Surrender Daily

What is Faith?

2012-01-02T12:36:00.001-08:00

Recently, I have been “stumbling” around the internet,seeing a number of views and opinions about Christianity and religion ingeneral. There are so many outthere who wish to discredit the name of Jesus Christ, to disprove the existenceof God, and/or to eliminate religion from our society altogether. They claim there is no proof that Jesuswas anything other than a man who lived and died. They claim that the Christ of Christianity is nothing morethan a fabrication of man. Theyclaim that there is no scientific evidence in God, much less scientificevidence that God came as a man, lived a sinless life, died, and rose from thegrave to conquer death. Faith,they say, is irrational. There isno proof of the resurrection. There is no proof that God even exists – at least proof that theyacknowledge. Religion, they say,is the source of all evil in society – pointing to any number of heinous actscommitted in the name of religion - from the crusades to 911.

The problem is that true Christianity is not a religion, itis a relationship with a savior – and to say that faith is irrational is todeny the very meaning of faith. Isuppose that we will never be able to “prove” the existence of God to thesatisfaction of the likes of Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, and RichardDawkins. However, to say there isno rational reason to believe in God is – well – a bit self-serving on the partof those who would eliminate God from society. There have been a number of proofs given for the existenceof God and for the resurrection of Jesus Christ (which will not be repeatedhere), but to those who have hardened their hearts so as to choose not tobelieve, no proof would ever be sufficient. To those who choose to be open to the possibility, however,the proof is overwhelming.

That proof, unfortunately, will not engender faith or leadone to accept the premises of Christianity. Hebrews 11:1 says “… faith is the assurance of things hopedfor, the conviction of things not seen.” (ESV) – but what does that reallymean? Faith is not mereintellectual assent nor is it simple belief – although both assent and beliefare necessary components of faith. The kicker is that it is assent and beliefin “things hoped for” and not “things rational proven”.

Assent and belief, though, are only a part of the meaning offaith. True faith engendersaction, and that action is the “conviction of things not seen.” To “act in faith” is the ultimatesign of belief. To claim faith butnot have the willingness to act on that faith is to delude oneself intothinking that you believe when, in all practicality, you are as much an atheistas those who wish to drive God from society completely. Conviction runs deep and breedsloyalty. Conviction in somethingnot seen – not proven or perhaps not even rational (at least by some standards)- is the heart of true faith.

To be a Christian is to LIVE by faith – not by reason orproof. This is precisely what itsays in 2 Corinthians 5:7. Surelythere is reason in faith and those who have faith have the proof of their faithliving within them – namely, the Holy Spirit of God. However, the live a Christian lives, he lives by faith. That means the full weight of his trustis upon that which he cannot otherwise prove. He acts based upon something that those around him cannotsee nor understand, and he does so believing that he is right when all otherssay he is wrong.

Christianity is about faith:

· Faith that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.
· Faith that he was 100% God, but at the same time100% man.
· Faith that he rose from the grave and thereforeconquered death
· Faith that he has the power to forgive sins
· Faith that he can grant us both resurrection andeternal life

And that faith demandsaction – a life that is full of conviction that to believe these things is tolive as if they are true.

Are You A "Judger" (John 7:53-8:11)

2011-09-26T05:19:00.000-07:00

My wife and I have this little poking fun jab we do witheach other. Whenever one of us is beingjudgmental or sanctimonious, the other will form the letter “J” out of his/herthumb and index finger and call the other person a “Judger.” It is our emotion-friendly way of letting theother know that they are steering dangerously close to the land ofhypocrisy. Ironically, to pull the“Judger” sign like that requires a little “judging” itself – which both of usrealize – but the silliness of it breaks the tension just enough for both of usto return to a more realistic view of the situation.

The oldest and, in the opinion of many scholars, mostreliable manuscripts available do not contain John 7:53-8:11. However, most scholars will agree that theevents that are recounted in that section of scripture most likely didoccur. More importantly, they contain avaluable lesson about the importance of avoiding hypocrisy and judging others.

The Pharisees were as sanctimonious as they come. Thy made it their pleasure in life to judgeothers, although they made little to no effort at judging themselves. They had already judged Jesus in theirhearts, although by the power of God the Father Jesus himself had the authorityto judge all men. The problem for thePharisees is that Jesus had become immensely popular with the people and histeachings were threatening their power base. In their thinking, the only way they were going to be able to stop himwould be to turn the people against him. As a result, they were pulling out all the stops to trap Jesus any waythey could in order to do precisely that.

Jesus was known for his compassion. He had fed the masses, healed the lame, and hegiven sight to the blind. In theirminds, he had even compromised the law for the sake of compassion. After all, it was Jesus’ healing of the lameman at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath that had finally set the Phariseesagainst him for the purpose of taking his life.

On the morning of the 8^th day after the start ofthe Feast of Booths – a day that was no officially a part of the Feast ofBooths but was still considered a day of celebration and feasting – Jesus wasonce again teaching in the temple. TheBible tells us that a large crowd of people came to hear him teach. Perhaps the events of the previous day – whenhe stood up during the Water Libation Ceremony and claimed to be able toprovide the living water to all who believed in him – had drawn a larger thannormal crowd.

While he was teaching, the scribes and Pharisees joined thecrowd, dragging a woman with them that they claimed had been caught red-handedin the act of adultery. There was noquestion that the woman was guilty of sin. The law demanded death by stoningfor such an act of immorality but in reality it had probably been a very longtime since that sentence had truly been carried out. Would Jesus have compassion on her or judgeher? If he tried to stone her, thatwould be the end of his ministry and he would have perhaps gone to a Romanprison for murder. If he let her getaway with her act of adultery, they would be able to accuse him of not keepingthe law. How shrewd they must havethought themselves to be. Jesus was in apickle for sure. As they presented thiswoman to him, they said, “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone suchwomen. So what do you say?”

Personally, I’m surprised that Jesus didn’t just saysomething like “Oh, you precious little ones… you think yourselves so wise andyet you are such foolish children!” Ofcourse, that is what I would have said, which would likely have been cause initself for the “J” fingers – after all, I sit here judging the Pharisees fortheir hypocrisy! Jesus did not dothat.

Of course their plan truly was flawed in so many ways. First and foremost, one has to ask thequestion how this woman was caught. How were the leaders so lucky as to catch awoman in adultery at this specific point in time? Was she set up? Entrapped?

Second and more importantly, where was the man in thisscenario? As usual, the Pharisees hadtwisted the relevant law to their own benefit. The law did not say that “such women” were to be stoned. The law actually said that both the man andthe woman were to be stoned (see Lev 20:10 and Deut 22:22). Where was the man? Wasn’t the woman caught in the act? If so, wasn’t the man also caught? The man had not been dragged into the temple courtto be stoned. If a stoning was to takeplace, it should be according to scripture – both the man and the woman shouldbe accused.

Finally, scripture was very clear about the manner in whichthe stoning was to take place. The twowere to be dragged out of the city (see Deut 22:24) so that the city would berid of their impurity. Instead, theydragged the woman right into the courtyard of the temple – defiling the templewith her uncleanness.

As usual, Jesus was the epitome of cool. As they ranted and raved over the woman’sindiscretions, Jesus merely knelt down and was casually drawing in the dirt. When I think on this, I am reminded of mydays playing little league baseball. AsI became bored with practice (or sometime even at games), I would often kneeldown and play in the dirt. It would makemy coach so angry! I have no doubt thisseeming act of disinterest angered the Pharisees as well. But in the midst of their rantings Jesusstood up and, as he so often did, answered their charges. He said “Let him who is without sin among yoube the first to throw a stone at her.” And then he knelt back down and continued writing in the dirt.

The first to throw a stone? Who should be the first? Deuteronomy 17:17 said that the one whowitnessed the sin should be the first to cast the first stone. Scripture is silent on this matter, but I suspectthere was no actual witnesses present. Inmy imagination, I envision that the Pharisees entrapped this woman byconvincing someone to have relations with her. He probably reported the success so that theycould drag her into public shame. Her accuser was probably not evenpresent. Obviously, I don’t know if thisis true, but clearly no one stepped forward to be the first to cast astone. In addition to the highprobability that none of them were witnesses to this indiscretion, none amongthem were without their own indiscretions either. The Bible says that all havesinned and that the wages of sin is death. We all ultimately deserve death because of our sinfulness and the Phariseeswere no exception to that universal truth. One by one, beginning with theeldest, they simply turned and walked away.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus was writing in thesand? No one knows, although many haveguessed that he was writing things that reminded them of their ownindiscretions. If that is the case, canyou imagine what they were thinking? Howcould he know that? He wasn’t there whenthat happened! Oh man, I thought I had hidden that! Many have suggested that Jesus was writing downthe sins of those who had brought up charges against this woman. Maybe they had also committed sins that weresubject to stoning. As best as I cantell from the law, there were 16 different types of sin that demandedstoning. Some of them, such as being anobstinate and disobedient child, could probably apply to all of us. Ultimately, all sin leads to death, which iswhy all men need a savior – and why none of us should take upon ourselves themantle of “Judger.”

Perhaps Jesus really did write the names of their sins inthe sand, but I am more apt to think that instead of calling out their sins genericallyhe may have written subtle hints into the sand indicating that he knew theirmost secret sins. It would be too easyfor me to ignore the word “disobedient to parents” written in sand and justifythat it did not apply to me. However, if something were written that remindedme of a very specific incident in my life, the guilt would beoverwhelming. In essence, I think Jesuswas holding up the big “J” and saying “Judger!” – except that he did it in amuch more sanctified (and more effective) way than we do it in our house!

As a result, all of the accusers left the scene, leavingonly Jesus, the woman, and a large crowd of spectators - oh yeah, how could weforget about the large crowd who were there to hear Jesus teach? Can you imagine? You could probably hear a pin drop as thecrowd waited breathlessly to see what Jesus would do next. Would he condemn her still? He had forgiven sinners before – what wouldhe do?

Ironically, in dragging this woman to the feet of Jesus thePharisees had intended evil; but like Joseph’s brothers who sold him intoslavery, God meant it for good. Afterall, what better thing could you do for someone who is lost in sin but to bringthem to Jesus? Like the Pharisees, wetend to judge. We all deserve to havethe big “J” shown to us. We look at thesinfulness of those around us and we judge them for it. Judging others makes us feel better aboutourselves, so we are often as self-righteous, condemning, and sanctimonious asthe hypocrites who dragged that poor woman into the temple courtyard. Lest we forget, 1 Timothy 4:1 (among otherscriptures) tells us that Jesus is the one who is to judge both the living andthe dead. Likewise, we shouldn’t forget (or rather ignore) our own sinfulnessthe way the Pharisees did. Jesus previouslyaddressed this in that famous Sermon on the Mount when he said “how can you sayto your brother ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log inyour own eye?” (Matt 7:4)

Instead of being like the accusing Pharisees, we shouldforego whatever condemning and judgmental thoughts we may have about thesinfulness of those around us. Theyunintentionally did the best thing they could have for this woman – that is, tobring her to Jesus. We should beabsolutely intentional about bringing them to Jesus. Only when they face Jesus can they then facetheir own sinfulness, which is precisely what happened to this woman.

Jesus looked at her and said, “Go, and sin no more.”

God is a God of grace, but he still must address thesin. He is willing to forgive, but wemust also be willing to repent. ThePharisees could have repented of their hypocrisy, their hatred, and whateverother sin was keeping them from seeing the truth in Jesus’ teachings. Instead, they walked away in the shame theyintended for this woman. At the end ofthe day, the condemned, sinful woman walked away clean – and the Pharisees werethe ones who were judged.

ARE YOU THIRSTY? (John 7)

2011-09-24T07:26:00.001-07:00

Imagine the scene. It is a festive atmosphere in ancient Jerusalem. Thousands upon thousands of people have flooded into the city in celebration of the Festival of Booths. This festival, which lasted 7 days, commemorated God’s provision for the Israelites during the time that they wandered in the desert living in tents (or booths). All the inhabitants and visitors to Jerusalem would celebrate the festival events in home made “booths” constructed either in the streets or on the roofs of houses and other buildings in Jerusalem. Included in those celebrations was a daily feast and celebration that occurred nightly while all of Jerusalem was lit from above as four great bowls of fire were raised on each of the four corners of the Temple Mount. These bowls of fire celebrated the pillar of fire by night and smoke by day in which Yahweh led the people of Israel through the desert. It also commemorated the light of God in the midst of the darkness of the world – which at that time the Israelites understood to mean the Nation of Israel itself.

As part of the festival ceremonies, the priests would march out of the temple each day, exit the Temple Mount through the Southern Gate – or Water Gate – proceed down the southern slopes of the City of David to the Pool of Siloam, where they would collect water in a golden pitcher to take back up to the temple to pour over the alter in a Water Libation Ceremony. This ceremony was, in part, to commemorate the water that God provided for the Israelites in the desert. This water, often miraculously provided by Yahweh, gave life to the Israelites who might otherwise have died without it. It was, therefore, the water of life or “living water.” The Water Libation Ceremony was also symbolic of and in anticipation of the time foretold in Ezekiel 47 when the Messiah would set up his Kingdom in Jerusalem. At that time, this same living water would flow out of the temple, out the Eastern Gate, down to the Dead Sea, where it would bring life back to that forsaken valley. The Water Libation ceremony was therefore a celebration of the living water – the water that brings life – a water that can only come from God.

The Pool of Siloam, where the Priests got the water for this ceremony, was significant to the Jews and their concept of salvation. The waters of the Pool of Siloam came from the Spring of Gihon, east of Jerusalem, which King Hezekiah redirected into Jerusalem. This spring is presumed to be the waters from which all the Kings, including King David, were anointed – bringing upon them the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As a result, the pool became associated with the prophecies by Isaiah, Joel, and others who all promised the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all peoples. Additionally, based upon Isaiah 12:3, which says “you shall draw water from the wells of salvation”, the Pool of Siloam became known as the “well of salvation.” Water from the Pool of Siloam was by all accounts considered to be “living water.” As a result, the Pool of Siloam and the Water Libation Ceremony – especially during the Second Temple period of New Testament times – became associated with spiritual purification, the coming of the Messiah, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on all peoples at his coming.

It is in this context that Jesus had been daily teaching in the temple. This in itself was something of an enigma to those present. Jesus was a wanted man – a religious criminal. He had a price on his head and the religious leaders wanted him dead. He had broken the Sabbath earlier that year by committing the most dastardly of deeds – he healed a crippled man. As he spoke, those around him would whisper among themselves “Is this not the man whom they seek to kill?” Several had approached him to arrest him on these heinous charges. They wanted to kill him then. None, however, could approach him with any other purpose except to be completely astounded at his words. “No one ever spoke like this!” they would say to each other.

