Chris Marshall Resources

1 Corinthians 7 offers us the Apostle Paul’s “short course on marriage.”  His bottom line is: Jesus is coming soon, so it’s better if you don’t get married.  He then goes on to talk about those who are already married, those who are married to unbelievers, and those who aren’t married, but are going to sin if they don’t get married.  In it all, Paul tells us if we get married, we “will have trouble.”  Paul’s honesty is always apparent, but never more so than in this exposition of marriage.  Paul gets quite practical in saying a husband and wife are not to deprive each other sexually.  He says a believing husband or wife “sanctifies” their children.  He concludes by once again reminding us that being unmarried assures of having more time and energy to focus on serving Jesus.

In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul deals with a matter that was quite important in his day, but not so much in ours: the eating of food sacrificed to idols.  While the situation is different, the principles involved are instructive.  Paul starts with an overarching principle:  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  In other words, we can become proud when we put the pursuit of knowledge before our practice of love. In the pursuit of truth, we must never forget to live it out in love.  The next principle is: Don’t do anything that will cause a weaker brother or sister to stumble.  In Paul’s day when a believer ate food sacrificed to an idol, a weaker brother or sister could see that and assume it was okay to not only eat the food but worship the idol.  In our day, an example might be consuming alcohol.  While there’s nothing wrong with having a glass of wine with a meal, or a beer while we watch a football game, a weaker brother or sister might see that and assume it’s okay to consume alcohol in excessive amounts. Having worked with so many people who are in recovery from the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, I maintain Paul’s advice and don’t consume alcohol at all.  I don’t want to be a stumbling block for them, and I want them to know someone who goes through life voluntarily without using alcohol. While each of us will apply these principles in different ways, the key is to help those who are “weaker” to become stronger in their faith, by the way we live out our relationship with Jesus.

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul offers a defense of his ministry.  We don’t have the letter the Corinthians wrote to Paul, but he is defending himself from those who attacked his integrity.  First, Paul offers a defense of his “right” to be paid for his ministry.  He offers a number of examples of why he holds the right.  But then he tells us he didn’t exercise the right.  He didn’t receive a salary from the Corinthians. He paid his own way.  Then he talked about his methods in ministering to Jews, Gentiles, the weak, and others.  His method was to become like them to the degree he could to win them to Jesus, but he would not break the law of Jesus in doing so.  The model is so important and so powerful.  We must always become like those with whom we are ministering to the degree we can without sinning, to bring them to the Lord!

As we return to Matthew 18, we find the disciples arguing over who was the greatest among them. Jesus pointed out this was the wrong question to ask, because in God’s Kingdom the greatest are those who serve the most, those who are like “children.” Jesus then went on to warn us against causing others to sin. He then told us how precious we are to God by telling the Parable of the lost sheep.  Next, He told us how to address those who have sinned against us.  The method put simply is confront in love and call the brother or sister to repentance.  Finally, Jesus offers an extended parable about how God shows us His forgiveness and expects us to forgive others.  The parable ends with a strong condemnation of those who will not forgive, because of how much God has forgiven us.

In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul makes a case for his authority as an apostle, and for the Corinthian believers not to think so highly of themselves.  They have elevated themselves above their original leaders–Paul and Apollos. He reminded them they might have “10,000 guardians, but not many fathers.” That is such a key point for all to remember: we need leaders whose investment in us is more than as teachers or preachers, but who care about us as sons and daughters.

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul takes a strong stance against those in the church who are practicing sin as a way of life.  He gives the example of a man who was committing sexual sin.  He then reminded the Corinthians not to associate with those who are sexually immoral.  Then he makes sure they understand he means those inside the church.  Those outside the church aren’t subject to the same standards.  As I’ve said so often, “I don’t expect non-believers to act like believers.” I got that from Jesus and Paul.  They didn’t either.  But when we are believers, our actions must change, because we now have the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul speaks about the absurdity of believers suing one another in secular courts. He points out we will judge angels, so why would we need a secular authority to judge each other.  He points out it would be better to be wronged than to go to court.  How much that has to say to our modern litigious world, which undoubtedly includes Christians suing each other.  Paul then goes on to underline how important it is to avoid sexual sin.  He points out we are the “temple” of the Holy Spirit, and therefore we must be holy.  To commit sexual sin is to stain the temple.  He reminds us we are not our own, and we have been bought with a price.  He doesn’t mention the price, but we all know it is the price of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross.  That’s the highest imaginable price, which is why we must never forget it.

