Podcasts about god romans

Jesus didn't fix your record He changed your story

This week at New Hope we’re taking a break from E2E, as Pastor Mark preaches a stand alone message on Romans 9:19-24.

Who I Am in Christ - Part 5 - Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Romans 6)  Pastor Ron Laney, Pleasant Grove Church, Carthage, MS.  www.PleasantGrove.info  

God Empowers the Weak (6) (audio) David Eells, 9/23/26  Saints, we are weak as we walk by faith in God's promises. Then His power is ours.  We know that spiritual Jews in this New Covenant are the ones who walk in the faith of Abraham. You can't recognize the Jew according to the flesh anymore; it's whether they are a believer or not. It's according to your faith or your unbelief as to whether you're grafted in or broken off according to Romans 11. If you have faith, you're a child and have a right to the children's bread. The world has no right to the children's bread because they are not in Covenant with God. Our part of the Covenant is faith. God's part is supply. We enter into it by faith and God enters into it with supply. I'll show you a few more verses so we can see if this is the Covenant people or the world who's getting healed or delivered here. Now remember what Jesus believed. He showed you His doctrine: that He didn't come to the lost people; He came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). Why did He call them the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”? He called them that because, like sheep, Israel had gone astray. He wasn't talking about the world there. And just like sheep, Israel in this day has gone astray, too. The Lord told me one time, “I sent you to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He wasn't talking about physical Israel; He was talking about spiritual Israel, the lost sheep, because they are lambs who have lost their way. The Way is the Word. In fact, in the Book of Acts, they called it the Way (Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22). It is a Way. We're supposed to be walking on the Way of Jesus' steps. 1Jn 2:6  he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.  (Mat.8:16) And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with a word (Matthew is talking about the children here), and healed all that were sick: (Mat.8:17) that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases. He didn't say, “the world's infirmities”; he said, “our infirmities, and bare our diseases.” Who has the right to deliverance from demons and who has a right to healing? The believers do. They do not. In fact, you don't have a right to give it to them, except by the permission of God. Jesus granted the desire of the Syrophoenician woman because of her profession of faith. Once, I asked God and received permission in a vision to cast a demon out of a lost person.  God does give permission, but He doesn't have to. Here's the difference: God has to give deliverance to somebody who's in Covenant because the Bible says it, and He'd be a liar if He didn't. He has to give all the promises of God. The Bible says all the promises of God are “Yes.” (2Co.1:20) For how many soever be the promises of God, in him is the yea: wherefore also through him is the Amen, unto the glory of God through us. Some say, “sometimes God says, No,” but if it's concerning a promise to a believer, He says “Yes.” There is no promise in the Bible for deliverance for the world from a demon, even though we can ask God and He might give permission. But we who are in Covenant with God have a guaranteed right to deliverance. The Bible says by His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). It's not even a matter of convincing God; it's an accomplished fact on the cross. It's not as though God is going to change His mind. It's already an accomplished fact on the cross that we were delivered. So, who's He casting these demons out of here, that He says is a fulfillment through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 53:4)? If it's a fulfillment of Him taking away our infirmities, then He's talking about deliverance of Covenant people.  Let me give you another verse. When Jesus sent out His disciples, He limited them specifically as to where they were to go. Evangelization is to the world, but we're not talking about evangelization here; we're talking about dealing with “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Mat.10:5) These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, Go not into [any] way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans. That's those who are not Jews by blood. Or a Samaritan also can be a pagan who's acting like a Christian because of how Samaria was populated. It was populated when God took away the Samaritans by captivity as the northern 10 tribes. He took them away and repopulated their area with pagans (2 Kings 17:24). And when the pagans in Samaria started dying because of the curses of the land (2 Kings 17:25), the prophet said, “Well, it's because they don't know the God of the land.” So then they brought Israelites in there to train these pagans about the God of the land (2 Kings 17:27). That means, amongst the people of God, there are some pagans. They've been trained in Christianity; they know all the lingo, but they're still pagans, not Covenant people. I'm not saying God can't heal them; I'm just saying they're not in Covenant. What would give them covenant rights? FAITH! We need to have discernment and pay attention to what Jesus said. I've had the Lord tell me, “Don't lay hands on that person for healing.” I've had Him tell me, and I thought they were Christians, but God just said, “Don't do it.” I don't know whether it was because they were in willful disobedience and they couldn't be healed because they were in rebellion against God, or whether they weren't in Covenant with God. I don't know; I don't have all the answers. I just know that God has told me not to do that before. But God has healed nonbelievers, and He does it for evangelistic reasons. What I'm saying is there's a difference; the difference is you have no promise, and there's no guarantee. For that, you have to be led of the Spirit. But as a Christian walking by faith in God, repented of your sins and so on and so forth, you're guaranteed to be healed if you will stay in Covenant by faith. Every one of us has to stay in Covenant by our faith. That's what keeps us in Covenant with God. If you don't have faith, you can't have that part of the Covenant. It doesn't matter that you're saved in another part. If you have sozo over here, it doesn't mean you have sozo over there. The Covenant is very big, and the sozo is very big, but you might be able to enter into only parts of it because of your faith. We enter into as much as we can receive through our faith.  (Mat.10:5) These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, Go not into [any] way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans: (6) but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (7) And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (8) Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give. He was saying, cast the demons out, but only cast the demons out of Israel. We don't have to think too much about casting demons out. We have another good example from the apostle Paul. (1Co.5:1) It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that one [of you] hath his father's wife. (3) For I verily, being absent in body but present in spirit, have already as though I were present judged him that hath so wrought this thing, (4) in the name of our Lord Jesus, ye being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, (5) to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Paul turned this man over to the devil for the destruction of his flesh. He used the devil to chasten this guy to bring him to repentance. You would probably waste a lot of breath trying to deliver that guy.  However, let me say that I've also seen that you can cast that demon out and he'll go right back in there. God might honor your faith; the demon may come right out, but he goes around the corner and he's right back in there. (Heb.10:26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a certain fearful expectation of judgment…. A person who's under a judgment, you can't deliver them. Or, if you do, it won't last. Sometimes God wants to teach you something, so He will permit it to happen, but it won't last. The judgment will be right back. For example, you can pray for somebody and God may heal them. But what they have sown, they are reaping (Galatians 6:7). They have walked in sin and brought a curse upon themselves and you may pray for them, and they may be healed, but it doesn't last. Why? Well, two possible reasons are willful rebellion against God (Hebrews 10:26) or unbelief (Hebrews 3:12). They've never learned to walk by faith for themselves. There are a lot of reasons why people don't keep what God gives them. Let me share an experience I had. In a Pentecostal church, I was filled with the Holy Spirit. My doctrine was wrong, but I was filled with the Holy Spirit; I spoke in tongues, and the gifts were being manifested, but I was caught up in a doctrine of demons, and I converted some people to my doctrine. And one day I ran into a man, Brother Bolivar. We were arguing doctrine back and forth and I was sitting across from him and trying to attack what he was saying. I was involved in “Jesus only,” and that was the Oneness doctrine. We were throwing these verses back and forth, and the Lord just really tricked me. Up to that point, I had been converting people to my doctrine very easily, but this guy was better than I was, and he knew more verses than I did. Every time I threw one argument out there, he had an answer for it. Not only that, but he had an answer for my verse because he had already been in that error. This was the secret. He had an answer for my verse. People are used to fighting like, “I take this group of verses and you take this group,” but brother Bolivar not only had his verses; he was explaining mine.  So the Lord tricked me. The thought came to me, “Well, I'm going to have to set down my doctrine just for a minute. I'm going to have to get around there and look through his eyes and try to see what he sees. If I can do that, I can attack this thing.” This is the thought that came into my mind so clearly. And when I decided, that I was going to do that, a demon went right out of the top of my head. I felt the presence go right out through the top of my head, and I had an instantaneous revelation. And the instantaneous revelation was that Jesus is the Son of God. Not only that, I lost something else when that demon left. I don't know its name; all I know was it was a demon. I  felt its presence go up out of me. Then I also lost a sectarian spirit because we were the most sectarian bunch you'd ever want to run across. It was like, “We're saved, and none of the rest of you are saved. You are all lost. Anyway, that was my experience. My experience since then has been casting some demons out of the flesh of Spirit-filled people.  Let me tell you about Tubby. He was a Spirit-filled brother, and I cast four or five demons out of him. They had even spoken to him before they were cast out. They spoke to him, physically spoke, and physically threw him on the bed; they told him they were going to kill him, and then they turned the stereo on and opened his windows and his doors; physical manifestations were happening in his house from those demons that were in him. Well, Brother Tubby had just gotten saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. He came to my house and told me the story of what was happening. It was awful. And so anyway, to make a long story short, I cast the demons out of him and he was set free. I'll give you another example about this guy named Jim. He'd come to a mission near us. He had gotten saved; in fact, he was so saved that he came in there stoned drunk and became sober immediately when he got saved and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Now one of the deacons of that church was telling me about Jim getting filled with demons, but the deacon himself wasn't filled with the Holy Spirit. So I told him, “If I were you, I'd mind my business until I got filled with the Holy Spirit because you don't want to mess with demons until you get filled with the Holy Spirit.” He didn't pay any attention to me. He went on over there, and he ended up in the hospital because the demons manifested in the guy. They ran that deacon right through one of those thick plate-glass doors. He went through it. He was lying out in the street all cut up, screaming for somebody to get the demons off of him. And a baby Christian walked by and said, “Loose him in the name of Jesus!” And that's how he got free. He cried out to that Christian, “Get these demons off of me!” I personally knew Jim. He was miraculously saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, and this is what happened to the deacon after I told him not to go over there, but he did.  Then the preacher went over there, and with what I found out was his girlfriend- but she was supposed to be his secretary. She went over there with him, and these demons were manifesting in Jim. Did you know demons can actually change your physical appearance? Some of those demons have the ability to make you like a werewolf. Werewolves are not fantasy. And not only that, there are many other manifestations. Some levels of demons have the ability to physically change their appearance.  First, let me tell you what happened to this preacher. This preacher and his girlfriend went in there planning to command the demons to come out, but the demons in Jim ran them out of the building. People shouldn't be in sin if they cast out demons. If the door had still been there, he probably would have run them through the door, but the door was in pieces. He ran them out into the street. So they called me and asked me to come there. I think I was probably the only one there who had any experience in casting out demons. So when I went over there and I walked into the room. The preacher and his secretary were standing at the door, peeking around the corner; they wouldn't even come into the room. When I walked into the room, this guy jumped up, and it was just like he was a big old bear. His eyes were wild, and his features were all contorted. And he came at me. But I just felt the calmness of Jesus was in my heart, and I said, “Sit, in the name of Jesus!” He obeyed me immediately; he sat down just like a whipped little puppy; he just sat there. He was growling at me, making all kinds of noises. As the Lord was giving me word of knowledge concerning the demons, I started calling them out, and then they started giving me their names. They spoke out of him. They asked permission to enter into the secretary, and I told them, “No, you can't,” but then I became suspicious.  