Bible Text: Romans 11:1-6 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale

Last Sunday I sought to encourage all of us to earnestly and urgently seek to

trust and to serve God; the reason being that God is faithful and He always fulfills His promises, even to those who turn away from Him.

God’s grace is so much greater than our sins! Let’s consider the Jews for a moment: the nation of Israel rejected their own Messiah, and therefore God has temporarily removed them as the object of His love.

See Romans 9:32-33… Israel “stumbled over” or in other words, they were offended by Jesus Christ. They would not believe in or trust Him, even though He was clearly sent by God to them (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1, Luke 2).

The Jews sought to establish their own righteousness (Romans 10:3-4), and in doing so they rejected God’s Salvation (Romans 10:9-10), even though they had been told (Romans 10:20; Isaiah 65:1) that God would indeed offer Himself to the Gentiles, while continuing to reach out to Israel (Romans 10:21; Isaiah 65:2).

God would have been justified in turning away from Israel forever, for she rebelled against God repeatedly, but God had promised not to forsake her. Jeremiah 31:31-33, “”Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Even though Israel rejected God’s Messiah, God would faithfully fulfill all His promises to Israel.

Now, look at Romans 11:1a… Paul makes it clear that God has not rejected the nation of Israel. Paul uses the strongest negative in the Greek to express a response to his own question: “By no means!” [May it never be! God forbid!]

Paul has used this expression eight other times already in the Book of Romans (3:4; 3:6; 3:31; 6:2; 6:15; 7:7: 7:13; 9:14) exclusively to scold or rebuke wrong understanding about God’s righteousness and faithfulness. God was gracious to Israel.
Psalm 106:35-46, “They mingled with the nations and learned their practices, and served their idols, which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with the blood. Thus they became unclean in their practices,and played the harlot in their deeds. Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people And He abhorred His inheritance. Then He gave them into the hand of the nations, And those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies

also oppressed them, And they were subdued under their power. Many times He would deliver them; They, however, were rebellious in their counsel, And so sank down in their iniquity. Nevertheless He looked upon their distress When He heard their cry; And He remembered His covenant for their sake, And relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. He also made them objects of compassion In the presence of all their captors. ”

God’s grace will always be more than sufficient to absorb and absolve the sins of those who belong to Him, because God’s grace surpasses all His people’s sins, and God’s love will never fail.

And so (Romans 11:1a), Paul says God will never cast Israel aside completely; but God has temporarily removed them, as a nation, from their place of favor, because of their own rejection of Him.

But individuals who turn to God from Israel are accepted and granted God’s marvelous favor of grace, for Paul (Romans 11:b) makes it clear, he himself is an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the Tribe of Benjamin, and yet God has shown him mercy.

Most of the early converts to Christianity were Jews, and although Paul was one of the most zealous in his enmity toward Jesus and those who followed Him, God brought Paul to saving faith in Christ, and therefore, any Israelite could be saved — that proves that God has not completely rejected Israel.

Read Romans 11:2-6… The True Church of God, with Christ as the Head, has always had believing Jews from the nation of Israel; and although, the majority of Israel (Romans 10:21) were, “a disobedient and obstinate people,” Romans 11:2 says God foreknew [not just knowing ahead of time, but sovereignly determining]. I don’t understand that, but clearly, God’s foreknowledge of those who will obey Christ, is the same as His predetermination or predestination of those who will be saved (see Romans 8:29-30).

Israel is the only nation that God predetermined to be a recipient of His love and grace; and so, because that is true, God can never totally reject Israel.

When Elijah (v. 3) was fearful, thinking he was the only faithful one of Israel left on earth, God reassured him (v. 4) that 7000 others remained faithful; most of Israel, however, under Jezebel’s influence, worshipped Baal.

A few centuries later, during the Exile, while Israel was captive in Babylon, the majority of them would not turn back to God, but there would always be a few who remained faithful to God, reminiscent of Ezekiel, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Mordecai, and Esther.

I have no doubt that these above names, and many more from Israel, are included in the Book of the obedient faithful of Israel, mentioned in Malachi 3:16-18, “Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His name. “They will be Mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare

them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

400 years passed before God spoke to Israel again, concerning the coming of His Son. Yet, before Christ’s birth there were a few faithful in Israel – Zechariah and Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary; and at the Savior’s birth there were a few shepherds near Bethlehem who came to worship Him; just a week after Jesus’ birth, we are told of Simeon and Anna who praised Him – these were faithful citizens of Israel, but more importantly, they were citizens of God’s Kingdom because of their belief in God’s Son.

During Christ’s ministry there were a number of Jews who believed in Him as Lord and Savior; by the end of the first day of the church’s birth (Acts 2:41) there were 3000 believers (mostly Jews); shortly afterward (Acts 4:4) another 5000 were added, and the number kept growing.

Romans 11:5 says there was a remnant of Jews chosen by grace, not by ancestry, religious ritual, or moral goodness, but by grace. Paul states (v. 6) that righteousness from God is made effectual through Christ, exemplified in one’s faithful obedience to God, because of God’s loving grace, not by any kind of works.

All true believers are spiritual ancestors of Abraham, not through human blood line, but through the shed blood of Jesus Christ through Whom we received forgiveness for sins and eternal life.
Galatians 3:26-29, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor 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.”

We can trust our God to be faithful because we have both the revealed and the historical record of His faithfulness to Israel, and this is made effectual by the character and nature of His being, for He is a loving and merciful God who wants (1Timothy 2:3-4), “all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” and He is (2Peter 3:9), “patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

1Corinthians 15:57, “thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2Corinthians 2:14, “thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.”

Therefore, we Gentile believers, along with all those saved from the nation of Israel, proclaim (2Corinthians 9:15), “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Pastor Mike

Bible Text: Topical Study | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: New Years

I want to encourage all of us, to become more intimate and honest with God in 2016, to trust Him more and more, not just when things are going well, but also when bad things happen and we find ourself dialing 911-Help-me-God!

Most of us had a variety of both good and bad things happen this past year; some of us are still hanging on to or are being affected by one or more of the bad things that happened. I want to encourage you to let them go, so they don’t cause you to miss out on events in the present or the future.
Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Everything God’s Word foretold about the birth, life and death of Jesus, has come true, just as God said, and God is faithful and trustworthy. He gives us everything we need to know Him, serve Him and to enjoy our life on earth, while trusting Him for eternity in heaven.
2Peter 1:3, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness [biological & spiritual life] through our knowledge of Him [Christ] who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

God has given us magnificent & supernatural resources:
• His Word (John 1:1-2, 14; 5:39; 6:63; 14:6; 17:17)
• His Spirit (John 1:12-13; 3:5-8; 14:15-17, 26; 16:8-9)
• His Church (1Corinthians 12:12-14, 18-20, 27; Colossians 1:18)

God’s Word, made alive through God’s Spirit, indwells all of God’s Children, the True Believers & Followers of Christ, [God’s Church]; this is made effectual through the death & resurrection of God’s Son, as the Scriptures declare (Romans 10:9-10; 1Corinthians 15:1-4).

God’s clear and repeated will is to save us, that we might have a personal and eternal relationship with Him, through Christ the Lord!
1Timothy 2:3-4, “God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

2Peter 3:9, “The Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

So what is the problem?
Romans 3:10-12, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Romans 3:22-24, “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 10:13, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

God created us to have fellowship with Him, but through Adam’s sin death came to all of us, and so God, in His great mercy provided Christ, through Whom we receive forgiveness & eternal life (see Romans 5:12-19).

As you enter 2016, seek to know God more intimately, and serve Him obediently and honorably.
Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”

Hebrews 4:15-16, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
James 4:8, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”

How do you approach or come near to God? Through the Word of Christ, by God’s Spirit in you!
Colossians 3:16-17, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

We must (Hebrews 10:22), “draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” And we must (vv. 23-24), “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful,” therefore, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” and (v. 25), “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as the Day [of His return] approaches.”

