SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Sign over a Gynecologist's Office:
"Dr. Jones, at your cervix."
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In a Podiatrist's office:
"Time wounds all heels."
***************** *********
On a Septic Tank Truck:
Yesterday's Meals on Wheels
At a Proctologist's door:
"To expedite your visit, please back in."
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On a Plumber's truck:
"We repair what your husband fixed."
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On another Plumber's truck:
"Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."
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On a Church's Bill board:
"7 days without God makes one weak."
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At a
Tire Shop in Milwaukee :
"Invite us to your next blowout."
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At a Towing company:
"We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want tows."
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On an Electrician's truck:
"Let us remove your shorts."
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In a Nonsmoking Area:
"If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."
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On a Maternity Room door:
"Push. Push. Push."
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At an Optometrist's Office:
"If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."
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On a Taxidermist's window:
"We really know our stuff."
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On a Fence:
"Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive!"
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At a Car Dealership:
"The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment."
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Outside a Muffler Shop:
"No appointment necessary. We hear you coming."
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In a Veterinarian's waiting room:
"Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"
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At the Electric Company
"We would be delighted if you send in your payment..
However, if you don't, you will be."
************** ************
In a Restaurant window:
"Don't stand there and be hungry; come on in and get fed up."
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In the front yard of a Funeral Home:
"Drive carefully. We'll wait."
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At a Propane Filling Station:
"Thank heaven for little grills."
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And don't forget the sign at a
CHICAGO RADIATOR SHOP:
"Best place in town to take a leak."
**********************
Sign on the back of another Septic Tank Truck:
"Caution - This Truck is full of Political Promises"

JUST IN CASE YOU NEED A LAUGH:

Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only a high school diploma to fix one; a reassurance to those of us who fly routinely in our jobs.

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor.

Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.

(By the way,UPS is the only major airline that has never, never, ever, had an accident. )

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
*
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
*
P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.
*
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
*
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200-feet-per-minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
*
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S:
landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
*
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
*
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
*
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF is always inoperative in OFF mode.
*
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
*
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
*
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
*
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
*
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.
*
And the best one for last
*
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from the midget.

Mark 13

There are no miracles recorded in this chapter, but there is the typical “action” of Mark. It’s all future action.

The Verses:

1 – 4. The questions by the disciples.

a. Jesus had pronounced a coming desolation upon the temple.
b. John 2:18-19 (Jesus is referring ultimately to Himself).
c. Disciples were caught up in the physical entrapments of the buildings.

5 – 7 A panorama of this age.

a. Two types of impersonators: psychologically ill; satanic/demonic
b. Wars; earthquakes; famines (Africa, India & Asia) Key: increase.

8 – 13 Persecution preceding the Great Tribulation

a. Christianity is held in low regard by politicians, schools, etc.
b. Not “if,” but “when” you are arrested. Can we stand for Christ?
c. The Holy Spirit must lead you in that time. (Romans 8:1-3)
d. Only those truly saved will stand firm (Verse 13)

14 – 23 Prophecy of the Great Tribulation

a. “Abomination of desolation” (Daniel 9:27; 11:31 & 12:11)
b. Matthew 24:15 – The Holy Place is for Jews; Christians don’t have a holy place, no matter what you may have heard.

24 – 27 Proclamation of the Second Coming of Christ

a. Times will be tough beyond imagination.
b. When Christ returns He will come with power & glory (Nobody will miss the event.
c. The “elect” refers to born again believers. This is NOT the rapture of the church – there are no angels then.

28 – 33 The parable of the fig tree.

a. There is disagreement over whether the fig tree refers to Israel. I, personally, believe it does. At the very least, Jesus is talking about spiritual seasons. “The church age (this generation) will still be going on when this happens. Matthew Henry writes: “when ye see the Jewish nation embroiled in wars, distracted by false Christs and prophets, and drawing upon them the displeasure of the Romans, especially when ye see them persecuting you for your Master’s sake, and thereby standing to what they did when they put him to death, and repeating it, and so filling up the measure of their iniquity, then say that their ruin is nigh, even at the door, and provide for yourselves accordingly.’’
b. The Greek word used for “heaven” in verse 31 is ouranos and means “sky.” God’s Heaven is not going anywhere.
c. The Word of God: This means both scripture and Jesus, Himself, the Living Word.

34 – 37 The instructions to God’s people.

a. I do not know what could possibly be unclear about “No man knows…,” but some people make an effort to twist the phrase.
b. The key here is to BE READY: spiritually; emotionally; physically; awake or asleep. Be certain of your relationship to God through Christ RIGHT NOW. DON’T WAIT! DON’T PUT IT OFF!

A PUN MY WORD

The ability to make and understand puns is considered to be
the highest level of language development. Test your pun
comprehension:

1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead
raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry,
sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.”

2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the
other and says, "Dam!"

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit
a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once
again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

4. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, "I've lost my
electron." The other says, "Are you sure?" The first replies
"Yes, I'm positive."

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain
during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and
were standing in the lobby discussing their recent
tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came
out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?",
they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said, "I can't
stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of
them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The
other goes to a family in Spain , they name him "Juan."
Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth
mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband
that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband
responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen
Ahmal."

8. A group of friars were behind on their belfry payments,
so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since
everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival
florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He
asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He
went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him.
So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest
and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close.
Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd
be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did
so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist
Friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the
time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his
feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail
and, with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This
made him ... a super callused fragile mystic hexed by
halitosis.

10. And finally, Patriot Humor sent ten different puns to
their subscribers, with the hope that at least one of the
puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

VERBage PART 01

Studies have shown that more than half of the errors made in the English language involve the use of verbs.

Verbs come in three forms: the present tense; the past tense and the past participle.

They express an action or a state of being that is either happening now, happened in the past or is combined with an auxiliary verb such as have, has or had and expresses a completed action.

In the sentence: I drive; the action (drive) occurs at the present time.

In the sentence: I drove; the action occurred in the past.

Finally, in the sentence: I have driven every day this week; driven is the past participle and expresses an action that is completed.

How one forms sentences with verbs is determined by whether the verb is a regular verb or an irregular verb.

With regard to verbs, "regular" means "normal" or "usual."

With regular verbs, the tenses are formed in the regular way. For instance one normally expresses the past tense by adding "ed" to the verb. That's the regular way to turn a present tense verb into a past tense verb.

Not only that, but the Past Participle of the verb is formed in the same way as the Past Tense.

So, the regular verb, call is turned into the Past Tense by adding "ed." Therefore, the Past Tense of call is called.

Because call is a regular verb, the Past Participle is also formed by adding "ed."

These can form sentences as follows: I call. That's the Present Tense. I called. That's the Past Tense. I have called. That's the Past Participle.

