Romans 8:31-39

If God is for you nothing else matters! 

I am doing a reading, in lieu of my 87 year old Father, for my nephew’s wedding in Newtown, CT how fitting it is. Evil may try to destroy your faith but it cannot succeed. Cling to that faith which is your gift from the Father in the salvation of the Cross and everything will work out. In Christ all things are possible and the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is is able to get you safely home.

justification

noun

there's no justification: grounds, reason, basis, rationale, premise, rationalization, vindication, explanation; defense, argument, apologia, apology, case.

The apostle struggles for words to describe the absolute certainty of God’s love for believers. Nothing hard or dangerous, neither death nor life, can separate us.

If God, the uncreated One, is for us, and no created thing can separate us, then our security in Him is absolute.

Romans 8:31-39

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

⁹ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” 

Numbers 14:9

⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 

Romans 5:6

¹⁸ “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

John 3:18

²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 

Hebrews 7:25

⁹ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 

2 Corinthians 1:9

Romans 14:14-18

As followers of Jesus Christ we walk in love. 

God loves all of His creation, no one person more than another. In His eyes sin is sin, from the little white lies we use to our advantage to adultery, they are all equal sins. 

God is the judge…..not us!

 We are to be an example of His love, so great, so deep,  that He gave His only Son to die in place of our sins. 

Romans 15… We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ² Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.

Face it we are all sinners in need of a Savior. It is all about Jesus and His sacrifice, His righteousness, nor ours. 

Our commission is to let others know of God’s love and He will take care of the rest.

The kingdom of God does not consist of external things, but in spiritual realities like righteousness in action and thought, peace that seeks harmony, and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. Those who understand the spiritual realities of the kingdom will not choose the brief joy of satisfying selfish desires over the spiritual joy of putting aside those desires for the sake of others.

Romans 14:14-18

¹⁴ I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. ¹⁵ Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; ¹⁷ for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

¹¹ And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 

1 Corinthians 8:11

¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 

Romans 12:17

⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

Romans 8:6

¹² having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 

1 Peter 2:12

The Book of Matthew

When the whole worlds seem to be chaotic and unpredictable look up our Redeemer, the King of kings, is drawing near, ”God with us”. 

Spread the Good News!

unpredictable

adjective

1 unpredictable results: unforeseeable, uncertain, unsure, doubtful, dubious, iffy, dicey, in the balance, up in the air.

2 unpredictable behavior: erratic, moody, volatile, unstable, capricious, temperamental, mercurial, changeable, variable; 'on-again, off-again’.

The Book of Matthew

Succession to a throne is often a time of conflict and uncertainty. David’s son Absalom tried to usurp the throne. Solomon’s choice of successor lost more than half the kingdom to a traitor. Menahem assassinated his predecessor in Israel. Royalty is a dangerous business.

This is no less true when the heir is the King of kings. If ever there was a high-stakes succession, this was it. A Man claims to be Israel’s own Messiah; of course all Israel sits up and takes notice. Of course He must prove His credentials: Who wants an impostor? The Book of Matthew presents Jesus’ credentials. It presents Jesus as the King, but King of a totally different kingdom—the kingdom of heaven.

²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:  ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 

Matthew 1:22-23

⁶ For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Isaiah 9:6

¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 

Matthew 24:14

Daniel 8:23-25

In a complex world the weapon is simple, Jesus the Christ.

There will be an end to the world as we know it. Good will overcome evil. God always has the final word. Trust in Him to accomplish what man cannot.

The first king of Greece was Alexander the Great. None of Alexander’s four generals ruled with the strength of Alexander. King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the king of Syria made his capital at Antioch. Antiochus would be energized by Satan, as will the Antichrist. Antiochus died without human intervention. According to the apocryphal Book of 2 Maccabees, Antiochus died of a painful disease.

Daniel 8:23-25

²³ “And in the latter time of their kingdom,

When the transgressors have reached their fullness,

A king shall arise,

Having fierce features,

Who understands sinister schemes.

²⁴ His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;

He shall destroy fearfully,

And shall prosper and thrive;

He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.

²⁵ “Through his cunning

He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;

And he shall exalt himself in his heart.

He shall destroy many in their prosperity.

He shall even rise against the Prince of princes;

But he shall be broken without human means.

⁵⁰ a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. 

Deuteronomy 28:50

¹³ These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 

Revelation 17:13

²⁰ Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 

Revelation 19:20

Mark 3:1-5

The letter of the Law, without Gods’ compassion, grace and mercy, kills the spirit and turns people away from the true meaning of salvation….Jesus. His Love covered a multitude of sins... so should ours.

The greatest of the gifts given to us is Love!

Christ put the meaning of the Sabbath to the test. Certainly it was more consistent with the intention of the law to restore this man’s afflicted hand, even on the Sabbath, than to destroy his hopes for the sake of keeping human tradition. The Pharisees did not respond, for they knew that they would condemn themselves.

