SUNDAY (LIVE) - July 26, 2026 | UNASHAMED: Romans 1:2-7 - Of First Importance

Jul 26, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Gold in the Dust: God’s Goodness Packed Into Creation

The world brims with God’s fingerprints—gold, onyx, and minerals buried like hidden gifts. These raw materials aren’t accidents but intentional provisions for human creativity and joy. Technology, art, and discovery flow from divine generosity, not mere utility. Every innovation whispers of a Creator who delights in human flourishing. To dismiss these gifts as neutral is to miss the love letter written into atoms and elements. The earth itself declares God’s goodness for those with eyes to see. [39:25]

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you overlooked God’s generosity in ordinary things this week? How might your work or hobbies become an act of worship when seen as gifts from His hand?

Day 2: Wading Past Kiddie Pools to the Deep End

Conversations easily drift to politics, hobbies, or grievances—shallow waters that never satisfy. Paul refuses to linger in trivialities, anchoring everything in Jesus, the “deep end” where life finds its weight and meaning. Christ isn’t one topic among many but the lens through which all topics gain clarity. To reduce faith to moralism or self-help is to splash in puddles while oceans of grace wait. [42:58]

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2, ESV)

Reflection: What “kiddie pool” conversations distract you from Christ’s centrality? How might your words shift today if Jesus were the gravitational center of every interaction?

Day 3: Silhouettes in the Scrolls: How the Old Testament Craved Christ

The Old Testament isn’t a disjointed history but a 39-book ache for a Savior. Prophecies like Bethlehem’s birth (Micah 5:2) and the crushed serpent (Genesis 3:15) form a mosaic only Jesus completes. Abraham’s faith, David’s failures, and Moses’ miracles all whisper, “We need Someone better.” Every story leans into the Messiah who would fulfill what broken humans could not. [47:35]

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27, ESV)

Reflection: Which Old Testament character’s flaws or longings most mirror your own? How does Jesus’ perfection meet that specific hunger in you?

Day 4: Toothbrushes at 6,000 Feet: Obedience Owned by Faith

A hiker’s Sonicare toothbrush proved his belief in dental care more than any sales pitch. Similarly, faith isn’t abstract assent but embodied trust that reshapes habits. Obedience isn’t gritted teeth but natural overflow—like loving a spouse because delight fuels action, not duty. Legalism and license both miss the heart: transformation begins when resurrection power rewires desires. [01:09:48]

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (James 2:18, ESV)

Reflection: Where does your daily routine reveal misaligned priorities? What one practical step could better align your actions with your confession of Christ’s lordship?

Day 5: The One Proof That Changes Everything

The resurrection isn’t a spiritual metaphor but history’s hinge—90% of historians affirm Jesus’ crucifixion, the disciples’ radical transformation, and Paul’s conversion. Claudius’ Nazareth decree and Josephus’ records echo Scripture: a dead man walked, upending empires. Without the empty tomb, faith collapses; with it, even suffering becomes temporary. [58:19]

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:17, ESV)

Reflection: What doubt or fear loses its power when held against the historical reality of the resurrection? How might you live differently today if this truth saturated your perspective?

Sermon Summary

Paul comes out of the gate in Romans with one topic, the topic of first importance. Jesus is the deep end. Everything else can be interesting, like Nephilim, dinosaurs, Leviathan, politics, business, vitamins, whatever, but Paul wades through all that and gets to Jesus as fast as possible.

Romans says this gospel was “promised beforehand” in the holy Scriptures. The Old Testament is not a random pile of names, laws, geography, and weird stories. The Tanakh, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, is pressing toward Jesus. The prophecies name the shape of Messiah’s coming: Bethlehem, David’s line, the virgin birth, Immanuel, the forerunner, the temple, the cross, and the resurrection. The portrait goes even deeper. Jesus is the true image bearer, the second Adam, the seed who crushes the serpent, the blessing of Abraham, the greater Moses, the Passover, the true exodus, the tabernacle, the priest, the faithful Israelite, the elect one, the Son of David, and the final temple where man meets God.

The Old Testament also exposes the plan by showing that humans are notoriously unreliable and stupid. Abraham believes God, then lies and makes a mess. Moses parts the sea, then loses his temper. David kills Goliath, then takes Bathsheba and murders Uriah. The story keeps saying, somebody better is needed. Somebody better than Abraham, better than Moses, better than David, better than Solomon.