Irregular verbs are called irregular because they do not form their Past Tense and their Past Participle in the regular way.

There are more regular verbs than there are irregular verbs, so it is easier to learn the irregular verbs and assume all others to be regular.

The following list of verbs deals with some common irregular verbs. They are listed in the order of Present Tense; Past Tense and then the Past Participle.

sing - sang - sung
drive - drove - driven
begin - began - begun
go - went - gone (This one is strange because each one is totally different from the other.)
burst- burst - burst (This one is strange because all three are the same.)

Next time we will examine how to use the principle parts of regular and irregular verbs.

Mark 3:1-6; 5:33-42; 10:14-16

Here we will look at a few key verses from the earlier passages of Mark that we missed.

Mark 3:3-5

1. Is it possible that the Pharisees planted this man there to trap Jesus?

2. Some of the religious leaders wanted to see whether Jesus would heal on the Sabbath. Why do you think they cared? What do you think? How does what you think jibe with Mark2:25-27? How do you think the man with the paralyzed hand felt about the religious leaders?

3. Jesus stood the man where everybody could see him. This probably surprised the Pharisees and made them more than a little angry. If He was accused and arrested, a lot of people would know the truth.

4. Why didn’t the Pharisees answer Jesus’ question? Could it be they saw that they had backed themselves into a theological corner?

5. Jesus was much more interested in the man’s need than in following some imagined rule about the Sabbath Day.

Mark 5:33-34

We know this story of the woman with the issue of blood whose issue was “incurable.” This comes in between the beginning of the healing of Jairus’ daughter.

33. The woman “told Him the whole truth.” What was the whole truth? Why was she fearful and trembling?

34. Her faith healed her. Does this mean that lack of faith prevents healing?

Now we continue on with Jairus’ daughter.

35-36. Word came that Jairus’ daughter had died. How did the friends of Jairus react?

37-42 No big crowds wanted here. There would be enough commotion when they got where they were going.

Mark 10:14-16

What does it mean for YOU to have a child-like spirit in order to have the Kingdom of God belong to you?

VMTPN

Reading the title of this post might prompt you to exclaim: "What the...?"

As it turns out, VMTPN are the first letters of each of the ways in which subjects and predicates must agree in sentences.

They stand for: Voice; Mood; Tense; Person and Number.

When I was in ninth grade, my English teacher, Mr. Bush, gave us an aid by which to remember this.

WARNING! This might be considered by some to be a bit graphic (although by today's standards it is pretty mild).

Mr. Bush taught us that the first letters of Voice, Mood, Tense, Person and Number are every other letter in the words, vomit pan (VoMiT PaN).

Don't say I did not warn you!

You will remember that, though, won't you?

Have you ever heard someone say something like: "I seen him go into the store..."?

Of course that person should have said: "I saw him go into the store..."

Of the five points of agreement between subject and predicates, Tense might be the most complex, at least as it relates to verb usage.

There are five "types" of verbs: verbs of "being;" "regular" verbs; "irregular" verbs; "progressive" verbs and "emphatic" verbs.

That can be daunting.

There are six tenses of each of the verb forms. In addition, there are special forms of verbs called: progressive verbs, as well as the present participle of verbs.

Just to complicate matters a little more, there are special cases of verbs, for example: shall and will (Do you know when to use which of them?) and should and would.

There is the issue of when to use "have" and when to use "of." "They might of warned us" is incorrect, while "They might have warned us" is correct.

I believe that schools should begin the serious study of verbs in about the fifth grade, when children are able to begin understanding language concepts and that each form and type of verb should be studied for at least one week each year.

How many of us understand the use of the future perfect tense, for instance?

"I shall have been calling..." is an example of the future perfect tense.

Verbs can be in: the active or passive voice; the indicative, the imperative or the subjunctive mood; the first, second or third person - singular or plural.

In a sentence, the predicate (composed of verbs and their respective forms and/or modifiers) and the subject (composed of nouns, pronouns and their respective modifiers) must almost always be in agreement.

There are some special literary cases in which this need not be but as a general rule, agreement is the name of the game.

Over the next several weeks I will use my Wednesday posts to examine the part of speech we know as verbs.

Mark 10:1-52

We have seen Jesus perform miracles, teach his disciples about his impending deaths, burial and resurrection, and about the child-like faith his followers must have.

Get your Bible out and follow the verses.

The Verses

1. They were on their way to Jerusalem where Jesus would be crucified (just like he had told his disciples).

2. This was a trick question. If Jesus answered, “No,” he would be contradicting Moses and Herod (who had divorced his wife and married his brother, Phillip’s wife.). Jesus’ death was not to be determined on this issue. If He said, “Yes,” He would stand accused of being lax in His teaching. It was not an honest inquiry about a spiritual truth.

3. His response was once again a question, “What did Moses command?”

4. Reference Deuteronomy 24:1-2. The Law of Moses allowed divorce, and later it was interpreted as super-easy…even for burning the biscuits. If the Pharisees had really wanted to get tot he heart of the issue, their question would have been, “What is the basis for the reason for marriage?”

5. Whose hearts were hardened, that the Mosaic Law was such?

6–8. Jesus takes them back to God’s ideal at the beginning of creation. Divorce was not in His plan. Neither was murder. But murderers can be forgiven. In many “Christian” circles divorced persons cannot be. This is more about marriage than it is about divorce. The thing counselors need to deal with is not, “Why do you want a divorce?” The thing counselors should be dealing with is, “Why do you want to get married?”

9. God makes marriage, not man.

10–12. A parallel passage is in Matthew 5:31, which includes the “fornication” issue. Matthew was writing to Jews, who knew the Law, Mark was writing to Romans, who did not know the Law of Moses.

13-16. This is NOT a change of subject! Who gets hurt the most in divorce? The children. Jesus uses children as an example of how we come to Him. Look back at Mark 9:37.

17-31. Keeping the Law was not good enough to save a person. Does verse 21 remind you of Romans 6:7 or Romans 6:11? Some people never experience the joy of salvation because (1) they were never saved to begin with; and (2) they never put Christ ahead of self and possessions. Why is it hard to “enter the Kingdom of Heaven?” Very few are willing to commit and submit to Christ.

31. Does this remind you of the squabble the disciples were having among themselves back in Mark 9:33-37?

32–34. Jesus once again tells the disciples that He is going to be put to death.

35–40. Can you believe this? The disciples are STILL hung up on some pecking order. We all seem to seek some kind of recognition for what we do, even the things we do for Christ. Remember, the disciples had given up their livelihoods to follow Christ. They wanted something in return. Quid-pro-quo…I give you something, you give me something. What the disciples did not realize was the cost Jesus was going to have to pay for the joy of your salvation.