Mark 3:1-5

 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. ² So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. ³ And He said to the man who had the withered hand,  “Step forward.” ⁴ Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. ⁵ And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

³²The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. 

Psalm 37:32

²⁰ So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. 

Luke 20:20

Jonah 4: 9-11

God cares about ALL His creation.  A.L.L.  If we have a problem with loving sinners (those with different sins than our own) or those who  we see as being different than ourselves then it is our problem….not His. 

9-11 Jesus to the rescue!

Gods’  love is so great, so powerful, so extreme that if we can get someone to grasp His agape kind of love  for them we will bring a smile to the very faces of the angels in His Kingdom. Wow!!!!

It was never Gods’ desire for anyone to perish but through Jesus to have an equal opportunity to enter in. He loves the good, the bad and the downright ugly and gave His only begotten Son to die for all of us.

If Jonah could take pity on a plant, which is even less important than an animal, it only made sense that God would take pity on human beings, who are made in God’s image. The Book of Jonah ends on this note of contrast between Jonah’s ungracious heart and the kind heart of the Lord.

The Book of Jonah challenges God’s people not to exalt themselves over others. The Lord, the great King, is free to bless, to be gracious, and to be patient with all the nations of the earth. More than that, He may show compassion even on the wicked. Indeed, His mercy extends even to animals.

Jonah 4: 9-11

 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?

Mark 6:5-6

What is the biggest obstacle to our spirituality? 

Lack of faith, without it we are unable to see the work of the Holy Spirit in our life or to hear the plans that He has for us. Without faith we can not please God who rewards those who believe He exists.

In salvation we are given the Holy Spirit to teach us the spiritual things of Jesus so our life glorifies God…. Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Nothing is impossible to those who believe.

believe

verb

1 I don't believe you: be convinced by, trust, have confidence in, consider honest, consider truthful.

2 do you believe that story? regard as true, accept, be convinced by, give credence to, credit, trust, put confidence in; informal swallow, buy, go for.

3 I believe he worked for you: think, be of the opinion that, have an idea that, imagine, suspect, suppose, assume, presume, take it, conjecture, surmise, conclude, deduce, understand, be given to understand, gather, fancy, guess, dare say; informal reckon, figure; archaic ween. ANTONYMS doubt.

believe in be convinced of the existence of, be sure of the existence of…trust in, have every confidence in, cling to, set (great) store by, value, be convinced by, be persuaded by; subscribe to, approve of; informal swear by.

Mark 6:5-6

⁵ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

⁵⁸ Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. 

Matthew 13:58

²³ Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 

Mark 9:23

¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. 

Hebrews 3:19

³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 

Acts 10:38

¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 

Ephesians 2:17

Matthew 1:18-25

Can you imagine being a very young girl, 13 or 14 years of age, and finding yourself unmarried and pregnant……with the very Son Of God? 

Side by side with the unspeakable joy you are experiencing you are also placed in the very vulnerable position of being pregnant out of wedlock. Who would believe you that this Holy One growing inside of you was conceived of the Holy Spirit? At the same time the man you are engaged to has very serious questions of his own about the conception of this child. Talk about being elated and fearful at the same time.

God handpicked Joseph knowing that he was a godly and compassionate man who listened and obeyed. 

Joseph  must have felt betrayed initially but lived his life close enough to God to be able to hear from Him.  Miracle upon miracle would be witnessed by these two Jewish people. 

Never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined the road that they would be placed upon in fulfilling Scripture.

In Jewish culture, this covenant was made about a year before the consummation of the marriage. It was during the one-year period of betrothal that Mary was found to be pregnant. It would take a divorce ,according to their laws, to end this engagement.

Matthew 1:18-25

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

²⁴ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, ²⁵ and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Luke 1:35 

³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 

Acts 13:23 

²³ From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—

Galatians 4:4 

⁴ But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 

Luke 15:8-10

God searches for you…let that sink in, He searches for you. 

The One that you loved since childhood but so betrayed in the divorces and failures that became your life. That One, He looks anxiously for your return. It is so hard to imagine a love like that when everyone else has lost all respect for you. You had become in their eyes the biggest of hypocrites, that great love and that fire you had for Christ…..all covered in the failures. You are of value to the Creator of this world. There is hope. There is mercy and grace. He has been waiting for you. 

Let the blood of Christ cover you in His righteousness.

Gr. drachma, a valuable coin often worn in a ten-piece garland by married women 

Luke 15:8-10

⁸ “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ ¹⁰ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:4–7 

⁴ “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. 

Philippians 1:9-11

Knock and He will open the spiritual doors of heaven so that what you seek you will find.  Ask for understanding and He will take the teachings of Jesus, the living Word of God, and explain them to you. The simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ saves!

The more time we spend in the Word the more the Holy Spirit can cultivate, prune and produce a harvest of His fruit in us to share with others to the glory of God. 

