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Pastor Mark Mikels – February 28, 2010
“DUELING DYNAMICS”
(The Law and The Spirit)
(Romans 7:1-6)

Intro … Today in our journey through the Book of Romans we come to Romans chapter seven – a most challenging chapter; it’s a chapter that many find bewildering or even cause for consternation. They might say,

“I wish Paul had never written it” –
“It strikes too close to home”.

Others, however, find Romans Seven to provide a convenient excuse for them living a less-than stellar Christian life – for them, Romans Seven provides great comfort …read the rest

 Pastor Mark Mikels – February 21, 2010

“HOW TO LIVE A GRACE-FILLED LIFE”
(Romans 6:11-23)

Intro … This morning we complete the message that we began three weeks ago … That message was titled:
“How To Live A Sin-Free Life.”

In that message we discussed both the problems and the blessings of living
“sin-free” – that is, living without any conscious, willful, overt sinful behaviors
in our lives. We concluded that that would be a very desirable way to live!

Also in that message, we discovered (with the Apostle Paul’s help) that the way to live such a “sin-free” life is to “Live every day as though we were already dead” … that is, dead to sin and to all its attractiveness.

That, in fact, is the very directive God gives us in Romans 6:11 when He says …

“Consider yourselves (count yourselves,
reckon yourselves) to be dead to sin …”

Now we pointed out in the conclusion to that message that the verbal key that can unlock the door to that wonderful sin-free spiritual reality is the simple phrase … “Thank God I’m dead to that”.

We can and should use that phrase whenever we are tempted by some sinful suggestion or impulse. That simple phrase can keep the old nature from rousing itself.

Without a doubt, living a sin-free life (a life free of conscious, willful, overt sinful behavior) is an incredibly wonderful thing – it’s something that God highly desires for us to experience.

But it’s not the ultimate thing – it’s not even the main thing. That “main thing”
is what we are going to talk about this morning.

Here’s how Today’s Key Concept expresses it …

Today’s Key Concept …
God doesn’t just want us to live SIN-FREE lives;
He wants us to live GRACE-FILLED lives!
(Lives stimulated by the Stirrings of Grace)

Key Clarification … Whereas the designation “Sin-Free” communicates the absence of something negative; the designation “Grace-Filled” communicates the presence of something positive.

In our passage of the morning, I find …
Three Great Positives Present In Such A Grace-Filled Life:

1. Wholehearted OBEDIENCE (vs. 17)

“Thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin,
you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching
to which you were entrusted.”

Wholehearted obedience is a wondrous thing … it’s wondrous in the eyes of the one being obeyed and it’s wondrous in the experience of the one doing the obeying. It communicates a unity of thought and will between the two; it communicates a soul-satisfying kind of harmony; it rises above mere self-interest; it unlocks passion and produces satisfaction.

Our model for such wholehearted obedience is of course Christ himself:

“I have come to do your will, O God”
(Hebrews 10:7)

Doing the Father’s Will was Christ’s highest motivation and his greatest source of joy and satisfaction … He obeyed wholeheartedly even when such obedience brought hardship and pain. Doing the Father’s Will and the knowledge that he
was in fact doing it he found nourishing.

Here’s how he expressed it in John chapter 4 … (v. 34)

“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

Can you imagine yourself saying …

“Obeying God is as satisfying to me as eating my favorite meal”?

Jesus could and did … Apparently the believers in Rome had tasted of that meal as well, for Paul commends them for having …

“wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which they were entrusted.”

What a thrill it must have been for the Apostle Paul to write those words – to be able to commend them in that way – for in the opening verses of this great letter, he had pointed out that the ultimate goal of his apostleship was to call people from all the nations …

“to the obedience that comes from faith”
Romans 1:5

This call to obedience the Roman believers had heeded and they had heeded it wholeheartedly … not reluctantly, not out of feelings of necessity but eagerly, exuberantly, perhaps even ecstatically – realizing that they had been granted the privilege of ordering their lives according to the Will and the Ways of the
Living God Himself!

That kind of obedience is inevitably discovered in a Grace-Filled Life.

Now here’s a second great Positive discovered in such a life …

I’m calling it this morning simply …

2. Slavery To RIGHTEOUSNESS (vs. 18)

“You have been set free from sin and have become
slaves to righteousness.”

In a truly Grace-Filled Life, Godliness (Righteousness/doing the right thing) becomes habitual, that is, “Righteousness becomes our default position”. The more we “wholeheartedly obey God’s Word”, the more doing things God’s Way begins to seem like the only way to live.

We develop in our lives what my old Seminary Professor used to call “Grooves of Grace”. By the way, it’s our “wholeheartedness” for the things of God that keeps these “Grooves of Grace” from becoming simply “Ruts of Routine” so there’s a sense of progression here.