Paul names that somebody better as Jesus Christ, God’s Son and David’s Son. Jesus is not less than God when he becomes man. Jesus is God the Son incarnate, 100% God and 100% man, living truly human without ceasing to be divine. Jesus claims this authority when he forgives sins, because only the Creator can forgive what belongs to him. Jesus says it plainly too: “I and the Father are one.”

The resurrection is the one proof on which everything rests. The incarnation, the authority of Scripture, the exclusivity of Christ, and the hope of life after death all stand on the risen Jesus. The changed disciples, James, Paul, hostile witnesses, and early historical traces all point in the same direction: Jesus Christ is alive.

Paul then gives the goal: “the obedience of faith.” That obedience is not fear, pressure, grit, legalism, or license. Faith owns the obedience. Relationship with the risen King changes desires from the inside out, so obedience becomes real, natural, and shaped by love. Communion becomes one immediate act of that faith-shaped obedience: take, eat, drink, and remember Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus is the deep end Paul refuses to let secondary questions become the center. Strange texts, hard questions, and fascinating rabbit trails may matter, but none of them can carry the weight of the soul. Jesus is not one doctrine among many; Jesus is the place where the whole universe is summed up and where every other question finds its proper size. [42:31]
2. Scripture keeps saying somebody better The Old Testament gives real heroes, but it never lets those heroes become saviors. Abraham, Moses, and David all create hope, and then each one breaks under the weight of human failure. The text is not cynical about humanity; it is honest enough to make room for the only human who can actually save. [51:27]
3. The resurrection carries everything Paul places the full weight of Christian confidence on the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus is not raised, incarnation, forgiveness, Scripture, mission, and future hope all collapse into religious wishful thinking. If Jesus is raised, then his lordship is not an opinion to consider, but reality pressing on every person. [58:05]
4. Faith owns Christian obedience The obedience Paul wants is not a moral performance stapled onto belief. Faith in the risen Christ takes possession of obedience and begins changing the desires underneath behavior. Legalism says obedience earns acceptance, and license says acceptance ignores obedience, but the gospel creates a deeper thing: a life reshaped by relationship. [72:31]
5. Communion practices remembered obedience Jesus gave bread and cup as a command of remembrance, not as empty ritual. The table trains faith to look again at the broken body and the new covenant blood. Communion becomes an embodied “amen” to the Savior who forgives sins and writes God’s will on the heart.

## [77:30]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[39:07] - Enjoying God’s Good Gifts
[40:24] - One Topic People
[41:23] - Romans Opens With Jesus
[43:58] - Promised in the Holy Scriptures
[45:39] - Prophecies Point to Messiah
[47:05] - The Portrait Only Jesus Fits
[49:18] - Humanity Needs Somebody Better
[52:31] - God’s Son and David’s Son
[53:25] - Jesus Claims to Be God
[57:50] - The Resurrection as One Proof
[59:13] - Minimal Facts for the Resurrection
[64:15] - Grace Brings Obedience of Faith
[71:36] - Legalism, License, and the Tightrope
[77:30] - Communion and New Covenant Remembrance

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 1:1-5
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,” [41:23]

John 10:30
“I and the Father are one.” [56:54]

Mark 2:5-7
“And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” [54:36]

1 Corinthians 15:3-4
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” [58:43]

Observation questions

In Romans 1:1-5, what details does Paul give about Jesus right at the beginning of the letter—his ancestry, his identity, and his resurrection? [41:23]
According to Mark 2:5-7, how do the scribes react when Jesus forgives the paralytic’s sins, and what reason do they give for their reaction? [54:36]
What repeated pattern shows up in the Old Testament stories of Abraham, Moses, and David, and what does that pattern make clear is needed? [49:18]
In Romans 1:5, what goal does Paul say grace and apostleship are meant to bring about among the nations? [01:04:21]

Interpretation questions

Romans says the gospel was “promised beforehand” in the holy Scriptures. What does that suggest about how the Old Testament should be read, especially when it includes strange stories, long genealogies, and difficult laws? [45:39]
Jesus is presented as both God’s Son and David’s Son. Why does it matter that he is fully divine and truly human if he is going to be the Savior humanity needs? [53:25]
The scribes in Mark 2 understand that forgiving sins is something only God can do. What does this moment reveal about what Jesus is claiming through his actions, not just through words? [56:34]
Paul ties everything to the resurrection. Why does the resurrection carry so much weight for Christian faith, hope, and confidence? [58:07]

