QT 12/31/2024 Rom 14:1-6, Understanding convictions

Romans 14:1–6 (ESV) —

1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

 

NOTE: The passage is really about convictions, in the cases above, the issue is food (Edenic diet vs non-Edenic diet), and special days (Sabbath, Sunday, Feasts, etc.,). The formula is such:

 

1. One person believes "A" while the other person believes "B"
2. Let no one despise (look down upon) the person who does "A" or pass judgment on the person who does "B"
3. God is each person's master and we will stand before him
4. I would add, in every case, one ought to be able to give honor to the Lord in the activity and give thanks to the Lord in the activity.

 

I suppose if the activity does not honor the Lord or give thanks to the Lord, those are warning signs to the individual (not to others) that maybe they should review their convictions. If a habit that you justify, based on convictions, does not bring you closer to God but rather, farther away from God, that is probably a good sign that it is not a good activity, and that you are using the idea of conviction to justify an activity that you know God would not approve.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I justify any activities or beliefs that really do not honor God nor give him thanks?
2. Do I judge others for their activities or beliefs because they are not the same as mine in cases where the scriptures are not absolutely clear?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to see my own activities through this prism. Help me to reevaluate anything I am doing that does not bring you honor and thanks.

QT 12/30/2024 Rom 13:11-14, Living in the light

Romans 13:11–14 (ESV) —

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

 

NOTE: So, the bible does have something to say about "woke" and it is not good. We are sleeping spiritually. The night is far gone, and every year we get closer to the return. The day is the time of Jesus' reign. The Greek word for sensuality is aselgeia meaning indulgence in sensual pleasure unrestrained by convention or morality. It means people don't care. I can almost read a level of "pride" in their sin. This is the culture of our day, and yes we need to wake up, but not to stupid ideas of forced equality based on characteristics (some sinful), but to biblical values based upon God himself, who created us, and knows what is best for us.

 

There is a secret in this passage to living a Christ-like life. The secret is to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. I think this is three-fold. First, we need to put our faith in Jesus Christ for the salvation from our sins. Second, we need to be saturating our life with God's word by regularly reading the word and praying to him. Third, when we want to get rid of a habit (put off), we need to replace it with its opposite (put on). The example in scripture is the person who steals, that he do something good with his hands -- put off stealing by putting on constructive work with your hands. There are many more examples, ask God to give you insight into what you need to put on to help you with putting off.

 

PONDER:

1. Where am I living? Am in living in the world's darkness, or am I in the world but trying to live in God's light?
2. What do I need to put off? What can I put on to replace the thing I put off?

 

PRAYER: God, give us insight into how we can break habits. We need to repent of sin, and then we need to build good habits to replace old bad habits. Give us strength and wisdom.

QT 12/28/2024 Rom 13:1-7, No Peace for man of his own accord

Romans 13:1–7 (ESV) —

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

 

NOTE: "… for rulers are … God's servant for you good…" Having just witnessed an election in the USA that went from one extreme to the other, it seems hard to believe that it is the same God who allowed each to assume power. The problem is not God's apparent fickle choices, but our failure to see the larger picture. God doesn't really care much about politics except as it leads to an end times finale, followed by 1000 years of Jesus' reign on earth. There is no system or political party which can achieve the peace we all desire. As the song says,

 

"For hate is strong, and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

…

"God is not dead, nor does He sleep

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men."

 

There will be no government solution to this world's ill, except to repent of our rebellion to God's rule which began in the garden. When Jesus returns and reestablishes his rule, then we will see what God had always planned. Things may not look right or good, but in God's big picture, he is working. We need to live for God and do what is right until He comes again.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I still believe that humans alone are capable of creating a harmonious government?
2. Am I still in rebellion? Or have I yielded to his rulership over my life?

 

PRAYER: Father, I don't know the plan, only the end states. Help me to obey and trust as you bring your plan to fulfillment.

QT 12/26/2024 Rom 12:15-21, Show grace, not anger

Romans 12:15–21 (ESV) —

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

NOTE: Paul, in writing to a church had never visited, shares a number of instructions (probably because he had never visited personally). Generally, the message in this paragraph is about peace and avoiding the things that disrupt peace. What are those things that disrupt peace?

