‌

I remember when I first played football at Mulberry High School, quite some time ago. I was so excited. I grew up as a little boy who loved football, and the summer after my eighth-grade year at middle school, I was able to go to football summer camp. Let me tell you, it was brutal. It was 100 degrees, we rarely got a water break, and I weighed about 100 pounds. One of the most difficult parts of the camp was when the players would make two lines and then each player would face off against one-another. The problem for me was that they didn’t match us up by size and strength. Whoever you got was whoever you got. I was just about the smallest guy on the team, and I got clobbered by just about everyone, particularly the varsity starters. It was not a good way to welcome a new player.

‌

‌

In today’s passage, Paul is going to speak to us about how to welcome someone who is weak in their faith. I’m going to go ahead and give you a sneak peek: Paul’s solution is not to clobber the weak person.

‌

‌

Paul is going to talk about those who were still developing in areas of their faith, such as what they ate, what days they celebrated, and more.

‌

‌

Today’s sermon is entitled, “Diets and Days.”

‌

‌

Before we go any further, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.

‌

‌

(prayer)

‌

‌

In Romans, among many other truths, Paul has taught us that we are one in Jesus. We are brought together as God’s adopted children under the banner of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

‌

‌

It doesn’t matter if we are rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, or anything else; if we are in Jesus, then we are one in Jesus.

‌

‌

Paul centers today’s passage on this idea of some of us being weak in our faith and some of us being strong in our faith. However, weak or strong, we are still one. So, we should treat each other as if we are one.

‌

‌

Let’s see what Paul has to say, and let’s learn three responses to the gospel that we should embrace.

‌

‌

First, . . .

‌

‌I. Don’t worry about disputes.

‌

‌

How many of you know that there are sometimes disputes among Christians?

‌

‌

Well, so many of these disputes can be avoided if we follow the teachings of Paul.

‌

‌

Look at what Paul says in Romans 14:1-12.

‌

‌

1 Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and returned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living. 10 But you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God. 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

‌

‌

So, when it comes to someone who is weak in their faith, we should welcome them. We shouldn’t clobb

‌

‌

My wife and I bought our first house when we were 27 years old. Since that time, I have been in debt, and by God’s grace, I have been paying what I owe each month on that house and now the house that I currently have.

‌

‌

Can you imagine if you were paying a debt that you have and that debt never got smaller? That would be crazy, wouldn’t it?

‌

‌

In today’s passage, Paul is going to start us off by pointing out that there is one debt that we will never pay off.

‌

‌

Today we’re going to look at Romans 13:8-14. Before we do, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.

‌

‌

(prayer)

‌

‌

Look at the first part of Romans 13:8. It says, “Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another . . .”

‌

‌

The Bible clearly teaches that we are to pay off what we owe to other people (we saw that just last week with taxes and tolls and such). As Christians, we should be the most dependable when it comes to our bills being paid.

‌

‌

However, the debt that Paul says we will continue to pay off is the calling to love other people.

‌

‌

In this passage, Paul is going to talk about loving and living in the daytime. Today’s sermon is entitled, “The Daytime is the Time to Love.”

‌

‌

There are two main actions that we must take that jump off the page at us when we study this passage. So, let’s pay attention and let’s be obedient.

‌

‌

First, . . .

‌

‌I. We must love abundantly.

‌

‌

Again, look at the passage. Let’s look at Romans 13:8-10.

‌

‌

It says, “8 Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.”

‌

‌

Ok, let’s first acknowledge that this command to love is not a new command.

‌

‌

God commands His people in the Old Testament, in Leviticus 19:18, “. . . love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”

‌

‌

Also, Jesus said in Matthew 19:19,“ . . . love your neighbor as yourself.”

‌

‌

Jesus also said in Matthew 22:37-40, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

‌

‌

So, this message from Paul that we are to love others is nothing new. However, Paul does provide this idea of us being in debt to loving others. In other words, we owe love to others.

‌

‌

We must ask ourselves why we owe love to other people.

‌

‌

Well, the reason we are to love other people is because God has loved us so abundantly that it wells up inside us and just comes out of us. If we’ve experienced love from God, others should experience love from us.

‌

‌

So, we should love abundantly because we have been loved abundantly.

‌

‌

Still, that’s not the only reason that we should love abundantly.

‌

‌

How many of you understand that if we have been loved by God that we should seek to obey the law of God?

