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Sunday, January 2, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Instruction Manual for Life
Romans 12:6a Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them:
Let's take a look at the list given in Romans 12;
1) Prophecy
2) Ministry
3) Teaching
4) Exhortation (1. The form of words intended to incite and encourage. 2. Advice; counsel.)
5) Giving
6) Leading
7) Mercy (Pity; compassion manifested towards a person in distress. Charity, or the duties of charity and benevolence.)
We all have different gifts, different callings just as each member of our body has different functions, so does the Body of Christ. Whatever our gifts are (which would fall into one of the above 7 "headings") we need to be committed to them unto The Lord as we will see as we move through Romans 12.
Look at the verse Paul follows this list up with:
Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
This verse makes it clear that the condition of our heart is HUGE. Are we giving out of love or obligation. Are we serving out of love or attention. Are we teaching out of love or pride. Are we evangelizing out of love or arrogance. We need to be loving, gentle and meek in all we do. I know for me, I have remnants (or maybe more than remnants) of pride and cockiness from when I was a selfish pagan rat. The Lord continues to transform me and prune out the garbage, I pray for more meekness and humility frequently.
Reading the second half of verse 9, I got the cling to what is good part, but I didn't know what "abhor" meant so I looked it up. Abhor means: "to hate extremely". We have no problem "hating extremely" what we consider evil, but do we "hate extremely" what God considers evil?
As we examine this list of 7 that Paul gives, and consider our gifts and calling; how does Paul say we should approach our calling?
Romans 12:10-11 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
Paraphrase based on Websters definition of lagging, diligence and fervent: We are not to act slowly, but instead be steady in our application and earnest and excited in our attitude serving The Lord.
As we commit to our calling in love and humility with excitement and steadfastness, how should we react to the world?
Rom 12:12-18 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Let's take a look at the list given in Romans 12;
1) Prophecy
2) Ministry
3) Teaching
4) Exhortation (1. The form of words intended to incite and encourage. 2. Advice; counsel.)
5) Giving
6) Leading
7) Mercy (Pity; compassion manifested towards a person in distress. Charity, or the duties of charity and benevolence.)
We all have different gifts, different callings just as each member of our body has different functions, so does the Body of Christ. Whatever our gifts are (which would fall into one of the above 7 "headings") we need to be committed to them unto The Lord as we will see as we move through Romans 12.
Look at the verse Paul follows this list up with:
Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
This verse makes it clear that the condition of our heart is HUGE. Are we giving out of love or obligation. Are we serving out of love or attention. Are we teaching out of love or pride. Are we evangelizing out of love or arrogance. We need to be loving, gentle and meek in all we do. I know for me, I have remnants (or maybe more than remnants) of pride and cockiness from when I was a selfish pagan rat. The Lord continues to transform me and prune out the garbage, I pray for more meekness and humility frequently.
Reading the second half of verse 9, I got the cling to what is good part, but I didn't know what "abhor" meant so I looked it up. Abhor means: "to hate extremely". We have no problem "hating extremely" what we consider evil, but do we "hate extremely" what God considers evil?
As we examine this list of 7 that Paul gives, and consider our gifts and calling; how does Paul say we should approach our calling?
Romans 12:10-11 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
Paraphrase based on Websters definition of lagging, diligence and fervent: We are not to act slowly, but instead be steady in our application and earnest and excited in our attitude serving The Lord.
As we commit to our calling in love and humility with excitement and steadfastness, how should we react to the world?
Rom 12:12-18 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Examine Yourself
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Today, there are many who name the name of Christ, but who never "depart from iniquity."
2Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."
They are false converts who "ask Jesus into their heart," but are actually unconverted because they have never truly repented. So it is important that you examine yourself to see if you are in the faith
2Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
Those who allow sin in their lives are actually opening themselves up to demonic influence. The Bible instructs us to "neither give place to the devil"
Ephesians 4:27 nor give place to the devil.
Afflictions only work together for our good, if we are "called according to [God’s] purpose"
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Therefore, the following are questions each of us need to ask ourselves:
Do I honor my parents? Do I value them implicitly? God commands that we honor out parents, then Scripture warns, "that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth"
Ephesians 6:2-3 "HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH
In other words, if you don’t value your parents, all will not be well with you. I have found that many people have demonic problems because they hate their parents.