40-45. We are to have a servant’s heart and attitude.

46-52. I love verse 50, because it illustrates the confidence Bartimaeus had that he would receive his sight and would be able to find his cloak.

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS-James Iredell

James Iredell

RATIFIER OF THE U. S. CONSTITUTION; ATTORNEY GENERAL OF NORTH CAROLINA; U. S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON
"For my part, I am free and ready enough to declare that I think the Christian religion is a Divine institution; and I pray to God that I may never forget the precepts of His religion or suffer the appearance of an inconsistency in my principles and practice."

BE ON THE LOOKOUT

The United States Border Patrol

is asking citizens to keep on the lookout for

a red 1951 Chevy that they suspect is being used to

smuggle illegal immigrants across the border from

Mexico and into points along the U.S. Border.

If you see the vehicle pictured below

and have reason to believe that it is the suspect vehicle,
you are urged to contact your local

police department or the U. S. Border Patrol.

IS GRAMMAR DEAD?

No, I'm not some readneck wondering whether my grandmother is feeling well.

It's just that there are so many people who don't seem to get that words have meanings, that words are used to convey thoughts and ideas and that words are crucial to our interpersonal relationships.

If we are to communicate well, we must use words and sentence structure similarly.

Recently, as I watched a local "newscast," I heard the anchor proclaim: "A man robbed a bank full of people with a gun."

What?

If each of those people had a gun, how on earth did the man get away with the robbery?

I read a blog the other day whose author did not know the difference between "their," "there" and "they're."

Do you?

Do you know the correct usage of "lay," "lie," "lied" and "lay?" (Hint: "Lay" is what hens do with eggs, unless it happened in the past.)

One of my pet peeves is the use of the plural "their" for the singular "his" or "her."

In the sentence, "Neither of the men had his tools," the proper word of possession is "his," not "their." "Neither of the men had their tools" is incorrect. In fact, it does not even make sense.

Since "neither" is singular and "of the men" is a prepositional phrase (and cannot be used as the subject of a sentence), the agreement of the subject with the possessive "his" (or "her") is necessary.

On the other hand, since the following sentence has a plural subject, "several," the use of "their" is proper: Several found their cars unlocked.

The correct use of "I" and "me" seems to confuse some people, especially when used as a compound subject or in the objective case.

When used as the subject of a sentence, or in the "subjective case," "you" is always combined with "I," not "me."

On the other hand, when used as the object of a sentence, or in the "objective case," "you" is always combined with "me," not "I."

Is that confusing? It's not really hard at all.

If you drop the first part of the compound subject or object and then say the sentence, it will become obvious which is correct.

For example: to determine whether one should use "you and I" or "you and me," simply drop the "you" and say the sentence.

Would you say, "Me went to the store" or "I went to the store?"

If you would say, "I went to the store," then the combination "You and I" would be correct (assuming you both went to the store), and you would say, "You and I went to the store."

If you would say, "The books were given to me," then "The books were given to him and me" would be correct (not "The books were given to him and I").

Grammar really does make sense. It is very logical. People who can't figure out how to use good grammar probably have trouble with logic in general, and their conclusions about things might be suspect, at best.

So, is grammar dead?

I hope not.

Mark 9:31-50

Jesus had been performing miracles of provision and miracles of healing.

Once again we will see that the disciples did not understand what was going on.

The Verses

31. As they were on their way to Capernaum, Jesus was telling the disciples about His impending death.

32. Their lack of understanding caused them to be afraid…once again.

33. Jesus often used questions to make His points. How would you have felt if Jesus had asked out of the blue what you were arguing about? Do we ever argue among ourselves about things concerning our faith? Why do we sometimes set ourselves up as better than others? (Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”)

34. What was their response?

35. What is the meaning of verse 35, in your opinion?

36. How do we become as little children? How does that relate to Jesus’ telling us to grow in the faith? (Hebrews 5:14; 6:1 & James 1:4)

37. Jesus introduces the phrase, “…in my name…” Who is honored when we welcome those “of lower estate” than us?

38. John used the phrase “…in your name…” What does that phrase mean? Not everyone who claims the name of Christ belongs to Christ.

39. The great commentator, Matthew Henry, said: “Two reasons Christ gives why such should not be forbidden. (1.) Because we cannot suppose that any man who makes use of Christ’s name in working miracles, should blaspheme his name, as the scribes and Pharisees did. There were those indeed that did in Christ’s name cast out devils, and yet in other respects were workers of iniquity; but they did not speak evil of Christ.”

40. You are either for Christ or against Him. You are free to choose. You are not free not to choose. You are NOT free to choose the consequences of your choices. Your choices choose for you.

41. What reward is Jesus talking about in the last part of verse 41?

Mark 6:35-52

Mark was an eyewitness of Jesus’ life and ministry.

The book is clear: It is all about Jesus. Mark makes no references to himself.

Up to this point, Mark has told us about: John the Baptist; The calling of the first disciples; Jesus’ power over evil spirits; His healing ministry; His prayer life; and many other events in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Some highlights include: the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; the parables of the sower, the growing seed, the mustard seed, calming a storm, and healing a demon possessed man, a sick woman and a dead girl.

Jesus and the disciples had taken a boat across the lake to get away from the crowds (v-32). But the people saw where he was going and got there ahead of them (v-33). Jesus had compassion on the “sheep-like” crowd and began teaching them (v-34)

Questions to consider about today’s verses:

35. What were the disciples’ concerns about where they were?

36. What did the disciples want to do? What do we want to do?

37. Which of the people’s needs did Jesus want to meet? What was the disciples’ response? Do we sometimes just want to throw money at a problem (in the church, not in politics. We already know that’s a politician’s answer to everything.

38. Why do you suppose Jesus asked the disciples to report on what provisions the people had? Remember, they had rushed to follow Him across the lake without thinking that they might be there quite a while.

39. Jesus directed the people to sit down.

40. What do you notice about how the people were instructed to sit? Why do you suppose he grouped them like that? We need to learn the lesson of grouping people in our churches in order to facilitate being fed the Good News.

41. What was the significance of breaking the loaves? (Mark 14: 22; Matthew 26: 26;Luke 22: 19) In your mind’s eye, how did Jesus divide the two fish into enough parts to serve twelve to fifteen thousand people?

42. What did it take to satisfy the people?

43. How great is God’s provision when we do things His way? How great is God’s provision when we “lean to our own understanding?” (Proverbs 3:5)

MOBILIZING FOR HAITI

Southern Baptists are mobilizing to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

They will be among the first relief groups to arrive and typically provide food, shelter and medical aid to those affected by the 7.0 quake.