When they wanted to enter the secretary and wanted my permission, I figured there was something wrong with her. They were also glorifying the preacher, and I knew something was wrong with him because demons don't like to do that. They just thought he was so great and so wonderful. I later came to find out those two were in fornication. I didn't know it at the time, but I was suspicious that something was wrong. Anyway, I commanded the demons to come out. I think 10 of them came out. One of them asked if he could go into a dog, but I couldn't see a dog in the room. I didn't find out until I left the room that there was a dog on the other side of the wall in the next room. Some lady was visiting her husband in the mission, and she had a little dog there. They all asked to enter into the dog. I said, “No, you enter into the nearest cockroach you can find.” That's what I told them. I don't know whether that's Scriptural or not; I just felt like saying it. There may be a crazy cockroach somewhere. But anyway, they came out giving their names. So because God spoke and told me, “They came in through the TV set,” I asked, “Jim, what were you watching on this TV set?” And he showed me. It was a skin flick he was watching on the TV, and those demons came into this Spirit-filled baby Christian. They came into him because he opened himself up by watching pornographic movies, and I'll tell you, it's a dangerous thing to do. Anyway, I can't explain everything that happened there, but the Lord told me there were two demons left and to leave them. So I left them. The next day we had a church service in that mission, and Jim was there, and he came down for prayer. And the Lord taught me something there because the preacher was one of those who thought if he couldn't knock you out on the floor, there was something wrong with you. So he laid hands on Jim to “slay him in the spirit. I don't know what good that would have done him because he really needed deliverance. I didn't know why God told me to leave the last two demons in there until the next day at this meeting when the Lord showed me something. When the preacher laid hands on Jim and Jim's eyes rolled back in his head, and he started to fall out on the floor, well, the Holy Spirit just took control over me. I reached out my hand, stuck it behind his back, stood him back up and started commanding the demons to come out. I didn't even think about what I was doing, and there was no reasoning in me whatsoever; I just did it. After it was all over, I thought about it, and I said to God, “You don't want everybody so-called ‘slain in the spirit,' do You?” Sometimes it's a hindrance, isn't it? You know, sometimes the devil would rather have you slain in the spirit than the demons be cast out. Don't believe “slain in the spirit” is always God, because it's not. I don't care what they say; it's not always God. He showed me right there because it was not my thinking or my ingenuity that did that. God stood him back up and I commanded the demons to come out of him and they did. We have examples in the Scriptures of unbelievers being slain in the spirit, don't we? Preachers want to call it “slain in the spirit”; I don't know about the terminology. But they came up to Jesus, and they all fell backwards in the garden (John 18:6). This showed that Jesus didn't have to go with them. We have quite a few examples of that happening to pagans, but it's not always God. What's Scriptural about knocking christians on the floor? Find it in the Bible. If you can't find it in the Bible, suspect it. Something's wrong because, while it might be a good tingly experience, what is the good in it? We need to see if we can find it one time in the Bible.  If so, that's fine; that means God will do it, but first look at the emphasis in Scripture. If a preacher is having whole services where they're knocking people on the floor, suspect something's wrong. That was not the emphasis of the early church. Our emphasis ought to be like theirs; when they came together, the most important thing was for people to receive the Word of God, not all the manifestations to show how powerful the preacher is. And if the manifestations don't look like the manifestations in the Scripture, then suspect something's wrong. The devil is a deceiver, and he's out to delude people into just tingly experiences. These are just flesh-tingling experiences. Most of the time in the Scriptures, it wasn't somebody who went out and said, “Come out in the name of Jesus,” that caused a person to get deliverance. You know what causes you to get deliverance most often? Repentance. In every situation you get into, you're faced with the truth and your flesh. If you follow your flesh, you permit the devil to live in you. If you follow the Spirit, you put him to death. Some demons are doctrinal demons, like the one I had. You know how that doctrinal demon came out? The truth drove it out. Some demons are physical; their manifestation is in sickness or something like that, and they come out through the laying on of hands or through commanding them to come out. However, some of them are spirits of the lusts of the flesh, and when we look at the Scriptures, we see that most often these were not the kind that came out by a “Come out in the name of Jesus.” You know how they are overcome? It's when you get into a situation, and you're offered the chance, for example, to become angry or bitter, but you say, “No, I don't choose that; I don't accept that.” You refuse to feed your flesh. The Lord says there's a spiritual fast, and that's when your flesh is stopped from doing what it wants. The Bible talks about that in Isaiah 58. If you don't feed the flesh, God has promised you deliverance (Isaiah 58:8-12,14). He puts obstacles in our way to give us opportunities to overcome our flesh. If we don't feed that flesh, it's going to die. You know what the power of the devil is in Christians? It's their flesh. He has a right to stay there as long as they want to live and to serve that flesh. I'm not talking about the body. I'm talking about the nature of the flesh. So, Christians give demons a right. But with true repentance, the devil loses the right to be there. Now you may really want to save someone and deliver them, but God wants you to rest and cease from your works. You see, once we pray and we believe that God hears our prayers concerning our family or others, we have to cease from our works. If we believe He's heard our prayer, we have to stop. That's where the weakness is. It's just as much a part of a miracle as the power; the weakness is. But our weakness is that we need to stop. If we believe God heard, we have to stop trying; we continue to confess the promises; we have to accept that it's accomplished.  (Luk.13:11) And behold, a woman that had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up. (16) And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, [these] eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath? Oh, by the way, it's on the day of the Sabbath, the day of ceasing from our works. So here was a daughter of Abraham who had demons and, according to the Covenant, deliverance was her birthright. It's still a birthright, by the way, but it's not according to nationality. You have to be born again. You have to be born into this right. I want to give you one more verse. (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit … “Of all defilement of flesh and spirit.” We can be defiled by flesh and spirit. Yes, and we have the promises to use to take care of that. If we believe the promises, we can have that. We have a right to God's deliverance that the world does not have. You can do a very dangerous thing by giving God's deliverance to the world.  While my mother was in my house, she stayed delivered in my house. When she decided to leave, though, the demons came back. Why did they come back? Because she, according to the Covenant, had no right to have the deliverance. The curse has a purpose. The purpose of the curse is to make you so stinking miserable that you'll turn to God. There's a good purpose in having a bad curse. You can say, “Well, hitting somebody with a stick is wrong,” unless you consider it a chastening. And the curse is the stick. It's wrong if you look at it from a carnal viewpoint and say, “Oh, it's so wrong! God can't be doing that!” They should read Deuteronomy 28. God sent the curse. (Exo.4:11) And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh [a man] dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I, the Lord? You say, “Well, the devil does it.” Yes, I agree. He's a bad devil and he hates you very much, but the curse has a purpose, and the purpose is to drive you to God. How many of you came to God because of a curse? Stop and think about it. You got so miserable that you decided you needed a Savior and He was waiting. Let me share about this sister who was asking for deliverance. First, we prayed and asked God to give us a discerning spirit. Sometimes it's very useful. It was revealed that she had a lot of anger and self-will outbursts. Then the Lord gave me a dream about going into her backyard. I don't remember all the details, but there were some beasts in her backyard. One of those beasts came up to me with a three-fingered pitchfork in his hand. He was striped, kind of like a zebra, black and white, but he was a lion. I looked up, and he had a head that looked like one of the Roman gods, so I researched it. And the one with the three-fingered pitchfork was Neptune, the god of the sea. So I thought about it and asked, “Lord, what are You trying to tell me with this god of the sea?” Well, this was the leader, the ruler hidden behind her house or body. And there was something else. Spiritually, in the Scriptures, not only does the sea represent the wicked people, like in Revelation, but the sea represents the curse. (Deu.30:1) And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind…. The Word was called the water in (Ephesians 5:26). The Word saved Noah, but it cursed all of the wicked. So this was the god over the sea, over those who are under the curse. Well, that's what I thought about when I was thinking about this dream; Neptune represents the god of the flesh. He's the god of that which is under the curse. He's the god over the curse. Well, let me tell you what happened in the dream; I snatched this pitchfork out of his hand and stuck him in his leg and he died. The leg represents the walk. You know, we have to make decisions every day. If you decide the easy way, which is the flesh way, then you say, “Okay, devil, you can rule over this flesh.” That's what you're really saying. We can see this across the country, too – people who are so-called Christians rising up against the government and actually being used by the enemy who is going to invade this country. But God said, My power is made perfect in weakness in (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. The power of God comes to those who will enter into weakness. The promises, or let's say the commands, and many of the principles, but also the commands of Christ, are to put us into a position of weakness. If you obey the commands of Christ, you will be weak, and you'll cease from your works. You will not be able to handle the situation yourself. You will have to trust in God to do it, if you obey His commands. (2Co.13:4) For he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him through the power of God toward you. Weakness brings the power of God. Weakness brings crucifixion in the flesh, but it also brings the power of God to bring resurrection. Resurrection life is what we've all wanted from God, but many times we won't pay the price for it. We ask God for the fruit of Jesus to live in us, but before you can have the fruit, you have to give up the lust. The two wage war against one another; they seek to occupy the same territory in your life, but they can't exist together. The lust must be crucified for the new man to live in you and for the fruit to be borne. Anger and forgiveness can't be in the same place. You can do one, or the other, but you won't be able to do both. Christ was crucified through weakness. He obeyed God's word to Him. And it appears to be a command to Him, and He passed on that command to us. To me, it's the most important command in all of the Scriptures for those who want to bring forth fruit. (Isa.50:5) The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward. (6) I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. (7) For the Lord God will help me; therefore have I not been confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. You'll recognize this as a prophecy about Jesus. But His ears were open to the Lord's command, and His command to Jesus was for Him to give His back to the smiters and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. That command has been passed on to us. It wasn't a request; it was a command. (Mat.5:38) Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: (39) but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (40) And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. (41) And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. (42) Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. This is an important command of Jesus because it crucifies our human nature. The overwhelming majority of the lusts of the flesh rise up against a person who wants to obey these Scriptures. You can imagine in your mind turning the other cheek, either in word or in deed or in some kind of action. You know what kind of lusts rise up inside of you when you try to obey the Word. There's a war that goes on inside you when you do this. Jesus fought that war. (Gal.5:19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these:] fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) idolatry, sorcery (from here on you can identify these as having to do with this command), enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, (21) envyings (maybe some of these don't apply so much), drunkenness, revelings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. These things must be put to death.  The Lord has given us a method to put these works of the flesh to death. He spoke to me one time, and He said, “You don't get resurrection life before you get death.” That was at a time I was trying to bring some people into resurrection life, and they weren't entering into the death part. If you want fruit, these lusts have to die. They have to die on this side of Heaven. That's the purpose of God. God's grace delivers from sin; it doesn't just cover sin. Yes, it's wonderful that it covers sin, but that's just for the meantime so that you can have fellowship with God until it manifests its full deliverance. And that is deliverance. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and that's what we're talking about here. Most of these lusts are affected by just one command of Jesus and they're put to death by obedience to just one command of Jesus, and that is, “Resist not him that is evil.” It's one of the most important and most neglected doctrines in all of the Scriptures. Let's read on. (Gal.5:22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. (24) And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. The Lord said that we had to take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). We just read that “he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth through the power of God” (2Co.13:4). If we're going to enter into the resurrection life of Jesus in the earth, we have to enter into this death. We have to take up our cross. I don't think many people realize that Jesus always bore a cross; it wasn't just at the end of His life. He bore a cross His whole life by denial of self. He “hath been in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin” (Heb.4:15). And “each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed” (Jas.1:14). Jesus was “of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Rom.1:3). I know a lot of people don't believe that, but I'm just quoting what the Bible says. According to the Spirit, He was the Son of God (Romans 1:4), but according to the flesh, He was of the seed of David, “the Son of man”. You know what? He was tempted. That flesh Jesus had was real flesh. He was a great God because He came down in the likeness of sinful flesh and overcame sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3). But He bore a cross all of His life and that cross was to deny self, to deny the old man to live through Him. He wouldn't permit the lusts of the flesh to speak or to live through Him. And we have to take up our cross and follow Him or we cannot be His disciple. Taking up our cross is to walk as He walked. We probably won't be called upon to bear the physical cross of Jesus, but we're definitely called upon to bear this spiritual cross that He always bore as to the denying of self. The commands of Jesus put you in a position of weakness. If you obey them, your flesh is going to squirm and it's going to writhe and try to rise up on the inside of you. It's going to tell you, “No, don't believe that doctrine,” but it's just too prevalent, too com­mon in the Scriptures to deny it. Jesus said, “resist not him that is evil” (Mat.5:39). I tell you, your flesh rises up on the inside of you, and it says, “No, no, no! Hit back, talk back, do something, get even!” That flesh just doesn't want to die. It's a crucifixion. You can always tell when the flesh is in trouble because it squeals like a stuck pig. If you don't ever go against it, you don't ever hear it squeal, but I can tell you that the commands of Jesus are going to put you at variance with the flesh. They'll cause the flesh to be seen by you very plainly. Before you read the Scriptures, it's easy to think you're doing pretty well, that everything's alright. When you read the Scriptures and you see commands like this, and if you start to obey them, you'll find out what's way down inside of you when it shows its ugly head. When you go against it, that's where the power of God takes over. Do you still love me?

