Romans 12:1-8 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
We who are IN CHRIST are members of one body. We are known on Earth as the church of the living God. We are closely knitted together, providing for the perfect functioning of the holy body of Christ. We are not to honor one member above the others, for all members of the body are needed. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14) If we are chosen by the Spirit to be in one body, we then should offer up our bodies as living sacrifices for the service of the Lord. We have been bought with a high price to be in this body: the blood of Jesus Christ. We are not to be our own any longer, but we are to be the servants of the Most High God. Any other orientation or understanding of the purpose of our lives results in serving other spirits, other gods. We are not our own, but we are temples of the Holy Spirit. We function individually as a personal temple where God dwells and collectively as a temple where God dwells. The great mystery is God within us and we within God. Our proper service as temples is to be a place of worship, where God can meet us. Numerous times when Jesus spoke to his disciples or groups of people, He said, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 11:15) Those without temple ears will never hear God clearly or understand his will. Their lives, their directions in life, are for themselves. They are not living to worship God, but seeking to get the most out of their lives for themselves. They hear the din of world readily, but the voice of God is distant to their ears. Only in a time of great trouble might they turn to God to ask for help. This is not what God wants for his servants. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. His still voice, this God within the inner person of our lives, should be heeded, always known. If not we cannot claim to be his loving and loyal servants. Those who hear his voice are his servants. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, was Jesus’ description of his people. (John 10:27) Our relationship to God should be that close. If our minds, our lives, our energy are fixed on God, we will know what God’s will is for our lives: Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
As one body, we have many functions, some very different from the others. Sometimes we might have difficulty recognizing how a member with a special gift or skill fits in within the body of Christ on Earth. Some of you have a distinctive natural ability, a gift from God. Some of you dance well, others have exceptional singing voices, others excel with mechanical things, some show talent with abstractions such as math, many people are athletic, a few are always gracious and merciful, some are convivial while others are more serious, and so on, but all believers are members of the body of Christ with the purpose of revealing God on Earth. Individually and collectively we are ambassadors of God to the world. In everything, we should portray the nature of God to a world in need. We should be loving, caring, helpful, and creative. He has planned for us to possess his likeness in our born-again nature: the Holy Spirit and his attributes. Paul warns us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to for we are but members of the body of Christ. We are integral parts in that body; we are to function as God desires not as we want. We are to fulfill his will on Earth and not our will. We should not resent our place in the body of Christ, envying others and their talents, for regardless where we are in the body, we are essential members. We need to function wholeheartedly where we have been placed. Whether we have little perceived talent or an abundance of God-given gifts, we should work energetically in God’s perfect will for us. Every member is needed for the church to operate effectively, revealing God to the world. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (1 Corinthians 12:21-25) If one of our inner organs failed in our physical body, the whole body, would suffer, maybe even die. Consequently, we are concerned how our organs function; we want them healthy. In the church, if we are only concerned about the most visible parts of the church: the pastors, teachers, board members, singers, musicians, and the like, the body might get very sick, even die. Each member of the church must be functioning well for a church to be healthy. When most parishioners are merely observers, not carrying the message of Christ to the world, the impact of Christ on a community is lessened. Healthy members of the body of Christ will strengthen the church and influence the world around them.
