Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP000050S
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00:01 The Bible tell us:
00:20 Join us now for the: 00:24 Our study today is: 00:32 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN's Sabbath School Panel. 00:36 My name is John Lomacang. 00:37 Thank you for taking the time on this Sabbath morning to tune in 00:40 and study the word of God with us. 00:41 If this is a repeat, and it's a different day of the week, 00:44 we welcome you once again anyhow. 00:46 We've been studying the overall theme, Salvation by Faith Alone, 00:49 in the book of Romans. 00:51 And today's lesson focuses on this week's theme, The Elect. 00:55 And so we'd like to invite you to get your 00:57 Sabbath School lessons. 00:59 If you don't have one, you can get it one of two ways. 01:01 You can go to your local Seventh-day Adventist church 01:03 and request a copy, or you can go on line to ABSG.Adventist. 01:10 org and download a copy of the lesson, hopefully in PDF format. 01:13 If you're one of those electronic guru's, 01:15 you know how to do that. 01:16 But we have a wonderful panel. 01:18 And it's so good to have you here panel, Amen? Amen! 01:20 Jill Morikone, Shelley Quinn, Pastor C. A. Murray, 01:23 and Mollie Steenson. 01:25 And we have tended to stay together mostly in our 01:29 week to week study. 01:30 And it's been a wonderful blessing to know that each of 01:32 you is a student of the Word of God, and open your heart 01:34 for God to lead you. 01:36 Before we go into our lesson, which my portion today is, 01:39 Christ and the Law, which I could subtitle, Legalism. 01:42 We always like to begin with a word of prayer. 01:45 Shelley, could you have prayer for us today? 01:47 Absolutely. Holy Father, we come to You in the name of Jesus, 01:50 thanking You for this Sabbath day, that it is a sign that You 01:53 are the God who sanctifies us. 01:54 Thanking You for the gift of salvation by grace 01:58 through faith alone. 02:00 And Father, as we open Your Word, Lord, we ask in the name 02:04 of Jesus that Your Holy Spirit would lead us, that You would 02:08 anoint our minds, our thoughts, and give us ears to hear what 02:14 the Holy Spirit has to say. 02:16 We dedicate this time to You, and we praise You, and we just 02:21 give You all honor and glory. 02:23 In Jesus' name, Amen. 02:24 Amen. Now the memory text, I'd like us to read together. 02:30 It is in the King James Version, Romans 11:1. 02:34 If we could read that together. 02:36 I say then, Hath God cast away His people? God forbid. 02:42 For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, 02:47 of the tribe of Benjamin. 02:50 The person who formulated this lesson study focused on 02:55 introducing it in the context of legalism. 02:57 And I like that because there are a lot of terms today 03:01 that are floating around in Christianity. 03:03 Some of those say, I'm not into organized religion, which almost 03:07 tends to allude that we prefer disorganized religion. 03:12 And anything else that's disorganized we 03:14 are repulsed by it. 03:17 But for some reason people tend to buy into the idea that 03:20 organized religion is an issue. 03:22 On the other side of that, legalism, that Paul begins to 03:26 address comes in many, many forms he talks about. 03:30 One he points out is those who look to themselves. 03:34 And, as you know, sometimes it's so easy to look at 03:38 ourselves, and look at others, and compare ourselves with 03:42 others, and tend to feel good about ourselves when in fact 03:46 we must always remember that the only One to compare 03:48 ourselves to is Jesus. 03:51 He's the only One to compare ourselves to. 03:52 Then on the other side of that are those that suffer with 03:56 what I call Spiritual low self esteem. 03:59 What I mean by that is they say, Well, I don't sing, 04:02 I don't preach, I don't teach, I don't have the gifts, 04:04 I'm not a public figure, I don't like being up in front, 04:06 I'd prefer being in the closet, I like to be in the dark, 04:09 I don't like to be involved in anything that will 04:11 cause me to be nervous. 04:13 And they tend to say to themselves, 04:15 I am pretty disqualified. 04:16 How can the Lord use me? 04:18 When in fact our qualification comes not from how the Lord 04:21 uses, how we work for the Lord, 04:24 but how the Lord works in us. Amen! 04:27 And a candle, a tiny little candle, is sufficient 04:30 to dispel darkness. Yes. 04:32 So you don't have to be a flood light, or a torch to do that. 04:35 The other thing is, as an Adventist people, and this is an 04:38 area I think that we have to be really distinct about, 04:40 because legalism could easily pour into how we eat. 04:44 You know, people say, I remember we had food police. 04:48 Pastor, I know that you had food police in your church. 04:50 And maybe some of us have had experiences with food police. 04:54 Being here in Thompsonville, we remember very well Ronny Hogue, 04:58 who's now resting in Jesus. 04:59 Before he found out about all the dietary parameters, 05:03 he would bring beans to Fellowship Lunch. 05:07 And we remember very well those beans were probably 05:11 one of the first items to go. 05:12 They were pretty good. 05:14 They were really good. 05:15 And people had to ask him, what's the 05:17 secret in your recipe? 05:18 He said, Well, I just put a little slice of pork in there, 05:20 and simmer it down. 05:21 And all the Jews tried to kill themselves. 05:24 Ah, not really. But sometimes we look at our diet and we think, 05:29 Well, I must be righteous, because I don't eat this, 05:32 and I don't eat that. 05:33 And then there are others who say, Well, I've got to be 05:36 righteous because I don't dress that way. 05:38 My sleeves are all the way down here. 05:40 My collar's all the way up here. 05:41 My dress is all the way down there. 05:44 I've got to be righteous by wardrobe. 05:47 And then there are others who just don't know how to relax. 05:50 They cannot come to a social event except in a 05:52 black suit and a tie. 05:53 And they are righteous by exclusion. 05:56 And I'd rather be excluded from anything that's social because 05:58 to smile means I'm no longer Godly. 06:01 And all these are parameters of legalism. 06:03 But we have to remember that every moment of our lives we 06:09 must keep before us the holiness of God in 06:12 contrast to our sinfulness. 06:14 So I want to dive into this by reading Romans 10:1-4. 06:21 And I want to reiterate. 06:22 I stated those things not to belittle any of those avenues 06:25 of practice, because it's important to be a very... 06:28 It's important to be a person of modesty. 06:31 It is important to be a person who's concerned about what goes 06:34 into his or her body. 06:36 I've become more aware of that having a bout with colitis. 06:41 You know, that thing is just not a good thing. 06:43 And thank the Lord it was not an advanced case. 06:45 But then all of a sudden you begin to realize, Well, barbeque 06:47 chips on a daily basis is not the best diet. 06:50 And more fruit, like my wife says, will be better 06:53 than processed foods. 