January 14, 2024
Included | Romans 1:18-2:1
Dark Minds, Dark Lives
Paul wrote to the small church in Rome even though he’d never met them. They were one church he hadn’t planted. In some ways the letter is him making friends. Good friends make us feel included; they let us know that we belong. It wasn’t something that Paul did that included the believers in Rome; it was what Jesus had done and was doing in them through his Spirit that allowed them to belong. The letter begins with Paul telling them just how ‘included’ they were!
Songs for this week: Spotify
Sermon Questions:
- Tell the story of when you saw something in creation and were overwhelmed with its beauty and majesty.
- v. 21 says that even though people know God, they neither “glorify him” nor “give thanks to him.” Explain what kind of glory and gratitude humans rightly owe to God. What has that looked like in your life recently?
- Sex is often a favourite target for Satan; why do you think that’s the case?
- “God gave them over” appears 3x in the passage. What exactly does that include? Was there a time when God gave you over to some sin? How did that play out?
- There’s a possibility of reading a passage like this and only feeling rotten about yourself. How might you see yourself and the Lord Jesus differently than that? Could this passage be an example of Proverbs 27:6?
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Recent Sermons
Colossians 3:12-17-Sometimes Christianity gets known for what we don’t do. But Paul points us toward something better: how we live, love, and treat one another. What marks a genuine Christian community? It all starts with who God is and how deeply He loves us.
Colossians 3:5-11-Paul points to two areas that reveal who we are at the deepest level: sex and speech. The path to health and freedom isn’t harsh rules or self-focus, but staying close to Jesus, knowing him and growing in him. Christianity isn’t harsh rules; it’s a vibrant friendship.
Colossians 2:20-3:4 - Religious baggage can pull us in all kinds of directions—from expecting God to fit our preferences to trying to earn His approval. Paul’s message to the Colossians was simple: stop guessing what God wants and get back to the core of Christianity—Jesus.
Colossians 2:13-19 - Humans have a problem that we can’t save ourselves from—not through secular programs or religious systems. The good news of Jesus is that on the cross, Jesus dealt with it all. In him we are alive, forgiven, and free!
Colossians 2:8-12 - Paul warns the Colossian church not to trade the freedom found in Christ for religion or spiritual experiences. Jesus is more than enough.
Colossians 2:1-7-The way forward for the first Christians wasn't always easy. False teachers brought confusion and deception, prompting Paul to point believers back to the truth. Just as the best way to spot a counterfeit is to know the genuine article, the best way to recognize false teaching is to know Jesus.
