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."

Romans 9 1-12

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 a living sacrifices…(Romans 12:1).

The Verses

1. Paul affirms that he is being truthful in what he is about to say.

2. His heart is vexed by what he is about to say.

3. If he could, he would bear the sins of “his brothers” (Israel) on himself.

4. Christ came to offer them adoption; glory, the old and new covenants; the Law; an opportunity for true worship and the promises of the Old Testament (Jesus)

5. Everything in the Old Testament, as culminated in the New Testament, was offered to the Jews, but they rejected it all.

6. It was not God who failed, but them. The natural offspring of Jews are not the real children of Israel…Christians are (spiritual offspring).

7. Being a descendant of Abraham will not save you. If it were so, Islam would be a true religion…they are sons of Abraham. When Jesus was confronted by Jews who claimed to be descendants of Abraham, He set them straight. They are not real descendants.

8. Jesus made clear that the real descendants of Abraham are the children of the Promise (Himself) There were thousands who turned to Christ after the resurrection. (Acts 21:20)

9. Words are important, and how people say things determines the meaning of their words. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to return and provide the many offspring of Abraham.

10. Isaac and Rebekah are given as a principle of the divine election of God; that is: whoever comes to Christ is elected.

11. God’s election was determined before the multitudes of descendants were born.

12. The point here is that God’s salvation does not depend upon one’s birth, (the twins were born at the same time), it does not rest upon the order of birth (in fact, God chose the younger), it does not depend upon their character, or their works.

13. It all depends upon Christ…God’s purpose in election.

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS Charles Carroll

" Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure...are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments."

Charles Carroll

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE;

SELECTED AS DELEGATE TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION;

FRAMER OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS;

U. S. SENATOR

Member, 1774-1776 Constitutional Conventions,

Anne Arundel County Senate, Western Shore, 1777-1800

Senate President, 1782-1783

Delegate, Continental Congress, 1776, 1777-1778, 1780

Signer, Declaration of Independence, 1776

U.S. Senator, 1st, 2nd Congresses, 1789-1792

Romans 8:28-39

SAINTS AT WORSHIP


Remember: We are still working on the explanation of the “therefore” of verse 12 and the therefore of Chapter 12, verse 1: “Therefore…therefore I urge you to offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable act of worship (service).”

The Verses

28. “And.” In addition to what we have already known, we know this: God is for us.

29. We’ll not enter into a discussion of the meaning of “predestination” here except to say you are either a “saint” or an “ain’t .” If you are an “ain’t” you are doomed. If you are a saint, you can know that you have been predestined…to what?…to be Christ like.

30. If you are a saint, you are called to be like Jesus, both in justification and glorification.

31. If God is for us, who can be against us? Nobody and nothing.

32. In His graciousness He will give us all things. Now this does not mean that we will all have Beamers or Mercedes, but, sticking to the subject: we will inherit what Christ has inherited…all of creation and heaven, too. What a deal!!!

33. The “who” here is a direct reference to Satan. He can’t charge us with our sin, and neither can anybody else, because God has both chosen and justified us.

34. Christ is the only one who can condemn and He only condemns those who have rejected Him. He intercedes for us.

35. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Nobody and nothing.

36. Psalm 44:22. It will cost you to stand for Christ. You will be led as sheep to the slaughter.

37. But they cannot triumph! We are more than conquerors! (Through Christ, that is) That means to have assistance from one who gets the victory for us. The victorious life is not our life…it is HIS in us!!

38. & 39 Nothing. NOTHING! NOTHING! Can separate us from God’s love if we are in Christ. He does the keeping, not us. He does the saving, not us.

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS Josiah Bartlett

Josiah Bartlett:

MILITARY OFFICER; SIGNER OF THE

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE;

JUDGE; GOVERNOR OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Called on the people of New Hampshire ". . . to confess before God their aggravated transgressions and to implore His pardon and forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ . . . [t]hat the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ may be made known to all nations, pure and undefiled religion universally prevail, and the earth be fill with the glory of the Lord."

Romans 8:12-17

This second half of the first section of Romans 8 begins with another “therefore.”

So, wherefore the therefore?

Because we are dead to the Law, to self and to sin, and because the Holy Spirit is living in us, we therefore…

The Verses

12. We have an obligation…not a choice. So, what is the obligation? We’ll find out after Paul completes his logic. In fact, this thought is not complete until chapter 12, verses 1 through 4. Romans 8:12b-11:36 gives his logic for coming to this conclusion:

Since we are dead to the Law, to self and to sin, and because the Holy Spirit is living in us, we have an obligation to offer ourselves as living sacrifices.

13. This verse continues the logic: The sinful nature kills, but the Holy Spirit gives life.

14. If you are a child of God, you are led by the Holy Spirit, and, by implication, if you are not led by the Holy Spirit, you are not a child of God.

15. The Holy Spirit does not remind you of your past sin (that is Satan), but points you to Christ. By the Holy Spirit, you have an intimate relationship to God, such that you can refer to Him as “Abba,” a term of endearment, sort of like “Daddy.”

16. Once you are saved, you know that you know that you are saved, not by how you feel, but by the Word of God (that tells you how to be saved) and the testimony of His Holy Spirit, who lives in you.

17. The song, “The Family of God” has a great line: “Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod…” We are heirs of the King. An heir is someone who inherits his/her parents’ possessions. We can share in both his sufferings and his glory.

What were His sufferings? (Persecution, whipping, being nailed to the cross, descending into Hell on our behalf, carrying the sins of the world on His shoulders, and being buried in a borrowed grave.)

