God's Gifts to His Church 121118

Romans 12:3-8, 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. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 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.

Some people seem to think they are God's gift to the world. That's one side of the coin. The other side is that some people, perhaps we could say many people, think that somehow they are God's curse on the world. In other words they think of themselves as being without worth. As we've studied Romans we've seen that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Further, we've seen that the wages of sin is death. Too often we stop short at this point and fail to recognize that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. In today's passage Paul calls on the believer to think with sound judgment. We who are Christians need to confess, about ourselves, that we are children of God and are equally worthy in Christ Jesus. We're not to put ourselves above others instead we are to act as our Savior did. Jesus said that anyone who would be first among us must be the servant of all. He himself washed the feet of the disciples and said we are also to serve in that way.

I don't intend, today, to talk about the individual spiritual gifts given to believers. Instead, I want to talk about the grace behind the gift as it is given to the Apostle Paul, and to us, and then the gifts themselves. Perhaps at a later date I might take each gift and talk about how it applies to the church, but not today.

So let's begin with…

The grace given to Paul. Paul began this letter with a statement about himself found in… Romans 1:1, listen while I read, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,...

For a part of Paul's life he was known as a persecutor of the church. He arrested men and women and caused the death of some of them. He called himself a blasphemer and an insolent opponent of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then, because of the mercy of God, and the grace that God poured out upon Paul, he became instead…

A servant of Jesus Christ. During the last recorded trial of Paul in the Book of Acts he told his own story. He said that he had left Jerusalem with arrest warrants to go to the city of Damascus. He planned to find the believers in this new faith in Jesus Christ and drag them back to Jerusalem for trial. On his way, he was struck down by light from heaven and heard a voice speak from that light. The voice asked, "Why are you persecuting me?" We find Paul's dialogue with this voice in, Acts 26:15-18, And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Paul could never say that he was not warned by God! From the very beginning he was told that he was appointed as a servant and a witness. He could understand from the statement, "delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles" that he would be in need of deliverance. He was blinded as a result of the brightness of the light. He spent three days in total darkness to help him understand that he had been in spiritual darkness. Part of what he was told was that he was being sent to open the eyes of his own people as well is those of the Gentiles. Not, of course, the physical eyes but instead he would open spiritual eyes. He would bring people from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. He would do this as a servant of Jesus Christ. A servant who is…

Called to be an apostle. Listen while I read Paul's letter to the Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11, And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,…

Notice that in this list apostles are first followed by prophets, evangelists and shepherds and teachers. We can understand that the apostles were first in point of time because they were the ones who followed Jesus. Twelve apostles were chosen by Jesus to be with him and learn from him. Paul wasn't one of those twelve but Judas was! The eleven who remained immediately chose a successor, Matthias, and he was numbered among the twelve. From then on, in the Book of Acts, he is recognized as one of the apostles. Since Acts is inspired by the Holy Spirit, as is the rest of Scripture, his selection was okay with God. But God still had one more man to add to the group. That man was, by his own testimony, a blasphemer, a persecutor and an insolent opponent of the church. Later, Paul would say that he was not worthy to be named as an apostle because he was a persecutor of the church! But when he found others boasting of their "apostleship" Paul asserted that he was not inferior to the "super-apostles"! He humbled himself, supported himself, and preached the gospel without charge. Yet he was an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the apostle to the Gentiles and he was…

Set apart for the gospel. When Paul was struck down on the Damascus Road he was brought into the city of Damascus totally blind. God showed him in a vision that a man named Ananias would come to him. Then God told the man, Ananias, that he was to go to the street called "Straight" and seek out a man named Saul from Tarsus. God assured Ananias the Saul was praying. But Ananias knew that Saul had come there to arrest the believers and he protested in fear. Let's pick up the story in, Acts 9:15, But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.…"

Yes, Paul was set apart to the gospel! But it didn't happen on the Damascus Road, and didn't happen later in Damascus, it happened a good while before. Paul later came to understand, and stated to the Galatians, that God had set him apart before he was born.

