With Voices Loud and High

 1 Kings 11 is one of the saddest chapters in the Bible. It's when we read that Solomon's heart turns from the Lord. "He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David." God said to Solomon that because you have not kept My covenant and My statues, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hands of your son. However, I will not tear away the whole kingdom. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen. v 11-13. 

After the death of Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel was split into two Kingdoms. The Kingdom of Israel, and the Kingdom of Judah. The Kingdom of Israel included the northern 10 tribes of Israel, and the Kingdom of Judah included the tribe of Judah and Benjamin. Benjamin was assimilated into Judah, and the two are often referred to as one tribe. Solomon's son Rehoboam was the King of Judah after Solomon's death. The King of Israel was Jeroboam. The capital of Judah was Jerusalem, and the capital of Israel was Samaria. Judah and Israel were always at odds, and as you read the stories of the Kings it's very heartbreaking. Most of the Kings on both sides did not follow God and led God's people astray which brought about the Prophets. The story of Israel and Judah's Kings are written in 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles. The books of the Bible like Isaiah and Jeremiah just to name a couple were prophets to these Kings to try and bring them back to God. As you read Kings and Chronicles, every now and again you'll come across a King who turns back to God. 

One of my favorite stories is found in 2 Chronicles 20. It's a story of a King of Judah-Jehoshaphat. In Chapter 20 we read that the mortal enemies of Judah assembled and came to do battle against them. This was an army built for one purpose to destroy Judah. The Moabites, Ammonites, and people from Syria came against them, and as they were on the way word reached Jehoshaphat in verse 4. "Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the LORD and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from the cities of Judah, they came to seek the LORD."

I love these next few verses as it paints a picture of a humble leader relying on God and not the strength of his army or his ability to win the war. Jehoshaphat stands up in front of everyone and gives an amazing speech and prayer. "Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said: "O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?" He continues to cry out to God in these passages and ends the prayer with a very profound statement that we should remember in our own daily lives. "...we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You. Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon (my new hero), Jahaziel in the midst of the assembly, and he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow go down against them...You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you." Talk about the boldness and the confidence that Jahaziel had to deliver these words. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshipping the LORD." Then an all-out spontaneous worship service started. "Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathies and of the childen of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high." I love this picture that after hearing the words of the prophet they praised the LORD with voices loud and high declaring and praising God with their voices. I wish I could have been there that night to experience such an amazing picture of God's people worshiping the LORD together in unity. The story continues...

They arose early the next morning and went out to meet their enemies in boldness and confidence in the LORD. Jehoshaphat continued to encourage them by saying, "Believe in the LORD your God...! They had so much confidence in God that King Jehoshaphat put those that sing to the LORD, and who would praise the beauty of His holiness, and they went out before the army and were saying; Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever." He didn't put the infantry first, or the archers first. He put the singers and the people who would praise the LORD first before the army. To me this signifies total trust and reliance on God to bring about the victory. "For the battle is not ours but Gods." "We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on You." "Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Syria, who had come against Judah, and they were defeated." The Bible says there was so much spoil to gather that it took Judah 3 days to collect it all. 

We may not have the Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites coming against us, but we do have an adversary. The adversary that is from the beginning-the devil. Peter tells us, "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8(NLT). Even though the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion we are not to fear him. Peter continues to encourage, "Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you and He will place you on a firm foundation. " 1 Peter 5-10. That firm foundation is Jesus Christ! The chief cornerstone. Jesus has already defeated the devil, and the devil has no power over us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross and rising from the dead. It's not by our power, but through the power of God at work in us through Jesus Christ. 

Jehosophat feared, but he called a fast and set himself to seek the Lord. Whatever we are facing, and whatever we're going through if we position ourselves to seek the Lord, stand still, stand firm, and praise the Lord then we will see a great victory. When we fear we can build our faith by getting our eyes off whatever is causing us to fear and put our eyes on Jesus. Like Jehoshaphat said, "I don't know what to do, but my eyes are on you. We can know that the battle belongs to the LORD, and that's it already been won by Jesus. We don't even have to fight. All we need to do is Praise. Praise is our pathway to victory. All we have to do is lift our voices loud and high and give Jesus the highest praise. Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever. 

Give Attention (Proverbs 4 Part 2)

"My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh." Prov. 4:20-22

The overarching theme when I read the latter part of Proverbs 4 is giving attention to which path we will take. Will our feet take the path toward evil, or will our feet take us towards the path of righteousness? Listen to these next verses.

"Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left, remove your foot from evil." Prov. 4:26-27

"The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble." Prov 4:19

Growing up my mom and dad would always would tell me to pick my friends wisely. When I was in my teenage years, I didn't always follow that advise. I found myself in detention, suspension, and doing things I knew weren't right because of the influence of others. I was letting them lead me down a path of unrighteousness instead of me leading them down the right path. As I grew older, I heard someone say, "You are who you hang out with." Then I read somewhere, "You show me a person's friends, and I'll show you that person's character." The more I read the Bible, observed myself, and others I began to realize the truth of those two quotes. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." The word keep means to guard and protect. In John Eldredge's book, "Waking the Dead", he says, "The story of your life is the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows who you could be and fears it." Our hearts have been attacked and assaulted by the enemy. We have to do everything we can to protect our hearts. We must realize two things: 1) Our heart is valuable 2) Our heart deeply matters to God. How do we guard and protect our hearts? How do we stay on the path of righteousness? These two questions are linked. We guard our hearts by staying on the path of righteousness. Give attention!

"Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. Prov 4:14-17

I believe the answer to keeping off the path of the wicked and on the path of righteousness is found in the following scriptures.