Every Christian has the Spirit of God in them (Ephesians 1:13-14); and so (1Corinthians 2:16), we are able to know the mind of God; for we have the light [or revelation] of God, and are therefore able (Matthew 5:16), to “let [God’s] light shine before men, that they may see [our] good deeds and praise [our] Father in heaven.”

As you draw near to God, through His Word, learning to trust Him, you’ll want to serve Him and tell others about Him, so that they too might come to know Him, as a dearly loved child knows a loving father.

1Peter 2:12, “Live such good lives among the pagans [unbelievers] that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”
1Peter 3:15-16, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

Showing genuine trust in God by the way you live your life is essential, especially if you want unbelievers to take notice of the God Who saved you. Are you really trusting God with your life or just trying Him out; the proof is in your heartfelt and obedient service to Him.

1John 2:4-6, “The man who says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”

Our trust of and intimacy with God will show in the way we engage and respond to daily life, both the good days and the bad days.
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

God doesn’t promise His children a trouble free and painless life, He does however, provide all we need to know Him, trust Him, and serve Him, while we are here this earth, as we wait to be brought into heaven with Him, forever!

If you belong to God through Christ, you will desire to know and to study God’s Word, and to apply it to your life; as you prayerfully interact with God He will encourage you to seek fellowship among, and serve in, the local Church, where Christ is the center of worship.

Today we remember the Lord’s death and resurrection; as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper here shortly. May we seek to honor Him in this new year, by

proclaiming the Good News to all who will listen: Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, was buried, and then rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and all who believe in Him for the forgiveness of sins will be saved!

You can trust God now and forever, because of what was accomplished in and through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers (and sisters), stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Colossians 3:12-17, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Bible Text: Hebrews 1:1-3 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Christmas Topical

Christmas celebrates God’s greatest Gift to the world, but God’s gift (Jesus Christ) was not fully understood or realized until He was unwrapped at the Cross & the Tomb.

About 2700 years ago, two of God’s prophets (Isaiah & Micah) wrote about the future birth of a male child, to a virgin, in Bethlehem, in Judea; this child would be Immanuel, God in the flesh, given the name Jesus, God’s Salvation, and He would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Savior who was to come, and has indeed already come, would pay our penalty for sin by His own death on the cross; He would then rise from the dead to provide eternal life for all those who believe in Him.
Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me One who will be Ruler over Israel, Whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Isaiah 7:14, “The Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel [God with us].”
Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, the government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 53:4-7, “Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
11-12 After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied… because He poured out His life unto death… He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors [sinners].”
Read Hebrews 1:1-3… God repeatedly announced to the world the coming of His Son (Hebrews 1:1), “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,” i.e., God used different people, languages, places, events, ceremonies, and covenants to present His plan, purpose and provision to us, through His Son, Jesus the Christ, Lord and Savior.

Hebrews 1:2a says, “in these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son.” God has fully revealed all we need to know and do, in response to His greatest gift, His Own Son (no more signs, cf. Matthew 12:38-40).

Jesus’ birth happened as God foretold through the prophets, everything being made ready for the advent of God’s Son, at just the right time (Galatians 4:4-5), “when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”

Politically – Rome as the world Ruler, had provided good roads and a time of relative peace, allowing safe travel throughout its territories. The message of Christ could now be taken to the rest of the world.

Culturally – The world’s people were more educated and unified, for now even the common people spoke Koine Greek (NT).

Spiritually – The world was more accepting of different religious beliefs and philosophies; and the Jews had renewed their interest in the OT Scriptures that pointed to God’s Son, who would come in human flesh

Israel had long waited for the Messiah; repeatedly God had announced His coming, giving special details about His arrival, and then delivering Him just as He had said it would happen (Isaiah 7:14;Micah 5:2).
Luke 2:52, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

As Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John (Luke 3:22), God declared from heaven, “You are My Son, whom I love, with You I am well pleased.” And yet, soon afterwards Jesus was rejected in His own hometown by His neighbors and fellow Hebrews (Luke 4:16-22, 28-30; vv 18-19 from Isa. 61:1-2).

Hebrews 1:2b, says God appointed His Son to be “heir of all things,” and through Him the universe was made, for Jesus, is both Lord and Creator of all. Colossians 1:16, “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.”

In Revelation 5, God is pictured sitting on His throne in heaven, a scroll in His hand, the deed to the earth, the heavens, and all they contain, but it seems no one has the authority to take the scroll and open it, and then vv. 5-7, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne… He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” At that point a new song is sung in heaven (v. 9) “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

Jesus came (Colossians 1:20), “to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on

the cross.” God’s plan was to give forgiveness for sins through the shed blood of His Son (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 8:1; 10:9-10, 13).
Hebrews 1:3a… Christ is “the radiance of God’s glory” (lit. “brightness”) meaning Jesus is the Light of God, sent to mankind. “Light” is the revelation that brings “Life from God” to all who are being saved. 1John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.”

Revelation 21:22-23 tells us that in the future, the Lamb of God will light the universe, there will be no need for sun or moon or stars, and there will be no more darkness, no more night, nothing antithetical to God.
Hebrews 1:3b… Christ is “the exact representation [icon or imprint] of

God,” (Colossians 1:15), “He is the image [precise incarnation] of the invisible God,” (Colossians 2:9), “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”

Jesus is the express image of God [Immanuel] and without Him we could not be exposed to nor could we recognize God’s light, i.e., we could never receive spiritual life [eternal life] from God.
John 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” 4-5, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood [overcome or comprehended] it.”

John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Hebrews 1:3c… God’s Son is “sustaining [upholding or maintaining] all things by His powerful word, by which, He created the heavens and all that is in them, which includes the earth upon which we live, having been placed just the right distance from the moon and the sun, tilted at precisely 23.5 degrees, so that its whole surface receives the suns rays, as the earth revolves at 1,000 mph, making one complete rotation every 24 hours; at the same time it is traveling at 67,000 mph as it makes a full orbit around the sun every 365 days.

Thank God for His provision (Colossians 1:17), “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Hebrews 1:3d… “God’s Son provided purification for sins then He sat down at the right hand of the Father.” Wow! Jesus Christ fulfilled His sovereign work by taking the punishment for our sins, upon Himself. He did this (Hebrews 9:12), “once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Jesus was born in a stable and raised in obscurity; He fed and healed the multitudes, was put to death on a cross, and on the third day He rose from the

grave, then He showed Himself to His followers, and 40 days later He ascended into heaven, to the highest place of honor (Hebrews 10:12) [having] “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”

700 years after Isaiah and Micah foretold it, a young woman, named Mary, said to be a virgin, gave birth to a boy in Bethlehem, in Judea; the baby was named Jesus (God’s Salvation), and was called Immanuel (God with us), for He was God in the flesh, Savior to all who would believe in Him.

The full and final message from God is Jesus, God’s indescribable Gift: Christ the Lord, Judge over all, Savior to everyone who genuinely trusts in Him.

God’s plan was to provide forgiveness for sins through the shed blood of His own Son, to all those who repent of sin and confess Him as Lord, that we might live with Him in heaven, forever to be in the presence of God’s Son, the Lamb of God, the One born for the purpose of dying for our sins, the very Life and Light of God, Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:8, “’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” 17-18, ”I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
1John 5:11-13, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

If you have believed in and received Jesus as Lord, you are able to celebrate Christmas; but if you have never repented of your sins, confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in Him as Savior, why haven’t you?

Is there any good reason not to believe in God’s Son for salvation? Why not do that right now? You simply acknowledge that you are a sinner and you ask God to forgive your sins; He turns no one away! The reason for the season is Jesus.

