WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.980 Now we're going to spend a little while this morning looking at our study which 00:00:04.980 --> 00:00:09.880 we've began last Sunday morning and is going to take us we're only going to do 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:13.880 the first five chapters of Romans but that's going to take us up to the summer 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:18.960 so we're looking at in some detail okay and last week we looked at the 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:25.080 introductory section of Romans chapter 1 which is on page 9 3 9 of your pew 00:00:25.080 --> 00:00:27.879 Bibles if you don't have a Bible we didn't get one when you were coming in 00:00:27.879 --> 00:00:32.200 or if you want to look at a Bible then there's some at the back and you can put 00:00:32.200 --> 00:00:36.439 your hand up and any of the ushers will take it to you but we're going to read 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:43.799 from this time from Romans chapter 1 and we read to chapters to verse 6 last 00:00:43.799 --> 00:00:48.480 week by way of introduction and now we're going to read from verse 7 to the 00:00:48.480 --> 00:00:53.439 end of that next section which is verse 15 which is again an introduction to 00:00:53.439 --> 00:01:00.879 this letter that Paul writes to the church in Rome to all those in Rome who 00:01:00.879 --> 00:01:05.799 are loved by God and called to be saints grace to you and peace from God our 00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:11.920 Father and the Lord Jesus Christ first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:16.319 all of you because your faith is proclaimed in all the world for God is 00:01:16.319 --> 00:01:21.000 my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son that without 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:25.519 ceasing I mention you always in my prayers asking that somehow by God's 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:30.920 will I may now at last succeed in coming to you for I long to see you that I may 00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:35.680 impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you that is that we may be 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:40.920 mutually encouraged by each other's faith both yours and mine I do not want 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:45.840 you to be unaware brothers that I have often intended to come to you but thus 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:50.719 far have been prevented in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well 00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:55.480 as among the rest of the Gentiles I am under obligation both to Greeks and to 00:01:55.480 --> 00:02:00.400 barbarians both to the wise and the foolish so I am eager to preach the 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:07.759 gospel to you also who are in Rome okay so we're gonna look at this for a while 00:02:07.759 --> 00:02:13.159 this morning and then we'll celebrate the Lord's Supper together and it's 00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:18.400 really an introductory sermon again before we kind of plunge into the whole 00:02:18.400 --> 00:02:23.640 of this letter that Paul has written to the church which is inspired by God 00:02:23.640 --> 00:02:28.400 which has remained part of the Bible and is inspired for us to learn from and 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:34.120 what we have here and the elders and the deacons here and the leaders will gulp 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:41.240 when they read this section and I do because it's a great example of biblical 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:44.800 and Christian leadership and it's a challenge to us and I'm gonna say a 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:53.240 few things to us as elders and preach to myself today it challenges us about 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:57.280 what is true of us as Christians and also what's true of us as Christians 00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:03.040 together in the church and what we should be becoming by way of understanding 00:03:03.040 --> 00:03:08.480 who we are and remember that this this this letter is written to ordinary 00:03:08.480 --> 00:03:14.320 people please bear that in mind this is not a theological treatise for the 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:21.479 academy on its own or any specific group rather it is for a church which 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:26.879 included all kinds of people from all different walks of life who left the 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:33.120 reading of this letter to them and went to their everyday jobs please remember 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:38.639 that they had day jobs this wasn't for professional Christians if there was ever 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:44.359 such a thing this is for people in their day-to-day lives because what Paul is 00:03:44.359 --> 00:03:49.000 or God is trying to get across to us is what we are in Christ what we are as 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:54.119 Christians changes us to the very core of our being elders deacons people in 00:03:54.119 --> 00:03:58.399 the church whoever we are because this book is about the doctrine of salvation 00:03:58.399 --> 00:04:03.879 and it's saying how important salvation is and what it does in our lives so 00:04:03.879 --> 00:04:09.400 before revealing theology before beginning to teach about this doctrine 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:15.680 of salvation what salvation is Paul reveals himself okay before he starts 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:19.319 revealing theology he reveals himself and that's a great challenge to you and 00:04:19.319 --> 00:04:23.879 to me I think in our Christian lives so I asked the question of you this morning 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:29.879 are you a closed book are you a closed book spiritually do people know the real 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:37.000 you the person who is kind of peeled back under the layers that the real 