Jesus Begins The Work, Continues It, And Completes It

What if the deepest theology ends not in debate but in song? We wrap our two-year journey through Romans by turning doctrine into doxology and belief into bold action. From Paul’s stark portrait of human need to the radiant hope of a Savior who begins, sustains, and completes the work, we trace how grace frees us from self-rescue and calls us into a life that actually looks like love.

We revisit the spine of Romans—our sin, God’s mercy, justification by faith, and the simple call to confess and believe—then ask the question many avoid: if we say Jesus is Lord, why do we still cling to control? Along the way we unpack the biblical “mystery” now revealed in Christ, reflect on Advent’s claim that the Word became flesh, and explore how a living faith speaks, serves, and sometimes sings at full volume. You’ll hear vivid stories, candid humor, and straight talk on idols that pose as wisdom but drain the soul: the itch to manage everything, the lure of distraction, and the myth that morality saves.

This conversation is practical. We talk about praying like we trust God, saying amen as a commitment rather than a conclusion, and taking the next scary step—whether that’s opening your mouth, opening your hands, or opening your home. We frame “greater works” in everyday terms: praying for people, showing mercy to enemies, choosing obedience over optics, and refusing to mute the Spirit for fear of looking foolish. The thread never changes: it begins with Jesus, continues with Jesus, and ends with Jesus.

If this journey has stirred your faith, share it with a friend, subscribe for the next series in Matthew, and leave a review to help others find the show. What’s your next bold step of trust this week?

Chapters

• 0:00 Closing Romans With Honest Joy
• 2:05 It’s All Jesus, Not Us
• 8:00 Faith Alone And Our Imperfection
• 12:01 Sovereignty, Salvation, And Assurance
• 15:40 Confess And Believe: The Simple Gospel
• 20:30 Doxology: When Truth Becomes Song
• 24:35 Can’t Help But Speak Of Jesus
• 28:10 Enlarge The Heart: From Grinch To Praise
• 33:20 The Revealed Mystery: Jesus Made Visible
• 39:10 Advent And God’s Eternal Plan
• 44:20 Greater Works And Everyday Boldness
• 49:15 Faith With Shoes On: Do Something

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

And this is a bittersweet one for me. Because on one hand, it's exciting. This is our last message from the book of Romans. And some of you in this room, this is the only book you've ever heard me even preach out of, because we've been in it for over two years. Right? So that's a long time, especially for only 16 chapters. And our next book, Matthew, is 28 chapters. So.

unknown: 0:25

Three years.