No doubt there will be many other church, charity and humanitarian groups joining in the effort as well.

Eventually, the U.S. federal government will arrive, but if past performance is any indication, they will arrive unorganized, will not have what is needed and will engage in in-fighting over what must be done where.

(Note: In the first several weeks following hurricane Katrina, more actual aid and money was provided by church and charitable groups than all the money spent by the federal government and all the actual aid provided by the federal government on initial relief efforts.)

Pray for the relief efforts of those going to Haiti, yes, even the U.S. government.

Romans 15 20-33 & Romans 16:1-27

Paul has taken us from sin to heaven in the book of Romans.

He has shown us what sin is, how serious it is, how permeating it is, and how it is revealed to us.

Paul has magnified the holiness of the Law while explaining to us how we can never hope to begin to keep the Law, let alone achieve salvation through it.

He has shown us the history of the Jews, the disobedience of the Jews, the fact that the Jews are and always will be God’s chosen people, that one day a multitude of them will come to faith in Christ.

Paul has shown us that the only way to become acceptable to God is by trusting in and only in the finished work of Christ at Calvary and by believing in His resurrection.

Paul has charged each of us with the responsibility of becoming living sacrifices, wholly acceptable unto God, and has shown us what that will look like in us when we achieve it by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Verses

20 & 21 Paul wanted to preach the gospel. Not some social injustice, not some political principles, not some pious pontification, but the gospel: the good news that salvation has come in Christ for all who will believe in Him and Him alone. He did not want to preach where people had already heard the gospel, but where it had not yet been heard. He wanted those people to hear and understand it, too.

22-29 Paul wished fellowship with believers in Jerusalem and in Spain. He had an offering to take to Jerusalem…just like we helped our missionaries, Paul wanted to help those where he used to persecute them. Paul puts his stamp of approval on his trip…assurance that he was in the will of God. There is an interesting principle revealed in the whole of Scripture: one measure of whether you are in God’s will is how much turmoil you are enduring. If there is no turmoil, there may be no “will of God.”

30-33 Paul asks for intercessory prayer that he might accomplish what God has in store for him. Praying for others is important for you, for the others and to God.

Romans 16

The Verses

1-16 Here is Paul’s blessing on the work people have done to further the gospel of Christ.

17-19 He reminds us that we will face problems from people and that we should not have a part with those who would cause divisions among us, nor should we be involved in causing them. Those who are involved with causing divisions will eventually be crushed.

21-24 Paul demonstrates again how we should relate to one another in love, dignity, respect, and appreciation. And here we catch a glimpse of some of the service Christians can be seen providing as they offer themselves as living sacrifices.

25-27 A great doxology of praise. As we read it, let’s try to catch the enthusiasm with which Paul wrote it. Then let’s apply the same enthusiasm to ourselves and our service. 　

WELL...HERE IT IS!

Romans 15:1 - 20

Paul wrote: “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation…to be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…”

From Romans 12:2 through Romans 15:22, we have Paul’s description of what being a “living sacrifice” looks like.

Note that Paul did NOT say, “If you do these things you will become a living sacrifice.” More correctly he said, “If you are a living sacrifice you will exhibit these characteristics.”

The Verses

1-6 Romans 15:1 is similar to Romans 14:1. It talks about the attitude of the
“living sacrifice” toward those who are weak. We are to be other
oriented, not self oriented. The “living sacrifice” gets encouragement from
the scriptures and gives that encouragement to others. This brings glory and
honor to God.

7-13 We are to be becoming more Christ like: to have a servant’s heart. We are
to be full of praise, song and witness for God and His salvation in Christ.

14-16 Paul sees his mission as one to remind Christians of their blessings in
Christ and their reaction to them. He is a minister to the gentiles, so that they
may hear and respond to the gospel.

17-20 What we do for God should not be a burden to us, but should be a source of joy. When there is a service need that we have the ability to provide, we should joyfully provide it. In fact, we should look for opportunities to serve.

Our message must never be social reform. That does not mean that social reform should not be sought and/or attained, but it is not our message. Our message is not an anti-abortion message, or a health care message, or a political message, or a societal ills message. Our message always has been, is now and always must be Christ crucified and resurrected for the remission of sin.

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS John Hart

John Hart

JUDGE; LEGISLATOR; SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION
Member of the New Jersey Assembly, 1761-1771; Served on the Committee of Safety, Committee of Correspondence, 1775; Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Member of Provincial Assembly 1775; Elected to the Continental Congress, 1776.

"[T]hanks be given unto Almighty God therefore, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die and after that the judgment [Hebrews 9:27] . . . principally, I give and recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God who gave it and my body to the earth to be buried in a decent and Christian like manner . . . to receive the same again at the general resurrection by the mighty power of God. "

Romans 14 1-23

Back in Romans 8:12, Paul wrote: “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation…” but he does not tell us what that obligation is until Romans 12:1. Then he tells us that our obligation is to be “…living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…”

Everything between Romans 8:12 and Romans 12:1 is set-up for the revelation of our obligation. Everything after Romans 12:2 is the why and how to be living sacrifices: to serve God according to our abilities; to love sincerely, even our enemies; and to submit to both our spiritual and civil authorities, even to paying taxes.

He explains that love is the fulfillment of the Law, for if we love sincerely, there is not a single Commandment that we would even think of breaking.

The Verses

1- 4 Allow others to live in proportion to their faith without rebuke. To tell someone they are sick or have some physical condition because of weak faith is cruel, unnecessary, unhelpful and violates every tenet of love. (Col 2:16-23) Your judgement is not relevant.

5 – 8 The Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy” says
absolutely nothing about when or how to worship. Indeed, this passage
emphasis the freedom we have in Christ. Verse 8 tells us that our focus must
be on, and only on, the Lord Jesus.

9 – 12 We will never be called by God to give an account of what one of our
brothers or sisters in Christ have done. We will, however, give an account of
ourselves if we cause a brother or sister to stumble in either sin or faith.

13 – 18 Paul could have stopped with “Therefore let us stop passing judgement
on one another,” but he chose to elaborate, listing some examples of what he
is talking about.

19 – 21 Our job is to make certain that the peace of Christ is manifested in all we
do, without doing anything that might hurt a brother or sister in Christ.

22 – 23 It has been said that the church is the only army that shoots its wounded.
We are clearly told here that if we are to be living sacrifices, holy and
acceptable unto God, we must NOT shoot our wounded, we are to help them
grow in their faith in Christ.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

REMEMBER, WE CELEBRATE JESUS' BIRTH TODAY.

HE IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.



WITHOUT HIM THERE WOULD BE NO CHRISTMAS.



HE IS GOD INCARNATE.