Christmas is in recognition and worship of God’s marvelous, magnificent, indescribable, irrevocable, supernatural, and eternal Gift: Jesus Christ, the Lord of all and Savior to everyone who genuinely believes.

It is Jesus who puts the “Merry” in Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Bible Text: Romans 10:11-21 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale

Read verses 11-13… Paul quotes a portion of Isaiah 28:16 in verse 13, but the whole verse gives a much better context, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation: the one who trusts [believes] will never be dismayed [disturbed].

This is clearly speaking of Christ the Lord (cf. 9:33), “the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame,” so only those who believe in Him will be saved.

The emphasis is that anyone, all who believe in Him, will be granted God’s forgiveness. There is no difference when it comes to salvation, whether Jew or Gentile, for there is only One Lord over all; therefore everyone who repents of sin, believing in Christ Jesus to save them, will be saved (Joel 2:32), “And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”

Last week, (vv. 9-10), we studied what it means to “call on the name of the Lord,” to confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead!

It is one thing to say, “by His death you are forgiven your sins,” for who can really know until they die whether or not that is true? But for God to raise Him from the dead gives validity and demonstrable proof of Christ’s victory over death, and His authority to both forgive sin and provide eternal life.

Read verses 14-15… Paul here states the obvious, since we are saved by calling upon [believing in] Jesus, if we haven’t heard about Him, how are we going to trust Him and call upon Him for the forgiveness of sins?
Ephesians 1:13, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”

The Good News is that Jesus is both Lord and Savior (Acts 2:36); but how can anyone hear this message without being told, and how is anyone going to tell them unless they themselves know Christ, and are compelled by God’s Spirit Who lives in them, to proclaim it?

Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’”

No wonder Paul proclaims (Romans 10:15, NASB), “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News of Good Things,” from Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation.”

Please turn to Luke 4:14-19. Before we read this passage, lets understand what has led up to this event: Jesus’ Baptism by John, the Father speaking from heaven, confirming that Jesus is His beloved Son, the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, descending upon Jesus, declaring God’s presence & power, then Jesus is 40 days in the wilderness, without food, being tempted by the devil.

Read Luke 4:14-19, vv.18-19 are quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2, about the Messiah, the Holy One of God who was to come and fulfill what is written there. Now, let’s look at the people’s response (Luke 4:20-28).
Read verses 16-20… Israel rejected God’s Message and Messenger, the Messiah, God’s Own Son, born to Mary (Isaiah 7:14). In verse 16 Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1, Isaiah 53 is the First Gospel, telling how God saves us from our sins, through the death payment of Jesus.

Paul makes it clear in Romans 10:16-18, that the Israelites knew better, they had received God’s revelation from heaven itself, for this message from God has gone out to the “ends of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4a).

In Romans 1:18-20, Paul declares that creation itself proclaims and portrays God’s power and nature, and we are therefore without excuse, if we reject His revelation.

In Romans 10:19 Paul quotes Moses (Deuteronomy 32:21), stating Israel’s anger that God reaches out to those outside of Israel; in v.20 Paul quotes (Isaiah 65:1), saying God reached out to those who did not seek nor ask for Him, revealing Himself to them.

God knew the Jews would reject His Messenger, and the Gentiles would receive Him, Jesus, God’s Salvation.

Read verse 21… Throughout her long history, Israel stubbornly rejected and rebelled against the God who loved her, cared for her, provided for her and protected her; the God who graciously, mercifully, faithfully, patiently, and repeatedly reached out to save her.

Israel’s self-righteous and obstinate rejection of God’s own Son, Jesus, the Christ, left them at enmity with God, separated from God’s salvation due to their own sinful pride and arrogance concerning their ancestral heritage, and their feeble attempts to obtain righteousness through religious ritual and law-keeping.

The Israelites disqualified themselves as God’s people, for they were, and in fact, still are, unwilling to receive and believe in God’s One and Only Son, leaving them unacceptable, null and void, as God’s witnesses.

May we be careful, as God’s Church, to not become prideful and self-righteous; but instead, may we seek to honor God by believing in and receiving His Son, obeying His Word, and living under the control of His Spirit, in reference to our beliefs and behaviors, attitudes and actions, thoughts, motives, and the very intentions of our hearts, so that we might continue to serve as witnesses of God’s gracious forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.

As both children and servants of God, we ought to live in a manner that exemplifies Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

2Corinthians 5:14-21, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new

creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

What an awesome message for the Christmas Season.

Bible Text: Romans 10:1-10 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Romans

Read vv. 1-4… In vv. 1-2, Paul expresses his desire for Israel to be saved; also, his experiential understanding of their misplaced zeal for law-keeping (Philippians 3:4b-6), “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless,” their zeal was not based on understanding, nor was it based on a personal relationship with God.

Verses 3-4 tell us true righteousness from God is found only in Christ. Righteousness is a right standing with God, and it cannot be earned by doing good deeds or keeping the Law, it is a gift from God, and is only granted by faith [belief], for it is by God’s grace (His undeserved and unmerited favor), through Christ the Lord.

The Jews had rejected God’s sovereign and singular gift of righteousness by faith in God’s Son, and instead sought their own way to earn God’s favor, by doing good works and trying to keep all the law, but God’s shows no favoritism (see Romans 2:5-12).

To reject God’s only means of being made acceptable to God, is to reject God’s offer of righteousness, and that is a damnable offense.

The Jews loved the Law, in fact, they idolized it to the point that they considered their zeal for law-keeping equal to attaining a right standing before God.

But it was Christ that they needed to believe in, for even the most rigorous law- keeping could not produce righteousness (see Romans 3:19-20).

Jesus is the fulfillment, the completion, of the Law. The Jews were given the Law of God, they considered themselves to be the only privileged people of God.

But it was never God’s plan to keep those outside of Israel from receiving the righteousness of God.

The purpose of the Law wasn’t to create an elite group of law-keepers, but to make us aware of our sinfulness and to point us to God’s One and Only means of attaining righteousness, Jesus Christ (see Romans 3:21-26).
Read v. 5… Moses describes righteousness like this (Leviticus 18:5 NASB), “So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD.”

God’s standards for righteous living have always required heart obedience, for holiness is based on a faith that seeks to obey the Lord with all one’s heart and soul (Deuteronomy 30:10), “if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands

and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

This teaching comes from Deuteronomy 6:3-9, and is called the “Shema” or Listen Up! “Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.”
Read vv. 6-8… God’s grace is for all sinners, but it can only be received by those who come to God in faith, those who respond to and obey the revelation of God in Christ.
Deuteronomy 30:11-14, “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.”

That is powerful and revealing theology! We can’t go into heaven to bring Christ down, nor can we go into the depths of the earth to bring Him up. The point being, we don’t have to go anywhere or do anything mystical to receive the righteousness that comes from God; we simply acknowledge and put our trust in the finished work of Christ, by faith.

Abraham is the blood patriarch and father of the nation of Israel; he was a man of faith (as Paul writes in Romans 4:3 quoting Genesis 15:6), “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Abraham became the “spiritual” father of all who believe, not through the circumcision of the flesh, but through belief in Jesus Christ (see Romans 4:11-17).

Galatians 3:26, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,” 29, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Verse 8 says the way of righteousness is not found in the law, for it exists only in and through Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the Law. We become children of God, made righteous, through the finished work of Christ, Who has become both Lord and Savior.

God’s Way of Salvation has been clearly, completely, and repeatedly revealed, Paul says (v. 8) “it is near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart,” you must simply believe and receive it by faith.

1Corinthians 15:1-4, “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Read vv. 9-10… This is a clear imperative – we must confess and believe what God has said and done; the object of our confession and belief [i.e., obedience] is Jesus Christ, God’s Sovereign Message and Messenger.

More literally, verse 10 says, “with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

John 6:28-29, The [people] asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
John 8:24, Jesus said, “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe [confess] that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins.” John 10:10, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”

John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
1John 5:1, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,” 11-13, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

God’s sovereign message here is given through Paul, who was (Romans 1:1) “a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.”