But you tell me … isn’t it freeing to do almost automatically the very things that you (in your best moments) have decided should be done?

When righteousness really becomes our master much of the pressure of life is removed … the old sin nature doesn’t have much of a chance to reassert itself and the world and its values are clearly seen as cheap imitations of the real thing and the Devil’s challenging voice is nearly silenced.

And as a result … we discover more and more within us this third and final
reality … the third and final “positive” that is always present in one who is “grace-filled”.

I’m calling this one this morning …

3. The Experience of ETERNAL LIFE (vs. 22-23)

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have
become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness,
and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul identifies the entire progression in these two verses …

First … we have been “set free from sin” … that’s of course the result of Christ’s death on the Cross but it is also the outcome of “reckoning ourselves to be dead to sin”.

Second … We have become “slaves to God” – we have placed ourselves under His Lordship and have surrendered our own will to His and thus the type of life that pleases Him is becoming more and more habitual and seeming more and more normal and natural to us all the time.

Third … And as that sense of “Divine Slavery” settles us into a pattern of obedient behavior that is seeming more and more natural, we actually arrive
at a lifestyle that can be considered “holy” … at least one that is more godly
than it is ungodly.

Fourth then … the end result is the experience of what Paul calls “Eternal life” – the kind of life that characterizes God and all who share His Spiritual DNA.

Jesus gave a wonderful definition or description of this life in his great prayer recorded in John chapter 17 … Here’s what he said:

“Now this is eternal life that they may know Thee,
the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
(John 17:3)

Eternal life – the life that God the Father sent His own son into the world to provide – is life immersed in the knowledge of God … it’s the end result of all the efforts that God has made on our behalf – it’s the end result of all the efforts that we have made to bring ourselves into compliance with His Ways.

Now here’s the point that we don’t want to miss …

The experience of eternal life (intimate fellowship with God) begins in this life; it’s the experience of being so absolutely enslaved to righteousness that righteousness completely controls our every action and it’s the experience of obeying God so wholeheartedly that nothing else could even attract us – that’s the Grace-Filled Life!

That’s the life God has planned for every believer … it’s the finest form of living that human beings can ever experience …

It was demonstrated perfectly by Jesus and experienced by countless others in varying degrees over the years.

Surely it’s the form of life that we would all desire …

And so we come to Today’s Key Question …

Today’s Key Question …
So how does the Grace-Filled Life become a REALITY for me?

Answer: CONSIDER it to ALREADY be yours.

“Count (Reckon/Consider) yourselves DEAD to sin
but ALIVE to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)

In the same way that we must first of all “Consider ourselves to be dead to sin” so we must also “Consider ourselves to be alive to God” and to the things that God commands and approves.

Now if the result of the “first” consideration is that we can respond “Thank God I’m dead to that” whenever we are confronted with some sinful opportunity, then the result of the “second” consideration is that we can respond “Thank God I’m alive to that” when presented with an opportunity to function in some godly way.

And so … with every opportunity to obey God’s Word, with every awareness of some righteous action that might be taken, with every insight into the mind and heart of God himself … our joyful response becomes …

“Praise God … I’m alive to that – I’ll do it …
for that’s the very kind of thing I’m living for!”

That’s the very essence of “Grace-Filled Living”.

Three weeks ago I suggested that a great way to start the day is with a “funeral service for our old nature” – we “died to sin” – let’s commemorate it … Let’s “reckon ourselves to be dead to sin”.

Today I would suggest that we follow up that “funeral service” with a “birthday party for our new life in Christ” – we are alive in Christ –let’s celebrate it. Let’s “reckon ourselves to be alive to God”.

Final Thot …
He who “reckons” BEST – lives MOST.

Pastor Mark Mikels – January 31, 2010
“HOW TO LIVE A SIN-FREE LIFE”
(Romans 6:1-23)

Intro … Have you checked out the title of today’s message?
It’s “How To Live A Sin-Free Life” …

Today’s message is actually the first of two messages arising from Romans Chapter Six (one of the greatest chapters in all the Scripture). Romans Six is one of those chapters that we could profitably read every single day.

Romans Chapter Six contains revelations from God that open the door to
the fullness of the Christian Life – revelations that point the way to a life of abundance and blessing, a life of fellowship and satisfaction, a life focused on spiritually profitable actions and attitudes – a life that senses God’s Smile of Pleasure upon it … or as we put it this morning – A Sin-Free Life – not a perfect life – but a life that has been “purged of all overt sinful behaviors”.

Now before we get into this message – before we begin to delve into this incredible passage – I would draw your attention to Today’s Introductory Question … a question that might seem on the surface to be completely unnecessary and maybe even a bit offensive – but I draw your attention
to it nonetheless.