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:42.000 individual that you are do people know you elders and deacons do people know 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:48.800 who you are do you give of yourself and do you expose your inner heart and your 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:54.240 life and who you are your very core being it's not enough to use your culture 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:59.879 or your personality as a reason for remaining private and unknown to anyone in 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:05.360 the Christian community there's this great reality that the Christian is 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:10.439 someone who is at many levels I know no it's at different levels because we're 00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:15.079 all different personalities but with an open book what we say is what we are 00:05:15.079 --> 00:05:20.560 okay and Paul as he reveals himself in this passage he also reveals who the 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:27.439 church is who we are as a church the family of God because he's just naturally 00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:34.319 just drip feeding information about what a gospel community looks like and that 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:39.639 it's core to our being not peripheral I think it shakes us to our very core 00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:47.879 because graced by its nature it shuns an isolationism and an individualizing of 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:54.920 our faith alone not faith alone but individualism alone there's there's a 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:59.079 there's a community aspect that is important and we're gonna sit the Lord 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:02.519 we're gonna sit at a table but we're gonna participate in the Lord's Supper 00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:07.839 together leaders and people under Christ and this passage helps us to 00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:12.560 understand a little bit more about who we are and why unity together as we 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:15.600 celebrate the Lord's Supper is very important so I'm only gonna look I'm 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:21.439 gonna look at two areas this morning briefly and I hope it's okay to do so 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:26.640 the first is leadership and the second is lady so we're gonna look at what Paul 00:06:26.640 --> 00:06:31.040 says in terms of being an example of leaders and what that means in terms of 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:35.560 relationship with our people and also just as people what it means to belong 00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:41.520 to the church and be Christians so leadership firstly and Paul is a great 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:47.079 example of Christian leaders now you will have received something in the 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:51.359 email this week about new elders so please remember as we think about 00:06:51.359 --> 00:06:55.839 electing new elders new leaders in the church and please pray for them and 00:06:55.839 --> 00:07:01.680 please consider what we're saying today and examining about ourselves and also 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:06.240 about our role because the characteristics of leadership will also 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:10.680 apply to all of us to a greater or lesser degree so one or two things about 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:14.920 Paul is a great example of how to lead in the church and his character in 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:18.199 leading in the church and the first I'm only gonna say a couple of things about 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:24.160 him in each case the first is he had a boat he had bone marrow faith okay he had 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:30.199 bone marrow faith what I mean by that I mean that his faith was was a part at the 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:33.879 very core of who he was it wasn't peripheral it wasn't professional it 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:39.560 wasn't extra it was at the core of who he is in verse 8 he says I thank my God 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:43.959 through Jesus Christ for all of you because your faith is proclaimed in the 00:07:43.959 --> 00:07:50.600 world and he goes on to say for God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit or 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:59.600 whom I serve in my spirit or in my soul or whom I serve from my heart it could be 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:03.560 all of these things that it could be translated in all of these ways and he's 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:07.759 basically saying he's a servant of God he's a Christian he's a believer he's a 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:15.159 leader from the soul out from his very inner being out from his spiritual bone 00:08:15.159 --> 00:08:19.759 marrow as it were right out he that's who he was you know and that's what he's 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:24.319 saying he's saying this is what you see is what you get is what he's saying he's 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:32.000 saying I have I've no identity crisis I I have met with the living Savior and 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:36.960 I've known the spiritual rebirth I've been born a new born afresh and in my 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:45.360 inner consciousness in my ego in my very self in my very being I am in union 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:49.639 with Jesus Christ there's no for me there's no keep out signs he's saying 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:55.759 there's no saying you can come thus far Christ and no further Christ is at the 00:08:55.759 --> 00:09:02.879 very core of who he is is his identity as a child of God he's not a Jekyll and 