God revealed his grace to Saul of Tarsus and changed him into Paul the Apostle who traveled across the Roman world planting churches and winning people to faith in Jesus Christ. He was God's chosen instrument! He was appointed to carry the name of Jesus to the Gentiles, people he had been taught all his life to hate! He would stand before kings and proclaim the gospel and he would stand before crowds of Israelites and do the same thing. Saul, the Pharisee, had persecuted the church. He found himself later being persecuted by the Pharisees. But that only happened when God allowed it as part of his greater plan to bring the gospel to Rome. So that Paul could later write to the Philippians sending greetings from all the saints and especially those of Caesar's household! You see, as a prisoner of the Emperor he would be guarded by the Praetorian Guard. In his years in chains in Rome he met many at the highest levels of the Roman government and some of them became Christians because of that contact. God ordained Paul's imprisonment for the sake of the gospel. God often ordains circumstances in our lives that seem at the time to be painful and frustrating but they result in God's best. Remember, we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Don't let difficult circumstances draw you away from our Lord and Savior. He has a purpose and a plan for everything that comes into our life! So let's look at…

The grace given to us. There are two kinds of grace, common grace that affects all people and special grace, or saving grace, that affects those who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! First we will look at…

Common grace. Let's look at the words of Jesus found in Matthew 5:44-45, But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

The goodness of God brings people to repentance. His common grace lets the sun rise on the evil and the good and sends rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

I am reminded of a story of two farmers whose farms lay side-by-side. The soil was pretty much the same and of course the weather would be the same. One farmer was an atheist who believed that he got everything by his hard work. The other farmer was a devout Christian who believed that he got everything by God's grace and goodness. Being as self-centered as we are we would usually think that, of course, the Christian farmer's crop would always equal or exceed that of the atheist. One year, when they brought their produce to market the unbeliever had a much larger crop than the Christian. Boastfully he said, "I suppose you know what this means don't you?" The Christian brother replied, "Yes, I do, this means that God doesn't settle his accounts in September!" God's common grace comes to all people, in all places, all the time.

Common grace influences saving grace in a number of ways. If it were not for the grace given to carpenters and other builders there would be no church buildings. If it were not for the grace given to farmers, fishermen and ranchers there would be no food on our table. Apart from common grace given to bookbinders and printers there would be no Bibles.

On the other hand, saving grace has brought people to the place where they can bring positive influence on society. In other words, people who have been influenced by special grace make a very positive change in the world they live in and affect the common grace of all those in society influenced by the church. The rewriters of history would write out of all the textbooks the tremendous influence Christians have had throughout history. Establishing democratic government, ending the slave trade, providing medical care for the poor, etc. etc. would not have happened without the Christian church. There is common grace for all. For the believer God has special grace or…

Saving grace. Listen while I read, 2 Timothy 1:8-10, Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,...

A lady by the name of Julia Johnson wrote a hymn that teaches us to be grateful for grace. It goes like this…

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, yonder on Calvary's mount out poured, there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin.

The second verse goes like this:

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide, what can avail to wash it away? Look! There is flowing a crimson tide; whiter than snow you may be today.

The third verse leads us to worship the marvelous grace of God!

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe; all who are longing to see his face. Will you this moment his grace receive?

We were not saved and called because of our good works! We were saved and called because of God's own purpose and grace! Look back at 2nd Timothy and see the remarkable statement. Grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began! The grace of God abolishes death and brings immortal life to light through the gospel! We should never cease to praise the God of heaven who wrote our names in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world! And when he bestowed that grace upon us he also bestowed…

Grace gifts. Paul gives a list of gifts in Romans 12 verses 6-8; but Peter cuts to the chase. Listen while I read 1 Peter 4:10-11, As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Remember, "each" has received a gift. And I venture to think that each one has received more than one gift. Spiritual gifts are given, not for the thrill of the fill, or to benefit the recipient of the gift. Spiritual gifts are given to serve one another! Speaking and serving is the way Peter saw the gifts. When you speak, remember that the Spirit of God dwells in every believer and whatever we say or do is to be for the glory of God. And when we serve others remember, we do not have to serve in our own strength we serve by the strength that God supplies. In everything God should be glorified through Jesus Christ! Gifts are not given to individuals for the individual's use instead God gives…

Grace gifts to the church.