Kindness of God | Romans 2: 4 by The Journey Southern Illinois

We all have people in our lives that we want to believe and follow Jesus. But when someone continues to reject God, it can be easy to assume their unbelief is the end of the story. In Romans 11, Paul reminds us that God does not give up on his people. Through Paul's own story, Israel's unbelief, and the picture of branches being grafted back into an olive tree, we see that God has the power to save all types of sinners and to graft people in again. In this message, Pastor Kyle shows us why we should be humble, hopeful, and hold on, trusting God even when we can't see everything he is doing. In this message, you'll learn: - Why you shouldn't write off someone God may still be working in - How Paul's story shows that God can save all types of sinners - Why you're never as alone as you think you are - How God can use rejection as redirection - What it looks like to live a life that makes others want what you have in Christ - Why Christians should respond to unbelief with humility, hope, and perseverance - What it means that God has the power to “graft them in again”

These verses combine two of the most misunderstood subjects in Christianity: The Holy Spirit and the will of God. The Holy Spirit is perhaps the most elusive member of the Trinity. And, if you ask Christians, “What is the will of God?” you will get many different answers. Romans 8:26-27 reminds us that God has not left us alone in our weakness and ignorance; rather, He sent His Holy Spirit to us who intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Take-Home Message: The Holy Spirit helps me according to the will of God.The Spirit helps us in our weakness. (26)The Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. (27)What is the will of God?My salvation My sanctificationMy sobriety and Spirit-filledness My discernmentMy sufferingMy submission to authorityMy thankfulness

Main Idea: Continue in the Severity of GodText: Romans 11:22–24Outline: 1. Kindness and severity of God2. Grafting Faith3. Regrafting

