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Insights in Romans
Insights in Romans (35)Romans is a letter that stands out as one that has ignited the faith of believers throughout the centuries. Martin Luther's heart was revolutionized as he became acquainted with the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone and then reintroduced it to the world. It ignited the mind of Jonathan Edwards, strangely warmed the heart of John Wesley and then fueled the revival fire with George Whitfield. We can see Paul as he is invigorated with an unusual strength as he passes the floor and dictates this letter to the penman, Tertius. From this writing we find the major themes of God and His salvation. Romans 12:9-31 The Story: In Romans 12:1, Paul gives us a powerful life principle. In all of life we are to be worshiping God as living sacrifices for the purposes of God. Now in Romans 12:9-31 we read what this looks like in our daily life. Here's the list of 14 principles:
The Key Truth: All of Romans 12 speaks of the surrendered life, before God and others. The person that thinks highly of himself cannot live the surrendered life. In fact, he will have a challenge with all fourteen principles. The Application: We need to be making a life-changing decision in that our life is not ours. As believers our lives belong to God. That includes all of us, our careers, things, and ambitions. Start by looking at the list and choosing one or two where you need to experience growth. Ask God to help you today and then be determined to make it real in your life.
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Thursday, 02 September 2010 07:55
Romans 12:3-8 Thinking You're Better than OthersWritten by Gerry PetersRomans 12:3-8 The Story: Paul has just written that we are to surrender our all to Lord. That's where you start in worship to God. In Romans 12:3 Paul gives us the first example of what Romans 12:1, 2 looks like. He first reminds them of the authority that God has given him to speak to them so directly. "Get rid of your pride!" Not only did the Jews thought far too highly of themselves because of their heritage but both Gentiles and Jews had this bent simply because of our sin nature. The problem with this, other than the fact that we're actually not better than others, is that it is completely counter productive to everything that Jesus taught about His Church. We are members of a body and each member has great value. Furthermore each member needs all the other members to accomplish what God has planned for them. In fact, Christ has given each of us gifts to so that we will be effective. What's the first step? Present your bodies as living sacrifices and humble yourselves so that your gifts can be useful in Christ's kingdom. The Key Truth: Pride will render you ineffective and a stumbling block to all that God intended for His Church. My Application: Everyday I need to put to death that spirit of pride in me. If I want my life to count for Christ's purpose for me, then I need to daily surrender myself to Christ and master what it is like to be a servant. Jesus said, "Blessed are those that are poor in spirit..." By that Jesus was talking about putting to death our pride and begin practicing humility.
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Romans 12:1, 2 A Review and Intro: We enter a new theme in the book of Romans. As review:
Our new theme for Romans 12:1-15:13 takes a look at the Righteousness of God wherein we will hear terms such as: Conform, transform, prove and accept. The Story: Romans 12 is one of those pivotal chapters in the book of Romans, and in particular Romans 12:1, 2. "Therefore" is the word that brings us in. "In light of all that I've talked about," says Paul, and then provides some "cooperative commands" of God. Here's what he wants you to do. In view of everything I've just told you about God's mercy, I want you to worship God by willingly surrendering everything in your life to God. This is how you please God with your life. The words "I urge you" in the Greek is a singular word that comes from a word that is used for the Holy Spirit. It's not a word of condemnation but rather a "coming alongside". I'd say it is something like, "Here's something very important for you to do and I'm going to be standing alongside to help." As Paul explains further, we are to change, or completely transform our way of thinking. That's the only way we will truly be different from the fallen world system. This another instance of a "cooperative command" in which we do the surrendering to God and he does the changing. All the while that God is changing us, we will begin to understand more of what God's purpose for our life is. The Key Truth: Our lives are to be diametrically different than of those living in accordance to the world's desires and patterns. Our lives are conformed towards the things of God and not diving in, hook line and sinker for everything that the world stands for. The Application: Our lives are so full of trying to get everything that the world offers and no time for God. We need to change that pattern. We need to take quality time each day and throughout the day to listen to God, to meditate on the Scriptures to learn of God and then surrender all our lives so that they conform to God. We will need to sacrifice some of the time that we are giving to the world and give it to God.
