JOY "Living Sacrifices" February 15

Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1-21

February 15, 2012

I          Conformity   Romans 12:1-2

II         Renewed Thinking         12: 3-8

III        Love in Action                12: 9-21 

I     Conformity    Romans 1:1-2

About 8 years ago, our niece Emily, got married. It was a beautiful, just- before Christmas, service, in a little church in Blowing Rock. The whole family was a part of the wedding-----I directed it, Mary Kathryn was a bridesmaid and sang, Lizzie was a junior bridesmaid and Griff played the violin. Emily even had my husband, Dale, reading the scripture. We are her godparents, as well, as aunt and uncle, so it was very fitting. The scripture, that Dale was to read was this passage, in Romans. Now, you have to understand 2 things about this story-----------1^st---it was a 6 o’clock wedding in December, in the mountains, with candlelight as the only illumination------------so it was dark inside and outside of the church and 2^nd---Dale is just about the most conservative person that you will ever meet and he takes his responsibilities very seriously and he is such a stickler for details, he very, very, rarely makes mistakes. 

Well, he stood up to read the scripture and very reverently, he started with Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God----for this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is----His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Then he sat down.  There was a problem though, and the congregation couldn’t help but laugh-----------The lack of lighting in the church, had caused Dale to misread, one tiny, little word, which changed the meaning of the whole passage. What he actually said was, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed, and instead of saying “renewing of your mind”, which is how the text reads---- what he actually said was, by the “removing” of your mind. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the ‘removing’ of your mind.”It was hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and all the more so, because it was Dale, who said it. We all got a good laugh, at his expense, and he was good natured about it.  Although, He refuses to believe that it really happened-----and if you were to ask him about it, he will deny, deny, deny. But everybody in that church, that night, knows that it did----- and it has turned out to be a great family story.

At the end of our lesson, last week, we read Paul’s wonderful words of praise, for God’s unsearchable wisdom and the wonders of a plan that only He could have devised! But, in his original manuscript, apparently, there was no break between chapters 11 and 12. He had continued right on with his thought, which was, and I’m paraphrasing, “therefore, because God is so amazingly rich in wisdom, glory, love and mercy, I urge you brothers to offer yourselves, as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your only logical, reasonable, act of worship.” 

To explain to his readers, how they should act and who they should be and what they should do, in light of who God is and what He’s done.

In the Greek, the way Paul phrased this first verse in 12, refers to an action that is done once and for all. It isn’t something that you do over and over again. You offer your life to Him once, as a living sacrifice, and then, you live the rest of your life, on that basis. It seems to me, that when we ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, and we give Him our hearts; that’s the time that we should, consciously, give Him our bodies too. 

It amazes me, that God would even want our bodies. Our sinful nature, that doesn’t want to do, what God wants us to, lives there. Our bodies are the source, of our temptation to sin. They grow weak and wobbly with age, and our brains, lose their sharpness, long before we want them to. But God still wants us to offer them to Him, and when we do, they become pleasing and holy in His sight. 

Paul’s not saying that we have to get our lives cleaned up, or get our minds “removed”, like Dale’s inadvertent, choice of words, advocated. He‘s saying, that God wants us to come, just like we are, no matter what we’ve done or where we’ve been, or where we are right now, He will make us beautiful, in His sight, and will use us, as His hands and His feet, to love and encourage and serve, whomever He sends us to, wherever that is, and the whole time, He will be fitting us for heaven.

Paul goes on to say that once we’ve offered ourselves to God and He’s accepted them, then there are 2 things that we need to do, on an ongoing and continual basis----1.) Make sure, that we don’t conform ourselves to the pattern of the world, any more, and 2.) Make sure that we allow ourselves to be transformed, by the continual renewing of our minds, every single day. We’ve talked about sanctification before, and here it is again------choosing to turn our backs, on the standards that the world follows, and choosing to turn to, the Lord Jesus, so that we can think like He does, is how we’re being sanctified. 

The phrase “the pattern of this world” literally means------the blueprint, the purposes and the values, that lost, ungodly people use, as their game plan for living. We’re called to be different-----------we’re not supposed to live like the culture around us does. We’re supposed to live in that culture, with a Christian world-view, that is such a shining example, that people who don’t know Jesus, can’t help but want to. (on the way to school last week, my little 6 year old, goddaughter, Tegan, was praying for the kind of day, that she and her brother and sister would have at school---and she closed her prayer with, “please Lord, let us be your salt and pepper, with our friends.” Is that not precious?----but the thing is, even though, she misspoke, she was completely right------------her mama said, that she didn’t have the heart to correct her-----because sometimes we do have to add a little pepper, to our witness. Paul certainly did! )

Not conforming to the pattern of this world, means that we can’t let ourselves be caught up in, the spirit of this dying age, with its dead values, goals and philosophies. We have to guard against, letting ourselves be trapped and squeezed into, the world’s empty molds.

The spirit of the age, never changes, from generation to generation. And it’s still the same today. The basic pattern of this world, has always been to advance and gratify self. People, everywhere, and in all times, have always lived for themselves. They are ambitious; they want to exalt themselves, to accumulate wealth and power, and to make themselves the envy, of everyone around them. We’re all that way—if we weren’t tempered by the Holy Spirit, we would be just like everybody else in the world!

In Paul’s words, God is saying, “Don’t get caught up in the self-centered thinking, of the world around you. If you let it, the selfish spirit of this age, will drag you down and destroy your usefulness to me. If you wish to belong to me, and be used by me, then you have to sacrifice yourself. You must become conformed to my son, Jesus Christ-----you must not be conformed, to the self-gratifying ways, of this dying world.” 

The pressure to conform permeates our society. I hate it, when we let the world into the church, instead of taking the church to the world! Because, with church, sometimes, we find ourselves thinking and talking and living, according to the standards, that our society has set. Our dying cultures shouts at us, from every form of media that we have-----from TV to You-Tube, and everything in between. Even though, we have to pay a price for resisting, the pressure of conformity, we can, because we have the Holy Spirit, living inside of us, guiding us and giving us discernment and strength. He will transform us, by renewing our minds, which means, that He will change our thinking. He will give us, what the scriptures call, “the mind of Christ”. He will teach us to         learn to think and perceive and to act, like Jesus does, on a minute by minute, daily basis. Remember the catch phrase “what would Jesus do” from back in the 90s----it was everywhere, almost to the point, that we were oblivious to it. But, it’s exactly what Paul is talking about here----we need to get to the point, in our lives, that we don’t have to think “what would Jesus do” we just automatically do, what He would do, because our minds have been transformed, to think like His. 

We have to focus on what is really, truly, eternally, important------------not on the meaningless, temporary things, which are so prized by our world: like money, status, fame, power and pleasure and popularity. Having the mind of Christ, means, that we want to help advance God’s kingdom, more than we want to advance the kingdom of ourselves; and that we’re able to say “not my will Lord, but yours be done.” And this can happen, through fellowship with other Christ-minded believers; through reading and studying and memorizing scripture; through listening to God’s word being preached and explained; through singing songs and hymns of worship, and------ through stepping outside of our comfort zones, and going where the Lord calls us to, to be His hands and feet, in the middle of a sinful world.

We need to consciously ask ourselves, 3 questions, that maybe we’ve never asked ourselves before, or maybe, we have asked the questions, but we’ve strayed from our original answers:

1.) Have we offered our bodies as willing, living sacrifices to God, for Him to use the way He wants to?

2.) Are we willing to reject the brainwashing of the world, and to live as Christian, non-conformists?

3.) Are we willing to be transformed, by the daily, renewing of our minds, so that we can view the world, and live in it, with the mind of Christ.

II     Renewed Thinking     Romans 12:3-8

In order for us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, we have to see ourselves, for who we are, in the Lord, and to see the church, in the way that God sees it.

A.)We have to, periodically, take stock, of where we are, in our relationship with the Lord. 

We have to consciously, remind ourselves, not to operate from the perspective, that everything is all about us---<which is a very narrow-minded, self-centered way, of observing the world.> Paul knew that we have a tendency to overrate ourselves or to listen and believe it, when other people overrate us, so he warned his readers “not to let ourselves think more highly of ourselves than we should.” 

We all recognize, arrogance and pride, when someone is bragging, but a lot of times, that bragging, is covering low-self esteem problems, so, we need to pay attention to that, in ourselves, and we need to be kind, when we recognize it in others. Another form of arrogance and bragging is a person, who is self-depreciating------someone, who is always self-consciously verbalizing, how they are nobodies. (Griff had a friend in middle school, whose mother was always lauding the accomplishments, of other little boys, while she was playing down the accomplishments, of her own son-----and most every time, her son would wind up being the one, who would come out on top. It used to drive me nuts. I wanted to say, “don’t do that, it makes you seem fake.”) The truth is, this kind of behavior, is actually, more arrogant than the behavior of the person, who is outright braggy------ because their expectation is, that we will correct them, and say “no, no, you’re wrong, you’re wonderful!” which really, just affirms, what they already think about themselves, they just don’t want anybody to think that they do.  

We also need to be careful that we don’t look at things, in a negative way all the time,  because being “oh woe is me”, can be just as self-centered as bragging can be.

One of the most common reasons that we overrate ourselves, is that we are creatures of emotion------we tend to be heavily influenced by our feelings. If we’re well-rested and the sun is shining, and we didn’t gain any weight overnight, and our hormones are in perfect balance, and our husbands kissed us good bye, and the kids, are all, where they’re supposed to be------then we will feel good about life and about ourselves. But if it’s really rainy outside, and we feel bloaty and headachy and our fingers are swollen, and the bills are passed due, and a friend is going to a lunch, that we didn’t get invited to---------then we may feel blue and sad and we can get down on ourselves. 

Feelings aren’t unimportant, but they are unreliable, they are mercurial---they can change on a dime. So, we need a more reliable guide, to evaluate ourselves by---- we need to see ourselves the way that God sees us. 