Then, on the 7^th and greatest day of the ceremony, perhaps at the conclusion of the Water Libation Ceremony, as water poured freely from the alter onto the floor of the temple, Jesus stands up and boldly proclaims these words:

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living waters.’”

It was not the first time he had made such a statement. The last time he was in Jerusalem, he had returned to his home in Galilee through the land of the unclean Samaritans and spoke similar words to a low-life loser of a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. That encounter resulted in an entire town coming to repentance and faith in his teaching. He had also said similar words recently in Galilee. After feeding 5000 men plus women and children with nothing more than a “Lunchable,” he then shocked the crowd with some pretty scary words about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. What kind of madman was this? But he had promised that those who did this would never hunger or thirst.

This time, however, he was interrupting a very important religious ceremony and speaking to the most righteous of the righteous. Imagine if you were right in the middle of your Easter cantata and a known criminal stood up in the congregation and started preaching. I’m thinking the ushers might have something to say about that.

The implications of Jesus’ words were not lost on those who heard. They were familiar with the messianic words of Isaiah 55:1 which said “Come, come to the waters, everyone who thirsts…” The most learned among them were probably also familiar with the Proverb (Proverb 18:4) that said “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; and the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.” And living water? Everyone present knew that living water meant salvation – and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all men just as promised by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28) – and to make matters worse, the prophet John, who had only recently been beheaded by Herod, had already told the masses that Jesus would be the one to baptize them with the Holy Spirit – and with fire!

Furthermore, they knew he was not speaking of physical thirst. They knew he was talking about righteousness and spiritual cleansing. Most of them probably had heard about – if not actually heard themselves – the sermon he preached where he said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied!” This must have infuriated the priests. How dare this criminal, this man who ate with sinners, who spoke with low life Samaritan women, who regularly blasphemed (or so they thought) by claiming equality with God, speak to them about being righteous. They were righteous. They kept the law. On what authority was he making such bold claims?

There was no question what this madman was saying. The Water Libation Ceremony, Isaiah’s well of salvation, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit – this rabble-rouser was offering the fulfillment of these promises. Jesus was claiming nothing less than the title of Messiah – the Holy one of God!

As is always the case when Jesus reveals his true identity to people, those who heard were divided. Some acknowledged that he was, indeed, the Messiah and placed their faith in him. Those who did so received eternal life – for as Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Others rejected him outright. Some were even hostile to his words. After all, scripture was clear that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, not Galilee (or Nazareth his hometown). Had they stopped to ask, they might come to realize that Jesus was, in fact, from Bethlehem – of the House and lineage of King David, no less. Unfortunately for them, they were too incensed to look into such detail. This Jesus\ had to be stopped – at all costs! A confrontation was coming and this faker would come to his demise – or so they determined – and so they plotted. Little did they know that they were playing right into his hands, so that all scripture might be fulfilled and his words of eternal life could be accomplished.

What about you? Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Said differently – do you desire to be clean? Do you desire to be right before a Holy God? Are you ready to stop trying to BE good and let the blood of Jesus Christ make you good? Only Jesus can quench the thirst. Only Jesus can wash away the filth of who we are in our sinfulness. Believe in him, for “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, and Romans 10:13).

Do You Love God?

2011-08-22T11:39:00.001-07:00

Do you love God?

Of course you do, right? We all love God, do we not? Well, maybe not all of us, but certainly in our American culture most of us would at least claim that we love God wouldn’t we? Deuteronomy 6:5 says that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and strength. This command is an important part of the Jewish Shema (Shema is the Hebrew word for “hear,” which is the beginning of Deuteronomy 6:4 – “Hear O Israel…”) and represents Israel’s commitment to Yahweh. However, in Matthew 22:34-28, Jesus identified this as the most important command of scripture – effectively providing the means by which we accomplish not only the first of the ten commandments – You shall not have any other god’s before me – but all of the other commandments as well. Exactly what does it mean, though, to love God with all of our heart, soul, and strength.

You might be surprised to find out that it may not mean exactly what you think. First and foremost, the first of the three items is the heart. It comes first and therefore holds the pre-imminent place in this command. In American culture, we think of the heart as the seat of emotions and desires. The implication, therefore, is that our emotions and desires should be leading the way in our love for God. That, however, would be inaccurate. In Jewish – particularly ancient Jewish – culture, the heart was not the seat of the emotions. Instead, the heart was the seat of the will and the intellect. The original readers of Deuteronomy 6:5, therefore, would have understood that first and foremost our love for God is an act of the will and an act of the mind. We choose to love (and obey and follow) God. It is first and foremost a matter of volition, not a matter of emotion. Joshua emphasized this same point in Joshua 24:15 when he said to choose whom you would serve. In Jewish culture, the heart was more than just the will, it was also the conscious mind. To love God with our hearts, then, meant not only to choose God, but also to get to know him intellectually. Of course, we can never really know an infinite and holy God because we are finite and sinful. However, one of the primary ways we can demonstrate our love for God is by consciously and actively studying and learning about him – growing in knowledge and understanding of him like Peter suggests in 2 Peter 3:18.

What role, then, do our emotions play? Certainly we can be very emotional when we worship – and shouldn’t we be? The answer, of course, is that yes we should. In fact, whereas the American culture equates the heart with emotions and desires, the Jewish culture actually equated the soul with one’s emotions and desires. Therefore, although not the pre-imminent place in this particular commandment, Deuteronomy 6:5 clearly intends for you and I to love God with our emotions and desires. In what way, though? Emotions are tricky. Sometimes my emotions feel like loving God, but honestly sometimes they do not. How can I love God with my emotions when I cannot even trust my emotions from one minute to the next. The answer comes when we differentiate the reactive aspects of our emotions with the proactive aspects of our emotions. Although as a Christian who has self-control as part of his/her fruit of the Spirit, we should always be able to control our actions, but from moment to moment, it is unlikely than any of us can always control what we feel. That is the reactive component of our emotions. The proactive component of our emotions, however, is always under our control as it represents our deepest and most intense desires. We should – at all times and in all ways – desire God. We should desire the things of God – to know his truth and to experience his will on earth, which is how Jesus taught us to pray. We should desire the presence of God in our lives. Psalm 42:1 and Psalm 63:1 both speak of our soul longing for God as if we were desperate for a drink of water. We should desire to be like God – not in an idolatrous, sinful way the way that Lucifer did and the way we do every time we choose our own will over the will of God - but a deep desire to grow and be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ – who himself was the earthly representation of God (Col 1:19; Hebrews 1:3). To this we have been commanded – Be Holy for I am Holy (1 Peter 4:16). To love the lord our God with all our soul is to desire him above all else.

If we do these things, what else is left? Wouldn’t our entire lives be consumed with God? Probably, but is that necessarily a bad thing? Nothing we do in our lives could not be done or experienced better if it were done or experienced from the perspective of God. Of course if we do these things, what else is left? What does it mean, therefore, to love God with all of our strength? The Hebrew literally means with the exceeding abundance. In other words – with everything and anything else you may have left. If there is any doubt that loving God with all our heart and soul does not capture every aspect of our being and every breath of life we have, we have this final element to remove that doubt. In fact, the apostle John actually tells us in 1 John 2:15 that to the extent we bear any love for the world (the world system and the things in it, not the people of the world), then clearly we have no love for God (i.e., the love of the Father is not in us). As overwhelming as it may seem in the self-centered, materialistic, post-modern culture in which we are immersed on a daily basis, there is literally no aspect of our life that should not be viewed, experienced, or even performed unless it is done through the perspective of Almighty God. That is why Paul says in Colossians that we are to do everything for the glory of God (Col 3:17, 23-24).

So, the question must be asked again… do you love God?

The Narrow and Wide Gates

2011-04-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus is beginning to bring his Sermon on the Mount to a close. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes the time to re-establish the true meaning of how a believer is to apply the Old Testament law in his/her life and how that should affect his/her relationship with God and with others. As he brings the sermon to a close, however, the tone changes dramatically. Jesus now begins to provide a few crucial warnings to his disciples. The first is a warning to be sure that his disciples stay on the straight and narrow road. The path that Jesus desires for his disciples begins through entry in a narrow gate. That gate is none other than Jesus himself, which he declares in John 10:7. This gate is not just narrow, it is exclusive. Jesus says in John 14:6 that he is THE way, THE truth, and THE life and that he is the ONLY way to the Father. The warning is a stern one, because in contrast to the narrow gate, the road leading to destruction is broad, its gate is wide, and there are many people on it. A number of theologians argue that there is no hell or that hell will be sparsely populated. Most recently, there has been uproar in the media over a book published by popular evangelical pastor Rob Bell that supposedly questions the existence of hell. The argument that such doubters provide is that a loving God would never send so many people into destruction. Indeed, Rob Bell reportedly makes the pronouncement that “Good news, Love Wins” (Love Wins is the name of his book). As a result, either God will honor the faithful effort of all religions, will provide post-mortem opportunities for repentance, or will simply forgive our sinfulness on the basis of Jesus’ work without the requirement of faith. Jesus, who is God incarnate, says exactly the opposite in these verses. The way to destruction that Jesus speaks of is none other than the way to hell and he is very clear that not only is it the easy path, but that many people will be on it.

By contrast, path leading to life is not only narrow, but it is also difficult. Although Jesus just finished promising that God will provide the basic needs for all of his children, he now counters that with a reminder that the way of life will be hard. Too many “easy grace” evangelists attempt to “sell” Christianity as something that will solve all of their problems. Certainly, Christianity solves the most important problem that all humans have – the penalty of sin. However, there are no promises that Christianity will result in an easy life. In fact, this verse is only one of several places where Jesus teaches clearly that the Christian life will be anything but easy. A narrow road would be difficult to follow simply because it is narrow, but Jesus says this particular narrow road is especially difficult. Paul echoes this in Romans 8:17 when he says that we must suffer with Christ in order to be glorified with Christ. This is a warning, therefore, not to embark upon the journey lightly. However, it should not dissuade a true believer from embarking on the journey. The way does, after all, lead to life. Furthermore, while Jesus tells his disciples in John 16:33 that they will have difficulty in the world, he also reminds them that he has overcome the world. Most importantly, Jesus promised his disciples in Matthew 28 that he would always be with them on the journey. A Christian can be assured, therefore, that even though the journey will be difficult, Jesus will be there to help us overcome those difficulties and carry us to the end. As Paul says in Philippians 1:6 “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

A Discussion on Matthew 7

2011-04-08T05:00:00.001-07:00

In my Greek Class this week, I was tranlsating and studying the first 6 verses of Matthew 7. Verse 3 says "Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye."

It is natural for humans to see the error in the lives of others while being blind to the error of their own ways. Matthew Henry tells us that this is due to the fact that the devil blinds us to our own faults (Henry, public domain). That tendency to see faults in others while ignoring one’s own faults can lead to a judgmental attitude. In his book on the Sermon on the Mount, D.A. Carson uses the example of the Prophet Nathan’s confrontation of King David to make this point (Carson, 109-110). David clearly saw the error in the parable that Nathan told and was angered by the injustice to the point of taking action against the offender. However, he was blind to the fact that he was the man who had done the offending. In this verse, Jesus uses hyperbole to make the same point, asking why the disciples are looking for the small speck (literally a speck of sawdust or a small splinter) in another person’s eye when there is a log (literally a plank of wood or beam) in their own eye. There may have possibly been an element of humor involved in this analogy as one imagines the ludicrous prospect of a log stuck in a person’s eye. As is generally the case with hyperbole, however, the point was painfully clear. Every person has faults, but Jesus is speaking here to the person who is “looking for” the faults of others. The Greek, "blepo", in this case is most likely referring to looking out for or paying attention to rather than simply seeing. Rather than seeking out the fault of others, Christians should be painfully aware of their own sinfulness before God. When a person’s focus is always on the faults of others, they cannot see their own sinfulness. Carson says “the more I reflect on this passage, the more I find I am self-condemned” (Carson, 111).

The prior verse, verse 2, tells us that with the measure of judgement we have towards others, we will be judged the same. The danger of being judgmental towards others is that the same measure of condemnation one has towards the world, God will apply in kind. This is very similar to the quid pro quo treatment that Jesus discussed about showing mercy in the Beatitudes of chapter 5 and about showing forgiveness to others in chapter 6. Paul echoed this sentiment in Romans 2:1, reminding us that we who judge do the very same things as those we judge. Jesus is clearly teaching that God wants his disciples to view and approach others with the same level of love, affection, and concern that God had with them when they were still sinners – not in justifying or facilitating their sinfulness, but in showing them that God has provided forgiveness. Rather than judge the world in its sinful state, God chose to send his Son Jesus to provide a means of grace and mercy (Romans 5:8). Jesus’ disciples are to have the same attitude. As Carson points out, this does not mean that Christians are to pretend as if sin does not exist (Carson, 108). Indeed, Verse 5 demonstrates that the opposite is true - but only after we have dealt with our own sin. There are times where Christians are to take notice of and, under certain conditions, act when confronted with sin. Eventually, God himself will judge the world for its sinfulness, but his desire is that all men everywhere repent - and be reconciled. The disciple’s responsibility is to encourage others towards repentance, which cannot be done with a self-righteous, judgmental attitude.

Matthew 6:19-24 Thoughts About Greed

2011-03-24T05:35:00.001-07:00

The focus and thrust of this section of the Sermon on the Mount is about maintaining a proper priority on those things that we value and treasure. It is not without design that a number of the previous passages spoke of receiving a “reward” in heaven (Matthew 6:1, 4, 6, and 18). When we think of the words reward, value, and treasure, we automatically think of monetary worth – either money itself or “things” that either have monetary worth or bring us status that reflects monetary worth. There is an American proverb that says “The one who dies with the most toys wins” (unknown). This sentiment is most iconically portrayed in the recent movie “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” when the main character says “…I once said, ‘Greed is Good.’ Now it seems that it’s legal because everyone is drinking the same Kool-Aid.”

Jesus is telling us in this passage that worldly, material treasures are only fleeting pleasures that can be taken from us at any time. Jesus’ example of moth larvae eating fabrics and rust destroying material goods spoke directly to a culture that had little defense against such forces of nature. Today, while we have greater defense against these specific forces of nature, over time all things still deteriorate. There are other forces – both natural and man-made – that ultimate bring all material goods to ruin. The stock market crash of 2008, the subsequent bank failures, and the resulting economic downturn all serve as a reminder that there is ultimately no place where our earthly treasures are safe.

Furthermore, Jesus says that what is not destroyed by natural or economic forces is subject to be taken away by thieves. A few years ago, I myself fell victim to a so-called Christian who was a scam artist that stole tens of thousands of dollars from me and cost me more than a hundred thousand dollars in lost property value. Within the past year, I have had two close friends whose homes were burglarized. Their concern was not for the televisions, DVDs, and stereos which could all be replaced by insurance. In both cases, their concern was for Grandmother’s jewelry – an earthly treasure with such sentimental value that insurance could never replace its true worth. When we place our value in such things, we can only come to grief because ultimately they are all temporary.