SPEAKER_00: 0:26

Yeah. Buckle up, I guess. But on the other hand, I will tell you, I am ready. I am ready to get out of the book of Romans. It is one of the most theologically deep books in the Bible. There's so much in it, and it's been fun, but but my prayer really is that it's been an encouragement to you. I hope it's been a challenge to you. I hope there have been points where you've looked at yourself and went, hey, am I stacking up with this? But overall, I just pray that it deepened your walk with Christ. That you got to a point where you were like, hey, this is helping me into a deeper relationship with Jesus. So that being said, I'm gonna pray and then we're gonna jump in. Father, we thank you so much for your word. And I ask and I pray, God, that as I am up here speaking your word, that Father, it be your word. That it's not my opinion, that it's not my thoughts, but that God, it is your very word because your power, your gospel is the power to salvation. So, Father, I pray that in Jesus' name, amen. Now, for those of you that have been listening to me preach for a while, I'm gonna go ahead and tell you. Some of today is gonna feel a little weird to you, but I promise you everything I am saying comes from the Bible, okay? Especially you people in here who are like just stonefaced on everything you do, okay? I am telling you right now, it's coming from the Bible. Alright, so we're gonna start here with verse 25, and it says, now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ. If I have preached nothing through the book of Romans, I hope this is what you took away. That it is all Jesus. It is not us. You did nothing, you couldn't choose to do anything, you were dead in your trespasses and sin, but God being rich in mercy, with the great love for which he loved us, made us alive together in Christ, for by grace we have been saved. Now that's Ephesians 2, 3 through 5. However, that's Paul's thrust throughout the whole book of Romans. In fact, when we started looking at this, chapters 1 through 3 really clearly show our need for a savior, that there is nothing good inside any of us, and if you don't believe me, have a child. It's the easiest way to see that we are not born good. We're not even born neutral. We are born wicked, and something happens when you meet Jesus that completely changes the way you not only like act, but the way you view everything around you. Because it's at that point that you start seeing people and things for what it actually is, because you are given a new heart. God replaces the heart of stone with the heart of flesh, and we are able at that point to see things the way that Christ sees. All of a sudden I stop looking at people and going, they're beneath me, and I start looking at people and going, they're broken just like I am. And it gives me that empathy and it gives me that desire to go, hey, and you know what? It's the power of the gospel for salvation, not any little cool thing I can say. See, and that's chapters one through three, and then we get to chapters four through seven, in which Paul lays it out that it is all by faith. In fact, Martin Luther, if you're familiar at all with the Reformation, Martin Luther was the one that looked at the Catholic Church and went, hold on, you're selling indulgences, you're selling to people the the license to sin, and as long as they give you enough money, you're promising them forgiveness of that sin. That's not right. That goes against everything that the Bible points out. Because in chapters four through seven, Paul very clearly lays out that it is by grace and faith alone. It wasn't my ability to keep the law and thank Jesus for that because I wouldn't be able to stack up to that. And I think I'm a pretty like decent human being. Like, listen, I've never ever ever led a rebellion on another country. I've never had like an entire population of people put to death and then burned to get rid of the evidence. I've never killed people and then ate their bodies. So if I'm comparing myself to like what humanity has produced in Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer, I'm really, really, really good. Like the worst things I've done pale in comparison to the stuff they have done. However, when I compare myself to perfection, as much as it burdens my heart to say this, yesterday I couldn't even get all the way, although I got very close, like one row away from it, I couldn't even get to the very top of a children's rock climbing wall. So apparently, perfection is not in my like future either. And regardless of how close I got to the top, and yes, I told my children that couldn't even get up as high as me as an old man, how much better I did, but I still failed to reach the top in perfection. And so I can look at my life and go, hey, I'm better than those people, but I still didn't reach the end goal, and I still didn't reach perfection. And that's what chapters four through seven are all about. And then chapters eight and nine, oh God. These are the ones that everybody likes to sit here and argue about, right? Because it's God's sovereignty versus mine. And if you're still someone who's sitting here going, I don't know where I stand, go just read chapters eight and nine and then throw Ephesians 1 on top of that. Okay? That being said, I'm not gonna open up another can of worms because I'm honestly tired of talking about stuff like that. Because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Because here's what's gonna happen when you stand before Jesus and you walk into glory, it's gonna say, For God so loved the world that whoever so believed. Now, once you pass through that and you look back, you can see, say, before the foundation of the world. How that happens, I don't know, because I'm a human, and if you listen to me talk long enough, you realize I may not even be the smartest one of us. So we don't fully understand that. And I'm not gonna rehash that. Then we move into chapter 10, and this glorious chapter that sits here and goes, Hey, you wanna you want salvation? Here's all it takes. You ready? Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you will be saved. That's it. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses. And out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, which is what we're gonna get into a lot right here. And then the rest of this book has been about hey, you claim this, here's how your life needs to look. Here's the things you need to be doing in your life. And the doxology that we're in right here is no different. Paul starts with this now to him who is able. In other words, it's all Jesus. It's all Jesus, it's nothing we have to do. In fact, Paul would reword it like this in Philippians 1:6. He says, This, and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ. Here's what the Bible shows us. Jesus began the work in you, Jesus continues the work in you, and Jesus will complete the work in you. Where do we fit in into that? Here's all we do: Lord, I'm obedient and servant to you. That's it. That's why Paul starts with to him who is able, not to us who are able, to Jesus who is able to begin the work, continue the work, and finish the work. In fact, we later on wrote in here doxology. Does anybody in here, and we sing doxology at the end of every service? Sometimes it goes really well, sometimes we kind of rough our way through it, right? But does anybody in here actually know what the doxology is or what it means? Alright, all Paul did is he's writing this letter, he gets down to the end, and he breaks into song. And that's what doxology is. It's a sudden burst of praise to God. This ever happened to you? Like you ever just been like riding in the car and you're just so overwhelmed that you just can't even hold it in anymore? And next thing you know, you're like singing at the top of your lungs, and then that moment passes and you go back to like, you know, under your breath because you know how your singing actually sounds. What you just experienced was doxology. Paul is so overjoyed in his spirit at the end of this letter that he's sitting here going, I just can't keep it in anymore. I just can't. If you go into Acts 4.20, right? Peter and John are sitting here and they're being beat for preaching about Jesus. And the Pharisees come in and they're like, hey, we're gonna kill you, and they're like, Well, wait, hold on, we can't kill them. They haven't done anything like worthy of death yet. And they go, hey, here's what we'll do. We're just gonna scare them. And they go, you better stop talking about Jesus or we're gonna kill you. And here's Peter and John's response, you ready? Whether we should listen to you or God, I don't know. That's way above my pay grade. You're talking about fishermen here, okay? They're not sitting here having these huge theological debates. They're sitting here going, I can catch fish, which again, some of y'all need to get on that train. But then they finish it off in verse uh 20 with this. But as for us, we cannot help but talk about what we have seen and heard. See, someone who meets Jesus, that's where you are. Someone who sees Jesus for who Jesus is, that's where you are. You can't even help it. Some of us struggle with that. Some of us are sitting here and we're like, no, no, no, no, no, no. You don't understand. I can help it. Like I feel that joy somewhere deep down in my heart. Listen, we are getting to the Christmas season. Debbie is so festive that she even wore a red shirt and a green sweater today because she went, we're decorating after service, and I want to be in the mood. Understand this. A lot of us in this room, we're Grinches. Your heart is two sizes too small. Like you believe in Jesus, you're like, oh, I believe the words that are saying, logically, it makes sense. And what I'm telling you right now is your prayer better be this Holy Spirit, enlarge my heart. Because I want to get to that point where I just can't hold it in anymore. Some of you get it. And you know who, you know, an easy way to tell? If you answer me back in a sermon, you get it. Because here's what's happening. I'm asking a question, your heart's just like, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, I just I gotta say it. Some of you are like dead face, dead stone from the time we start till the time we end. And then you're like, well, I don't feel Jesus moving in my heart. That's because you're sitting here going, uh-uh, stay down, stay down, stay down. You're holding in a spiritual sneeze. That's what you're doing. You are that person that's like, uh-uh, it's rude to talk when other people are talking. You know that. And I get it, I'm a teacher, right? And I'm gonna tell you, you know what I do on day one? I try to get students to understand. Here's the thing: I want you to talk back because that's how you learn. You know how you don't learn? Sitting there forcing yourself to hold in all the thoughts that are in your head. You know why you don't learn like that? Because you have lost your attention three minutes into whatever I'm talking about.