Paul clearly and repeatedly teaches salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, apart from any law keeping, religious ritual, special favor, or ancestral heritage.
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it 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.” Galatians 3:11, “Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”

Romans 3:21-24, “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law
of sin and death.”

No wonder Paul writes (1Corinthians 15:57), “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (2Corinthians 9:15), “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Christmas is all about the Savior who has come, Jesus Christ, the Lord, be sure to celebrate and to share that message with everyone who will listen.

We are redeemed by God and made righteousness in and through Christ, when we confess our sins, believing that Jesus died on the cross to pay our penalty, and that God raised Him from the dead to provide eternal life; Jesus is the Only means of God’s forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life, for He is God the Son, Lord and Savior: crucified, resurrected, and coming again.

All Scripture quotes are from the 1984 NIV, unless otherwise noted.

Pastor Mike <‘((((><

Bible Text: Romans 9:22-33 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Romans

If Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to the Jewish people, then why do the majority of Jewish people reject Jesus as their Messiah?

Does Israel’s rejection of Jesus cast doubt on God’s plan, i.e., does Israel’s refusal to believe in Jesus indicate that God’s promises won’t come to fruition? Paul says, “No, God’s promises will be fulfilled!”

Paul explains that there is a remnant of Jews who have now, and will in the future, receive God’s favor. But for now, the nation of Israel is in the background, prophetically, and the Christian Church is front and center; but of course all that will change, when the Church is removed, just before the rise of the Antichrist.

We recently studied how God has, in the past, selected people to fulfill His purposes: God chose Abraham out of all the people on the earth; God chose Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau; He chose Israel over all the other nations, and now, in these last days, He has called and set apart the Church, for His purpose.

If you weren’t here last week, you need to go to our website (fbcwaldport.org), where you can read, listen to, or download last week’s lesson from Romans 9:14-21; there was much covered in that section, that will help you more fully understand God’s sovereign selection vs man’s sinful response to God.

A careful reading of Romans 9 reveals Paul’s theology; that he is not talking about God’s selection of individual men and women for heaven or hell, but as offspring through whom the seed (Genesis 3:15, the promised Messiah) would come.

God selected through the line of Israel to present salvation to the world. That doesn’t mean that every Jewish person was saved simply because they were Israelites, nor does it mean that every Ishmaelite was dammed simply because they weren’t Israelites. Let me say that another way – no Jewish person is saved simply because they are an Israelite, and no Ishmaelite is dammed simply because they weren’t an Israelite.

Now that Messiah has come, the boundaries of election and God’s favor have been opened up far beyond Israel, to include all Gentiles who will respond to the message of Christ, that’s us. Everyone, anyone, who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, because salvation comes only through Jesus Christ (Acts 2:21; 4:12); in fact (Acts 10:34-35), “God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.”

See Romans 9:22-24… This is amazing! God can take the rejection and even the evil actions of unrepentant sinners and use them to work good for those who love God, those who are the objects of His love and mercy. Of whom is this talking about?

Verse 24, “even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles.”

Up to this point Paul has been speaking in suppositions and hyperbole, but now he speaks clearly by saying “even us,” i.e., Paul and his readers (both Jew and Gentile), were some of the objects called by God, recipients of God’s love.

The point here is that God’s call was manifested not only to the Jews, through their ancestral line (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), but also to Paul’s generation, and to ours.

God’s grace reaches throughout history to the remotest corners of the world, and God makes no distinctions based on race, ethnicity, nationality, wealth, intelligence, morality, or religious practice.

God calls human beings indiscriminately, whether Gentiles or Jews. This was revolutionary teaching, for up to this point in Romans Paul has made the case that God only selected specific lineages for blessing, from within Abraham’s offspring; but then (Galatians 3:29), “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

In order to show that the Gentile’s inclusion into God’s favor wasn’t conjured up after the Jews rejected Jesus, Paul quotes from Old Testament here.

Romans 9:25-29… First (v.25, Hosea 2:23), As He says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one.” (v. 26, Hosea 1:10), “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”

These verses foretell and proclaim the calling of the Gentiles, some 700 years before Jesus’ birth. Paul is clearly applying Hosea’s prophecy to the Gentiles, to us. But Paul doesn’t stop there, he doesn’t presume that the inclusion of the Gentiles was somehow at the expense or exclusion of Israel.

The “called ones” (v. 24) is more fully explained: 27 “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel (Isaiah 10:22-23): ‘Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. 28 For the Lord will carry out His sentence [execute His Word] on earth with speed and finality [thoroughly and expediently].’

29 It is just as Isaiah said previously (Isaiah 1:9) ‘Unless the Lord Almighty [Lord of Sabaoth or Hosts] had left us descendants [a posterity], we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like [resembled] Gomorrah.’”

These quotations from Old Testament prophets declare that God’s calling has always resulted in the response of a faithful remnant (a small group or minority from within).

No matter how large Israel was, or may become, in population, verse 27 says Isaiah foretold that only a small number of Israel would respond to God’s Messiah.

Israel spent 400 years in silence, before Jesus came -no word or prophet from God- because they had abandoned their worship of God, had defiled the Temple’s sacrificial system, and were intermarrying with pagan cultures; and yet, God did not permanently cast them away, but instead, He promised to save a remnant as His beloved people.

Paul took the Gospel of Christ to the Jews first, even so, most of Israel rejected the message he brought about the Messiah. Paul says (v. 29), if a remnant had not been prepared and spared by God, Israel would have ceased to exist, wiped out like Sodom and Gomorrah.

There is a present remnant of Israel (Messianic Jews), and there will be a future remnant, during the Tribulation Revelation 7:4, when 144,000 sons of Israel are sealed by God) is God’s way of saying He isn’t done with them yet.

There are essentially only two groups of people in the world, as far as God is concerned: those who belong to Him and those who don’t, made up of both Jews and Gentiles, called to be the people of God, through the finished work of the Son of God.

Only a remnant of Jews will be called God’s Beloved, because only a remnant will believe in Christ. While comparing the nation of Israel who’ve mostly rejected Jesus with the number of non-Jewish people who’ve believed in Christ, Paul presents the requirement that the Jews had failed to meet.

See Romans 9:30-32… Righteousness is a right standing, a reconciled or redeemed relationship with God, a relationship of intimacy and love where the things that once separated us from God have been removed.

We (Gentiles) who were not a people, have become His people, the beloved of God (Titus 2:13b-14), “God and Savior, Jesus Christ, …gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good,” (Ephesians 2:10), “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Paul says (Romans 9:30-31), that Gentiles have obtained a righteousness that comes by faith, whereas Israel pursued a righteousness through the Law, and therefore did not obtain a righteousness from God.

Paul isn’t faulting Israel for pursuing the law. He’s faulting them ( verse 32) for pursuing the law on the basis of earning favor with God, rather than by faith; this was a “stumbling stone” to the Jews.

God’s law isn’t the problem, Israel’s idolizing of law keeping is. Instead of seeing the Ten Commandments as God’s instrument to expose their sin and lead them to

Christ, by faith, the majority of the Jews considered adherence to the law and ritual keeping, the means by which they obtained righteousness.

This pursuit of law-keeping to obtain righteousness caused Israel to stumble (Romans 3:10-12; 21-24).

The Gentiles didn’t have this problem, because they didn’t have the Ten Commandments, or the covenants, or the sacrificial system, to trip them up; it was easier for the Gentiles to accept that a right relationship with God came, not as the result of rituals or law keeping, but by believing and receiving, by faith, what Christ had done for them, to make them righteous before God.

Now, see Romans 9:33… The “stumbling stone” is clearly a person, it says “Him,” because this is talking about Jesus Christ, the One who fulfills all the law; in fact He supersedes the law, for He is the Only way to an intimate and eternal relationship with God.