00:09:02.879 --> 00:09:06.800 Hyde character he doesn't do one thing on a Saturday night and another thing in 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:13.679 a Sunday morning and he doesn't act outwardly as a believer or an apostle and 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:20.959 then inwardly he's a raging maniac for sex or for drunkenness or for whatever 00:09:20.959 --> 00:09:27.719 my idolatry of one means that another he wasn't a hypocrite he was someone who 00:09:27.719 --> 00:09:35.759 God was his God my God and he served him from his soul out he'd been one by the 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:39.360 love of God he'd been changed by the love of God I'm not speaking about romance 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:45.600 and a softness here I'm speaking about his life he recognized his need he was a 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:53.919 sinner who actually was out to destroy the church and he recognized that he was 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:58.759 fighting against the living God and God met with them with that famous Damascus 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:04.759 Road and his self understanding and his self love was transformed it was 00:10:04.759 --> 00:10:12.240 dethroned and he understood the gospel so he could say my God and my serve in my 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:19.919 spirit from my heart with my soul it was it was it was body and soul to him you 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:25.639 know and it wasn't peripheral and it wasn't perfunct it's a great word that 00:10:25.639 --> 00:10:29.840 isn't it perfunct today he didn't just go through the motions for him I hope 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:34.960 nobody's going through the motions in their faith today I can't stand that 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:40.399 because it's so it's so destructive of who we are if we're simply going through 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:46.560 the motions and we're not really we're not impressing anyone we need that 00:10:46.560 --> 00:10:51.399 absolute rip roaring honesty in our hearts with who we are what about our 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:57.240 hearts who who hold your bone marrow who's got who's got your very heart and 00:10:57.240 --> 00:11:02.159 soul to whom do you give your life and your allegiance who is it that you're 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:08.639 willing to say my God to I serve my God with my heart and soul or are you 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:15.840 closed a closed book are you known by people who knows you who knows who you 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:19.799 are you a completely different person here to who I am as you go into your 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:24.759 working life and who's to whom are you known because Paul was he wasn't flash 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:30.360 and he wasn't trying to impress he was simply exposing who he was as a person 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:34.559 that is very heart and soul that he belonged to the living God so that's a 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:38.439 very important part of his life he had a bone marrow faith and we can learn from 00:11:38.439 --> 00:11:42.720 that as leaders we need to learn from that we need to learn the importance of 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:48.600 exposing our hearts and our lives and who we serve and all the inadequacies that 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:57.200 we have to our people but along with that so the second thing and it can apply 00:11:57.200 --> 00:12:01.200 to us all of course is bone marrow faith but he also had an outward looking 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:06.159 heart yet an outward looking heart and that's the paradox really isn't it of 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:10.960 of this passage we're looking at because I've just said that his faith was 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:16.320 intensely personal it was right at the heart of his soul of his being that he 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:20.600 believed in Christ he served Christ he loved Christ he lived for Christ his 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:27.960 identity was in Christ absolutely individual but interestingly interestingly 00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:35.240 it didn't make him private in his faith it didn't make it simply a personal 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:43.040 faith ironically it made him hugely self-forgetful that his life wasn't 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:46.959 bound up in his own relationship with Christ and it all matters all about him 00:12:46.959 --> 00:12:51.159 and Jesus and nobody else mattered wasn't like that for him rather this 00:12:51.159 --> 00:12:56.480 having this foundation of Christ who he served in his soul gave him a 00:12:56.480 --> 00:13:02.719 tremendously outward looking heart and was made himself forgetful just like 00:13:02.719 --> 00:13:08.879 anyone who has the love of Christ in them and in our lives we see others when 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:15.200 we are right with God through Jesus Christ we see others not as a threat not 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:20.919 as people we need to compete against not as an inconvenience especially in the 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:26.279 household of faith can't be bothered with anyone else but we see them as Christ 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:32.279 sees them we see them as people who are to be loved who are to be served so what 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:37.279 we have with Paul is the greatest example of servant leadership he was 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:42.360 someone who was able to express powerfully who he served in his heart 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:47.480 and that gave him a great heart for people it gave him a quote what the 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:52.279 