Tuesday, April 08,
2014, 6:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Only in Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 10 (NIV).
Zealous for God?
Brothers
and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that
they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God,
but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the
righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to
God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be
righteousness for everyone who believes.
Paul was obviously addressing these words to the matter of
his people, the Jews, who had not yet trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior of their lives. So, his comments were specific to a unique group of
people who were unlike any others in the history of man. They had been God’s
chosen people, yet when they rejected God’s Son, Jesus Christ, as their Lord
and Messiah, they ceased to be God’s chosen people. He cut the nation of Israel
off from the vine, though not all Jews disbelieved. Many did trust in Christ
Jesus as their Savior.
They were once, as a people group, God’s chosen ones and the
children of the promise. Now they are among the unbelieving and are no longer,
as a people group, or as a nation, the children of promise. Instead, the
children of promise are now all those who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be
Lord and Savior of their lives, whether Jew by birth or Gentile (non-Jew) by
birth. So, there is no exact parallel we can make here to any other people
other than to the Jewish nation, yet there are Biblical principles here that
can be applied, I believe, both to the unsaved (in/out of the church) and to
the idolatrous and adulterous church of today.
There are many in today’s world, I am most confident, who
are part of the institutional church who call themselves Christians, and who
believe they are numbered among God’s elect, and yet they never made a genuine
decision to truly trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. They
may be religious, and they may be faithful in going through forms of religion
and religious practice, but they lack a vital and personal relationship with
Almighty God through personal faith in Jesus Christ. They do not have the
Spirit of God within them because they were never ever truly born again of the
Spirit of God.
As well, I believe there are many in today’s church who had
genuine faith in Christ when they first believed, but at some point in time
their trust in God began to give way to the cares or temptations of this world
and so now they live for themselves and for what they want and desire. Grieving
the Spirit of God, they make their own plans without consulting God, and they
rely heavily upon the teachings and philosophies of humankind, which are often
in direct contrast to the teachings of scripture. Even though God’s
righteousness has been credited to them via Jesus’ shed blood for our sins and
their faith in him, they now go their own way with little thought or regard for
God’s way of righteousness, and with little to no submission thereof in their daily
practice (See the letters to the churches in Rev. 2-3).
Believe and Confess
Moses
writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does
these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that is by faith says:
“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring
Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ
up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your
mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we
proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you
profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in
him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and
Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
For a Jewish person in that day to confess Jesus Christ as
Lord of their lives, and to believe in his sacrifice for our sins on the cross,
and in his resurrection, would not be unlike anyone of another religion today
(not associated with Christianity in any way) making the decision to believe in
Jesus Christ and then making public testimony to such faith. It would mean
possible loss of job, income, family, friends, associations and reputation, as
well as it could mean being rejected, ostracized, kicked out of family and
home, much persecution and perhaps even imprisonment, beatings and death for
their faith. It was no small matter for a Jew of that day to believe in Jesus
Christ.
So, to translate these words into American culture today is
difficult, for they do not hold the same weight. Confessing with our mouths
that Jesus Christ is Lord, or even believing that he died and rose again, can
be little more than intellectual acknowledgment of such or an emotional
experience of the moment with no heart transformation of the Spirit of God
actually taking place, for such a confession may have little impact on one’s
life here.
So, to confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord must bear
the weight with it that we have trusted in him as Lord (master; ruler) of our
lives, and to believe in his death for our sins and in his resurrection must
also carry with it the idea of trust in him which submits to his righteousness,
and which cooperates with his work of grace in our lives in turning our hearts
from the darkness of sin to the light of Christ; and from the power of Satan
and sin over our lives to the rule and authority of God Almighty over our
lives, so that we submit ourselves to that authority. As well, to call on the
name of the Lord must mean more than just verbally speaking his name or saying
a prayer, but must bear the weight of calling upon him in faith, trusting in
his salvation, resting in his love and mercy, and yielding to his Lordship.
(See Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14 and 1 Jn. 1-5.)
Did They Hear?
How,
then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they
believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without
someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As
it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
But
not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has
believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and
the message is heard through the word about Christ. But I ask: Did they not
hear? Of course they did:
“Their
voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”
Again
I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,
“I
will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has
no understanding.”
And
Isaiah boldly says,
“I
was found by those who did not seek me;
I revealed myself to those who did not ask
for me.”
But
concerning Israel he says,
“All
day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
The Jewish people were given the promise of the Messiah to
come all throughout the writings of the prophets of old. They were not without
knowledge that God intended to send them a Savior for their sins. They were the
people of God. They knew his grace, love, presence, provisions, providence,
care, justice and mercy. Yet, when he sent his Son, their Messiah, and although
he revealed himself to them in many ways, still, as a people group, they refused
to accept him and instead they hung him on a cross to die, as though he was a
common criminal. They were the first to receive the message of the gospel of
salvation, yet, as a nation, they rejected the gospel and chose, instead, to
continue in their old ways. So, their lack of faith was not due to lack of
knowledge or due to not hearing the gospel. They heard! They just refused to
believe. So, God was holding out his hands to a disobedient and obstinate
people who refused his Son and his provision of the promised Messiah and his salvation
for their lives from sin.
Today, in America, we are not hurting for knowledge of Jesus
Christ and his gospel, nor are we in want of the scriptures, for Bibles can be
purchased anywhere almost. Spirit-led music and the hymns of old and preaching
can be heard on many radio stations, TV channels and on the internet, including
on YouTube. There are no real serious constraints in place yet which prevent us
from hearing the gospel or from believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of
our lives. But, I believe a time of severe persecution is in order for us.
Again, although there is no exact parallel to the Jews’
situation here, I believe that there are many professing Christians here in
America, and throughout the world, who have also not believed in Jesus Christ; and
who have not truly trusted in him and submitted to his righteousness. As well,
I believe there are those within the church who have made Christ their Savior
by his grace through faith but have since wandered off to follow after the gods
of this world, and who have forsaken their first love, and/or who have fallen
back into the ways of this world. I believe that God is presently speaking loud
and clear to the gatherings of his church throughout the world, inviting the
unbelieving among them to faith in Christ, and calling out to his rebellious
ones to return to the Lord, and to find their trust to be only in him.
ONLY IN HIM / An
Original Work / February 19, 2014
Based off Isaiah 30
Woe to those who look
to man’s help;
Who turn away from Jesus
Christ;
Forming an alliance
not in step with God;
Making their own
plans, and praying not.
Willing not to listen
to truth,
They close their ears
to what is right.
Pleasing words are all
that they’ll hear;
Feel good messages
that bring cheer.
Trust in your Lord;
turn from your sin.
Put your faith now ONLY
IN HIM.
Do not turn to idols.
They’ll not satisfy.
Jesus will save you.
That’s why He died.
Your Lord will be
gracious to you.
He cares all about
you, ‘tis true.
He forgives you all of
your sin
When you give your
life up to Him.
Oh, how truly gracious
He’ll be
When you bow to Him on
your knees;
Turning now from your sin;
walking in his ways.
He’ll lead and guide
you all of your days.
Now you will sing
praises to Him.
He delivered you from
your sin.
You’ll tell others now
of His grace,
So they may see Christ
face-to-face.
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