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Romans 11:25-36 The Story: Paul states the “mystery” of Israel’s blindness, a mystery being a truth hidden in past ages but now revealed in its fullness in the NT. “The fullness of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:25) refers to the number of Gentiles that will be saved during this church age. When the body of Christ is completed, He will catch it away in the air; then will begin the seven-year Tribulation here on earth, “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). At the end of that period, the Deliverer will come, and the believing remnant will enter into its kingdom. “All Israel” does not mean every last Jew; rather, it means that the nation of Israel at that day will all be saved; it will be a redeemed, regenerated nation. God’s promised covenant is quoted (Jeremiah 31:31-34) in Romans 11:27. This “new covenant” will apply to Israel when it trusts Christ as its Redeemer and turns from its sins. Though the Jews may seem like enemies of God’s will today, they are still beloved in God’s sight because of the covenants He made with their fathers. Men may change, but God cannot change or revoke His promises (Romans 11:29). In the final paragraph (Romans 11:30-32), Paul explains that the Gentiles at one time rejected God (Romans 1:18), yet now were being saved by faith; so today the Jews are in unbelief, but shall one day receive mercy. God had committed both Jews and Gentiles to unbelief and sin, that He might be able to save both through grace (Romans 11:32). After reviewing God’s gracious and wise plan for both Jews and Gentiles, is it any wonder Paul broke out in a hymn of praise to the Lord (Romans 11:33-36)! (Today's "The Story" is an excerpt from Wiersbe's Expository Outlines, Warren Wiersbe) The Key Truth: While Israel seems like enemies of God's will today, they are still the beloved in God's sight because of the covenants He made with their fathers. The Application: We need to be giving God all praise and worship for his riches and wisdom and knowledge. While it is impossible to understand the mind of God, this can also be a basis for our praise to God. The last couple verses express Paul's worship and praise for God's power and wonder. Romans 11:33 Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways!
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Friday, 27 August 2010 08:06
Romans 11:11-24 - Is there a future for Israel?Written by Gerry PetersRomans 11:11-24 The Story: We can always do what we want but God will always get what he wants. God's plan for Israel was to show to the world the blessings that God had given them and to introduce them to the promise of God, salvation by way of the cross. They failed miserably but God used this to show mercy to all the nations. Was there still a future for Israel, Paul certainly thought so. To say that the Church today is now God's Israel is not Scriptural. The Church did not replace Israel. Paul looked forward to the day when Israel would be received into fullness of blessing as a nation (Romans 11:15). Israel is the olive tree that failed to bear fruit for God. God then broke off some of the branches and grafted into the tree the Gentiles, “a wild olive tree.” This was done “contrary to nature” (Romans 11:24), for it is the practice to graft the good branch into the poorer stock; but God grafted the weak Gentiles into the good stock of Israel’s religious privileges! This act shows the goodness and the severity of God. If Israel does not continue in their unbelief, God is able and willing to graft them back into the blessings of their Olive tree. Key Truth: In God's sovereignty he showed kindness to the gentile nations, provided we continue to trust in God (Romans 11:22). My Application: Christians today ought to be praying for the salvation of Israel. God has not forgotten them and desires to see them come to repentance and embrace the promise that was given to their father Abraham. While he has now broken off many of the branches of their Olive tree, God is willing and able to graft them back in. As for the gentile nations, just as God was severe to the children of Israel, so will he be to the gentile nations that turn from God and persist in their unbelief. If you fall among the remnant of Christ's true followers, just as God had a job for Elijah, so he has for you and I. We should not be idle in our faith or complacent in showing the promise of the gospel to those around us. Resources: Christian Jew Foundation Ministries, Chosen People Ministries, Jews for Jesus Canada, Friends of Israel,