Bible calls meekness which is a great word because it's related to the word 00:13:52.279 --> 00:14:01.839 for controlling a horse you know that a horse that is broken you know used to 00:14:01.839 --> 00:14:05.959 many young ones will and will know this but when I was young used to watch cowboy 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:10.160 films and there was always a horse that was mental and there was always a great 00:14:10.160 --> 00:14:15.040 hero cowboy that could just get on the back of that horse and break it somehow 00:14:15.040 --> 00:14:22.160 so it stopped being wild and it became a useful servant horse in technical terms 00:14:22.160 --> 00:14:26.480 I'm sure there's another way of explaining that but that's what meekness 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:31.840 means it means the controlled strength of a horse that is bridled and reigned 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:40.360 and can will go where it's it's bidden it's bidden to go and meekness is often 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:45.879 in our society associated with weakness but that is not what we have at all in 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:51.160 Paul and in Christ we have meekness which is controlled strength channeled 00:14:51.160 --> 00:14:56.560 love and Paul reveals that in this introduction in the way he speaks about 00:14:56.559 --> 00:15:02.839 this people he never visited them he never actually been to see them we know 00:15:02.839 --> 00:15:06.359 that from the letter he does we do know that he knows some of them because he 00:15:06.359 --> 00:15:11.679 he gives his greetings to some of them at the end of the letter some of them 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:14.759 would have traveled and ended up in Rome and he knew them but he didn't know 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:20.359 them all but this letter is powerfully filled with his love and compassion for 00:15:20.359 --> 00:15:24.639 the people he longs to go and meet so he's thankful for them in verse 8 I thank 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:30.840 my God for all of you for because your faith is produced in all the world so he 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:37.080 recognizes immediately that he has a debt for the family he now belongs to the 00:15:37.080 --> 00:15:41.919 family of God and he's thankful for them now was he thankful for them because he 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:45.080 didn't know them maybe he's gonna be thankful for people you don't know and 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:48.759 for churches you've never been to but if he really knew the church he'd probably 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:52.679 be just pulling his hair out well no that well there may be an element of 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:56.559 truth in that but he was very thankful for the church in Corinth and we know the 00:15:56.559 --> 00:16:00.879 kind of battles and difficulties and struggles that were in that church it 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:06.399 wasn't perfect but he was grateful and in being grateful he was self-forgetful 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:12.759 he was able to be thankful for them and give thanks and express that thanks to 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:18.399 them now his elders and his deacons and his leaders in the church what is our 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:25.199 default position for our people very often for us we're critical very often 00:16:25.199 --> 00:16:29.679 we're finding fault very often we're thinking more about ourselves and what 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:34.120 what what they should be doing and how they should be acting towards us maybe 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:38.480 you're worried and leading maybe you're resentful you thought my goodness not 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:44.159 again do I have to do they have to do and we can have that attitude and it cannot 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:50.519 be one of thankfulness because we've lost sight of the grace that belongs to us 00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:57.679 by God's gift he was thankful as he looked outwardly he was also prayerful 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:03.319 in verse 9 he says for God is my witness who my serve my spirit without 00:17:03.319 --> 00:17:08.480 ceasing I mention you always in my prayers and goes on to explain what he 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:13.519 says and earlier on he he gives a benediction to them in verse 7 he says 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:18.359 grace and peace to you from God my father so he was he was prayerful as he 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:24.440 looked out and as he served he he can he was concerned this is broader isn't it 00:17:24.440 --> 00:17:27.279 just in leaders isn't it I hope you're not sitting back there all kind of 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:31.599 here are getting a hard time today because it applies to all of us in many 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:36.559 ways and we should all be prayerful but particular as leaders praying for grace 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:41.079 for ourselves and our people that is to know that we are more sinful than we 00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:48.799 ever believed and yet more loved than we ever dared hope and praying not just for 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:54.199 grace but also for peace what does that mean I think and I'm not going to spend 00:17:54.199 --> 00:17:57.519 time on this I think the best description of it shelter in the storm 00:17:57.519 --> 00:18:06.079 it's not a kind of soft gentle life without stress and hassle and then 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:11.720 difficulties it's saying that as Christ's we can know shelter in the storms 00:18:11.720 --> 00:18:16.079 of life in the battles in the difficulties in the struggles not just 00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:20.399 praying for everyone to have a great