Come to the Table - Confidence to Share | Pastor Jeremy Pruett

Paul’s words in Romans put every person on the same ground: all have sinned, and no one can earn salvation by keeping the law. Jewish heritage does not make someone a stronger Christian, and family background cannot take the place of personal faith in Jesus. God justifies freely by grace through the redemption found in Christ. Jesus is the substitute, the sacrifice that sinners could never provide for themselves.

The new covenant does not throw away the old covenant. Jesus fulfills it. Trying to make another sacrifice sufficient for salvation rejects the sacrifice Jesus has already made. The hope of faith rests in believing that Jesus is Lord and confessing that faith openly. Church attendance cannot substitute for a changed heart, and a changed heart should produce a different life outside the church doors.

That faith belongs at the family table and in the workplace. Believers have relationships with people who may never enter a church, and those relationships carry opportunities to share Jesus. Thanksgiving can bring grief, disagreement, and political arguments, but no political leader can offer eternal salvation. Personal preferences and winning an argument must not crowd out what matters for eternity.

Christianity is “exclusively inclusive”: salvation belongs to those transformed by Christ, yet Christ’s death is not limited to one race, family, or political party. Sharing that good news does not require having every theological answer. Believers can begin with Jesus’ perfect life, his death for sinners, and the grace that meets human failure.

Peter’s warning about the day of the Lord gives that responsibility urgency. God is patient, not lazy, and desires repentance rather than destruction. Eternity is near for someone taking a final breath, even before Christ returns. Jesus therefore belongs at the head of the table, with his love, grace, and mercy shaping both thanksgiving and the invitation extended to others.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Grace Leaves No Room For Superiority. Paul puts Jewish and Gentile believers on the same ground before God: all have sinned, and all need Christ. Religious heritage cannot make anyone more deserving of salvation. Jesus fulfills the sacrifice rather than leaving sinners to earn acceptance through sacrifices of their own. [09:36]
• 2. Faith Must Leave The Church Building. A confession of Jesus inside the church should make a difference in speech and conduct outside it. Believers enter workplaces and relationships that church leaders may never reach. Those ordinary connections are places where faith can become visible and the good news of Jesus can be shared. [12:27]
• 3. Honest Witness Does Not Require Expertise. A believer does not need an answer to every theological question before speaking about Jesus. The starting point is the truth already believed: Christ lived perfectly, died for sinners, and offers salvation that human effort cannot earn. An honest admission of not knowing can open the door to studying God’s Word together rather than shutting the conversation down. [20:50]
• 4. God’s Patience Makes Every Opportunity Matter. Peter describes God’s patience as a desire for people to come to repentance, not as indifference toward judgment. Christ’s return is certain, but someone’s final breath also makes eternity immediately near. That reality gives sharing Jesus a weight that political arguments and personal preferences can never carry. [28:26]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:53] - Every Believer Carries Jesus
• [04:13] - Thanksgiving Tables And Eternal Hope
• [07:06] - Romans: Justified By Faith
• [10:26] - Jesus Fulfills The Sacrifice
• [12:27] - Living Faith Outside The Church
• [14:54] - Peter: God’s Patience And Coming Judgment
• [16:32] - Believing And Confessing Jesus As Lord
• [20:50] - Sharing Faith Without Every Answer
• [22:21] - Christianity Is Exclusively Inclusive
• [24:22] - Conviction About Eternity
• [31:33] - Jesus At The Head Of The Table
• [32:53] - Confession And Prayer For Salvation

Bible Reading

Romans 3:20-27
“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.” [07:43]

2 Peter 3:8-13
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” [15:13]

Romans 10:9-10
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” [16:50]

Observation questions

1. In Romans 3:20–27, what does the law reveal about people, and what does God provide through Jesus that keeping the law cannot provide? [08:05]
2. What reasons were some Jewish believers giving for feeling superior to Gentile believers, and how does salvation through Jesus put both groups on the same ground? [09:22]
3. In Romans 10:9–10, what is the connection between inward belief and outward confession? What difference should that faith make outside church gatherings? [18:24]
4. In 2 Peter 3:8–13, how is God’s patience different from failing to keep his promise, and what kind of life does Peter call believers to live while they wait? [15:53]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does being accepted by God through grace leave no room for someone to feel spiritually superior because of family background, church involvement, or good behavior? [09:44]
2. Jesus fulfills the sacrifice rather than leaving sinners to earn salvation. How does that truth change the way a Christian understands good works—as a response to grace rather than a payment for acceptance? [11:43]
3. How can salvation be through Christ alone while the invitation remains open to people of every race, family, and political party? What does that mean for how Christians treat people whose views differ from theirs? [22:52]
4. How should God’s desire for repentance shape the way a believer speaks about coming judgment? What would make that conversation both urgent and patient rather than harsh or pushy? [28:31]

Application questions

1. When are you most tempted to measure your standing with God by your background, church attendance, or recent behavior? What might it look like this week to rest in what Jesus has done instead? [12:21]
2. Think of a recent moment when your speech or behavior outside church did not reflect your confession of Jesus as Lord. What could a different response look like next time, and is there anything you need to make right? [18:24]
3. Who in your workplace, family, or circle of friends might never enter a church but already trusts you? What is one natural way you could show Christ’s love and make room for a conversation about faith? [14:04]
4. At your next family gathering, what disagreement might tempt you to focus more on winning than on loving someone? How could you respond without giving up your convictions or letting the argument crowd out Jesus? [06:39]
5. If someone asked why you trust Jesus, how would you explain his perfect life, his death for sinners, and his grace in your own words? If they asked something you could not answer, how could you keep the conversation open honestly? [21:46]
6. Is there someone you have been meaning to talk with about Jesus but keep putting off? Without trying to force a response, what small step could you take this week in light of God’s patience and the uncertainty of tomorrow? [28:54]