Revd. Emma Racklyeft – Vicar at All Saints, Denmead

Our adventure through the letter to the Romans is nearly over!  We have climbed one of the highest peaks in the Bible and enjoyed spectacular views.  We’ve learnt lots - expanding our minds and applying to our hearts, lives and our church community.  Today we come to the final descent, chapters 15 (which we’ve just heard) and chapter 16.  

So, as we launch in one last time, let’s pray first:

Almighty God, we thank you for Paul and his letter to the Romans.  Thank you that we too can read and learn from it today.  As we consider these final words inspire, encourage and shape us, that we might be bold in sharing the good news of Jesus – his life, death and resurrection – our hope and salvation.  Amen 

Paul’s passion and energy for mission were unrelenting.  By the time he dictated his letter to the Romans, he had already clocked up some impressive stats, all before sat navs, google maps, or budget flights!

Paul had travelled approx. 10000 miles! He’d preached the gospel from Jerusalem, through modern day Turkey and round to Greece.  He’d planted 10 churches, written at least 10 foundational letters, established friends all around the empire and spent several spells in prison.

As Paul now scopes out his next missional journey, whilst resting in Corinth, his plans are ever ambitious. 

Paul makes clear that he intends to travel to Jerusalem to deliver a gift he has collected for Jewish believers who are in a state of severe poverty. After visiting Jerusalem, Paul intended to sail to Rome, where he would finally meet the recipients of his great letter for the first time. He was clearly excited by the prospect and asked them to pray for safety, ‘so that I may come to you with joy, by God's will, and in your company be refreshed.’ Then Paul would head to southern Spain opening a new frontier of mission.

Now we know what actually happened from the book of Acts.  Paul made it to Jerusalem and delivered the financial gift. But then he was falsely accused and arrested by the Jewish authorities. After an attempt to assassinate him, he was moved up the coast to Caesarea, where he was kept behind bars for two years.  We can read about this in Acts 23 and 24. 

As a last roll of the dice, Paul claimed his right as a Roman citizen to be tried by Caesar. So, finally, he set sail for Rome as planned. Only it didn't go to plan. His vessel was shipped wrecked in a storm off the island of Malta. Paul and the other passengers made it to land, only for a poisonous Viper to latch on to his arm! Needless to say, he miraculously survived.  

In Acts 27-28 we learn that Paul, after months of further delay, around AD58 Paul entered Rome as a political prisoner under house arrest.  Not quite what he had in mind when he shared his plans in Romans 15.

Instead of arriving in Rome a free man, ready to launch into Spain, Paul arrives in chains.  He must have felt confused, why did God allow this to happen?  He must have felt despair, how can anything good come from this?

These were dark, dark moments that Paul faced, dark, moments that we all face – times where we feel broken, dejected, fearful and low. Times when life doesn’t go to plan….

For Paul, this was where the rubber meets the road… The recipients of Paul’s letter, those early Christians in Rome must have wondered whether Paul really practised what he preached.  Was Paul still confident in the gospel. Did he still believe that ‘God works for the good of those who love him’ after assassination attempts, shipwrecks and snakebites?  Could Paul still declare that ‘nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God’ while on death row?

The final verses of Acts record how Paul conducted himself when in Rome. Despite the sense of fear, failure and set back, for two whole years Paul proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, with all boldness and without hindrance.

Paul’s confidence in the gospel and his commitment to share it remain constant whatever the circumstances. Despite his plans being torn up, Paul was still committed to playing his part in the onward mission. 

While under house arrest in Rome, elite members of the praetorian guard would have been chained to Paul on a rotation basis. Ever the opportunist, Paul considered them to be his captive audience and shared the gospel with them, and with anyone else who visited. Paul also wrote several letters waiting sentence, Ephesians Philippians Colossians and Philemon.

I wonder how do we respond when our hopes, dreams and plans are thwarted?  When we face metaphorical storms, shipwrecks and snakebites.  When we face difficulties, ill-health, disappointments, do we give up?  Do we lose faith?  Do we stop trusting?  Do we spiral down and down?  

The Bible never promises life will be easy - even when we are on a mission with God.  But the Scriptures do provide a limitless source of encouragement, truth, resilience and hope that helps us keep our heads above water.  As Romans 5 promises, tough times develop perseverance and strength, which cultivate hope – and hope does not put us to shame (Romans 5:5).

In Romans 15, several phrases reveal the motivation that inspired Paul to keep going on mission, to keep sharing the good news about Jesus, no matter what. None of them are about increasing his own status, comfort or influence. 

Paul cites several Old Testament texts which reveal God's plan to redeem Israel and use them as a light to the surrounding nations. Now this plan failed because Israel failed to live as God's holy people. 

However, Paul deliberately picks up on phrases describing Israel’s calling and applies them to himself. As Paul shared the gospel with Gentiles from other nations, he understood himself to be fulfilling the vacation of God's people that stretched right back to Abraham: ‘all peoples on earth will be blessed through you’.

Romans 15 therefore provides a rhetorical climax to the whole letter, before the closing greetings in chapter 16. It echoes back to the opening verses, where Paul introduced Jesus as a ‘descendant of David’ who fulfils what was ‘promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures’. 

In Romans 15, Paul quotes from each section of the Hebrew Bible, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, to show that when Jews and gentiles worship together, it bears witness to all creation of what God has done in Jesus, is doing through the Spirit, and will do in the end. 

Now in Rome, as small gatherings of Christians from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds met across the city, they were turning these scriptural promises into a reality. That's why unity, hospitality, welcome and acceptance remain so important for God's people today. These are not just nice ideals but an essential part of our mission.

The ultimate goal of the gospel is that God should receive praise from a renewed humanity comprising people from every language and culture. After all, Israel’s God ‘did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all.’ (8:32) 

The motivation that pulsates through Paul's missionary zeal was therefore that Jews and gentiles may ‘with one mind and one voice glorify the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’

Now it’s worth noting that mission comes from the Latin word ‘missio’, meaning ‘to send’. It alludes to the fact that the gospel involves a double movement. First and foremost, the gospel invites us in. Having been justified by grace, ‘we have peace with our God’(Romans 5:1) Spiritually we are relocated. Our new status is ‘in Christ’, and this enables us to approach God as our Father, secure in the knowledge that we are ‘co-heirs’ with Jesus. 

However, the gospel also sends us out. The Father commissions asked to go into a broken world to share the hope that Jesus has secured.  In Jesus words, ‘we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth’ (Matthew 5: 13-14).

But how do we actually do this? 

How can we put mission into practise?

Well Romans 15 gives us three very basic principles which we can all use.

1. Whom can I bless today? How can I show acts of kindness and love.
2. To be constantly praying to God and asking, what does the Holy Spirit want me to say or do?
3. How can I guide this conversation towards Jesus? How can I speak words of truth, hope and encouragement?

For a long time, the church has centred on mission services at church, or evangelistic courses, and praying for people to turn up…(now all of these are important, and I’m not saying we should throw them out) but we need to recognise, that like the Christians living in Rome, we live in a society today were a whole generation has emerged that know next to nothing about the Bible or Christianity, and so the church, needs to discover fresh and creative ways to communicate the unchanging gospel, in an every changing world.  

And for this we need pioneers… we need each one of us, every day, wherever we are based, (home, school, college, work, at a community group, at the shops, in the hospital) to live out these basic principles -  

1. Whom can I bless today? How can I show acts of kindness and love.
2. To be constantly praying to God and asking, what does the Holy Spirit want me to say or do?
3. How can I guide this conversation towards Jesus? How can I speak words of truth, hope and encouragement?

If each of us (that’s me too) could live in this way, we would see the most amazing things happen all around, lives touched and changed by God’s Spirit, people encountering Jesus, sinners saved – God’s goodness and mercy abounding.

And so, just like that our adventure through Romans comes to an end.  How have you found it?  Were you able to navigate the complex landscape or did you get a bit lost?  What did you enjoy the most?

Perhaps it was the main ascent from the valley of sin, up the crux of salvation and along the narrow ridge of freedom? Or maybe you enjoyed the panoramic views from the summit of hope and glimpsing God's great purpose for Israel as we pass through the cloud of mystery? Or perhaps you enjoyed the practical sections on the way down, the descent of devotion and the return to community? Overall, I hope you are now feeling inspired for the onward mission. 

I would still thoroughly recommend getting hold of Andrew Ollerton’s book ‘Romans – a letter that makes sense of life’– we have one or two copies left, but you can purchase online, or in a good bookshop, it may well be worth reading through, at your pace, and giving space for the depth and power of God’s word to speak to your hearts.

Paul opened Romans with a declaration of confidence ‘I am not ashamed of the Gospel’ and now closes, after greetings shared with many friends, with a prayer.  

It’s a prayer which echoes down through the ages:

‘Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,  but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith—  to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.’

The goal of Romans was to establish new Christians, living in Rome, in the knowledge and love of Christ, giving them head and heart knowledge to enable them to grow and mature in their faith.  

Throughout the ages this book has continued to be a root for all Christians, providing a story that is just as relevant and relational in our age today.  

In the words of Paul, 

‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ Amen.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for this incredible journey through the letter of Romans.  Thank you for all that we have discovered together.  

As this letter has inspired countless people through the centuries, may it also continue to inspire us.  

Thank you for the good news of your great mercy and love we have to share. Help us to serve you well in the world and to share the love of God with everyone we meet.   

Holy Spirit feel us a fresh, make us bold, give us an urgency, that we might be courageous for your glory’s sake.  Amen.

Canon John Byrne – Retired Clergy with PTO (Permission To Officiate)

Welcome again to our teaching series on Paul’s letter to the Romans, focusing today on chapters 13-14. 

Inevitably this series closely following Andrew Ollerton’s book, Romans – A Letter that Make Sense of Life, is an overview of these chapters not a verse-by-verse study.  

We’ve heard chapter 13 read to us this morning. It speaks about how we should live in our world today.  

Chapter 14 please read for yourself. Its essential theme is how we should live with each other in God’s church today.

Last week we were on holiday on Guernsey – a fascinating and attractive island; not a country but part of the bailiwick of Guernsey, Herm, Alderney & Sark which are a Crown Dependency.  Our King Charles is their Duke of Normandy.  The bailiwick has its own government and laws. Its residents have British passports, but it feels like Britain with a difference.  Since 1066 when Normandy and Britain became one kingdom the Channel Islands have been part of Britain and chose to remain so when Normandy was lost.  Altogether, a complicated history and existence which the islands have shared for a millennium.

So, in Romans 13-14 two arenas of our life are in mind.  The world and the church.  Living in human society and living in God’s family.  Two overlapping circles.  

We belong to both. It’s not a new idea:  we are born into the world, and we are born again spiritually through relationship with Christ into his family and church.

C21st life seems complicated and pressured. But, as Christians, we face it living in both these spheres. One is temporal – earthly kingdoms end, and one is eternal – God’s kingdom is everlasting.