time but it's recognizing the need for 00:18:20.399 --> 00:18:26.359 that foundation which gives us shelter in the storm and Paul prays without 00:18:26.359 --> 00:18:31.000 ceasing for those people he prays for their strengthening he prays that they 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:37.480 will grow you know and that's an amazing thing I don't know how he did it I 00:18:37.480 --> 00:18:41.359 don't know how time for anything else because all his letters all as an 00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:46.119 apostle all his letters say I'm praying for you I'm remembering you in Galatia 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:50.119 remembering you in Ephesus and remembering in Rome I'm remembering you I'm 00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:53.839 remembering Timothy I'm remembering the leaders I'm praying for all of these 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:59.519 people you this incredible prayerful ministry and yet he was probably one of 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:05.200 the most active leaders that has ever been known to the world the Christian 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:14.639 world elders deacons are we praying for our people are we praying kingdom prayers 00:19:14.639 --> 00:19:20.879 are we sacrificial in our prayer times are we making city groups our people a 00:19:20.879 --> 00:19:28.000 priority in prayer so thankful humble prayerful briefly also he's humble we 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:33.799 recognize that as he expresses his prayer to them and says that he longs to 00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:40.880 come to them but that he's dependent on God allowing him to do so because he's 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:44.920 long to be with him in the past and hasn't been able to come he wants to 00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:49.640 strengthen them and impart a spiritual gift and to be mutually encouraged 00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:55.920 isn't it great he's really humble because he's saying look he's not demanding of 00:19:55.920 --> 00:20:00.840 God he recognizes that up till now he's not been able to get to them and he 00:20:00.840 --> 00:20:06.080 sees God has had other purposes for him up to this point and ironically his 00:20:06.080 --> 00:20:11.720 prayer is answered he does get to them but he gets to them in chains he gets to 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:17.400 them with Roman guards because he has to go and meet Caesar not how he expected I 00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:22.560 don't suppose that prayer to be answered he is both strong because he sees that 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:26.720 he is something to offer them he is gift spiritual teaching and learning and 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:31.759 encouragement but he's also needy because he needs to be mutually encouraged 00:20:31.759 --> 00:20:39.279 by them great great great leadership so he goes to the Corinthian church and he 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:44.519 says I come in weakness and fear and in much trembling so there's a vulnerability 00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:51.079 in his strength and a vulnerability that matches his humility that we need to 00:20:51.079 --> 00:20:56.399 stop giving the impression of spiritual invincibility we need to stop thinking 00:20:56.399 --> 00:21:00.079 that we've got all the answers or stop giving the impression that we have all 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:07.039 the answers this is a dual where it's a corporate sense of mutual encouragement 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:12.799 between leaders and people and you need to encourage your leaders as well as us 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:17.079 encouraging you and being encouraged it's a kind of backward and forward thing 00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:22.639 together so let's stop pretending we're invincible and let's stop pretending 00:21:22.639 --> 00:21:26.639 that we don't need one another as Christians and then lastly we see about 00:21:26.639 --> 00:21:33.199 him and then I'll speak briefly about the loyalty his kingdom centered he's he 00:21:33.199 --> 00:21:38.399 recognizes that they have a calling they have a calling under Christ I'll say a 00:21:38.399 --> 00:21:42.879 little bit more about that again that there is a harvest that he's eager to 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:48.520 preach the gospel that he's obligated to them all and he sees himself as part of 00:21:48.520 --> 00:21:53.960 the kingdom answer he's longing to be used in God's kingdom and his service 00:21:53.960 --> 00:21:59.960 so that's Paul okay briefly and finally we'll look at the laity what he says here 00:21:59.960 --> 00:22:06.640 really and explains about the Christian church of which we're a part as well I 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:13.960 think sometimes maybe you want a how-to isn't it we all want a how-to we want to 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:18.360 know the steps have been a better Christian what what can I get practically 00:22:18.360 --> 00:22:22.520 that will help me tomorrow when I go out of here and what we find often is that 00:22:22.520 --> 00:22:31.840 the Bible isn't like that it's it's not a it's not primarily a moral guidebook 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:36.839 while it is that it's primarily is deeper than that it's more foundation it's not 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:42.119 a how-to seven steps to eight things you should do nine things you should avoid 00:22:42.119 --> 00:22:46.639 eleven things you should practice it's not it's it's not a self-help book it's 00:22:46.639 --> 00:22:50.439 a book that introduces you to the living God and that's what Paul 00:22:50.439 --> 00:22:55.000 prioritizes here in the doctrine of salvation the first eleven chapters then 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.639 he speaks about how you go and live your life and so I hope that you find the 00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:05.480 truth that you get through the word and through preaching