As we return to Matthew 17, we read of Jesus being transfigured with Moses and Elijah.  The experience was overwhelming to Peter, James, and John who were with Jesus.  When the experience ended and they went down the mountain to rejoin the crowds, a man had brought his son to be healed by the disciples.  They were unable to cast a demon out of the boy, and Jesus demonstrated some frustration.  When the father said he had faith, but needed Jesus to increase his faith, Jesus healed the boy. 

At the end of the chapter, Jesus sends Peter to catch a fish, in which is a coin that enabled Peter to pay the Temple tax for him and Jesus.  That’s as close as Jesus ever came to performing a miracle for Himself, but He didn’t overpower nature to do that.  Peter just had to catch the right fish!

Today, we turn to the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth.  Corinth was Paul’s “problem child.”  The city of Corinth was as pagan as any city could be.  Idol worship and sexual immorality ran rampant in Corinth.  As we will see through both 1^st and 2^nd Corinthians, Paul often responded to questions and problems among the people, and with the people of the church challenging his authority.  How difficult it must have been for Paul when someone from Corinth came with a letter filled with questions and challenges to which he had to respond.  That’s what each of these letters are: responses to questions from a church Paul had planted but had then left to move on to plant other churches.  Remember, in Paul’s day information had to be transmitted from person to person.  While both the Corinthian Church and Paul could write letters to each other, they couldn’t “drop them in the mail,” and expect them to be received in a few days.  Someone had to hand deliver the letters.  With Paul traveling all over the known world, and without any means of updating where he was, the process of sending letters back and forth was difficult at best.  In fact, most biblical scholars believe Paul probably received and wrote an additional letter between his writing of 1^st Corinthians and 2^ndCorinthians, but it didn’t survive to be included in the Bible.  As we turn to 1^st Corinthians, let’s thank God for the amazing process that was undertaken to ensure it was included for us!

1 Corinthians 1 includes a brief greeting, which includes Paul’s gratitude for the church, but the greeting is shorter than in many of his letters.  He gets to the point fairly quickly: He has heard about divisions in the church.  Some are claiming to follow Paul, others Apollos, others Christ.  Paul points out he didn’t save them. It was Jesus Christ.  No one can be part of any “party” in the church except the Jesus party!  Paul goes on to remind them his message was that of Jesus and Him crucified.  He reminds them they weren’t all that impressive as a group of people, when Jesus called them to Himself.  Paul exhorted them to follow Jesus and Him alone.

In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul reminds the believers there when he came among them, he didn’t teach or preach with convincing words, but with the Spirit’s power.  In other words, Paul’s message about Jesus was backed up with signs and wonders.  This has often been the case when new ground was (or is) being broken for the Lord.  Signs and wonders accompany the message, because Jesus is the power of God, and in His name mighty signs and wonders can be done.  Paul wanted the Corinthian believers to understand the mysteries of God had been revealed in Jesus Christ through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  This is the heart of our lives as Jesus’ followers: We must live in obedience to Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Anything less than that is merely religion.

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul addresses the matter of divisions in the church once again.  He reminds his readers that when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another “I follow Apollos,” they are already severely off track.  After all Paul and Apollos were simply instruments used by Jesus.   Paul, “planted,” and Apollos “watered,” but it was God who gave the growth.  We must always remember that.  We may be in the debt of the person who first told us about Jesus.  We may have been influenced greatly by a pastor or teacher along the way, but it is Jesus Himself who gives us growth.