Application questions

Jesus is the deep end, while many other topics can become distractions. What kinds of subjects tend to capture attention more easily than Christ—controversies, politics, health, end-times questions, or something else? How can a person tell when a secondary issue has started to take the center place? [42:31]
The Old Testament keeps showing that human leaders are not enough and that somebody better is needed. Where is there a temptation right now to look to a human savior—personal discipline, a leader, a movement, a relationship, or even oneself—instead of resting in Christ? [51:23]
The resurrection is not just one doctrine among many; it carries the whole Christian life. When doubts, fear, or suffering hit, what happens to daily life if Jesus really is risen? What habits could help keep that truth in view during an ordinary week? [58:32]
Obedience can come from fear, pressure, or image management, but Christian obedience belongs to faith. Which of those false motives is the easiest one to drift into personally? What would obedience shaped by trust and love look like in that same area? [01:05:09]
Faith-shaped obedience means desires begin to change from the inside out. Where has there been real evidence of that kind of change—however small—in attitudes, speech, generosity, purity, forgiveness, or joy? [01:13:07]
There is a difference between struggling against sin and becoming indifferent to what Jesus commands. In what area is there an honest fight for obedience, and in what area might there be a quiet “nah” settling in? What would repentance look like there? [01:11:13]
Communion is a concrete act of remembered obedience: take, eat, drink, and remember Jesus. How can the body and blood of Christ be remembered in a way that is more than routine? What helps make remembrance warm, thankful, and real? [01:17:30]

Sermon Clips

71s

#ResurrectionProof

“``The one proof is the resurrection. one proof for the incarnation is the resurrection. The one proof for the authority of scripture is the resurrection. The one proof for the exclusivity of Christianity that only through Jesus is the way and the truth and life. The one proof is the resurrection. All of it rests on this. The hope of the believer. There's one hope for the believer, that when this life ends, there is another life. The only hope that the believer has is the resurrection. Paul says it in first Corinthians 15. Read it. It's the resurrection. Jesus has asked for signs to prove that he is what he says. It's Matthew chapter 12. Jesus says, I'll give you one sign. Just like Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so the son of man will be in the grave for three days and three nights, and then I'm coming back. The one proof is the resurrection. Paul says, we know he's god because of the resurrection.”

49s

#ObedienceFromFaith

“This is why Christianity is so good and so powerful. have a life that's shaped by a relationship to God, by our faith in him, that the core desires of Matt Heverly, the deepest things that I have inside of me are godly. They're an obedience that belongs to my faith in him. That's the goal. That's God's goal for all the nations on earth, that we become a people that are shaped by this faith in the resurrected king of the universe that metamorphosizes us and transforms us into the kind of people that naturally do what Jesus commands. Obedience, belonging to faith. That's what God wants. That's what his desire for us is.”

39s

#FaithOwnsObedience

“And here's what's so brilliant. The word faith here is genitive. So I don't wanna geek out on Greek, but it means this, it owns the obedience. Obedience belongs to, is possessed by, is owned by faith. It's from faith. Because here's where Christianity is so amazing. My obedience is not something I muster up. It's not something I try to get on my own. My obedience actually belongs to my faith in Jesus Christ.”

39s

#OTPointsToJesus

“So when you read the bible, the bible, old testament, paints a silhouette that only Jesus Christ fits perfectly. That Jesus is the real image bearer of the father, Genesis one predicts. Colossians one declares, Hebrew one declares, he is the express image of the father. Jesus is the second Adam that does not eat of the forbidden fruit, doesn't get tempted by the devil in Matthew chapter four, resists the devil, the second Adam, Romans five. He's the seed that crushes the serpent's head.”

57s

#WeNeedABetterSavior

“We need somebody better. That the old testament says something about humans, that humans are notoriously unreliable and stupid. That's what it says. And because of that, just over and over and over, we need somebody better. So it's almost like the old testament does this. Parents, have you ever let your kids do something that you know will fail? Because they just need the proof that they keep just it's not gonna work. And then finally, just let them do that because they need the proof that it's going to fail. What you see in the old testament is every single attempt by any human fails. Because the old testament is showing that humans are notoriously unreliable and stupid. And so we need a unique solution that's different, which is what Paul's gonna say Jesus is.”