unknown: 12:25

Amen.

SPEAKER_00: 12:27

And I go, see, look, like I'm good with it. But we do the same things, right? We sit here and we go, no, no, no, we gotta come in here and we gotta sit down and we gotta be shut up. And then when he gets done rambling about whatever he is rambling, because he lost me at like the third verse we've talked about, we'll sing one more song and then we can finally get on with our day. No, no, no, no. You came here to experience Jesus. You wanna experience him fully? Open up that heart, let it grow two sizes today, and throw an amen out every once in a while because Jesus is worthy of it, because he is the one who is able. See, what the Bible is showing us here is that it's that the more we try to hold on to it, the worse it's gonna feel, but we need to be excited, let it out for the one who is able to strengthen you, and it's okay to praise Jesus. I promise you. Yes, someone sitting next to you may look at you and go, uh-oh. What if you're the one encouraging their spirit, though? What if you're the one that's sitting there going, hey, did y'all hear what Tom just did? And if Tom can do it, he don't talk to anyone. I can do it. Praise Jesus! Why? Because he continues according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages, but now has been disclosed, and through the prophetic writings, uh-oh, there's another scary word prophetic, has been made known to all nations according to the command of the eternal God to bring about the obedience of faith. So Paul now switches this, he's talking about the one who is able, right? And now he starts talking about this word mystery. And I'm gonna go ahead and let everybody in here know. I get it. You are all like on the same level as the greatest detectives who have ever lived, because every true crime podcast that has come out, you have solved right along with that host. Okay, I get it. You know where Hoffa's body is buried, like you know who shot JFK, like you got it all down. I get it. But that's not what the word mystery in Greek means. All right, the word mystery in Greek is mysterion. And it is where we get the word mystery, but all it means is this to make what was invisible visible. It's to show something that was unseen. So when Paul is sitting here and he's talking about this mystery, he's not sitting here going, hey, this was a cold case that needed to be cracked. What he's sitting here saying is, no, God showed who he is. Think about it. Like when you go all the way back into Exodus, why did the Israelites have to go through the plagues just like the Egyptians? Like God didn't spare Israel from the plagues. Hence why, when we get to the last plague, the tenth plague, they have to cover their doorpost too, or their firstborn would be killed. So why did they have to go through that, Caleb? Yeah, because they had been in slavery for 400 years. They had stopped even thinking that their God was going to be able to handle anything, and they started adapting the Egyptian gods and the land in which they were. In fact, when you get to Joshua 24, it's the same thing, right? Anybody in here, you're like that Christian, that you have it up on your plaque, right? As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. All right, but where Joshua was coming from with that is he got to a place where he's looking at Israel and he's like, Look, I'm sick and tired of this. Either serve the gods of our forefathers or serve the gods of whose land we went into, the Amorites and the Canaanites. He's like, pick one. Going back to Exodus, the reason God goes, hey, I'm gonna show the Israelites the same plagues that I'm showing the Egyptians is because he's sitting here going, hey, look at me. I'm gonna show you who I am. And you're going to experience it the same way the Egyptians do, because you're gonna be reminded of who I am. And that's what Paul is driving at right here. He's sitting here going, hey, some of y'all done forgot who God is. Some of y'all are living like there's no God. And the Bible says that those who live like there is no God is a what?

unknown: 16:51

A fool.

