Jesus at 2AM - A Humorous, Intelligent Look at the Bible, Church History & the Life of Faith

The last piece in the puzzle of the salvation of the world is answering the question of who constitutes "the saved." For most of biblical history, the assumed answer was: Israel. But now, on the other side of the resurrection, a strange thing is happening: Gentiles are coming to faith (Paul's surest sign of salvation) en masse, while most of Israel is not. What are we to make of it all? In this episode Paul continues his explanation of God's saving intent with the analogy of an olive tree... The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 11:13-24 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

So, has God rejected his covenant people (thereby calling his faithfulness into question)??? Today we begin to see that the answer is no. And to explain what is happening with Israel's seeming rejecting of Jesus, Paul turns to the Hebrew scripture's theme of a "saved remnant." There is, says Paul, a subset of Israel set apart for faith. And through that remnant God is working out the salvation of us all. It is a brilliant piece of biblical interpretation and sensitivity to God that will inspire you. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 11:1-12 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For those of us who’ve spent years in Christianity, the connection between the promises of God to Israel, the visions of the prophets, the ministry of Jesus and the mission of the church may seem (somewhat) clear. But that is only because Paul has made them clear! In this episode we look at an example of biblical interpretation par excellence, as Paul weave together strands of the scriptures never connected before, but once seen, reveal God's coherent plan for the salvation of the world.  The biblical passages referenced in this sermon are:  Romans 10:14-21 (NRSV) Isaiah 52 (NRSV) Isaiah 53 (NRSV) Psalm 19 (NRSV) Deuteronomy 32 (NRSV) Isaiah 65 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

As Paul continues his discussion of salvation by election, it seems there has come a tremendous reversal: Gentiles (non-Jews) are coming to faith (the sign of election) in Christ, while most of ethnic Israel (heirs of the covenant promise of salvation) is not. What explains this turn of events? What mistake (if any) is Israel making? And does it all boil down to the classical Protestant debate between "faith" and "works"? Or is there still more to understand about the breath of God's redemptive purposes?  The biblical passages referenced in this sermon are:  Romans 9:30-10:13 (NRSV) Deuteronomy 30:1-14 (NRSV) Ezekiel 36:24-28 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Paul now turns to the seeming contradiction between justice and election. If one is saved only by God's sovereign choice, where is the justice in divine condemnation? It is a debate as old as theology and pivotal in the development of Western Christianity. While reminding humans of the need for humility before the divine will, Paul develops the analogy of a potter and his clay: Does clay have a claim to justice before a potter? The short answer is no, but perhaps there is a story behind the story...   The biblical passages referenced in this sermon are:  Romans 9:19-29 (NRSV) Job 38:1-7 (NRSV) Jeremiah 18:1-11 (NRSV) Isaiah 45:9-13 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

From soaring heights of hope, Paul plunges dramatically to near despair as he now turns his attention to Israel and her collective lack of faith. After all, if, as Paul has argued, faith is the ultimate sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit at one's center, and the Spirit the sign and seal of our inclusion in the community of God's salvation, what is to be made of Israel's rejection of Jesus? Can it mean that Israel has been cut off from the covenant? And if so what does is say about their election???   The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 9:1-18 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you are looking for hope, you have come to the right place! In this episode we arrive at Paul's unequivocal declaration that there is nothing, truly nothing, that can separate God's people from his love. Nothing in life, nothing in death, nothing of any earthly ruler or spiritual power...nothing. Indeed so sovereign the God of love, that he can make all things work together for our ultimate good. Amen! It has been deep intellectual work to get here, but now we see the payoff: utter confidence in grace! The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 8:28-39 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In this part 2 (of 2) on Rom. 8:12-27, we look at the future dimension of salvation - what will occur at the end of the age as a result of the cross. And in so doing, we discover that the future is breaking into the present. While the vestiges of the old age (the reign of sin) endure, the future age of salvation has also begun. And thus the Christian life is lived in an overlap of two ages (which both explains the inner tension of the life of faith, and the need for both endurance and discernment!). The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 8:12-27 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This sermon is part 1 of 2 on Rom. 8:12-27, a critical passage in the letter, as Paul makes a transition from his discussion of how God has been active across history (including the cross) to accomplish our rescue, to how we are to live in the present age of the church. In particular, Paul discusses our new manner of life with the Holy Spirit at our center (where our Adam-ness once ruled). We know that we are to put sin to death. But how? And are there unhealthy manners of ridding sin from our lives? (Yes!) The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 8:12-27 (NRSV) Want more content from Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What is the way out of humanity's captivity to sin? And what assurance do we have that we, personally, are included in God's project of salvation? In this episode, we take up these two critical questions as Paul explains the manner in which we have truly died to sin, and been raised, already, with Christ to new life. It is Paul's first major discussion of the Holy Spirit in Romans and a dimension of our salvation to which we often pay too little attention. But when we do, the result is a new lease on life! The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 8:1-11 (NRSV) To see the link to Kirk's notebook sketch, click here. Want more Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find Jesus at 2AM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.