Having such things is not in itself bad. It is really only a problem when we “treasure” such things. In verse 21, Jesus tells us that whatever we truly value is where we place our heart. If we place our value in monetary things, our heart will be on those monetary things and we are unable to love the Lord our God with all our heart (Matthew 22:37). When we set our eyes on those things, our focus and our worth becomes on those things and we are full of darkness (see verse 23). This is essentially greed. Recently, one of my wife’s friends gave her a plaque that says “The Best Things in Life Are Not Things.” This is what Jesus was trying to say in this passage. The previous sections of Matthew 6 that all speak about ways in which the Father rewards his children are instructive to us about how to store up treasures in heaven. Our treasures in heaven are those things for which the Father rewards us – those things which have eternal, rather than temporary, earthly value. We are to set our eyes on things that bring heavenly reward – this is how our eyes remain healthy (verse 22).

Despite what the movie may say, greed is not good. As Jesus points out in verse 24, worldly wealth can enslave us if we set our hearts upon it – and it is simply not possible to be a servant to God when we are a slave to wealth. For many years, my eyes were dark and I was a very materialistic person. I truly had to humble myself before God and place him as my first heart-priority before I broke that addition of greed and materialism, but today I can honestly say that while “things” are always nice, they certainly aren’t the “best things in life” and they do not hold the mastery over me that they once did.

Theo Lesson 7 - The Holy Spirit

2011-03-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

In this week's lesson, we discussed the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer - from prior to salvation up through sanctification...

Audio can be heard here...

http://www.box.net/shared/traqauvb8g

Theo Lesson 6 - Salvation

2011-02-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

Why is Jesus the only means of salvation?

What is the process of salvation and how does it affect my life.

Hear this week's audio at

http://www.box.net/shared/24svftuxm9

Theo Lesson 5 - Jesus the God-Man

2011-02-21T04:48:00.000-08:00

What does it mean that Jesus was 100% God and 100% Man?

What is the importance and significance of the Virgin Birth?

These questions and more were discussed in this week's lesson. Hear the audio at

http://www.box.net/shared/2oj0ue8821

Theo Lesson 4 - The Doctrine of Man

2011-02-15T04:36:00.000-08:00

What does it mean to be made in God's image?

What really happened in the Garden of Eden and what were its consequences?

What does it mean for man to be Totally Depraved?

Listen to this week's lesson to learn more...

http://www.box.net/shared/8undg83svj

Theo Lesson 3 - The Nature of God

2011-02-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

In this lesson, we discussed the OT and NT perspectives of God, the nature of the Trinity, and the characteristics of God.

Audio can be heard here.. http://www.box.net/shared/qpqy43evo7

Lesson 2 of 11 - The Bible as God's Holy Word

2011-01-30T18:12:00.001-08:00

To hear this lesson, click on this link

http://www.box.net/shared/jzfkmecu98

Why We Believe: Lesson 1 of 11

2011-01-24T10:10:00.001-08:00

Lesson 1... The History of what we believe

http://www.box.net/shared/ng8hive66i

Romans: Lesson 12 of 12

2010-11-12T11:49:00.001-08:00

Lesson 11

Six Rules for Practical Christian Living

Rule 6: Live a Life of Encouragement! (Romans 14:19 -15:13)

For audio of lesson, click here: http://www.box.net/shared/mzkijvyila

For printer-friendly version of these notes, click here: http://www.box.net/shared/bvnf8a76c2

Read Romans 15:1-7

Question: What is Encouragement?

Marrion Webster says that to encourage someone is to inspire them with spirit or hope.

In Romans 15, Paul is essentially telling the strong in faith to be encouragers for the weak in faith. According to Paul, it is the responsibility of the strong to close the gap to meet the weak.

Question: What does this remind you of?

Read Romans 5:7

The fact is that when we were weak, God closed the gap for us.

These verses in Romans 15 essentially call us to close that gap by living a life of encouragement.

I. The Reasons for encouragement

A. To promote Peace/unity (Romans 14:19)

Question: How effective is the gospel if the people of God are bickering and fighting amongst themselves?

Peace is one of the fruits of the spirit… love, joy, “peace”

If you recall from earlier in our studies in Romans, the righteousness that comes from God grants us “peace” with God (Romans 5:1).

Read Hebrews 12:14

When we encourage those who are weak in faith, we are working towards creating peace between ourselves – just like God worked towards creating peace between us and him.

Living at peace is more important than being right about open-handed issues.

B. For Mutual Edification (Romans14:19)

Question: How are the “strong” built up through encouragement of the weak?

Read Romans 1:11-12

Read Ephesians 4:15-16

We are all part of the body of Christ, and therefore when all the parts are working together and working as well as they can, the whole benefits.

C. For the Building Up of the body (Romans 15:2)

Encouragement goes hand in hand with building up the body of Christ.

II. The Example of encouragement

A. Christ (Romans 15:3)

Christ did not please himself, but did what was in our best interest

Christ is the ultimate example of one who was strong, closing the gap between himself and those of us who are weak, who were powerless to close the gap ourselves.

B. Scripture (Romans 15:4)

Although ultimately we know that the scriptures were written to point us to Christ, Paul gives us three things here that scripture does in addition to that

1. To teach truth

2. To establish endurance (perseverance)

3. To build hope

Question: Why do some so-called believers fall away?

Answer: They turn from faith because they either do not know or they lose hope in the promises of scripture.

C. Paul (Romans 16: 1-16)

III. The Source of encouragement - God (Romans 15:5)

Question: Is it hard to be an encourager?

In Romans 15:5, we see that GOD grants us the encouragement that we need to live in harmony with others. In other words, it is encouragement of the soul that God gives us that gives us the strength to be able to encourage others, build them up, and therefore increase harmony and unity within the body of Christ.

IV. The Result of encouragement

Question: What happens when we live a live of encouragement and build up others?

A. God is Praised (Romans15:6)

Have you ever tried to come to church and worship when you were out of fellowship with another believer?

By living a life of encouragement, we facilitate our ability to worship God.

B. God’s Glory is Revealed (Romans 15:7)

PRead Romans 15:8-12

Ultimately everything in the Christian life is about the praise and glory of God.

C. Hope is built in the lives of believers (Romans 15:13)

Question: Why is hope so important?

Hope is the natural emotional outflow of a life characterized by faith.

By contrast, a lack of hope is a demonstration of a lack of faith.

Faith and hope are both two of the three main elements of Christian character:

The triadic formula: Faith, Hope, and Love

1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:3, 5:8

Paul talks about “hope” more in Romans than in any other epistle

ESV: Romans 17 times; 7 times in Hebrews and 2 Corinthians

NIV: Romans 18 times

Conclusion: A life of encouragement closes the gap between the weak and the strong and is necessary for the building of the body of Christ and for establishing faith and hope in believers.

Romans: Lesson 11 of 12

2010-11-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Lesson 10

Six Rules for Practical Christian Living

Rule 5: Live a Life of Consideration! (Romans 14)

For audio of this lesson: http://www.box.net/shared/zdbqe2e8qb

For printer friendly version of these notes: http://www.box.net/shared/ls2nu48pnf

How do you tell the difference between someone whose faith is weak and someone whose faith is strong?

Closed Handed Issues: An issue that has been unmistakably established by God’s word such that the vast majority of all Christians agree as to its correct interpretation or application.

Open Handed Issues: An issue that has not been directly addressed by God’s word or for which reasonable Christians are in disagreement as to its correct interpretation or application.

With these two definitions – Close Handed (Biblical Principle) and Open Handed (Personal Preference) – we can now define the weak and the strong in faith.

Weak in Faith: Those people that either

(a) insist that Open Handed Issues (issues of Personal Preference) conform to their standard – even to the point of sometimes treating them as Close Handed Issues (Biblical Principles)

(b) insist that God’s Grace and their freedom in Christ allows them to violate Close Handed Issues

Weak in Faith people tend to fall into one of two categories:

Legalism: Adding rules and regulations to Christianity that are not demanded by scripture

Libertinism: Deliberately choosing to live in disobedience under the guise of grace or freedom

Strong in Faith: Those people who hold firmly to and defend Close Handed Issues, but are gracious to others regarding Open Handed Issues

A person who is strong in faith, therefore, is someone who lives a life of consideration.

Read Romans 14:1, 4, 13

St. Augustine first said this… made famous by the 19^th century theologian Richard Baxter:

“In necessary things unity; in doubtful things liberty; in all things charity.”

How then, do we determine what to do in a given situation? Can we do something or not? If someone else is doing something, do we attempt to correct what they are doing or not?

To answer these questions, we must first ask a few questions ourselves.

I. An Open-Handed versus Closed Handed Issue

In these verses here in Romans 14, Paul discusses two issues that people were quarreling over in the early church:

1. Meat vs. Vegetables

In Roman times, it was hard to tell whether or not meat sold in the market had been sacrificed to idols or not. There was a general concern among early Christians that eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols gave tacit support and approval to those religions (akin to some people today saying that if you go to any movie, regardless of rating, you are supporting an industry that is godless and produces filth). The problem is that you did not always know whether or not the meat was sacrificed to an idol or not. Some people addressed this simply by saying they would not eat any meat at all. Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians 8 and indeed he abstained from meat to avoid being a stumbling block. Some people were taking this to the extreme and essentially saying it is a sin to eat meat at all.

2. One Day vs. Another

This was a similar situation. In Roman times, there were certain feasts and festivals that were celebrated – both Jewish and pagan (In our terms, think Christmas vs. Halloween). Some early Christians were saying that to observe any of these at any level would be wrong.

· Did you know: Origen (early church father d.255) believed it was wrong to celebrate birthdays – therefore he did not celebrate Christmas?

Regarding these two issues, which was right? Actually, once Paul identified this issue an open-handed issue; it didn’t really matter, because there was no right answer. Paul’s solution was simply that if both sides treated the other with respect and did not judge the other, unity would be maintained.

Contrast this, however, with the situation at the church in Galatia. There were some people coming in and saying that salvation required one to observe certain Jewish customs. Read Galatians 3:1-3

These are very strong words from Paul because this was a closed-handed issue, not an open-handed issue

A. Close-Handed Issues must be defended

Short List of Closed-Handed Issues

· Biblical Authority and Inerrancy

· The Trinity

· Virgin birth of Jesus

· Sinless life of Jesus

· Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus as a propitiation for our sins

· Salvation by Faith through Grace

· Moral law as affirmed by Jesus Christ

(i.e., the 10 commandments except for the Sabbath day – even the Sabbath day was affirmed that we always observe Jesus as our Sabbath Lord)

If you disagree with these items, then I would feel obligated to correct your error – and if I could not correct your error, I would probably have to choose not to remain in Christian fellowship with you (I would treat you as a non-believer)

Are there other major issues that you would say are solid Biblical Principles?

B. Open-Handed Issues should be tolerated

Two forms of Open-Handed Issues

1. Secondary Doctrinal Belief

A secondary doctrinal belief is one in which you firmly believe that you are correct in your interpretation of scripture, but you can/should tolerate someone who takes a different interpretation of the same scripture

Test case question: Can you still consider this person a Christian if they believe differently than you on the subject?

If the answer is “yes” then it is an open-handed doctrinal belief.

Are these examples of secondary doctrinal belief?

· Sprinkle vs. Emersion Baptism

· Pre, Mid, or Post Tribulation Rapture

· Calvinism vs. Arminianism

· Observing the Sabbath – but not because you think it is necessary for salvation (part of the 10 commandments… is it part of the moral code affirmed by Jesus?)

There are a wide range of issues like these that we might hold beliefs about – even strong beliefs – but we need to be very careful about what we determine is absolutely right versus absolutely wrong.

When we have differing views on these, we should tolerate the others views without passing judgment

However, if you say that one of these issues is an essential element that I MUST believe to be a Christian (in other words, turn these open-handed issues into closed-handed issues) I would consider you in error and feel obligated to either correct that error and – worst case scenario - could no longer be in Christian fellowship with you.

2. Personal Preference

Issues of personal preference are those which we may choose for ourselves based upon what we like or dislike rather than on some basis of biblical interpretation.

Test case question: Is the person living in sin if they believe differently than you on the subject?

Are these examples of personal preference?

· Time/Date of church services

· Worship style

· Version of the Bible (unless you insist that a specific version is required to be saved)

Like Secondary Doctrinal Beliefs, some people turn issues of personal preference into closed handed issues.

Now… maybe we’re not really sure. Maybe there’s some apparently conflicting or possibly even unclear biblical direction. Then it becomes not an issue of right and wrong, but an issue of conscious.

II. An Issue of Conscious

Examples of potentially unclear directives

· Drinking

Bible clearly says we are not to get drunk, but it doesn’t absolutely forbid drinking.

· Smoking

The bible is totally silent on this one.

Did you know: Charles Spurgeon, the esteemed Baptist preacher of the late 19^th century, was both a smoker and a drinker and claimed that he could do both to the glory of God?

· Tattoos

Leviticus 19:28 says we are not to have tattoos… the same passage also tells us not to cut the hair on the sides of our head, not to cut our beards, and not to eat fruit from a tree until it has been planted for 4 years. These are all part of the religious, ceremonial code that Jesus fulfilled and abolished.

How do decide in cases like these how we are to behave?

1. Each must be convinced (Romans 14:23)

If you think it is wrong (or even if you are not sure if it is or is not), then for you it is wrong.

2. Each must act unto the Lord (Romans 14:6-8)

Everything you do, you must do unto the Lord.

Do you believe the Lord would find your actions acceptable?

Can you say “I can smoke to the glory of God” like Charles Spurgeon said?

Can you say “I can get a tattoo to the glory of God”?

3. Each one will ultimately give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:12)

We still have another question to ask about the situation.

III. An Issue of Consideration

Paul is very clear that even in cases where we have clear Christian liberty to do something, there may be reasons why we may choose to limit our own freedoms for the sake of others.

Do not be a stumbling block (Romans 14:13)

1. Actions that do not consider others are not made in love (Romans 14:15)

2. Our actions can affect (destroy) others (Romans 14:15)

3. Good can be made into evil (Romans 14:16)

Romans 14:21

Like Paul Harvey’s “Rest of the Story”… there is a second chapter to Charles Spurgeon’s life. Spurgeon smoked and drank because his doctor told him he should do so to relax. After Spurgeon declared that he could smoke and drink to the glory of God, businessmen began using his slogan to promote their products – saying everyone should smoke and drink Spurgeon’s brands to the glory of God. Spurgeon realized that his stance needed to be rethought…

In one service, he said: “I neither said nor implied that it was sinful to drink wine; nay, I said that, in and by itself, this might be done without blame. But I remarked that, if I knew that another would be led to take it by my example, and this would lead them on to further drinking, and even to intoxication, then I would not touch it.”

