His Love Ministries
Episodes
Wednesday Jul 29, 2015
ROMANS 2:1-3 YOU WHO JUDGE ARE INEXCUSABLE
Wednesday Jul 29, 2015
Wednesday Jul 29, 2015
Chapter 2:1 Judgment according to Knowledge
The Therefore
connects Chapter 1 with 2 and speaks to the Gentile’s sin – the problem is, however, that the Jew and other hypocrites somehow think
he is exempt from God judging him in accordance with that same truth. Thus
he thinks that when he commits the same sins he will somehow escape the
judgment of God!
The
apostle now warned them that they had indeed "practiced" the same
things (v. 1). He seems to have been thinking as Jesus did when our Lord
corrected His hearers' superficial view of sin (e.g., Matt. 5—7). Evil desires
constitute sin as well as evil actions.
Jews who judge
Gentiles hypocritically are without excuse since they practice the same sins
and will also be judged by God in accordance with knowledge and the truth
The Jew who judges Gentiles has no excuse because at the
same point at which he judges another he condemns himself. Why? Well, when he
judges, he admits that such behavior is wrong, and worthy of just punishment
from God, yet he himself knowingly commits the same sins
Self
righteousness exists because we minimize God's moral standards
Because we underestimate our own sinfulness
Verses 2 & 3 Judgment according to Truth or
Righteously
1Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at
the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as
man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the
heart."
Psalms 9:7 But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for
judgment. 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer
judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
The first
principle by which God judges is that He judges righteously (v2). He judges on
the basis of what really exists, not what merely appears to be.
Paul’s point is that since God’s
judgment is based on truth and not on any fudging of the grades for the sake of
the “chosen” crowd, the Jew is equally held accountable to God. They cannot
condemn others for their sins when they practice the same ones. The Jew of
Paul’s day knew and approved of the fact that God’s judgment is in accordance
with the truth, yet he failed to apply it to himself because, in his zealous
criticism of obvious Gentile sin, he failed to similarly apply God’s revealed
standard to his own life. Paul’s says that God’s impartial judgment extends to
the covenant people as well. When it comes to God’s judgment against sin, we
must all examine our lives, for we have a tendency to throw the first stone,
all the while conveniently forgetting that we all live under the same rules that others do.
Wednesday Jul 22, 2015
ROMANS 1:22-32 PROFESSING TO BE WISE, THEY BECAME FOOLS
Wednesday Jul 22, 2015
Wednesday Jul 22, 2015
Romans
1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible
God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals
and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the
lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who
exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature
rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God
gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use
for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use
of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing
what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which
was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit,
evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent,
proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31
undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing
the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are
deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice
them. (NKJV)
The Ignorance in v 21, leads to Idolatry
v 22, which leads to impurity v 23
The word wise is the Greek expression
that describes a cultured and learned man skilled in letters. It is the word
from which we get sophisticated, philosophy, and philosopher.
The word fool is the word moron which
means one who has had the opportunity to receive the truth of God and has
deliberately rejected it.
Psalm
14:1 The fool has said in his
heart, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.
Mythology
and idolatry have resulted from man's need to identify some power greater than
himself and his refusal to acknowledge God as that power. Men and women have
elevated themselves to God's position (cf. Dan. 2:38; 3:1; 5:23). In our day,
humanism has replaced the worship of
individual
human leaders in most developed countries. Man has descended to the worship of
animals as well (cf. Ps. 106:20). This is perhaps more characteristic of third
world countries.
"This tragic process of human
'god-making' continues rapidly in our own day, and Paul's words have as much relevance
for people who have made money or sex or fame their gods as for those who
carved idols out of wood and stone.
The expression God gave them over means
that the process envisioned in 1:18-32 is not simply the natural course of
events but an ongoing history directed by a sovereign God who makes decisions
which affect people, societies, and cultures. The thought is truly a frightful
one. It is reminiscent of Pharaoh turning his back on God and God hardening his
heart (Exod 9:16; cf. Rom 9:17).
How can a loving God send men to hell?
He will only when men consistently
reject God, then He will abandon them
If people really want their sinful lifestyles, then the
awesome reality is God will give them over to it. As C. S. Lewis as aptly
remarked, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God,
‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that
are in hell chose it.” The point is, that although Paul is not talking about
hell here, and indeed there is still hope for these people, there is
nonetheless a continuum between their present existence and their future. If a
person really wants God out of their thoughts, as these people most definitely
do, Love has decided to provide a place in the end where they can choose to go
and never have to think about him again.