Come join us in worshiping the only true and living God, Father, Son, and Spirit! With singing and the reading of his word. Text today covers Romans 8:18-25

(Sermon) Matthew: The Transfiguration, Rev. Henry Kelly, Bible Education Institute Matthew 17:1-27The Transfiguration: Matthew chapter 17 verses 1-13Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy: Matthew chapter 17 verses 14-21Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time: Matthew chapter 17 verses 22-23The Temple Tax: Matthew chapter 17 verses 24-27×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××*ABC's of Salvation / Roman Road *The Three Steps• Admit: Agree with God that you have done wrong and fallen short of His standard. The Bible states that everyone makes mistakes, which separates us from God (Romans 3:23). [1, 2, 3]• Believe: Trust that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross to pay the penalty for your wrongs, and that He rose again (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). [1, 2]• Confess / Choose: Declare with your mouth and heart that Jesus is Lord, turning your life over to follow Him (Romans 10:9). [1]×××××××××××××××××××××××××××(Resources) YouTube: Apologia Studios & Church w/ Pastor Jeff Durbin apologiastudios.com; Voddie Baucham ; Dr. R C. Sproul: Ligonier Ministries; Ray Comfort-Living Waters livingwaters.com; Ken Ham-Answers In Genesis answersingenesis.org; Wall Builders w/ David Barton wallbuliders.com; Dr. Walter Martin waltermartin.org; Bible Education Institute is on Video Plarforms: YouTube & Rumble; Podcast Platforms: Stitcher, Apple, Spotify, Amazon , Audible, Amazon Music, Facebook, Overcast,, Chrome, gPodder, Firefox, Safari,, iTunes, Alexia, Podbean, Internet Explorer & Podcast Addict, Listen Notes, Luminary Podcast, Player FM & others.Website: 5dbe1182e5831.site123.meEmail: bibleeducationinstitute@gmail.comDonate:We greatly appreciate your donations to help reach as many people as possible. Thank youPlease copy / paste and put on your computer or phone top search engine.https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=TYN64GZ6YLD7CWanted: The Brave, Joshua 1:9, Kirk Cameronhttps://youtu.be/fBTv07MjwAAWatch "Christians Will Win Down Here | Jeff Durbin" on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/live/IZ6EqLug0Sc?feature=share(Sermon) How to Save a Nation, Rev. Henry Kelly, Bible Education Institute

How can you truly please God every day? In this Words From The Word daily devotion, Pastor Roderick Webster of Good News Baptist Church in Sint Maarten opens up Scripture to show us what it really means to live a life that is pleasing to God, drawing from 2 Corinthians 8, Romans 8:8, 1 John 3:22, Psalms 147:11, Hebrews 11, and more, all from the King James Version.You might be asking... Does God actually notice how I live? Can someone like me really please God? What does it mean to fear God in today's world? Is my faith strong enough for God to be pleased with me?In this devotion, Pastor Webster walks through several practical keys to pleasing God:- You must be saved first - those in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8)- Obedience to God's Word brings answered prayer (1 John 3:22)- Fearing God brings Him pleasure and opens the door to His mercy (Psalms 147:11)- Faith is essential - without it, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6)- Praise and thanksgiving please God more than outward religious gifts (Psalms 69:30-31)You are His ambassador, placed here to represent heaven on earth. Whatever you do today, do it to please God.If this devotion encouraged you, please like, leave a comment, share it with someone who needs it, and subscribe so you never miss a message.#WordsFromTheWord #KJV #BibleDevotion #ChristianLiving #GoodNewsBaptistChurchStay connected with GNBC:

Send us a text. If you would like a response, please send us an email to bcoc@suddenlinkmail.com.Jim Laws

What does it really mean for a believer to be “dead to sin” and “alive to God”? In this teaching, we examine what Scripture means by the “old man,” how Romans 6 connects our death with Christ to justification, why the believer can have confidence that death no longer has true dominion, and what it means practically to reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive to God. We also consider the continuing battle with the sin nature, the importance of confession and fellowship with God, the work of the Holy Spirit, and why being “in Christ” should change how we live every day. Taught by Assistant Pastor Mac at Calvary Kaneohe Hawaii. Social MediaApple App Store: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appGoogle Play: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appAmazon Appstore: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appRoku Channel Store: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appProphecy Website: http://jdfarag.orgChurch Website: http://www.calvarychapelkaneohe.com/X: https://x.com/JDFaragFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/JDFarag/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JDFarag/

Romans Volume II: Living Under GraceSuffering can make us question whether God truly loves us, but Romans 5 reminds us that His love is both experienced through the Holy Spirit and proven through the death of Christ. Even in our weakest moments, we can have confidence that God is for us because Jesus gave Himself for us while we were still sinners.Sermon Preached by Chris Lewis on September 13, 2026Foothill Church exists to glorify God by living as disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus.https://foothill.church

Send us a text. If you would like a response, please send us an email to bcoc@suddenlinkmail.com.Jim Laws

Come join us in worshiping the only true and living God, Father, Son, and Spirit! With singing and the reading of his word. Text today covers Romans 8:16-18

Paul is not ashamed to proclaim the gospel and to be associated with the gospel message because it is the power of God to eternally save people who put their faith in God. We have no good reason to be ashamed of this powerful message.

Send us a text. If you would like a response, please send us an email to bcoc@suddenlinkmail.com.Phil Hancock

Pastor Roger WilliamsThe gospel is the enduring message on which we must center our lives.

Christine addresses the profound and universal struggle of feeling overwhelmed and "drowning" in life's challenges, drawing on a personal journey through anxiety alongside the raw, vulnerable stories of biblical giants. The message highlights how Moses drowned in heavy responsibilities, Elijah in exhaustion and post-victory depression, Jeremiah in the pain of rejection, and Peter in fear the moment he diverted his gaze from Jesus to the raging wind. We see the diverse, deeply personal ways God meets His children in their darkest moments—whether by sending others to share the load, providing physical rest, reinforcing a burning calling within, or immediately stretching out His hand to rescue. Ultimately, we are warmly encouraged to step out of their comfort zones with bold faith, knowing that keeping one's eyes fixed on the Savior transforms anxiety into peace and brings rescue to any storm.Referenced Scriptures:Proverbs 28:1 (Fleeing when no one pursues vs. being as bold as a lion)Genesis 3:7 & 3:21 (Adam and Eve hiding in shame, and God graciously clothing them)1 Peter 3:18 (Christ suffering once to bring us back to God)Romans 8 (The freedom from condemnation in Christ Jesus)Psalm 107:23-32 (The Lord calming the storm on the mighty waters)Numbers 11:10 (Moses crying out under the heavy burden of leadership)Jeremiah 20:14 & Jeremiah 1 (Jeremiah wrestling with his difficult calling and God's promise of presence)Job (The promise of coming through testing as pure gold)Matthew 14:22-33 (Peter walking on the water and sinking when distracted by the waves)

Jesus said there's so much more He wants to tell you (John 16:12-13) — the holdup isn't on His end. It's ours. We just can't always comprehend it yet.That's why He gave us the Holy Spirit — not just to hand us a package of truth, but to guide us deeper into it.➡️ He searches out God's deep secrets (1 Corinthians 2:10-12).➡️ He explains spiritual truth in spiritual words (1 Corinthians 2:13-14).➡️ He teaches, testifies, convicts, and even discloses what's coming.Here's the catch: a mind set on the flesh is hostile to God (Romans 8:5-8). Getting close to the Spirit of truth takes time — real time, not leftover time.Want more info about Transformation Church Seminole? Head over to https://linktr.ee/TheTCSeminole to see how God is transforming lives & changing the world!Join us live Sundays @ 10:30am & Wednesdays @ 7:00pm!

Paul begins his letter about the gospel with an introduction to God's gospel message. We will study the book of Romans in depth for the rest of the school year over the course of 30 sermons.

Come join us in worshiping the only true and living God, Father, Son, and Spirit! With singing and the reading of his word with Romans 8:9-11.

We are New Testament priests. We are to offer God the sacrifice of praise, that it, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name (Hebrews 13:15). But the first sacrifice that God desires from us is to present our own body as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). Then, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2)

A series looking some of the Great Truths of Christianity, by Simon Manchester of Hope 103.2's Christian Growth podcast and pastor at All Saints in Woollahra, Sydney. Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.Support the show, a product of Hope Media: https://hope1032.com.au/donate/2211A-pod/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thursday, 20 August 2026   “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. Matthew 22:11   “Having entered, also, the king, to view those reclining, he beheld there – man, not ‘having been donned, apparel, nuptial'.” (CG)   In the previous verse, Jesus continued the parable, noting that the king's servants went to the roads and gathered as many as they found, both evil and good, filling the nuptial. He next says, “Having entered, also, the king, to view those reclining.”   The verb theaomai, to look closely at, is used. It is as if gazing at a spectacle. As seen previously, it is the root of théatron, a spectacle in a theater, something one carefully sees and contemplates. The king is pleased to look upon his guests and see them all acceptably ready for the event.  However, it next says, “he beheld there – man, not ‘having been donned, apparel, nuptial'.”   The eye of the king, while looking over the theater of humanity who have been invited from all areas, lights upon a single man who is not appropriately attired. Many commentators refer to ancient customs where those attending weddings were given special garments by the one inviting in order to identify them as members of the wedding party.   A list of verses from the Bible is given, none of which prove this was a universal custom. Despite that, it seems logical that this is the case here, not because it was standard custom, but because of who was invited, meaning everyone they could find, including both evil and good.   It would be unlikely that the poor would have a particular garment identifiable to a king at a wedding. Hence, as the invitation was accepted, for the sake of the parable, a garment identifiable to him would be issued. That is referred to by Jesus in Revelation –   “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5   Although referring to a different group in Revelation 19, the same metaphor is clearly explained there –   “And it was given to her that she should be clothed – ‘fine linen, pure, and radiant'. The ‘because' fine linen: the ‘righteousnesses, the saints' it is.” Revelation 19:8 (CG).   Although one might ask, “How could someone get into the wedding banquet if this is referring to a time after the rapture?” Such a supposition would mean that God made a mistake in rapturing someone who wasn't worthy.   That is not the point. A single man is identified out of the seemingly endless number of people there. Thus, the point is one of limitation. Not a single person who does not possess the righteousnesses of Christ will be accepted. Thus, the meaning is that one will not be accepted because of wealth, status, culture, intelligence, or any other reason than the imputation of righteousness from Jesus to the individual.   Therefore, the “man, not ‘having been donned, apparel, nuptial',” is an advanced warning that if one has not called on Christ, he is not worthy of participating in His wedding feast. As the parable is spoken to the people of Israel who are under the law, Jesus is telling them, quite plainly, that they will no longer be a part of. what God is doing.   The burning of the city, the rejection of their supposed worthiness, and the calling of all others is the highlight of this verse, summed up in the man's not wearing the appropriate attire. It is a truth that extends to all in the future, but the focus is on Israel and the law at this time. Only in coming to Christ is one acceptable before the Father.   Life application: Those in Israel who were determined to hang their proverbial salvation hat on Moses would never the righteousness of Christ. Original sin blocked them from being qualified, and sinning under the law marked them as incapable of overriding the fallen nature of Adam.   This is what law does. It puts up a barrier between God and man. And more, in pursuing the law instead of resting in Christ's righteousness, pride is revealed. That only puts a greater barrier between the two. It is a barrier that cannot be breached but which must be removed entirely.   In Romans 8, Paul writes of the law of the Spirit (trust in Christ) being opposed to the law of sin and death (living under the Law of Moses). He sums up that thought, saying, “So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8).   If you are trusting in adherence to the Law of Moses, you are not pleasing to God. You are an affront to Him. He has given us the way of righteousness by sending His Son to do what deeds of the law could never do. Trust in Christ, give up your arrogance of law observance, and be reconciled to God before it is too late.   O God, how foolish we are if we think we can do better than what You have done in the sending of Jesus. May we trust in His merits alone to obtain our garments of righteousness. Thank You that they are attainable through what He did for us! Amen.

Read OnlineLimitless ForgivenessPeter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21–22In the Book of the Prophet Amos, a poetic formula is repeated: “For three crimes of Damascus, and now four—I will not take it back…” (cf. Amos 1). By the time of Jesus, rabbinic tradition had adopted the interpretation of this passage to mean that God forgives three times, but not four and, therefore, so should we: “When a person commits a transgression the first time, he is forgiven; a second time, he is forgiven; a third time, he is forgiven; but the fourth time, he is not forgiven” (Yoma 86b).In today's Gospel, Peter's question is generous but still rooted in human calculation. His question follows immediately after Jesus teaches about fraternal correction. Peter, taking in this instruction and knowing the rabbinic tradition, more than doubles the expected number of times to forgive, suggesting seven. But Jesus immediately corrects him—not to reject his generosity, but to elevate it: “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”This phrase, “seventy-seven times,” is not a literal number; it signifies that forgiveness must be limitless, reflecting the boundless mercy of God. It is not merely a command to repeat acts of forgiveness, but an invitation to let our hearts be formed by Divine Mercy.The parable Jesus tells in response to Peter's question offers deeper insight into His meaning. It echoes the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” A king has a servant who owes him a huge amount—an unpayable debt, symbolizing the incalculable weight of our sin before God. When the servant begs for patience, the king goes beyond all expectation: he forgives the entire debt out of compassion. But that same servant, having just received mercy, encounters a fellow servant who owes him only a small amount. Rather than extending the mercy he himself had received, he becomes violent, demanding repayment and imprisoning the man. The king, upon hearing this, is enraged—not merely because of injustice, but because of the servant's utter failure to mirror the mercy he had been shown. Jesus concludes with a sobering warning: “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”Limitless forgiveness is very difficult unless we have a deep and abiding gratitude for the Divine Mercy God has shown us. Our debt before God is incalculable. We could never repay it on our own. Though we might be tempted to think, “I'm a good person,” Scripture reminds us: “All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Without Jesus taking on our human condition and paying the debt of our sin through His suffering and death, we could not be saved. Grasping this truth and allowing it to penetrate our hearts is essential to living the Christian life.Only when we become keenly aware of the mercy God has poured into our lives can we foster true gratitude. And it is that gratitude that must inspire and compel us to offer the same limitless mercy to everyone who sins against us—no exceptions, no conditions. Just as we have been forgiven, so must we forgive, from the heart.Reflect today on how deeply you are aware of the mercy God has shown you. Do you take it for granted, or have you allowed it to transform you? Consider especially those you struggle to forgive. Let gratitude for God's mercy soften your heart. From that softened heart, choose to forgive—not seven times, but seventy-seven times and beyond. In doing so, you will reflect the very heart of God and become a vessel of His saving grace in the world.Most merciful Jesus, there is no limit to the love and forgiveness You continuously offer us. We are indebted to You with our very lives. Please give me the grace I need to be truly grateful for Your Divine Mercy and to express that gratitude by showing the same limitless mercy to all. Use me, dear Lord, as a vessel of Your grace and tender care. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Jesus and Saint Peter, by Jean-Baptiste CapronnierSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli with Foundry UMC, August 2, 2026, tenth Sunday after Pentecost. “We Know Who We Are”series. ​​​   Texts: Romans 15:5-7; Luke 19:1-10​​​​   For days now, I've been ruminating on what it means to say of Foundry: “No outsiders here…” The clear intent of the phrase is to suggest that no one will be turned away, ignored, left out, or treated as less than. It's one of Foundry's corevalues to “make especially sure that people who feel excluded elsewhere are welcomed and invited to be an integral part of our congregation.” As Guy preached so powerfully last week, our biblically-rooted convictions around inclusion, affirmation, equity, and diversity are clear—regardless of the critiques those convictions draw. Our goal is to practice what we preach—to mean it when we say you are welcome here “no matter what.” As I study our texts for today it becomes clear that, to do that, we can't rely on our banners outside or the words of welcome we repeat at the beginning of every service to carry all our welcome water. We can't settle for our core values tucked onto a webpage to be the only communication of our commitment to cultivate a certain kind of community. We can't get so comfortable that we forget what it is like to be a stranger in a strange land, or to forget that souls tend to be shy and that people carry wounds that are often invisible to the eye. To truly advance our goal of radical welcome, we need a more muscular strategy, theologically and biblically grounded, physically embodied, and embedded in the very DNA of our congregation. And our texts provide the guidance we need. The few verses from Romans 15 that were read aloud today are a summary of at least two chapters of Paul's letter to the church in Rome. That community was experiencing deep tensions between Jewish and Gentile Christians—driven by disagreements related to Torah observance, holy days, and dietary practices. These issues were flashpoints for deeper questions: Who belongs? Whose interpretation of Torah is correct? What practices are central to our shared life? Paul writes to a diverse people who are all trying to follow Jesus. They have different backgrounds—some began as highly observant Jews and others as pagan Gentiles. But here's the thing they have in common: they have all been welcomed “προσλαμβάνω (proslambanō)” by Christ. And because of that, Paul teaches, they need to welcome one another in the same way. The question then, is how does Christ welcome people? Our familiar text from Luke 19 helps us answer the question. For those who may not be familiar with the story of the “wee little man,” Zacchaeus, here's some context. Just before our story Jesus has welcomed children his disciples tried to send away, taught a rich ruler what it would take for him to enter the kin-dom, and showed mercy to a begger at the roadside who asked Jesus to restore his sight. Then Jesus enters the prosperous city of Jericho where his reputation precedes him. People know he is coming by. And Zacchaeus, a rich, chief tax collector wants to see him. Now to be a tax collector in that time and place was to be associated with the exploitation, violence, and ritual impurity of the Roman empire. A “chief” tax collector was at least in middle management—if not the CEO of collusion. All of that to say, Zacchaeus was not popular or trusted, but rather seen by the general public as an enemy and a threat. The crowds must have been shocked when the CEO climbs a tree— high profile, wealthy men didn't climb trees. Zacchaeus' willingness to do so suggests something in him was already stirring. Jesus picks up on that and proceeds to invite himself over. The text says, Zacchaeus “hurried down and was happy to welcome Jesus.” The crowds were not so happy. Why is Jesus going in to share table fellowship with this sinner? Because Jesus makes it his habit to welcome and befriend those whom others want nothing to do with. Children, beggars, the ill and disabled, women; and with those others judged as sinners—including rich tax collectors. Jesus puts it this way: “I came to seek out and save the lost.” And based on the whole story of Jesus, the “lost” include both those who inflict harm and those who suffer it. So which category of “lost” is Zacchaeus? In one sense, he's the one doing harm as he supports an exploitive and unjust regime. But the crowd has also written him off as unworthy of fellowship with Jesus and beyond the possibility of change. Jesus' action creates an opportunity for transformation—not only for Zacchaeus, but also for those who have decided that he is nothing more than a hopeless sinner. That day salvation comes because everyone is reminded that Zacchaeus is also a son of Abraham, a beloved child of God, worthy of mercy and care, capable of growth and change. Jesus' welcome is fueled by the love of God: love strong enough to receive each of us as we are, and strong enough to call us toward growth, change, and restored relationship. That means Jesus' welcome is not a cheap welcome characterized as indiscriminate acceptance and “anything goes.” Nor is it conditional welcome that requires change as the price of admission. It is welcome offered not simply for comfort, but for transformation through God's embrace and mercy. So back to us, what does it mean for Foundry to say, “no outsiders here?” We rightly celebrate that people who have been excluded elsewhere often discover a home at Foundry. But every church eventually develops its own insiders and outsiders. We instinctively know whom we trust. And, if we're honest, we instinctively know whom we've already decided not to trust. If Jesus were walking through Washington today who would make us grumble if they showed up to see him? Whose house would surprise and disturb us if Jesus said, “That's where I'm going to dinner.”? Part of the invitation for us is to consider if there are those we really want to remain “outsiders”—if there are limits to our welcome. // That question leads us to something Fr. Greg Boyle says. After decades in Los Angeles accompanying gang members through violence, incarceration, and new beginnings, Fr. Boyle writes: “Human beings…settle for a puny, vindictive God when we are being nudged always closer to this wildly inclusive, larger-than-any life God. We allow our sense of God to atrophy. We settle for the illusion of separation when we are endlessly asked to enter into kinship with all.” Our wildly inclusive God asks us to enter into kinship with all. Even when it's hard. Through his journey with those whom others fear, judge, or write off as hopeless cases, Fr. Boyle knows something about that kind of kinship. Paul doesn't ask the diverse members of the church in Rome to agree on every matter of faith and practice, but to learn how to enter into kinship with one another in the manner of Christ. He asks believers to become more committed to welcoming one another than they are to winning every disputed argument. Jesus creates space for people in Jericho to remember that even public enemy #1 is a sibling and a beloved child of God who is not beyond God's capacity to save AND that they are also the “lost”—the recipients of harm, the grumblers, the judgy ones—who Jesus came to seek out—and who need some saving as well. That is the pattern of Christ's welcome. And it is the pattern our welcome is meant to follow. Radical welcome—which is Christ's welcome—is neither cheap welcome nor conditional welcome. At Foundry, everyone is welcome. No matter what. No conditions required. // But no one is welcome to deny someone else's belovedness. No one is welcome to demean another child of God. No one is welcome to make this community unsafe for those Christ has welcomed. And no one is welcome to declare a person beyond God's capacity to save while forgetting that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The boundary, then, is not ideology. The boundary is love. And that means radical welcome asks more of us than hanging banners and opening the doors. It asks us to notice who enters and still feels invisible. It asks us to cross the room, learn a name, make space at the table, and remain curious about a life we do not yet understand. It asks us to confront harm when it occurs—not because we have stopped loving the person doing harm, but because love refuses to abandon either the one being wounded or the one whose soul is being diminished by the wounding. It asks us to believe that transformation is possible, even in people we have given up on. And perhaps most difficult of all, it asks us to remain open to our own transformation—to the possibility that Christ may expose the limits of our welcome, unsettle our assumptions, and lead us into kinship with someone we would never have chosen for ourselves. This is the more muscular welcome to which we are called. Not mere politeness. Not tolerance from a safe distance. Not the pride of believing that we are already the welcoming people and everyone else needs to catch up. It is the patient, courageous, embodied work of becoming a community where strangers become neighbors and neighbors become siblings; where those who have been pushed aside are drawn into the center; where harm is named and interrupted; where repentance is possible; and where grace keeps making more of us than we believed we could become. The measure of our welcome is not whether people like us feel comfortable. The measure is whether people unlike us encounter the welcome of Christ through us. That is a demanding call. But it begins not with what we are able to accomplish. It begins with what Christ has already done. Christ has welcomed us. Christ has come looking for us when we were lost. And Christ has not given up on us. So we do not practice radical welcome in order to prove that we are good people or the right kind of church. We welcome because we have been welcomed. We make room because Christ has made room for us. We enter into kinship because, through grace, Christ has already made us one. “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Amen.   Benediction: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

After presenting his thorough and rich teachings on sin, faith, God's sovereignty, and Israel, Paul brings this theological portion of his epistle to a close with a doxology that summarizes his thoughts. Paul concludes that God's wisdom is unfathomable. God's ways are unfathomable. And God's grace is unfathomable. All things are from him so we thank him. All things are done through him so we rely on him. And all things are to him so we glorify him. Let us join with Paul in this doxology of praise and wonder.

The Righteousness of God Romans 16:1-27 Christ Church Kingwood August 9, 2026 Preacher: Brian Kent

I was speaking at a Christian workers' conference in Alaska, and a veteran missionary approached me afterward with some intriguing information. She and her husband have worked for many years with an Indian tribe in Alaska - a tribe that has an interesting custom, according to the missionary. If you're from that tribe, they said you grow up learning about your backpack. It's not a real backpack, but it's a symbol of a very real human experience. The idea is that whenever you do something wrong, a rock goes in your backpack and you carry on your back all the weight of all your mistakes all your life. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Carrying the Burden No More." When I heard about that, I couldn't help but think what an accurate image that is no matter what tribe you are from. In a sense, we really do carry around with us the weight of the things we've done wrong, the people we've hurt, the failures, the sins. With our backpack comes this feeling of guilt, and shame, and regret. Many people carry their backpack till the day they die, but you don't have to be one of them. In our word for today from the Word of God, there is a very moving statement of what God has done to liberate us from the load of a lifetime of our sin. Speaking of Jesus, the Bible says in Isaiah 53:4, "Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows . . . He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our inequities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him." God says that Jesus, His one and only Son, took the backpack that was full of my sin, put it on Himself and carried it all the way to an old, rugged cross. He carried yours, too. If He hadn't, there would be absolutely no way you or I could have a chance of going to heaven. After all, when the Bible describes heaven, it says, "Nothing impure will ever enter it" (Revelation 21:27). You can't get into heaven if you've still got the backpack of your sin. Some of us hope we might be good enough to get into heaven. Right? That's probably the main reason we get involved in our religion and our church. But the Bible makes two things very clear: One, every one of us has this backpack called sin. It says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Two, there is no good we can do that will pay for our sin. In God's own words now, "He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy" (Titus 3:5). God's bottom line is this statement, Hebrews 9:22: "Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." That's why Jesus allowed Himself to be pierced, and crushed, and nailed to a cross, to pay the penalty for every sin you and I have ever done, so we don't have to. I've been with a lot of people the day they finally put their total trust in Jesus to forgive their sin and make them right with God. And often they have described the feeling this way. They'll say, "I feel like a hundred pound weight's been lifted from my back." Well, it has. The deadly backpack of sin is gone. Yours can be, too, today, if you will, in your heart, make your way up that hill where Jesus died and leave your backpack, full of the sins of a lifetime, at the foot of His cross. If you don't belong to Jesus, and you want to, oh for goodness sake, today, tell Him, "Jesus, I'm Yours." I've actually set up our website to be a place of a new beginning where you can find right there in front of you the information from God's own Word about how to be sure every sin has been erased from God's Book, and you're going to heaven when you die. Our website is ANewStory.com. Please check it out soon today. Jesus carried all your sins to His cross, so you don't ever have to carry them again.

