Grace Kona - Sunday messages

There is nothing better than knowing Jesus (3:1-11). Since there is nothing better than knowing Jesus, we pursue growing in our relationship with Him above everything else (3:12-16).

Advancing the gospel, through our unity, fueled by our humility, is what we are about. Paul now tells us to, “Go do it!” We make every effort to live out our faith knowing that it is God who is empowering us.

from the cradle to the cross

As partners who are advancing the gospel, we are called to walk/live “worthy” of this gospel. Specifically, a worthy walk is marked by unity with one another and by steadfastness against opponents of the faith. And our unity is fueled by our genuine humility.

Paul begins this personal letter by sharing his deep affection for this church family in Philippi. His joyful affection for them is rooted in their commitment to partnering with them (Paul and his companions) in the gospel. Then Paul describes the essence of what he prays for them, an extraordinary model of how we ought to pray.

Introducing Philippians: The people Paul meets, how the gospel is shown or spoken to them, how the first church in Europe is started… In order to understand this letter, you have to understand its beginnings.

Authentic Christian love is absolutely stunning. Paul writes in order to make it less rare. He wants us to understand that those of us loved by God, who have Jesus' love flowing through us, happily and radically love others.

Paul insists we welcome, even warmly embrace, brothers and sisters whose expressions of faith might be radically different from our own.

Romans 9-11 -- The present lack of Jewish response to the gospel seems to argue against both the power of the gospel and the faithfulness of God to His people, but only part of ethnic Israel has always believed and God will one day deal again with all of ethnic Israel to demonstrate His faithfulness to her in spite of her unbelief.

Romans 9-11 -- The present lack of Jewish response to the gospel seems to argue against both the power of the gospel and the faithfulness of God to His people, but only part of ethnic Israel has always believed and God will one day deal again with all of ethnic Israel to demonstrate His faithfulness to her in spite of her unbelief.

Romans 9-11 -- The present lack of Jewish response to the gospel seems to argue against both the power of the gospel and the faithfulness of God to His people, but only part of ethnic Israel has always believed and God will one day deal again with all of ethnic Israel to demonstrate His faithfulness to her in spite of her unbelief.

The Mosaic Law is not God's present provision for victory over sin (Romans 7). Rather, the means of our victory over sin is the provision of the Holy Spirit through Messiah Jesus.

In chapter 7, Paul turns his attention to Messianic Jews in Rome who are still clinging to their identity in Moses and advocating the Mosaic Law. Paul wants to persuade these Jewish Christians to not foist the Mosaic Law upon the Gentile Christians as a means of constraining their behavior. The Law is both inappropriate and inadequate for such constraint.

Paul wants it to be unmistakably understood: Just because we are justified by grace doesn't mean our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors don't matter. He writes in order to continue to clarify our understanding of who we are through faith in Jesus. He writes to empower us in our battle with sin.

In chapters 1-5, Paul fully describes how we are justified (declared right with God) by faith in Christ Jesus alone, not by our works of obedience. In chapter 6, he moves on to address four questions that reasonably flow from what he has already affirmed.

The death, resurrection, and reign of Christ Jesus means that, however difficult this life may become for God's people, we will always be the objects of His loving care.

In this potentially confusing text, Paul sets Adam alongside Jesus. By contrasting and comparing the two, Paul tunnels into the depths of our sin in order to continue to enhance our experience of the infinite beauty, power, and glory of Christ.

In his ongoing effort to deepen our faith and increase our joy, Paul continues to unpack the depth and significance of what it means that we are “justified through faith in Jesus.”

In today's text, Paul continues to explain why our embracing faith alone is absolutely essential to our experiencing God's grace in salvation.

After making it unmistakably clear how the unrighteous are declared righteous, through faith alone in Jesus, Paul moves on to describe 3 implications this life-transforming faith has on those of us who treasure Jesus.

After Paul has indisputably established our desperate, helpless, guilty, unrighteous standing before God, in one sentence he catapults us into God's righteousness through faith in Jesus. God's justice and His love collide in the cross of Jesus. God's just demand that sin be punished runs straight into His love for us. The inevitable result of this collision is the death of Jesus, His only Son.

Paul continues to build his case that everyone stands guilty before the righteous God. In today's text, Paul anticipates 4 potential objections to the notion he is promoting that God is fair in judging everyone, even the Jews. Paul then summarizes the big idea of this larger section (1:18-3:20): Everyone is under sin and therefore guilty before God (3:9).

Paul has described to us the source of SIN. SIN = trading that which has infinite value (God) for something of infinitely less value. In other words, SIN is not acknowledging God for who He really is. In today's text, Paul wants us to see that there are numerous ways that an incorrect view of God (SIN) gets expressed.

Paul is writing to help those of us who love Jesus embrace Him more firmly. In order to help us strengthen our grip, he begins his explanation of salvation by thoroughly describing why we need to wholeheartedly cling to Jesus. In today's text, he wants us to recognize everyone is in big trouble. Everyone is without excuse.

Paul is eager to meet and partner with the Christians in the massive, cosmopolitan city of Rome. His eagerness lies in the power of the gospel to save all peoples who believe and in its present revelation of God's righteousness.

In these first verses of Romans, Paul establishes his credibility with people he has not yet visited. Instead of listing his credentials, he points to the source of any authority he has... God.

Romans: How the Righteous God declares unrighteous people righteous without compromising His own Righteousness.

A documentation of Paul's ongoing, eager desire to visit the Thessalonians

A defense of Paul's ministry among the Thessalonians

Luke records the mixed reaction to the good news of Jesus being shared and spread in Macedonia.