National and international issues come uninvited into our living rooms through modern, digital media, TV and internet.  Distance is no barrier to communication and knowledge.  Social, political, justice and environmental issues continue to emerge.  And they involve us all as world citizens.

The church at large and each church in particular have a shared life too.  And we are called to work out how to live and to model a new way of living in the light of Christ, our Creator, Redeemer and coming King.

In Romans 13–14 Paul explores how we live in the light of the gospel, especially in a world that is hostile and a church community that is fragile. 

The church in Rome faced both external and internal pressures in a context of persecution and martyrdom. So Paul looks at the radical ideas of loving our enemies and serving one another as the body of Christ.  He considers the first century church’s attitude to secular government and internal church disagreements.

Similarly, Christians in every generation have to think how to be good citizens in God's Kingdom and in secular society, because we belong to both.

Paul’s letter has implications for how we submit to human authorities and how we submit to each other in God’s church.

1 Living in our human society

Paul calls the church in Rome to submit themselves to the authorities, which in their time must have been incredibly challenging. Romans were required to call Caesar Lord, but Jews and Christians were unable to do so.  A dangerous stance to adopt. 

Jesus famously taught that people should give Caesar what was his due and to God what was due to him too.  And now Paul told the Christians to give to each their due, whether that was taxes, respect, or honour, because the authorities were God’s servants in society.

Romans 13:1 There is no authority except that which God has established.  It is God-given for our good.

Christians don’t live in an isolated bubble. Just as the believers in Rome had to consider their attitude towards the government and ruling authorities, so do we. Paul writes to a church which is under pressure and urges them to submit to governing bodies, because they have God’s authority in doing their work for the good of society. 

This must however be balanced with the rest of Scripture, and the tension between obeying God and obeying man must be considered.  

Famously Bonhoeffer stood against the oppressive Nazi regime of WW2 and paid with his life.  Some UK Christians today have expressed support for an organisation our government has proscribed as ‘terrorist’ in the debate about Israel and Gaza, seeing their stand as for justice and truth, and paying with a criminal conviction.

We see church leaders doing this similarly when they make statements about things like the treatment of refugees, for example. When they do this, they are not calling for the overthrow of the government, but for laws and policies to be just.

One right which I believe we should all stand up for is freedom of speech, the freedom to say what we believe about our Christian faith or about contemporary issues, without fear of what we say being labelled as ‘hate speech’. Although the pendulum may be swinging back, some universities which ought to be places of openness and free debate, have de-platformed speakers in recent times due to disagreement with their point of view. 

Romans 13:12 The night (this world’s existence) is far gone, the day (the fullness of Christ’s coming kingdom) is near. Let us then put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. 

Overall, the command to put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light applies to both aspects of our Christian life, in relationship to the wider community and to the Christian church. We must live in human society even though it will fade away and we must look to eternity because it is God’s, and he calls us to share in it.

Some would like to disregard the elected government entirely because of their opposition to one, or a few, of their policies. Paul's words could allow us to challenge ungodly policies, but this does not mean that we should rebel against the people in power and refuse to submit to even their reasonable uses of authority.

2 Living in our church family

Paul also addresses issues that might come up in the community of Christ. He addresses those current to his day, particularly relevant for Jews and Gentiles, when it came to food and religious holidays. They might be less relevant for us today, but the principles are timeless. He puts unity in the church before individual needs and desires – pertinent then as it is today in our individualistic, rights-centred society whose attitudes will manifest in church too.

Romans 14:17  The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Paul wants to steer away from endlessly discussing secondary issues about running the church and deciding the colour of the proverbial tea cups, and point towards the timeless reminder that God’s eternal kingdom is one of righteousness, peace and joy.

Romans 14:7-8  We do not live to ourselves and we do not die to ourselves.  If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So the, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

He adds, Romans 14:19, Let us then pursue what makes for peace and mutual edification.

Because the night is nearly over and the day is almost here, we can put aside our own wishes, and submit ourselves to human authorities and to each other, and in this way honour Christ.

When the perfect comes the imperfect will pass away.  One day the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God. The two realms in which we live now will become one.

Paul in Romans 14:11 writes, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. 

If you’re confused about aspects of life in our world and church today, be assured that in the Day of the Lord that is coming it’s going to get a good deal simpler!  Let’s look forwards to that day.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, as your ambassadors, give us wisdom in how to live in this world. 

Help us to acknowledge you as Lord while submitting to human authorities. Help us to stand up for justice, fairness and equality for all. 

Help us to see where we may be bringing disunity or division, and to work in church and society for reconciliation and peace with you. 

You call us to be the light of the world; help us serve you well and build your kingdom each day, 

For your glory’s sake. 

Amen.

(ASD 8 & 10am 7^th September: Romans – a letter that makes sense of life, by Andrew Ollerton - pgs. 177-200)

Revd. Emma Racklyeft (Vicar at All Saints) 

Over recent weeks, as we’ve journeyed through Romans, the apostle Paul has spent eleven chapters exploring and unpacking the basic beliefs of the gospel – the good news of Jesus. These foundations have created a backdrop on which Paul lays out the practical implications of God’s mercy.  Having marvelled at the gospel and God’s sovereign power, Paul now begins to consider the difference this makes in our lives and the way we treat one another.

Almighty God may my spoken words be faithful to your written word, and bring us to the living word – Jesus Christ our Lord and King.  Amen.

So, let’s launch straight in…

Paul says, “therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The phrase ‘offer your bodies as a living sacrifice’ alludes to numerous Pagan temples in ancient Rome where people would bring animals and offerings to the gods. Meat from the sacrifices was then repurposed by butchers and enjoyed in homes and restaurants throughout the city. 

In Jerusalem, the Jewish temple was also a scene of sacrifice. Some animals were brought as sin or guilt offerings. However, other sacrifices were burnt offerings. They were not given to atone for sin but out of gratitude, as an act of worship to God. In this instance, no meat was kept back. The whole animal was devoted to the Lord as a costly sacrifice. 

This may have been what Paul had in mind in Romans 12, verse one. Christ's sacrifice has fully atoned for our guilt and sin. However, in response, we are to devote the whole of our lives to God. Our worship is no longer bringing a sacrifice but being the sacrifice. We are living sacrifices, fully surrendered on the altar before God.

So for us today, worship s not just a matter of liturgy, hymn and songs, or our prayers, or Sunday attendance. Rather it's embodied, practical living that pleases God. Worship is about what I say with my tongue, what I watch with my eyes, what I think in my mind, where I go with my feet, how I conduct my sex life, how I steward my time and possessions. 

Eugene Patterson therefore paraphrases it ‘take your every day, ordinary life, you're sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life, and place it before God as an offering.’

The fact that we are living sacrifices suggest this must be a continuous act of surrendering our whole self to God. After all, the problem with living sacrifices is that they tend to wriggle off the altar!

Jesus himself taught and modelled practices of delf-denial and self-discipline.  Earlier in Romans, Paul has urged us to put to death the misdeeds of the body.

So, for us this might mean resisting the pressure to live as a constant consumer, it might mean refusing forms of excess, whether food, drink, or entertainment.  Weekly disciplines like fasting from food, switching off social media, kneeling to pray, practising sabbath, giving away a significant percentage of our income, serving, volunteering – these practices remind us that we are not free agents on a cultural binge to be happy, or create magical moments – rather we are servants of Jesus Christ, called to live for God’s glory.

What would it mean for you, for me to offer our whole beings to God?

Verse 1 goes on to say that our goal is to be ‘holy and pleasing to God’. Paul challenges us – we’re not to be governed by nature - the instincts, desires and passions within us, nor to surrender to culture - the narratives, values and pressures around us. Instead, we can reorder our lives to please God by living according to his purpose: ‘do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’. Weekly, daily we need to be immersed in Scripture, discovering the radical truths that will enable us to live in accordance with God’s pattern, plan and design.  

After urging us to become living sacrifices, the rest of Romans 12 calls us to be loving servants who put others first.  With our eyes wide open to the mercies of God, we are to live in harmony with one another – even if that means reversing, apologising and forgiving.

So, the central idea of verses 3 through to 13 is a devotion to one another in love.  The word used is ‘philadelphia’ which means ‘brotherly love’. Through adoption by the Spirit, Christians are brothers and sisters in God's family. As siblings, we should therefore be devoted to one another. 

In verses 3 to 8 Paul urges the Christians in Rome to serve each other with the gifts God has given. He lists several examples of spiritual gifts. Some are more up front, including prophecy, leadership and teaching. Others are practical gifts, such as giving, encouraging, serving. As loving servants, we are called to use whatever talents and abilities we have been given to serve God's people. 

To reinforce the importance of using our gifts to serve, Paul draws on one of his favourite metaphors, the church is a collective body with many individual parts. This metaphor both encourages those who feel inferior - you have gifts, and we need you to play your part, and it humbles those who feel superior - remember, you are only one part and need to honour others. Paul expects all believers to think of themselves with modesty. Humility should be a distinct, countercultural feature of the Christian community. We must use our gifts to serve, not to self-promote.

In verses 9 - 13 Paul goes on to urge the Christians in Rome to develop healthy relationships marked by sincerity, generosity and hospitality.

Sincerity is the opposite of hypocrisy. ‘Hypokrites’ was a Greek word used for an actor who put on a show by hiding behind a mask. Throughout the performance you never got to see the real person. So much human socialising is just two masks meeting. But the gospel says we are loved and accepted on the basis of who we really are, not who we pretend to be. So, a church community should be a place where we can take off our masks, share our weaknesses and struggles. This level of from vulnerability will cultivate deep and meaningful relationships.

Paul also urges the practise of generosity and hospitality. After all, when we were out in the cold, God paid the greatest price to bring us home. So, as Christians, we ought to welcome strangers and meet the needs of others. When we invite someone into our home and share food together, we turn strangers into friends.  When we show generosity and practise hospitality we put the gospel into practice. In our society, where so many feel lonely and isolated, showing kindness and welcoming people into our homes can make a big difference.  

The final section of Romans 12 is the most radical. It's one thing to love and serve those who are on our side; it's another to extend this kindness to those who make life difficult for us, our enemies. Human instinct is to stand up for ourselves and to try to get our own back whenever possible. But the gospel calls us to live counter-intuitive lives. 

Paul says ‘Blessed those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. If your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty give him something to drink.’ 

The final verse sums it up best:  ‘do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’

What might it mean for you to ‘overcome evil with good’?  Is there someone you have been hurt by to whom you could show kindness?

So, to sum up, Paul urges us ‘in view of God’s mercy’, to become living sacrifices and loving servants.  

Let’s close with prayer:

Lord Jesus, help us this week to live well as your people.  Help us to bring peace to a divided and broken world. 

 Empower us with the Holy Spirit to love our enemies and those we find difficult. Where we face opposition or ridicule, or are treated unjustly, give us extra grace to love and serve.  

Help us to be radically hospitable, humble and forgiving.  Please strengthen us to be salt and light in this dark world.  Amen

Give us grace, O Lord, not only to hear your Word with our ears, but also to receive it into our hearts and to show it forth in our lives; for the glory of your name. Amen.

