Bible Text: Psalm 80:1-7; Romans 1:1-7 | Pastor: Pastor Jason Bryant | This morning I’m going to begin a series on the Book of Romans.  Now, I’ve got a bit of a confession.  I’ve done a series on Romans before.  This is NOT that series and, in fact, there is quite a bit in that first series that I’m not entirely certain I’d touch on.  Not any of the really big or controversial stuff, just parts that were of huge importance years back aren’t so pressing.  But other concerns, other problems, HAVE arisen in the last 10 years that are unique and simply require us to return our attention to our Christian beliefs. 

Now I recognize that, on the surface, Christianity isn’t terribly difficult to comprehend.  What we believe is certainly not as technical as astrophysics or as complex as calculus or as arcane as philosophy.    

And thank goodness for that. 

I don’t know if any of you’ve watched me try to put something together yet but, if you have, you’ll recognize I’m not the sharpest pencil in the case.  I can’t put together a Weber Kettle grill without some serious help from my wife.  BUT I am capable of getting the basics of Christianity under my belt.  And so is everyone. 

At its simplest – The Gospel is simply this – The gospel is the good news about what Jesus Christ has done to reconcile sinners to God.  You and I are forgiven by God and are guaranteed eternity in the Kingdom to come.  Romans 10:10 says “If you believe in your heart and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord you will be saved.” So, like I said, Christian belief isn’t hard.  Not at a rudimentary level it isn’t.

But you see, that’s where most people leave it.  

Which brings us to today.  While there are certainly bright spots in the world, right now things are looking fairly bleak.  We’re mired in a pandemic.  Political divisiveness has neighbors arguing with neighbors.  Take for example the social media skirmish which occurred on my neighborhood’s Facebook page, ended up with a man arrested for communicating threats.  These are neighbors, folks.  Love thy neighbor is the Bible’s command, not troll thy neighbor, right?    

We are enmeshed in a culture which glorifies violence, profits from sexualizing minors, monetizes hate, commodifies crime in the form of cryptocurrencies.  We worship countless idols and as a result, we’ve become a hotbed of anxiety, vanity, depression.  You name it. 

Which makes us, as it would turn out, amazingly like Rome in the year the apostle Paul penned his letter to the church. 

I know, especially in political times, that it sure can seem like things are getting darker.  Chances are though, they’re not.  The world around us is just as awful at spots as its always been. 

But there is a difference. 

Back then, there were some Holy Spirit-fired up Christians in the world.  And because of them, the world did change.   It did glow brighter.  Thanks to Christians, many of the abhorrent practices of Rome were tamed.  Not by force, not by coercion, but by conversion to Jesus Christ. 

Over the centuries, it is Christians who helped lead the march towards any societal progress we’ve made.  We haven’t been perfect, but the Body of Christ in the World is a very, very good thing for the world. 

But our influence is waning, at least here in America in particular and in the West in general.  The data on the health of the church looks like something from an episode of the AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”

And my deep suspicion is that we within the Christian church have really lost the thread on what we believe.  There’s a reason for that and it shouldn’t surprise us, not if we know our Scripture.  In Second Peter we hear, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them… And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words.”

Sounds about right, don’t it?