HE IS THE SAVIOR OF ALL WHO WILL COME TO HIM, TRUSTING IN, AND ONLY IN, HIS FINISHED WORK AT THE CROSS OF CALVARY AND BELIEVING IN HIS RESURRECTION.



MAY THE CHRIST OF CHRISTMAS BE YOURS ETERNALLY.

It happens every year...someone in the "scientific" community tries to "prove" that the virgin birth of Jesus, which we celebrate a Christmas, is impossible.

Jeremy Lott, writing for the American Spectator HERE makes an outstanding case against those who deny the virgin birth.

He sets his case by reminding us of the age-old arguments given by "scholars" as follows:

Scientific reductionists -- the Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins set -- will tell us that it's impossible. By definition, a virgin cannot be with child. Certain biblical scholars will be trotted out to poke holes in the dogma, by making points about the Bible passages in question that sound convincing to non-scholars. And moderate, embarrassed believers such as Newsweek editor Jon Meacham will try to smooth things over. The Virgin Birth, they will say, is symbolically but not historically or scientifically important. It's about new life or specialness or some other non-offensive, wooly-headed thing.

The scholars will say that the verse in Isaiah (7:14) that prophesies a "virgin shall conceive and bear a son" is a mistranslation. "Virgin" could be "young woman," you see. They will point out that only two of the four Gospels of the New Testament mention the Virgin Birth and that the Virgin Birth Gospels (Matthew and Luke) do not agree about many details. They will say that the earliest Gospel (Mark) leaves it out entirely.

If you read my previous post, you realize that the genealogies of Jesus, both demonstrating the descendency of Jesus from David, reveal the accuracy of the Mosaic texts of Genesis. John's gospel relies on the same text in chapter one, as does Mark's account.

Scholars' scepticism tends to suspect collusion of sources when those sources are "too much alike." Therefore, the divergency of the accounts of Matthew and Luke tend to support the idea that they are truthful in coming to the same conclusions about Jesus' birth.

Some scholars like to argue about the veracity of the translations of words like "virgin" and "wise men." But the "coincidences" surrounding the events of Jesus' birth are too much to have been either made up or happenstance.

Putting all of the arguments, pro and con, aside for a moment, let me assure you that on one point the scientists and liberal scholars are absolutely correct: the virgin birth of Christ is absolutely impossible. It physically and biologically could not have happened.

That's the point.

Although we toss the word around way too much, calling things miracles that happen all of the time, the word is really to be reserved for those things that happen that have no explanation and are out of the ordinary.

If there were a natural and/or scientific explanation for what occurred, it would not be a miracle, rather it would be a "normal."

In Joshua 10 we have an account of the sun standing still.

Foolishness!

I have heard preachers try to explain what happened with cosmic physics. I have heard them preach about the event being testified to in calendars, and all kinds of other "explanations."

But there are no natural explanations to miracles, we accept them by faith (much as evolutionists accept their unscientific theory as true by faith alone).

The Bible says the sun stood still, therefore we may believe that the sun stood still (whether literally or figuratively is another debate for another time).

That was a miracle.

The virgin birth was a miracle - pure and simple.

The One who created all that is from nothing is certainly able to manipulate it according to His will.

When the angel said to Joseph, "That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost...," he was telling the truth.

The virgin birth of Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The virgin birth of Christ is a fulfillment of what the angel told Mary.

The virgin birth of Christ is one of the essential doctrines of the FAITH.

The virgin birth of Christ is one more reason to remember the reason for the season: Jesus (Jehovah Saves) came to bring salvation to all who will believe.

Let's worship and adore Him, for He is worthy of our worship.

He was born

CHRIST, THE LORD.

ON MY FATHER'S SIDE

There are two genealogies of Jesus in the New Testament, one in Matthew and one in Luke.

Why? Well, the genealogy in Matthew belongs to the line from which Joseph came, and the one in Luke belongs to the line from which Mary came.

Luke's genealogy starts at Adam and goes to David. Matthew's genealogy starts at Abraham and goes to David. When the genealogies arrive at David, they split with David's sons: Nathan (Mary's side) and Solomon (Joseph's side).

The Old Testament required that the Anointed One would be a descendant of David.

It is so interesting that in the Joseph genealogy is a man named Jeconiah. God cursed Jeconiah (also called Coniah), stating that no descendant of his would ever sit on the throne of David, "For no man of his descendants will prosper sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah," (Jer. 22:30).

God is so cool.

See, Joseph’s line had to be the legal connection to David so that the Jewish Law would be satisfied.

But we all know that Joseph was NOT the literal Father of Jesus, God was.

In Mary’s genealogy there is no break and she is a direct descendent of David, fulfilling the physical requirement of the Messiah.

And we know, of course, that the Holy Spirit of God brought Him into being, fulfilling the spiritual requirements of the Messiah.

Later, when Jesus was 12, he was in the temple conversing with the Pharisees, asking them questions.

It seems that this 12 year old boy was asking questions of the Pharisees to which they did not know the answers, and then was answering them Himself..

We’re told that they were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

Southern gospel writers have a way of expressing spiritual truths that are so deep and unfathomable, in simple, understandable ways and in common terms.

Here are the words to a song that is about that time in the temple.

The Pharisees are questioning Jesus and He is giving answers that reflect His genealogy through Mary and His eternal relationship to His real Father.

ON MY FATHER’S SIDE

Just a young boy in the temple that day
Met with the doctors and they were just amazed
Never had they seen one so young speak so swift
They asked him many questions; the conversation went like this:

CHORUS:

What's your name son?
On my mother's side, my name is Jesus!
But on my Father's side, they call me Emanuel.

How old are you?
On my mother's side, now I’m twelve years!
But on my Father's side, I've just always been.

Where are you from?
On my mother’s side I’m from Bethlehem,
On my Father’s side it's New Jerusalem.

What are your plans?
On my mother’s side, I’ll be crucified
On my Father’s side in three days, I'll arise
And sit at my Father's side.

He was, the Son of God, and yet the son of man
I can't help but wonder how Joseph must have felt
When through an open door that day, he heard his son reply
You see, I am the King of Kings, that’s on my Father's side.

CHORUS

And so here we are, 2,000 years later celebrating the birth of the Prophesied One.

We say that He is God, incarnate.

That means, God in the flesh.

That little babe, the legal descendent of David through Joseph, the physical descendent of David through Mary and the spiritual descendent of the Great I Am.

That little baby had one purpose: to die for your sins and mine.

That little baby had within Him the power of salvation.

That little baby brought meaning to the saying: The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men could become the sons of God.

That little baby would defeat death so that you and I could, too.

That little baby did not become a king, He was born a king…not just any king, but the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

That’s on His Father’s side.