"A prudent man forsees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished." Prov. 22:3

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

"Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word." Psalm 119:107

"You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the commandments of my God! Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live..." Psalm 119:114-116

The enemy has set so many traps for us along life's path, and we must have Holy Spirit vision to see the schemes that he has laid out for us. When we walk in the Spirit we're going to be prudent and wise and forsee the evil traps. When we're in the word, God lights up our path so we're not walking in darkness. If you're reading this today, and you feel burdened down with life. The enemy has got you down, discouraged, and you're feeling condemned because you fell into his trap at some point in your life. I have good news for you friend. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...""And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1 & 14

The good news is that Jesus is the Word that can revive you. Jesus and His Holy Bible will light your path. He is your hiding place and shield. He is the lifter of your head. "I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber...The Lord is your protector. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall protect you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore." Psalm 121

Look to Jesus. He is the beginning. Jesus's shed blood on the cross is more powerful than any sin you may have committed. No matter how far you may feel from Jesus, He is just one prayer away. He is the path of righteousness. He is the way!

Give Attention! (Proverbs 4 Part 1)

If I was to give a title to Proverbs 4 it would be "Give Attention!". Solomon starts off telling a story about the wisdom he received from his father King David. King David had his flaws like we all do, but the advice that Solomon is describing to us is coming from one of the greatest kings in Israel's history. A man whom the Bible calls, a man after God's own heart. In fact, the majority of the Old Testament is about him, and his lineage. He was a great warrior, lead an army of incredible war hero's, wrote the majority of the Psalms, and I believe He walked with God in a deep intimacy that very few people experience. His love letters to God in Psalms are still being sung and played by modern worship in 2018, and I'm sure the words and passion will keep being sung from generation to generation.

The Bible calls Solomon, King David's son, the wisest man to ever live. It says, that there was none like him before nor will there be after. So when Solomon says, "GIVE ATTENTION!". We'd probably be wise to listen. Listen to how Proverbs 4 begins.

"Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law." Prov. 4:1-2

Solomon is opening by saying listen up, I'm about to give you some good teaching from my dad a true father. Solomon is urging us to pay attention to what he's about to say. 

"When I was my father's son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother(Bathsheba), He also taught me, and said to me: "Keep my commands and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor tun away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her(wisdom & understanding), and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principle thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you." Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many, I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered. And when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life."  Proverbs 4:3-13

I love this passage because it's like King David is passing onto his heir the new king of Israel what he needs to do to be successful. One of the greatest men to walk the earth, passing onto his son who would go on to become the wisest and most powerful men on the earth in his time. As I was writing this it made me realize that it was no accident that Solomon chose wisdom when asked by God, "Ask! What shall I give you?" Solomon asked for wisdom and understanding because of his father David's instruction. 

1 Kings 2 describes the death of David, and Solomon taking the throne. 1 Kings 2:13 reads, "Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established." "And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David...He went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices to the LORD, and God appeared to him in a dream and God said, "Ask! what shall I give you?" And Solomon said, "Give to your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" This pleased God so much because Solomon didn't ask for wealth, riches, long life, or the life of his enemies. God said, I will give you the wise and understanding heart like you've asked, but I will also give you the things you didn't ask for (i.e. long life, wealth, riches, and honor). 1 Kings 3: 3-14 

The rest is history. The nation of Israel never experienced such wealth, world influence, power, and peace than under King Solomon before or since. It stands to reason that we ourselves would do well to heed the advise, and GIVE ATTENTION to King David and King Solomon when they say, Get Wisdom! Get Understanding! Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her for she is your life. 

I read recently. "Wisdom is knowing the truth and how to apply it to any given situation; Understanding is Knowledge seasoned and modified by wisdom." I am keyed in on "Wisdom is knowing the truth." Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. In other words, if wisdom is knowing the truth then we have to know Jesus if we desire wisdom because HE is TRUTH. Truth is a person in Jesus Christ. I have good news for everyone. More importantly than the access we have to reading Proverbs and about King David and King Solomon we have access to King Jesus. King Jesus is much wiser than King Solomon, and King Jesus is alive. There has never been nor will there be any like King Jesus. He died for us on a cross, and made a way for us to be brought near to God the Father. We're no longer far off, but we've been brought near through His blood. Give Attention! Jesus is Wisdom! In all your getting, get Jesus!

Inherit Glory (Proverbs 3)

"Guidance for the Young" is the title of Proverbs 3 in my Bible. I know I'll be 40 this year, but in the scheme of eternity...I'm still young and definitely need guidance. I think we all can say that no matter how old we are this side of the dirt. This chapter of the Bible has really been one of the most influential chapters of the whole Bible personally the past 25 years. Really since I started reading the Bible on my own at 15 years old. It will probably continue to be a chapter that I keep coming back to throughout the rest of my life. It's really helped me through some tough times when I needed direction and guidance in my life. If we would follow the instruction of this chapter, I believe we'd find a long life full of peace, divine direction, health, favor, glory, blessing, and a legacy to follow us into eternity. In fact, that's exactly how the chapter begins.

"My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands, For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man." Prov. 3:1-4

If you notice it all hinges on keeping the commands and law of God in your heart. A scripture that really drives this whole point home is found in Psalm 119:9-11 "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought you; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You." The heart is central. When we seek God with all our inner man, and make Him our center then keeping His commands will not be burdensome. Obedience will flow out of our heart naturally. In Proverbs 3:5-6 the theme of the heart continues to trust in the LORD with all our heart, and to not lean on our own understanding; In all our ways to acknowledge Him, and He shall direct our paths." Our heart can get easily sidetracked in life, and can be misleading IF it's not guarded and IF we ARE leaning on our own understanding. The Bible actually says the heart is deceitful in Jeremiah, but the Bible also says in the New Covenant He will take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. He will put a new heart, and a new Spirit within us. In Proverbs 4, the word tells us to Guard our heart ABOVE ALL ELSE for out of it flows the well spring of life. One of the main ways we guard our heart is by hiding the word in our heart, and staying close to a community of believers to fight with us that will also help guard your heart by praying and encouraging you in your faith. I absolutely love the encouragement of verse 6 that God says if we acknowledge Him in all your ways, He will direct our paths. I mean that's pretty incredible. The Word "ways" in that verse can also be translated "days" in the Hebrew. It's like saying if we acknowledge God daily, He will direct and make our paths straight as we go through each new day. I don't know about you, but I desperately need His divine guidance everyday. Another word that I want to go deeper into is this word "acknowledge". It's meaning is a whole lot deeper than walking by someone on the street, and saying, "What's up?" acknowledging you see them as you pass by. It's Hebrew word is "Yada", meaning direct intimate contact. If you truly look into the meaning of this scripture, it could read like this, In all our days if we remain in direct intimate contact with God, God promises to direct our paths. We need to daily derive our strength from God because each new day brings with it new challenges, and traps from the enemy and evil desires of our flesh.