06:54 And I've learned that in a very real way. 06:57 So it's not about stewardship in the sense of boasting, 07:01 but it's about stewardship in the sense of recognizing that 07:03 our bodies and our lives are the temple of God, and our witness 07:08 is important to others. 07:09 But Romans 10:1-4, Paul makes it so clear. 07:14 He says, Brethren my heart's desire and prayer to God for 07:19 Israel is, that they may be what? saved. 07:23 That they may be saved. 07:24 And I want to pause there because what I want to bring 07:27 out, as I understand this, salvation, when you look at the 07:31 economy of the Jews, you know the Jews were so exclusive. 07:34 They didn't go to that nation, and part of their Old Testament 07:37 journey I could understand how they developed that attitude. 07:41 You know, when the Lord destroyed the Amalekites, 07:42 and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Parazites, 07:45 and the Hivieites, and He said don't marry other nations, 07:47 and don't mix your sons and daughters. 07:49 Don't give your daughters to their sons and vice versa. 07:51 I can understand how 1500 years of that can make you think 07:56 that nobody but us is worthy of God's notice. 08:00 So they developed that attitude. 08:02 But it spilled over and it blocked the reason 08:06 why God chose them. Yes. 08:07 God chose them, not to exclude other nations, but to extend the 08:12 call of righteousness to all nations. 08:14 And so Paul says in Verse 2, For I bear them witness 08:19 that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 08:23 In other words, you can do the right thing 08:25 for the wrong reason. 08:26 You could be like a speeding bull in a china closet of all 08:33 expensive china; knocking everything over, 08:35 but you've got a journey ahead of you, and you're going to 08:37 make it no matter what. 08:39 So we have to make sure that our zeal is tempered by 08:43 understanding, as I've talked about this, understanding why 08:48 you do, not just what you do and how you do. 08:51 And the third thing, in Verse 3, For they, being ignorant of 08:55 God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own 08:59 righteousness have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 09:03 And then the part that is often sometimes a quandary: 09:06 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to 09:10 every one who believes. 09:12 A couple of points: salvation is not omitted from any race, 09:16 because all have sinned, and therefore all need salvation. 09:20 We're all sinners. We are brought into the fellowship of 09:24 saints by the righteousness of Jesus. 09:26 The other thing: salvation is not 09:28 accomplished through knowledge. 09:30 It is so tempting. We've got an extensive library as 09:35 Seventh-day Adventists. 09:36 We've got Bible Commentaries, we've got electronic, 09:38 we have it in all of Ellen White's writings in digital 09:41 format, as well as in hard back, and soft back, 09:43 and many different languages. 09:46 And we can say we've got all this knowledge, and we can tend 09:50 to lean on that knowledge as the pillar of our salvation, 09:53 when in fact we should lean on Christ as the 09:55 surety of our salvation. Amen! 09:58 The other thing is salvation is not enthusiasm 10:01 for the things we do. 10:02 Look at me, how I sing, how I preach, how I teach, 10:05 how many baptisms I have. 10:06 And Pastor C. A., when I was growing up, and you were part of 10:09 the establishment when I was growing up, 10:13 in our church we used to say, How many tracts did you 10:15 pass out this week? 10:16 How many Bible studies did you give? 10:18 How many people did you reach for Christ? 10:20 How many handbills did you pass out? 10:22 And we'd stand up in pre-Sabis and say fifteen. 10:24 Or the person with twenty-five must be more righteous 10:26 than the one with fifteen. 10:28 And we'd begin to itemize. 10:29 Remember that? Yes. 10:31 And we'd send those reports in to the Conference. 10:33 And surely your church has 700 people this week, 10:36 and the one with 45 has an issue. 10:39 You know, we tend to itemize and, how should I say, 10:44 in a statistical way begin to count our salvation. 10:49 But Galatians 3:28 is a very leveling passage, 10:54 so let's look at that together. 10:55 Galatians 3:28. And this is what Paul was trying to get across 11:01 to those who were a part of the New Testament church. 11:04 Because many of the Jews rejected Jesus. 11:06 They were so accustomed to the law of Moses and its practices 11:10 that they tried to insist. 11:12 And that was the case in Galatia. 11:13 That was the case in Corinth. 11:15 And Paul made the statement in Galatians 3:28. 11:18 Do you have that Jill? I do. Read that for me. 11:20 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, 11:24 there is neither male nor female: for you are all 11:27 one in Christ Jesus. 11:29 And so this is talking about whether gender, or nationality, 11:33 or country of origin, whether you are a person of means, 11:38 or whether you're a person who is working for someone. 11:40 No matter what the category, in Christ, He looks at us all as 11:45 citizens of an eternal kingdom, possible heirs of salvation. 11:49 So he says, There's no place that we should separate 11:52 one from the other. 11:54 But the Jews sought to separate one from the other. 11:57 And they did that in many of their dietary restrictions, 12:00 many of their practices, washing their hands in jugs 12:03 that are very deep, up to their elbow, the way they dressed, 12:06 where they sat, the preferred seat. 12:08 It's important that... 12:10 I was doing an evangelistic series at one of the churches, 12:14 and the pastor in preparing the church for the community to 12:17 come, and he said, Now for those of you who have purchased your 12:19 seats; if somebody comes in and sits in that seat 12:22 let them stay there. 12:24 Because a lot of Christians, and I guess this is the case not 12:28 just in Adventism, but sometimes people choose a particular seat, 12:31 and that's their seat for the rest of their lives. 12:35 So don't sit in my seat! 12:37 And we have to make sure that in that sense that person, 12:42 the number one concern is not where you sit now, 12:45 but where you're going to stand in the judgment. Amen! 12:48 The other thing is salvation is not obtained by knowledge. 12:51 Let's go to Hebrews 10:1. 12:53 Look at that very carefully. 12:55 Salvation is not attained by the abundance of knowledge. 13:00 Look at that! Hebrews 10:1, in the New King James Version. 13:04 Do you have that, Shelley? 13:05 Yes. For the law having a shadow of good things to come, 13:08 and not the very image of the things, can never with these 13:12 same sacrifices, which they offer continually, year by year, 13:17 make those who approach perfect. 13:20 And you know, in some Christian communities they have 13:25 communion every day. 13:26 You can get that in some Catholic communities. 