Towards Goodness and Light

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