The below passage out of chapter 3 really stood out to me like never before.

"The wise shall inherit glory, But shame shall be the legacy of fools." Proverbs 3:35

If we are wise we will keep direct intimate contact with God each day, we will inherit glory because God is leading us where He wants us to go. But if for some reason we're not guarding our heart our fleshly desires can lead us where they want us to go, and then shame can and will be our legacy. If we're not intimate with Jesus, we're going to be intimate with something or someone else. James says it best, "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when He is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." James 1:13-15

The Bible tells us that the wise will inherit glory, but shame will be our legacy if we are fools. All throughout Proverbs you will read comparisons to the foolish, and the wise. I looked up the definition of inheritance and here is what it said, "Something that is or may be inherited. Property passing at the owner's death to the heir or those entitled to succeed; legacy." Also "genetic characteristics transmitted from parent to offspring." I was thinking about this definition, and how it relates to the scriptures above, and to Jesus and us. Another scripture came to my mind as well in Romans, "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by who we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:15-18 This is so great. God through His son, Jesus, adopted us into His family. He's our Father! So what does that mean? It means we're heir's with Christ, and God is our Father. We have unlimited access to our daddy with His unlimited resources, and blessings. We're adopted, and we're children of God.We have inherited Christ's genetics! Whatever we're going through in life right now isn't going to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. Let's hold fast our hope. Let's fight the good fight of faith! Everything we need is found in Jesus.  In Christ there is no want, or lack! There is only long life peace, love, joy, divine direction, health, favor, glory, blessing, and a legacy that will follow us into eternity. The wise shall inherit glory, and our inheritance and our glory is found in Christ. I think this scripture will drive it all home!

"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." Eph. 1:11-14.

Be encouraged! WE ARE SEALED with the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance! It's guaranteed baby!

Finding Hidden Treasures (Proverbs 2)

"My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:1-5

"For the LORD gives wisdom..." Prov. 2:6

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

I have read the Bible cover to cover a few times, and many books of the Bible several times over my lifetime. I've had many dry times reading. What I mean by "dry times", is that I seem not to get anything out of my reading. I've heard many Christians say the same thing, or they will say something like, "I don't get anything out of the Bible.", or "The Bible isn't relevant for me today." I would submit to everyone that during those dry times our heart is not mining or searching the scriptures as for hidden treasure. When I approach the Bible, and ask God to MAKE IT LIFE and really search and dig deep into the Word without fail I find life, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit every time. The Word says in the scriptures that if we do this, and search for wisdom, understanding, discernment, and apply our heart to it THEN we will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. In James, God says He will give us the wisdom liberally. That means...a bunch of wisdom is coming our way the more we dig into the Word. He also says, He'll give it without reproach which means He will give us the wisdom liberally without reminding us of our unworthiness. That's really powerful if you just stop and think about that for a moment. God isn't stingy with His wisdom if we're truly knocking, seeking, and asking. In Prov. 2:7 the Bible actually states, "He stores up sound wisdom for the upright..." It's stored up for us, and we just got to ask for it, and seek for it as for hidden treasure!!! That's pretty awesome.

Once God gives us this wisdom what do we do with it? How do we use it? What's it for?

"He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity, and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you..." Proverbs 2:7-11

Wisdom, understanding, discretion, and the Fear of the LORD when they truly enter our heart protect us, preserve us, and delivers us. Take a look.

"To deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perversity of the wicked." Proverbs 2:12-14

"To deliver you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words...For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead; None who go to her regain the paths of life." Proverbs 2:16-19

We need deliverance in the world we're in from immoral men and women. We need deliverance from the enemy on a daily basis. That's why the LORD's prayer ends with, "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Matt. 6:13. Proverbs chapter 2 provides keys to living a long, happy, healthy, fruitful life.

Let's seek God, and seek Him in the Bible as digging for buried treasure. If we do this, we have his promises mentioned in this chapter. Solomon ends the chapter like this:

"So you may walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness. For the upright will dwell in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it." Proverbs 2:20-22 

I don't know about you, but I want to walk in the way of goodness, dwell in the land, and remain in it! I do not want to be cut off, and uprooted as unfaithful.

The good news of the Gospel is that through Jesus Christ we can do this IN HIM. IN HIM, we have access to the Father. We have unlimited access to God IN HIM. He broke down any wall of separation. All wisdom, understanding, discernment, and all the promises and blessings of God are available to us-IN HIM. I love Proverbs because they were written by Solomon the wisest man to ever live, but honestly Jesus was the wisest man to ever live! I put my trust IN JESUS not Solomon. Solomon would have been wise to listen to his own advice when he got older. Let's live with the wisdom, and power of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. IN HIM, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph 1:3). HE IS WISDOM! HE IS LIFE!

The Beginning of Knowledge (Proverbs 1)

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

Today is January 1, 2018. New Year's Day! I started reading through my Bible a couple of days ago to get a jump on the new year. One of my resolutions is to be more diligent in my daily Bible reading, and get through the Bible this year. In 2016 I read through the Bible in 4 months, but last year honestly I probably didn't read an entire book just bits and pieces here and there. I need to get my fire back for God, and this is probably where it's going to start as I read the Bible. I started reading in Gen 1, Matthew 1, and Proverbs 1. Proverbs 1 stuck out to me this morning, and is a perfect chapter for New Year's Day.

