Month: October 2011

And David says:
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
      A stumbling block and a recompense to them.”
Rom 11:9

The apostle quotes David’s statement in Ps 69:22 and relates it to the stumbling of Israel at the coming of the Messiah for whom they had been waiting.  What does it mean when it says their table became a snare and a trap?  Heb 9:1-2 gives us some insight:

Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary.  For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary…

The reference to the table takes our minds back to the old covenant, the law.  By the time Christ arrived on the scene, the Jews had settled into a religion that had lost sight of what all of those old ordinances had represented.  The law was never a way to be accepted by God.  The law was a mirror that pointed out all our flaws and our need for something more! (Rom 3:20) The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin, but it pointed to the blood of the One that could! (Heb 10:4)

You see, the religion the Lord had established had been changed into something else.  In Gal 1:13-14, Paul referred to the Jews’ present-day religion as Judaism (translated “the Jews’ religion” in the KJV).  It was now known as a national religion instead of a God-centered one.  It had become a religion just like all the other religions of the world– one based on man’s way of thinking, that suited human nature.  They had convinced themselves they could make God happy by their works. (Rom 11:6-7) Their table–a general term to sum up all of their feasts, holy days, and religious rituals–had become a snare to them.  It should have all pointed them to Christ.  Jesus said in Jn 5:39: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”  The Old Testament law was all about Christ!  To miss Him in it was to miss the point!

The Lord makes a powerful statement in Mt 23:38 to an Israelite nation that He would have gathered under His protective wings, but who refused Him.  “See! Your house is left to you desolate”!  What a bombshell the Lord dropped!  Their temple was no longer valid!  Their worship was of no value!  They were still sacrificing animals while rejecting the final Sacrifice that those animals were intended to reveal!  They were so attached to their tradition that they missed the One who is “the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Rom 10:4)

So, have we learned from their mistake, America?  Do we realize that our religion without Christ is simply a snare and a trap?  Just because we slap Christ’s name on it doesn’t mean it’s Christianity!  The Ephesian church had plenty of works and labor, but God wasn’t pleased with it at all because they had left their first love. (Rev 2:2-4) I pray we will get back to where the focus must always be–Christ and Christ alone! (1 Cor 2:2) To miss Him is to miss it all!

Jamie

But Isaiah is very bold and says:
   ” I was found by those who did not seek Me;
      I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
But to Israel he says:
    ” All day long I have stretched out My hands
       To a disobedient and contrary people.”
Rom 10:20-21

In our text above, the apostle reminds us of the plan of God to preach the gospel to the Gentile nations as revealed by the prophet Isaiah.  The truth declared in the prophet’s statement is one that should humble us before our merciful God.  We weren’t looking for Him; He manifested Himself to us!  His next statement to the nation of Israel further reveals the heart of all mankind toward his Maker.  Even with outstretched arms, God was rejected by a people to whom He had shown great mercy.  The thought is reminiscent of one we’ve previously considered in Rom 3:11 and which is a recurring theme in the letter to the Romans: “There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.”

If God had left us to ourselves, everyone of us would have perished!  In Ez 16:1-7, the Lord compares Israel to an abandoned baby, but I hope we don’t fail to see the further picture of every soul that the Lord delivers.  We were all helpless before the Lord found us.  We were abandoned and left to die, completely unable to save ourselves.  We couldn’t seek God!  We didn’t even know how to seek much less Who to seek!  The thing that made the difference in our lives was that God found us!  Listen to v. 6-7: “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’  I made you thrive…”  God made us thrive, Christian!  Praise His merciful name!

Never forget the pit that God dug you out of. (Is 51:1)  Don’t forget what you were before the Lord got a hold of you!  The only way you can humble yourself and minister to others in the way that the Lord requires is if you see yourself as being no better than every person you encounter.  You can love your neighbor as yourself if you remember from where you came.  You can bless those who curse you if you recall that you cursed God (if not with your lips, then at least with your life) before He saved you.  The only way you can love the Lord to the degree that He deserves is if you realize just how bad you were when He set His love upon you and forgave you! (Lk 7:47) We were helplessly dead in trespasses and sins, walking according to the course of this world, and giving ourselves fully to the lusts of our flesh according to Eph 2:1-3.  We weren’t looking for Him, so what hope do we have by the time we get to v. 4.  None, of ourselves!  I sure am glad that v. 4  begins with the glorious words, “But God”!  God did what we could not!  Thank you Lord Jesus!!!

Jamie

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Rom 10:17

So, we asked the question a couple of weeks ago, “Do all men have faith?”  Some will respond, “Why do we care?”  Is that question important?  I believe it is first of all because the Bible addresses that issue.  The apostle makes it a point in 2 Th 3:2 to say, “not all have faith.”  If he, inspired by the Spirit of God, felt it to be important to stress that detail, then we certainly should find it important as well!

The additional question in my mind is, “What practical application is there in my life as a Christian if I understand that all men do not have faith?”  First of all, it removes a great load off of me when it comes to sharing the gospel.  It is not my job to move the emotions of men and to pressure them into a decision, as some would have as think.  There is so much going on in the name of Christ these days that is a departure from the calling of the church.  Our job is to make disciples of Jesus Christ by sowing the seed of the gospel.  We plant and water, but God gives the increase! (1 Cor 3:6) The prayer of the early church concerning their responsibility was “give us boldness to speak Your word”. (Ac 4:29) They weren’t asking for God to add members to their congregation or for creative ways to engage people in their gatherings.  Tey simply wanted the courage to speak the word of God boldly and faithfully.  If we realize that the Source of men believing is God and not how entertaining or moving our presentation of the gospel is (though I hesitate to even call it “the gospel” in some instances), we are set at liberty to focus on our calling–preach the word, be instant in season and out of season! (2 Tim 4:2)

Secondly, it prompts me to glorify God alone for salvation.  I didn’t generate the faith I possess nor did I cause it to work in someone else.  Saving faith is a gift from God. (Eph 2:8) I’m so tired of man taking credit for what God alone can do!  I just saw an advertisement in a local Starbucks the other day for an upcoming evangelistic event.  One of the advertised speakers was said to have seen “more than 10 million saved in 6 years of ministry”.  First of all, I doubt the reality of the number because Jesus said that the work of the Spirit is a mysterious one that He compared to the wind: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.” (Jn 3:8) He also tells us in the parable of the sower that the seed often falls on two types of soil that never brings forth fruit, i.e. these individuals show a lot of promise to start with but they are never truly saved! (Mt 13:3-9, 18-23) So, how could anyone really claim to see 10 million saved based on the initial response of people?!!  But the second issue I have with such a statement is that it suggests this man is responsible for a work for which God alone should get the glory!  When Paul writes to the Romans regarding their belief in and obedience to God, he doesn’t pat them on the back, giving them credit for their deliverance.  “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.” (Rom 6:17) May we follow this example and always be sure to give the glory to our heavenly Deliverer, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith“. (Heb 12:2)

Jamie