I remember the very first time that I met my wife, Moya. I was treasurer of the Fellwalking Society at Newcastle University, and she was queueing up to pay her subs. In the 47 years since then, we have walked a great many miles together, but one visit to the Lake District stands out. It was March 1980, Moya and I, with our friend Chris, were walking from Ennerdale to Honister, via the col between the summits of Brandreth and Haystacks.

As often happens in mountains, light snow in Ennerdale became heavier as we climbed. When the path had levelled out, we could no longer see more than a few feet in any direction and were up to our knees in snow. However, we had appropriate clothing and equipment, knew where we were, where we were heading and how long it ought to take us. So, we sent Chris ahead, on a compass bearing, until he could only just be seen, and then followed in his footsteps, repeating this for over a mile, until we were confident that we ought to be just above the old drum house. At that moment, the clouds of snow began to thin, and we caught glimpses of the ruins. The descent to Honister was then achieved with little difficulty.

This summer, we have been exploring Paul’s letter to the Romans. Andrew Ollerton, author of ‘Romans: a letter that makes sense of life’, produced a diagram to guide us through our study. It shows another mountain journey of adventure and discovery, beginning with the gospel of truth, then descending into the valley of sin, to climb the cliff of salvation onto the ledge of peace, before the final ascent of freedom to the summit of hope, which is where we left the story last week, gazing at the amazing view.

So, what now? Surely the only way to go from the top is down? Will this be an anticlimax? Definitely not! And we remain high on the mountain. On our journey so far, we have celebrated the power of the gospel, and God’s plan to restore us and all of creation. We are about to discover the difference that this made to the early church in Rome, and how we might be expected to respond to all that God has done for us. But, as we leave the summit, we become enveloped in a cloud of mystery, just as Moya and I were when we reached the top of the Loft Beck in a white-out and completely lost sight of the way forward.

Paul knows that on any journey there will be testing times, when the conditions become arduous, we can’t see the way forward nor the hidden dangers, can’t trust our own senses perhaps, and must rely on the one thing in which we can trust. For Moya and me on the fells this was keeping our eyes fixed on our compass, which kept us on the right path through the confusion of snowdrifts and lack of visibility, until the clouds began to clear. For the early church, as it is for us today, this was keeping their eyes fixed on Jesus, the way, the truth and the life.

Andrew Ollerton suggests that Paul’s arguments in chapters 9-11 of his letter to the Romans may feel much like the mist closing in, and that these chapters form the most dense and intricate argument anywhere in Paul’s letters. Other commentators agree, variously describing this as ‘one of the most difficult and obscure passages,’ and ‘quite a dense and daunting bit of theology’. Now, I realize that I might not be selling this very well, and you may be forgiven for wondering why we are even bothering with it, but please bear with me, as I attempt to pick out the highlights from this ancient writing which still speaks strongly to us today.

God is sovereign, so we shall never understand his ‘unsearchable’ judgements; his ways are ‘inscrutable’, as Paul puts it. There are mysteries in life which cannot neatly be resolved. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that we have all the answers. Rather, we have somewhere to go with our questions; to a loving heavenly Father whom we can trust even when life doesn’t make sense. But God has also revealed himself and his truth in the gospel and has called us to respond. Mystery and revelation in tension. The sovereignty of God is both a great comfort when life is tough, and a motivation for us to play our part in the fulfilment of God’s larger purpose.

If I have whetted your appetite, chapters 9-11 of Paul’s letter are something of a literary sandwich, in which Paul, drawing on Old Testament scripture, writes concernedly about the plight of those of his fellow Jews who have stumbled over God’s stumbling-stone and have rejected Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah.

Anti-Jewish politics is not only a recent, disturbing phenomenon, it was also in the background as Paul was writing, and he is thinking about the divisions between the unbelieving Jews and the followers of Christ, how he sees God honouring his ancient covenant commitment to the Israelites, whom he chose first, and how they too will find their promised salvation, alongside the Gentiles; fruitless olive branches broken off and then grafted back into a metaphorical olive tree.

It is a fresh re-telling of Israel’s story, but with Jesus as its climax; God’s grace replacing obedience to his law as the means to salvation. This is covered in chapters 9 and 11, where Paul leads us into and through the mists of his deep theology. The filling between these passages, chapter 10, finds Paul leading us out of the mist again, clarifying the role that we must play in a practical way.

Old Testament scripture taught that obedience to Hebrew law was the key to God’s blessing. But Paul says that Christ is the culmination of the law. Because Jesus, the only fully obedient Jew, has fulfilled the law, he has opened a new way of blessing, equally available to Jews and Gentiles. Faith in Christ is now the only requirement for joining the covenant people of God. There is no ethnic bias or racial discrimination; the message of Jesus applies equally in Johannesburg and Jerusalem, in Beijing and Bethlehem.

And there are no degrees of citizenship in God’s kingdom. In Roman society the wealthy could buy privilege and elite status, but before God you cannot buy salvation. The rich, the poor, the famous and the marginalized are equally welcome. Which is good news indeed; the gospel message humbles the powerful and empowers the humble.

But for Paul, it is not enough simply to be spiritual, or vaguely to believe in God. He urges his readers to be more confident and more active in their faith, and says, “If you confess with your lips, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” Yes, says Paul, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’.

In that culture, names were important; they described the character of a person and defined them. But the personal name of God was so sacred that no Jew would dare to pronounce it when reading scripture and they replaced God’s Hebrew name (Yahweh) with the word we translate as LORD, which is why this word appears in capital letters throughout the Old Testament. In Jesus, God has now been revealed personally to his people, and this is why Paul says that the Old Testament prophecy that ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD (capitalized - meaning the name of God) shall be saved, is fulfilled by Jesus.

This is a radical statement. For Romans, to say that Jesus was Lord was, by implication, to say that Caesar was not Lord, and that was an offence punishable by long terms of imprisonment or death. Even today this can be a brave thing to say, as it involves standing out from the crowd and declaring openly that our allegiance lies not with any of today’s politicians, leaders or celebrities but with Jesus. We are called, says Paul, firstly to believe wholeheartedly that Jesus is Lord and then to profess that faith with our mouths.

There follows a logical train of Paul’s thought. If salvation depends on belief and confession, calling on the name of the Lord, appealing to him to rescue us, how can those who have never heard about Jesus be saved? And how are they to hear about him unless somebody is sent to tell them? Paul suggests that this is the Christians’ calling, to spread the gospel message, to draw people to encounter Jesus for themselves, that they in turn might come to call on his name and be saved.

In ancient times, news of major events was taken to people by heralds, who walked the land, speaking the headlines to those who lived outside the big cities. Any bringer of good news would be welcomed with open arms. Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah, and this is where the opening lines of our hymn ‘How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news’ come from. Today we might say ‘How beautiful are the fingers of those who send messages of good news on social media.’

Our challenge then is to earn ourselves the accolade of ‘Beautiful Feet’, or perhaps ‘Beautiful Wheels’, where that is our accustomed mode of transport. Some people are keen conversationalists and might relish being God’s herald, but others are a little more reticent, becoming tongue-tied when it comes to explaining our faith, hoping that no-one will ask difficult questions about things like pain, abuse and tragedy, or pour scorn on our beliefs, or accuse us of hypocrisy, or simply of being out touch. So, here are a few suggestions from experienced evangelists.

Begin by praying; ask God where and how he wants you to help him. Then let your Beautiful Feet take you out somewhere, to meet people where they are. A smile is a good, positive way of communicating. If people speak to you, listen, and show an interest in them. Acknowledge their concerns and show that you care. Ensure that people feel comfortable and safe talking with you. Look for opportunities to share your own experience of the difference that Jesus has made in your own life. Be open and honest and speak with integrity. Illustrate your points with appropriate bible stories if you can. Offer to pray with or for people: for their sick child, frail parent or trouble at work, for example. Do not be afraid, but keep praying, and let God guide you. Remember that this is God at work, and we are helping him, as far as we can.

So, why not commit, this morning, to having at least one conversation about Jesus with somebody you meet? Think about where your Beautiful Feet will take you this week. Then, as you leave the church, or go through to the church hall, you will find a giant foot. Add one or more Post-it notes to the giant foot, to say where you are expecting to go this week, and therefore where you might just find an opportunity to proclaim your faith, and to talk about Jesus.

Let us pray.

Loving and gracious Father, wherever we go this week, help us to be bearers of the good news of the gospel, sharing it with others in our words and actions. Please give us the courage to speak about you when the opportunity arises, so others may come to know you. Amen. 

Over the last few weeks, we have been looking together at the book of Romans, we have considered the power of the Gospel and the freedom that it brings us, looked at the gift of Grace and the peace that Jesus brings us. Last week Revd. Emma shared Paul’s words to those in Rome about how they/we can live our lives free from the destructive negatives cycles of sin we open ourselves up to and need to be accountable for. Using the Image drawn by the author Andrew Ollerton, we now find ourselves at the pinnacle of the mountain, as we reach Romans chapter 8.

Now it may not be a surprise to many of you that I have never climbed a “real” mountain, as according to my family Mount Snowdon doesn’t really count!

When reaching the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, a friend had this to say,

‘Standing on the summit with the people I had walked up with brought a real sense of peace; that everything was going to be okay in my life. It is the calmest and most capable I have ever felt. I love the sense of perspective. You know if you can endure the fear and the pain and then get to experience the wonder of standing on a summit – well then, you can do anything you set your mind to.’

In Romans 8 we arrive at a high point of Romans a place of praise as Paul celebrates with us what the Gospel means for our relationship with God and not just for us but for all creation.

Romans 8 is a chapter full to the brim with wonder at what the Gospel has already achieved in our lives, and hope for what is in store for creation.

In fact, I could preach for over an hour and only just skim the surface of the message of joy and hope that chapter 8 brings us, but don’t worry I will not stray far over 30 mins …. Although there are no refreshments after church so….

In all seriousness now, do if you can find time to read chapter 8 in full this week, to let the promises reverberate in your mind.

Today I am going to be looking at some of the final verses in the chapter from verses 31.

Picture, if you will, a teenage girl who heads out to the desert with her friends, just to mess around. After exploring a while, they discover a rugged, desert canyon with a sheer cliff face rising almost 200 feet from where they stand. The girl boasts about climbing the cliff, and in response, her friends pester her until she does it. But almost halfway up, the climb becomes dangerous: cacti growing in the cracks, crumbling rocks, nests of insects, hot surfaces exposed to the sun. The girl's anxiety begins to rise. She slowly makes her way to a ledge of sorts and hugs the cliff face. She feels trapped.

After some time, while her friends continue to goad her from below, not really realising the anxiety and fear in their friend, the girl hears a voice from above. She looks up to see her father, hanging over the top of the cliff, lowering down a rope and harness. She is flooded with relief. As she attaches the harness, her father lets him know there's not enough rope to lower her down, so she will still have to keep climbing. While the dangers remain, with the secured harness and her father's encouragements, the girl can make the arduous climb and arrive safely at the top; exhausted, but profoundly grateful.

