What Jesus Says to a Complacent Church

Salt of the Earth! When we use this phrase we mean that someone is a good, honest and reliable person. It is a compliment to be called salt of the Earth. Jesus tells His followers that they are salt of the earth. It seems that to be one of His followers there’s no alternative. What did He mean when He used the phrase? In His times salt was a preservative. Salt was also the name of a combination of minerals that was used as fertilizer.

Whether Jesus was talking about stopping things going rotten or helping things grow, when He said His disciples were salt of the Earth He was saying “Make a Difference!” That’s the message of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). In Matthew’s Gospel the Beatitudes come immediately before Jesus tells the disciples they are salt of the Earth. That’s no coincidence. At Church in the Market Place we’re committed to Making a Difference. Sometimes we can do this by being part of a group. Other times it’s up to us. How salty are you?

How is it that we humans can be "accepted" by God?  It's a great question.  We ask it in a variety of ways - how do we get to heaven, or how can we be "right" with God, or how can we be "acceptable" so that we'll be included in God's family?
 
Sometimes we try to find that acceptance by earning it (if we just work hard enough and our "good" outweighs our "bad"), or by belonging to the right group (by affiliation).
 
Paul argues in Romans chapter 4, that God's acceptance of us comes through faith; through our belief and trust in Jesus Christ.  He sets up his argument in Romans 3:28 - "For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law."
 
Faith alone, Paul says, saves us.  Nothing else. There is no "faith + something".  It's just faith.  God does the rest.

Finally we get to talk about 'The Good News!' 

Join us this Sunday as Brodie shares from Romans 3:21-31 and talks about the righteousness of God and the Good News of the Gospel. 

Paul's letter to the church in Rome explores the question - "... why do we need Jesus?" and in particular - "... why do we need Jesus as our Saviour?"
 
In the first 2 chapters, Paul has thought about how God is revealed to us through our nature, our consciences and to the Jews through the law.  He concludes that everybody is "responsible" and everyone is "without excuse".  He goes on to argue that it's not our place to judge people; that's a right that belongs only to God.
 
In the first part of Chapter 3, Paul sums up his previous arguments.  Like a prosecuting attorney, he concludes that "... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ..." (Romans 3:23) and therefore we all need a Saviour.

John 5:39-40 records Jesus speaking to a group of Pharisees, who thought they were going, to "make it" on their own -"You diligently study the Scriptures, because you think that, by them, you possess eternal life.  These are the scriptures, that testify about Me, and yet you refuse to come to Me, to have life."   

When Paul was writing to the Church in Rome he frames our need for God, the God we know in Jesus, in terms of 'sin' and 'salvation'.  We're all sinners (we all have a broken relationship with God) and God's purpose is salvation. 

Paul argues that none of us is exempt; we all need salvation.  In the second part of Chapter 2 Paul argues that, like the Pharisees Jesus spoke of, even the religious person needs forgiveness and salvation. 

Jesus attacked one sin more severely and more directly than any other.  It was the sin of self-righteousness.  And, we can find it everywhere.  It’s the sin that we’ll have to deal with more often than any other in our lives. It’s so subtle, it often catches us by surprise … this sin of judging others.
 
Paul, writing to the church in Rome is clear that only God has the “right” to judge - "Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others ..." (Romans 2:1)
 
John’s gospel reminds us that our hope always remains in Jesus - “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life.” 

Join us this Sunday as Brodie continues on the sermon series on the Book of Romans.

In Romans 1:18-32 Paul highlights the human condition and sin, addressing four main areas that humans often stumble in: the rejection of the truth, insincere worship, the worship of idols, and rejoicing in doing wrong.

What’s the most important letter (email, text) you’ve ever read; a proposal, a letter from the Tax Department, a job offer?  Some people think of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome as being the greatest letter ever written.
 
Romans has certainly influenced millions of people and changed history.  Martin Luther started the Reformation because of the book of Romans.  John Wesley started the Wesleyan revivals (the Methodist church has its origins there).
 
As we explore any of the Bible’s books it’s helpful to ask – who wrote it; who was it written to; when and why was it written; and what’s the main message?
 
In Romans 1:16-17, Paul says - "I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew and then for the Gentile. For in the Gospel, the righteousness from God is revealed, the righteousness that is by faith from first to last just as it is written `The righteous will live by faith.'"  

Among the immediate followers of Jesus, no man made a greater impact on the world than the apostle Paul.  He wrote much of the New Testament and he established the first churches in the Roman Empire.  He was a great man of God.
 
At the very outset of his letter to the church in Rome, Paul says he is – “…  a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God" (Romans 1:1).  He describes himself as “obligated”, “eager” and “not ashamed” to share that good news with others (Romans 1:14-17).
 
We can be encouraged by Paul’s attitude as we commit ourselves to being ministers of that same gospel.  

God’s people are reminded to … “Remember today what you have learned, about the Lord through your experiences with Him” (Deuteronomy 11:2).  

Some things we only learn through experience.  And some things we experience, and learn best from, with one another.
 
The Bible talks about it with the word koinonia.  Among other things it means communion, participation and contribution.  
 
We learn and experience God best it seems when we worship, fellowship, grow, serve and reach out together.