Paul quotes here from Isaiah 28:16, which says God would lay a stone in Jerusalem that would cause the Jews to stumble, those who trust in this “Stone” will never fall.

Here we find the requirement for all those who will be called God’s Beloved, for God’s grace receives all people on the basis of their FAITH in Christ ALONE.

No one can earn the right to receive God’s love, for it is by grace through faith. God’s love is not based on a person’s goodness, or worthiness, or race, or religion, for no one deserves or can earn God’s love, because it is not about earning or deserving, it is about God’s unconditional mercy and compassion toward His creation.

The nation of Israel used the Law as a way to earn favor with God, but the purpose of the Law was to lead them to Christ; He fulfilled the Law. Israel tried to earn favor with God by law-keeping, unfortunately, this is what kept them from recognizing their need for forgiveness that could only be granted by the Savior.

Genuine faith admits there is nothing you can do, and no way you can earn a right relationship with God. Faith hopes for what can’t be seen, obtained, or taken hold of (Hebrews 11:1), “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

So, who are those called according to God’s purpose, to become the beloved of God? Both Jew and Gentile, all who’ve responded to God’s call by faith in the finished work of Christ, are the Beloved of God, because the Righteous One, God’s Son, died in our place, taking our punishment.

Only the good news of Jesus Christ, having been believed and received, can genuinely and completely change a human life for eternity.

No wonder Paul says (Romans 1:16-17), “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for

the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

What does a community of God’s people look like? We have an illustration in Revelation 7:9, where there is a multitude “from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb,” all worshipping God.

Here at FBC we strive to love one another and to reach out to our neighbors; although we do often fail by excluding one another, sometimes forming “in groups” and “out groups,” and sometimes we carry around our pet peeves, biases, dislikes, and even hurts, with us, dishonoring God while offending or injuring one another.

God is so patient with us, so merciful and gracious: no amount of sinning can make God love us less and no amount of good works can make God love us more, because in Christ, we are the Beloved People of God.

1Peter 2:4-12, “As you come to Him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him– you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.’ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,’ and, ‘A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the message–which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans [unbelievers] that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

1Peter 3:15-18b, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. …For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

Bible Text: Romans 9:14-21 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Romans

Today I want to emphatically encourage you to open your hearts and minds to a very difficult section of Scripture. You will need to buckle up and hold on, as this is going to be the start to an “E-Ticket” ride.

We will not complete the “ride” today, as it will take at least one more Sunday, maybe two, to do justice to this topic.

There are certain phrases every parent begins to expect from their kids. Phrases like “why?” or, “everybody else is doing it,” or “all the other kids have one,” or something like, “That’s not fair!” Well, as we grow up, we find out that not all the “why” questions can be answered, that “everybody isn’t doing everything,” that “everybody doesn’t have everything,” and that, “Life’s not fair.”

We begin to ask other questions, like Does God play favorites? Is God’s definition of fairness is different than ours? Romans chapter 9 is one of the most difficult and controversial chapters in the New Testament, and today you are going to get a taste of why that is so.

Some of the differences over how Romans 9 is to be understood have caused friendships to fail, churches to split, and has divided Christians into a wide variety of different doctrinal groups.

Think about what we have already studied in this chapter: God’s choice of Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, God’s choice of Israel over all the other nations in the ancient world, and now, God’s choice of the Church (i.e., all those who call upon Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins) over all the peoples of the earth.

Do you see how that could be understood as God showing favoritism? As God not playing fair?

Today I want to share with you some reasons why I believe we can trust God to be fair and just in working out His plan, now and forever.

Romans 9:14-18… When Paul asks, “What then shall we say?” he is anticipating a negative response to what he has said so far. Back in chapter 3:5 he said, “What shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing His wrath on us?”; 6:1, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?”; 7:7,”What shall we say then? Is the law sin?” In each case he clearly expected a negative conclusion, “May it never be said!”

But, does God play favorites with people? Is God unfair? Paul says “No,” of course not, he then quotes the last half of Exodus 33:19, to prove that God isn’t unjust or unfair.

At first it’s unclear exactly how this quotation demonstrates God’s fairness. The passage in context, is when Moses asks to see God’s glory. Here is the entire verse, “And the LORD said, ‘I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My Name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

The phrase Paul quotes here is connected to God’s name. Notice what this text doesn’t say, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will show cruelty on whom I will show cruelty.” The emphasis here is on God’s mercy and compassion, for these character qualities are at the very heart of God’s nature.

God’s mercy is something God freely gives according to His nature, not according to our worthiness or unworthiness. Let me say that again, God’s mercy is something God freely gives according to His nature, not according to our worthiness or unworthiness.

Look again at verse 16. The phrase “desire or effort” describes the totality of our innate human capacity, ability, resourcefulness. Ultimately, the ability and authority of God to offer a reconciled relationship to the human race through His Son Jesus Christ is not dependent on whether Israel believes in Jesus as Messiah or rejects Jesus as Messiah. Israel’s lack of desire and effort doesn’t stop God’s purpose from prevailing.

Paul now, in verse 17, gives an example from Exodus to illustrate his point, by referencing the Egyptian Pharaoh who refused to release the people of Israel until God had done several miracles. Although Pharaoh defied God and expressed his hatred toward the Hebrews, God had actually raised Pharaoh up to fulfill God’s purpose. Even Pharaoh’s rebellion toward God, serves as a witness to God’s greatness and glory. When human beings oppose God’s plans and purposes, they actually think they can prevail, but the truth is, God uses their resistance as an opportunity to accomplish His will and to display His power and nature.

Throughout the bible, we see this paradox of God using adverse circumstances and even the most extreme wickedness of mankind to achieve God’s own good purpose. For example, Joseph (the son of Jacob or Israel), was done great harm by his brothers, but in the end, Joseph says to his brothers (Genesis 50:20), “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Peter describes (Acts 2:23) the crucifixion of Jesus as the work of “wicked men,’’ and yet it was, “by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.” And (Acts 4:28) says, these wicked men “did what [God’s] power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”

God sovereignly worked through sinful and sometimes wicked and cursed men, to bring blessings to others, and to bring honor and glory to God.

Verse 18 here in Romans 9, alludes to the fact that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened toward God and the Israelites. Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart? Some verses in Exodus claim Pharaoh hardened his own heart against God, making him accountable for his own rebellion and hardheartedness.
Exodus 7:14, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go.’”
Exodus 8:11-15, “‘The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.’ After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. And the LORD did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

But several other verses in Exodus seem to say that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart:

Exodus 4:21, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.’”
Exodus 7:3-4, “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites.”

Exodus 14:8, “The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.”

The Bible never tries to reconcile how both of these claims can be true, and yet it does affirm that both are indeed true: God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and Pharaoh, by his own will, hardened his own heart; both of these claims are simultaneously true.

Just as Pharaoh hardened his heart against God within God’s plan, the nation of Israel hardened its heart toward Jesus Christ within God’s plan, we may not be able to resolve this in our minds, but we can trust God to be fair because GOD IS MOTIVATED BY MERCY.

When God allows things to happen that seem painful and don’t make sense to us, we cry out because we don’t understand. 14 times Job asked God “why?”

questions, but God never answered them. We can trust God because He is motivated by mercy and compassion, not cruelty and vindictiveness.

Let’s look at Romans 9:19-21… Some people might read about God using people like Pharaoh and unbelieving Israel to further God’s purposes and wonder why God holds Pharaoh and Israel accountable for their disobedience. If Pharaoh and Israel are just playing the role God has for them (v. 19), why should God judge them for resisting His will? If God has ordained people to specific roles in His plan, why are they guilty for fulfilling them?

Paul says we are responsible for our response to God, even though God is able to use both our obedience and our disobedience to fulfill his purposes.

