As many of you know, I am currently engaged in preaching through the book of Romans. After an Advent hiatus, I will resume my place in chapter 11, and so I am coming up on the Pauline doctrine of the conversion of the Jews. The driving engine of that conversion — jealousy — has been …
And the Rest Were Blinded/Romans 41
INTRODUCTION: So we have learned that there are two Israels, formed as a result of two different ways of “hearing” the Word of God. One hears the Word in a way that quickens true faith, and the other hears (after a fashion) in a way that hardens the heart in a persistent but wrong-headed pursuit …
Deep Peril, Deep Thanksgiving
INTRODUCTION: We sometimes try to cultivate the right heart attitude by denying the obvious challenges and perils in the world around us, and we sometimes try to pretend that we see the “real world” by adopting a cynical and artistic posture toward it all. We think that in order to have an enjoyable thanksgiving, it …
Seven Thousand By Grace/Romans 40
INTRODUCTION: In times of spiritual declension—which we are certainly in—it is very easy to fall into the trap that Elijah fell into. Flatterers and false teachers always tell us that things are far better than we think, but when we work our way past their lies, we often have to be reassured by God Himself …
And Hearing By the Word of God/Romans 39
INTRODUCTION: In this portion of Romans, we start to see the intersection of two realities—decretal realities and covenantal realities. This will come to full flower in the next chapter, but we see it begin here. God is utterly sovereign, and rightly understood, this means that when He chooses to use created instruments to accomplish His …
The Gospel Stone/Romans 38
INTRODUCTION: If Christ is the stone, then the message of Christ is the message stone. People confess with their mouth and are saved, and people stumble over the words of grace and are lost forever. Preaching the stone is therefore a preaching of a gospel stone, and not a gospel cushion or pillow. The stone, …
The End of the Law/Romans 37
INTRODUCTION: We have already seen that Christ is the foundation stone and the stumbling stone, depending. For the one who believes, He is the foundation of all. For the one who does not believe in Him, He is the rock of offense. THE TEXT: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, …
The Stumbling Stone/Romans 36
INTRODUCTION: Why is the issue of faith and works so complicated? The answer is that it is not—it is the sinful human heart that is complicated. Because of that, we take something straightforward—trust God in all things—and tie it up into knots. But the issues outside the heart are simple. They binary. Either you will …
Saving the Remnant/Romans 35
INTRODUCTION: In order to understand Scripture rightly, we have to understand the flow of redemptive history. God’s revelation to us is progressive, and it unfolds over centuries. If we treat the Bible as the book that fell from the sky, we are going to have a terrible time comprehending it rightly. The works of God’s …
Bad Puppet!/Romans 34
INTRODUCTION: We now come to some hard words, whether they are hard to understand or simply hard to take. And as we seek to be faithful to what God has given us here, we have to be mindful of Peter’s caution—there are places in Paul’s epistles where it is not safe for ignorant or unstable …