explicit explanation of precisely how God saves sinners. It reveals the crux of the gospel. Having in part one considered the crux of the problem in the gospel of God, this message considers its central and decisive power to save. The passage as a whole is now considered with a particular focus on the righteousness that the gospel reveals.
To this point in Romans, the gospel has only been announced by name. Immediately upon its announcement, its necessity was systematically demonstrated: everyone, everywhere, without exception, are corrupt and culpable before God. All are unrighteous and stand in desperate need of a righteousness from God. Only after every defense has failed before the bar of perfect justice—only after the weight of hopelessness is felt—can a person see the glory of God in the gospel. Paul now manifests the mystery of Christ, explaining the crucial and decisive point of the gospel. This passage has been called the acropolis of the Christian faith and the most important paragraph in the Bible. Indeed, this is the clearest and most explicit explanation of precisely how God saves sinners. It reveals the crux of the gospel. In this message, the chief problem of offering good news to the guilty is considered. For this reason, focus is given entirely to verses 25 and 26.
The case that Paul began in 1:18 reaches its climax. Here, we encounter the most sobering diagnosis of humanity in all Scripture. These are devasting words—but they are intended to bless, not curse. The intelligibility of the gospel hinges on understanding the plight of humanity. The case presented here against humanity as a whole, and each human being as an individual, is both comprehensive and conclusive. The answer to the question, why do I need a righteousness from God, is sweepingly and profoundly clinched here: all people everywhere, without exception, are really and radically corrupt and culpable. But God has not left humanity here. Now, finally, we are positioned to see more clearly that Christ, and Christ alone, is the cure!
Having charged that Jews are liable to God’s judgement against sin, Paul anticipates outrage. His indictment of Jews raises important questions about God’s covenant and character. Are not Jews God’s historic, chosen people? Did God not make promises to them? Does God’s covenant with them mean nothing? Here, we are invited to listen in as Paul masterfully answers cutting objections—objections that ultimately fault God. The scene transcends the moment and reveals something fundamental to the human heart. Sinners tend to justify self while judging God, especially in matters concerning human sin and divine sovereignty. What shall we say? Only the self-righteous presume to put God in the dock.
The moral indictment against the self-righteous Jew has sharpened. A miniature set of woes are pronounced. Those who are seeking to establish their own righteousness by misuse and misunderstanding of God’s covenant with Israel are Paul’s keen concern here. He is showing the limitations and liabilities of the covenants in which the Jews so proudly based their confidence. He does this by accentuating a compelling contrast between the outer and the inner realities of his Christless kinsmen. Powerfully he argues by looking inside the cup, opening the whitewashed tomb, and unmasking the hypocrite. He is exposing the masquerade. Undeniably, there is much here to glean for Christians of every age.
Paul is systematically unfolding the unrighteousness of man that all might see their personal need for a righteousness from God. The glory of the good news shines brightest against the gloom of the bad news. While the Jews have much advantage (3:1-2), in no way does this exempt them from God’s judgment against sin. Here, Paul advances his third major argument concerning the judgment of God, which he has presented as against all unrighteousness and impeccably impartial. Now we see more particularly that appealing to the Law of God entrusted to the Jews will avail no escape from justice. To the contrary, the work of the Law will ultimately serve only to condemn the guilty. This Paul shows in a brilliant progression with a surprising apex.
Having exposed the unrighteousness of self-righteousness, Paul continues the indictment against his impenitent kinsmen with a second major argument. God judges all moral crimes by justice alone, that is with impeccable impartiality. Justice has no favorites and takes no bribe. It is blind to appearances, status, esteem, privilege, pedigree, and creed. The exposition of this passage is given in two parts. In this second part, particular care is given to explain how verses 7 and 10 fit into the whole and contribute to Paul’s argument that God judges by justice alone—impartially.
In section one of his first epistle (1:1-2:10), Peter wrote to exiled and persecuted believers of truths and responsibilities of their faith in Christ. He addressed the great joy of their salvation, that they were saved to be holy, to put away all malice toward one another, and to love their fellow believers earnestly from pure hearts. Like newborn infants they were to desire the pure spiritual milk of the word, and as living stones they were to be built up in Christ, who is a cornerstone chosen and precious, for the purpose of offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.Having established these truths as a basis for holy living before God and in relationship with other Christians, in the next section Peter begins addressing how believers are to properly behave before and interact with an unbelieving, hostile, and watching world, to bring glory to God.