Gifts that are Powered by one Spirit. Turn to first Corinthians chapter 12 and listen while I read 1 Corinthians 12:11, All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

There is only one godly spirit. But there are many spirits. The spirit world is either of God or of Satan. We are to test the spirits to see whether they are from God. And then glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in the use of the spiritual gifts he gives to us. It doesn't matter what gift we have. It only matters that we have the giver of the gifts. And He gives the gifts…

For the common good. Look back at verse seven 1 Corinthians 12:7, To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

The same message that Peter gave — gifts are to be used to serve one another. We are to be good stewards of the gifts that God gave us using them always for the common good!

There seems, to often, to be an emphasis on the gifted person. It would appear sometimes, in some circles, that spiritual gifts are given to enhance the popularity of a person and to increase their importance in the church. Nothing could be further from the truth! Again I say, gifts are not given for the person, gifts are given…

To build up the church. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 14:26, and listen while I read, What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

This follows a lengthy presentation about spiritual gifts in chapters 12 and 13. Some have taken the idea that Paul is criticizing the church here. I don't take it that way at all. He is simply making a statement, when they come together one has a hymn, another has a lesson for teaching, one has a revelation, another a tongue or an interpretation. He's not saying this is good or bad he's just saying, "it is what it is". In 1st Corinthians 12, Paul goes to great lengths to show how important it is for us to remember that we are part of the body. We are each individually members of the body and as such must do what is good for the body. In chapter 13 he goes beyond all the self-centeredness of spiritual excess and comes to the heart of the matter. There he tells us that if he, himself, had all the gifts and excelled in them all and had no love he would be an empty shell of no value to himself or anyone else.

There are many gifts of grace given to the church. Eight gifts are listed here in Romans chapter 12. In first Corinthians chapter 12, nine gifts are listed. Peter, on the other hand, refers to speaking and serving as gifts of the spirit. There are many different opinions about spiritual gifts. I don't enter into controversy about this because it is just foolish to waste our time arguing with each other about things that only God understands.

The most important gift of grace is salvation. We are saved by grace through faith and it is a gift of God. We are not saved by our works of righteousness. Instead, works follow after salvation — at least the works that count follow after salvation. Have you put your faith in him? Have you felt God's Spirit tug at your heart? If you have, you need to step out, come up front, and make a public confession of your faith. Jesus said that if we confess him before men on earth he would confess us before the Father in heaven. This could be your time of salvation.

All Scripture quotes are from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Shepard's Haven of Rest Ministries

Cherlyn and I just got back from a weekend retreat with Charlie and Suzanne Grigsby of the Shepherds' Haven of Rest Ministries.

We stayed at the Cornerstone Victorian B&B in Warrensburg New York. The retreat began on Thursday at dinnertime. We got to know three other couples who had come to share the blessing. One couple was a pastor and his wife from our association. Another couple came from a neighboring Baptist Association. And one couple are Youth for Christ Missionaries in Honduras.

Everything was provided for our comfort. Breakfast at Cornerstone is always unique. Doug and Louise are the host family at Cornerstone Victorian. Louise prepares breakfast with delicious fresh baked goods along with granola and side dishes. Coffee, tea and other drinks are always available. Each room has its own bath and is graciously appointed for guest comfort. On Saturday morning we had a very special five course breakfast that was a real treat. Suzanne Grigsby prepared lunch and supper. She is an excellent cook! On Saturday night we went to a nice restaurant nearby. Again, everything was paid for for us.

(The following is copied from: http://shorministries.com/)

The purpose of Shepherds' Haven of Rest Ministries is to provide a ministry of spiritual help and encouragement to pastors and wives (including staff members and wives) that serves to rekindle the fires of their passion for God and ministry as well as their love for each other.

To renew their spiritual lives, their walk with the Lord, their marriage, and their ministry through worship, relaxation, solitude, counseling, and encouragement.

To refresh their bodies, minds, and spirits.

To refocus their sense of God’s calling and purpose for their lives.

To restore their passion for God, for their marriage, and for ministry.

The long-term goal of the ministry is to help curb the dropout rate of pastors and to see men serve the Lord in power and joy.

Each couple who are invited to attend are asked to relax, enjoy the area, and be present at supper with the other guests. All expenses are paid for or provided for by Shepherds'. Haven of Rest. The one other "requirement" is to spend an hour or two with Charlie and Suzanne so they will understand how to pray for you and your ministry. The prayer time with very special and uplifting.

