Faith – Josh Hanson Ministries

Do God’s Word

Josh — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:14:55 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: James 1:21-25 (ESV)

DATE: 3-8-26

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

PASTORAL PRAYER

Each week — during our worship services — we set aside some time to pray for people, circumstances, and situations going on in our congregation, community, country, and world.

Today we’ll be praying for our church elders — those who lead us here at Gateway. We’ll pray for our local police officers and a Bible study recently started for them. And we’ll pray for the wars going on around the world.

Please join me in prayer.

Heavenly Father, in your Word to us — you show us the kind of men you call to lead your people.

1 Timothy 3:2-7 NLT

A church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. 3 He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. 4 He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. 5 For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? 6 A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. 7 Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.

And you give them this mandate:

1 Peter 5:2-4 NLT

Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. 4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.

Father, we thank you for the men who serve us as your shepherds. For Matt Buttermore, Dana Fought, Ed Grable, Matt Heft, Terry Jolliff, Scott Sharpe, Kevin Snyder, Justin Stiles, and Jim Tomlinson. Thank you for their faithfulness to you and to the call you have on their life as elders of your people. Thank you for their care for your people. Thank you for their eagerness to serve you and your people here at Gateway. Thank you for their leadership — and for leading by a good example. Remind them of the crown of never-ending glory and honor that will be theirs.

As we turn our attention to our local law enforcement — we want to pray specifically for the Bible study that’s recently been started in our community specifically for them. Thank you for the many officers and staff who have shown up to learn about you through your Word. Thank you for their openness and curiosity about who you are. Spirit, lead, guide, and direct more officers to come to the Bible study so that more of the men and women who serve our community in this way would be people who know the one and only living God. Thank you for the hope that your Word gives — may your Word give the officers the eternal hope that’s found only in Jesus Christ.

And as we pray for our world — Father — we can’t help but think of the warring going on halfway around the world. Pakistan and Afghanistan. Israel, Iran, and our nation — and many others getting involved or experiencing attacks. War was never your intention for your creation. Peace was — and is — your intention for your creation. Yet we are a people who war with one another. Father, forgive us. Jesus — our Prince of Peace — bring peace to our world. Holy Spirit, change our hearts — from hearts that desire rebellion, death, and destruction to hearts that — because of faith in Christ — desire and live for faithfulness, and life, and restoration, and reconciliation. This work — that only you can do — is a work for people of all nations — including those in Pakistan and Afghanistan — in Iran and Israel — as well as the hearts of people here in the US.

Father may you be glorified as the message of Jesus Christ continues to go forth to all people by the power of the Holy Spirit. And may we be found to be faithful goers and sharers of your News until Jesus returns. And we pray all of this in his name. Amen.

SERIES INTRO

We’re continuing our series in James this weekend. Learning from the wisdom section of the New Testament. And boy do we have something to learn from wisdom today. What’s that — you may wonder — what does wisdom want to teach us today? That simply hearing God’s Word is insufficient — for we must do God’s Word.

But don’t take my word for it — here’s what we find in our verses from today. We’re in James chapter one — beginning in verse twenty-one. There we read…

James 1:21–25 ESV

21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Here’s where we’re headed today. We’re going to see what it means to be a doer of God’s Word by looking at what a life of repentance and faith looks like. Then we’ll see what a life of self-deception looks like. Then we’ll see what a life of true faith looks like. And — I know — “Josh, the first and third points sound the same.” Yes, they both include faith — but you’ll see that faith has two aspects to it which James highlights in our verses.

The life of repentance and faith. The life of self-deception. And a life of true faith. Together — these will show us the difference between being someone who merely hears God’s Word versus someone who hears and does the Word of God. And — as I said a moment ago — hearing God’s Word is insufficient — we must be people who do God’s Word.

A LIFE OF REPENTANCE AND FAITH

So let’s begin by looking at a life of repentance and faith. We’re back in verse twenty-one. There we read…

James 1:21 ESV

21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Our verses for today build on what’s come before — that’s what the word “therefore” tells us. Anytime you find a “therefore” in Scripture — pause and ask yourself, “What’s the therefore, there for?”

Therefore is a connecting word. It connects what comes after it with what comes before it. So what comes just before our verse? These words from James that Joe Sherrieb had us look at last week.

James 1:19–20 ESV

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Which leads to our verse…

James 1:21 ESV

21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Here’s another way of seeing the relationship between these verses. Ask the question “why”. Here’s what I mean. Our verse again is…

James 1:21 ESV

21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

And our question is, “Why, James? Why are we to put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and so on…?”

Because — that’s another way of saying “therefore” — because…

James 1:20 ESV

20 The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

To which we ask another question — “Where — one of those famous W’s we’re taught to use in English class — where does the anger of man come from James?”

This kind of ungodly anger comes from within — and it shows up when we’re not…

James 1:19 ESV

19 quick to hear, slow to speak, [and] slow to anger;

I hope that’s helpful — me showing you how to ask questions and not just simply droning on while reading the Bible. For we’ll never be doers of God’s Word if we don’t understand it. And understanding — often comes when we slow down and ask questions.

So — back verse twenty-one. What is James telling us? He’s telling us — in his own words — to repent and believe. For a life of repentance and faith is the first step away from a life that doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. And it’s also the first step towards the life that does produce the righteousness of God.

Repentance means to turn away from — and faith — is what we turn towards. What do we repent of — or turn away from — according to James? All filthiness and rampant wickedness. “Put it away,” James says.

Filthiness — in the original language — is a word that means moral impurity. Wickedness — again, in the original language — means evil or depravity. And — to wickedness — James adds the word “rampant” — which means an overabundance of wickedness — or an excessive amount of evil and depravity.

The word translated as “filthiness” is only found here in the New Testament — but the word translated as “wickedness” is used quite often in the New Testament. And — when it’s used — we find it used similarly as in our passage — where wickedness is something to put away or put off or to turn away from. Here are some examples.

Ephesians 4:31 ESV

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

And…

Colossians 3:8 ESV

8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

In these examples the word “malice” is the same word translated as wickedness.

1 Peter 2:1 ESV

1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

And…

1 Peter 2:16 ESV

16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Evil’s the same word as wickedness.

Finally — and in about as clear of a statement as we could ask for — in showing how repentance is turning away from wickedness — in the book of Acts — Peter says…

Acts 8:22 ESV

22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

We’re to repent — or turn away from — filthiness and rampant wickedness. And that’s all of us. Christian or not. Remember — James is writing to followers of Jesus — he’s not writing to those who don’t believe — but repentance is for everyone — Christian or not. And James is reminding his readers to keep turning away from filthiness and rampant wickedness. And why does he do this?

Because — unfortunately — following Jesus doesn’t rid us from choosing to do such God dishonoring activities. And we shouldn’t pretend otherwise. For those who pretend — or deny that they’re capable of making such filthy and wicked sinful decisions — are those who usually destroy their lives — or the lives of others. Or they’re the proudest and most obnoxious people you know. Often they’re the most intolerable people to be around. Not only do they forget that…

Titus 3:3 ESV

3 ~~For~~ we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

They act as if this was never the case for them — much less the case for them presently. And they do all of this while claiming to follow Jesus — giving Christ — and his followers — a terrible reputation. We’ll get to these folks a bit more in a moment.

Now — if you’re not a Christian — you may be all like, “That’s right Josh. Get ‘em. Those people are the worst!” But I want to take your eyes off of them — and ask you to do some self-reflection. You see, the first step in following wisdom — which we saw weeks ago — is repentance. For the God who created everyone and everything — including you — has spoken. And he’s given his Word on what is good and what is wicked. He’s told us what is pure and what’s filthy. And wisdom is asking you, “Will you take God at his Word?”

But here’s something both counterintuitive and incredible: Us taking God at his Word is a work of God. This is how gracious and good and kind God is to us — to you. For he knows that none of us will take him at his Word if left on our own — so God does a work in us — so that — we’re awakened to the truthfulness and reliability of his Word. James tells us this in the last half of our verse when he writes…

James 1:21 ESV

21 and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Here James tells us wonderful news: The Word of God has been implanted in our hearts. And who put God’s Word in our heart? The Spirit of God did. For the Spirit implants God’s Word in the hearts of God’s people. And the implanted Word will do its work — the work’s guaranteed to happen. What work? The work of salvation. Where the Spirit of God takes the message of the Word of God — the gospel — and through the gospel gives new life. Meaning a spiritual resurrection takes place — this is a death to life experience — when the Spirit uses the Word to awaken us to the truth.

At this point — a great question for us to ask is, “What is the gospel?” The gospel is this: In the beginning God created everything. And it was good — meaning — it was whole, perfect, without the pains and sorrows we now experience — like cancer and war, the heartache of relational turmoil and the death of those we love.

The cause of these pains and sorrows is found all the way back to a decision that our first parents — Adam and Eve — made when they distrusted God and believed the lies of our Enemy. As a result — sin — which means “missing the mark” — entered God’s creation. Adam and Eve missed the mark — they did not trust God — they didn’t take him at his Word much less do his Word. And ever since — all humans have sinned — missed the mark — and have distrusted God — not taking him at his Word — not doing his Word. This includes you — and this includes me.

Sin resulted in our relationship with God being destroyed. For God — who is holy and pure — cannot be in the presence of the unholy and impure — or in the presence of filth and wickedness. So we were cast from his presence — kicked out of the Garden — and sent out into the wilderness as our punishment. And — not only that — but death entered creation. Physical death — and all of the aging, and disease, and illnesses, and stresses, that comes with it — and spiritual death — separation from God. Spiritual death is probably the best way to describe our natural relationship with God. For he is Spirit and Life and — because of our sin — our spiritual life was killed.

But God…two of my favorite words in all of the Bible, by the way.

Ephesians 2:4–10 NLT

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God — in love for his people — sent his Son, Jesus Christ — to seek and save those who were lost. Jesus came to save sinners. And the way he ensured our salvation was by giving his life — on a cross — in our place — for our sins — for the wages of sin is death. Yet during his life — Jesus lived perfectly. He always trusted God the Father — he always took God at his Word — he always did what God’s Word required. And on the cross — though sinless — he took the punishment we deserve for our sin — the punishment of death. And in his resurrection — he defeated Satan, sin, death, and Hell and promised a new and abundant life — he guaranteed a resurrection empowered life to all who turn to him in faith — this is a guarantee to all who take Jesus at his Word.

That’s the Good News — that’s the gospel — that’s the message all need to hear. Whether it be your neighbor — or your coworker — or your child — or your spouse — or a group of people halfway around the world who’ve never heard the name Jesus before. The gospel is the only message that saves — for Jesus is the only Savior.

A LIFE OF SELF-DECEPTION

Returning to our verses — next James says…

James 1:22–24 ESV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

And — at this point — I can’t help but wonder if James had one of his older brother’s parables in mind. I say this because — what James just wrote is basically a very short parable. A parable — if you’re unfamiliar with the term — is a short story that’s meant to teach a lesson. Here’s a parable that Jesus once used to teach some folks.

Luke 8:4–15 NLT

4 One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: 5 “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. 6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they look, they won’t really see. When they hear, they won’t understand.’ 11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. 12 The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. 13 The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. 14 The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. 15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

What kind of soil is your heart like? Those whose hearts are like the good soil — are hearts that are gentle towards God’s Word. If you’re here today — and you wouldn’t call yourself a Christian — what’s your attitude towards the Bible? Is it gentle or hostile? Are you open to learning or are you closed-minded? Can the Bible critique you or are you the only one allowed to be the critic?

Though we can’t do anything to save ourselves — salvation is in God’s hands — there’s much we can do when it comes to the receptivity and sensitivity of our heart. Often it takes a crisis in life to soften our hearts — maybe that’s why you’re here today and are more open to hearing from God and his Word. But I pray that — even if you’re not in a crisis — that you’d pause and consider the attitude that you’ve brought with you today. And that you’d be open — that’s all — just open to what God is saying to you through his Word.

But for those of us who say we’re a Christian — who claim to be a follower of Jesus — this is where James is really challenging the status quo Christianity that’s prevalent in our country. You see — James is calling out the group of people who call themselves Christians in the US — yet whose lives and behaviors make it clear that they’re not taking Jesus at his Word.

Now hear me out: We need to be very careful in making behaviors — of any sort — the litmus test of proving whether or not a person’s faith is genuine. Right now — my concern isn’t for those who are spiritually proud and full of themselves — my concern is for those who are genuine believers in Jesus and have very sensitive spirits. Who are prone to beating themselves up or tearing themselves down — who view God as if he’s not pleased with them because they’re all too aware of their ongoing sin and shortcomings. And — for these folks — I want you to know that God loves you. If you believe in Jesus — as difficult as this may be to believe — I want you to know that God is delighted in you. He can’t think any more highly of you because — when he thinks of you — he thinks of you with all of the Fatherly affection that he has for Jesus.

I hope that’ll cause you to marvel, and be in awe, and to rejoice, and to be happy — for the God of Heaven sees you — and you give him joy.

Now — with that caveat — a way to test the genuineness of your faith — not a foolproof test, but a test that’s a tool to measure yourself against — and to examine where self-deception may’ve ensnared you — is our discipleship process here at Gateway. Think of this as the mirror that James mentions — a mirror you agreed to when you became a member of Gateway. And I especially want to speak to those of us who are members of Gateway because — as a member — you’ve given your word that you’d be committed to growing in obedience as a follower of Jesus. And our discipleship process is our mirror. It’s how we spiritually grow together as a church. For we’re members of a local church — not solo Christians doing our own thing.

So let’s all take a look in this mirror and see if we’ve forgotten what we look like — what we committed to — when we became members of this church.

Worship is the first step in our discipleship process. And — by worship — we mean regular worship with your faith family. And — I’ll just say it — weekly is best. Where you have a weekly event on your calendar to gather with your faith family to worship God. Some questions that may reveal self-deception or encourage your obedience are…

How regularly are you worshipping with your faith family?
Is worship a priority for you and your family?
What other activities easily keep you from gathering with us for worship?
What would happen if the rest of us imitated your worship attendance? Would we be attending more or less than we already are?

Our nature — right now — is to have a lot of justification going on in our heads. “Here’s why I’m not here weekly and it’s all very justifiable, Josh, thank you very much.” I’m not asking you to defend yourself to me — I’m asking you to take a look in the mirror of what you committed to and have a talk with the person whose reflection is staring back at you.

The second step in our discipleship process is connect. And we connect with one another in Life Groups. Life Groups are where we apply the Bible to life and care for one another. Yes, there are many great opportunities to learn, study, and discuss the Bible outside of Life Group — but as members of this church — we make it a priority to do this with our faith family — just like we want to care for our fellow church members. Some questions that may reveal self-deception or encourage your obedience — as you look in the mirror — are…

Am I in a Life Group? If not, why not?
If you are, how often are you attending?
Are you coming prepared?
How are you caring for your fellow group members? Life Groups aren’t the only way care happens around here — but they are the primary place where care takes place in our church. So how are you caring for your faith family members — and how are you allowing your church to care for you through our Life Group ministry?

The next step in our discipleship process is serve. And — by serve — we mean serving those in our faith family. Some questions that may reveal self-deception or encourage your obedience are…

Are you serving your fellow church members?
If so, how often?
If not, why not?
Since I liked this question so much I’m going to reuse it: What would happen if the rest of us imitated your serving? Would we be serving each other more or less than we already are?

Finally — we go — go is the final step in our discipleship process. Where we go to proclaim the gospel — both here in our local community — as well as in our country and around the world. Some questions to reveal self-deception or encourage your obedience — as you look in the mirror — are…

How are you going?
If you’re physically unable to go — how are you supporting those who are going?
If overseas missions isn’t your thing, how are you serving with our local partners here in Findlay or our national partners? If you don’t know who they are, go to our website — gatewayepc.org/ministry-partners for more information.

And — remember — “and” is the key word. It’s not worship or connect or serve or go. Not “or” but “and.” Just like it’s not going locally or going globally — it’s “and”. And I get it — you may be thinking, “Well this sure seems like a lot! It sure seems like a sacrifice. It sure seems like somebody else is in charge of my life because I’ve got all kinds of reasons to not do all of this.” And you’re absolutely right — Somebody else is in charge. For you are not your own — but have been bought at a high price.

CONCLUSION: A LIFE OF TRUE FAITH

Now — worshiping, connecting, serving, and going are no guarantee that you’re not living a life of self-deception — but I’ve found it to be a principle that most people can only keep up appearances for so long before they give into whatever their heart really desires — which leads us to the life of true faith. We’re in verse twenty-five.

James 1:25 ESV

25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Here James says that when we look into the perfect law — a law of liberty — a law of freedom — which is James’ way of saying “the gospel” — James says when we believe the gospel we’ll persevere as someone who does the Word of God. What he’s saying is that those who look to the perfect law won’t forget the message. They’re no mere hearers of the Word — but are the people who live in response to the gospel — who do the Word. And these are the men, women, and children who will be blessed. For — what they do — in response to what they believe — pleases God. And they do the Word because the soil of their heart is producing a huge harvest of righteousness — an abundant harvest of obedience and of joy in Jesus and of hope — because they-re looking to — and not forgetting — the One who died so the seed of the gospel would be planted within them.

This is the life of true faith. It’s not a perfect life. It’s often a life of tripping and stumbling and full of reasons for much repentance. But it’s a life with a holy stubbornness to it. A stubbornness that refuses to forget — that refuses to turn from the mirror — it’s the life that keeps looking to Jesus. For he’s the mirror to which our eyes are to be fixed — and when we look to him — we will be doers of his Word. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for your Word. Thank you for not leaving us dead in our sins. Thank you for your plan to rescue and save your people — to set us free — to raise us up from the dead.

Spirit, may you — right now — take the gospel and implant it into the hearts of those who hear my voice. May you soften their hearts so that — like good soil — a harvest of righteousness will be the result.

And — Jesus — the hope we have is because you did for us what we can’t do for ourselves. You were no mere hearer of the Word — but a doer. And you obeyed — never wavering or distrusting your Father — on our behalf. And you gave your life of perfect obedience on a cross — so that we might be given life.

So as we look into the mirror — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — help us not to forget what you’ve done for us so that we live for you — as doers of your Word. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available / Faith in Jesus = Resource Center)

May you go with your eyes fixed on Jesus — for then — what you do — will be in obedience to his Word. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

Where Good Comes From

Josh — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:55:47 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: James 1:16-18 (ESV)

DATE: 2-22-26

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

PASTORAL PRAYER

A few weeks ago, we reintroduced an ancient practice to our worship services — a time of pastoral prayer. Where — each week — we’re being more intentional about praying for people, circumstances, and situations going on in our congregation, community, country, and world.

Today we’ll be praying for our friends in Bucyrus. This is their last Sunday with us — as their new pastor begins next week. We’ll pray for those who serve our community as emergency medical responders. We’ll pray for those who serve in the military. And we’ll pray for our Christian witness around the world as this is the first Sunday of Lent.

Please join me in prayer.

Heavenly Father, what a gracious God you are. For every good and perfect gift comes from you — including the gift of fellowship with our friends in Bucyrus. And how thankful we are that they’ve found a pastor to lead them. May you bless them in the weeks and months ahead as they and their new pastor get to know each other. May you forge a sweet relationship between him and the elders. Spirit, may you unite the congregation together in a common purpose — and that purpose isn’t finished now that a pastor has been called — for the purpose you’ve called your church to — wherever she is found — is to go and make disciples of all nations. So may the arrival of their new pastor be the beginning of a new and fruitful season of making disciples of Jesus Christ.

As we turn our attention to our local community, we lift up to you those who serve as emergency medical responders. Spirit of God, give them quick thinking, wisdom, and steady hands as they help those in need of their service. And we ask you to help them to not only live trying to save the lives of others — but may you help them to live life themselves. To live the abundant life that’s only possible through faith in Jesus Christ.

For our nation’s military — first — we thank you that they’re willing to serve us by protecting our freedom as a nation. As someone who’s served — the further I’m removed from my time in the military — the more I see how precious a thing it is to have others who are willing to give their life so that we can experience the freedoms we have in our country. Even the freedom to disagree with the decisions our military makes is a freedom they’ve secured on our behalf. May you protect them. May you give those in leadership wisdom from on high. And may all of us — no matter our political views — be grateful for those who protect the freedoms we have.

And — finally — as many Christians around the world participate in the season of Lent — the forty days between now and Easter symbolizing the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness before being tempted by Satan — may those who participate — and even those who don’t — recognize and respond to what Jesus accomplished on our behalf during those forty days. Jesus, thank you for denying yourself and overcoming the temptations you faced. The times that we’ve done the opposite are countless — and it’s only by your grace that we find forgiveness when we come to you in repentance and faith.

May all of us — who believe in Christ — recognize what a gift it is to repent of our sins. What a gift it is to believe in Jesus Christ. What a good and perfect gift salvation is — and may we show the world what wonderful gifts these are — during Lent — and throughout the entire year.

And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in the book of James this weekend. Learning from the younger brother of Jesus who believed that his older brother was the Son of God. And James seems to have taken Jesus at his word — for much of what we read in James — appears to be mini-sermons — explaining, illustrating, and applying what Jesus had taught. So there’s much wisdom for us to gain from what we find in this book — including what James has for us today.

So — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to James chapter one — we’ll be looking at verses sixteen through eighteen together today. We’re in James chapter one — beginning in verse sixteen. There we read…

James 1:16–18 ESV

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

This is going to be a very theological sermon. But the goal isn’t for this to just be a sermon for our minds — the goal is for this to be a sermon that penetrates our hearts. For what we’re going to discover today — about God and salvation — is meant to stir not only our minds — but is to excite our hearts as well. Let me explain what I mean.

If you were here with us last week — when we saw God’s purpose in the trials we experience in life — we uncovered a truth about where temptation comes from — and it was a sobering truth. For temptation — we saw — comes from within us — from what’s called our sin nature. In and of ourselves we’re not pure — we’re tainted by sin. It’s the condition we’re born in because of Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God in the Garden.

Yet we also saw how — one of the habits of our sinful hearts — is to find someone else to blame for the temptation we give into — for we stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that temptation comes from within us — so we look outside ourselves. And it’s quite common to throw blame right at God. But James told us that — not only is God not tempted by evil — he also doesn’t tempt us with evil. Meaning — the temptations we face don’t come from God.

We also learned that temptation — when given into — leads to sin. And sin always takes from us — ultimately taking away life — for sin — James tells us — leads to death. And — death — is the ultimate taking away from.

So — in arguing against the belief that God’s the one tempting us and — instead — arguing that temptation comes from within us — James now says…

James 1:16 ESV

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

Don’t be deceived. That’s the only command in our verses. So — if you want to know what you’re to do today — this is it: Don’t be deceived. Don’t be misled from having a true and proper belief about where temptation comes from.

The Bible gives us many warnings about being deceived. For instance, why are we deceived? According to Jesus…

Matthew 22:29 NET

29 “You are deceived, because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God.

While others will be deceived by…

Matthew 24:24 NLT

24 False messiahs and false prophets [who] will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.

Or — in a quite memorable way — Paul warns…

1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV

33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

And the consequences for being deceived are severe.

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 ESV

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

And none of us are above being deceived. In fact — especially those of us who believe in Jesus should remember how…

Titus 3:3 NIV

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

So…don’t be deceived! Don’t be fooled! Don’t blame God for tempting you to do evil when what’s to blame is the sin within you.

ON GOD

That’s the command James uses to transition us from last week’s text to our verses for today. And — now — he’ll show us how great God is. We’re in verse seventeen.

James 1:17 ESV

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

In this verse we find incredible truths about God. We find that he’s generous, unchanging, and is light.

First, God is abundantly generous to us. James tells us this in saying that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.”

Now — when I read this verse — the question that came to my mind was, “What’s the difference between a good gift and a perfect gift?” And I don’t know that I discovered any great difference other than what’s pretty obvious: a good gift is something with positive qualities whereas a perfect gift — is just that — perfect — complete — without any deficiency.

Good gifts are something we humans can give. As Jesus says…

Matthew 7:11 ESV

11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Obviously Jesus is helping us to question something we so often doubt — something James is reiterating to us: Is God good? Will he be good towards me?

What Jesus and James are saying is that — because our Father in Heaven is good — he only gives good gifts to his children. To stress his point — Jesus mentions how we humans — as imperfect as we are — have managed to figure out how to give good gifts to our children. And then he says — how much more so does your perfect God know how to give good gifts to his children?

Now the perfect gift — that James refers to — is something we’ll come back to. But our first truth about God is that he is gracious.

Second, God is unchanging. About God — James says — “There’s no variation or shadow due to change.”

Variation is a word that means “mutation or a change of position” — and change means a “turning around or reversing course.” So what great news! God doesn’t change. As Scripture tells us…

Malachi 3:6 ESV

6 “For I the Lord do not change…

And…

Hebrews 13:8 ESV

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

God doesn’t change — which means — when you read of God — in the Bible — you’re reading about who God is today — and who he’ll always be. God doesn’t waver in who he is — like we do. Who he is isn’t a response to anyone or anything else.

He’s not loving because we’re worthy of his love. He’s loving because he is love.
He’s kind because he’s kind.
He’s merciful because he’s merciful.
He’s just because he’s just.
He’s good because he’s good.

With God you get exactly who he says he is — every single time. That’s why we must take him at his word — which means you have to know his word. Let him tell you who he is — to do anything else — is the ultimate act of foolishness.

God is gracious. And God doesn’t change. And — third — he’s the Father of lights. As the apostle John also tells us…

1 John 1:5 ESV

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

God is light and in him is no darkness — which is why he’s the Father of lights. Light represents purity — holiness — being completely separate and untainted by evil. And God’s purifying light is so bright and powerful and holy that nothing can block — or interfere with — his light. Nothing stands between God’s light and where he wants it to shine — which is why his light never casts a shadow. For a shadow is what happens when something interrupts light — but nothing can stop God’s light from shining wherever he wants it to shine.

In his gospel — John begins his words about Jesus this way.

John 1:1–5 NLT

1 In the beginning the Word (that’s Jesus) already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John goes on to say…

John 1:9–14 NLT

9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn — not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

The Father of lights sent his Son — who is the light of the world — to shine the message of salvation — so that a world clothed in darkness might have hope.

God is gracious. God doesn’t change. And God is light.

ON SALVATION

But there’s one more truth about God that we discover in the next verse — verse eighteen — which is also where we’ll discover the perfect gift that God gives to his children.

James 1:18 ESV

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Here James focuses on the topic of salvation. But — before we get to salvation — let me explain what’s about to happen. A few weeks ago — I had some guys in my office — and I was showing them how I prepare my sermons — how I take a few verses — like our three verses for today — and end up with a sermon.

Quite often — a lot of the work that I do in sermon preparation — is actually in my sermon — if you know what to listen for. But I’m going to make it even more clear for you all today as we talk about salvation. So imagine — if you will — that I’ve invited you into my office to show you how I prepare a sermon.

When I’m preparing a sermon — and this can apply to any time you read the Bible — but preparing a sermon is a time when I slow things way down. And while I’m reading the Bible passage — I’m constantly asking questions about the text. And when I tell you the questions I ask you’re going to think, “There’s no way it’s that simple.” I promise — it’s really as simple as what I’m about to tell you. Of course there’s an anointing by the Holy Spirit that makes what one person does — with this process — and spiritually multiplies it to be used for others through preaching — but any follower of Jesus can look at a text, ask the questions that I’m about to share with you, and better understand the Bible.

So here are the secret, mysterious, “got you on the edge of your seat” questions that I ask when I’m preparing a sermon. Are you ready? Got your pen and paper — or your notes app open? Here they are:

Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
And how?

Anybody’s mind blown right now?

That’s right — who, what, when, where, why, and how — questions you learned to ask back in elementary school! Some of you can’t believe that what I’m saying is true — so let me show you.

Here’s our verse again — and then we’ll ask it some questions. About salvation — James writes…

James 1:18 ESV

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

So let’s ask a question: Who? Who’s will is James referring to? Who’s will is it for people to be saved? James writes…

James 1:18 ESV

18 Of his own will…

Who does the word “his” refer to? God the Father. How do we know? Because the Father is the last “who” referred to in our verses.

So look at what James is telling us: God is the one doing the action in our salvation. This is one way to describe God’s sovereignty in our salvation. God’s sovereignty means that God’s in control of all things. And what James is telling us is that — the act of salvation — is an act done to us — it’s not something we do. And — to prove his point — James uses a phrase that’s meant to bring to mind an illustration.

James 1:18 ESV

18 Of his own will he brought us forth…

The phrase “brought us forth” is the same phrase he used in verse fifteen when he said…

James 1:15 ESV

15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

So what does “brings forth” mean — what is James describing? He’s describing what theologians have called regeneration — or the new birth — or being born again. This is the moment where the Spirit of God gives life to our spiritually dead and stone-like hearts — awakening us to the truth of who Jesus is — leading to our repentance and faith. And — remember — this is of God’s own will and he’s the one bringing us forth — this is an act of God.

Now — I did say that — regeneration does lead to repentance and faith. Repentance is our turning away from sin and rebellion against God — and faith is our turning to Jesus — trusting in him alone for our salvation. Repentance and faith are our choice — we make the decision to repent and believe — this is what is called conversion. But prior to our repentance and faith is a work of God — where he transforms the condition of our heart — so that we can repent and believe in Jesus.

Here’s what Jesus had to say on this topic when he spoke to a man named Nicodemus.

John 3:1–8 NLT

1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

“You must be born again,” Jesus says. “And humans can’t do this — only the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.” For — just as sin “brings forth death” — God is the one who “brings forth spiritual life.”

Often — at this point — many people — including many Christians — have a strong reaction against the idea that God — according to his own will — is the one who brings forth new life in those who believe. This is why the illustration of giving birth is so helpful — because — in the illustration that Jesus gives — we’re the baby being born.

The mom gives birth — the baby is born. No one says, “The baby gave birth to itself” — the mom gives birth. And James and Jesus both say that God is the one who gives spiritual birth to his people. We don’t spiritually birth ourselves — we can’t. But we do respond to the spiritual birth that God gives. And — just like a baby in the womb — there’s nothing that baby can do to stop itself from being born. It may fight. It may fuss. It may even turn itself around and force the doctors to do a C-section — but — it’s gonna be born. So too when it comes to God giving new life to his children.

OK. So God the Father is the “who” — and “what” he’s doing is giving us spiritual birth — but “how” — “how” does this new birth take place? Back to our verse again?

James 1:18 ESV

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth…

God the Father gives us new life by the word of truth. And what’s the word of truth? The word of truth is the Word that is truth. As the apostle Peter says…

1 Peter 1:23 NLT

23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

Notice how Peter uses the same born again language. And how being born again leads to a new and eternal life. And this new life is eternal because it comes from where? It comes from the eternal, living word of God. And what is the word of God?

That’s a bit of a trick question. For we learn in the Bible that the word of God is both Jesus — as we saw in the gospel of John — and Scripture. But — here — James is referring to the Bible — the written word of God.

The Bible is God’s Word and it is both true and truth. And the message of salvation — what’s called the gospel — is found in this book. Yes — the gospel can be shared to a friend over lunch without a Bible present — but the message being shared comes from the Bible. And the message of the Bible is the means by which God brings forth new life and saves his people.

As you heard me say in a sermon a few weeks ago — God’s Word to us is his generosity on display — it’s one of his good gifts to us. And it’s a gift — not only to those who believe — but to those who’ve yet to believe.

Hebrews 4:12 NLT

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

And what’s the result of the word of God being alive and powerful? One result is that…

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NLT

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

And one way that God’s word accomplishes this purpose is when pastors…

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

And pastors are to rightly handle the word of truth because they’re called to…

2 Timothy 4:2 NLT

2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

And — through the preached Word — God calls people out of spiritual death and darkness — and into new life that’s found in his marvelous and saving light.

So God the Father uses the word of truth — the gospel — to give us new life. But why does God do this? Back to our verse one last time.

James 1:18 ESV

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Why does God save us? So that we’d be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. So what does that mean?

If you’re thinking, “OK, Josh. We get it. You’re laying all of the who, what, where, when, why, and how on pretty thick right now” — I’d encourage you to take note of how often you hear them in future sermons — or go listen to some past sermons if you’re up for it. For — not only am I preaching a sermon — I’m modeling for you how to read the Bible so that you get the most out of it when you do. And the sermons you hear should make you a better interpreter of the Bible when you read it — which is why I’m taking time to show you how to understand God’s Word when you read it.

So back to us being firstfruits of God’s creatures — what does James mean by that? It means that we’re God’s choice offering — meaning — God considers us the first of all of his creation.

Paul uses the term this way in writing to Christians in Thessalonica.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV

13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

Notice — again — who’s doing the act of salvation here? God is. “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved,” Paul says. The Bible’s quite consistent and clear when it comes to salvation. Yet I think firstfruits — in addition to meaning God’s choice offering — gets a bit clearer in its meaning — in another of Paul’s letters. In a section where he also writes about our salvation.

Ephesians 2:1–10 NLT

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil — the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Though we were once spiritually dead because of our sins — living just like the rest of the unbelieving world as children of the devil — following the desires of our sin nature — subject to God’s wrath and just judgment like everyone else — “but God,” Paul says. There’s God in action once again. “But God” — this God who is abundantly generous, who never changes, and who’s sovereign — “but God, who’s rich in mercy and love, gave us life” — and he raised us up from the dead by the power of Christ’s resurrection. And this is all by grace — it’s undeserved — it can’t be earned — it’s a total and completely free gift from God to his people.

And now we get to the firstfruits part: Why did God do all of this? So that he can show the rest of his creation how gracious and kind he is towards his people. So that he can show all of his creation what he’s done — through Christ — for his beloved children. That’s what it means for his people to be his firstfruits. This is what it means for you — if you believe in Jesus.

It means that God is lavishing his grace and kindness and favor and mercy and power and love on you — so that the world may know how generous he is — and will always be — to his people — for he is the unchanging God. To be God’s firstfruits means that you’re his masterpiece — and it means he has a specific plan for you — a life to live — a mission to accomplish — so that the world may know of his great and never-ending love for his people.

CONCLUSION

Friends, do you see where James has taken us today? As one person has said, “Far from enticing [us] to evil, God is the source of every good gift, one of the greatest of which is the new birth.”

When you hear me say, “God loves you” — know that this is what I mean by those three words. May you rest in God’s generous, unchanging, and saving love towards you. May you soak it in. May you embrace his love. May you enjoy him and his love for you. May you respond to his love. May you have hope because of his love. And may you show the world what it means to be loved by the God who saves. For he’s the giver of every good and perfect gift — and he is lavishing gifts on you so that the world may know how generous he is to his children. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Gracious and generous Father, we marvel at who you are. We’re in awe. We feel the holy weight of your love towards us right now — and it feels good.

Holy Spirit, may you take your word preached — and use it to give new life to some who are listening. And may you do so at this very moment. For that woman who came here today feeling hopeless — give her eternal hope. For that man who came here today feeling dead inside — may you raise him from the grave and give him new life. For that college student who’s been overwhelmed — may you draw them to the Prince of peace. Spirit, whoever they are — those who — according to God’s own will today is the day of salvation — may you give them life.

And — Jesus — this new life is only possible because you gave your life on the cross for our sins. The good and perfect gift of salvation is ours because you gave the good and perfect gift of your life on our behalf because of your eternal love for us. Thank you for loving us — and for proving your love for us on the cross. We pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available / If you’ve responded, please stop by the Resource Center)

Whoever you are — Christian or not — may you respond to God’s generous, unchanging, and saving love towards you. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

Friends in Ministry

Josh — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 13:10:38 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 16:1-16, 21-23 (ESV)

DATE: 11-9-25

INTRO

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend. And we’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter where — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — he transitions to the “so what” section of his letter. Meaning he’s addressing how all of the theology — that’s found in the first eleven chapters — is to play itself out in how we live. Or at least how it should influence the way we live.

And today we start the last chapter of Paul’s letter. And — in these final words of his — Paul is very personal. In fact — I went back and forth — do I end with this sermon or with next week’s sermon — but decided to end how Paul ends his letter — even though this sermon is my favorite of the two. For in our text for today — Paul praises his friends in ministry. And today — like Paul — I’m going to praise many of you — my friends in ministry.

PAUL’S FRIENDS

But before we get to that — let’s turn to Paul’s words. Here are his words in Romans chapter sixteen — beginning in verse one.

Romans 16:1–16 ESV

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

And skipping to verse twenty-one — we read…

Romans 16:21–23 ESV

21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. 22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.

One person has called this, “The least-preached-upon chapter of the most-preached-upon book in the New Testament.” Meaning — no book in the New Testament is preached more than Romans — one could argue that it’s the most preached book in the entire Bible — yet — no chapter in Romans is preached less than chapter sixteen. Why’s that?

Because this is the kind of passage we long for in our devotional time, right? No! A list of a bunch of names that are hard to read — much less pronounce — thank you very much. A list of names inevitably causes us to ask, “What do a bunch of names have to do with me?”

My hope is that — after some reflection on these names — and especially after what we do later in this sermon — that the names you read will remind you of names you know — saints among us — who are worthy of being praised and commended for their faithfulness to the Lord and their friendship in ministry.

Back to Paul. He begins by commending a woman named Phoebe. And he calls Phoebe a servant of the church. I bring her up to briefly explain why we have women deacons here at Gateway. The Greek word translated as servant — in verse one — is the same word translated as deacon in other places in the Bible. Now — it’s true that the word isn’t always translated as deacon — sometimes it’s translated as minister or servant — but in one sense — all of the people Paul mentions in this chapter are servants in the church — so why does he single Phoebe out in this specific way when he commends her to the Christians in Rome? I believe it’s because she held a special leadership role in the church — that of a deacon.

Let’s continue on through the names — and as we do — don’t miss the intimate details that Paul includes. For example, Prisca and Aquila — who we find in the book of Acts — about them Paul says, “They risked their necks for my life.” We have no idea what situation Paul’s referring to — but essentially he’s saying, “I’m alive and doing ministry today because of these friends of mine.”

We learn that Epaenetus was the first person to believe in Jesus in Asia. That’s pretty cool.

Paul praises the hard work of a woman named Mary. He mentions that two of his friends experienced imprisonment. There’s Rufus and his unnamed mother — “Paul, why didn’t you give us her name?” But what a sweet statement, “She was like a mother to me.”

I wonder if she even had a name. “A name? Why wouldn’t she have a name?” Well — not all of the names in Paul’s list are actual names.

For example…

Romans 16:22 ESV

22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.

Tertius is the man who’s been writing down Paul’s words. This was a common role in the Roman world — where one individual would dictate to another words to be written down. Sometimes the individual was a slave — we’re not sure but it’s possible that Tertius was a former slave.

But — Paul — after sending greetings on behalf of Timothy, Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater — all people with names — I want you to imagine Paul looking at Tertius — the man writing down his words — and Paul says to him, “Tertius, go ahead. Greet them yourself.”

Now that may not seem like a big deal to you. But the reason why this is so moving is that the name Tertius isn’t actually a name — it’s a number. It means third or three. And — after his greeting — come the words, “Our brother Quartus, greets you.” Quartus means four or fourth.

