Grace’s Latest Messages
What Good is Religion? (Romans 3:1-20)
"What good is religion?"
That question sounds like it should come from some combative atheist, eager to prove faith worthless.
But it's actually the question on the lips of the apostle Paul. What good is the law? What good is being moral? What is the point of all of this?
This week at Grace, we're talking about Romans 3:1-20, where Paul makes the case that religion is not inherently valuable or worthless, but is meant to point us to something beyond itself. It's a culmination of the case that Paul has been making so far, that religious activity is not the thing that we need to solve our deepest problems. For that, we need the gospel of Jesus.
Hope to see you Sunday at Grace!
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”
But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
- Romans 3:1-20
Proud of the Wrong Things (Romans 2:12-29)
What are some of the things that you're proud of?
Maybe it's an outfit you look good in, your nationality, a collection you have, your kids or grandkids, or a sports team you root for.
Have you ever met someone who took pride in the wrong things? Sometimes it can be embarrassing or silly (like a grown man with a My Little Pony collection), but other times it's more sinister or destructive (like the "White Pride" of the KKK).
This week at Grace, we're going to talk about the hazards that come from taking pride in the wrong things spiritually. In Romans 2:12-29, Paul warns the Jewish Christians about the temptations of taking pride in the law, at the expense of the other nations of the world and their own need for the gospel.
This temptation is still there for us, especially for those of us who are more committed to our faith. Religious superiority and judgmentalism is a relentless source of pride, and can destroy our relationship with God and other people.
Let's talk about how to recognize it and choose a better path together this Sunday at Grace.
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
- Romans 2:12-29
God's Judgement and Ours (Romans 2:1-11)
Have you ever sat through a sermon and heard a really good point that made you think about a certain friend who could use that advice?
I remember growing up in the church and every once and a while the pastor would preach on a message that my parents REALLY wanted me to hear. Any time the messages spoke about: honoring your father and mother OR doing everything without complaining or arguing…
I could count on my mom or my dad nudging me in the pews… or my favorite reaction was my mom leaning in my periphery to lock eye contact with me to make sure I was listening!
It seems silly to think about it these days, but how awkward would it be if the message transitioned to a topic like the sinfulness of humanity and I nudged my parents back?
Well, I know my parents would not appreciate that… but this is what we’re going to be getting into this weekend. Romans 1 focuses on the Gentiles and their blatant ungodly and unrighteousness. It was easy for the Jews in the community, those who had been familiar with moral and religious traditions to look down on those whose sins were perhaps more glaring or obvious than their own.
And get this… whether blatantly flagrant or not… God’s wrath still falls on our sinfulness. This is heavy and difficult topic to process and I hope that you’re present this Sunday as we dive more into the text of Romans chapter 2:1-11!
Hope to see you there!
Jason Ricafranca
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.
- Romans 2:1-11
The Results of Suppressing God (Romans 1:25-32)
In the past few months, as I've mentioned to people in our church that we were teaching through Romans, one of the comments I've heard repeatedly is, "Wow, so what are you going to say about the end of chapter 1?"
Well, it's here.
Romans 1:26-27 is the longest and clearest statement about same-sex sexual behavior in the New Testament. It's hotly debated online, each word parsed and phrase disputed in light of the current cultural obsession with issues of sexual morality.
While I'm not eager to jump into the fray in the online debates, I do have a burden to help you navigate this as a Christian today. For many in our church, this is a deeply personal and emotional topic, tied to their own sexuality or that of someone they love. And for all of us in this culture, it is something that we are forced to reckon with and determine our own convictions.
Let's approach this Sunday with a high regard for God's Word, a deep humility about our own flawed motivations, and a commitment to Christian charity toward one another.
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
- Romans 1:24-32
The Faith of Atheism (Romans 1:18-23)
There was a survey that came out this week from Pew Research that found that 28% of Americans describe themselves as "Nones" when it comes to religion. (This includes both Atheists/Agnostics and the larger sub-group, "Nothing in Particular").
This isn't news to you, I'm sure.
But is it true? Are there really people who have no faith at all? The Bible pushes back on this idea. While people might not identify with a certain group of people of faith, we are all worshiping creatures who make something ultimate in our lives. Romans 1:18-23 goes even further, saying that all people in all places have an innate sense of God's reality.
These are strong claims. And I'm sure that some of my agnostic friends would push back on the idea that they are suppressing anything. So I'm eager for you to examine this passage of Scripture closely for yourself, and carefully consider what it tells us about God, human nature, and our world today.
Look forward to seeing you Sunday at Grace!
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
- Romans 1:18-23
Unashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:8-17)
It is a popular thing in our culture today to claim that we are "boldly unashamed." Whether about moral actions, political allegiances, body image, or many other categories, we have made being "unashamed" a virtue.
Behind this declaration of culture is a self-created independence - no one has the right to tell me what to do, who to support, what to look like, or any other category.
But the Biblical reason for being unashamed is so much deeper, broader, and more lasting. As we'll see this week in Romans 1:16, Paul was unashamed of the gospel, and we can join him in this confidence.
Looking forward to seeing you at Grace on Sunday!
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
- Romans 1:8-17
Blessed are the Neighborly (Romans 1:1-7)
This week at Grace, we're starting our (almost) year-long study of the book of Romans.
It's hard to overstate the importance of this letter in Christian history - it's the book that Augustine credited with for his conversion, it's what sparked Luther toward the Reformation, and for many of us it's how we think about the gospel (think of the "Romans Road" with such salvation-descriptive verses as 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, and 10:9).
But don't mistake this importance and familiarity for simplicity. There's much in Romans that we all still need to learn and grow from.
I'm eager to start working through this epistle with you all this Sunday.
In Christ,
Pastor Bob
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Romans 1:1-7