Anyone here ever heard of CaJo? Canton Jones? He is a very popular Christian recording artist and he has this one track called “5 seconds.” Have you ever heard of it? He sings, “I'm about 5 seconds away from giving you the most amazingest praise!” And recently I was able to hear his testimony. How he grew up in a solid home, ended up going down the wrong path and getting to the point where even murder was on his mind…
Then the gospel got a hold of him. As he looked around his life and saw what he had become, his heart broke and he gave his life to the One who had never left him. He called out to the One who showered Him with love and a constant calling even through the darkest parts of his life. And so now he sings out, “I’m about 5 seconds away from giving You the most amazingest praise!”
So what if his testimony was, “I’m righteous. All my life I’ve held to the law of God and anything I’ve ever done out of line I’ve quickly and completely made right by offering sacrifice, confessing to the priest, saying my hail-Mary’s, paying my tithes, so I’m good man. And now I’m about 5 seconds away from giving Him the most amazingest praise.”
Doesn’t even work does it? You see that is the very heart of the point that Paul has been pleading with the Jew. That the thought that they can love God and praise God and worship God with their badges of perfections and righteousness due to their own works…it just doesn’t work. That doesn’t produce praise for God that produces praise for self! Paul knows this man…he was that. Now he’s free…
(The following is for online notes only and not to be shared in the sermon due to time)
His whole message, his practical straight-forward, plain elementary point is that the law doesn’t make you free, it sells you out man…it reveals, it teaches you…takes you to school as we used to say on the basketball court after school…the law shows us that we are indeed not righteous and are all together unable to cleanse ourselves. I saw this on a church billboard right up from my house…you know those billboards designed to get people to think deep thoughts…I saw one that said, “Walmart isn’t the only place that saves!” And I saw one once that said, “What did Noah do with the woodpeckers?”
But really, right down the street from me, perfect for where we are at in scripture…it read…”the law detects…but grace corrects!” Hear me please Paul cried out in the first four verses of Romans 10. My heart is not to put you down, to call you out, to make you condemned but it’s that you, all of Israel, may be saved!
You got zeal but it ain’t for real! It’s zeal to be perfect and that zeal will lead you to being 5 seconds away from giving YOU (as in self) the most amazingest praise! And that is the very essence of evil man as we’ve looked at in depth during our Wednesday night verse by verse study through the Book of Revelation.
You’ve sought to establish your own righteousness you see. The law was never meant for that…and that path has led you to ignorance, no intimacy with God, no relationship, no amazingest praise man…because you got no heart for it! You haven’t submitted to the righteousness of God and so you’re out there. Your testimony doesn’t work…why praise a God who owes you man?…but the Bible says that God delights in the praises of His people, He inhabits them…He’s all about them…why? Because busted and sinful creation praising a holy and perfect Creator means that there is communion. That Jesus’ prayer has been answered…
John 17, “Father My will is that they’d be with Me.” Praising the Lord is fueled by the fact that that prayer came to pass. That although none of us are sinless, we are called righteous! He has removed the distance between imperfection and perfection and called us to Himself through the cross of Christ. Now put that all together and you have a very neat and universe impacting truth. Your universe.
Prayer is answered…at the cross? Not so much. Through the cross! Jesus prayed that the sin distance between the Father and His children would be annihilated. And through the cross that prayer was accomplished man. Same with us. Whatever your prayer is. Whatever. Doesn’t matter if it’s about money, marriage, your job, your kids, your car, your WHAT – EV – ER! God’s perfect will for the situation will be accomplished only one way, through the cross. Are YOU willing to go to the cross man…give your life for theirs?
Lay down your trip…and say as Jesus did…nevertheless, not My will by Thy will be done. All prayers are perfectly and completely accomplished through the cross. And the ultimate accomplishment of Jesus Christ, the perfect man and holy God dragging our sin and failure to the grave and locking it down for all eternity, THAT will make a man hit his knees in spirit and in truth…in love and in submission…not this zeal for self righteousness!
Recall last week we looked at the breakdown of Chapter 10. How first Paul spoke of Jesus Christ revealed as Savior, Messiah…that the search is over, love was right before their eyes, love was with them all the while…That was what we looked at last week in verses 1 – 4. And then as we continue through this chapter today, verses 5 – 15 we’ll see that Jesus would be received by some of Israel and then finally, verses 16 – 21 we’ll see that for the most part, Jesus will be rejected as Messiah by Israel.
And we know that Paul is a wreck as he wrote this. Back in Chapter 9 verse 3 Paul basically says that he’s so broken over what has become of Israel that he would even trade his own salvation, he’d give them his own place in the family of God if it were possible. Why? Because he’s the one who taught them for so many years how to hate, how to increase their own pride, how to stiffen their necks, how to stiff arm the true spirit of righteousness…Which is what? Faith.
Paul, stiff arming faith? I thought that he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews? Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; concerning the law, a Pharisee; zealous and blameless concerning the righteousness which is in the law? Yes indeed. He was all of those things but in all of that one thing he was not…he was not faithful!
What? He wrote of himself in Philippians Chapter 3 that concerning the righteousness which is in the law, he was blameless? How can you say that he was faithless? Check out the very next verse he wrote in Philippians Chapter 3…But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ…I have counted it as trash, why? Because all it sought to do was establish my own righteousness and as long as I have righteousness in and of myself, I need not Christ.
And I miss out. I miss out on faith! I miss out on trust. I miss out on intimacy, on relationship, on love man…Look at Romans Chapter 5…Paul will contrast righteousness which is of the law and righteousness which is of faith.
And so we continue our discussion this week as Paul is relentless in reaching out to his fellow Israelite…
Romans Chapter 10 Verse 5
•“The man who does those things shall live by them.” One of the most used phrases throughout the Bible. You’ll find this phrase verbatim in 7 verses within the pages of scripture. First uttered by God Himself in Leviticus 18:5. Repeated by Nehemiah in Nehemiah 9:29. Again by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 20:11, 20:13, 20:21 and finally twice by Paul. Here and Galatians 3:12.
•Why? Why so many times? To show us clearly, perfectly, completely that the law itself is good and perfect…yet the courtroom still exists, the Judge still presides, the prosecution still accuses and the mediator still defends. Well why? If the law is good and holy and perfect then why does it not simply proliferate life? Why the need for the courtroom? Well because yes the law is good, perfect and holy…but man…is not.
•Paul wrote in Romans 7:10, the commandment, the law which was to bring life…I found to bring death. Why? Because it was never a means by which man might be made right with God but rather it was always meant to reveal to us our need for a Savior! We’ve discussed this at length as we trekked through Romans. Specifically back in Romans Chapter 3 verses 19 and 20 where Paul says that by the law, the entire world is made guilty for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
•There’s that word again. Epignosis. We looked at it last week, remember? Romans 10:2. The zeal the Jew has for God is not according to knowledge. Epignosis. The experiential, first hand, intimate, one-on-one personal relational knowledge of God. The knowledge that sets you free man…well Paul busts open the door of theological revelation here, this morning, by showing us a predecessor of intimacy with God. A forerunner of faith…something that must and always does come first…the fact that one must come to the end of themselves.
•That you and I must have the courage to view the law, holy perfect and true and then view ourselves and in the strength and humility of honesty, confess in your heart of hearts…that you can’t keep it. By the law is the knowledge of sin…the sole purpose of the law…to sweep folks feet out from under them such that they land on their knees…
•But the Jew took the ten commandments, extrapolated them out to 613 Mitzvot or smaller do’s and don’ts contained within the Mishnah and they were careful to observe each and every minute detail and in doing so could themselves be made righteous…only one problem with that. God did not write the Mishnah. It’s not His law. His law was always and is today that you shall have no other gods before Me and you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul and with all of your strength. Deuteronomy 6.
•But the Jew departed from what God has commanded of them and sought to establish their own righteousness much like the contemporary crowd-pleasing Christianity that we find so often on the scene today.
•Believe in God, pray a prayer and then try. Where is that found in the Bible? Jesus said to Nicodemus, unless you are born again…you die and I live through you, unless one is born again then you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God! But Christianity today has turned into something so very weak that one can simply proclaim himself a Christian and then actually believe it. No different than what Paul is saying here of the Jew. Seeking to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
•No faith. Just law. No need of righteousness through grace by faith…we got our own. And thus the church is no longer on their face, broken over sin and absolutely in love with Jesus Christ with all our heart, all soul and all our strength. Why? Because the truth is not believe in God, pray a prayer and try…it’s believe in God, pray a prayer…and die! You see repentance, a turning from selfishness, self righteousness and sin in implicated by the Biblical gospel…and listen, I understand…the truth is simply not popular…
Romans Chapter 10 Verses 7 – 8
•In other words the law leads to self righteousness which leads to judgment which leads to elitism…I’m better than you, you need to be more like me…hogwash man! We both need to be more like Christ! I don’t want to be more like you! You’re a mess. You may not look it. I may not be able to see it…but man your heart is deceitfully wicked beyond even yourself knowing the Bible says so no! I’m not going to try to be more like you! I’m pressing in to power man!
•But what does righteousness by faith say? That the word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart. Man Jesus is so very close. So very accessible to everyone and anyone but by seeking our own righteousness how very complicated we have made it all! Do this, don’t do that. Say this, repeat that. Pay this, tithe that…when all that was ever required, ever since Deuteronomy 6, ever since the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, all that was ever required of us was and is for us to just put down the weapons of our own righteousness and submit to God completely. To call out to Him and to bear your heart to Him…allowing Him to lead you, to fill you, to teach you, to use you…
•But man the Mitzvat, the Mishnah, contemporary commodity Christianity, religion…we’ve so scummed it up! Jesus said become like a little child man…draw near to Me, trust Me…and wait upon Me. If you’re lost, call out to me! Ever lose a child in a store? What does that child do? They begin to check off their shopping list of things to get. No! Kids don’t have shopping lists!! They scream! They call out for mom and dad! Paul says put your shopping list down man…your checklist of self righteousness and scream!
Romans Chapter 10 Verse 9
•See that? The spiritual conversion and the physical manifestation? If you believe in your heart. That’s not your beating heart. This thought originated with the Jew thousands of years before. And the word heart was selected but the thought is the very core of a person. Their…nucleus! The abiding place of their spirit and the birth place of their soul!
•And Paul says here that if the truth of gospel of the resurrection penetrates to that depth, and the mouth calls forward unto God then man, rebirth occurs…and you will be saved!!! So simple, and man how man how scummed it up! Check it, Paul explain it to us…
Romans Chapter 10 Verses 10 – 13
•Jew, gentile…doesn’t matter. Same Lord and salvation is close man…even at the door of the heart and at the tip of the tongue…available to “whoever.” Bout to give Him the most amazingest praise ….
•And now the heart of what I really wanted to talk about today…(joke)
Romans Chapter 10 Verses 14 – 15
•Wanna see my beautiful feet? I’ve been waiting to show you. Naw, just kidding! That’s not the heart of this scripture set and I was joking that this is what I really wanted to talk about…a little pastor joke there…but Paul is saying here…I don’t know if you see the pattern…having heard, having believed, having known, we are now responsible to tell….why?
•Because look, do you want folks to call out to Him or not? Religion is an easy sell. Do this, perform these works, you’re qualified. You’re righteous. Good to go now go live your life. See you next time you need to hear a lie.
•But grace is something totally different. Grace is to introduce someone to agape man. Love that loves loving. Love that is not of this world. Love that frees, truth that frees, reality that frees but the kicker, the tough sell is that to grasp onto grace you gottsta have faith! Faith that God is. Faith that even though you are a busted sinner, Christ died for you. Faith that even at times although He slays me, still I will praise Him. Tough sell and so God has sent you…one who is soaking wet in the very love which you preach…to set em free! I love that…
Romans Chapter 10 Verses 16 – 17
•A little profound truth nugget hidden here in verse 16. That to not obey the gospel, to reject the Word of God is to simply simply simply not believe. Well let me say it a little better. You hear the word and yet live contrary to the word, that shows, reveal, tells on you man…you don’t believe!
•And believing in God, walking with Him and drawing near to Him in a manner that is in lock step with this Word that we now discuss this morning, verse 17 says that is the showing, the revealing, your heart telling on you man…that you are indeed faithful! You’re walking in faith…and the Bible says that faith is pleasing to God. It’s what He’s looking for, why?
•Well we just discussed it! Because faith means you’ve heard the Word of God, accepted it, believed it, and you’re walking it out…it means you TRUST HIM! THAT IS PRAISE man!
•And in the Greek here there is something so very neat which confirms what we just discussed. That word for “word” in the Greek there in verse 17 is not logos as you may suspect which is the eternal or deep thought type but rather it is hrema which means “the word via experiential reality.” Walking it out man.
•Faith comes by hearing and hearing even by walking it out. You don’t get it do you? How some can have peace. How some can as Psalm Chapter 1 says be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters that brings forth fruit, whose leaf does not wither and whatever they do man just looks and feels and produces something so graceful and powerful…this is the diff man…hrema. Faith is surging bro! Because faith comes by hearing…NOT what you’re doing this morning. You’re listening…but some of y’all don’t hear me doh (you don’t hear me doh – remember that from early 90’s lame rap?).
•What? How? You all listen, I read the word and I listen but if I don’t go and install it…download it into my iOS, believe in my heart you see…then I’m really not receiving the herma of God…the experiential reality of God in my life…very powerful truth. A truth that many run in circles their whole life not caring a bit about…and then the wake up call when they show up in the presence of Jesus and He says yes you spoke of me often, I saw you at church all the time, I used the money you gave to further My kingdom, I used your life to heal and set folks free…but my child, I never knew you…(Matthew 7:23) Why? Hrema…experiential reality never was allowed into your life and therefore faith never was established.
•You’ve heard that verse many times before…Romans 10:17. Means a little more to me after doing this study…I pray the same for you...Paul continues…
Romans 10 Verses 18 – 21
•So Paul continues his plea with asking his fellow Jew to do something he himself would have rejected. Embrace the gentiles. Why? Because God has sought to bring the Jew near to Himself by showing them the joy and the blessings available to them by His grace, His mercy His love through the gentile.