Within the church, we are all accountable to each other. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. When we gather together, we should bring with us a commitment to others in the church. If we have a special word from the Lord, we should have sufficient faith to share it with the community of believers. If we have a testimony of what God has done for us in the last few days, we should share it. If God has inspired us through our personal reading of the Bible, we should inspire others with it. The church is a spiritual gathering, not just a club or fraternal organization. We come together to worship God and to inspire each other to live for God in this secular, alien world. We are to be strengthened in the Lord by each other’s words and lives. If we are too tentative, too unwilling to function with what God has given us, we will weaken the body. Of course, everything we do within a gathering of born-again believers should be done orderly, under the authority of the leadership, but every member of the body of Christ needs to come with a willingness to help the whole body to be strong and vibrant. Last week in our home church, some people shared their needs and a man shared a healing in his body. This willingness to be vulnerable encouraged and built up the entire church. Probably today, we have too many observers in the church and not enough active participants. Church becomes a performance and not the interactive body of Christ when people merely watch and do not enter into a service. In the early church, interaction of the different members in the congregation was anticipated. What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. (1 Corinthians 14:26) Now of course, Paul was attempting to bring order in the Corinthian church but he was not saying that people should not participate in the spiritual dimensions of the church. Every member’s contribution is important in a healthy, spiritual church. However, if the members are living their everyday lives as secular people, they will have nothing to bring to a congregation that is spiritual in origin. They will just cause dissension if they participate. For sweet water cannot come from a bitter spring; flesh will never produce a life of the spirit. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Let us be transformed as we walk in the Spirt. Paul tells the Ephesians that Christ is the head of the body and from him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16) Praise the name of the Lord. Amen!
Monday, September 24, 2018
Monday, September 10, 2018
Romans 11:17-24 God's Kindness!
Romans 11:17-24 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
Those who follow the natural order of the senses are the wild tree, an olive tree that is not cultivated or domesticated. A bonsai tree begins as a wild tree, falling under the nature of its DNA. This wild tree will have no other controls than those which are given to it by natural means: soil, water, insects, gravity, and so on. In a real sense this tree will follow the world of nature unless a gardener takes over its care. With humans, we follow our senses. Because of the fall in the Garden, humans live fleshly lives for their own benefit. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Galatians 5:19-21) We find the world before Noah as a very fleshly world. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes to the point God repented of this wild tree, repented of creating man. All the people were crowned by their own desires and not crowned as children of God, motivated by his will. They were definitely functioning outside of the goodness of the Creator, his mercy and grace. In God’s time, a man of faith was chosen to lead people out of corruption: Abraham. He became the cultivated, domesticated olive tree. Abraham shaped his life by his faith in God and his word. He never lost the desire to please the God of creation. He did fail many times, but his desire to serve the living God never left him. This tame tree of faith became the father of many branches, the Israelites. This ethnic group believed in a Creator not seen by human eyes, not detected by the flesh, but who existed and was worthy of their service. The faith of Abraham, the root that goes into the very heart of God, sprouted and thrived through these people, the cultivated olive tree. In cultivating a bonsai, the owner uses wires and heavy pruning to bring out the shape he desires. His purpose is to make a plant beautiful in his eyes. Abraham’s faith brought about a people that God could design in his image. He shaped the children of Israel with his law and its concomitant regulations. God’s purpose was to shape humans into his image of goodness, mercy and grace. But completely following the law and its demanding regulations never took hold with the Israelites. For the DNA of Adam’s nature even in a domesticated tree constantly sprouted to the surface, contaminating God’s intentions. Eventually, God dispersed the residents of Judah and Israel into all the world. A heavy hand of discipline rested on their heads because of their disobedience. They had lost their faith in the Creator and instead placed their faith in unknown gods of the wild tree. However, God was not through with the people he domesticated through his laws and regulations. No, someday they will accept the plan that Peter lays out so passionately and directly on the day of Pentecost. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:17-21)
In the last days, faith in Christ’s redeeming work will be part of God’s plan to bring people into the household of God. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29) We who are of faith are now presently in the household of God, for we have been born again to a new life IN CHRIST. The Gentiles have been grafted into this plan of God to become like him in righteousness. The Gentiles no longer stand outside of the plan of conforming people to his likeness, for they have entered into this plan by faith in the only perfect human: Jesus Christ. The law and its regulations attempted to cultivate the tree to righteousness, but flesh will always fail to please God. Works to please God will fail because the work comes from faulty beings, born in sin, in the image of Adam. We who are alive IN CHRIST are born out of a new seed, one of faith in Jesus’ work on the cross. No other work than his is totally acceptable to God. Jesus purchased our salvation at the cross, paying the price for our sins. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) The law and its regulations attempted to prune and stress the Israelites into the likeness of God. But rather than move them towards God’s likeness, the law brought rebellion into their lives in a real way as they failed to please God. They placed their faith in their own gods rather than the God of the universe. Their rebellion brought a hardness of their hearts. Their ears became stopped to the cry of the prophets. The prophets warned them of their hardness and predicted their dispersion to all lands if they did not change, but the Israelites were never able to turn completely from their wayward ways. Consequently, their branches as people of faith in the living God were broken off because of unbelief. Paul writes that because of this breaking, the wild branches, the Gentiles, were grafted in. The Jews were left to their own means, their own strength. The root of Abraham, established by faith, went into the very heart of God. When that faith in the living God ceased in most of Israel, the cultivated tree was pruned, branches were broken. An enduring, strong faith in God would have revealed to them that faith in the coming Messiah would make them holy and acceptable to God, but before his coming their hearts were already hardened because of unbelief.
