Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

  2  And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.   3  I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.   4  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,   5  so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. In chapter 2 Paul compares and contrasts the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of the gospel.  The Greek culture prized philosophers, and there were even cults that espoused secret wisdom, which became known as the heresy of "gnosticism".  Paul got criticized because he was not quite the orator they had become accustomed to.  He was not a polished showman like the speakers in the marketplace and at the Greek theater.  Paul's message was simple, yet powerful  Pau

  Thanksgiving 4  I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.   5  For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—   6  God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you.   7  Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.   8  He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.   9  God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Today we start Paul's first letter to the Church in Corinth.    Paul had an extensive history of contact with the city of Corinth, beginning with when he established the church in Corinth, coming there after Athens and staying a year and a half ( Acts 18 ). (Guzik) Corinth was located on a key trade route right next to the Mediterranean Sea, halfway between Jerusalem and Rome.  Because people from all over the worl

  17  I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.   18  For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.   19  Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.  20  The God of peace   will soon crush   Satan   under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.  The two concerns Paul has for the church at Rome are divison which leads to disunity, and obstacles which are contrary teaching, which is false teaching.  These are two culprits of church dysfunction throughout its history. David Guzik comments,  "This is essential to God’s purpose for the church. Truth without unity leads to pride; unity without truth leads to a departure from the true gospel

15  We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.   2  Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.   3  For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”   4  For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Paul's instruction goes completely against the spirit of our culture right now.  In our society, we see people tearing each other down all the time, especially in the political realm.  Instead of bearing with the failings of the weak, political adversaries look to capitalize on a failing or weakness in their opponents.  Instead Paul writes, if you are strong you should encourage and strengthen a brother or sister who is weak.  We all have moments when we feel weak and inadequate.  Paul talked about his weaknes

Romans 14:14  I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.   15  And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.   16  Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good.   17  For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.   18  If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.   19  So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. After theologizing for much of this letter, Paul turns to what living the Christian life in community is all about.  Invariably since there were believers from a Jewish background and also from a Gentile background, there would be cultural

  Submission to Governing Authorities 13  Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.   2  Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.   3  For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.   4  For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.   5  Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. Romans 13 is an excellent passage with much relevance for us today.  Wheneve

  A Living Sacrifice to God 12  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.   2  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. In chapter 12 Paul transitions to the practical application of what it means to be a follower of Christ.  Importantly he pleads with them to offer their bodies to God because of " all he has done for you ." As we give our lives back to God, Paul calls this worship. We often talk about worship with words like, " Did you go to worship today ?"  But Paul describes worship as what we offer back to God.  He calls this a " living sacrifice ".  In the Old Testament animals were offered as a sac

  God’s Mercy Is for Everyone - Romans 11 25  I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.   26  And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,      and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.   And this is my covenant with them,      that I will take away their sins.” Paul turns to the question if the Israelites were God's chosen people what will happen to them in the end?  In this chapter he is writing to the Gentiles. Perhaps they had asked him about this question.  First of all, Paul calls it is a "mystery'.  Though he will give some teaching on why this happened it is still a mystery.  Why God chooses some and not others is an age old question that has never been answered adequately.  Why?  Because God is God and we are

10  Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.   2  I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal.   3  For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.   4  For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.    As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. Although Paul is known as the apostle to the Gentiles, it doesn't mean he doesn't have a heart for his fellow Jewish brothers and sisters.  He wants them to be saved every bit as much as anyone else.  It is not that they are lacking in enthusiasm but it is misdirected.  They have not put their efforts in the right place.  But worse than that, they have been shown the correct way to be made right with God, yet they stubbornly refuse to accept it.  They think the

  God’s Selection of Israel 9  With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.   2  My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief   3  for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. [ a ]  I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.   4  They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. [ b ]  God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises.   5  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. Romans 9 is a chapter loaded with theological implications that help us understand the nature of God.  First, Paul talks about God's relationship with Israel. Second, he talks about the nat