13:28 You can go light candles, and light incense. 13:30 In our church we have communion four times a year. 13:32 There's no Scriptural command as to how frequent to have it. 13:35 But what is being said is no matter what ceremony you involve 13:39 yourself in, none of those things can resolve imperfection. 13:43 But in obedience to the command of God, like Naaman knew that 13:47 when the Lord said dip seven times He meant seven times. 13:51 So the following of God's command is an act of obedience, 13:56 an act of recognition of His authority; not the act in and of 14:00 itself causes us to be righteous. 14:02 Doing the right thing, honoring the only blessed day, 14:06 remaining pure from unclean meats, abstaining from vices 14:09 whether chemical or material, can give one the impression 14:12 that works can save them. 14:15 The other thing is Isaiah 4:1. 14:18 Just before we transition I want to hit two 14:20 more texts: Isaiah 4:1. 14:23 And this is something else because today there's another 14:25 side; there's a boomerang side to that. 14:27 There are those who say, You don't have to do 14:29 anything to be saved. 14:30 We just want to be Christian. 14:32 And that's a guard we must also prevent against. 14:35 Isaiah 4:1. And in that day seven women shall take hold of 14:39 one man, saying, We will eat our own food,... 14:42 That's our own doctrines. 14:43 ...we will wear our own apparel:... 14:45 Our own righteousness. 14:46 ...only let us be called by Your name,... 14:48 To do what?... to take away our reproach. 14:51 We just want the name Christian. 14:53 And there's some people today that their Christianity is an 14:55 offense to God, because nobody would look at them and 14:58 say, I want to be that. 14:59 You know, they go to church. 15:01 Right after church they smoke, and drink, and cuss, 15:02 and carouse, and live loosely. 15:04 And people will say, How could you be a Christian? 15:07 I don't want to be that. 15:08 My last text: Jeremiah 33:16. 15:11 This is the thing that we must always keep before us. 15:16 Jeremiah 33:16. Who has that? I do. Okay, Jill. 15:20 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell 15:23 safely: and this is the name by which she will be called, 15:26 The Lord our righteousness. 15:28 That's right. So remember whatever you do, do it so that 15:32 the righteousness of Jesus will be seen in obedience with His 15:36 law, not leaning on His law, but leaning on Him 15:39 for your saving grace. Jill... 15:41 Amen! Well done, Pastor. 15:43 Thank you so much for that foundation, and that wonderful 15:46 focus on Christ our righteousness, 15:48 as opposed to our own legalism. 15:51 I have Monday, which is The Election of Grace. 15:54 And the verses we'll be looking at particularly 15:57 are Romans 11:1-10. 16:00 But before we do that, I know there's several verses in 16:03 Romans 10 that I just want to just touch on briefly as it 16:07 leads into Chapter 11. 16:09 Otherwise Chapter 11 doesn't make a whole lot of sense. 16:11 Coming into Chapter 11, Chapter 10, of course, Verse 12, 16:17 there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord 16:20 over all is rich to all who call on Him. 16:22 And you reference that with the verse in Galatians. 16:24 There is neither Jew nor Greek. 16:26 We are all one in Christ Jesus. That's right. 16:28 Verse 13. For whoever calls on the name of the 16:30 Lord shall be saved. 16:31 But then Verses 14-21, we begin to see where the nation of 16:36 Israel as a whole is rejecting Jesus as the Messiah; 16:40 rejecting that gospel. 16:41 You see Verse 20. But Isaiah is very bold and says, I was found 16:47 by those who did not seek Me. 16:49 I was made manifest of those who did not ask for Me. 16:52 Meaning the Gentiles are reaching in 16:54 and asking after Jesus. 16:56 But Israel, He says, all day long I have stretched out My 17:02 hands to a disobedient and contrary people. 17:05 Now last week we talked about this, that we're not discussing 17:09 corporate rejection of the nation of Israel for salvation. 17:13 That was never the issue with election. 17:15 But in a sense rejection for the work that God had called them 17:20 to do to be that light to the Gentiles. 17:22 And the gospel was to go in a special sense to 17:25 Jew and Gentile alike. 17:27 Now let's pick up 11, Verse 1. 17:29 I say then, has God cast away His people? 17:35 What does Paul say? certainly not! 17:37 And Paul makes two arguments here in Romans, Chapter 11 17:41 the lesson brought out; first that blindness is only in part. 17:45 There is still a remnant, and that's what my day focus is on. 17:48 A Remnant and Election of Grace, as proof that God has not 17:53 cast away His people. 17:54 And then as we go on and proceed in the panel, 17:57 to look at the second part, that that is only temporary until the 18:01 fullness of the Gentiles come in. 18:03 Let's look at Verse 1. 18:05 It says: I say then, has God cast away His people? 18:07 Certainly not. Cast away literally means to thrust away, 18:12 to push or reject, repulse. 18:16 So God's saying, Have I repulsed My people? 18:19 Have I rejected them? 18:21 Have I cast them away? 18:23 Certainly not. Because then He says, I also am an Israelite, 18:27 of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 18:31 So he was certainly part of that Remnant. 18:33 He was not rejected. 18:34 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. 18:38 And then he references that, remember the showdown on 18:43 Mount Carmel; 1 Kings 19, or 18 is the showdown. 18:47 And then after that, remember when Elijah stood 18:50 strong for the Lord? 18:52 And then he ran from Jezebel, and he was afraid for his life. 18:56 And then he said, I am the only one left. 18:59 This is what Paul was referencing. 19:01 Verse 2, we're in the middle there. 19:03 Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah? 19:06 How he pleads with God against Israel saying, Lord, they have 19:10 killed Your prophets, and torn down Your altars; 19:13 and I alone am left; and they seek my life. 19:17 He said, I'm the only one left. 19:19 I'm all alone. But what does the Divine response say to him? 19:24 I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed 19:30 the knee to Baal. Praise the Lord for that. 19:33 You may feel like you're all alone. 19:35 You may feel like, I don't know! 19:36 I'm all alone! But God says, I have people everywhere who are 19:41 still seeking Me in heart, and in truth seeking My Word. 19:44 There's still seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal. 19:48 Next, Verse 5. Even so then at this present time there is a 19:53 Remnant according to the election of grace. 19:57 There is a Remnant. 19:59 That reminds me of, I just want to jump to Revelation 12:17. 20:04 It talks about a Remnant that will be found 20:07 at the end of time. 20:09 Revelation 12:17. And we know this text. 20:14 We could quote this text. 20:15 And the dragon, Satan, the Devil, was in rage... 20:20 The King James says, was wroth with the woman. 