STUDY SHEETS for Sunday July 19, 2015

goodness runners victory feet tagged dead

Hello All,

“I am convinced of your goodness.”

That’s what the Apostle Paul says, “I am convinced of your goodness.” He was writing to church people, and he said it with a straight face.

In one sense, this week’s message is about freedom. Possibly an area of our freedom where we seldom venture, but freedom nonetheless.

We now have freedom to tell each other how great we are. Without feeling like hypocrites or liars or flatterers. The Apostle Paul does just that in this week’s text.

  • (Romans 15:14 NASB95) And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.

No sugar coating. Definitely not flattery or positive thinking nonsense. But strong, true, biblical words of praise to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Of course this has to be true to say it with sincerity, but it is true much more than we realize.

Our problem is that we forget where we came from. The beginning of our spiritual journey was death. We started at dead. Jesus saved us from dead. This is a problem for some people. They don’t know where a true gospel story begins. So not knowing their beginning they have a much more difficult time understanding why we (as in Christians) are the way we are.

We have a hard time commending a person for his or her goodness when we know that at times they are still downright awful.

Have you heard the expression, “I’m in pretty good shape for the shape I’m in”?

Well, we are in pretty good shape considering that when we started we were dead, and now God is transforming us into his new creation which will be beyond measure in beauty and awesomeness. We are going to be like Christ. God says.

  • (1 John 3:2–3 ESV) Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

So Paul commends them for their goodness, but he doesn’t pretend that everything is wonderful.

  • (Romans 15:15 ESV) But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God.

They may be full of goodness but they are still full of other stuff too. Just like us.

So we must adopt a biblical approach in our relationships. We must acknowledge the goodness and the badness in our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is biblical. This is sound doctrine based on the depravity of humankind and the redemption of God.

  • You’ve heard Longfellow’s poem “There Was A Little Girl”:
    THERE was a little girl, And she had a little curl,
    Right in the middle of her forehead.
    When she was good, She was very, very good,
    And when she was bad she was horrid.

To grow in our ability to build one another up in the faith, we need to know and live these truths. We are very good. And we can be horrid. This is consistent with our biblical identity while “still in process.” Never to be used as an excuse but still true.

This goodness and badness concept is very freeing as we relate to each other. For me personally, God uses it to build perspective and patience.

And, of course, these things only apply to those who are actually believers in Jesus Christ and have received his gift of eternal life. If you are merely a fake, a pretender, then that is a sermon for a different day. In this Scripture Paul speaks to followers of Jesus, and he continues his emphasis on the edification ministry we have in the lives of fellow believers.

Message Title: Full of Goodness!

Message Text: Romans 15:14-21

living the good life

 

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