In three dramatic scenes, the actions of Jesus speak louder than words. The long-awaited King has come to claim His kingdom. Irony set the stage at His entrance to the capital. When He suddenly appeared in His temple He was met with robbery. Now, in the last of these highly symbolic scenes of action, Jesus demonstrates the most eccentric of all His miracles. In the strokes of an acted prophetic parable, the anger of the Son—the Lord’s Anointed—is kindled but a little. More than some emotional exhibition we are to see that the Christ “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” We are to understand that this was highly offensive to His Majesty.
Jesus is the Messiah—meek and mighty, humble and holy. Deliberately and dramatically, He has presented Himself to Jerusalem, Israel’s headquarters for spiritual and political leadership. Now, He moves to the center. His actions boldly demand notice. His movements and manners are very symbolic, revealing His person and place. The scene of Jesus cleansing the temple is richly significant to the whole drama of His coming from heaven. In a stunning demonstration, Jesus fulfills and foreshadows prophecies that feature His most telling claims. Jesus is the LORD, suddenly come to His temple. And what He finds is a den of robbers—robbing Christ of the glory that belongs to Him.
The fullness of time had come. Jesus now presents Himself publicly as the long-awaited King to the capital city, Jerusalem. It is the first formal presentation of Jesus as the Christ. The whole scene is deliberately dramatic and intentionally ironic. Oxford defines irony as “a condition of affairs or events of a character opposite to what was, or might naturally be, expected.” Irony often prepares the observer for a contradictory outcome of events. This is precisely what is presented in this remarkable scene. Jesus’ sovereign majesty cloaked in deep humility, the crowds’ exuberant acclaim of Him, and both the city’s reaction and the crowds’ response are all highly ironic. The careful observer will stand in awe of this prophetic procession of the Prince of Peace entering His capital “city of peace” in a sort of acted parable. All serves to stress Jerusalem’s question, “Who is this?” The very nature of Christ and His kingship are being revealed. Tradition labels the scene “triumphal”—context suggests “ironic.”
Peter missed it. James and John missed it. There is no place for pride or proud merit in the kingdom. No one will have eternal life and kingdom rewards but by mercy through Christ and Him crucified. With masterful subtlety, this passage presents a moving climax to what has gone before and brilliantly prepares the path for what lies ahead. The self-important are blind to their need and the needs of others—they fail to see the majesty of Christ and feel His mercy. Self-seeking is contrary to the King who champions compassion. Here Jesus puts His deep humility on display. We see Him serving the last, not being served. He exercises His great power for mercy. Even here paradox is pictured. Indeed, the first will be last, the rich can be poor, and the blind may see better than all of Israel. Here the blind clamoring of the disciples for first place is silenced by the seeing cry of blind men for mercy alone.
It is about redefining greatness. It does place an emphasis on service. It most certainly stresses Christ’s cross for both propitiation and pattern. But this passage unveils still more. It reveals more of Christ and consequently we are more exposed. With penetrating paradox irony saturates the scene. Misunderstanding marks the most enlightened. Desires are disclosed. Emotions run high. And in this moment the demonstration of a more extreme contrast of character is scarcely possible. It depicts the enigma of the first and last. It explains the means of grace. Here, the King speaks of His redemption crown and His crucifixion throne. Pride is unmasked to show its dreadful ugliness as Christ displays His humble beauty.
The kingdom of heaven is like a scandalous situation. That is the point of the parable. The impossibility of salvation with man immediately before (19:26) and the cross of Christ immediately after (20:17-19) couches this parable in a profound context. Jesus is illustrating the principle given in response to Peter: God is debtor to none. But here, He goes still further. God is gracious to whom He wills. Mercy, not merit is our only plea. Jesus shows that the self-righteous (“the first”) are outraged by grace. Grace is outrageous to those who work hard and sacrifice and suffer to receive a payoff. Yet, the outrage of “the first” is best seen in connection with “the last.” This story brings out the unfairness of God’s grace. It is a parable designed to offend the proud and self-sufficient. It foretells the offense of Christ and the scandal of the cross. It explains why the offer of the kingdom is offensive—even outrageous.
