SERIES: Jesus Loves People MESSAGE: Jesus Loves People, BUT... SPEAKER: Skip Heitzig SCRIPTURE: Romans 2:1-11

Transcription

1 SERIES: Jesus Lves Peple MESSAGE: Jesus Lves Peple, BUT... SPEAKER: Skip Heitzig SCRIPTURE: Rmans 2:1-11 MESSAGE SUMMARY In this last message f ur series Jesus Lves Peple, we want t bring equilibrium t the series itself. It s true that Gd lves peple. It s equally true that He hates evil and the practice f it. Tday we want t shw hw bth the wrath f Gd and the lve f Gd are integral parts f the nature f Gd Himself. This is crucial s that we dn t distrt Him t the wrld and mislead peple eternally. Let s cnsider three requirements fr representing the Gd wh lves peple. STUDY GUIDE June 28, 2015 Teaching: "Jesus Lves Peple, BUT..." Teacher: Skip Heitzig Text: Rmans 2:1-11 Cnnect Grup Recap A New Lk: Welcme t a new frmat fr the Cnnect Grup recap. It is ur prayer that the infrmatin prvided is beneficial t yu and a blessing t yur grup. We've rganized the infrmatin in a userfriendly manner, fllwing three cmpnents: Path (Pastr Skip's utline: read and discver) Pints (majr ideas within the teaching: reflect and discuss) Practice (questins based n the teaching and text: respnd and d) Path: Teaching frm Rmans 2:1-11, Pastr Skip wrapped up the Jesus Lves Peple series with the message "Jesus Lves Peple, BUT..." Be Balanced Thelgically (vv. 1-11) Be Bld Spiritually (vv. 4b-11) Be Buntiful Practically (v. 4a) Pastr Skip's intrductin included the fllwing highlights: Fr fifteen weeks, we've lked at hw Jesus lves peple. His lve is a multifaceted jewel, and He ffers it freely. Page 1

2 Hwever, if yur lve has n bundaries, it's dangerus; true lve requires a lve fr truth. "Lve des nt delight in evil but rejices with the truth" (1 Crinthians 13:6, NIV). Yes, Jesus lves peple, but there must be balance. Withut balance, the lve f Gd becmes license. We need t balance the lve f Gd with the hliness and justice f Gd. Pints: Pastr Skip unpacked many relevant pints in Rmans 2: Be Balanced Thelgically (vv. 1-11) In this text, the apstle Paul balanced Gd's gdness and lve with Gd's wrath, righteusness, and judgment. In the Bible, ne f the surest signs that Gd was passing judgment was when He gave a natin ver t what it wanted. Read Rmans 1: Gd is judging America. Gd's justice demands a payment fr sin. It was His lve that cmpelled Him t pay it Himself this is what the crss is abut. If Gd simply acquitted the guilty, He wuld be unfair, unjust, and unlving. Withut punishing sin, Gd wuld be unjust in frgiving sin. Be Bld Spiritually (vv. 4b-11) The wrld tries t make us feel ashamed if we disagree with its pinins, but the Bible tells us nt t be ashamed f the gspel (see Rmans 1:16). "The gdness f Gd leads [us] t repentance" (Rmans 2:4). Be bld. First, Christians are t be fundamentally different frm nn-christians. We are t be spiritually and mrally distinct, nt scially segregated. Secnd, Christians must permeate nn-christian sciety. We are called t be salt and light. Salt must get ut f the saltshaker. Third, Christians can influence nn-christian culture. Histric examples include William Wilberfrce (slavery) and Shaftesbury (wrking cnditins); a mdern example is the Benham brthers: "We're nt ding it because we want t fight. We're ding it because we lve Jesus. We're cmpelled by lve, and we're willing t be bld because f that lve... Jesus lves all peple, but He des nt lve all ideas." Be Buntiful Practically (v. 4a) Our tne in prclaiming the gd news is imprtant. Be kind. Gd's apprach is fund in wrds like gdness, frbearance, and lngsuffering. Gd withhlds judgment until there is n hpe. At that pint, which nly Gd can decide, judgment is sure. Hwever, when judgment cmes, there is n jy in the heart f Gd. He wants everyne t cme t repentance (see Ezekiel 18:32, Jnah 1-4, and 2 Peter). We need nt sacrifice ne truth (thelgical) fr anther (kindness). Instead, we shuld strive t be crrect and kind balanced. The stry f the third-grade classrm: a by wet his pants, and a girl helped him by "accidentally" tripping and puring a fishbwl n him. He became an bject f sympathy while she became an bject f ridicule and hatred. When he asked her why she did what she did, she tld him, "I wet my pants nce, t." The shame that shuld've been his was transferred t the girl. S it is with Christ's lve. Page 2