It is true that we are fallen creatures, with a sinful nature, that rears its ugly head all the time, and can’t be trusted, that makes us prone to wander away from the Lord, and prone to forget who we are in the Lord. But an even greater truth is, that the Holy Spirit is living inside of us and He has standard for us to measure up to, that is real and perfect and has never changed, since Jesus came, over 2000 years ago ,to show us the way, to walk by His standard. And according to the amount of faith that He has given us, we will have the power to walk the way He wants us to-------- and in the process, our minds will be renewed to be like His. Then, we’ll be able to stop evaluating ourselves, according to our subjective feelings, and we’ll evaluate ourselves, according the relationship, that we have with the Lord. It’s impossible for us to think more highly of ourselves than we should, when we measure ourselves by the Lord’s standard. Remembering who we are in Him, gives us confidence, courage and the ability to resist temptation and sin. And it’s a confidence, that isn’t conceited, because it isn’t focused on our ability to do even one thing! It’s focused on God’s!

B. We need to learn to view the Church the way that God does.

Paul says that, in Christ, we form one body. Not two, not hundreds, not thousands of bodies-------------just one! There is only one church, in the whole world. All genuine believers belong to it. It has nothing to do with nationality, with denomination, with being protestant or Catholic, with the kind of building we worship in, with the day of the week we worship on, with church tradition, or with church membership. If we are saved, then we belong to the church. And within that one body, we are members too each other. We belong to each other spiritually, in the same way that our arms and legs and heart and lungs, belong to each other, in our physical bodies. There is just one body, but it has many members and Jesus is its head.

And just like every part of the human body has a purpose and a function to perform, every member of the church body does too. Hands are for grasping and performing work. Feet are for standing and walking. Eyes are for seeing and Ears are for hearing and teeth are for chewing. A human body is not just a mannequin; it’s a complex organism, with many parts, and each of those parts, has a specific task to do. And, it’s the same way, with the church--------every individual person and every individual church body, has a specific task to perform and it is beautiful in its diversity, complexity and functionality. 

Christians don’t all come from the same economic class, race, generation or background. We don’t all have the same gifts, of the Holy Spirit. Every individual believer is as unique as a snowflake or a fingerprint------------no two are alike. Because of our uniqueness, we need to do what the Lord has called us to do, within the body of the whole church, by doing what He’s called us to do, within the body of our individual churches. If we don’t, our ministry will stop being effective and it may die.

(The ministry of the church is a ministry of people. When a church lives, it lives because the people within it are vital and active. When a church dies, it withers and just falls apart, not because the bricks and mortar and carpet and pew get old, and begin to crack and rip and crumble. A church withers and dies because the people wither and die spiritually. 

There is a true story told about a young minister in Oklahoma, who went to this little, long-standing church, in hopes of reviving its vitality. He gave it his best shot week after week, but it was to no avail. 

Finally he had one last idea, and it seemed to work. He announced in the local newspaper on a Saturday, that the church had died, and that on Sunday afternoon, there would be a funeral service in the church sanctuary and that everybody in town was invited. 

On that Sunday afternoon, for the first time, since he had come to the church, the place was packed. In fact, it was standing room only, with people on tiptoes, on the outside, looking in the windows.

To the shock of everybody there, there was a casket down front and it was covered in flowers. The pastor gave a eulogy and then he told the people to come and pay their respects, to the remains of the dearly beloved, who was being put to rest that day. The congregation could hardly wait, as they surged forward, to walk past the casket. As they filed by, one by one, and looked in----- they turned away sheepishly, feeling guilty, as they walked out the church door, because, inside the casket, the pastor, had placed a full-length mirror, and the burden of responsibility belonged to each one that saw their reflection.)

If a human body was one big eyeball or just a foot or a tongue, we would be gross. But many times, we try to build local churches or friendships or schools, that are determined to have just one kind of member in them. We seek uniformity, instead of diversity. God’s goal for the church is not uniformity; it is unity in our diversity. The only thing that should be the same about every person, and every individual church, is our love for the Lord and our love for each other. 

Paul points out that our function in the body, is determined by the gifts that we’ve been given. God has given gifts to the church, and no one has been left out. Every, single person, in the world, is physically born with a specific DNA, that is unique to them; there is no one else just like you or me. 

It’s the same way, when we’re reborn------the Holy Spirit gives us a new set of spiritual DNA that is not like anyone else’s. And the DNA determines the combination of gifts that each of us have. The Greek word that Paul uses for “gifts” is really the word for “graces”. Something graceful is a delight to watch in action, and that is very true of the gifts of the Spirit. A spiritual gift is an ability, which God gives us, because He wants us to function effectively and gracefully, in His body.

When we use our spiritual gifts, we experience a sense of fulfillment, because we’re functioning, as God intended for us to. If we fail to discover or to exercise our gifts, then we miss out on the excitement and satisfaction of accomplishing our purpose in this life. (A believer, who doesn’t use their spiritual gifts, is like my grandmother was, she would receive wonderful gifts, at Christmas-----she would unwrap them, and ooh and ah over them, and then, put them away in her cedar chest, saving them, till she needed them, she would say)-----and sadly, many of the gifts were never used before she passed away.

I always thought that was such a waste, but I didn’t grow up during the Depression and I’m sure that’s where her line of thinking came from----- But when we ignore the gifts, that the Spirit has given us, we are doing the same thing----------we are wasting something that is so precious and so priceless and so important to the joy of the giver-----it’s the same thing as wasting love. 

There are other places in the scripture where the Spirit’s gifts are mentioned----- there are as many as 19, listed, but I don’t think the list is exhaustive----there could be many more---the Spirit uses people in so many ways and in so many situations----we probably won’t know the full extent of them, until we get to heaven. But here, in this passage, Paul lists 7 of them.

1. Prophesying: Strictly speaking, prophets, before the Bible was complete, spoke when they were prompted by God and by the authority of God, and there words were to be heard, as if they were directly from God Himself. When the last word in the Bible was written and the last apostle died, there was no more need for prophets to be used in the same way----------but there are still people who have the gift of prophecy----------they have a supernatural ability, to proclaim the scripture, in penetrating and convincing ways. Prophecy comes from the word that means “to cause to shine”. A modern-day prophet has the Spirit-given ability, to make God’s word shine, so that everybody can understand it. But this gift is to be used according to the proportion of the prophet’s faith, so they need to stay within the limits of what they know. As they grow in their understanding of the scripture, so will their ability to make it shine, so that whoever is hearing them, will be able to apply it to their lives. Evangelists, preachers and writers, are good modern-day examples of who have this gift .
2. Serving: This is the gift of helping others. The word deacon, comes from the Greek form, of this word. Serving can take many forms, from serving as a deacon or usher to working in the nursery or on a committee. The gift of serving is the ability to help others with such a cheerful spirit, that both the servant and the served are blessed by it.
3. Teaching: Teachers have the ability to communicate, the truth of the word, with knowledge, ease and clarity. They can make the printed word come to life! They help others learn accurate facts, and discover principles, that they can apply to their own lives. The difference between prophesying and teaching, is that prophesying instructs the heart and moves the will, and teaching instructs the mind. If you have the gift of teaching, don’t wait for someone to ask you to teach. Find a place to use your God-given gift and put it to work!
4. Exhortation: This gift, most closely resembles, the work of the Holy Spirit. Exhorters have the ability to drive the truth home passionately; they can confront wrong constructively; they can turn scripture into an action plan, by using warnings, advice, or counsel;  they can unite believers effectively, behind a common project-------and they do it all with love and compassion and encouragement. 
5. Giving: All believers are instructed to be generous but these people, look for opportunities to give-----offering what they have, beyond what most people give. Sometimes, they’re wealthy, but more often, they are people of average means, who generously give their money, their time, their energy and their expertise. Gifted givers usually, don’t want bronze plaques or buildings named after them. There’s nothing wrong with having your name up, for the world to see, but supernatural givers don’t want all the attention---------they prefer anonymity. They see a need and then, they do everything they can to meet that need. They give without even thinking about being repaid. The more they give, the more God will give them, to distribute to others.
6. Leadership: The people who have this gift possess a supernatural ability to provide guidance and administration and mediation to the church. They conduct meetings in thoughtful, well-planned and orderly ways. They are visionaries and can see plans and projects completed, before they are even begun. And, they can get other people to follow them, into just about any venture. This is a gift that is much needed in the body of Christ.
7. Mercy: These people exercise an extraordinary ability to sense the need of those who are hurting------they seem to know just what to say and when to say it, and they also know when to be silent, and just listen or hold a hand, knowing, when just being present, is enough.

God has promised to transform us, by the renewal of our minds, and His Holy Spirit, will not fail in that mission. But we have a choice ------we can choose to remain stubbornly aloof and resist His work------or we can recognize, who we are in Him and how He views the church--------------and we can tune in to what He’s doing, and participate in His transforming process. And this choice begins, with how we decide to regard ourselves; the priority we give fellow believers; and how we use our spiritual gifts, to benefit, the whole body of Christ. 

III Love in Action    Romans 12:9-21

Paul tells in this passage, that there are 2 types of Christian love, that need to be manifested by believers, loving one another in the Body and loving a non-believing world, and he tells us how to exercise both types of love. Both expressions of love need to be genuine-----there is no room for hypocrisy, in the life of a believer. Pretending to love somebody, will eventually show its hand------this kind of love comes from the sin nature-------------it comes from the pretender, inside of us, who wants to have a good public image, but is neither real nor sincere.

