Jan 31, 2020 Why Romans? – Words of Grace – January 31, 2020
Messages shape us. Some messages go to the deepest core of our being and are hard to replace. Others awaken newness in us that redirects the course of our lives. For good or bad, messages are powerful.
That’s why we can be grateful that God has given his message to us in writing. We read it in the book of Romans.
At Grace Community Church, we are choosing to hear and believe the message of Romans. To do this, we will read it and preach it together beginning this Sunday.
Why read and preach through the book of Romans? Because this New Testament letter contains the central message of the Christian faith. The good news is that God makes sinners right with himself by grace through faith on the basis of Christ’s work on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.
This message has implications for our standing before God, our understanding of ourselves, and our relationship with everyone we encounter in this world.
The message of Romans has been used by the Holy Spirit to awaken millions of people to faith in Christ.
Throughout history, this message has revived the church and local congregations. The book of Romans is a road to renewal in the truth that sets us free.
When the gospel revealed in Romans is received by faith, it lifts us to the highest and most delighted place of giving all praise and glory to God, before whom we simply say, “Amen.”
Here is a message to replace all messages, and one to stake our lives on:
“But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who they are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of the glory of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.” (Romans 3:21-25, NLT)
Pray with me this weekend that the Lord will revive us according to his message in Romans.
-Scott