Now, as you ponder that illustration, I want you to ask, “At what times was the girl not safe? At what point was she safe?” Keep that in mind as I speak this morning.

Paul in all these things that he's been telling us so far in Romans chapter 8, point us to the place that guarantees us that God is going to turn our groaning into glory. Some might be tempted to say, "Well, you can talk about God having a good purpose in every circumstance of life, and that all sounds well and good. But you have never walked in my shoes. You don't know what I'm facing.

Well Paul's has got something to say. And he says it in the form of questions. They're rhetorical questions; they don't require an answer. But in each case, the answers are implied. These answers, reveal some great truths about God. The first one describes God as our protector.

Romans 8:31. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Even though the sentence is worded as a condition, there is no doubt about it. It is a condition that is assumed to be true. God is for us!

God is not against us; He's for us! He's on our side. He's on our team. He is our friend.

And when you have a friend like Him, you don't need to be afraid of anyone. "Who can be against us?"

Actually, there are lots of people who try to oppose us. Satan is against us, trying to defeat us and destroy us. Our old sin nature is lined up against us, trying to bring us back into our old bad habits and addictions. Unbelievers may be against us, jealous of our peace and joy, resentful of our separation from sin. Paul isn't saying that as Christians we have no opponents. The point is that it makes no difference who is against us. They cannot triumph so long as we are aware of the greatness of our God and resting in His sovereign care.

Let’s face it we're all afraid of something, somebody's ridicule, displeasure, or hostility. But Paul is encouraging us to think! 

Think about it! 

God is for us! 

God is Our Provider: "Will He Not Give Us All Things?" Romans 8:32. "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

I wonder if the story of Abraham offering his son Isaac on the altar wasn't in Paul's mind when he wrote that verse. Of Abraham's sacrifice, God said, "...you have not withheld your son, your only son"

In Abraham's case, God intervened and provided another sacrifice, a ram. But this time, God delivered up His own dear Son, for us, for you and for me. He allowed Him to go to Calvary and there bear in His body the awful pain and suffering that our sins deserved. If He did something that extraordinary for us, He will certainly provide all we need to sustain us here on this earth, and all we need to see us through to being in His presence.

All things! What a wonderful promise! Will He not with Him also freely give us all things? He is obviously not talking about material things. This is not a rallying cry for the health and wealth. Paul himself had very little of this world's goods. He's talking about everything we need to complete our salvation and make us ultimately like Christ--"glorified," 

God Is Our Defender

To bring a charge against is a legal term that refers to making a formal accusation, "pressing charges" in other words. That's exactly what Satan tries to do. Just as he did with Job, he goes before the Judge and says, "You can't let that Buffy into your heaven, Lord. Don't you know what a sinner she is, what rotten thoughts she has in her mind, what unkind words can come out of her mouth, what awful things she has done?" And the sad fact is that his accusations are valid. Satan knows what we're like.

But the point of the verse is that it doesn't matter. "It is God who justifies." In other words, the Judge Himself has declared me to be righteous. And He did it with His eyes wide open, with full knowledge of all my sins and shortcomings. If God has exonerated me knowing full well how rotten I am, then nobody, but NOBODY, can challenge His verdict.

Do you know how chapter 8 starts, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." NO CONDEMNATION!

You can imagine Jewish persecutors or Roman authorities bringing false charges against believers, threatening civil... or even divine punishment. But I also think this speaks to inward conflicts. Which of us doesn't wrestle at times with a heavy conscience and bouts of self-condemnation.

Let's be clear, Paul is not saying here that Christians are never guilty of wrongdoing or should not be condemned in private or personal settings for unrepentant sin. 

Paul is speaking here about our ultimate standing before God. 

I am positive at one time or another it is not just me who has complained and moaned when faced with problems. "How could God allow this to happen to me if He really loved me? Why doesn't God love me anymore?"

 He does! Be assured of it. Problems cannot change that. Trials cannot separate us from Christ's love.

This is why Paul, in verse 37, can describe believers as “more than conquerors through him who loved us.” No earthly defeat can ever reverse the eternal victory that is ours because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

Consider just how reassuring these words really are, especially in light of the situations, the people, the memories, the questions, the pressures, that can cause us to feel unsafe...

Romans 8:38-39. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Paul doesn't leave anything out. Some people are afraid of death. Others are afraid of life, with its uncertainties and sorrows, its hardships and its disappointments. But neither one can shake us when we know that God is for us. Time is powerless against us, whether the present with its problems, nor the future with its uncertainties.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Did you notice the "Love of Christ" in verse 35, and the "love of God" in verse 39. That's another indication of Christ's divinity.

God loves you, and you, and even me. He's on our side. Nothing touches our life that does not first pass through His protecting shield of love that surrounds us. 

Like that anxious girl on the cliff face, have you experienced the Father's intervention? Though the climb is difficult, are you looking up, listening to his encouraging voice? Are you looking up, comforted by the fact that you are held up by his strong hands? He will not let go... ever.

However, you struggle, please take time to consider what God reveals. Where is fear holding you back? Why are your 'walls' up so high? What is God saying to you through your hard times? What are you forgetting about the blessings and promises of the gospel? 

Wherever you are, it's time to look up and listen to the Father's voice. It's time to either feel the rope or take the rope. It's time to talk with him about the climb... about the struggle. Shall we do that even now? He's listening. His love is the safety you and I need. 

In a moment of quiet, open your hands to experience and receive the love of God afresh, that by His grace, you're going to trust Him—to rest in Him daily,

Lord Jesus, thank you. We are forgiven, we are loved, we are children of the living God. Lord God, where we are facing hardship, suffering and challenges, please assure us of your love and presence with us. Help us to not feel abandoned or on our own. Thank you that you care for us and that nothing can separate us from you. We are your children; help us to trust and love you as our wonderful heavenly Father. Amen.

Almighty God, may my spoken words, be faithful to your written word, and lead us the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord and King.  Amen 

So far Paul has led down into the valley of sin, then guided us through the crux of salvation, before brining us to a beautiful viewpoint, where we’ve paused to take in the love of God as both a historic, factual event and a profound, personal experience.  

Our salvation is completely secured in Christ, and nothing can separate us from God’s love.  It is not based on my moral performance, on how much good I can do, but on Christ’s righteousness.  Even my sin, past, present and future cannot disrupt the peace treaty that has been signed in his blood.

When we put it like that, it sounds too good to be true, don’t you think?

New thoughts may begin to surface… if, according to Romans 1-5 salvation is sorted regardless of my sin, does it really matter if I go on sinning?

Well similar thoughts must have flashed through Paul’s mind - chapter 6 begins: ‘what shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?’

Having teed up the provocative question, Paul gives an emphatic response – ‘by no means – certainly not!’

The start of Romans 6 Paul highlights the fact that a Christian has been baptised or immersed into the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  

When Paul refers to ‘baptism’ he has in mind the initiatory drama that accompanied conversion to Christianity in the first century.  A baptism candidate would stand in the water, then symbolically, their old lives were fully immersed, dunked, plunged under the surface of the river/sea.  Seconds later, they would burst back up, out of the watery grave as a picture of resurrection – new life.  Finally, the candidate would put on a white robe signifying their righteous standing before God.  Water baptism therefore enacts the spiritual union of a believer with Christ.  As Paul puts it, we have been united with him.  We are in Christ, therefore what happened to him, death, burial and resurrection is now true of us.

And so, with this in mind, Paul declares ‘our old self was crucified with Christ’.  

Now it seems that many Christians either don’t know this, or they don’t own it for themselves.

In our creeds we often affirm that Christ was crucified for us, but what about the reversible truth - we were crucified with Christ.  If the former truth guarantees our forgiveness, the latter is key to our freedom? When Christ died for my sin, my old self died with him.  When he was buried, I was buried.  When he was resurrected, I was raised to new life.  

My identity, your identity, has been fundamentally altered through our union with Christ.  I am no longer a sinner, enslaved to evil forces more powerful than me.  I belong to God.  As Paul concludes in verse 7, ‘anyone who has died has been set free from sin.’   

The sooner we realise this, and accept this, we can live in the good of it.  When sin captivates us, entices us, draws us in, pulls us down, we need to say:

  I have been crucified with Christ.  I don’t have to do this.  It is not me anymore.  I am free to live a new life.

Knowing who we are is a game-changer – it’s not mere make-believe, or positive, mindful thinking… rather it is us catching up with what is already true. 

The Message translation puts it this way:

Our old way of life is nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life – 

no longer captive to sin’s demands.

Continuing in chapter 6, verses 11-14, Paul gives us three key principles:

• Verse 11 says – ‘count yourselves dead to sin’.

Here Paul draws on an accounting term… ‘count’ or ‘reckon’ – That regardless of how we feel, we need to get our account in order, put the sums in the right column, do the maths, and see we are dead to sin and alive to God.  It’s as if Paul is sitting us down and saying take a good look at what is now yours in Christ.  Let it inspire you to live a new life.  Christ’s victory over sin is ours!

With our new status clear – Paul moves into command mode: verse 13 – ‘do not offer any part of yourself to sin’.  Paul understands that our bodies (soma) were created good, but they have become corrupted by our sinful nature (sarx).  Our physical bodies do not yet share in Christ’s risen life.  While spiritually we are united with Christ and freed from sin, physically, mentally, and emotionally we are still prone to temptation, lies and disordered desires.

At the risk of sounding simplistic, our software has been upgraded, but our hardware is still the same old kit – still prone to malfunction. 

One day, our bodies will be restored, renewed, redeemed beyond any possibility of sin, but in the meantime, we should not be surprised that sinful thoughts and desires still tempt us.  The struggles we experience are because in Christ we are new creations, and yet we still inhabit this old creation.

And so, for this reason, Paul tells people to fight against evil desires.  He refers to our body as an instrument and urges us not to offer any part to sin.  It’s a great analogy, our bodies can make melody for God, or they can be played out of tune by sin.

For example, we can use our tongues to tell crude jokes, lie about achievements or gossip about others, or we can control our tongue, to speak words of kindness and encouragement and truth.  

Equally, we have a God-given sex drive and attraction towards others.  We can allow sin to co-opt such desires so our bodies become instruments of lust, envy and shame, or we can refuse to act on impure thoughts. 

This may mean having to put some distance between us and sin – so we don’t just wander back to our old, automatic pilot paths.  

We can put software on our computer to stop us viewing unhelpful sites, we can make ourselves accountable to two or three others, turn down that extra beer, refuse to work late with someone we find attractive.  Whatever it takes, even if we have to cut ties, we can take steps that stop us falling into sin or running into danger.

And, so finally, Paul urges us to positively pursue life as God’s servants.  Verse 13 says: ‘offer yourselves to God’.  But what does this look like – well we all have gifts, talents, wallets, tongues, abilities and time, which can all be put into action to serve God, His church, our community, one another.  

This is how we recover from the dehumanising effects of sin and become the people we were made to be.