41s

#OnlyGodCanForgive

“You have no right. You can't forgive. You were not wronged. The only way that I could forgive Mark of his sins is if I owned Mark. If I was Mark's creator, and I knew I had created Mark to do a certain thing, and he was violating how I had created him. He was destroying the good creation that I had made him. The only way I could forgive him for doing something to you is if I was God, if I owned him. That's what Jesus is saying in this story at the very beginning of the gospel of Mark. I own everybody so I can forgive their sins. That's why the scribes say, you're acting like God. Jesus would say, I am God.”

30s

#TransformedByGrace

“That's the goal. And it's amazing. It's what Romans is gonna try to entice us into, have this obedience that 's owned by your faith in Jesus Christ, that's driven by your faith in Jesus Christ, that transforms you because you've been given a new heart and a new spirit, that God is so good to you and accepted you unconditionally by his grace, you'll have an obedience, belonging to faith. That's the goal, and it's amazing.”

35s

#ObedienceOfFaith

“And there's a tightrope right here. And Romans is gonna brilliantly navigate this tightrope. Here's the tightrope. It's very easy to get off back into legalism, going back to Moses for what only Jesus can do. And it's also very easy to get into license, that God doesn't care. God, access me just like I am. I don't have to change. I don't have to be any different. It's very easy to go off on those two directions. It is a tightrope to do this thing that's called the obedience of faith.”

72s

#ChooseObedience

“It's faith in the resurrected king Jesus changes you. You become different. You become obedient. Now, listen carefully. I'm not talking about struggles. There can be sins that own us, that we struggle with, strongholds, footholds of the enemy, Ephesians chapter four verse 26. There can be those things that you hate and you pray that God sets you free from. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about some people that are indifferent to the obedience of faith. You know what you should do. I know what I should do. And I just say, nah. We know that, the bible says. Sexual intimacy is only between a husband and a wife, Period. We know that the bible says, love your neighbor as yourself. Nah. When he mows the median, then I'll love him. We know that the bible says, be generous. Nope. Just on and on. Just I'm not talking about not talking about struggles. I'm talking about this obedience of faith, obeying what Jesus commands.”

39s

#JesusFullyGodAndMan

“Jesus is unique. He is God's son, and he is David's son. What? Jesus, the bible makes it very clear, is God the son incarnate? Becomes a man. Doesn't cease to be God, is still 100% God, but also 100% man, and takes his God powers, Philippians two says, and puts it in his back pocket while he lived on earth. Living just like you and I live.”

46s

#FaithTransformsDesire

“That something begins to change inside of me. My desires, my wants become changed. And it's produced by, not gritted teeth like, it's produced by a faith in the risen Jesus Christ. The promised savior of the universe. And when I put my faith in him, he not only becomes my king, the bible says, but he also becomes my elder brother, my savior, my shepherd. I'm in relationship with him. And that relationship changes me where I want to, desire to obey him. It's obedience owned by my faith. It's amazing,”

26s

#PeaceAndJoyInChrist

“That's what God wants. That's what his desire for us is. So it's not, hey, be anxious for nothing. Okay. I can't be anxious for anything. It's no. You've been given a peace that passes all understanding, so you are no longer anxious, naturally, normally. Hey, rejoice always. And again, say rejoice like it's a command. No. It's been I've been given a joy indescribable by Jesus put into my heart, so I naturally, normally respond with joy.”

27s

#OTPropheciesFulfilled

“The old testament says that Jesus will come to the temple, which means Jesus had to have been here before a d 70 because the temple was destroyed in a d 70. The bible says that, psalm 22, Jesus would be crucified. The bible says, psalm 16, that Jesus would not rot in the grave. Just over and over, there are 300 prophecies in the old testament that says, this is how Jesus is gonna come.”

69s

#JesusIsFulfillment

“He is the Genesis 12 descendant of Abraham that brings a blessing to all the families of earth. He is the prophet who is greater than Moses. He's the Passover that sets you and me free from pharaohs that dominate us and control us. He's the true exodus that takes us out of the world and brings us into his promised land. He is the tabernacle, the place where man can meet with god. He is the real high priest after the order of Melchizedek. He is the faithful Israelite that Isaiah declares that you and I need. That's gonna keep the Torah perfectly. He is the elect one. Isaiah 42 verse one. Luke describes him that way in Luke nine thirty five. He's the true king, the son of David, who will rule over this world in righteousness. He is the end times temple, that place where finally man can have right fellowship with God. I can go on and on and on and on. And it paints a portrait that Jesus fulfills perfectly.”

