Maranatha Baptist Church Sermon Podcast

Sickness and disease can be a nasty business. If not treated properly, it can lead to long-term damage and is a danger in our spiritual lives. Paul explains to Titus that there is a disease of false teaching and sinfulness spreading that must be resolved because it is distorting and subverting the Christian faith. The encouragement of Paul helps us see how we might be prepared to guard our faith.

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Life is full of obstacles, and they often get in the way of our faith. In Romans 4, Paul describes saving faith, we learn that faith takes God at His word over every obstacle. In this text, we look at the example of Abraham - who trusted the God "who gives life to the dead..." Paul encourages readers to trust - beyond all obstacles - that God justifies the sinner who has faith in the risen Savior.

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Religions on earth teach that we must work for a better life, for salvation, etc. But God offers salvation to sinners as a free gift. It's free because Jesus paid it all. But salvation by faith isn't just an easy way to be saved, it is the only way to be saved. Having introduced the gospel - God's saving righteousness to all who believe - Paul explains that sinners are justified by faith alone.

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Previously, we've been entrenched in the darkness of our sin and our distance from God's righteousness. Last week we were left with every mouth stopped and the whole world guilty before God. But in this week's text, Paul lifts our eyes to God's salvation. Come, see the glorious gospel! Let this awesome text render you speechless as you behold the saving righteousness of God by faith.

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Lesson Two of Spring 2024 Equip Class - 1 and 2 Thessalonians

We are often sure of ourselves and blind to the error of our ways. In Romans, Paul portrays our desperate need for righteousness by describing our utter sinfulness. He brings the final charge, the indisputable evidence, and the dreaded verdict: we are all guilty before God. To be truly ready for the good news of God’s righteousness by faith, we must stop defending ourselves and admit our guilt.

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"How do you know you are saved?" Whatever you say, the question reveals what gives you confidence in your salvation. The Apostle Paul recognizes that the Jews might be tempted to find false confidence in their identity as God's chosen people. He reminds them that confidence in religious performance only reveals how far their hearts are from God. Our hearts are prone to the same false confidence.

We’ve all been shocked by the sinful actions we see around us. And we are right to be shocked - even repulsed by sin. But when we pretend to be better than we are by judging others and efforts to outperform others, we only further condemn ourselves before God's righteousness. Instead, we must remember that salvation is by grace through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus for our sins.

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It's disappointing when you are excited about something, and others are not. We all have things that excite us and things that we are apathetic to. Sadly, for many Christians, the gospel falls into the category of the latter. It's fair to say that every Christian is less amazed by the gospel than they should be. Growing our appreciation for the gospel is a lifelong - even an eternal endeavor.

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It's easy to develop these sinful attitudes. They lurk below the surface of our Sunday smiles. But in Romans, Paul writes to the Romans with deep, heartfelt love and joy. Maybe it's because he never met them! No, it's a love produced by the gospel. As we read about Paul's love for the Romans, we will see that we all need to let the gospel shape our love for all people.

download a copy of the class notes here.