It’s formatted diagnostically – It’s in the first person – It’s focused upon each one of us individually. And here it is …

TODAY’S INTRODUCTORY QUESTION …

“Do I WANT to live a SIN-FREE Life?”
(A life that has been purged of all overt sinful behaviors)

Do I want/is it my desire/would I be delighted … to be “living sin-free”, that is, living a life that has been purged of all overt sinful behaviors.

Now some of you might be thinking – “Who wouldn’t?” … “Why even ask such a question?” … “Can’t we just assume that the answer is yes?”

Well … not really and the reason that a “yes” answer to this question is not simply automatic, even for a professing Christian, is because …

GOING SIN-FREE COULD BE PROBLEMATIC (because, you see …)

* Some Sins Are Completely ENJOYABLE

This past week at one of the Cell Groups I lead we raised the question (growing out of last Sunday’s message) “Why do some people continue to live ‘messed up lives’ when there’s a way for them to get “fixed up?”

One of our ladies leaned toward me and said …
”Pastor, I think some people just really enjoy sin.”

Going “Sin-Free” would remove those things from your life if in fact you are harboring any.

Now I’m not going to share a list of such sins, lest someone feel like they ought
to give them all a try! Besides you know what they are: They are the things that make you feel both good and guilty at the same time.

* Some Sins Seem Absolutely UNAVOIDABLE

These are the less than stellar behaviors that we excuse by saying,
“That’s just the way I am” or “That’s just the way things are”.

“I’d prefer to not act like that but I have no choice – if I don’t do what everyone else
is doing, I’ll be looked down upon and maybe even over-looked for advancement. I just happen to work in a rough environment, I just happen to have a quick temper, I just naturally seem to “rub people the wrong way” … these things are pretty much unavoidable. Going Sin-Free for me would necessitate a pretty complete overhaul.”

Now here’s one more problem with going “Sin-Free” …

* Some Sins Are Actually Quite BENEFICIAL

To some degree this is actually the “reverse angle” view of the previous one … You see, there are certain “sinful behaviors” that can help advance me in my job or business or personal relationships.

“Strategic Truth Arranging” can be very beneficial – Deliberately misleading people can be most useful; Participating in activities that are sinful can cause others to accept me as “one of the gang” – as one who can be “brought into
the loop” safely.

Going “Sin-Free” might actually cause me to “lose my edge” or worse yet move
me “to the edge” of the group I associate with.

So it’s not such an irrelevant question after all, is it? Going Sin-Free
can be quite problematic … It can drastically change one’s life!

However … and here’s the point Paul’s making in this incredible chapter

STAYING SIN-FULL BRINGS ITS OWN SET OF PROBLEMS (for you see)

* Sin Tends To ENSNARE And ENSLAVE (vs. 16)

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey
him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey?

Sin is a relentless master … It is never content with the amount of us
it possesses or with the frequency at which it is expressed.

Sin wants all of us and it wants unlimited opportunity to express itself. That’s why so many of those “enjoyable sins” turn into addictions – sin is never satisfied.

I’m reminded of an answer my dad once gave to a co-worker …

(It was a hot day – they were laboring men taking their lunch break – his co-worker offered him a beer and said, “Give it a try, Bob, you might discover
you like it,” to which my dad replied, “That just the point, I might.”

He stopped short of saying “And then I might turn into a boozer just like the rest of you guys” but he thought it. Sin tends to ensnare and then enslave … Playing with sin is always akin to playing with fire.

Well, that could be reason enough to seek to live as “sin-free” a life as possible but here’s another problem of living a “Sin-Full” life …

* Sin Brings Your SALVATION Into QUESTION (vs. 2)

“We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

Salvation involves (what Jesus called) a “new birth” (John 3:3) and
(as Paul put it) the process of becoming a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

It challenges logical thought for a person to experience something as drastic
as a “new birth” into a “new life” or to be completely transformed into a “new creation” and yet persist in willful, overt sin-full living.

Paul’s somewhat exasperated question stems from the illogic and inconsistency of just such a situation …
“We died to sin – how can we live in it any longer?”

The expected and implied answer is (of course) … “We can’t.” We can’t embrace such a lifestyle of sin and true born-again people don’t … but any sin that we tolerate (let alone harbor) in our lives can bring our salvation into question …

“Am I really saved since I relish and delight in this sin-full behavior?”

And that question undermines the assurance of our salvation that our Heavenly Father wants all of His Children to experience and the loss of that assurance can create all kinds of unsettledness in our hearts.

Now here’s another problem that sin-full living would bring you …

* Sin Leads You To A Place of SHAME And To The DEATH
Of Many Things That Might Have BEEN (vs. 21)

“What benefit did you reap at that time from the things
you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!”