The reason I say it's perfect for New Year's Day is because it gives the key to the beginning of knowledge which is the fear of the Lord. It also gives the key for foolish living which is to despise wisdom and instruction. These are two things I so desperately want to have in my life in 2018 for the entire year. 1) To Fear God and live with the knowledge of God 2) Not to be a fool, but to live wisely in all areas of my life.

This chapter basically teaches us how to live successfully in life, and how to royally mess things up.

In verse 20, wisdom begins to speak to us. "Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares, She cries out on top of the walls..." First wisdom calls to the simple and foolish, but they aren't listening, and the Bible says that the foolish hate knowledge. Wisdom says that if we turn at her rebuke that the spirit of wisdom will be poured out on us, and make her words known to us. But even after this encouragement by wisdom the foolish ignore the counsel and do not turn from evil. In fact here is what the Bible says, "Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, They would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;" Prov 1:29-32

If we "act the fool", God will sooner or later give us over to our own way and eventually it will destroy us. But, the ending of Proverbs 1 leaves us with the key to living successfully for 2018.

"But whoever listens to me(wisdom), will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil." Prov. 1:33

Let's listen and obey instruction, and the wisdom of the Word in 2018. Let's fear the Lord as the beginning of knowledge, and let's not despise wisdom and instruction. If we don't listen to this wisdom, we're really not going to have a prosperous year in 2018. Honestly, we may have to experience some consequences as a result if we don't fear the Lord. But, the blessing of the Lord comes to the ones who fear God, and keep His commandments.

"He will bless those who fear the Lord, Both small and great." Psalm 115:13

"Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways." Psalm 128:1

"The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil." Prov. 19:23

"Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who delights greatly in His commandments." Psalm 112:1

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments for this is man's all. Ecclesiastes 12:13

Romans 8:18-39 (Sermon)

Romans 8: 18-39

I.                   From Suffering to Glory: Read 18-25: Paul has just been speaking of the glory of adoption into the family of God; and then comes back to the troubled state of this present world. He draws a great picture. He actually starts speaking like a poet. He sees all nature waiting for the glory that shall be. But at the moment creation is in bondage, death, and decay. The world is one where beauty fades and loveliness decays; it’s a dying world. BUT it’s waiting for it’s liberation from all this and the coming state of glory.  When Paul was painting this picture he was working with the ideas that any Jew would understand. In Jewish thought it divided time into two sections: The Present age and the Age to Come. The present age being wholly bad, subject to sin, and death, and decay. Some day there would come The Day of the Lord. That would be a day of judgment when the world would be shaken to its foundations; but out of it there would come a NEW WORLD. It’s the picture of the renovated world. Example (Fixer Upper Demo Day/New Creation). Isaiah 65:17 Behold I create a new heavens and new earth. There was a time between the testaments when the Jews were oppressed, enslaved, and persecuted, and they had great dreams of the renovated world. Then Paul has some specific insight into God’s created world. Man had sinned deliberately; but it was involuntary that nature was subjected to sin. Gen. 3:17 “Cursed is the ground because of you,” So with Paul’s poet eye he sees nature waiting for freedom from the death and decay that man’s sin brought onto the world. Now if that’s true of nature. It’s truer of man. In the experience of being saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit we get just a taste. Kind of like a first installment of the glory that’s to come. Now we’re longing for the FULL realization of what adoption into the family of God means. That final adoption will be the redemption of our bodies. In our final state of glory, Paul did not think we’d be just spirits floating around in the atmosphere. In God’s New Creation, We’ll get a new body that will no longer be a victim of decay and used for sin. It will be a spiritual body fit for the life of a spiritual man or woman.  Then comes the great saying, “We are saved by hope.” Paul was no pessimist. There was quote by H.G Wells that read, “Man who began in a cave behind a windbreak, will end in the disease soaked ruins of a slum.” Let’s just say that’s the opposite of what Apostle Paul believed. Granted Paul saw man’s sin and the state of the world. Don’t we see the sin of the world that surrounds us and the state of our country and all the cares of this world surrounding not just America but the state of the world. BUT Paul also saw God’s redeeming power; and the end of it all for him was HOPE! Because of that Paul was not despairing waiting for the ruin of the world. Life was an eager anticipation  for the renovation and a recreation by the glory and power of God(Fixer Upper folks waiting for their home). Paul’s life was not a weary, defeated waiting. He lived his life with earnest anticipation and expectation for a new heaven and new earth. Everyday we must battle with our own evil human nature, and we must live in this dying sinful world. Nevertheless, We do not live only in this world. We also live IN CHRIST! We not only see the world; We look beyond it. We not only see the consequences of sin; We see the power of God’s mercy and love. Therefore our lives should always be marked always with hope and never despair. THE CHRISTIAN WAITS, NOT FOR DEATH, BUT FOR LIFE.

II.                Rom 8:26-30: All is of God. The first two verses from one of the most important passages on prayer in the whole New Testament. Paul is saying because of our weakness, we do not know what we should pray for, but the prayers that we should offer should be offered by the Holy Spirit. C.H Dodd defines prayer this way, “Prayer is the divine in us appealing to the divine above us.” There’s 2 reasons we can’t pray as we should. 1) We can’t see the future. Since we can’t see a day, year, or minute into the future the Holy Spirit could save us from praying for things which could actually cause us harm. 2) In any given situation we don’t know what’s best for us. We’re often in the position of a child who wants something which would only be bound to hurt them, and God is often in the position of a loving Father to refuse our request because He knows what is far better for us than we do ourselves. Perfect prayer is simply, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit. Not my will, but Thine be done.” Or the Lord’s Prayer.  Paul then goes on to say “All things work together for our good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” We don’t need to go back very far in our lives to realize this is true. Look over your own life, and think of all that God has brought you out of and worked for your better. I heard a quote a long time ago, and it’s this. “Setbacks are Setups.” You may be experiencing a setback in your life right now, but God is setting you up for something wonderful! It’s very important to notice that the experience only comes to those who love God. If a man loves and trusts and accepts God, if he is convinced that God is an all-wise and all-loving Father, then he can humbly accept all that God sends to him. If a man does not love and trust God, he may resent what happens to him and more than likely fight against God. It is only the man who loves and trusts God that all things work together for good, for to him they come from a Father who in perfect wisdom, love, and power is working ever for the best on their behalf. God is for us and not against us!!!