it's something that 00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:09.840 you take as these people to enter their day-to-day living so that people a 00:23:09.840 --> 00:23:14.640 couple of things here very briefly first is they were saints okay they were 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:21.920 saints grace and peace to you to called to be saints in verse seven he says okay 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:26.720 these were ordinary people they were absolutely ordinary people he knew some 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:30.759 of them and they were going about their everyday lives but they were saints so 00:23:30.759 --> 00:23:35.440 you could you could you could re translate this if you want to bring up 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:41.360 and today I say to all those in Edinburgh and St. Columba's who are loved by God and 00:23:41.360 --> 00:23:46.360 called to be saints because it's the same truth for ourselves called to be 00:23:46.360 --> 00:23:50.839 saints could maybe it's not the best maybe not the best translation it could 00:23:50.839 --> 00:23:58.039 be you could it could be who are loved by God or beloved of God called comma 00:23:58.039 --> 00:24:03.919 saints it's not called sometime in the future to be saints or not called you'll 00:24:03.919 --> 00:24:07.639 be saints when you die or you'll get a sainthood one day but it's called and 00:24:07.639 --> 00:24:12.279 we're saints it could might be better translated saints by virtue of having 00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:16.319 been called so everyone who is a Christian is a saint that's what we 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:22.000 believe that's what the Bible teaches all of us because being a saint simply 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:29.639 means to be set aside set apart to serve and it's used 67 times in the New 00:24:29.639 --> 00:24:34.240 Testament this word and in all but one of its instances it's used in the 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:39.359 plural so it's the church it's all the saints everyone's a Christian every 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:43.960 believer you've been made holy by the blood of Jesus Christ and you're called 00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:49.600 to be holy to be set apart to serve in the same way that Paul speaks about 00:24:49.600 --> 00:24:54.600 it's bone marrow stuff again in other words and that's why he wants them to 00:24:54.600 --> 00:24:58.440 understand the doctrine of salvation in this book because it's so important to 00:24:58.440 --> 00:25:03.279 understand that we are saints that we are set apart you know it's not Saint 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:08.319 Derek set apart and everyone else does their own thing now I'm sure Colombo 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:12.120 was a gray guy but he's no saint compared with everyone else we're all the 00:25:12.119 --> 00:25:15.799 same together so you could be Saint Martha and you can be Saint Don and you 00:25:15.799 --> 00:25:19.679 can be Saint Annie and you can be Saint Neil we're all saints here together 00:25:19.679 --> 00:25:24.119 because we're all set apart we're all bought with a price we're all called to 00:25:24.119 --> 00:25:28.159 serve the Lord Jesus Christ so all the saints and that's very important 00:25:28.159 --> 00:25:34.759 beloved he says are loved by God now let's grasp that that God's love for you 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:40.439 as a Christian it precedes it accompanies and it follows after your love 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:48.160 for him you're engulfed in it before you were born as elect children your love 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:54.400 by God is a purpose and a calling and a work for you to do how many was 00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:59.039 strong I think a lot of us struggle with that particular truth in Christ your 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:04.720 loved you've always been loved you always will be loved how hard is it to 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:11.120 understand that that circumstances will not make a difference to his commitment 00:26:11.120 --> 00:26:16.400 to you as a believer that he loves you and he continues to love you how much 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:21.039 does it change the way we act when we know we're loved but accepted with 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:26.480 adopted how much does it change our self-worth our security our stability 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:30.680 our attitude to others when we know we're loved I got a book for Christmas 00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:33.720 called humans of New York I probably told you that already I don't read very 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:37.279 much but when I read I enjoy them and this was a great book it's a book that 00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:40.519 is written by a guy who has gone out and interviewed lots of people in the 00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:45.200 streets of New York and a lot of them in their lives of it all kinds of 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:48.960 difficulty and hardship many of them are dysfunctional in where they've arrived 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:54.200 and 99% of them say well immediately almost in the first or second set 00:26:54.200 --> 00:27:00.200 sentence of their interview say that their parents didn't love them that they 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:07.039 were rejected that they were thrown out or that they were abused or battered or 00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:16.600 whatever it happens to be because so much of our lives can be molded by that 00:27:16.600 --> 00:27:24.200 sense of not being loved as a child not belonging not being cared for and 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:30.440 however that can manifest itself in our lives in Christ it can be redeemed and 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:34.319 renewed and we can know that we are loved in this remarkable way