God only gives men over after He has
shown Himself to us clearly
God doesn't cause our downfall, the
natural law of consequences does
God cannot abide in the presence of
sin, that is why he abandoned his son (Jesus) on the cross at Calvary while He
was bearing and suffering for the sins of the whole world
Verse 25 is a good definition of idolatry
To believe the lie--
2Thessalonians 2:9 -12 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working
of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among
those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they
might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that
they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not
believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
V 26 For this reason God gave them up
Why ....... look back at verse 25
What God gave them up to
Vile Passions.. Homosexuality.. Even
the women lusted for one another.
Paul shows the extent of the moral
collapse by telling us first that the women who are usually the last to be
affected by this kind of sin have fell totally and completely from any moral
standards.
This is why Sodom and Gomorrah were
judged
V28 God gave them over......man
comes to the point where he totally rejects any knowledge of God
He gave them over to a debased mind or reprobate
mind in the Greek means not passing the test
Often used to describe useless,
worthless, metals discarded because they contain too much impurities or trash
in them.
God has tested man's mind and found it useless and worthless.
And
the idea of knowledge always means
“moral or religious knowledge” in the NT. The point Paul is making, then, is
this: Men and women tested the idea of God and having concluded that he would destroy their freedom (after
all, he is the powerful Creator who
has a legitimate claim on all his creation) made the conscious choice to dispel
him from their thinking.
These people no longer have the ability to know right from
wrong
v-29-31 Paul now goes through a list of
words that describe Shameful Human Character, Shameful Human Conduct and
Shameful Human Conversation
In this world it is getting where more and more that right
is wrong in the majority of people's eyes and wrong is right. Our leadership is
just a reflection of our nation with our sins totally uncovered and in our face
for the whole world to see.
There are two
lessons in Romans 1
1. Because all have sinned only the grace
of God can keep us from living the way these people have in Romans 1
2. The opposite of sin in Romans 1 is the
power mentioned in v16 of the Gospel of Christ unto Salvation.
Wednesday Jul 15, 2015
ROMANS 1:18-21 THE WRATH OF GOD IS BEING REVEALED
Wednesday Jul 15, 2015
Wednesday Jul 15, 2015
Romans
1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because
what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and
Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God,
they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their
thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
The reason for human guilt 1:18
The
downward spiral of man from sin to idolatry is shown from verses 18-32
1st
of all man knows God in verses 18-20
Next
he fails to glorify God in verses 21-23
Then
man changes the truth of God into a lie in verses 24-25
Lastly
man rejects any knowledge of God at all in verses 26-32
The
downward spiral of man from sin to idolatry is shown from verses 18-32
1st
of all man knows God in verses 18-20
Next
he fails to glorify God in verses 21-23
Then
man changes the truth of God into a lie in verses 24-25
Lastly
man rejects any knowledge of God at all in verses 26-32
Ro 1:18 For the wrath of
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
The wrath of God is not
some sudden outburst of anger or impulsive thing; it is a predetermined and
rational act of a righteous God against sinful man.
It is revealed or more accurately constantly revealed. The
word means to uncover to make visible or make known
God has revealed His wrath
as well as His righteousness (v. 17) from heaven in the gospel.53 As Paul would
explain, the unfolding of history also reveals God's hatred toward sin and His
judgment of sin. The moral devolution of humanity is not just a natural
consequence of man's sinning but also a result of God's judgment of sinners.
The final judgment of sin will occur in the end times, but already God is
pouring out His wrath against sin to a lesser degree (cf. Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6).
Paul described wrath as revealed from heaven because it comes from God who is
in heaven.
"God's wrath is his
divine displeasure with sin. We call it 'wrath' because it shares certain basic
characteristics of human wrath. But because it is God's wrath it can have none
of the sinful qualities of its human counterpart.
God has two ways he reveals his wrath
1.
Indirectly through natural consequences of
violating his moral law
Galatians 6:7 Be
not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but
he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9
And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not.
2.
Directly through his personal intervention
or his decisive changing of events so that a price is paid for sin
·
The sentence passed on Adam and Eve
·
Sodom and Gomorrah
Deuteronomy
29:23 the whole land brimstone and salt,
and a burnt-out waste, unsown, and growing nothing, where no grass can sprout,
an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD
overthrew in his anger and wrath--
·
The Flood
2 Peter 2:5
and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
The
wrath of abandonment which is removing all restraint and letting people go to
their sins
Psalms 81:11 "But my people did not
listen to my voice; Israel would have none of me.12 So I gave them over to
their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
This is what God is doing
in this section of scripture:
The
wrath of God is revealed against
The
sinfulness of man
1st
in Ungodliness which is a lack of respect, devotion and true worship of God
2ndly in Unrighteousness which is a result
of Ungodliness means injustice toward other human beings
That is, their sinful
transgressions against God and their corrupted behavior exhibited within human
relationships. In short, all of human life is polluted with sin.
