Carmel Baptist Messages

Romans 15: 1-13

Romans 15:1-13 Senior Pastor Alex Kennedy The first six verses of chapter 15 are a summary of chapter 14, but these verses lift up Christ as the example. Paul uses the terms "stronger" and "weaker" to describe the people in the church. The weak refers to believers with restrictive consciences regarding morally neutral practices. The strong refers to believers who understand their freedom in Christ. Paul calls the strong to use freedom lovingly instead of selfishly, and the goal is unity, peace, and building one another up in the church. Our culture trains us to cancel people, but Christ calls us to carry people. Psalm 69, Mark 10:45, and Phil 2 all point out how Jesus came as a servant to mankind. Christ didn't misuse His freedom to take advantage of people; rather, He used it to serve others. Verse 4 references the Old Testament. Paul did not set out to write the "other half" of the Bible. The purpose of his letters to the churches was to reveal the mystery which was contained in the Old Testament-the revelation that God was making one new man out of both Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:15). To do that, he is continually quoting the Old Testament and explaining its meaning and relevance in light of the ministry and death and resurrection of Jesus. As we learn from the past (the OT), we are motivated to endure in the present, looking ahead in hope (confidence) to the future. Hope is not optimism. Hope is an anchor. In verses 5-6, Paul prays that the church would live in harmony. This is not a prayer to robotically agree on everything, but a prayer for their unity of mind in essentials. Why? "So that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." In verse 7, Paul shows us that Jesus welcomed us (it is a finished fact), so we should welcome one another. As wide as we imagine the gap to be between ourselves and our most disliked enemies, Paul reminds us that there was never a gap wider than the one between us and God. If Christ has accepted us when we were weak, we can accept others when they differ from us in much less significant ways. Never make people earn from you what Christ freely gave to you. Paul then shifts to the Jew and the Gentile by quoting Psalm 18:49, Deut 32:43, Psalm 117:1, and Is 11:10. Paul is using the 3 sections of the ancient Jewish text, the TaNaK to show that the inclusion of Gentiles with Jews has always been part of God's plan. It is not just a New Testament reality. The church is one of the only places where people who would never naturally gather become family. Paul ends this section with another prayer in verse 13 which speaks of hope. Hope isn't a wish that may or may not come true. Hope is an expectation based on a promise of God. Because God always keeps His promises, we have a guaranteed future that awaits us. That is why we can endure trials with joy and peace. This prayer is a conditional promise: you must trust in Jesus in order to find that hope. Once you trust in Jesus Christ, your hope comes from the power of the Holy Spirit in you! Questions to consider: 1. We hear Pastor Justin every Sunday say, "welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you". What does this mean in the context of today's passage? 2. Do I usually think more about my preferences or other people’s good? Give an example. 3. Are there people Christians sometimes struggle to accept or love? Who? Why? 4. What steals your joy or peace most often? 5. How does remembering Jesus help us endure difficult people or situations? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Romans 14 - Living in Harmony with One Another