73s

#OTHeroesFailWeNeedJesus

“You're like, Abraham's the man. Yeah. But then, you keep reading the story. And, he lies about his wife, and she gets sucked into a pharaoh's harem. And then, he sleeps with the help and has an illegitimate child. You're like, oh, we need somebody better. Then we meet Moses, and you're like, Moses is it. 10 plagues, parting the Red Sea, water from a rock, manna from heaven. And then he loses his temple and beats the snot, or loses his temper and beats the snot out of a rock. You're like, somebody else. Then we encounter David, and there's hope for David. As a teenager, he takes out Goliath with a rock. He becomes the king, never loses a battle. He's a man's man. Yes. We love David, but then David sees Bathsheba, sleeps with another man's wife, and then murders the husbands to cover it up. It's like, I can go on and on. What you see in the old testament is the bible is showing us we need somebody better than Abraham, better than Moses, better than David, better than Solomon who we just studied in Ecclesiastes. We need somebody better.”

68s

#FaithProducesObedience

“Paul isn't saying any of those bring about the obedience of a Christian. Paul is saying, when you believe in Jesus Christ, the resurrected king of the universe, you get this thing called the obedience of faith. And it's not just for you, it's for all the nations on planet earth. When you look at that little phrase, in the western mind, it sometimes can't make sense because we see obedience and faith almost like an oxymoron. Because for a lot of us, faith is like a way that we arrange ideas in our head. So I had these kind of ideas, and and and I've just kinda made them. It's a mental exercise. I don't think that's what faith is to be. I think faith, James chapter two, will bring about obedience. That's more than just a mental exercise. That I can tell a lot more about what you believe by what you do versus what you say.”

47s

#FaithLikeAbraham

“Abraham, 100 years old, no kids, been trying to have kids for probably seventy plus years, no kids. If you're a 100 years old and you have not had a kid, you're probably not having one. God tells him, hey, look up at the stars. See if you can number them. There would have been about 1,200 that you could see at that point. See if you can number them. Your descendants are gonna be greater than that. What would you say if God told you that at a 100 years of age? You'd say, nah. Abraham doesn't. Literally, it says, Abraham amen. In the Hebrew, it's amen to God. Hey, you're gonna have kids. Amen. Alright. And God was so stoked, it says, God counted his amen ing, counted his belief as righteousness.”

45s

#BringSkepticsToJesus

“So, when I talk to unbelievers, and I love that, a lot of times they come because they have questions. It might be on dinosaurs, or evolution, or Leviathan, or the giants, or the book of Enoch, or Genesis six, the Nephilim. And so, I'll talk a bit, but usually, is what I try to do. Oh, the Nephilim? Man, they are so interesting. Do you know who else is really interesting? Jesus is. As quickly as possible, I try to, like, wade through and get to the most important topic. It's Paul's first topic. He wants to talk about Jesus. So let's look how Paul was moved by God's spirit to present to us as the first topic in the book of Romans, Jesus.”

68s

#MinimalFactsForResurrection

“James, the half brother of Jesus, became a believer in Jesus after the resurrection. Pretty amazing. James would have grown up with Jesus, would have seen Jesus, would have witnessed Jesus, and he says he's God. Anyone here has siblings? I have an older brother, Chris. There was never a time in my life where I believed Chris was Jesus Christ. There were oftentimes I believed he was the antichrist. I'm like, you are the devil incarnate. I'm pretty sure. So James knew it all. He's God. And then the last one is Paul. A hater, persecutor, killer of Christians. Something happens to him and he is transformed into the world's greatest missionary and believer in Jesus Christ. Gary Habermas says, these minimal facts, you can Google it, just not now, wait till after service. He says, these minimal facts, the only logical way that you can explain them is by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

42s

#HistoricalEvidenceResurrection

“You have Josephus. He writes what's called the antiquities. He wrote around 8070, 8080. He has the entire gospel there, including the resurrection. You have a guy named Thales who is a Roman historian. He writes about the events in Judea, write about the crucifixion in a d '33 about something happening in Judah where it gets dark and there's these earthquakes on a Friday, just like Matthew 27 tells us. I can go on and on and on. The resurrection is one of the greatest attested to facts of history. People reject it for the wrong reasons, not because there's not. Plenty of facts for it. They reject it because they do not want Jesus to be king.”

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