Here’s actually the worst of the problems that sin brings in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ …

Sin re-enforces SHAME in our lives … that painful feeling that we have loss respect in the eyes of others – that we have brought discredit to the name of Christ and perhaps to His Church. We are properly “Ashamed of Ourselves”
and it feels horrible.

There have been prominent ministers of the Gospel who have “resigned from their ministry in shame” because of some sinful action or pattern of living.

Sin brings DEATH to many things that might have been … now that doesn’t mean that God’s Grace can’t enter in and help us overcome but it does mean that Sin can forever alter the way our lives play out.

Young people who fall into sexual sin can have (will have) their lives forever changed; a married man who cheats on his wife or who becomes ensnared in gambling or addicted to on-line pornography will find his life forever changed
and things will die – things that might have been will never be.

Sin is a robber – Sin works in the employ of the greatest thief of all time –
The Great Destroyer – Lucifer Himself.

It’s an ugly scene that sin leaves in its wake … Being forgiven is wonderful … living “sin-free” is even better.

“Living Sin-Free” – living a life that has been purged of all overt, sinful behaviors is the only way to truly live – such a person avoids the slavery of thought and action that sin would create; such a person does not lose the wondrous assurance of salvation that is so vital to one’s spiritual equilibrium, and such a person avoids ever coming to that place of public or private shame and such a person avoids as well the death of possibilities that sin would bring.

Can there be any doubt … “Sin-Free Living” is the only way to live – it’s in fact the very way that God wants His Children to live … someday in heaven it will be the only way that there is to live but here in this world it’s a choice to so live – it’s by no means automatic though it (by now) should be seen as highly desirable.

By this point I trust that the answer to our introductory question (Do I want to live a sin-free life) has become (if it wasn’t before) a Resounding “YES” …

“Yes, I do want to live a Sin-Free Life!”

And so we transition to …

TODAY’S ULTIMATE QUESTION …
“HOW (then) can such a sin-free life be EXPERIENCED?”

Now that’s the question isn’t it? How can it be done? How can I actually live a life that has been purged from at least all overt, sinful behaviors … a life that is not ensnared or enslaved to any such behavior, a life that is not forfeiting its future, a life that is not causing me endless shame and regret.

Well, before we give Paul’s answer let me just mention a few ways that it can’t be done …

You Can’t BEAT yourself into it … that is, punish yourself so badly every time that you sin that you say to yourself, “I will never to that again”. Once you get ensnared you are ensnared and no amount of punishment will deter you.

You can’t LEGISLATE yourself into it … You can’t simply define all the things that you should not do and put them on the list and just resolve not to do them. Most human beings do not possess the necessary will power to refrain from everything and besides no list is ever complete. Sinful options are always appearing that aren’t on the list and before the “list” can be revised, you are enticed and ensnared.

And you can’t just REASON yourself into it … that is, convince yourself that the way that God says to live is actually the best way to live and so therefore it only makes sense to live that way.

Such an approach assumes that we are all primarily rational creatures and that we are guided through life by the dictates of our mind. The reality is that many sinful impulses are stirred from places other than the mind and generally the mind is no match for aroused emotion.

So what is the answer … How can we in the midst of a fallen sin-filled world manage to live Sin-Free Lives?

There’s only one sure way … It a technique based upon Paul’s clear teaching in Romans 6:7 … Here it is …

ANSWER: “LIVE as THOUGH you were DEAD!” (vs. 7)

‘Anyone who has DIED has been FREED from Sin.”
(vs. 6 and vs. 8 and vs. 2 and vs. 11)

“Anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” What a thought!

As we said a few weeks ago … “Dead men can’t sin.”

Of course, dead man can’t enjoy the blessings of life either so we don’t want to really be dead, not totally dead, not completely dead, not absolutely dead. But if we could live as though we were dead, we would be immune to the sinful things that so easily allure and ensnare the living.

Listen to the way Paul puts it … Here’s the verse we looked at earlier (verse 2)

“We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

Or verse 6 …

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin
might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin …”

What Paul is saying is that spiritually speaking there actually has been a death
of our old sin nature … We don’t have to just act like it has been put to death,
it actually has so therefore we can live sin-free lives since the very part of
us that has been so prone to sin has been put to death and no longer dictates
our behavior …

So then in a practical, how do I do it kind of way, Paul says in verse 11 …

“Count yourselves dead to sin”

“Count yourselves – Consider yourselves – Reckon yourselves (KJV) to be dead with regard to sin! “Man, I’m dead to that!”

This is an ongoing, continual process – this counting or considering or reckoning –

“Start every day with a funeral service for your old sinful nature”
Don’t give it an inch – don’t allow it to stir – keep the lid tightly
closed on the casket and place that casket deep in the ground.”