so we're saints 00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:40.039 and then lastly we see that we're saints together we're saints together Paul makes 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:46.120 that clear when he speaks to the church twice he says to all he says to all in 00:27:46.120 --> 00:27:53.720 Rome that is all in the church and then he goes on again to say it all of you 00:27:53.720 --> 00:27:58.360 first of all I thank my God for all of you not just for the leaders not just 00:27:58.360 --> 00:28:03.319 for the special few I thank my God for all of you and the letter is to all of 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:07.720 them and then in verse 14 he goes on to say his obligation is to Greeks to 00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:14.720 barbarians to the wise and to the foolish he doesn't he doesn't differentiate 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:21.000 that there's this great saints and saints together that he recognizes as the 00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:25.559 truth of the gospel that he's been given by God and that's a great challenge to 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:30.119 us in our Christian life unity in diversity so challenging for the 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:35.160 Christian church for you as a Christian as part of this church to recognize 00:28:35.160 --> 00:28:39.000 unity and diversity and there's a lot of now I'm going to be controversial here 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:42.880 because there's a lot of missional studies missiology that examines and 00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:46.279 looks at churches and looks at how churches grow and and how things develop 00:28:46.279 --> 00:28:51.079 and many of them say that generally churches grow and and plants will grow 00:28:51.079 --> 00:28:55.759 church plants will grow along socioeconomic lines so that mainly they 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:58.960 will grow because you know you speak to your friends about the gospel and your 00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:03.879 friends are in the same socioeconomic group as you and so the law will grow 00:29:03.879 --> 00:29:09.920 that way so that since he's primarily you know we're an educated middle-class 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:17.720 professional sometimes highland kind of flavored church and that's basically 00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:22.680 what we are and if you go to Nidra it's different it's a working-class scheme 00:29:22.680 --> 00:29:27.200 community church that that sees people coming to faith from that community and 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:31.960 it's this homogenous at that level we're homogenous at our level now okay I'm 00:29:31.960 --> 00:29:37.000 being radical maybe it's true of course it's true and to a degree it's to be 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:39.880 expected because you're gonna reach out to those who are closest to you aren't 00:29:39.880 --> 00:29:44.520 okay be what you work with the people your neighbors with and and that's 00:29:44.520 --> 00:29:50.200 that's absolutely normal however I think at another level it's profoundly 00:29:50.200 --> 00:29:57.400 disturbing to only accept that because true grace isn't selective like that and 00:29:57.400 --> 00:30:03.040 it's not just for my friends and for my social circle and oh they'll be great to 00:30:03.040 --> 00:30:07.080 be converted because I like them anyway and they're the people that I got on with 00:30:07.079 --> 00:30:13.399 the gospel works against natural snobbery and inverted snobbery because it 00:30:13.399 --> 00:30:17.919 can work both ways and we don't believe in reaching out only to the elite of 00:30:17.919 --> 00:30:22.199 society with the gospel because they're the ones that will affect the rest of 00:30:22.199 --> 00:30:25.960 society in some kind of drip down spiritual economics we don't believe 00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:32.119 that because that's that is not how God works gospel communities and these 00:30:32.119 --> 00:30:37.599 churches changed the world because they broke down the divisions and there was 00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:42.399 Greeks and barbarians there was wise and foolish all together sitting on the 00:30:42.399 --> 00:30:47.000 eldership there was there was there was people who swept the streets and there 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:50.799 was people who did the economics for the society who were leaders together in 00:30:50.799 --> 00:30:56.079 the church families of educated uneducated rich and poor together and 00:30:56.079 --> 00:30:59.879 it confounded the world and it changed the world of their day they were 00:30:59.880 --> 00:31:04.600 reputed for their faith their faith in Jesus Christ which brought them together 00:31:04.600 --> 00:31:09.840 and which brought them together in a Christ motivated love it was big news 00:31:09.840 --> 00:31:17.400 and that I think is challenging for us that our grace is something we share 00:31:17.400 --> 00:31:23.280 and live with with whoever happens to be our neighbor the people that we come 00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:30.319 across so within that we see a paradox a paradox of a strong church that their 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:34.240 faith was being proclaimed in all the world but one that sensed its own 00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:39.799 weakness and the threats the theological threats that it was under that Paul goes 00:31:39.799 --> 00:31:43.920 on really to address Paul could see that you could see that in their own life in 00:31:43.920 --> 00:31:50.200 his own life and in theirs he needed strengthening and they needed to come 00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:54.559 together and they need to learn the doctrine of grace and they needed to 00:31:54.559 --> 00:32:04.160 forgive and care and love together as a people and he wanted that reputation to 00:32:04.160 --> 00:32:08.480 continue because their faith is proclaimed in all the world I wonder as 00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:15.759 I close what's our reputation as a church what part do you play in