Faith Talk – May 25, 2025

Sunday: May 25, 2025
Series: Romans: The Righteousness of God
Sermon: The Heart of True Righteousness

Romans 2:29 – On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That person’s praise is not from people but from God.

In this sermon, continuing through Romans, Paul confronts religious people who rely on their knowledge, heritage, and rituals rather than confession of sin and faith in Christ. The message examines how the Jewish audience trusted in their special relationship with God, knowledge of the Law, and physical circumcision while neglecting the heart transformation that truly matters to God. Paul systematically dismantles religious pride by exposing hypocrisy—teaching others without applying the same standards to themselves.

The sermon emphasizes that external religious practices (like circumcision for Jews or baptism for Christians) have value only when they reflect an internal reality of faith and that true righteousness comes not through religious performance but through humble confession of sin and faith in Christ, which results in Spirit-led transformation.
 
Main Points

• Religious knowledge without confession of sin leads to judgment, not salvation
• Hypocrisy among believers causes unbelievers to blaspheme God
• External religious practices (circumcision/baptism) have value only if they reflect internal reality
• True righteousness comes through the Spirit, not through human effort or ritual
• "Christians are not perfect people; we are forgiven people."
• Confession of sin and faith in Christ is the only path to salvation

Father, thank You for revealing through Your Word that true righteousness comes not from our religious performance or knowledge but through humble confession and faith in Christ. We are grateful that You look at our hearts rather than merely our outward appearances and actions.
 
We ask for Your help in identifying the areas where we've been relying on religious activities, knowledge, or heritage rather than genuine faith. Give us the courage to confess our sins honestly—to You and when appropriate, to others. Remove the hypocrisy that causes others to stumble and replace it with authentic faith that draws people to You.
 
We commit to embracing our identity not as perfect people but as forgiven people. Help us to stop trying to impress others with our righteousness and instead point them to Yours. Transform our hearts by Your Spirit so that our outward actions truly reflect the inward reality of Your work in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Materials needed:

• Sugar cookie dough
• Chocolate chips or small candies
• Cookie sheets, oven

 
Instructions:

1. Work together to make simple sugar cookies, but with a twist: hide a chocolate chip or small candy inside each cookie ball before baking.
2. After the cookies are baked, have everyone try one and discuss:
   • What made these cookies special? (What was on the inside)
   • Could you tell from the outside which cookies had chocolate inside?
   • How is this like our faith? (God cares about what's on the inside, not just how we look on the outside)
3. Talk about how just like the cookies are made special by what's inside them, we are made right with God by what's in our hearts (confession and faith), not just by how we look on the outside (going to church, knowing Bible stories).
4. Close by having each family member share one way they want to make sure their "inside" (heart) matches their "outside" (actions) this week.

This activity provides a tangible illustration of Paul's point in Romans 2:28-29 that true righteousness is a matter of the heart, not merely outward appearance.