By Raymond Sanchez
Gather:
What is something you have succeeded at this week?
What is something you have failed at this week?
Hear:
Romans 3:21-26
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faithin[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Pause:
Meditate on the Christ’s righteousness.
For Everyone:
Have you ever thought, “at least I’m not as bad as that guy!”Or lately, “At least I’m following the COVID-19 rules.” Or like my kids, “At least I didn’t get a 50 like _______.” This past week for our treehouse club, I asked the kids to point to someone who has sinned and they all pointed to each other. Isn’t that the way it usually goes? Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned, but we are quick to point out the shortcomings of others and can sometimes get pretty angry about it. We go to church, follow the rules, stay out of trouble (at least big trouble), and we are generally nice to people. Sure, we’re sinners, but we aren’t as bad as ________.
No matter what, though, all of our goodness pales in comparison to God’s glory. We are all sinners in God’s eyes and only Jesus Christ and His righteousness can bring us into God’s family through adoption. We must keep focus on God’s glory and his righteousness in order to truly understand how we really don’t measure up to Him. Once we fully come to that realization, we can’t forget that even those who seem to have fallen a little shorter have been extended the same grace that we have.
As Pastor Parker challenged us yesterday, lets commit to mercy - as we are all sinners who have been saved by grace. The next time we get frustrated with someone who doesn’t measure up to our standards, take time to thank God for the grace we have been given and then prayerfully show them that same grace.
Wonder:
How have we fallen short of God’s glory?
How many times does the word righteous appear in this passage?
How does God’s righteousness give us hope?
How can we show grace to others?
Bless:
Dear God, even though we have all sinned, we are thankful for Jesus. It is through His righteousness that we can be forgiven. Help us to see that others need the same grace we have been given as sinners. Help us to be merciful to honor you. Amen.