3 Practice: Part f Calvary Albuquerque's visin statement is that we cnnect up, cnnect in, and cnnect ut. Discuss the fllwing questins, lking fr a practical respnse t what yu've heard and learning t be a der f the Wrd: Cnnect Up: In his intrductin, Pastr Skip said, "If yur lve has n bundaries, it's dangerus; true lve requires a lve fr truth." Hw d lve and truth cnnect yu t Gd? Yu need bth t fllw Christ, but hw d yu strike a balance between them? Cnnect In: Pastr Skip reminded us t be kind. Discuss sme practical ways yu can shw kindness t fellw Christians. Hw can yu represent Christ in the bdy f Christ, bth lcally and arund the wrld? Cnnect Out: It is Gd's prvidence that this message came the week the SCOTUS apprved same-sex marriage in all fifty states. In ne sense, everything changed, and in anther sense, nthing changed. We need t ready urselves fr the inevitable persecutin fr standing fr ur beliefs. What des it mean fr yu persnally and as a Cnnect Grup t be salt and light in a dark and decaying wrld? What des it mean t say, "An pen hand is better than a pinted finger"? DETAILED NOTES I. Intrductin A. If yur lve has n bundaries, it's dangerus 1. True lve requires lve fr the truth 2. 1 Crinthians 13:6 3. Truth always frms the bundaries fr the expressin f lve B. Mark 10:21; 1 Jhn 4:8 C. Withut balance, the lve f Gd becmes a license t d anything 1. Jesus came t bring change 2. His lve shuld lead a persn t repentance D. "In the teachings f Jesus Christ, the element f judgment is always brught ut it is the sign f the lve f Gd" Oswald Chambers E. Balance ut the lve f Gd with the hliness and justice f Gd F. Jesus lves peple with three qualificatins fund in Rmans 2 II. Be Balanced Thelgically (vv. 1-11) A. Rmans has been called the Magna Carta f the Christian faith 1. In this passage, Paul balanced ut Gd's lve with Gd's wrath 2. Paul began Rmans with this balance: the gd news and the bad news 3. Until yu understand the bad news, yu'll never appreciate the gd news 4. Rmans 1:16-18 B. This cuntry was funded n biblical truth 1. But the truth is being suppressed by unrighteusness 2. Gd is judging America a. One f the first marks f Gd judging a sciety is when He gives ver that sciety t the immrality they're clamring fr b. Rmans 1:24-27 C. Rmans 1: the entire wrld is guilty befre Gd 1. Rmans 2: Paul turned t the religius, mral persn Page 3

4 III. 2. If Gd's frbearance and lve desn't lead yu t change, then a certain judgment will cme D. Gd is lve, but that's nt all He is 1. He is hly, just, and will judge unrepentant sin 2. Psalm 7:11 3. Because Gd is a just judge, He demands payment fr sin 4. In His lve, He was cmpelled t pay the penalty Himself 5. The crss is the demnstratin f the perfect lve f Gd in taking the penalty Himself 6. There was n ther way 7. Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42 8. Withut punishing sin, Gd wuld be unjust in frgiving sin Be Bld Spiritually (vv. 4b-11) A. Paul was bld; why? 1. Rmans 1:16 2. Yu shuldn't be ashamed f the gspel f Jesus Christ B. Jesus was bld 1. Luke 13:31-33</li> 2. Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7 C. The gal f this bldness is t lead a persn t repentance 1. Jesus lves yu the way yu are, but He lves yu t much t leave yu the way yu are 2. We are agents f Gd t help peple cme t repentance D. Matthew 5: Christians are fundamentally different frm nn-christians a. Jhn 15:19 b. The wrld is dark; we are t be its light c. The wrld is crrupt and decaying; we are t be salt 2. Christians must permeate nn-christian sciety a. We are t be mrally and spiritually distinct b. We are never t be scially segregated c. The church is nt meant t be ne giant "bless me" club d. A persn wrapped up in himself makes a very small package 3. Christians can influence a nn-christian culture a. William Wilberfrce b. Lrd Ashley Shaftesbury c. "We're nt ding it because we want t fight. We're ding it because we lve Jesus. We're cmpelled by lve, and we're willing t be bld because f that lve... Jesus lves all peple, but He des nt lve all ideas" Jasn Benham IV. Be Buntiful Practically (v. 4a) A. Gdness, frbearance, and lngsuffering: Gd's apprach t a sinful wrld B. New Living Translatin C. Gdness 1. Mst translate it mre accurately as kindness 2. His benevlence, tenderness 3. Jesus Christ brught a whle new level f lving-kindness Page 4

5 4. Gd has an innate gdwill tward sinners 5. He withhlds judgment until judgment can be withheld n lnger D. When judgment cmes, Gd takes n delight in it 1. Ezekiel 18:32 2. Jnah 4: Peter 3:9 4. Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34; 19:41 E. Our tne shuld be ne f lving-kindness, buntiful tenderness 1. "A spnful f hney will catch mre flies than a galln f vinegar" Benjamin Franklin 2. We will attract mre unbelievers with kindness than with crrectness 3. But yu dn't have t sacrifice ne fr the ther F. Jesus lves peple, but that lve is meant t lead them t repentance 1. If they refuse repentance, He will judge sin 2. Our psture ught t be an pen hand 3. An pen hand is better than a pinted finger V. Clsing A. Rmans 3:23 B. Nne f us have the right t pint fingers C. We have the privilege t pen ur hand Figures referenced: Oswald Chambers, William Wilberfrce, Lrd Ashley Shaftesbury, Benham brthers, Jasn Benham, Benjamin Franklin Crss references: Psalm 7:11; Ezekiel 18:32; Jnah 4:11; Matthew 3:7; 5:13-16; 23:37; 26:39; Mark 10:21; 14:36; Luke 3:7; 13:31-34; 19:41; 22:42; Jhn 15:19; Rmans 1:16-18, 24-27; 2:1-11; 3:23; 1 Crinthians 13:6; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Jhn 4:8 Tpic: Lve Keywrds: lve, truth, true, repentance, repent, judgment, sin, hliness, hly, wrath, judging, just, justice, bldness, bld, salt, light, the wrld, kindness Page 5