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Romans 11:1-10 The Story: The Jewish readers may have felt that God had turned his back on them. Paul has just quoted Isaiah 65:2, "All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!" Romans 11 begins by answering their big question at this time, "has God rejected the nation of Israel?" "May it never be so" (Romans 11:1) is what Paul literally said. Paul gives them two illustrations, the first being his own story. He was a Jew of Jews from the tribe of Benjamin and God had not rejected him. He then reminds them of the great story of Elijah where he challenges the prophets of Baal to see which God would respond with fire on an altar that the altar the they had constructed (1 Kings 18:16-37). God unquestionably demonstrates his power before all of them but the wicked Jezebel loses it and vows to kill Elijah within 24 hours. And what did Elijah do? He ran and hid. Pretty sad I admit but the lesson God gave Elijah is a most encouraging one. God told Elijah that he was not alone, as he thought, but that there was a remnant of 7,000 that had not bowed to Baal. The lesson that God gives to Elijah is that there will always be a remnant of those that he considers the "true Israelites" are the recipients of the promise given to Abraham. God had not rejected the Jews. Why? First, because the remnant is chosen by God's grace not the works of the majority. The majority did not speak for the entire nation. The Key Truth: God has not rejected the Jews because God's grace is not determined by the majority. There will always be a remnant of those that are the "true Israel". The Application: When you feel like you're the only one that wants to follow God, allow the story of Elijah to be an encouragement for you. Elijah thought he was the only one while God point out 7,000 others. The majority does not dictate the future of your Church or community. God recognizes the faithful whether the numbers are great or small. If you feel alone in being faithful to God, do not be discouraged because God recognizes your heart. Just as he had a job for Elijah to do, so he has for you.
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Romans 10:14-21 The Story: Paul has just said that righteousness before God is faith based rather than works and that men of all nations are to call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Then, as to outline God's method of letting the nations know about the good news, he presents several questions;
I personally think back to the early 1970's and how I was reading this passage and became convinced that God was calling me to a life of making the good news of the gospel known in every place that God allowed me to be. That became my life vocation throughout my life. Paul quotes 7 passages from the Old Testament that demonstrates what God's plan was throughout history and what His plan was for them. God has always placed the preaching of God's Word as a primary means of proclaiming the Word of the Lord. In doing so, Paul also provides an explanation of what the Apostles have been doing and why he is writing this to them. Furthermore, his intention is to come personally to Rome and proclaim the Word of the Lord after God's commission on his life. The Key Truth: God's method in proclaiming the Word of the Lord to the world is by preaching the word. The Application: What is it that we value most when we attend a church? If it is the worship through song (whether hymns or rock) then we are missing a big point in God's primary primary purposes. We are to value the preaching the Word. For me this is solid expository preaching. To know the Scripture is of great value for without having the Word preached in a manner that we learn then how will we be able to proclaim the word to those that we come in contact with. Begin to value the preaching of God's word by bringing a Bible to Church and determining to learn and apply the word. If your preacher is not emphasizing the Word then he either needs to be reminded or perhaps you need to find a place of worship where the Word of God is lifted high and preaching is valued. I love our Church. You can listen to our pastors preach at http://northview.org/index.php/messages/ . I've added one of the sermons below.