Is there any unconfessed sin in my life? Is there any bitterness, resentment, or jealousy? Have I been hurt by someone in the past whom I can’t find it within my heart to forgive? Then I am giving place to the devil. If I won’t forgive and forget, I’m like a man who is stung to death by one bee. You could understand someone being stung to death by a swarm of bees, but we can do something about one bee. The sad thing about someone who becomes bitter is that all they need to do to deal with their problem is to swat the thing through repentance. God says He will not forgive us if we will not forgive from our heart
Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Has there been any occult activity in my life in the past? Do I have idols (even as souvenirs) in my home? Is there any pornography? I need to prayerfully walk around in the house and ask God if there is anything that is unpleasing to Him. Then I must consider the same thing within the temple of my own body. Am I a glutton? Do I feed filth into my mind through my eyes or through my ears? Do my hands touch only what is pleasing in His sight? Are my words kind and loving? Are the meditations of my mind pleasing to God?
The only way to know if you are a Christian is by your fruit. There are a number of fruits in Scripture: the fruit of praise, the fruit of thanksgiving, the fruit of holiness, the fruit of repentance, the fruit of righteousness, and the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
A key to overcoming trials is to understand that they are relative. The next time Satan tries to make you feel sorry for yourself in the midst of a trial, ask yourself, "Would I like to trade places with someone who has a horrible terminal disease? Would I like to trade places with a burn victim who has been burned over 90% of his body?" We can’t imagine the agonies those in such a predicament go through. Have you ever burned yourself on a toaster? Think what it might be like for those poor people. Such sober thoughts bring our problems into perspective, and should make us want to thank God for His many blessings. Not only for what we have, but also for those things we don’t have—like unspeakable pain.
The fruit of thanksgiving should be evident in the Christian, not only for temporal blessings, but for the cross. Paul was persecuted beyond measure, merely for his faith in God, yet he said, "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift"
2Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
As Christians, we should have the fruit of holiness. We should be separated from this world, with all of its corruption, to God. We should have evidence of our repentance. If we have stolen, we will return what isn’t ours. We will set right (where possible) that which we have wronged. Lastly, we will possess the fruit of the Spirit. If we are rooted and grounded in Him, we will have the fruits of His character hanging from the branches of our lives. Do we have love that cares for others? Do we care enough about the salvation of sinners to put feet to our prayers and take the gospel to them? Love is not passive. It will not be self-indulgent while others suffer. It is empathetic.
Today, there are many who name the name of Christ, but who never "depart from iniquity."
2Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."
They are false converts who "ask Jesus into their heart," but are actually unconverted because they have never truly repented. So it is important that you examine yourself to see if you are in the faith
2Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
Those who allow sin in their lives are actually opening themselves up to demonic influence. The Bible instructs us to "neither give place to the devil"
Ephesians 4:27 nor give place to the devil.
Afflictions only work together for our good, if we are "called according to [God’s] purpose"
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Therefore, the following are questions each of us need to ask ourselves:
Do I honor my parents? Do I value them implicitly? God commands that we honor out parents, then Scripture warns, "that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth"
Ephesians 6:2-3 "HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH
In other words, if you don’t value your parents, all will not be well with you. I have found that many people have demonic problems because they hate their parents.
Is there any unconfessed sin in my life? Is there any bitterness, resentment, or jealousy? Have I been hurt by someone in the past whom I can’t find it within my heart to forgive? Then I am giving place to the devil. If I won’t forgive and forget, I’m like a man who is stung to death by one bee. You could understand someone being stung to death by a swarm of bees, but we can do something about one bee. The sad thing about someone who becomes bitter is that all they need to do to deal with their problem is to swat the thing through repentance. God says He will not forgive us if we will not forgive from our heart
Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Has there been any occult activity in my life in the past? Do I have idols (even as souvenirs) in my home? Is there any pornography? I need to prayerfully walk around in the house and ask God if there is anything that is unpleasing to Him. Then I must consider the same thing within the temple of my own body. Am I a glutton? Do I feed filth into my mind through my eyes or through my ears? Do my hands touch only what is pleasing in His sight? Are my words kind and loving? Are the meditations of my mind pleasing to God?