When Paul’s asks the rhetorical question (v. 20), “Who are you O man to talk back to God,” he is not discouraging us from wrestling with this issue, but he is reminding us of the difference between being a creature and being God.

It is said that at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, a rugged old-timer said to a new attender, “The first think you need to learn about this program is that there is a God and you’re not him.” That’s essentially what Paul is reminding us here.

Paul quotes from Isaiah (29:16; 45:9; 64:8), where something that is made is questioning its maker: God is the potter, shaping a piece of pottery on a wheel, into what He wants it to be. [This is the same imagery used in Genesis 2, when God is shaping the first man out of the dust of the ground and then breathing into him the breath of life. Just as the potter has the freedom to shape and mold his pots, God has the same rights over the human race, to make one for noble [honorable] use, and another for common [dishonorable] use.

Some examples of “pottery” meant for noble purposes (in the OT) would be Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the Nation of Israel; and in the NT we

could list examples like Joseph, Mary, John the Baptist, and then with the birth of the Church came Peter, James, John, and Paul.

In the world today, God is using His Church, the Body of Christ, to fulfill God’s noble purposes. It’s not because Christians are better, but because that’s what God, the Potter, wanted to make out of His lump of clay in these last days.

Examples of real pottery made for common use would be pots used for storing supplies, holding water, etc. But notice, Paul is not talking about pots being made for the purpose of destroying them, but in order to use them.

But again, Paul is talking about vessels, about earthen jars, clay pots, meaning humans, and the emphasis here is on God sovereignly selecting people and nations for the outworking of His plan in history, in the present, and in the future. This does not even imply or infer that God is selecting some individuals for heaven and some for hell, but for how they are to be used by God.

Isaac’s brother Ishmael was an example of a pot for common use, while Isaac a pot for noble purposes; Esau was a pot for common use while Jacob was a pot for noble purposes, even though it was his descendants who became unbelieving Israel.

In this present age, the Christian Church is a vessel of honor in the outworking of God’s plan. So, in this metaphor of God being the potter and we being the clay, we can absolutely trust God to be fair, because HE IS not only OUR MAKER, OUR SAVIOR, AND OUR SUSTAINER, HE IS TOTALLY JUST.

We find, woven throughout this chapter, the tension between God’s sovereign control over His creation, and His creation’s responsibility, as those made in the image of God, to respond to Him respectfully, in obedience and love (love=obey, John 14:15, 21, 23).

The reality is, as complex as Paul’s teaching here is, he affirms both God’s sovereign control, and human responsibility before God.

Paul doesn’t try to reconcile these seemingly incompatible realities —although, I wish he did— but instead, he simply accepts and proclaims them both as being true. Be assured, we will explore this topic further next Sunday.

But for now, think about this: The nation of Israel was set apart by God to bring honor and glory to God, but Israel rejected God’s Messenger, God’s Own Son; and now, God has set apart and is using His Church (the Body of Christ), all true Christians, to fulfill God’s purpose in this age.

God’s plan wasn’t foiled or fouled by Israel’s unbelief; in fact, God used the the murder of His own Son, by the Jews, to accomplish the very work of God; and yet, the people of Israel were held accountable by God for their rejection of Jesus Christ.

You can trust God to work in His Church (in your life), as He accomplishes His own purpose and will.

1Peter 2:9, “[For] you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

We, as Christians, are not granted God’s favor because we are so special, or because we are better than other people. But it is because of God’s own mercy and love that we have received His undeserved and unmerited favor.

The doctrine of God’s favor, in all of its depth and breadth, can be very difficult to understand. But I pray the following passages of Scripture will help to illuminate your mind and heart concerning this:
Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.” 2Corinthians 6:2, “For [the LORD] says, ‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
Psalm 69:13, “I pray to You, O LORD, in the time of Your favor; in Your great love, O God, answer me with Your sure salvation.

The desire and display of God’s favor is really very simple to understand: 1Timothy 2:3-4, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
2Peter 3:9, “[The Lord] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Acts 10:34-36, “Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” 42-43, “He is the One whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

You see, God wants everyone to be saved and to come into an eternal relationship with Him; God’s favor is granted to anyone who comes to Him by faith in Jesus Christ, repenting of their sins; God turns no one away.

Pastor Mike <‘((((><

Bible Text: Romans 9:10-13 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Romans

11.08.15 ~ Romans 9:10-13, “God’s Purpose Will Prevail.”

Last week we looked at several sections of verses in Genesis, and from them we learned the following:

Abraham was 75 years old when God called to him and told him to go, although, God did not specify where it was he would be going. Abraham obeyed God, leaving his homeland to go where God would lead him. God promised to make make Abraham into a great nation, from which all the people of the earth would be blessed.

When Abraham was 85 years old, God told him his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens, even though Abraham did not yet have a son. About this same time, Sarah, who had not conceived any children for Abraham, gave her maidservant to Abraham, and he slept with her and she conceived and gave him a son, who Abraham named Ishmael [God hears].

When Abraham was 99 years old, God told him Sarah would give him a son next year, he was to be named Isaac [he laughs, Abraham and Sarah laughed when God told them they would conceive in their old age [Abraham 100, Sarah 90].

God’s promise to bless all people through Abraham, would come through Isaac, as an everlasting covenant.

God promised (Genesis 3:15) to send through the seed of a woman, the Savior, who would be called “Immanuel [God with us]” (Isaiah 7:14), and given the name Jesus [God’s Salvation] (Matthew 1:22-23).

God’s promised Holy One would come through the blood ancestry of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and King David; He would be born in Bethlehem, yet He existed long before this (Micah 5:2), for “He is Christ the Lord,” (Luke 2:11), and (Isaiah 9:6) Almighty God, Eternal Father, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace.

From the very first couple (Adam & Eve), God purposed to eventually raise up a Savior of the World; through a specific lineage (Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38), from Adam’s son Seth, up through Noah’s son Shem, Abraham’s son Isaac, Isaac’s son Jacob, and his son Judah, on and on through David’s sons Solomon and Nathan, right up to the fathers of both Mary (the birth mother of Jesus) and Joseph (the legal father of Jesus).

This is just amazing! God worked through generation after generation to bring about His plan, purpose and provision of salvation through His very own Son.

At last Wednesday night’s Bible Study, we looked up many passages of Scripture where God’s character was clearly and repeatedly revealed and proclaimed, and what we found is that our God is loving, kind, compassionate, generous, nurturing, and protective; and that He removes the penalty for our sins from us, by taking upon Himself (through Christ the Lord) our punishment.

By God’s grace we do not get what we deserve (eternal suffering in hell, separated from God); but instead, He lavishes on us incomprehensible rewards and riches that we do not deserve (eternal life in heaven with God, where there is no more crying, or mourning, or pain, or death).

God has sovereignly determined all of this, and His plans cannot be destroyed or deterred, for God’s purposes will prevail just as God has determined. God is complete, perfect, eternal and perpetual, as the “omni” attributes of God express:

God is omnipresent [all here]. A.W. Tozer writes, “God is always here, close to everything, next to everyone; God is unlimited with respect to space.”

God is omniscient [all knowledge], Tozer describes it this way, “God knows every possible item of knowledge concerning everything that exists or could have existed anywhere in the universe at any time in the past or that may exist in the centuries or ages yet unborn.”

God is omnipotent [all power]. Tozer says, “God can do anything He pleases and is never exhausted. His power is unlimited in regard to both its extent and its magnitude. Nothing is too hard for Him. Furthermore, anything can be done as easily as anything else, and all acts are done effortlessly.”

Read Romans 9:7-9… Notice (v. 7) it is through Abraham’s son Isaac that God’s Promised One would come; and (v. 9) God says He is sovereign in bringing forth the child to be born to Sarah and Abraham, for Isaac will receive the blessing, not Ishmael.