Romans 14 - Living in Harmony with One Another Senior Pastor Alex Kennedy Chapter 14 is about how to get along with people in the church who disagree with you on something you feel passionate about. Paul addresses a specific dispute; most likely over whether Christians need to abide by Jewish food laws. Verse 1 addresses the overall issue as a matter of conscience. A "matter of conscience" is a practice about which God has not specifically spoken in His Word. It has not been clearly forbidden or commanded. It is a preference, and Paul is saying that there are things we will disagree about in church that should not lead to division. There ARE essentials that should be non-negotiable for all true believers (virgin birth, deity of Jesus Christ, substitutionary atonement, etc...) See also Gal 1:8-9, I Cor 5:1-2 Spiritual maturity is more than building strong convictions; it is learning to show restraint in the weight you give those convictions. Unfortunately, the longer you are in church, the more you start to hold your opinions on everything and think everyone else needs to live by your opinions. In your mind, these are not even opinions anymore; they are just the way things are-the way mature Christians "should" see the world. Current "Dividers" in the Church -alcohol -the way people dress at church -school choice (public, homeschool, private) -politics How do we live in unity? Show kindness to those of another opinion (v3) It is okay to have convictions, but if the Bible hasn't condemned a thing, we should give space to believers whose convictions differ on matters that Scripture does not address plainly. Trust others to the Judge (v4) Remember, they don't answer to you. They answer to God. In the Romans church, the "weak" needed to be strengthened, and the "strong" needed to be considerate in the exercise of their freedom. The same is true today. Obey your conscience (v5) Listen to your conscious and follow that. As those who live under Truth, God speaks to you and your follow that Truth in your unique way. Accept that your conscious can be transformed by the Holy Spirit (v6-14) We all need to hold the "non-essentials" loosely and be open to growing and understanding how other believers see convictions. The Holy Spirit might change your heart and stance on a matter, and that can be very good. Care more about them than our freedoms (v15-17) In 1 Cor 10:23, Paul says, "“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up." Just because you "can" do something doesn't mean you "should". There are always others watching you and following your example, so be careful in what you choose to do. Let's care more about unity than uniformity. Let's fight for our unity and not our opinions. Questions to Consider: 1. Have you ever judged someone for doing something differently than you? What happened? 2. Are there things you feel strongly about that others might see differently? 3. How can we tell the difference between a clear sin and a personal conviction? 4. How would our relationships change if we remembered that God is the judge, not us? 5. Can you think of a time when your actions might have affected someone else’s faith? 6. What is one way we can build each other up this week instead of criticizing? 7. Would others describe me as someone who brings peace—or division?  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Making the Word Clear - in Every Language

Making the Word Clear - in Every Language Senior Pastor Alex Kennedy with Jason Elam & Milt Jones At the end of Moses' life (around 1400BC)(Deut 31) he reminds the people that God will never leave them, and that He wants to be near to them. While God will be faithful, Moses warns the people that they might forget Him. He institutes the Feast of Tabernacles that includes the reading of Torah so that they might remember. Fast-forward to 586BC. The exile has happened, and many are taken into captivity where there is no Scripture for the next 142 years. Then, in 444BC, we have the story of Nehemiah. In Nehemiah 8, we see that the people are gathered in the square. Waves of people are returning from exile, and the language has changed. The people hear the Scripture for the first time (v1-8), and the Levites are translating it for understanding. Hearing Scripture is good. Understanding Scripture is transformational. The people are aware of God's goodness and of their depravity. They begin to weep. Nehemiah tells them, "Do not weep...the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh 8:9-10). God restores His Word to heal people. He restores people to their purpose of knowing Him and loving Him forever. We must understand the weight of the bad news before we can be grateful for the good news. God's Word: 1. Every word matters 2. Learn from history 3. Jesus is the center (the fulfillment) of it all Bible Translation moves people: 1. from silence to understanding 2. from confusion to clarity 3. from despair to hope "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." -Isaiah 52:7 What do we do now? 1. Pray for a people group - there are still 494 groups that are very hard to reach. 2. Advocate 3. Give 4. Soak yourself in Scripture - God will continue to change you! Questions to Consider? 1. What does God's Word mean to you? 2. What is your role in Bible translation? 3. How will you guard your life and those around you from "forgetting God and His Word"? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Romans 13:8-14