The only way to know if you are a Christian is by your fruit. There are a number of fruits in Scripture: the fruit of praise, the fruit of thanksgiving, the fruit of holiness, the fruit of repentance, the fruit of righteousness, and the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
A key to overcoming trials is to understand that they are relative. The next time Satan tries to make you feel sorry for yourself in the midst of a trial, ask yourself, "Would I like to trade places with someone who has a horrible terminal disease? Would I like to trade places with a burn victim who has been burned over 90% of his body?" We can’t imagine the agonies those in such a predicament go through. Have you ever burned yourself on a toaster? Think what it might be like for those poor people. Such sober thoughts bring our problems into perspective, and should make us want to thank God for His many blessings. Not only for what we have, but also for those things we don’t have—like unspeakable pain.
The fruit of thanksgiving should be evident in the Christian, not only for temporal blessings, but for the cross. Paul was persecuted beyond measure, merely for his faith in God, yet he said, "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift"
2Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
As Christians, we should have the fruit of holiness. We should be separated from this world, with all of its corruption, to God. We should have evidence of our repentance. If we have stolen, we will return what isn’t ours. We will set right (where possible) that which we have wronged. Lastly, we will possess the fruit of the Spirit. If we are rooted and grounded in Him, we will have the fruits of His character hanging from the branches of our lives. Do we have love that cares for others? Do we care enough about the salvation of sinners to put feet to our prayers and take the gospel to them? Love is not passive. It will not be self-indulgent while others suffer. It is empathetic.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Religious vs. Relationship
Rom 10:1-3 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
These are the verses an "ultra-religious" person needs to be directed to for the Truth about works righteousness. Break down these verses. First of all, Paul makes it clear that religious people need to be saved just as much as the worst pagan out there, and it is the desire of Paul's heart and all those born-again that the lost would be saved. In verse 2, Paul reminds us that he too was zealous for God, although it was misguided. He too was eager to please and serve God, although he didn't have a relationship with Him. In the same way, ultra-religious people are striving to please God and earn their way to Heaven (or whatever eternal destination their religion is ascribing), but they do not know God. As Paul says in verse 2, they have zeal, but this zeal is without true Godly knowledge, it is just futile human effort that is not led by The Spirit. In verse 3, Paul makes it very clear that they are ignorant of how true Righteousness is had, but instead the religious seek to attain their own righteousness...and right there at the end of verse 3 we see why....the have not submitted to Jesus Christ. The Righteousness of God is only found through The Blood of Jesus, and religious people are too prideful or confused to surrender to Him.
In verse 9 below, we see what is required to be saved. This verse flies in the face of those that will say Jesus can be your Savior, but He doesn't have to be your Lord. You may say, "huh, that's weird, people say that?". There is a preacher in Texas and on YouTube that has a pretty big following by the name of Steve Anderson. On the surface he sounds pretty solid, but if you hear enough of his stuff you will find out that he says this very thing. But, is that what the Word says:
Rom 10:9
(ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
(NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
I put the ESV version above as well as the NKJ. They both say the same thing, but the way we speak, "Jesus is Lord" vs. "the Lord Jesus" may seem a little clearer. In either case, you are confessing that Jesus is your Lord and as such, you are surrendered and obedient to Him. In addition, this verse makes clear that Jesus is alive, He has conquered death and we serve The Risen Christ, not a dead Jewish carpenter. Remember when Paul was blinded by The Light and heard The Voice? What did Paul say? Who are You Lord? Paul knew he was talking to God, and what did The Voice say? "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." Jesus is God. Jesus is risen. Surrender to Him and you shall be saved.
Why is all that important? Because if we know this to be true, we will recognize false religions and false teaching. All false religions will attack the Person of Jesus Christ and the work of Jesus Christ.