We attended church Sunday morning with the host family, the Grigsby's, and the missionary couple at New Hope Baptist Church in Queensberry, New York.

We added new eternal friends and were refreshed and encouraged. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a SHOR retreat I hope you do so.

Waylen Bray

God's Good, Acceptable and Perfect Will 121104

Romans 12:1-2, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

This is a familiar passage of Scripture. It is used in many ways to teach so many wonderful things. Most teaching seems to "rush" into the living sacrifice that we are urged to be, or, the renewal of the mind that comes from nonconformity to the age and the transformation it brings about. I don't want us to miss God's mercy. After all, God's mercy is what Paul uses to appeal to us. In fact, I fear that we very often forget that we are only here by God's mercy and grace. There is a large emphasis in the Bible on mercy! Man's response to the mercies of God should be an unhesitating surrender and a willingness to seek a renewed mind.

We are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. Other places in Scripture refer to our bodies as, a temple of the Holy Spirit, God's field or God's building. Peter referred to us as living stones being built up as a spiritual house. All of these examples point us to the presence of God, the Holy Spirit, in the life of the believer. We are bought with a price and that price was Jesus' death on the cross. We are not our own we belong to the living God. If you are a Christian, you came to know God through his kindness. Often the presentation of the gospel seems to focus on some kind of trembling fear of God. We should be respectful in our awe of God but not trembling in fear, unless, of course, we have sinned and not sought forgiveness. I loved my parents, now I love their memory, and respected them. Only experienced fear when I knew what I deserved for what I had done. Then I asked for mercy — not justice! We should be aware that we have salvation only because of…

The mercies of God. Anytime we are in trouble we need mercy. Mercies…

Are needed when we are in distress. Listen while I read, Hebrews 4:14-16, Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Mercy is one of the primary characteristics of God. We need to remember that God has many aspects of his character. We cannot just use one characteristic, or a set of characteristics, that we are comfortable with. We must include them all. Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology tells us, "God’s whole being includes all of his attributes: he is entirely loving, entirely merciful, entirely just, and so forth. Every attribute of God that we find in Scripture is true of all of God’s being, and we therefore can say that every attribute of God also qualifies every other attribute.".

The Bible does not present two Gods, one for the Old Testament and the other for the New. God is always the same. He is not presented as a God of wrath and then later is a God of love. All of his attributes are with him all the time. The so-called God of wrath in the book of Genesis rescued Lot and his family from Sodom, before its well-earned distruction, because he is a God of mercy. We should not hesitate to call on God when we are in need.

When in need we should ask. Look what happened when two blind men sought mercy. Listen while I read, Matthew 9:27-31, And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

Other words for "mercy" are: "compassion" or "kindness". The dictionary defines compassion as a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. A number of times in the Gospels Jesus is referred to as having compassion on the people. In other words, he had a deep feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the problems the people had and had a willingness to do something about it. Here we find Jesus having compassion on two blind men who followed him home. He asked them about their faith. Did they believe that he could heal them of blindness? They answered, "Yes, Lord". And they were healed according to their faith. Then we see Jesus asking them to not spread the news about their healing. Immediately, they told the story everywhere they went.

As we have already seen…

Mercies are part of God's character. Look what Paul called God in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

The Father of mercies and God of all comfort! Granted, in order to get our attention God will gladly allow us to be uncomfortable. Humans need very much to know that they need God. I can assure you, God has put into every person's life enough discomfort to make them seek after him. Sadly, it seems that the majority of mankind push back and rebel against God when confronted with God-given affliction.

The Father of mercies and God of all comfort has a plan that includes our affliction, or sufferings. Once he has delivered us, and moved us in the right direction, his plan involves our being able to comfort others with the same kind of comfort that God has comforted us with.

His mercy is to give us comfort but it's not all about us! We benefit immensely but we are to pass it on just as we received it. The Bible says we are to become…

A living sacrifice.