20:23 ...and went to make war with the rest of her offspring. 20:27 Now King James would say the Remnant of her seed, 20:31 who keep the commandments of God, and have the 20:33 testimony of Jesus Christ. 20:35 Now this is not the purpose of the study here, 20:38 but the identifying marks of the Remnant church in the end 20:43 time is that they will keep the commandments of God, 20:46 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 20:49 Let's go back to Romans. We're in Verse 6. 20:51 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works: 20:55 otherwise grace is no longer grace. 20:58 But if it is of works, it is no longer grace: 21:01 otherwise work is no longer work. 21:03 Now initially when you read that it's one of those tongue 21:06 twisters almost, and you think, I've got to think 21:08 about that a minute. 21:09 He says, If it's by grace then it's no longer works: 21:13 otherwise grace is no longer grace. 21:16 In other words, if you work for something 21:18 it's no longer a gift. 21:19 It's no longer grace. 21:21 But if it's of works it is not of grace. 21:24 No longer grace. Otherwise work is no longer work. 21:28 What then? has Israel not obtained what it seeks? 21:32 But the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 21:37 Who are the rest? the unbelieving Jews, the ones who 21:41 did not accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah. 21:44 (Just as it is written, God has given them a spirit of stupor, 21:49 eyes that they should not see, ears that they should not 21:51 hear;) to this very day. 21:54 Now it's interesting. 21:56 This Scripture here, we talked last week, and I think Mollie, 21:59 you had that portion where the mysteries, some of those things 22:03 that are hard to understand in the Scripture. 22:05 And this is one of those verses. 22:07 When you initially read it, God has given them spirit of stupor, 22:10 eyes that they should not see, ears that they should not hear. 22:13 You would think God wants us to hear. 22:15 You would think God wants us to see what's going on in His Word. 22:18 But I think what it's referencing is that God is just 22:22 simply giving them, or allowing them the freedom of choice, 22:25 giving them what their heart desires. 22:27 Now in the remaining time I have, I want to look at four 22:31 takeaways that I get from this passage. 22:33 1. Israel saw righteousness before God on the basis of their 22:39 works, not on the basis of faith. 22:42 We saw that in the verse that Pastor read. 22:46 And let's go back... Actually it was last weeks. 22:49 I apologize. Romans 9:30, 31. 22:52 They sought righteousness before God on the basis of their works, 22:55 not on the basis of faith. 22:57 Romans 9:30. What shall we say then? 22:59 That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, 23:02 have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith. 23:06 But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness. 23:08 So they were pursuing the law of righteousness. 23:11 They have not attained to the law of righteousness. 23:16 So they wanted righteousness. 23:17 They were pursuing the law of righteousness, 23:19 but not on the basis of faith. 23:22 Take away 2. If you seek righteousness based on your 23:26 works, then you don't need a Savior, 23:28 and Christ has died for you in vain. 23:32 Turn with me to Mark 10:45, Mark 10:45. 23:41 Do you have that Ms. Mollie? 23:43 Mark 10:45, yes. Now mine's in the King James. 23:47 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, 23:52 but to minister to, and give His life a ransom for many. 23:57 Amen! So Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for us. 24:02 But if I seek righteousness based on my own works, 24:05 then I don't need that ransom. 24:07 I don't need Jesus standing in as a propitiation for my sins. 24:11 I don't need that. 3. If you seek righteousness based on 24:16 your own works, you have not judged your pride 24:19 which is the root sin. 24:21 Pride is the root sin. 24:22 The great danger in the religion of righteousness by works 24:27 is it allows our human pride to play a role in salvation. 24:31 Martin Luther pursued salvation by works before he understood 24:36 the principle of justification by faith, 24:38 and that would negate God's grace. 24:40 Remember that verse in Romans 11:6 where it says if it's of 24:44 grace, and you try to bring works in 24:46 it's no longer of grace. 24:47 And 4. If you seek righteousness based on your works, 24:51 God will not prevent you from hardening your 24:55 heart against the truth. 24:57 God only reacts out of love. 24:59 That's His own motivation. 25:02 He can't... Satan forces and coerces. 25:05 He causes deception and manipulation. 25:08 God can only love. That's all He can do. 25:11 1 John 4:8. God is love. 25:13 If you think about the sun hardens clay, and it brings 25:17 hardness to clay, but at the same time it melts snow. 25:21 So what is that all about? 25:23 The sun is the same. 25:24 The sun hasn't changed. 25:25 It's the reaction to that. 25:28 So what I get from this is that God has an election that He 25:33 wants to save you and I, each one of us. 25:36 We accept Him by faith; accept that righteousness 25:39 of Jesus Christ, and we can be part of the Remnant. 25:42 Amen! Thank you. Well done, Jill. 25:44 And you have perfectly laid the foundation to 25:48 continue on in Tuesday's. 25:50 It is talking... The lesson study is, The Natural Branch. 25:56 So we're going to pick up in Romans 11 with Verse 11. 26:00 And we've got a lot of Scripture to cover, 26:02 so I'm going to kind of just buzz through this. 26:04 Paul says in Romans 11:11, I say then, Have they stumbled... 26:10 Speaking of Israel. 26:11 ...that they should fall? Certainly not: but through their 26:16 fall to provoke them to jealousy salvation has 26:20 come to the Gentiles. 26:22 So let's unpack this. 26:23 The lesson points out that this is Paul's second answer to the 26:28 question that he raised at the very beginning of the chapter 26:33 where he says, has God cast away His people? 26:36 So, he said, Have they stumbled that they should fall? 26:39 Certainly not. Israel's stumble was not beyond... It would not 26:46 cause them to fall beyond recovery. 26:49 In fact what he's telling us here; salvation was given to 26:54 the Gentiles by the grace of God to make Israel jealous. 27:00 Now when you think about this word jealousy, in the Greek the 27:05 word is parazeloo, to provoke to jealousy. 27:10 Parazeloo, which comes from zeloo. 27:13 And it isn't like our modern day word jealous; you know when 27:16 it talks about God is a jealous God. 27:19 It wasn't a possiveness. 27:21 This word was not possessiveness, it was not 27:25 based in insecurity or control, but it meant to eagerly desire. 27:31 So God had given all these covenant blessings to the 27:35 Gentiles to cause the Israelites to eagerly 27:40 desire, and return to Him. 27:43 He goes on in Verse 12: Now if their fall is riches... 