Audio Sermons

Reading Romans 8: Life by the Spirit

Monday (verses 1-4) No more death sentence
When did you first understand that Jesus’ “sin offering” was on your behalf?  How did that knowledge set you free?

Tuesday (verses 5-8) Walking in the flesh
When did you try to please God “in the flesh”?  How did you experience God’s “life and peace”?

Wednesday (verses 9-11) Walking in the Spirit
How does this passage compare to the work of the Spirit in John 3:1-17?  What is the evidence that your spirit is alive?

Thursday (verses 12-17) We are God’s children
How do you keep the obligation of life by the Spirit from becoming burden?  When has the joy of being a child of God been most powerful in your life?

Friday (verses 18-27) Groaning now, but the hope of freedom
Where is the “groaning” in your life?  Where do you see the “glorious freedom” beginning to break out in your life?

Saturday (verses 28-35) The Spirit intercedes
When was this great promise of our security most challenged?  How did God show himself faithful at that moment?  Which of these promises is most important to you right now?

Two Heads, One Destiny

Romans 5:11-21 (p. 1753)                                                           August 6, 2017    

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners,
so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:19

The good news

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . . .
Romans 5:1

1. Peace gives me a new  RELATIONSHIP = RECONCILIATION  (see 5:9-11)
2. Hope gives me a new  PERSPECTIVE
3. Love is how I know Jesus died  FOR ME

Adam’s demise has been greatly exaggerated

 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin,
and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned . . . .
Romans 5:12

1. Without Adam, I have an incomplete picture of  MY SIN  (see the Belgic Confession, Article XV)
2. Without Adam, I have an incomplete picture of  THE IMAGE OF GOD
3. Without Adam, I don’t get  THE HEADSHIP OF CHRIST

The foundation for sanctification (or, how do I get a head transplant?)

 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to Christ Jesus.
Therefore, do not let sin reign . . . .
Romans 7:11

1. Baptism:  DEATH  and   RESURRECTION
   Romans 6:1-14
2. Slaves: a  NEW (AND SO MUCH BETTER!)  master
   Romans 6:15-23
3. Marriage: freed to  SERVE ANOTHER
   Romans 7:1-6
4. Sin nature: in need of RESCUE
   Romans 7:7-25

 

More study resources for Romans 5-7

Bob Deffinbaugh’s  sermon on Romans 5, “Curse to Cure” at https://bible.org/series/romans-righteousness-god

Ligon Duncan’s messages at http://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/greetings-from-an-apostle

John Murray’s Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Eerdmans, 1955).

Kim Riddlebarger’s “Through the Obedience of One” sermon at http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/sermons-on-pauls-epistle-to-th/

Sinclair Ferguson’s “The Great Exchanges of Romans” at http://www.ligonier.org/blog/great-exchanges-romans/

F.F. Bruce’s paraphrase of Romans at https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/eq/1958-2_bruce.pdf  or Paternoster Press (1965); Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Eerdmans, 1977); and The Epistle of Paul to the Romans (Eerdmans, 1963).

James Boice’s Romans, Volume 2  (Baker Books, 1991).

Earl Palmer’s Romans series notes “The Greatest Book”, Winter 2002, University Presbyterian Church.

Dennis R. Venema and Scot McKnight, Adam and the Genome (Brazos Press, 2017).  This is the most recent critique of the traditional understanding of Adam’s federal headship.  See also John Walton’s The Lost World of Adam and Eve (IVP Academic, 2015).

Abner Chou (and the Master’s College faculty), ed.  What Happened in the Garden (Kregel, 2016).  This is a good place to start in responding to Venema and McKnight.  See especially Todd Wood’s “Genetics of Adam”, pg. 75.

Hans Medueme’s blog “Rumors of Adam’s Demise” at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/book-review-adams-genome.

There is a wonderful collection of resources at https://www.monergism.com/topics/federal-headship

Reading this week: Getting ready for the Spirit

Monday: Romans 5:1-11, Rejoicing!
Paul wants us to get excited about our justification.  Which of the big three – peace, hope, love – are you celebrating today?  How have you experienced the “on behalf of us” nature of Jesus death and life?

Tuesday: Romans 5:12-21, Adam and Christ
In this passage Paul compares the headship of Adam with that of Christ.  What evidence of the Federal Headship of Adam have you seen?  How did you escape Adam’s headship?   How are you assured that Jesus’ obedience has been credited to you?

Wednesday: Romans 6:1-14, Baptism and dying to sin
How does your baptism reflect your connection to Jesus’ death?  to Jesus’ resurrection?  What specific sin is struggling to be our master (see 6:14)?  How has the image of offering and sacrifice helped you master that sin?

Thursday: Romans 6:15-23, A slave gets his wages
Grace means not only that I don’t have to earn my salvation, but also that I don’t get what I have earned – death.  How do these “wages of sin” (see 6:23) show up in your life?  What have been the benefits in your life of being a slave to God?

Friday: Romans 7:1-6, A tough lesson from marriage
Paul isn’t anti-marriage, but he is realistic about what happens when a spouse dies.  A wife is free of the bonds of marriage when her husband dies (but see 1 Corinthians 7:39).  In a similar way, my death to sin has freed me from its power.  How has this new freedom been reflected in your life?  How ready are you for the “new way of the Spirit”?

Saturday: Romans 7:7-25, Paul’s story is my story
This is Paul’s “wretched man” autobiography.  How does this story differ from his testimony in Acts 26?  How is Paul able to be both victorious Apostle and the one who does “what I do not want to do”?  How do you celebrate your rescue from the “body of death”?

Reading this week: Faith and more faith!

In these passages, God speaks of our part in the mystery of faith.

Monday: Romans 1:1-17, Faith and the Gospel
From the “obedience that comes from faith” to the way the righteous live, faith and the gospel are inextricably linked.  How is your faith bringing the gospel alive in your life?  Whose faith are you encouraging (see 1:11-12)?

Tuesday: Malachi 1-5; 2:10-16, Do not break faith
God isn’t the only one whose faithfulness matters.  What do you think is the 21^st Century equivalent of Judah’s broken faith?  What promises is God asking you to keep?

Wednesday: Matthew 9, Stories about faith
The paralytic’s friends, an unnamed woman and two blind men experience the blessings of faith.  How are your experiences of faith reflected in their stories?  How is your faith different than their faith?  Why were the Pharisees so offended by Jesus’ response to this faith?  Why does Matthew end this story with “the harvest is plentiful”?   What is your role in harvest?

Thursday: Acts 14:8-28, Faith in Lystra and Derbe (and Anacortes)
This story shows how the “door of faith” was opened to the Gentiles.  What consequences in Lystra did Paul face for responding to the crippled man’s faith?  What persecution have you faced?  How have you been encouraged to “remain true to the faith” (see 14:22)?  How do you see God opening the door to faith here in Anacortes?

Friday: Hebrews 10:39-12:3, The history of faith
Yes, we are “of those who believe and are saved!” All these “Faith Hall of Fame” members only could look forward to the perfection of his or her faith?  How have you experienced the perfection of your faith through Jesus?

Saturday: 2 Peter 1:3-11, Adding to our faith
One challenge of the Christian life is to keep our faith growing.  Which of these links in your calling (from faith to brotherly love) are you adding today?  How has this made you a more productive follower of Jesus?

My Sin and God’s Righteousness

Romans 3:23 (p. 1747)                                                                  July 23, 2017    

There is no difference, for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified freely by his grace . . . .
Romans 3:23-24

A lawyer looks at sin

The wrath of God is being revealed against all the godlessness
and wickedness of men who suppress the truth . . . .
Romans 1:18

“Dear Sirs: I am. Yours truly, G.K. Chesterton.”
Letter to the editor, explaining what is wrong with the world

1. “THEY”  are under  wrath (Romans 1:18-32)
2. “WE”  are under  wrath (Romans 2:1-29)
3. God’s wrath is  JUST  (Romans 3:1-20)

A theology of exchange

 But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known . . .
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement . . . .
Romans 3:21-22

 

1. Humanity exchanges of truth of God for a lie
2. God exchanged our communion with him for wrath
3. God provides redemption through the work Christ
4. My unrighteousness exchanged for Christ’s righteousness
5. My unbelief exchanged for belief by the work of the Spirit

 

When I get sin right . . .

 This was to show God’s righteousness . . . .
Romans 3:25-26 (ESV, and see The Message)

1. I see God’s  RIGHTEOUSNESS DEMONSTRATED = WRATH SATISFIED  at the cross
2. I see God’s  INITIATIVE  in my salvation:

— in justification, God  DECLARES ME RIGHTEOUS (NOT “NOT GUILTY”)

— in redemption, God  TAKES MY PLACE

— in propitiation, God  SATISFIES HIS OWN WRATH

3. I see in the law, my life of gratitude

Another helpful definition of “the gospel”

Even though we have sinned and defaced the divine image, nevertheless,
through the means of faith, and not through works of the law,
and only because God is gracious
toward Jew and Gentile sinners, and not because we have earned anything from him,
God freely justifies those who trust in Jesus Christ,
through the redemp­tion that Jesus himself accomplished for us and in his place.
(from Kim Riddlebarger’s “Justified by Faith”)

More study resources for Romans 1-3

Bob Deffinbaugh’s  sermon on Romans 3, “Justification” at https://bible.org/series/romans-righteousness-god

Ligon Duncan’s messages at http://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/greetings-from-an-apostle

John Murray’s Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Eerdmans, 1955).

Kim Riddlebarger’s sermon at http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/sermons-on-pauls-epistle-to-th/

Sinclair Ferguson’s “The Great Exchanges of Romans” at http://www.ligonier.org/blog/great-exchanges-romans/

F.F. Bruce’s paraphrase of Romans at https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/eq/1958-2_bruce.pdf  or Paternoster Press (1965) and his Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Eerdmans, 1977).

Tim Keller’s Romans For You (The Good Book, 2014) studies.

Charles Hodge’s Epistle to the Romans (Eerdmans, 1886).

James Boice’s Romans  (Baker Books, 1991).

Earl Palmer’s Romans series notes “The Greatest Book”, Winter 2002, University Presbyterian Church, Seattle, Washington.  Palmer recommends Francis Thompson’s Hound of Heaven, Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment as literary portrayal’s of the atonement.  I like the closing scene of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities where Carton exchanges his life for Darnay: “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”

Reading this week: Abraham’s story of faith

Faith is sometimes best explained in a story.  Paul uses Abraham’s story to illustrate the wonder of our faith and God’s faithfulness.

Monday: Genesis 11:27-12:9, Abram’s call
We start with story of Abram’s travel from Ur to Haran to “the land”.  How does this story set the stage for both Abram’s future obedience and his faith struggles?  How does God address the tension between Sarai’s barrenness and the promise “to your offspring”?  How are you included in Abram’s call and God’s promises?  How is God preparing you for faith challenges?

Tuesday: Genesis 12:10-30, Abram in Egypt
Abram’s first faith challenges are famine and fear.  What famine and fear challenges have you faced, or maybe are facing right now?  How did God deliver Abram and Sarai?  How are you trusting God for his deliverance today?

Wednesday: Genesis 13-14, Abram and Lot
How does God bless Abram in this story?  Why does Abram honor Melchizedek but not the king of Sodom?  Who is your Lot, the person God is asking you to trust enough to bless?  How has God shown himself faithful as you have risked for your Lot?

Thursday: Genesis 15, Covenant and Faith
Yes, Abram’s response of faith precedes the obedience of circumcision in Genesis 17.  But even here faith does not totally eliminate doubt (see 15:8).  How did God respond to Abram’s doubt?  When has God graciously responded to your doubt?  What promise did God confirm to you in his response?

Friday: Genesis 20:1-21:7, God again rescues Abraham
Once again, Abraham thinks God’s promises need some help.  How does Abraham’s lie affect himself and his neighbors?  What are the ways in which Sarah  experiences God’s provision in this scene?  When has God taken you from bad decision to gracious provision?  How did you respond?  Who did you tell?

Saturday: Genesis 22:1-19, The God who provides
The climax of Abraham’s story of faith is known in Hebrew as “The binding of Isaac”.  What are the elements in this story of Abraham’s “obedience of faith”?  In what ways have you experienced God’s provision both spiritually and physically?  How has this provision strengthened your faith?

A Righteousness From God

Romans 1:16-17 (p. 1747)                                                               July 16, 2017    

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed,
a righteousness that is by faith from first to last . . . .
Romans 1:17

Definitions:   salvation = focus on my sin –>  focus on God’s wrath
faith = “ wholehearted trust which the Holy Spirit creates in me by the gospel” (HC, #21)

Righteousness . . .

I 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.
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed . . . .     Romans 1:1

1. Righteousness has always been A SCANDAL
2. Righteousness has always been  A SUBSTITUTIONARY STORY
3. FAITH  is how God’s righteousness becomes my ow

Sola fide

 . . . just as it is written:“The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17b (quoting Habakkuk 2:4)

“It is he who is righteous by faith that shall live.”
F.F. Bruce’s paraphrase of Romans 1:17 (Paternoster Press, 1965)

1. Luther encountered  HIS OWN SIN
2. Luther searched for an  “ALIEN”  RIGHTEOUSNESS
3. Luther discovered the  GIFT OF FAITH

Semper reformanda

In which of Luther’s three steps to reformation are you?

How have you experienced the power of the gospel to change your life?  à “Here I stand . . . .”

A working definition of “the gospel”

Though I am under the righteous condemnation of God,
God in his mercy and grace sent his Son to die on my behalf,
that, in Christ and by faith, God’s righteousness is imputed to me.
(adapted from Ligon Duncan’s “Greetings from an Apostle”)

More study resources for Romans 1

Bob Deffinbaugh’s  introduction to Romans at
https://bible.org/seriespage/exploring-riches-book-romans-romans-1-16

Ligon Duncan’s message “Paul’s Good News” at http://www.fpcjackson.org/resourcelibrary/sermons/greetings-from-an-apostle

Kim Riddlebarger’s sermon at http://kimriddlebarger.
squarespace.com/sermons-on-pauls-epistle-to-th/

Sinclair Ferguson’s “The Great Exchanges of Romans” at
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/great-exchanges-romans/

F.F. Bruce’s paraphrase of Romans at https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/eq/1958-2_bruce.pdf  or Paternoster Press (1965) and his Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Eerdmans, 1977).

Tim Keller’s Romans For You (The Good Book, 2014) studies.

Charles Hodge’s Epistle to the Romans (Eerdmans, 1886).

James Boice’s Romans: An Expositional Commentary (Baker Books, 1991).  I especially appreciate his telling of the Martin Luther story, pages 119-126 in Volume 1.

Earl Palmer’s Romans series notes “The Greatest Book”, Winter 2002, University Presbyterian Church, Seattle.

Reading this week: Sin and Salvation, Romans 1:18-3:31

Monday: Romans 1:16-32, The wrath of God against “them”
Yes, we are starting back with last week’s text, but this is a great reminder that we are talking about the gospel which saves!  What evidence do you see in the world that bolsters Paul’s analysis of our wickedness?  How does God’s “giving over” to sin reflect his righteousness?  How have you experienced this aspect if God’s righteousness?

Tuesday: Romans 2:1-16, Now God’s wrath is against me!
When have you most recently encountered the temptation to “pass judgment on someone else?”  How did the gospel touch your life at that moment?