"Living" implies active not passive participation. One of the greatest dangers to the church is passivity. Listen while I read, Romans 8:12-14, So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

We are debtors! Yes, our debt before salvation was enormous. All have sinned and the wages of sin is death! But, the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! You see, God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He became our substitute and atoned for our sins. A man named Elias Crum wrote a little, but powerful, gospel song: He paid a debt He did not owe; I owed a debt I could not pay; I needed someone to wash my sins away. And, now, I sing a brand-new song "Amazing Grace", all day long. Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay!

Yet, we are debtors! We owe our eternal life to Christ. As a result, we must take an active part in living the Christian life. The Spirit alone doesn't put to death the deeds of the body. Romans 8:13, says, "if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”. We are not to be passive, instead we are to be very active in paying our debt. We are to be a "lively" sacrifice not a passive one. Our sacrifice is…

Acceptable to God because it is holy. Listen while I read, Colossians 1:21-22, And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

Once we were alienated and hostile in mind but now we are reconciled to God. That reconciliation was worked out by Jesus Christ on the cross. He took our sins in his own body and nailed them to the tree. With his death he buried them in the grave and rose again leaving them there. Just as God had promised in the Old Testament to bury our sins in the bottom of the sea, and Corrie ten Boom said that he posted a "No Fishing" sign there. Further. he said he would put our sins as far away from us as the East is from the West. And the distance between East and West is infinite. Our living sacrifice is holy and acceptable to God because HE made it holy. Not because WE have made it holy! It is the God of peace who sanctifies us completely. He is faithful He will surely do it! (1 Thessalonians 5:24-25) When we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) We are holy and acceptable because he has made us so!

If we could have made ourselves holy, then God is unjust and we know that is not true. Why do I say that? Because in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39) If we could have made ourselves holy then Jesus died for nothing. Clearly, he was saying that if there was any other way to atone for the sins of mankind that way should be taken. The fact that the Father let him go to the cross is evidence that there was no other way.

We are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is…

Your logical, spiritual worship. Presenting ourselves to God is an act of worship. Listen while I read, Romans 6:12-14, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Paul goes on say, in the next few verses, that we choose who we serve either sin or righteousness! We are to present ourselves to God. There is no middle ground. Either we serve God resulting in righteousness and life or we serve the flesh resulting in unrighteousness and death.

Verse 14 gives us one of the greatest promises in Scripture. Sin will have no dominion over you! Some days, I know, this promise sounds hollow because we have stumbled into sin again and can't seem to shake it off! But the promise is sure — sin WILL HAVE NO DOMINION over you! Remember, he who calls us is faithful he will do it! (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

When we present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, it is our reasonable, logical, spiritual worship. The result will be that we are not conformed to this world but instead are transformed by the renewal all of our mind. Now what is A renewed mind?

This age is ruled by the enemy. Everyone is born in need of a renewed mind. As part of the world we were subjects of Satan. See what Paul told the Ephesians in … Ephesians 2:1-3, And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Writing to Christians in Ephesus, Paul could use the past tense, "you were dead", because by grace they had been saved. Before salvation they were subjects of the prince of the power of the air, Satan himself!

In Romans 12, when Paul writes about our not being conformed to this world he is not talking about the material universe. A much better translation would be that we should not be conformed to this age. This age is ruled by Satan. Hallelujah! There is coming of age entirely ruled by God! But we live in the now — not the then. Everything around us seeks to shape us, to conform us, to the spirit of the age. We are not to present ourselves to sin or to the desires of the body and the mind like the rest of mankind. We are to present ourselves to God as subjects of righteousness. We must not be conformed to this age.

Not conformed to this age. The world is too much with us. Conformity to the world is a dangerous thing. Listen to Peter's injunction. 1 Peter 1:14-16, As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Have you ever wondered why an unbeliever just simply doesn't "get it" when we try to share our faith? Peter hits the nail on the head! We are not to be conformed to the passions of our former ignorance! We are to be obedient children trusting in our father in heaven to guide us into his righteousness day by day. We are to be holy in all our conduct.

I know, we are saved by grace not by works. But we forget too readily that the same passage that tells us, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast." Also tells us, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Yes we are saved by grace through faith that is a gift from God! When we were created anew we were created for good works! Those works can't save us but they are evidence that we are saved.

All of this is the work of God. All of our righteousness acts, apart from him, are like dirty clothes at a dress-up party!