• When we don't show interest in what is happening in others life (communicates you don't care),
• When we are proud,
• When we won't associate with certain people,
• And when we focus on revenge or getting even.

The enemy is always on the prowl, looking for things that can disrupt harmony and peace. Most of the time, people will do things unintentionally, without any malice, and it will get interpreted negatively. I think this happens when we are driving a car quite often. We need to show grace, and if the other's action is from malice, overcome evil by doing good. Not only are we commanded to live this way, it can save a number of years of our life that could be lost because of anger, or stupid emotional decisions.

 

PONDER:

1. What is my first response to a perceived aggression?
2. Do I really have to respond to a negative action? Why?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to relax in you. I have eternity before me. I have eternal life. I am completely loved. I am completely forgiven. I should feel sorry for those without the savior, and show grace always.

QT 12/24/2024 Rom 12:3, Humility is a much better look than pride

Romans 12:3–8 (ESV) —

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

 

NOTE: I almost always (I'm giving myself a little grace by adding "almost") think more highly of myself than I ought. I have always struggled with pride. I'm not going to blame it on my parents. It is sin and part of my sinful nature. My whole Christian life has been an experience of learning to be humble. Sometimes God humbles me, sometimes my pride makes me look like a fool, sometimes he lifts me up and gives me opportunity to respond differently than normal. And yes, I have seen a lot of change. I don't always have to tell my story or my background. Sometimes I can be comfortable being the nobody in the crowd. I am glad for where the Lord has taken me because it is a better look than before I knew Christ. I don't know what the next year will hold. I don't know what I will be learning. But I do know by faith, that God will be guiding me every step of the way.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I always have to give my story when another tells there?
2. Is it important that people know my background, why?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to let go of my pride. Help me to believe that it is only your opinion that matters and nobody else's.

QT 12/23/2024 Rom 11:31-36, In comparison to the mind of God, we are ZERO

Romans 11:31–36 (ESV) —

31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?”

35 “Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

 

NOTE: We really don't understand how little we know. I am amazed at the people who think they have the perfect argument against God that somehow they will present if they find at their death that God exists. Oh, the foolishness of man to think the finite can defeat the infinite. God is so far beyond our paltry brains, it is like an adult explaining quantum mechanics to a two-year old, and even that example fails to understand the relationship of finite (man) to infinite (God). I'm a math guy, that is where my degrees have been gained. When you divide a finite number by an infinite number, well it is undefined but essentially ZERO. We have zero knowledge, zero intellectual ability, zero wisdom in comparison to God. If we were so smart, we should be able to recognize the relationship at a minimum is incredibly one-sided.

 

PONDER:

1. If God exists, do you really think you will stump him with your argument?
2. Do you really believe you can argue with God and win?

 

PRAYER: Father, you say that creation alone is a sufficient argument to realize your existence. And yet we still talk about random events and evolution -- mathematical improbabilities. I pray that we would humble ourselves and seek real truth.

QT 12/20/2024 Rom 11:25-30, We are near; what are we doing?

Romans 11:25–30 (ESV) —

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,

he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;

27 “and this will be my covenant with them

when I take away their sins.”

28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,

 

NOTE: Why are the gifts and calling of God irrevocable? Because they were given by grace and not works. God's program, which includes his promises, unconditional oaths, and grace toward Israel, has not stopped. Ethnic Israel is right now experiencing a hardness of heart because of their rejection of the Messiah when Jesus (God himself) walked the earth. Those promises to Israel have not been transferred. They were made to Israel, and they will be completed toward Israel. All Israel, the nation of Israel, will be saved. For now, God is at work in the ethnic Gentile nations, and individuals saved are called the church (including individuals who are Jewish). It has nothing to do with promises made to Israel, except we (the church) are also recipients of the Abrahamic blessing. The church consists of Gentiles and individuals from Israel who put their faith in Jesus. They are called the bride of Christ. They will be snatched up soon for the wedding preparation. At that time, the program for Israel will resume, the 70th week of Daniel will resume. I believe it is coming soon. It could be in six years or nine, or a 100, but it is coming. God may be slow in some people's eyes, but he always fulfills his promises.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I think God is slow about his promises?
2. What if God's return is within the next 10 years; am I ready? What am I doing? Do I have oil in my lamp? Do I even have a witness that is different from the world?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray I would look different from the world. Help me to identify with Jesus in the opportunities you give me. Help me to keep oil in my lamp, which is the spirit and the word which changes me.