27:47 If their fall, Israel's fall, ... is riches for their world, 27:51 and their failure riches for the Gentiles; 27:54 how much more their fullness? 27:57 Israel had stumbled over the stumbling stone. 28:01 Their transgression was they failed to accept the Messiah. 28:04 They did not accept the gospel. 28:08 And in the Greek the word used here for fall is 28:12 basically a sidestep. 28:14 It's kind of to fall off to the side a little. 28:16 So they lost God's favor. 28:19 They were no longer His chosen ambassadors to carry His 28:23 gospel to the world. 28:25 But this brought riches, because what happened, 28:30 when Israel rejected Jesus and the gospel they started 28:36 persecuting the Christians, there was the dispersion, 28:39 and it actually caused the Christian message to go more 28:44 rapidly throughout the world and spread among the Gentiles. 28:48 So their fullness, when he says that their fullness will be so 28:54 much more for our benefit, he's basically saying once they've 28:58 been converted to Christ, you know, here's this possibility 29:02 he's setting forth that a repentant Israel will bring 29:06 a revival like we've never seen before. 29:08 Then in Verse 13 he says: For I speak to you Gentiles, 29:13 inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my 29:16 ministry: If by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who 29:21 are of my flesh,... The Israelites. 29:23 ...and save some of them. 29:24 He wanted to awaken them from their apathy and cause them 29:27 to desire God, so he's saying: For if their being cast away is 29:33 the reconciling of the world, what will be their acceptance 29:36 but life from the dead? 29:38 This is like Ezekiel's vision of dry bones when God says, 29:42 I'll breathe My Spirit on you, and you will live. 29:45 That God will bring life to His children again. 29:51 So the thing he keeps pointing out that God's 29:56 trying to make him jealous. 29:57 Have you ever? Mollie you've probably seen this 29:59 with your children. 30:01 You give, you offer a child, I offered my nephew something, 30:04 and he says, No, Aunt Shelley, I don't want it. 30:06 And so I offer it to my niece and she says, 30:08 Thank you, Aunt Shelley. 30:10 And then all of a sudden guess what? He wants it. 30:14 So that's kind of what God is doing here. 30:17 He goes on in Verse 16, Romans 11:16: For if the first fruit is 30:23 holy, the lump is also holy: if the root is holy, 30:26 so also are the branches. 30:29 The first fruit principle comes from Numbers 15:20. 30:33 When the Jews would offer up a cake they would take a portion 30:37 of that as their first fruits to offer to God. 30:41 Then the whole lump was accepted as it's ready for general use. 30:47 So Israel's not only the first fruit of God's program of 30:51 salvation, they are the root of salvation if you think about it. 30:57 He says in Verse 17: If some of the branches were broken off, 31:00 and you being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, 31:04 and with them became a partaker of the root and 31:07 fatness of the olive. 31:09 In Jeremiah, Chapter 11, Israel is portrayed as a 31:17 cultivated olive tree. 31:18 God pruned them, He cultivated them so that 31:21 they would bear fruit. 31:23 And the root here is Abraham, the patriarchs. 31:27 The root was good. The branches though, that had come up from 31:32 that were failing to produce fruit. 31:33 So what happened, those branches that had no fruit, 31:37 God pruned them. He trimmed them away. 31:40 And then it was the Gentiles who were this wild olive tree, 31:45 that God then grafted them into this root. 31:48 Now this is contrary to nature. 31:51 Typically the way they would do that to make a wild olive tree 31:55 become cultivated is they would take a branch from the 31:59 cultivated one and graft it into the wild one. 32:02 So that's kind of interesting. 32:04 But what he's showing us here is that some of the branches, 32:08 some of the people of Israel, had been broken 32:10 off through unbelief. 32:12 So then when he's talking about being grafted into, 32:16 what's he talking about? 32:18 They've been converted. 32:19 That's the conversion. 32:20 That's just a Pauline metaphor for conversion. 32:22 Then he says in Verse 18, Do not boast against the branches. 32:28 But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the 32:31 root, but the root supports you. 32:34 Salvation had come to the Gentiles through the Jews. 32:38 Even Jesus declared in John 4: 22, He said, 32:43 Salvation is of the Jews. 32:47 Our Lord was Jewish, the apostles were Jewish, 32:50 most of the members of the early church, the majority of 32:53 the early church were Jewish. 32:54 So we... Here's the point: Judaism was the matrix in which 32:59 Christianity was formed. 33:01 And if we don't understand Judaism, we'll never fully 33:07 understand Christianity. 33:09 Wouldn't you agree? 33:10 I think that's a point that I'd like to make. 33:13 And then he says in Verse 19: You will say then, 33:17 branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. 33:20 Well said, because of unbelief they were broken off, 33:24 and you stand by faith. 33:25 Do not be haughty, but fear: For if God did not spare the 33:31 natural branches, He may not spare you either. 33:36 The only way we can be grafted in is by grace. 33:39 And what this verse shouts to me... Tell me if you agree. 33:42 ...This shouts that continued favor with God means that we 33:47 have to walk in obedience in covenant loyalty, doesn't it? 33:51 It says: Hey, He didn't spare the natural branches, 33:54 He may not spare you either. 33:55 God is no respecter of persons. 33:57 He judges impartially. 34:00 But He even judged the angels that followed Satan, 34:04 and He tossed them out. 34:06 So He says in Verse 22: Therefore consider the goodness 34:11 and the severity of God: on those who fell, severity; 34:15 but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness: 34:18 otherwise you will also be cut off. 34:21 As Jill has already mentioned, God is love. 34:23 He doesn't want anyone to perish. 34:26 But the severity of God is His judgment on sin. 34:33 God is holy; God is just. 34:35 Sin, what is the penalty for sin? death. 34:40 So that is where the severity comes. 34:44 But whether you experience God's goodness or God's severity 34:49 depends; it's determined by your behavior. 34:52 Wouldn't you agree? 34:53 So He says in Verse 23, and I've got to hurry! 34:56 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief... 34:58 Talking about Israel. 35:00 ...will be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. 35:03 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by 35:07 nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a 35:11 cultivated olive tree; how much more will these, who are natural 35:15 branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 35:19 When Israel ceases their unbelief, 35:22 God will graft them back in. 35:25 But the point is that we have got to remember that there is no 35:30 place for Spiritual pride in salvation. 