With You FTW
Notes
Transcript
Flow
Flow
Peeps
Elder: Jon
Announce: Loopy
10:14: Prepare slide
10:15: Welcome slide
10:15: Devo, Music Set 1
10:35: Meet and greet
10:38: Elder prayer (Jon)
10:42: Music Set 2
10:45: Children’s Message
Children’s Message
Children’s Message
T/F
I wear glasses
Horses have 5 legs
The moon is made of cheese
Pizza is delicious
My hair is really, really long
When things fall, they fall up
When things fall, they fall down
What if I really did lie - a lot - would you trust what I said?
God always^3 tells the truth: never will lie, never wants to lie, never tries
That means: we can always^3 trust Him + Bible
Prayer: thank you for being a perfect truth teller —> trust
10:50 …
Dismiss Kids
Dismiss Kids
10:50 …
Announcements
Announcements
Loopy
10:55 …
Title Slide
Title Slide
Finishing up Romans: we started in early January - you remember January:
Chiefs hadn’t won the SB, yet
Students went to school buildings 5 days / week
Keeping 6 ft away from someone was considered rude
We had a short, little platform right here and the hallways had old carpet
Main takeaways
God’s wrath is real and no one has an excuse
We can be saved by Grace, not by THISJ
In fact, THISJ is a damaging way to think (you feel kinda righteous, but it just sinks you further into sin; it’s a self confident journey to God’s wrath)
The people of God are defined only by faith in what JC did - not heritage, not THISJ
Now - Closing chapter: Easy to flyover, back then writing a letter took a ton of work [hold parchment, dip pen], so you wouldn’t waste any words
There’s a battle, and (spoiler alert!) we’re gonna win
There’s a battle, and (spoiler alert!) we’re gonna win
Then Yahweh God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
you will be cursed
more than any domesticated animal
and more than any wild animal.
On your belly you shall go
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
And I will put hostility
between you and between the woman,
and between your offspring and between her offspring;
he will strike you on the head,
and you will strike him on the heel.”
There’s a battle
Between who? [rebellious angels (demons) and the human race]
Satan is your enemy, whether you’re saved or unsaved
And (spoiler alert) we’re gonna win this battle under King Jesus
A Descendant of Eve will strike a winning blow on the head of Satan
From the beginning, we know how this one ends
Every page between Gen 3 and Rev 19 (?) is a page where the people of God can live their lives knowing that God’s people are gonna win, including today - today is a day we can live our lives knowing that God’s people are gonna win. The victory is ours!
But Satan still will inflict real damage (strike the descendants of Eve on the heel, and particularly Jesus’ death on the Cross)
Just because we will win doesn’t mean it’s not a real battle with real casualties on both sides
Greet everbuddy
Greet everbuddy
“All of y’all”
Now I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is also a servant of the church in Cenchrea, in order that you may welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever task she may have need from you, for she herself also has been a helper of many, even me myself.
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, for which not only I am thankful, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church in their house. Greet Epenetus my dear friend, who is the first convert of Asia for Christ. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my compatriots and my fellow prisoners, who are well known to the apostles, who were also in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those of the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion my compatriot. Greet those of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, the laborers in the Lord. Greet Persis, the dear friend who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, the chosen one in the Lord, and his mother and mine. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
Poor Tertius the secretary, "Hey, Paul, why couldn't you have just said "Greet everbuddy"?
Typical part of an ancient letter: sending letters hard, travel harder, no Zoom or Facetime or texting in abbreviations: TTYL; they’re going to treasure this chapter and pour over it time after time, Epenetus is gonna point to this part and say, “Paul called me his dear friend!”; important part of the letter even if we never read anywhere else about almost all of these people.
Surprisingly long list, especially for a church he’s never visited
Somehow, Paul has learned a lot about them - probably from P&A
Prisca and Aquila - Claudius, Corinth (writing from / next MJ), tentmakers, and return
Inclusive:
Jews and Gentiles
Slaves and former slaves now free (likely based on names)
Lower class, but some wealthy
Male and female - significant contributors in ministry
This battle is over the Truth
This battle is over the Truth
Now I exhort you, brothers, to look out for those who cause dissensions and temptations contrary to the teaching which you learned, and stay away from them. For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own stomach, and by smooth speech and flattery they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, and I want you to be wise toward what is good, but innocent toward what is evil. And in a short time the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
It’s a spiritual battle and the battlefront is Truth
Started with Gen 3 - “did God really say …?”
Truth especially about the human condition, throughout Romans, which is just thick with theology
Rom 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 6:23
For the compensation due sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 5:8
but God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 10:9-10
that if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation.
Rom 10:13
For “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Salvation by grace on this side of the battlefront: on the other side = THISJ: not “Hi, I’m Satan, come follow me!” but “We all want to be justified, and the way to self-justify is to try harder.”
Keep fighting (17) - “I urge you, brothers and sisters, Keep an eye on those who cause divisions and create obstacles by teaching doctrine contrary to the teaching you have learned.” Keep fighting in this battle over truth!