Wednesday: Romans 2:17-29, True Jews and authentic believers
How does Paul’s warning against bragging about the law relate to my walk with Jesus?  To what passages do you turn to learn how the heart (inward, not outward!) gets “circumcised”?  How have you experienced God’s praise?

Thursday: Romans 3:1-20, God’s faithfulness and my sin
How will you answer Paul’s searching questions: “What advantage, then, is there in going to church?” and “Is God unjust in bringing his wrath against us?”  Are you truly convinced that the chain of Old Testament references to sin still apply?  What would you add to the Romans 3:20 summary of the role of the law in our lives?

Friday: Romans 3:21-31, Finally we get to God’s righteousness!
How do the “all” in 3:22 differ from the “all” in 3:23?  When did you most fully understand the “free” (read 3:23-24 again!) nature of the gospel?  What past and present aspects of our salvation does Paul have in mind here?  How have you experienced these past and present realities of the gospel?

Saturday: Psalm 51; 2 Samuel 11-12, A case study in sin and repentance
This long passage is one of the best studies of the consequences and restoration of sin.  With what part of David’s story (and God’s response!) do you identify?  How has David’s restoration story been reflected in your life?  What Nathan has God brought into your life to speak truth and remind you that you are always “loved by the Lord” (see the name Nathan gave Solomon in 2 Samuel 12:25)?

Link to sermon audio

God Still Leads His People

Exodus 40:33b-38 (p. 153)                                                      June 25, 2017    

So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day,
and fire was in the cloud by night,
in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.
Exodus 40:38

The birth of a covenant people

. . . . and so Moses finished the work.    Exodus 40:33b

1. Led the Exodus –> Experiencing God’s  SALVATION
2. Mediated the Law –> Responding with the  OBEDIENCE  of faith [see Romans 1:5-6, p. 1746
3. Built the Tabernacle –> Enjoying God’s  PRESENCE = WORSHIP [it’s a transitive verb!

 Following the glory

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle,
they would set out . . . .
Exodus 40:36 (see Numbers 10:11-13, p. 223)

1. God still invites  TOUGH QUESTIONS
2. Today, God leads first through  HIS WORD = SCRIPTURE
3. Confidence begins with  THE STORY OF MY SALVATION
4. JESUS  is at the center

More good teaching on Exodus 40

Bob Deffinbaugh’s  Exodus sermon “The Consecration”
at https://bible.org/series/exodus-birth-nation

Ligon Duncan’s message “The Glory Cloud”
at http://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/series index/exodus. 

For a deeper look into Covenant Theology, see the resources (Doug really likes J. I. Packer’s articles and Robert Reymond’s “Five Arguments” article) collected
at https://www.monergism.com/topics/covenant-theology

Charles Hodge’s brief introduction to the Ten Commandments
at https://www.monergism.com/ten-commandments

See the wonderful collection of sermons
at https://www.monergism.com/topics/sermon-manuscripts-mp3s-scripture/exodus

Reading this week: Another look at the Pathway

As we prepare for another look at our Vitality Pathway, reflect on how each of these mission and vision passages explains how . . . .
— someone at ACRC normally comes to faith;
— someone at ACRC normally grows in his or her faith; and
— someone at ACRC is equipped for ministry.

Monday: Luke 15:11-32, Two Prodigal Sons
How do both sons tell your story?

Tuesday: Colossians 2:6-15, It’s all about Jesus
Where does thankfulness fit into your “live in him” story?

Wednesday: Proverbs 3:1-12, Trusting the Lord
How have your experienced the blessings of trusting God?

Thursday: Luke 10:25-37 (see Leviticus 19:33-34), Neighbors
What new neighbor is God calling you to love?

Friday: Deuteronomy 6:1-12, Starting in the right place
What are your “doorpost” reminders of God’s first place?

Saturday: John 15:1-17, Glory and Fruit
How are you developing your “remaining” disciplines?