He then became a total abstainer and said… “I abstain myself from alcoholic drink in every form, and I think others would be wise to do the same; but of this each one must be a guide unto himself.”

Spurgeon was living a life of consideration! When he realized his freedoms were harming others, he limited those freedoms voluntarily.

If you choose to act on one of these issues of Personal Preference and you know that there is the possibility that others may not react favorably towards it, Paul tells us to be sure to keep it as an issue between you and God.

IV. An Issue between You and God (Romans 14:22)

Since we are ultimately responsible to God about what we believe, we should keep “disputable” issues between ourselves and God in order to maintain the unity of the body.

If we choose to act on our confidences, we should do so discreetly so as to not harm the brethren – not sneaking around hiding it, but rather not to flaunt our freedom choices in front of those who may disagree with us. That, simply put, is NOT living a life of consideration.

Perhaps the verse that most readily summarizes this entire teaching is Romans 14:17

The Kingdom of God is not: a matter of eating or drinking

You can replace eating and drinking with any open handed issue.

The Kingdom of God is: Righteousness, Joy, and Peace in the Holy Spirit

What really matters? Being right before God.

What really matters? Being filled with the Joy of the Lord

What really matters? Being at peace – not just with God, but with each others

The only way to accomplish this is to live a life of consideration.

Live a life of Consideration… if necessary, limit your freedoms for others

Romans: Lesson 10 of 12

2010-11-04T08:39:00.001-07:00

Lesson 10

Six Rules for Practical Christian Living

Audio of lesson: http://www.box.net/shared/lqarohsm6s

Printer-friendly version of notes: http://www.box.net/shared/sv12u3799j

Read Romans 13:1-7

Romans 13 is often used by theologians to support the concepts of both Just War and Capital Punishment

Question: Does Romans 13 provide for Just War and Capital Punishment?

Just War Criteria by St Augustine of Hippo

· JW Criteria #1: Just Cause. No war is justifiable unless it is a defense against an aggressor and to defend those who are victimized by it. It does not mean a country has to wait to be attacked before attacking their enemy.

Examples of potential pre-emptive strikes

What if we had discovered the Japanese Fleet before Pearl Harbor was attacked
Cuban missile crisis
Israel’s 6 Day War in 1967

· JW Criteria #2: Just Intent. The only acceptable motive for armed conflict must be to secure justice for all involved. Conquest, subjugation, revenge, or economic benefit are unacceptable, insufficient, or illegitimate motives for going to war.

· JW Criteria #3. Last Resort. Resort to armed force can only be justifiable when all other avenues of resolution have been rejected or have been demonstrably failed.

· JW Criteria #4. Legitimate Authority. Romans 13 says only the civil magistrate has the right to use lethal force. For the US… a Declaration of War or Joint Resolution of Congress.

· JW Criteria #5. Limited Goals. If the purpose is to resist aggression, restore peace, etc. then total destruction of the enemy is unacceptable. Unless one’s survival is in peril, it is not a just war if the goals are not attainable.

· JW Criteria #6. Proportionality. Does the good gained by last resort justify the cost of lives lost and humans maimed. This is why we don’t pursue every enemy.

· JW Criteria #7. Non-combatant immunity. No war can be just unless it disqualifies civilians as targets and seeks to minimize civilian casualties. Non-combatants will die, but it makes a difference whether you target them or deliberately try to avoid them.

What about Capital Punishment?

Rule 4: Live a Life of Submission! (Romans 13:1-7)

Question: What does it mean to “submit”

Answer: The greek word (hypotassomai) translated “subjected to” or “submit to” literally means to obey or to bring under the control of…

Question: Why do you think Paul put the concept of submission between two passages about love?

Answer: You cannot submit to someone in the manner required by Christ unless you first love them.

Deep down, we all want to break the rules.

Who was the first to rebel? (Isaiah 14:12-14)

The first sin ever… Satan said “I WILL

We know, though, that ultimately we have to submit to somebody. Even if we never submit to anyone here on earth, we ultimately will submit to Christ, will we not? (2 Philippians 2:9-11) When Christ returns at the second coming, he will literally bring everyone into his submission.

In the meantime, scripture teaches us that while we are here on earth, we should still live a life of submission.

I. To Whom are we to Submit?

A. Governmental Authorities

1. Rebelling against authority is rebelling against God’s institution (Romans 13:2)

A truth that is often difficult to come to grips with is the fact that God has ordained all government here on earth – even the governments that we don’t necessarily agree with. God is using everything to bring about his purposes. The question we have to ask ourselves is whether or not we want to work against God or be in submission to God.

2. Rebelling against authority will result in punishment here on earth (Romans 13:4)

1 Peter 2:13-14 echos Paul’s commands in Romans

Titus 3:1 also provides similar discussion

3. Submission to authority maintains a good Christian conscious (Romans 13:5)

As Christians, we are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20). If we do not submit to the authorities, we are not representing Christ well to the world.

What about Peter and John? They didn’t submit to the authorities! (Acts 4:18-20; 5:28-30)

Question: When do I not submit to authorities?

Answer: The only time scripture allows us to rebel against authority is when such authorities make laws forcing us to do something contrary to God’s law.

Incorrect Times to Rebel Against Authority

· When the law allows others to do something contrary to God’s law

· When the government itself is doing something contrary to God’s law

· When the government reduces your Christian liberties but not to the extent that it requires you to disobey God.

Is it ever right to openly rebel against the governmental authority? What about the American Revolution?

The argument generally used to support the American Revolution is that the King of England, through his actions of tyranny, persecuting Christians, and restricting religious freedoms, forfeited its God-instituted authority over the colonies – thereby justifying the establishment of a new, God-instituted authority, namely the US Constitution.

Romans 13:1… no authority exists unless it has been instituted by God. So whether we agree or disagree with respect to the biblical validity of its establishment, here it is – it has been established by God to accomplish his purposes. As a result, we are to submit to it as Christians.

While God may choose to bring about revolution from time to time to accomplish his purposes, hose who openly rebel against the established government are acting in direct contrast to the teachings of scripture and are accountable to God.

Submission to authorities, however, does NOT mean that we cannot disagree with the authorities or seek to change the laws, regulations, or even the leadership of our government through any and all legal means.

What other authorities are we subject to?

· Parents

· Teachers

· Employers

· Church Leadership

We are also to submit to

B. One Another

1. Laity to Church leaders (1 Corinthians 16:15-16)

2. Wives to Husbands (Eph 5:22-24, Col 3:18)

3. Husbands to Wives (Eph 5:25-26, Col 3:19)

3. Church to Christ (Eph 5:24)

4. Employees to Employers (slaves to masters) (1 Peter 2:18)

5. Young men to elders (1 Peter 5:5)

6. One Another (Eph 5:21)

Question: Does anyone here see a case in which there is someone we are not to be subject to? (No) Why?

Answer: Again, there is a direct link between Agape love and submission… and we are to live a life characteristic of Agape love, so we are also to live a life characteristic of submission.

If everyone lived a life of submission, then we would truly live in a biblical utopia!

Did you know?

· God the Son submits to God the Father

· During his time on earth, Jesus also submitted to the Holy Spirit

· God the Holy Spirit submits to God the Father and God the Son

And yet… God is ONE and there are no superior or inferior positions with the Trinity

III. Reasons for submission?

A. Submission is the example set for us by God

Did you know?

· God the Son submits to God the Father

· During his time on earth, Jesus also submitted to the Holy Spirit

· God the Holy Spirit submits to God the Father and God the Son

And yet… God is ONE and there are no superior or inferior positions with the Trinity

B. Submission is essential for human relationships (Philippians 2:1-4)

C. Rebellion is the Spirit of Satan (2 Pet 2:9-11)

D. Submission helps overcome sin

Sin is rebellion. We cannot be obedient when we are rebellious, but when we are submissive, we are obedient.

E. Submission facilitates Discipleship

F. Submission is the cure for Legalism

Legalism is a passive-aggressive form of rebellion. We don’t really have faith and believe that God’s grace is sufficient for us if we fail, so we make up our own list of dos and don’ts that we feel like will make our master happy. If we truly submit, then we trust that he will take care of us when we fail.

Conclusion: God calls us to submit first to Him, but also to authorities and to each other for the benefit of all.

The relationship between Rules 3 and 4

Agape Love and Submission are related: Both look out for the interests of others.

We are to live our lives looking out for the interest of others.

Romans: Lesson 9 of 12

2010-10-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

Lesson 9

Six Rules for Practical Christian Living

Link to audio of this lesson: http://www.box.net/shared/g2dx1fs5lb

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Rule 2: Live a Life of Service! (Romans 12:3-8)

There is a lot of similarity between Rule #1 and Rule #2…

According to Rule #1, to be transformed, we need a mind of a servant.

Rule #2 is about carrying out that mentality and living the life of a servant.

Question: Why are you a member of this church?

If we were honest with ourselves, most of us are a member of a particular church for one of a couple of reasons:

1. We have always gone to the church, our family goes to the church, we essentially call it home.

2. We have evaluated the church and have made an assessment that this church best suits our needs.

We should be members of a church for one and only one reason: Because we believe God wants us at that church serving others.

One of the most difficult lessons that Jesus’ disciples had to learn was that it was not about them. In fact, the last lesson they learned from Jesus was that to serve God, we must be willing to serve each other. Reference foot-washing during Last Supper and Read Luke 22:24-27.

Read Romans 12:3-8

I. Service requires a proper perspective of Self (vs 3)

A. Have a healthy (but not proud) self image

· Do not think too highly of yourself

· Have sober judgment of oneself

Some may feel that certain tasks are “below” them.

Others may feel that certain tasks are “above” them or they feel they may never be good enough to accomplish what God would have them accomplish in their lives.

Both views are wrong. God will enable us to do the tasks he has called us to do.

B. Have a healthy measure of Faith (vs 3)

Our ability to serve depends upon how much faith we have in Christ

Question: What happens when we try to serve in our own strength?

Answer: We burn out

We must rely on God to give us the strength we need to serve. This requires faith.

II. Service requires a proper understanding of the Body (vs 4-5)

A. The body is made up of diverse members

B. The body requires a diversity of functions

C. God has provided his body with the diversity of capabilities necessary to function properly

III. Service requires a proper application of one’s Spiritual Gifts

Three primary passages listing the Spiritual Gifts

Romans 12:6-8

1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30

Ephesians 4:11

Classification of Spiritual Gifts

There are numerous ways to classify the gifts… this is just a suggested breakdown

1. Activities (leadership, administration, miracles, healings, etc.)

2. Manifestations (Wisdom, knowledge, Discernment, etc.)

3. Inspired Utterances (teaching, tongues, prophecy, etc.)

4. Service (see below)

Some gifts may fall in more than one category.

Paul is focusing here on the gifts of service.

Service-oriented Gifts

1. Prophesy

2. Serving

3. Teaching

4. Encouraging

5. Giving

6. Leadership

7. Mercy

Conclusion: The only way the body of Christ will function correctly is when each of us are performing the tasks that God has specifically called and gifted us to perform.

Rule 3: Live a Life Characterized by Love! (Romans 12:9-21, 13:8-14)

Romans 13:8-11 tells us that all our interactions with others should be characterized by love

We are indebted or obligated to show love to each other because it is the fulfillment of the law.

Love for others is the 2nd Greatest Commandment Mt 22:39

Love for others is the Golden Rule. Mt 7:12

Love for others is the epitome of the law and the commandments Romans 13:9

We don’t live under the law; we live under grace. However, the truths of the Old Testament have not changed just because they were fulfilled in Jesus.

Love is the heart of practical Christianity!

What does it mean to have a life characterized by love?

In the 60s and 70s, we had the “love” movement. “Make love, not war” – is that what we mean?

Love is the most over used and misunderstood word in the language.

“I love my wife”

“I love my father” – is that the same thing?

“I love you” – is that the same as either of those?

“I love my dog” – That’s different again, isn’t it

“I love my job” (no, we never say that) – “I love riding my motorcycle” – shows I enjoy it

“I love my car” – you take pride

“I love pizza” - you like the taste of it

“I love that picture” – you think it is pretty

Each of these statements convey a completely different message, but they all use the same word. For most of them, we really don’t mean “love”. When the bible tells us that we should have a life characteristic of love, how can we possibly know what it means?

Four Ancient Greek words for “Love”

Agape – Unconditional love – agape love is a choice; a deliberate commitment regardless of the actions or affections of the other person; God’s love is agape love; it is entirely one sided - if I agape you, I give to you

Philia – Brotherly (i.e. Friendship) love – Philia love is based upon affection and emotion; it represents the love between two people who truly like each other and enjoy each other’s company; it is mutual – if we Philia each other, we give to each other. It is this word that the city Philidelphia was named for.

In John 21, Jesus used agape for the first 2 times, Peter used Philia ; Jesus conceded and used Philia the third time.

Eros – Sexual love; eros is completely selfish; it is pure desire to have, control, and enjoy. Obviously, this is where we get the word erotic.

Storge – Familial affection ; is significantly used in scripture; it represents the bond between family members

In the passage we are talking about here, Paul speaks of Agape Love. Rule #3 is that we are to live a life characteristic of AGAPE Love. Most of us are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, but Paul gives us another, perhaps even more complete picture of Agape love here.

I. A Life Characterized by Agape Love is…

1. Sincere (Romans 12:9)

Sincerity is motivated for good

2. Devoted (Romans 12:10)

The ESV and KJV says to show brotherly affection

The word “love” in verse 10 is actually a combination of both phileo and storge, so essentially one characteristic of Agape love is that it incorporates the aspects of affection and familial bonds.

3. Zealous, But only for God (Romans 12:11)

Question: Why is zeal towards God important for showing love to others?

Answer: Because God is the true example of what it means to love.

4. Steadfast (Romans 12:12)

a. Joyful in hope

b. Patient in affliction

c. Faithful in prayer

Eros love walks away during difficult times

Philia love can become strained during difficult times

Agape love becomes a stronghold during difficult times

5. Generous (Romans 12:13)

a. Shares with others in need

b. Practices hospitality

6. Forgiving (Romans 12:14)

Forgiveness is one of the greatest hallmarks of Christianity. God forgave us, so we should forgive others. But too often, we would rather be vengeful.

Romans 12:17-21

7. Sympathetic (Romans 12:15)

8. Humble (Romans 12:16)

Summary. A life characterized by love is a life whereby we work for the benefit of others.

Read Romans 13:11-13

By contrast, remove acts of indecency from our lives, for they are not characteristics of love because they are all about pleasing self.