In verses 10-15, Paul offers us an important reminder about the purpose of our lives after we are saved.  He tells us Jesus is the “foundation,” of our lives.  Using the image of our lives as a “house,” he tells us once the foundation is laid, we build on it using gold, silver, and precious stones, or we use wood, hay, and straw.  The former are solid building blocks that will survive the test of time and fire, but the latter are not.  The gold, silver, and precious stones are faithful, righteous works done in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The wood, hay, and straw are sins, actions that won’t stand the tests of time and fire.  When we face Jesus, the judgment will come, the fire will be applied.  The good news is even if we built our houses with nothing but wood, hay, and straw, which will be burned away, we will be saved–as ones escaping through the fire, but our “house” will be gone. On the other hand, if we live according to Jesus’ plan and purpose, if we live faithfully and righteously in the power of the Holy Spirit, then we will not only survive the flame, but we will receive a reward.  This passage helps us to see it isn’t about our efforts when it comes to salvation, but our efforts do matter, because they bring us a reward or reduce our reward.  My thought has always been, “When I stand in front of Jesus, I don’t want to have to apologize, or blush, or be ashamed.  I want to show Him love, honor and praise through what I have done.”

Paul closes the chapter by reminding us we don’t belong to Paul, or Apollos, but to Christ and to God.  That reminder helps us to keep our focus clear and lives headed in the right direction.

As we return to Matthew 16, the religious leaders demand a sign. How strange given Jesus has just fed 4,000 men along with women and children with a few loaves of bread and fish and healed multiple people.  In any case, Jesus tells them they won’t be given a sign.  As Jesus and His disciples travel, Jesus tells them to beware of the “leaven,” of the Pharisees.  This was a metaphor, but the disciples missed it.  They thought Jesus was reprimanding them for forgetting to bring bread.  Jesus reminded them how small a challenge that would be, given He had already fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and fish. They finally realized Jesus was talking about the Pharisees’ teaching.

After this, Jesus asked the disciples who the crowds said He was, and who they said He was.  Jesus was wanting them to consider His identity, because He was moving toward His crucifixion and they needed to understand what was ahead.  God gave Peter the correct answer:  Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God.  Jesus affirmed Peter and told Him it would be upon this truth that Jesus would build His Church.  Shortly after that, Jesus told the disciples He was going to be crucified.  Peter rebuked Jesus for saying this.  Then Jesus rebuked Peter in the strongest possible terms calling him “Satan,” for having a worldly attitude instead of a godly one.

Jesus then turned to the crowds and reminded them if anyone wanted to follow Him, they would need to deny themselves “take up their crosses” and follow Him.  Jesus reminded them, and us, if we lose our lives for His sake and the sake of the Kingdom, we will find them, but if we keep them, we will lose them.  This is 180º the opposite of the world’s way of thinking, and that’s precisely the point: Following Jesus will bring us in opposition with the world but will gain us eternal life.

Romans 15 closes out Paul’s letter, while Romans 16 offers a long list of personal greetings to specific believers, as well as Paul’s reminder not to have anything to do with those who cause trouble, and that God will soon crush Satan under His feet.  In Romans 15 Paul reminds us to be watchful of our weaker brothers and sisters, and to help them grow in their faith.  He reminds the Roman believers he has been sent by God as the minister to the Gentiles.  While we take that for granted, the reality of God giving salvation to the Gentiles nearly split the early church (See Acts 15) and was an incredible task for a man who had been a Pharisee, and still considered himself to be one.

