Our text this week is amazing, but it raises several questions. In essence, the Apostle asks the church, “Who made YOU judge of your brothers and sisters?” After all, God has made Jesus Lord and Judge of humanity, as Paul states, quoting Isaiah, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Paul says in Philippians 2:10, so that at the name of Jesus ever knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. So, Paul is rebuking the believers for usurping the role of Christ as Judge.

But it raises several questions. One question: aren’t we called to judge within the church (1 Corinthians 5:12)? Second, if we are justified, what should we expect if we will give an account of ourselves to God (2 Corinthians 5:10)?

Join us as we worship the One God made Judge of the world and consider our role in each other’s lives.

I do some cooking at home in service to my family. Debbie and I coordinate which nights I’m cooking dinner, and I plan my meal around what I know they like (we have some picky eaters). I print my recipe, highlight what I need from the store, head to stinky Kroger after work for food, then rush home. I put on my “have you hugged a Presbyterian?” apron and get to work in the kitchen. Having put it all together, food cooked, I present it to the family, alongside a cake because my rule is “When dad cooks, we all get cake.” Then I wait, watching their reactions, hoping they enjoy it and give me rave reviews. Why do I do that? Is my ego tied to my cooking? Is my identity determined by whether the food is a hit or not? Does my standing in the family change if the food is a bomb? After all, I did provide cake!

In our text, Paul goes after the motive behind our piety. Piety just means our religious practices. In the Roman church, some continued to celebrate religious days and ceremonial food laws. The issue the Apostle challenges is their motive. Their motive explains their desired outcome. Are they acting piously for recognition from others or to get extra credit with God? Neither motive rests in Christ’s grace. So, what should be our motive? How do we evaluate our motive and seek grace to change? Join us Sunday as we engage the only One to live out of love successfully and faithfully.

Have you ever faced criticism from extended family (in-laws) for something that you’ve done differently than the cultural norm? You sit down to family breakfast with grits being served and you put sugar on them instead of butter. Sugar on grits is a southern sin! You’re eating your grits, delighting in the flavor, and notice that everyone is silently looking at you with judgmental eyes. Am I not free to enjoy my grits the way that I want?

Sunday, we’re going to consider one of several principles that help us know how to respond to people who stumble over our freedom in Christ. Join us as we worship the One who made grits and freed us to enjoy them without boundaries. And stop judging me for liking sugar on my grits!

God shows no partiality, Romans 2:11. There is no partiality with Him, Ephesians 6:9. In Scripture, the word partiality is an idiom expressed as accepting face. The simple idea is that we show favoritism to some people based on our preconceived perspectives. Another word is prejudice, which etymologically means to pre-judge someone. We do this with social status, as with the French Revolution, or ethnicities as with the Nazi regime. But we express multiple other prejudices as a people group.

As we will see in the next section of Romans, the church had significant partiality within the community, centered around ethnicity, culture, and conscience. In our text, Paul applies the gospel with precision to expose the sinful root issues, the heart issues that divided the church. Not only is partiality contrary to our common humanity, love itself, and all considerations of grace, it is the opposite of God! Join us as we worship our Holy God, who shows no partiality, Acts 10:34.

Raritan, NJ, a town built by Italian mason workers working at the Duke Estate, is home to Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant John Basilone. John was a gunnery sergeant known for heroic actions in WWII. He was deployed to the Guadalcanal for operation Watchtower. During the battle, he and his team operated large .30 caliber water cooled machine guns, the M1917 Browning, weighing about 30lbs each without ammo. At one point, he ran through enemy lines carrying over 90lbs of weaponry and ammo to supply his team and hold back the attack of 3,000 enemy soldiers. After the battle, over 1,000 enemy combatants were killed. When he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1943 for his actions in battle, he said, “Only part of this medal belongs to me. Pieces of it belong to the boys who are still on Guadalcanal.”

Being in a battle like the Guadalcanal leaves no room for complacency. A soldier must operate with full situational awareness, considering:  supplies, position of the enemy, and every factor that affects the battle. In addition, if you and your team are to survive the battle, you must operate as a band of brothers with good communication and a strong commitment to each other.