And if it somehow pushes its way back into your life during the day and suggests something of a definite sinful nature to you, look it right in the eye before it makes any headway in your mind or heart and say …

“No thanks … “I’m completely dead to that.”

It’s ironic but true what our final thot says …

Final Thot … Only the DEAD can experience real sin-free LIFE!
May that kind of life be our experience every day!

Pastor Mark Mikels – January 24, 2010
“HISTORY’S TWO MOST SIGNIFICANT MEN”
(Romans 5:12-21)

Intro … The title of today’s message is “History’s Two Most Significant Men” … Now for those of you who have not already sneaked a peek at today’s sermon outline and figured it out, I would like you to take a moment and write down on the top of your outline, the names of the two men that you believe to be the subject of this message … Who would you say are history’s two most significant men?

I raise the question because in our passage of the week, the Apostle Paul identified those two most significant men in the process of further explaining
the wondrous work that God’s Grace has begun in our world.

Let me read the passage to you … And keep in mind that this is one of those places where our English language is a bit hard-pressed to keep up with Paul’s exuberant and complex Greek.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned -for before the law was given, sin was
in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin
by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one
man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So did you identify them?
History’s Two Most Significant Men are ADAM and JESUS!

And from this most unique New Testament Passage arises …

Today’s Key Concept …
Just as the actions of ADAM have MESSED us up
So the actions of JESUS would FIX us up!

This entire passage is focused upon the incredible contrast displayed in the actions and in the consequences of those actions of these two most significant men. Included as well in its focus is the revelation that every single human being on the face of the earth is this very moment either “messed up” or “fixed up”.

Consider then with me the incredible contrast between the Action of Adam (which Paul calls “the trespass”) and the Action of Christ (which Paul calls
“the gift”). … (verse 15, 16)

But the gift is not like the trespass …
Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin:

Four Gospel-Worthy (Good News Worthy) Distinctions can be drawn from this passage – distinctions (as it’s on your outline this morning) between the results of the Trespass of Adam and the Obedience of Jesus …

First of all then …

* Whereas Adam’s TRESPASS Brought SIN and DEATH
Jesus’ OBEDIENCE Brings GRACE and LIFE!
(verses 12, 17)

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned …

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Now there’s a powerful image … Adam is the door by which Sin entered into the world and by which every one of us has entered into the world as well. And as a result, every one of us has been born into a world that is infected and affected by sin and none of us can escape those affects – the greatest of which is death.

The truth is … we are “born in sin” and that is why we sin – it’s in our nature as children of Adam. And as Paul would spell it out in the very next chapter
(Romans 6:23) … “the wages of sin is death”.

Now that pay check is coming to all of Adam’s progeny and sooner or later
every single human being will cash it in. Being children of Adam puts us in
a very precarious position.

On the other hand (as we saw last week) Jesus is also a door but through him comes grace and life not sin and death. All human beings who exercise faith in him may pass through and gain “access” into the fullness of that Grace.
(Romans 5:1-2)

Adam’s trespass has brought sin and death while Christ’s obedience has made possible grace and life.

Here’s a second distinction we can draw from this passage …
* Whereas Adam’s Trespass Brought CONDEMNATION
Jesus’ Obedience Brings JUSTIFICATION!
(verse 18)

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

Now here we drive the point just a bit further … all human beings are sinners because they are born into a sinful human race … they are born spiritually separated from God with an inner bias toward disobedience and as a result
they come under God’s condemnation.

This condemnation is spelled out most graphically in Revelation 20:15

“Now if anyone’s name was not found written in the Lamb’s
Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.”

That’s the final destination of Adam’s race … experiencing the Condemnation
of a Holy God – Condemned to Hell for all Eternity. Thanks a lot, Adam!

However, here again we see the awesome contrast in destiny wrought by the sinless performance of Jesus …

“so also the result of one act of righteousness was
justification that brings life for all men.”

Jesus’ “one act of righteousness” was in actually an entire life lived obediently which culminated in his sacrifice of himself on Calvary.

His “one act” – his “perfect performance” – his “amazing sacrifice” purchased unlimited “Get Out Of Jail Free Cards” which he makes available to all of
Adam’s fallen race who request them.

Now whereas Adam’s trespass brought condemnation upon all men, Jesus’ obedience brought them the possibility of complete justification – a rearranging the record to make it appear like they had never sinned at all … like they had been sinless children of God the whole time! Thank you so much, Jesus!

Here’s now a third distinction that I find suggested in this passage …
* Whereas Adam’s Trespass Brought SINFUL LIVING
Jesus’ Obedience Brings RIGHTEOUS LIVING!
(verse 19)

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Paul’s going to get into this in much more detail in the coming chapters but I believe this verse can give us a jump start on the discussion.