Authentic love comes from the Holy Spirit. Paul said in Romans 5:5 “God has poured out His love into our hearts, by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” 

In this passage, Paul lists 6 ways, to authentically love each other in the church:

1. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good: This means that we should love the sinner and hate the sin. We are to reject the evil that people do, but we don’t reject the person, no matter what they’ve done. Every person has been created in God’s image, so we are to love them, because God loves them. This is not easy to do. People who do evil things are hard to love. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we will recognize that we all do evil and it’s only by God’s grace that any of us are saved. So because Jesus loved us enough to die for us and save us, then we need to love one another, for that same reason. Hypocritical love rejects people who don’t measure up to our standards. That’s one reason why people leave the church-----they hear us talk about peace and love and joy, but they don’t experience us living it out. When people sin, we’re quick to judge them, and not quick to forgive and restore them. When we do have to correct and restore a spiritual brother or sister, we need to do it gently and humbly, not like we’re morally superior, but with awareness that we have either been corrected or restored or that we may need to be in the future. 
2. Be devoted to one another, in brotherly love: We are spiritual brothers and sister. We have a deep relationship with each other because we are bonded together by the Lord Jesus. So we should be devoted to each other. Be should be concerned about the welfare, the joys, the sorrows and the needs of each other. When one of us hurts, we should be there to offer comfort. When there are troubles, we need to be there to meet each other’s needs.3.)
3. Honor one another above yourselves: We should let other people have the credit for things. If we have that kind of attitude, it won’t matter if anybody notices what we do, or if nobody bothers to thank us. As long as God’s will gets done and His word goes forth and His kingdom is advanced, that’s really all that matters. Our sin nature, demands attention and recognition, but a person who genuinely loves God and others, will do the good deeds that they do, for the Lord alone. 
4. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord: Real love stays optimistic and enthusiastic despite setbacks and obstacles. A believer who walks in the Spirit should always be rejoicing in the Lord. One thing that He says that he can’t abide is a lukewarm spirit. He wants Christians who are on fire-------so we should do all that is in our power, to maintain our spiritual fervor, as we continue to serve the Lord, our whole lives.
5. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer: The Christian hope is a confident expectation, of our future redemption, so being joyful in it, helps us to be patient in our afflictions and faithful in our prayers. And, if we are faithful in prayer, we will be patient in affliction.  
6. Share with God’s people who are in need: We should practice hospitality-----------we should see a need and meet it. Sometimes in this day of Social Security and Welfare, we forget that God has called the church to meet the needs of each other, first! It’s fine for the government to help, but it can’t show real compassion and caring----that’s what God put Christians on earth to do.

Then Paul goes on to list 6 ways to authentically love the non-believers that we come in contact with every day:

1. Speak well of your persecutors: Instead of complaining and whining and gossiping about the people who mistreat us, we need to find something, to speak well of them about, and pray, that God will do good in their lives. This is a difficult command for us. When somebody hurts us, the natural reaction is to hurt them back. But God calls us to a level of behavior that goes beyond a natural reaction. He calls us to a supernatural reaction. When somebody cuts us off in traffic; when the neighbor rattles the trashcans at midnight and wakes us up, when the store clerk is rude to us; when somebody hurts our feelings because they leave us or our child out of an event-----we need to consciously pray for them, instead of shaking our fists at them, and thinking or even saying, a few choice words.
2. Be sensitive to the emotional needs of others: Adjust yourself to the emotional needs of others. Rejoice when it’s time to rejoice and mourn when it’s time to mourn, with each other. It’s easier to comfort someone who is suffering, than it is to be genuinely happy for someone, who gets something that we would like to have. We need to behave our way into a feeling with other people, not feel our way into a behavior. We also need to remember not to be overly cheery, when someone is hurting, that seems like it would be a good thing, but it actually makes light of the other person’s feelings, and that isn’t loving them. 
3. Don’t show partiality or prejudice: Christian love, doesn’t treat anyone like they’re superior or inferior. This goes against human nature though; the natural human tendency, is to roll out the red carpet for people in high positions and to stick people who are in low positions, in a closet somewhere. But in God’s eyes, everybody is important! So that’s how we should treat them------------with respect and equality. We are no better than anybody else, and we need to remember that and show kindness to people, no matter what.   
4. Don’t be Sneaky or underhanded: If somebody does evil to us or someone we love, we should not plot some sneaky, crafty subtle way to get even. Instead, if somebody mistreats us, we are to find a way to do good to that person publically, for everyone to see.
5. Seek to live at peace with everyone, if it’s up to you: If you find yourself in conflict with somebody, make sure that everything you do, is focused on harmony and peacemaking. You can’t control another person’s behavior, but you can control yours, so make sure that everything you do, is loving and kind and righteous and Christ-like.
6. Do not try to get even with others: We are not in a moral position to judge other people. Only God, has the right, to judge a human heart. So we are not supposed to seek revenge. Paul gives two reasons why we should not avenge ourselves or someone we love----1.) “Leave room for God’s wrath” God is in control. He knows when we’ve been hurt or insulted and He will make sure that justice is done, in the end. And 2.) God is the only one who can seek vengeance, because He’s the only one who can dispense justice, in a way that is redemptive and loving. His goal is not to punish, it’s to bring about repentance and restoration. If we avenge ourselves, then we don’t give God a chance to work---and His way is infinitely better than our way. 

Paul says that the best thing we can do, is to feed our enemy, when he’s hungry and give him something to drink, when he’s thirsty. When we act kindly toward our enemies, we’re doing a good thing------- and Paul uses the analogy of heaping burning coals on the enemy’s head, to explain how. This is probably a reference to the method of lighting fires, in the days before matches. If the fire on your stove went out, and you wanted to light another one, you would take a fireproof, earthen jar, to your neighbor’s house; your neighbor would put coals in it, and then you would put a cloth pad, on top of your head, then steady the jar on top of the pad and take your coals home. Heaping burning coals on somebody’s head, became a metaphor, in the days of Solomon, (because Paul is quoting Proverbs 25:21-22), to describe a generous response to a neighbor in need. We are to respond generously to our enemies just like we would to our neighbors. 

As we examine our lives in light of what Romans 12 teaches us, there is the question that confronts us every single morning is who am I? The answer we give, should come from the scripture, and it will determine how we live out each day.

Pastor and author, Ray Stedman has given the best answer to this question, I’ve ever heard and it’s the answer that we, each one, should have imbedded in our hearts:

“I am a child of God. My body is a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him. So, I refuse to conform to the pattern of this world, and I choose to be transformed, by the renewing of my mind. I am equipped by the Holy Spirit; to do God’s will today. I am gifted with special abilities to serve God and others, and I will use those gifts seven days a week, wherever I am. I will love my brothers and sisters, in the church, the boy of Christ, because we belong to each other. And I will show genuine Christian love to the people outside the body of Christ, even to my enemies. That is why God has redeemed me and placed me in the body of Christ. That is who I am”

As we live each day as living sacrifices, serving God with our bodies, our transformed minds, our spiritual gifts and our Christ-like love, we will come to understand who we are, and why we’re here. 

JOY "God's Plan" February 8

February 8, 2012

God's Plan

I.)               Believing Remnant                    11:1-10

II.)              Temporary Rejection                 11:11-24

III.)             Future Salvation                        11:25-32

IV.)             Let's Just Praise the Lord          11:33-36

There's a story, that's been passed down, through Church history, for probably 200 years, that supposedly, can sum up the Bible, in one word, and it also authenticates, Paul's explanation, of Israel's future, as it fits into God's plan. Apparently, Frederick the Great, who was King of Prussia, from 1740 to 1786, asked for proof, that would make him believe, that the Bible is true, in a discussion, that he had with his court chaplain. Frederick, under the influence of the atheistic French philosopher, Voltaire, had become skeptical of Christianity and of the reliability of the Bible.

Supposedly, his words to the chaplain were, "If your Bible is really true, it ought to be capable of very easy proof. So often, when I've asked for proof of the inspiration of the Bible, I've been given some tome, that I have neither the time, nor desire, to read. If your Bible is really from God, then you should be able to demonstrate the fact simply. Give me proof for the inspiration of the Bible, in one word." 

How crazy is that? One word, to prove the reliability, of the Bible. I would have been terrified if I had been the chaplain, I'm not good at quick, one-word, answers like that. I don't know what I would have said-----love?, sin?, grace?, guilt?, God?, Jesus?, redemption?, salvation?, mercy? It seems like, that the best one-word description, of the Bible's reliability, would be a theological word, something that probes the depth of our intellect and touches the center of our souls, doesn't it? 

The chaplain might have been prepared and equipped to offer a profound answer like that, for the kings's consideration, but instead, he gave a simple and obviously-plain answer-------

an answer that was lea,r for the whole world to see--------- he said, "Your Majesty, it is possible for me to answer your question literally; I can give you the proof you ask for in one word." The king was amazed, and so He asked, "What could this magic word be, that carries such a weight of proof?" And when the chaplain responded------Frederick of Prussia, didn't say another word, because he knew that it was the truth.

And, you will never believe what the word was-----it was "Israel."

The nation of Israel and Its history, is nothing less, than a miracle, as far as nations are concerned. The detailed documentation, that we have of It, is beyond anything, that we know about any other nation: 

We know when, why and where, It was founded and we know, by whom. We have a written record of Its ancient and modern history and we have specific accounts, of the things, that the decentralized nation, has experienced, between ancient times and our modern era. Israel's homeland hasn't changed in thousands of years------its been their's, since God gave it to them. Remarkably, Its language is still intact. And Its faith-practice, is unchanged from the way God laid it out, for the nation originally, even though, only a minority of modern Jews, faithfully practice it.

These facts would be remarkable by themselves, but the miracle of Israel, is in the fact, that It has't had an easy time of existence, ever. There has been no continuity over the centuries; It has continually, been thwarted and persecuted and beaten down and beaten back and separated and ridiculed and even mass-martyred-------It hasn't survived, as a nation, because of Its fortunes or respect from other nations------It has survived in spite of them. 