David Johnson discusses Romans 12:19—“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord.”

The Righteousness of God Romans 15:1-13 Christ Church Kingwood August 2, 2026 Preacher: Brian Kent

Have you ever caught yourself trying to "clean yourself up" before drawing near to God? Or maybe you've relied on your good behavior to prove you're on the right track.In this message on Romans 3:9–20, we look into the "Mirror of Grace" and unpack three common cultural lies about righteousness, human effort, and God's law:Lie #1: We can be good enough to be considered righteous on our own.The Truth: None are righteous on their own—not even one (Romans 3:10, Matthew 5:21–22, James 2:8–13).Lie #2: The Law is the cure.The Truth: The Law is the diagnosis, not the cure; its purpose is to reveal our need for mercy, not to make us right with God (Romans 3:19–20, Luke 18:9–14).Lie #3: *Religion says, "Clean yourself up so God will accept you." *The Truth: The Gospel says, "Jesus accepts you so He can heal you from the inside out" (2 Corinthians 3:16–18, Philippians 2:13).Join us as we move away from self-reliance and experience true freedom, transformation, and God's relentless grace.

In Romans 5:6-11, we learn that God's love is different. He died for sinners, He turned enemies into friends, He will save us from His wrath, so we boast in Him alone.

This morning, we are reminded of the faithfulness of God, not just in the broader narrative of scripture, but in the very real and tangible growth of our church, Hope Church. Over the past couple of years, we've seen rapid growth, especially since moving into our current building, and with that came the challenge of accommodating more people. We've wrestled with this tension, and last year, we approached the owners of our building with the idea of buying the whole property. Though they weren't ready to sell, they offered us the opportunity to dream and explore expansion. This led us to a surprising turn of events: a man knocked on our door, offering a piece of land across from Daniel Boone High School that we had tried to purchase years ago. As of this weekend, we have this 20-acre property under contract, a testament to God's faithfulness and provision.Today, we delve into Romans 12:1-2, where we are called to present our bodies as living sacrifices and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Rick explores the will of God through four aspects: the permissive, prudential, progressive, and perfect wills. The permissive will allows for human choice, even when it goes against God's desires, while the prudential will involves decisions where God expects wisdom and discernment. The progressive will reveals itself step by step, teaching us to walk with faith, and the perfect will aims for us to conform to the image of Christ, reflecting His love, joy, and peace. God's will is always good, acceptable, and perfect, and He desires for us to align our lives with His purposes. As we navigate the future of our church and our personal lives, we are called to trust God's faithfulness, even when the path ahead is unclear. The Holy Spirit is always faithful, never forcing our will but persistently guiding us towards His perfect will. We are encouraged to take one step at a time, trusting that God has a good plan for our lives. Will you follow where He leads, knowing that He is always faithful?## Sermon Notes — Romans 12:1-2**Big Idea:** The Holy Spirit guides us into God's will through various aspects, teaching us to walk with Him progressively.### 1. Permissive Will of God (Romans 12:1-2)- God allows wide range of choices, even sinful ones.- Israel's disobedience in the wilderness is an example.- **Key principle:** God's permissive will means He allows human choices while setting boundaries and directing history toward His ultimate purpose.### 2. Prudential Will of God (Romans 12:1-2)- Decisions for which Scripture gives no direct command.- Use wisdom, prayer, and discernment.- Examples: Choosing a college, buying a house.- **Key principle:** Use your brain and discernment in making decisions God hasn't explicitly commanded.### 3. Progressive Will of God (Romans 12:1-2)- God reveals His will progressively.- He gives enough light for the next step, not the full picture.- Takes faith to follow each step.- **Key principle:** God teaches us to walk with Him through faith, revealing His will step-by-step.### 4. Perfect Will of God (Romans 12:1-2)- God's complete will for us is to conform into the image of His son.- His will is good, acceptable, and perfect.- **Key principle:** God's perfect will for us is to reflect Jesus' character and be equipped for every good work.### Practical Applications1. **Obey what is already clear** — Identify and follow God's clear commands in Scripture.2. **Take a step of faith** — Move forward with what God has revealed, trusting Him for the next step.3. **Yield to correction** — Be open to God's redirection and correction.4. **Trust God with what is hidden** — Have faith that God knows the full plan even when we don't.5. **Align your life with God's will** — Make choices that reflect God's good, acceptable, and perfect will.### Discussion Questions1. How do you discern between God's permissive will and His perfect will in your life?2. Can you share a time when God revealed His will progressively in your life? How did you respond?3. What steps can you take this week to align more closely with God's will for your life?4. How does God's progressive will require faith and trust in Him?5. What does it mean to you to conform into the image of Jesus, and how can you do this more in your daily life?

There is no such thing as a "boring" testimony!   The more desperate our plight the more glorious our conversion! And we are *all* born morally unable to come to Christ because we are by nature willingly enslaved by our 1) love of darkness; 2) hatred of God; 3) spiritual blindness; and 4) spiritual deadness. [For more on these points, see John Piper's excellent sermon that Mark said he adapted these points from.]   Only sovereign grace could overcome each of this and transform our hearts to make us willing to believe!   You can watch this message here.

The Righteousness of God Romans 14:1-21 Christ Church Kingwood July 26, 2026 Preacher: Matt Lobasso

Who is really paying the price for your unforgiveness? In this video, I share 5 biblical truths about forgiveness that completely changed how I understand it — including a personal story about a conflict I've walked through with my own family that I've never shared publicly before.Forgiveness in the Bible isn't just a feeling — it's a command, a cost, and ultimately a decision to hand the gavel back to God. Whether you're wrestling with how to forgive someone who hurt you, or you've been told forgiveness means pretending nothing happened, this video will challenge what you thought you knew.