Abraham received the promise of blessing all nations through his lineage. He received a land that he and his descendants would inhabit. Of course, Jesus told us that Abraham is now before the Father God. He received his promise. We also who believe in Christ Jesus will inhabit that promised land. Abraham’s people grew up with the understanding that they were chosen to inhabit an eternal land, one created and established by God. Initially, the promise to them was one of a natural dwelling. Moses led them to this natural dwelling place, but in the spiritual sense, the law and its regulations always pointed to another land, one where God dwelt. They needed to be holy to enter that place for eternity. The law and its light was to deliver them to that eternal resting place. But they could not hold this expectation in their minds. As with all flesh, they thought of this world and its activities as the only real existence. They attempted through their flesh to get as much out of this world as possible. But the reality of that lifestyle brought them into the likeness of the wild olive tree. Rather than look and act differently from the heathens around them, they became like them in their nature. Rather than portray God’s image of love, grace and mercy to the world, they became the world’s image of hardness, destruction, and selfishness. A lack of faith in the God will always bring about the nature of Adam: rebellion to God’s purpose and likeness. We who are living now need to commit to God’s plan for our lives. We should image him and not ourselves. We should stay in the land of faith: believing in the God of creation; believing He has a grand purpose for our lives. If we stop believing in his works, we will lose the shekinah glory. We will lose the face of God in our lives. We will become darkened in our visage, lonely in our lives, hopeless in our dreams. Jesus came to give us full lives. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 KJV) Those who are dedicated to God, who understand his voice, who walk with him in an intimate manner are new creatures. We do not pick up manna from cultivated land; we pick up manna on uncultivated land. Our daily sustenance remains a free gift given to us by God. The Holy Spirit is that manna, not from cultivated ground, not from a tree we tended. No, He gives free gifts. Today, pick up that manna in your hearts. Hear the voice of the Lord. Live free from the constraints of the law and the stresses of regulations. Live according to every word that comes from the Lord. As Jesus said, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4) Oral words need sound waves for us to hear them, but the Spirit needs no sound waves for us to hear him. We hear the quiet voice of the Spirit within us. Breakfast companions, live today as those who belong in the olive tree, those who hear the voice of God and know his mercy and grace.