This verb, that you may approve, is used in ancient literature for the testing of gold to determine its purity, and for trying oxen to assess their usefulness for the task at hand.

fruitful

adjective

1 a fruitful tree: fertile, fecund, prolific, high-yielding; fruit-bearing, fruiting. ANTONYMS barren.

2 fruitful discussions: productive, constructive, useful, of use, worthwhile, helpful, beneficial, valuable, rewarding, profitable, advantageous, gainful, successful, effective, effectual, well spent. ANTONYMS futile.

Philippians 1:9-11

⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, ¹¹ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 

Ephesians 2:10

⁶ which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 

Colossians 1:6

⁸  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 

John 15:8

John 9:3-5

God loves all of His creation it is up to us to show them.

The Holy Spirit dwelling in man was made possible through Jesus’s death. His sacrifice eliminated the veil between God and His creation allowing His light to be manifested into the world through His Body…… believers. 

In the process of being changed into His image we are given a new heart to serve others. Mans’ separation from God was eliminated through the work of the Cross and given freely to those who choose to accept this precious gift. We were created to share this Good News.

We were given eternal life for God’s glory that the Son of God may be glorified through it. We are His masterpiece created for good works.

Let His light in you shine so that others are drawn to Him.

light ¹

noun

1 the light of candles: illumination, brightness, luminescence, luminosity, shining, gleaming, gleam, brilliance, radiance, luster, glowing, glow, blaze, glare, dazzle; sunlight, moonlight, starlight, lamplight, firelight; ray of light, beam of light; literary effulgence, refulgence, lambency. ANTONYMS darkness.

John 9:3-5

³ Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. ⁴ I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁴ When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 

John 11:4

¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. 

Galatians 6:10

John 9:39-41

God’s salvation came in the form of a man, all man and all God. Jesus was born of a woman and conceived by the Holy Spirit. We can accept or reject God’s gift. We are bought with a great price. Jesus was born, died and rose again as a sacrifice for mans’ sin and to overcome death once and for all. The great commission is to make sure that all mankind has knowledge of the Word of God made flesh and the truth of life it offers to all who believe. 

Jesus did not come into the world to execute judgment. Nevertheless, the inevitable result of His coming is judgment, because some refuse to believe.

blind |blīnd|

verb [ with obj. ]

1 cause (someone) to be unable to see, permanently or temporarily

2 (be blinded) deprive (someone) of understanding, judgment, or perception

• (blind someone with) confuse or overawe someone with something difficult to understand

John 9:39-41

³⁹ And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

⁴⁰ Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”

⁴¹ Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

John 3:17

⁴⁷ And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 

John 12:47

²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 

John 15:22

²⁴ If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 

John 15:24

John 14:23-24

Two commandments Jesus left with us. The first is to love God with all that is within you and the second is to love others as much as yourself.

commandment |kəˈmandmənt|

noun

a divine rule, especially one of the Ten Commandments.

• a rule to be observed as strictly as one of the Ten Commandments.

ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French comandement, from comander ‘to command’ (see command) .

 If we keep these two commandments we will not sin. If you care for your neighbor you will not steal from him, lie to him, cause him physical harm, you will not be envious of the gifts that God has provided to him nor will you gossip or create lies that bring him harm. 

We cannot pick and choose……..if we are true believers, out of the wellspring of our heart, good things should flow showing God’s love to the world! 

Jesus explained that His manifestation to the disciples would be in response to their love and obedience. If a believer loves and obeys the Lord, he or she will experience fellowship with God. If a person does not love Jesus, he or she will not obey Him. Disobedience is a serious matter, for Jesus’ words are the words of God.

John 14:23-24

²³ Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ²⁴ He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 

Ephesians 3:17

¹⁹ Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 

John 5:19

³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 

Revelation 21:3

Hosea 14:1-3

He is the Lord, our God, and He will not tolerate anything that we place above Him in importance in our life.

We must be very careful not to allow the pleasures of this world to become our gods. Money, power and control are elevated and sought out by society. Their pursuit stifles the heart of God in man silencing His still, small voice given to us to guide us.

Worship God  in prayer and in communion with others.

The final section of Hosea’s prophecy begins with a call to repentance that includes a model prayer. The people of Israel were to pray for God’s gracious forgiveness and renew their allegiance to Him by renouncing foreign alliances, their own military strength, and artificial gods.

Hosea 14:1-3

14 O Israel, return to the Lord your God,

For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;

² Take words with you,

And return to the Lord.

Say to Him,

“Take away all iniquity;

Receive us graciously,

For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.

³ Assyria shall not save us,

We will not ride on horses,

Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods.’

For in You the fatherless finds mercy.”

¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. 

Joel 2:13

¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. 

Psalm 51:17

¹⁵ Therefore by Him let us continually offer  the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 

Hebrews 13:15

¹³ You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your own way, In the multitude of your mighty men. 

Hosea 10:13

31 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the Lord! 

Isaiah 31:1