Romans 13:1-14

We are in the midst of learning what Paul means when he says to “…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing (acceptable) to God – this is your spiritual (reasonable) act of worship.”

He means that we are to humbly serve God according to our abilities, to love sincerely…both our brothers and sisters in Christ and our enemies.

The Verses

1. Follow your leaders. Some contend that this refers to spiritual leaders (which would have meant Pharisees, Sadducees and other religious leaders, others say it refers to civil governments. I lean toward the former, but would not argue with you over either…or both.

2. Ask yourself whether in the context of what Paul has been saying whether he is referring to civil authorities or spiritual authorities here…it could be either.

3 – 5 He continues with this description of how to be a living sacrifice by being
submissive.

6 – 7 This section is a references to taxes. In terms of the differing opinions
about whether or not this refers to the civil taxes, remember, the Jewish
leaders imposed taxes on Jews, just as the Romans did.

8 – 10 This does not say, “Don’t take on debt,” it says, “Don’t let debts remain
outstanding.” In other words, pay your debts. If you want to fulfil the law (as
far as is possible for mere people to do so), love others. This is a recurring
New Testament theme.

11 – 14 If you want to be a living sacrifice, be aware that it is time to wake up
and be counted for Christ. Put of the things of the world and take on the cloak
of Christ.

Remember, as Christians we are not guided by the Law of Moses or the laws of men, but by the Holy Spirit of God who will help you become what God wants you to be: living sacrifices, putting the things of Christ in the place of the things of the world.

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS-Alexander Hamilton

REVOLUTIONARY GENERAL; SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION; AUTHOR OF THE FEDERALIST PAPERS; SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
Following his duel with Aaron Burr, in those final twenty four hours while life still remained in him, Hamilton called for two ministers, the Rev. J. M. Mason and the Rev. Benjamin Moore, to pray with him and administer Communion to him. Each of those two ministers reported what transpired. The Rev. Mason recounted:

[General Hamilton said] “I went to the field determined not to take his life.” He repeated his disavowal of all intention to hurt Mr. Burr; the anguish of his mind in recollecting what had passed; and his humble hope of forgiveness from his God. I recurred to the topic of the Divine compassion; the freedom of pardon in the Redeemer Jesus to perishing sinners. “That grace, my dear General, which brings salvation, is rich, rich” – “Yes,” interrupted he, “it is rich grace.”

“And on that grace,” continued I, “a sinner has the highest encouragement to repose his confidence, because it is tendered to him upon the surest foundation; the Scripture testifying that we have redemption through the blood of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins according to the richness of His grace.” Here the General, letting go my hand, which he had held from the moment I sat down at his bed side, clasped his hands together, and, looking up towards Heaven, said, with emphasis, “I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 12:9-21

Now that we know what our obligation is (to offer ourselves as living sacrifices…), we need to know what that means.

So Paul says, “I’m glad you asked.”

First it means to humbly use the gifts God has given you in His service (12:5-8)

Secondly, it means to love, not some false, emotional feeling, but love put into action.

The Verses

9-10. Love must be real and aimed at actions of love toward one another.

11-13 Love with energy, service, joy, hope, patience, faithfulness and hospitality.

14-16 Remember that Jesus said, “Love your enemies…” (Matthew 5:44ff). Here, Paul tells us what actions will demonstrate that love: when you are persecuted, make your persecutors happy (that’s what “bless” means). Exercise empathy with others’ plights. Don’t be proud or conceited.

17-18 Don’t play the “get even” game – that’s not love but strive to do what is right. Don’t get mixed up here. He’s not talking about doing what other people think is right, he is talking about do right, no matter what others think.

19 Revenge may seem satisfying for a season, but in the end, it only makes you bitter and hopeless. (The bird in the picture above has gotten revenge on the cat.)

20. Here Paul is quoting Proverbs 25:21 –22 and Luke 27ff.

You will notice, I hope, that being a living sacrifice is not easy. It goes against the “eye-for-an-eye-tooth-for-a-tooth” attitude of the world (as well as the old Jewish system).

In Chapter 13, Paul will continue to reveal to us what it means to “offer ourselves as living sacrifices,” which, of course, is all a part of “dying to self.

JUST THROW IT ALL AWAY

In terms of talent, he was the greatest golfer in history. His issue, though, was one of character. His was all low, and he proved it.







His character issue manifested itself on the golf course in anger. Lots of golfers get angry, but Tiger Woods got angry like few others. He cursed, sometimes loud enough to be heard on TV, he threw his clubs, he stomped like a child and he kicked dirt, all with great fervor.







His talent ran deeper than we could imagine. So did his character flaws. He believed his own hype, and that because of his position could do anything he wanted, any time he wanted, anywhere he wanted, with whomever he wanted and nobody could tell him otherwise.





Like all of us, Tiger Woods had impulses. Unlike most persons of character, he believed he had no responsibility to control those impulses. He projected the image of "strong family man" all the while living an opposite life-style.





Tiger has lost many of his corporate sponsors, not because they are so squeaky-clean and never have moral lapses, but because his "new image," that of philanderer, is not good for their image or their sales.







Tiger Wood's is a sad story and a sad commentary on celebrity. But it is a story that demonstrates the absolute truth revealed in Scripture (Romans 3:23) "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" That goes for you and me, too. It is the nature of fallen mankind.







There is one, and only one, solution: a changed heart brought about by a personal encounter with God through Christ Jesus.

That's true whether you are a sports celebrity, a politician, a movie star, or just a regular Joe, like me.

Otherwise, we just throw it all away.

Romans 11:25-12:8

We are almost there! We’re just about to find out what the obligation we were told we had back in Romans 8:12 actually is.

READ ROMANS 11:25-32

We’ve seen: that there is to be a future glory for those in Christ; that in Christ we are more than conquerors; that absolutely anybody, Jew or gentile (Greek) can come to Christ; that much of Israel rejected Christ; that God promised a remnant of Israel would come to Christ; that those who come to Him who are not Jewish are grafted into the vine and that that eventually ALL of what’s left of Israel will come to Christ.

READ ROMANS 11:33-36

Here we find out that there is no way to measure God, and that He is worthy of our praise and glory forever.

ROMANS 12:1-8

The Verses

1. God does not want the sacrifice of animals, He wants our lives…all of us, with nothing withheld. (Hebrews 10:4)

2. We are to forsake the pattern of the world. If you still think like the world thinks, and you know Christ, you need to ask Him to change your way of thinking by the power of the Holy Spirit. Do not think you can know God’s will for your life if you are not willing to forsake the pattern of this world and offer yourself as a living sacrifice. You cannot.