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Romans 10:1-13 The Story: Paul starts chapter 10 of Romans by telling the Jewish readers that his prayer is that they would be saved. He then goes on to explain two different paths leading to righteousness, one is now futile while another justifies them before God. While the Jews were zealous for a right standing before God, their path was by knowing the law and following it. This is what Moses had taught them. However, Paul tells them that the law is now ended because Christ put an end to it when he died on the cross and rose again. Christ satisfied all the requirements of the law (Romans 10:4). Moreover, there is now no difference between the gentile and the Jew (Romans 10:12) and that all, or whoever, were invited onto the path of righteousness by way of their faith in Jesus as Lord. It is not that God rejected the Jew and replaced them with the gentile but that the door was now opened wide for all. We no longer have to go on a zealous journey of works to achieve righteousness, as the Jews were doing, but now righteousness was very near. It is found by faith and the word is in our hearts and lips. Paul says that when the sinner receives Christ by faith and confesses Him openly, thus proving his faith, he receives the gift of righteousness (Romans 10:10). The Key Truth: Romans 10:13 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved My Application and Prayer: The Lord has opened the door of salvation wide enough to include every sinner to receive righteousness and salvation but narrow enough to include only that believe in their heart that Jesus is Lord. That's what every person must do if they seek a right standing before God and remove all possibility of shame at the judgment. Thank you Lord for your unmatchable gift of salvation and the right to stand alongside those that you have declared righteous. I do acknowledge you as my Lord and that God raised you from death from the cross. You are my Lord and God.
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Romans 9:14-33 Note: In election, God exercises His sovereign will to accomplish His perfect plan. Keep in mind that the election discussed in Rom. 9-11 is national and not individual (Warren Wiersbe). The Story: We should not just to a conclusion that if God chooses one nation that he also rejects another. Paul uses Moses (Exodus 33:19) and Pharaoh (Exodus 9:16) as proof that God can do what He wishes in dispensing His grace and mercy. Nobody deserves God’s mercy, and nobody can condemn God for His choice of Israel or His bypassing of other nations. Paul then quotes Hosea 2:23 and Hosea 1:10 to show that God promised to call a “people” from among the Gentiles, a people to be called “children of the living God.” This is the church (1 Peter 2:9-10). He also quotes Isaiah 10:22-23, showing that a remnant of Jews would also be saved (Isaiah 1:9). In other words, God’s purpose in election makes it possible for both Jews and Gentiles to be saved by grace. Neither Jew nor Gentile could be saved other than by the God's mercy. What is Paul's purpose of Romans 9? Paul wants to show us that while God's election chose Israel to show God's purposes and blessing to the world, they failed miserably. While this chapter exalts God's Sovereign grace upon people it does not minimize our personal responsibility for making right decisions. With Israel, they made bad decisions missing out on God's Sovereign grace (Romans 9:17). The Key Truth: You cannot rely on your own deeds to win the favor of God. Israel was God's Sovereign choice but rather than looking to God in faith, they showed God their works. The Application: God has extended his grace and mercy to all mankind by way of His Son's sacrifice on the cross. His purpose for you is to embrace Christ through faith and inherit his choice for you, justification before God.
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Romans 9:6-13 The Story: The previous section, Romans 9:1-5, we saw how God was demonstrating His majesty in Israel as a nation. Paul will continue describing 2 pivotal moments in history and how God was Sovereign during those times.
God's plans did not change throughout history, for God is Sovereign in all he does. Man can make their choices along the way but eventually God gets what he wants. In this passage, Paul is speaking about God's Sovereignty on the nation of Israel, not necessarily on the individuals. God was not bound by man's logic or his democratic view in choices. Before Abraham was born, he had already chosen the path that God's promise of the Messiah would come. It included Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Key Truth: God is Sovereign over the nations. His plan was perfect for the coming of Messiah and His plan will be played out as he said for Jesus' second coming. You can count on it. We can debate it, explain it away but in the end, God gets what he wants. Application and Prayer: As God's Sovereignty was exercised over the nation of Israel, so are his plans for our nation. Following God is always the best plan of action. Who cares what the world has decided about anything. All of it leads to death anyway. I want to make a daily choice to sit still long enough so that I can see where God is moving. Then I need to follow him. "Lord, you are my shepherd and I need to recognize your voice. Speak to me daily Lord and help me to hear when I listen. Thank you for directing my ways and my plans. In fact you've known of them before I was born. For that I worship you as my Sovereign God.
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