The following are sermon notes from Romans Soli Deo Gloria. This is a study of the book of Romans. To read more about this series, including the introduction, download the study guide, resources and listen to audio content click here.
There is an impending future before you. Though it may be clear to you, it is, if anything, uncertain. Life is not stagnant. There is some trajectory that we are moving towards, a direction or a goal. If you are like the majority of Americans you probably see your future in the framework and dichotomy of good and evil. Or to put it another way, you see the that the future of your life holds the equal possibility of either going generally well or going generally bad (with obvious fluctuations between both dichotomies).
Dual Impending Futures
The Bible tells us that you have two futures awaiting you: 1) An heir of everything or 2) An heir of wrath. Future #1 will lead you to eternal life in Christ with Christ and future #2 will lead to death and an eternity in hell.
Most will resist this truth. No one wants to be told that there are only two possible ends to their life. Especially if one of those ends is a literal, eternal conscious torment in hell.
Wrath Revealed by the Law
“For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law, there is no transgression.” Romans 4:15
Have you ever read the Bible and though, “there is no way I can do all this, there is no way I can keep all these rules.” The truth is, you’re right! You can’t keep every rule in the Bible. You see, one of the functions of the law is to reveal your inability to keep the law. It reveals wrath. It tells us that there is no way we can be righteous in God’s sight and it shows us God’s response to our unrighteousness, namely wrath.
Some would ask, what does it mean that if there is no law there is no transgression? Let me ask you this: can you break the speed limit if there is no speed limit? You see, it’s important that our transgressions are revealed to us so that we can understand our need for salvation apart from our own righteousness.
Inheritance Received by Faith
In this portion of the book of Romans (Romans 4:13-25) Paul shows us that our inheritance is given to us through our faith. In this, Paul gives us an incredible example. That example was Abraham.
“No unbelief made him (Abraham) waver 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” (Romans 4:20-21).
God has promised that all those who receive salvation by faith alone in Christ alone will receive eternal life. This is the inheritance we speak of. We inherit that which Christ won when He died on the cross. We do not inherit what we deserve, we inherit what Christ deserves through faith and trust in Him alone. Paul gives us an incredible example through which we can learn what it means to live by faith in Christ. Jesus is the object of our faith. Eternal life is the promise we’ve been given.
Strengthened by Promises
There are roughly 479 direct promises to us in the Bible. These are promises God has made to us through His perfect, inspired word. Now a promise is only as good as the one who made it. There is no one better than God. What He promises will always come true. He has never changed and will never change. His promises are secure ,trustworthy and all-together good.
It is important to be reminded of the promises God has made for you. This is one of the best ways to strengthen our faith. What was Abraham convinced of? The promises of God! God’s promises are often the fuel of our faith. Christ is our object yes, but our fuel can often be the promises of God.
Here’s what I want you to do. Look through the Bible and look for promises God has made for you. Memorize one or two of these promises and let them strengthen your faith.
If you don’t worship Jesus, I would dare you to read some of these promises and compare them to whatever else you’ve been promised in your life. Through this, you will see how incredibly good God is and my prayer is that you will place your faith and trust in Christ.
For more information about this series click here.
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