3. Don’t think you are better than anybody else. (Philippians 2:3)

4. This begins Paul’s emphasis on unity and service. We are the Body of Christ. That is what the church is.

5. We belong to each other, and are charged with serving each other.

6. Every one of us has at least one spiritual gift…maybe more than one.

7. You are to use your gift for Christ. I get so tired of school teachers saying, “I’m teaching school 5 days per week. I don’t want to teach on Sundays.” WHAT???? That is your gift!!!! You are to use it for teaching the gospel!!! God says so, and you are obligated to it (verse 1)

8. The point: Whatever you know how to do, do it for Christ in loving response to what He has done for you.

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS-Elbridge Gerry

Elbridge Gerry: SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; MEMBER OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION; FRAMER OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS, GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Called on the State of Massachusetts to pray that:

". . . with one heart and voice we may prostrate ourselves at the throne of heavenly grace and present to our Great Benefactor sincere and unfeigned thanks for His infinite goodness and mercy towards us from our birth to the present moment for having above all things illuminated us by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, presenting to our view the happy prospect of a blessed immortality."

Romans 11:12-24

Michael Horton writes in his latest book, The Gospel-Driven Life. He writes:

The God of the Bible is a strange God-- not the kind of God we can manage, manipulate, accommodate, or domesticate to our familiar experience. We cannot find this God by looking within ourselves. His Word is not the same as our inner voice. He cannot be pared down to our size, measured by our speculations, experiences, or felt needs. Rather, he stands over against us, telling us how things actually are. When God actually confronts us, our speculations are exposed as idols, our experience judged as little more than a projection of ourselves, and our felt needs give way to more pressing needs that we did not even realize that we had. God confronts us, disorients us, and pulls us outside of our comfort zones. If we feel naked and ashamed, then it's a good sign that we are actually in the presence of the God of the Bible.

What is the point? God is absolutely sovereign.

We’re on the last leg, now, of our journey to the obligation mentioned in 8:12 and completed in 12:1ff.

Paul has been talking about Israel’s failure to receive the Promise (Christ) and is now ready to discuss his ministry to the gentiles.

The Verses

12. He’s talking about the Jews’ rejection of Christ, that their rejection opened the way for the gentiles to receive the riches and the even greater value Christ will be to the Jews when those who will finally accept Him.

13. Paul proclaims himself an apostle to the gentiles.

14. His ultimate goal is to bring “his people,” the Jews, to salvation.

15. Because the Jews rejected Christ, Paul could turn his attention to the gentiles. The funny thing is, it is through the gentiles that the chosen people of God will receive the Promise of God (Christ).

16. My interpretation here is not the interpretation of “learned” scholars, but I believe is correct: “Firstfruits” is a reference to Christ. If Christ is holy, so are all who are in Him.

17. Some of God’s chosen people have rejected His Promise. They have broken off. We gentiles have been grafted in (“adopted” is another way Paul expresses this truth).

18. But now watch…the part that has broken off is gone, but the root stock is still there in the persons of those Jews who have accepted Christ. They are the spiritual stock that give evidence of our support.

19. The fact that branches broke off made room for us is true, but

20. It was their unbelief in the salvation provided by God, and it is our faith that enables us to stand fulfilled in Christ.

Don’t think you are better than the Jews. That manifests itself as arrogance.

21. He’ll not spare anyone who is arrogant enough to think he is self-sufficient or able to provide his own salvation.

22. God is infinitely kind to those who are in Him through Christ, but “stern” with those who have rejected Him.

23. If they will but turn to Him, they, too, will be grafted into the vine.

24. He’s speaking here of the way in which we must all come to Christ. He is also saying that if any Jew turns to Christ, he will immediately be accepted.

Romans 11:1-10

Paul continues his rationale for the obligation he said we have, which began in Romans 8:12 and is finally revealed in Romans 12:1ff.

He has been writing about Israel, God’s chosen people, and how they missed the Messiah when He came…not all of them, but most of them.

Paul has stated that the law, given by Moses was holy, but that it could not save.

Now he is going to write about the Jews who WOULD be saved.

The Verses

1. God chose Israel (He did not choose them because they were somehow special and deserved to be chosen, He chose them - and that's what made them special. He is God and He get's to choose. He chose Israel). God has never abandoned them. The point is, you can count on God to keep His word. He will never act contrary to His word.

2. Our national leaders are on the verge of standing against Israel in Middle East politics. They do so at the peril of our country. There are about 15 million Jews in the world. There are about 6 billion people in the world. There is probably a bigger percentage of Israelites who are believers than there is of gentiles.

3. Israel not only turned from God, they participated in the killing of those who did not turn from God. Elijah pointed out their rebellion. He thought it was ALL of them.

4. God reassured Elijah that He had some followers among the Israelites.

5. He has a remnant of Jews today who have been saved by the GRACE of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

6. He again states the theme that salvation is by grace, not works, whether you are Jew or gentile. Grace and works are diametrically opposed to each other in terms of their effecting salvation.

7. Israel’s belief that you could please God by keeping the Law excluded them from being among “the elect” (those saved by grace). Those who came to God through faith in Christ were (and are) saved, while those who did not (and do not) are lost…with hardened hearts.

8. No one had ever been exposed to the gospel as much as the Jews, but they would not accept the light (Jesus). “...could not see or hear” here is not a reference to physical sight and hearing, but to spiritual sight and hearing.

9. “The table” represents material prosperity - feasting. The great feasts of celebration (such as Passover) became very ritualistic and pagan in their nature. The Jews trusted the things they ate without any true confidence in God. By the way, that is the condition of multitudes of church members…they go through the religious motions without ever placing their total trust in God through Christ.

10. God gives light (Christ) so that men might see (receive salvation). Those who refuse Christ will be spiritually blinded.

11. Are the Jews hopeless? NO. But Paul turned to the gentiles to offer them salvation in order that the Jews might see, repent and turn in faith believing.

WISHING YOU AND YOURS

A BLESSED THANKSGIVING DAY!

Romans 10:14-21

We are on our way to figure out why our obligation to God is to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God and why that is reasonable and worshipful.

Paul has just finished telling us that if we say with our mouths that Jesus is God, and believe in our hearts that God has resurrected Him, we shall be saved.

He went on to say that anyone who trusts in Him (Jesus) will never be put to shame (a euphemism for “going to Hell), and that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

He then begins another section of reasoning.

The Verses

14. One cannot call upon a God one does not believe in…one would just be wasting one’s breath. On the other hand, one cannot believe in a God one has not been told about, by one’s parents, by one’s co-worker, by one’s friend, by one’s pastor, by one’s Sunday School teacher. Here “preaching” does not mean just by the pastor (preacher and pastor are two different things).