•And maybe God has done the same in your life. This is why relationships and discipleships are so important. So that you might see the goodness of God in the life of a brother or sister and it might stir you up to draw in closer to Him. How very essential in our personal journey’s with Jesus…
•And you know what…I ask you all the time to be introspective and to really assess where you’re at and I know sometimes that may bring you down. Because if you actually have the courage to do so, no matter who you are, you’ll find one thing consistent within us all. We are all a mess. But as we close today, Paul reminds us, the Holy Spirit encourages us, I’d like to maybe show you for the first time…God is not offended. He’s known all along what’s really in there…
•Yet all day long, he stretches out His hands and offers you peace. I’m about 5 seconds away…now four…now two…may our lives give Him the most amazingest praise for His love, His mercy and His grace…
Romans 10 vs 5-21
Calvary Chapel Cherry Creek
August 18, 2013 • Pastor Matt Korniotes
Romans 16 vs 1-27
December 1, 2013 • Pastor Matt Korniotes
Romans Chapter 16 Verse 1 •Cenchrea was a bustling port located in Corinth. And Corinth was an ancient city-state within Greece. Why is that important? Because Paul is bold man. He is out to please only God…why would I say that? Because most likely, Phoebe is Greek. Most likely she is a gentile. In fact Phoebe is another name for Diana and Corinth’s most famous deity was who? You got it, Diana! •Matt, I’m still not seeing it. Well there’s one more piece to this brazen puzzle. Paul calls her a deaconess! That word servant there in verse 1, in the Greek, is diakonos and so with this one sentence…he has once again blown the top off of religion and specifically Judaism. Why? How? Because here we see clearly that women were in formal positions of ministry in the early church! •According to the writings of the church fathers, deaconesses visited the sick, helped young women grow in the Lord, and tended the poor…all the while by virtue of the office assigned to them by the church. The office of deaconess! •And what does Paul say, “I commend to you…” That is a magnificent word (commend) too! It is synistemi which literally means, “I stand with her, I ask you to do the same!” Powerful! This is Paul man…the great church planter, the miracle apostle! And he shatters the male chauvinism that was inherited by Judaism and inherent within the early church, even within the “church” today…shatters it into pieces! •And notice her qualification…the same qualification of any servant of Jesus Christ… Romans Chapter 16 Verse 2 •The word is helper. See that? Not that she has a powerful message, that she can show signs, that she has a gift…her qualification is that she is a helper…more specifically…a strengthener, a guardian, a protector, a provider…that is what that word means literally in the Greek. •Man folks want position and they want to lead because they have the capacity and the talent…but do you have the heart? Jesus said the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life…Mark 10:45. You might be brilliant, you might be a gifted speaker, you might have all the knowledge of the Word of God but look man, you do not serve Jesus Christ until your ministry is to strengthen those around you, guard them, protect them and provide for them. •God is not interested in growing your ministry. He’s interested in serving His children. But Matt, did you see how they treated me? Do you know what they say and how they say it? How they act and blah blah blah…whom do you serve? You, or the Lord? If it’s you…those things are paramount. If it’s Jesus, those things are unimportant…Now Paul will make provision in a moment for those that conduct themselves contrary to the Word of God continually, continually, continually…I call them, “not safe.” Why? Because they drive discord and division…drive it man…and what Paul will say is, “steer clear,” we’ll see that in a moment…but while you are clear of them guess what you are to be doing servant of the Most High…protecting them! Guarding them, providing for them and strengthening them in the eyes of others…and in prayer! •That is what I look for here. Many have come to me over the years with a message, with a ministry…with a request to serve formally…and immediately I access their file in my memory and I survey…are they strengthening others, are the protecting, guarding, providing for others? That is the qualification for ministry, that is the qualification of serving the Lord man…in your home, at work, at the store, at the park…and Paul makes that clear for us here…This is wisdom you pastors. You church planters. Anyone out there maybe reading these notes or listening in on the Podcast…protect your flock homes…lest the wolves creep in unnoticed and steal the little grapes…(reference to the Song of Solomon). •Now Paul launches off into a listing of 32 friends. 33 including Phoebe. Amazing. Can you name 33 folks in this room? Check this out, just a little tid-bit of practical knowledge here, a leader strives to remember folks’ names…Means something to them…and makes them mean something to you… Romans Chapter 16 Verses 3 – 7 •Paul mentions Priscilla and Aquila who are actually mentioned six times throughout his letters in the Bible and what’s cool is that four out of six times he names Priscilla first. This was a husband and wife ministry team and to name the wife first was a clear message. Why? Because in this culture, at this time, that was entirely unacceptable. The man would always be named first. But notice, many scholars believe that it was Priscilla who had the gift man…the gift of leadership and by Paul’s writing and his sure love for them, look he wasn’t going to offend them, no profit in that, and so we can confidently conclude that Aquila was not threatened by Priscilla’s ministry but rather he supported her…strengthened her, guided her, protected her and provided for her… •Now it seems Priscilla is front stage…does that make her the spiritual leader…not at all man…the position of leader is the position of humility man…and so this doesn’t set Priscilla over Aquila by Paul writing this but rather it elevates her, his wife, a female to a position of equality…isn’t that radical man!? Paul does it all the time! •In fact, it’s here again. I don’t know if you caught it. Verse 7. Paul names Junia which is a female name and Paul calls her an apostle! Awesome! So, in the church, can women be deacons…yes of course! Can women be ministry leaders? Yes of course! Can women be missionaries