We
see it in any attitude or action that is not loving. Together these two words
show humankind's failure to love God and other people as we should, which are
our two greatest responsibilities (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:37-39).
Verses 19-27 demonstrate man's ungodliness, and verses 28-32 show his wickedness.
The "truth" refers to truth that people know about God (cf. v. 25).
They suppress this truth by their wickedness.
Further, people suppress or hinder the
truth by their unrighteousness Here
“unrighteousness” is not so much a general reference to the way in which they
suppress the truth, but a reference to the sinful acts themselves which are
used to hold the truth from one’s sight. Nothing could be more futile than to
think that we can extinguish or destroy the truth through the means of sin. In
the end, all we end up doing is confirming the truth.
The reason for his wrath
is because of their
· Unrighteousness is a lack of conforming to
the law of God with our thoughts words and our deeds
· Suppressing
revealed truth
But
what truth do they suppress? Undoubtedly it refers to the truth about God,
i.e., his power, authority, and the fact that we are accountable to him as
Creator (1:19-20
Even
though God has revealed Himself through their conscience, creation and God's
word they still choose to resist and oppose God's truth so they can live in
sin.
Whenever the truth starts
to exert itself and makes them feel uneasy in their moral nature, they hold it
down, suppress it. Some drown its voice by rushing on into their immoralities;
others strangle the disturbing voice by argument and by denial.
Next
we come to the age old question of is a person lost who has never heard the
Gospel of Jesus
"Napoleon,
on a warship in the Mediterranean on a star-lit night, passed a group of his officers
who were mocking at the idea of a God. He stopped, and sweeping his hand toward
the stars, said, 'Gentlemen, you must get rid of those first!'
Missionaries from all over the world testify
that they find no atheists or people who do not believe in God even in the most
primitive tribal settings. There is always a belief in a god whether it is a
correct belief or not.
All
of us have a conscience and a sense of morality whether we choose to obey it or
not. We know wrong from right.
Why they are without excuse
Because, Even though they
Knew God
1.
They did not glorify God.... Scripture
constantly demands it
Lev
10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD meant when he said,
'Through those who are near me I will show myself holy, and before all the people
I will be glorified.'" And Aaron was silent.
2.
They were not thankful
3. They became futile in their thoughts or in
other words they tried to find meaning
in life by dreaming up ways to be satisfied without GOD
Therefore,
to suppress the knowledge of God is to engage in the futility of idolatry.
4. Their foolish hearts were darkened
John 3:19 "And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
If man will respond to the light or
revelation of God he has been given, even if he is in the middle of the jungle,
God will crash a plane and parachute a missionary in to him so that he can hear
the gospel and be saved.
Every one of us has a God shaped vacuum that
we try to fill with things such as money, drugs, alcohol, love, power, or sex.
1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world--the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the
Father but is of the world.
Wednesday Jul 08, 2015
ROMANS 1:14-17 THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH
Wednesday Jul 08, 2015
Wednesday Jul 08, 2015
Romans
1:14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to
unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who
are in Rome also. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is
the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and
also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from
faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
Flow of thought with the three I am statements
I am a debtor v14
So, because I am a debtor, I am eager v 15
I am eager, For or Because I am not ashamed v 16
Because I am not ashamed, why, it is the power of God v
16
Negatively I am not ashamed, Positively, I am eager to
share the gospel
It is a debt to humanity he needed to repay and
obligation, (he had been given a stewardship) and it is the Power of God to
everyone who believes (He had a sense of conviction because he knew if the
Gospel could change him it could change anyone.
1.
He was not ashamed of Christ, the person of
the Gospel – even though Jesus was a Jew
Jews were a
despised minority and Rome was a mighty and proud city 2.
The
nature of the gospel is that it is the power of God ........without that power
it is but a dead letter
3. The aim of the gospel is salvation, not
ashamed because of the plan of the Gospel
4.
The gospel is for everyone who believes...
Believes means an ongoing condition not a one-time event of belief. True faith
is a way of life.
5.
Saving faith consists of three elements:
·
Mental - The mind understands the gospel and
truth about Christ
·
Emotional - one embraces the truthfulness of
those facts with sorrow over sin and joyfulness over God's mercy and Grace
·
A volitional or voluntary submission of the
sinners will to Christ and trusts in Christ alone as the only hope of
salvation.
V17 the
revelation of God's righteousness - Better
translated the Righteousness from God
·
The gospel is the revelation of God's
righteousness through faith that He is just and holy and we are guilty sinners
·
Justification of believers means God
absolves or removes the consequences of our sin which is accomplished by
Propitiation
·
The gospel is the Propitiation or legal
payment for our sins which is why Jesus had to die on the cross. The legal side
had to be paid. There is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood.