35:34 And that the nourishment of the Christian faith comes from 35:39 the root of the faith of Judaism. 35:43 Amen, Amen, well said. 35:46 I think we are beginning, and I am on Wednesday, 35:50 All Israel Shall be Saved. 35:52 Not beginning, but certainly we're working our 35:54 way through a pattern. 35:56 Pastor Lomacang stated a premise. 35:59 And then in Jill's portion we see that Paul 36:04 restated the premise. 36:06 Shelley picked up the restatement of the premise. 36:09 So Paul follows what could be called almost perfect 36:12 homoletical syncretism. 36:16 He states his premise, which you ought to do. 36:21 You state your theological premise, then you restate 36:24 your theological premise, and then you bring back your 36:27 theological premise. 36:28 And now, in a very pragmatic sense, he moves to so what? 36:32 And when I used to teach pastors, I always said, 36:36 If you're going to take 30, 40, 45 minutes, 36:39 depending on how long a preacher you are, or teacher you are, 36:42 you've got to answer the question, So what? 36:44 You've got to deal with how does all of this affect me? 36:49 Because you put out this massive information, now I need to know 36:53 if I do this what will happen? if I neglect to do 36:57 this what will happen? 36:58 You've got to answer the so what. 37:00 So now Paul is moving into the so what. 37:03 He's telling you, Here is the theological premise. 37:06 Now here's what you need to do, given this premise. 37:08 So we're looking at Romans, Chapter 11, 37:12 and I want to read 25 through 27. 37:15 Wednesday, All Israel Shall be Saved. 37:17 I'm reading from the New King James, Romans 11, 37:20 beginning at Verse 25. 37:22 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be 37:26 ignorant of this mystery. 37:28 The mystery is what Shelley was just talking about. 37:30 This grafting in. How the Gentile road can be grafted into 37:37 this basically Jewish thing; this Jewish body. 37:41 How can that happen? 37:43 ...lest you should be wise in your own opinion, 37:45 that blindness in part has happened to Israel, 37:49 until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 37:53 And so all Israel will be saved: as it is written, 37:56 The Deliverer will come out of Zion and He will turn away 38:01 ungodliness from Jacob: for this is My covenant with them, 38:06 when I take away their sins. 38:09 So he is following in the same trajectory that he establishes 38:15 at the very beginning of this chapter. 38:18 He is reaffirming the fact that not all Israel rejected God. 38:23 There were some who certainly did. 38:24 But not all Israel rejected God. 38:26 And certainly God did not reject them. 38:28 To which we can say, Praise the Lord! 38:30 There were people, like Joseph of Aramathia, Nicademus who, 38:34 can I say, Came out of the the closet, in due time, 38:38 and gave of their substance, and their wealth, and sometimes 38:40 their reputation to support this new church. 38:43 The original Christian community saw themselves, those who had 38:49 studied the Scriptures, though it was heavily Jewish, 38:52 understood that Christianity was not opposed to Judaism. 38:57 It was, can I say, an evolution in Judaism. 39:01 Those prophecies in Isaiah, and in Jeremiah, and other places 39:05 in the Old Testament, that Christianity and Christ Himself, 39:09 simply fulfilled those prophecies. 39:11 So it wasn't an overturning of Judaism, 39:14 it was a natural evolution. 39:15 It was a fulfillment. 39:16 These things were predicted. 39:18 Now they are being fulfilled. 39:20 So the true students of Scripture 39:23 understood the Jewish roots. 39:24 Most of the resistance, of course, came from Jews 39:28 who saw Judaism as opposed to Christianity. 39:33 So much so, and Paul did a great work here, forty years later 39:39 at a place called Jamnia, it was the Jewish community that made 39:44 the strong steps to divorce itself from Christianity. 39:48 Because the early Christians were meeting in 39:51 Jewish houses of worship. 39:52 They were assymbolating with the Jews. 39:54 But in 95 A.D. there was this thing called the Omnidia 40:00 these blessings that were recited as part of 40:03 the, of part of the worship service. 40:05 Well, in 95 A.D. they added... Pastor you know this. 40:08 ...the beercot hominin, which was a blessing 40:10 against the heretics. 40:12 So basically it was called a blessing, but it's really a 40:14 cursing of Christians. 40:16 And it smoked out the Christians, because when the 40:18 statement was made everybody had to say, Amen. 40:21 But it's like, Shelley's not nice, Shelley is cruel, 40:24 Shelley is... Well, Shelley can't say Amen to that, 40:26 because she knows it's not true. 40:28 So now the Christians began to filter their way out of the 40:31 Jewish temples, because they could not say Amen to the 40:34 blessing against the heretics. 40:35 So the moves to get Christians out really came from the Jewish 40:40 community, not the Christian community. 40:42 Because the Christian community understood the 40:45 Jewishness of their faith; the Jewishness of who they were. 40:51 So they understood that the root, Shelley, was Jesus. 40:56 Jesus was a Jew. He was predicted 40:58 through a Jewish economy. 41:00 So they understood that. 41:01 But it was the Jews who sort of opposed that, 41:04 and would not accept that. 41:05 And, of course, about 100 A.D. that break was made. 41:10 So Paul reaffirms and reasserts again, 41:13 Hath God cast away His people? 41:15 The answer is certainly not. 41:17 He has not done that. 41:18 He has not cast them away. 41:19 And there were those who did not cast Him away. 41:23 Now the next issue that we deal with is the 41:25 fullness of the Gentiles. 41:26 What does that mean? 41:28 There is some discussion of what it means, but I think in 41:33 general most scholarship says it's talking about the Gentile 41:39 believers coming in, and the fulfillment of 41:41 the gospel commission. 41:43 That Jew and Gentile together will finish this work; 41:49 will become part of this: Jew and Gentile together. 41:54 My time is getting away, so I've got to jump 41:55 to a couple of things. 41:57 Another visible point is all Israel being saved. 42:01 Now there are many who looked at that as being physical Israel 42:05 and Spiritual Israel. 42:06 Because we know that all of physical Israel was not saved. 42:10 There were those who reject it. 42:12 So now I think he's, can I say, Spiritualizing 42:15 this a little bit. Physical Israel, 42:17 Spiritual Israel will all be saved. 42:21 They will accept. Now, the lesson takes pains to say that 42:27 nowhere in the Bible is there this universalist idea that 42:31 everybody's just going to be saved. 42:32 You still have the ability to accept or reject. 42:36 Israel had the ability to accept or reject. 42:39 Some accepted, some rejected. 42:42 And it is that way in the Christian community. 