QT 12/19/2024 Rom 11:17-24, Nations being cut off the Olive tree

Romans 11:17–24 (ESV) —

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

 

NOTE: Scripture interprets scripture, and so this passage must fit with other passages which clearly state that an individual cannot lose their salvation. If they could, salvation would be based on works and not on faith -- the very thing that is being argued against in this passage. So, this passage, in context would appear to refer to nations. The nation of Israel has rejected the Messiah and Gentiles nations have accepted the Messiah. In fact, over time, Gentile nations who initially accepted the Messiah have rejected the Messiah, and their branches have already been cut off. I think of Great Britain and other European nations as an example. The US is well on the way to being cut off as well. Individuals, from any nation, are still coming to the Lord, but the work and blessing of God has been removed from many of these places. Someday, the nation of Israel will be restored to the olive tree. That day is coming as soon as the church age ends in the rapture.

 

PONDER:

1. What am I doing to spread the message as the age comes to a close?
2. Does my witness attract or cause others to reject the gospel?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray for Israel. I pray that their hearts would be softened. I pray for a good witness of the church to them so that when we are gone they will turn to Jesus.

QT 12/18/2024 Rom 11:11-16, Why is it that we want to be our own gods so much?

Romans 11:11–16 (ESV) —

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

 

NOTE: Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, but in his heart he was also an apostle to his own people, the Jews. Today, individual Jews and Gentiles (even nations) come to Christ and are members of the church, but overall the nation of Israel has still rejected the message. When the church age ends, Jews will see and recognize the times. When the antichrist goes after them, they will turn to Jesus. It is during that time, that Israel's 70th week (as prophesied by Daniel) will start and end, bringing to close six millennia of human rebellion. Then Jesus will inaugurate one thousand years of perfect justice. And still, those who survive the 70th week, and their children, will rebel in their hearts against God's rule on earth. Why is it we want to be our own gods so much? Why is it we think we can do better? Why is it we choose pain over his lordship?

 

PONDER:

1. Have I bent the knee to God?
2. Do I recognize that he is Lord and God, and that I am not.

 

PRAYER: Father, help us to see our foolishness. Awaken our spirits. Open our eyes. Help us to repent of rebellion and once again put ourselves under your rule.

QT 12/17/2024 Rom 11:6-10, Intimacy relates to our obedience

Romans 11:6–10 (ESV) —

6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,

eyes that would not see

and ears that would not hear,

down to this very day.”

9 And David says,

“Let their table become a snare and a trap,

a stumbling block and a retribution for them;

10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,

and bend their backs forever.”

 

NOTE: Israel, like many other people, desire righteousness based on personal merit. It is part of our nature to earn something. We want to be able to take pride in our accomplishment of good deeds. But God says that righteousness is by faith, and so all those who continually seek righteousness by good deeds are disobedient to God and fall farther and farther away from God. As Mounce (1995) writes,

"Obedience draws the believer into an increasingly intimate relationship with the Lord, but disobedience separates and hardens. The tragic aspect of hardening is that disobedient people are increasingly unable to grasp the serious nature of their spiritual apostasy."

Mounce was talking about righteousness by faith as the obedient action and righteousness by works as continued disobedience. Until Israel repents, that stupor remains over them and many other religious people.

 

As believers by faith in Jesus, this has application to us as well. If we want to grow into a more intimate relationship with Jesus, we must be doers and not just hearers of the word. We have our righteousness by our faith, but the relationship grows through obedience. Obviously I am quoting the familiar James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." But, there is another verse which says the same thing. John 15:10 says "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love." Abiding in Christ, that is growing in the relationship, is dependent upon our obedience.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I just listen to sermons and podcasts, or do I listen to change, and to do things differently?
2. Am I filled up with knowledge or am I filled up with love for others?