When we surrender, and Christ becomes our Lord and Savior, then he begins a process of Transforming us from glory to glory. We begin with the glory of God and we are moved on to greater glory. Listen while I read, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

We are being transformed! That's what that feeling is we do something wrong or even think a bad thought! That's why we feel guilty about things we never felt guilty about before we became a Christian! We are being transformed! We once were a caterpillar crawling on a leaf then a process began, for some it is a long time, for others, it is very quick! Then we emerge as a beautiful butterfly!

Peter's counsel to us is to grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. That is the process of Christian maturity.

Just as in the physical realm, a person is born a baby. And no one expects anything else! In the spiritual realm we are born immature, spiritual babies. Sadly, some Christians never seem to grow much beyond the the day of their salvation. I'm sure God intends for all of us to grow in grace and the knowledge the Lord. Remember, once a person is born from above, his nature is already Christlike. But that new nature is infantile in maturity.

I quote from Bill Gillham's book, Lifetime Guarantee. He is like an oak sapling that can mature into a fully grown, fruitful oak tree. He is not half oak and half briar bush. I reiterate, just as an oak sapling does not get oakier as it matures, neither does a new creature in Christ get holier, more forgiven, more accepted, etc. Through obedient faith, as he begins to live consistently with his new nature, he will mature more and more into the image of Jesus.

If anyone is in Christ Jesus he is a new creation! Not, he will become a new creation! At salvation, we do not become a little bit Christian, and then, little by little, become more and more Christian. We are transformed by the renewing of our mind. Once that blessed event occurs we begin to grow spiritually. The glory of God comes upon a person at salvation. And then, we begin the process of being shaped like him. It is not always, or even often, a joyful, painless, process.

There's a story about a great sculptor who stood before a huge piece of stone. He was asked by person standing nearby, "How do you know what to do with the stone?" The sculptor answered, "It's really quite simple. You see, this block of stone is going to become a horse! Now, all I have to do is chip away everything that doesn't look like a horse!" That's a preacher story, and it may have happened and it may not have happened but it makes the point very well anyway.

God takes us in our unsaved condition and, by his grace, through his gift of faith, he makes us a new creation! Then, spiritually, he begins a process of chipping away everything that doesn't look like Jesus! We are being transformed into the same image. God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son. (Romans 8:29) We are made to die to our old nature so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4:11) John tells us that we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but when he appears we shall be like him. (1 John 3:2) This is really a continuation of the promise that sin will have no dominion over us!

We can present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. This is reasonable, logical, and spiritual worship because it is not our works that makes us holy and acceptable it is the work of God! He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise him all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Old 100th, or, The Doxology, should flow from a heart that has seen the mercies of God, then has been offered up to Him as a sacrifice, and been transformed by a renewed mind. If you've never surrendered your life to Christ. Please, do so now! Now is the favorable time; now is the day of salvation! If you have surrendered your life to Christ but have never made a public confession of your faith I urge you to do so now. We need to let the world know where we stand.

All scripture quotes are from:The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Israel's Salvation 121028

Romans 11:25-36, Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 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”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

In this passage the Apostle Paul uses the word, "mystery". He used this same word at least twenty times in his letters. The word means something that is hidden, or, difficult to understand in the light of present knowledge. In first Corinthians Paul viewed himself as a steward of the mysteries of God. In Ephesians the mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs with Israel. In Colossians the mystery is "Christ in you, the hope of glory". To Timothy, Paul wrote of the mystery of the faith, and the mystery of godliness. Here in Romans the mystery is that a temporary hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And then Paul gives a prophecy, "in this way all Israel will be saved".

Blindness, or hardening on Israel.

A veil over the eyes. Listen as I read, 2 Corinthians 3:14-16, But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

The mystery of the temporary hardening of Israel is clearly pointed out in second Corinthians chapter 3. When God wants to point out, or accentuate, his work in a certain situation he sometimes hardens the heart of one or more people so whatever point he wishes can be made.

He hardened the heart of Pharaoh so that he could visit Egypt with 10 plagues each one of which would destroy a pagan belief of the Egyptians and prove that there is but one God.