As we return to Matthew 15, we find Jesus again at odds with the religious leaders.  They started the discussion this time by condemning Jesus’ disciples for not following the handwashing rituals.  Jesus responded by condemning them for breaking the Law of God so they could keep their traditions. Jesus went on to say it isn’t what goes into the body that makes a person unclean, meaning no food or lack of washing our hands can cause sin in our lives, but it is what comes out of a person that makes the difference.  He meant it is the attitudes and desires of our hearts that determine whether we are “clean” or “unclean.  In the chapter, Jesus also performs a number of miracles.  The first one might be the most significant, because he healed the child of a Gentile woman.  Remember, Jesus came only to the “lost sheep of Israel.”  His stepping across the ethnic boundary to heal the woman reminds us His commission to the apostles would be to take the Gospel to the entire world.  This was a foreshadowing of that moment.  Matthew tells us Jesus healed “many” people after the healing of the one child.  The chapter ends with Jesus feeding four thousand men along with women and children.  Again, Jesus shows us the Kingdom of God offers the fulfillment of all our needs whether spiritual, emotional, or physical.  As we minister to people in Jesus’ name, we must always remember He cares about the whole person, and not only the spiritual aspect.

In Romans 12, Paul starts with the word “Therefore.”  Pastor Arthur Pace, the pastor I served under in my first year in the ministry, used to say, “When you come to the word ‘therefore’ in a biblical text, you need to stop and see what it’s ‘there for.” Paul was summing up the entire first half of Romans.  He was saying, “Therefore, because we’re all sinners who are redeemed by the incredible love of God, and because He has empowered us to live new lives in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are to offer God our bodies as living sacrifices.  We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  Finally, we are to live as members of the body of Jesus Christ by going all in for Him.  Whatever our gifts and skills, we are to use them for Him, and invest our lives in serving God’s Kingdom.

Romans 13 offers us Paul’s command to obey the governing authorities.  As I have often written regarding this passage, Paul tells us to obey the governing authorities, and yet church tradition tells us he was executed for disobeying the governing authorities.  The conclusion we draw from that is: We must obey the governing authorities except when to do so is to go against the clear word of God.  The rest of the chapter focuses on our responsibility to love one another.

Romans 14 focuses on how we are to respond to those around us who are “weaker” in the faith than we are.  Following Jesus was a new matter in Paul’s day, and some believed you had to follow the Jewish law to follow Jesus.  Others believed you couldn’t eat anything that had anything to do with idols, if you were following Jesus.  Paul simplified it: Nothing we eat is a problem.  However, if what we eat causes a brother or sister for whom Jesus died to sin, then we ought to be more concerned about the brother or sister’s well-being than our own comfort.  I have used these words of Paul to take a position of not drinking alcohol.  The Bible doesn’t say a believer can’t drink alcohol, but if someone who is “weaker” than I am sees me drinking alcohol, then they might assume, “If it’s okay for Pastor Chris, then it is for me, too.”  That person might end up addicted to alcohol.  That might seem an extreme position to you, but having worked with 100’s of people recovering from addiction, one of the questions I’ve asked is, “How many people do you know who don’t drink any alcohol?”  The answer is always the same, “None. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t drink or do drugs.”  I raise my hand and say, “Now, you know one.”  I want people to know no one has to smoke or drink alcohol, and I never want to be the one who causes a person who is “weaker” in the faith to stumble, because of me. 

As we return to Matthew 14, we read of King Herod’s execution of John the Baptist. As we know he did it because of his wife’s cruel request, and because He didn’t want to appear to go back on his words in front of his dinner guests.  After this, Matthew records the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus walking on water, and Jesus healing people in Gennesaret.  Each of these events was powerful and in its own way impacted the lives of many people.  John’s death shows us those who are righteous don’t always receive justice in this life.  Jesus feeding the 5,000 shows us He is not limited in any way by “limited” resources.  His walking on water shows us He was not limited by the laws of nature.  His healing people in Gennesaret shows us, He was concerned for more people than the local Jews with whom He grew up.  He was concerned for everyone.  While Jesus never ventured beyond Israel during His time on the earth, He did help people who weren’t Jews.  The world-wide mission to offer salvation to everyone was left to His disciples and to us, but Jesus’ love for the world knows no limits.