‌

‌

Well, wouldn’t it be simple if there was a way that we can understand how to fulfill the law of God simply and fully?

‌

‌

Well, look no further than Romans 13:8-10.

‌

‌

Paul says, “ . . . the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

‌

‌

Then, Paul says in verse 9, “The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

‌

‌

Finally, Paul says in verse 10, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.”

‌

‌

What Paul

Can you think of an authority figure in your life whom you knew that you had to respect but you really didn’t care for that person? Perhaps it was a coach, a teacher, a boss, or maybe a government official.

Did you know that person was in a position of authority because God designed authority to be part of our world and in God’s sovereign plan, that person was placed in that position?

Well, today, we’re going to talk some about authority, specifically governmental authority.

Most of you know that I’m not a big fan of discussing politics in worship services. I’m here to talk about Jesus and the Word of God.

However, today Paul takes us down the road of talking about governmental authorities and how a follower of Jesus is supposed to relate to governmental authorities.

Today’s sermon is entitled “God and the Government.”

This is a very important issue, so let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.

(prayer)

Remember, in chapter 12 of Romans, Paul is giving us some practical advice about how to live out our lives as followers of Jesus.

You may remember that Paul said such statements as “Bless those who persecute you,” and “live at peace with everyone.”

Now, Paul wants to talk to us about how to relate to the government.

Of course, the topic of governmental rulers is a hot topic in our culture. Just with the last two presidents, we’ve had people who said “that’s not my president,” about one and others who’ve said “that’s not my president” about the other.

Since I’ve been a voter we’ve had some who acted as if certain presidents were the antichrist and others who’ve acted like certain presidents were the Messiah.

In my lifetime, we’ve had multiple presidential impeachments, multiple FBI probes, voter fraud accusations, pregnant chads, birth certificate concerns, a storming of the capital, and more; and I’m only forty years old and that doesn’t even include governmental authorities on the state or local levels.

This is a topic that concerns us and as we will discover, this is a topic that concerns God.

Needless to say, this is a topic that concerns us and as we will discover, this is a topic that concerns God.

So, let’s read the passage and see what we can learn from God’s Word.

Look at Romans 13:1-7:

1 Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. 2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. 4 For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. 5 Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience. 6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks. 7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.

Now then, let’s discover two realities concerning governing authorities as discussed by Paul.

First, . . .

I. Governing authorities are from God.

Paul is very clear about this reality and it’s not hard for us to discover this.

Look again at what Paul says:

Verse 1 – “ . . . there is no authority except from God . . . ”

Verse 1 – “ . . . the authorities that exist are instituted by God.”

Verse 2 – “ . . . the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command . . . ”

Verse 4 – (speaking of authorities) “For it is God’s servant . . . ”

Verse 4 (again, speaking of authorities) – “For it is God’s servant . . . ”

Verse 6 – “ . . . the

In our house, we have different talents. My wife is creative and caring. I’m logical, organized, and handy. Jeremiah is intelligent and empathetic. Levi is adventurous and warm. Sam is wild and crazy. We all have different talents, personalities, and gifts that help compose us as people. God is our Creator and He is the one who made us the way that we are. I’m thankful that God made each of us the way that He made us.

So also, with the church. God has made each member of the church the way that he or she is and He has done so according to His great wisdom, by His great power, and for His great glory.

Today, Paul is going to talk about some of the gifts that God has given to the church. Today’s sermon is entitled, “The Gracious Gifts of God.”

Before we go any further with our sermon, let’s go to God now in prayer and ask Him to graciously give us the gift of His blessings as we study His Word.

(prayer)

You may remember that we are studying the book of Romans. Last week, we covered Romans 12:1-2 and 9-21. We skipped verses 3-8. Well, as I said, we’re going to cover those verses today.

Let’s read the entire passage and then we’ll talk about it. Look at Romans 12:3-8:

3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

So, today we’re going to look at the gracious gifts of God. As we look at these gifts, we’re going to learn three characteristics concerning these gifts.

First, . . .

I. These gifts are from God.

Look at what Paul says in verse 3:

For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.

First of all, we know that God is our Creator.

Everything that we have He has given us.

So, generally, we know that God is the giver of all good things.

However, look at what Paul says at the end of verse 3. He says, “God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.”

So, it is God who gives us faith and the gifts that we possess that are a result of our faith in God.