If earthly riches profit nothing at death, then is there profit in sacrificing them? Can a person secure a heavenly reward by earthly renunciation? On behalf of the disciples, Peter responds to Jesus’ dealings with the rich young man. He boldly asserts that they have done what he would not. But more than this, he inquires about their reward. What is the payoff for leaving everything to follow Jesus? Though Jesus responds gently, the question remains unsettling. At best it exposes Peter’s uncertainty and seems to model misunderstanding. It sounds mercenary. Jesus’ answer both confirms that an immeasurable blessing is promised to those who follow Him and cautions against all deluded forms of self-seeking along with all notions of merit. No one serves their Creator, Lord, and Redeemer simply in order to obtain a reward. Yes, it is costly to follow Jesus. Yet, eternal life is the gift of God at the cost of Christ. His gift is ridiculously disproportionate to our loss. Not to mention that whatever we sacrifice for Christ is but a stewardship—even our life is not our own. God owes us nothing. He is a debtor to none.
The way of the kingdom is not paved by earthly success or status, riches or religion, money or morality. Here, Jesus turns popular belief on its head. The kingdom belongs to such as are—in this world—pitied, not envied (19:14; also 1 Corinthians 15:19). And this is ultimately linked with what one treasures. Personal hope and assurance of belonging to the kingdom has more to do with what one treasures in life and in death, now and then. It has to do with who or what one serves as God. One’s gain at death correlates with one’s God in life. So, what this passage exalts is the most stunning of all that it reveals.
As saints, are we mourning over the loss of what we cannot keep more than rejoicing over the gain of what we cannot lose? All of us in Christ have obtained an inheritance of unspeakable riches. Not because of our doing, but because of His, so that we who are Christ’s would make much of Him in and through everything. We are heirs according to promise. Heirs of an eternal inheritance—imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. What tongue can tell of the glories that are to be revealed to us? Yet God has revealed such glories as resurrection, everlasting life, and a kingdom where God dwells with His people in righteousness, truth, purity, love, fellowship, and worship fully free from sin and stain. This is our inheritance—the glory of the gospel—and it holds out promises profoundly larger than the temporary happiness of a dying life. The greatest riches and rejoicings of this world are but poverty and pains in comparison to the next. No matter how much this world attempts to cope with the curse and diminish death it remains lost and dying, a world devoid of God and real riches. Sin is the great impoverisher. Entranced by the here and now, many live their life in pursuit of a vanishing vapor. But we long for that realm in which Christ is openly and ardently acknowledged and honored as Lord by all. We long to glorify and enjoy Him from our hearts more fully and forever. We long for this inheritance.
This message touches the nerve of gospel motivation. It presents a concerted interest in the vitality and thriving of Christ’s own beloved Bride, for the sake of His glory and her goodness. It is a call for recalibration and resolve, navigating through fears and factors of our times with timeless light. Here, an accurate and clear understanding of who God is calls for an accurate and clear understanding of who we are. Identity directs activity. With increasing need, we must cultivate that identity which Christ has secured on our behalf and through which He is sanctifying us even against the rising tide of opposition and division, in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. Our identity must be protected and promoted against every pressure and persuasion centered not on Christ. If we forget who we are we will soon lose our direction. We are “saints”—an identity both resplendent and revitalizing.
A clear vision of Christ changes everything. It powerfully releases us from all earthly entanglements and sets us on a course to follow our suffering Servant. Seeing who Jesus truly is and what He came to do excites us to live for Him and His Gospel, no matter the cost.
On the day the temple was completed, King Solomon stood back, thanked God for his goodness, and asked Him to fulfill His promise to preserve David’s throne. Solomon also posed a difficult question: Is it even possible for the infinite God to dwell on the earth, in a temple? In this dedicatory prayer, Solomon testified implicitly to the inadequacy of both the temple and the Old Covenant system. Amazingly, the Old Testament prophets promise that God will come to his people, that Israel’s true king will reign on David’s throne forever, and that full atonement for sin might be provided through the sacrificial death of a suffering servant. Jesus Christ, whose incarnation and birth we celebrate this season, is Israel’s God, her rightful Davidic King, and her suffering Savior.
