Partners in God's Work - with Richard Stancliffe and SBC

Devotional

Day 1: Cucumbers, Cakes, and Christ’s Finished Work

The Christian life isn’t a competition for perfection. Like a village horticultural show where flawed vegetables still win prizes, believers are judged not by their merits but by Christ’s righteousness. God sees Jesus’ perfection covering our crooked efforts. This frees us from performance anxiety – our “spiritual show entries” need no polish, only surrender. True holiness comes through grace, not self-made trophies. The church becomes a community where all share the same prize: Christ himself. [23:25]

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
(Romans 12:1, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been striving to “win first prize” in your spiritual life instead of resting in Christ’s finished work? How might embracing grace free you to serve joyfully today?

Day 2: Blood-Stained Altars and Living Temples

Ancient temple sacrifices revealed sin’s cost – blood, stench, and death. But Christ’s sacrifice ended this cycle, making believers both cleansed and cleansing agents. Like a slaughterhouse turned sanctuary, Christians now carry holiness into everyday spaces. Our ordinary lives – work, meals, conversations – become sacred offerings. The Spirit transforms not just cathedrals but kitchens, garages, and grocery stores into holy ground. [19:53]

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
(1 Corinthians 3:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: What mundane task or space feels furthest from “holy ground” in your life? How might doing it with awareness of God’s presence change your perspective today?

Day 3: Suffering’s Priesthood in Pews and Pork Pies

Christian community isn’t about perfect potlucks but shared scars. Like neighbors exchanging gardening tips over tea, the church thrives when bearing each other’s hidden struggles – the wilted marriages, stunted hopes, and spiritual droughts. Suffering becomes sacred when carried together. Every casserole delivered or prayer whispered continues Christ’s priestly work of binding wounds. [17:37]

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
(Galatians 6:2, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your circle carries a burden too heavy to name? What practical act (a text, visit, or specific prayer) could embody Christ’s priesthood to them this week?

Day 4: Two Shillings of Eternal Currency

Earthly rewards fade like old prize certificates, but Christ’s grace holds eternal value. The early Christians’ “two shillings” of spiritual wealth – hope, forgiveness, the Spirit – outlast empires. Our cultural obsession with measurable success shrinks before God’s economy where the poor in spirit inherit kingdoms. True riches grow in secret: quiet faithfulness, endured trials, daily repentance. [23:06]

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”
(1 Peter 1:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: What “earthly prize” have you been overvaluing lately? How might focusing on your imperishable inheritance change your priorities today?

Day 5: Boasting in Blistered Hands

Paul’s only boast was Christ’s work through him – like a gardener praising the rain, not the hoe. Our callings (parenting, preaching, plumbing) become holy when done as echoings of grace. Spiritual resumes crumble; scarred hands telling of God’s faithfulness remain. The church shines brightest when pointing to Christ’s calluses, not our trophies. [24:43]

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
(Galatians 6:14, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you subtly take credit for God’s work in your life? How might acknowledging Christ’s role in your successes deepen your joy today?

Sermon Summary

Paul sets out the gospel in the first half of Romans, then turns to what that gospel looks like when it gets lived out. Jesus rescues sinners from death and sin by taking the punishment that sin deserves. Christ suffers, dies, is separated from the Father, and goes down into death so that his people might live.

Paul also makes plain that suffering belongs, at least in part, to the Christian life. Jesus calls his followers to share in his sufferings, and the apostles say the same thing in no uncertain terms. The church exists so that Christian people can support one another through those troubles, pray for one another, and keep going when life is hard.

God shows mercy by bringing people out of desperate and hopeless situations. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within those who believe, bringing goodness, love, joy, and hope. Paul calls God “the God of hope,” because hope in him is fuel for his church.

Paul encourages the Roman Christians as people full of goodness, knowledge, and able to instruct one another. Paul writes boldly not because he fancies saying things, but because grace has been given to him by God. Christ gives Paul a priestly duty among the Gentiles, so that they may become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

The old temple sacrifices showed something of how God views sin. The blood, the animals, the mess, the smell, and the whole slaughterhouse business pointed to the cost of sin. Jesus becomes the ultimate sacrifice, and faith in him makes his people holy. God sets believers apart, even when they do not feel particularly holy on a given day.

God continues that sanctifying work through trials, discipline, joy, love, and hope. Jesus makes his people more like himself as they walk in his way. Paul’s ministry still bears fruit two thousand years later because Gentile believers still stand in the good of that priestly work.

The village show gives a picture of grace. Human competitors bring cakes, cucumbers, tomatoes, and flowers hoping to win a little certificate and a prize, but God does not judge his people by the straightness of their cucumber or the lightness of their Victoria sponge. God sees Jesus. Jesus is first, was first, and always will be first. Christ’s people therefore receive the prize he has won: eternal life, hope, and the Holy Spirit.