III.             Read V. 29-30: This is a very tricky passage that has been very seriously misused. If we are to understand it we must understand that Paul never meant it to be a statement or expression of Theology or Philosophy; he meant it to be an expression of the Christian experience. Let me explain what I mean. If we take it as philosophy and theology and apply the standards of cold logic to it, it must mean that God chose some and did not choose others. But that is not what it means. Now think of your Christian experience. The more you think about it the more you realize that you had nothing to do with it and all is of God. Jesus Christ came into the world, he lived, went to the cross; and rose again. We did nothing to bring that about; that is God’s work. We heard the story of God’s wonderful love. We did not make the story; we only received the story. Love came alive in our hearts, We were convicted of our sin, and we asked God to forgive us, and we received salvation. We did not achieve that that’s all God. And knowing this does not take freewill away. God knew Israel in the OT, but the day came when Israel refused the destiny God meant her to have. The Holy Spirit’s guiding is all our lives, but at the end of the day we can refuse it and take our own way. It is the Christian’s experience that all is of God. That we did nothing and God did everything. That’s what Paul mean’s here. He means that from the beginning of time God marked us out for salvation; that in due time His call came to us; but the pride of man’s heart can wreck God’s plan and the disobedience of man’s will can refuse the call.

IV.            Rom 8:31-39: The Love which Nothing can Separate us: In verse 32 there is a verse that stuck out to any Jew who knew their OT. Paul says, “God for us did not spare His own Son; THAT’S THE FINAL GUARANTEE that He loves us enough to supply us all our needs. The words Paul uses are the very words God used when Abraham proved his loyalty by being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac at God’s command. Paul seems to say, “Think of the greatest human example in the world of a man’s loyalty to God; God’s loyalty to you is like that. Just as Abraham was so loyal to God that he was prepared to sacrifice Isaac; God is so loyal to men that He sacrificed His own Son for us. Surely we can trust a loyalty like that for anything. 

V.               V 33-35 There are two ways to take v. 33-35. 1) v. 33. It is God who justifies men-that is the statement.  If that is true than who can possibly condemn men? If man is justified by God, then he is saved from every condemnation. Our belief is in a Christ who died and rose again, and is alive forevermore. If that’s true is there anything in this or any other world that can separate us from our Risen Lord? If we take the scripture that way two great truths are laid down. 1) God has justified us; therefore no one can condemn us. 2) Christ is risen; therefore nothing can ever separate us from him. The second way to look at this passage is this. 2) God has justified us then who can condemn us? The answer is the judge of all men Jesus Christ. He is the one who has the right to condemn-BUT SO FAR FROM CONDEMNING HE IS! He is at the right hand of God interceding for us, and therefore we are safe. He is not there to be the prosecuting lawyer. He is there to be our advocate our defender! Paul see Christ not as the judge but the lover of men’s souls.

VI.            V 35-39 He begins one of my favorite parts of scriptures on how nothing can separate us from the love of God in our Risen Savior. The disasters of this world don’t separate us from God they actually bring us closer. In verses 38-39 Paul makes a list of terrible things. Neither death nor life can separate us from Christ. If life we live with Christ. In death we die with him and because we die with him, we will also rise with him. Death, so far from being a separation, is really only a step into his nearer presence; not the end, but the leading into God’s presence. For me to live is Christ but to die is gain. Here is a picture to take away all loneliness and fear. Paul is saying, “You can think of every terrifying thing that this world, or any other world can produce. Not one of them is able to separate the Christian from the love of which is in Jesus Christ, Lord of every terror and Master of every world. Of what then shall we be afraid? Yet is all these things we are more than Conquerors through Him who loved us. Hupernikao We’re super victorious through Christ’s love. 

Inductive Bible Study - Zephaniah

Inductive Bible Study-Zephaniah

I.                   Theme- The Day of The Lord, A Call to Repentance, and A Faithful Remnant-The wrath of a loving God.  

-The day of the Lord is portrayed as the day God will pour out his judgment and wrath on the children of Israel for their wickedness and disobedience to His commandment by turning their backs on Him and serving other gods. Zephaniah issues a call to repentance for the children of Israel to repent and turn back to God for the God’s judgment is unleashed. Through God’s faithfulness and love there is a remnant of Israel who repents and keep their hearts for God. The book of Zephaniah perfectly portrays the wrath of God on disobedience, and the love of God that will be forever poured out on His remnant.

II.                Table of Contents:

1.      The Great Day of The Lord (God’s judgment on Judah) 1: 1-18

2.      A Call to Repentance 2:1-3

3.      Judgment on Nations 2:4-15

4.      Wickedness of Jerusalem 3:1-7

5.      A Faithful Remnant 3:8-13

6.      God’s Love and Faithfulness 3:14-20

III.             Observation Questions

1.      The Great Day of The Lord (God’s Judgment on Judah)

1.1  Who is Zephaniah?

1.2  When was Zephaniah writing?

1.3  Who was his audience?

1.4  How did his audience respond to Zephaniah and to God?

1.5  What were the actions of disobedience by his audience?

1.6  What judgments were to come from the Lord?

IV.             2.  A Call to Repentance

2.1 What was Zephaniah’s heart for the people of Israel?

2.2 What was God’s heart?

2.3 What did the people of Israel need to do before judgment?

2.4 What did Israel need to seek according to verse 3?

              V.      3. Judgment on Nations

                        3.1 What nations does God choose to judge?

                        3.2 Why does he judge the nations?

                        3.3 What kind of pagan worship is taking place at this time?

                        3.4 What does Zephaniah say about the remnant in these verses?

                        3.5 Who is the remnant?

            VI.       4. Wickedness of Jerusalem

4.1  What wickedness was Jerusalem committing?

4.2  What was the conduct of the priests like?

4.3  What was the culture of Jerusalem like at this time in history?

4.4  How did they get this way?

4.5  What are some of the signs of Judah’s demise?

VII.     5. A Faithful Remnant

            5.1 What is God’s cry for the people of Judah in v 8?

            5.2 What is God’s determination?

            5.3 What will God restore in v 9?

            5.4 What is Zephaniah referring to when he says, “A pure language”?

            5.5 What will be the characteristics of the remnant of Israel?

VIII.    6.  God’s Love and Faithfullness

6.1  What has God done for the ones who remain faithful?

6.2  What will The Mighty One do for us?

6.3  How is Christ revealed in this passage?

6.4  How is the Holy Spirit at work in Zephaniah?

6.5  What do you get most out of this book on a personal level?

Application:

It seemed it was a time of prosperity during Zephaniah’s time of Judah there was very complacent according to 1:12. We do not need to become complacent in our walk with Christ. I’ve heard it said that complacency is the enemy of spiritual growth. I read a quote that said, “The chief danger in the quest for knowing God is the temptation to be satisfied with past encounters so that no fresh pursuits are made.” We can’t be satisfied with our experiences with God from last year or even last week. We need to continually every day need to be seeking the Lord. We need to remain zealous for God. I also noticed that Judah was very prideful. God resists the proud, but he will give grace to the humble. We can’t think just because we call ourselves Christians, or were water baptized that we can live any way we want to live. We always need to maintain an attitude of humility and be teachable. If we’re not humble, and we’re not teachable then the enemy will come in like a flood and take us out before we know what hit us. We need to reject anything that may come into our life to try and take God out of His role in our life. What the Bible calls idolatry. Israel had fallen into deep idolatry, and they had been in their idolatry so long they had no desire to get out.  If we realize that there is something in our life that is taking the place of God, and we are becoming disobedient to His word we need to quickly repent. If we don’t quickly repent our hearts can become hard like the Israelites, and we can become apostate. As I was reading I noticed the conduct of the priests, and leaders of the Israelite people in chapter 3. It seemed they were doing unrighteous acts in the temple, and committing sin in the sanctuary of God. We need to diligently avoid any form of pride or arrogance that would cause us to misuse the word of God, or manipulate people for our personal benefit. We should never teach our opinions of the Word. We’re supposed to take the Word and apply it to our life, not the opposite where we pick and choose what we want and leave out the rest.  As I was studying this book, I began to realize how this story in three chapters basically summarized the story of the Bible. It described God’s people along with the nations wallowing in sin, and refusing to repent. It described a God who would gather those who would repent, and hide those from his anger. And at the end, Zephaniah, described The Mighty One who will save us. He began with wrath, and ended in love. In Summary, there were three components to these three chapters: 1) God’s righteous judgment of sin 2) A plea for repentance because God is ready and willing to forgive and 3) The remnant who have put their trust in God will be saved.

            

Romans Ch. 7 (Sermon)

ROMANS 7

Freed from the Law 7:1-6

I.                   While the law still fulfills its function of guiding us to know God’s moral standards, we are free from enslavement to it as a way of righteousness (see Rom 6:14). Paul illustrates this analogy of our freedom from the law with the analogy of marriage, showing how the death of one partner frees the other from lifelong obligations. The subject under discussion here is not divorce and remarriage but the Christian’s relationship with the system called “law”. Paul is speaking in general terms without making detailed qualifications, and his statements should not be pressed to exclude grounds for divorce and remarriage which are mentioned in Matt 19 and 1 Cor. 7:15 which divorce and remarriage are specifically under discussion. The basic thought of this passage is that death cancels all contracts. Basically, Paul is saying we were married to sin; sin was slain by Christ and now we are free to be married to God. He also could have said we were married to the law; that the law was killed by the work of Christ; and now we’re free to be married to God. Then in v 4 he changes it up, and says we’re the one who dies. How can this be? As we studied last week, by baptism we share in the death of Christ, and having died with Christ we are free from the obligations of the law and free to marry again. This time not the law, but Christ. The point is clear because a death occurred, old obligations and powers are broken, and we are no longer under a system of trying to obey in our own strength. We are dead to that system of “law”. In v 5, In our preconversion state our sinful passions, originating in the flesh, were aroused by the law, leading to death, As believers similar struggles with sin in the flesh occur, but need not prevail in our lives. The difference is the presence of the Spirit to bring them under Christ’s kingdom dominion within us. Paul is drawing a contrast between the 2 states of man. 1) Without Christ and 2) With Christ. Before we knew Christ we tried to rule life by obeying the law-when we were in the flesh. When Paul says, “the flesh” he doesn’t mean just the physical body, because a man will always be in his physical body. He’s saying inside each of us there is something which answers to the seduction of sin; and it is that part of man which he calls the flesh. Paul is saying that when our human nature was unaided by God, the law actually moved our passions to sin. What does he mean by that? More than once in Romans so far Paul has thought that the law actually produces sin, because of the very fact that a thing is forbidden makes us want it more. When we had nothing but the law, we were at the mercy of sin. Now In v 6. He turns to a state of man with Christ. When a man rules his life by union with Christ he rules it not by a written code of law which may actually awaken the desire to sin but by an allegiance to Jesus Christ within his spirit and heart. Not Law, but love is the motive of our life and the inspiration of love can make him able to do what the restraint of the law was powerless to help us do.  In the newness of the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit gives power to obey God, a power the Law by itself could never give. The Greek work for Spirit in v 6 is Pneuma. It means breath, breeze, a current of air, wind, spirit. Pneuma is that part of a person capable of responding to God. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity, who draws us to Christ, convicts us of sin, enables us to accept Christ as our personal savior, assures us of salvation, enables us to live victorious lives, understand the Bible, pray according to God’s will, and share Christ with others.

