Carmel Baptist Messages

Life Under The Tree: Genesis 2:8-17Senior Pastor Alex KennedyOther than God and people, the Bible mentions trees more than any other living thing. There is a tree on the first page of Genesis and on the last page of Revelation. In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like a tree. This Christmas series is going to use the examples of trees in the Bible to speak about a biblical worldview:Creation - Tree of LifeFall - Tree of Knowledge of Good and EvilRedemption - The CrossRestoration - Tree of LifeScripture begins in a garden, which is full of beauty, abundance, and delight. The first thing God does after forming humanity is place them under a tree. (Gen 2:7-17). The image of God forming Adam from the dust is not only poetic, but also accurate: humans are “dirt cheap”. (It is estimated that all the elements necessary to form a human costs $4.50!) The value of a human, however, is not derived from the elements we are made of. The value comes from the initial breath from God as ones made in His image.The Tree of Life:God intended the tree of life to provide Adam and Eve with a symbol of life in fellowship with and dependence on Him. (Gen 2-3; Rev 22)In the Bible, the tree of life symbolizes the fullness of life and immortality available in God. The tree of life is introduced in Gen 2, where God causes it and the tree of knowledge of good and evil to grow in the garden of Eden (Gen 2:9).It is a tree of justice, beauty, truth, love, light, and righteousness.The Tree of Life stands for Christ. The rest of the Bible centers on the Tree of Life.Work:Gen 2:15 says, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. In other words, before sin, work is worship. Your job tomorrow morning isn’t a distraction from spiritual life-it is part of your created purpose.The Tree of Life is humanity’s original anchor point:-life comes from God-identity comes from God-meaning comes from GodYou don’t discover life by looking inward. You receive life from the One who planted the tree. The Tree of Life reminds us that God didn’t create humans to grind through life, resent life, or merely endure it. He created you to flourish - spiritually, relationally, and emotionally.Questions to Consider:What do you notice about the garden God made for Adam?God put Adam in the garden “to work it and take care of it.” What kinds of responsibilities has God given each of us?What does this passage show about God’s love and care for people?Where have you settled for survival instead of life?Where do you need to return to God’s design?

Romans 6:15-23Senior Pastor Alex Kennedy"Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?" Paul is using the term "doulos" that has been translated "slave". A doulos is someone whose life is oriented around the will of their Lord. In this case, someone that is either devoted to a life of sin that leads to death, or someone that is a devoted servant of Jesus—one who belongs to Him, follows Him, and finds freedom under His lordship.Whatever "master" you follow, either sin or righteousness, will move you somewhere. Sin always moves you toward death. Christ always moves you toward life.How sin traps us:-It begins with small compromises-It grows through habit and desire.-It ends in bondage.The alternative is obedience to Christ. In verse 18, Paul does not confuse liberty with license. Freedom in Christ is not an invitation to self-centerdness. The freed in Christ have become slaves (doulos) to righteousness. This means the freed have purpose and direction as they give themselves over completely to Christ.Paul has shown two master and two slaveries, and in verses 20-21 he describes two results.Sin's FruitShameRegretEmptinessSpiritual DeathEternal SeparationChrist's FruitHolinessJoyPurposeMeaningEternal LifePaul ends with a beautiful contrast that shows the heart of the gospel in verse 23, "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." In other words, it sin will pay you, and it's wages is death. God doesn't pay with a wage, but with a free gift of eternal life through a relationship with Him!Questions to Consider:What are some things people today might become “slaves” to without realizing it?What’s the difference between obeying because you “have to” and obeying because you “want to”?How does serving God make a person more free—not less?What are practical ways we can “present ourselves to God” each day?

Romans 6:1-14Senior Pastor Alex KennedyThis section of Paul's letter moves us from justification to sanctification. In the first two verses, Paul's answer to his critics is that God's grace not only forgives sins, but also delivers us from sinning. Grace not only justifies, but also sanctifies us by uniting us to Christ. The moment you become a Christian, you are no longer under the "reign" of sin.To read more, go to: https://carmelbaptist.org/carmel-sermon/romans-61-14/

Romans 5:12-21Senior Pastor Alex KennedyLast week, while studying Rom 5:1-11, we saw that theology (justification) has tangible impacts on our lives. This includes peace with God and joy/hope in suffering.As we continue on in verses 12-21, Paul shows how Adam's life sets up the gospel. Adam chose to reject God's authority and command to avoid the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Because of Adam's choice, death flows to all people. Even though we were not there with Adam, God considers Adam's choice to be ours. This is the Doctrine of Original Sin. Even though it doesn't feel "fair" to be lumped in with Adam, God knows we would have made the same choice.In verse 13, Paul is not saying that the people who lived and died before the Mosaic Law never had any guilt of their own, because they had the law of God written on their heart (2:12-15). Instead, Paul is pointing out that guilt and responsibility have increased with the knowledge and awareness of the law. In other words, the law did not create sin in us; it just revealed it.Both Adam and Jesus Christ are "heads" of the human race. Everyone is either "in Adam" or "in Christ". It is wonderful news that God deals with us through a representative head because Adam was a pattern of the One to come.Verse 15 says "But the free gift is not like the trespass". The first Adam was selfish, but the Second Adam is sacrificial.The results are opposite as well. Adam represents death and condemnation, while Christ brings life and justification!We were condemned through the actions of a representative who did what any of us in his situation would have done; but now we are saved through a representative who did what none of us could have done. What Christ has done for us is not just to exchange death's kingdom for the kingdom of life, while leaving us in the position of subjects. Instead, He delivers us from the rule of death so radically as to enable us to change places with it and rule over it, or reign in life. We become those who reign, sharing the kingship of Christ, with even death under our feet now.Verse 20 says, "Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more," Paul points out that when the formal law came through Moses, sin got more visible and it became worse, because now ignorance was no form of defense. He is teaching that the law proves that it is not a lack of knowledge which prevents us from obeying God and keeping His standards, but a lack of willingness and ability.We do not need to put in more effort. We need a rescue.At the cross, grace overwhelms sin and life triumphs over death. The first Adam is not the last word for humanity. The second Adam is!Questions to Consider:Why is it important to understand the Doctrine of Original Sin?How have you seen sin bring brokenness to the world around you?What did Jesus, the second Adam, do differently from Adam?How does knowing that God's grace is greater than your sin impact your day-to-day life?