SPEAKER_00: 16:52

A fool. You're sitting here going, hey, there is nothing greater, but Romans 1.20 already started with that, right? Because in Romans 1.20, Paul said this, for his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in things that have been made, so they are without an excuse. And then in Colossians 1.15, he says this that he, meaning Jesus, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. It is not a mystery of who Paul's talking about in this mystery. He is really referring to Jesus, and he's sitting here going, y'all need to remember this, because he's the eternal God who by his very command spoke into the darkness and created the light. Like, understand, light had no choice. When God said, Let there be light, light just was. When God says, Hey, you know what? I'm gonna breathe life into you, you have no choice. You can't stay dead. You don't get to sit here and decide. Like when when understand, Jesus goes to Lazarus' tomb, right? And he goes, Lazarus come forth. Lazarus didn't have the option to go, hey, no, I'm comfortable up here in Abraham's bosom. I want to stay in paradise. Lazarus probably, and this is just conjecture on my part, okay. I don't know if this is true, but if I was Lazarus, I would be pretty ticked off. Because I would be like, hold up, I was just in paradise. Like, why would you bring me back to this? And now I have to die all over again. Like, why would you do this, Jesus? But see, he had no choice. Because when Jesus said, come here, he came. In fact, there are many Bible scholars who say that if Jesus had to say Lazarus first, because if he'd have just said come here, what would it have been like at his resurrection? Because a little thing I think a lot of us skip over, and we won't be for this, like for, well, I mean, I guess we talk about it at Easter, but like in Matthew, it'll be a while before we get there. But I was talking with Eric one day. I don't even know how this came up. We were at work. And he goes, Hey, did you ever catch this though in the resurrection of Jesus? Who's running around? And I was like, What? He was like, Yeah, like read through it. Do you guys realize that when Jesus resurrected, all the dead came with him? Like it says in the Bible that the dead are like running around, like Jesus had to put them back. Because he's walking out the grave and they're like, oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, we want to come with you. But see, none of us do that, right? We go, oh, I believe in Jesus, and then our life is exactly the same. So I'm gonna go ahead and I'm gonna say, might want to check if you really believe what you say, you believe. Because Paul is sitting here going, hey, this mystery, this is an image of the invisible God, this is Jesus. And think about it. Next week, what do we start? Advent. What's Advent mean? Anyone? It's just a fancy church word of saying the coming of someone special, usually referring to the birth, incarnation of Jesus. And listen to how John would say that Jesus came. Ready? In John 1:14, it says this, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. God's sitting here going, This mystery of who I am, I am going to show you in my Son. This is why Jesus would tell his disciples, no one has ever seen the Father except he who has came from the Father. But if you see me, you see the Father. So for those that are gonna argue with you that Jesus never claimed to be God, uh, he does it all the time. He literally just said, Me and the Father are one. In John 10, when Jesus starts his I am statements, he's literally sitting here going, I am, just like Yahweh said to Moses. See, Jesus is God in the flesh, and he's sitting here going, Hey, I'm here. So if you see me, you've seen the Father. And what Paul is really trying to end with is this is the one that was promised, the Messiah that was coming, the snake crusher that Abraham was promised would be here is Jesus. See, Jesus' coming wasn't plan B. It wasn't. If you read Ephesians 1, it says this that we were predestined for adoption in Christ before the foundations of the world. So before God said, Let there be light, Jesus was already the plan. It's not like most of us, and and I fell into this group for many years of my life. God didn't create Adam and Eve, and then Adam and Eve ate from the fruit, and God was like, oh crap. I didn't see that coming. Well, I guess now I need to, you know, have a son and and let him go be the sacrifice. Like, right, this isn't 1.21 gigawatts, right? No, no, this was the plan from the beginning. And what Paul is saying is the one who gives sight to the blind, the one who opens deaf ears, the one who breathes life into the dead, he has come. And here's what I want us in this room to understand. You know what Jesus told his disciples? Like, yes, Jesus did all those things. And if you go back and you read Isaiah, you'll see that those are all fulfillments of prophecy of the Messiah. But you know what Jesus told his disciples? Greater things, you will do. Like Jesus is like, yeah, cool, I raised Lazarus from the dead. That's amazing, right? You're gonna do greater things. How many in you, or how many of us in here are sitting here going, I do greater things than Jesus? Why? Because we don't even attempt to. Like we're we're not even gonna get on that level. Like, think about this. Peter and John are walking by the gate beautiful, and there's a lame guy sitting there. And he's like, hey, spare him some alms, give me some money. Right? He had no way to go to work. This would have been common practice. Peter looks at him and goes, bro, I'm a fisherman, I'm broke. If you're a fisherman, you're broke. You know why? Because fishing is expensive. What does the boat stand for? Something, another thousand. Break it out another thousand. And if you want a boat, you know that's true. But he goes, I don't have money, but what I do have, I give freely. Rise, pick up your bed and walk. How many of us in here are bold enough to do that? None of us, right? Because we're like, I'm not gonna look like a fool because I know it's impossible for me to get him to rise up and walk. And you're a hundred percent right. With man, it is impossible. But with God, all things are all things are possible. That's what doing in faith is. I'm gonna let you in. I was I was gonna try to wait until the end of service to let you know this, but you know what, it fits in right here, so I'm gonna go ahead and say it. May, I believe, 15th and 16th. Okay? Don't put your head down. Uncle Joe's barbecue is entering its first actual sanctioned competition. Here's what that means. May 15th and 16th, or actually, I think it's just May 16th for you guys because we have to be there the 15th for like inspection and stuff like that. That means you can come out and eat free and delicious barbecue as we compete with other teams for dominance in barbecue. Now, for you, you might be sitting here going, well, why does that take faith? Because we're competing against other teams in something we have never done, and it costs money to do this. Like we literally have to put our money where our mouth is. Right? And I'm sitting here going, if we take home Graham Champion and we sweep all categories, we could walk away with like$2,500. That's all m that's just a little bit more than like break even for what it costs to get into it by the time you buy your own meat and you pay your registration