Forest Hill Presbyterian Church

Walking in the Gospels - Week 41, Day 1 Does God Reign Over Our Sin? John 21:15-19 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Sermon on Romans 4:13-25, preached by Pastor Jason Van Bemmel on November 16, 2025 - A. God's Promises Are Received by Faith, Not Earned by Law • Abraham did not work for God's promises; he believed them. • "For the law brings wrath"—law-keeping can never secure the inheritance. • Faith rests entirely on grace, which makes the promise certain for all who believe. B. God's Promises Are for All Who Share Abraham's Faith • Scripture interprets Scripture: The New Testament reveals the scope of Abraham's promise. • In Christ, believers from all nations are Abraham's true offspring. • God's promise extends beyond Canaan to the whole world (cf. Rom. 4:13; Matt. 5:5). C. True Faith Looks to God's Power, Not Our Circumstances • Abraham believed "in hope against hope," fully convinced of God's ability. • Faith is not blind optimism; it is confidence in God's power over natural impossibilities. • Faith perseveres through weakness, doubts, and delays. D. All God's Promises Are Fulfilled in Jesus • Jesus was "delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." • The cross secures God's love; the resurrection secures our righteousness. • We believe in the God "who gives life to the dead"—the God of Easter power.

Walking in the Gospels - Week 40, Day 5 Why Did the Disciples Go Fishing? John 21:1-14 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 40, Day 4 What is the Value of John's Gospel? John 20:24-31 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 40, Day 3 When and How Did the Disciples Receive the Holy Spirit? John 20:19-23 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 40, Day 2 What Makes Mary Magdalene's Testimony of the Resurrection so Remarkable? John 20:11-18 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 40, Day 1 What's the Difference Between Seeing and Seeing? John 20:1-10 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Main Theme: We are justified by faith alone, not by works, so all human boasting is excluded, and all glory belongs to God. 1. Justification and Boasting: Paul teaches that salvation by faith leaves no room for boasting. Human pride seeks self-worth in achievement, but true righteousness is a gift from God. Boasting shifts focus from God's grace to human effort, leading to insecurity. Anchoring our confidence in Christ's righteousness, not our own, brings true stability and peace. 2. Justification and Abraham: Paul proves justification by faith is not new—it's how God has always saved His people. Abraham was declared righteous by believing God's promise before he was circumcised (Genesis 15). David likewise celebrated forgiveness apart from works (Psalm 32). These examples show salvation has never come through ritual or moral performance but through trusting God's promise. Circumcision—and by extension baptism—is an outward sign of an inward reality: faith produced by the Holy Spirit. What matters is not the sign but the transformed heart. 3. Justification and the Law: Faith in Christ does not abolish the Law but fulfills it. The Law was never a means of earning righteousness; it exposes sin and points to Christ, who perfectly satisfies it. Thus, justification by faith upholds the Law's true purpose. 4. Justification and the Gentiles- God is not the God of Jews only but of all nations. He justifies both Jew and Gentile the same way—by faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is universal in scope but exclusive in means: through faith in the one true Savior. Conclusion: Justification by faith alone silences human pride and magnifies divine grace.

Walking in the Gospels - Week 39, Day 5 Why Did Jesus Say "It is Finished"? John 19:28-42 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 39, Day 4 Why Did the Sign on the Cross Say "King of the Jews"? John 19:17-27 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 39, Day 3 Where Did Pilate Get His Authority? John 19:1-16 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 39, Day 2 Why Did Jesus Say His Kingdom Is Not of This World? John 18:28--40 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 39, Day 1 Why Do Wicked People Work in the Dark? John 18:19-26 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

The sermon asserts that since "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God", human attempts at self-justification are futile. The solution—introduced by the hinge phrase "But now"—is justification (being declared righteous). This justification is received as a gift by grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus. Christ secured this redemption by being put forward as a propitiation by His blood. Propitiation is the sacrifice that satisfies divine wrath and justice. This allows God to be simultaneously just and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus. Compressed Outline I. The Universal Problem (The Need for Salvation) • All people have sinned and fallen short, making self-justification impossible. • The Law and the Prophets testify to the righteousness God requires, but they cannot grant it; they only lead us to Christ. II. The Divine Solution (Justification) • The righteousness of God is manifested apart from the law, through faith in Jesus Christ. • We are justified (made righteous) as a gift by grace through redemption. III. The Price Paid (Propitiation and Expiation) • Redemption is the price Christ paid to set us free from condemnation. • Christ's sacrifice serves as propitiation, satisfying God's just wrath. • It also achieves expiation, cleansing us from sin, shame, and guilt. • The cross solves God's conflict—how to forgive sin while refusing to clear the guilty (Exodus 34:7). IV. Application (How to Live) Believers must respond by living by faith, living as free and forgiven people, living as thankful people, living as obedient people, and living as Gospel ambassadors.

Walking in the Gospels - Week 38, Day 5 How Does God Use Evil for Good? John 18:12-18 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 38, Day 4 Why Did Peter Swing His Sword? John 18:1-11 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 38, Day 2 Did Jesus Promise Us Trouble? John 16:25-33 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 38, Day 3 How Does Jesus Pray for Us? John 17 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

Walking in the Gospels - Week 38, Day 1 When Will Our Sorrow Turn to Joy? John 16:16-24 Pastor Jason Van Bemmel - pastor@foresthillpca.org Forest Hill Presbyterian Church - www.foresthillpca.org

"Nothing to Say" - Romans 2:17 – 3:20 Theme: Every mouth stopped — the universal guilt of humanity before the righteousness of God. Paul brings to a climax his long argument (Romans 1:18 – 3:20) showing that no one can stand righteous before God on their own merits. When the final verdict of divine justice is announced, "every mouth will be stopped, and the whole world held accountable to God."