Romans 4:23-25

The Chapel Fort Wayne

Romans 4:23-25

The Gospel

February 2, 2024 • Pastor Josh Lewis • Romans 4:23–25

"I have some bad news, and some good news..." When you hear this, people often start by telling you the bad news, because the good news that follows solves the problem of the bad news. The Gospel message is no different! We are stuck in our trespasses and unworthy of a relationship with God by our own actions. That's really bad news. But there is good news that follows -- Jesus lived a perfect life and He IS worthy. Even though He did not deserve to receive any punishment, He took upon Himself the sins of you, me, and the whole world in order to share in His right-standing before God. He is ready to share that right-standing, innocent verdict with you. Follow Him, and His righteousness will be counted to you.

PASSAGE: Romans 4:23-25 - "But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification."

PAUSE: The good news of Jesus Christ is that He was delivered up for our trespasses and that He was raised for our justification. When we believe in Christ, we believe in His death and resurrection. The result of that faith is that we are declared to be righteous.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we praise you for sending your Son to die for my sins. Thank you for raising Him on the third day as proof that His sacrifice satisfied your judgment against sin. Thank you for counting me as righteous by giving me the righteousness of Christ.

Genesis 22:14

February 9, 2024 • Pastor Josh Lewis • Genesis 22:14

The story of Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son is understandably one of the most challenging events to understand in the Bible. But when rightly understood, it is one of the most beautiful stories foreshadowing God's loving sacrifice for us. It's important to keep in mind that God was in control of the situation the entire time, and He knew that Isaac would remain safe. God was using a "test" for Abraham that he would have understood culturally at that time -- to give up your son for the God you serve was the ultimate act of obedience. To be clear, God NEVER desires or requires us to make that sacrifice. But ultimately what this moment showed is a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice that was to come. God does not require us to give up our son, but He was willing to give up His for our sake. God Himself, in the incarnation of Jesus, is the ultimate provision. PASSAGE: Genesis 22:14 - "So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” PAUSE: Abraham and Isaac's encounter on Mount Moriah foreshadowed the Messiah's death on Calvary. May we never forget the Bible stories that ultimately point us to Jesus and the provision that he provided on the cross. At just the right time in history, Christ died on the cross for our sins and provided salvation to all who place their faith in him as their personal Savior. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus, who provides a way to you and the forgiveness of sins. Allow me to see that you also want to provide for my daily needs. Thank you for all you do.

Genesis 22:13

February 8, 2024 • Pastor Josh Lewis • Genesis 22:13

God knows exactly WHAT we need and exactly WHEN we need it. We so often cry out to God to help us in our times of desperation, but we need to remain attentive to recognize when He provides the answer right in front of us. It's easy to let our eyes stay fixed on the trial, the trouble, the pain, the heartache, but when we do that, we can miss what God is providing for us. No matter what situation you're going through, keep your eyes fixed on Him--the ultimate comforter--provider--healer--Savior! PASSAGE: Genesis 22:13 - "And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son." PAUSE: Abraham lifted his eyes and saw a ram in the thicket. Too often, we live our lives with our heads down, feeling depleted and depressed. Abraham is an excellent reminder to lift our heads and see what the Lord will provide us. Lift your eyes and see the Lord. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for all my doubts and confusions about life. I often keep my head down and fail to see where you work. Today, I look up.

Genesis 22:8

February 7, 2024 • Pastor Mike Fanning • Genesis 22:8

God allows trials in our lives to accomplish two things. First, He desires to break the hold that our idols have on our lives. This is the process of detaching from secondary things that we have wrongly made the first thing (idol) in our life. But God’s purpose in allowing trials in our lives does not end there. Once He detaches us from second things, there is now the opportunity for us to truly turn to Him as our first thing--as our Lord! This is the essence of the Christian journey. Detaching from things that have a wrong hold on our life and attaching to God as our hope and our help and our everything. And the Lord specializes in providing for us in the midst of our trials--His wisdom and strength and presence that will deepen our faith in Him and will sustain us and grow us through the trial. And the amazing thing is that God’s provision for us is the provision of Himself! PASSAGE: Genesis 22:8 - "Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together." PAUSE: The God Most High is our provision and strength. When our faith is tested, we must trust that the Lord will provide. When our finances are low, the Lord will provide. When our marriage is on shaky ground, the Lord will provide. When our children wander, the Lord will provide. The Lord sees what you are going through and will provide what you need at the perfect time. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, grant me Abraham's faith. I strongly doubt I could do what Abraham did with Isaac, yet that is the type of faith I want. Increase my trust in you today!