City Life Starter

I. The Word: Romans 1:14-17

¹⁴ I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

II. Reflection Questions

1.  Do you truly believe that the Gospel is good news?

2.  How eager are you to share the Gospel in both word and deed?

3.  How has your faith in Christ grown since you first believed the Gospel?

The Gospel, is God’s solution to the brokenness in our world. We have a way to be free from the penalty of sin, the bondage of condemnation, and the slavery of fear and shame. Most of all, it is available to all those who believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ! However, the question of the day is…is the Gospel a better “product” than Coke? Find out in this sermon (Warning: spoilers in next paragraph!).

The Gospel is far and away better than Coke (and any other human construct for that matter)! As this past New Year was coming in, the Lord gave me the words, ‘Encouragement’ and ‘Empowerment’. There is nothing on earth more encouraging, through a Gospel-centered lens, to know that your short-comings do not define you, and there is nothing more empowering than the love of Christ, that compels you to live freely and fully, knowing that your life has purpose. This new life that we live, being set free from sin, is not only for our benefit, but also for the world’s benefit. That is the dream of God’s heart, that He would have sons and daughters, who would live for Him, before the world, unashamedly. May we this day, by the Lord’s grace, set our hearts to make that dream a present reality.

Prayer:

Jesus, I want to treasure you more and more each day. I lay down my idols of pride and the fear of man, and I want to be used by you to impact my sphere of influence with the Gospel. I surrender all of my personal agendas to make my life more comfortable on this earth, and I set my heart, mind, soul, and strength, on using the resources and talents you’ve given me to advance your Kingdom. In Your Name, Amen.