Romans 5:1-11Senior Pastor Alex KennedyIn Chapter 5, Paul begins to talk not only about the process of salvation, but the results of salvation. Paul's "therefore" to start this portion is to connect back to chapter 4 that salvation is not by works, ordinances, or by law obedience.We have been justified by faith (v1), so that:We can have "peace with God" - This is not the same as the peace OF God (Phil 4:7). Peace WITH God means that the hostilities between God and us are now over. We each formerly said, "I am king of my world and can do whatever I want", but if we trust His ways and ask Him to be "Lord of my life", then the war is over immediately.We have obtained access by this grace in which we stand - In Christ, we are ushered into the royal throne room, and we remain there. Justification is not merely the removal of hostility, but goes farther in that it brings relationship.We rejoice in hope of the glory of God - Christian hope is not a hopeful wish - it is hope-filled certainty. The more we experience our peace with Him and the access we have with the Father, the more we want to see Him face-to-face.In Christ we have been freed from our past; we are free in the present to enjoy personal relationship with God; and we will one day in the future most certainly experience the freedom of life lived in the full and awesome presence of God's glory.We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance - In our suffering we are walking the path of Jesus. We look through the suffering to our certainties. Suffering can be productive if we respond to it positively, and not with anger or bitterness. (1 Peter 1:6-7).Suffering kickstarts our faith, and Paul goes on to show where suffering leads:Suffering produces endurance - the ability to keep going without any benefits.Endurance produces character - someone who has been tested and has passed the test.Character produces hope - Hope is only as good as its object. Jesus is our hope. "Just as our faith can only lead to salvation if it is faith in God, our hoe will not disappoint us because it is the hope of God's love poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit." (Rom 5:5)Paul goes on to say (vs 6-8) that you can know objectively and beyond all doubt that God loves you - even if your feelings or the appearance of your life circumstances might be prompting you to wonder.If God has already done the difficult thing, can we not trust Him to do the comparatively simple thing of completing the task? (the resurrection proves His power) If God has accomplished our justification at the cost of Christ's blood, He will save His justified people from His final wrath!Joy is the great marker of the justified person. It is unique to Christianity because it does not depend on your circumstances or your performance.Questions to Consider:How does having peace with God change the way you live each day?What is an example of suffering in your life (a hard time), and how did God grow you through that time?Rom 5:8 brings so much hope. Why is it important that Jesus died for us "while we were still sinners"?

Romans 4:16-25 Worship Pastor Justin TaylorTo be a son or daughter of Abraham is a reason to praise the Lord! To be saved is to be saved into a family; and as Romans 4:16 says, "Abraham is the father of us all."The Gentiles inclusion into the Covenant family of God (by faith) was one of the most controversial ideas within the New Testament Church. Paul's letter to the Romans was full of this reality, and it is the sub-text of the entire book. The idea that God could accept the Gentiles was not controversial, but they were seen as a people who had limited access to temple life, limited requirements under the Law, and limited fellowship with other Jews. If you really wanted full participation in the covenant family of God, you had to convert to Judaism by accepting circumcision. But Paul is showing the people that Gentiles are includes as Gentiles. This wasn't by conversion to Judaism, as marked by circumcision; but by faith in Jesus, as marked by Baptism.(Acts 10:45, Eph 3:4-6, Acts 22:22)Paul addresses this whole concept of Gentile inclusion through the lens of the patriarch of the Jewish faith...Abraham. (Rom 4:16-17)Abraham is our father if we share his faith(we believe what Abraham believed).What did Abraham believe? (Rom 4:18-22):Abraham believed God would give him children as numerous as the stars (Gen 15:4-6) - Abraham believed God would, and we believe He did because we are the stars that were promised to Abraham! Being saved means being saved into a family. You have a Father, a firstborn Brother, and many brothers and sisters. (Heb 11:39-40)Abraham believed God called his family for a purpose (Gen 12:1-3) - God blessed Abraham to be a blessing, but He called him because He loves the nations - and He wants to bless them as well. (Gen 18:17-18; 22:17-17; 26:4; 28:14) Abraham believed that God loves the nations and wants to bless them. And if we share Abraham's faith, we must believe that too. We have been saved into a family whose calling is to bless the nations.Abraham believed in Resurrection (Romans 4:17-19) - Because of his faith, his circumstances, and his actions, we know that Abraham believed in resurrection. He was old (100 at the time), and his wife Sarah was barren and old. Once they did have Isaac, Abraham was told to sacrifice his son. He was willing to do that because he had faith that God would provide. God provided a lamb then, and God later provided The Lamb, Jesus. (Rom 4:20-25) We have been saved into a resurrection family, and when we believe in resurrection, we are actually sharing in the faith of Abraham; who believed it all along.How does this affect us today? Galatians 5:6 says, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love." This love is not only towards individuals, but between all groups of people - even the groups we do not agree with.to read more, go to: https://carmelbaptist.org/carmel-sermon/romans-416-25/