Sermon Tone Analysis

So, I have to ask, how many of you thanked God for the fleas this week?

I ask in reference to last week and our closing story of Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie.

It is a reminder and encouragement to look for the hand of God in all circumstances knowing that He is in control of all things, always!

We must always remain in a state of thankfulness and gratitude towards God.

Having a thankful heart leaves little room for anything else.

Lets pray

So we started our journey through Romans with a lot.

We went through chapters 1, 2, and a little more than half of 3.

But remember Romans is a letter and so we need to study it as such.

To help with this I like to divide this letter up into 5 themes;

Sin, Salvation, Sanctification, Sovereignty, and Service (in other words life application)

But as we move throughout this letter we need to always know the main purpose Paul wrote it under inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Romans is the gospel message.

And this message, the Good News, is the power of God for salvation.

Sin has

Romans 3:21–31 (ESV)

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—

So Paul is making it abundantly clear that God has made His righteousness known separate from the law and the prophets.

God’s righteousness is infinitely above everything else.

He is not diminishing the law and the prophets as they point to God’s righteousness.

They are the supporting documents, if you will, for the main document.

They point us to God’s righteousness which stands alone.

22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction:

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

This is a struggle for some many.

“How can a good God send someone to hell?”

Not only have you heard this question raised, you have probably, at some point, been the one to raise it.

Martin Luther

“These words ‘righteous’ and ‘righteousness of God’ struck my conscience as flashes of lightning, frightening me each time I heard them: if God is righteous, he punishes.

But by the grace of God, as I once meditated upon these words in the tower: ‘The righteous shall live by faith’ and ‘the righteousness of God,’ there suddenly came into my mind the thought that if we as righteous are to live by faith, and if the righteousness of faith is to be for salvation to everyone who believes, then it is not our merit, but the mercy of God.

Thus my soul was refreshed, for it was the righteousness of God by which we are justified and saved through Christ.

These words became more pleasant to me.

Through this word the Holy Spirit enlightened me in the tower.”

27 Then what becomes of our boasting?

It is excluded.

By what kind of law?

By a law of works?

No, but by the law of faith.

28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

29 Or is God the God of Jews only?

Is he not the God of Gentiles also?

Yes, of Gentiles also,

30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

So what do we do with the law then?

31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith?

By no means!

On the contrary, we uphold the law.