"Sola Fide" (Romans 4:1-16)

Exactly 507 years ago this week, German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of his local church in Wittenberg, Germany. This began what became known as the Protestant Reformation - and it is how, in God's Providence, we are worshiping Christ in 2024 at Ruggles. Central to the Protestant Reformation was recovering the biblical teaching from our passage this Sunday - that we are justified, or made righteous, before God not by our works, but by faith alone. We'll see this Sunday what revolutionized and reformed the Church, and why "sola fide" is such glorious good news for us today!

"More Than Forgiveness" (Romans 3:21-31)

This Sunday's passage is a detailed x-ray of how God saves us in the gospel. Significantly, we'll see that God's gift to us in the gospel is much more than forgiveness! Here the Apostle Paul paints a picture of our salvation with words like "righteousness," "grace," "justification," "law," "redemption," and "propitiation." Finally, we'll see why continuing to believe and boast only in the gospel is a crucial antidote to our pride, our anxiety, and our relationships with others.

"Guilty As Charged" (Romans 3:1-20)

So how bad is it really? This Sunday we come to the Apostle Paul's climactic conclusion about the depth and breadth of humanity's sin and rebellion against God. The truth is, all are sinners deserving the death penalty. We are guilty as charged by God, the only just judge. We'll see not only how bad it is but also the benefit to reading this sweeping judgment against us. 

"A Matter of the Heart" (Romans 2:17-29)

How do you know that you're a Christian? This is a simple but relevant question, because Scripture is clear that it's possible (even common) for people to be deceived about their relationship with God--particulaly "religious" people with a background in church. And this is who the Apostle Paul addresses in our passage this Sunday. We'll see the reality of false assurance and the defining factor of true salvatoin in Christ. It's a matter of the heart.

"The Perfect Judge" (Romans 2:1-16)

It's so easy to be judgmental of others' sins while overlooking our own. In our passage this Sunday, the Apostle Paul says the wrath of God is not only on "unreligious" sinners but it falls justly on hypocritical "religious" sinners, too! So how can we discern what is right, both for ourselves and others, without falling into judgmentalism? 

"God’s Wrath on Man’s Rebellion" (Romans 1:18-32)

We can’t rejoice in the good news until we face the reality of the bad news. What is God’s wrath? Why is he angry? What are its effects on our world? This Sunday we’ll study the depth of our need so we can rejoice even more in God’s grace.

"Unashamed of the Gospel" (Romans 1:16-17)

Have you ever been tempted to hide or downplay your faith in Christ? As we come to the main thesis of the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul declares why we should be confident—unashamed!—to preach and live out the gospel.

"A Gospel-Centered Life" (Romans 1:1-7)

What is your life centered on? Beginning this week, our sermon series in Romans will call us into a greater knowledge of and joy in the glorious good news of Jesus Christ.

God's Power in God's People (Ephesians 2:1-10)

In the midst of all the tragedy, division, and disappointment of our day, it can be easy to wonder, where is God? Is he really in control? Where do we look to see the power of God at work? We're taking a break in our 1 Timothy sermon series this week to reflect on the theme from Fenway Kids Adventure Week. We'll see in Ephesians 2:1-10, that we can see God's power at work in us, his people.

An Illustrated Story of the Gospel (Romans 3:24)

This Easter Sunday we are taking a break from the series, “The Roots of Our Redemption” to dwell on our redemption. The Scripture for Sunday is one short verse, Romans 3:24.
“All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
 
Through a series of illustrations we hope to present the story of the Gospel this Resurrection Sunday. On Good Friday it looked like Jesus was defeated on the cross. What looked like defeat on Friday was actually an epic victory over evil confirmed by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is alive!

Gospel Freedom (Galatians 5:1-15)

The gospel is something altogether different than either religion or irreligion. It is free and free-ing! The gospel is free: we don’t have to earn salvation by our works. But the gospel is also freeing: it frees us to love and serve one another. Or, as the Apostle Paul puts it, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” That’s what the gospel is all about: Faith expressed through love.

What It Means to Be Spiritually Free (Galatians 4:21-5:1)

Spiritual freedom and spiritual slavery dominate today's Scripture passage. The conclusion is, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (5:1). So whatever way we understand this challenging passage, it needs to be interpreted so that we know what it is like to live in spiritual freedom with our Lord Jesus. Understanding this freedom is at the core of the gospel.