Those who follow the natural order of the senses are the wild tree, an olive tree that is not cultivated or domesticated. A bonsai tree begins as a wild tree, falling under the nature of its DNA. This wild tree will have no other controls than those which are given to it by natural means: soil, water, insects, gravity, and so on. In a real sense this tree will follow the world of nature unless a gardener takes over its care. With humans, we follow our senses. Because of the fall in the Garden, humans live fleshly lives for their own benefit. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Galatians 5:19-21) We find the world before Noah as a very fleshly world. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes to the point God repented of this wild tree, repented of creating man. All the people were crowned by their own desires and not crowned as children of God, motivated by his will. They were definitely functioning outside of the goodness of the Creator, his mercy and grace. In God’s time, a man of faith was chosen to lead people out of corruption: Abraham. He became the cultivated, domesticated olive tree. Abraham shaped his life by his faith in God and his word. He never lost the desire to please the God of creation. He did fail many times, but his desire to serve the living God never left him. This tame tree of faith became the father of many branches, the Israelites. This ethnic group believed in a Creator not seen by human eyes, not detected by the flesh, but who existed and was worthy of their service. The faith of Abraham, the root that goes into the very heart of God, sprouted and thrived through these people, the cultivated olive tree. In cultivating a bonsai, the owner uses wires and heavy pruning to bring out the shape he desires. His purpose is to make a plant beautiful in his eyes. Abraham’s faith brought about a people that God could design in his image. He shaped the children of Israel with his law and its concomitant regulations. God’s purpose was to shape humans into his image of goodness, mercy and grace. But completely following the law and its demanding regulations never took hold with the Israelites. For the DNA of Adam’s nature even in a domesticated tree constantly sprouted to the surface, contaminating God’s intentions. Eventually, God dispersed the residents of Judah and Israel into all the world. A heavy hand of discipline rested on their heads because of their disobedience. They had lost their faith in the Creator and instead placed their faith in unknown gods of the wild tree. However, God was not through with the people he domesticated through his laws and regulations. No, someday they will accept the plan that Peter lays out so passionately and directly on the day of Pentecost. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:17-21)
In the last days, faith in Christ’s redeeming work will be part of God’s plan to bring people into the household of God. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29) We who are of faith are now presently in the household of God, for we have been born again to a new life IN CHRIST. The Gentiles have been grafted into this plan of God to become like him in righteousness. The Gentiles no longer stand outside of the plan of conforming people to his likeness, for they have entered into this plan by faith in the only perfect human: Jesus Christ. The law and its regulations attempted to cultivate the tree to righteousness, but flesh will always fail to please God. Works to please God will fail because the work comes from faulty beings, born in sin, in the image of Adam. We who are alive IN CHRIST are born out of a new seed, one of faith in Jesus’ work on the cross. No other work than his is totally acceptable to God. Jesus purchased our salvation at the cross, paying the price for our sins. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) The law and its regulations attempted to prune and stress the Israelites into the likeness of God. But rather than move them towards God’s likeness, the law brought rebellion into their lives in a real way as they failed to please God. They placed their faith in their own gods rather than the God of the universe. Their rebellion brought a hardness of their hearts. Their ears became stopped to the cry of the prophets. The prophets warned them of their hardness and predicted their dispersion to all lands if they did not change, but the Israelites were never able to turn completely from their wayward ways. Consequently, their branches as people of faith in the living God were broken off because of unbelief. Paul writes that because of this breaking, the wild branches, the Gentiles, were grafted in. The Jews were left to their own means, their own strength. The root of Abraham, established by faith, went into the very heart of God. When that faith in the living God ceased in most of Israel, the cultivated tree was pruned, branches were broken. An enduring, strong faith in God would have revealed to them that faith in the coming Messiah would make them holy and acceptable to God, but before his coming their hearts were already hardened because of unbelief.
Abraham received the promise of blessing all nations through his lineage. He received a land that he and his descendants would inhabit. Of course, Jesus told us that Abraham is now before the Father God. He received his promise. We also who believe in Christ Jesus will inhabit that promised land. Abraham’s people grew up with the understanding that they were chosen to inhabit an eternal land, one created and established by God. Initially, the promise to them was one of a natural dwelling. Moses led them to this natural dwelling place, but in the spiritual sense, the law and its regulations always pointed to another land, one where God dwelt. They needed to be holy to enter that place for eternity. The law and its light was to deliver them to that eternal resting place. But they could not hold this expectation in their minds. As with all flesh, they thought of this world and its activities as the only real existence. They attempted through their flesh to get as much out of this world as possible. But the reality of that lifestyle brought them into the likeness of the wild olive tree. Rather than look and act differently from the heathens around them, they became like them in their nature. Rather than portray God’s image of love, grace and mercy to the world, they became the world’s image of hardness, destruction, and selfishness. A lack of faith in the God will always bring about the nature of Adam: rebellion to God’s purpose and likeness. We who are living now need to commit to God’s plan for our lives. We should image him and not ourselves. We should stay in the land of faith: believing in the God of creation; believing He has a grand purpose for our lives. If we stop believing in his works, we will lose the shekinah glory. We will lose the face of God in our lives. We will become darkened in our visage, lonely in our lives, hopeless in our dreams. Jesus came to give us full lives. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 KJV) Those who are dedicated to God, who understand his voice, who walk with him in an intimate manner are new creatures. We do not pick up manna from cultivated land; we pick up manna on uncultivated land. Our daily sustenance remains a free gift given to us by God. The Holy Spirit is that manna, not from cultivated ground, not from a tree we tended. No, He gives free gifts. Today, pick up that manna in your hearts. Hear the voice of the Lord. Live free from the constraints of the law and the stresses of regulations. Live according to every word that comes from the Lord. As Jesus said, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4) Oral words need sound waves for us to hear them, but the Spirit needs no sound waves for us to hear him. We hear the quiet voice of the Spirit within us. Breakfast companions, live today as those who belong in the olive tree, those who hear the voice of God and know his mercy and grace.