Listen, you and I do not have any gifts or talents, and we certainly don’t have any spiritual gifts or talents that did not come from God.

As James tells us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above . . .” (James 1:17)

First, we must recognize that these gifts are from God.

Second, . . .

II. These gifts are of grace.

Paul starts this section by stating that he has been given grace.

Paul says in verse 3, “For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you . . .”

You see, as Paul is teaching the followers of Jesus in Rome, he is doing so with authority. He has that authority because he is an apostle of Jesus.

Well, who made him an apostle? God did.

Why did God make Paul an apostle? Because God graciously gives spiritual gifts to His people.

Paul said, “By the grace given me.” So, Paul acknowledges that his apostleship is given by the grace of God.

Look also at verse 6. Paul says, “According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts.”

Paul makes sure that we understand that not only did he receive his gift of apostleship by God’s grace but all of us who are God’s children also receive different spiritual gifts according to God’s grace.

Well, if God gave these gifts of grace to us, what did we have to do to ea

There are a lot of things in our world that transform.

An electrical transformer transforms electricity from one circuit to another.

A Convert-a-bench transforms from a bench into a table.

An Aquamobile transforms from a car into a boat.

Of course, the most famous thing that transforms is a Transformer, which is an alien/robot that transforms into a vehicle.

For something to transform means that it changes from one thing into a different thing.

Well, as we come back to the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul is calling us to be transformed.

Today’s sermon is entitled, “Transformed Living for Transformed People.”

Let’s go to the Lord in prayer and then let’s learn about transformation in the life of a follower of Jesus.

(prayer)

It’s important to realize as we study the book of Romans, that a shift takes place here in chapter 12. Romans 1-11 are primarily theological in nature. Paul wants us to understand who God is and what He has done in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Starting in Romans 12, Paul wants us to understand how we are to live as those who have been changed by Jesus.

In today’s passage, we’re going to learn at least four ways that we can be transformed.

Today, we’re going to do something a little different. We’re going to skip verses 3-8 and come back to those next time. They deal with a specific topic that I want to cover by itself.

So, today, we’ll focus on transformation as seen in Romans 12:1-2, and 9-21.

First, let us learn to . . .

I. Be transformed by being renewed.

Look at what Paul says in Romans 12:1-2, “1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

Notice right away what Paul says in verse 1.

He says, “Therefore.” Of course, anytime there’s a therefore, we need to pay attention to what it’s there for.

This therefore is there to refer back to all that Paul has described in the first eleven chapters of the book of Romans.

Then, Paul says “ . . . in view of the mercies of God.”

What Paul has described in Romans 1-11 is the wonderful, deep, rich, and amazing mercies of God.

God is full of mercy and while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

So, since God is merciful and has shown His mercy to us, Paul urges us to do something. Paul says, “I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.”

Because Jesus sacrificed on our behalves, we can be rescued from sin, we can be made new, we are adopted as children of God, we have homes prepared for us in heaven, and we have eternal paradise that awaits us.

So, since God has shown us mercy through the sacrifice of Jesus we are to live as living sacrifices.

We are to live our lives in such a way that our lives are holy and pleasing to God.

By the way, Paul is going to go into some specifics of what a life that is holy and pleasing to God looks like in just a moment.

Notice that Paul concludes verse 1 by pointing out that this act of living as a sacrifice is not an act of obligation.

What is it? What does your Bible say?

“This is your true worship.” When we live as sacrifices, we are worshiping the Lord.

We should desire to glorify and worship God as we live our lives in sacrifice to God.

Next, Paul speaks of the transformation part. He says in verse 2, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed.”

We are not to be like everyone else in this world and in this age. We are instead to be like Jesus and to be all who God created and called us to be.

God has a purpose for our lives and, in Jesus, we can recover and pursue that purpose.

Sin marred us, sin changed us, and sin distorted God’s image in us. However, in Jesus we are healed, in Jesus we

I recently updated my iPhone operating system to iOS 16. Right after I did so, the operating system was wreaking havoc on my phone battery. Something was definitely not right. Something was not working. My phone was not operating correctly.

Do you ever feel like in life that perhaps you are not operating correctly? Do you feel like something is broken? Do you feel like something is not quite right?

When I had a problem with my phone, I jumped on Google to see if I could find a solution. I think I may have found it but I’m not sure.

