Scripture Reading: Romans 9-16

Introduction:

Now that we have completed the remaining chapters of Romans, it is good to recall what we have discussed and see how it applies to our everyday lives. Paul has taken us from the Jews unbelief and misguided zeal to the future of Israel and its restoration. He then talks primarily to the Gentiles and shows them that they too can have a relationship with God and a home in the Kingdom of God. He talks about the pitfalls and the rewards and our attitude toward both the strong and the weak in Christ. Let

Scripture Reading: Romans 15:14-33

Introduction:

Even though Paul worked with many individuals, his primary focus was to weld them into one body, the church, a new society on earth. His goal was to establish local churches that worked in harmony with its members as well as other local churches. They were all to have a unified goal of following Christ and serving each other.

As mentioned before, the local church was compared to a body with many individual parts, with each part essential to the overall performance of the body. No part was more important than any other, and all

Scripture Reading: Romans 16:1-27

Introduction:

Paul spends most of this chapter greeting friends that he had met somewhere other than Rome (he hadn’t been there yet), whom he had followed through discussions with others and knew that they were now residing in Rome. Based upon these greetings, he must have considered them good friends and strong Christians. They all must have worked with Paul in the past and are now being remembered for their efforts

As we grow older, one of the first things that we seem to struggle with remembering, are names of people we have known. The primary

Scripture Reading: Romans 15:1-13

Introduction:

You deserve the best. Look out for number one. Pamper yourself. These are the watchwords of our age. But in this chapter, Paul urges us to stop gazing at our own reflection. For the first time in Romans, he holds up the example of Christ, the one who embodies all the qualities God desires in us.

The way that Christ acted, the Christ who although He was strong yet for our sakes became weak, is the way that the strong must also act toward those whose own faith is weak. This chapter is devoted to

Scripture Reading: Romans 14:13-23

Introduction:

Our goal to be a part of the Kingdom of God is the believer’s concern, not pleasure. The Kingdom is not eating and drinking: that is, it is not concerned with external matters but with the heart. It is not a sin to abstain from food and drink and questionable practices, therefore, the believer must readily stay away from anything that will grieve or cause others to stumble. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, being and doing what is right, establishing and maintaining the highest possible good with God and man. We need to be

Scripture Reading: Romans 14:1-12

Introduction:

In the late 1800s, robed choirs were considered worldly by some Christians. More recently bowling, reading novels and drinking coffee or tea have been severely condemned. Even chewing gum has come under attack.

The Bible contains many clear commands. But it is also silent or ambiguous about many moral issues. These “gray” areas have always been a source of dispute and conflict among Christians, even though the specific areas of dispute change from time to time. What principles should guide us when our actions are criticized by others or when we feel critical toward them?

Scripture Reading: Romans 13:1-14

Introduction:

Civil authority today is oftentimes viewed as something oppressive and evil, not something that we should submit to and respect. Paul was a Roman citizen and used that citizenship for his benefit on a couple of occasions, causing fear in his jailers and avoiding trial by the Jewish leaders. In Romans 13 he speaks about civil authority as something God has ordained and controls, and therefore we should submit to it and show it proper respect.

But what if that authority is no longer based upon the principles of God, but instead upon evil and

Scripture Reading: Romans 12:9-21

Introduction:

Sometimes we feel that as Christians we are truly on our own, especially if our faith has drawn us away from our own family and friends. We truly need fellowship with like believers to help us to survive in this world full of trials and tribulations. That fellowship comes from our local church organization.

However, that local church may not treat us any different than our job, our neighbors, our society. It should be a place that we can go to and feel at home, where we can share our troubles, where we