Paul says, remember how Sarah was barren, and yet, in her old age God blessed her womb and she gave birth to Isaac, through whom the nation of Israel would come; but more importantly, a son of Israel, who would also be God’s One and Only Son, our Savior and Lord.

Are you beginning to see the significance of all this? You really need to read Genesis 24-35, in order to begin to understand the depth of this sovereign working of God through specific individuals, from the time of Abraham until 2000 years later, when God’s Promised One, Jesus, the Christ, would be born to Mary, fulfilling what had been said to Satan in Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring [seed] and her offspring [seed]; He [her seed, Christ] will crush your head, and you [Satan] will strike His heel.”

Read Romans 9:10-13… Look again at verse 10, “Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac,” (Paul says, “our” father Isaac, clearly referencing the sovereign work of God in setting apart Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in this great plan of God’s to bring forgiveness and eternal life through His own Son, the Incarnate Christ; and this would happen through the blood line of sinful men and women selected before hand by God, for this special purpose, raised up at just the right time to do what God required of them).

Note: Abraham’s son Isaac didn’t get married until he was 40 years old; he and Rebekah were childless for 20 years, and at the age of 60, Isaac is given twin boys – Jacob and Esau – through Rebekah.

Look again (vv. 11-12, “Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad–in order that God’s purpose in election [lit., God’s purpose according to His choice] might stand: not by works but by Him who calls–she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’”

Even though Esau was born first, God had purposed to continue the line of Promise through Jacob, for Jacob would become the father of twelve sons, who would be the heads of the twelve tribes, through which would come the Nation of Israel; and in fact, it was through Jacob’s son Judah, that the human ancestry and blood line would continue to the very birth of Jesus Christ.

Now, again look at verse 13… Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” This is quoted from Malachi 1:2-3, which was written 1500 years after Jacob and Esau had long ceased to exist. Malachi was looking back over history, being mindful of what had come of Jacob and Esau, and the nations that had been established through them.

Clearly, Jacob’s descendants received God’s provision and protection, while to Esau’s descendants came God’s curse and condemnation.

Jacob’s name means “deceitful” or “heel-catcher” [lit., One Who Takes the Heel]. We know that Jacob’s name was later changed to “Israel” (Genesis 32:28), meaning, “he struggles with God” or “God’s fighter.” Jacob’s descendants are the son’s of Israel to whom the Land of Canaan (Palestine) was given, by God.

Esau means “Hairy.” He became the father of the Edomites (Genesis 25:23) and they were a people “always under the wrath of the LORD” (Malachi 1:2-4).

From the time of David there continued a smoldering hatred between the Jews and the Edomites; until after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D, at which time, the Edomites disappeared from history, bringing an end to the descendants of Esau.

Why would God say, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” This is perplexing, especially knowing what we do about our loving, kind, and compassionate God. I believe, when God says (v. 13), “Jacob I loved,” He is talking about the

divinely selected descendants of Jacob (Israel, Matthew 1; Luke 3) through whom the Redeemer and Savior of the world would come, but also all those who would believe in and receive Him.

God loved Israel, He was intimate and proactive with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and on to Mary, for through them would come the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Lord and Savior of the World.

I believe, when God says (v. 13), “Esau I hated,” He is talking about the following:

1. Esau despised his own birthright (Genesis 25:21-34).
2. Esau’s descendants (Edom) were idolators who cursed Israel; they were not

recipients of God’s love because they rejected God (Obadiah 1:10), “Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.”

Edom, more than any other nation mentioned in the OT, was the object of God’s wrath and a recipient of God’s hate.

Israel, out of all the peoples on the earth, was the object of God’s love; in fact, it was through their human blood line ancestry, that Jesus Christ would come, so that God’s purpose would be fulfilled through God’s Son.

But no human ancestry or birthright can save anyone, for it depends solely

upon the sovereign will and sacrificial work of God.

John 1:11-13, “He came to that which was his own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

John 3:5-7, Jesus [said], “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”

1Peter 1:3-5, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Those who repent of their sin, believe in and follow Jesus, are God’s true children and recipients of God’s love now and forever, through Christ.

Galatians 3:29, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

But it is the Church, the Bride and Body of Christ, the sons and daughters of God through Christ, Christians, who receive the love of God, now and forever.

1John 5:11-13, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

1Peter 2:9, “[For] you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

God’s purpose in all of this is to receive glory and honor and praise, and to be worshipped forever by all those who are willing to receive the love of God through Christ the Lord Savior: crucified, resurrected, and coming again, to take us to be with Him forever in heaven.

God’s Blessings, Pastor Mike

Bible Text: Romans 9:1-9 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Romans

Verse 1… God is the God of Truth (Psalm 119:160), “All Your words are True; all Your righteous laws are eternal.”

Romans 3:4 says, “Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: ‘So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.’”

The Bible is the Word of Truth. In the last chapter of the book of Revelation (22:6) it tells us, “the angel said to [John], ‘These words are trustworthy and true.’”

Jesus (John 14:17), calls the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of Truth,” telling His Disciples, “The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.”

Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6), and no one is saved, no one goes to heaven, apart from believing in Him.

God’s children are to be Truth-seekers and Truth-speakers (Ephesians 4:14-16), “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 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.” (80x’s, I’m telling you the truth)

Knowing, obeying, speaking the Truth in love, is the major purpose and responsibility of the children of God, for all those who belong to and serve Christ the Lord, and so, Paul begins this section by stating that priority.
Verses 2-5… Paul’s love for Israel is clearly and repeatedly expressed in this section. His heart is in anguish and he has great sorrow because the Jews continue to reject their Messiah, the Christ, God’s Son!

Pauls says (v. 3) he would sacrifice himself for their sake, if it would bring them to a knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Paul is a Jew, therefore, these are his brothers and sisters racially, the people of Israel; whom God set apart from all other nations on the earth, allowing them to see His glory, to be blessed by His covenants, to receive His Law; it was to them that God sent His prophets, and also granted them the blood ancestry through which Christ, God’s One and Only Son, would come.

Verses 6-9… The majority of all the Jews who have lived on the earth have rejected Jesus Christ. Does that mean God failed? Was He not powerful enough to acquire a people of His very own? I mean, God set Israel apart as His covenant

people, as a nation that would bring honor and glory to Him, but that is not what has happened.

Notice (v. 6), “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel,” and verse 7 basically says just because they are blood ancestors of Abraham does not make them true children of Abraham. What does that mean?

Galatians 3:26-29, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor 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.”

God’s Word is talking about a spiritual ancestry, the line of those who, by faith, belong to God through Christ (See John 1:10-18; 3:3, 6-7).

Last week we studied how God knew us and loved us before we were born. How God made us His very own children, granting us new life through spiritual birth, and He did this before the foundation of the world was laid.

Miraculously, sovereignly, God worked out His plan to give His own Son as the once for all sacrifice for all sin; and everyone who repents and believes in Him becomes a child of God, born again by God’s Spirit Who indwells us, seals us, and marks us as God’s very own possession.

Ephesians 1:11-14, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.”

1Corinthians 12:13, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body– whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

Back to Romans 9:7, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned [counted, calculated].” And verse 8 says, “In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”

This is important: You see, it is not through blood ancestry, i.e., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the twelve tribes [sons] of Israel [Jacob]. through which a person is eternally connected to God through Christ.

Look at verse 9, “For this is how the promise was stated: ‘At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.’” Let me try to make this clear by taking you to the appropriate passages of Scripture (See Genesis 12:1-4; 15:1-6; 16:1-4a; 17:1-2, 15-20 [everlasting covenant]; 18:10-15; 21:8-13, 20).

In Genesis 3. Satan deceives Eve, Adam disobeys God, bringing sin’s curse upon us all, separating us from life with God, destined for death, (v. 15) God promises to demolish both sin and death, by His Son (John 3:16).

