Over the past couple of days (and chapters), Paul has been explaining how we can be made right with God ... along with all the implications of being “justified”. Having said all that, he ends this section of his letter with a beautiful reminder about God’s love.
Romans 8
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one - for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
34 Who then will condemn us? No one - for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)
37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing. I thought about it for a while and I realized that there nothing I can add to that ... so I won’t.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Spirit
On Tuesday, we read Paul’s confession of the struggle all Jesus followers face when it comes to the war between our will and God’s will. Today, Paul reminds us of another weapon we have available for that war.
Romans 8
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.
11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
Spirit. This phrase ... “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you” ... is a very important phrase for every Jesus follower. When you accept God’s grace, He places a part of himself ... the Holy Spirit ... inside of you. That power is made available to help us deal with this struggle between our selfishness and God’s honor. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would lead us and teach us and counsel us (check out John 14:16-17, 26). In order to get the most out of that power, we need to take time to quiet ourselves long enough to “hear” that counsel and we need to become as familiar as possible with God’s Story (God’s heart) so that we can authenticate that counsel.
Romans 8
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.
11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
Spirit. This phrase ... “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you” ... is a very important phrase for every Jesus follower. When you accept God’s grace, He places a part of himself ... the Holy Spirit ... inside of you. That power is made available to help us deal with this struggle between our selfishness and God’s honor. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would lead us and teach us and counsel us (check out John 14:16-17, 26). In order to get the most out of that power, we need to take time to quiet ourselves long enough to “hear” that counsel and we need to become as familiar as possible with God’s Story (God’s heart) so that we can authenticate that counsel.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Counsel
Every Wednesday, we review the previous weekend’s message. This past weekend, Jonathan continued our Entourage series by talking about our need to have a mentor. Here are some of the verses he referenced in the message.
Matthew 11
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Proverbs 19
20 Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.
Proverbs 27
9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
Counsel. We all need at least one person that is a little further along in our journey that can provide us some counsel on what to expect and how to handle challenging seasons and difficult decisions. In the message, Jonathan mentioned words like honesty and humility as guides for identifying a mentor. I also like the one included in this last verse ... “heartfelt”. You need someone that is genuine and sincere in their concern for you and your journey. One other quick reminder, part of the process of identifying a mentor (or any member of your entourage) is offering to serve as a mentor which should encourage us to incorporate honesty and humility and sincerity into our journey.
Matthew 11
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Proverbs 19
20 Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.
Proverbs 27
9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
Counsel. We all need at least one person that is a little further along in our journey that can provide us some counsel on what to expect and how to handle challenging seasons and difficult decisions. In the message, Jonathan mentioned words like honesty and humility as guides for identifying a mentor. I also like the one included in this last verse ... “heartfelt”. You need someone that is genuine and sincere in their concern for you and your journey. One other quick reminder, part of the process of identifying a mentor (or any member of your entourage) is offering to serve as a mentor which should encourage us to incorporate honesty and humility and sincerity into our journey.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
War
Yesterday, we read Paul’s response to those that believe God’s grace gives us the freedom to do whatever we want. On the other end of the spectrum, there are those that believe we have to earn God’s grace, or need to somehow maintain it, through obeying God’s Law. You can check out Paul’s response in Romans 7:1-6. Today, I want you to check out a passage where Paul really opens up about his journey.
Romans 7
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.
15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.
16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.
17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.
19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life - that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
22 I love God’s law with all my heart.
23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
War. I love the honesty of this passage ... the reminder Paul offers us for our journey. Jesus defeated sin on the cross and overcame death through His resurrection. He won the war; but the war isn’t over. Part of following Jesus is learning how to honor God. The other part is actually doing it. The problem is that there is still a selfish part of who we were lurking around in our life seeking to distract us from honoring God. As Paul said, the answer is in Jesus. I have a feeling Jesus knew that we would face this type of struggle ... listen to what He said in Luke 9:23, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me...” You have to choose daily to put aside you so you can be more like Him.
Romans 7
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.
15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.
16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.
17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.
19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life - that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
22 I love God’s law with all my heart.
23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
War. I love the honesty of this passage ... the reminder Paul offers us for our journey. Jesus defeated sin on the cross and overcame death through His resurrection. He won the war; but the war isn’t over. Part of following Jesus is learning how to honor God. The other part is actually doing it. The problem is that there is still a selfish part of who we were lurking around in our life seeking to distract us from honoring God. As Paul said, the answer is in Jesus. I have a feeling Jesus knew that we would face this type of struggle ... listen to what He said in Luke 9:23, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me...” You have to choose daily to put aside you so you can be more like Him.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Choose
Last week, we read Paul’s description and explanation of “justification”. There are some that believe the “justification” we can receive because of God’s grace gives us the freedom to do whatever we want. Today, Paul responds to those individuals and discusses the implications our new relationship with God has on sin.
Romans 6
12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.
13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!
16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.
Choose. God’s grace is free and freeing. God’s grace is free in that it offers us a new relationship with God based on nothing we have done (check out Romans 6:23). God’s grace is freeing in that it offers us an escape from the cycle of destruction that sin tries to trap us in (reread verse 14). The key is we have to choose. We can choose to live life our way and inevitably return to the life we were experiencing before we met Jesus. Or, we can choose to obey God and start experiencing a new life ... a freer life.
Romans 6
12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.
13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!
16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.
Choose. God’s grace is free and freeing. God’s grace is free in that it offers us a new relationship with God based on nothing we have done (check out Romans 6:23). God’s grace is freeing in that it offers us an escape from the cycle of destruction that sin tries to trap us in (reread verse 14). The key is we have to choose. We can choose to live life our way and inevitably return to the life we were experiencing before we met Jesus. Or, we can choose to obey God and start experiencing a new life ... a freer life.
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