Because of Adam’s sin, all human beings are born into sin and are therefore under God’s condemnation from birth. However, because all human beings are born into sin, they do in fact become sinners – that is, they sin … willingly and frequently – sometimes ignorantly but more often than not knowingly.

The bottom line is … “You can always tell one of Adam’s Kids”.
The same process happens (though in complete reverse) with those who become identified with Jesus … through faith in Him they are born into Life and are therefore declared Righteous from birth on.

And … because they are born into Christ, they do in fact (sometimes slowly but nevertheless surely) live more and more righteously as time goes by. And here the bottom line should be the same (that is) …

“You should always be able to tell one of God’s Kids”.

Now these first three Distinctions lead very naturally to our fourth
and final one …

* Whereas The Results Of Adam’s Trespass Come NATURALLY
The Benefits Of Jesus’ Obedience Come SUPERNATURALLY!
(verse 17, 21)

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

No human being needs to “work at” being a son or daughter of Adam – it just comes naturally. On the other hand, no human being can work at being a son or daughter of God – it comes supernaturally!

It is designed by God – It is produced by Christ – It is provided by the Holy Spirit but it must be requested by the sons and daughters of Adam if they
are to receive it.

Now that’s the ultimate bottom line … Men and women can escape the destiny that Adam’s trespass has created for them by receiving the destiny that Christ’s Obedience has provided for them!

And so we come to this morning’s Final Thot …

Final Thot … Only a FOOL would continue to live MESSED up
when there’s a way to be FIXED up!
ROMANS 5:12-21

(12)Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned (13) for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.

(14) Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
(15) But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
(16) Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
(17) For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

(18) Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that
brings life for all men.

(19) For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners; so also through the obedience of the one man, the many will be made righteous.

(20)The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more; (21) so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Pastor Mark Mikels – January 17, 2010
“A GRACE-FILLED LIFE”
(Romans 5:1-11)

Intro … Today we come to another most significant passage of Scripture – it’s the passage that begins our transition into the heart of the Book of Romans – a passage that begins the revelation of the fullness of the Christian Life. We could say that the passage that we focus on today is Paul’s exposition of these well-known and most cherished words of Jesus Himself (John 10:9-10) …

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in
and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Abundant Life … that’s what Jesus came to provide; Abundant Life … that’s what God would have every Son and Daughter of His experience; Abundant Life is the real Christian Life – the authentic or (as a great Christian writer of a generation ago put it) the “Normal Christian Life”.

This Abundant Life is what Paul begins to address in our passage of the
morning – Romans 5:1-11 – I’m calling it “A Grace-Filled Life”.

Here’s how our passage reads:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Out of that passage arises …

Today’s Key Concept …
FAITH in Christ grants ACCESS To a GRACE-FILLED Life.”
(Romans 5:1-2)

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access
by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

You see the image … Christ is the door (the gate) Faith (the Faith that Works that we look at last week in Romans chapter four) is the key and on the other side of the door is the Grace-Filled Life – a vast expansive repository of all kinds of Life-Transforming Goodness.

Grace transforms all those who possess it … John Calvin the great Reform Theologian attributed to grace an “irresistible” element – it tends to overwhelm and captivate. Grace not only communicates God’s undeserved favor but it also conveys God’s enabling power. Grace is active, not passive. Grace is given for a purpose – Grace is provided in response to challenge and in conjunction with calling. Standing knee-deep in Grace is exactly where our Heavenly Father would have us be. Grace is what enables our “Faith to Work” in God-Pleasing ways!

In this passage, I find five distinctive examples of Grace in Action – five distinctive actions of “A Grace-Filled Life” …

1. GRACE LOOKING ONWARD (verse 2b)
“We rejoice in the HOPE of the GLORY of God.”

Grace causes us to look forward EXPECTANTLY.

How many people can “rejoice” in something that is not yet here? However that’s what “Grace” enables us to do. Grace focuses us on a incredible future reality – our encounter with the “Glory of God”.

Someday we will “be where He is” and we will “see Him as He is” and we will worship Him “for whom He is” forever. Grace enables us to take that expectant onward look and Grace says to us “That’s your future – put your Hope in that” and Grace would tell us (as Paul does later on in this passage) that this Hope
will not disappoint us.
So we can truly and unguardedly “get our hopes up” – we can rejoice and celebrate the fact that such an experience will one day be ours.

Now here’s the deal … though the “experience of the Glory of God” is a “future” reality, the hope and joy are “current” realities.

Grace Looking Onward brings Hope and Joy to the here and now – we know that whatever is going on at the moment, we have read the final chapter and the story ends incredibly well!

Secondly in this passage we see …
2. GRACE LOOKING OUTWARD (verses 3-5)
“We also rejoice in our SUFFERINGS …”

Grace causes us to look at suffering DIFFERENTLY.

