Romans 8:1-11
The Believer’s Emancipation Proclamation Introduction: Tony Campolo writes the following account of a little girl he knew: A friend of mine has an adorable four-year-old daughter. She is bright and she is talkative. If tryouts were being held for a modern-day Shirley Temple, I think she would win hands down. One night there was a violent thunderstorm. The lightning flashed and the thunder rumbled. It was one of those terrifying storms that forces everyone to stop and tremble a bit. My friend ran upstairs to his daughter’s…
Romans 8:12-17
The Family of God Introduction: One of the most common characteristics of rebellious, delinquent children is the feeling that they aren’t loved or appreciated and that they don’t really belong in the family. This perception may well be faulty, but the very perception itself generally results in aberrant behavior. Dr. James Dobson, former Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California and now President of Focus on the Family, writes about how critical this lack of self-worth is in society as a…
Romans 8:18-25
The Agony and the Ecstasy[i] Introduction: One of the most distinguishing features of biblical Christianity is its philosophy of suffering. Some religions deny the reality of pain and suffering altogether, calling it an illusion. Others attribute suffering to the fact that God is finite and thus unable to eliminate it. There is a view held by some evangelicals that suffering is never God’s will and is simply the result of weak faith. Jesus and His Apostles, however, took a very balanced approach toward suffering. They acknowledged…
Romans 8:26-30
God Works! Introduction: Let me begin this morning by presenting a few imaginary scenarios. Unemployed for six months and after a great interview, you receive the “We’ll keep your resume on file” letter for the thirtieth time. You try, you try, and you try, but pregnancy never happens. You finally get the affairs settled on your deceased father’s estate, and your sister-in-law calls and tells you that your brother has just died of a heart attack. The supervisors at your internship may let you go…
Romans 8:31-39
Secure in God’s Love Introduction: I love the mountains. To me there’s nothing more exhilarating than climbing one of the 14,000-foot mountain peaks in Colorado and feasting on the 360-degree view from the top. There’s a perspective one gets from the top that is unavailable anywhere else. It’s even better than the view from an airplane because you’re so much closer to it. Well, Romans is the Himalayan mountain range of the Bible, and chapter 8 is Mount Everest. It begins with “no condemnation” and ends…
Romans 9-11
The Jewish Problem Introduction: Of all the nations in the history of mankind, the one that has been the center of controversy more than any other has been the nation of Israel. Nearly 4,000 years ago, while Egypt was a world empire, the Jewish nation was born. It soon became a burr under Egypt’s saddle and remained so until the Pharaoh let them go to the Promised Land. The Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Greek empires in succession focused an inordinate amount of attention on…
Romans 9:6-26
Let God Be God! Introduction: Romans, chapter 9, is the graveyard of many a well-intentioned Bible scholar and pastor. There are verses in this chapter which are among the most difficult in the Bible. Christians have choked on them for centuries, and otherwise capable expositors have performed interpretive abortions on them in a vain attempt to get them to say something other than what they say. In all honesty, I don’t think Romans 9 is all that difficult for those who are willing…
Romans 10:1-17
Our Responsibility in Salvation Introduction: And now for the rest of the story …. If you were here last Sunday you heard a very strong message on the sovereignty of God. Romans 9 can almost take our theological breath away, as it teaches that God does what He wants with His creatures, and there is no one who can accuse Him of being unjust or unfair—because He is God. He makes choices among men before they are ever born, and those choices are not…
Romans 10:11-14
How in the World Can God Use Us? Introduction: As an undergraduate in college, I took a lot of math classes like Calculus, Differential Equations and Statistics. One of the great things about most math books is that the authors often publish the answers in the back of the book. On some occasions, I found it helpful to look at the answer and then work backward to learn how to work the problems I was given. Having the end in sight sometimes helped me…
Romans 11:11-24
The Kindness and Severity of God Introduction: I want to speak to you today from Romans 11, verse 22: “Consider therefore the kindness and severity (sternness in NIV) of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” When Paul speaks of the kindness and severity of God, he clearly does so within the context of God’s dealings with the Jewish people. This text comes near the end of a three-chapter parenthesis…
Romans 11:33-36
The Wisdom and Knowledge of God Introduction: “The chief end of man,” according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” But how do we glorify God? What actions on our part redound to His honor, praise and glory? Well, there are many. For example, Unity in the Church glorifies God. (Rom. 15:6) Simple faith in His Word glorifies God. (Acts 13:48) Handling suffering well glorifies God. (Rom. 8:17) Our obedience and faithful service glorifies God. (2 Cor. 9:13) But beyond everything else…
Romans 12:1-2
Transformed, Not Conformed Introduction: From last Thanksgiving until the end of June I taught you from the book of Romans, the magnum opus of the greatest theologian in the history of the Christian church. In those first eleven chapters we were confronted with the profoundest of theological themes, from sin to justification to sanctification to glorification. Today we return to the book of Romans, and the first word we find in chapter 12 is a clear indication of transition. It is…