Monday, September 3, 2018
Romans 11:11-16 Shine Your Light!
Romans 11:11-16 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring! I am talking to you Gentiles. In as much as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envying save some of them. For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
If the first fruit of a harvest is holy, then the whole harvest is blessed by God. The acceptance of God as the creator and reverence towards him as Lord is the first step to salvation. With this acceptance, we recognize God as the tree of life. All life comes from the roots of this tree. Abraham believed this reality: he believed in God’s work, God’s words. Consequently, the Bible tells us his faith in God’s realm was counted to him as righteousness. He heard God’s words and placed his faith in them. Because of his faith in God, he was honored as the father of many nations. Also, he must have understood eternal life would be his inheritance. Jesus confirmed this fact when he told the Sadducees that the patriarchs were presently with God. But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive. (Luke 20:37-38) Abraham’s faith in God’s words and work brought great favor to his descendants who received the law and regulations to protect them from God’s wrath on sin. The children of Israel lived in great light: the law. God was pleased with their intentions to obey him, but because the Israelites operated in the flesh and were not born again, they could not be faithful to God’s laws and regulations. Their transgressions, their lack of fidelity to the Lord, caused them to be put aside for a while. Their fleshly nature deceived them. As with all men, the flesh with all its flaws will never be obedient to God. Although men do not recognized this fact of their nature, God knew they would always be disobedient to his will and nature. Their rebellion and need to control their own lives would defeat their intentions to obey the living God. God illustrates this nature of rebellion by choosing the Israelites to carry out his will on earth, telling them to follow his laws and regulations. Even though his laws were righteous and his regulations would protect them from God’s wrath, the Israelites did not follow the will of God. The chosen Israelites failed; the outcast Gentiles failed. All of humankind fail in following the will of God. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. (Romans 11:30-32) What then is the hope of salvation? What is the first fruit? Where is blessing from God? What will make the whole batch holy? God has had a plan from before the world was formed: All who place their faith in the first fruit, Jesus Christ, will be saved! But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
Paul worked hard to deliver some of his brethren, the Jews, from the darkness in their hearts. However, most of them had ears that were stopped. They could not hear the message of grace and mercy. They were overcome with the need to protect their religion of laws and regulations, their way to salvation. Paul in his teaching referred them back to Abraham and to the fact that Abraham received God’s validation of righteousness long before the law was given, some 400 hundred years. God gave Abraham right relationship with him on the basis of Abraham’s faith in him as God and creator. Abraham was willing to follow God’s words, his will and not his own. He was willing even to sacrifice his son Isaac, the child of the promise. This is the faith God has asked all of us to possess, a belief in the eternal One and his works. This is the faith of the great people in Israel, the ones who relied on God’s words and works, and not their own. In Hebrews 11 we see many of their names mentioned as people of faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Rahab, Samson, David, and the like. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. (Hebrews 11:13) The born again soul comes only to those who place their total trust in God’s righteousness. God’s work is capsulated in his Son, who gave himself for the salvation of many. Jesus did not hold back his life for himself, but gave himself up completely for the plan God had conceived for humankind. He meant to redeem man. Man could not be saved as long as he held the belief that in himself was goodness, and he could please God through his own good works. The Jews failed at this attempt to be good even though God gave them the righteous law. Although the law revealed light, the will of God, they could not please God, for they were born out of Adam’s fleshly desires to be in control of their own lives, their own desires to rule and reign. They would not conform to the dictates of the law or its regulations. The Israelites were lost in their own self-will. Jesus struggled with the elite of the Jewish religion, for He knew they were as the blind leading the blind. The leaders knew what the law said, but their hearts were far from God. Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:10-14) Jesus knew people needed spiritual eyes to see the Lord in their midst and spiritual ears to hear the voice of God.