“… we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

You just can’t escape suffering if you live for any time at all in this fallen, sin-cursed world. Suffering is part and parcel of “things as they are”. Those who identify themselves with Jesus Christ might even experience the kind of suffering known as persecution. But whatever the type or the cause, the
“Grace-Filled Believer” looks at suffering differently.

Suffering for such a one produces Perseverance (the ability to hang in there
and hold on; the ability to maintain focus and remember purpose) and that kind
of Experienced Perseverance develops Character (specifically an inner never-say-die attitude and perspective) and that kind of Established Character produces Hope (an expectation of better things).

Now it’s no easy thing to look at suffering in this way – especially if you are buried under a pile of life’s rubble but once we do, our life and our response to suffering are forever transformed.

But how can we do it – how does Grace produce such a response? Let’s reverse the sequence and see if we don’t gain some insight into the dynamics of process.

Let’s start with Hope since Grace Looking Onward has already provided that.

Here’s how it works … Hope (the confident expectation of better things specifically that we shall someday experience firsthand the Glorious Presence of God) produces Character (that inner never-say die attitude/perspective) which in turn expresses itself in Perseverance (the maintaining of one’s perspective and position despite all pressures or obstacles – refusing to give in or give up) in the face of Suffering of whatever sort.

Thus Hope does not, in fact, cannot disappoint us – This Hope sustains us and stimulates us and in fact saves us from Disillusionment and Despair. And it’s all made even more secure by the very Spirit of God who brings the reality of
God’s grace-filled love right into our hearts.

Indeed, Grace Looking Outward causes us to view suffering completely differently … Suffering, whether for Christ or just because we live in a fallen sin-filled broken world, is seen as something that can provides a valuable service in our growth in grace.

Now as we push on in this marvelous passage we see …
3. GRACE LOOKING BACKWARD (verses 6-8)
“While we were still SINNERS, Christ DIED for us.”

Grace causes us to look at Christ WONDERINGLY.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for
the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a
good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own
love for us in this: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

When I read those words I think of the lines of the old Gospel Song that says …
“Oh what a wonder that Jesus found me!
Out in the darkness no light could I see.
Oh what a wonder – He put His Great Arms under
And wonder of wonders, He saved even me!”

And he did this “when we were still powerless” … trapped in sin, unable to
free ourselves from it, completely unfit for heaven – stuck without God
and thus without hope in this world or in the one to come.

That’s when Jesus stepped in – He died in our place. He gave himself up for us.
The grace that filled the Apostle Paul’s heart would cause him to write these wonder-laden words in his letter to the Philippian believers:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something
to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!
(Philippians 2:6-8)

In the great room called Grace that opens up behind the Door that is opened by Faith there will forever be displayed in a prominent place a Picture of Jesus on the Cross – dying for your sins and mine – dying for the sins of all who look upon it. And all who gaze upon it will do so with Wonder for such things go beyond our ability to fully comprehend.

And now as we push further on we discover …
4. GRACE LOOKING INWARD (verses 9-10)
“How much more … shall we be SAVED through his life!”

Grace causes us to look at ourselves DIAGNOSTICALLY.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be
saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more,
having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

How much more indeed …
You see, there’s more than just being born-again – there’s more than just opening the door by faith and simply crossing the threshold.

There’s more than just being saved from God’s wrath that will some day be expressed in judgment upon all who refuse to believe in His Son. There’s a life that has begun – an entirely new way of thinking and feeling and behaving.

There’s so much more here than mere “forgiveness” as awesome and needful as that is … there’s full and complete reconciliation – there’s a restoration to fellowship and a re-discovery of harmony.
The room is full of all the “Out-Workings of Grace” – the ultimate expressions of that Abundant Life Jesus talked about. The kinds of things that caused David of old to say … “Taste and see that the Lord is Good” (Psalm 34:8)

Grace would cause us to look at ourselves Diagnostically and ask

“How much of the graciousness of this place have I allowed myself to experience?
How persistently am I “Touching and Tasting and Enjoying”
all that this incredible room contains?

The Grace-Filled Life seeks to exhaust the Treasures of the Place and as it
does so it takes the final action revealed in this passage …

5. GRACE LOOKING UPWARD (verse 11)
“We also rejoice in GOD.”

Grace causes us to look at God PASSIONATELY.

“Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

And so the Grace-Filled Life ultimately brings us to a place of worship – praising and rejoicing in the God whose love has set the whole process in motion.

Grace keeps us from forgetting the Giver of the Gift even as we rejoice in
the Gift … Grace reminds us that the purpose of the Gift is to bring us back
into Fellowship with the Giver Himself – a personal fellowship that anticipates
all that is yet to come.