Case in point; Mormons, Jehovah's Witness and Islam all say that Jesus is NOT God. If you read the true catholic doctrines (which anyone can find right from their website) you will find that they teach that Jesus' finished work on The Cross was not enough, to be saved you must fullfill the rituals and works of their religion. I tend to pick on these 4 religions, but I assure you, there are MANY others.
Notice in verse 10, that it is with the heart one believes and with the mouth confession. It is not the other way around. To simply say that you are surrendered to Jesus as your Lord and Savior without the condition of your heart changed is a futile exercise:
Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
I love how in verse 12 Paul quickly points out that these words are not just for the Jews, even though he starts this chapter pleading with Isreal:
Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
So then, how shall ALL be saved?
Rom 10:13 For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."
I want to wrap up with a personal story. The extremely shortened version is this:
I recently approached my Pastor about starting an evanglism team at our church. We discussed it over breakfast and he was VERY excited and we discussed who would be involved etc. After 6 weeks I hadn't heard back (as I was told a certain other Pastor would be in contact with me). This in itself was an effort for me (the waiting) as many of you know my personality. But, I figured The Lord was teaching me to wait on Him (as He had been doing for over a year now, hopefully it takes pretty soon). Finally after 6 weeks I emailed him an idea for the tract we would hand out which was basically a tract/invitation to the church. After another week he replied, only his enthusiasm had changed to what seemed to be regret. He basically said that the others didn't like the idea and he cited "research studies" that indicate that people don't like "aggresive evangalism". No kidding! You mean people that love their sin don't like to hear The Gospel....that's weird....did Jesus know that? He suggested I read a couple books, one of which is entitled, "Being a Contageous Christian". This is the overriding mindset of Christians today. Silly things are said like, "Preach The Gospel and if neccasary use words". We have all used "one liners" like this because we have heard preachers say them, the sounded good to us, so we started using them. This is basically what my Pastor was suggesting. Are we to follow man or God? We've seen in Acts that, that isn't how the first century disciples did it. And here again in Romans 10, Paul makes it clear:
Romans 10:14-17 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!"
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
These are the verses an "ultra-religious" person needs to be directed to for the Truth about works righteousness. Break down these verses. First of all, Paul makes it clear that religious people need to be saved just as much as the worst pagan out there, and it is the desire of Paul's heart and all those born-again that the lost would be saved. In verse 2, Paul reminds us that he too was zealous for God, although it was misguided. He too was eager to please and serve God, although he didn't have a relationship with Him. In the same way, ultra-religious people are striving to please God and earn their way to Heaven (or whatever eternal destination their religion is ascribing), but they do not know God. As Paul says in verse 2, they have zeal, but this zeal is without true Godly knowledge, it is just futile human effort that is not led by The Spirit. In verse 3, Paul makes it very clear that they are ignorant of how true Righteousness is had, but instead the religious seek to attain their own righteousness...and right there at the end of verse 3 we see why....the have not submitted to Jesus Christ. The Righteousness of God is only found through The Blood of Jesus, and religious people are too prideful or confused to surrender to Him.
In verse 9 below, we see what is required to be saved. This verse flies in the face of those that will say Jesus can be your Savior, but He doesn't have to be your Lord. You may say, "huh, that's weird, people say that?". There is a preacher in Texas and on YouTube that has a pretty big following by the name of Steve Anderson. On the surface he sounds pretty solid, but if you hear enough of his stuff you will find out that he says this very thing. But, is that what the Word says:
Rom 10:9
(ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
(NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
I put the ESV version above as well as the NKJ. They both say the same thing, but the way we speak, "Jesus is Lord" vs. "the Lord Jesus" may seem a little clearer. In either case, you are confessing that Jesus is your Lord and as such, you are surrendered and obedient to Him. In addition, this verse makes clear that Jesus is alive, He has conquered death and we serve The Risen Christ, not a dead Jewish carpenter. Remember when Paul was blinded by The Light and heard The Voice? What did Paul say? Who are You Lord? Paul knew he was talking to God, and what did The Voice say? "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." Jesus is God. Jesus is risen. Surrender to Him and you shall be saved.
Why is all that important? Because if we know this to be true, we will recognize false religions and false teaching. All false religions will attack the Person of Jesus Christ and the work of Jesus Christ.