In Romans 4, Paul offers Abraham as an example of a man who lived by faith.  He even tells us Abraham “never” wavered in his faith.  We know Abraham did, at times, waver in his faith.  He didn’t trust God’s promise to give him and Sarah a son.  He lied to protect himself when he told leaders of other places Sarah was his “sister.”  But Paul’s words are true, so how can that be? Max Lucado offers the explanation Paul’s words about Abraham are an example of “the editing of grace.”  Abraham was not perfect, but Paul presents him that way, because through grace he was.  We see this happen in our own lives, when one we love dies.  Over time, the bad memories seem to fade, and the good ones become more vivid.  Through this editing of grace, our memories of the loved one grow fonder, and our own faith increases.

In Romans 5, Paul offers one of the most amazing truths in all of Scripture: Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.  Throughout the chapter, Paul shows us how different Jesus, whom he refers to as the “second” Adam, was from the first Adam.  Adam introduced sin into the world, but Jesus redeemed us from sin and death.  His love for us didn’t come because we were good, or after we demonstrated improvement in our lives.  Jesus loved us while we were still sinners.  What amazingly good news.

In Romans 6, Paul raised a vital question, “If we are saved by grace, should we go on sinning so God’s grace may abound?”  It sounds reasonable.  If we love to sin, and God loves to forgive sin, why not sin more so God’s grace can come to us in even greater measure?  Paul’s response is as strong as it gets.  In the Greek, he wrote “Me genoito!” We could translate it “God forbid.”  It’s the strongest, possible way to say, “No!” in the Greek language.  Paul’s point is clear:  Jesus died to free us from sin.  Why would we continue to live in it?  Paul goes on to point out we are “slaves” to whatever masters us.  We can either be slaves to sin or to Jesus, but not both.  Jesus reminded us no one can serve two masters. It isn’t possible.  Jesus bottom-lined out to no one can serve both God and money.  Paul bottom-lines out to we can serve sin or righteousness.  Both remind us how crucial it is to put God first, and to live in His ways!

In Romans 7, Paul offers an illustration of how we overcome sin in our lives: we die.  While that sounds extreme, and it is, Paul meant we die to sin and the law.  He offers an illustration from everyday life, of a woman who is married to a stern husband.  Until the husband dies, the woman is obligated to her husband.  But if the husband dies, she is free to remarry.  In the illustration, we are the wife, the Mosaic Law is the husband, and Jesus is the new husband.  The Law instructed us in the ways of righteousness, but we could never live up to its standard.  In the second half of Romans 7, in which Paul tells us how he struggled with sin, not doing what he ought and doing what he didn’t want to do.  Some biblical scholars assume this was Paul’s pre-conversion testimony.  In other words, he lived this way before trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord.  But I find Paul’s words ring true in my life now. When I attempt to follow the rules, I fail.  Paul concluded by telling us the solution, “Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  It is Jesus, and what He did on the cross that frees us from sin, and it is His empowering Spirit who frees us to live new lives.  We’ll see that tomorrow as we turn to Romans 8.

As we return to Matthew 12, Jesus tells the religious leaders He is “Lord of the Sabbath” as a result of His disciples “working” on the Sabbath, by picking some heads of grain to eat.  Jesus was attacking the religious leaders’ trivialization of the Sabbath, through their efforts to make it attainable through human efforts.  Jesus further demonstrated His power over the Sabbath, by healing a man on the Sabbath.  This only caused the religious leaders to go out and plot how they could kill Jesus.  Jesus withdrew from that place as a result.  The religious leaders accused Jesus of performing miracles by the power of the devil, to which Jesus responded, “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.” Jesus condemned the religious leaders for their unwillingness to see the power of God at work.  Jesus went on to tell them He would offer them no sign of His authority, but the sign of “Jonah,” which was a reference to His death and burial.  The chapter closes with Jesus being sought by His mother and brothers. He reminds the people that anyone who does the will of His Heavenly Father is His mother, sister, and brother.  What a powerful reminder to us that we who trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, are a family, which is called to love and serve one another, and to offer Jesus’ salvation to the world.