enhancing 00:32:15.759 --> 00:32:22.039 that reputation of the church of Christ in St. Columbus here what do you see 00:32:22.039 --> 00:32:27.559 you're calling as as part of the church of Jesus Christ here what's your 00:32:27.559 --> 00:32:33.339 relationship to this body of people as well as your relationship to Jesus 00:32:33.339 --> 00:32:39.599 Christ do you have one now I want to finish with an encouragement for you 00:32:39.599 --> 00:32:44.879 okay sometimes the preaching you can be just wagging the finger and I was 00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:50.600 sorry I didn't mean to wag my finger okay it wasn't the finger of wagging it 00:32:50.600 --> 00:32:55.320 was the finger of encouragement kind of okay but I want to finish with a real 00:32:55.320 --> 00:33:01.160 encouragement for you because I got a letter this week beautiful letter I've 00:33:01.160 --> 00:33:06.200 asked for permission from the person who wrote it to read it but the person 00:33:06.200 --> 00:33:11.240 never got back to me but I'm gonna read it anyway okay because it was really to 00:33:11.240 --> 00:33:17.039 the whole congregation it wasn't just to us as a family you might guess who it is 00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:22.759 I'm not gonna say who it is and one of the words will certainly give away where 00:33:22.759 --> 00:33:31.359 he comes from okay this past fall okay autumn if he was only educated this past 00:33:31.359 --> 00:33:35.200 autumn we launched a community group through our church with a vision for 00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:42.799 providing a meal every week to those who come at the very first meeting I told 00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:48.799 our group a story about how he came to know the Lord for the first time in an 00:33:48.799 --> 00:33:55.120 intimate way in a church in Scotland the dinner is both a symbol of the church as 00:33:55.120 --> 00:34:00.160 the gospel envisions it and a weekly reminder on all those meals you and 00:34:00.160 --> 00:34:04.640 members of St. Columba's provided to the spiritually and physically hungry to 00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:09.079 people like me or any number of those street walking souls who might be 00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:13.880 tempted to keep walking always rather than find peace among a beautiful 00:34:13.880 --> 00:34:20.480 imperfect community of God's people whatever they're found what you do and 00:34:20.480 --> 00:34:28.640 the spirit with which you do it is nothing short of a miracle such an 00:34:28.640 --> 00:34:33.019 acute expression of the love of God that there's part of me worried I'll be 00:34:33.019 --> 00:34:42.320 blinded if I stay too long among the amazing people of St. Columba's remember 00:34:42.320 --> 00:34:50.159 that and be encouraged and keep going and serve Jesus Christ from the soul out 00:34:50.159 --> 00:34:55.360 from the bone marrow of your life out because it transforms some people's 00:34:55.360 --> 00:35:01.480 lives not as many as we want we want to see this place filled to the rafters 00:35:01.480 --> 00:35:07.119 but maybe that'll come by God's grace and by God's favor I've gone on longer 00:35:07.119 --> 00:35:12.980 than I said I would today so we are very shortly going to celebrate the Lord 00:35:12.980 --> 00:35:18.519 supper which is a great way of concluding our worship here and remember as 00:35:18.519 --> 00:35:23.920 we celebrate and as we participate that you're a saint as a Christian remember 00:35:23.920 --> 00:35:30.719 you're set apart because of what he has done for you and meditate on that for the 00:35:30.719 --> 00:35:36.079 few minutes of quiet that we do have and the eaten bread eat the bread and drink 00:35:36.079 --> 00:35:40.519 the wine is saints together that's one of the reasons that in the setup that we 00:35:40.519 --> 00:35:43.359 have now that we take the bread and the wine and we go back to our seats and 00:35:43.359 --> 00:35:46.879 then we do it together we eat the bread and then we drink the wine together 00:35:46.879 --> 00:35:53.519 because it's a sign of unity together and consider what place grace plays in 00:35:53.519 --> 00:35:58.279 your relationship with the church I'm going to give thanks for the bread and 00:35:58.280 --> 00:36:04.120 the wine and for the Lord supper and we remember the privilege that we have of 00:36:04.120 --> 00:36:08.560 celebrating that together before I do so I'm going to read that's another this is 00:36:08.560 --> 00:36:12.080 actually the passage that I was reading for today from the Bible in a year and 00:36:12.080 --> 00:36:18.320 it's just the in many ways the institution that we are given in Mark's 00:36:18.320 --> 00:36:21.920 Gospel when they'd sung of him they went out to the Mount of Olives and Jesus 00:36:21.920 --> 00:36:27.360 said to them you will all fall away for it is written I oh no sorry 00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:35.640 14 years 22 it's the section before sorry as they were eating he took bread and 00:36:35.640 --> 00:36:39.800 after blessing it broke it and gave it to them and said take this is my body 00:36:39.800 --> 00:36:43.680 and he took a cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them and they all 00:36:43.680 --> 00:36:47.720 drank of it and he said to them this is my blood of the covenant which is poured 00:36:47.720 --> 00:36:52.280 out for many truly I say to you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine 00:36:52.280 --> 00:36:57.720 until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God so we're going to pray 00:36:57.720 --> 00:37:02.560 together and then I'll explain a little bit of what we're going to do Father God 00:37:02.560 --> 00:37:07.080 we thank you for this day we thank you for your word we thank you for the Lord 00:37:07.080 --> 00:37:17.720 supper for this visible practical experience of eating and drinking 00:37:17.719 --> 00:37:23.639 remembering your death your body and blood which you shed and remembering it 00:37:23.639 --> 00:37:28.239 because you're risen because on this first day of the week we worship a 00:37:28.239 --> 00:37:35.359 crucified and risen Savior for whom life is gifted to us as we come in 00:37:35.359 --> 00:37:40.639 forgiveness and faith so may we know your presence in a very powerful way as 00:37:40.639 --> 00:37:48.039 we celebrate the Lord's supper together in Jesus name amen