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Key Takeaways

1. Suffering belongs to following Jesus [17:11] Jesus does not hide suffering from those who follow him. Paul treats trials as part of the Christian life, not as proof that faith has gone wrong. The church becomes a place where burdens are shared, named, and prayed through rather than carried alone. [17:11]
2. Christ makes believers acceptable to God [20:11] Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, ending the need for repeated offerings of blood. The Holy Spirit sanctifies those who trust Christ, setting them apart for God. Holiness begins in Christ’s finished work before it shows itself in the slow daily journey of becoming more like him. [20:11]
3. God judges his people through Jesus [23:25] God does not receive his people on the basis of performance, polish, or comparison with somebody else. The village-show image exposes the silliness of trying to win God’s favour by producing a better-looking life. Christ stands first, and his people receive the prize he has won.

## [23:25]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[12:13] - Opening Prayer
[15:59] - Romans: Gospel Put Into Practice
[17:11] - Suffering and Church Support
[18:16] - The God of Hope
[18:37] - Paul Encourages the Roman Christians
[19:33] - Paul’s Priestly Duty to the Gentiles
[19:53] - The Cost of Sin and Temple Sacrifice
[20:35] - Sanctified by the Holy Spirit
[21:19] - Made Holy Through Jesus
[21:45] - The Sabden Show Illustration
[23:25] - Jesus Takes First Prize

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 15:14-17
“I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” [18:54]

Romans 12:1
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” [20:41]

Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” [18:37]

Observation questions

In Romans 15:13, what does Paul ask the God of hope to fill believers with, and what is the result of trusting in him? [18:37]
According to Romans 15:14, what three encouraging things does Paul say about the Roman Christians?
In Romans 15:15-16, what reason does Paul give for writing so boldly, and what does he describe as his particular ministry among the Gentiles? [19:25]
How does Romans 12:1 describe the response believers are to make to God’s mercy, and how does this connect with being sanctified by the Holy Spirit? [20:35]

Interpretation questions

Paul calls God “the God of hope” and connects hope with trusting him. Why is Christian hope more than simply wishing that circumstances will improve?
Paul believes the Roman Christians are able to instruct one another, yet he still writes to remind them of the gospel. What does this suggest about the kind of encouragement and correction believers need from each other? [18:42]
Paul describes Gentile believers as an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. How does Christ’s sacrifice make people acceptable to God before their lives look fully holy? [21:35]
Romans 12:1 calls believers living sacrifices. How is offering daily life to God different from trying to earn God’s approval through good behaviour? [23:40]

Application questions

Where is suffering or difficulty especially present in life at the moment? What would it look like to let the church share that burden through honest conversation and prayer, rather than carrying it alone? [17:44]
God gives hope through the Holy Spirit, even in desperate and hopeless situations. What situation most needs to be brought to the God of hope this week? [18:09]
Paul speaks warmly of believers being able to instruct one another. Is there someone in the group or church whose faithfulness, knowledge, or goodness could be encouraged more clearly this week?
When feeling spiritually weak or far from holy, what habits or thoughts can lead to doubting that God has set his people apart? How does remembering Christ’s finished sacrifice change that response? [20:41]
In what ways is there a temptation to treat the Christian life like a competition—comparing prayer, service, family life, knowledge, or visible success with others? [23:40]
God does not receive his people because their “cucumber is straightest” or their “Victoria sponge is lightest”; he sees Jesus. What would change this week if approval from God were received as Christ’s gift rather than something to be won? [23:56]
As living sacrifices, what is one ordinary part of daily life—work, home, relationships, money, time, or speech—that could be offered to God more deliberately this week?

Sermon Clips

52s

#LivingSacrifice

“in those days, in in the early nineteen hundreds, you got 50... Well, the equivalent of £15 if you won first prize. It's actually 2 shilling, but 2 shilling them days was a lot of money, wasn't it? So not that anybody can remember that far back here. But when we're when we're offered up to God as living sacrifices, we're winners every time, because we don't have to make sure our cucumber's the straightest or, our Victoria's sponge cake is the lightest or has the best buttercream or whatever it is. Because when God judges us, he sees only Jesus. And Jesus is first, was first, and always will be first.”

33s

#EqualInChrist

“So we're free to claim the prizes that Jesus has won for us, eternal life, hope in him, his holy spirit that dwells within us. And because we have that community of competitors, if you like, we're all equal. We all receive the same prize. No matter how many times you forget to water your sweet peas or or, however disappointing your dailies might look, you come first.”

37s

#GrowingInHoliness

“as we receive his holy spirit through our faith in him, we're sanctified, and we become ourselves living sacrifices. When we come to faith, we're set apart for holiness by God. We might not feel particularly holy every day. I I don't know. Some... Sometimes maybe you do. Sometimes some of us more than others perhaps. I don't know. But on our ongoing daily journey through life, you know, we are sanctified. We're made more holy each day”

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