42:44 God will not coerce, He will not force, 42:46 He will not kick the door down. 42:47 That picture we were talking about yesterday of Christ 42:50 knocking on the door. 42:52 You notice there's no handle on the outside of the door. 42:53 You've got to open it in from the inside. 42:55 So He's not going to fight your radio. 42:57 He's not going to fight your computer. 42:58 He's going to need you to turn that noise down so that you can 43:01 hear the still small voice of Jesus Christ. 43:03 And you can accept or you can reject. 43:06 But the Lord is still knocking. 43:09 And I dare say, as long as you are alive, 43:11 that knocking is still there. 43:12 It's still there. You can have a lot of noise, 43:15 so it's kind of faint, but if you turn down the noise, 43:19 and listen to your heart, you'll hear that knocking still there. 43:25 Now, one last thing I want to read before my time gets away; 43:28 talking about the Jewish community. 43:31 And this is a statement from Ellen White. 43:33 There is a mighty work to be done in our world. 43:35 The Lord has declared that the Gentiles still be gathered in, 43:39 and not the Gentiles only, but the Jews. 43:44 There are many among the Jews, many who will be converted, 43:48 and through whom we shall see the salvation of God go forth 43:53 as a lamp that burneth. 43:54 There are Jews everywhere, and to them the light of present 43:59 truth is to be brought. 44:00 There are many among them, many who will come to the light, 44:04 and who will proclaim the immutability of the law of God 44:08 with wonderful power. 44:10 That's from the book, Evangelism. 44:11 You know, it is so interesting, as you look at God's working 44:16 among the Jewish community, He said to Abraham, In you all 44:23 nations shall be blessed. 44:25 That, that in your seed. 44:27 And that is repeated in the book of Acts 3:25, that through your 44:33 offspring all nations shall be blessed. 44:35 Then you have this statement in Matthew 27:25, His blood be on 44:41 us and our children. 44:42 And as you look at the history of the Jewish communities 44:45 throughout the world, both of those things are still in force. 44:51 And they are juxtaposed against each other. 44:54 But wherever they go in science, and arts, and culture, 44:58 the Jewish community tends to float to the top. 45:01 One of our, Pastor Lomacang and I, our great hangout is 45:06 B and H Photo in New York City. 45:08 B and H closes at 3:00 o'clock on Friday afternoons. 45:12 It's like Disney Land for techies. 45:15 That industry is controlled by the Jewish 45:19 community to a great extent. 45:21 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, three Jewish brethren who 45:24 took care of Hollywood; the whole diamond 45:29 industry in New York City. 45:30 So wherever they go that idea of being children of God, 45:34 God has never pulled that promise back, even though they 45:37 failed to meet parts of it. 45:39 But there's also this corresponding thing: His blood 45:42 be on us and on our children. 45:44 And that has played out through the years. 45:46 So it's interesting that we see this pattern. 45:50 And yet God is faithful. 45:52 And we believe in these last days when massive numbers 45:55 of Gentiles are coming in, God will not have forgotten about 45:58 His Jewish brothers. 46:00 Amen, and Amen. Thank you, Pastor C. A. 46:02 You know, I'm going to pick up on some of the Scripture 46:06 that you covered, and you covered it beautifully. 46:09 But to move into mine I need to do that. 46:11 I'm covering Thursday and that's, 46:14 The Salvation of Sinners. 46:16 And what does God desire? 46:18 What is God's number one desire? 46:20 That would be 1 Timothy 2:3-4, and I believe we've 46:24 quoted it many times. 46:25 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; 46:30 who desires... How many men? all. 46:33 ...all men to be saved, and to come to the 46:36 knowledge of the truth. 46:38 All that God does is redemptive. 46:40 And I think I've heard this several times 46:43 here already today. 46:44 God is always redemptive. 46:46 His ultimate goal is to redeem not just some of mankind, 46:51 but all of mankind. 46:53 In our personal lives even those things that seem destructive 46:58 or painful are designed to draw us closer to our Lord and 47:03 Savior Jesus Christ. 47:06 Whom the Lord loves He does what? He chastens. 47:10 And so we want to be loved of the Lord, and we want those 47:14 things that are impure in us to be brought to the surface 47:18 so that they can be removed from our lives. 47:20 And that is God's purpose, to redeem mankind. 47:24 Although Paul was called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles, 47:28 his love for his own people wasn't lessened by his mission. 47:33 He defines himself as a Pharisee of the Pharisees. 47:37 Our memory verse today redefines the fact of how much 47:41 God loved His people. 47:42 All he had ever known was Judaism. 47:45 We have mentioned that many times. 47:48 And he had a deep and abiding love for God and for his people. 47:52 He also had been knocked down on the Road of Damascus, 47:57 and had a close encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, 48:01 and made Jesus Christ his Lord and Savior. 48:07 He had accepted Jesus Christ as the coming Messiah, 48:12 the Messiah that he had been taught about all his life. 48:17 Now his heart's desire, his heart's cry was for his people, 48:23 for the Jewish people to come to know that Savior. 48:27 God called him. His mission was to the Gentiles, but that didn't 48:31 lessen his mission to those that he loved; the Jewish people. 48:35 He loved his people, but, you know, he was very 48:39 honest about his people. 48:41 And the Scripture that Pastor C. A. covered, Romans 11:25-27, 48:49 Paul says in this: that blindness in part had happened 48:54 to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come. 48:59 He defined them. He acknowledged 49:03 that they were blind. 49:04 What were they blinded to? 49:06 Did they know the law forwards and backwards? Yes, they did. 49:09 What they were blinded to was the coming Messiah. 49:13 And when He came then they didn't know to accept Him. 49:16 And I loved what Shelley said. 49:18 The reason the Gentiles are grafted in, 49:23 it said to make them jealous. 49:25 But that's not our understanding of the word jealousy. 49:29 isn't the accurate defining. 49:31 It was to provoke Israel to return to God. 49:37 See, everything God does is redemptive. 49:41 It may look on the surface, or on the face of it sometimes 49:45 that God is doing something that is unlovely. 49:48 But, Oh, as Jill made so clear, everything God does is 49:53 motivated by pure love. His is pure love. 49:57 Now Paul was quoting from Isaiah, Chapter 59. 50:00 And I wanted to go over that. 50:02 Isaiah, Chapter 59. 50:04 We're going to look in Verses 1 and 2. 50:07 The Scripture says: Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened,... 50:11 Remember, I'm talking about the salvation of sinners. 