Hey, before we get started, I just wanted to update you on what our team is doing to prepare to move back to having in-person services, lifegroups, classes, and more.
For a few weeks, we’ve been working on a “Return and Restart” plan, which we are now feeling pretty comfortable with. Taking guidance from health experts, and listening to wise counsel from lots of people in and out of our organization, we have come up with a three-phase, five-category plan for moving into whatever the “new normal” looks like.
Trust me, it is WAY too much to put here, so I will just give you this link. Have a look, discuss it with your group, and your Lifegroup leader will get back with me on your thoughts. I am so looking forward to getting together again really soon.
Big start
Can you believe this is our 11th week studying this letter to the Romans together? (and we’re still in chapter ONE!) Paul definitely started off really UP, didn’t he? Unifying his people around the Gospel, longing to be with those he missed, and eager to preach the gospel to them, never being ashamed of this powerful Good News!
Suddenly, though, Paul takes this sharp left-hand turn from “up” to “down.” He leans in hard to the bad news.
Do you ever have trouble following someone’s train of thought because they seem to jump tracks often? I have definitely had to learn to understand my wife’s random direction changes over the years. Who in your life is like that? Are you? How do people deal with your randomness?
Paul seems to shift gears in an extremely abrupt way. Look at how he changes directions in one verse.
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
Romans 1:16-19 NLT
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
On Sunday, I talked about the obscured wordplay going on here. There is a Greek word which occurs two times right here, on either side of this “hinge.” The word is apokalypto, and is found 26 times in the New Testament. What English word do you think we derive from this?
This word, apokalypto, is by far mostly translated “reveal,” but it is translated other ways as well.
Literally, these phrases say “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith and for faith…” and “the anger (wrath) of God is revealed through unrighteousness.” So, the righteousness of God is revealed, and the anger of God is revealed.
In today’s terms, we are living through God’s anger apocalypse. That’s literally what is described here. (read the rest of Romans 1 if you doubt it!)
But is it possible, that if we are actually submissive to him, the world might just witness a righteousness apocalypse?
Honestly, which would you rather be part of?
Duh.
So Paul launches into a deep dive on what unrighteousness in a person’s life looks like. We’ll be studying this in Romans 1:18 – 3:20 over the next several weeks. He wants us to “understand the disease,” Why? He wants us to feel the weight of the bad news… The anger apocalypse so we will have that much greater an appreciation of the GOOD NEWS!
Examine it
Now, I know that in church today we don’t really want to talk about sin too much. Why do you think that is?
God, however, encourages us to examine our lives closely… Looking deeply to see which parts of our lives please Him, and which parts displease him.
The Psalmist understood and expressed it this way:
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away.
Psalm 32:3-5 NLT
Through my groaning all day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
Here, the Psalmist seems to be expressing the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Those Old Covenant saints did not have the benefit of the presence of the Holy Spirit the way we do. Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit, and that one of his primary roles would be to convict us of our sin…
And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.
John 16:8 NLT
This is one of the primary roles of the Spirit… Do we allow Him to do His job?
How can we be available to let Him do His sanctifying work in us?
Do I make myself available? Do I allow Him to search the depths of my mind, heart, and actions? Do I hear his voice speaking into my life about who I really am?
Why is this so hard for us?
Important note: Conviction of sin is very different than condemnation. Conviction is ultimately a good thing in my life. It helps me realize that if I am in Christ, the condemnation as a result of my sin fell to Jesus, instead of falling to me.
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1 NLT
So, shouldn’t I eagerly take part in the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work in my life? How does John say I should engage with that?
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 NLT
As this shutdown period is starting to wind down, how can we take advantage of some quiet and solitude to allow the Holy Spirit to speak into our lives this week?