Romans 13:8-14 Senior Pastor Alex Kennedy Pastor Alex used the illustration of "Get Up, Get Dressed, and Get Going Loving Others" to teach us what Paul was saying to the church in this part of his letter to the church in Rome. Get Up - Verses 11-12 To "know the time" means that Jesus brought in the kingdom of God and yet we wait for His return. Paul makes 3 statements about time: #1 - "for you to wake from sleep" is a metaphor for a life of moral carelessness and laxity. In other words, it is the spiritual lethargy that plagues so many people in the church. #2 - "For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed" is a reminder that we are always getting closer to Jesus' return. This speaks to our past (justification), our present (sanctification), and our future (glorification). #3 - "The night is far gone; the day is at hand" tells us that we are not "night people" anymore because we are living in the light of Christ. Get Dressed - Verses 12-14 We need to put on the "light clothes" that we have been given. Ephesians 6:13-18 shows us that we are to put on the armor of God and use the armor for the purposes that they have been given. Paul goes on to say in verse 13, "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy." We are to imagine that the day has dawned and that Jesus is standing in front of us as we ask, "how should I behave?", "What is really eternally important?" He goes on to say, "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (Gal 3:27) Romans 6:3 taught us that we are legally righteous before God. We are "in Him", "covered with Him". This means we have to live as if we are clothed in Him. We are supposed to remember "who we are wearing," what He did for us, what He wanted for us, and what it cost Him." "Make no provisions" means we must put off specific sins by naming them clearly. These could be envy, lust, anger, impurity, greed, etc... Do not leave the door crached open for sin. "We don't defeat sin by managing it- we defeat it by starving it." Get Going Loving Others-Verses 8-10 "Owe nothing to anyone" links back to verse 7, and that means the command does not prohibit all borrowing but means that one should always "pay what is owed" fulfilling whatever repayment agreements have been made. The one debt we never cease paying is the call to love one another. Paul then goes on in verses 9-10 to explain how "neighbor love" fulfills the law. Paul lists the commandments that instruct our horizontal relationships and sums them up with, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." God's law is God's guideline on how to love others, how to do good for those around us. "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (v10). Paul refuses to pit love and law against each other. Stott said, "If then we truly love our neighbors, we will seek their good, not their harm, and we will thereby fulfill the law." The law restrains behavior; love reshapes desire. Questions to Consider: 1. How can we actively “clothe” ourselves with Christ each day? 2. What do you think it looks like spiritually to be “asleep”? 3. If Jesus returned soon, is there anything you would want to change about your life? 4. Are there any habits or attitudes we need to bring “into the light”? 5. How does loving someone actually fulfill God’s commandments in real life? 6. Can you think of a recent situation where you chose love—or didn’t? What happened? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Romans 13:1-7

Romans 13:1-7 Senior Pastor Alex Kennedy Today we continued our series in the book of Romans with a passage that specifically speaks to our responsibility and relationship to government. Paul reminds us that we are to be subject to governing authority because all authority is established by God. Submitting to authority is submitting to God who put that authority in place. Sometimes God gives good leaders as a blessing, and sometimes He institutes evil rulers as a means of trial or judgment. Simply put, the purpose of government is to protect its citizenry and punish wrong doers (v.4). Without government, society would devolve into anarchy… lawlessness. In the Old Testament, at the time of the judges, we see just such an example of that terrible cycle of wickedness when there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). While we owe government leaders our taxes and honor, we must never give them our hearts or ultimate allegiance. Pastor Alex put it this way: “Our hope is in God’s house not the White House.” Our allegiance is to Christ as King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords. We run into trouble when we get those allegiances reversed.  But, is there ever an appropriate time for civil disobedience? We are to submit right up to the point where obedience to the state would entail disobedience to God. At those times we must follow what Scripture tells us and not obey civil authorities. Some classic examples in Scripture of those who chose to disobey were Daniel (see Daniel chapter 1 and 6) and the Hebrew midwives (see Exodus chapter 1). Whenever laws are passed which contradict God’s law, civil disobedience becomes our Christian duty. May the Lord give us the wisdom to discern when those times come and the courage to stand for the truth regardless of the personal cost.  Here are a few practical ways to honor our governing authorities: (1) Pray for Them: 1 Timothy 2:1–4 reminds us to pray for those in authority. Our leaders are those put in place by God for His purposes. Pastor Alex challenged us to ask ourselves the following question: Do you talk to God more about our leaders than you talk to others about our leaders? (2) Give What is Owed: Whether its taxes, revenue (wages), respect or honor, give to all what is owed (Hebrews 13:7). Remember, honoring a particular leader doesn’t mean you endorse or approve of them… it’s to honor God who put them there.  (3) Engage: Look for ways to get involved. Serve on your city council. Run for office.  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.