Israel could have vanished from the world's stage many times, in the course of Its history. The fact that It hasn't, is what caused Frederick the Great's, chaplain, to cite Israel, as his one-word, proof, of the truthfulness, of the Bible. No other nation, (extant) that existed at the time when Israel was founded, has survived what Israel has: genocide, removed from homeland for nearly 2000 years, repeated destruction and rebuilding of the capitol city, persecution--------Israel's existence can only be considered miraculous, and only God, is the author of miracles------ so, we can rest assured ,that He, alone, is behind the preservation, of a remnant of Israel, over and over and over again.------Out of hundreds of scripture references, pertaining to God and His relationship and plan for Israel,  Jeremiah 31: 35-37 seems to illustrate the truth of this, best: "This is what the Lord says, He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar----the Lord Almighty is His name: " Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares the Lord, "will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me." This is what the Lord says: "Only if the heavens above, can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out, will I reject all the defendants of Israel, because of all they have done,"declares the Lord." 

From these promises, it sounds like, that as long as the sun and the moon and the stars continue making their appointed rounds, and until the whole universe is mapped and the center of the earth has been explored, Israel won't stop being a nation. And just like its God's hand, that is behind the miracles of the universe, it is also God's hand that is behind the existence and the longevity of Israel. Israel's continued existence, after close to 4000 years, truly is, the greatest proof-positive testimony, to the truth, of God's words and His promises, that has ever been. 

In Romans 11, Paul is demonstrating to his readers, that the Gospel has been at work in Israel's past, is at work in Its present and will be at work in Its future -----even as it's presently at work, among the Gentiles. God hasn't rescinded His word-----Israel's greatest day of salvation is still ahead. The Bible isn't a fortune-telling book; its a fact-telling book---so we can trust that Israel's future is assured; it has never been written out, of God's plan. 

I.) Believing Remnant: 11:1-10

The Jewish celebration of Hanukah and the Christian celebration, of Christmas, happen, at the the same time of the year-----because they have a wonderful thing in common. Hanukah is a celebration of the cleansing of the Temple, in preparation for the arrival, in Jerusalem, of their long-awaited Messiah. And, Christmas, is the celebration of the coming of that same Messiah, to a whole world, that was waiting for Him. The connection between these two celebrations and these two religions, symbolize the close relationship that the nation of Israel has with the church, of Jesus Christ.

In this chapter, we can see what the connection is supposed to be between the church and the Jews. Unfortunately, they have historically behaved, like 2 relatives, who can't get along with each other.They have disagreed and argued and out-right persecuted each other, through the centuries. Paul, a Jew among Jews, is beautifully clear, in his explanation, of how we believers, are supposed to live and treat, our Jewish friends and neighbors. 

God has not washed His hands of the people of Israel, because of their rejection of Jesus----He chose them from the beginning, to be right smack-dab, in the middle, of His love and His plan for human history. 

Paul uses himself as an example of the fact that God has not rejected the Jews-----not as a nation, and not for individual salvation. In its early days, the church was primarily made up of Jews, and down through the centuries, there has always been a remnant of Christian Jews, or Messianic Jews or Full-Circle Jews, whatever you want to call them-------how wonderful would that be, to be able to have the same heritage that Jesus did, and then to have Him as your Savior too. (I've always wished that I could be a Messianic Jew.) (I have a good friend who is a Christian and she married a Messianic Jewish man, about 15 years ago. A Baptist preacher and a Messianic Jewish Rabbi, married them. And I loved it. I remember that the Rabbi talked about what good Jewish boys, Paul and Jesus and the groom had been, and that the marriage of the couple, was an example, of the way heaven will be, when Jews and Christians, will finally be joined together, as one big, loving family. )

Paul's conversion was encouraging! He had been the most calculating and bloodthirsty enemy of the church. The early church fathers, thought that he was so evil, that even after Paul was saved on the Damascus Road, Barnabas, was the only person who defended and supported him and finally convinced the other leaders to trust him too. Paul, wanted his readers to understand, that if he could come to faith in the Lord Jesus, there is hope for anyone.  Paul's faith journey, is proof-positive, that no one is beyond God's grace. People like him are living examples that God isn't through with the Jews. This is what makes the Gospel so beautiful to me. Again and again in his New Testament letters, Paul marveled at God's grace to him. He was continually amazed, that God would call, a blaspheming persecutor of the church, to be one of His own, remade in the image, of Jesus. 

But Paul, is just one example, of many millions of Jews, who have come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus. Paul uses Elijah, to drive his point home------ that there has always been a faithful remnant, even when it looked like the entire nation, had fallen away from God. (Which is what we think, when we look toward Palestine, at the nation of Israel, today.) There was a time in the life of the prophet Elijah, when he thought that he was the only person, left, in Israel, who had remained faithful to God. This happened, very soon, after Elijah's triumphant defeat of the priests, who worshiped the false god Baal. The priests tried to call fire from heaven to consume their sacrifices, and nothing happened, and then Elijah had the sacrifices doused with water to the point, that they were in a ditch of water, and then he called on God, to consume the thoroughly, drenched, sacrifices----- and not only, were they burned up-----but all the ground around them was too, and then he called on God to make it rain and He did------ and it hadn't rained in 3 years! There was no doubt that Elijah's God, was God! Following that triumph, wicked Queen Jezebel began to persecute the prophets of God, including Elijah-------he had to run for his life, and hide in a cave. As a result, he reached a point where he felt all alone and was convinced, that there were no other, faithful Jews in the land-------- in that lonely moment, Elijah prayed," I have been zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me too." But our precious God answered him with "I reserve 7000 in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal." Elijah thought he was alone, but God told him to take his focus off of himself and count again….there were 7000 other righteous, faithful Jews. Elijah, had forgotten 2 things which we forget too, when we take our focus off of the Lord, and put it on our circumstances------his own limited knowledge and God's unlimited power. For us as believers, the situation is never as bleak as it can seem, because God is infinitely, more powerful, than we can even begin to realize. God is sovereign and by His grace, He will always accomplish His will.

 And because of God's grace, there will always be a remnant of the faithful. They may be few in number sometimes, and they may be weak in strength but there will always be a remnant. We have to remember that the Bible, is not about us, its a book about God. Its about His wisdom and His knowledge and His judgements; and we have to remember, that in His sovereignty, He chose the Jews and He chose us, to be His children-----that was His plan, not because we deserve it, but because we don't. He wanted us to understand His love and our worth to Him, by showing us His grace. To be chosen by God, is a wonderful and humbling experience. (The story is told that when Thomas Edison was working on his first light bulb, he handed the finished prototype to a young helper who was supposed to carry it to another laboratory, but the assistant dropped it and it burst. The whole team had to work another 24 hours to make another light bulb. When it was finished, Edison deliberately handed it to the same young assistant. It must have meant the world to him, for the young man to be chosen for that responsibility again, after his first failure, even if it was an accident.) That is exactly what God has done with mankind--------He gave us another chance, by giving us Jesus-----all we have to do, is take the second chance, out of His hand------- and for the Jews,He is still holding the lightbulb out, waiting for them to take it out of His hand, they just haven't yet, but there will come a day, when they will. 

Grace is God at work. Works is man at work. If salvation is by grace, then it can't be by works. And if salvation is by works, then it can't be by grace. You can't mix works and grace. Paul explains in this passage that the Jews, as a whole, don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah, because they don't understand grace. They are convinced that good works, is the only thing, that can make them righteous. And this line of thinking and reasoning, hardens their hearts to God and to His words. It is the saddest thing, when God allows a heart to harden itself, but it's   what He decided from the beginning, would be the response, when a person refuses to believe. This is a lesson for Jews and Gentiles----when we hear the truth of the Gospel, for salvation, or, we hear God speaking to us, to obey Him in a situation-------we should act on it. If we don't, we can lose our capacity to recognize the truth, when we hear it. If we harden our hearts, Paul says that even our own table and our own food will become a snare and a trap. The table and food symbolize the blessings that God had given Israel. They should have drawn them to Him, and led them to Jesus, but instead, they became stumbling blocks. The Law was part of those blessings------Jewish people have always highly prized the Law, even though many, today,  as a whole, are not really religious and aren't well versed in the words of the Old Testament. Even very Orthodox Jewish people, who spend enormous amounts of time in intensive life-long study, of the Law and its interpretation, only seem to focus on legalism, ritualism and endless debates over interpretation------they totally miss the most important part of the scripture-----which is, that their Messiah has come. Jesus told them, in John 5:39-40 "You diligently study the scripture because you think, that by them, you possess eternal life. These are the scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." and unfortunately, 2000 years later, very little has changed.

II. Temporary Rejection   11:11-24

Even though Israel's stumbling, led them them to crucify Jesus----it wasn't enough, for God to turn His back on them permanently. Which is remarkable! God's promises to Israel stand, regardless of what they did or they do------because it's not about them, its about Him. 

Paul lists 5 reasons in this passage to explain God's tolerance of their temporary rejection of Him and to show how they will someday, become the leading godly nation of the world:

1.) Salvation has come to the Gentiles to make them envious. We talked a little bit about this last week….

Paul says that God wants to use, the salvation of the Gentiles, to make the Jews envious of their salvation, so that they would want it too. In the book of Acts, Paul's ministry of evangelism, was always initially to the Jews----But when the Jews in the synagogues would refuse to hear and heed the message, Paul would turn around and preach it to the Gentiles-they would listen and believe-----in city after city, the Gentiles were blessed by the Gospel, and their lives were changed forever. The Jews were envious, of the fact, that it was their Jehovah God, that the Gentiles claimed, was the reason for their transformation. 

This should speak volumes to us, about how we should live our lives as believers. It tells us that we should be so enthusiastic and joyful and loving toward one another, that every Jewish person who sees us would say, "What do they have that I don't?" We need to lead lives that radiate the love of God. Jewish people should be so drawn to the Jesus, that is sticking out all over us, that they can't help, but want Him too. 

One of the great tragedies of the church, since it began, is that we haven't demonstrated the love that we're supposed to, that will attract the jealousy of the Jews. If we are going to be witnesses, to the Jewish community, or to anybody for that matter, our lives should be vibrant examples of the joy, that can only come from a growing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The persecution of the Jewish race has been a blot on Western civilization for 2000 years. The rock-bottom reason for anti-Semitism, for anybody who acts on it, lies in the fact that it was Jews who killed Jesus. But Paul is teaching us here, that we shouldn't look back at the cross, with an attitude of blame, for those who were responsible, we need to look back at it, with extreme gratitude, because Jesus died for our sins. We should say, "Thank God He died!", not "curse the Jews for killing him"------because without His death, we would all be lost, forever. 

(R.Kent Hughes says that when he was in seminary, that he had a messianic Jewish dean, named Charles Feinberg, who was brilliant. Apparently, he was so intelligent, that he could lecture his class without missing a syllable, while he was writing a note to his secretary, at the same time. 

He came to know the Lord, as his Savior, in a precious way. Just after he graduated from the University of Pittsburg, he found himself living in an Orthodox Jewish household. In that household was a "Sabbath Gentile" a Gentile woman who was hired to serve the family on the Sabbath. Dr. Feinberg wasn't aware of it, but the woman had taken the rites of purification, just so that she could work there, and be a witness for Christ, in that home. He was attracted to the quality and winsomeness and joy, of her life, so he began to ask her questions. She couldn't answer all of his questions so she took him to someone who could-----Dr. John Solomon, the resident head of the American Board of Mission to the Jews, and Dr. Feinberg was led to the Lord.)

 Dr Feinberg was jealous of a cleaning woman's love for her Lord-----it was a holy jealousy. What a challenge that is to us. We should so love the the Lord. and each other, that Jews and Gentiles, both, would look at us and say, "They have something that I don't have and I want what whatever it is!" 

2.) Israel must ultimately return to God, because worldwide blessing, will only come, when that happens.

The Gospel has gone out to the Gentile world, because the Jews have rejected it-------but that has become the means of our reconciliation to God, so we should be so grateful for the spiritual blessings, that we've received because of their rejection. But at the same time, our hearts should be broken in grief, for Israel, not the political entity that exists in the Middle East, but for the special nation of people, that are scattered across the world-----the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We need to grieve for the people who are so zealous for the Law, that they can't see, that their Dream has already come true.

There is a bright and glorious future that is waiting for them. If there rejection of the Gospel has brought about the salvation of the Gentiles, can you imagine what's going to happen, when they understand, that the Savior has come! When God's perfect plan is made complete, when they finally believe. When that day comes, it will be as dramatic an event, as a dead body coming back to life. The OT prophets say, that when that day comes, that the earth will blossom like a rose, and that there will be no more war, and that the restored nation of Israel will be a source of blessing, to the whole world. 

We need to keep our eyes on the Jewish people and instead of judging and ridiculing them, we need to pray for God's blessing, on them---- and we should be so tender and humble and ernest and intentional and patient and non-condemning, as we try to evangelize them. And we should evangelize them, because we don't know who is going to be a part of the remnant-----so we need to try to reach as many Jewish people, for the Lord, as we can, while we can. 

3.) If the firstfruits are acceptable and holy before God, then the rest of the offering will be too.

Paul's example of dough, might be confusing to us, but to an Orthodox Jew it would have made perfect sense. This is referring to the offerings and sacrifices in the temple. For the offering of the first-fruits---- a pile of dough would be made up and someone would take a handful of it and present it to God. If that first handful was acceptable before God, then the rest of the dough would be acceptable too. In this passage, Paul was using the first-fruit to symbolize Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel. Abraham was accepted by God, which meant that his descendants would be too. They will never be cut off from having a relationship with Him, there will always be a remnant, who will receive His promises. Because the nation of Israel's root, is holy, the branches will be holy too. Israel's origins will make her restoration a natural thing. 

4.)When a Gentile becomes a Christian, he becomes an adopted son of Abraham. But when a Jew becomes a Christian, he doesn't have to become a Gentile. The Jews are the natural branches of the tree, and the Gentiles are grafted in.     

Paul used an olive tree, to symbolize Abraham. He addressed both the Jews (the natural branches of Abraham's tree) and the Gentiles (the branches that were grafted onto Abraham's tree). C.S. Lewis said that "in one sense, the converted Jew is the only normal human being in the world. Everyone else, is from one point of view, a special case, dealt with, under emergency conditions."  I believe that's a true statement, because God did open the back door and let the Gentiles into His kingdom. We are adopted, even though, it was planned that way, just as perfectly, as He planned for the Jews to be the chosen ones, to receive the promise of the Messiah. So it's healthy for Gentile Christians, to remember that, and to be grateful to God, for the privilege, of being grafted, onto the tree of Abraham. 

Whether it's in worship, prayer or in our relationships, with nonbelievers----- from time to time, all believers need to be reminded of, just who are the sinners and just who is the Savior. There can never be any doubt, who is the dependent one, and who is the Sustainer. We are supposed to share with the world, a gospel that it don't deserve, while at the same time, remembering, that we don't deserve it either. 

5.) The olive tree represents the faith of Abraham. By being grafted into that faith, we have received blessing, from the God of the earth, through His grace, without any works or merit on our part. Paul is saying that Gentiles are like a wild olive tree branch, that is laden with hard, shriveled fruit; and that they have been grafted into a cultivated tree, that brings forth rich, luscious fruit.

Paul's description of this grafting, is contrary, to what really happens in nature. Normally, if you graft a nectarine branch into a peach tree, the grafted branches will grow nectarines, they won't grow peaches. The branch will produce fruit according to its own nature, not the nature of the tree that its been grafted into. In Paul's analogy, he is saying, that when we're grafted, a miracle takes place. We are wild olive branches that produce hard, bitter fruit---but once we're grafted into a cultivated tree, we will begin to produce the rich, juicy, fat fruit, of the cultivated tree. Paul's reasoning, is, that if God can do such a miracle, with the fruit, of grafted Gentile branches, how much more of a rich, wonderful harvest, will He produce, from the true Jewish branches?

After listing the reasons, that he believed were proof-positive, that God will restore the Jewish nation, someday, Paul went on to speak about, the two sided coin, of God's kindness and His sterness. We don't like to think about God being stern, but its important for us to be reminded of it from time to time. If we come to God with an attitude that is grateful and humble and repentant, we will always find that He is loving, gracious, forgiving and openhearted, always ready, to give us, everything we need. But if we come to Him, with an attitude of complaining, trying to always justify our disobedient behavior, we will find that God is as hard as iron and as merciless as fire can be. 

That is the key to the mystery of Israel and its present blindness to God's truth. As long as the Jews come to God, on the basis of works and self-justification and self-righteousness, they will find God to be stern and iron-willed, resistant to their behavior. But if they'll come to Him, in repentance, then, they will find God, standing with His arms outstretched, ready to welcome them as long-lost children.

In Zechariah 12:10, Jesus said, "and I will pour out, on the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him, as one grieves for a firstborn son." and In Zechariah 13:6, the prophet describes the very minute, that Israel will recognize Jesus as the Messiah and will return to God-----"if someone asks Him, 'what are these wounds on your body?' He will answer, 'the wounds I was given at the house of my friends." 

The whole nation of Israel will mourn and repent, of its rejection of Jesus the Messiah. And God will comfort and restore them, and make their nation a fountain of blessing to replenish the earth.

III. Future Salvation   11:25-32

Paul calls, the Jews resistance, to the Gospel, a mystery. He doesn't mean that it's obscure and difficult to understand------he means, that it has a special meaning in scripture, and that it refers to an occurrence, that is supernatural, in nature, unable to be understood, through normal human observation and logic, and can only be revealed by God, Himself.

Jewish people are among the most religious people on earth, but they stubbornly resist any teaching, about Jesus, being the Messiah. There is usually a solid wall of indifference and objection to the message. And sometimes, their resistance, is accompanied by an anger, that is out of proportion, to the subject matter. It's not that they don't recognize that He is one of their greatest prophets and teachers, they do, but that's all they think He is----they absolutely do not believe that He is God's Son, the Messiah. Their religious and cultural blindness, to even entertain the idea, that He might be the Messiah, is the mystery, because it defies all natural explanation. 

V. 25 says that "Israel has experienced a hardening, in part, until the full number of Gentiles has come in." This means that not all Jews will be resistant, some will listen to the Gospel and be saved and some will not----- but we aren't told whether it will be 10%, 50% or 90%, so we have a responsibility to keep on telling them. 

When we're witnessing to a Jewish person, or a Gentile person, either one, and the person rebuffs us, it doesn't necessarily mean, that their hearts are irrevocably hardened, against the Gospel. We can't see into a person's heart, only God can do that-----so our job is to love them, no matter how long it takes, and keep telling them the truth with patience and kindness. 

This hardening will be limited in duration---it will not go on forever. It will only last, "until the full number of Gentiles has come in."We don't know exactly what that full number will be--------it could be the number of Gentiles, who are going to come into the family of God, and when that number is reached, God will intervene and end Israel's spiritual blindness; it could be that the Gentile church, will become so full, in spiritual riches, that it will awaken such envy and spiritual hunger for God, that Israel won't be able to continue to resist------and they will beg believers to tell them about Jesus; or it could be universal evangelization, which is the spread of the gospel, to every tongue and nation, and only God will know, when the last person has heard----and then, Israel's blindness will be lifted. Whatever it means, it is referring to some kind of positive outflow, of the Gospel of grace, among the Gentiles, and when it comes, the Jews will be receptive to the Gospel, as they never have been before.  

The stage, seems to be being set, for this great spiritual revival, more than any other time in History--------Jews are turning to the Messiah, in increasingly greater numbers; there is an unbelievable expansion of the church, happening in South America and Korea and North Africa; and in the geographic Israel, in Palestine, the Bible is becoming more and more of a cultural focus--"each young person has to memorize, in Hebrew, the entire historical books (Genesis through Chronicles) plus the prophets (Isaiah through Zechariah), before he can graduate from high school. Even though the government is using this methodology for historical and moral emphasis, this kind of preparation, of Jewish hearts and minds, can only, in the future, play a significant role, in the nation's eventual conversion, to the Messiah."

The thing that blocks an individual or a nation from receiving God's mercy, without a doubt, is , having an attitude of self-sufficiency; an attitude that says, "I don't need any help; I can handle my own problems without God." But this kind of attitude, cuts people off from God's mercy and His grace. People who insist on their own self-righteousness, can't receive God's righteousness, that only comes through faith.    

God has used the Jews rejection, of Jesus, as the means to reach the Gentile world-----and that was always a part of His plan. And He has used the Gentiles to make the Jews rebellious, so that they will also receive His mercy. And that was always a part of His plan. Only the mind of an infinite God could have conceived such a surprising plan. The truth is, it doesn't matter whether you're Jew or Gentile, unless we realize how rebellious our hearts are, we won't be able to receive God's mercy. So, God works in human history, to make us aware, of our basic inherent rebellion against Him. Paul makes it clear, that every person is a rebel and that the only way to be saved, is to recognize that fact, admit it, and accept God's free gift of mercy.

IV. Lets Just Praise the Lord  11:33-36

In the last few verses of this passage, Paul's heart and mind were filled with the majesty of God and His goodness and he couldn't help but break into a song of worship and praise. He lauded God's wisdom, which is light-years deeper than human wisdom and His justice, which is unsearchable. His thoughts are beyond our understanding. There is no way that we can fathom God. All our efforts to define Him, confine Him and reduce Him, to our level, are doomed to failure. He isn't accountable to us. He owes us no explanation. He is God. 

We can't grasp God's eternal plan. Its beyond us. The moment we try to figure out what he's doing in human history, we wind up bumping into, mystifying paradoxes, that boggle our finite minds. For example, we know from scripture, that God has given mankind free-will------and that He never interferes with human responsibility. Nothing that God has ever done or said, will ever infringe on our ability, to make free, moral choices.  But by the same token, nothing we ever do, as human beings can frustrate God's sovereign plan. 

To us, this makes no sense---to God it makes perfect sense. 

When we look at Jesus, we can cache a glimpse, of the subtle brilliance, of the mind of God. The enemies of Jesus were constantly trying to trap Him, by maneuvering Him, into an either/or, no-win situation. One time, they asked Him if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar. They were trying trap Him----- if He had said yes, He would have angered the Jews, because they hated their Roman oppressors; and if He had said no, He would have been advocating disobedience, to the Roman government, and the Romans would have arrested Him. 

But Jesus evaded their trap by applying a logic that transcends human thinking. He called for a coin, which He held up, in front of His enemies, and said, "Whose portrait is on this coin?" His enemies replied, "Caesar's". Then, Jesus said, "in that case, give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what belongs to Gods." (Matt 22:15-22) And His enemies couldn't argue with Him. This showed them that the wisdom and judgement of Jesus, was unsearchable and beyond their ability to fathom. 

There is a subtle point, that Jesus makes, when He holds up that coin. He says that we should give to Caesar what ever bears Caesar's image. But this also implies that we should give to God, whatever bears God's image. God has stamped His image on each one of us. What does this mean, that we owe God-----the answer is----- ourselves-----we owe God everything that we are. God is the originator and sustainer of all things! Our very existence-------the next breath we take and the next beat of our hearts, depends completely on Him. All things begin and end with Him. so as Paul says, "To God be the glory forever! Amen."

JOY "Unbelief" February 1

February 1, 2012

Unbelief

Romans 10:1-21

I       The Gospel Is Available       10:1-10

II      The Gospel Is Universal      10:11-15

III     The Gospel Is Plain             10: 16-20            

IV     The Gospel Is Faithful             10: 21

(Charles Swindoll has written a short allegory, and it goes like this: "A young man named Sinner, once received, from his father, a beautiful, bright-red convertible. His father had already named the car, Salvation-------it was sparkling, new, clean, modern and powerful. 

The special gift thrilled the son so much, because He could never have afforded it, on the money that he made. The young man was so delighted, that he even changed his name from Sinner to Saved. 

He washed and polished his car; took pictures of it; sent the pictures to friends; kept a constant check on it------front, back, under, top, bottom, inside out. He never, never tired, of telling other people, about the totally free gift, that his father had given him. 

One day, Saved was seen, pushing Salvation down the highway. A person named Helper, witnessed his hard work, so, he walked up, introduced himself, and asked Saved, if he could help him.

Saved told him, "no thanks, I'm just out, enjoying my new car, going to see my Father. I just had a little trouble, because my bumper, kept cutting my hands, especially on these hills. But then, a nice man helped me------he showed me how to mount little rubber cushions right here, underneath the bumper, and now, I can push this thing for hours, without a blister. I've tried to keep a steady, consistent pace, but its hard, because I can't see where I'm going, very well, when my head is down, so much of the time, struggling to keep the car going forward, especially on muddy roads------but I'm making it just fine."

Helper asked, "Have you pushed the car very far?"

"Well about 200 miles, at least", I think. It hasn't been easy, but my Father was so gracious to give me Salvation----- putting forth a little effort, to go home, and thank him, in person, is the least I can do." 

Helper opened the door, on the right side of the car and said, "get in."

After a little hesitation, Saved, decided it was worth a try, so he slid in, on the passenger side, and rested, for the 1st time, since he had been given the car. Helper walked around, opened the door, slid behind the wheel and started the car. 

Startled by a sound, he hadn't heard before, Saved wondered, out loud, where the noise was coming from?" Moments later, they were moving down the highway, quietly, at 65 miles an hour. Saved was shocked. It was strange----but wonderful and exciting and exhilarating, all, at the same time, to sit back, and let Helper, drive him down the road. 

Saved had always known that, in order to see his father, and to express his gratitude to him, in person, that he needed to get his car, Salvation, down the road. But for some reason, he thought that getting there, and getting through the big pearl, entrance gate, was his responsibility, all by himself. It was nice to know, that all the effort He had been exerting was unnecessary. The whole time, all he had needed to do, was to say thank you, to his father, accept his Salvation, and then, let Helper, use it, to drive him home.) 

I think its clear what the moral of this story is-------God has given us the free gift of salvation----we need to accept it in gratitude---because there is nothing we can ever do to earn it or to deserve it----and we need to rest in the fact that we're saved, and let the Holy Spirit lead us home-------He will guide us right though the pearly gates, and will take us straight, to the throne, of our Heavenly Father.  

There is something about the word "saved" that threatens and upsets people. For one thing, it's a "church" word------which, along with words like "lost" and "back-slid" and "alter-call" and "blood"and, even, a lot of churches including the name of their denomination in their church's name, have fallen, by the way side. 

In our world, of spiritually-politically-correct and seeker-sensitive ways, of trying to reach people, we don't want anybody to be offended by our "churchy" terminology, so we're encouraged to leave our "church" words, in a back room somewhere. (I have a Christian friend, who, just last week, prefaced a comment she made with, "You know how I don't like that phrase, "personal relationship", when I'm talking about Jesus---------and she was perfectly sincere in what she was saying------I was thinking, to myself, "you don't have a clue"… but the truth is, she is a fairly new Christian, and she's growing in the Lord, so she will figure out, eventually, that words don't really matter, and that all, that does matter, is that "personal relationship."

But, the word saved, is non-negotiable, because when we open up the Bible, we see it everywhere, in the scripture. And the reason why we have to talk about being saved, is because there are so many people in the world, who are lost. The Bible clearly teaches that the whole human race is "lost" in their sin, separated from God, and that the only hope for lost people is for them to be found, and saved, by God, Himself.

We can't do anything to save ourselves. Salvation is 100% grace and 0% human effort. Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For is is by grace you have been saved, through faith-----and this not from yourselves------it is the gift of God-------not by works, so that no one can boast." God's grace reaches down and lifts us up out of our lostness. The Lord Jesus didn't die on the cross, to improve us, or to fix us, or to make us better, or to make us happy-------He died on the cross, so He could save us. There is no other word, that can describe, in any better way, what God has done for us, by allowing Jesus, to take our place on the cross, to save us from ourselves, to save us from satan and to save us from hell.

I.) The Gospel is Available: 9:30-10:1-10

Paul anticipated one last question, at the end of chapter 9, that leads us, into today's study----"If God is sovereign and chooses whomever He will, how can we tell if we're chosen or not?" Well, if we know God's character and we know that He doesn't want anyone to perish and we know that He has given us free-will----the answer is amazingly simple-----we can tell if we're chosen, and we can know, that we're saved, by what we do with Jesus. God has placed a stone, in the middle of human history and the name of that stone, is Jesus. When we encounter the stone, and I believe that all human beings, will encounter the stone, at some point in their lives, we have to make a decision about what we're going to do with it. We can stumble on it or we can stand on it. There's no other alternative. It is what it is----- and it was always decided, by Almighty Sovereign God, in eternity past, to be The Way. 

What will we do with Jesus?------if we stumble over Him, our choice is made, we are choosing the way of the lost, and if we stand on Him, we are choosing the way of the saved. And when we choose Jesus, then we are proving that God has chosen us. In John 6:37, Jesus said, "All that the Father gives me, will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never drive away." When we place our trust in Him and receive Him into our lives, Romans 10:9 says, "that we will be saved." 

The Jews took God seriously. They believed that He existed, and that He alone, was God. They built their way of life around Him.They believed that He wanted them to behave in a certain way----and they tried their hardest, to keep the rules, that they thought that God was expecting them to. They were zealous, in their pursuit, of doing everything they thought was right. 

The Law, tells us to be good, but it also tells us, that we can never be good enough, no matter how hard we try.////// We will always fall short, and the Law makes it clear, that we have to find forgiveness, if we're going to be right with God. And the need for forgiveness, points us straight to Jesus. He provides us with the forgiveness----- that is the only way that we can stand before a Holy God. Jesus is where the Law will lead us, if we trust it and believe what it says. 

The problem with the Jews, was that they didn't trust God's plan, they didn't trust where the Law led them----- to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. So, they attempted to establish their own righteousness, based on religion, rituals and works. In the process, they've missed the free gift of God, which is by faith, not works. 

 Paul was heartbroken, at how his own people were stumbling over Jesus, and in turn, were proving to be stumbling blocks, to other people. He had such a passionate desire for them to understand and embrace the Gospel. But, instead of criticizing or condemning them, Paul wept for them. As Cindy said last week----Paul personally knew these people---------some he had grown up, going to the synagogue with; some he had traveled and studied with, when he left Tarsus, to sit under Gamaliel and the other rabbis; some had been former friends and fellow pharisees; some he had pursued and persecuted Jesus' followers with. 

Gut-wrenching sadness, was what he felt, about their pursuing the wrong objectives, with misplaced zeal, determination and sincerity. Paul had walked in their shoes, and he knew how wrong they were. Instead of embracing their Messiah, they passionately and sincerely, pursued a righteousness, of their own making, determined, that it would be enough, to please God. 

Paul knew from experience, how futile it is, to have sincere zeal, without correct knowledge. A person can be as sincere as can be, and still be sincerely wrong. In the case of the Jews, they had failed to understand the character of God and the way to please Him. Instead of submitting themselves to His righteousness, and allowing Him to rule them from within, they tried to bend His righteousness to achieve their own ends----becoming what we would call self-righteous.

  

Unfortunately, the same thing happens in our churches today, primarily for 2 reasons: 

First, ignorance-----people don't really know the scripture, so they don't know how to let it's words form their basic beliefs. Instead, they set goals--- like providing food, clothing and shelter for the poor; protection from abuse; adoption of the world's children, cures for disease and striving for world peace---------convinced that God will be pleased, with their heartfelt, ernest effort. 

And second------ stubbornness----people can become so set, in their ways, that they unconsciously, make tradition, more important, than what the scripture, actually says. When people or churches, let preserving traditions, become more important, than following the leading of the scripture and the Holy Spirit-----its nothing but pride, which leads to legalism---- and they wind up serving themselves, instead of the Lord, leaving no room for love and compassion and mercy.

Jesus, is at the end of the Law, but we know, that doesn't mean, that He abolished the Law. The purpose of the Law is to make us aware of our shortcomings. If we didn't have a standard to live up to, we wouldn't be able to know, how lost, we are. The Law makes us aware, that sin is destroying us, and that awareness, is what drives us to the Lord Jesus. And once we've received the righteousness from God, through Jesus, then we've reached our destination, that the Law was created, to move us toward.

Paul used Moses' words, from Leviticus 18:5, to remind his readers, that anybody who keeps the 10 Commandments would be blessed by God-----and when we read those 10 simple rules it seems, like it would be easy to obey them----- but, then, when we try to put them into practice, all of a sudden, we can feel a rebellious spirit, rising up in our hearts, because our free-will, wants us to do it our way, not God's way. The Law can't help us live a righteous life, it just makes it very plain, how wicked, we really are. 

Then Paul used Moses' words from Deuteronomy 30:14 to explain why the way of the Law is so different from the way of faith---------He wanted his people to realize, that the truth, that salvation, can only come by grace, through faith, was not some new, radical idea, that he had dreamed up-------- but that it was a truth that Moses, their greatest leader, had taught, as well. This was so crucial, for his Jewish audience, to understand, but they totally missed it…..Even while Moses was leaving God's presence and bringing the 10 Commandments down the mountain, to them, the children of Israel, were busy, breaking every, single, one of them. 

God revealed His plan of salvation, to Moses, in His instructions, for the sacrificial system, that the Jews, participated in, for hundreds of years, until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. The sacrificial system, is proof-positive, that God had planned all along, for people to be saved through faith in Him. The death and resurrection of Jesus was not a change, in the way, that God was going to save human beings. All throughout the Old Testament, salvation was always by grace, through faith in a Savior, who was yet to come. His sacrifice, was symbolically pictured, in the sacrifice, of every, single, innocent animal, that they laid on the altar. The arrival of Jesus, into our human history, was the fulfillment, of how God had already been saving people for centuries. 

The Law has never saved anyone. Animal sacrifices never saved anyone. The only thing that can save, is belief in the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. In OT times, that faith was directed toward a future event-----people died saved, because they believed that Jesus would someday come to deliver them from sin; -------and in NT times, that faith was directed toward an event that was accomplished in their lifetime, there were many who saw and heard Jesus, or they knew someone who had seen seen and heard Him and knew that His death and resurrection had happened;------ and today, on this side of the cross, that faith is directed toward an event that has already happened, and we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, authenticating, the truth of it all. The common denominator between all 3, is faith in Jesus. 

That's why Paul quotes Moses in saying, "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart." Our mouths represent our intellectual understanding of God's plan of salvation, and we express that understanding, with words; -------and then,our hearts represent our spiritual understanding of God's plan----our will and our spirits, on a deep level, inside our souls, believe the the truth, and we are saved. (When my children were little, we had these tapes that we listened to in the car---GT and the Halo Express. We loved them---------the primis was, that an angel band, would periodically come and befriend this little group, of children. There was always a story line, and they would always use, pure scripture, to reveal whatever truth, was being taught. And the thing that was so great about these little tapes was that they set the scripture to music. Its has been 15 years, probably, since I listened to a GT tape-----but I can still remember them singing, "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, for it is with your mouth that you confess and are justified and it is with your heart, that you believe and are saved." Romans 10:9-10 ) I think that this is the most simple and straightforward, explanation, of how to be saved, of just about anywhere in scripture. (My children accepted Jesus into their hearts, believe it or not, at ages 4, 5 and 3, and I am fully convinced, it was due, in a large part, to those GT tapes.)

Salvation begins, with the confession, that Jesus is Lord. That doesn't mean that we have to stand up and make a public announcement, although, I think that is a wonderful thing to do, because, oftentimes it doesn't become real to us, until, we do say, it out loud. Confessing it, with our mouths, means, that we have recognized, that, our lives aren't our own, anymore, and that Jesus, has the right of Lordship, over them. Jesus is the Lord of our past---- forgiving our sins; He is the Lord of our present---- indwelling us and leading us and in control of every aspect of our lives; and He is the Lord of our future------and He is leading us, into a glory, that is  beyond our wildest imaginings. He is the Lord of life and the Lord of death and the Lord over every single thing. When we confess and believe: our sins are forgiven, we have a righteous standing before God, we have the Holy Spirit living in us and we have the same supernatural power, over evil and our free-will, that Jesus had over His. This is a remarkable privilege and blessing from God's own hand, and it wasn't because He had to give it to us, it's because He wanted to. 

II.) The Gospel is Universal: 10:11-15

Paul quotes the prophets Isaiah and Joel, to continue to make his case, that salvation by faith is nothing new, but that God revealed it, to every one of His prophets, and they in turn, revealed it, to the Jewish people-----which meant that they were without excuse. (Isaiah 28:16 "Anyone who trusts in Him, will never be put to shame." and Joel 2:32, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, will be saved.")

The rest of Romans 10, deals with, one of the most frequently asked questions, about the Gospel--------especially non-Christians, like to know what Christians, have to say about this question, but it is also a question that is troubling, for many believers------the question is----"What happens to people, who have never heard about Jesus?" and then, they go on to say, "I think its unfair for God to punish someone who has never heard about Jesus." Well the truth is, I don't think He does punish anyone that way. Scripture teaches, that everybody, has an opportunity to hear about God. 

In this passage, Paul outlines 5 steps that enable people to be saved, but he presents them, to us, in reverse order:

#5----people must see their need, and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

#4----people must believe----their hearts must be involved.

#3----People must hear the truth of the Gospel before they can believe.

#2----People have to be preached to. Somebody has to take the Gospel to them, so that they will hear and believe.

#1----Preachers, teachers, evangelists and everyday Christians, have to be sent out into the world, equipped to share the Gospel, anywhere and everywhere they go.

So----in chronological order, the steps that will bring people to salvation are:

#1 we send out preachers, teachers, evangelists and everyday Christians 

#2 those preachers, teachers, evangelists and everyday Christians, spread the Gospel

#3 People hear the Gospel

#4 They belief the truth of the Gospel, on the basis of what they hear

#5 They call upon the Lord and are saved

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, a one-time professor, at Dallas Theological Seminary, always told his students, "Remember that you have not preached the Gospel, until you have given people something to believe-------something God has done, that their minds can grasp, something that they can use, as a basis for understanding, what it is, that God has offered them--- their salvation."

Dr. Chafer's message is clear--------we shouldn't present Christianity, as a feeling, an experience or a philosophical idea. The message of Christianity, is a fact, of History. There is no denying that it is the truth.  The Christian message is, that Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem, that He lived a sinless life, as the Son of God, that He was crucified on a cross outside Jerusalem, and that He rose from a tomb------that He had an actual, historic resurrection, and that He ascended to the Father. People saw Him, before and after, His death and they recorded it. The Christian faith, is grounded in events, that cannot be explained away. Those historical events, have the deepest of meanings, for every single person, who has ever lived life, a meaning that Jesus Himself, summed up, in His precious words, "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but will have everlasting life." John 3:16.

The message of the Gospel has transformed millions of lives down through the centuries. It's a message that demands a messenger------a messenger that will carry the "good news" to our neighborhoods, our children's schools, our grocery stores, our churches, our friends, the park, the parties we go to, and our children's sporting events--------Every morning when we wake up-----we need to beg the Lord, to give us opportunities, to share the message with somebody, that needs to hear it, that day. Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7 which says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News." Anybody who allows God to use them to share the Gospel, of salvation, healing and deliverance, are beautiful, to God. 

There are usually, many, many people, who participate, in the process, of bringing, one person, to a place of believing, in Jesus. I think Michele, told us in Leader's Mtg., last week, that she had read, that statistically, it takes 7 people, to bring one person, to a believing faith, in the Lord Jesus. 

The conversion process, is like turning on a light. We flick the switch on the wall, and the light goes on. It seems so simple----yet behind that simple act, of turning on a light, there is a very complicated process. You have the power plant, which generates power from coal or nuclear fuel or water, passing trough turbines, at a dam. The electricity is transmitted from the power plant, by a series of high-tension lines, substations, transformers and other equipment, that brings the current into our houses, all, so, that we can flick a switch, and turn on a light. 

It's the same way, when somebody comes to the Lord. We don't often get to see the complex behind-the-scenes-activity------we're fortunate, if we get to be there, when the switch of belief, is flipped, and the light comes on. ------There was the birth in Bethlehem, the amazing, perfect life and death of Jesus, the miracle of His resurrection, the giving of the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost, the writing of the scripture, the centuries of church history, moments, in each individual life, where a friend spoke a word of wisdom, where just snippets of the Gospel message, were heard and had an impact, where a sermon or a radio or television or an internet message, nudged a heart, in the right direction. There are so many influences that work together, in the life, of every single believer, to produce that life-changing moment of illumination.------ And behind the whole process, is the sovereign will of God. He designed the process, He began the process, He oversees the process, and after we reach up and flip on the switch, He will finish the process.

III.) The Gospel is Plain: 10:16-20

Paul chastised the Jews, for their obvious unbelief. He found it to be such a puzzle, that they could be so suspicious and self-centered and willfully proud------ that they could resist the "good news", from their loving, long-suffering God.

There is something, that is deeply embedded, in our human natures, that has a hard time believing, in a genuinely, free gift. We're always suspicious------we think "there have to be strings attached, because nothing's free". God has offered mankind all the riches of His wonderful, matchless grace, free------but, for some reason, when people hear the most wonderful news, that the world's ever heard, many, either react, indifferently, skeptically or belligerently, and sadly, way too often, they just wind up, turning and walking away. 

Isaiah encountered the exact same resistance, hundreds of years before Jesus was born, when he tried to convince his fellow Jews, of the truth, of the Gospel. In Isaiah 53:1-6, he gave the nation of Israel, an amazing preview of the coming Messiah---but as a people, they rejected his message, just like they were rejecting Paul's, and just like they are still rejecting it today. Isaiah 53:1, says, "Lord, who has believed our message…" and Romans 10:16 says, "But not all of the Israelites accepted the good news…" and I told you about my friend last week, who told me that she believed "that Christianity is a cult…" Any way you look at it though, the Gospel demands a response-----every person will come to the place, where they will either have to accept it or reject it. 

Paul is very clear in Romans 10:17, that Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard, through the word, of Christ." And Paul is very clear about the fact, that no one, is without excuse, because all of nature, bears witness, to the reality of God. He uses Psalm 19: 1-4 to prove his point, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." 

Paul's meaning is obvious, because He is calling on the words, of Israel's great king, David, because he knew, that that would resonate, with his readers----and he told us the same thing back in the 1st chapter of Romans. Nature, can't give us all the details, of the truth, that's found, in the scripture------it can't tell us Jesus' name, but it does provide us with enough evidence, of God and His glory, that nobody can say, "I didn't know".

So, the answer, to people, who say, "What about those, who have never heard about God?" -----is--------"There aren't any people who have never heard. God has revealed Himself, in nature. Hebrews 11:6 says, and I'm paraphrasing, "that there must be faith, the acknowledgement that God exists and He rewards everyone, who sincerely and genuinely seeks Him." Everyone, everywhere, is responsible, to seek the God, who is revealed in nature. And if people are obedient, to that responsibility, God will reward them, with Himself and will give them more light, more insight and more understanding. 

That's why, when we send missionaries to Africa or to China, and present Jesus to them, they can so readily accept Him, because they have already seen God in nature-----our missionaries just give Him a name and a purpose. (I remember when Mary Kathryn went on mission to Africa------when she got home------I asked her, did she wish that she could bring the people she had met home with her, and she looked at me like I had 2 heads and said, "No Momma, they have so much because of the love and concern, that they have for each other, they don't need TV and magazines and movies---it will just make them jaded-----when you give them Jesus, they have all they need." Out of the mouths of babes----she was only 16 at the time.)

In the world and especially the country, we live in, God even goes, to a deeper level, to reveal Himself to us-----because He doesn't want anyone to perish. God, in His grace, has given us even more light, because progress, city growth and busyness, have blinded, too many of us, to His voice, in nature. So we are blessed, to have a United States, that is filled with Christian churches and Christian publications and Christian radio and Christian TV shows. Christians that appear on the secular news and entertainment shows, talking about their faith. Christians that can talk freely, about the Lord to their friends and to their neighbors. 

God has given us a lot of light, but that doesn't necessarily mean, that more light, means more belief, because people can reject bright light, just as well as they can, dim light. The message of the gospel, has been seen, by most Americans, at one time or another, but sadly, there is still an enormous level, of unbelief, or at the very least, indifference, in our country and around the world. (We were in NYC, over the weekend, with Ashley and Griff and I was amazed, on Sunday morning, at how many people there were, who did not go to church----- now to be fair, they could have gone on Saturday night or maybe they were going on Sunday night, but at the traditional time, for people to be in a house of worship--------it looked like any other day of the week to me-------business as usual, except they were more relaxed, they weren't hurrying quite as fast, to get from point A to point B. And, because I was doing this lesson, I couldn't help but think, "how many of you have any clue what the Lord has done for you"?) It's sad.

We are fortunate that we have TV, radio, internet, magazines and books-------all wonderful tools to use in delivering the Gospel--------The nation of Israel, only had the OT prophets. And, Paul says, that God sent them to Israel, to provoke them to jealousy. He wanted them to realize that their rejection of Jesus, opened the door, for the Gentiles to walk through it, to be saved, and to receive the blessings, that Israel didn't think they needed------- and He wanted Israel to be jealous, enough, to fight for their birthright, as God's chosen people, with all the blessings, that came with that. 

We all know, how the principle of jealousy, works. We've all experienced it, we're like little children, we tire of our toys and we toss them aside, until another child comes along, and picks it up and starts playing with it, and then we become jealous, and all we can think about, is snatching it back, so that we can prove, that its ours. Jealousy is a by-product of sin, pure and simple--------but God can and will use it, to wake people up, and to get them interested in the Gospel. Sometimes, one member of a family, will come to know the Lord, and will experience, an abundance of joy and blessing, in their lives, that will make other family members, envious to know, what they are missing. They might even react angrily to it-------but when they become sufficiently jealous-----they will say, "What are you so happy about." And that is the perfect opening, to tell them. (Lizzie told me just this weekend, about one of her dearest friends-----they have lived together for 3 years, now, and she has never expressed any interest in going to church with Lizzie---but Friday, night at a party, no less, she went up to Lizzie and Andrew (Lizzie's boyfriend) individually, and told them that she wanted to start going to church with them----- that she could see, that something was missing in her life--------Lizzie was ecstatic! So, Sunday night they all went to church------they have a plan to visit different churches, in the Winston-Salem area, cause the friend, is coming from a Catholic background, but she really has never been churched at all. I think her grandmother goes to church. But they started with the Catholic Church, on campus. I thought that was a very good place to begin, because it would be somewhat familiar to her----when I talked to Lizzie Sunday night, I was surprised, when she told me, that they are visiting a Baptist church, next week, at the friend's suggestion. So, I can't wait to see what the Lord does, in this young girl's life.)

Paul says that God is using this same principle of jealousy, on a grand scale. He is using world events to provoke feelings of jealousy, so that the people of Israel, will become ready to hear the Gospel. 

1st---he reminded them, that Moses said, in Deut. 32:21, "that God would use nations that were far less educated and cultured, than the Jews, to accomplish His purpose." And 2nd, that Isaiah said, in Isaiah 65:1, 'that God would use nations and people, who hadn't sought after Him or asked for Him, but who had found Him anyway and wanted to serve Him, and to reveal Him to the world."

One of the most striking things about Jewish culture, is the undeniable, intellectual brilliance, of it's people. From the beginning of history, they have dominated, the fields of science, philosophy, math, literature, art and music. 20 % of the Nobel Laureates have been Jewish. And even in today's world, they can look around and see other ethnic groups, with far fewer intellectual accomplishments---- receiving accolades, and honor, and finding God, and the Jews can see them experiencing the blessings, that they, have always believed, are theirs, by right, and they struggle with it. Paul's primis is, that God wants to provoke them, to a righteous jealousy, that will lead them to a saving faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

IV The Gospel is Faithful  10:21

Paul, closes chapter 10 with the picture of God standing with His arms open, longing to draw all people, Jews and Gentiles to Himself. The most amazing truth, that we need to take away with us, from this lesson, is that God, never sends anyone to hell, without a chance. (really without chance after chance after chance) In order to be condemned, by God, a person has to resist and ignore the patient pleas of a loving Heavenly Father. The entire universe bears witness to the existence of Almighty God, and no one, will end up separated, from Him, because they haven't had a chance to hear. The whole world has seen and the whole world has heard. These words in v. 2, "all day long, I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people" paint a beautiful picture, of God's character. He displays amazing patience, gentleness and kindness. The phrase "all day long" that Paul uses, encompasses all the years-----from the time that Abraham, was called by God and set out from Ur, until today. And God is still standing, with loving arms outstretched to Israel, waiting for them to come to Him; and the blessing for us, is that those arms are strong enough and wide enough, to gather us in, too.