Dr David Thomason wisely observed. “Romans 6 presents the possibility of victorious living, while Romans 7 presents the human impossibility of victorious Christian living, then Romans 8 presents what happens when God is in the picture! Romans 7 is about ME, while Romans 8 is about the Holy Spirit. God insists that not only do […]
On my morning bike ride, I often see a woman walking her huge Rottweiler. The dog always lunges for me and acts as if it wants to rip me to shreds. I was becoming fearful of him, but the woman told me that the rotating bicycle tires excite him. The last two times that we […]
We use illustrations to make things clearer and easier to understand. The best illustrations use things that the hearer clearly understands. They help him grasp something he does not understand. For example, if you have never eaten a raw fig, I might describe it as soft as an over ripe banana and as sweet as […]
John Newton’s epitaph reads: John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy. Grace did not free him to serve no master, but […]
(Proverbs 25:28) “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” If you have not been living a victorious life over sin, your walls are broken down. Transition Building your defence against sin is like building a wall; you must begin at the foundation […]
In Romans 5, we learned that God’s grace is overflowing! No matter how bad our sin may be, God’s grace is greater. God offers us more divine help through Christ’s death and resurrection than we will ever need. Because God’s grace overflows, is it okay to keep lying, disobeying, getting angry, being bitter, lusting, being […]
Illustrate the difference between enough and overflowing by using a cup and a jug of water. In our text this morning, God assures us that His grace is not just enough to help a sinner a little; it abounds and overflows to cleanse a sinner completely and give him eternal life. When we speak of […]
When our boys were young, it was sometimes difficult to determine who was guilty in one of their boyhood disputes. Though I tried to be fair, there may have been times when I blamed the wrong boy. Keep this in mind as we read the “one man” references in Romans 5:12-21. Transition Why did God […]
Perhaps you have received a gift in which was another gift, in which was yet another gift. With opening each gift, the excitement grew. There was more to come. Transition When a sinner who trusts Christ to save his soul, he receives the gift of God’s salvation instantly. However, God’s gift of salvation is many […]
We all like to know the benefits of supplements, benefits of insurance policies, benefits of certain diets and benefits of electing a candidate. As Paul begins Romans 5, he builds on the word justified. The word, therefore (Ro 5:1), points us back to Romans 4:25. We wonder, what are the benefits of being justified? Transition […]