II. A Life Characterized by Love Puts Aside…

1. Orgies

2. Drunkenness

3. Sexual Immorality

4. Debauchery (gluttony)

5. Dissention (trouble makers)

6. Jealousy (always wanting what is not yours)

Conclusion: Read Romans 13:14

Living a life characterized by love is how we clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ.

Romans: Lesson 8 of 12

2010-10-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Lesson 8

Six Rules for Practical Christian Living
Rules 1 and 2

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The remainder of Romans represents a huge shift from doctrine to practical living, but Paul uses one of his three bit THEREFORE’s to make this shift.

· God desires to show mercy on us all

· THEREFORE, we should live a life of personal transformation

Read Romans 12:1-2

Rule 1: Live a Life of Personal Transformation! (Romans 12:1-2)

In preceding chapters, everything was ultimately focused on God. His work for us so that we may be saved. The focus was upward on him, which is why Chapter 11 appropriately ended with a Doxology.

In the first part of Chapter 12, we will see an inward focus. We saw a hint of this inward focus earlier as we say the tension between the flesh and the Spirit. That tension can only be resolved and we can only succeed in living by the Spirit, when we experience nothing less than total transformation.

I. The Urgency of Transformation: God’s Mercy

In light of that mercy, there should be an urgency to no longer live by the sinful nature, but allowing the Spirit nature to control and transform us.

Question: Why do you think this plea from Paul is so “urgent”?

Answer: God’s mercy is not to be taken lightly

· Paul has already told us that none of us deserve grace that God has bestowed upon us

· Paul has already told us that God is Sovereign and can do precisely as he wills

· Paul has already told us that because of God’s Sovereignty, he can harden anyone that rejects him so that they never see the truth

· Paul has already told us that God is willing to cut off any people group that repeatedly rejects him

God’s grace is a VERY SERIOUS thing

II. The Prerequisite to Transformation: Total Surrender

A. Surrender involves being a living sacrifice

1. Sacrifices always require a death.

All of the blood sacrifices required a death of the animal being sacrificed.

Question: What is it that we are putting to death?

Answer: Our sinful nature.

Romans 8:12-13

We died to Sin but we are alive in Christ

Therefore, we are living sacrifices

2. Sacrifices were to the Lord

In the sacrificial system, the sacrifice was brought before the Lord and presented to him – to be dedicated to him. The Hebrew word used literally means “to draw near” to the Lord. James 4:8

In the OT, the normal person could not really draw near to God. They could only come to the tabernacle or temple to present their offering. Even the priests were limited in how they could draw near to God – only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and then only once per year. Jesus, however, changed all that… Hebrews 10:19-22

We must present ourselves to Christ as a living sacrifice, by drawing near to him dedicating ourselves to him by foregoing our own interests

3. Sacrifices were the first-born and the unblemished

The sacrifice was required to be the best of the best… firstborn and unblemished. The problem is that we do not honor God enough to give him our very best. Instead, we give him our leftovers. Malachi 1:6-8

We must offer Christ our very best, not our leftovers

We can only be a true “living sacrifice” if we fully surrender to God.

B. Surrender is an act of service

This concept of being a living sacrifice is really saying that you give your life in service to God.

Joshua 24:15; Malachi 3:18; Luke 4:8; 1 Peter 4:10

By contrast, do we not tend to do only what is convenient?

Do we not limit our “offering” of our time and talents to that which is “left over” after we’ve served all our other masters and then after we have served ourselves?

Luke 16:33

C. Surrender (and service) is an act of worship

Some translations will actually say “worship” here, but the truth is that our service is essentially how we worship God.

Question: What is worship?

Answer: To ascribe worth

There is a sense in which we ascribe worth through our singing and our music, but…

Question: How do we really demonstrate that we think something is worthy?

Answer: we dedicate our time and our talent to it

If you truly want to worship God – DO SOMETHING

Not to earn his favor; not out of guilt; but because you truly think that God is worthy of your life.

III. The Call to Transformation: Do not conform

Question: What does it mean to conform?

Answer: To make something look like something else.

One of the biggest threats to the American Christian witness is that unsaved people look at us and don’t see anything different in us. We look just like they do. We are conforming to the world!

The bible uses the word “world” in one of three ways

1. The physical cosmos (earth, sea, sky, etc.)

2. The people

3. The system of laws, moral practices, etc.

John 1:10 (contains all three)

Question: What is the world as referenced here?

Answer: The moral practices and habits of this age.

Question: So how do I keep from conforming to this world?

Answer: I transform

We now see Rule #1 stated clearly in the text… BE TRANSFORMED

So how do I transform? That is the next point beginning in verse 2…

IV. The Means of Transformation: Renewing of mind

A. Renewing our Mind requires us to imitate Jesus

Question: So how did Jesus think?

Read Philippians 2:1-8

1. Imitate Christ in action

i. No Selfish Ambition

ii. Consider others better than ourselves

iii. Look out for others’ interests

2. Imitate Christ in attitude

1. Willingness to be lowered to a place of service

2. Willingness to be obedient

B. Renewing our Mind requires a heavenly focus (Read Colossians 3:1-2)

Like Romans 12, Colossians 3 is all about practical Christian living.

1. Desire heavenly things (3:1)

2. Think about heavenly things (3:2)

V. The Result of Transformation (knowing God’s will)

Conclusion: We can begin to live by the Spirit when we allow ourselves to be Transformed!

Rule 2: Live a Life of Service! (Romans 12:3-8)

As you can see, there is a lot of similarity between Rule #1 and Rule #2…

According to Rule #1, to be transformed, we need a mind of a servant.

Rule #2 is about carrying out that mentality and living the life of a servant.

Question: Why are you a member of this church?

If we were honest with ourselves, most of us are a member of a particular church for one of a couple of reasons:

1. We have always gone to the church, our family goes to the church, we essentially call it home.

2. We have evaluated the church and have made an assessment that this church best suits our needs.

We should be members of a church for one and only one reason: Because we believe God wants us at that church serving others. Reference foot-washing during Last Supper and Read Luke 22:24-27.

Read Romans 12:3-8

I. Service requires a proper perspective of Self (vs 3)

A. Have a healthy (but not proud) self image

· Do not think too highly of yourself

· Have sober judgment of oneself

Have you ever met someone who thought they were too good to do a particular task?

· That’s just not dignified

· People would not think well of me if they saw me doing that

Is this person you?

On the other hand, have you ever thought that you would never be good enough to do something in the church?

· Some may feel that certain tasks are “below” them.

· Others may feel that certain tasks are “above” them or they feel they may never be good enough to accomplish what God would have them accomplish in their lives.

Both views are wrong. God will enable us to do the tasks he has called us to do.

B. Have a healthy measure of Faith (vs 3)

Our ability to serve depends upon how much faith we have in Christ

Question: What happens when we try to serve in our own strength?

Answer: We burn out

We must rely on God to give us the strength we need to serve. This requires faith.

II. Service requires a proper understanding of the Body (vs 4-5)

A. The body is made up of diverse members

B. The body requires a diversity of functions

C. God has provided his body with the diversity of capabilities necessary to function properly

III. Service requires a proper application of one’s Spiritual Gifts

Three primary passages listing the Spiritual Gifts

Romans 12:6-8

1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30

Ephesians 4:11

Classification of Spiritual Gifts

There are numerous ways to classify the gifts… this is just a suggested breakdown

1. Activities (leadership, administration, miracles, healings, etc.)

2. Manifestations (Wisdom, knowledge, Discernment, etc.)

3. Inspired Utterances (teaching, tongues, prophecy, etc.)

4. Service (see below)

Some gifts may fall in more than one category.

Paul is focusing here on the gifts of service.

Service-oriented Gifts

1. Prophesy

2. Serving

3. Teaching

4. Encouraging

5. Giving

6. Leadership

7. Mercy

Conclusion: The only way the body of Christ will function correctly is when each of us are performing the tasks that God has specifically called and gifted us to perform.

Romans: Lesson 7 of 12

2010-09-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Lesson 7

The Key to God’s Sovereign Choice: Universal Opportunity (Romans 10)

And The Responsibility to Remain in God’s Righteousness (Romans 11)

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PART I – Unlocking the trap of God’s Sovereign Choice

Read Romans 10:1-7

Reminder of the 3 areas of Sovereignty and the 5 issues at odds with Sovereignty from above

Three areas of God’s Sovereignty

I. Creation

II. Human History

III. Redemption

Six issues that are apparently at odds with God’s Sovereignty

· Evil

· Free Will

· Universal availability of salvation

· Human Responsibility

· Evangelism

· Prayer

Yes, God is sovereign.

Yes, God chose the nation Israel, but not all Israelites will be saved

Why? Because Jesus put an end to the law and righteousness comes by faith, not the law

Paul’s answer to God’s Sovereign Choice is simple:

God has the right to choose whomever he wants and whatever method he wants and his choice was universal opportunity for everyone who responds in faith to his calling.

I. The Response to God’s call to righteousness (Romans 10:8-10)

What Paul paints here is a picture of absolute surrender.

A. Confession - A response by Mouth (Matthew 10:32-33)

Question: What do we confess?

Answer: Jesus is Lord

Question: What does it mean that Jesus is Lord?

The Hebrew concept of Lord (adoni) means one possessed of absolute control

· Master over slaves

· Ruler over subjects

· (in Hebrew culture) Husband over wives

The Greek concept (Kyrios) was very similar – absolute master

Question: Can a slave live his/her life any way they wish?

If we are living our lives the way we want to based upon our own desires and wishes… Jesus is NOT lord of our lives.

“With mouths we confess and are saved”

B. Belief - A response by Heart

Question: What do we believe?

Questions I ask people when they are ready to accept Jesus as Lord

1. Do you believe that Jesus was the son of God

2. Do you believe that he lived a perfect life

3. Do you believe that he died for your sins

4. Do you believe that he was raised from the dead

5. Do you believe he has the power to forgive you and give you eternal life

This is not just a mental assent, but a life changing faith that comes from the heart

“With our hearts we believe and are justified”

Question: Is there a conflict between the totality of God’s work in salvation and the concept of Man’s responsibility to receive, confess, and believe?
Answer: No. See Romans 10:13; Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:14-16

God has always planned for mankind to be redeemed by faith.

Global Theme of Scripture: God will create for himself and for his glory a people who have been redeemed by faith in Jesus Christ.

Now we are getting to where we can finally begin to reconcile God’s Sovereignty with Man’s Responsibiity… This same Paul who in chapter 9 told us that God could save or reject anyone he wants because he is the only Sovereign God says that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How do we reconcile this?

First, let’s remind ourselves of God’s work in salvation: Romans 8:30

III. The Method of God’s call to righteousness (Romans 10:14-17)

A. To confess, one must first have called

B. To call, one must first have believed

C. To believe, one must first hear

D. To hear, someone must first preach

E. To preach, one must first be sent

Blessed are those who go…

This is evangelism.

The relationship between God’s Sovereignty (Romans 8) and Man’s Responsibility (Romans 10)

		Confession
Foreknowledge	Predestination	Calling	Justification	Glorification
		Believing
		Hearing
		Preaching
		Sending

The place where God’s Sovereignty meets Man’s Responsibility is the call

God Calls Us; We Call on God

See Psalm 14:2.

Conclusion: There is a mysterious relationship between God’s Sovereignty and our salvation. However, we are given clear instructions regarding

1. The universal availability of salvation

2. The required Human Response necessary to receive salvation

3. The mandate to share the gospel to all the world

And to conclude chapter 10 and lead into chapter 11…

IV. The Rejection of God’s call to righteousness (by Israel) (Romans 10:18-21)

1. Israel heard

2. Israel Understood

3. Israel chose not to believe

SOME OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID NOT REMAIN IN GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

Hosea 1:9

PART II – Remaining in God’s Righteousness

Chapter 11 of Romans now brings everything together in a final charge that reminds us of our responsibility to remain in God’s righteousness.

Even though Israel rejected Jesus and so Gentiles have been included into salvation doesn’t mean that God had rejected Israel. A remnant of Israel has always been faithful.

I. A Remnant of Israel has been faithful (Romans 11:1-10)

A. God’s rejection was limited to those who did not believe

1. Eyes blinded

2. Hearts hardened

B. God retained a remnant who are saved by grace

1. God has always retained a remnant

2. God will always retain a remnant

II. The Salvation of Israel is still the Goal (Romans 11:11-24)

The question is: Who is Israel?

Israel is: All those who call place their faith in Jesus; some are the natural vines; some are grafted in.

A. The Gentile Church is not a replacement of Israel (Replacement Theology)

B. The Gentile Church is not a temporary sidebar in Israeli history (Dispensationalism)

C. The Gentile Church is an unnatural grafting of wild branches into Israel

Zechariah 2:10-11; John 10:16

When you understand this, it changes everything…

The Theology of the Vine

1. God planted his vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-4)

2. The unbelieving branches of the natural vine were cut off (Isaiah 5:5-7)

3. Jesus is the vine (Jeremiah 23:5; John 15:1-2)

4. The believing branches of the wild vine (gentiles) were grafted in (Romans 11:17)

5. Branches that remain in Jesus will bear fruit (John 15:4-5)

6. Branches that do not remain in Jesus will be thrown away (John 15:6; Romans 11:19-21)

7. The original branches will be grafted back in when they believe (Romans 11:23-24)

We need to be very careful here not to interpret this to mean that you can lose your salvation. This passage is talking about groups of people who claim to be Christians but don’t live in obedience to Jesus.

Read Revelation 2:1-5

Paul’s theological conclusion from Romans chapters 1-11:

III. God desires to show Mercy on all people (Romans 11:25-36)

A. Gentiles were disobedient and so have received mercy

B. The Jews became disobedient so that they may receive mercy

C. All must be disobedient so that all must receive mercy

Question: Why is it important that we all become disobedient so that we all receive mercy?

Answer: Because there is no religion in the world that is sufficient to make us righteous before God. This is precisely the point that Paul has been making now for 11 chapters.

Conclusion: God has made his mercy available to all of us

It is all about the mercy of God, so that no one can brag about their own merit.

Therefore - God deserves all the glory

Because God deserves all the glory, it is only fitting that Paul end’s this section of his letter with a Doxology… which is intended to turn our focus to God…

Romans 11:33-36 (NIV)

33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
35"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Romans: Lesson 6 of 12

2010-09-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

Lesson 6

Trapped by God’s Sovereign Choice (Romans 9)

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Lesson Theme: God is Sovereign to do as He Wills

Lesson Objective: To understand God’s Sovereignty

Question: What is Sovereignty?

Answer: Supreme independence and authority to do as one pleases: accountable to no one but themselves

Sovereignty is still an unsolved mystery of scripture – not that there is any question that God is sovereign, but just what exactly does that mean? There is huge theological diversity as to the meaning and extent of God’s Sovereignty. In general, though, there is agreement regarding the three primary areas of his sovereignty

Three areas of God’s Sovereignty

I. Creation

God has repeatedly demonstrated his sovereignty over creation

What are some examples?

