Series: Never seen before in 2024
Thesis: To see or experience something we have never seen before in 2024 requires us to do something we have never done before – So what is that “One Thing” you need to do that you have not done before? Maybe it is to read and study the Bible in 2024! Maybe believe the truth of God over the lies of this world!
Maybe it’s to get to know the Story of God!
The Bible is the Story of God “The Creator” and his interactions with mankind his most favorite creation!
In the book “Unleash the power of storytelling” by Rob Biesenbach he notes how important it is in the age of information overload to see and rediscover the power of stories. He notes that storytelling is arguably the most powerful form of communication at our disposal. I add and God uses the Bible to tell His Story to us and to teach us how to live a life that is valued for eternity.
He notes this about a great story:
1. It will win hearts – captivate, inspire and motivate people!
2. It will change minds – convince people to come around to the authors or tellers’ way of thinking.
3. It will get results – great stories persuade people to act in a way that transforms them and others.
The reality check is this is what “God’s Story” does every single day all over the world and has been doing over the course of history. The Bible tells God’s Story!
It’s a story filled with emotion!
It’s a story that connects us to the main character of the story!
It’s the story that humanizes God to us!
It’s a story that raises the stakes in the game of life and death!
It’s a story that shows who God is and does not just tell of Him but proves He is who He said He is!
Final thought from the book I want to make is this: “In its simplest form, a story is a character in pursuit of a goal in the face of some challenge or obstacle. How the character tries to resolve that challenge drives the narrative.”
Romans – Aint to Saint!
Summary of Romans with handout from the Bible project!
Scripture: Romans 1
Romans 1
1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—
2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures
3regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,
4and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
5Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
9God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
10in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—
12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14I am obligated both to Greeks and non–Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.
16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
God’s Wrath Against Mankind (Paul’s observation of the world which surrounds the Christians in Rome – the capital of the empire!)
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
30slanderers, God–haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Thesis: The book of Romans is to Christianity what the Declaration of Independence is to America and the Magna Charta is to Great Britain! It can set you free if you study it and believe it. The book lays out the path from being an ain’t to becoming a saint. The key is the Spirit of God and obedience to the Word of God.
Introduction:
Paul writes to the Roman Christians in Rome to introduce himself to them and share the Gospel message with these Christians. These Christians have just come under the rule of Nero who within 3 years will unleash a severe persecution on the Christian community killing many of them. Paul writes this letter in preparation for coming to Rome to set up a base camp for his ministry to Spain. Paul is writing this letter from Corinth.
John Calvin said that "When anyone gains a knowledge of this Epistle he has an entrance opened to him to all the most hidden treasures of Scripture."
Key Takeaways from the book of Romans for today:
Romans explores the theological foundations of the Christian faith as outlined in Paul’s letter.
Written in the first century A.D., the letter to the Romans is an essential resource for understanding salvation, faith, and grace.
Diving into the historical context, doctrinal implications, and practical application of this epistle can enrich your understanding of the Gospel—the good news!
Questions which are answered in this book are:
Why is Jesus and the Gospel so crucial for eternal life? How do you get saved? What is the “The Romans Road to Salvation?” This Christian term became famous from an evangelism track called the “Romans Road” -This track and message from Romans has impacted people for decades – leading many people to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Question how to live out your faith walk?
The journey of faith begins with understanding of the good news, or the Gospel! This teaching lies at the heart of the Christian faith. The term “Gospel” translates to “Good news,” and to fully understand this message, it’s crucial to acknowledge the challenge humanity faces due to sin. In essence, sin is what separates us from God, originating from the fall in the Garden of Eden when mankind rebelled against God’s way. However, despite this separation, God’s love provided a path of reconciliation through His son, Jesus Christ. Romans reminds us of these spiritual truths:
• “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
• “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
• “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Paul penned the book while still in Corinth in anticipation of his visit to the church in Rome. This means he had not yet met the people he was addressing, which explains the detailed introduction of himself in Chapter 1.
Paul’s life up to this point was a fascinating one. It’s not beyond the realm of reason to suggest that some Christians in Rome were still suspicious of Paul.
Before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was known as Saul of Tarsus—a staunch Pharisee who studied under the Jewish rabbi, Gamaliel.
Saul was so fervent in his religious beliefs that he was among those who persecuted the early church and actively sought to imprison Christians. In fact, Saul was one of the reasons why the early church scattered abroad as they fled persecution.
Nevertheless, God used the persecution to spread the Gospel even further (Acts 8:1-4).
He would eventually be imprisoned in Rome, but that had not yet occurred at the time of writing of Romans.
Romans arguably offers the Bible’s most comprehensive single book presentation of:
• mankind’s need for salvation,
• the means of gaining salvation, and
• what it looks like to work out that salvation daily.
I. Aints to Saints! Romans 1:1-17:
a. The key that takes us from an aint to a saint is the spirit of God – to be someone in this world and in Heaven requires us to receive the Spirit of the Lord!
i. For the purpose of this sermon – “The Aint” is a person who is not saved, not a Christian, a person void of the Spirit of God living inside of them.
1. We discover that the world is filled with people who have no connection to the Holy Spirit – they are not filled with the spirit of God because of their choices – they way they live their life and rejection of the Words and ways of God Father as spelled out in the Bible.
ii. We must connect with The Spirit of God to be saved – to become “The Saint” – this is done through Jesus Christ, 2ndly to gain salvation and be on the right path with our life requires a continual connection to the Holy Spirit daily. Romans makes it clear people have been led astray with deceptive teachings- even some Christians have lost their connection with the Spirit of God.
1. Whenever we remove the Spirit of God from a Saint can put them back in the category of “The Aint.”
b. Question - What is a Saint? – What makes one a Saint?
i. When I say the word “Saint” many images can pop into your mind. Is the type of “saint” Paul is referring too in this passage look like Roger Moore from the TV series “The Saint?” The Saint TV show was a spy action series about a thief who only stole from criminals and then usually got them caught and put in prison. He was kind of a "self-hired and self-paid" law enforcement officer. That would be a good enough story line in itself, but there's another twist! He was constantly chased by a real lawman called Inspector Teal who didn't see the difference between The Saint (Simon Templar) and any other criminal! That kept Simon looking over his shoulder while he went after others. But this is not the type of “saint” that Paul was referring to though.
1. Val Kilmer did the movie “The Saint” as a take off from the series.
2. Doing good by criminal acts does not make you a Saint!
3. Doing good without the criminal acts doe not make you a “saint” either.
ii. What a about the New Orleans “Saints?” This is a NFL football team and is Paul referring to one of their players? They would be called “saints.” No Paul did not mean this kind of “saint.”
1. Playing football does not make you a Saint.
iii. Is the type of “saint” Paul is referring to one of the many “Sainted” saints of the Roman Catholic Church?
1. There are more than 10,000 Roman Catholic saints. It is important to note that Saints should not be "worshipped" according to strict Christian terminology. Worship should be reserved for God alone, whereas Saints should be venerated, respected, and viewed as role models.
a. How well do you respect other “Saints.”
2. The Roman Catholic process of sainthood and of being canonized to the special status of sainthood has no valid biblical basis and we are told by the Word that we are only to pray to God through Jesus Christ. First Timothy 2:5 states, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”
a. The problem with the Catholic saint system: But for whatever reason the Roman Catholic church has adopted a sainthood policy. Here is their process of sainthood if you so desire to be “sainted”
3. SAINTHOOD 101: Rules for Becoming a Saint - In the Catholic tradition, every once in a rare while a human being will lead a life of such incredible virtue that they are deemed to be closer to God than the rest of us, so close they can even bring about miracles. Such a person, man or woman, of any race of nationality, is declared after their death to be a saint. Saints play an important role in Catholicism, providing a human model of perfect virtue. It is also widely believed that a saint in heaven can speak directly to God on behalf of a desperate or ill human being. Thus, for example, many Catholics pray to St. Jude when they are in trouble. The best known saints are ancient – St. Jude, St. Augustine, St. Francis, St. Anne, etc. – but new saints are named in every generation (Pope John Paul II has canonized some 280) and undoubtedly there are people living today who will one day be sainted.
So what does one have to do to become a saint in the Roman Catholic Church?
c. The following are the basic steps to becoming a saint:
i. The candidate must be deceased for a minimum of five years.
1. You cannot be a “Saint” while you are alive!
ii. Even in our modern, fast-paced society, the candidate must have lived a life of extraordinary asceticism, self-denial, faith, good works and inspirational virtue, often helping the poor and sick.
1. So, to be a Saint secondly requires you to live a extraordinary life of service and self-denial.
iii. The candidate must be recognized for two posthumous miracles (when The Third Miracle was written, three were required) verified by a scientific board appointed by the Vatican.
1. To become a “Saint” you had to perform miracles which are verified and proved!
iv. Once it is determined that the candidate has led a life of holiness, he or she is declared a Servant of God, and the investigation of their candidacy begins.
1. So, to be on the road to being a “Saint” you must be recognized by others!
v. A postulator is appointed on the candidate's behalf, undertaking an exhaustive investigation into his or her life, works, writings, sayings, family life, early history, etc. – digging for any small thing that might be inconsistent with tireless faith and Church teachings.
1. So, your life comes under investigation – any sin found in your life disqualifies you from sainthood.
vi. Witnesses (if still alive) are called to appear before a church tribunal and further evidence is gathered.
1. But remember you are dead!
vii. A positioning paper presenting the case of the saint is handed to the Bishop.
viii. If the Bishop agrees with the evidence, he passes on the report to the Vatican's Congregation of Saints.
ix. If the Congregation and the Pope agree that the person lived a virtuous life, the candidate is named a "Venerable."
x. This completes the investigation of the candidate's earthly life. Now, the Congregation undertakes the investigation of the two posthumous miracles, if they have occurred. If not, they wait. The first miracle earns the candidate beatification, the second assures sainthood.
xi. Miracles are intensively scrutinized by both religious and scientific authorities. Medical miracles are examined by a board of five doctors who must unequivocally determine that no other possible explanation for a cure exists.
xii. All cures must be instantaneous and complete (One potential candidate's miracle – restoring the sight of a blind man – was rejected because the sight was only 90% restored). In the case of cancer, a ten year waiting period must assure that the patient doesn't come out of remission
xiii. If the high standards for miracles are met, the Pope bestows the title of saint on the candidate.
1. The title is given!
xiv. This is quite an extensive process, and the truth is few of us would ever make “sainthood” in the Roman Catholic Church.
d. But let’s get back to what the Bible says about this term “saint.”
i. I looked up the word “saint” and discovered this definition from my research: ONE SEPARATED FROM THE WORLD AND CONSECRATED TO GOD; ONE HOLY BY PROFESSION AND BY COVENANT; A BELIEVER IN CHRIST!
1. Duncan Ross states, “A saint, as the bible uses that word, does not refer to a technical or even special class of especially godly persons.
a. Key - The word “saint” as it is used in Scripture is a synonym for words like “believer,” and “Christian.”
2. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia tells us the following about what this word “saint” is describing: A saint is a holy person. The term comes from the New Testament, where it is used to refer to all Christian believers. Over the years the term has grown to be used and accepted in other Christian, religious, and even secular contexts, to refer to those who are considered to be exceptionally virtuous or glorified in heaven. Hence a "saint" is a (usually deceased) person whose life is regarded by a community as a good example, and their life story is remembered for sake of inspiring others.
3. Biblically, though, the term saint is correctly applied to anyone who believes Jesus Christ is Lord. To believe in Jesus demands obedience and conformity to His will. A saint bears true and faithful witness to Christ in speech and in lifestyle. To be a saint is a present reality when a believer seeks to let the Spirit form Christ within their hearts and inner spirit.
a. Here are a few scripture verses refer to this process:
i. Romans 8:29: For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
ii. Galatians 4:19: My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you…
iii. Ephesians 4:13: …until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
iv. The truth is we become a saint when we become “Born Again” and the Spirit of the Lord seeks mold us into the image of Jesus with our lives.
e. Reality Check: A saint is not an “aint,” because the Spirit of Christ adds “S” to “aint” and makes the “aint” a “saint.”
i. Do you want to be a “Saint?”
1. Then it starts with the Spirit of God being invited to live in your heart, mind and soul!
II. Paul writes of the Roman Christians great faith in the midst of the immoral culture they are living in! Rome was filled with the same kind of sins, immorality, false teachings, and pride for sin that we see in our culture today. Paul even observes how the sinful culture of Rome is and has deceived so many saints.
a. Be aware God does not bless sin – he never will endorse sin – He is not proud of sin – any sin -you will not change God’s mind on what is sin or not sin - instead according to Paul God pours His wrath out on unrepented sin – The truth is if there is no repentance of the sins there is no forgiveness.
b. Romans 1:18-31: Read
i. When people – even Christians reject God’s natural process and think in doing so they are wise they instead become fools.
ii. They the fools exchanged the glory of God to worship at the altar of idols – not at God’s altar – therefore – because they rejected God’s truth, God’s biological process of Creation being formed in the image of God as male or female God left them to their own twisted minds because of their unwillingness to repent and turn from their sin.
1. God’s Word here in Romans is crystal clear on what sin looks like and acts like!
iii. The “Aints” have choose to exchange God’s truth for a lie!
1. Share the story from a teacher you met who teaches in Chicago. How bad has it gotten with grade school kids in the public school she teaches in.
iv. How bad was the Roman culture around the Christian in the time of this writing?
