Fox Valley Church

Passage: 1 Peter 1:22-25 

Theme: God’s Spirit enables us to obey; love supernaturally, and overcome the world.  But how does this happen?  We see change take place when we practice repentance and live by faith.  What keeps us from change?  A failure to keep a posture of humility (repentance) and an unwillingness to trust God (to lean into God). 

Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

Theme: Change feels impossible and sometimes we wonder whether deep, resilient change can really happen.   The gospel promises the power of God to change us from the inside out.  This process is often painful and always gradual, but significantly purposeful.

Passage: Romans 11:25-32 

Theme:  With God’s plans, purposes and promises there is mystery.  It is this mystery that moves against any possible snobbery (25).  The mystery is openly revealed—Jews and Gentiles are co-heirs, equal beneficiaries of the promises of God.  God’s plan brings hope to all the world and healing to those who believe.  Tucked in these verses is the phrase “all Israel will be saved.”  With clarity and precision "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.” (26)  Only messiah Jesus could do this!  And so with this the promises and calling of God are sure. God is worthy of all praise for His electing love and great mercy. 

Passage: Romans 11:11-16 

Theme:  The gospel is now unshackled and spreads “riches” throughout the world as Israel stumbled and fell.  The Gospel brings hope, freedom and deliverance and will one day again bring “greater riches” to Israel. With a Gospel turn towards the entire world, maybe Israel would become envious and turn back to God’s plan of the Messiah. 

Passage: Romans 11:1-10

Theme:  Rejection is a terrible thing.  God has not rejected His people and there is evidence for this statement.  However, the issue is God’s electing, redeeming love received as justification came by faith.  God did harden His people, but it is not permanent and it is not hopeless.

Passage: Romans 10:14-21 

Theme:  Telling and showing the story of Jesus is essential. Through a string of questions that begin with tellers being sent and ending with people far from God getting delivered, but what about Israel?  Have they heard?  Yes, read Moses, read the psalms.  Stripping all excuses, a stubborn rebellion persisted.  We should all heed the warning.

Passage: Romans 10:1-13 

Theme:  If chapter 9 focused on God’s plans and purposes, we now see the human condition and factors.  The gospel becomes front and central—Christ is the telos (goal, end, or termination, etc.) of the OT.  Jesus is our Righteousness!  Even while others look for alternative ways to be or find Righteousness such as good works, all will fail.  "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Passage: Romans 9:14-33

Theme:  With anguish and sorrow over people far from God and due to His electing, sovereign ways it forces three questions: is God unjust? And Is God fair?  What can be said?  To choose some for  salvation and overlook others by looks like a failure of justice.  Not when we look through the lens of earlier chapters when all are sinful and all guilty in God’s view (3:9, 19).  The stunning truth and absolute wonder is not that some are saved and others not, but that any are saved at all!  Our rebellion is deep and wide.  So God’s mercy comes to the rescue!  “If someone is lost, the blame is theirs, but if anybody is saved, the credit is God’s.”  And there is the mystery!  But is this fair?  The reply drives deep into the character of God—God has a right because He is God and we are not; we must allow God to be God; and God revealed it beforehand.  God’s plan was always a righteousness by faith as we see in the gospel.

Passage: Romans 9:1-13 

Theme:  The church at Rome was filled with Gentile and Jewish believers.  With the gospel being a central part of the letter, it surfaced many questions, not least, What about the Jews? (or anyone else far from God for that matter!) There is also no denying that this section of Romans (9-11) stirs our emotions and churns the questions.  The controversy was intense and Paul was at the center.  In three short chapters we see again the unique role of Israel in God’s big story and the problem of unbelief.  This unbelief causes great anguish and sorrow for Paul as a fellow Jew (as it should for all of us when loved ones fail to believe).  So many have rejected the messiah of the OT.  So it raises a question, “Has God’s Word failed?” God promised to bless them (us), but what happens when blessings don’t flow?  Is God a Liar?  A Deceiver?  A Manipulator?  No, God is an electing, sovereign Ruler who fulfills all of His promises! 

Theme:  For Labor Day the psalmist lays out a contrast between blessing and vanity.  This wisdom psalm brings a response among the wise to be God-centered and puts everything else in perspective, including work.  As we understand a life yielded to God, we see the blessings of the Lord on the family.