Listen to what one Bible scholar said about these two men being listed in our chapter. He said, “The distribution of personhood in the Roman Empire was profoundly unequal. Very few people were recognized as a persona — the Latin word from which we get person — which is a legal term in Latin — that means that someone has a full standing in law and society to be recognized as a full human being. Only the head of households was considered a full human being and everyone else lived in various degrees of personhood. From children — who could aspire to inherit their father’s status — to women — who were always treated as property of the head of household — and then the twenty to twenty-five percent of the Roman Empire who were slaves — not based on race but on commercial or military misfortune. The Romans were very practical people — and if you didn’t really have any prospect of becoming a person — they didn’t bother with giving you a name. So if you were a male — you were often just named by your birth order. Second, third, fourth, fifth. Or a child born to a slave woman would be named “useful” — which in Greek — is the name Onesimus — which is a name in the book of Philemon.”

So according to Roman culture of Paul’s time — people — who were viewed as having no potential of becoming a full person — weren’t given names.

If we went back through the names Paul mentions in our chapter — we’d find names typical of heads of household — as to be expected. Some of the other individuals were probably firstborn sons due to the fact that they have names — as to be expected by the culture of the day. But women are also mentioned — which is culturally stunning — remember — they were considered property in Roman culture — not fully human. And — not only women — but we find the names third and fourth as well — Tertius and Quartus.

We don’t know if Tertius and Quartus were brothers — but they were both men not given the dignity of being named by their families because — as you now know — in the culture of the time only individuals with the potential of becoming a full person were named. And the third and fourth born sons in a family had no potential. Yet look at what dignity the Christian faith gives to all people. For the Christian faith says that all people — men, women, and children — regardless of their birth order — all are made in the image of God, all have dignity, and all are fully persons.

The Christian faith gives a name to the nameless. In fact — all who believe in Jesus — we’re told — are given a new family name — because the firstborn Son of God came to earth so that we — all of the seconds, and thirds, and fourths —could be given a new name when we’re adopted into God’s family.

I hope you see the beauty in a list of a bunch of names that are hard to pronounce. For it — this list of names — shows the power of the gospel to change people’s lives. Those whom the culture of the day said, “You have no personhood, no dignity, and no value” — those whom the culture of the day was willing to discard — the gospel gave them personhood, dignity, and value. And — just like then — the gospel today gives personhood, dignity, and value to all people — for all are made in the image of God.

OUR FRIENDS

And now we turn to us — and what’s my favorite part of this sermon — and maybe of our entire time in Romans. A time for me to praise many of my friends in ministry. Now — to no one’s surprise — time for a caveat — the “there’s not enough time for me to praise all of my friends in ministry here at Gateway.” In fact, I’ve contributed no names to the list that I’m about to read. Instead, I did something much more fun. I got others involved.

I sent out an email to around forty or so folks and asked them to send me names of people who they see faithfully following Jesus here at Gateway — those who are friends in ministry. And I asked them to tell me why they sent me the individual’s name. I also asked them to keep their list to no more than five individuals.

And I decided to put the list of names together this way — because — I know that my knowledge of what goes on among us is pretty limited. And I love to hear stories of what you all are doing that I would never know about without others telling me.

And here’s the reply I got to my email. Here are some of the many faithful friends in ministry among us. Some women. Some men. Some young. Some not as young as they used to be. Some singles. Some married. Some people you may know and others you may not. But all are family members and friends in ministry to you and to me — people for whom we’re to be thankful to God for.

And — yes — I purposely asked for the names to not be included in the sermon manuscript on our website and app so that this would be a surprise.

Randy MacDonald – He greets the kids of our County Road 9 Campus with a bag of candy and engages with them while their parents connect with others on Sunday morning.
Kristin Sharpe – She always makes others feel welcome and pours herself into serving our members.
Justin Stiles – He is consistently praying for the needs of others and thinking through ways that we can help or care for those in need. Even when he has plenty on his plate at home, he puts others first.
Lincoln Peters – He consistently seeks out and encourages our young kids at church. I often see him with an arm around a young man asking about his week and engaging them on Sunday mornings.
Terry Jolliff – He is always spreading the gospel with those he interacts with at work, church, or in the community. I have had multiple people tell me that if it wasn’t for Terry’s encouragement, they might not have come to church or known how Christ was working in their life.
Jessica Thomas and Ashlyn and Brody – as a family they serve faithfully in the nursery.
Heidi and all of our worship team leaders who faithfully lead us in worship each week. If you’re wondering why Heidi was named — her husband submitted her name. 🙂
Cory Hartman for keeping us safe every week.
Brinley and Bowen Fought for ushering regularly. You’re never too young to be faithful.
Chad Benedict for preparing communion for us.
Ron Beach – He is an encourager and writes a devotional every week for anyone who wants one.
Laura Moore – I don’t think people appreciate how much happens behind the scenes all because of Laura (and I probably don’t know the half of it). Her faithfulness and dedication to our church family is remarkable.
Matt and Amberly Heft – They are a pillar in our church—modeling faith in action and setting an example worth following. They don’t just talk the talk, they go, and they inspire others to go with them. Matt also genuinely cares about raising future leaders in our church family.
Michael and Lauren Shivers – He graciously leads our deacons with humility. They serve as life group leaders. Lauren serves in the diverse needs ministry and both are actively involved in the VBS program.
Michael and Annie Gill – They serve as life group leaders. Annie also helps with Kidway and Michael serves on the tech team on Sunday. Their family is missional in everything they do.
Damien and Amanda Barrientos – They serve in preschool classes and make Bible lessons engaging on Sunday mornings. Amanda also helps on respite nights for our diverse needs families welcoming the families of Gateway with a smile and a warm heart.
Jamie and Keri Harpst – They serve in the kid’s ministry, cafe, and women’s Bible study. They always encourage others and live out what it looks like to walk with Christ.
Emma McDougle – She serves faithfully with the preschoolers every Sunday as well as any event that requires childcare and does it with a smile, welcoming children into her care.
Krista Wachtman – She serves faithfully with the preschoolers every Sunday as well as helping in our diverse needs room.
Cheryl Drake – she serves faithfully every Sunday with the first graders, as well as leads the diverse needs life group, her own life group, and teaches English on Saturday mornings to students in Bangladesh. I’m sure she does much more that I am missing. To which I — pastor Josh — will add — she’s been a great mentor to my daughter.
Christina Lishawa – She intentionally teaches and leads her Kidway class weekly, she cares for her life group deeply, she loves others with notes of encouragement, and is willing to go on mission trips to share the good news. When she and Randy had a college student living with them last year, she frequently opened her kitchen to his fiancee — not only inviting her to dinner, but teaching her how to cook the meals they enjoyed together.
Renee Criblez – She goes above and beyond teaching first graders Bible literacy skills on top of teaching the weekly lesson, she’s quick to help out in Kidway with childcare or creating something to be used as a prop or tool, and is both humble and extremely knowledgeable.
Emily Weizer – She teaches large group monthly and is always thinking how to better communicate the Bible. She disciples her youth group girls well, has a heart for Go and missions, and is willing to help in whatever way she can.
Samantha Scherger – Sam is willing to Go, she leads a life group, is a greeter, and is a sub for Kidway and is always willing and ready to say yes to stepping into a classroom to help.
Nancy Cramer – She always fills in for the nursery whenever needed. She helps with Lifewise. She faithfully prays for the needs of others.
Kathy MacDonald – She schedules the greeters and has done so for years — faithfully making sure those who enter our building feel welcomed.
Harlan Hoy – He schedules the parking crew. Takes on parking for VBS — making sure kids are safe as they enter and exit the building. He also has taken charge of parking for our outdoor services.
Jordan Harpst – He is engaged in each area of our discipleship process, worshiping weekly, leading a Life Group, serving on the security team and as an usher, and going overseas to the hard places.
Seth Butler – He is a devoted husband and father who faithfully guides and disciples his family in their walk with God.
Hannah Otley – Her love for the Lord is very evident, whether helping lead worship on Sunday morning, sharing an encouraging word during Life Group meetings, or simply talking about Jesus with a supernatural kind of excitement.
Michele Jewitt – She is always praying and reaching out to our Life Group for prayers and how she can be praying for us and just genuinely checking in.
Heather Routson – She’s always asking how people are doing and has an amazing ability to follow up on conversations with care.
Jenna Wilson – The most kind person I know. She cares deeply about how people are doing and how she can be praying for them
Joel and Adrienne Kozlesky – They serve in many areas faithfully — including in Kidway, as Lifegroup leaders, at VBS, and have a passion for sharing the Good News to others both locally and abroad.
Joe McCool – He is a dedicated Christ follower who is always striving to deepen his relationship with God. He shares his love of Christ by joyfully serving and teaching in Kidway.
Heagan Sparling – She has a heart for teaching children about Jesus. She serves in Kidway and many other areas.
Ted Criblez – He is a faithful greeter with a smile and a kind word. He is there early every Sunday to open the Kidway doors, making all feel welcome.
Sherry Shultis – she has led the women’s Bible study for many years. She’s always an encourager. And she makes it possible for women to connect and feel at ease as they share.
Sandra Tietje and Annette Peverly – Both serve in the Sew Quilt Share ministry to provide materials and projects so women can use their sewing talents to bless others.
Etta Malone – A smiling face every Sunday as she gets around with her walker. She gives hugs to all making them feel loved and special. She is truly a blessing.
Chad Hermiller – he serves the youth as a life group leader and has done so for years.
Mike Norman – he’s willing to give guidance and help those who are looking to grow in their faith. He also gives a helping hand whenever asked.
Leslie Sawmiller – she will quietly sign up to bring a meal EVERY time a need is sent out for a family in our church.
Cori Benedict – Cori is such a servant for Christ! She strives to be a better mom everyday. She is never content with mediocrity when it comes to leading her family to the Lord.
Dan and Janet Blanchard – they have given their lives to fostering and caring for over 150 displaced children in our county over the years and now they faithfully care for the kids in our nursery each Sunday.
Matt Sawmiller – Matt has an evangelistic heart and has never met a stranger. He’s faithful to meet every person with love, care, and kindness and he does a fantastic job of sharing the Gospel and his faith with others.
Sara Tomlinson – she serves in multiple ways, she takes the initiative in stepping out, encouraging, and supporting our faith family.
Dan Harmon – he serves on Sundays, and is authentic and real in conversation.
Abe Sparling – he always shows up and he gets things done.
Mike McLaughlin – he recently moved here, jumped into the discipleship process, joined a Life Group and started serving — all pretty quickly.
Emily Hanson – Emily does more than required as a pastor’s wife by serving our youth and going above and beyond with VBX.
Lyn Loewen – is a faithful usher and leads his volunteers well. No matter what’s going on in his life or health, he makes everyone around him feel welcome and loved!
Peggy McBride – has faithfully served as a deacon, preparing and serving communion. She also serves in other areas on Sunday, and no matter what she’s doing, she makes you feel so cared for.
Jay and Coleen Kiesel – they serve in so many ways and are another couple who step up no matter the need. They bring a calm and quiet leadership to everything they do.
Hisako Tabogami and Elizabeth Jarrell – Both women are found serving our congregation as greeters or in the cafe. They extend the love of Christ by individually and compassionately recognizing the different people they serve.
Boden and Anna Fisher – Demonstrate their commitment to prayer by not only praying with individuals at the end of service, but also by regularly sharing their personal prayer requests so others can pray for them. In addition, they answered the call and recently became Life Group leaders.
Sam Deeter – he faithfully serves and motivates elementary students during Kidway with a smile and an enthusiasm for the Word.
Samantha and Kevin Boose – they seem to eagerly volunteer and serve almost everywhere. They model how they follow Jesus as a family. On days when Kevin serves on tech, you can find the whole family gathered for breakfast in between tech practice and the start of the first service. Sam’s also an amazing example of a Godly mother who tries her best (and is doing an amazing job) to raise her little disciples in a God-honoring way while also being humble enough to ask for help when it’s needed.
Logan Rickle – He stood in the parking lot during pouring down rain and welcomed everyone with a smile and a wave.
Susan Kayser – She faithfully serves on the worship team and sets the proper tone with her piano playing during communion.
Lindsay Norman – She builds cohesive worship teams each week despite everyone’s busy schedules. In her prayer requests she regularly asks that God would be her portion instead of praying for her circumstances to change. Her prayers and wisdom show a deep respect and reverence for the Lord.
Lana Fought – I’m regularly spurred on by her faithful service and her obvious love for the church.
Ashley Peters – She puts her relationship with the Lord first in the way she evangelizes and serves those around her.
Katie Kramer – Her heart for people, the Lord, and her reverence for the Word show her deep love and commitment to the Lord.
Nicole Dishong – For the past couple months she has come in during the week to prep supplies for the Kidway lessons.
John Lynch – He serves several of our homebound members by visiting them on a monthly basis.
Randy and Rita Casper – They faithfully check in with and pray for several members who are suffering from prolonged illnesses.
Dick and Greta Schrock – Partners in ministry by mentoring, hospitality, missions, and investing in people!
Paul and Ann Hadde – they serve in so many capacities at Gateway — the nursery, middle school life group, Sunday school, Christmas Tea, and VBS. They’re very generous with their time and resources to invest in — not only Gateway families — but the community as well.
Carsten Weizer and Morgan Cooper — two of our staff members — both spend a lot of time on Sunday mornings with their ministry responsibilities, but they’re also willing to come and serve and invest in our youth on Sunday evenings.
Brady Reutz – a high school student who serves alongside adults (that he didn’t already know before serving with them) to greet our members and guests on Sunday mornings.
Trevor and Nikki Gillig – they’re always willing to set up or clean up our cafe….even during special services such as Christmas Eve.
Andrew Thomas – he goes above and beyond on so much in the church. He does his official job, but is always quick to jump into other areas to use his gifts to be a blessing to others.
Tara McBride – she’s been helping with youth ministry for DECADES. She is so faithful with her girls and spends so much of her time investing in them.
Marc Krause – His dedication to serving alongside youth in the cafe is a great example of serving at Gateway.
Brent Steiner – Even though his weekend schedule can be extremely demanding he always ushers us into service with a warm smile and hello.
Howie Ohler – he serves regularly on the security team and warmly greets and talks to people throughout the lobby and hallways.
Ben Ruetz leads worship and fills in for others routinely, playing bass, playing guitar, or singing – however the worship team needs him.
And — as of a personal privilege — to the elders, staff, and deacons — thank you for your faithfulness in serving this congregation. And — since someone else submitted my wife’s name — I’d like to thank that individual for my free “get out of jail card” — as Emily loves for me to talk about her in my sermons. This time it wasn’t my idea — it was someone else’s.

CONCLUSION

I recently read a book titled The Power to Bless written by a friend of mine. At one point in the book, he addresses what many raise as a concern about blessing others. The concern is that if we bless people — or publicly praise or thank people, like I just did — that it’ll go to their heads. After all — he asks tongue in cheek — “Isn’t there too much self-love going on in our culture?”

To which he responds, “The rampant self-absorption we see in society is not the fruit of self-love. It’s the consequence of self-hatred.” He refers to the parable of the prodigal son. If you’re unfamiliar with the parable, a man has two sons. The younger — the prodigal — asks his dad for his part of the inheritance — which is another way of saying, “Dad, I wish you were dead.” He then goes off, squanders away all of his money, destroys his life, and finds himself so hungry that he longs to eat the slop being fed to animals.

The younger son thought he was loving himself, fulfilling his dreams and desires — but it was all self-hatred. My pastor friend then asks, “Would you ever, in your wildest imagination, on your worst day, do to the one you love what the younger brother did to himself?” No. Yet most of us are uncomfortable saying anything positive about ourselves in fear of sounding proud — which has bled over into it being uncomfortable to praise others for Christ-like faithfulness we see in them.

So — today — we’ve pushed back against such ideas. For praising others — and being thankful for their faithfulness and friendship in ministry — is a way we honor our God whose faithfulness works in and through his people. So may we grow even more in our thankfulness to God for our friends in ministry. And — like Paul — may we let each other know that we’re thankful to God for how he’s using them in our lives. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Gracious Father, thank you for your grace to us as seen, felt, and experienced through those around us — our spiritual family members — our friends in ministry.

Holy Spirit, prompt us — we ask — to not just think thoughts of gratitude about each other — but to share our gratitude to those for whom we’re thankful. A text message. A handwritten note. A phone call. An invitation for coffee. Spirit, help us to be people who express our thankfulness.

And — Jesus — all of the joys we experience as family and friends comes from your love for us. May our gratitude for one another always amplify our love and gratitude for you and all that you’ve done for us.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — for any who are lonely, who feel nameless, who feel less than fully human, who are desperate to be loved — may we be the family and friends they need. Open our eyes to see them — and open our hearts to love them. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

May you go savoring the blessing of being part of a beautiful faith family — a congregation full of friends. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

How to Disagree (pt 2)

Josh — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:51:38 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 14:13-23 (ESV)

DATE: 9-28-25

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend. And we’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter where — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — Paul gets to the so what beginning in chapter twelve. Meaning he addresses how all of the theology that’s found in the first eleven chapters is to play itself out in how we live. Or — at least — how it should influence the way we live.

And — today — we’re continuing our mini-series — as Paul continues to address the same topic we looked at last time we were together. What topic is that? How to disagree.

Now — if you weren’t with us last time — you should know that in starting his discussion on how to disagree — Paul began with something that’s quite controversial for the times in which we live. He says that part of the reason why we have disagreements with each other is because — and this is the controversial part — some of us are weak and some of us are strong. And what he means by this controversial statement is that some of us are weak and strong when it comes to our understanding of the Christian faith — what we believe and how it applies to life — which tells us that Paul is focusing on disagreements among Christians — though there are many ways to apply what he teaches to all of our disagreements.

And Paul’s focus — in our verses — is on disagreements over non-essential matters. This isn’t about disagreements on essentials of the faith — doctrines like faith alone in Christ alone for salvation — this is about disagreements over non-essential matters. For example — the Christians in Rome apparently disagreed over what foods were acceptable to eat as followers of Jesus. Some held a belief that you couldn’t eat certain foods and be faithful. Their belief — obviously — resulted in how they behaved. And their beliefs and behaviors caused division in the church even though this was a non-essential matter.

Yet — and this is important for us to hear and recognize — non-essential doesn’t mean non-important. Many non-essential beliefs and practices are very important — they’re just not essential in determining whether or not someone is a Christian.

Non-essential also doesn’t mean that we believe in subjectivism — that what’s true for you is true for you, but for me this other thing is true. It just means that — in our fallibility and human limitations — we haven’t come to unity on what the Bible teaches on the topic and believe that both sides are trying to be faithful to God and what he’s said in the Bible. That last sentence is important — so I’ll repeat it: In our fallibility and human limitations — we haven’t come to unity on what the Bible teaches on a topic and believe that both sides are trying to be faithful to God and what he’s said in the Bible.

So with that as a guide as to where we’ve been — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Romans chapter fourteen. We’ll be in Romans chapter fourteen today — looking at verses one through twenty-three. Here’s what Paul says in his discussion on how to disagree. Beginning in verse one writes…

Romans 14:1–23 ESV

1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Here’s the big idea — the main takeaway — for us today: When we disagree, we’re to pursue peace with each other as we grow in our faith together. When we disagree — and the “we” refers to fellow Christians — when we disagree — we’re to pursue peace with each other as we grow in our faith together. And our big idea leads to an important question: How do we pursue peace and grow in our faith together?

Paul’s going to tell us some things that we’re not to do — then he’ll tell us some things we are to do. And — again — what we do and don’t do both have the same goal: to pursue peace and grow in our faith together when we disagree on something non-essential.

WHAT WE ARE NOT TO DO

Let’s begin by looking at what we’re not to do when we find ourselves in a disagreement with one another over a non-essential issue.

Here’s what Paul says in verse three.

Romans 14:3–4 ESV

3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

A few verses later he asks…

Romans 14:10 ESV

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;

And in verse thirteen Paul writes…

Romans 14:13–15 ESV

13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.

As followers of Jesus — when we disagree — what are we not to do? We’re not to despise one another nor are we to pass judgment on one another. Don’t despise and don’t pass judgment.