50:15 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; 50:19 nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities 50:25 have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden 50:30 His face from you, so He will not hear. 50:32 See Isaiah loved his people as well, but he's giving his 50:38 people, the nation of Israel, a message from God. 50:42 And you know what? God was very honest with 50:45 the nation of Israel. 50:47 Isaiah is being very honest, just as Paul was very honest. 50:50 He's calling sin the color that sin is. 50:54 Now just as Isaiah is rebuking Israel, have you found in the 51:02 word of God that every time there is a rebuke it's going 51:06 to be followed with a promise. 51:07 And so he promises here in Isaiah 59:19-20: So shall they 51:14 fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from 51:17 the rising of the sun. 51:18 When the enemy comes in like a flood,... What does God do? 51:22 ...the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against them. 51:25 The Redeemer... Now here is what Paul was quoting. 51:28 The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from 51:33 transgression in Jacob, says the Lord. 51:36 But what do they have to do? 51:38 They have to turn from their transgression. 51:41 Now Paul continues in Romans 11:28-36: And this is to the 51:49 unbelieving Jewish people who will not accept Jesus Christ. 51:55 Paul is telling the Gentiles: Concerning the gospel, 51:59 they are enemies for your sake: but concerning the election, 52:04 they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 52:06 That grafting in. Shelley covered that so beautifully. 52:10 Do you know we are Gentiles? 52:11 How many of you are Gentiles? 52:13 We are grafted in! 52:16 Thank God for that grafting in! 52:18 For the gifts and callings of God... 52:20 Don't you love this? 52:21 The gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. 52:25 God doesn't make you a promise, doesn't make a covenant 52:29 with you, and then break that covenant. 52:31 We break covenant. God has never broken a covenant. 52:35 God will never break a covenant. 52:37 Men break covenants. 52:38 Go on, Verse 30: For as you were once disobedient to God,... 52:42 Now he's talking to us. 52:44 You know, Pastor Lomacang, you said initially that you felt 52:47 like this was covering legalism. 52:49 I think my lesson that I'm looking at is covering us, 52:55 we Gentiles, getting a higher opinion of 52:58 ourselves than we ought. 52:59 It also covers racism. 53:02 Do you know it's not by race, it's by grace? Amen! 53:06 No longer can your race... You say, I am of 53:09 this race or that race. 53:10 Not by race honey, it's by grace. 53:12 For as you were once disobedient to God,... You Gentiles. 53:16 ...you have now obtained mercy through their disobedience: 53:20 Even so these also have now been disobedient, 53:25 that through the mercy shown you, 53:29 they also may receive mercy. 53:31 See, Oh this makes it so clear. 53:33 God wants to show His grace and His mercy not just to one group 53:38 of people, but to everybody. 53:40 For God has committed them all to disobedience, 53:43 that He may have mercy on all. 53:46 O the depths and riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 53:49 how unsearchable are His judgments, 53:52 and His ways past finding out. 53:54 For who has known the mind of the Lord? 53:57 or who has become His counselor? 54:00 Or who has first given to Him, and it shall be repaid to him? 54:05 For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: 54:08 to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 54:13 Remember, God is always redemptive. 54:15 When we Gentiles realize the mercy that has been given us, 54:21 we're the wild olive branches that God has had mercy on, 54:25 then surely that should prompt us, motivate us to 54:29 have mercy on others. 54:31 As imitators of Christ, we must not draw a distinction 54:37 between precious souls. 54:38 No matter the nationality, the race,... 54:42 See if this touches you in any way. 54:46 ...the color of skin, is there any distinction drawn in your 54:52 heart just by what you see concerning a person? 54:57 There's not in the eyes of God. 54:59 Race, color of skin, financial status, caste, or political 55:06 persuasion, we, all we see, and all God sees, 55:12 poor souls in need of a Savior. 55:14 Just like we received redemption by the mercy of God, the foot at 55:20 the cross is what? it's level. 55:23 Whosoever will is welcome. 55:26 Joel 2:32, and then I'm through, Pastor Lomocang. 55:29 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of 55:35 the Lord... Say it with me... shall be saved. 55:39 Wow, Wow! You know, this lesson is just... This whole study on 55:43 Romans has been, not only a journey for us, but it has been 55:47 a deepening of our journey. 55:49 You know, it's like a new coat of paint. 55:51 You cannot walk through the book of Romans without 55:53 being affected by it. 55:55 But thank you, each one of you. 55:56 And if I summarize what you said: Sunday I said avoid 55:59 legalism at all costs. 56:01 Monday, grace is not works, works is not grace. 56:04 I love the way you pointed that out. 56:05 And, Shelley, the Lord has not restricted salvation. 56:09 That's a beautiful thing. 56:11 That's the words I pulled from that. 56:12 Pastor C. A. began with the phrase, So what? 56:14 Salvation is not unconditional. 56:17 So what, salvation? 56:19 And so what do we do with this? 56:20 Now that we have all of this, what do we do with it? 56:22 And then Thursday. I brought a couple of things. 56:24 But Mollie, God is always... God's work is always redemptive. 56:28 Not by race, but by grace. 56:30 A new cliche. You always come up with these wonderful things. 56:32 And we don't have a ton of time. 56:33 We have about a minute here. 56:35 But one thing we didn't point out was the phrase in this whole 56:37 study: Christ is the end of the law. 56:39 I think this is so important, because people think that that 56:42 means that the law ended. 56:43 But it simply meant the goal and the purpose of the law 56:46 is to lead us to Christ. 56:47 And, you know, normally we would go ahead and summarize. 56:51 But, Jill, what would you say to those who are listening to 56:54 this program today? 56:55 You've got ten seconds, if so much. 56:56 2 Peter 3. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, 57:01 but that all should come to repentance. 57:03 Choose to accept Jesus. 57:04 Shelley. Amen, I would just say that Praise God for grace, 57:09 Praise God for the Old Testament Scriptures 57:12 that we may know our roots. 57:14 Pastor C. A., five seconds. 57:15 Amen. The grace of God who brings salvation has 57:17 appear unto all men. Amen. 57:19 Mollie. Praise God that it's appeared to all men! 57:21 That's right friends. 57:23 You could see that grace is in fact the foundation, 57:26 through faith in Jesus Christ. 57:28 May you know the God of Paul that wants to be your God also. 57:32 God bless you till we see you again. |
Revised 2023-11-22