Case in point; Mormons, Jehovah's Witness and Islam all say that Jesus is NOT God. If you read the true catholic doctrines (which anyone can find right from their website) you will find that they teach that Jesus' finished work on The Cross was not enough, to be saved you must fullfill the rituals and works of their religion. I tend to pick on these 4 religions, but I assure you, there are MANY others.
Notice in verse 10, that it is with the heart one believes and with the mouth confession. It is not the other way around. To simply say that you are surrendered to Jesus as your Lord and Savior without the condition of your heart changed is a futile exercise:
Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
I love how in verse 12 Paul quickly points out that these words are not just for the Jews, even though he starts this chapter pleading with Isreal:
Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
So then, how shall ALL be saved?
Rom 10:13 For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."
I want to wrap up with a personal story. The extremely shortened version is this:
I recently approached my Pastor about starting an evanglism team at our church. We discussed it over breakfast and he was VERY excited and we discussed who would be involved etc. After 6 weeks I hadn't heard back (as I was told a certain other Pastor would be in contact with me). This in itself was an effort for me (the waiting) as many of you know my personality. But, I figured The Lord was teaching me to wait on Him (as He had been doing for over a year now, hopefully it takes pretty soon). Finally after 6 weeks I emailed him an idea for the tract we would hand out which was basically a tract/invitation to the church. After another week he replied, only his enthusiasm had changed to what seemed to be regret. He basically said that the others didn't like the idea and he cited "research studies" that indicate that people don't like "aggresive evangalism". No kidding! You mean people that love their sin don't like to hear The Gospel....that's weird....did Jesus know that? He suggested I read a couple books, one of which is entitled, "Being a Contageous Christian". This is the overriding mindset of Christians today. Silly things are said like, "Preach The Gospel and if neccasary use words". We have all used "one liners" like this because we have heard preachers say them, the sounded good to us, so we started using them. This is basically what my Pastor was suggesting. Are we to follow man or God? We've seen in Acts that, that isn't how the first century disciples did it. And here again in Romans 10, Paul makes it clear:
Romans 10:14-17 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!"
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Romans 7 man
Rom 7:14-23 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
I did some commentary reading on these verses last night on these verses because I have battled with who the Romans 7 man is, I've settled on it and battled again, and I am currently unsettled. Through my reading last night I found that theologians have been debating this for years. “The Romans 7 man isn't saved”, “no he's saved he is just being sanctified”, “Paul is talking about himself before he was born again”, “Paul's talking about himself in his current condition”.
I am not saying I am right, but here is where I have landed so far. I think the Romans 7 man is born-again because he clearly has Godly sorrow over his sin, and he is not completely enslaved to his sinful flesh. The Romans 7 man is Paul and he is all of us who are born again; being born again and being sanctified. I can only explain where I am at by relating to my path. When I got truly born-again....not just saying I am a Christian and living like the world....but truly surrender to Jesus; He first freed me from the bondage of sexual immorality. But then He revealed other things, like anger and He dealt with that....then profanity.....then gossip....you get the idea. Do I still have lustful thoughts; relative to the way I used to be, hardly never...but when it happens I go right to Him for strength and forgiveness and each time my mind spends less and less time there. This is the same format that seems to be followed in all my sin that God is pruning out. I hardly ever get really angry any more, WHICH IS AMAZING considering the hot head I used to be...Praise God! The ultimate point is, the Romans 7 man doesn't live (or walk) in sin. He stumbles and is being sanctified. Romans 7 is sandwiched between 2 chapters that make it clear that we are not to practice, live, walk-in or deliberately continue in sin. If “practice, live, walk-in or deliberately continue in sin” describes our relationship with sin, we are not Romans 7 men.
Romans 7:24-25
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
I did some commentary reading on these verses last night on these verses because I have battled with who the Romans 7 man is, I've settled on it and battled again, and I am currently unsettled. Through my reading last night I found that theologians have been debating this for years. “The Romans 7 man isn't saved”, “no he's saved he is just being sanctified”, “Paul is talking about himself before he was born again”, “Paul's talking about himself in his current condition”.