or apostles? Yes of course! How can we say that? Because we see it clearly right here in the Bible! The most perfect litmus check. Romans Chapter 16 Verses 8 – 13 •Apparently momma lived in Rome. Romans Chapter 16 Verses 14 – 16 •Guys, don’t get any ideas. This word for kiss here is literally the word for a fraternal greeting…so don’t try that as a cheesy pick up line! •Now after saluting, Paul turns to a warning… Romans Chapter 16 Verses 17 – 18 •Now, who in here has never offended someone else? And who in here has never been the cause of conflict? Right…not one of us. So what is Paul saying here? Should everyone just avoid everyone? The answer is in the Greek. The word for “cause” is poieo which literally means, “that’s what it do, man.” Ok let me try in the non-New-Matt-translation. Literally Paul is saying here, those that just roam about and can’t help themselves but just start scandals man…they are authors of division among folks…Jude helped us out in his epistle saying “they are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts…emotions is what he means… •So your brother offends, forgive him. But Paul says something wise here…inspect fruit man…and cling to what is good, abhor what is evil…remember that back in Romans 12? Paul states love for real in verse 9 and then be kind, affectionate and honoring in verse 10. But what’s right in the middle of that? This word abhor! Why? How? It almost doesn’t make sense. Well let me help. For love to flourish, there must be humility man…for kindness to not be sickening…you ever had someone who just despises you be kind to your face…makes you want to puke a little bit doesn’t it? Why, because it’s fake! •For honor and affection and kindness and love to be real and genuine, compromise must be rejected man…if you really want to serve Jesus, don’t speak evil of your brother! Cut it out! It’s going to get back to them. It’s going to offend and divide and really the only reason you’re doing it in the first place is to serve not Jesus, but your own lust! Repent from that! •But Paul says mark one (how? Judgment man! But I thought we weren’t supposed to judge? No no no, we are judges…that’s the point. The Spirit of God is within us! We aren’t to krino…to condemn but man judging is what we do. Check this out…inspect fruit, identify fruit. That is how we judge. What the world really is saying, is don’t offend me. Because if I judge you cute, you call it wisdom!) Paul says mark em man…mark one who makes this their job man…and ekklino them…turn aside from them…for several reasons. First, they don’t serve our Lord Jesus Christ. They might serve their homeboy Jesus. They’re cosmic Chris Cringle Jesus. They’re commodity Christianity Christ…but they don’t serve Jesus! Because as Jesus was mocked, spat upon, hated, cursed, slapped, flogged, abused and abused and abused…never did He turn to Peter or to John and crack a joke about Gameliel….never did He complain about Caiaphas…never! And you say you follow Him? How would you ever know that you are off track man…if I share in your folly? I choose to turn aside from that… •Second, if you follow the doctrine of Jesus Christ, you’re heart is simple. Paul doesn’t mean dumb there in verse 18, what he means is sincere. And sincere people are sometimes easily led down the prim rose path…sometimes easily pulled aside. In your sincerity to want to learn more about the Lord or to be students of the Word, don’t allow those who teach a different Jesus to come into your home. Don’t spend time arguing with them, evangelize them and depart, why? •Protection. Satan is clever man and many who have thought themselves strong theologically have succumbed to those who are inspired satanically. Another reason, prioritization. Invest your energy into the fields that are white and ready for the harvest man…Jesus said that in John 4:35…in the lives of those who are open to the truth…get with the seekers, step away from the suckers. •Finally, just don’t share in foolishness. Stuff that won’t survive past this dismal dark world. Stuff that would never happen standing in front of the Ancient of Days in His throne room. Are you really a real deal Christian? Then why on heaven and earth is today any different than that day! •Paul sums it up for us in verse 19. Romans Chapter 16 Verse 19 •What he says here is to be skilled in what is good, and unmixed with what is evil. Totally different word for simple than he used before. And the result? Offense? No. Division? No. Peace and Grace… Romans Chapter 16 Verse 20 •In no time…peace and grace man…peace and grace. Romans Chapter 16 Verses 21 – 22 •Tertius obviously penned this epistle under Paul’s dictation. In other words, Paul spoke it, Tertius recorded it. Romans Chapter 16 Verses 23 – 27 •From his own testimony as a bondservant of Jesus, to theological discussions such as salvation, grace, God’s sovereignty and righteousness…to historical examples and lessons from the lives of Abraham, Moses and Adam…to who we are, you and I, as saved, rescued sinners man…made well by the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ…all the way to intense practical lessons…throughout Romans, the message has always been…God is able man…and God alone, wise.
Romans 15 vs 14-33
November 24, 2013 • Pastor Matt Korniotes
Romans Chapter 15 Verse 14 •Real quick, see the pattern there? The end of it is admonishment. Which in the Greek means exhortation, or warning. We might think of it as instructing or guiding…telling folks what to do…see what I’m saying? But notice the beginning of it? Paul says, “I am confident that you are full of goodness.” Agathosyne in the Greek…and what it really means is kindness. Only used in three other places in the Bible. Twice in the context of spiritual fruit in Galatians 5 and Ephesians 5 and once in referring to the work of faith and power in 2 Thes 1. •So the beginning of it, it what it…admonishing man…is fruit! Whatchu mean? Like apples and oranges? No man…love, gentleness, kindness…then comes the knowledge and it is only then, after those two things…you arrive at leadership! Admonishment, exhortation and warning. Does that make sense? Because we often get that wrong…”I know what’s right, I got the knowledge…let me holler at ya.” But that is not the Biblical arrangement…Exhortation, admonishment, encouragement, correction, leading begins with being full of goodness… •And so Paul here is confident in their kindness, in their knowledge and he is saying here that he would expect that they could teach these truths themselves to eachother yet… Romans Chapter 15 Verses 15 – 16 •He says I’ve spoken boldly to you on some things, some tough truths, not only because I know you can handle them but because that is what I’ve been sent to you to do. See that? Because of the grace of God so that I might minister and in that ministry grow you in Jesus that your lives as a living sacrifice, an offering, might be found to be acceptable being sanctified by the Holy Spirit…See that? He says look Romans, I got something for you in this letter. Go and seek, listen and learn, download it man and install…get the app homies…because in order to roll with God, get with righteousness, know power and the secrets of eternity, you gotta be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. •What’s that? Yea, another scratch and sniff given by Paul. Right there in verse 16. To be acceptable, the work we do, the prayers we pray, the ministry we have…must be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Oh sanctified, what a churchy word…it simply means to be holy man…to be consecrated, separated, dedicated…to be fully rooted and focused on the Person of Jesus Christ. Wait, I thought Paul said sanctified by the Holy Spirit, not Jesus… •He did but what is the ministry of the Holy Spirit? To proclaim Jesus man! John 15:26, Jesus said, “When the Helper comes, the parakletos, the Holy Spirit, whom I shall send to you from the Father (here’s the Trinity in one verse!), the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He (a person!) will testify of Me!” And so yes, I know what Paul says here and I ask that you follow the scratch ‘n sniff! What he is teaching here is that for the work, the ministry, the marriage, the counsel, the day at work, the service at church, the prayer, the minute, the hour, the life…for it to be acceptable, answer this question in the affirmative…was it done for Jesus man? •Paul says that’s why I’ve come to you Romans in this letter. Not like last time when I tried to win you over with intellect. Remember that, Acts Chapter 17? When Paul preached in Athens only he didn’t preach the gospel, he preached an academic lesson…and no church was established! Not this time! This time it’s pure admonishment, filled with knowledge, rooted in goodness, sanctified by the Holy Spirit and fully acceptable to God…therefore…look at verse 17… Romans Chapter 15 Verses 17 – 18 •You see, he’s learned from the last time. I will not dare do it again he says. From here on out man, take it or leave it, I’m only going to teach that which I have learned myself…and what I have learned myself. And that’s quite simple…Jesus Christ came and declared that He was the Messaiah, the Savior…God in the flesh, stepped down into this mess of creation to save it…and then He taught ultimate wisdom, showed signs and wonders and foretold His death and resurrection…He said He’d take my sins to the cross…not just cover them with an animal sacrifice but do away with them entirely with His perfect sacrifice…and then He did it all…did it all! And lives today! •And notice this word obedient does NOT mean BOW DOWN! It means look there’s a truth, respond to it. If I tell you to step away from that ledge you’re about to die and you do it, would that not also be obedience? Obedience is not a bad word. It is not a demeaning or condescending word. It’s a word that means wisdom in light of the truth of an Almighty God! Romans Chapter 15 Verse 19 •Mighty signs, wonders and powers Paul says…yea Matt that sounds like my story man, that sounds like my life, what God has done, what God is doing…slow your roll hard charger…finish the verse. I know you got a story, I know you know it well, but Paul does not link mighty signs, wonders and powers to his story. What does he say here? “So that from HQ, Jerusalem, and round about to Illyricum, which was a major Roman province, I have fully preached my powerful testimony…nope. The gospel of Jesus Christ. •The power is in the gospel man…the power to change hearts. Mighty signs, wonders, powers. Sometimes our stories can insulate, our testimonies…they’re very powerful, no doubt, especially to those who have known us B.C., but simply point to the cross. Paul made that mistake in Acts 17…won’t do it again in Romans 15… Romans Chapter 15 Verses 20 - 21 •People have used this verse in the past to lay down territory…but that is really taking this verse out of context. He’s talking about reaching folks for the gospel…he just finished says “everywhere.” So he’s not talking really about geography but about primary ministry. Primary ministry? Yes! •In other words he doesn’t want to fish in an aquarium! He wants to go and find and catch new fish! Know what I’m saying? People say, oh we can’t plant a church here because there is one right on that corner there…non-sense! Are you telling me that it would be a bad thing to have a strip mall with 20 churches? It would be like heaven!! •I mean we love having Antioch so close to us that they even use this building!!! No we’re not talking geography here. We cannot have too many good Bible believing, Jesus loving churches! What we’re talking about here is that God has sent us to His lost sheep so if you start a new work, go get ‘em! What would be tragic is if those strip mall churches started to argue over folks…what ridiculousness! They want to go, let ‘em go…there’s more fish in the sea man! Only a few in the aquarium… •And so Paul says, I want to seek need, see need, find need and then fill the need…I don’t want to create need…know what I’m saying? That is the heart of the one in love with Jesus man…for sure! Romans Chapter 15 Verses 22 – 26 •Most scholars believe that Paul was writing this from Corinth. Not the most inviting place for him. His heart is to go back to Rome by way of Spain. But first he says that he is going back to Jerusalem. Why? Because they are King’s Kids and they are rolling in the luxury baby…name in and claim it! Prospering with the prosperity of the gospel there in the mother land…NOT AT ALL! •Notice what Paul says here…they’re poor over there man…does this not totally refute the false doctrine of the prosperity gospel? Here are saints and what are they…poor! You see the gospel is not to make you a monetary monarch but that you would find true value, (not the hardware), that you would find out what is right, what is worthy, what is real riches man…the peace of your little one as they sleep, the extra-terrestrial satisfaction and joy of making peace or accepting that you’ve been wronged and serving anyway! The kindness of the touch of a friend, the grace and love and mercy of a God who laid down His kingdom