You see, the temptation of the strong is to despise the weak for their lack of spiritual growth and immaturity — the strong are tempted to be impatient with the weak — to look down on the weak.

The temptation of the weak is to pass judgment on the strong — believing that the strong are loose with their theology, unprincipled in their practices, and dishonoring God by their behavior.

Don’t despise and don’t pass judgment — what we’re not to do.

Up to this point — I haven’t asked any self-reflective questions — so here’s the first one: Which of these temptations do you find yourself struggling with most? Do you find yourself more often despising other Christians — because of what they believe or how they behave — being impatient with others — or do you find yourself more often passing judgment on others — being suspicious of their theology or behavior?

This isn’t a sure fire way to know with certainty whether you’re weak or strong, but it’s still a helpful question to ponder. For when we remember that — the reason we’re not to despise or pass judgment — is because a disagreement has occurred — we begin to see the complexity of the situation. For — once again — though these disagreements are over non-essential matters — that doesn’t make the matter unimportant.

So when we discuss our differences and disagreements on non-essential issues — instead of despising and passing judgment — we’re to discuss our differences with our Bibles open. As we like to say — we’re striving to be “Word and Spirit Christians” here at Gateway. Which means we want our differences to be discussed with God’s Word opened — because — submitting to God’s Word on all things is something we all agree is an essential!

And instead of despising and passing judgment on each other — we’re to pursue peace and grow in our faith together. And how do we do this? With our Bible’s open and by living according to love — that’s what Paul tells us. For when we live according to love — not only will we not despise or pass judgment on each other — we’ll refuse to do anything that will cause each other to stumble in the faith.

As I mentioned earlier — the topic of division — for the Christians in Rome — was over what food Christians were allowed to eat — a non-essential matter. And Paul is clear that he believes there is a right side of the argument to be on: No food is unclean. Meaning — Christians are free to eat whatever they want.

Yet — and this ties directly to how we walk in love with each other — those who are on Paul’s side of the argument — even though they’re biblically correct in believing they can eat whatever they want — they’re not walking in love if they allow their freedom to be a stumbling block — or hindrance — or means by which they grieve a fellow Christian. For — to use their freedom in this way — is to not walk in love. Or — as Jesus famously said — they’re not loving their neighbor as themselves.

And this stance that Paul takes — that those who are strong — even when they have biblical justification for their behavior — are to set aside their freedom out of love for their fellow Christian — runs counter to everything the world in which we live teaches us. Where the world tells us to be true to yourself — Paul tells us to submit to the conscience of the weak in regards to these non-essential matters. Why? Because — as the strong ones — you’re obligated to sacrifice your freedom for the sake of those whose consciences are bound to obey what they believe is the will of God.

To eat meat was of secondary importance for the strong Christians who were part of the church in Rome. But for the weak Christians — though it should’ve been a non-essential — it wasn’t. Yet Paul says the obligation is on the strong to give up their freedom in order to not cause the weaker Christians to stumble.

And this leads us to another self-reflective test: For — if you refuse to sacrifice your freedom for the sake of others — on a non-essential matter — this may reveal to you that you’re not as strong as you think you are. And — perhaps — are the weaker Christian in the disagreement.

Last time I read our Essentials of the Faith and had all of our Gateway members reaffirm their commitment to the essentials. I wonder what’s something not listed as an essential that you believe everyone else at Gateway must believe or do? And I wonder if you’re so committed to that non-essential belief or behavior that you’re willing to cause others to stumble — instead of giving up your freedom by loving your fellow Christian?

Again — counter to everything we want to believe. But as one Bible scholar states…

Paul’s advice to the strong is simple: when the exercise of your legitimate liberty [encourages] the weak to violate their conscience, you must, in love, defer to their interests and refrain from what would otherwise be permissible for you to do. Paul’s appeal to the death of Christ is powerful. Since Christ was willing to lay down his very life for your salvation, how can you possibly refuse to forgo a comparatively insignificant liberty for the sake of your fellow believer? It is the contrast between, on the one hand, the extreme and glorious sacrifice that Jesus made in dying for the weak person and, on the other hand, the strong believer’s selfish insistence on exercising their freedom regardless of the spiritual interests of the weak brother or sister. (Sam Storms)

WHAT WE ARE TO DO

Which leads us to another way to test the maturity level of our faith. But before we get to this second test — let’s return to Paul’s words.

Romans 14:1 ESV

1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

And why do we welcome the weak — even when their weakness is a potential cause for division? Because…

Romans 14:3 ESV

3 God has welcomed him.

Remembering that — whether weak or strong…

Romans 14:4 ESV

4 he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

And God upholds and makes both the weak and strong stand — because — both are Christians. Therefore…

Romans 14:6–9 ESV

6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Thus both the weak and the strong believe that…

Romans 14:10–12 ESV

10 we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

And the key to all of this — according to Paul — is that…

Romans 14:5 ESV

5 Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

Now we just read some amazing, soul-lifting, unity producing truths.

We’re to welcome each other — even with our disagreements — because — God has first welcomed us. That’s why you hear words like, “Welcome one another as Christ has first welcomed you” around here.
And — whether weak or strong — God holds us up and causes us to stand firm so that his will is accomplished in our lives.
And — in knowing that we’ll all stand before the judgment seat of God — which — for the Christian is not a threat — but a time to receive eternal rewards for having lived our lives to honor the Lord — even to the point of allowing our death to honor him.
Thus — each of us should be fully convinced in his or her own mind — and not just on the essentials — but on the non-essentials as well.

And how are our minds to be fully convinced? By God’s Word.

We looked at this earlier, but let’s ask ourselves some more self-reflective questions: What’s the role of God’s Word in your disagreements with fellow Christians? Is God’s Word even considered? Opened? Explored and studied for what God has to say — and not just a verse or two over here that supports your position — but also the verses over there that support the other position? Do you allow God’s Word to shape what you believe — even regarding non-essential doctrines? And are you reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word regularly enough so that it shapes what you believe?

And — let me say this — and I do so with a heavy heart — for it’s far more common than it should ever be — but Christians often debate, argue, disagree — and even divide — over non-essential beliefs and behaviors — and do so without ever opening God’s Word. May that never be the case for us — especially with our unified commitment to be people who live under the authority of the Word of God.

Think of your last disagreement with a fellow Christian over a non-essential doctrine or practice: What role did God’s Word have in your disagreement?

Later Paul highlights the importance of submitting to God’s Word, when he states…

Romans 14:16–19 ESV

16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Here Paul says something that — at first — appears to contradict all that I’ve just explained to you. For he says, “Don’t let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.” If you believe eating meat is good — don’t let eating meat be called evil by other Christians. Same with special days of worship — which he mentioned back in verse five — or — the example I closed our last sermon with — infant baptism or child dedication.

Paul’s point here doesn’t invalidate what he’s just said about walking in love. What he’s saying now is that — as you walk in love — by giving up your freedom for the sake of a weaker Christian — don’t let the weaker Christian call your belief evil or blasphemous.

This tells us that it’s good to lovingly defend your position — but as you heard me say a moment ago — do so with your Bible open. Because the desire for any Christian — especially when we find ourselves in a disagreement with a fellow Christian — should be to better know and submit to what God’s Word says on the issue. For the result of this posture among Christians — a posture of submitting to God’s Word — will result in righteousness — meaning right living — and peace between the two parties — and mutual upbuilding — meaning both the weak and the strong Christian will grow in their faith and understanding on the topic.

Which tells us something else that’s important about the Christian faith and how we disagree: Christians are to be more concerned about the spiritual growth of each other than we’re concerned about winning an argument or making a point. Paul says this is what the kingdom of God is all about. Not eating or drinking — or which side of the debate of infant baptism and child dedication you agree with — but the kingdom of God is a matter of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit for both the weak and the strong.

Time for another question for those of us who follow Jesus: When you find yourself in a disagreement with a fellow Christian — what’s your goal? That both you and the other person grow in your faith — that you grow in your peace with each other — that you both grow in your joy in the Holy Spirit? Or that you win the argument? Be honest!

Think of the last disagreement you had with your spouse — if they’re a Christian — a disagreement over something that wasn’t essential to the faith? What was your goal? That you both grow in faith, peace, and joy? Or that he or she knew you were right and they were wrong?

Or the last theological debate you found yourself in with a fellow Life Group member over some non-essential doctrine? What was the win for you?

Or the last time you disagreed with something I did or didn’t say in a sermon?

Be honest — what’s been your goal in situations like this? What should be your goal when you find yourself in a disagreement with a fellow follower of Jesus over a non-essential? According to Paul, the goal of the Christian should be righteousness — right living — peace between you and the other person — and joy in the Holy Spirit for both of you — for this is what it means to live according to the kingdom of God.

Finally — in verse twenty — Paul writes…

Romans 14:20–23 ESV

20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Again Paul uses the debate over food and drink as his illustration. And — again — he reiterates to the strong not to cause the weak to stumble — even when the weak are incorrect in their views. Yet Paul gives permission to the strong. For when the weak aren’t around — when the situation is just you and God — or even you and other Christians who you know are in agreement with you — feel free to live in the freedom you have in Christ.

Obviously this means we must really know our fellow Christians and what each other believes. And not just on the essentials — but on the non-essentials as well. Knowing what each other believes so that — silent despising or passing judgment doesn’t take place because one individual assumes everyone else agrees with him or her on an issue — while those who disagree don’t speak up — because most of us do our best to avoid conflict.

We keep up appearances instead of being obedient to Scripture.
We keep “peace, peace when there is no peace” by not making our views known.
We keep each other from growing in faith, and peace, and joy by far too often not even knowing what we believe — or even if what we believe is biblical — or not sharing what we believe in order to not offend anyone.
May God grant us the strength, courage, humility, and love for one another to be honest in these situations. For this is how we’ll all grow in our faith together.

CONCLUSION

A final thought on all of this — especially our freedom in Christ — and on what it means to be strong in your faith. The Bible scholar I quoted earlier says this…

Christian liberty (or freedom) is a precious gift, but it does not have to be expressed outwardly to be enjoyed. – Sam Storms

An idea — which again — goes against the cultural air we’re so used to breathing in. For culture tells us that to be free means we have a right to — and must — express our beliefs. But is this what it means to be a strong Christian in the faith? The scholar goes on to write…

Ironically, those who feel the freedom to eat meat and to drink wine can themselves fall into legalism. They can hold to the truth of Christian liberty so tenaciously that they ignore the welfare of their weaker brothers and sisters. They insist at all times and under every circumstance to have the right and freedom to eat and drink whatever they want. In effect, they have become slaves to their own freedom. They are in bondage to their own liberty. If you believe that you must always exercise your freedom, even to disregarding your fellow believer, not only are you not walking in love, but also are enslaved to your own liberty.

And — if you look carefully at the world around you — especially to our nation — you’ll see this slavery to freedom. Many are in bondage to their own freedom. Many believe it’s their right to ignore the conscience and beliefs of others by forcing what they believe on everyone else — no matter the disunity, division, and violence it causes. This enslavement to personal liberty is described in your news feeds and social media accounts — you see and hear about it in the hallways at your work and school. For people everywhere believe that it’s a fundamental right to always exercise their freedom — and even to disregard what anyone else thinks in order to exercise their freedom.

Yet the Christian faith says something different — the opposite in fact. That — to follow your Savior — who gave up his freedom — his life even — in love for you — is now how you’re to live in love towards others — especially your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Not as a slave to your freedom — but as a slave of Christ who uses your freedom to help those who are weak to become strong. For when this is your goal — even when you disagree with others — you will honor the One who gave up his freedom so you could become strong. Let’s pray together.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, we want to begin by thanking you for the patience and kindness you have towards us. Far too often we think we know what’s the right thing to believe and the right way to act — so we think, “How dare someone disagree with me” — without ever really considering whether or not you agree with us. What an assumption we make — that what we think and do is always what you agree with. But you’re the perfect One — not us. You’re the One who knows all things — not us. You’re the One who always acts righteously — not us.

Holy Spirit, despite our lack of knowledge, our misunderstandings, our ignorance, and our blatant rebellion — you desire — and have promised — unity for us — the people of God. For you live in all who believe in Jesus — and you give us the desire and the strength to know what is true and to act on what is true. Increase our desire to not only know, believe, and live according to the essentials of our faith — but to seek out your truth when it comes to non-essentials — as we patiently and lovingly help others mature in their faith.

For — Jesus — when we do so — we’ll show the world that we’re your followers. For you patiently and lovingly help us mature in our faith. And you desire and have called us to help others in the way that you’ve first helped us. May our unity — even in our disagreements — make you look glorious to the world, nation, and community in which we live. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

Because of all that God has done for you — may you go pursuing peace as you help build each other up in the faith. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

How to Disagree (pt 1)

Josh — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:34:28 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 14:1-12 (ESV)

DATE: 9-14-25

With the week that our local community, nation, and world has had — it’s especially good to be with all of you. And — as always — there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend. And we’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter where — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — Paul shows how all of the theology that’s found in the first eleven chapters is to play itself out in how we live. Or — at least — how it should influence the way we live.

And — today — we begin another mini-series — as Paul is going to address the same topic for quite a few verses. What topic is that? How to disagree.

Now let me pause and let you in on something. A few weeks ago — when I was writing this sermon — I wrote the following — obviously having no idea what would happen this week. Here’s what I wrote.

If you’ve been around Gateway for a few years — you may remember that — when we were in the book of Acts — we also looked at this topic — how to disagree. That was way back in 2020 — a time in history when the world was at peace, everyone was getting along with each other, there were no controversies, and — oh wait — 2020 was the exact opposite of all of that. And unfortunately division — instead of peace — disharmony — instead of getting along — and controversies — instead of truth — all of that — was also happening in the church among God’s people.

But here we are in 2025 — a time in history when the world is at peace, and everyone is getting along with each other, there are no controversies — and — since none of that’s true — including in the church — it’s a great time to return to the topic of how to disagree with each other — for disagreements are sure to come. Yet — for the followers of Jesus — how we disagree with each other is as important as what we disagree about. In fact — there should be an obvious difference between us and those who don’t believe in Jesus in how we disagree. For we follow a Savior who had many disagreements with us and — news flash — I’m sure still has many disagreements with us at this very moment — and yet — he continues to welcome us in fellowship with him even as he reveals to us the error of our ways.

CURRENT EVENTS AND PRAYER

So — before we continue with the sermon — let me even be more direct in comparing 2020 with 2025. In 2020, cell phone footage rocked our nation — and the world — as we all watched the final moments of man’s life — his name was George Floyd. This week, cell phone footage rocked our nation — and the world — as we all watched the final moments of another man’s life — his name was Charlie Kirk. I’m not comparing the men — I’m comparing the moment — to show that our nation is still in desperate need of the gospel.

But I want to direct our attention not to national headlines — but to a local one. For as much as we should grieve that a wife became a widow on Wednesday — and that two young children lost their father — on that same day — another wife became a widow — also because of a gun being fired. And this widow attends our church. Findlay police officer John Schimmoeller — who often was our security officer at our North Main Campus — took his life on Wednesday.

If my memory is correct — this is the fifth suicide in the last six years that has directly affected families in our church. And this is the second Findlay police officer to take his life affecting family and friends in our church.

First, to our Gateway family members who serve in law enforcement — thank you for what you do.

Now — for some intentionally direct words of love to our law enforcement folks: If you’re struggling — get help. I pray for you all every week. And one of my prayers for you is that you would not only try to save the lives of others, but that you would live life yourself. Stop believing that you have to be stoic, or that you can’t let anyone see weakness in you, or whatever particular lie is on repeat in your mind when it comes to your mental health. I know that some of you are really mad at John for not getting help. Be mad — I get it — but why not get help so you don’t end up being the reason others are made some day? The most noble and brave decision you’ll ever make is to get help.

And — to the spouses of our law enforcement folks — the most loving and brave decision you will ever make is to seek out help for them — if they’re unable to do so for themselves.

Yet I know it’s not just police officers who struggle with suicidal thoughts. So — if this is you — please seek out help. Call the church office. Stop by the Resource Center. Come up for prayer. Tell your Life Group. Let your shepherding elder know. Tell someone.

We love you. And as people who follow the One who calls himself the Life — we are prolife — which means we are for you and your life.

Finally — something that’s been on our radar for some time is the lack of mental health resources available in our community. This has been an ongoing topic of discussion and what our role — as a church — should be. I bring this up because the time is now for us to do something. Our goal is to establish a counseling center ministry for our church family and — to the best of our ability — our local community. This is going to be a top priority over the next year and I want you to be aware so that — just like you think of the church when it comes to your theology and Bible questions — you’ll start thinking of the church when it comes to your mental health — or what the Bible would refer to as your soul and life questions or struggles.

But — now — we’re going to pray for the family of officer John. For it’s not just his widow — but some of his extended family members attend our church — including a nephew who’s on our church staff. And we’ll pray for our North Main Campus family as many there knew officer John and are deeply grieved by his death. Let’s pray and then we’ll continue with the sermon.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, your Word tells us that “you are near to the brokenhearted and you save the crushed spirit.” (Ps 34:18)

And Jesus you said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

Father, you are sovereign over all things — including the salvation of your people. You know whether or not John put his faith in your Son. So we trust that you have made the perfect decision. For we know that murder is not an unforgivable sin — not even self-murder. For all sins can be forgiven through faith in Christ.

For John’s wife and family, may they know that you are near. Spirit give them comfort, peace, and rest. Absorb some of the shock for them. The uncertainty. The despair. Be a very present help in this time of trouble for each of them.

For the Findlay police department — God we ask you to continue to protect them as they work to protect us. And I’ll repeat my prayer for them right now: May they not only try to save the lives of others, but may they live life themselves — the abundant life — a life overflowing with joy in Jesus.

For our North Main Campus family — it is right and good to weep right now. May we all weep with those who weep. May we comfort those in need of comfort. May we be quick to listen. And be available and present.

For our Findlay community — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — I ask you to bring revival to our hearts. May your church — the church of Findlay — not just Gateway — but your church wherever she is faithfully found in our community — experience revival, a love for you and your Word, a commitment to your gospel being proclaimed, and may our community know that we are your disciples by our love for one another and them.

Finally, for any who are currently struggling with self-harm or suicidal thoughts — Holy Spirit lead and guide them to make the bravest decision they will ever make — to seek out help. And — Jesus — may you be the Lord and Savior of those they turn to — so that — the help they find is you. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

TEXT

If you have your Bible — please turn with me to Romans chapter fourteen. We’ll be in Romans chapter fourteen today — looking at verses one through twelve. There Paul writes…

Romans 14:1–12 ESV

How to disagree — that’s our topic. And — after all that we just prayed for — I hope that we’ll take Paul’s words seriously — for how we disagree matters — as the people of God — and it matters at least as much as what we’re disagreeing over.

So — how to disagree. Paul starts us off on this journey with a pretty unpopular statement: Some of our disagreements are due to the fact that some of us are weaker than others. I’ll explain what he means by weaker in a moment — but know that Paul’s point runs counter to the egalitarian view of our culture — where everyone’s thoughts, opinions, insights, and so on are equally valid. Paul — inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these words on behalf of God — disagrees with our culture. Not all views — not all beliefs — not all opinions — are equally true and valid. Some of our disagreements are due to the fact that some of us are weaker than others.

Now here’s what we’re going to do today. Today we’re going to define who the weak and the strong are. Then — next time — we’ll look at what we’re not to do when we find ourselves in a disagreement — along with some things that we are to do when we find ourselves in a disagreement. What not to do and what to do will be what we look at next time.

And let me say this early on: Disagreements among us should not surprise us! I mean — look around the room you’re in right now. Here at Gateway we’ve got people of all ages — even a couple of ninety year olds among us. Different generations see things differently.