St Augustine said God is our Master, and when we serve Him, we find true freedom.  By submitting to God's will and serving Him, you and me, we’re freed from the bondage of sin and the restless pursuit of worldly desires, finding true rest and fulfilment in Him.  

This is a great paradox.  Many people think that serving God will mean a loss of freedom, but actually the opposite is true.  Living for ourselves is slavery – serving God, in the new way of the Spirit, is true freedom. 

And so here we have the pathway of freedom – in Andrew Ollerton’s mountain climbing mind, this pathway is like a narrow ridge.  It is tough, it requires giving up wrong attitudes, bad habits and hidden sins – but the freedom we can experience in Christ is so worth it.  

We may slip and fall along the way, but let’s not give in to condemnation, rather embrace this teaching from Romans 6 – know it – count yourself as dead to sin, and live it – offer yourself to God wholeheartedly.  

And so, as we come into land, I want us to take a moment to reflect on what it might mean personally to own these liberating truths – and to put them in practice.

The Message translation phrases verses 11-14 this way:  

You are dead to sin and alive to God.  That’s what Jesus did.  That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives.  Don’t give it the time of day.  Don’t even run little errands that relate to that old way of life.  Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time into God’s way of doing things.  Sin can’t tell you how to live.  After all, you’re not living under that tyranny any longer.  You’re living in the freedom of God.

Maybe you need to remind yourself of the truth of who you are in Christ…  you are a child of God, loved, and heir with Christ, I could go on… 

You may like to take one of these and use it each day to affirm your identity in Christ.  Maybe use it each morning as you read Scripture and start your day.

Or maybe you’ve become aware of areas in your life where you need to make changes, perhaps sin which is pulling you down, temptation that is ensnarling you, things where you need to step back, or away, repent, and find help and support.  

If this is so, remember you don’t walk alone and there is hope – please do speak to me, or a good, trusted friend with whom you can be honest, to encourage support and offer accountability.  

Or maybe you know you’ve got an addiction, and you need specific help – if that is the case, please speak to Buffy, Peter or me and we can signpost you to places where you’ll receive support, whether through Christian counselling or recovery programme.

So, let’s be still – let’s be honest with God -and ask for his mercy and help.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for the wonderful and powerful truth of your gospel.

Thank you that freedom from sinful patterns of behaviour is possible and that we no longer have to live under the weight of sin.

Where we need to find freedom, please set us free.  Holy Spirit, please come and live in our hearts and empower us to live free, for your glory.

May your truth truly set us free!  

Amen

(ASD 8 and 10am – 03^rd Aug. Romans – a letter that makes sense of life by Andrew Ollerton- pgs. 79-101)

Several weeks ago, we began a new series working through the book of Romans – if you’ve missed these opening weeks can I encourage you to take one of these leaflets – it will introduce you to Romans.  You may also want to purchase one of these books - this will help you to explore in more depth as we travel through.  

We have now also included, on our website, the sermons from the last few weeks, so you can read through them again, or catch up with any you may have missed.

Almighty God, may my spoken words, be faithful to your written word, and lead us the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord and King.  Amen 

Romans 5 begins with ‘therefore’  - when we read this in Paul’s letters, we have to ask what is it there for?  Invariably, Paul uses ‘therefore’ as a place to change pace, reflect and take on board the journey so far.

And it has been quite an adventure, we moved through 4 weighty chapters, covered a lot of ground, we’ve been brutally honest about the mess of our own lives, the sin that surrounds us, and the sin that invades our own hearts and minds.  We’ve acknowledged our inability to rescue ourselves and so we’ve faced the crux of salvation – the good news – that Jesus Christ came to bring us the free gift of righteousness with God – healing, hope and salvation.

Recently Chris and I marked 25 years of marriage. Now you could imagine some asking ‘but how do you know you are married – how can you be sure?  

My response might be to point to my wedding band – or to my marriage certificate. Both bear witness to our marriage ceremony – a time where Chris and I entered a covenantal relationship with binding vows made before God and many witnesses.  So, these are objective facts – but if that were the only proof – we might be concerned.  Chris and I communicate our love to each other in all sorts of different ways on a daily basis.  It is a subjective experience that flows out of objective fact.  And both together bear witness to a deep and profound reality.

And in a similar way, our relationship with God is built on objective facts and lived experiences.

Now, at times, I think it’s fair to say we sometimes doubt God’s love?  Sometimes we feel a failure, and that self-condemnation leaves us questioning how God feels about us.  Other times we feel we need to prove ourselves or earn forgiveness.

Well Romans 5  - which remember begins with therefore is conveying our assurance…

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God.”

The shock here is the certainty with which Paul speaks... he uses the past tense.  We’ve already been justified.  

To religious ears, justification is an end-time verdict that belongs in the future and its often based on performance.  But here Paul is clear, you and me, we have been justified in and through Christ – it is a free gift.  Christ took our guilt and shame to the cross so that we could be declared righteous simply by faith.  

Through faith in Christ, God declares his acceptance of us upfront and confers a new status on us – we are righteous in God’s sight and deeply loved by him.  The moment we repent, and trust in Christ, we are secure in the love of God. 

In a stressful and strained world, with many demands and many pressures, we need to hear these words and find assurance. We are justified through faith in Christ and so we can know peace with God.  

In our frantic world, this idea of peace is appealing. We need to know that we are right with our maker.  In verses 9-10 Paul gives the basis for such a confidence: 

“Since we have been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved form God’s wrath through Him!  For if while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of His son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life.”

Jesus is the true peacemaker – for all humanity.  Jesus’ blood established a permanent peace treaty between God and us.  

Sometimes, we think this peace treaty is fragile – that if we slip up, the fun is over – that God will turn against us.  But if we are in Christ, God’s love is a permanent state – we have been put right, welcomed into God’s family, so God will no more turn against us that against his only begotten son, Jesus.  

So, God, when he looks at us, doesn’t frown or feel disappointment, but rather smiles with great joy.  And this is true whether we feel it or not, because it isn’t based on our moods or feelings, or on our behaviour, but a formal declaration, signed in the blood of Jesus.  This is a solid foundation for living in peace.  

There is no greater person who could love you and rejoice over you, than the one who already does…  Almighty God has declared peace with us forever -so we need not fear.  

The second objective fact we need to reflect on is that through Christ we have gained access by faith into God’s grace in which we now stand.

Back in 2018 I was invited, with a guest to visit the Queen at Buckingham Palace for a garden party.   I was so excited, I would be brought near, gain access to our late Queen.  And sure enough, on the day, after checks and security, you are ushered in through the gates, through the palace, and out into her back yard!  I longed for an opportunity when she might draw near, stop, maybe even talk to me.  As it turned out, I wasn’t on her list that day, she passed by, we saw her at a distance, and grabbed a quick photo, by I must confess I came home with a sense of disappointment.  

Unlike the Old Testament pilgrims, we don’t have to travel to a special building, offer animal sacrifices, or watch other priests entering on our behalf.  Rather through the blood of Jesus, we can come straight to God.  We have the keys; we don’t need to pass security.  We can enter freely and receive grace on a daily basis.  

So don’t let guilt or shame keep you away – we have access to God’s presence.  In verse 8, Paul says, 

“but God demonstrates his love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In real time and space, God sent a part of himself, his only begotten son, to demonstrate is passion for us.  In love, a deep agape love, a love that bleed and died, to save those who had nothing to offer him, no way to impress him.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Through a single event in history, God has defined his love for eternity.  

God’s love is visceral and bloody.  It is etched on time and space.  On a rocky outcrop called Golgotha, outside the city walls of Jerusalem, the Son of God was brutally crucified.  Why?  Christ died for us because God loves us.  

Romans 5 invites us to sit down and rest at the foot of the cross.  For here, we find God demonstrated his love for us.  Here the prince of glory died for us.  Take a moment to pause and reflect.  Rest your tired legs and weary soul awhile.  Take in the extraordinary view of God’s agape love.  

As we do so, I’m going to put up five phrases on our screen… each taken from Romans 5.  Where it is underlined, insert your own name… let’s use these statements to declare God’s love over and in our lives and make these objective facts personal.

So a few more minutes charting two more truths.

We are often dependent upon feelings, faith and facts.  If facts take the lead, he can show faith the way, and feelings will follow on behind.  But if faith starts worrying about how feelings is doing, and looks anxiously behind, faith will start to wobble and fall of the path.  Faith must keep their eyes on the facts.

According to Paul, we have been justified, we have peace with God, we have access to God, Christ died for us, God demonstrates his love for us.  All facts!

Three times in Romans 5 Paul references to a lived experience of God’s love, crying out, ‘we rejoice!’  

Faith that neglects the facts becomes sentimental, but the opposite danger is that our faith remains theoretical, a dry, sterile set of beliefs and religious exercises.  If God’s love does not travel form our heads to our hearts, other passions, relationships and interests will quickly become more appealing.  Like a marriage relationship, mere duty and formality are never enough.  True Christianity should also stir our emotions and desires.

Verses 3-4 say, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that the suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character and character produces hope.“ 

Being a Christian does not mean avoiding bad times, or times of suffering and pain.  If we haven’t grasped the truth of God’s love, when something bad happens, we start to question everything at a deeper level.  What have I done wrong?  Why is God angry?  Doesn’t he love me anymore?  These doubts add a layer of depression on to what was already a tough set of circumstances.  

But, if we can keep our eyes on the facts, even in the storms, we can remain hopeful.  In fact, our hearts may rejoice in God’s love and experience his peace more profoundly because of the trials.  

Our final truth reminds us, that we experience God’s love by the Holy Spirit.  Romans 5:5 says, “Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts, through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

In this beautiful verse, Paul refers to an intimate moment of God’s love through the Holy Spirit.  Though he uses the past tense in verse 5, this experience is available to us on an ongoing basis.  God’s love does not fluctuate or change, but our emotions do.  Like a balloon, our hearts can become deflated.  But equally they can expand to new compacities and take in more of God’s love.  

For Paul, the love of God is a historic event, and a present experience.  The Holy Spirit allows us to personally experience the very love of Christ when he died on the cross all those years ago.  The depth and quality of God’s agape love has not changed since then.  His heart is still whit-hot with passion for us.  It is the regular ministry of the Holy Spirit to help us know it and feel it for ourselves.  

Tom Wright says this:

“As a result of being justified by faith, we are surrounded by God’s love and generosity, invited to breathe it like native air – this is what human existence ought to be like and it is so big, so massive, so unimaginably beautiful and powerful, that we almost burst as think of it.”

I can remember first experiencing God’s love in a profoundly personal way… as a young girl.  All my life I’d been raised in a Christian home – I knew the facts – but one night I remember praying God fill me with you love, fill me with your Spirit – make this alive for me – and in the most amazing way, a warm sensation came over me, an assurance rushed into me… and it was the words of this song that suddenly took a new meaning…

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.

So, let me bring us into land…

There is so much on offer:  freedom from sin, the promise of eternal life, relationship with God our maker, an experience of his love, peace that sustains us, and hope in the midst of trials.