In our text, the Apostle Paul is calling the church to battle the culture and their own flesh, and together live a virtuous life. He says, Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. But that virtuous life is not something we do alone or in our own power. Paul urges situational awareness and a strong community in union with Christ. Join us as we worship our Hero and seek unity in Christ.

This past week, at a Coldplay concert, the kiss cam focused on a couple embracing each other, urging them to kiss on camera. Once they saw themselves on camera, they immediately separated. The man disappeared, leaving the woman standing alone, and the women turned away from the camera. As it turns out, they were both married to other people, and their adultery was exposed before the world. Their sin has devastated their families, cost them their jobs, and made them the laughing stock of the world. The memes that have come out are brutal.

Our text this week speaks to that moment. Paul urges us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for our flesh. Our flesh is focused on self which harms others, not just ourselves. Instead, we’re challenged to live lives of love. Love does not harm others, it blesses others. Join us Sunday as we worship the One who lived for us and not for Himself.

This week well-known California pastor, John MacArthur, died. Beyond being a strong biblical scholar and staunch conservative, he is known in part for his stand against Governor Newsom during COVID by continuing to worship in his church’s sanctuary, against the Governor’s order. His church won the lawsuit and was awarded attorney fees. Thankfully, Governor Kemp did not put us in that position.

Our text raises the question, When should we refuse to obey the orders of civil authority? Our text lays out the source and limits of governmental authority and gives us guidance. It boils down to the Lordship of Christ as the delegator of authority. Join us Sunday as we worship our King and Sovereign, committing ourselves to obedience to Him.

In the late 1700’s, the French people led a revolution against the aristocracy. The king had placed the nation in terrible debt by an extravagant lifestyle (building Versailles) and supporting the American Revolution. The King’s solution was higher taxes on the commoners and business owners (Bourgeoisie), for which the nobility and Roman Catholic Clergy were exempt. When the food crisis came through poor crops, the public revolted, storming the Bastille in 1789. The people cried for freedom from an oppressive and feckless monarchy and church power (liberty), removal of the class and legal divide between the nobility/clergy class and the commoners (equality), and the development of a national identity apart from the king (fraternity).

How does revolution fit into our passage? Paul insists that we incur God’s wrath when we resist His appointed authority. Where does the Lordship of Christ fit into our submission to authority? Well, Sunday we’ll attempt to draw some clear lines from the text as we worship the One who is sovereign over us!

Are you a Christian Nationalist? I’ve done some internet sleuthing, even some interactions with Grok (Elon Musk’s AI), and I have yet to find a consistent definition. I do have a sense of what people mean when they use the term. In short, any preferencing or imposing of Christian values in our political system is viewed as a threat to pluralism and the secular state. It is viewed as blending Christian teaching with political identity. Those who oppose Christian Nationalism view it as the “single biggest threat to American religious freedom” (Amanda Tyler, April 13,2022 Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty).

So how do Christians, followers of our Lord, Jesus Christ, interact with the state? What should we expect from our government and what should we want for Jesus? Since Paul’s letter is written to the First Presbyterian Church in Rome, the empire’s capital and a pagan state, his teaching has relevance for us today. Join us as we worship our Lord and consider our desire for our government.

On December 2, 1804, Napoleon entered the cathedral of Notre Dame and crowned himself king of France. Instead of being coronated by the Pope, he broke tradition, snatching the crown from Pope Pius VII, crowning himself king. This symbolized that state authority was superior to church authority, and a break from many of the principles of the French Revolution. He is supposed to have said, “I found a crown in the kennel; I cleansed it from its filth and placed it on my head." While he did some great things, re-writing the law and granting more rights to the people, he sought to establish a new monarchy based on the favor of the people and the right of power. While he was declared emperor he was labeled a tyrant. He was eventually ousted, twice!

 Whether France’s Napoleon, Rome’s Tiberius, or an American constitutional president, God’s people have lived under the rule of their fellow man. God is not silent about how we interact with government or its leaders. While we have a King in Jesus, and we arrange ourselves under His rule, He commands us to submit to those in authority over us. This Sunday we’ll begin our examination of Romans 13:1-7, where the Apostle teaches us how to interact with civic authority. The text provides a lot for us to consider as we worship and obey the Lord.