Your obedience to that truth is like anti-aircraft fire (“the report of your obedience is has reached to all”); walking in obedience to the truth takes out some of the missiles fired by the enemy
And don’t forget: We’re gonna win, remember?
Your battle is:
Your battle is against rebellious demons and you’re fighting between Truth and something that sounds vaguely similar to Truth
It plays out in every area of life: abortion, injustice, school curriculum, persecution of our brothers and sisters around the world, why your work matters, and so on
But our enemy is not flesh and blood: all of humanity has the same enemy, even if we fight among ourselves; those who don’t know Jesus will be permanent casualties, but they are not ultimately the enemy
Satan would love nothing better than for you to think otherwise - that your battle isn’t really against him over Truth
We’ve been enlisted for the battle
We’ve been enlisted for the battle
Romans is thick with theology: Chart
Theo + division + THISJ
It’s a battle for truth, but it’s a battle that enlists us
Back to that long list of names in vv. 1-16
It’s people! (https://youtu.be/8Sp-VFBbjpE or https://images.app.goo.gl/w35PsKDnoDYeykyP6 )
God will win, but we’re in the battle, too
You’re not just our friends in Christ: we’re in this battle together
We have the oddest weapon for this battle
We have the oddest weapon for this battle
Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my compatriots.
I, Tertius, the one who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus the brother.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.
Greetings from more people here (Corinth)
Notice: “Grace”
Standard Christian blessing (w/v. 20)
But “grace” has been the topic of Romans
Opening greeting (Rom 1:5, 7)
Grace vs. THISJ
Rom 3:24 - We’re justified by grace, not by works (THISJ)
Rom 5:17 - We’ve received an abundance of grace through JC
Rom 6:15 - You’re not under law (THISJ) but under grace
Rom 12:6 - The HS gives us differing gifts according to the grace given to us (spiritual gifts)
Rom 15:15 - Paul writes the whole letter only because of the grace given to Him
Sum:
More than “I hope things work out for you OK”
Rather "This entire system and mindset that you are God’s beloved children saved from sin and death only by His gift of grace to us in our Lord Jesus Christ, and not by any merit of your own of THISJ - may that whole thing be with you in this battle for Truth that you’ve been enlisted in. Amen.”
This is a mighty weapon in the spiritual battle
There’s this spiritual battle
The battle is over the Truth (RE salvation by grace through faith, not THISJ)
We’ve been enlisted for this battle
Grace is a mighty weapon:
viz. People spend their whole lives building a trophy case of THISJ to be “good enough,” and some have quite an impressive collection
Then the truth of grace comes along and like an x-ray shows that all the trophies are hollow, made of cheap metal and plastic, and burn rather quickly. It’s giving someone grace when you tell them the truth about THISJ.
And this grace is "with you" for the win!
We can’t win by comparing trophy cases of THISJ. We can’t win by building a Christian version of a trophy case.
We win by the weapon of grace that lets people know it’s not about trophy cases at all
The weapon of Grace says: It’s about a Person, and His name is Jesus. And He's full of grace and truth.
Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking you are outgunned in the battle. Grace is with you! You’ve got all aces! If someone rejects your message of the Good News, they don’t win. They lose. Everything.
Battle victory will be complete and severe
Battle victory will be complete and severe
Remember … we win. We’ve known that since 3rd chapter in the Bible. We read about it in the 3rd to last chapter in the Bible.
And I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it above him, in order that he could not deceive the nations again until the thousand years are completed. After these things it is necessary for him to be released for a short time.
And I saw thrones, and they sat down on them, and authority to judge was granted to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and did not receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over this person the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years.
And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison and he will go out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to assemble them for battle, whose number is like the sand of the sea. And they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the fortified camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet also are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne and the one who was seated on it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled, and a place was not found for them. And I saw the dead—the great and the small—standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and each one was judged according to their deeds. And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Battle victory will be complete and severe: And we will no longer be ABNY. We will be complete in Christ.
The One who strengthens you for battle rides ahead of us in full glory
The One who strengthens you for battle rides ahead of us in full glory
Some translations don’t include these verses because they don’t appear in some of the older manuscripts
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that had been kept secret for long ages, but now is disclosed, and through the prophetic scriptures has been made known to all the nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever! Amen.
He’s the one who strengthens us for battle
Kata Gospel, He strengthens us with the Good News RE JC and what He offers; He doesn’t strengthen us by telling us we’re smart enough and we’re good looking enough; He strengthens us by equipping us with His truth about Jesus.
Strengthens us w/the oddest weapon: the message of grace instead of THISJ
Plus spiritual armor (truth, r’ness, Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, Word of God, prayer)
He rides ahead of us in the battle for Truth; He’s King Jesus, and this is His battle to win
All glory to Him forever! because He just put us on the map; viz. war movie with the map of the battle theater and the long sticks to push around the markers that show where the troops are. One of those markers has your name on it, and Jesus is holding the long stick to place you in the battle. All glory to Him forever!
Summary
Summary