Sin’s Advantage in the Law Ch. 7:7-13

II.                 Scholars say this is one of the greatest of all passages in the New Testament; and one of the most moving; because here Paul is giving us his very own spiritual autobiography and laying bare his heart and soul. He hits this torturing paradox of the law head on. He says the law is a very awesome and splendid thing. It’s holy. It’s the very voice of God. The root word of Holy is hagios which means different. It means the law from a sphere other than this world. The law is divine and has the very voice of God in it. We have seen the root idea of justice is to give to man and to God what is due them. Therefore the law settles all relationships human and divine. If a man perfectly kept the law, he would be in a perfect relationship with God and with his fellow man. The law is good. It’s designed for nothing other than our highest welfare. It is meant to make a man good. All that is true. And yet the fact remains that this same law is the very thing through which sin gains entry into a man. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN!?! There are 2 ways in which the law may said to be , in one sense, the source for sin. 1) It defines sin. Sin without the law, as Paul said, has no existence. Until a thing is defined as sin by the law, a man cannot know that it is sin. (Sports Analogy)*Tennis* *Football* *Baseball* The law creates sin in the sense that it defines it. *Driving down a one way street analogy*The new regulation creates the fault. The law, by making men aware of what it is, creates sin. (James 4:17). 1) It defines sin, and 2) There is a much more serious sense in which the law produces sin. One of the strange fact of life is the fascination of the forbidden thing. This started back in the Garden of Eden. Adam lived in innocence; a commandment was given him not to touch the forbidden tree, but the serpent came and turned it into a temptation. The fact the tree was forbidden made it desirable; so Adam was seduced into sin by the forbidden fruit; and death was the result. Read the excerpt from Confessions by St Augustine. Page 96. Set a thing in the category of forbidden things or put a place out of bounds, and immediately they become fascinating. In that sense the law produces sin. Paul has one revealing word which he uses of sin. He says sin seduced me. There is always a deception in sin. There are always 3 deceptions with sin. (i) We are deceived regarding the satisfaction to be found in sin. No man ever took a forbidden thing without thinking that it would make him happy, and no man ever found that it did. (ii) We are deceived regarding  the excuse that can be made for it. Every man thinks that he can put up a defense for doing the wrong thing; but no man’s defense ever sounded anything else but futile when made in the presence of God. (iii) We are deceived regarding the probability of escaping the consequences of it. No man sins without the hope that he can get away with it. But it is true, soon or later, our sin will find us out. What we sow, we’re going to reap! OK! Is, then, the law a bad thing because it actually produces sin? Paul is certain there is wisdom in this whole sequence. (i) First he’s convinced that, whatever the consequence, sin had to be defined as sin. (ii) The process shows the terrible nature of sin, because sin took a thing-the law-which was holy and just and good, and twisted it into something which served the ends of evil. The awfulness of sin is shown by the fact that it could take a fine thing and make it a weapon of evil. That is what sin does. It can take the loveliness of love and turn it into lust. It can take the honorable desire for independence and turn it into an obsession for money, power, and greed. It can take the beauty of friendship and use it as a seduction to the wrong things. One scholar called this “the infinite damnability of sin.” The very fact that it took the law and made it a bridge for sin to walk across shows the supreme sinfulness of sin. The whole terrible process is not accidental; it is all designed to show us how awful sin is, because it can take the loveliest things and defile them in a moment.

THE HUMAN SITUATION Ch 7:14-25

III.              Paul continues to bare his soul to the Christian church in Rome telling them of his experience which is in essence-let’s face it-our experience as well. He’s saying he knew what was right to do and wanted to do it, and yet somehow never could. He knew what was wrong and the last thing he wanted was to do it, and yet somehow he did. He felt himself to be a split personality. It was as if two men were in the same skin, pulling in different directions. He really was haunted by this feeling of frustration, his ability to see what was good and his inability to do it; his ability to recognize what was wrong and his inability to refrain from doing it. We all have felt this in our own lives especially if we’re trying to live a godly life in this day and age. A man named Seneca said, “Men hate their sins, and love them at the same time.” There was a roman poet named Ovid, who tagged a line. “I see the better things, and I approve them, but I follow the worse.” No one knew this problem better than the Jews. They believed God made every person with two natures and called them Yetser Hatob and Yetser Hara meaning every person was born with a good impulse and an evil impulse, but the belief was that you didn’t have to succumb to the evil impulse, but it was a matter of choice. When the evil impulse attacked, the Jew held that wisdom and reason could defeat it, to be occupied with study of the word of the Lord was safety. The law was your defense. Paul knew that; and knew as well it was theoretically true, but in practice it was not true. There were things in man’s human nature which answered to the seduction of sin. It is part of the human situation that we know the right and yet do the wrong, that we are never as good as we know we ought to be. And at the same time we are haunted by goodness and haunted by sin. Some scholars point of view of this passage call this the “demonstration of inadequacies”. (i) It demonstrates the inadequacy of human knowledge. If to know the right thing was to do it, life would be easy. But knowledge by itself does not make a man good. It is the same in every walk of life. We may know exactly how golf should be played but that if far from being able to play it. We may know how poetry ought to be written but that is very far from being able to write it. We may know how to behave in any given situation but that is very far from being able to behave appropriately. That’s the difference between Morality or religion and relationship. Morality and Religion is knowledge of a code of law. Relationship is knowledge of a person, and it is only when we know Christ that we are able to do what we know we ought to do. (ii) It demonstrates the inadequacy of human resolution. To resolve to do a thing is very far from doing it. In human nature an essential weakness of the will. The will comes up against the problems, the difficulties, the opposition-and it fails. Once Peter had a great resolution. In Matt. 26:35, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” He failed pretty badly when the rubber hit the road didn’t he. The human will unstrengthened by Christ will crack. (iii) It also demonstrates the inadequacy or limitations of diagnosis. Paul knew quite clearly what was wrong, but he was unable to put it right. He was like a doctor who could accurately diagnose a disease but was powerless to prescribe the cure. Jesus is the one person who not only knows what is wrong, but who can also put the wrong to rights. It is not criticism he offers but help.