so that you could be free…something on our own we could have never accomplished… •We were hopeless…no matter the digits in the bank…no matter the stack of titles, the education, the possessions…hopeless man…a ticking time bomb that one day would go off and we would be eternally lost…and God in His great love and compassion and broken heartedness for what sin has done to us…what our own choice has done…where it has taken us…made a decision. To give us His riches…so no this prosperity gospel, word of faith false gospel…is not Biblical…we see saints right here, right after the time of Jesus, at HQ…poor…does that make them any less a saint? •Of course not man…the word faith, prosperity gospel will leave men in charge of men and that is the root of it all…it’s a power grab. If the formula is that your bank account is equally apportioned to your faith and your righteousness in Christ then guess what? If I can show you more than you got…I’m better…bow down! Foolishness, weakness man…doesn’t matter what any of us have or have not…we all have access to Jesus! •So Paul’s heart is to go back to Rome…did he go back to Rome, yes of that we are sure. Did he ever make it to Spain? Church tradition says that he did but we have no record of that in the Bible although one thing Paul did say in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have finished my course.” Romans Chapter 15 Verse 27 •Notice the Biblical pattern. The spiritual things precede the material things…many times we get that backwards don’t we? We place material things ahead of spiritual things…Good practical way to ask yourself that…what’s the first thing you do when you come up on some material like paper (money?) Does your mind go to serving the Lord first with those tools or does it go to paying this or getting that? •Just a simple test there to discover our own hearts…we need those. Without a test, there is no testimony…no lesson learned, no truth received…faith that is not tested, cannot be trusted…Paul gives us the right order here… Romans Chapter 15 Verses 28 – 32 •Wow, so we see here that Paul had some beef at HQ. Why? Well he tells us…some of them don’t believe him. They’re suspicious of him…why? Because of what they’ve seen man…he was like Jason, Freddy, Chucky to those Christians back in the day…and some folks are skeptical. Notice his heart. Tell them, defend me, send them a letter, text ‘em…nope…pray for me. That they may see? Nope…that they may be served by me…wow. Powerful. •Why, because Paul is not after popularity or prosperity or permission or approval…he’s looking for peace man… Romans Chapter 15 Verse 33 •Blessed are the peacemakers, Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, for they will be called children of God. No others. No other is called that in Matthew 5…the peace makers….Jesus was a peace maker…He continues today…Would you receive Him today, and receive peace? Just call out to Him. Repent of your sin in wisdom. Obey His call and get off that ledge and enter into the joy of His salvation. In Jesus name.
Romans 15 vs 1-13
November 10, 2013 • Pastor Matt Korniotes
Romans Chapter 15 Verses 1 – 2 •Keep in mind, who was the weaker brother in Chapter 14? The legalist! The religious! Shocking, right! I would think that the stronger Christian is the one who has the most dos and don’ts because that’s discipline…actually, that’s only the appearance of discipline. •The fleshly man loves rules. Why? Because with rules and lists and checklists…come accomplishment and accolade. Attention and position…man. So what appears to be discipline and righteousness is actually self-centered and self-righteousness. Is it easier to just serve someone man? To set aside even your own needs for the sake of the needs of others? Is that easier? Heck no! •And so genuine discipline, real discipline…the hard stuff…is love man. It’s the weaker brother who moves and lives in legalism and rigidity. Who has rules and regulations surrounding him that are not scriptural commands, but personal opinions or conclusions and Paul tells us here, the harder path, the narrow way is to love, man. •“No way! They are such a jerk. All they do is look down on me continually. Everytime I want to go out to eat, they want to go to Sweet Tomatoes! I can’t take it!” Hold up, Paul would say. I didn’t say the harder path, the path of true discipline, the narrow way is to love them…it’s to love Jesus man…it’s to fix your eyes upon the Lord and in serving them, you serve Him… Romans Chapter 15 Verses 3 – 6 •I have written in the very front of my Bible something that helps me to understand what it is God wants to teach me everytime I open this book. It reads, “The Author of this book, His M-O (modus operendi) was and is to give His life for others.” And so Paul says look, as a Christian many times you will be called to live by the standards that other men have set and you don’t have to…yet if you walk in love, remembering the M-O of the Author of this book, then you will grow in your relationship with Him! You will grow closer to Him… •And so read this book, learn of the patience and comfort of the Lord through the pages of scriptures and be filled with hope…and then, flex man…all that hope in you will just come pouring forth when you take all that you have learned and convert it to wisdom! Put it into play! Roll out! And then what? Verse 5! The God of patience and comfort will grant you love man! He will enlarge your heart to lead man! •See that word patience? This doesn’t mean that you go about your entire rest of your life being a vegetarian with the weaker brother! This means that through the sufficiency of your relationship with Jesus, being comforted by the Word, you patiently love man and your light shining brightly, your saltiness just enriching, will set folks free man and in time, maybe a lot of time, maybe a little time…but in time toward one-another, PEACE man! Unity! Like-mindedness…they will grow man! And in it all, you will find that all along, it was your heart that needed enlarging, it was you that needed growth…And then together you will glorify God! •Now if they don’t grow, guess what. With one mouth, one mind you will be worshipping Jesus and you the stronger will realize that meat means nothing to you compared to glorifying God with your brother. Does that make sense man? That axe you want to grind. That opinion that you feel so strongly about. When God is being praised, when unity arrives…man all of that becomes what it should be…meaningless anyway. Because what really matters is that God receives them man…right where they’re