15. So, are only preachers “sent?” NO. You have been sent. (Matthew 28:16-20) You have been sent to your neighbor, to your co-worker, to your family and to your fellow church member. (The pastor’s job, according to Ephesians 4:11-16, is to prepare God’s people [that’s you and me] for works of service1, so that we will grow up in our Christian walk.) Isaiah 52:7.

16. Some Jews accepted the GOOD NEWS that Messiah had come…some did not. (Isaiah predicted that some would not believe what we have to say about Messiah [53:20)]).

17. Faith comes when we are told about the GOOD NEWS (the message). The message is heard though the Word of Christ…the Bible…yes, but also by the Holy Spirit (who will NEVER contradict the Word, but instead will point us TO the Word, who is Christ.

18. “They” is a reference to the Jews. They heard. They did not accept. Paul quotes the Old Testament four times: Psalm 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:21; Isaiah 65:1 and Isaiah 65:2)

1What are the works of service? They include: How to serve as a deacon; How to serve in the church office; How to serve in church administration and/or finance; How to serve as an usher; How to serve as a greeter; How to serve overseeing church property; How to serve in the ministry of baptism; How to serve in community projects; How to serve in worship leadership; How to serve in audio/visual ministries; How to serve in music; How to serve in hospitality; How to serve with children; How to serve with Youth How to serve in the Nursery and many, many others. They might also include How to start your new life as a Christian; How to grow as a Christian, etc.

Romans 9:30 – 10:13

We’re still headed toward the obligation mentioned in Romans 8:12 and revealed in Romans 12:1…to offer ourselves as living sacrifices.

The Verses

30. The gentiles were happily on their way living their lives with no anticipation of a Savior or any knowledge of their need for one.

31. Meanwhile the Jews, who were looking for a Messiah, had the idea that the Law was going to help them.

32. See, the Jews were not acting on faith, but on works. When Christ came, He was regarded as a false Messiah and became a “stumbling block”

33. (Taken from Isaiah 8:14 and 28:16)

Romans 10

1. Paul wants Israel to be saved, but knows that can only happen if they come to Christ.

2. The Jews’ enthusiasm for God is not based on their knowledge of God, but on their perceived self-righteousness.

3. They neither knew Christ and His righteousness, nor did they submit to Him.

4. The Law "ended" with Christ, that is, it was completely fulfilled in Christ. Christ became both Righteousness and the source of Righteousness.

5. The Law brought by Moses yielded self-righteousness as the Jews thought the Law held salvation.

6. GET THIS: The righteousness that comes by faith in Christ Jesus does not concern itself with theological mumbo-jumbo (How many angels can sit on the head of a pin. Can God make a rock so heavy that even God cannot lift it).

7. Another example of Law-livers’ theology: Who went to get Christ from the grave? (Answer: nobody. He resurrected Himself).

8. The righteousness that comes by faith says that Christ lives in your mouth and your heart.

9. Verse 8 is the set-up for this famous verse. Say out loud that Jesus IS Lord and believe in your heart that He is alive today and you will be saved.

10. More of the requirements for living in righteousness: The heart believes and the mouth confesses.

11. Christ is the answer…period.

12. We are all the same: Jews and Gentiles…we all need a Savior.

13. Anybody, Jew or Greek (Gentile) can be saved by coming to Christ.

SOMETHING VISIBLE

I found this over at SelahV Today.

I think it is a very significant song.

Watch, listen and be inspired.

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM THE FOUNDERS-Gabriel Duvall

Gabriel Duvall

SOLDIER; JUDGE; SELECTED AS DELEGATE TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION; COMPTROLLER OF THE U. S. TREASURY; U. S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

"I resign my soul into the hands of the Almighty Who gave it, in humble hopes of His mercy through our Savior Jesus Christ."

Romans 9:14-29

Since there is no condemnation in Christ; since we live according to the Holy Spirit; and since we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, we therefore have an obligation to (Romans 8:12) offer our bodies as living sacrifices…(Romans 12:1).

The natural man rebels against the sovereignty of God. Man loves to accuse God of being unjust. The trouble is, the natural man forgets that God gets to define what is just and what is unjust because He is God and natural man is not.

The Verses

14. In the previous verses we saw God choosing Jacob over Esau. Was He unjust? No. He is God and defines what is and what is not just.

15. God gets to choose who He has mercy on and who He has compassion on. Because God is who He is and is unmanipulable, prayer must be finding out what God wants and getting on board with it…whatever it is.

16. Man is not the one who gets to choose. But God does. Salvation is not what God gives us because we are who we are; salvation is what God gives us because He is God. It is His mercy, not extended because of man’s will, but because of God’s mercy in Christ.

17. Back when Pharaoh chased the Jews to the Red Sea, God decided to show His power. God gave Pharaoh many chances to follow God’s will, but rejected them all. God’s says, “You may think you are not going to let my people go, but watch this: you ARE going to let my people go.” God forced Pharaoh to do what he wanted to do.

18. God has mercy on whom He wants to and hardens whom he wants to. Now a person can resist the prodding of the Holy Spirit if he/she wants to, but there will come a time when God will harden his/her heart until he can no longer respond to God.

19. Natural man says, “How can a fair and just God blame us for sin?” Because He is God, folks…because He is God. And natural man has rejected Him.

20. Who do we think we are to challenge God? It only shows that we don’t want to know who He is.

21. A potter can make whatever he wants out of the lump of clay he uses. The clay has no voice in the matter. But in the end, what the potter makes is a work of art. What if the potter had not gotten involved? What if the clay had said, “You have no right to mash on me?”

We sing:

Have Thine own way, Lord; have Thine own way;
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mould me and make me after Thy will
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Is that really what we mean?

22. What if God…This is not a verse setting out something God has done. This is a verse that forces the question, “SO WHAT?” What if God had done this…what if God had done that? SO WHAT? What if God had done the other thing? SO WHAT? HE IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT. HE GETS TO CHOOSE, AND HE HAS CHOSEN TO SHOW ETERNAL MERCY ON THOSE WHO TURN TO HIM IN FAITH BELIEVING, TRUSTING IN, AND ONLY IN, THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST AT THE CROSS AND HIS RESURRECTION FOR THEIR SALVATION.

23. Same theme.

24. Same theme and Paul adds that God has chosen the path of salvation by grace through faith for ANYBODY, Jew or Gentile…even you and me.

25-29: Paul’s wish for the Jews repeated: Come to Christ!

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS-John Dickinson

John Dickinson

SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION; GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA; GOVERNOR OF DELAWARE; GENERAL IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

"Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity.

"[Governments] caould not give the rights essential to happiness… We claim them from a higher source: from the King of kings, and Lord of all the earth."