I am not saying I am right, but here is where I have landed so far. I think the Romans 7 man is born-again because he clearly has Godly sorrow over his sin, and he is not completely enslaved to his sinful flesh. The Romans 7 man is Paul and he is all of us who are born again; being born again and being sanctified. I can only explain where I am at by relating to my path. When I got truly born-again....not just saying I am a Christian and living like the world....but truly surrender to Jesus; He first freed me from the bondage of sexual immorality. But then He revealed other things, like anger and He dealt with that....then profanity.....then gossip....you get the idea. Do I still have lustful thoughts; relative to the way I used to be, hardly never...but when it happens I go right to Him for strength and forgiveness and each time my mind spends less and less time there. This is the same format that seems to be followed in all my sin that God is pruning out. I hardly ever get really angry any more, WHICH IS AMAZING considering the hot head I used to be...Praise God! The ultimate point is, the Romans 7 man doesn't live (or walk) in sin. He stumbles and is being sanctified. Romans 7 is sandwiched between 2 chapters that make it clear that we are not to practice, live, walk-in or deliberately continue in sin. If “practice, live, walk-in or deliberately continue in sin” describes our relationship with sin, we are not Romans 7 men.
Romans 7:24-25
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Crucial Message!
Those that are born-again are not ashamed and will proclaim Jesus at any time. In stark contrast, to those that are not born-again the message of Jesus Christ is foolishness. Not only those that blatantly reject The Gospel, but I would contend that the zeal of those that are born-again is secretly silliness to those claiming to be Christian but are not born-again.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
1Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Their are many "intellectuals" who make silly comments like, "truth is what you make it, what is true for you is different from the next person". People may look to comments like this and think them profound and logical, but the reality is, they are rooted in spiritual blindness and evil. For anyone to suggest that there is no absolute Truth illustrates their spiritual blindness. There is Absolute Truth, however, men suppress the Truth. The simpliest way to indentify people who openly or secretly, knowingly or unknowingly suppress the Truth is by the fruit of their life. Are they living a life that is clearly and openly unrighteous in the sight of God? We dare not test our righteousness by the world's standards, saying things like, "well I'm not that bad, I don't do this or that" or "I don't do this or that as much as that guy" or "I don't think it's wrong to do this or that, everyone does it". Justifying the open practice of a sinful lifestyle, no matter how trivial you think it is, is the surest way to face God's Wrath for all eternity. Paul doesn't sugar coat the fact that God's Wrath will be poured out on the unrighteousness.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
1Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1Thessalonians 2:16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved--so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God's wrath has come upon them at last!
1Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
As we seen in the last chapter of Acts, where Paul wound up on a remote island with a people group that seemed to be completly isolated from society, God has plans for those people as well. We should not reason in our mind that it is unfair for those that have never heard The Gospel. Do not presume that you will get a pass on the Day of Judgment for not surrendering to Jesus Christ because you have drawn this conclusion. God is Just, and in whatever way He chooses to deal with any people group is up to Him and we can be confident that people will be without excuse, there will not be anyone in hell confused about why they ended up there.
A friend of a friend recently cut the tips of his fingers off in a woodworking accident. He agreed to complete a job in a certain time frame and when he found out that the saftey guard he needed would take longer to order in than expected, and not being willing to pay $80 for next day air shipping charges, he decided to run the job without the safety guard. He made a bad decision and he knew there was nobody to blame but himself. We've all had consequences of bad decisions, most times they don't result in losing fingers, but all we can do is grit our teeth and think of how stupid we were. I think that gives us a little glimpse of what the Bible talks about when it refers to hell being a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Those that end up in hell, in addition to experiencing the horror of the place, will be gritting their teeth knowing that they are there because of their own bad decision.
Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Psalms 19:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Notice how verse 7 below speaks of reviving the soul. When we think of someone needing to be revived with CPR we have no problem concluding that if they do not get revived they will die. The same is true of our soul. Our soul needs to be revived, if it isn't we will face eternal death, a complete seperation from God and His blessings. Before you read the next set of verses, consider a handful of God's blessings to us: light, water, love, friendship, communication, blood, comfort, rest, joy the list goes on and on. Now just consider 2 of them for a minute. Can you get your mind around not having light? The Bible talks about hell being a place of "outer darkness". That means the darkest place we've experienced is nothing compared to outer darkness. When our power goes out in our house, the first thing we scramble to do is find the flashlight and the candles. We can't stand being in the dark, yet that is what hell is. How about rest? Most of us have experienced exhaustion before. Maybe it was after working 20 straight hours, maybe after waiting at a hospital for a loved one to get out of surgery for 24 hours, maybe after experiencing an 18 hour labor. Can you imagine experiencing exhaustion beyond any of these and not having the blessing of rest? Rest is a gift from God! There will be NO REST in hell. We've all heard the term, "no rest for the wicked"; this is more true than we know. The Bible says that He brings rain to the righteous and the unrighteous; however, in eternity this will not be the case.
Psalm 19:7-10 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psalm 19:12-13 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
Take a look at the definition of presumptuous: Willful; done with bold design, rash confidence or in violation of known duty
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
So what happens when someone rejects all The Truth? Paul makes it clear at the end of Romans 1, God's Wrath is not only poured out in eternity, but His Wrath is revealed from Heaven. What does that mean? You know God's Wrath is being revealed from Heaven when you recognize in your society a large population that not only openly sin, but approve of those that do, and will even invent new ways of doing it. Not only will this society approve of sexual immorality, but it will openly call homosexual behavior natural even though God makes it clear that it is an obomination to Him. We will see this society become unloving and disobedient to their parents. We will see a society moving more and more towards murder and a complete lack of mercy. Does this society sound familiar? As we see this list outlined by Paul I think we can easily conclude that God's hand of blessing was taken off Amercia a long time ago, and instead, His Wrath is being revealed.
Romans 1:24-32 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
1Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Their are many "intellectuals" who make silly comments like, "truth is what you make it, what is true for you is different from the next person". People may look to comments like this and think them profound and logical, but the reality is, they are rooted in spiritual blindness and evil. For anyone to suggest that there is no absolute Truth illustrates their spiritual blindness. There is Absolute Truth, however, men suppress the Truth. The simpliest way to indentify people who openly or secretly, knowingly or unknowingly suppress the Truth is by the fruit of their life. Are they living a life that is clearly and openly unrighteous in the sight of God? We dare not test our righteousness by the world's standards, saying things like, "well I'm not that bad, I don't do this or that" or "I don't do this or that as much as that guy" or "I don't think it's wrong to do this or that, everyone does it". Justifying the open practice of a sinful lifestyle, no matter how trivial you think it is, is the surest way to face God's Wrath for all eternity. Paul doesn't sugar coat the fact that God's Wrath will be poured out on the unrighteousness.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
1Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1Thessalonians 2:16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved--so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God's wrath has come upon them at last!
1Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
As we seen in the last chapter of Acts, where Paul wound up on a remote island with a people group that seemed to be completly isolated from society, God has plans for those people as well. We should not reason in our mind that it is unfair for those that have never heard The Gospel. Do not presume that you will get a pass on the Day of Judgment for not surrendering to Jesus Christ because you have drawn this conclusion. God is Just, and in whatever way He chooses to deal with any people group is up to Him and we can be confident that people will be without excuse, there will not be anyone in hell confused about why they ended up there.
A friend of a friend recently cut the tips of his fingers off in a woodworking accident. He agreed to complete a job in a certain time frame and when he found out that the saftey guard he needed would take longer to order in than expected, and not being willing to pay $80 for next day air shipping charges, he decided to run the job without the safety guard. He made a bad decision and he knew there was nobody to blame but himself. We've all had consequences of bad decisions, most times they don't result in losing fingers, but all we can do is grit our teeth and think of how stupid we were. I think that gives us a little glimpse of what the Bible talks about when it refers to hell being a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Those that end up in hell, in addition to experiencing the horror of the place, will be gritting their teeth knowing that they are there because of their own bad decision.
Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Psalms 19:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Notice how verse 7 below speaks of reviving the soul. When we think of someone needing to be revived with CPR we have no problem concluding that if they do not get revived they will die. The same is true of our soul. Our soul needs to be revived, if it isn't we will face eternal death, a complete seperation from God and His blessings. Before you read the next set of verses, consider a handful of God's blessings to us: light, water, love, friendship, communication, blood, comfort, rest, joy the list goes on and on. Now just consider 2 of them for a minute. Can you get your mind around not having light? The Bible talks about hell being a place of "outer darkness". That means the darkest place we've experienced is nothing compared to outer darkness. When our power goes out in our house, the first thing we scramble to do is find the flashlight and the candles. We can't stand being in the dark, yet that is what hell is. How about rest? Most of us have experienced exhaustion before. Maybe it was after working 20 straight hours, maybe after waiting at a hospital for a loved one to get out of surgery for 24 hours, maybe after experiencing an 18 hour labor. Can you imagine experiencing exhaustion beyond any of these and not having the blessing of rest? Rest is a gift from God! There will be NO REST in hell. We've all heard the term, "no rest for the wicked"; this is more true than we know. The Bible says that He brings rain to the righteous and the unrighteous; however, in eternity this will not be the case.
Psalm 19:7-10 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psalm 19:12-13 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
Take a look at the definition of presumptuous: Willful; done with bold design, rash confidence or in violation of known duty
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
So what happens when someone rejects all The Truth? Paul makes it clear at the end of Romans 1, God's Wrath is not only poured out in eternity, but His Wrath is revealed from Heaven. What does that mean? You know God's Wrath is being revealed from Heaven when you recognize in your society a large population that not only openly sin, but approve of those that do, and will even invent new ways of doing it. Not only will this society approve of sexual immorality, but it will openly call homosexual behavior natural even though God makes it clear that it is an obomination to Him. We will see this society become unloving and disobedient to their parents. We will see a society moving more and more towards murder and a complete lack of mercy. Does this society sound familiar? As we see this list outlined by Paul I think we can easily conclude that God's hand of blessing was taken off Amercia a long time ago, and instead, His Wrath is being revealed.
Romans 1:24-32 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Have you been given over?
As we read in the beginning of Acts 24, "a hired gun" was brought in to bring false accuisations againts Paul. My favorite of these accuisations are found in verse 5. Verse 5 is exactly the kind of accuisations that are brought against Christians today (although they may be worded differently); and will, no doubt escalate as we move closer and closer to a one world religion:
Acts 24:5 For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.
Now after this guy, Felix, heard these accuisations he kept Paul in prison awaiting further testimony. But, he didn't just leave him there and forget about him. Felix was curious about this message. But, like many people, he was only curious up to the point where Paul struck a nerve:
Act 24:24-25 And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."
Felix was afraid! Why was he afraid? He was afraid because the message of sin-righteousness and Judgement. It is interesting that Paul would include "self-control". Self-control is what is primarily lacking in those that are not born-again. When you are not born-again you won't quit the vices....you can't quit the vices....the vices that The Word warns you about will be what you will enjoy until you ultimately die condmened in your sin. Any right thinking person would be afraid as Felix was. Any right thinking person would flee to the Savior after be warned of The Wrath of God's Judgement to come on the sons of disobedience as The Word says in Ephesians 5:
Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
So why aren't people afraid?
Rom 1:18-32 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Acts 24:5 For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.
Now after this guy, Felix, heard these accuisations he kept Paul in prison awaiting further testimony. But, he didn't just leave him there and forget about him. Felix was curious about this message. But, like many people, he was only curious up to the point where Paul struck a nerve:
Act 24:24-25 And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."
Felix was afraid! Why was he afraid? He was afraid because the message of sin-righteousness and Judgement. It is interesting that Paul would include "self-control". Self-control is what is primarily lacking in those that are not born-again. When you are not born-again you won't quit the vices....you can't quit the vices....the vices that The Word warns you about will be what you will enjoy until you ultimately die condmened in your sin. Any right thinking person would be afraid as Felix was. Any right thinking person would flee to the Savior after be warned of The Wrath of God's Judgement to come on the sons of disobedience as The Word says in Ephesians 5:
Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
So why aren't people afraid?
Rom 1:18-32 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
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