What Has Romans Done in You?
This week we wrap up our preaching series through the book of Romans. One of the bad things about preaching is that you never get any feedback. Well, not any useful feedback, anyway. Sometimes people offer the understated, "Good sermon this morning," which is usually devoid of any reason WHY the listener thought it was good. Other times we hear the more obligatory, "Thanks for your words this morning," which could be a stand-in for either "I appreciated what God taught me" or "That was so lame that I can't think of anything good to say, but you did put in a good effort."
So as we close out the book of Romans, I'd love to hear what God has done in you through the past 15 months of study. The above paragraph is somewhat tongue-in-cheek: I'm not looking for feedback for myself. I do, however, want us to pause and praise God for whatever good has been accomplished in our community by his Spirit through the book of Romans.
So, whether you have been attending in Omaha or following along via podcast from afar, use the comment thread to write about what God has done in your soul through Romans. Let's celebrate together the impact of this great book which Tyndale called "a light and a way in unto the whole Scripture."
So as we close out the book of Romans, I'd love to hear what God has done in you through the past 15 months of study. The above paragraph is somewhat tongue-in-cheek: I'm not looking for feedback for myself. I do, however, want us to pause and praise God for whatever good has been accomplished in our community by his Spirit through the book of Romans.
So, whether you have been attending in Omaha or following along via podcast from afar, use the comment thread to write about what God has done in your soul through Romans. Let's celebrate together the impact of this great book which Tyndale called "a light and a way in unto the whole Scripture."
posted by Bob | 1:29 PM
4 Comments:
We've been going through Romans ever since I first started coming to Coram Deo, and the wisdom and honesty in the sermons is what kept me coming back, because it forced me to be honest about the sins I had always justified - sins of self-righteousness and pride when it comes to judging other people. Legalism was easy for me to hide for a long time, and Coram Deo has helped bring those sins to light, and Jesus has been doing a lot to humble me and soften my critical eye toward others.
Matt
I think what stands out to me as I look back on this series on Romans is not so much gestalt moments but continual inculcation. Since the commute is a little far to join you guys in person, I usually listen via podcast midweek, which is great because by that point I've long since forgotten the gospel my pastor preached to me on Sunday mornings. When I first heard Bob preach through the gospel, he was fond of saying that you and I need the gospel preached to us every day--so 15 months of weekly sermons has been great. As Bob, Will and JD have continually driven us back to the necessity of the gospel and the centrality of Christ it has deepened my awareness of my need for the gospel and filled out my conception of what the gospel is. This series on Romans has given the gospel a chance to rheumenate in my bones (gospel truth) and--hopefully--express itself in my life (missional living)
What has impacted my faith the most was the sermon on "Total Depravity" where Bob spoke on the fact that we all fall short of the glory of God. And that we are all in need of Jesus. I made me realize that I'm truly a sinner, and I'm not just a "good person," but a soul that is so desperate for Jesus. I never thought of myself as very sinful because I would always compare myself to others who didn't know Jesus. I justified myself by thinking I'm not as sinful as that person. The more I understood the life-changing Gospel through our study of Romans, I learned that I need to love Jesus more because I am a sinful person. I have sin in me that I need to repent of to Jesus and to others.
I think what impacted me most in Romans was the focus on the sovereignty of God, who chooses, calls and saves us on his own accord. To know that God has specifically chosen to rescue me from a life and an eternity without Him because of His goodness and not my own is pretty powerful. Knowing God's unconditional ability to get done what he wants to get done makes promises like "God works all things for good for those who love him" and "nothing can separate us from the love of Christ" much more powerful. They aren't just things that God is going to try to do, but things that he has firmly and irrevocably ordained.
There were also other, equally powerful and soul transforming moments - particularly Bob's statement "How is God looking at you right now." That message started me on an earnest quest to forsake my own attempts at righteousness. No luck yet, but God has promised to see the good work he has begun in me on to completion, so I guess I got that going for me.
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