In Romans 4, Paul offers Abraham as an example of a man who lived by faith.  He even tells us Abraham “never” wavered in his faith.  We know Abraham did, at times, waver in his faith.  He didn’t trust God’s promise to give him and Sarah a son.  He lied to protect himself when he told leaders of other places Sarah was his “sister.”  But Paul’s words are true, so how can that be? Max Lucado offers the explanation Paul’s words about Abraham are an example of “the editing of grace.”  Abraham was not perfect, but Paul presents him that way, because through grace he was.  We see this happen in our own lives, when one we love dies.  Over time, the bad memories seem to fade, and the good ones become more vivid.  Through this editing of grace, our memories of the loved one grow fonder, and our own faith increases.

In Romans 5, Paul offers one of the most amazing truths in all of Scripture: Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.  Throughout the chapter, Paul shows us how different Jesus, whom he refers to as the “second” Adam, was from the first Adam.  Adam introduced sin into the world, but Jesus redeemed us from sin and death.  His love for us didn’t come because we were good, or after we demonstrated improvement in our lives.  Jesus loved us while we were still sinners.  What amazingly good news.

In Romans 6, Paul raised a vital question, “If we are saved by grace, should we go on sinning so God’s grace may abound?”  It sounds reasonable.  If we love to sin, and God loves to forgive sin, why not sin more so God’s grace can come to us in even greater measure?  Paul’s response is as strong as it gets.  In the Greek, he wrote “Me genoito!” We could translate it “God forbid.”  It’s the strongest, possible way to say, “No!” in the Greek language.  Paul’s point is clear:  Jesus died to free us from sin.  Why would we continue to live in it?  Paul goes on to point out we are “slaves” to whatever masters us.  We can either be slaves to sin or to Jesus, but not both.  Jesus reminded us no one can serve two masters. It isn’t possible.  Jesus bottom-lined out to no one can serve both God and money.  Paul bottom-lines out to we can serve sin or righteousness.  Both remind us how crucial it is to put God first, and to live in His ways!

In Romans 7, Paul offers an illustration of how we overcome sin in our lives: we die.  While that sounds extreme, and it is, Paul meant we die to sin and the law.  He offers an illustration from everyday life, of a woman who is married to a stern husband.  Until the husband dies, the woman is obligated to her husband.  But if the husband dies, she is free to remarry.  In the illustration, we are the wife, the Mosaic Law is the husband, and Jesus is the new husband.  The Law instructed us in the ways of righteousness, but we could never live up to its standard.  In the second half of Romans 7, in which Paul tells us how he struggled with sin, not doing what he ought and doing what he didn’t want to do.  Some biblical scholars assume this was Paul’s pre-conversion testimony.  In other words, he lived this way before trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord.  But I find Paul’s words ring true in my life now. When I attempt to follow the rules, I fail.  Paul concluded by telling us the solution, “Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  It is Jesus, and what He did on the cross that frees us from sin, and it is His empowering Spirit who frees us to live new lives.  We’ll see that tomorrow as we turn to Romans 8.

As we return to Matthew 12, Jesus tells the religious leaders He is “Lord of the Sabbath” as a result of His disciples “working” on the Sabbath, by picking some heads of grain to eat.  Jesus was attacking the religious leaders’ trivialization of the Sabbath, through their efforts to make it attainable through human efforts.  Jesus further demonstrated His power over the Sabbath, by healing a man on the Sabbath.  This only caused the religious leaders to go out and plot how they could kill Jesus.  Jesus withdrew from that place as a result.  The religious leaders accused Jesus of performing miracles by the power of the devil, to which Jesus responded, “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.” Jesus condemned the religious leaders for their unwillingness to see the power of God at work.  Jesus went on to tell them He would offer them no sign of His authority, but the sign of “Jonah,” which was a reference to His death and burial.  The chapter closes with Jesus being sought by His mother and brothers. He reminds the people that anyone who does the will of His Heavenly Father is His mother, sister, and brother.  What a powerful reminder to us that we who trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, are a family, which is called to love and serve one another, and to offer Jesus’ salvation to the world.