Salvation is of God's appointing, of God's
approving and God's accepting
To cut off all claims to a
righteousness resulting from the merit of our own works
Now Paul quotes Habakkuk
2:4 The just shall live by faith
This verse summarizes the Gospel
The Law was given to Moses
in 613 precepts or rules of conduct
In the 15th
Psalm they are reduced to 11
In Isaiah 6 ........Micah
to 3 ........then again Isaiah reduces them to 2 and finally Habakkuk condenses
them into 1 rule
The words " The just
shall live by faith" are found 4 times in the Bible, Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17,
Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38
God established Abraham as
the pattern of faith in the OT and thus calls him the father of all who believe
OT faith was in a Christ to come and NT faith is in the
fact that Christ has already come
Wednesday Jul 01, 2015
ROMANS 1:11-13 FOR I LONG TO SEE YOU, SO THAT YOU MAY BE ESTABLISHED
Wednesday Jul 01, 2015
Wednesday Jul 01, 2015
Romans
1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so
that you may be established-- 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together
with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 13 Now I do not want you to be
unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until
now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other
Gentiles.
1.
Paul wants to establish the Romans
V11For I long to see you, that I may
impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established
“I long to see you!” This is the pastor’s heart in Paul the great missionary.
Some of the saints in Rome were very dear to Paul, such as Priscilla and Aquila
(Rom. 16:3–4), who risked their lives for him; “the beloved Persis” (Rom.
16:12); and others who had labored and suffered with Paul. But he also loved
the believers that he did not know, and he longed to be able to share some
spiritual gift with them. He was looking forward to a time of mutual blessing
in the love of Christ.
Paul
wanted to give them God's blessings through his preaching, imparting of
knowledge that they would become rooted and grounded in the faith with deep
spiritual knowledge so they would grow in service to the Lord Jesus.
1Peter 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving
as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but
eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those
entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
2.
Paul wants to encourage
the Romans and be encouraged by them
V12 that is, that I may be encouraged
together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me
He is thinking generally about God
imparting a spiritual blessing (i.e., encouragement; cf. 15:4) to the church
while he is fellowshipping with them in Rome. Through his presence with them
and the blessing worked by the Holy Spirit the church would be strengthened in
their faith, and fortified in their resolve to live obedient lives for Christ
(6:12-14).
Shows the humility of Paul
- none of us knows so much that we cannot benefit from others
Hebrews
10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good
works,25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you
see the Day approaching.
Paul
was comforted by the strong faith of the Romans
Proverbs
27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man
sharpens the countenance of his friend.
3.
Paul was hindered from
going to see the Romans
Ro 1:13 Now I do not want you to
be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered
until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the
other Gentiles.
Why
is someone who wants to do the will of God sometimes hindered or stopped from
doing it?
Four reasons we can be
hindered
1. Sometimes hindered from advancing to the
next stage of God's will because the current
stage is
not complete or in other words God is not finished in this area yet.
Paul wanted to come before
but he had been hindered or kept from doing by an unfinished obligation to
preach the Gospel of God in Greece and Asia Minor
Romans
15:20-23 20 And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ
was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, 21 but as it is written: "To whom He was
not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall
understand." 22 For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming
to you. 23 But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great
desire these many years to come to you,
2. We are sometimes hindered by Satan
1Thessalonians
2:18 Therefore we wanted to come to you----even I, Paul, time and again----but
Satan hindered us.
3. We are sometimes hindered by a greater
opportunity
One
time Paul desired to preach the Gospel in Asia Minor (Acts 16:6-7) and he was
prevented by the Lord because the Lord was opening the door into Macedonia Acts
16:9-10
Started
first church in Europe the Philippian Church, it was a beachhead to allow him
to go all over because of its strategic position.
God
often shuts a door to open another one. Today we have the Epistle to the Romans
because Paul was prevented from going to Rome when he desired to.
Re
3:8 "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no
one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have
not denied My name.
4. We are sometimes hindered because God is
preparing us for the next work He has for us or God is preparing
people’s hearts and minds and getting things prepared in the area He is leading
us to go next.
What
this means is no matter the hindrance God has work for you to do now wherever
he has placed you. If God is not answering yes to whatever you are praying to
be enabled to do then ask what you can do in the meantime to accomplish His
will for your life. Do not just sit back and wait, continue to do whatever he
has given you to do now and wait on HIM. His timing is perfect.
Concerning
the expression “even as among other Gentiles,” Denney says, “Nothing could
indicate more clearly that the church at Rome, as a whole, was Gentile.”
In
the end it seems best to take “fruit” as a general reference to spiritual
blessing and growth, more in line with its usage in 6:21-22.