Malachi is the last book of the “Minor Prophets,” and throughout these minor prophets, Yahweh has been promising, because of his covenant-keeping, steadfast love, to deliver and save his people. Even after the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, Malachi teaches the people that they still need a mediator and they still need a king. Therefore, Malachi speaks of an Elijah-like messenger who will proceed the the coming of the Messiah and the inauguration of the Messianic Age, in which all of the Old Testament expectations and promises will be fulfilled.
What do suffering sojourners need most? Strength, not subtracted suffering. Encouragement, not ease. A greater, not a lesser, longing. A stronger, not a weaker, drive. This, our heavenly Father reveals to us, fitting us for His glory and our greatest good. He who eternally loves us knows more and knows better. How else will the citizens of heaven show the worth of their King and the hope of His kingdom? If the pains and pleasures of this desert world dominate our hearts, how then will the world see in us the worth of Christ? If our sojourn is easy, how then will Christ be shown mighty? This is not to discount the immeasurable comfort and love our gracious heavenly Father gives to us through our sojourning trials. Rather, it is to remind our forgetful hearts of our purpose. We sojourn not for ourselves but for our Savior.
Suffering is God’s idea. Not for hateful pleasure, but heavenly purposes. God’s people will recognize suffering as part and parcel of sojourning. Living in a cursed realm necessarily entails loss and pain. This is true for all. But for saints, it is the representative reminder that this is not our home—our hopes are directed heavenward. Having addressed the saints as sojourners, calling them to unnatural submission for the sake of the Savior, Peter now draws particular attention to Christ-centered suffering. Submission to unrighteous authorities often leads to righteous suffering. And this was the way of Christ. Such was the cup that He drank for our salvation. For us, suffering is not left to tragedy but is designed to draw us closer to our Savior, both for our comfort and His character in us. In this second message of sojourning for the Savior, we will again look to First Peter for divine guidance. Our aim is for unity in how we should step as a church in submission, suffering, and strength in our present trials. But it is also preparatory. We desperately need to be armed with this way of thinking for the journey ahead, for the sake of the Suffering Savior.
This is not our world. Behind the trials that we now face is the raging of a spiritual war. How we step as a church is a spiritual matter. These are not the things of preference, convenience, or expedience. The battle is won on the ground of principle. Faith and obedience are not ours to define. Christ is our King and His kingdom our home. We walk accordingly, led by our Suffering Sovereign as our supreme example. This is the first in a series of sermons that look to The First Epistle of Peter for guiding principles on how we are to live a sojourning life with Christ at the center. It is a timely and uniquely relevant message. As we are facing returning lockdowns that forbid the church from gathering, we desperately need to be recalibrated and renewed. We need to hear from God on how we should step in submission, suffering, and strength to make much of Christ.
The home embodies what is most personal and private. It hosts the dwelling place of the heart. It is no surprise, then, that virtually no other realm is treated more self-determined and autonomous. This includes the home of singles. Yet, Christ is Lord of heart and home. As He leads His disciples toward the cross of Jerusalem, He symbolically leads them toward the crown of His kingdom. The humble Christ is King, not the proud self. Jesus exposes pervasive man-centered paradigms and unravels conventional thinking, values, and priorities in the most personal and private places. This addresses marriage, singleness, and children—the home. Here “home” is concerned with much more than a biblical worldview of domestic duties. The heart lived out in the most foundational place of human society is the point. A self-seeking life undermines God’s design for the home and society. Jesus masterfully reveals how we should be seeking heaven from home.
The King has set His face toward Jerusalem. And the narrative of His journey is quite symbolic. It begins a new section, calculated to reorient His disciples toward the kingdom. A life lived toward the kingdom does not center on self. And this principle is taught first at the first level of society: the family. A self-seeking life undermines marriage and family—the most fundamental unit of God’s created design for humanity. So when the Pharisees sought to trap Jesus with the highly sensitive and hotly debated subject of marriage and divorce, Jesus responds with an unexpected and penetrating renewal of God’s original design. He masterfully exposes their man-centered paradigm and unravels conventional thinking, values, and priorities. A stunning authority is put on display as He reclaims authorship and authority over marriage. Their trap failed. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is directing His own to live toward His kingdom. Beginning at the beginning, He reveals that He is the Maker and Master of marriage.