Today, we open the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans.  Biblical scholars consider this letter the most developed presentation of Paul’s theology.  He had not been to the church in Rome when he wrote the letter, so he was both introducing himself to the people there and presenting a more systematic demonstration of what Jesus’ followers must believe than in any of his other letters.  Much of the Protestant Reformation, and its theology came from the study of Romans.  In particular, Romans 3:23-24, which we will consider briefly today, helped the Reformers to understand we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and that alone, apart from our works is the means to salvation.

In Romans 1, Paul introduced himself to the Romans, and set forth his boldness in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ as the power of God for the salvation of the Jews first, and then the Gentiles.  In the first three chapters of Romans, Paul established the sinfulness of all humanity. I n chapter 1, Paul demonstrated how the world as a whole has turned against God. He offered a detailed explanation of how we all have an innate knowledge of God, but because we rejected it, God permitted us to follow that rejection to its ugly conclusion.

In Romans 2, Paul reminded those of Jewish background, it was not only the pagan Gentiles who were irretrievably fallen.  They, too, had rejected God’s will and purpose in their lives.  Paul pointed out how the Jews often condemned the Gentiles, but their lives were demonstrations of their rejection of God as well.  Paul pointed out that being a “Jew” is not a matter of outward expression, but of an inward change of the heart.

In Romans 3, Paul established God’s faithfulness in the midst of our unfaithfulness.  He concluded with this powerful statement:  ²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-24 (NIV)  God’s righteousness is available to all through Jesus!  This is the amazingly good news that follows the incredibly bad news. The bad news is we are all condemned by our own sin and deserve to be separated from God forever.  The good news is Jesus came to satisfy God’s wrath for our sin by dying on the cross to redeem us.  Paul unfolds these two powerful truths throughout Romans, but the foundation has been laid for us here: without Jesus we are lost, but thank God Jesus came to find us!

As we return to Matthew 11, we find the disciples of John the Baptist coming to Jesus to ask whether He was the one to come, that is the Messiah, or should they look for someone else.  John had been imprisoned by King Herod, and as he sat there considering what he heard of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus didn’t sound like the conquering Messiah, nearly every Jew awaited.  John wondered if he had been wrong about Jesus.  Jesus responded with an answer directly from the prophecy of Isaiah.  It would have assured John that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah, but not the kind he awaited.  Jesus affirmed John’s greatness before the people but reminded them John was the last of the “old guard.”  The kingdom people who came after Jesus, all those who would be born again and demonstrate the power of God’s Kingdom would be greater.  After Jesus’ affirmation of John, He denounced the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.  He lived and ministered among the people there and they rejected Him.  Jesus pointed out that some of the condemned cities of the past would have repented if they had seen what these people saw, so their judgment would be greater.  The chapter closes with Jesus praising His Heavenly Father for revealing Him to those who weren’t of much standing in the world.  He also called any who were weary and burdened down to come to Him to find rest.  He promised a light “yoke” for those who served Him.

Acts 27 and 28 record Paul’s journey to Rome.  The journey included a terrible storm while they were at sea, being shipwrecked, and nearly put to death, because of the Roman law that if a prisoner escaped the guards were to bear the punishment, and finally landing on the island of Malta.  While there, Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake, which led the natives to declare Paul was a murderer, and the “gods” wouldn’t allow him to escape justice.  Then when Paul showed no ill effects from the snake bite, the natives proclaimed him as a god.  (How easily human minds are changed!)  Upon his arrival in Rome, Paul was put under house arrest, but given some freedoms.  He was able to present the good news of Jesus to some Jews who lived in Rome, but once again most rejected the truth, because of Paul’s inclusion of the Gentiles.  The book ends with Paul still under arrest.  According to church tradition, Paul was eventually executed by the Romans for treason, that is because he was unwilling to bow down and call Caesar God.  Paul was faithful to Jesus to the end and offers us one of the most incredible examples ever, of what God can do to a life fully devoted to Him.

