Who Told You That?

Big Idea

There is so much information available on God, the Bible, and Jesus. But what’s real? What’s not? And where did these ideas come from?

Although we’re in the Information Age where we have access to infinite knowledge at our fingertips, it’s hard to know what’s accurate. But misunderstandings about Christianity are nothing new. Paul, a hero of the faith, wrote several of the books of the New Testament as letters to early Christians to address misunderstandings and misinterpretations of what it means to follow Jesus.

In this series, we’ll examine six common misunderstandings about the Christian faith. We’ll look at what people have come to believe and what the Bible, particularly the book of Romans, says about these issues.

Series Breakdown

April 19, 2020: Who Told you… Science Disproves God?

Science is about discovering how and why things work. Biology can teach you why blood clots, Chemistry explains why certain ingredients make a cake rise, and so on. These principles are not contrary to what Jesus commands us to do when he tells us to practice science and observe the natural world. The problem is that some people believe science disproves a need for a Creator. However, just because we might know scientifically how something works doesn’t disprove the Creator who made it.
Scriptures: Matthew 7:25-34
Sermon Text: Romans 1:18-23

April 26, 2020: Who Told You… All Religions are Basically the Same?

Most religions seem superficially similar. All religions have a form of prayer, types of worship, and a way of life. And yet, if you scratch below the surface, you will find that Christianity is fundamentally different from all other religions. Most religions give their followers a type of ladder, a system of rules to live by to “climb up to God”. But Christianity presents a story about God working through his people in order that He might come down to us in Jesus. In Jesus, He comes down to rescue and rule in us and through us so that He might make all things new. No other religion has anything like that.
Scriptures: Luke 24:44-49
Sermon Text: Romans 3:21-31

May 3, 2020: Who Told You… People are Basically Good?

We would like to believe that people are basically good. But if that were true, then why do we lock our cars? Why do we put virus protection on our computers? Why do we put security cameras on our house? We know that it is not just “bad people out there” who are the problem. What about the battle against evil that rages in our own hearts? We know deep down that we ourselves are not “basically good”. That’s why we need Jesus, not only to rescue us from ourselves, but also to give us new hearts.
Scriptures: John 3:5-7;19-21
Sermon Text: Romans 7:14-25

May 10, 2020: Who Told You… The Bible Says Women Shouldn’t Have Equal Rights?

The New Testament was written at a time and place where there was incredible inequality between men and woman. And yet, Jesus and his followers went back to the first page of the Bible when God says that he created both men and women in his image. The early Christians, like Paul, did what they could to elevate the status of women. For example, we see at the end of Romans how Paul lists many women who showed great leadership and faith and were of great help to people like Paul. At the same time, Paul honors God’s design of the distinct roles of both men and women.
Scriptures: Matthew 28:1-10
Sermon Text: Romans 16:1-16

May 17, 2020: Who Told You… God Can’t Be Loving Because People are Suffering?

The reality of suffering is one of the most challenging objections to the God of the Bible. But Scripture does not shy away from the subject. Much of Scripture validates the pain and doubt that accompanies suffering. And yet, the Scriptures don’t give an airtight answer to all our suffering. Instead, God tells us a story of a good world that went bad because of human’s free decision. But it also tells us about a God who steps into this world of pain and suffering and suffers with us and for us. He then points us to goal of God’s story, a renewed world with renewed people, where he will wipe away every tear from all our faces.
Scriptures: Matthew 26:36-46
Sermon Text: Romans 8:18-30

May 24, 2020: Who Told You… Christians Are Too Judgmental About Sex?

Personal freedom and tolerance are two of the highest values of contemporary culture. Therefore, God’s design of sex and marriage might seem oppressive at first. And yet, God’s restrictions of sex in a marriage has the goal of human flourishing. Like a train “restricted” to its tracks thrives, so also God restricts sex to marriage so that humans might thrive. The goal of God’s design is faithfulness and commitment between husband and wife and a healthy home for children. In other words, God’s goal is love.
Scriptures: John 4:7-18; 25-26
Sermon Text: Romans 13:8-14