 

PRAYER: Father, as you teach me from your word, may my behavior be affected as well. Help me to see how it applies and give me opportunities to be obedient.

QT 12/16/2024 Rom 11:1-5, Being a witness for the tribulation

Romans 11:1–5 (ESV) —

1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

 

NOTE: There are two aspects of Israel, that is Jews, understood here. We know from other passages that the church is made up of Jewish and Gentile believers where there is no distinction. But there still exists the nation Israel who rejected the Messiah and for whom a partial hardening (verse 25) exists (for the duration of the church age). When the church age ends with the snatching up of the church, there will be for a moment where there will be no believers on earth; but very quickly a remnant will arise out of Israel, 144 thousand Jewish believers, and God will finish his program for Israel -- the seventieth week of Daniel that has been put on hold for almost 2000 years now. Where will these 144K believers come from? I believe they are out there right now. They hear the truth but they don't believe the truth. Their hearts are hardened by unbelief. But with the rapture of the church, I think they will realize the truth and they will turn to the Messiah. And they will finish the work that God called them to over 4000 years ago, to take the gospel everywhere. They will be called Tribulation Saints because the church age will have ended. They are a special group that will suffer and die for the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

 

PONDER:

1. What am I doing to reach out to my Jewish friends? Everything we do now, will be remembered when by them when the church is gone.
2. We need to change the attitude of Jews toward Jesus by a loving witness -- what am I doing with my witness?

 

PRAYER: Father, give me opportunities to love all people. Someday, my witness will be the only message they have of Jesus since all believers will have left this age.

QT 12/13/2024 Rom 10:17-21, The Jews need to hear the message

Romans 10:17–21 (ESV) —

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,

and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;

with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

“I have been found by those who did not seek me;

I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

 

NOTE: Ps 19 says that God's voice, his creation, has gone out to the ends of the earth. For that reason alone, everyone has heard of God. Israel, most of all, has heard the message in many forms and in many ways, the most recent being the Son of God himself. Israel rejected the Messiah on earth and so nearly 2000 years has passed in disobedience. God is not finished with Israel as verses 25-27 will explain. Today is the day of the Gentiles and a remnant of Israel, that together compose the church. But the church age is coming to a close. The signs of the end times increase. Israel needs to take heed. Satan wants to destroy the nation still. Israel needs to confess and turn back to the Lord before the day of God's judgement strikes.

 

PONDER:

1. Are we bold in sharing the gospel to everyone, especially Jews?
2. God is not slow with fulfilling his promises, in other words, the will find fulfillment, am I ready?

 

PRAYER: The days are closing quick. Help me to use these days in service and as a witness for Jesus.

QT 12/12/2024 Rom 10:12-16, We need to call on him

Romans 10:12–16 (ESV) —

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”

 

NOTE: Not everyone who hears the message will believe (vs 16), but it is incumbent upon us to take the message to as many as possible. You can't believe the good news unless someone shares the good news with you. The simple part of the message is that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." What does that mean? Verses 9 and 10 have already made that clear:

 

Romans 10:9–10 (ESV) — 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

 

It is not complicated, but it must be real, that is from deep within your heart. Last night my pastor said, "praying a prayer and getting wet (baptism)" is not our desire. We want people to truly experience the salvation that is found in Jesus Christ.

 

PONDER:

1. Are you saved?
2. Have you called upon Jesus?
3. Have you experienced the life transformation that comes with being born again into the family of God?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray that in these final days, we will be much more serious about taking the message to as many as possible.

QT 12/11/2024 Rom 10:5-11, Salvation is impossible any other way

Romans 10:5–11 (ESV) —

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

 

NOTE: Paul is contrasting two ways to salvation. If you can keep the whole law, you could be saved by works. But Paul has already demonstrated that is impossible to keep the law. But salvation is available to those who confess and believe -- a free gift offered to all mankind, Jew and Gentile.