What if I told you that I found a solution for how to fix what’s not right in your life? What if I told you that I found a solution to fix what’s not right in this world? What if I told you that I found out how you can thrive?

Today’s message is entitled, “How do you thrive?”

So, let’s learn how you thrive and let’s learn how I thrive. Before we do, let’s go to the Lord in prayer.

(prayer)

As we look at how you can thrive, we’re going to learn about four realities that you must realize in order to thrive.

First, you must . . .

I. Understand your purpose.

I’m going to get right to it: your purpose is to know God and enjoy Him. That’s why you were put on this earth.

God created you and has a purpose for your life.

God’s Word, the Bible, tells us in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.”

God not only created you, He created you in His image. You are special among all the rest of creation because God created you to be special.

When God began to give instructions for how the people of the earth should live their lives we learn that He gave this very important command, which Jesus would later say was the most important command. God said in Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

So, we are on this earth to love God with everything that we have. That is part of our purpose in life.

Not only are we to love God with everything but we are also to glorify Him with everything.

A man who was radically changed by Jesus, the apostle Paul, said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

To glorify God means to acknowledge and celebrate God for who He is and what He has done; it means we celebrate the Godness of God.

We were also created to delight in God.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”

So, not only are we to take joy in God but we are designed by God to be blessed when we take joy in Him.

So, here’s what we learn from the Bible. God created us to love Him, glorify Him, and delight in Him.

God’s design for you, or we might say your purpose, is to love God, glorify God, and delight in God; and when you fulfill this purpose in your life you will thrive!

So, first, we must understand God’s purpose.

Second, you must . . .

II. Understand your predicament.

We have a big problem. Here it is: when it comes to what we can do by our own ability, none of us are able to fulfill our purpose in life.

Why? Why have we not fulfilled our purpose? Why are we unable to fulfill our purpose? You see God has a design for us but we have all rejected God’s design.

Rather than love God with all that we have, we have loved other things.

We have loved ourselves, we have loved others more than God, we have loved things, we have loved evil, and we have loved many other things rather than love God and more than we love God.

Rather than glorify God in all that we have, we have glorified other things.

We have tried to glorify ourselves, we have glorified celebrities, we have glorified politicians, we have glorified athletes, we have glorified pastors, we have gloried many other people rather than glorify God and more than we have glorified God.

Rather than delight ourselves i

Have you noticed that sometimes when people are on their cellphones, they have no idea what is happening outside of them? They can miss what someone is saying to them, they can crash into someone who is walking near them, and they can even walk out into traffic. Sometimes people are not focused on what’s outside of them.

So also, sometimes churches are not thriving because they are not focused outwardly. They are so focused on budgets, music styles, scheduling ministry times, and having great fellowships that they have no idea how God can use them to change lives and change their community with the power of the Gospel.

We’re continuing our series called, “How Does the Church Thrive?” Today’s sermon is entitled, “The Church Thrives by Focusing on Others.”

Pray with me now as we seek to hear from God.

(prayer)

Thus far, we’ve spoken about focusing on God and focusing on unity.

Today, we’re going to talk specifically about reaching outwardly.

There are three actions we must take as we focus on others. Let’s see what we can do to be used by God to focus on others.

First, . . .

I. We must focus upward.

As we seek to be more focused on others, let us first look upward to God and His Word regarding how we are to reach out to focus on others.

Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20? Jesus said, “19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus didn’t say “Stay, therefore,” or “Sit, therefore.” Jesus said, “Go, therefore!”

Action is required when we focus on others. We are not to be passive; we must be intentional, purposeful, and active.

When we look upward to what Jesus would have us do in focusing on others, He says to go, make disciples, baptize, and teach others.

Also, when we look upward we see the command to love others, don’t we?

In Matthew 22:37-39 we read, “37 He said to him, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

A look at God’s ways for us will clearly reveal that when we look upward we see that we must focus on and love God, then we are to focus on and love others.

Of course, these elements are in our vision statement. We exist to develop disciples who love God, love the church, and love others.

Someone asked, “Is Pastor Matt going to show us how to do this?” Church, it’s not complicated. I’ve been trying to show all of us how to do this for five years now.

Here’s the formula: we are to look upward to God and His ways, love Him, become more like Jesus in our own lives, love others, and teach them to become more like Jesus as well.

That’s how we achieve our vision statement. That’s how we become a thriving church!

