Romans 7: 14-25
“… 18For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my
flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is
what I do… “
Covenant is in the second week of Lent. The messages from the sermon series “Basics”
cover the first two steps towards resurrection: how broken we are without God
and how Christians have the foundation in God to seek beyond ourselves towards
goodness.
The first recognition is that we are broken and “know
nothing good dwells within me”. As
humans, we strive against sin and wrongdoing, but being humans, this is a
natural condition for us. Christians
cannot resolve sin on our own. Having
God, and God’s support, brings us to goodness.
Rev. Jason posed these questions for the congregation to
consider:
Do you know the sin in your life?
Do you know how God is working to help you and bring you to
goodness and light?
Acts 17: 16-31
“….24The God who made the world and
everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines
made by human hands,25nor is he served by human hands, as though he
needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all
things...30While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance,
now he commands all people everywhere to repent,31because he has
fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man
whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him
from the dead.”
The second part of the message is an acknowledgement that
when we come to faith, we can count on “universal realities” as explained by
Rev. Jason. God has given all mortals
all things- all is present here and everywhere in the
world. Christians have faith as their
foundation- the knowing of God, His Love and His Grace. And when we seek God, we find what is missing
or lacking in our lives.
As a Renewed Christian, I can attest to that seeking and to
the spiritual peace that I have found recently.
And just as a note to parents, Patricia Scott who leads our
Children’s Ministry brought this same lesson to our children this week in a
very visual and impactful way. She asked
the children to think in their hearts and how without God, our hearts are not
clean. Giving ourselves to God, He would
cleanse them. Drop a dull penny (a
heart) into water, and the penny did not clean up very well- Christians cannot
remove sin easily on their own. Drop the
penny into God’s blood- in this case ketchup was the stand-in- and the penny
does really come out clean.
Think of all the ways you can talk to yourself and your
children about human failing. Put what
is missing into your lives, and seek God.
“The more I seek You
The more I find You
The more I find You
The more I love You…”
Zach Neese “The More
I Seek You”
©1999 Gateway Create Publishing
By Renewed Christian
February, 2013