 

No heroic attempts to storm the citadel of heaven or the kingdom of the dead are needed. Christ the Saviour is here, incarnate and risen.”47

 

Mounce says "outward confession stems from a profound inward conviction." It is not enough to say the words or even to intellectually accept the truth. It is not considered works to confess sin and believe in your heart in Jesus. The world system and  the enemy of our faith wants us to believe in religion, good works, or that no God exists. We must not be fooled by his schemes but believe in God's truth as given in his Word, the bible.

 

PONDER:

1. Who do I listen to?
2. What do I truly believe? All the answers are in the bible.

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you that nothing is required of me but to confess and believe. If more was required, I would have surely failed you.

 

47 Hunter, Romans, 95.

QT 12/10/2024 Rom 10:1-4, The Law is null and void now

Romans 10:1–4 (ESV) —

1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

 

NOTE: In verse 4, the "end" is the Greek word "telos" meaning complete. When Jesus says:

 

Matthew 5:17 (ESV) — 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

 

He was not saying that the law was still in effect after his work, but rather that He (Jesus) would completely fulfill it. The law is ended for the believer because Jesus fulfilled every aspect of the law.

 

That is why scripture says that we are no longer under the law.

 

Galatians 5:18 (ESV) — 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 

And the author of Hebrews writes,

 

Hebrews 7:18–19 (ESV) — For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

 

The word for "set aside" is the same word used to describe what happens to our sin, it means to be annulled. I don't know why so many religious people want to be under the law when it no longer applies. Jesus paid it all. We are free from that burden. We are new creatures, born again to a new and blessed hope.

 

PONDER:

1. Are you born again?
2. Or are you trying to save yourself by doing good works? (Note: you will not be saved by works)

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you again that I am saved, not on the basis of anything I have done, but on the basis of the completed work of Christ on the cross.

QT 12/9/2024 Rom 9:30-33, Being a good person is not going to save you

Romans 9:30–33 (ESV) —

30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

 

NOTE: These verses are some of the strongest verses in the bible on the futility of works as a means of justification (Harrison). The Messiah was always the means of salvation, but Israel saw the Messiah as a physical salvation from its enemies and not as a spiritual salvation from its true enemy, its (and ours) sinful nature. I fear that even the church loses sight of this truth when it focuses on rules versus the heart. The church can pursue religion and lose out on real life. Jesus said to the church at Laodicea that they nauseated him and he wanted to spit them out of his mouth. I believe that happens when faith is replaced by activities, rules, and personal financial gain as the priority in life.

 

PONDER:

1. Have I subtly given in to the thought that I am saved because I am a good person?
2. Who am I really living for: God or myself? It will show in how I spend my money and my time

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray for the church that you would wake them up to the importance of the great commission. We are here with a mission, and the mission requires participation. Some think they have faith, but their faith is really in themselves and not in Jesus.

QT 12/6/2024 Rom 9:25-28, Sons of the living God

Romans 9:25–28 (ESV) —

25 As indeed he says in Hosea,

“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’

and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ”

26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’

there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ”

27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.”

 

NOTE: Even Israel, chosen by God, will not all be saved -- at least until the end of time. Many Jews have died in these last 2000 years for a refusal to believe in the Messiah. And Gentiles, who Jews called dogs, and who also did not have in the one true God of Israel, they have died without salvation, but in these last days, some of them are now called God's people. It really is a remnant of Jews and a remnant of Gentiles who are God's people. We will be called sons of the living God. And those who shook their fist at God and have rebelled from the beginning will receive their sentence -- eternal separation from God in Hell.

 

It is not too late to repent and believe. Now is the day of salvation, now is the time to believe. Don't wait.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I know the savior?
2. Have I been born again?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray that you would continue to show mercy to this world and bring more people into the family. Be gracious. I know judgment is near.

QT 12/5/2024 Rom 9:15-21, How have we responded to the gospel?

Romans 9:15–21 (ESV) —

15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 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.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?

 

NOTE: Verses 19-21 are really a logical argument. God does not have to do anything according to the way we think. He did not have to create us. He did not have to give us mercy. Therefore what difference does it make? But to each person who hears the message, their use of the argument falls flat on its face. "You" have heard the gospel and have either rejected or accepted it. You can argue until you are blue in the face about others, but you have had the chance to accept Jesus as your savior. If you refuse to believe, then it really does not matter how God dealt with Pharaoh. The point is (and it is not easy to grasp) that God has granted men free will and God has predetermined men. How does that fit together? God's mind is infinite and the fact that my finite and very small brain cannot understand it, does not make it illogical or untrue.