II. Human History

God has repeatedly intervened in human history in order to accomplish his purposes

What are some examples?

III. Redemption

Perhaps the area of greatest debate, how much sovereignty does God have – or rather how much Sovereignty does God exercise – in the area of salvation

Six issues that are apparently at odds with God’s Sovereignty

· Evil - If God is sovereign, isn’t he responsible for evil?

· Free Will - If God is sovereign, how can I have free will if God can over rule my will at his discretion?

· Universal availability of salvation - If God is sovereign, can he not simply decide that I can’t be saved

· Human Responsibility - How can I be responsible for my actions if God can make me do what he wants me to do?

· Evangelism - If God is directing the course of history, then what purposes does evangelism serve?

· Prayer - If God is independent and not accountable to me and does what he wills and chooses to do, what purpose does prayer serve?

The Old Covenant was being replaced with a New Covenant… what did that mean? Did it mean that God’s plan for the Israelites failed? Is God somehow flawed because Israel, God’s chosen people, rejected his plan?

Paul’s answer is “Absolutely not” – God is doing everything exactly according to his plan – we just didn’t really understand that plan correctly.

So Paul transitions his discussion now to say that God was Sovereign in his election of the people of Israel.

I. God Sovereign election of Israel

Question: Why was Israel chosen?

A. Israel was chosen to bring about redemptive history (Romans 9:1-5)

1. Adoption as Sons

2. The Divine Glory (God chose to manifest himself in their presence)

3. The Covenants

4. The Receipt of the Law

5. The Temple Worship

6. The Promises (of the Messiah)

1. Including Christ’s lineage from the Patriarchs

Paul then makes an astounding pronouncement that ultimately has far reaching ramifications for the entire world. (Romans 9:6)

Not all descendants of Jacob belong to Israel…

B. Not all Abraham’s children were chosen (Romans 9:7-9)

1. Isaac was the child of promise

2. Ishamael was the child of the flesh

Ishmael had 12 sons like Jacob, who became 12 tribes like Israel

3. Abraham had many other children (Genesis 25:1-5)

Of all of Abraham’s children, only Isaac was the child of the promise

C. Not all Isaac’s children were chosen (Romans 9:10-13)

1. Jacob was chosen; Esau was rejected

2. Based on God’s choice; not merit (Malachi 1:2-3)

“Jacob I loved”

“Esau I hated”

The passage referenced in Malachi deals with God’s acceptance of Jacob and rejection of Esau as figurative representatives of nations – not individuals… God was not choosing Jacob for salvation and Esau for judgment, God was choosing Jacob to be the bearer of his covenant and rejecting Esau as the bearer of that covenant.

Just as God, in his sovereignty can choose whomever he wants, he can also reject whomever he wants. Although it may seem like it to us, this is not injustice. (Read Romans 9:14)

II. God’s Sovereign Rejection of Pharaoh (Romans 9:15-18)

A. God hardened him for a purpose

B. God never hardens anyone who hasn’t already hardened themselves

God knew in advance that Pharaoh would not submit and that God did not harden his heart until after Pharaoh had said “no” twice.

Where does that leave us? Why are we then held accountable? Now we can see the Trap of God’s Sovereignty

III. God’s Sovereignty does not excuse us (Romans 9:19-24)

In His Sovereignty, God created each of us for the purpose he created us

Note: Vs. 22: What if God… Not a statement that God did, but a “what if” statement regarding God’s Sovereign ability.

1. What if: Some were prepared in advance for wrath (9:22)

1. To make His power known

2. What if: Some were prepared in advance for glory (9:23)

1. To make His mercy known

These statements are hypothetical, not normative. At most, there may be some cases where God acts in this manner, but God does not always act in this manner. In what manner did God act? Thus, the question of predestination unto salvation.

Five “Official” Views on Predestination

1. God’s Choice – God determines who is, and is not, saved (Calvinist) (see Acts 13:48)

The Calvinistic view has other facets as well, including the fact that if God chooses you to be saved, you cannot say “no” (Irresistible Grace)

2. God’s Foreknowledge of Man’s Choice – God has infinite Foreknowledge of his creation (Arminian) (see Romans 8:29 and 10:13)

The arminian view has other facets as well, including the possibility of the loss of salvation, which we saw last week is just not possible.

3. Open Theism – Man has a choice and God does not know what that choice will be (does not have perfect knowledge of the future)

I personally believe this view is heretical…

4. Double Predestination – individuals are either predetermined for heaven or predetermined for hell (Romans 9)

Many people use Romans chapter 9 as a proof text for this view. In my opinion, it is a very bad interpretation of this chapter.

5. Hard Determinism – Every breath and action, including evil, is determined by God (we are essentially automotons) (see Psalm 139)

Additional possibilities…

6. Predestination applies to the group as a whole based upon those who believe, not individuals (Predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, Predestined to be adopted as heirs, etc.)

7. “Elect” are a subset of all believers and are predestined; other believers are added based upon belief (Ephesians 1)

8. Predestination is a mystery we do not understand

1. God’s Sovereign Action plus

2. Our Faithful Response

Predestination is not a new concept nor is it a new problem amongst Judeo-Christian believers

During Jesus’ time:

· Sadducees believed in man’s free will and responsibility (almost Open Theism)

· Pharisees believed in a balance between God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Responsibility

· Essenes believed in hard determinism

During the early church:

· Augustine believed in predestination, but it is unclear whether or not he believed in hard determinism

· Pelagius believed in complete free will of man (no original sin) and the ability of man to choose to live a perfect life

What conclusion then, did Paul draw from this?

IV. Paul’s Conclusion Regarding God’s Sovereignty

A. In his Sovereignty, God has called the elect based on Faith (Romans 9:24-29)

1. Not just Jews, Gentiles as well

2. Such was always God’s plan

1. Hosea

2. Isaiah

B. In his Sovereignty, God has rejected the condemned for unbelief (Romans 9:30-33)

1. Not just Gentiles, Jews as well

My conclusion regarding God’s Sovereignty and Romans Chapter 9.

God is Sovereign. He can choose to save us or condemn us at his own pleasure for his own purposes. It may offend my sense of fair play, but in the end, who am I to be offended by any action taken by a Sovereign God?

On the other hand, God has made clear, that righteousness comes by faith. Therefore, the elect believe; the condemned do not. Is this a result of God’s Sovereign action or the result of our faithful response to the gospel or somehow both? Does it really matter? It is irrelevant to our responsibility to respond to God in faith.

We will see that answer more clearly next week when we look at the Key to the Trap of the Sovereignty of God…

Romans: Lesson 5 of 12

2010-09-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Lesson 5

The Key to the Trap of God’s Holiness: Security in Christ (Romans 8)

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Lesson Theme: When we are in Christ, our Sinful Nature can not condemn us

Lesson Objective: To understand our security in Christ

Romans 8 begins with the second of the three big THEREFORE’S…

· Those outside the law are without excuse and condemned

· Those under the law are condemned by the law

· THEREFORE… God demonstrated his love by sending Jesus to make us Righteous

· As a result, we desire to be Holy because God is Holy, but

· We still have within us the Sinful Nature that wages war within us

· So that we fail over and over and over

· THEREFORE… Paul tells us this… There is now, therefore, no condemnation…

I. The Security of Living in the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4)

We are set free from the law of sin and death

A. The old law was based upon the power of the flesh

Therefore, the old law was powerless…

B. The new law is based upon the power of the Jesus

Jesus met the righteous requirements of the law on our behalf

II. The Meaning of Living in the Spirit (Romans 8:5-8)

Living by the Sinful Nature vs living in the Spirit

A. What do you desire?

1. Sinful Nature: the desires of the flesh

2. Spirit: the desires of Spirit (or what God desires)

If you are always trying to satisfy self, then you are living in the flesh, not the Spirit. (Philippians 3:19; Colossians 3:2)

B. What is your mindset?

1. Sinful Nature: Death (discontentment; anger; bitterness)

2. Spirit: Life and Peace

If you are discontent and not at peace, then you are living in the flesh, not the Spirit.

C. What is your attitude toward God

1. Sinful Nature

1. Anger towards God

2. Disobedient to God’s Commands

2. Spirit

1. Trusts God

2. Obeys God

If you blame God or are angry about your circumstances or are disobedient to God’s clear call on your life, then you are living in the flesh, not the spirit.

Reality Check: WE DO NOT LIVE ACCORDING TO THE FLESH

III. The Reality of Living in the Spirit (Romans 8:9-11 )

There are three realities about living in the spirit…

A. We are controlled by the Spirit, not the Sinful Nature

1. Although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is Alive because of Righteousness

2. Although the body is dead because of sin, God gives life back to the body (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Question: Why does the sinful nature win?

Answer: Because we choose to allow it to win…

B. We are Obligated to live according to the Spirit (Romans 8:12-17)

Question: Why are we obligated?

Answer: We have been adopted as children of God

Paul is describing not the benefits of being adopted as a child of God, but the obligations of being adopted as a child of God – namely, obedience.

Paul is building upon the foundation of his discussion about our security in Christ by ensuring that we are, indeed, a part of Christ.

One of the greatest tragedies in Christendom is the fact that a large number of people sitting in the pews on Sunday will spend eternity in Hell. (Read Matthew 7:21-23)

If Jesus truly is in you, you will be controlled by the Spirit – WE ARE OBLIGATED AS GROWING, MATURING CHRISTIANS TO MOVE FROM ROMANS CHAPTER 7 TO ROMANS CHAPTER 8.

C. We will suffer when we live according the Spirit

If you are not experiencing suffering because of the way you are living for God, then you have to ask yourself whether or not you really are living for God? (Read John 16:33)

III. The Hope of Living in the Spirit

A. Future Glory is greater than Current Sufferings (Romans 8:18)

B. We are not alone in our suffering (Romans 8:19-25)

Question: Who is suffering (and waiting) with us?

Answer: All of creation

C. The Spirit helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26-27)

D. God is working all things for the good (Romans 8:28-30)

No matter how bad it gets, we have the comfort of knowing that God is still in control and that he is working his plan out according to his will. Here is that plan:

1. God Foreknew us (Read Psalm 139:1-16)

God has known everything about you since before the creation of the world. He knows you better than you know yourself. As a result, he knew that you would accept him. And as a result,

2. God Predestined Us (To be conformed into Christ’s likeness)

If you are one of the ones that God knew before the foundation of the world would accept him, he locked it down in stone – eventually, you will be conformed to the image of Christ … Essentially, when we are in Christ, we are predestined to eventually become like Christ. And to make sure that happens…

3. God Called us (John 6:44)

We cannot bridge the gap between man and God. We cannot come to God until he closes that gap for us. To make sure that those whom he knows will accept him does accept him, he takes the initiative and calls them.

4. God Justified us

Eventually…

5. God will Glorify us

If God, the creator of the universe, set out this plan for our lives that began way back in ancient history according to his foreknowledge and ends way out in the distant future with our resurrection to our glorified bodies, then how could we possibly be concerned over our apparent inability TODAY to live a perfect Holy life.

IV. The Result of Living in the Spirit (Romans 8:31-38)

Question: If God is for us, who can stand against us?

Question: If God did not spare his own Son, will he not give us all things?

Question: If God has set out this plan for us that ends in our glorification, then who can bring a charge against us?

Question: If God has already justified us (declared us Not Guilty), then who can condemn us

Who is it that condemn? Jesus

And what is Jesus doing? He is arguing on our behalf, not against us

Question: If Christ loves us, who can separate us from that love?

1. Not trouble

2. Not Hardship

3. Not Persecution

4. Not Famine

5. Not Nakedness

6. Not Danger

7. Not Sword

8. Not Death or Life

9. Not angels or demons

10. Not the present nor the future

11. Not height nor depth

12. Not anything in creation

“In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us”

The conclusions: Life in the Spirit is our security.

Although we may struggle with sin, we are still justified.

Although we may fail, we are not condemned.

We are called to live a life in the Spirit, and as a result, NOTHING can separate us.

Do you realize what this means? It means I have been set FREE!

I am Free - to live for God

I am Free - to worship God as the Spirit leads

I am Free - to serve God without concern over whether I am worthy or able

I am Free - to not worry when things are not going as I expect

I am Free - to not worry about whether I measure up to expectations

I am Free - to not worry when I fail

I am free!

Romans: Lesson 4 of 12

2010-08-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

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Lesson 4

Trapped by God’s Holiness (Romans 5:12-7:25)

Lesson Theme: We are unable to live a righteous life in our flesh

Lesson Objective: To understand the tension between the obligation to live a righteous life and the inability to do so in our sinful nature.

Question: What should our response be to what we’ve learned so far: that God has given us His righteousness?

Answer: To live a life of righteousness

Read Deuteronomy 30:15-20

LIFE=Obedience

DEATH=Disobedience

Read Romans 5:12-18

After Paul points out that all men are condemned, he goes back and rebuilds the doctrines of life and death from the beginning… and he does it through the life of two men – Adam and Jesus

I. The Impact of Two Men

A. Our inheritance from Adam - Death

Adam’s Disobedience was one sin

We are all children of Adam, so we have inherited his sin nature – and as a result, have inherited death.

1. One sin led to many transgressions

a. Imposed by force of nature

b. No choice in the matter

c. We all receive a Sin Nature because of his disobedience

2. Many Transgressions led to Judgment for all

3. Judgment for all results in Condemnation for all

4. Condemnation for all means Death for all

Adam’s Life=Disobedience=Death

B. Our gift from Jesus - Life Eternal

Christ’s Obedience was one righteous act

1. One righteous act led to a Gift available to all

a. The gift is freely offered, not imposed by force

b. It is our choice to receive or reject that gift

c. We receive a Spirit Nature because of his obedience

2. Those who accept the gift are granted Grace

1. Grace from the wrath of God

3. Grace results in Justification to those who believe(Romans 5:18)

Question: What is justification?

Answer: Justification is a declaration of innocence in a court of law

4. Justification means Life Eternal

Jesus’s Life = Obedience=Life

Romans 5:19

One Man’s Disobedience – Death

One Man’s Obedience – Life Eternal

Both of these principles (Sin Nature and Spirit Nature) are now active and working in our lives at the same time and will continue to do so until we receive our glorified bodies.

Think of it this way:

Sin Nature = Death

Spirit Nature = Life

II. Promises and Warnings

A. A Beautiful Promise - God’s grace is sufficient (Romans 5:20-21)

No matter how great our transgression, the Grace of God is sufficient – the greater the transgression, the greater the grace.

B. A Stern Warning - God’s grace is no excuse to sin (Romans 6:1-11)

The warning is expressed in the form of a rhetorical question…

Question: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?”