These are facts and these are lived experiences.  This is head knowledge, and it is heart knowledge.  

And so, if you’re hear with us today and you never made that commitment to follow Jesus, can I encourage you to do so......

Or perhaps you’re here today knowing your head knowledge needs to become a lived experience too - and so we’re going to spend a few minutes now by asking God’s Spirit to fill us afresh with God’s love.  In a few minutes of quiet, can I encourage you to breathe deeply, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh.  

Holy Spirit, bless us, fill us, lead us, guide us, that we might be assured of your amazing love and know your peace in all things.  Amen 

(ASD 8 and 10am – 20^th July Romans – a letter that makes sense of life by Andrew Ollerton pgs. 55-77)

"Father God, we thank you for your boundless grace, a gift we don't deserve. As we gather to explore your grace today, we ask that your Holy Spirit open our hearts and minds to understand its depth and power. May we be transformed by your grace, and may your love be reflected in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Is there anyone here who would love a Cadbury’s cream egg or perhaps a bag of wine gums? Invite them to come and get it and then as they walk away ask for £5, “you didn’t think I would just give it away for nothing? I am a poor vicar you know!”

This Summer we are looking at the book of Romans. If you missed these opening weeks, I’d recommend taking one of the sheets on the table at the back of church– it gives you an overview of the journey we’re making through Romans, and gives you links to two short videos which will get you started.   It is also worth reading this book by Andrew Ollerton – Romans: a letter that makes sense of life.  We’ll be using his material as we travel, so chapter by chapter this will tie in with our Sunday sermons.

We began by thinking about the backstory – the context and setting.  Last time we found ourselves deep in the valley of Sin, facing the impenetrable cliff of God’s justice We have all exchanged the living God for idols and pointed at others to mask our own failures. The situation looks and feels hopeless, we are all sinners, we all fall short of the glory of God and Paul doesn’t mince his words.

Well today, I have the joy of being like the superhero in a movie, who comes in, just in time, as the music turns atmospheric the crescendo building, to save all from death and destruction, because as we sit in the crevice of the mountain surrounded by our sin, we hear Pauls words BUT NOW… Andrew Ollerton says. These words “indicate a switch of focus from the failure of humans to worship their creator to the faithfulness of God towards his creation”

It might come as a surprise to you that I am not really a mountain climbing expert, but Andrew tells us that “on a mountain climb, the crux pitch is the critical one. It’s normally the hardest part of the route, involving the most technical part of the climb. But It is also the breakthrough moment. Get past the crux pitch and the rest of the route opens in an exhilarating way.”

Have you ever used the phrase the crux of the matter, suggested that something is crucial. Meaning it is essential, important, fundamental. Crux is Latin for cross. The crux of our salvation is the cross of Christ.

Andrew says “The way out of our predicament in the valley of sin is not more effort on our part. Quite the opposite. It is to believe that Jesus’ death has reconciled us to God. Having felt the crisis of sin, we are now ready to appreciate the beautiful diamond of Grace. GRACE – Modern, secular definitions of grace relate to a person's "elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action; or a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment."

In Christian terms, grace can be defined as “God’s favor toward the unworthy” or “God’s compassion on the undeserving.” In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us, even though we fall short of living righteously.

“Grace” is one of the most important concepts in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ.

Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely, the peace of God given to the restless, the unmerited favour of God.

Grace is most needed and best understood amid sin, suffering, and brokenness. We live in a world of earning, deserving, and merit, which result in judgment. That is why everyone wants and needs grace. Judgment destroys and kills. Only grace makes us alive.

We are all sinners, Paul tells us (Romans 3:19-28). There is no distinction – we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It is the one thing that we all have in common. None of us, no matter how hard we try, get it all right. We all fall short.

But Now

But now Paul says, listen up, I have news to share with you, something that no other religions have. Righteousness, Justification, Salvation are an unmerited gift, not a hard-earned wage.

Andrew says “The notion of God’s love as a free gift sets Christianity apart from the Buddhist eightfold path, the Hindu doctrine of Karma, the Jewish Torah and the Muslim code of law. They offer a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to offer salvation entirely as a gift.”

Faith is always important to a Christian. But I think that these days, it seems more important than ever. Why do I say that? Because I look around our world and see it placing its faith in so many other things, things cannot save us. Politics, Money, Education, living a good life cannot save us. Ignoring what is wrong in our lives or in the world cannot save us. Only Jesus can save us. Believing that fundamental truth is central to our Christian faith. 

Faith is the human response to grace, involving belief in God's promises and trust in Jesus Christ. It's how individuals accept and receive the gift of grace. 

But faith does much more than simply save us. Because faith is really about a relationship that blesses us in this life more than anything else in this world. 

All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. Not some, but all, Jews and Gentiles, you and me.

In this passage in Romans Paul uses three metaphors to show the gift of Salvation: 

Redemption from slavery.  In the time Paul was writing to the churches in Rome at least one third of the population would have been a slave. They were not treated humanly but as a commodity to be sold, abused and used. Imagine being a gentile slave hearing these words, that in Jesus Christ, God has stepped into pay the ransom price to liberate you.

It would have also been a significant concept to the Jews as the Israelites escaped the rule of Pharoh by the redemptive Passover, a spotless lamb sacrificed, and the blood marked on the doorposts to save Israel from the angel of death. The final moment when God’s people were set free by Pharoah.

Sacrifice of atonement. It was common practice to offer sacrifices to all kinds of Gods in the hope of receiving protection and peace. Some more weird and strange than others, and yet here Paul is talking about God who has offered the sacrifice for you. The antithesis of what they were expecting, you were supposed to pay the Gods, not God pay for you. 

That’s okay I hear you all mumble, we no longer sacrifice animals and infants in strange ways to appease our God. No but, if we make money our idol, we lose sight of what’s important and work ourselves into the ground trying to feel secure. Remember if you say yes to something you are always saying no to something else, rest, time with family, balance in your life. If we make pleasure our idol we are never satisfied, we chase experiences and relationships looking for that next dopamine hit.

Andrew says wisely” to those feeling exhausted by this continual need to impress, accumulate and achieve, the Gospel is such good news. There is nothing we need to do to buy God’s favour. He offered us the perfect sacrifice for free.”

The legal status of justification. Old Testament sacrifices were a sign of things to come when God’s justice would be properly sacrificed. When Jesus the Messiah was crucified on that roman cross, blameless and spotless without sin, offering his life on behalf of sinful humans. On that cross, God’s standards of justice were satisfied, and our sin was atoned for.

Through this justification God no longer hold us to account of our guilt and failures. We are accepted and welcomed into his covenant people regardless of our ethnicity or morality. We are put right with God and become part of God’s family in the kingdom.

But it's not only the New Testament that gives us worthy examples to follow. We have examples in the Old Testament as well. And one prominent example that the Scriptures put before us is the life of Abraham.

For Abraham never knew of Jesus by name. And I doubt that he fully understood the need of sacrifice for sins. But what Abraham did know, he believed. He had a direct promise of God to bless him and his offspring.

And he believed.

Paul tells us that Abraham was counted righteous before he was circumcised, before the law was given to Israel. Because our justification before the Lord doesn't depend upon circumcision or baptism or keeping the law or following some sorts of rules. No, we are justified by faith alone.

Abraham never wavered with unbelief concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

In other words, the sustaining power and fuel of Abraham's faith was his trust in the power of God. Abraham was fully convinced that God could fulfill his promises. 

Now, what I think is encouraging is that the faith of Abraham and Sarah was far from perfect. When Sarah heard the prophecy of a child being born to her within the year, she laughed in unbelief. Earlier in their pilgrimage, Abraham and Sarah demonstrated their unbelief in the whole plan with Hagar. And yet, Paul mentions none of these failures in Romans 4. Which should be deeply encouraging to us. Just as Paul wasn't focused upon the failures of Abraham and Sarah to believe, so also God isn't focused upon our failures to believe. Instead, his heart for us is to "grow in faith".

It's why God has given to us a Bible, the Old Testament and the New Testament. It's all given to us "for our instruction." And one of the prominent things that we learn from Abraham is the way of justification. It doesn't come through righteous acts or merit of any kind. It comes to us through faith. It comes to us as we believe in the promises of the gospel. It comes to us as we believe.

The gospel of the grace of God is the message everyone needs. The word of grace is proclaimed from every page of the Bible and ultimately revealed in Jesus Christ. The last verse of the Bible summarizes the message from Genesis to Revelation: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all” (Revelation 22:21).

Lord Jesus, we confess that we are broken people. We confess that we easily justify our sinful and selfish actions and words. Forgive us for pretending to be better than we really are. Today we agree that we have fallen short and desperately need your grace. Thank you that we are not without hope, because you died for us on the cross, you paid the price for our wrong and you offer us tall grace and freedom. You truly are the Saviour of all. We thank you for the gift of salvation in our lives.  Amen

(ASD 8 and 10am – 6^th July Romans – a letter that makes sense of life by Andrew Ollerton - pgs. 31-53)

Two weeks ago, we began a new series looking at the book of Romans.  We began by thinking about the backstory – the context and setting.  Last week we introduced the theme of the Gospel.  

If you missed these opening weeks, I’d recommend taking one of these sheets – it gives you an overview of the journey we’re making through Romans, and gives you links to two short videos which will get you started.  

It is also worth reading this book by Andrew Ollerton – Romans: a letter that makes sense of life.  We’ll be using his material as we travel, so chapter by chapter this will tie in with our Sunday sermons.

Last week, we looked at Paul’s statement, his opening declaration to the believers living in Rome, Jew and Gentile alike, that he is ‘not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.’  

The word ‘gospel’ means good news, but before we are ready to receive the good news, we need to face up to the bad news about the world and ourselves.  

So, let’s begin with prayer:

Father, may my spoken words, be faithful to your written word, and lead us the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord and King.  Amen 

We only need turn on our screens watch the news or look at social media to see that there is something quite wrong with the world. Violence, abuse, war, aggression, selfishness, brokenness, discrimination, judgment, manipulation, bitterness, arrogance, envy…and so we could continue.

I wonder have you ever thought, ‘who is that rude, arrogant driver cutting down the outside line to jump the queue of traffic?  And why am I annoyed that I didn’t think of it myself?’

Or ‘who is responsible for all the dreadful violence we see in Yemen, or Gaza?  And why have I still not donated to the appeal that moved me?’

These are two examples from Andrew’s book – highlighting that the problem is out there, the world, with other people, but it also in here, in our hearts, in our lives, and relationships.

We know that the world is flawed, and if we’re honest, we too are flawed.  

This week, we heard three short passages taken from Romans 1:18 through to 3:20.  

Here there is no hiding, these are hard truths that the world is broken, and how God feels about it all.  This focus on sin acts as an honest diagnosis. 

Our first passage today, Romans 1: 18-23, remind us that God is a good, holy, true and just Creator – who designed and fashioned this world with great beauty, wonder, intricacy and diversity, with pattern and order, basic moral principles that should not be usurped or manipulated. 