When Jesus sent his disciples away across the lake after feeding the 5000, they were caught up in a fierce storm. You can read the account in Mark chapter 6. After praying up a storm, Jesus walked to the boat on the water, entered the boat, and calmed the storm. An interesting note: Mark does not mention Peter walking on the water to Jesus, sinking, and being helped back to the boat. Mark was Peter's kinsman and as such got his information from Peter who probably was embarrassed to recall his sinking in the water. The point of the story is pointed out by Mark. They had not understood the miracle of the loaves and needed a reinforced lesson. By the way, the disciples never really "got it" until after Jesus' resurrection!

Please remember that everything God does has a purpose!

Jesus used parables to hide the mystery. Listen as I read, Mark 4:10-12, And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.”

Jesus used parables as a teaching tool. Sometimes we miss the point he makes here. Not everyone was intended to understand what Jesus taught! It just wasn't their time and so the use of a parable caused them to be unable to understand. Parables shed light for those who were intended to understand but they were confusing those who were not ready. I have seen the same thing happen when I try to explain the simple gospel to some people. They listen very carefully but I can tell from the look in their eyes that they have no understanding of what I'm saying. Sometimes they nod and seem to respond but they don't get it! I used to blame myself, and my way of presenting the gospel, but I slowly came to understand that there are people who are just not ready to hear the gospel.

The temporary hardening of the minds of Israel was designed to open the door to the Gentiles so they could hear the gospel and believe. There was, and is to this day, a veil over the spiritual eyes of many in Israel when the law is read. The work of the law was to bring people to the end of themselves so they could know that they could not save themselves by good works. The law was to be a schoolmaster to bring men to Christ. As Paul experienced in Antioch of Pisidia, everyone who was appointed to eternal life believed! Remember the hardening was…

Partial, or temporary, to benefit the Gentiles. Listen while I read again, Romans 11:11, 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.

The purpose of the hardening of the hearts of Israel grew out of the fact that they had hardened their own hearts in the past. Just as Pharaoh hardened his heart and later, when he tried to throw in the towel, God hardened his heart because he wasn't finished with him yet. In the same way, God hardened hearts in Israel while Jesus was on the earth, and in the years immediately afterwards, in order to bring the Gentiles into the kingdom. But remember, this was a temporary or partial hardening. It was not intended for the Jews be excluded but rather that the Gentiles should be included alongside their Jewish brothers. The hardening is intended to last only…

Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Israel had barred the Gentiles. Listen while I read what Jesus said in Matthew 23:13, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in…"

It must've been a heartbreaking experience for Jesus to experience the hardhearted rejection of all non-Jews by the leaders of Israel. He gives us an example in the parable of the good Samaritan.

Samaritans were considered to be one of the lowest forms of human existence by the rabbis of Israel. An Israelite had been going on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was assaulted and robbed by a band of thieves. A priest came by and saw him lying beside the road beaten and bloody. In order to put the best face on the situation, I'm sure he feared becoming "unclean" by coming into contact with a dead body and then he couldn't do his priestly duties. So he went by on the other side of the road. He didn't even call 911!

A little later, a Levite came along and passed by on the other side of the road. Then, according to Jesus' story, a despised Samaritan came along. He not only checked the man out but he loaded him on his own donkey and took him to the Inn and cared for his wounds. Then he left money with the innkeeper to take care of the expenses of this man.

Jesus then ask, "Which of these three proved to be a neighbor to the man?"

Not only did the Pharisees and other religious leaders not enter into the kingdom but they also blocked the door so that the nations could not come in. Well, when man closes the door to the kingdom…

God opened the door. Listen while I read about Paul's experience, Acts 14:24-28, Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples.

Paul and Barnabas probably had more experience with witnessing to Gentiles than any other believer of their age at that time. Peter had gone into the household of Cornelius and had presented the gospel successfully to them but, we know from later experience, (recorded in Galatians 2) that Peter had not been consistent in his witness to the Gentiles. So that, by the time of the writing of the Roman letter, Paul had come to consider himself an apostle to the Gentiles. His job, as he now understood it, was take the gospel to the nations of the world without regard to their nationality, race, or family. Later, while speaking to a hostile crowd in Jerusalem, the crowd listened intently until he said that Jesus had commanded him to "go far away to the Gentiles" and then the crowd closed in on him and would've killed him if it had not been for the Roman soldiers.