IV.              Closing

Reread v24 Believe with conviction that it is your old sinful nature, not your new nature in Christ that manifest itself in acts of sin. Throughout this life a conflict goes on between the new nature and the old, but there is a way to victory; Christ frees us to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Romans Ch. 5 & 6 (Sermon)

ROMANS 5 & 6

DEATH IN ADAM, LIFE IN CHRIST ROM 5:12-21

I.                   This passage must be understood within the context of 3:21-5:11, which sets forth the gospel of the grace of God revealed through Jesus Christ. This passage continues to magnify God’s grace by presenting the universal scope of Christ’s redemptive work. V 18. Summarizes Paul’s teaching (READ IT). One (disobedient) act of one man brought sin and its penalty of death upon the human race. On the other hand, the obedience of one Man counteracted this deed and made righteousness and eternal life available for humankind. Adam headed the old humanity characterized by sin and death. Jesus Christ heads a new humanity characterized by righteousness and life. We come under the consequences of Adams disobedient deed naturally. We’re born into it. We come under Christ’s obedient deed by faith.  The expression “just as” is a key to understanding the passage v 12-21. Paul shows several parallels between the way Adam affected us and the way Christ affected us. The phrase is v 12 “because all sinned” probably means that “all sinned” in Adam-that is when one man sinned, God thought of all who would descend from Adam as having sinned since Adam was our representative. In v. 13-14 Paul enforces and proves his assertion by pointing to the fact that people died before the law was given out. The time between Adam and Moses. His argument is that they died because all of humanity was counted guilty because of Adam’s sin and suffered sins penalty which is death. In verse 14. It calls Adam a “type” of Christ. A type is a living prediction or pattern or model of one who is to come later. In the following verses 15-19 draws an analogy between Adam and Christ. They are similar in the fact that their deeds have affected many people. However, their differences are quite pronounced and Paul gives 3 contrasting points. First, Adam’s act was an offence, a deliberate going astray, where Christ’s deed was one of grace. 2^nd, Adam’s sin resulted in condemnation and death, where Christ’s deed brought justification and life. Third Adam was characterized by disobedience, while Christ was characterized by obedience. We are in Adam by birth, but we are in Christ by faith. In v 19, Here is the summary of God’s plan for the representative heads of the human race. Adam sinned once, and all whom Adam represented were found guilty. Christ obeyed His whole life and all whom Christ represented will be made righteous. Some critics reject and object to this idea of “representative heads of the human race”. But if we do not think it fair that we were found guilty for Adam’s sin, then we also should not think it fair that we are counted righteous for Christ’s obedience. And Finally, V 20 and 21 One of the purposes of the law was to make sin obvious and make it more evident we are in need of redemption. And just as sinned reigned in Adam and abounded. Grace abounds MUCH MORE IN JESUS CHRIST!

DEAD TO SIN ALIVE TO GOD ROMANS 6:1-14

I.                   Paul’s teaching in 5:20-21 that increased sin brings increased grace was liable to distortion. Some might claim that if by sinning they were providing God an opportunity to display the greatness of His grace then they should sin more. In 6:2, Paul makes it clear the idea of a Christian continuing in sin is entirely contrary to the gospel. Sin is hateful and destructive, and those who have died to the love of sin and the ruling power of sin should never want to live in it any longer. V. 3-4 talk about the significance of water baptism. Water Baptism is a symbol of the believers union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. In v 6, Our old man is our pre conversion life. This is what we were before becoming Christians under the unrestrained dominion of the flesh(sin nature). The body of sin refers to the sinful nature within us, not the human body. The Greek verb translated “done away with” does not mean to become extinct, but to be defeated or deprived of power. Here Romans reveals a new, victorious method for dealing with sin. Living free from sin’s rule is now possible because we are no longer slaves of sin, but have become slaves of God, able to choose righteousness rather than being bound to the old nature. Obedience to the Word of God gains a new nature of holiness. In v. 11, We need to consider ourselves dead to sin. We’re no longer controlled by the love of sin or sins ruling power in our lives. We are dead to sins enslaving power. We need to say, “NO!” to sin whenever it confronts us. Recognize that you are really free from sins demands. Obey Christ, your New Master, not sin, your old master. We are dead to the enslaving power, but we’re not dead to all of its influence. In v 12, the natural conclusion is that if we are dead to the ruling power of sin, and if sin has destructive effects in our lives, then, of course, we should not let it reign in our bodies. V13. We have a continual choice day after day whether to yield ourselves to sin or to God. When it talks about “Members”: These are the various parts of our bodies that represent all the different aspects of our lives. Though we can never say in this life that we are free from all sin, we also should never say, “This one sin has defeated me-I give up.” The power of Christ’s resurrection at work within us is greater that the power of any sin, no matter how long established in our lives. To be under law is to be under a system of trying to earn salvation in our strength by obeying the law, but to be under grace is to be justified and to live by the indwelling resurrection power of Christ. We can die to sin, not because of the law forbidding it, but through all the resources that grace provides. Some erroneously misinterpret these verses to mean that it doesn’t matter if Christians disobey God’s moral commands, because they are no longer under law. The view or outlook on scripture has a name it’s called “antinomianism”, and it’s contrary to Paul’s whole discussion on sin and Jesus’s own words about the law.

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves to God Rom 6:15-23

I.                   Here again he responds to the belief that grace encourages or permits sin. He uses the analogy of slavery to combat a casual attitude toward sin and issues a stern warning on the serious consequences of yielding to sin. A person is a slave of that to which he gives obedience or that which he recognizes as his master. If he obeys the commands of sin, then sin is his master and he is moving in the direction of death. If he obeys the commands of righteousness, then righteousness is his master, and he experiences true life. In verses 17 and 18, his readers, which now include us were once slaves of sin, or some of us here may feel like you’re slaves of sin. We can renounce sin as our master and commit ourselves as slaves of righteousness. Being a slave of sin leads surely to death, but being a slave to God everlasting life.