fees and everything. But understand, our goal isn't simply to defeat our enemies. Because the Bible has already said He will, and they will be a footstool under us as we take home grand champion. That is way out of context, and that is not what that verse means, but Joe, I'm going with it. But our goal is to sit here and go, how do we spread the gospel while winning a barbecue competition? That's why, if you've ever noticed, like, and I don't know if anyone like paid attention, like on the back of Uncle Joe's shirts, it says Acts 10.13. My goal is to get one person to go, what verse is that? Just so I can go, oh, it's easy. Rise, kill, and eat, Peter. Like, super easy to remember, goes along with barbecue pretty well, right? But think about all the different conversations that now opens up. How many of us, though, like that's the kind of faith we go with? How many of us are sitting here going, and and and I get it, it doesn't take a mountain of faith to go to a barbecue competition because the worst thing that happens is we come in dead last and we still had fun doing it, right? But how many people have you passed in your life that are still sitting on the sidewalk because you didn't take the time to go, hey, I'm gonna pray with you? How many people in your life have you sat here and rode off because you went, nope, I'm not going to? Remember, Paul started this with he who is able. Understand, you carry he who is able with you everywhere you go. If you're sitting here going, hey, I'm a blood-bought saint of the living God, his presence is with you everywhere you go. And yet we are so timid by it. Why? You afraid to let the Holy Spirit come out and do what the Holy Spirit can do? Because you're afraid to look like the person who let the Holy Spirit come out and do what the Holy Spirit can do? Because you're gonna look silly sometimes. Some of us, again, my goal, there is one person, and I won't share their name, to get them to raise their hands while we praise. That's it. Something as simple as going, hey, you know what? I surrender to this. Jesus, I'm gonna, you know what, I'm gonna take this cage off my heart and I'm just gonna let it out. Do you understand the power that comes with that? And what Paul is sitting here saying is it's Jesus that's already done that. See, he has been shown to the nations, he was delivered for God for the payment of sin. He has fulfilled the law, he has conquered death, and he brings new life. How do we know that? Because the prophets told us that. And then he hit every single one of those things. The question is not do we know that, but what are you doing with that? Because faith is an action word, it means pestusos, which means to put trust in. That's an action. Like all of you walking in this morning, and thank you guys so much for not throwing a fit and going, why are the chairs angled? Okay? And and I get it, we giggle at that. High school could not figure out why we would angle the chairs. We never angle the chairs. This is ridiculous and anarchist. Like, why would the chairs be angled? And I was like, look, I have full faith in your parents that they are gonna be able to be smart enough to walk in and go, there's still a chair here that I can sit down in. And they're not gonna worry about what design they're in. But when you walked in the door, you locked on to that chair and you went, I believe that that chair is gonna hold me. I believe the facts that the steel of that chair will support my body weight. But it was not until you sat down that you actually placed your faith in that chair to hold you. A lot of us sit here and go, I believe the facts about Jesus are true. I believe he was the Son of God. I believe he lived a perfect life. I believe he was crucified on the cross, and I believe he wrote again or rose again. You know who else believes that? Satan. Satan believes that too. So right now, you and Satan are on the same level. And you know where he's going? The lake of fire, which has been prepared for his destruction. But he believes. In fact, I would argue that Satan believes harder than you do. Because he's seen the Father. So what's the difference? Faith is an action thing. Faith is sitting here going, not only do I believe that this is true, but because I believe this is true, I will do. That's why James would say faith without works is dead. That's why Jesus would sit here and say that any tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. The question is, what do you do with Jesus being the Messiah? Maybe you are sitting here today going, yeah, I believe Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be. But are you submitting to his lordship? Maybe today's the first time you've actually put those two things together. Maybe you're sitting here this morning going, I've already done that. I've already decided all of that. Then what are you going to do with it? So think about it with Paul. When Paul thinks of Jesus, what does he do? He breaks out in song. We see this all over his ministry. Last week we looked at it, right? When he's in prison, what's he do? Break out in song. When he's sitting and he's writing this letter from home arrest, what's he do? He breaks out in song. Like he sits here and he goes, I'm so excited for who Jesus is that I just can't hold this in. And some of us, I'm gonna tell you, we live with the distractions of this world at our heart. Instead of going, I worship the God that sits on the throne that is above all other little g gods of my life, I live with the distractions of my heart and it keeps my eyes wandering. And it keeps me going, but if I can just, then I will be. Fill in the blank with the I just. For some of us, if I can just quit this, or if I could just have this much money in the bank, or if I could just have a spouse like this. Here's the thing, especially with a spouse one, sometimes you won't know what you're asking for. Because I'm gonna tell you, most of the time you see a couple, you see them on their best behavior. Why? Because we're human beings. Yesterday we had a great time in a barbecue contest. We got home. For whatever reason, me and Debbie just got into it. I mean, it was a great day, too. I don't even understand why there was so much hostility. Right in front of the kids, too. And my nosy kids, instead of going, this is a personal moment, and mommy and daddy need a little second, no, they just sat down on the couch and they did that fake sleep thing where they're like and then even tried to like jump into it. And I was like, cool, I wasn't gonna say anything to you, but since you brought it up, Daddy's got enough to go around. And I only say that because if you see me and Debbie like during the day, you're like, oh wow, like they work together, they live together, like they're yes, and 99% of the time, it's all smooth going. But I'm telling you, you don't necessarily know what you're asking for. And see, some of us we look at that and we go, but if I could just. And that's a terrible way to live. So Paul closes out with this in verse 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ. Amen. And that's how we're gonna study. That's how we're gonna end this, right? Why does he start with, or why does he end with, to the only wise God? Well, Exodus 23 shows us that. In Exodus 23, we get the famous Ten Commandments. What's the first one? You shall have no other gods before me. Why does God start with that?