As we return to Matthew 10, we find Jesus selecting the twelve men He wanted to be His apostles. Jesus called the men, and then sent them out into the harvest on their first mission trip.  Before He sent them, Jesus told them they would face difficulty, suffering, and persecution.  He told them He hadn’t come to bring peace, but a sword.  This chapter flies in the face of much modern American Christianity, which promises a life of ease and plenty.  It’s true that when Jesus returns or we go to Him, life’s suffering will end, and we will experience unending joy.  But here on this earth, we will face challenge, and difficulty as part of the abundant life Jesus promised us in John 10.  Read Matthew 10 a couple of times and remember how honest Jesus is about the cost of following Him.  He is always worthy of our following, even more so, because of His telling us the cost up front.

Acts 24 records Paul’s defense before the Roman Governor Felix.  The Jews spoke first accusing Paul of crimes punishable by death, but Paul responded to the attack with calm assurances He had not done anything of which they accused him.  He admitted to being a follower of “The Way,” which was the preferred name Christians had for themselves at the time.  He appealed to Felix’s knowledge of the Way, but Felix left the matter undecided for two years.  He called for Paul frequently, hoping Paul would offer him a bribe, which he never did.  When Felix was reassigned, he left Paul in prison as a favor to the Jews, which meant Paul’s fate would be decided by the next governor, Porcius Festus.

In Acts 25, Festus gives the Jews an opportunity to speak against Paul again.  They made charges they couldn’t substantiate, and then Paul made his defense.  Festus didn’t see any real issues, but as a favor to the Jews, he asked Paul whether he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial.  Paul responded he was in Caesar’s court where he belonged, and he was willing to take any just punishment that would be decided, but he appealed to Caesar.  Before Festus made a decision, King Agrippa, the Jewish figure-head king, came to visit in Caesarea.  Festus told him about Paul, and also said he didn’t see anything wrong with Paul, but Paul had appealed to Caesar, so he was going to send Paul to Rome.  Before doing that, Festus wanted to have a proper charge to offer the emperor.  He didn’t have one.  King Agrippa said he would be glad to listen to Paul, and an audience was arranged.

In Acts 26, Paul offers his defense before King Agrippa and Queen Bernice.  Once again, Paul rehearses his testimony, going into greater detail, because he understood King Agrippa was of Jewish background, and knew about Jesus, and “The Way.”  As Paul was talking about his Damascus road experience, Festus interrupted, shouting that Paul had gone mad, because of his extensive learning. Paul responded he was not mad, and that King Agrippa was well aware of all that had happened, because it wasn’t done “in a corner.”  He appealed to Agrippa’s knowledge of the prophets.  Agrippa responded, “In such a short time do you think you can make me a Christian?”  Paul’s response was whether it was short time or long, he wished that all people were as he was except for the chains.  After the presentation, Agrippa and Festus agreed Paul had done nothing deserving of punishment, and that he could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.  Think about that.  Paul could have been set if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar.  Yet, the Lord had already told him he would be appearing before Caesar.  Paul’s appeal was part of God’s larger plan to see the gospel preached everywhere.  Sometimes, we experience challenges in our life that make no sense to us at the time, but when we put them in God’s hands, he uses them for His good.  Paul’s imprisonment was not a good thing, but God used it to bring glory to Himself, because Paul submitted to His lordship even in prison. 

As we return to Matthew 9, Matthew offers us another string of miracles by Jesus.  The order is somewhat different than that presented by Mark or Luke, but many of the miracles are the same. Jesus heals the paralytic, for whom He also forgives his sins. He calls Matthew as a disciple raising the ire of the religious leaders.  Jesus heals the woman with the flow of blood, raises a little girl from the dead, heals a couple of blind men, and a man who couldn’t speak.  The power of Jesus is so obvious, and His compassion equally obvious.  As the chapter ends, Jesus points out to His followers the “harvest” is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  He then tells them to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send workers into the harvest.  This is such a vital and powerful prayer.  We know the Lord wants everyone to be saved.  We have the role of being workers in the harvest, and we’re called to work in the harvest fields ourselves.  As we’ll see tomorrow, Jesus had told the apostles to prayer for workers, and then virtually immediately, He sent them into the fields to work!