One of the final things Jesus said before He left the earth was found in Acts 1:8. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

When we look upward to God, what do we find? We find power! God’s Spirit comes upon us and we have power to be witnesses for Jesus!

We can be witnesses for Jesus all over the world! Not just in our area but to the ends of the earth!

So before we focus on others we must recognize the power that is inside us through God’s Holy Spirit.

When we focus upward we find the commission to go, when we focus upward we find the command to love, and when we focus upward we find the promise of power.

First, we must focus upward.

Second, . . .

II. We must filter inward.

In Jesus, we are new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away,

In 1858, then Senator Abraham Lincoln speaking of America said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Of course, Abraham Lincoln didn’t come up with that himself. He was quoting the Bible. Jesus said in Matthew 12:25, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.”

You see, church: in order for the church to thrive, we must be united. If we are not united, we cannot stand.

We’re continuing our series called, “How Does the Church Thrive?” Today’s sermon is, “The Church Thrives by Focusing on Unity.”

Churches lose their focus when they are not united. Churches lose their witness when they are not united. Churches lose their effectiveness when they are not united. Some churches will even shut their doors when they are not united.

So, we need to be afraid of losing our unity as a church. We need to consider disunity the enemy of the church.

So, let us embrace three characteristics that will help us be a united church.

Before we do, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.

(prayer)

Ok, let us consider these three characteristics that we can strive towards to develop unity.

First, . . .

I. We are united through holiness.

Holiness makes us more like God and being more like God makes us more united.

A lack of holiness hurts the unity of the church. Sin will lead to disunity. Evil will lead to disunity. Being less like God will make us less united.

When the people of God are holy, we will be united.

Listen to what Peter said about this in 1 Peter 2:9-11 – 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises, of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul.

Church, we are to be a holy people. We were once not God’s people but now we are God’s people. We belong to Him! So, we are to abstain from sinful desires and we are to pursue holiness.

Paul speaks to this as well in Titus 2:14. Paul says, “He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.”

Jesus gave His life for us to redeem (or buy us back) from lawlessness and sin. In doing so, He cleansed us and made us a people for Himself.

Did you catch that? We are not merely individuals, we are a people, united in holiness for Jesus!

Listen, Christian: you are to be holy because Jesus gave His life to clean you up and bring you into a united people who are collectively seeking to be like Him!

Did you know that one of the ways we are united is by calling each other to holiness? We do this when we help each other see when we are in sin, call each other to repentance, and turn from our sin and turn to Jesus.

Listen to what Paul says about this reality in Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.”

If we love each other, if we are a united people under Jesus, we are to gently call each other to turn from wrongdoing.

We don’t do this with an arrogant spirit or a “holier than thou” spirit. Rather, we do so with a gentle spirit.

Also, while we call others to repentance, we’re supposed to keep one eye on ourselves so that we don’t sin as well.

What a beautiful thing this is: individuals who compose the church of Jesus, the people of God, who are watching each other’s backs when it comes to turning away from sin and turning to holiness.

This pursuit of holiness is God’s design for the church and is God’s design for unity in the church.

F

I don’t know about you, church, but I don’t want to be complacent. I don’t want to merely survive. I want to thrive.

Back in April of 2021, I preached a sermon that challenged our church to thrive in 2021 and beyond. We were coming off our first year of COVID and folks seemed to be a little defeated. I prayed that God would light a fire in the church and I believe He has. Our numbers are up, our spirits are high, people are being saved, being baptized, and joining our church. We’re praying for our city, serving others, growing in our faith, and looking ahead to what God will do.

However, now is not the time to be complacent. Now is not the time to let our foot off the gas. Now is the time to continue to look to God as we seek to thrive as a church!

So, we are taking a small break from Romans to consider a three-week series called, “How Does the Church Thrive?”

In part one, we’re going to remind ourselves of this truth: “The church thrives by focusing on God.”

If you’ve ever gone out into the woods to look for animals, for whatever purposes (hunting, photography, or just for fun), you’ve probably learned that you need to focus. Oftentimes, you’re excited to be out there and you are extremely focused. However, after time you can get hungry, tired, cold, and bored. You might think, wow, I’d really like to have a cheeseburger right now. Or, wow I bet that bed would be nice right about now, Or, perhaps you just fall asleep. You see, it’s easy to lose focus.

In the same way, it’s easy for us to lose our focus on God. We must remember this: if we lose our focus, we cannot thrive.