unknown: 34:09

That's the most important.

SPEAKER_00: 34:10

That's the most important. Because think about it. Alright? And I'm not saying this is always the case. I grew up in a blended family. But I will tell you, when you have blended families and you have other parents, what do you have to deal with? Other parents, right? Yep, those kids. And sometimes, like, that other parent may not have the same value on certain things that you have. So why does God go, you shall have no other gods but me, or before me? Is he saying that there's other gods? Oh, he's saying your heart's gonna make them. And the reason you have them before me, guess what that creates in your life now? Now you have two sets of parents, and you're sitting here going, I get two Christmases. And I can play mommy versus daddy. And I can do all of the things that we see. That's why God starts with this, because he goes, uh-uh, listen to me. You have one voice in here. That's it. I am. That's it. And what he's trying to get us to understand is, is regardless of the idol you're following, if you want to see spiritual growth in your life, you really need to understand that there's only one God. Whatever else you're trying to get fulfillment from, listen very carefully. It will not fulfill you. Control? Okay, you're that person, you gotta control everything that happens in your sphere. You wanna know what you're gonna do? You're gonna die miserable because you have no control. None. You can't even tell your body not to be sick. How are you gonna try to sit here and tell me you can control another human being? You can't control yourself, but you can control someone else, and then you're miserable all the time because that other person you're trying to control, guess what? They don't listen to you. And then you're like, well, I just need to bear down more on it. And guess what? All you're doing is creating a division in that relationship that'll never be healed. And guess what? You will now have ruined relationships, and then you're gonna be even more miserable, and in your mind you're sitting here going, but if I could just control it. You see how this becomes a vicious cycle, right? And you know where you end on that? Not in complete control over your life. Because the harder you squeeze, it's like trying to hold water. Like if you cup your hands and hold water like this, can you hold water? For the most part, right? I mean, I know it still dribbles out. But if I were to take my hands and do like this, what's gonna happen to all that water is I put more and more pressure on it. It's just gonna shoot out from all the different cracks. You're doing the same thing with your life. The Bible would show you, hey, have no other gods before me. Hold life like this. And you can hold it. You try to squeeze down on it, you try to control it, it ain't gonna work for you. So he starts with this to the only God who's deserving of glory. See, so many of us, we follow these things in our life that we call idols, but they're just distractions from the devil keeping you from going where Jesus wants you to go and doing what Jesus wants you to do. The devil knows he can't beat Jesus. But he also knows this. But if I can keep you distracted, like a puppy chasing their tail, then I'm not worried about you ever doing anything for Jesus. So at that point, okay, look, I lost one. And and honestly, and I know they love when I call them out. But I'm gonna give you, no, no, I'm gonna give you a great example that, in fact, a lot of you in this room are gonna be able to tie together really personally. So we came out of a church in Stanford, right? We planted six years ago. At the time, we had one couple who happened to live across the street from the church that we were renting that happened to actually go to the church in Lake Mary with us. And when they went, uh-oh, they're literally right across the street. Like, this isn't even gonna take me a long time to get to now. I can literally ride my side by side across the street. And then they started coming fairly frequently. And then next thing you know, they're like, wait, you guys are starting a school? Well, cool, it's right across the street. Like, I don't even have to go all the way down Fort Smith now to drop my kid off at that school. I can just drive him across the street and drop them off. And then next thing you know, we get a call from one of their sisters. And they go, hey, you guys have a school? Can I come by and check it out? Yeah, cool. Oh, you wait, you guys. Oh, that's that's super cool. Like, and then next thing you know, their sister's husband happens to be dropping off their kid one day, and the pastor at the church went, Hey, do you know anyone who can clear land? Like, we just want to get this all mulched. And he went, Hold up. This is what you guys do? Like, you're a pastor? And at first I I thought I should have been offended by that question because apparently I don't give off the pastor vibe. But I think if I gave off the pastor vibe, it might have gone a different way, too. And then next thing I know, their parents showed up, and then their other sisters showed up, and then more people showed up, and then their brother showed up, and I go, and then I went, we're running out of chairs. Because one family. And I went, that's what happens, though, when we do the things that God put in front of us to do. See, the reason we don't see change isn't because God is unable to change. You're talking about the same God who said, Let there be light. You think your little heart has anything to do with that? Think about it. Can you when God said let there be light, he had no reference for what light is. He invented all of it. We have never invented anything. Has anyone ever stopped and thought about this? And I know you're like, uh, we have like inventions all the time. No, you take things that already exist and use it for things, and that's cool, right? Like that's how we got the original chicken sandwich. Thank God. You took chicken which already existed, you went, hey, what if we put this between two breads? What if we threw some pickles on it? Masterpiece. When God said, let there be light, light didn't exist. He didn't create something out of something else. He went, no, I'm going to completely invent something that nothing has ever existed before with. And you think that your heart can stand up against that? So, oh, and gosh, I'm running out of time. So let me skip some. So at the end, and I just want to, not the end like I'm closing, but at the end of what I was just saying, what this means is spiritually distractions will not save you, morality will not save you, your spouse will not save you, and you will not save them. Your family will not save you, your job will not save you, your good deeds will not save you. The only way to salvation is through Jesus, for he is the way, the truth, and the life forever and ever. Amen. And there we go with that word amen. And this is my last point, I promise. Does anybody in here know what the word amen actually means?

unknown: 41:57

So be it.

SPEAKER_00: 41:58

So be it. It means trustworthy or true, or let it be so, Lord. So for most of us, it's just that word we throw in at the end of the prayer, right? It lets everybody around us know, I am done praying. You may now go to eat, or you may now start talking with each other again. But really, what you're saying is this prayer that I just prayed, prayed is not a word, prayed. Let it be, Lord.

unknown: 42:26

That's right.