But it’s not just our physical ages that make us see things differently — we’ve got people of all kinds of spiritual ages. Some of you have believed in Jesus for decades — some for days. Some of us think we believe in Jesus — and don’t as of yet — because your knowledge about Jesus hasn’t become belief in him.

We’ve got all sorts of backgrounds of what our lives were like before we believed in Jesus. Some of us were raised in a Christian home. Some in a non-believing home. Some were raised Catholic. Others Methodist, or Baptist, or Lutheran, and few of us — ironically — were raised Presbyterian.

Some of us came from legalistic type churches and you can’t believe that people wear shorts to Gateway on Sunday. Others of us come from churches that were the opposite of legalistic — you wonder why I don’t wear shorts when I preach.

Some of us are Matt Chandler, John Piper, and Tim Keller fans. Others listen to Steven Furtick, Andy Stanley, and Craig Groeschel sermons. And some of us — I’m sure — really like TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, and Joyce Meyer.

Why do I bring all of this up? Because all of these differences have the potential to create all kinds of problems for us when it comes to unity and being biblical in our disagreements. And this is what Paul is warning us about as he encourages us — in yet another way — to love one another. For how we disagree with each other is an opportunity for us to love each other as we’ve first been loved by Christ.

THE WEAK AND THE STRONG

With that — let’s understand what Paul means when he calls some of the Christians in Rome weak and others strong. We’re back in verse one.

Romans 14:1–2 ESV

1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.

And skipping to verse five we read…

Romans 14:5–6 ESV

5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

And — to clear up a question you may have — “Josh, I saw Paul call some weak, but I didn’t see him call anyone strong” — later on he will say…

Romans 15:1 ESV

1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

That’s in the next chapter — which tells you that Paul’s gonna spend a long time on this subject. Apparently division in the church isn’t a new problem — it’s an ancient one. Because our enemy loves nothing more than for God’s people to spend time fighting with one another instead of uniting together to fight him.

But back to the weak and the strong. Paul starts off his thought with a command: to welcome those who are weak in faith. So let’s talk about the weak.

First, those who are weak — are weak in faith. Meaning — they are believers! Now the weakness of their faith doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re brand new Christians — for Scripture warns that you can be a Christian for a very long time and still not have matured much spiritually. And this is what Paul seems to be suggesting when he calls these Christians weak in faith: They’re Christians whose faith hasn’t matured very much. And Paul gives us some examples of what this looked like in the church in Rome.

Apparently these Christians — who were weak in faith — held some sort of belief that eating meat was unholy. The weak person — Paul says — eats only vegetables. This isn’t a knock on being a vegetarian — for health reasons — because the weakness isn’t about their diet — it’s about their spiritual view of the diet.

Which may make you wonder, “What’s the big deal about meat for these people?” If you know your Old Testament, what to eat and not eat was a really big deal for the Jewish people — go read the book of Leviticus if you don’t believe me. What you ate — or didn’t eat — was a matter of holiness for the Jewish people. And — in the church in Rome — there were many Jews who’d come to believe in Jesus — just as there were many Gentiles — or non-Jews — who’d also come to believe in Jesus. And within this diverse group — there was disagreement over what a person could eat while still being faithful to Jesus.

Now — to keep these weak Christians from getting a bad reputation — you should know that they weren’t legalists. You can be weak in faith — have an incorrect view of something — and not be a legalist. Paul’s quick to call out legalists when the situation is called for — but here he doesn’t treat the weak Christians as legalists. Why not?

To answer our question let’s look at an example of how he does respond to people who are legalists. To the Christians living in the area of Galatia, he writes…

Galatians 1:6–9 NLT

6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. 8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.

But what exactly was Paul reacting to? He makes it clear when he writes…

Galatians 3:1–3 NLT

1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

The legalism that Paul rejects — is the belief that our works — what we do — make us right with God. In the Galatian church there was division around many works — circumcision, as an example. Some in the church believed it had to be done — in addition to believing the gospel — in order for a person to be saved and made right with God. And Paul totally and completely rejects such legalism.

He calls it a false gospel. He says things like, “Who cast an evil spell on you” and “Let anyone who preaches such things be cursed.” Paul doesn’t hold back when it comes to legalism. As one person said, “Jesus plus nothing equals everything.” For as soon as we try to add anything to Jesus — and what he accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection — we lose everything. Because the gospel — the Good News of salvation — is about what Christ has done to save his people.

So back to these weak Christians in Rome. Instead of the forceful language that he uses against the legalists in Galatia — Paul is gentle with the weak Christians in Rome. This tells us that Paul doesn’t view them as legalists. This tells us that the weak weren’t saying, “To be right with God you must believe in Jesus and not eat meat.” Whatever questions, concerns, and beliefs they had about eating meat — though mistaken — didn’t mean they were being legalistic.

But — you may wonder — why do I say that the weak Christians were mistaken? Because of what we read elsewhere in Scripture. For example…

Mark 7:14–19 NLT

14 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 15 It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.” 17 Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. 18 “Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? 19 Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)

Paul agrees with Jesus — for he taught the same thing.

1 Corinthians 8:8 NLT

8 It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.

Again — though the weak Christians were mistaken in their beliefs about food — they were not taking their beliefs to the realm of legalism — where eating or not eating was a sign that a person was a true Christian or not.

But guess what? Though they weren’t being legalistic — their mistaken beliefs were still causing division in the church! Yet eating or not eating meat wasn’t their only mistaken belief.

Apparently these weak Christians also held a view where certain days were “better” — or more “sacred” — than others. This may have had something to do with the Sabbath — Saturday — being the day for worship — versus the Lord’s Day — or Sunday — but we’re not exactly sure — Paul doesn’t give us enough details. He just lets us know that this was also a point of division in the church.

And — again — Paul makes it clear that these weak Christians weren’t being legalists about their view of these special days — even though they were mistaken in their views about the special days.

Now at this point — it’s completely understandable if you’re thinking, “What does eating or not eating meat and this or that special day have anything to do with me?”

Though meat and special days aren’t causes for division in the church today — there are many beliefs that Christians have that do cause division in the church. And — to stay in line with Paul’s thinking — these are mistaken beliefs by Christians who are weak in the faith. They’re not legalists — that’s a different topic — but they do have mistaken beliefs that are causing division in the church.

Here at Gateway — we call this the difference between essentials and non-essentials. This isn’t something we came up with — this is how our denomination articulates the idea — which isn’t even unique to our denomination — but is an idea that goes back centuries.

The essentials of the faith are made explicit in a document that our denomination cleverly titled “The Essential of Our Faith.” The essentials are what all members of Gateway are required to agree to — they’re what unite us together as a faith family — even when we disagree over other matters. There’s no room for debate or disagreement with the essentials — non-essential — yes — room for debate and disagreement — but not so with the essentials. And what are the essentials?

I’m about to read them — but first — if you’re a member of Gateway — would you please stand up right now — if you’re able — that goes for folks at our North Main Campus too. Friends in Bucyrus — you’re part of the EPC and have the same essentials of the faith — so you can stand as well if you’re a member of the faith family there in Bucyrus. I know that standing during a sermon is different — but I thought we’d take the opportunity to reaffirm the essentials that we believe as a sign of our unity as members of this faith family. At the end I’ll ask you to respond by affirming that this is what you believe as a member of Gateway Church and First Pres Bucyrus.

Here are the essentials. I’ll read them and cue you when to say “I do.”

We believe that…All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks.

We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To him be all honor, glory and praise forever!

Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through his miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and his virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day, he arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, he now is our High Priest and Mediator.

The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, he gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.

Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits his righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifying them in his sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.

The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.

Jesus Christ will come again to the earth — personally, visibly, and bodily — to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

As members of Gateway Church and First Pres Bucyrus, do you reaffirm your belief in the essentials of our faith? If so, say “I do.” You can be seated.

A few quick responses to what we just did.

First, if you’re a member and — for some reason you weren’t comfortable saying “I do” just now — maybe because something’s changed in your beliefs or you’re wrestling with some doubts — please reach out to your shepherding elder. My recommendation would be to do so today. We’d love to have a conversation with you about the essentials and what you believe.

And — second — if you’re a Christian, regularly attend Gateway, but are not a member — and you just felt left out or uncomfortable because you felt singled out when others stood up — know that becoming a member is pretty simple around here. And maybe the discomfort you just felt is God’s way of leading you towards the formal commitment to this faith family that those who stood up have made — at least that’s my hope for you. So stop by the Resource Center at your campus for more information on becoming a member.

Finally, if you’re not a Christian — you’re probably glad I didn’t have you stand up — that would’ve been really awkward. If you have questions about any of the essentials — please stop by the Resource Center before you leave. The folks there will either point you to some resources to check out or take down your info so someone can contact you about your questions.

My prayer for us — as a faith family — and I hope this is your prayer for us as well — is that our being united on the essentials will keep us united when we disagree on non-essential matters. For sure — non-essential doesn’t mean non-important. But if we’re united on the most important doctrines — on the essentials — why would we allow non-essential doctrines to divide us? For when we divide and go our separate ways over non-essentials — we demonstrate that the essentials aren’t actually our essentials — whatever we’ve divided over was more important. Otherwise why would we go our separate ways?

CONCLUSION

Since this topic is going to go on for a few weeks — I think that’s enough for today. However, I thought I might end with an example of why I’m so proud of you all when it comes to disagreeing.

If you’re newer to Gateway — and haven’t attended one of our baptism services — something you’ll notice about us is that you’ll see families who bring their children up for infant baptism while others bring their children up for child dedication. In many churches, it’s infant baptism or child dedication — because everyone knows that a church practices one or the other — but not both.

Now long before I came to Gateway — which we’re at the nine and half year mark for anyone keeping count — but way before my time — the practice at Gateway was to offer both infant baptism and child dedication. Why? Because baptizing or dedicating our children is a non-essential — and we have people coming from all kinds of church backgrounds with various traditions. But more importantly — we’ve got people in our faith family who’ve come to different conclusions on this important — but not essential doctrine — and have done so with their Bibles open.

So in order to do our best to welcome each other — we practice both around here. And what I love most is how we celebrate with families — regardless if they’re baptizing or dedicating their children. Because we’re a congregation that’s thankful and supportive of families who are committed to raising their children up to know and love Jesus.

Thank you — Gateway — for honoring the Lord. And for welcoming one another — even in our differences — or I should say — especially in our differences. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for your goodness, kindness, and graciousness towards us. For there’s much that we believe and do that you disagree with. And yet you welcome us anyway into your family and — even more amazingly — into your eternal presence.

Spirit, you are the Spirit of unity and you desire unity among us. Unite us — we pray. Knit our hearts together. Produce within each of us a spirit of hospitality — so that we become the most welcoming people that others know.

And — Jesus — us being welcomed into your family and into your Father’s presence is possible because of what you did — in love — for us. You lived for us. Died for us. And defeated death for us — and for our unity. May we fight hard — as we live under your Word to us and by the power of the Holy Spirit in us — to display the unity that you’ve made possible. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available // Resource Center for membership info)

May you go welcoming each other as God has welcomed you into his family. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

Know the Times

Josh — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 11:46:05 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 13:11-14 (ESV)

DATE: 8-24-25

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend. We’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter where he shows us how all of the theology — that’s found in the first eleven chapters — is to play itself out in how we live. That’s the journey we began earlier this year with Paul’s big “therefore” statement — when he writes…

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Paul tells us — in light of all the theology he’s taught us — to live our lives as sacrificial offerings to God — where our lives are acts of worship that make our God look glorious to the world.

But now I need to let you in on a little insight about these verses — and this ties into today’s sermon. When Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world,” the word translated in English as “world” doesn’t mean the planet we live on — nor does it mean “that which is in opposition to God.” The word used means “age or era.”

I think you’ll see why I bring this up if you turn to our text for today. We’ll be in Romans chapter thirteen — looking at verses eleven through fourteen. Again that’s Romans chapter thirteen — beginning in verse eleven — where Paul writes…

Romans 13:11–14 ESV

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Paul’s returning to the idea found back in chapter twelve — do not be conformed to the world — when he writes “you know the time.” Not being conformed to the world means to not be conformed to the time in which you live — the era — the age in which you live. For every age has its way of leading us away from faithfulness to Christ — so we must not conform — we must stand firm — for this is war.

Which leads us to where we’re headed today. We’re going to talk about knowing the time in which we live — something we’re commanded to do — to know the time. Then we’ll look at how not to live in this age. Followed by how to live in this age.

Know the time. How not to live in these times. And how to live in these times.

KNOW THE TIME

Let’s begin in verse eleven where Paul writes…

Romans 13:11–12 ESV

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand.

The first thing I want you to notice is the urgency in Paul’s words.

The hour has come.
Salvation is now nearer to us.
The night is far gone.
The day is at hand.

There’s urgency here.

As you may know, Emily and I have three kids. Three kids — three very different birth experiences. For Wesley — our oldest and firstborn — Emily’s water broke while we were playing a game at our dining room table. We went to the hospital…and we waited. And waited. And waited. Her water may have broken, but Wes didn’t get the message it was time to be born. Emily and I played board games in the hospital for hours to pass the time away. There was no sense of urgency.

For Caleb — our second child — things were quite different. We lived in Tampa and the hospital was quite big with lots of babies being born. Emily started having contractions — things felt kind of urgent — so we went to the hospital.

Now — though Emily felt an urgency — the hospital staff — well — not so much. We got checked in but were sent to a large waiting room. And we waited. And waited. And waited. Or — at least that’s what I did. Emily — on the other hand — was going through labor. There were some young gals waiting for their friend to give birth and I’m pretty sure watching Emily go through labor changed their minds about having kids in the future.

Eventually Emily strongly suggested that I go tell the security officer that he either needed to get someone to see us ASAP or come over and deliver a baby. So I went up to the guy and was all like, “Yeah. So you probably get this a lot. But my wife says she really needs to be seen by someone or you need to go deliver our baby.” He went and got a nurse who took us to what seemed to be an ER type room — and then she left! That’s right — she left me with my wife all by myself — can you believe she treated me that way? More time went by — resulting in Emily strongly suggesting I go get someone because it was time.

Now — I don’t like telling medical professionals how to do their job — but — even more so — I don’t like to be on the bad side of a very stressed — and about to deliver a baby — wife. So I went to the nurse’s desk and said, “Yeah. So you probably get this a lot. But my wife says she really needs to be seen because she’s about to deliver our baby.” Though I think she didn’t trust my wife’s assessment of the situation — she did follow me to the room. She asked a few questions and then said she’d check to see how things were progressing. And — ALL OF A SUDDEN — things became very urgent for that nurse. She pressed some button and a flood of people came rushing into the room. I was pushed to the side. And Caleb was born. There was a sense of urgency for Emily — but the hospital staff didn’t quite see things the same way — until they did!

With Alice — our beautiful, talented, and — let me check what else she told me to say — amazingly funny daughter — with Alice I think Emily decided to split the difference. Here I am sleeping the night away while she went through labor. I guess she figured, “I’ve been through this twice before — I’ll know when it’s time.” She woke me up in the wee hours of the morning and said, “Josh. It’s time. We need to go to the hospital. We called our friend to come over to watch our boys, got to the hospital, and Alice was born within the hour.” Emily knew the times. She knew what to expect. While I was literally sleeping the night away — only to be awakened from my sleep to an urgent situation.

What Paul’s telling us — we who believe in Jesus — is that the time in which we live is a time of urgency. This is not like Wesley’s birth — a time for board games while you wait for a baby to be born. This is a mix of what that nurse in Tampa went through — when she finally saw that Caleb was coming — or what I went through with Alice — which may be the better analogy because I was literally asleep — for Paul says, “The hour has come for you to wake from sleep!” A phrase he loves to use in his letters.

Ephesians 5:13–14 NLT

13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

And…

1 Thessalonians 5:6 NLT

6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.

And…

1 Corinthians 15:34 ESV

34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

And…

1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV

13 Be watchful (wake up), stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

And…

Colossians 4:2 ESV

2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

And not only Paul says this — Peter does as well.

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

And Jesus agrees.

Matthew 24:42–43 ESV

42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.

And…

Matthew 25:13 ESV

13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

And…

Matthew 26:41 ESV

41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Know the time in which you live so that you stay awake and don’t fall asleep. For the time in which we live is one of urgency. For we don’t know when our Savior will return — AND — we do know that our enemy is prowling around seeking people to devour.

Add to this urgency that our time is limited. Your time is limited and so is mine. Time is our greatest asset and we so easily squander it away while focused on trivial things.

If you’re not a Christian — you know your time is limited. All born into this world will die. And I know there are some crazy ideas out there right now — the AI apocalypse — not AI taking over like Terminator — but a merging of humanity with AI so we’ll somehow live forever. God help us for such manmade substitutions of promises he’s already made and guaranteed. Humanity has always put our hope in the next great technological discovery that will be our defeat of death. We’re not the first generation to think we’ll conquer our greatest enemy — but will we be as foolish as the previous generations who thought they could save themselves while rejecting God’s Savior? Will you reject God’s plan of salvation in hope that man will come up with a better plan?

And — for the Christian — because your time is limited — for all who are born into this world will die — there’s no time to waste. You have the Good News of salvation entrusted to you — by God — to share with others. No time for apathy. No time for waste. No time for indifference. No time to be caught like a worker who didn’t know that his Master was about to return or a sleeping father who didn’t know his daughter was about to be born.

I’m not talking about ignoring God’s gift of rest — I’m talking about wasting away God’s gift of life. For you are…

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

10 God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

And — until Jesus returns — or your death day arrives — you’re to live with God’s good works for you in mind. Knowing that every day is both a gift and one day closer to your day of salvation — the day when your salvation is completed when you see Jesus face to face.

And here may be the greatest motivation for living this way in the time in which we live.

Romans 13:12 ESV

12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand.

With Jesus’ first coming — the rising sun of salvation began to dawn on God’s creation. The night — creation under the curse without the resurrected Savior — came to an end. Yes — it’s not fully day yet — that’s the eternal glorious day of eternity — but the night has come to an end. Winter is over. The first signs of spring — signs of joy and life — are upon us. The sun is rising, the day has dawned, and hope has burst forth into God’s creation.

I love what one author says about the phrase “the night is far gone.” He writes, “The reign of evil has almost expired and is in its last gasp.”

Though we still live in what Paul calls the “present evil age” to the Christians in Galatia — this isn’t an age of defeat for the people of God. It’s an age of power. An age of love. An age where the Holy Spirit lives in us — giving us new desires that run counter to the desires of this “present evil age” — new eyes that see how this age isn’t to be sought after and lived for — as if it’s the age to come.

Our present age — the culture in which we live — like all cultures — is declining in morality — and this shouldn’t surprise us. For all cultures decline in morality to the degree that they reject Jesus. Thus we must live with eyes wide open to the values of the culture in which we live and not allow ourselves to be overtaken by a worldview that’s rejected Christ. Living for this “present evil age” is what we did prior to believing in Jesus — but now — we live for the “age which is still to come” — the age we catch glimpses of in this age — glimpses that give us an even greater longer for the sun to fully rise and for the night to give completely over to the eternal day that’s coming.

HOW NOT TO LIVE

Thus — in knowing the time — let’s look at how not to live in this present age. We’re back in verse twelve. There Paul writes…

Romans 13:12–14 ESV

12 So then let us cast off the works of darkness…13 Let us walk…not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy… 14 and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Notice Paul’s instructions.

Cast off the works of darkness.
Let us walk…not in.
Make no provision for the flesh — which means our sinful, rebellious nature.

In this age there are ways of living that we’re to cast off — that we’re to get rid of — like clothes you’ve worn all day while working out in the hot sun. You take them off and you throw them into the dirty laundry pile far away from the noses of your family members who don’t want to smell your stank. Similarly, Paul’s saying, “There are ways you used to live” — works of darkness, he calls them — “ways that people live in this present age — that you need to take off and throw in the dirty laundry pile.” And he gives a few examples. Not an exhaustive list — just a few highlights so we get the idea of what it means to live according to the values of the present age.

He says don’t walk in orgies and drunkenness. A Bible scholar states, “These words used together picture drunken individuals having a so-called “good time” and disturbing the citizens of the town.”

Paul says don’t walk in sexual immorality and sensuality. The same scholar says, “Sexual immorality is a Greek word which can simply be translated as “bed” and the word rendered “debauchery” is one of the ugliest words in the Greek language, describing one who is not only given over to immorality, but is incapable of feeling shame.” Our present age’s love for pornography — and its snare on many Christians — is exactly the kind of thing Paul’s saying we must throw into the dirty laundry pile.

And don’t walk in quarreling and jealousy. This would include things like holding grudges and being envious of the success of others.

This is how you used to live — Paul says — when you were in the darkness — when you lived according to the present evil age — when you were a child of wrath.

HOW TO LIVE

But now — Paul says — we’re to live differently as the people of God. In verse twelve he says…

Romans 13:12–14 ESV

12 So then let us…put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime… 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ…

Here’s a truth we all need to believe more deeply: We’re not helpless victims, but are victors because of what Christ has accomplished on our behalf. Christ did not depart for heaven to leave us as orphans — or the illustration Paul uses — as soldiers without the weapons and equipment we need to fight and win. No — we’ve been provided everything we need in order to defeat the works of our enemy, to not give in to our fleshly desires, and to live a life of victory. But this life of victory is only possible when we walk closely with Jesus — meaning when he has the desires of our heart — instead of our desires being given to the things of this present age.

Paul’s use of armor — I’m sure — can’t help but remind many of you of what he says in Ephesians chapter six.

Ephesians 6:10–18 ESV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

While others may think of his words to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 5:4–11 ESV

4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Here Paul only mentions the breastplate and helmet — where to the Ephesians there’s much more to the armor. But I found this to be an eye opening connection: In First Thessalonians Paul calls it a breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet the hope of salvation. Faith, hope, and love. Anyone recognize this trio of Paul’s? They’re found in Paul’s love chapter that we looked at last week — where he writes…

1 Corinthians 13:1–13 NLT

1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. 11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

If we think back to what we learned last week — how love does no wrong — we now see how important love — along with faith and hope — is. Faith, hope, and love are part of our spiritual armor. They’re part of how we live faithfully for Christ in this present age. They’re part of what it means for us to put on Christ — which Paul tells us to do — because our faith, hope, and love are in a person — Jesus Christ.

Now — if you know your Bible — you may wonder, “But Josh, isn’t there some place in the Bible that says we’ve already put on Jesus Christ?” Yes — and Paul’s the one who says it.

Galatians 3:27 ESV

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

If we’ve already put on Christ — how are we supposed to put him on again? Great question! In Galatians, Paul’s referring to our justification — a theological word that means the moment we’re declared to have a right standing with God. In Romans, Paul’s referring to our sanctification — a theological word that means our ongoing growth in Christ-likeness and holiness that comes after we’ve been justified.

In other places in the Bible we see that we’re declared to be holy — justification — and also commanded to grow in holiness — our sanctification. The Bible uses different language to express the same idea — but here in Romans — Paul’s using the imagery of putting off and putting on.

But — specifically and practically — how do we put on Jesus? Let’s use faith, hope, and love as the key to help us understand what it means to put on Jesus. Paul told us earlier in Romans that faith comes from hearing. So we put on Christ — through faith — by hearing the Word of God about Christ. This would include regularly worshiping with a local church where Christ is faithfully preached. This would also include listening to Scripture and listening to Christ-exalting songs.

Hope comes by believing in God’s promises to his people. To put on Christ — through hope — means we must know, remember, and remind ourselves of God’s promises to us that are guaranteed because of what Jesus has done for us. We do this by reading and meditating on Scripture. We do this through Bible memorization where — you take a verse that declares a promise of God to his people — and put it to memory. We also do this through discussing God’s Word with others — something many of you do in your Life Group.

Finally — there’s love. We put on Christ — through love — by seeing and savoring the beauty and loveliness of Christ. By dwelling on his love for you — which will lead you to love others as you’ve first been loved by Christ.

If we return to the clothes analogy — one person has said, “When I get up in the morning I put on my clothes, intending them to be part of me all day, to go where I go and do what I do. They cover me and make me presentable to others. That is the purpose of clothes. In the same way, the apostle is saying to us, “Put on Jesus Christ when you get up in the morning. Make him a part of your life that day. Intend that he goes with you everywhere you go, and that he acts through you in everything you do. Call upon his resources. Live your life IN CHRIST.” And [remember that] Paul emphasizes that it’s “the Lord Jesus Christ” that we put on. We bow to his Lordship. We’re to live under his lordship. He is King of all or he is not King at all.”

And though I don’t want to make this a legalistic rule — as I understand some of us have unique situations — this putting Jesus on is accomplished during your quiet time — your devotional time — your whatever “Christianese you want to call it” time. And it’s best when this is done first thing in your day.

I know some of us aren’t morning people — and I think our enemy loves for our “not being a morning person” to be the reason why we go about most of our day without having put Christ on. For that’s what happens if you wait until half or nearly all of the day has gone by to spend time with Christ.

Think about it — how many of us sleep in the clothes you’re going to wear the next day? For most of us that’d be weird. If that’s true for our physical clothes, why do we think we can do this spiritually? As followers of Jesus — who live in this present evil age — we need to wake up every day and put on our armor.

If you don’t know where to begin — when it comes to starting your day by putting on your spiritual armor — let me recommend this booklet that I’ve written on How to Make the Most of Your Devotional Time. It’s available at the Resource Center at your campus and on our church website — gatewayepc.org. And it’s free! So grab a copy and begin starting your day by putting on Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION

Know the time. And — in knowing the time — make the most of every opportunity to live faithfully in the day in which you live. For salvation is now nearer than when you first believed. The time is drawing near. Therefore put on the armor of light. Walk properly. Put on Jesus Christ. And live for him. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word to us today. A warning about the time in which we live — and — a hopeful message about the time in which we live. For the night is far gone — and the day is at hand. What hope there is in knowing that the dawn of the sun has pierced the darkness of our world.

Holy Spirit, we need your power, your guidance, and your wisdom to live faithfully in this present age. We need you to remind us each day — and each moment of every day — to put on the armor of light.

And we’re able to do so because you — Jesus — gave yourself in love for us. You lived faithfully in the age in which you lived. You remained faithful and hopeful as you saw all of us wandering aimless in the darkness. And you were determined that our enemy would not be victorious — but that we would be victors because of your sacrifice on the cross.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — indeed — faith, hope, and love will last forever. May you call many to come to faith, to experience true hope, by receiving your love for them today. And may you empower those of us who do believe to live in faith, and with hope, and in love because of all that we’ve been given in Christ. And we pray all of this in his name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

In knowing the time — may you go and live faithfully — having put on the armor of light and of Christ. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

Episode 215: Q&A

Josh — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 11:57:57 +0000

Date: 3/26/2025

Questions / Topic

Question on spiritual gifts – How should we pray for them? Should we pray for the gifts that we think we have already – that they may be strengthened and more evident? Should we pray for the gifts that we want to have but don’t possess today – maybe the ones that we feel would fill the most need within the church? Should we pray more generally for the Holy Spirit to reveal to us our spiritual gifts? Maybe it depends on how much we think we know already about our spiritual gifts, but any guidance on praying for our gifts would be helpful.
- Yes to all of the questions.
- Pray for the gifts you have to be strengthened.
- Pray for gifts that you desire but currently don’t see in your life.
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal the gifts he’s given to you.
- In one sermon, I mentioned praying for the gift of faith and now it’s one of the clearest ways the Holy Spirit uses me.

Matthew 24:10 says many will fall away. A footnote is the ESV as well as the amplified Bible say “stumble” could be used in the place of “fall away.” So people who fall away (stumble) from the church, now or in the end times, psalm 27 or 37 interpretation? Are these the wolves in sheep’s clothing that were never true followers of Christ?
- Other Bible translations have “led into sin” (NET) or “turn away from the faith” (NIV; NLT) instead of “fall away”.
- This most likely is referring to apostasy which means “A public denial of a previously held religious belief and a distancing from the community that holds to it. The term is almost always applied pejoratively, carrying connotations of rebellion, betrayal, treachery, or faithlessness.” (Lexham Bible Dictionary)
- I don’t know if this is referring to Psalms 27 or 37. The stumbling/falling in those psalms refer to the enemies, not to apostasy.
- Finally, not necessarily wolves in sheep’s clothing, though they could be. There are sheep, undershepherds (who are also sheep), wolves, and goats. We tend to only think of sheep and wolves, but goats are people who aren’t believers but are part of the visible church.

Many evangelistic endeavors across the unreached world seem to include the use of audio Bibles-of course this is for many reasons like concealment, literacy, etc. However, it makes me think about how, in our western world, there is strong emphasis on “reading” Scripture. Most worship services in my life have started with “turn in your Bible to…” instead of “hear the Word of the Lord…” However, it seems that much of the intake of God’s Word described in Scripture focuses on hearing, listening, knowing, or meditating on God’s Law/Word. Literacy of course has fluctuated throughout the ages, but even in a very literate society, should our focus be on other means of intake? Have we elevated reading, assuming that because it takes more training it is a better means of intake?
- If you haven’t read my “how to make the most of your devotional time” booklet, I’d encourage you to go check it out. Copies at your campus Resource Center and on our church website.
- I mention the booklet, because in the first chapter — which is on the Bible — my first suggestion is to listen to it.
- Like the questioner mentioned, we live in a much more literate society than people in biblical times or in many countries in the world today. That’s why our emphasis is on reading.
- But know that reading God’s Word is a privilege not to be undervalued.

In Nehemiah 8:2 it says that Ezra read from the Law. I assume this refers to just the first 5 books of the Old Testament. Do you think that Nehemiah and Ezra taught the people just from these books or would they have read more from the Old Testament too such as the prophets and the writings? For by this time in history they would have had some of these as well.
- Nehemiah 8:1 tells us that Ezra brought “the Book of the Law of Moses” which is then referred to as the “Law” in verse two.
- By this time in history, they definitely had other parts of what we call the Old Testament, but — as far as I know — we only have evidence that Ezra/Nehemiah refer to the Law of Moses as what was being read and taught to the people.

In a recent sermon, you mention that faith alone, not works, will be the reason for our salvation. You then said that our faith is a gift from God. In the question of whether God is fair or unfair, is this more about whether or not we utilize the faith given to us by God vs whether or not God has actually given us faith? We are all created in His image, so I assume we should all be equipped with faith from the start, but then we make conscious decisions to utilize or not utilize that faith. If everyone receives faith, is it really considered a gift?
- I need to make a clarifying point right at the start of my answer to this question:
  - Being made in God’s image does not mean that we have faith from the start.
  - Which means, not everyone receives faith.
- This is why faith is a gift given to some by God.
  - Ephesians 2:8-10 — For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
  - WCF 14.1 — The gift of faith makes it possible for the souls of the elect to be saved by believing in Jesus Christ. This gift is the work of the Spirit of Christ in the hearts of the elect1 and is ordinarily accomplished by the ministry of the word. It is also increased and strengthened by the word, by prayer, and by the administration of the sacraments.
    - See episode 194

Gifts of the Spirit: Prophecy (pt2)

Josh — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 06:31:00 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:4-8 (ESV)

DATE: 3-9-25

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend but we’re in a series within our Romans series. For Paul has mentioned spiritual gifts in his letter — and we’re taking time to explore the spiritual gifts so we all understand what these gifts are and how they’re to be used in our faith family. And here’s the definition we’ve been using: Spiritual gifts are abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit in order to equip God’s people for ministry, both for the edification of the church and for God’s salvific mission to the world. – Lexham Survey of Theology

And here’s what Paul says about the gifts — we’re in Romans chapter twelve — beginning in verse four. There we read…

Romans 12:4–8 ESV

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Today’s sermon is a continuation of last week’s sermon where we explored the spiritual gift of prophecy. Now — Christian or not — prophesy is something most people seem to be interested in and nervous about — at the same time. We explored much about this spiritual gift last week — but knowing that this gift is one that’s often confusing, unfamiliar, and divisive — I thought we’d take a second week to better understand what this gift is and how it can be a blessing to us as a faith family.

EXAMPLES OF PROPHECY IN THE BIBLE

Let’s start by looking at some examples of the gift of prophecy from the book of Acts — which is a historical record of the early church. In Acts chapter two we read…

Acts 2:17–18 ESV

17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

These words were spoken by the apostle Peter as he preached his first sermon. He quotes from the Old Testament prophet Joel who said…

Joel 2:28–32 ESV

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

And — if you happen to be thinking, “That last verse in Joel sounds pretty familiar” — well that’s because Paul quotes it in Romans chapter ten.

Romans 10:12–13 ESV

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

So Paul and Peter both use this passage in Joel and apply it to the time in which they lived. And — specifically — to the time period that’s called the “last days” in the Bible. I’ve preached on the last days before — for now I’ll keep it straightforward and simple: We’re living in the last days. For the last days is the time period from Jesus’ first coming to earth and his second return — which is still to come.

So — with that in mind — that we’re living in the last days — listen to Peter’s application of Joel’s prophecy again.

Acts 2:17–18 ESV

17 “‘And in the last days (which we’re living in today) it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

Question. Do we believe that the Spirit of God is being poured out upon people today when they believe in Jesus? Absolutely we do! Then we need to consider Peter’s words about what it means to be people whom the Spirit of God has been poured out upon. For the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy includes sons and daughters and male and female servants prophesying — meaning the gift of prophecy will be a sign that we’re living in the last days and that the Holy Spirit has come.

Now — as we saw last week — we don’t have many examples of what these sons, daughters, and servants prophesied — their prophetic words aren’t recorded in Scripture — but this doesn’t mean that their gift was any less beneficial for the church in their day. Similarly, the benefit of the gift of prophecy in our day doesn’t threaten the perfect and complete Bible that we submit ourselves to.

Let’s look at another example in Acts. We’re now in chapter five.

Acts 5:1–11 ESV

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Now — I can’t say with certainty that what we see here is the gift of prophecy. It could be a word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discernment, or some combination. But somehow Peter was supernaturally made aware of what Ananias and Sapphira had conspired to do. And the fact that Peter tells them that they’ve tried to lie to the Holy Spirit further solidifies that Peter’s knowledge of their lie was due to supernatural means. What was the result of the spiritual gifts at work? The church was protected — it was kept pure.

Another example from Acts.

Acts 6:1–10 ESV

1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. 8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

Again — another case where the gift of prophecy isn’t explicitly mentioned — but the details of this story are still worth considering. For example, the guidelines given to the congregation — in choosing what many believe to be the first deacons in the church — was that they be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. And notice a detail mentioned about Stephen — one of the seven men chosen for this role: He was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.

If you recall in Romans chapter twelve — Paul says this about the gift of prophecy.

Romans 12:6 ESV

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

A few observations. First, Paul says, “According to the grace given to us.” If you don’t know — the Bible refers to grace in some peculiar ways. There’s the grace of God that all Christians receive — his unmerited favor. Yet — in Acts chapter four — Luke describes Christians as experiencing “great grace.” And — grace is pretty awesome on its own — but somehow grace can be even greater.

So back to spiritual gifts. The first thing to recognize is that a spiritual gift in one person may look very different in another person based on the amount of grace the Spirit has given to each individual. The example I like to use is Billy Graham — someone obviously spiritually gifted with evangelism. Yet he’s not the only example of what it means to have the gift of evangelism — because not everyone sees the same results that Billy Graham saw. He appeared to have greater grace — in his gift of evangelism — than many others who have the gift. And this is true — not just for the gift of evangelism — but for all gifts.

Yet — with the gift of prophecy — there’s apparently another factor: the individual’s faith. For prophecy — Paul says — is to be used, “in proportion to our faith.” Now — it’s been a few minutes — so let me remind you that Stephen — in Acts — was described as a “man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” Later he’s described as being full of grace and power — he did great wonders and signs among the people — the miraculous — and opponents couldn’t refute what he said because of his wisdom and the Holy Spirit within him. Again — I can’t say with certainty that this is because he had the spiritual gift of prophecy — but I don’t know that we can eliminate the possibility either.

Back to the word faith. In the Bible — faith can have a few different meanings. First, there’s the faith all Christians exercise when they believe in Jesus. Paul has this definition of faith in mind earlier in Romans when he writes…

Romans 3:26 ESV

26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Second, there’s the doctrine — the truths we believe — that are referred to as the Christian faith. Jude writes…

Jude 3 NLT

3 Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.

Finally, there’s the spiritual gift of faith that we find in First Corinthians where Paul writes…

1 Corinthians 12:8–10 ESV

8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

In Romans twelve, I don’t think Paul is referring to definitions one or three. All Christians have faith number one — belief in Jesus — and there’s nothing in the Bible to suggest that all who have the gift of prophecy will also have the gift of faith — definition number three. So that leaves us with definition number two — where faith means the doctrine of the Christian faith.

So follow me here: I believe that Paul is saying that the greater we know what we believe — the truths of our faith — doctrine — theology — the Bible — the more accurate our hearing from the Spirit will be when he gives us a word to strengthen, encourage, and comfort God’s people. And the less developed we are in our understanding of the Christian faith — or the doctrine and theology of the church — though we still may have the gift of prophecy — our gift will be underdeveloped.

And this disconnect — from the gift of prophecy to the individual’s growth in theology, doctrine and Bible knowledge — is often why this gift gets a bad wrap. For it’s common for Christians to value gifting over theology — as if the Spirit has put the gift of prophecy against the study of the Christian faith. And — friends — the Spirit of God says prophecy and theology grow and develop one another — they are not in opposition.

In my life — the more I’ve studied theology — and especially the more that I’ve memorized Scripture — the more accurate the gift of prophecy has become. But there’s no shortcut. And — as a church — we won’t allow shortcuts. You may think you’re the most prophetically gifted person among us — but if you’re weak in your theology and doctrine — don’t think we’re going to give you a voice of influence in this church. Especially if your prophetic heroes are those whose theology is shallow or heretical. For the way your gift will be a benefit to us is by you catching up the proportion of your faith to the grace you’ve been given.

Here’s another example from Acts.

Acts 13:1–3 ESV

1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

So here’s a group of people who were known as prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch. And somehow the Holy Spirit said to them to set apart Barnabas and Saul for a special work the Spirit had for them to do.

One last example from Acts.

Acts 15:30–35 ESV

30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Two men — Judas and Silas — are called prophets and notice how — whatever it was that they said — their words weren’t recorded — but their words encouraged and strengthened the congregation. Which shouldn’t surprise us — because last week that’s what we saw is the purpose and goal of the gift of prophecy.

OLD AND NEW: THE SAME OR DIFFERENT?

Which leads us to an often confusing aspect about the gift of prophecy. And — that is — is there a difference between Old Testament prophets and their New Testament counterparts? Are Old Testament prophets and New Testament prophets the same?

In the Old Testament, the prophets — people like Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and so on — Old Testament prophets were called by God to speak on his behalf in an authoritative way where — the words of the prophet were the words of God. And to disobey an Old Testament prophet was to disobey God. But — in the New Testament — something interesting happens. This authoritative role — where the words of the individual are the words of God — where to disobey the individual was to disobey God — is not New Testament prophets. This authoritative role in the New Testament are the apostles. That’s why Paul appeals to the fact that he’s an apostle when he claims that his words hold authority and are to be obeyed.

In the Bible — we see that Old Testament prophets and New Testament prophets are not the equivalent of each other. Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles have the same equivalence.

Paul makes this clear in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus when he writes…

Ephesians 2:19–22 ESV

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The household of God — the Church — is like a temple built on the foundation of the apostles — of the New Testament — and the prophets — of the Old Testament — with Jesus as the cornerstone.

One more case study — from the book of Acts. We’re going to look at two prophecies from one prophet. His name is Agabus. In Acts chapter eleven we read…

Acts 11:27–30 ESV

27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

So Agabus is a prophet — one of many prophets — but he’s who Luke focuses on. And here Agabus foretells — meaning he predicts something about the future by the Holy Spirit: there’s going to be a famine. And what he prophecies happens in the days of Claudius. And — in response to Agabus’ prophecy — the Christians in Antioch decide to send resources to their fellow Christians in Judea via Barnabas and Paul — who’s still called Saul at this point.

So here’s a prophetic word — given by the Holy Spirit — through a non-apostle about the future — and it happens. But before it happens — because they believe this spiritual gift is a benefit for the church — the Christians respond to the prophetic word to care for the needs of those who will be affected by the famine.

Fast forward ten chapters in Acts — eight or so years have passed — and this happens.

Acts 21:8–15 ESV

8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” 15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.

Agabus prophesies again about the future. And what does Paul do this time? Last time he gathered resources to take to those who will be affected by the famine. But — now — Paul goes straight to the city where Agabus warns him — by the Holy Spirit — that he will be arrested. Others — who heard the prophecy — urge Paul to not go to Jerusalem — but they couldn’t persuade him.

Much can be said about this prophecy — but we only have time for a few important details. First, this is a prophecy that isn’t perfect. Did you know that Agabus doesn’t get all of the details right in this prophecy? The Jews don’t bind Paul up — the Romans do. The Jews don’t hand Paul over to the Romans — the Romans rescue Paul from a crowd of Jews who try to kill him — you can read all of this in Acts chapter twenty-one.

These kinds of details matter because — according to some — if a prophecy given today isn’t one hundred percent accurate then the gift of prophecy isn’t valid. Yet — here — the details aren’t one hundred percent accurate — and yet — there’s no question by Paul or by anyone else in Scripture — that the gift was invalid. Luke even includes this imperfect prophecy in the book of Acts!

Second, this leads us to a mistake that most likely Agabus — but certainly the crowd who heard the prophecy — made. They misinterpret what the prophetic revelation means.

When it comes to the gift of prophecy — there are three parts that we need to keep in mind. First, is the revelation — the word from God. Second, is the interpretation of the word. And — finally — is the application — how the message — rightly interpreted — is to be applied. Where most prophetically gifted people get into trouble is by hearing a clear word from God and then misinterpreting and misapplying it — this is what we see in the case of Agabus and the crowd. The revelation was from God — Paul will be arrested in Jerusalem. Yet the interpretation — “the Jews will tie you up” — and the application — “so don’t go to Jerusalem” — were not inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In fact — when it comes to the prophetic — only the revelation is inspired from the Holy Spirit. The interpretation and application are not — yet many people with this gift assume that — because they’ve been given a word — their interpretation and application are also accurate. Yet Paul gives these instructions about the gift.

1 Corinthians 14:31–32 ESV

31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.

Those with the spiritual gift of prophecy are to submit themselves — and their prophetic words — to others. Paul’s writing about church order here — that things in the church are to be done decently and in order because our God is not a God of confusion. So — humility is key for this gift — which takes us back a few sermons when we looked at the importance of humility in God’s people.

So — to be very clear — here at Gateway — if you think you have a prophetic word for the church — share it with your shepherding elder. For now — especially as we’re all learning to ride our bikes — the training wheels are on — thus sharing with your elder is a guardrail to ensure that we’re not despising prophecies while also practicing humility. The elders together will then discern what’s been shared and see why God — if it’s from him — has given this word, what the interpretation is, and how it should be applied. Though some church traditions have times for prophetic words in their worship services — that’s not us. Training wheels are on. Our role as elders is to protect this church from division — so let’s all submit ourselves to their spiritual authority.For those who have hesitations about this gift — objections even — I hope these guardrails show you the love and care we have for you.

HOW THE GIFT OF PROPHECY CAN BENEFIT ALL OF US

Finally, let’s talk about some ways the gift of prophecy can benefit all of us. In a previous sermon, I mentioned that preaching isn’t part of any of the spiritual gift lists in the Bible. Yet we know preaching is something that’s to be done. So what might preaching be — if it’s not a specific gift of the Holy Spirit?

Thirty years ago — in an article on preaching in The Journal of Biblical Counseling, pastor Tim Keller writes…

I do not believe that there is a gift of “preaching” listed among the spiritual gifts in any of the “gifts lists” in the New Testament. Therefore, every man called to preach comes with a different configuration of gifts out of which he preaches. A man with an evangelistic gift will preach differently from a man with a teaching gift. (Though all preachers must evangelize and teach, not all preachers have all the gifts, and so they will do so with different degrees of emphasis and effectiveness.) A man with the gift of exhortation may be more of a “counselor” in the pulpit than a man with the gift of teaching, and so on.

I bring up this quote because — what I’ve come to realize is that what makes my preaching unique — is not just my personality or speaking style — what makes my preaching “Pastor Josh’s preaching style” — like it or not — is the way in which the Spirit of God has equipped and empowered me with various spiritual gifts. If you remember my top five spiritual gifts — the Spirit seems to most often display himself through me with the gifts of teaching, prophecy, faith, generosity, and discernment.

And I think these gifts are what makes my preaching “Pastor Josh’s preaching style.” Though I have no idea if or how generosity affects my preaching — I can see how teaching, prophecy, faith, and discernment all are in the mix. And it’s why another pastor preaches the way they do. The Holy Spirit is manifesting himself in and through each preacher in unique ways.

And this isn’t just true for preaching — back to the gift of prophecy. Though many different people are on our prayer teams — for all Christians are to pray for one another — people who the Spirit has empowered and equipped with the gift of prophecy can be a unique blessing to those who come up for prayer. People with a special ability to hear from God so they speak an encouraging, strengthening, or comforting word to those they pray for. We’ll look at other gifts — in the coming weeks — but imagine someone who has the gift of prophecy partnering with someone who has the gift of mercy or healing. Now we’re talking about a prayer team gifted in ways that will be a unique benefit to those being prayed for.

And not just during prayer times at the end of our services — if you’re in a Life Group I’m sure your group spends time in prayer. Imagine knowing that there’s someone who uniquely hears from God because the Holy Spirit has empowered and equipped them with the gift of prophecy. How might your Life Group’s prayer time be different if someone with this gift was able to bless the other members with an encouraging, comforting, or strengthening word?

CONCLUSION

Last week I shared a personal story regarding this gift. Today I’ll close with one that was a word for me. This story relates to my call to come to Gateway. One of Gateway’s charter members — Gerry Waldman — had been praying for the individual who God was calling to be Pastor Ben’s successor. On Tuesday — January 26, 2016 — as she was praying for Gateway’s next pastor — the words “follow me ” were impressed upon her by the Holy Spirit. She wrote all of this down on a piece of paper. God was telling Gerry that somehow “follow me” would be a sign confirming the man God has called to pastor Gateway next.

I had no idea about any of this — I didn’t even know who Gerry was at the time. In fact — she told me all of this years later when she gave me the piece of paper that she wrote all of this down on — that’s how I know the date when this all happened.

How many of you were at Gateway when I preached for the first time as a candidate to be pastor Ben’s successor? Anyone remember the date when I preached my first sermon? It was five days after Gerry received this word while praying. Anyone remember the title of the sermon I preached that day? The title was “Following Jesus.” Does anyone remember the passage I preached? It was from Mark’s gospel — including this verse.

Mark 1:17 ESV

17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me…”

When Gerry shared this with me it was — and still is — an encouragement and confirmation of my call as your pastor. Let’s pray together.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, our great and mighty God who spoke all things into existence. Who called the prophets and the apostles to be your mouthpiece. Who called others in both the Old and New Testaments to speak on your behalf in less authoritative ways. You are sovereign and this is how you’ve chosen to speak to your people.

Holy Spirit, we believe that you do not change. What you’ve done in the past is what you are doing today — including calling people out of spiritual darkness and into spiritual light — as well as gifting your people with displays of your powerful presence. Help us to grow in our understanding of your gifts — including the gift of prophecy — so that we’re obedient to your command to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts — especially that we may prophesy — while being equally committed to submitting ourselves to your written Word.

And — Jesus — you made a promise to us that — upon your ascension to Heaven — you and the Father would send the Holy Spirit to fill all of your followers. Thank you for fulfilling your promise to us. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to live in us and to display himself through us.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — in many ways — we’re like little children trying to learn how to ride a bike when it comes to living out our faith. Getting on the bike for the first time — the first few times even — can be scary — even with training wheels on. There’s comfort and security when we don’t get on the bike — but what freedom and joy when we learn to ride. Help us to trust you more so that we experience the freedom and joy that’s promised to those who are Word and Spirit Christians. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Therefore…Be Transformed

Josh — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 06:18:00 +0000

‌‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)

‌DATE: 2-2-25

INTRODUCTION

We’re returning to our series in Romans this weekend. And we’re at a pivotal point in Paul’s letter. You see — after eleven chapters of rich theology — explaining to us who God is, who we are, what sin has done to us and God’s creation, and God’s plan to right the wrong we’ve caused — after eleven chapters of rich theology — Paul now turns to the “so what” question. What do I mean?

Here’s what I want you to imagine. After three hundred and fifteen verses explaining the gospel, faith, sin, salvation, and so on — imagine that someone in the back of the room yells out loud, “Hey Paul, so what?” Now — to be clear — Paul wasn’t present. He wrote this letter and had someone take it to the Christians in Rome — but you get the idea. After the first eleven chapters of all of this theology — imagine someone yelling out, “OK. But what now?” Or “Paul, why does any of this matter?” Or “What’s your point?”

A completely understandable and common question to ask: So what?

Let me encourage you to always listen for the answer to this “so what” question in the sermons and podcasts you listen to, the videos you watch, and look for an author’s answer to the “so what” question when you read their book — regardless if what you’re watching, reading, or listening to is Christian or not — everyone’s answering the “so what” question. Fox News and CNN are, Disney is, Mr. Beast does, Joe Rogan — everyone is trying to give you their answer to the “so what” questions of life — which is why this is such an important question for us to not only ask ourselves — but to watch for — and be aware of — what answers are given by others. And — if you really want some extra credit — pay attention to the answers you give to this “so what” question.

But here’s Paul’s response to our “so what” question after all that’s come in the first eleven chapters of his letter. He writes in verse one of Romans chapter twelve…

Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)

¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

WE’VE HAD SOME STUFF TO DO, BUT NOT MUCH

Up to this point in Romans — the commands have been pretty light. Meaning — things for us to do have been few and far between in all of the theology that Paul’s been explaining. For example, the first command in Romans is found in chapter six. That’s right — it’s not until the sixth chapter that we find the first command for us to obey — six chapters before we find something we’re told to do. Here’s the first command Paul gave us.

‌Romans 6:11 (ESV)

¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

‌And the command is “consider.” Now — for most of us — considering isn’t exactly something to do that we get all excited about. If — at the end of a sermon — the thing for you to do is “now go and consider what you’ve heard” — many of us will think, “Well I hope next week’s sermon is better.”

But — never fear. Though he waited six chapters to give us the first command — Paul gets on a bit of a roll and — two verses later — we find the next two commands…

‌Romans 6:13 (ESV)

‌¹³ Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

‌And a few verses later another command…

‌Romans 6:19b (ESV)

¹⁹ so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

So three commands on how we’re to present ourselves — which is another way of saying, “Here’s how you should live. Not as slaves of unrighteousness, but as slaves of righteousness.”

I guess that’s better than “considering” — but not quite the commands that scratch our “so what” itch. We want something on parenting, or relationships, or serving the poor — but considering and presenting — come on Paul — you got anything better than that? And — if you haven’t liked any of his commands thus far — you have to wait until chapter eleven to get to his next three commands.

Romans 11:18 (ESV)

¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches.

The branches being Jewish people. And…

Romans 11:20b (ESV)

²⁰ do not become proud, but fear.

So — to recap all that we’re told to do in the first eleven chapters of Romans — we’re told to…

Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
To not present our bodies as instruments for unrighteousness.
But to present our bodies as instruments for righteousness — as slaves to righteousness.
We’re told to not be arrogant.
To not be proud.
And to fear.

‌Seven commands. Count ‘em. Seven.

Think about how little there’s been for us to do in the first eleven chapters of Paul’s letter. While — at the same time — there’s been much for us to learn about God, ourselves, sin, salvation, and God’s mercy towards us in Jesus. And Paul does this intentionally — not just here in Romans — but in many of his letters you’ll find a similar format where Paul starts with theology and then answers the “so what” question.

For example — in Ephesians — the first three chapters are rich with theology and — the final three chapters — are full of implications of how we’re to live because of the truths in the first three chapters. So that great section on marriage — in Ephesians chapter five — is how we’re to live as married Christians because of the theology found in the first three chapters. Or the beautiful picture of what the church can and should be — in Ephesians chapter four — is what we can and should be as a faith family because of the theology we believe that’s found in the first three chapters.

Now — to answer the “so what” question — in case any of you’re wondering, “So what, Josh? Why does any of this matter?” Well — what makes Christianity different from all other religions — and even distinct from what many incorrectly call Christianity — is this: What we do — how we’re to live — is a response to the truths of our faith that we believe. Meaning — truths — theological truths — that we’re to believe come first — and these truths — and our belief in them — shape how we live.

And when we get this backwards — when how we live shapes our theology — we end up creating our own religion — which often is still called Christianity even though it’s not biblical Christianity. Because we end up — as an example — creating a God who is only love — we’ve even got a Bible verse that we think backs up our claim — because a God who is only love allows me to keep living in sin — living however I want — I can even disobey other parts of the Bible that clearly tell me I’m wrong — because — God is love. Yet the Bible — God’s Word to us — tells us that yes — God is love — but he is also just — and will judge those who live in rebellion against him by unrepentantly disobeying his commands. And this truth — that God is both love and just — just two of his attributes — changes the way you live when you believe it.

So back to Romans. Starting in chapter twelve — Paul’s going to make a significant shift in his focus. There’s going to be less theology for us to learn and a lot more for us to do. And — what we’re to do — is based on what we’ve learned in the first eleven chapters. And I’m going to remind you of this again and again and again because we’re all prone to separating our behavior from our beliefs. But what we believe can’t help but determine the way we live.

But listen to what we’ll be encountering in the weeks and months ahead. And listen for all of the stuff that we’re to do because of the theology of the first eleven chapters that we’re to believe.

Romans 12:9–21 (ESV)

⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Just in these verses there were at least twenty-eight ways we’re to live differently as followers of Jesus because of the truths we’ve learned from the first eleven chapters. Twenty-eight things to do — twenty-eight commands to obey — in thirteen verses — compared to seven in the first eleven chapters! Again — hear me out — because this is so important.

If Paul would’ve started his letter with the verses I just read — he’d be a moralist. Meaning — if commands are given without being built on theological truth — we’re doing nothing more than tightening our belts and pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. Phrases that mean “to improve your situation by your own effort and without help from others” — including help from God! That’s moralism. Our culture loves moralism — especially when it makes us feel good about ourselves. But moralism is not the direction we’re headed in!

NOW WE’VE GOT A LOT TO DO…BECAUSE OF GOD’S MERCY

And I want to remind you why we’re to live differently — why we’ve now got things to do — and a lot of things to do. This is why I just warned you about — get ready to be reminded of these theological truths many times in the coming weeks and months. For — the reason why we’re to do the things we just read — and obey the commands in these final chapters — is because of God’s mercy. Back in verse one — Paul writes…

Romans 12:1 (ESV)

¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Paul says, “I’m appealing to you because of God’s mercy towards you in Jesus Christ — therefore…”

It’s like Paul is saying, “Having explained to you the depth, and height, and breadth, and width of God’s limitless love for you in Jesus Christ — here’s how you should live…”

Or “Having shown you that — due to your sin and rebellion against God — you deserve his wrath and just judgment — yet because he is kind and gracious he will not count your sins against you — therefore…”

Eleven chapters of trying to get these wonderful truths through our thick skulls and hard hearts so we’re awakened to the beauty that is salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Paul’s been showing us the futility of works-based salvation — of thinking that we can earn God’s love — as well as showing us the folly of chasing after the desires of the world as if we won’t be judged for our sin and rebellion. Paul — in hopes that our eyes have been opened to spiritual reality — and that we’ve responded with faith in Jesus Christ and by repenting — or turning away from — our sins — Paul says — “Therefore…” And he’s going to show us how to now live — not to earn God’s love — but how to live because God has demonstrated his love for us in Jesus Christ.

I hope this all sounds familiar to you. In fact — some of you may wonder why you hear me say something like this all time. I say this all of the time because the order matters. And — it matters so much — because even though I say it all of the time — it’s common for me to hear from you all of how — even though you’ve been here at Gateway for a long time — how you’ve finally heard what I’ve been saying. If you’re a parent — it’s like when your kid comes home and says, “Mom — Dad — you won’t believe what the teacher taught me today.” And then your little one tells you something you’ve told them a thousand times. They’ve heard you say the same thing over and over again — but they never “heard” it until now.

So I repeat myself — a lot. Because our hearts naturally believe, “If I do this, God will love me.” And that’s not biblical Christianity — though it has all of the same elements as biblical Christianity. But — “if I do this, God will love me” — is not biblical Christianity. Instead — biblical Christianity is, “God loves me, so now I will do this.” And the “this” can be the same thing.

“If I come to church to worship him, God will love me.” Not biblical Christianity.
“Because God loves me, I go to church to worship him.” Biblical Christianity.
“If I’m generous with my money, God will love me.” Not biblical Christianity.
“Because God loves me, I’ll be generous with my money.” Biblical Christianity.
“If I serve others, or stop cursing, or read my Bible, or pray or ___ (fill in the blank), God will love me.” Not biblical Christianity.
But “Because God loves me, I will serve others, stop cussing, read my Bible, pray, and ___ (fill in the blank).” That’s biblical Christianity.

‌Bible scholars call this the difference between the indicatives and the imperatives in the Bible. The what and the what? Imperatives are commands in the Bible — things we’re to do. Whereas indicatives are statements of objective facts. And here’s what you find in the New Testament and especially in Paul’s writings — I mentioned this earlier — but let’s flesh it out.

Indicatives — objective facts — come before imperatives — the commands we’re to obey. Remember — eleven chapters with seven commands — seven imperatives — but full of indicatives — full of theological truths — over thirty of them in fact. Objective facts like…

Jesus is the Son of God (1:4)

And that God’s kindness leads us towards repentance (2:4)

And all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (3:23)

And since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (5:1)

And God has demonstrated his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8)

And sin is no longer your master (6:14)

And the wages of sin is death (6:23)

And you died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another (7:4)

And there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (8:1)

And that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us (8:18)

And salvation depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy (9:16)

And if you confess and believe you will be saved and justified (10:9-10)

And at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace (11:5)

And — in response to these truths — and many more — Paul says — here’s how you’re to live. Because — you can’t believe all of this — and not live differently. These are such glorious truths that they change the way a person lives who believes them.

THE THEREFORE LIFE

This change — this difference — we’ll call — the “therefore life”. Back to verse one for the last time.

Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)

¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

These two verses are a summary of all that’s going to follow. So — everything else in Romans is essentially a picture of the “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” pleasing life of those who follow Jesus. But notice what Paul emphasizes at the very beginning: Don’t be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

The word “conform” — in the original language — means to “model after, to assimilate one’s self to.” And we’re told to not conform to the world. What might this look like?

Conforming to the world could mean allowing yourself to be assimilated into the rat race of chasing after social status, or achieving a certain level of material comfort — working long days or filling your family calendar with activities for your kids that cause you to sacrifice time together as a family, your church involvement, and so on.
Conforming to the world could mean adopting unbiblical behaviors at work — gossiping about coworkers, making unethical decisions, flirting with others even though you’re married.
Conforming to the world could mean modeling how our culture celebrates division and anger and degrading other people.
Recent studies on pornography use, divorce rates, living together before marriage — and so on — indicate that many people — who call themselves Christians — have conformed to the world.
As does the rise in acceptance and approval of LGBTQ+ lifestyles — more evidence of conforming to the world and disobeying one of the first commands that Paul gives us after eleven chapters of theology.

‌Instead of conforming to the world — we’re told to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And our minds are renewed — or renovated — by God’s Spirit as he uses God’s Word to transform us. And — listen — we will not live — and to be clear — you will not live the transformed life without first having your mind renewed by the Word of God. That’s why Paul started his letter with theology. Because “what we believe about God and life informs the direction we choose to pursue and impacts our response to our world.” That’s not original to me — that’s a statement written by someone who’s spent a lifetime counseling people from Scripture. Here’s the quote again — it’ll be on the screen.

What we believe about God and life, informs the direction we choose to pursue and impacts our response to our world.

So what we believe — that’s what our verses in Romans are focused on — this is the renewing of our minds that Paul’s talking about. But the obvious next question is: What we believe about what? About God and life. That’s what Paul’s been covering for eleven chapters. Now — he hasn’t covered everything about God or life — but with the rest of the Bible — it’s all covered.

And what we believe about God and life informs the direction we choose to pursue. And I hope you see how this is true for Christians and non-Christians alike. Our beliefs inform what we do. What you believe determines the direction of your life. And our beliefs also impact our response to what we experience in the world — both when our experience agrees with our beliefs and when our experiences counter what we believe to be true.

Here’s one example — we’ll use someone other than Paul this time. The apostle Peter writes this.

1 Peter 5:6–8 (NLT)

⁶ So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ⁷ Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. ⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Since we’re jumping right into Peter’s letter — know that he’s writing to Christians who are being persecuted and who are experiencing much suffering. But what I want you to notice is what Peter tells us about how a Christian is to respond to suffering. You see — it’s very common in seasons of suffering for Christians — and non-Christians — to experience anxiety — to worry — and to have concerns. And what does Peter tell us to do with our anxiety? We’re to give all of our worries and cares and concerns to God because he cares about us.

This objective fact — God cares for his people — and your belief — that God cares for me — informs the direction we choose to pursue — we give our worries to God. Our belief — that God cares for us — also informs the direction we choose to pursue in staying alert — and watching out for our enemy — who we know uses seasons of suffering to attack and try to devour us. And our belief — that God cares for us — which informs the direction we choose to pursue — to give him our worries and to watch out for our enemy — impacts how we respond experientially and emotionally to our suffering.

CONCLUSION

That’s just one characteristic of God — that he cares for you — and look at how believing that he cares for you can change the way you respond to suffering and everything that comes with it. Renewing our minds — with God’s Word — believing who he says he is — as revealed in Scripture — and who we are, and what he’s doing, and what his plan of salvation is, and what it means to follow Jesus — and so much more — renewing your mind with the truths of God’s Word will change the direction of your life.

Now — if you don’t know where to start — maybe you’re feeling convicted, or inspired, or compelled to do something — but aren’t quite sure how to allow the Bible to renew your mind — I’ve written this booklet on how to make the most of your devotional time. I explain what I’ve been doing for years to renew my mind with God’s Word. We’ve got free copies of it at the Resource Center at both of our campuses — hopefully some copies made it to Bucyrus as well — you can also find it on our church website — gatewayepc.org/booklets. But get a copy and begin the journey — or revive your journey — or refine your journey — of having your mind renewed by the Word of God so the direction of your life is a “therefore life” — a life being transformed by the gospel. Because what you believe about God and life will inform the direction of your life. And the truth we believe — the gospel — is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. And believing it — will transform your life. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Gracious Father, thank you for your Word that you’ve given to us. A powerful Word. A mind-renewing Word. A life-changing Word. A Word that raises the spiritually dead to new life. A Word that is to be believed because it is your Word.

Holy Spirit, what we believe determines how we live. We ask you to take your Word and renew our minds with it so we live more faithfully as followers of Jesus. For what we believe about God and life informs the direction we choose to pursue and impacts how we respond to our world.

And Jesus — to you our Savior and Lord — what you believed about God, yourself, and mankind set the direction of your life while here on earth. Your belief is what empowered you to defeat the devil when he tempted you in the wilderness. You didn’t allow your circumstances — being physically weak due to a forty day fast — to be an excuse for unfaithfulness. Instead — what you believed — determined how you lived. And how you lived is the hope of our salvation — for you lived the perfect life in our place and died the death we all deserve.

So we thank you — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We thank you for revealing to us who you are, who we are, your plan of salvation, and for calling us to be a people who live transformed lives. And — may you draw many to yourself — and transform their life today. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Beautiful Feet

Josh — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 06:49:00 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 10:14-21 (ESV)

‌DATE: 12-8-24

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — are joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend — finishing up chapter ten today — if you’d like to turn there in your Bible. And this will be our last week in Romans for the year. Originally I’d thought that we’d be through chapter eleven at this time — but God had other plans for us — so we’ll pick back up in Romans chapter eleven in the new year.

And I know that — in previous years — we’ve done much longer Christmas series here at Gateway. But I made the decision to shorten this year’s Christmas series so we could at least get through Romans chapter ten before the end of the year. But know that we’ll be all in with Christmas starting next week and then — on December 22nd — Gateway’s founding pastor — Pastor Ben — we’ll be with us as part of our Christmas series. I should say that Ben — and his wife Kathy — are here with us a lot of the time during the year — Ben even spoke at our church staff retreat two months ago. I’m thankful for their continued faithfulness to God and his church here at Gateway — as I’m sure you all are as well.

INTRODUCTION

But — as I said — we’re wrapping up our time in Romans for the year — and what a journey it’s been! And I hope that — though today may sound like a repeat of previous weeks — for Paul’s going to show us that — though he believes in God’s sovereign mercy — he also believes that people are saved by God’s sovereign mercy through the sharing of the gospel — thus I hope that this sermon will feel like a companion to our sermon from a few weeks ago when I answered your question about our free will.

So let’s turn to our text and I think you’ll see what I mean. We’ll be in Romans chapter ten — beginning in verse fourteen. There Paul writes…

Romans 10:14–21 (ESV)

¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ¹⁸ But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” ¹⁹ But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” ²⁰ Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” ²¹ But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

The point Paul’s making here is that saving faith comes through hearing the preached Word of Christ — or the gospel being proclaimed. This is where we — those who believe in Jesus — see the high calling and purpose that our God has given to us: to be those who share the news of Jesus Christ with others. Who — like the friends we saw a few weeks ago — who so loved their paralyzed friend that they carried him to the feet of Jesus — God has called us — has called you — if you believe in Jesus — to take the gospel to others — to carry them to the feet of Jesus so they might find life everlasting — a life full of joy and hope and peace and love — through faith in him.

THE BEAUTIFUL FEET OF THOSE WHO ARE SENT

To see this — we need to return to a verse we looked at last week — verse thirteen. For verse thirteen connects our passage from last week to today’s passage. In verse thirteen — Paul concludes his declaration of God’s glorious promise of salvation — with the words…

Romans 10:13 (ESV)

¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” A verse full of hope. A verse full of life. Full of mercy. Full of grace. To which Paul — after declaring that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” — continues with…

Romans 10:14–15 (ESV)

If calling on the Lord — which is when we put our faith in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation — if calling on the name of the Lord is necessary in order for a person to be saved — to be rescued — to experience liberation and freedom from Satan, sin, death, and Hell — how do they call on the name of the Lord if they don’t believe in him — this is what Paul is asking. Which shows us that Paul’s making a distinction between calling — or confessing with our mouths that Jesus is our Lord — and actually believing that he is. Many make confessions — but belief and confession are not the same — for it’s one thing to say that Jesus is your Lord and something very different to live with Jesus as your Lord.

But how are they to believe in Jesus if they’ve never heard of him? Did you know that today — according to the organization Joshua Project — there are currently 3.2 to 3.4 billion people who have little to no access to the gospel. That’s around forty percent of the global population. They can’t believe in Jesus because they haven’t heard of him. And I understand how this seems impossible — how this is so hard to believe to be true because of our context. Some of us don’t remember a day not having heard about Jesus — you may not have believed in him — but — at the very least — you heard him used as part of a cuss word. Imagine not having ever heard the name Jesus — or about the cross — or of his sacrifice for your sins. That’s the reality for over three billion people right now — which is why our desire is that all who follow Jesus — here at Gateway — would be Kingdom-minded disciples. Meaning — we care about God’s global mission of saving people from all nations and people groups.

Paul asks, “How are they to hear without someone preaching?” I don’t want you to feel like you’re off the hook — by the word preaching here. The word means to “proclaim, to announce openly and publicly.” It’s the same Greek word that Paul uses a few verses earlier when he says…

Romans 10:8 (ESV)

⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);

“Proclaim” is the same word as “preached” in the original language. So this isn’t just something that preachers do — though the preaching of God’s Word should not be devalued — but what Paul’s talking about is something that all Christians are called to do: To proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the church world this is called evangelism. And — as we reported during our ministry celebration weekend back in September — I’m so thankful that ninety-six percent of us had at least one evangelistic conversation about Jesus in the past year — with thirty-seven percent of us having had six or more such conversations. What a blessing it is to be part of a faith family full of people who proclaim the news of Jesus Christ! I hope you’re encouraged by the faithfulness of those around you — I know that I’m encouraged.

Paul continues with, “How are they to preach — or to proclaim the news about Jesus — unless they are sent?” Unless they are sent. You know what I bet would be a good catch phrase for a group of Christians to use who want to remind themselves every week of the importance of being proclaimers of the gospel — I don’t know — maybe the words “You are sent.” For our friends in Bucyrus — we have banners at our Gateway campuses that have the words “you are sent” on them. It’s also something we say at the end of worship services around here.

And I love how Paul finishes this thought of his: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach — or proclaim — the good news!” How beautiful are the feet. I don’t know about you but feet don’t make my list of most beautiful body parts. They’re gross. They stink. Toes are weird. Not to mention that — in Paul’s day — everyone wore sandals, and the roads were dusty, and animals used the bathroom on them. So feet were way dirtier than our nasty feet today.

In Life Group — a couple of weeks ago — I won’t name names — but one of the dads in our group didn’t have socks or shoes on. And his toddler was on the floor by his feet. And one of the very mature adults in my Life Group turned the situation into a “smell dad’s feet” game with the little one. And she put her face right on his feet. And all of the adults were like, “That’s gross!” Which got her to do it again and again because of our reaction. We’re a super mature group if you can’t tell.

So what a statement Paul makes when he says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the good news.” For they’re the feet of the sent ones — who through them — others will hear the gospel. And some who hear will believe and their belief will be evident by their calling out on the name of the Lord.

This reminds me of Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch in the book of Acts.

Acts 8:26–40 (ESV)

²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. ²⁷ And he rose and went.

How beautiful are the feet.

And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸ and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”

How are they to preach unless they are sent?

³⁰ So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. ³³ In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” ³⁴ And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

How are they to hear without someone preaching? How are they to believe if they don’t hear? How are they to call if they don’t believe?

³⁶ And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” ³⁸ And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. ³⁹ And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the good news — which Philip continued to do.

WHO SHALL YOU TELL?

‌Who does God want you to share the gospel with? Yes, you. From the moment you believed in Jesus you were commissioned to proclaim his good news to others. For — to be a disciple of Jesus — yes — means we need to learn the content of what he taught and commanded us to do — and — equally important — to be a disciple of Jesus means we do what he taught and commanded us to do. And the one whom we say we follow said of himself…

Luke 4:18–19 (ESV)

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The one who we’ve called upon — the one who we believe and trust in for our salvation — is he who said of himself, “I’ve been anointed by God’s Spirit to proclaim good news — to proclaim liberty — to proclaim the Lord’s favor.” Thus — to follow Jesus — is to be proclaimers of this same good news of liberty and favor. Or — as we say it around here — to be disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus — who help others follow Jesus — even if they’re currently someone who doesn’t yet believe in Jesus. For evangelism — sharing the gospel with those who don’t believe — and discipleship — sharing the gospel with those who do believe — go hand in hand.

And the command to make disciples is given to all who follow Jesus.

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

As is proclaiming the good news.

1 Peter 2:9–10 (ESV)

⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

As is living — in such a way — that how we live causes others — who don’t believe — to ask us about our hope.

1 Peter 3:15–16 (NLT)

¹⁵ Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. ¹⁶ But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

Which leads us back to Paul’s words in Romans chapter ten. In verse sixteen he writes…

Romans 10:16–18 (ESV)

¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ¹⁸ But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”

DID ISRAEL HEAR?

Paul’s bringing us back to the dilemma we’ve been facing since we returned to Romans. For many people — who don’t believe the gospel — have heard it. Though earlier I mentioned how many people have little to no access to the gospel — thus we desire to be a Kingdom-minded group of disciples here at Gateway — there are also many people — and you probably know some — who’ve heard the gospel and yet still don’t believe it. Though faith comes from hearing the gospel proclaimed — hearing the gospel proclaimed is no guarantee that faith will be the result.

Thus Paul returns to the original question he’s been answering to his readers. A question I mentioned so long long ago it’s understandable if you’ve forgotten about it. The question Paul’s been trying to answer — since the beginning of chapter nine — is: Why did so many Israelites fail to believe in Jesus as the promised Messiah? Do you remember that question? That’s the dilemma Paul’s original audience is wrestling with. For the Israelites were the ones given the promises, the covenants, and the patriarchs — read the opening verses of chapter nine — and the Israelites were given the promise that the Messiah — the promised Savior of the world — would be one of them. And — yet — when Jesus came as the fulfillment of God’s Messiah — the vast majority of the Jewish people rejected him. The vast majority didn’t believe in Jesus — instead — they had him killed. So Paul continues with…

Romans 10:19–21 (ESV)

¹⁹ But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” ²⁰ Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” ²¹ But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Though there’s sweet beauty in our passage — in these verses — we encounter the sorrow of knowing not everyone will respond to the good news by believing in Jesus. Paul will expand more on Israel’s rejection of Christ in chapter eleven but — for now — know that Paul — in quoting both from Moses and Isaiah — is making it clear that the promised Messiah — though Jewish in ethnicity — is the Savior of people from all nations. This is our hope — those of us who are people of the nations — not of Jewish origin. For — though we weren’t God’s chosen nation — as we saw earlier in Peter’s words — we are “now his chosen people…a holy nation.” Though we were not seeking God — we found him — because he first revealed himself to us even when we had no interest in him.

And — yet — God continued to hold out his hand of mercy to the people of Israel — who are described as a “disobedient and contrary people.” A disobedient and stubborn people. A disobedient and obstinate people. A disobedient and rebellious people who heard the message of truth — the gospel — and yet their hearing did not lead to their believing and calling on the name of Jesus for their salvation.

This is what Paul experienced as he traveled the known world to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. When he entered a town — he made it a practice to go to the synagogue first — to the gathering place of the Jews — where he’d speak to his fellow Israelites about Jesus. Yet he often experienced opposition to his message — not the reception of it — by his fellow Jews. For example — in the synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia…

Acts 13:15–52 (NLT)

¹⁵ After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.” ¹⁶ So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “Men of Israel,” he said, “and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me. ¹⁷ “The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery. ¹⁸ He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. ¹⁹ Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance. ²⁰ All this took about 450 years. “After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. ²² But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ ²³ “And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel! ²⁴ Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized. ²⁵ As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But he is coming soon — and I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the sandals on his feet.’ ²⁶ “Brothers — you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles — this message of salvation has been sent to us! ²⁷ The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath. ²⁸ They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway. ²⁹ “When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead! ³¹ And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel. ³² “And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, ³³ and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’ ³⁴ For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’ ³⁵ Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’ ³⁶ This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. ³⁷ No, it was a reference to someone else — someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay. ³⁸ “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. ³⁹ Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight — something the law of Moses could never do. ⁴⁰ Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said, ⁴¹ ‘Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’” ⁴² As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. ⁴³ Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God. ⁴⁴ The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵ But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. ⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’” ⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. ⁴⁹ So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region. ⁵⁰ Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. ⁵¹ So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium. ⁵² And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the good news — even when the message isn’t received by all who hear it.

CONCLUSION

As we end our time in Romans — for this year — a couple of questions for us to ponder. First — if you’re a follower of Jesus — how are you fulfilling your God-given role of being a sharer of the gospel? To ask it another way: How beautiful are your feet? Here at Gateway there are many opportunities for you to be a sharer of God’s good news. Maybe this is the year you get your passport and go on an international missions trip to Cuba or Bangladesh or to some other place to tell others about Jesus. Or men — maybe this is the year that you sign up to be a mentor in the Women’s Resource Center’s fatherhood program. Or maybe this is the year that you and your spouse start leading one of our next generation ministries’ life groups. Or start hosting a gathering in your neighborhood or college dorm or workplace — where you talk about life and faith. If you’re a follower of Jesus — you’ve been given the task of being a proclaimer of the good news — and oh how beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim it.

Second — if you’re not a follower of Jesus — what will you do with the news you’ve heard today? To repeat what you heard earlier from Paul, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” There’s hope in these words. A guaranteed promise of life, joy, hope, and peace in knowing that you are saved. Not “think that you’re saved” — but are saved. And this confidence isn’t based on you or anything you do — not even in your calling on the name of the Lord — but is a confidence based solely on who God is, what he’s promised, and what is guaranteed because of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. May today — though you came here expecting nothing to change — may today be the day of your salvation. Where — though you never imagined it happening — you leave here believing that Jesus Christ gave his life in love for you. For the gift of salvation is being offered to you today in your hearing of the good news. May you receive it. Believe it. Trust it. And call on the name of the Lord.

Finally — if you’re here today and you’ve not heard anything new — but you’ve been unsettled by the life you’ve been called to live compared to the life you have been living — know that God always forgives those who turn back to him in faith as they turn away from whatever they’ve been living for. This world is full of distractions and we have a very real enemy who wants to lessen our impact as followers of Jesus. For he knows he can’t undo our salvation — so the best tactic he has is to make you an ineffective Christian. Know that Jesus not only forgives us of the sins we committed prior to believing in him — but his mercy also covers the sins we commit after having believed in him. May today be the day of your spiritual renewal. May today be a day of restoration and a refocusing of your purpose, priorities, and calling. May today be the day of your recommitment to serving the one whose name you have called upon for your hope and salvation. Let’s pray together.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, on behalf of those of us who believe in your Son — thank you for the beautiful feet of those who shared the good news with us. For you used them to be the means by which we heard, believed, and called on the name of Jesus. For some of us — it was a faithful Sunday school teacher whose name we’ve long forgotten. For others of us — it was a close friend or relative or roommate. For others — it may have been a stranger on the street. Yet you orchestrated that moment in our — and their lives — in love for us. You orchestrated that moment to be when we experienced your mercy.

Holy Spirit, those you’ve called to believe in Jesus are those you call to proclaim his good news. Give us confidence — not cockiness — but supernatural confidence that you’re with us, speaking through us, and doing the work of saving people today — just as you’ve always done through your people. Raise up more evangelists among us. Those with your special anointing as a sharer of your good news — as you empower all of us — to be obedient to Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples of all nations.”

And — Jesus — you’re our Savior and Lord — the one we believe in and are following. May our love for you increase our desire to see others respond to your love for them. May our love for you increase our desire to share the gospel with others. May our love for you spur us on to act on this desire and to actually share the gospel with those who don’t yet believe.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — I ask that even right now — you would use me to be the voice through which some hear of your love for them — and respond to it — by believing in Jesus and calling out to him for their salvation. And we thank you that your promise to us is guaranteed: that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go with beautiful feet — the beautiful feet of those who proclaim the gospel. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.