With this sermon we begin the final section of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome. In chapters 1-4 we saw how the gospel of Jesus reveals the righteousness of God in the justification of sinners. In chapters 5-8 Paul showed how the gospel provides the hope of salvation for all those united to Christ. Then, in chapters 9-11 we saw how the gospel vindicates the plan of God, fulfilling his promises to his chosen people. Now, Paul is going to show how this gospel makes possible the transformation of life. Here he unpacks in greater detail how God’s righteousness is to be practiced in everyday life, and what the new humanity created in Christ Jesus is to look like in all of our relationships as his church.

In this sermon, pastor Matt unpacks the main theme of the last section of Romans, reminding us that the only proper response to God’s mercy in Christ is a life of true worship. Such total devotion to God and glad obedience to his will—what we were created for—is made possible by the transforming power of the gospel.