December 17, 2023
Behind The Scenes
- Matt Nickoson
Sermon Notes
Has life ever felt "dark" and made you wonder if God was real or even interested in your story?
"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you." – The Confessions of St. Augustine
Romans 5:1-2a NIV
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. -
Grace = unmerited favor
Romans 5:1-2b NIV
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Biblical Hope = Confident expectation that God will do what He promised us he would do.
Romans 5:3-4 NIV
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:5 NIV
And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:6 NIV
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
What seemed to be hopeless was really just God working behind the scenes on His own time!
Romans 5:8 NIV
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
"The greatest sources of our suffering are the lies we tell ourselves. After listening to a leader share his self doubts and fears, I sometimes surprise him with a rebuke. 'You're a big stinkin' liar! Stop lying to yourself! You're neither helpless nor hopeless. Christ is in you, and He is for you!'" - Alan Ahlgrim, Soul Strength: Rhythms for Thriving