After generations of the Jewish system blocking the Gentiles from worship, now, a temporary hardening had come upon the Jews until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in. Paul certainly did not mean that all the Gentiles be saved instead…

"Fullness" does not mean "all" but it does mean many. Listen while I read from John's vision while on the Isle of Patmos, Revelation 7:9, After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Nowhere in Scripture is universal salvation taught. In fact, Scripture is very clear that salvation is reserved for those who come by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What John saw and recorded for us in the book of Revelation was "the fullness of the Gentiles". A great multitude that no one could number. They came from every nation, they came from every tribe. They represented every language group. And they all worship together around the throne in heaven. That, is what "the fullness of the Gentiles" means.

In the same manner, "fullness"doesn't mean "all" and, "all Israel” doesn't mean every single Israelite. Yet, Paul emphatically states…

"All" Israel will be saved.

Based on Scripture, Israel will return. Let's see what Hebrews has to say about the future of the Jews, here the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, is being quoted. Hebrews 8:8-13, For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

There is no doubt in my mind that God intends, somewhere in the future, to bring into the Christian church a great influx of Jews. I believe that great harvest will represent a vast majority of the Jews who are alive at the time. All throughout history there have been Jewish believers. But in the future there will be a great harvest under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it will begin in the modern-day nation of Israel. Maybe it will begin in New York City where are more than 1 million Jews. I don't know the time or the manner in which this will be done but I do know it will be done.

In that massive gathering of people around the throne that John saw in the book of Revelation there will be millions of Paul's brethren according to the flesh. He rejoiced as he transcribed Romans 11 that…

God's call cannot be revoked. Look back at, V. 29, For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Paul could see that things do not always occur the way we want them but they do always occur the way God wants them. Just as the Gentiles received mercy as a result of the disobedience of the Jews, and just as we Gentiles were grafted into the rootstock of Israel, even so, the natural branches will be brought back to be grafted into the rootstock alongside of us. We should not hesitate to share our faith with a Jew. 
Often times Christians are hesitant to share the gospel with a Jew. There are a couple of ungrounded reasons for not witnessing to Jews. One, is the idea that somehow Jews are covered by the old covenant. Another, is the idea that it is somehow anti-semitic to witness to the Jews. Both these ideas are wrong!

We need a remember that…

Salvation is the same for all people. Listen while I read, Acts 4:8-12, Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Nothing could be clearer than Peter's words, "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Throughout the book of Romans Paul has shown the equality of relationship with God! As I have repeated so often, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. "All", in this case, certainly means every person. Paul tells us in Romans five that sin came into the world by one man and that one man is Adam, the ultimate ancestor. You see, we all inherit who we are from our ancestors. Many of our characteristics can be traced back for generations. Well, the most deadly characteristic, death through sin, goes all the way back to Adam. Not only did we inherit sin from Adam we also voluntarily sinned on our own part. Clearly, we have all sinned and, the wages of sin is death. Wages are, or should be, what we deserve for our work. Paul pointed out that we were dead in trespasses and sins in Ephesians chapter 2. That is the common condition of all mankind.

If that is as far as God went, we would all be in a world of hurt with no hope without God in this world. But the same verse that says, "the wages sin is death", continues with, "but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." You see, God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) So, God always had a plan for the salvation of a remnant of mankind. Not just a plan to provide a Savior but a plan to provide a Lord.

In Romans 10:9-10, God's Word tells us, 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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Admitting that one is a sinner and in need of salvation, accepting the fact of the resurrection, and confessing the need for a Savior and Lord, is a prerequisite to salvation. The conditions of salvation are imposed on all mankind without regard to nationality, race or family. All are under sin, all are subject to spiritual death and all must confess Jesus as Lord in order to be saved!

There is coming a day when there will be a great inflow of Jewish people into the Christian church. It is impossible to judge the time, or the manner, of this event. However, it is prophesied in the Old and New Testaments. In the meantime, we should be sharing our faith with everyone regardless of race, nationality or family. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God! The wages of sin is death so all are in trouble! However, God demonstrates his love for us, in that, while we were still sinners Christ died for us. So we need to urge everyone to believe in their heart that God raised Christ from the dead and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Have you trusted him as your Lord and Savior? If not, do so now!

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 . Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.