January 4, 2024 – Are You Striving to Be Right with God?
Romans 1:16-17
Sermon: 2039 The Book that Changed the World, Part 1
Pray Over This
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”
Romans 1:16-17
Ponder This
There was a Roman Catholic monk named Martin Luther. He wanted to be right with God, and he was doing all he could. He’d tried. He’d worked. He’d fasted. He’d prayed. He took a pilgrimage to Rome, and there he found what is called the Santa Scala—the Holy Stairs. These were reported to have been the stairs Jesus Christ had climbed in Pilate’s judgment hall. People thought if they could get on their knees on those stairs and say their prayers climbing those stairs, then maybe they could be forgiven for their sin. So, Martin Luther was there on his knees, one step at a time, praying, “Oh God, oh God, I want to know You. I want to be right with You.” But when he got to the top of those stairs, he was not any closer to God than he had been. But he had been studying the Book of Romans, and there a light burst into his heart and into his mind.
Romans 1:17 says, “The just shall live by faith.” And he realized, “I’m not saved by my good works. I’m not saved by my religion. I’m not saved by my ritual. I’m not saved by my good intentions. I am saved by the grace of God when I put my faith in what Jesus did for me on the cross.” Martin Luther was born again, and the Protestant Reformation that changed the entire world began in 1517.
- Have you ever tried to do something to get closer to God? Why will our own works never help us be right with God?
- Why do we at times believe the lie that works will save us? How has following Jesus changed your perspective on your works?
Practice This
Share with others how following Jesus has changed your life.
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