What are His glories? (Being resurrected, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, receiving us into His eternal riches – Hebrews 12:2).

18. We think we have it bad. What we have is nothing compared to what lies ahead. As the song says, “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.”

19. Think of creation. It gets bigger and bigger every day!

20. All of creation was affected by the one man, Adam’s, sin. You ask why bad things happen, why there is sickness, why there is pain, why there are accidents, why there is death? Here’s why: sin. And Christ suffered that for us.

21. In the end, creation itself will be free from sin. Imagine that!

22. Now, creation is full of the consequences of sin.

23. Even Christians suffer the results of original sin, knowing that the suffering will cease.

24. The hope referred to here is not an “I wish for” hope, it is a hope that is steadfast and sure. It is a hope not only of present salvation, but of our future glory!

25. We will wait patiently for that hope, whether we want to be patient or not. We have no choice…we will wait patiently.

26. The Holy Spirit helps us. Please notice that this verse does not say that the Holy Spirit makes us groan and make strange utterances. This verse tells us that the Holy Spirit does the groaning, using words that we cannot express. You cannot say the words that the Holy Spirit says to God on our behalf.

27. By the Holy Spirit, witness is given to God that we are His children…saved…saints of His…just as He willed it from the beginning of time.

All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

Rules from God

No one is more anti-legalistic than I am.

I see legalism as the ultimate heresy in the Christian faith.

The first 8 chapters of Romans are an exercise in anti-legalism and pro-grace.

But...if God were to issue some rules, those that follow might be among them.

Give them a read and see what you think.


1. Wake Up !!
Decide to have a good day.
"Today is the day the Lord hath made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up !!
The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.
A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at outward appearance;
but the Lord looks at the heart."
I Samuel 16:7

3. Shut Up!!
Say nice things and learn to listen.
God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant
for us to do twice as much listening as talking.
"He who guards his lips guards his soul."
Proverbs 13:3

4. Stand Up!!...
For what you believe in.
Stand for something or you will fall for anything..
"Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time,
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."
Galatians 6:9-10

5. Look Up !!...
To the Lord.
"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13

6. Reach Up !!...
For something higher.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not unto your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him,
and He will direct your path."
Proverbs 3:5-6

7. Lift Up !!...
Your Prayers.
"Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING."
Philippians 4:6

Remember: God answers Knee-Mail

Quotes from C. S. Lewis

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

How incessant and great are the ills with which a prolonged old age is replete.

Humans are amphibians - half spirit and half animal. As spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time.

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.

If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.

It's so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see one.

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.

The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."

This is one of the miracles of love: It gives a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted.

You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS Jacob Broom

"I flatter myself you will be what I wish, but don’t be so much flatterer as to relax of your application – don’t forget to be a Christian. I have said much to you on this head, and I hope an indelible impression is made."


Jacob Broom

LEGISLATOR; SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION

In a letter to his son, James, attending Princeton University

Romans 8:1-11

Since man is absolutely sinful to the core of his natural being (Romans 1:18-32);

Since God is Righteous and has the right to judge mankind’s sin (Romans 2:1-16);

Since ritualistic obedience to the Law cannot remove sin (Romans 2:17-28);

Since God is faithful, even when we are not (Romans 3:1-8);

Since not one single person has ever been, is not now and never will be righteous (Romans 3:9-20);

Since Righteousness only comes through faith, apart from the Law (Romans 3:21-31);

Since both Old Testament and New Testament people are justified by faith (Romans 4:1-25;

Since Peace and Joy are only available through faith in Christ (Romans 5:1-11);

Since sin entered the world through Adam and was passed down generationally (Romans 5:12-20);

Since in Christ we have died to sin (Romans 6:1-14);

Since we have voluntarily made ourselves slaves to Christ (Romans 6:15-23);

Since we, in Christ, have died to the Law (Romans 7:1-6);

Since we still struggle with and commit sin (Romans 7:7-24)

And since we have been rescued from this body of death called sin by Christ (Romans 7:25)

The Verses

1. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Video)

2. Why? Because Christ sets us free from the Law of sin and death.

3. The Law could not save us, but Christ can, does and will.

4. The requirements of the Law are met in us by Christ.

5. “Living by the sinful nature” means never having trusted in Christ and not wanting to follow The Holy Spirit, while living in accordance with the spirit means letting Him lead in all things.

6. Failing to trust in Christ leads to eternal death, but being controlled by the Spirit gives life.

7. The world and unsaved people are hostile to God and cannot follow the Spirit’s guidance.

8. Those who are unsaved (controlled by the sinful nature) cannot please God, no matter how hard they try.

9. You are saved, and therefore controlled by the Holy Spirit. If you do not have the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) you are not saved. You cannot be saved and then get the Holy Spirit, because if you don’t have The Holy Spirit, you are not saved.

10. If you are saved (Christ is in you), your flesh will face death, but your essence, your spirit will never face death because of righteousness…not yours, Christ’s.

11. Just as Christ was resurrected, so you shall be resurrected as well. This harkens back to the conversation Jesus had with Martha when Lazarus had died in John 11:21-43.

The group called the "Sadducees" did not believe in a bodily resurrection. They constantly accosted Jesus on this point.

Martha did believe in the resurrection, but she did not really trust that Jesus was the Messiah.

Until Lazarus was raised, that is…then she believed.

PRAISE HIM TODAY!

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS Samuel Adams

"I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world . . . that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace."


Samuel Adams

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; "FATHER OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION"; RATIFIER OF THE U. S. CONSTITUTION; GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS