Month: February 2014

Reconnecting with the Gospel pt. 53 – The Supremacy of the Will of God for His Glory

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We’re going to continue our trek through Romans 9 today by looking at Romans 9:10-18.  I’m intentionally overlapping some scripture we’ve already covered because it is needed for context.  It’s important to note that Romans 9 does not exist in isolation, but is built on Romans 1-8.  That is vitally important because what God says is Romans 9 would be very difficult to take in, unless man’s accountability and hopelessness in his depravity had already been established.  As it is we know that all have sinned in Adam (Rom 5:10-12, that everyone has known God through his Creation yet worshipped the Creation rather than the Creator (Rom 1:18-23), and that of our own volition, no one is righteous and no one seeks for God (Rom 3:10-11).  This is why salvation is of the LORD.  All talk of man coming to God on our own terms, or under the power of our own will is stopped by John 6:44 where Jesus proclaims – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.  And I will raise him up on the last day.”  

 
So with a spirit of humility we enter into Romans 9 today.  Romans 9:10-18 – “And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad-in order that God’s purpose in election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls-she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”  As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”  What shall we say then?  Is there injustice on God’s part?  By no means!  For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”  So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”
 
My task today is not the exposition of this text.   It’s been said that the difficulty with Roman 9 is not in understanding what it means, but rather accepting that it means exactly what it says.  Your salvation does not in any amount, in any way depend on your will or exertion.  Look at the words of Jesus in John 6 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”  Do you come to Jesus for salvation – Yes, absolutely! But it is not your will, it is the Spirit of God drawing you to Christ.  Jesus says this another way in John 3:8 – “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sounds, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  
 
Can you take that in?  You bring nothing to the table except your sin.  You don’t even get credit for your “decision” to come to Christ, that credit belongs solely to God.   He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  All glory, in all things, in every way belongs solely to our God.  We must increase, and He must increase.  That is our sanctification.  Our treasure is that nothing is withheld from us in Jesus.  Romans 8:32 – “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”  Friends, God is not talking about worthless things like gold, silver, or material possessions in this life – we are given all things, a fullness of joy in the presence of our Lord Jesus for all eternity.  
 
Some will look at God’s sovereignty over salvation and accuse him of being unjust.  They will say – “This person never heard the gospel, it is not fair for God to judge him/her”.  They will say – “I was a good person, God has to accept me”.  Those were the objections Paul’s foresaw some in the Roman church raising.  His response was implied that they would have heard the answers in Romans 1-8 and simply said that God’s purpose for His glory is supreme.  Can a wretched sinner accuse God of injustice if God allows them to continue in their unbelief?  It would be as if 10 people were walking down the street past Jesus and all 10 of them mocked him and spat on him as they walked past.  To the first 9 Jesus allowed them to pass by and the 10th Jesus reaches out to and tells him that the penalty for his sin is death, but instead Jesus would bear the penalty in his place.  Further, Jesus works all things in that persons life to bring them to repentance and saving faith.  That is the mercy and love of God.  God has done no wrong to the first 9 by showing mercy to the one.  
 
The most just thing for God to do is to punish all 10 for this sin, but God’s love and mercy would not be known and proclaimed in the same way if He did that.  Instead, in order to magnify His name, God allows some to continue in their unbelief, and intervenes by the Spirit to draw some unto Him for salvation.  What are the implications of this?  The first fruit of this doctrine for a Christian should be humility.  There is nothing for us to boast about in ourselves; especially not our “decision” or our “works”.  We boast in Lord Jesus Christ crucified and Him alone.  What about evangelism?  If salvation is of the Lord, what’s the point in sharing the gospel?  Brothers and Sisters, you would think too little of yourself as redeemed sons and daughters of God if that is your question.  We are colaborers with Christ to extend love and mercy to a lost and dying world.  Ephesians 2:8-10 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Bolded by me for emphasis)  Again, we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:20 – “we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us .”
 
My exhortation to you all as you work through the difficult message of Romans 9 is to be amazed not in what God has not done in saving all people, but stand amazed that God saves any.  There will come a day when each of us stands in front of our Lord and the love of God in Jesus Christ for those of us whom are saved will be fully known by us.  At that moment, we will be so overwhelmed that for all eternity we will sing the praise of the love and mercy of God in salvation.
 
Grace and Peace,
Adam 

Reconnecting with the Gospel pt. 52 – Sovereign Faithfulness

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It’s been a while, but I want to pick back up with our walk through Romans.  Romans 9-11 answer the question, “can we trust God”.  God made many promises to Israel through the prophets in the Old Testament, and now it would seem that God was not fulfilling those promises – that God was turning His back on Israel.  Paul is going to answer that charge by first rightly defining “Israel” and also laying out some pretty hard hitting doctrine on God’s sovereignty in salvation and all things in the process.  All we have in this life is our hope in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Can we trust God.  Is he faithful?  Hopefully Romans 9-11 will be challenging, but not a burden, as we remember that our Lord IS faithful, He never changes, never falters, and will surely bring to pass all that He has promised.
Romans 9:1-13 – “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.  They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.  To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.  But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.”  And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”  As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Bolded by me for emphasis)
The metanarrative of the Bible is God’s glory manifested through the redemption of a people unto Himself.  God chose a people, Israel, in the Old Testament to be the object of His plan for redemption.  What Paul is expressing here, is that there is an inner and an outer Israel, but from the beginning, God’s chosen people have always been the inner Israel.  Outer Israel is the physical nation of Israel, the physical descendents of Abraham, but inner Israel has always been those who believed God and their faith has been counted to them as righteousness.  There are countless examples in the Old Testament about how the physical nation of Israel rejected God, but there was always a remnant within, the True Israel (inner Israel) that never lost faith in God.  Here are two examples to illustrate this from the Old Testament (there are many, many more):
Numbers 21:4-9 – “From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”  Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.  And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.  And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”  So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”  Many people of the nation of Israel (outer Israel) died in their unbelief at this time, yet God kept a people of faith for Himself among those with Moses (inner Israel).
1 Kings 19:9-18 – “he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”  And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”  And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.  And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.  And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.  Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”  Elijah believed that He alone was left who believed God and followed Him, but God rebukes Elijah by telling him that he has kept 7,000 in Israel.  There was a remnant within Israel that believed God, and did not reject Him to worship idols.  God commands the destruction of everyone in Israel (outer Israel) except for the 7,000 (inner Israel).
So Paul answers the question as to God’s faithfulness to Israel by explaining that Israel is not the physical nation of Israel by itself, but the remnant of Israel that believes.  This remnant would include those in the physical nation of Israel, and all other nations whose faith rested in Jesus.  This does not mean that God is done with the physical nation of Israel – we’re going to see that more in Romans 11, but it does mean that His promises are to the children of faith, the children of promise according to God.  Paul is going to expand on this more in the upcoming verses.  What is key to understand here is that God’s choosing is not restrained by anything.  God does not save “the good people” and damn “the bad people”.  Paul makes that clear with the example of Jacob and Esau, say that before they had been born and before they had done anything wrong, God determined to love Jacob and hate Esau.  To explain what is meant by love and hate here, you must understand the value and worth of the mercy and salvation of God.  Esau provided for the family, whereas Jacob steals his brother’s birthright (a greater inheritance) and tricks his dying father, Isaac into giving him the blessing meant for Esau.  Certainly God should love Esau more than Jacob, right?  Both Jacob and Esau were sinners.  We know from Romans 1-8 that all have fallen short of the glory of God and deserve the judgment of God.  Jacob was chosen by God for mercy, however.    The mercy and salvation of God is so infinitely valuable, that to compare the mercy and salvation of God to the lack of the mercy and salvation of God, is to rightly say that God loved Jacob and hated Esau.  Over time you see the fruit of the salvation of Jacob by his pursuing God, whereas Esau rejects God.      
I’m not going to dance around this doctrine to appeal to the masses, I will say this clearly, because scripture makes it clear – Salvation is of the Lord, from beginning to the end.  The heart cry of a Christian is not to make much of their effort, but of the love and mercy of God extended to them.  We’ve walked through clearly in Romans 1-2 man’s guilt before God because He chooses sin instead of worshipping the Lord, we’ve seen in Romans 3, that no one is righteous, that no one seeks for God, we’ve seen in Romans 4-5 that all of us sinned in Adam, are born into the same sin, and have no hope in ourselves because we are sinners by both action and in our nature (the inclination of our heart and mind is always sin apart from God).  Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is Truth and good news indeed, because only when we are truly hopeless can we find hope in Jesus.  Only if we have NO hope in ourselves can we stop trying to pursue salvation through good works and truly find peace in the words of Jesus, “It is finished”.  We bring nothing to the table of salvation.  God ordained from before the world began those whom He chose unto salvation. (Eph 1:11-14)  We don’t like hearing that, we like to say that we choose God – it seems like we have to have some part of the equation in order for God’s choosing us to be “right”.  Brothers and sisters, if God required us to come to him, we would never come.  Let us boast therefore, in our hopelessness and the love and mercy of God.  Let us boast that if we have believed God, He is faithful to fulfill His promises.  He is faithful to complete the good work that He began in us. Philippians 1:6 – “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  I do not know why God chooses some and not others, that knowledge is hidden in the mind of God, but I know that He is good.  I also know that the call of Jesus is real, anyone who would repent and believe in Jesus alone for salvation will be saved.  It is the glory of God that even the person bringing the gospel to one to be saved is ordained by God.  It is the glory of God that He works in the heart of the person hearing the gospel to believe.  It is the glory of God that He is faithful to fulfill His promise to us through Jesus.
I’ve dug into some of the doctrine that God has for us in Romans 9, and more is to come.  I have spoken this Truth of God’s word here in Romans 9 before to some Christians, who respond by saying – “That’s not my God – that’s not the God I worship”.  Now in my younger years, I would usually respond in a short way by saying, “well then you’re not worshipping the God of the Bible, so you better think about that”.  Inevitably those disagreements escalated and were not helpful.  My age has tempered my response somewhat, because I want to edify and unite rather than hammer away at professing believers (except where a false gospel is preached).  So my encouragement to those that will be offended by this message and the messages to come in Romans 9-11 is this – let God’s Word persuade you and the Holy Spirit convict you.  Don’t believe me, but don’t believe yourself either – believe God from His Word.  I’ve been convinced by scripture over time that man makes choices, but those choices are guided by God.  God ordains everything… everything for His purpose for His glory.  At some point you have to really let go of your own understanding, and take God at His Word.  Instead of saying, well this doesn’t make sense to me – or this isn’t what I want it to be, so I’m not going to believe it, instead go to God with, well, I don’t understand this completely, but it’s clear in your Word, so help me find greater joy in you because of this Truth.  The decrease of self, the increase of God is joy for those whose treasure is Jesus.  For those who would forsake the world to gain Jesus, this doctrine will be peace and joy.
Grace and Peace,
Adam

Forgetting and Following

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Brothers and Sisters,
Some of you have received these messages for a long time and others are receiving this for the first time.  I’m sending this to a larger group today because I felt a weightiness in my soul that this message in particular needed to reach out to a greater audience.  It is sent from one sinner to another, with the boldness of our shared victory over sin in Jesus.  My prayer is that this will be a helpful edification for those of you that I know are actively pursuing Christ with your lives.
Do you believe the gospel today?  I hope so, because the Bible does not speak about past decisions, but it says “today is the day of salvation”(2 Cor 6:2), today choose whom you will serve (Josh 24:15).  Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and reconciled you to God?  I hope so, because when the Lord had fully bore the wrath of God for you, He said “It is finished”.  Further, until Jesus’ death “every priest stood daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins but when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”  (Hebrews 10:11-12)  Do you believe that you are a new creation in Jesus Christ, no longer bound by sin, but free to enjoy God in perfect fellowship?  I hope so, because “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)  These are the questions I hope you ask yourself as you’re reading this.  We have an enemy that wants to tempt us away from our hope in Jesus, and so this message is meant to be one, big gut punch to his efforts.  As great is our sin and our enemy, much greater is our Redeemer, the Father who sent Him, and the Seal of our salvation, the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.  It is to our Father, that this is an appeal to, that His rebuke of our enemy would be great, that we would know the freedom into which we were called, and that we would be resolute to the finish the course granted to us by Him.  Just as the enemy sought to condemn Joshua for his sin, but the LORD clothed him in righteousness, so too do we have the LORD to call upon, and we have been clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus.

Zechariah 3:1-5 – “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord (Jesus), and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.  And the Lord said to Satan, “The LORD (the Father) rebuke you, O Satan!  The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!  Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?  Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.  And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.”  And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”  And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.”  So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments.  And the angel of the Lord was standing by.”
 
With that Gospel Truth of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ as our foundation, I want to build on that with a call to continual action described by Paul in Philippians 3:12-14 – “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  
 
Jesus has said that “It is finished”, you have been reconciled to God for all time.  Our enemy reminds us of our past failings, years ago, months ago, days ago, and yesterday telling us “it isn’t finished, you have dirty clothes, the clothes of a sinner, God is holy, He won’t accept a sinner, God punishes sin.”  All of what satan tells us every day is true, except.. it is finished.  Since we have an enemy that is constantly calling us to remember, God is calling us to forget.  Forgetting doesn’t make light of our past, in fact, it rightly calls it infinitely detestable in agreement with our enemy, but it puts the past where it belongs, on Christ at the cross.  Every time we actively choose to forget our past, we are declaring the sufficiency of Christ to atone for all our sin.  Now, I am burdened for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ here, because of the pervasiveness with which I see our enemy attacking us here.  The time has come for the mouth of our enemy to be stopped, that the rebuke of Our Father to be magnified, such that our enemy might flee from us before the Light of the Truth of the gospel.
Let me be bold here to say that every one of us struggles with forgetting our past at one point or another.  Some reading this are actually in a cycle of bondage from this – trying to pursue Christ for a time, then struggling with sin or some other relationship issue, only to separate from the body of Christ because they believe this lie of our enemy.  Why are you dwelling on your past sins?  Does Jesus need to be crucified again for you?  Was the price Jesus paid not enough?  Is the seal of your salvation, the Holy Spirit, Christ in you, not sufficient a guarantee of God’s promises to you?  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God.  You are not your own, you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.”
I realize for many, this act of forgetting is not natural because you have been practicing remembering your sins in agreement with our enemy for so long.  We must practice forgetting, even as we preach the gospel to ourselves daily, each morning.  Paul is well into his ministry when he delivers his letter to the Philippians, just as many of us have been on this walk with Christ for a long period of time.  Paul does not say he forgot his past up until a certain point in time, but he is “forgetting” what lies behind, the includes years ago, days ago, moments ago, and he is pressing forward towards Christ.  How do we arm ourselves for this task?  My exhortation is to press the truth of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ deep into your heart.  Follow after Christ, remembering that His work atoning for all our sin past, present, and future is finished.  Your sin has been fully dealt with.  Each morning, choose who you will serve, calling to mind the promises of God – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.”  (Lamentations 3:22-23)  Stop sinning.  I don’t mean to stop all your sins, because we are told in 1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”  What I mean is stop resolving yourself to certain known sins simply because you have struggled with them before, yesterday or even moments ago.  Stop saying, well I did this yesterday, so what’s the point in trying to stop today?  That is not Jesus saying that to you.  Resolve yourself to stop today, and pray for God’s mercy as you follow Him.  Stop listening to the lies of our enemy whose goal is only to rob, kill, and destroy our joy in God, and start listening to the One who demonstrated His love for us by dying for us.  He has given you new clothes, His own righteousness.  He has said you are a new Creation, and the old you is dead.  Your sins were crucified with Christ, it is no longer your sinful self who lives, but your life is the life of our Lord Jesus Christ in you.  Follow Him.
Brothers and Sisters, life is short.  None of us knows the day or the hour we may be called home.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed, therefore, let us make the most of each day we have been given, stewarding the time for our Lord while we have opportunity.  Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Know you are loved and prayed for.
Grace and Peace,
Adam