 

PONDER:

1. Have you heard how Jesus died on the cross for you, was buried, and rose again for the dead?
2. Do you know that is the gospel and that you must respond to that gospel?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the opportunity to hear the message. My life has been changed because of that moment in time. Thank you.

QT 12/4/2024 Rom 9:8-14, Standing before God, we will be speechless

Romans 9:8–14 (ESV) —

8 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. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 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— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!

 

NOTE: We should comment on verse 12 which is a Semitic idiom, not meaning God hated, but in comparison to how much God loved Jacob, his stance toward Esau would seem like hatred. God chose the second born for no reason. Jacob was truly a deceiver who spent the first 40 years of his life deceiving. After an encounter with God he will then go into another 20 year funk over Joseph's apparent death.

 

This accords with the testimony of Scripture, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Mal 1:2–3). This should not be interpreted to mean that God actually hated Esau. The strong contrast is a Semitic idiom that heightens the comparison by stating it in absolute terms.17

 

17 Berkeley softens the contrast translating, “To Jacob I was drawn, but Esau I repudiated” (the NRSV has “chose” and “rejected”). In discussing the “hatred” of God, Michel comments that it “is not so much an emotion as a rejection in will and deed” (TDNT 4.687).

Mounce, R. H. (1995). Romans (Vol. 27, pp. 198–199). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

 

Paul ends with the question of justice / injustice, but really that is a question of a person who does not understand grace and mercy. When we truly understand God's unmerited favor and his unmerited mercy, we realize that we have no response to God's justice that will stand scrutiny.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I question God's justice?
2. Do I understand my sinfulness?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the grace and mercy shown to me. Thank you that I am a child in the family God.

QT 12/3/2024 Rom 9:1-7, Grace means you didn't deserve it

Romans 9:1–7 (ESV) —

1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 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. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”

 

NOTE: We need to understand Israel in God's terms. In the Old Testament, God says that the reason he chose Israel is because they were the weakest and smallest of the nations. God did not choose Israel because of any inherent goodness, intelligence, or strength. Abraham is a picture of constant back and forth failures before his declaration of faith. No, Israel was not special, but what made them special is that they experienced God's grace. They are a picture of God's grace. We need to understand the word grace, it means unmerited favor. They did nothing to earn God's favor, but it was placed upon a group that did not in any way merit it. That is why Paul is so heartbroken for his people. They were given so much and they blew it. They chose not to believe. What does all this mean to us? We also are born again because of grace. We did not merit it. We are not Christians because we were better than others or deserve it. We are saved by grace and that thought should consume us, unlike Israel which ignored it.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I truly understand the grace bestowed upon me?
2. Do I take my salvation for granted?

 

PRAYER: Father, I don't how to thank you for my salvation. Words are petty and incomplete. I am unworthy and yet you bestowed grace upon me. Thank you. Help me to live somewhat worthy of your kindness to me.

QT 12/2/2024 Rom 8:35-39, Remember we are loved in a pain-filled life

Romans 8:35–39 (ESV) —

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

NOTE: There are certainly times in this life when you don't feel very loved by God. Life hurts. It can hurt relationally, physically, and emotionally. Depression can set in during those times of pain. And it is then that you don't feel as if God cares or that you are loved by God. Pain, technically, is a reminder to the world that this is not what he created or intended for man. We rebelled against him and plunged this world into decay and groaning (as Paul has mentioned in the last chapter). He is going to restore life to how he intended, but that won't happen until Jesus returns. So what do we do now? We remember the promises. We memorize verses like the one above that says "… (nothing) in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 

PONDER:

1. Have I given my life to Christ?
2. Have I ever experienced the promised love?
3. Do I truly believe or am I just religious?

 

PRAYER: Father, I have experienced your love many times, and I have also forgotten when life has become too painful. I know you love me and I will hang onto that process during days of sadness, praying that you would life my spirit?