SPEAKER_00: 42:28

So see, when when I say, like, Lord, be with Eric, be with the doctors, let them do what they need to do, give them sight to see that we don't have, let their hands be guided by precision. And Father, let it be all good in the end. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. I'm saying, God, let it be with him. That's what faith is. Sitting here going, God, I know I'm not able to, but I know you are. And so I'm gonna pray this. And I'm gonna pray this knowing that, God, you're gonna hear my prayer. Now that doesn't mean he's gonna do everything I ask him to do. Okay? But I know you're gonna hear it at least. See, understand, like my kids ask me for some stupid things sometimes. And as a parent, I can look at that and go, no, I'm not doing that. That's stupid. We ask Jesus for some stupid things sometimes, and think about it. If Jesus would have answered all your prayers the way you prayed, how would your life be looking right now? And I know some of you are like, I'd be like, you don't understand. I get it. Yes, it's not a boat, it's a yacht. And I get it. But you know where else you wouldn't be? Here. You wouldn't be sitting here going, hey, God, I need you. You wouldn't be sitting here going, hey, you would be sitting here going, I got this. Look at all the things. And what's gonna happen to all your stuff when you die? I know you're like, it's treasured possessions and heirlooms, and my children are just going to love having a piece of me. Some of you that may be true. One of my favorite guns to shoot is a gun I got from my dad. And I'm assuming, because it's one of JT's favorite guns to shoot, that he's gonna take it when I go. What if his kid winds up going, I don't like guns? And I know like he's like, that would never happen. Understand there's a lot of kids out there who don't like guns, right? I'm sure their parents weren't like hardcore, like, hey, we're we're gonna defend our freedoms kind of people. See, it happens. And here's what will happen with all of our stuff. Eventually, one day, it will wind up in a landfill or a yard sale. All of the prized possessions in your life, those are the two places it's gonna go. And I know you're like, no, you don't understand how special my cast iron is. It's made to last for generations according to the label, as long as I take care of it. But I've seen my kids wash it before. Apparently, they don't have the same care I have with it. And when I say wash, just because I got some funny words, I'm talking about just the sponge and water. I'm not like throwing soap, but it's seasoned. But they don't have the same care I have for it. Now maybe one day they'll realize that the deliciousness and the weight that they have gained came from that. And maybe they'll look at it different. But right now they don't. So my prayer is let it be, Lord. Amen. Paul ending this book with the word amen was not by accident. He's sitting here going, let it be as so. And that is my prayer for each and every one of us as we end this and as I close for real. Let it be. Some of you, I like I said when I started with, I hope your faith was challenged as we work through this book. Some of you, I do sit here and go, I hope it deepened. I hope you started looking at what you believe and went, uh-oh, like there's work I need to do on my part. Some of you, I hope it introduced Jesus to you. I hope you you sat here and went, you know what? I got to meet him. And you're sitting here going, now I'm gonna go down this rabbit hole as deep as I can. But for all of us, I hope our biggest takeaway was this. It begins with Jesus, it continues with Jesus, and it ends with Jesus. And all you have to do is do the things that scare you. Because that's what faith is. Yeah, when we went through Romans 12, we heard a lot of different, hey, here's how your life should look. Feed your enemy. Give them something to drink. Well, what if they do it again? What if God saves them through you? What if you were the voice that God used to go, hey? Here I am, see me for who I am. You ever stop and look at it that way? Because they may not have any other Jesus in their life. Christmas is coming up, right? Thanksgiving. I go, you may be the only Jesus that person sees. What are you doing with it? Are you showing them a mean, rule-breaking, like God who is ready just to like shoot down lightning bolts at them the first time they do something wrong? Because some of you, that's how you act, I'm gonna tell you. That's not Jesus. Show Jesus of the Bible. And I get it. Armageddon shows up and all he does is show up and everyone else is gone. And that day is coming, which is why we need to preach to as many people as we can. Because faith comes from hearing and hearing the word of God. God could have saved us any way he chose to, but you know how he chose? To take his people who are called by his name and go, now you go tell them. So what it doesn't anyway, I'm gonna just stop because I can just ramble. Dear Jesus, thank you so much for who you are, and we thank you, God, that we have successfully completed this book study. And God, I just ask and I pray that Father, people don't sit here and just go, okay, I'm done with the book of Romans now, let me move on. Because God, there's just so much. That we could do this whole study all over again. Just start in chapter one, and we would still be able to see new things in your word because you are an everlasting, eternal God who is able to do far more than we could ever possibly imagine. So, Father, I just ask and I pray, those of us in here who are heavy-hearted, heavy burdened, heavy-laden, that God, you just speak right to their soul. You grab their mother's heart, you transform them from the inside out. That Father, they can't help but keep it inside. Or you know what I mean, God. Because you are able and I am not. Father, I just ask and I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.