Romans in 9 Movements

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Over the past 16 months, we have preached through the book of Romans at Wildwood Community Church.  The 43 sermons walked us verse by verse through Romans 1:1 – 16:27.  We arranged our study in 9 different series, represented in the graphic above.  It is our hope that these 9 divisions will help you remember the truth God has given us inside Paul’s masterful Epistle.

Below is a a summary of Romans in a single paragraph, using the series titles as keywords:

There is Good News for people everywhere!  This good news (or gospel) shows the power of God which is able to deliver salvation to those who believe.  In Christ, the righteousness of God is given to sinful people like you and me.  We receive this gracious gift of salvation NOT by our works, but by faith.  This is the way it has always been in God’s economy.  From Abraham to Christ (the ABC’s of Faith), we have seen that the righteous live by faith.  When we come into a relationship with God by faith, we are Set Free from sin’s necessary rule in our lives.  We now have a choice to live out a new life in Christ.  However, there is a problem.  As we try to live out our new life in Christ, we do so inside the old address of our flesh.  Therefore, we need the Holy Spirit to empower us to live a truly Spiritual Life, walking with the God who loves us.  Now, if our hope is tied to God and His work in our lives, how do we know He will be faithful to make good on His promises?  We find out the faithfulness of God by looking at the way He has dealt with other members of His spiritual Family Tree.  By seeing how God has been faithful to His children Israel, we can have faith that He will make good on His promises to us as well.  Once we realize all that God has done for us in Christ, we want to respond and Aim our lives – pointed towards His purpose for us, laying down our lives as a living sacrifice before Him.  As we do this, we will live out our lives in a secular world but inside of His sovereignty as we live in Nations Under God.  We are truly to honor our government, but we are to Walk in Love with our fellow Christian, limiting our freedoms to not tear down our brother or sister who Christ is building up.  All this knowledge of Christ leads to our involvement with Christ in His great Co:Mission, taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  The Gospel is the power of God that is able to strengthen us . . . and those around us.  Given this incredible truth, it is not a surprise that Paul ends praising God – “to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!  Amen!” (Romans 16:27)

Let us thank God together for the power of the Gospel — the Good News of Jesus Christ!

 

Series Titles:

Walk in Love (part 4) Sermon Questions

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On Sunday, October 16, 2016 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Romans 14:13-23.  This message was part 4 in the “Walk in Love” sermon series.  Below are a set of questions (related to the message) for personal reflection or group discussion.

 

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Romans 14:13-23
  3. Think of the kinds of friction you sometimes have with other Christians over issues that the Bible is not clear about.  What ares some of these issues, and how have you dealt with these disagreements in the past?
  4. How have other people’s actions ever led you to sin?  How have your actions ever led others to sin?
  5. What would it look like for you to make decisions regarding areas of Christian liberty that would (as their primary ethic) be to love others?
  6. Any particular applications stand out to you from this passage?

 

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

Walk in Love (part 4) Preview

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How long would it take you to walk to the nearest grocery store?  5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes?  We all have a walking pace that feels natural to us, and we would settle into that pace on a walk to the store.  Because the speed with which we move is so common to us, we have the ability to average how long it would take us to make a simple journey.

Now, let me ask you another question . . . how long would it take you to walk to the store WITH someone?  While you might be able to approximate the pace of your own walk, you would need to ask a few more questions before guessing the time it would take to make the same journey with another person.  After all, you may be walking with Wang Zhen (Olympic Gold medalist in the 20KM walk).  You might get there faster than advertised if he was your travel mate!  Or you may be walking with your friend’s two year old – a companion that no doubt would make the trip longer than expected. 

When you travel with someone the goal is not to just GET THERE, but to get there TOGETHER.  This impacts the pace of your journey.

I share this today because we have been moving through Romans 13-15 recently at Wildwood Community Church in a series called “Walk in Love.”  This Sunday, October 16, we will be in the fourth part of this series.  In this section, the Christian life is described as a walk.  But what is so fascinating is that the walk of the Christian life is not a personal stroll, but a journey we make together.  This is the clear implication of the section of Romans we are looking at this week (Romans 14:13-23).  In this section, we are called to “slow down” in order to walk in love with those other Christians God has brought into our lives.  The purpose of this is so that we can get “there” TOGETHER, as we minister to each other in love.

What does this mean?  What does it look like?  How does it apply to our lives?  Join us Sunday in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 worship service as we will explore this together.  We will also be having communion together in our services.  Make plans to join us and bring someone with you!

Walk in Love (part 1) Sermon Audio

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On Sunday, September 25, 2016 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Romans 13:8-10.  This message was part 1 in the “Walk in Love” sermon series.  Below you will find the sermon audio from this message to listen to or share.

 

To listen offline, click this link to download the audio:

Walk in Love (part 1)
To listen online, use the media player below:

 

 

Walk in Love (part 1) Sermon Questions

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On Sunday, September 25, 2016, I preached a sermon based on Romans 13:8-10 at Wildwood Community Church.  This message was part 1 in the “Walk in Love” series.  For questions for group discussion or personal reflection related to this message, see below:

Sermon Questions:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Romans 13:8-10
  3. What one word would you use to describe the lives of Christians?  What are some of the words you would anticipate others using?  How do you want Christians to be known?
  4. We are not to view people as something we can GET something from, but as someone we can SERVE (and love).  How do you struggle with applying this truth?
  5. Ultimately, love is not just an emotion, but it is an action.  If we love someone, we seek their best, not hurt them.  Think of some of the foundational relationships in your life.  What are some ways you can love those people better?
  6. How has God taught you and empowered you to live the life of love He has called you to?  What would it look like for you to trust Christ to love others through you with HIS love this week?
  7. Any particular applications stand out to you from this passage?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

Walk in Love (Part 1) Preview

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If you were to describe the lives of Christians in one word, what would it be? 

Some answers that may pop into your mind:

  • Religious
  • Devout
  • Hypocrite
  • Old-fashioned
  • Moral
  • Self-righteous

One of those words above may describe your view of Christians . . . but what is the target?  How does Jesus INTEND for His followers to be identified?  What is the one word that SHOULD describe a truly Christian life?

Romans 13:8-15:13 give us a one word description of followers of Christ:  “Love.” 

We are called to love those around us . . . to not tear down what Jesus is building up.  Over the next 6 weeks at Wildwood Community Church, we will be looking at this idea in a new sermon series called, “Walk in Love.”  This Sunday, I will be kicking off the series by looking at Romans 13:8-10.  Make plans to join us in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 worship service.  Hope to see you there!