You cannot be saved through human ancestry, national birth, religious covenants, rituals, good works, or religious affiliations. You are saved solely by your faith and belief in Jesus Christ as Savior, confessing Him as Lord, you repent, believe, and follow the instruction in God’s Word!

Mark 1:15, “The time has come,” [Jesus] said. ”The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” [and then] 17, “Come, follow Me.”

Galatians 3:29, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Those who repent, believe and follow Jesus, are God’s true children and His servants, doing what is right and good, made effectual in Christ (see Ephesians 2:10).

1Peter 2:9 “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

God’s Blessings, Pastor Mike

Bible Text: Romans 8:28-39 | Pastor: Pastor Mike Hale |

Of all the passages in the New Testament, this is perhaps the one in which God’s sovereignty is most apparent.

Romans 8:28… God works for our good.

God is not an absent god who created the universe just to leave it to its own

devices; but He is actively working, day by day, to sustain and to maintain it.

God works for the good, and we have His promise that in all things He is actively

working for our good.

God works through everything that happens to us, i.e., in all circumstances.

Whatever situation we are in, and this includes our sufferings, as mentioned in

verse 17, and even our groaning (v. 23).

Paul is not claiming that bad things happen to us for our good – but that when

bad things happen, God works good through them anyway. The emphasis here is

not on the “all things,” but on God Himself, for it is He who works in and through all

things.

God works for good on behalf of “those who love Him.” This in no way means

that God is not also working to bring those who do not yet love Him to Himself, for

(Luke 19:10), “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’’ For those

who believe, there is a special sense in which God is always at work – in all

circumstances, at all times, in every way, to cause us to be more like Him.

All of this is linked with His purpose for those who love Him, in whose lives He

works, those called according to His purpose. God is working in us, toward His

ultimate purpose: that we might be united with Him in Christ Jesus. This is indeed a

great mystery!

Throughout the bible, we see this paradox of God using adverse circumstances

and even the most extreme wickedness of mankind to achieve God’s own good

purpose. For example, Joseph (Old Testament, son of Jacob who became Israel),

who was done great harm by his brothers, in the end Joseph says to his brothers

(Genesis 50:20), “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to

accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Peter describes (Acts 2:23) the crucifixion of Jesus as the work of “wicked men,’’

yet “by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.” And (Acts 4:28) says, these wicked

men “did what [God’s] power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”

Paul expects what he is teaching here to not come as a surprise to his hearers;

we are to understand that this is basic to our faith and belief.

Romans 8:29-30… God works things for the good of those who are called

according to His purpose, but what is that purpose? First, we must understand that

God foreknew us; then he predestined us; then he called us, justified us, and He

will glorify us. But what do all these things mean?

Let’s look at them in order:

God foreknew us. God has known us since before our birth, even before the

foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-6), “He chose us in Him before the creation

of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be

adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will–

to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He

loves.”

Psalm 139:15-16, “My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the

secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw

my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written

in Your book before one of them came to be.”

The biblical concept of knowing someone includes intimacy [agape] love, those

God foreknew, He foreloved.

God also predestined us to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.

Predestination is a difficult doctrine, and we cannot cover it adequately here today;

but I want you to understand the most basic truth in relation to it: God chose us

before we chose Him; in fact, we choose Him because He had already chosen us.

The major point is, our salvation relies on God, not us:

Ephesians 2:4-9, “because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made

us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you

have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the

heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show

the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ

Jesus. For it 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.”

Jesus says (John 15:16), “You did not choose Me, but I chose you,’’ and (John

6:44) “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.’’

In John 5:39-40 Jesus says to the pharisees, “You diligently study the Scriptures

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.” We see that there is a human decision that must be made concerning believing in Christ. So, how can

we reconcile God’s sovereignty and man’s free will? We can’t! On the way up to

heaven the billboard reads, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be

saved,” but as we pass by and read the back of the billboard it says, “chosen before

the foundations of the world were laid.” I don’t understand this, but I believe it.

Notice (v. 29), Jesus is described as “the firstborn among many brothers.’’ We

are called Jesus’ brothers and sisters! Elsewhere we read (Hebrews 2:11), “Both

the One who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.

So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.”

So, God foreknew us, He predestined us, He also called us. I believe this

calling refers to the specific moment in our life when He draws us to Himself; for

me that was August 1, 1978. This is the working out of the eternal here on earth,

for at the moment of genuine belief (August 1, 1978), I became an eternal member of God’s family. God’s call is first of all to repentance: (Matthew 4:17), “Repent, for

the kingdom of heaven is near,’’ (Mark 1:15), “The kingdom of God is near. Repent

and believe the good news,’’ (Luke 5:32), “I have not come to call the righteous,

but sinners to repentance.’’

Those He called, He also justified; those who respond to God’s call repent, and

God justifies them – just-if-I’d never sinned (see Romans 10:9-10, 13).

In Christ, we are freed from sin, our condemnation is removed (see Romans

5:8; 8:1). Justification is something that God does, and once it has been done, it

can never be undone (Romans 5:1), “since we have been justified through faith, we

have peace with God,’’ (Romans 11:29), “for God’s gifts and His call are

irrevocable.” It is a finished work and it cannot be lost, stolen, or given back.

Those God justified, He also glorified. This refers to our being made perfect in

heaven. Paul uses a Greek word in the aorist tense, meaning this is something that

happened in the past, no implication of continuance or momentariness, but already

considered completed. Paul says our future glorification is so certain that he can

write about it as though it has already been accomplished.

God knew us before He made the world: He chose us, called us, and counted us

righteous by justifying us, and He will bring us to perfection (glorify us) in Himself.

Romans 8:31-39… “What, then, shall we say in the response to this?” Paul

presents five rhetorical questions, of which only the last is explicitly answered

(though the answers to the other four are clearly implied.)

1) If God is for us, who can be against us?” We are to fear no one and nothing!

It just doesn’t matter who or what is against us (1John 4:4), “You, dear children,

are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater

than the one who is in the world.”

Not only that, but (v. 32), 2) “Will He [God] not graciously give us all things?”

He has even given us His own Son to save us. In fact (v. 33), 3) “Who will bring

any charge against those whom God has chosen?”

Although there is no shortage of people who will accuse Christians and

Christianity of all sorts of things; in fact (Revelation 12:10), Satan himself is called,

“the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night.’’

Paul’s response to this is, “It is God who justifies.’’ If God has justified us there is

no need not fear any condemnation from any source (v. 34), 4) “Who is he that

condemns?” Listen, Christ Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is interceding for

us.”

Then Paul asks (v. 35), 5) “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” And

in verses 35-39 Paul lists some of the things that can’t separate us from God’s love:

trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, life,

angels, demons, the present, the future, any powers, nor height, depth, and, in

fact, not anything else in all creation.

Yes, it is very true that we will suffer in this world, for (2Timothy 3:12), “In fact,

everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” But Paul

is completely convinced that (v. 37), “in all these things we are more than

conquerors through Him who loved us.” In fact (v. 39) nothing is “able to separate

us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We can take comfort and security in knowing the answers to Paul’s questions: If

God is for us, who can be against us? No one is as powerful as God! Will God not

graciously give us all things? Yes He will! Who will bring any charge against those

whom God has chosen? No one that matters! Who is he that condemns? No one

with any authority! Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Absolutely no

one in heaven, in hell, or on the earth!

In his book The Message of Romans, John Stott writes: “Our confidence is not in

our love for [God], which is frail, fickle and faltering, but in His love for us, which is

steadfast, faithful and persevering. The doctrine of “the perseverance of the saints”

needs to be renamed. It is [more accurately] the doctrine of the perseverance of

God with the saints.”

With God we have all we need now and forever; we have eternal security, and

therefore we are free to serve Him obediently, honorably and victoriously, here on

earth.

Pastor Mike