So, let us look at three ways that we can thrive by focusing on God. Before we do, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to bless us.

(prayer)

So, here we go. Let’s uncover three ways we can thrive by focusing on God.

First, . . .

I. The church must believe in God.

Belief in God is the foundation of what it means to be a follower of God. That may be obvious to some. You may be thinking, “Well of course we must believe in God.”

However, we must not take this reality for granted.

As a church, we must begin our focus on God by believing that there is a God, He is sovereign over all things, and He is the reason that the church even exists.

We must be intentional to focus upon our belief in God.

Consider what the Jewish people would do to remember this reality.

They had a saying that they would repeat often that was based on

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

. They called this, The Shema.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

says, “4 Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.”

The Jewish people would take many different steps to constantly remind themselves that their faith was based on their belief in God.

Church, we must remember and believe in who God is and all that His Godness brings.

Our foundation as a church is built on our belief in God.

Listen to how the prophet Isaiah reminded us that God is who we need.

Isaiah said in

Isaiah 12:2

, “Indeed, God is my salvation; I will trust him and not be afraid, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.”

The church needs a lot of things but our utmost desire must be God. He is the strength and song of the church. He is the salvation of the church.

The facilities we desire are not what we need most; God is who we need most. The music or teaching style is not what we need most; God is who we need most. Fellowship meals, great programs, or powerful ministries are

I’m not sure that there is a more challenging section of Scripture in all of the Bible than Romans 9-11.

However, congratulations, church: you have made it through.

The deep theological truths contained in these chapters are magnificent, wondrous, glorious, and beautiful.

After Paul is done saying all that he wants to say in these chapters he concludes chapter 11 with a wonderful doxology in verses 33-36.

That doxology is what we will be discussing this morning.

A doxology is a hymn, song, poem, or praise that usually comes at the end of a great teaching or a biblical letter.

Well, Paul does just that with this doxology: he concludes the weight of chapters 9-11 with these exquisite words.

Before we go any further, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.

(prayer)

Romans 9-11, and really Romans 1-11 reminds us of how wonderful God is and how deep His ways are.

There are great moments in Scripture that remind us of the greatness of God.

Once someone experiences God, they are in awe of who He is and Paul is pointing us to that reality.

That Bible teaches this elsewhere also.

Consider Job 42:5-6“I had heard reports about you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I reject my words and am sorry for them; I am dust and ashes.”

Consider Psalm 8:9, “Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!”

Consider Isaiah 12:6, “Cry out and sing, citizen of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is among you in his greatness.”

Consider 1 Chronicles 16:25, “For the Lord is great and highly praised; he is feared above all gods.”

I could go on, but here’s the point: once we truly experience the greatness of God, we are moved to declare how awesome and wonderful He is and to give Him glory.

Further, it moves us to understand who we are in relationship to Him.

So, let us learn from this beautiful doxology about who God is and who we are in relationship to Him.

Let’s look at the passage now. Look at Romans 11:33-36:

33 Oh, the depth of the riches

and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments

and untraceable his ways!

34 For who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?

35 And who has ever given to God,

that he should be repaid?

36 For from him and through him

and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever. Amen.

In light of this passage, today’s sermon is entitled, “To Him Be the Glory Forever. Amen.”

Upon reflection of this passage, let us learn a few lessons.

First, . . .

I. We are not fit to know.

Paul says in verse 34, “For who has known the mind of the Lord?”

Listen, friend: you and I are not able to fully know the mind of God.

There are a lot of things we do not know about God. However, we don’t know everything about God. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that we don’t even know how much we don’t know.

We know that God is loving, we know that God is just, we know that God is full of mercy, we know that God is Creator, and so much more.

However, we don’t know exactly how election works. We don’t know how the end times will unfold. We don’t know all the miracles and mysteries of the Trinity. We don’t know why the righteous fall at times and the wicked prosper. We don’t know why God allows loved ones to pass away in certain ways or at certain times.

Here’s the reality: we are not fit to know.

We are unable to know. We are humans, we are not God.

We are the creation and He is the Creator.

We are not fit to know.

Second, . . .

II. We are not fit to discover.

Not only are we unable to know, we are not even in a position to discover the deep riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.

Paul says in verse 33, “How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!”

I don’t know a lot about a lot of things. However, I feel like I can learn a lot about a lot of things. I like to have a go-get-em spirit where I can dis