at. •And no worries. Before too long you’ll have the opportunity to correct them in love. The relationship will be so strong, the light so bright, that one day they’ll come to you and say, “how is it that I should handle this…or react to that…” Oh baby BABY! Well let me show you what the scriptures say! You will get a chance to teach them truth man and you know what Jesus said, “your personal convictions will set them free!” NO! “Your amazing piety and high esteem will set them free!” NOT! No, He said in John Chapter 8, “then you shall know the truth, and the TRUTH will make you free!” •Therefore have the heart of the Author, if you are indeed the strong. Have the M-O of the One who wrote this book…to give His life man…for the freedom and salvation of others!!! Romans Chapter 15 Verse 7 •Why is it that I can’t see the 12 foot 4x4 in my eye but I can so easily see the sliver splinter in yours? It’s not a matter of discernment or attention or acute focus…”oh, it’s a gift, Matt…I can just tell you what’s wrong with people.” Not really. It’s really a matter of love. I just love myself so much that I don’t pay much attention to my own short comings. The world will sing out “love is blind” but not so…lust is blind. Love sees it all man and lays down its right to accuse…to harm…and simply loves… •Look what Jesus did…perfect in all His ways yet He Himself submitted to the law, submitted to sinful men…that’s crazy! Why? For the liberty of others man! And…because we were weak….right? Lines right up here doesn’t it? Romans Chapter 15 Verses 8 – 12 •What a major statement Paul is making to the world! To the Jew, GASP, Jesus came so that the Gentiles might glorify God! To the Gentile, GASP, Jesus came so that they might glorify God! Major game changing statement here. But Paul, don’t lay your trip on me man…you just said that I can believe what I want…oh no man, don’t get it wrong…in the gray areas of scripture man we serve and we love…if we err, let us err on the side of grace… •But where the Bible is clear and concise and quite loud, man we exhort, rebuke, convince and teach but even that, we do in love and unreligious genuine faith from a life that has “found it out” man, not just learned it, but found it out…!!!!…Turn over to 2 Timothy Chapter 4 for just a moment and read with me verse 2. •See that phrase embedded by the Holy Spirit? “With all long suffering…” When you teach, serve. When you rebuke, serve. When you exhort, serve. And when you convince man…let it be with your service!!!! And so Paul here, doesn’t state what he believes. He is laying no trip. What does he do? He backs up precisely the point he made with peculiar parts of God’s Word! The Bible! Scripture! •That’s the key! That is where the power is man…the power to convince, to rebuke, to exhort, to teach…to love man…to serve! •And what does he say to the world using the scriptures? “You’re wrong, see it my way!” No! He says, “sing!” “Rejoice!” “Praise!” “Because there is hope!” THAT is what we say to ourselves, but to others we so often say, “Dumb, Dumb, give me gum gum!” We so often withhold softness and encouragement and go right for direction and correction! Why? Because we are pressing our point! Protecting our personal peace. Not loving, not serving, not honoring or representing Jesus accurately… •The craziness of it all is that will leave us impatient and uncomfortable around that other person…huh? All the way back in verse 5 of Chapter 15…”Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus.” •Well Matt we are like minded…we hate eachother…nice…but Paul said, “according to Christ Jesus.” So, do it your way…according to the passing pleasure of sin and you’ll have what only you can provide…impatience (I’m great at giving myself that) and discomfort…but do it God’s way man and see the truth…that love is the more mature way, grace is the stronger path and that knowing God and being close to God will leave you dripping with both…do it God’s way and take a step back for a minute and realize in courage that you’re not as close to Him as you think…and open your heart to receive His heart for them and guess what…you’ll get what you’re really after man…joy. •Look at the next verse… Romans Chapter 15 Verse 13 •Zinger! Winner! We heard before “God of patience. God of comfort.” Now we hear “God of hope.” A little secret here. A little Bible mathematics here…God of patience, God of comfort, God of hope. The result of comfort and hope is patience. The result of patience and comfort is hope. The result of hope and patience is comfort. The result of believing…placing your trust in Jesus and forgiving…placing your trust in Jesus and simply loving, simply serving, simply believing God’s Word…all three man… •And once secured…once you see the forest for the trees man…a few more words of awesomeness to add to your quiver, “abound.” Not just survive. Man, God did not give all the He had so that you and I can “make it!” What a ridiculous religious carnal satanic notion!!! Abound man! Not just tolerate that person but abound in love for them! Not just tolerate your job but abound in hope! Not just appease your wife or your husband or your parents but abound in patience for them! Not just have your relationships copacetic and unbothersome but abounding in comfort as you come together again and again! •If you’re lacking in any of that…time to consider the cross man. What God paid for your freedom is directly related in impact and proportion to the very freedom that was bought…so what’s the problem? The 4x4 in your own eye man…your own pride man…your own internal scream deep down that I should do it your way man! Which keeps you right where the enemy would have you…stagnate in your spiritual sophistication… •Your capacity, your potential…powerful and limitless but absolutely incompatible with your flesh…and so if you find your capacity and potential less than comforting…guess what is most likely very strong in your heart, soul, mind and strength? Your flesh… •Not belief. Right here look, in believing you abound and in believing you are filled with irrational, extra-terrrestrial power why? Because in believing, truly believing, you open your heart to receive the heart of God…and the power of the Holy Spirit mushroom clouds in your life man… •Will you settle for less? I pray you do not. I pray you see your worth to your Father in heaven…and their worth too…precisely, eternally equal…and that that He would give everything for you AND for them….and that truth that would fill you with courage to give everything to Him! That truth would set you free…