Answer: “By no means”

Paul gives us 3 reasons why God’s grace is no excuse to sin…

1. We are dead to sin (Romans 6:2)

2. We are baptized into Christ(Romans 6:3-5)

a. Buried with him in death

b. Raised to walk in newness of life

3. We are crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6-11)

a. Like him in his death – old self has died

b. Like him in his resurrection – freed from sin and death

C. An Urgent Plea (Romans 6:12-22)

The plea is also expressed in the form of a rhetorical question…

Question: “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?”

Answer: “By no means”

Question: What determines whether the Sin Nature or Spirit nature will have mastery in our lives?

Answer: The one we submit ourselves to for obedience.

1. Do not be mastered by sin

a. Do not present your bodies to sin

OR… do not present your bodies to the flesh to satisfy its desires

The consequence of being a slave to sin is death

2. Be mastered by Righteousness

a. Present your bodies to God

The consequence of being a slave to righteousness is life

This requires total devotion to God

Plea Restated: Don’t be a slave to sin, be a slave to righteousness.

Romans 6:23 summarizes this entire section on life and death…

However, we are still living with two natures – the Sin Nature and the Spirit Nature.

The sin nature requires us to be wicked.

The spirit nature requires us to be Holy like God.

Both wish to be our master.

The problem is that we choose to live as if both are our master.

Question: In what way do we choose to live as if both the sin nature and the spirit nature are our master?

Answer: By choosing to submit ourselves to the constraints of the law.

Read Romans 7:1-6

The biggest mistake that we make as Christians is to make the Christian lifestyle a religious substitute for the law.

Christianity is not a list of dos and don’ts

Christianity is a relationship with a God who empowers us to live according to his spirit

When we try to live according to a set of legalistic rules, we fall into the trap of God’s Holiness

We have to understand the purpose of the law

Read Romans 7:7-14

IV. The purpose of the Law

A. To teach me the ways of righteousness

B. To enslave me in my own sinfulness

C. To bring me to a realization that I am hopelessly lost

We are not under law; we are under grace

Jeremiah 31:31-34

· When the law says do not steal, we are drawn to covet what our neighbor has

o Grace says that we love our neighbor and would never take from him what belongs to him

· When the law says do not lie, we find every reason why we need to bend the truth

o Grace says that the truth will set us free

· When the law says do not murder, I ask for exceptions such as self defense, capital punishment, and war

o Grace says pray for your enemy and be reconciled

· When the law says an eye for an eye, we demand our right to retribution

o Grace says turn the other cheek

· When the law condemns me as a lawbreaker because I fail, I feel hopeless

o Grace says “I forgive you”

Read Romans 7:15-24

V. The Demand of Two Masters

A. We are slaves to God in our hearts and minds

1. We desire to do right (Romans 7:18-19)

2. We delight in the laws of God (Romans 7:22 )

B. We are still slaves to sin in our bodies

1. We cannot carry out our desire to do good (Romans 7:18)

2. We do what we do not wish to do (Romans 7:19)

3. Our flesh is waging war against our minds (Romans 7:23)

The Law of Two Masters: When I desire to do good, evil is with me

Romans 7:21

Conclusion: WE ARE WRETCHED

Romans 7:24

WE ARE TRAPPED BY GOD’S HOLINESS

Question: Who can help us?

Romans 7:25

Fret Not! God has given us the key to the trap door.

What is that key? Life in the Spirit

Romans: Lesson 3 of 12

2010-08-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

Lesson 3

The Key to the Trap of God’s Wrath: God’s Righteousness (Romans 3:21-5:11)

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Lesson Theme: We can have a righteousness that comes from God

Lesson Objective: To understand the righteousness that God has given us through Jesus Christ.

Reminder from last week:

· Those who did not have the law had no excuse

· Those under law could not be justified by the law.

Man’s Righteousness Can Never Satisfy God’s Wrath! (Isaiah 64:6)

We are trapped by God’s wrath

This is the most dismal picture of humanity possible, but it is followed by the most uplifting and promising verses in all of scripture:

Read Romans 3:21-26

BUT NOW!

A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD

HAS BEEN MANIFESTED APART FROM THE LAW (BUT)

THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS BEAR WITNESS TO IT

Two Very Important Statements:

God’s Righteousness is the Key to God’s Wrath

God’s wrath can only be satisfied through God’s Righteousness

Question: What is righteousness?

Answer: Righteousness is the state of being without guilt

I. The Source of Righteousness is:

Romans 3:22 says it all!

A. From God

Another way to say “From God”: By Grace (Romans 3:23-24)

Romans 4:1-5

B. Through Faith (Romans 4:13-16)

C. To ALL who believe (Romans 4:17-18)

Believe in what? The work that Jesus did on the cross.

Romans 4:23-24

Righteousness is given

By Grace

Through Faith

For all who Believe

Question: What exactly is this work of righteousness?

II. The Work of God’s Righteousness is:

A. Sacrifice of Atonement (Romans 3:24-25)

Jesus was a guilt/sin offering

Hebrews 9:6-7, 11-12; Hebrews 10:5-10

Three important requirements for the sacrifice of atonement

1. The atoning sacrifice must be unblemished

2. The atoning sacrifice must be costly/precious (provisions were made for the poor)

3. The atoning sacrifice must be of blood (must be a blood sacrifice)_

Jesus satisfied all of these requirements with his death.

· Jesus was unblemished and without sin

· Jesus was God’s only Begotten Son – how much more costly and precious could that be

· Jesus shed his blood

See 1 Peter 1:18-19

B. Demonstration of both Love and Justice

God’s Love

Romans 5:6-8

Who would die for a righteous man? Very few

Who would die for a good man? Maybe someone

Who would die for a sinner? Jesus

Now we have two diametrically opposed concepts: The Love of God and the Justice of God

In order for the Love of God and the Wrath of God to balance, there must be a demonstration of God’s Justice

God’s Justice

Romans 3:25-26; Isaiah 53:4-12

When Jesus died on the cross, he not only was an unblemished in offering for our unintentional and unknown sins, he paid the full penalty associated with every high-handed and rebellious sin we ever committed or ever will commit. Jesus literally suffered hell for us. (See Matthew 27:45-46; Luke 22:44; Ephesians 4:8-10)

D. Satisfaction of God’s Wrath (Romans 5:9)

The first big “Therefore” in Romans - Romans 5:1

· Because we are without excuse

· Because we cannot obtain righteousness by our works

· Because we cannot obtain righteousness through the law

· God provided his righteousness through Jesus Christ

· THEREFORE… The Results of Righteousness are as follows

III. The Result of God’s Righteousness is:

A. Peace with God (Romans 5:1)

1. We have been reconciled to God – we are literally at peace, not at war

2. We also have God’s peace bestowed upon us

Peace requires a lifestyle of faith

B. Hope for the future (Romans 5:2)

Hope requires a lifestyle of faith

D. Joy in suffering (Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 4:4 )

It is because of God’s righteousness that we can have joy in suffering because:

1. Suffering produces endurance

2. Suffering produces character

3. Suffering produces hope

See Romans 8:16-18

Suffering identifies us with Christ

Suffering requires a lifestyle of faith

We may be trapped by God’s wrath, but because of his great love for us, he has given us the key to unlock that trap. The key is God’s Righteousness, which comes through the work of his Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross.

Romans: Lesson 2 of 12

2010-08-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Lesson 2

Trapped by God’s Wrath (Romans 1:18-3:20)

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Lesson Theme: We are _all condemned because of our unrighteousness

Lesson Objective: To recognize the futility of human effort towards obtaining righteousness

Religion is man’s attempt to achieve peace with his concept of God (or gods) through his own efforts to

1. Appease God

2. Atone for his own sinfulness

Essentially, Religion is man’s attempt to reconcile with the God of his understanding.

What does the Bible say about God’s Wrath?

Ezekiel 7:8-9; Psalm 89:29-33; Isaiah 13:11; Jeremiah 9:25; Amos 2:6; Isaiah 66:15-16

I. God will pour his wrath on the unrighteous (Romans 1:18)

Question: What is God’s wrath?

Answer: God’s wrath is the permanent attitude of a holy and just God when confronted by sin and evil

Question: What is the Basis of God’s Wrath?

A. God has revealed himself (Romans 1:19-20)

1. Man has no excuse for not acknowledging God

2. Rational reasons from nature for believing in God

a. Cosmological Argument (Cause and Effect)

b. Teleological Argument (Design)

c. Moral Argument (God’s Moral Law written on our hearts)

To make oneself right with God, you first have to acknowledge who he is and that we have an obligation to complete submission to him.

B. Man has chosen to reject God’s revelation

1. They refuse to give God glory or thanks (Romans 1:21)

2. They exchanged God’s glory for glory of man-made objects (Romans 1:22-23)

Question: What is the Result of God’s Wrath?

C. God allows man to destroy himself

1. God Gave Them Over to sinful sexual desires (Romans 1:24-26)

Question: Why did God do this?

Answer: Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped created things rather than the creator

Sexual promiscuity is the first sign that God is pouring out his wrath on you.

2. God Gave Them Over to sexual perversions (Romans 1:26-27)

Question: In this case, what is the consequence of their sinfulness?

Answer: They receive the due penalty of their sinfulness in their body.

3. God Gave them Over to perverse thinking (Romans 1:28-31)

There is a point when those in deep sexual sin and perversion know they are wrong, but then they reach a point where even their mind becomes twisted and they no longer can distinguish between right and wrong.

Question: Why would God allow people to spiral out of control like this?

Answer: Because sometimes people need to be completely broken and self-destruct before they can submit to God.

Question: What can we conclude from all of this? (see Romans 1:32)

Conclusion: Mankind knows to do right, but chooses to do wrong

What about the Jews? (Look at Romans 2:1)

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Sometimes we are too quick to judge the world and too slow to judge ourselves… instead, we should be quick to judge our own sinfulness and slow to judge the world. Our job is not to judge the world, but to point them to Christ.

II. God’s will pour his wrath on the Jews (Romans 2:1-5)

Question: Why would God pour his wrath on those who work to follow his law?

A. God has established his righteous law

1. God rewards good works (Romans 2:6-7)

2. God punishes evil works (Romans 2:8-11)

Question: So what is the basis for determining what is “good” and what is “evil”?

Answer: The law

3. God judges those who sin under the law (Romans 2:12)

4. God justifies those who uphold the law (Romans 2:13)

Romans 2:14-15

Question: If we all just keep the law, then what’s the problem?

B. We are ALL lawbreakers (Romans 2:21-22)

God’s law requires complete and unflawed obedience. The Mosaic law provided sacrifices to atone for unknown sins and for sins that were originally unknown but became known later, but there are no provisions in the law for blatant rebellion against God… there was no sacrifice for high-handed sins such as what David did with Bathsheba and Uriah.

If you openly defied and disobeyed God, your only hope was to throw yourself on God’s mercy (like David)

Psalm 51:1-12

Question: Why didn’t David just offer a guilt offering?

Answer: Because the guilt offering could not take away his sin.

C. The consequence of God’s people being lawbreakers

1. God is dishonored (Romans 2:23)

2. The world blasphemes God because of their sins (Romans 2:24 )

When we sin, we bring shame on God

III. God will pour his wrath on All Men

A. Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the curse of sin (Romans 3:9)

B. There are none who are righteous before God (Romans 3:10-18)

Paul went through this exercise in order to draw a very important conclusion about the law:

Romans 3:19-20

Conclusions:

· The Law cannot bring righteousness

· The Law can only reveal our unrighteousness

Romans 6:23a

We cannot merit salvation by our works

WE ARE TRAPPED BY GOD’S WRATH !

Fret not, we can be rescued from this trap!

Romans: Lesson 1 of 12

2010-08-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

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Lesson 1: Background, Overview and Introduction

Romans 1:1-17, Romans 15:23-33

Introduction to Romans

Romans Summarized:

Because you were condemned in your unrighteousness, God showed mercy on you by sending his son, Jesus Christ, to make you righteous; therefore, live a righteous life in service to him. (Romans 12:1)

Central Theme of Romans: Righteousness

Central Verse in Romans: Romans 12:1

Date of Authorship: approximately 57AD while Paul was in Corinth

Pauline Recipe: Doctrine 1^st; Application 2^nd

Doctrine: Pre-Romans 12:1

Application: Post-Romans 12:1

Paul’s Spiritual Gift to the Romans (Romans 1:1-17, Romans 15:23-33)

Paul’s Life Verse Romans 1:16

Lesson Theme: The gospel is a great gift of which we should not be ashamed.

Lesson Objective: To obtain a proper understanding of the gospel

Paul wanted to visit the Romans to impart on them a spiritual gift (vs 11). Paul’s desires are laid out clearly in Romans 15:23-33. He prays to be able to return to Rome, but realizes that going to Jerusalem will be dangerous and he may be arrested. Absent the ability to go personally to Rome, he gives them this gift (via the book of Romans) – a proper understanding of the righteousness of God.

Romans is all about the gospel…

1. The gospel was promised through the prophets (Romans 3:21; Romans 16:25-26)

Why was it important that the gospel (as we understand it) was promised through the prophets?

Answer: Because the Jews held a prophetic view that the Messiah would be a conquering king to come enforce the law, not a suffering savior that fulfills the law.

2. The gospel declares the humanity and the Deity of Jesus (Romans 1:3-4; John 1:1; and 1:14)

Both the humanity of Jesus and the divinity of Jesus are critical to a proper understanding of the gospel.

Question: Why is Christ’s humanity so important? (1 Corinthans 15:22-23)

Answer: Only a man could pay the penalty for the sins committed by man.

Question: Why is Christ’s divinity so important? (Hebrews 4:15)

Answer: Only God could have lived a sinless life to qualify to pay that penalty.

Thus, Jesus is 100% man; and 100% God.

3. What IS the Gospel? (Romans 1:16-17)

A. Nothing to be ashamed of

1. Both Romans and Jews thought crucifixion was shameful

For Romans, crucifixion was outlawed.

For Jews, crucifixion was a curse. (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)

2. Romans citizens thought slavery was shameful

Roman citizens would never voluntarily consent to being a bondservant, but Paul described himself as a bond-servant (verse 1) – which is a jewish concept of voluntary slavery for life. (Deuteronomy 15:12-16)

Both Romans and Jews were proud. Romans because of their status; Jews because of their religion. Paul wanted the Romans to break free of their prideful mentality and humble themselves before God.

Question: Are you ashamed of the gospel? If so, why?

B. The power of God for Salvation

4-fold Aspects of Salvation (Romans 8:28-30)

1. Called

2. Justified

3. Sanctified

4. Glorified

C. A Righteousness from God

God’s Righteousness

i. Enables us to meet our “legal” obligations

ii. Depends upon his holiness, not ours

D. For Everyone who Believes

James 2:19

4. HOW does the gospel (i.e., salvation) come?

A. By Grace (vs 5)

Question: What is grace?