1. We still battle the same sins:
a. Romans 1:26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
b. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
c. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
d. 30slanderers, God–haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
e. 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
f. Romans 1: 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
2. We see the same sins being practiced and praised in our society today!
v. Sin wants to make a Christian an aints again – How - by removing the Spirit of God from a saint’s life – the spirit of God will leave a person who rejects God’s way for sin over and over – there is a limit to what God will overlook – you can go to far into sin and miss God or disconnect your connection to God. You can choose to severe you’re the Spirit of God from your life!
1. Paul warns the Roman Christians engulfed in the Capital of the Roman Empire to be aware and awake – see the top ten reasons the Roman empire fell.
a. See slide!
2. Paul makes it clear – walk away from God’s truth and buy into lies and you will face the wrath of God!
a. The Spirit will depart you!
c. Highlight Hand out and graphic by The Bible Project!
III. The book of Romans is known for the famous “Romans Road” to salvation – to life by the Spirit off God – to the One who can take an “aint” and make them a “saint.”:
a. The “Romans Road” is a simple way of presenting the gospel using verses from the book of Romans.
i. Romans was written by the Apostle Paul during his 3rd missionary journey about 23 years after the events of the gospels – Jesus’ death and resurrection. This letter is written to the Christians he had heard about but never met Paul. So Paul wanted to give them a complete description of the fundamentals and foundations of Christianity: sinful nature of all men in the eyes of God, justification by faith in Jesus Christ, freedom from sin, and victory in Christ, judgment, spiritual growth, and godly living.
1. Knowing these truths is as crucial today as it was back in Paul’s day and at the birth of the Church.
a. We still battle the same fallen world – same sins by the way!
b. We also need to be rooted in the message of the Gospel – the message of Jesus and His grace.
b. The Roman Road track spells out the deceptions that people may believe which keep them from accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
i. “I’m a “good person” do I really need salvation?”
1. In my many years of talking to people, I think 9 out of 10 people categorize themselves as “good” people and don’t understand their need for salvation. But Scripture is clear:
a. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23)
b. As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. (Romans 3:10)
c. When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12)
ii. “I’m not a really bad person, is my sin really that bad?”
1. Almost everyone considers themselves to be “relatively” better (less bad, less sinful, and less depraved) than others and so forgive themselves for their “relatively” minor sins. But Scripture says:
a. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
iii. “I’m too bad to be saved, how can there be any hope for me?”
1. Those, who don’t consider themselves better than others, often consider themselves to have missed the mark, with so many sins stacked up on their side of the scale, that there’s no hope for them. But Scripture says:
a. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8)
c. The track as well as the letter to the Romans tells us how to be saved!
i. Question: “How can I be saved?”
1. The concept of salvation by faith is alien to our human nature, we want to do something to earn our salvation, but the task is too great for us, we need divine intervention.
a. We need Jesus and the Holy Spirit!
2. Point: And that question is answered in Romans because faith is what we need to do it – be saved – it’s what I preach week after week: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
a. This is how we become saved – born again – set free from sin and judgment!
ii. What should I do to inherit eternal life? Pray a simple sinner’s prayer!
1. Pray - The Sinner’s Prayer in a nut shell!
a. Did God accept me? After a person has come to Jesus Christ for their personal soul salvation, it is extremely common for them to doubt their salvation, to doubt that God will keep his promise, that they are safe in Christ.
i. Have you experienced this lie from the enemy?
ii. I know I did!
b. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (Romans 10:11-13)
i. This is the promise of Jesus and the Bible – especially the book of Romans!
c. Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. (Romans 5:1)
d. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)
i. Read: “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
e. Here is the truth from the Romans’ letter - You can know you are saved and that you are going to Heaven!
i. The believer is a new creation and God will help you experience his love through His spirit.
1. The Holy Spirit will lead and guide you into all truth!
ii. Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17)
iii. The above is take from and adapted from: https://www.bibletruths.org/simple-romans-road-salvation/
Conclusion:
What do we need to know from this message?
1. An ain’t becomes a saint by following the Romans road to salvation.
2. An ain’t stays a saint by believing God and not the lies of the world.
3. The ain’t who is now a saint can with the spirit of God help lead others out of bondage and sin and into a personal love relationship with Jesus!
4. The ain’t can know they are saved by experiencing the Spirit of the Lord living in them!
5. The Saint is one who promotes unity in the Body of Christ and seeks to edify the Body of Christ with their gifts!
6. The Saint lives by faith and they live a holy life.
7. The Saint lives a spirit-filled life that seeks to present the Good news to others and in the process live in unity and harmony with other believers.
a. Paul pleads with the Philippians for this kind of unity: “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:1–4).
b. If Christians, who are members of the same team, see themselves in competition with each other, then they are not playing as teammates. They are not living in light of the unity that exists.
i. The above from gotquestions.org