Paul looked forward to the time when the Jews would accept the Good News that Jesus is the Messiah, when they would understand that through him comes reconciliation with God. The gift of this right relationship with God is eternal life. For if their rejection of the Good News brought reconciliation to the rest of the world, what would their acceptance be but life from the dead for God’s people? Praise God, all who accept the Lord as Savior will have a right relationship with God. Our lives should be lived in a way that everyone will know that Jesus Christ is alive and that God is on his throne. Jesus said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) In the Old Testament, we see Daniel threatened by a law that would surely bring about his death. The law said that no one should pray to any god for a whole month. If anyone was caught praying to another deity than the king, he would be killed by throwing him into the lions’ den. When Daniel heard this law, a law he knew was pointed at him, he went home, threw up his windows that faced Jerusalem, and prayed as he had always prayed, three times a day. Of course, the people who hated him because he was a favorite of the king and had great power, spied him out. When they heard Daniel pray, they quickly went to the king and told of Daniel’s failure to obey the king’s decree. In those days, a decree could not be changed; the king’s words could not be altered. Even though King Darius had great love for Daniel, he had to carry out the law, so Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den. At dawn after Daniel was in the den overnight, the king came, asking him if his god has protected him. Daniel answered, My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. (Daniel 6:22) Daniel did not shirk from his duty to praise the Lord. He opened up his windows and through his prayers proclaimed there is a living God who deserves to be praised and followed. He paid a price for that boldness: he was thrown into the lions’ den. Are we that bold or are we afraid of the consequences of being bold? The lions’ mouths were stopped for Daniel, but many more believers as in the Hebrews 11 account, lacking a way of escape, have faced horrible persecution and even death. In certain countries today, people face grievous trials for proclaiming Christ. Dear friends, we ask you to throw open your windows and to pray loudly to the God of the universe, to display Abraham’s faith and the faith of the saints of all the ages that God lives and He deserves our praises. Glory to God in the highest!
If the first fruit of a harvest is holy, then the whole harvest is blessed by God. The acceptance of God as the creator and reverence towards him as Lord is the first step to salvation. With this acceptance, we recognize God as the tree of life. All life comes from the roots of this tree. Abraham believed this reality: he believed in God’s work, God’s words. Consequently, the Bible tells us his faith in God’s realm was counted to him as righteousness. He heard God’s words and placed his faith in them. Because of his faith in God, he was honored as the father of many nations. Also, he must have understood eternal life would be his inheritance. Jesus confirmed this fact when he told the Sadducees that the patriarchs were presently with God. But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive. (Luke 20:37-38) Abraham’s faith in God’s words and work brought great favor to his descendants who received the law and regulations to protect them from God’s wrath on sin. The children of Israel lived in great light: the law. God was pleased with their intentions to obey him, but because the Israelites operated in the flesh and were not born again, they could not be faithful to God’s laws and regulations. Their transgressions, their lack of fidelity to the Lord, caused them to be put aside for a while. Their fleshly nature deceived them. As with all men, the flesh with all its flaws will never be obedient to God. Although men do not recognized this fact of their nature, God knew they would always be disobedient to his will and nature. Their rebellion and need to control their own lives would defeat their intentions to obey the living God. God illustrates this nature of rebellion by choosing the Israelites to carry out his will on earth, telling them to follow his laws and regulations. Even though his laws were righteous and his regulations would protect them from God’s wrath, the Israelites did not follow the will of God. The chosen Israelites failed; the outcast Gentiles failed. All of humankind fail in following the will of God. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. (Romans 11:30-32) What then is the hope of salvation? What is the first fruit? Where is blessing from God? What will make the whole batch holy? God has had a plan from before the world was formed: All who place their faith in the first fruit, Jesus Christ, will be saved! But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
