God's Righteousness or Self-Righteousness?
Romans 9:30-10:13 | What is one of the quietest yet deadliest hindrances to people believing the gospel and receiving God's righteousness in Christ? Self-righteousness. When we are seeking to establish a righteousness of our own, on our own, we are denying the work of Christ and the righteousness of God that is found only in him. In this passage we will be warned of the deadly work self-righteousness does to get us to reject the gospel, and also the good news of how we receive God's righteousness by believing on Christ as Lord.
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In Romans 11:25-36, Paul reveals the fuller picture of God’s plan of salvation by explaining the “mystery” that in the end, “all Israel will be saved.” He goes on to focus on the centrality of God’s mercy in the salvation of all the elect, both Jew and Gentile. Finally, in concluding this section of his letter to the Romans, Paul writes a doxology in which we are reminded that this entire plan of salvation is designed specifically for God’s glory. Our salvation isn’t the ultimate goal; God’s glory is.
God's ways are not our ways. We see this throughout this section of Romans. God is doing a great work for maximum redemption of both Jew and Gentile, and he is carrying that out in a way he knows is best. Paul says a remnant of Israel has been chosen by grace, the rest have been hardened, but we see in this week's passage how God is using even that hardening for greater salvation for Jew and Gentile alike.
Romans 10 ends a bit heavy with these words Paul quotes describing Israel's heart, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." This leads him to begin chapter 11 with a really important question: Has God rejected his people? The answer to that is an emphatic no. God is redeeming a remnant of grace from within Israel while he is hardening the rest. But even God's hardening has redemptive purposes of which we will uncover as we make our way through Romans 11. This Sunday we sit in the glorious realities of grace and, Lord willing, will leave with deeper gratitude for the grace of God.
Romans 10:14-21 | Romans 10:14-21 helps us learn our next step in rightly responding to the good news. This passage is pivotal in shaping our understanding of what must take place in order for lost sinners to be saved by God. It is also a crucial text for supplying believers with passion and urgency to share the gospel. Through this passage, we see how God graciously breaks down the excuses we tend to make to neglect our next steps of obedience. He does this to lead us into the delight of obedience so that He may be glorified. God, be magnified through our obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
Romans 8:31-39 | In Christ, we are more than conquerors. But how? As we find in Romans 8:31-39, we are more than conquerors because of God, and four specific things he has done for us.
There is no denying that this world is filled with heartaches that give us a heavenly homesickness. Last week we saw that in the groaning of our heartaches, the Lord lifts our eyes to the splendor of future glory. This week we see that not only does the Lord lift our eyes to future glory in our present groanings, but he is also so kind and good to give us very tangible help in our present sufferings. What are these helps and assurances that the Lord gives his people in the present groaning of life? Let's look at these together in Romans 8:26-30.
How do believers press on in the midst of suffering? Romans 8:18-25 provides us with great insight on this question. This text fills us as hope as we long together for God to make all things right in glory. As believers, we can allow our suffering to fuel our hope in the future glory that is to be revealed. God, we want to behold more of your glory. Show us your glory, Lord.