Answer: Grace is the unmerited favor of God to a sinner who has no hope

B. Through Faith_ (vs 17)

Question: What is faith? (Hebrews 11:1)

Answer: Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen

True belief (faith) results in repentance, acceptance, then obedience

Salvation by grace through faith is a central theme of Paul’s theology (Eph 2:8-9)

High Places

2010-07-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, I told you about King Jehoash (or Joash) of Judah and how scripture gave him a favorable epitaph. However, it did mention something else about him. He did not tear down the high places. In 2 Kings 12:3, it says “the high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.” As I study Old Testament history, I find this same sentiment repeated over and over – a refusal to remove the high places - so I determined to learn what it meant.

Essentially, the high places were local places of worship. According to the Torah, sacrifices were supposed to be performed primarily in the tabernacle or – later – in the temple. The religious system established during the time of Moses was very clear about the ritual and methodology associated with the various offerings and sacrifices. Although other ancient near east cultures also performed sacrificial rituals, those established by the Mosaic law were somewhat unique. Other cultures performed sacrifices to appease their gods or to provide food and sustenance for their gods. The children of Israel did not perform sacrifices to appease Yahweh because he did not need to be appeased. The children of Israel did not perform sacrifices to provide food and sustenance for Yahweh because he is self-sustaining. Rather, the sacrificial system was a form of worship. Drink offerings and grain offerings and thanksgiving offerings were to show gratitude for Yahweh’s provisions. Even the sacrifice of atonement and the guilt and sin offerings were made not to appease Yahweh, but to atone for sins committed against Yahweh that were either unintentional or uncontrollable. In fact, the Mosaic sacrificial system contained no provisions at all for high-handed, blatant rebellion against Yahweh. In such cases – like David’s sin – one’s only hope of forgiveness was to repent and throw oneself on the mercy of Yahweh. Much like the gospel of the New Testament, since all men are sinners and have all performed such high-handed sinfulness, one was not deemed righteous by the sacrificial system, but by faith in the grace of God (see Romans 3).

This difference was intended to distinguish the pagan religions, which all sought to earn the favor of the Gods, from worship of Yahweh, which depended upon his grace, not mankind’s meritorious efforts. One of the ways in which the pagan religions sought to earn such favor was to worship on these high places. The high places, therefore, served two purposes. First, because they believed the gods were in the heavens (i.e., the physical heavens of the atmosphere and space), they worshipped on high places to both point them to the heavens and to physically bring them closer to the heavens. They believed their efforts to get closer to the god of their choice would be rewarded. Second, the high places were visible to all. Therefore, when one worshipped on the high places, one’s religious efforts were visible by all and such efforts brought about the approval of those who may have been watching. In other words, “look at me, I’m very religious”.

By setting up high places – even though those high places were used in the worship of Yahweh – Judah was mimicking the religious efforts of the pagans. They were ignoring the specific requirements of the law; they were seeking to obtain Yahweh’s favor by attempting to get closer to him; and they were setting themselves up before their peers so that their righteousness could be seen by all. Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of his life, but he did not tear down the high places. Therefore, his people were still sinning against God because even though they were being religious, they were not worshipping the way God had proscribed.

Have we also set up high places in our churches? When we worship, what are our motivations? Are we worshipping from a grateful heart? Are we worshipping out of repentance? Are we worshipping to earn God’s favor? Are we worshipping in such a way as to make ourselves appear righteous? Likewise, what are our motivations for our works such as helping the poor, teaching Sunday school, even being a deacon or a greeter? Why do we do what we do in the name of Christianity? Is it to put righteous acts in our holy bank? Isaiah 64:6 says they are all like filthy rags. Is it to make ourselves look good before men? Be careful, because Matthew 6:1 tells us that is its own reward and we will not receive a reward from God for such works. Everything we do should be from a heart of worship, contrition, and obedience. If it is not, then it is nothing more than another high place. When you go to church this next Sunday, think about tearing down your high places.

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV).

Epitaph

2010-06-26T09:29:00.001-07:00

“And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days…” (2 Kings 12:2a ESV).

The authors of 1^st and 2^nd Kings did not undertake to write down all the relevant events of the lives of the Kings of Judah and Israel. Rather, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they determined to write down that which was important to instruct the reader in the important aspect of God’s redemptive work throughout history leading up to Jesus Christ. As a result, what we get from the authors of 1^st and 2^nd Kings are important events in redemptive history combined with a spattering of religious commentary deemed to be important. For most of the kings of Israel and Judah, that included an epitaph describing whether or not the king was compliant with or in defiance of the Mosaic Covenant.

When you think about the kings of Israel and Judah, what immediately comes to your mind? Most of us probably think immediately of David because he was the prototype for the coming King of Israel and was a man after God’s own heart despite the fact that he had huge personal failures. Then we probably think about Solomon not only because he was so wise, but because he failed so miserably in the end. Perhaps we think of Saul because God rejected him in favor of David and most of us think of Ahab because of his conflicts with Elijah. If we are real bible scholars, we may even think of Hezekiah and Josiah, two kings spoken of so highly in scripture. There may be others we think of for other reasons, but those are the biggies.

How many of us, however, would think about Jehoash? Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days. What an amazing epitaph. Other than the fact that he made repairs to the temple, this is just about the only thing we know about Jehoash. Think about it, though. What else do we really need to know? Unlike David, who failed with Bathsheba, or Solomon, who was led astray to worship other gods, Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of God “all his days.” What more really needs to be said?

No matter what I do (or don’t do) with my life, there is nothing more that I would rather have said about me than that I did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. So often, we seek to obtain man’s favor. We want a long-standing epitaph amongst our peers or a place written in history – we want a legacy. In truth, though, what does it really matter whether or not man looks upon our life and decides it was – or was not – worthy. When we stand before almighty God, there are only two things that will matter. First, is our name written in the book of life? Have we attempted to earn our salvation through our own works or did we rely on the grace that comes through work of Jesus Christ in faith? Second, assuming we get past the first, God will judge our works with fire. If they withstand the fire, then we too, may receive an epitaph that reads “he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.” At the end of the day, I cannot think of anything I would rather have said about me than that.

As for Jehoahaz, the only other thing we know about him is that he did not tear down the high places. In my next post, I will try to address that, because it goes toward whether or not we will be viewed as doing right in his eyes.

Book Review: The Shack - Do not be deceived

2009-10-28T05:08:00.000-07:00

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

2 Peter 2:1-3

Brothers and Sisters, I have been deceived. It was not a heresy or blasphemy that deceived me. God has blessed me with discernment enough to see these for what they are and call them what they are. The deception was that it was OK for me to overlook and dismiss these heresies as insignificant in light of other factors. I am speaking of the very popular book amongst Christians by William P. Young called The Shack. This book contains many wonderful Biblical truths. For example, this book speaks of God’s great love for His children and how He loves each of them in a special and unique way. It speaks of how God deeply desires to have a relationship with His children and will meet them in their time of greatest need. In fact, it places our relationship with God as being infinitely greater in importance to the traditions of religion. It speaks of how God desires to redeem all of mankind, even those who may have committed heinous sin. It also speaks of how fallen and twisted our world has become, how it is our own desire to be independent which has perverted His gifts to us, how this perversion is the source for pain and suffering in the world, and how God in His Sovereignty works that pain and suffering to His good. These are wonderful Biblical truths that every believer needs to know and understand and Young presents these truths through a powerful and moving story which literally made me cry like a little baby. I enjoyed the story tremendously.

Unfortunately, every since I read this book, I have been deeply convicted that my acceptance of this book, despite these truths, also provides tacit approval for the heresies contained within it – and the book contains some serious heresies. It is not so much that God the Father is portrayed as a female African American servant that concerned me. It was clearly explained in the book that this was only done because it was necessary in order for the main character to be able to relate to God. I can somewhat understand that. However, the book denies that God is Just or that God will bring punishment on the wicked. This is a critical truth that all men and women must acknowledge before they can accept the truth that they need Jesus. Although the book acknowledges that the justice of God is the sole reason that Christ came and was punished, it does not acknowledge that our rejection of Christ will bring about that judgment on our own souls. Instead, the book implies that God will not bring about punishment on any man because of what Jesus did on the cross. Indeed, the book goes as far as to say that Jesus makes himself known through all religions and does not necessarily desire us to become “Christian”. These are lies straight from – well – you know… these heresies cannot be overlooked.

Brothers and Sisters, my desire would be that you not read this book. However, if you do, know what you are reading. Do not be deceived.

Do You Need to be Rescued?

2009-10-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like you were in such desperate straights that the only way out is to be rescued by someone greater than yourself? We all face times where we need to be rescued. Fortunately, we have a God who is in the rescue business. The Bible is full of rescue stories. Stories such as the these:

1. God commanded Noah to build an ark so that he and his family could be rescued from the flood
2. God provided a ram as a substitute to rescue Isaac when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice him
3. God rescued Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
4. God rescued Jacob and his children from the famine by placing Joseph in a high ranking position in Egypt
5. God rescued the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt
6. God rescued Israel from the hands of their enemies by sending any number of judges such as Gideon, Deborah, and Samson
7. God rescued Israel from the Giant Goliath by sending a small boy, David, to slay him
8. God rescued Jonah from the belly of the whale and from his own disobedience
9. God rescued Elijah from the hands of Queen Jezebel after he defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel
10. God rescued Israel from the hand of the Persians by putting Queen Esther in a unique place of influence over the king
11. Jesus rescued the disciples from a violent storm by simply saying to the wind and waves “peace, be still”
12. God rescued both Peter and Paul from prison
13. God rescued Paul and his companions from shipwreck

These are stories of physical rescue, which God is always capable of doing, but Jesus came to rescue us from the darkness of this world - spiritual rescue. His salvation is waiting for you. He wants to rescue you.

To hear more, click this link
Rescue Me

Why do Catholics know the names of all the demons?

2009-09-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:4, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (NIV). I got up Friday morning, the fourth day into my own personal battle with the H1N1 virus. If ever there were a time when I was “out of season,” it was then. My cough was extra-croupy. I was having difficulty breathing – so much so that I had to use a rescue inhaler. My voice was essentially non-existent, unless you considered a low, rumbly, grumbly, near unintelligible rasp a voice. I didn’t really want to go back to the doctor’s office, but if this got worse, I might be in real trouble. Plus, it was Friday and my doctor would not be in the office the next day if it did get worse. I managed to speak to my doctor’s office, who suggested that I come back into the office right after lunch. Friday afternoon in a doctor’s office – you can imagine how crowded it was – and I didn’t have an appointment. It was going to be a while.
I sat in the small, but crowded waiting room reading a book while I waited my turn (“Ethics for a Brave New World” by Feinberg and Feingberg – I recommend it to all Christians in this world of compromised ethics and upside down conviction). Sitting immediately adjacent to me was a fairly rough looking woman of middle age, who just a few minutes prior had been both smoking and coughing uncontrollably outside the front door (the waiting room was, of course, smoke free!). Without batting an eye, the woman looked directly at me and asked “Why do Catholics know the names of all the demons?” First of all, why ask me? There were about twelve other people in the room she could have asked. Second of all, why would I possibly know the answer to that? Did I look Catholic? Third of all, I don't think the Catholics claim to know the names of all the demons, just a few of them.
Since I was so “out of season,” I really didn’t want to be disturbed. Plus, I didn’t have a voice. As a result, I simply responded with “That’s really not something very relevant, is it?” and I went back to my book. Surprisingly, my voice was very normal. Very little rasp at all. She, however, was not satisfied with my trite response. “But I really want to know; don’t you want to know?” I wanted to say “Why would I want to know such a ridiculous thing?” Instead, I said “For me, I am satisfied with the grace that God has given me and knowing that it is sufficient for all things. I don’t really need to worry about the names of the demons.” Good answer. Now maybe I can return to my book? Nope, not yet.
It was clear that I was not getting out of this one when the woman responded back with (slightly paraphrased due to poor memory) “You know, there are so many truths to learn in all the religions of the world, I just want to piece them all together and find out the whole truth.” Ok, now it is a full on spiritual battle and an opportunity. Time to put the book down and actively engage.
I quoted her John 14:6 and explained to her how that Christianity was the only true religion because only through Christ can we achieve forgiveness of sins and heaven. I further explained how there was no need even considering the other religions of the world because we can not achieve salvation through them. At this point, I didn’t even think as to whether or not she was categorizing Catholicism as a separate religion or not, but that didn’t really matter. She retorted “But don’t the other religions have a measure of truth to them as well?” I further explained that when Jesus said he was THE TRUTH, he meant that he was the only truth. There is no other truth except the truth about Jesus Christ. Everything that God has chosen to reveal to us, he has revealed through the truth of His Word, the Bible. There it was. I had managed to get the gospel out there to a crowded room of sick people and my voice was holding up very well. My job was done, right? Wrong.
“I just think that God has called me to look into all these other religions too.” Really? Now it is time for the gloves to come off. I wanted to say “I don’t think that it is God calling you to do that, I think it is the devil!” but that would not have been “careful and patient instruction.” Instead, I challenged her a bit more gently: “I think that maybe God is calling you to believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as your savior and the only one who can forgive your sins.”
There it is. She could either accept it or reject it, but she couldn’t ignore it. You know, one should never be surprised at how people respond when you are sharing the gospel. “Oh, I’m not worried about that. I’ve already done that.” Right – and I am supposed to believe you on that one?
For a few moments there was silence, broken by one last act of desperation on her part. “I’m just looking for some direction.” As amusing as this story is, what is not amusing is the truth of the utter confusion and delusional spell that Satan has cast on the world. People really are desperate for direction, but remain blinded to the truth when it is placed right before them. My compassion for this woman was now growing as I responded “Let me ask you a question, how much time do you spend reading God’s word and praying?” She lied. Well, I can’t honestly say I know that she lied, but do you believe that she spends a “significant amount of [her] time reading the Bible”? Neither did I. So I went on to explain to her that all the direction we need is in the Bible. Because it is the only source of truth, we can find comfort and direction and peace through that truth. Furthermore, when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, he sends the Holy Spirit to come and live in our lives and the Holy Spirit then helps guide and direct our lives if we let him and we listen to him.
Now there was truly silence and there were no more questions. Oddly enough, throughout the discourse, not one single person in the waiting room had been called to the back. When the door finally opened to call back the next patient, guess who it was. As the woman stood up to go to the back, I touched her arm and said these final words – “Go home tonight and read the Bible. First read the Gospel of John; then read Romans. I think you will find the direction you are looking for there.”
Maybe the conversation was for her. Maybe God was speaking to her – but maybe it was for someone else in the room. Someone who couldn’t help but hear what was being said. Either way, it reminded me that sharing the gospel is never really “out of season.”