Paul worked hard to deliver some of his brethren, the Jews, from the darkness in their hearts. However, most of them had ears that were stopped. They could not hear the message of grace and mercy. They were overcome with the need to protect their religion of laws and regulations, their way to salvation. Paul in his teaching referred them back to Abraham and to the fact that Abraham received God’s validation of righteousness long before the law was given, some 400 hundred years. God gave Abraham right relationship with him on the basis of Abraham’s faith in him as God and creator. Abraham was willing to follow God’s words, his will and not his own. He was willing even to sacrifice his son Isaac, the child of the promise. This is the faith God has asked all of us to possess, a belief in the eternal One and his works. This is the faith of the great people in Israel, the ones who relied on God’s words and works, and not their own. In Hebrews 11 we see many of their names mentioned as people of faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Rahab, Samson, David, and the like. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. (Hebrews 11:13) The born again soul comes only to those who place their total trust in God’s righteousness. God’s work is capsulated in his Son, who gave himself for the salvation of many. Jesus did not hold back his life for himself, but gave himself up completely for the plan God had conceived for humankind. He meant to redeem man. Man could not be saved as long as he held the belief that in himself was goodness, and he could please God through his own good works. The Jews failed at this attempt to be good even though God gave them the righteous law. Although the law revealed light, the will of God, they could not please God, for they were born out of Adam’s fleshly desires to be in control of their own lives, their own desires to rule and reign. They would not conform to the dictates of the law or its regulations. The Israelites were lost in their own self-will. Jesus struggled with the elite of the Jewish religion, for He knew they were as the blind leading the blind. The leaders knew what the law said, but their hearts were far from God. Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:10-14) Jesus knew people needed spiritual eyes to see the Lord in their midst and spiritual ears to hear the voice of God.
Paul looked forward to the time when the Jews would accept the Good News that Jesus is the Messiah, when they would understand that through him comes reconciliation with God. The gift of this right relationship with God is eternal life. For if their rejection of the Good News brought reconciliation to the rest of the world, what would their acceptance be but life from the dead for God’s people? Praise God, all who accept the Lord as Savior will have a right relationship with God. Our lives should be lived in a way that everyone will know that Jesus Christ is alive and that God is on his throne. Jesus said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) In the Old Testament, we see Daniel threatened by a law that would surely bring about his death. The law said that no one should pray to any god for a whole month. If anyone was caught praying to another deity than the king, he would be killed by throwing him into the lions’ den. When Daniel heard this law, a law he knew was pointed at him, he went home, threw up his windows that faced Jerusalem, and prayed as he had always prayed, three times a day. Of course, the people who hated him because he was a favorite of the king and had great power, spied him out. When they heard Daniel pray, they quickly went to the king and told of Daniel’s failure to obey the king’s decree. In those days, a decree could not be changed; the king’s words could not be altered. Even though King Darius had great love for Daniel, he had to carry out the law, so Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den. At dawn after Daniel was in the den overnight, the king came, asking him if his god has protected him. Daniel answered, My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. (Daniel 6:22) Daniel did not shirk from his duty to praise the Lord. He opened up his windows and through his prayers proclaimed there is a living God who deserves to be praised and followed. He paid a price for that boldness: he was thrown into the lions’ den. Are we that bold or are we afraid of the consequences of being bold? The lions’ mouths were stopped for Daniel, but many more believers as in the Hebrews 11 account, lacking a way of escape, have faced horrible persecution and even death. In certain countries today, people face grievous trials for proclaiming Christ. Dear friends, we ask you to throw open your windows and to pray loudly to the God of the universe, to display Abraham’s faith and the faith of the saints of all the ages that God lives and He deserves our praises. Glory to God in the highest!
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