In the likeness of Christ, greatness is answered by humility (18:1-5), temptation by holiness (18:6-9), straying by shepherding (18:10-14), and breaching by peacemaking (18:15-20). But true peacemaking depends on a remedy for sin that separates. Though they do not yet understand it, Christ has come as that remedy. Jesus is training His lead representatives, and forgiveness is His final theme in this series of ethics for His embassy. Forgiveness is said to be the virtue we profess to believe, fail to practice, and neglect to explain. Forgiveness is an overloaded, undervalued, and largely misunderstood Christ-only grace. Simply stated, it is only possible in Christ. Forgiveness is fundamentally Christian. It is not merely done better or made easier with Christ; it cannot exist apart from Christ. Here, the richness of His mercy is put on display as He illustrates with a shocking parable. It is a call for us to be like the Son in forgiving.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). What depths of meaning inhabit these simple words. Peacemaking bears the likeness of God Himself. And this is manifested supremely in the mystery of Christ. The one-of-a-kind Son of God embodied the one-of-a-kind Peacemaker. As His peacemaking-death draws near, He prepares His disciples to live and lead in a manner that best reflects Him and His mission. This archetypal passage on church discipline should not be reduced to mere procedural instructions. On the immediate heels of the call to be Christlike shepherds, a depth of meaning emerges. Only in the shadow of redefining radical humility (18:1-5), holy sensitivity to the seriousness of sin (18:6-9), and tenderhearted shepherding care for everyone in the church (18:10-14) can the disciple enter into these verses. Christ’s ambassadors must not tolerate unrepented sin within the embassy. The consequences of such evil are deeply ominous. Representation of the King is the concern on both ends. While not underplaying the sacred seriousness of sin, the purpose of this passage plainly emphasizes the importance of brotherly reconciliation and restoration to the glory and praise of Christ. Here we have the call to be like the Son in peacemaking.
The world prefers Caesar to Christ, even if a tyrant. Sometimes even people who claim God (John 19:15). And Caesar has many faces. Whether a totalitarian, a monarch, a socialistic state, a democratic republic, or the autocratic self, these are the kingdoms of Caesar—the kingdoms of this world (Matthew 4:8). While many in America look to Caesar for what only Christ can provide, we do not. Yet, because the mind is so easily shackled by the grip of the here and now, even Christians are not immune, especially at election time, to the tendency of becoming more impassioned about government than God, more preoccupied with Caesar than Christ. This is a topical sermon that centers on the passage that inspired the Reformation doctrine distinguishing civil and religious authorities and emphasizing our dual citizenship, leading to what proved foundational for the constitutional separation of Church and State in America. This message is chiefly concerned not with who wins the elections but with whom we render our allegiance, trust, and hope. It is concerned with how we as Christ’s church pray, think, speak, and act politically. It is not the routine election-time sermon calling for Christians to vote. This is a shepherding sermon. It is a message that aims to offer pastoral guidance and encouragement to both understand and act on biblical principles of government. It is about the relationship and relevance of the government and glory of Christ and Caesar.
The Good Shepherd is training His undershepherds. The preciousness of His every last lamb is His predominant concern in this lesson. Christ highlights how important His little ones are to God. God’s children are precious to Him. To illustrate, Jesus presents a parable. It is about God’s concern that none of His little ones be despised and lost. In the figures of sheep and shepherds He casts His church. His people are the sheep, but the lesson is learned in the service of the shepherd. While the central feature of the parable points to the responsibility of appointed leaders, the principle still stands for the church as a whole. For the sake of His name and His sheep, His disciples must be like the Son in shepherding.
With His cross on the horizon, Christ presses His likeness into His own. If they are to bear His image, they must begin where He began—humility. This is first and most foundational to Christlikeness. Indeed, we are called to become like Him who became like us to save us from our sin. Now He rearranges His teaching vignette to show what the humble in Him value. Views lead to values. This passage builds on the foundation of the last, graphically illustrating the extraordinarily grave seriousness of sin—both in soliciting and succumbing. Divine holiness colors the scene. We see that Christ-centered humility leads to Christ-centered holiness. Here we have the call to be like the Son in holiness.