Can technology be leveraged for the human good? Or will AI technology and its explosive expansion bring about the opposite—a culture that reduces our magnificent humanity to means for technocratic ends? "We can either create the Tower of Babel or we can rebuild the walls of the New Jerusalem." Brian Patrick Green has spent his career asking these difficult questions and seeking to apply ethical theory to real world technological developments. He is director of technology ethics at Santa Clara University's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, and he is co-author of "Encountering Artificial Intelligence" as well as the newly released "Reclaiming Human Agency in the Age of Artificial Intelligence." In this episode, Green explains the technocratic paradigm—the worldview that reduces people and the created world to raw material, data, and units of production, and sets against it what Pope Francis called a culture of encounter. He and Mark Labberton discuss the argument and impact of Pope Leo XIV's May 2026 encyclical on artificial intelligence, "Magnifica Humanitas", an uplifting moral appeal to troubled people in troubled times. They discuss the Eucharist and the ongoing incarnation as the anchor of Catholic social teaching; how technocratic thinking distorts immigration and war from the Marshall Islands to autonomous drones in Ukraine; just war theory in an age of ever more powerful weapons; the encyclical's principles from human dignity to solidarity; and where AI genuinely serves the vulnerable in medicine, in surfacing hidden bias, and in caring for the Earth. Episode Highlights "It's one thing to have new technology. It's an even bigger question of how we actually use it and how it actually affects people." "If we look at every other human being and we say, "This is an image of God in front of me. This is a person who is loved by God just as much as I am," that really transforms our way of viewing each other. "We can either create the Tower of Babel or we can rebuild the walls of the New Jerusalem. "If one grain of sand says to the other grain of sand, 'I'm better than you are,' that's a weird thing for sand to be saying to each other." "It's an encyclical about AI ostensibly, but really it's an encyclical about humanity … and what our role is here in the universe." About Brian Patrick Green Brian Patrick Green directs technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, where he teaches engineers to weigh the human stakes of their work. A former genetics major, he turned toward technology's social impact after a year with the Jesuit Volunteers International in the Marshall Islands, a landscape marked by nuclear testing. He earned his doctorate at the Graduate Theological Union and has focused on AI since 2016. He co-authored "Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations" and the new "Reclaiming Human Agency in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," and advises Catholic and multi-faith AI efforts, including at the Vatican. Helpful Links and Resources "Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations," a 2023 volume Green contributed to, free online at the Journal of Moral Theology: https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/91230-encountering-artificial-intelligence-ethical-and-anthropological-investigations "Reclaiming Human Agency in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," 2025 co-edited by Green, free online: https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/154545-reclaiming-human-agency-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence "Magnifica Humanitas," Pope Leo XIV's 2026 encyclical on artificial intelligence, on the Vatican site: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html AI and Faith, led by executive director Greg Cootsona: https://aiandfaith.org/ Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good: https://ethics.nd.edu/ "The technocratic paradigm thus involves a double distortion: first, of the human person as reducible to an agent of interventions by which to manipulate life's material conditions; and, second, of the world—including the persons within it—as reducible to a field of raw material to be mastered and manipulated by means of technology. Against such reductions, the Pope urges that we cultivate a "culture of encounter"—a culture that seeks the contact of mind with mind and heart with heart, in a relational sharing of life that embraces the most vulnerable." (from "Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations", 2023) Show Notes Defining applied ethics and technological ethics Comparing how we use technology versus the technology itself Marshall Islands, Jesuit Volunteers, and a genetics major's turn toward social impact From biotechnology to teaching ethics to engineers, and into AI around 2016 Catholic teaching on Eucharist, communion, and an incarnation that is ongoing and physical Pope Francis and the "culture of encounter" Why the material world and every person carry a sacredness ethics must honor Explaining the technocratic paradigm as a cultural phenomenon and social program Seeing a forest as quantifiable value of lumber; or construing people as cogs, data, units of exploitation Wendell Berry: "There are no unsacred places; / there are only sacred places / and desecrated places." Reducing the sacredness of human life to mere numbers Colonialism, nuclear testing, and islands treated as raw material Immigration read through a technocratic lens on both political sides The opposite of encounter: people as functions to move in or out Just war theory How drones and autonomous weapons turn killing into a problem of mere efficiency Squeezing just war criteria until war becomes nearly impossible Why this moral vision feels preposterous to a de-Christianized culture Culture of encounter, and seeing each other as images of God Romans 12 and the renewing of the mind—in order to transform how we see others Tower of Babel versus rebuilding the New Jerusalem Nehemiah, "synodality," and figuring things out together Dignity, common good, universal destination of goods, subsidiarity, solidarity, social justice Culture of power versus a civilization of love, and Augustine's "City of God" The reach and impact of "Magnifica Humanitas", from tech workers and CEOs to UN ambassadors Embracing the most vulnerable as the measure of encounter AI that serves: medical data, de-biasing loan decisions, watching the Earth from orbit AI that threatens: autonomous warfare, mass surveillance, people reduced to data Human agency, freedom, and the choice ahead #AIEthics #FaithAndTechnology #CatholicSocialTeaching #ArtificialIntelligence #TechnocraticParadigm #PopeLeoXIV #HumanDignity #MagnificaHumanitas #ConversingPodcast Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.  

The Righteousness of God Romans 13:1-14 Christ Church Kingwood July 19, 2026 Preacher: Kristian Nichols

Listen along as we continue through 2 Peter. Notes//Quotes: 2 Peter 1:10-15 - Jorgen/Larry Title: Last Words “In this sense holiness refers to a state of being separate, set apart from the ordinary or mundane and dedicated to a particular purpose or use. The Hebrew adjective for "holy" (qadosh) literally means "separate," since it derives from a verb meaning "to cut off" or "to separate!" Together with its cognates it is used to designate particular places (especially the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies), objects (e.g., Aaron's garments and the Sabbath day, and persons (e.g., the priests and Levites) as specially set apart or sanctified to the Lord. An example is found in Exodus 13:2: "Consecrate to me all the first-born; whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine." Similarly, the holiness of God signifies his separateness from anything impure.” - Millard Erickson “those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Cor. 1:2) “The term sanctification does not appear in the Synoptic Gospels at all. To convey the idea that our lives are to be pure, Jesus emphasized instead that we are children of God. We belong to God and consequently should show a likeness to him. We should share his spirit of love: "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy! But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:43-45a). To Jesus, his brother and sister are those who do God's will (Mark 3:35). Paul shares this conception that our status before God is to result in holy living. For example, he urges the Ephesians, "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called" (Eph. 4:1). He then goes on to specify a life of lowliness, meekness, patience, and forbearance. The fact of belonging to God is to issue in moral attributes reflecting such a status.” - Millard Erickson “Our reckoning with purity culture is good and necessary. It's helped many Christians rediscover a God who loves wounded people, not perfect performances, but I fear that in the process of tearing down purity culture, we may have kissed purity itself goodbye. And that's a problem. My generation is porn addicted, drug dependent, dopamine sick, irony poisoned, attention fractured, and spiritually starved. We've traded repression for indulgence, and the result isn't freedom-it's decay. It turns out the Christian sexual ethic once derided as prudish is one of the last coherent frameworks for love, dignity, and belonging. Purity, rightly understood, isn't about fear. It's about reverence. It's not about suppressing desire but directing it.” - Luke Simons “15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…” (Romans 8:15&16)

Pastor Gabriel Hughes preaches from Romans 12:1 on the mercies of God, and examines all of those great mercies we have read about in our series through Romans. Visit providencecasagrande.com for more info about our church!

The Righteousness of God Romans 12:9-16 Christ Church Kingwood July 12, 2026 Preacher: Brian Kent

Can you comment on the Jews being entrusted as "oracles of God" (Romans 3)? Does "the word implanted" or "doers of the word" (James 1:21-22) refer to the Law? Is the use of "logon" and "logou" (vs. "logos") proof that James was pushing Law-keeping? Why does Paul tell Timothy that "women will be saved through childbearing"?

Bob Schwahn  |  Lead Pastor  |  June 28, 2026  Referenced Scripture: Romans 12:9-16, 1 John 4:19-21, Ephesians 4:15-16 Reflection Questions:1. How does God evaluate our worship at our community worship gatherings?  How are we to tangibly love God and love others?  Give examples. 2. Where might God give you a “needs improvement” score? 3. Read Paul's description of how we are to love one another in the family of God…Romans 12:9-16Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited. What grabs your attention?  What sticks out to you?What do you like about this text of Scripture?What do you not like about this text?  (ie. What is challenging or convicting?)Where do you have questions about this text?Where do you personally need to grow or change?  What is a practical way you will apply this to your life this week? 4. How can we as a church learn to meet the needs of others in a way that we all feel known and loved? 5. How does learning to love people that are difficult to love cause us to mature in our faith?  How have you seen this in your own life? Share some examples. 6. What are the barriers we experience in the American church that makes this kind of love difficult?  How can we practically overcome these barriers?  What can you do personally to help break these barriers down? 7. What would a worship gathering be like if everyone came in looking for how they could love and serve others rather than looking to be loved and be served?  (ie. Asking God what they can give to the family and not just what they can get out of the family.) What's your next step? * Connect: We'd love to connect with you! Fill out our Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any questions: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcard * Connect: Get your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/children * Connect: Our Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/students * Give: Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/give * Gather: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozeman * Gather: Download our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app  * Gather: Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozeman  Chapters (00:00:01) - How Does God Evaluate Our Worship?(00:04:07) - Romans 12: Love Must Be Realistic and Tough(00:11:13) - Paul's hospitality for the needy(00:17:31) - Practice hospitality toward enemies and pray for those who persecute(00:24:36) - Paul Calling us to the Family of God(00:33:38) - How to Grow in Community(00:38:04) - Growing Relationships at Journey Church(00:43:36) - Prayers for the Kingdom

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Do you excuse things that contradict your faith? What is important to God doesn't have a label or a party. It is not a temporary term, nor can it be solved by human hands. Being true to Christ means standing for truth and justice and being honest about the temporary parties and candidates we may be supporting. The politics of the day are quick to point out the “sins” of one candidate but excuse the actions of the other. Consider these verses in John 8. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now, in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So, what do you say? This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And, as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is among you be the first to throw a stone at her. And, once more, he bent down and wrote on the ground. But, when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him (John 8:3-9). Behaving like the scribes and the Pharisees, are you excusing sin of a candidate in the name of perceived better alignment with your faith? This can be another indication that politics have become an idol. All sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Jesus calls us to recognize our own sins. I don't think it is a mistake the woman who committed adultery was standing one on one with Jesus when all the others had walked away. Jesus is the only judge and the only true “cure” for sin! How can you point someone toward salvation if you are excusing the sins of man in the name of winning? Instead of making excuses or comparing sins between parties, point out all sin is just that—sin in the eyes of God! There isn't one better or worse. While we know the woman in John 8 was an adulteress, we don't know the sins of the scribes and Pharisees. What we do know is they didn't challenge Jesus to make excuses for their sin being better or less than adultery! Focus on telling people how you pray for the candidate's recognition of their sin instead!