Creation, all that we know, and all that we are yet still discovering, speaks of God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature.  There is no excuse not to believe in a God, says Paul. Divine fingerprints are all around us and God’s eternal presence can be sensed by the human soul.

And yet, while there is much that is good and beautiful about this world, there is also plenty of brokenness.  Paul argues that God’s wrath is being revealed against sin.  

Now this isn’t wild or unhinged, illogical anger – but a deep-seated desire, a longing for all that is good and pure – the very best.  God’s wrath is an extension of his love, rooted in his nature as the Creator who cares for his world, and is angry at the way we are destroying it – and each other.  

This section traces what happens when humans sin by rejecting what they know to be true.  Three times Paul uses the word ‘exchange’ to capture it.  Sin is not just being naughty, or disrespectful.  At the heart of sin is replacing God with false substitutes know as idols.

Ancient Rome was filled with dodgy, evil practices, in the temples, in society, in politics, just everywhere you looked.  Paul declares the whole thing to be bankrupt – for it was built around superstition, bribery, and debauchery, orgies, ritual prostitution.  

Now we may not worship so called gods in the way Ancient Rome did, but we too replace the true God with substitutes that promise more for less.  

We are hard-wired to worship.  So, if we reject the living God, we will find alternative shrines, be it chopping centres, offices, salons, gyms.  We make huge sacrifices in order to find significance, security, meaning and purpose, in careers, lovers, properties, spots, financial investments, body image, travel, academic achievements, our image on socials, creating memories… all of these are good, but when we upgrade them to God, we cross the threshold of modern-day temples.  At the heart of sin are disordered desires that exchange God for other dreams, goals and lovers that promise to free us and fulfil us.  

Now we didn’t read through them to today, but in the verses that follow this first section, Paul then lists a whole range of sin, idolatry prevalent amongst those living in Rome, including sexual sin, wickedness, greed, envy, depravity, murderers, malice, deceit and much more.  In each case humans choosing to subvert the good and holy order that God created.  

So, the end of Romans 1 clearly condemns the unrighteous, prodigal son-types, now Romans 2 turns on the self-righteous pharisee-types, those who think their religious deeds put them in a different category.  

Romans 2 is addressed to Jewish believers, those who were tempted to assume that ‘works of the Law’ like circumcision, Sabbath and food laws made them exempt from the wrath of God. 

In Romans 2, Paul is calling out pride and hypocrisy.  Some of the issues Paul mentions may seem less relevant today, but in truth many people still assume good works, being nice, religious commitments will take them higher up the mountain.  A kind of ‘moralism’ that thinks we are good people and yet we judge others, put others down, yet still do wrong ourselves.  

With Jew and Gentile equally offended, the atmosphere must have been awkward as phoebe read on into chapter 3. In the concluding section, Paul takes Jew and Gentile and brings them before the ultimate judge.  Then, in the role of prosecutor, Paul gives his closing speech:  

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those under the law, so that every mouth must be silenced and the whole work held accountable to God.

In a Roman court of law, when the defendant had nothing to say in their defence, they would put their hand over their mouth as a gesture of resignation.  And this is the place Romans 3 brings us to.

As we stand in the valley of sin, looking up at the ascent and think, help, I can’t do this, then actually we are in the right place – we can take heart.  For God’s salvation is at hand…

So, what can we learn from these chapters today?  How do they relate to you and me?

Well, in recent years Western culture has been through a psychological revolution during the 20th century, which has radically revised the way we think about ourselves. Lots of helpful things have come from this, including a growing attentiveness to mental health and emotional well-being. 

However, what seems to have been lost in this process is a willingness to admit personal guilt or to consider the darker realities at work in you and me. 

We often now talk about obsessive behaviour, or neurotic patterns, deviance, or pathology, or disorder. The language of sin has gradually faded out as a therapeutic culture aims to raise self-esteem. 

We tend to think that better education, greater social equality, or therapy, and plenty of positive thinking will solve everything and improve the world!

However, despite what we've been told about ourselves, Romans resonates deeply with what we know about ourselves. 

There's something reassuring about owning the fact that we are flawed and guilty. It feels honest. 

There's something refreshingly honest and strangely unifying about Romans 3: 22 to 23 which say ‘there is no difference… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’  

If each of us owned this reality, there would be a lot less pride, discrimination and hatred. Science, technology and education cannot fix our problems. Romans is a dose of realism. 

In ever more sophisticated ways we continue exactly the same pattern, ‘exchanging the truth about God for a lie’ and worshipping ‘created things rather than the Creator’. 

I believe these hard truths are good for us, a pleasing pain that cultivates honesty. So much religion is superficial mask wearing, putting on our Sunday best and pretending. Instead, if we embrace the truth that we are by nature broken, then what have we got to hide? We sinners, aren't we? 

That's why as we come to worship each Sunday we begin with the time of confession when we say, ‘Almighty God our heavenly father, we have sinned against you in thought and word and deed, through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault.’  In confessing we open up the door to God and build true friendship with others.

So, this section of Romans is a dose of realism that cultivates honesty, but it is also a dose of optimism that cultivates hopefulness. 

It's easy to assume the world is getting worse, and that this next generation are more sinful than ever.  Romans encourages a more optimistic view. Humans are no worse or better than they were in the 1st century. Despite the influence of mass media and social media, there is nothing fundamentally darker about the times we live in now. 

Equally, the gospel is no less powerful than when it was the 1st century. If Paul can say in the face of the wickedness of Rome, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel’, then so can we! 

Andrew Ollerton explains it this way:

Having decided to ask Charlotte to marry me, I needed to get an engagement ring. So, I went to the jewellers to browse some options in the cabinet. I then asked to view one that looked good. However, before the jeweller took out the ring, he spread out a black velvet cloth on the counter. Only then did he set down the ring, so that the diamonds sparkled. 

Romans has laid out a dark backdrop. But now Paul is ready to bring out the diamond of the gospel so we can see it sparkle in all its beauty and brilliance.

And so, our section today has been a dose of realism, we are all sinners in need of help. But it's also a dose of optimism. The gospel is still the good news that our sophisticated, but sinful world desperately needs to know and experience.

Don’t feel disheartened by today - next time we delve into Romans we’re going to consider what’s so amazing about God’s glorious, bounteous, plenteous grace.  Amen.

Lord Jesus, thank you that you are merciful and forgiving to your people, even though we have rebelled against you. 

We have turned away from you to try and rule over our own lives.

Many times, we have made ourselves judge and ruler over others. 

Forgive us for condemning others silently or audibly, while ignoring our own prejudices, unhealthy attitudes and sinful behaviours. 

Lord, we have no hope, except for your love and forgiveness to heal and restore us. 

Forgive us Lord, and guide our words, thoughts and deeds today so that we may live in ways that honour you. 

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

(ASD 8 and 10am – 29th June – Romans – a letter that makes sense of life by Andrew Ollerton pgs. 16-27)

Last week we began a sermon series which will run during the summer months exploring the book of Romans .  We’re going to use material from the Bible Society and Andrew Ollerton – and as a staff team we would really commend this book – Romans – a letter that makes sense of life.  You can buy it online, or we have a few copies available here for £14 a go!

Last week we began by exploring some of the backstory to Romans… who wrote Romans, who was Paul, and who was Romans written to? If you missed last week, it would be worth picking up one of these today.  This gives us a quick overview of the journey ahead and makes suggestions of a couple of short videos which are well worth watching.   

Today, we’re looking at the opening verses once more, but this time we’re looking ‘through’ them, as it were, to grasp the relevance for us today.  

The first half of chapter 1 introduces the gospel, which the rest of the letter unpacks in detail.  These verses provide a vital route map for the rest of the adventure through Romans.  If we pay attention to this theme, it will enable us to follow the contours of Paul’s argument and not stray off course!

Let us pray:

Father God, we thank you for your written word.  As we spend time now in this first chapter of Romans, may your Spirit guide our thoughts, our hearts and our wills, and make us more like your Son, Jesus.  In his name we pray, Amen.

Imagine receiving a letter that changes your entire understanding of faith. That’s what the Roman believers received from Paul. In these opening verses, we see a bold declaration – Paul is not ashamed of the gospel.  Why?  Because it is the power of God for salvation.

So, let’s unpack this.  As Paul introduces himself, we learn from the start that the Gospel isn’t something Paul made up – rather it is God’s gospel.  Paul was set apart, not for fame or comfort, but for a mission: to proclaim God’s promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Now the word ‘gospel’ sounds religious to us. But in the first century the Greek word of ‘euangelion’ referred to an announcement of good news! We might shout - I got the job! We’ve won!  It’s a girl!  

If on a far-flung battlefield an emperor won a great victory, which secured peace and established his authority, he would send heralds or messengers to declare the good news of victory. 

The term gospel therefore had political and social implications. Indeed, the rule of Emperor Augustus was referred to as the ‘gospel’ because he was the person who had brought victory and established peace. The Empire had various propaganda machines including inscriptions on coins, imprints on pottery, images and statutes, which spread the message that the emperor was the ‘son of God’ and ‘Lord’ and ‘saviour’ of the Empire. 

In this cultural context, Romans 1: 1-4 stands toe to toe with Caesar in proclaiming a new Lord, who is a very different kind of ruler:  

‘the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.’

This gospel announcement is the fulfilment of a much larger story that is told throughout the rest of the Bible. In particular, the story centres on Israel as God's chosen people. In fact, the very structure of Romans echoes their plot line including God's covenant with Abraham, the Exodus story and Israel entering the promised land. 

The big idea of Romans is that Jesus the Messiah has fulfilled these ancient promises and released God's blessing to all nations. When God called Abraham, it was with a view to undoing the curses of Adam’s disobedience. However, the Old Testament proves to be a puzzle because God's chosen family, Israel, become part of the problem they were meant to solve. 

The gospel of God therefore announces the arrival of the one who can finally resolve the dilemma and thereby rescue our human race. The faithful ministry of Jesus, even to death on the cross, has broken the curse of sin and death and released God’s blessing to all people. God's Spirit is now calling out a new humanity, the people of the Messiah, to bring hope to the world.

This ‘gospel of God’ is good news on very level…

This Easter we read The Whole Easter Story – and this demonstrated that the Gospel is good news for us personally, yes, we are forgiven, restored and set free.  And the gospel is good news for our relationships – divisions are healed as Jew and Gentile, male and female, black and white are united in Christ.  And it is good news for all of creation, pointing to a time where the whole creation will be restored and renewed.  

So, when we hear the word ‘gospel’ is good news for us personally, but also for governments, galaxies and everything in between!

For Paul, the gospel is the announcement, that in and through Jesus’ death and resurrection, a decisive victory has already taken place.  Our ultimate enemies of sin, evil and death, have been defeated, and there’s no reversing that.  Jesus has been appointed the Son of God in power. He is the true new emperor, and the eternal city belongs to him!

And so, Paul declares: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.”

The key here is that the gospel reveals God’s saving action, which does not depend on our own moral standing, or ethnic background.  Jewish bloodline, Sabbath observance, foreskin removal, food rituals, these no longer form the basis for who is ‘in’ and ‘out’.  

Instead, God’s righteous, or faithful, saving action through the gospel has brought salvation to everyone who believes – who trusts in Jesus. 

Think through the ramifications of this for today. Toxic forms of discrimination that plagued the first century seem to be making a comeback. But the gospel pulls the rug from our identity politics and culture wars. Regardless of ethnicity, race, gender or social background, everyone is welcomed into the same family through the righteousness of God. It’s a gift – no cost.

This gave Paul confidence as an evangelist. The message he shared was good news for every city, every town, every home, every person.  It may have begun in Jerusalem, but it has spread out to Rome, and on, and is just as relevant for us here today in Denmead.  

So, as we’ve whistled through these opening statements, perhaps you can feel your confidence levels rising?

The gospel really is good news. 

There's nothing to be ashamed of. 

In the light of evil, suffering and death, everyone needs forgiveness and hope. Since Paul wrote Romans, we may have landed on the moon and invented the smartphone, but fundamentally our human condition remains the same, and so does the potency of this good news. The gospel is the power of God for salvation. It lifts people up, it brings freedom, healing and hope.

Lord Jesus, thank you for Paul’s wonderful letter and all we have heard today. 

Please be with us throughout this series as we explore the book of Romans. 

Open our eyes to the depth and beauty of the gospel so that we may have a richer grasp of all that you have done in the past and all that you continue to do in us today. 

Lord, help us not to be ashamed, confused or quiet about the gospel. 

Teach us through Romans so that we may be more confident in you and share our love for you more openly and widely. Amen.

(ASD 8 and 10am – 22^nd June – (Romans – a letter that makes sense of life by Andrew Ollerton pgs. 1-15 Basecamp and Backstory!))

Today we start a brand-new sermon series which will run during the summer months looking at the book of Romans.  

Often, we spend time in the Gospels or looking at the Psalms – depending on the church season we may branch out into some prophecies and promises at Advent, or lamentation in Lent.  In the past, we’ve looked at shorter New Testament books like Ephesians, James or Philippians.  However, we’ve shied away from Romans…

You see Romans is one of the of great masterpieces of Scripture, it is rich, deep and complex – yet at first sight, it can be quite confusing, bewildering and long – it is challenging and hard work – it looks at tricky issues, and so we tend to ignore it, or at least shelf it for another day.  

However, Romans is an amazing, magisterial letter, born out of the lived experience of the Apostle Paul.  

It is full of deep understanding, insights and theology that will draw us closer to God.   

Now there is no denying it, Romans is about theology (how we speak and think about God), but it isn’t a mere theology – something that is abstract or theoretical.  Rather the theology of Romans is about a way of life, about a grounded, rooted, lived out theology.

I first became familiar with Romans as a teenager worshipping in my local Baptist church.  A new minister, Richard arrived, and he loved the Apostle Paul – and particularly the book of Romans.   Time and time again he would direct us back to the wisdom found in Romans.  

Although a historical letter, written to a particular people, in a particular place, with the right lenses on, Romans provides pivotal and important help and guidance for us today as we face so many issues.

Romans will help us to become more confident in the gospel – the good news of Jesus for all people, and more united and focussed on mission.  

And so over ten weeks using material from the Bible Society and Andrew Ollerton, we’re going to explore Romans – for this is a letter that makes sense of life. 

Now, it’s been said that if the NT were the Himalayas, Romans would be Mount Everest, and chapter 8 the summit.  Now Andrew Ollerton loves mountains, and so he draws on this metaphor:  

He imagines Romans as a vast landscape – complex and challenging but also highly rewarding.  He invites us to journey with him, taking on the challenge of ascending to the summit, enjoying the view, and then descending to put into practice what we’ve learnt on the other side.

The image captures the adventure of what lies ahead.  First, we’ll consider the original context of the letter and survey the route of the gospel.  Then we must head down into the valley of sin, a low point from which we need rescuing.  Here we discover salvation, the way in which Jesus has secured the way out, through faith in him.  This brings us to the place of peace, where we can take a breather and bask in the love of God.  Then we press up the ridge of freedom – a narrow section with steep drops either side.  Suddenly we emerge onto the summit of hope and enjoy panoramic views of God’s eternal purpose.  Next, we navigate the cloud of mystery, a chance to think about purpose and meaning… before descending into practical teaching.  The descent of devotion calls us to a life of radical love, and the return to community shows us how to make a difference in society.  The onward mission equips us to share the good news with others.  

And so, we have a great adventure ahead – and like any adventure, the more effort you put in the more you will be rewarded by the experience and insights you gain along the way.  Once you’ve conquered Romans, the whole Bible will be easier to explore.

So, can I urge you to read the book or Romans this week.  If you were to read it in one sitting, it would take about an hour.  Or you may want to split it into a few chapters at a time… But this week, please give it a go – read the whole Book – don’t be put off by the scale of the challenge!

Then each week we will explore in more detail set passages – we will look at Romans to see what each passage meant in context.  The we will look through Romans, as if through a lens, to see what it means today.  This double movement ensures we do justice to the biblical text, allowing it to speak on its own terms.

I would also urge you to buy Andrew Ollerton’s book – it is fantastic – fresh, succinct, simple yet with great depth, discovering, explaining, illustrating and applying key truths for us today.  

So, this morning we’re going to explore a little bit of the backstory. 

So, who wrote Romans? The answer may seem obvious Paul – the Apostle Paul, or was it…  well, yes and no!

Romans 16:22 says “I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the name of the Lord.” However, Romans 1: 1 says that the letter is from Paul.  So, what is going on?

In the ancient world, long before printers and computers, you could employ a professional scribe to write important documents.  In Paul’s case he may have had a severe eye condition that affected his ability to write neatly.  So, the words and ideas came straight from Paul, but Tertius was the scribe who put pen to paper.   

The relationship between Paul and Tertius illustrates a more general point about the authorship of the Bible.  While Paul didn’t put pen to paper, he was the originator of Romans in the sense the ideas stemmed from him.  In the same way, God didn’t put pen to paper, yet he is the ultimate author of the Bible.  He inspired the ideas that humans wrote in such as way that the Bible is God’s trustworthy truth.  As Paul concludes in another of his letters, “all scripture is God-breathed.”

And this will be important as we study Romans.  The author of a text gives authority.  If we imagine Romans to be merely musings of a first-century person who though the earth was flat, then we might be tempted to dismiss it – especially the challenging bits.  However, is Romans is ultimately inspired by God, then we should want to embrace and explore its message.  Through a unique experience with the risen Jesus, Paul was given authority to write scripture.  The message of Romans is far more than human ideas and suggestions – but wisdom, guidance, truth and perspective that all makes sense today.

So, who was Paul?

Paul introduces himself as ‘a servant of Christ Jesus’.  Romans was first written in Greek, and the first two words rhymed, Paulos Doulos.  the word ‘Doulos’ means slave.  In first century, more that 30 percent of the population in Rome were slaves to wealthy masters.  They were treated like machines, bought, sold, beaten, abused.  if you were unfortunate enough to be born a slave your goal was to become a freed man or woman.  That’s why the opening verse of Romans is bizarre.  Paul was a well-educated Roman citizen, from a privileged and prestigious background.  In a culture where every slave wanted to be free, it's a strange way to identify as a slave of Jesus Christ.  

This subversive introduction reveals how much Paul was obsessed with Jesus Christ.  You see from the moment Paul encountered Jesus on the Damascus Road, Jesus became Paul’s magnificent obsession.  

Paul was previously known as Saul.  A religious zealot who hated Christians, even murdering several.  But after a 180-degree turn and a name-change, Paul became the most influential missionary of all time.  The letter to the Romans captures the essence of the good news that had left Paul blinded by God’s grace.  After following Jesus, Paul became convinced that to discover true freedom involved embracing a counter-intuitive lifestyle as a servant – a slave of Jesus Christ.  For Paul, you will only discover your true self when you centre your whole life on God.

So, who was Romans written to?

So, Christianity had already reached Rome without the direct influence of Paul.  It likely came through merchants who first heard the good news in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and brough the message to Rome. As Paul wrote, there were a substantial number of people who were already meeting in several locations across town, around 200. As Paul addresses them it is with great affection and warmth – he names 27 friends.

Now some of these Christians were meeting in the villas of wealthy individuals, but also in workshops and sheds.  These were friends and families gathering with the doors locked, risking their safety. They were real people, tired from work, oppressed, hurting, yet hungry for the truth.

The early Christians were diverse – the list of names at the end of the letter shows a remarkable range of people, some Greek, some Latin names, and Jewish names.  Some were wealthy, some were labourers and some slaves.  In Roman society there would have been segregation – but in the Christian community they ate at the same table and belonged to the same family.  As we will see, Paul’s goal throughout Romans is to demonstrate that ‘in Christ’ far more unites us than should ever divide us.  

Paul’s greetings also allude to the significant role that women played in leading, directing, and sharing the good news of the gospel.  Some have accused Paul of patriarchy or even misogyny, however this is unfair in the light of his references to women, who deserved public honour for their hard work and bravery.  

So, it’s useful, helpful to understand this backstory before we launch in next week… so let’s imagine the original scene…

A family of poor Jewish believers enjoying a meal with some Roman slaves in a large villa on the outskirts of the city.  A special guest has arrived, with something special to share.  After dinner, blinds are drawn as she takes out a secret parchment from her shoulder bag.  With hushed silence in the room, Phoebe begins to read:

Paul, a servant in Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God… to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be His holy people: grace and peace.

Lord Jesus, thank you for Paul’s wonderful letter and all we have heard today. 

Please be with us throughout this series as we explore the book of Romans. 

Open our eyes to the depth and beauty of the gospel so that we may have a richer grasp of all that you have done in the past and all that you continue to do in us today. 

Lord, help us not to be ashamed, confused or quiet about the gospel. 

Teach us through Romans so that we may be more confident in you and share our love for you more openly and widely. 

Amen.

There will be 11 weeks covering:

·        ROMANS: Introduction – setting the scene.

·        GOSPEL: How can we become confident in our faith?

·        SIN: What’s wrong with the world?

·        SALVATION: What’s so amazing about grace?

·        PEACE: How can we find rest in a stressful world?

·        FREEDOM: How can we avoid negative cycles?

·        HOPE: What has God promised?

·        MYSTERY: If God is sovereign, what is our role?

·        DEVOTION: How can we live full on for God?

·        COMMUNITY: How can we live together in love?

·        MISSION: How can we be ambitious with the gospel?

We will be using material from The Romans Course by the Bible Society written by Andrew Ollerton (the chap who also wrote The Bible course).

Romans, Paul’s longest letter is complicated however it unlocks the whole story of Scripture and helps us make sense of life.  Studying Romans will equip and strengthen us as disciples today. 

You may find it helpful to read Andrew Ollerton’s book on Romans.   (This can be ordered online at a retailer such as Amazon or Eden) 

You may also like to watch these two animated overviews of Romans, each just a few minutes long, so well worth watching.