Onward, Outward, Backward, Inward, Upward … Grace covers all the bases and casts our gaze in every direction; and everywhere we look we find reasons to rejoice! What a wondrous thing is a Grace-Filled Life!

Final Thot …
The GRACE-FILLED Life is God’s INTENTION
And PROVISION for EVERY believer!

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Pastor Mark Mikels – January 10, 2010
“FAITH-WORKS”
(Romans 4; Genesis 12-25)

Intro … Today’s Key Scripture is one of the most significant, one of the most important in all Scripture. We find it in the third verse of Romans chapter four though Paul was merely passing along what Moses himself had written over 1,200 years earlier. Here’s what it says …

Today’s Key Scripture …

“Abraham BELIEVED God and it was
CREDITED to him as RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
(Romans 4:3 – Genesis 15:6)

Abraham, the father of the Jewish Nation … Abraham, who lived 400 years before Moses led that nation out of Egypt and passed along to them the laws by which they were to live … Abraham, who was the only man in the entire Bible to
be designated “Friend of God” – this Abraham discovered (that is, experienced) the most important spiritual truth that God has ever passed along to man.

And that truth is this …

“The thing that pleases God is Faith – More than anything else, God wants to be believed and when he finds someone who truly believes Him – who takes him at His Word – who exercises faith in Him … He declares that person to be “Righteous In His Sight” and wraps His arms around him.

Salvation is just as simple as that – Salvation comes to those who exercise saving-faith – “saving-faith” that changes forever the destiny of fallen
sinful human beings.

This “Faith that Works” causes God to declare acceptable those who previously were not …

This “Faith that Works” results in complete spiritual transformation – one cannot possess this kind of “saving faith” – this “Faith that Works” and remain unchanged for you see (as our Key Concept this morning expresses it) …

Today’s Key Concept …

The FAITH that WORKS is FAITH that WORKS.
(James 2:26)
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

Just a few verses earlier, James had raised the issue this way …

“But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith
without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”

Genuine God-Pleasing Faith has always been accompanied by God-Pleasing Deeds – James knew that – and as we will see this morning, Abraham’s life dramatically demonstrated that … Thus the somewhat “catchy” (perhaps even tricky) wording of our Key Concept …

“The Faith that Works” (genuine saving faith) “is Faith that Works”
(produces discernible, God-Pleasing outcomes in our lives).

Four Characteristics of “Faith That Works” … (Check if your faith is working these things out in your life).

Keep in mind that this statement about Abraham was written some 400 years after he died; it was a comment, an observation, a commendation from God Himself that looked back over the entire course of his life – We might say it reflected a “body of work” … a body of “Faith-Works”.

Four Characteristics then of Faith That Works or put another
way here are “Four Works of Genuine Saving Faith” …

As much as possible we will allow the Scripture to tell simply the story …

1. Faith That Works TRUSTS GOD COMPLETELY
(Romans 4:17, 21; Genesis 12:1-3; 15:4-5; 17:15-16)

As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed–the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were … being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:17, 21-22)

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people
and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you
I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
(Genesis 12:1-3)

Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars–if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the LORD … and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:4-6)

God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” (Genesis 17:15-16)

Faith That Works Trusts God Completely:

Believes first of all that it is in fact God who is speaking;
Believes secondly that what God says is true;
Believes thirdly that God has the power to do what He says (Ro. 4:21);
(You will become a great nation – Sarah will bear a son).

Keep in mind it hadn’t all happened – it hadn’t come close to happening – by the time Abraham died but he died still believing in the Promise.

Faith that Works (Faith that Saves) Trusts God Completely!

2. Faith That Works OBEYS GOD EXPLICITLY
(Romans 1:5; Genesis 12:4; 17:23-27; 22:1-2, 9-10; James 2:20-24)

Paul had pointed out this truth to the believers in Rome in the fifth verse of chapter one of his letter …

“We received grace and apostleship to call people from among
all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.”

Genuine Faith always leads to obedience – explicit obedience. Here’s how it worked out in Abraham’s life …

So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.
Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.
(Genesis 12:4)

On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, and his son Ishmael was thirteen; Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day. And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought
from a foreigner, was circumcised with him. (Genesis 17:23-27)

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac,
whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as
a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
(Genesis 22: 1-2, 9-10)

“… Do you want evidence that faith (words) without deeds is useless?
Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”
and he was called God’s friend.” (James 2:20-23)

Here’s the point … True Faith IS NEVER ALONE! True faith – saving faith always expresses itself in explicit obedience – Following the directives of the God we trust.
No one else in all the Scripture was called to perform such a sacrificial act as Abraham and he was willing to obey – No wonder God called him “Friend”.

Faith that Works (Faith that Saves) Trusts God Completely and Obeys
God Explicitly …

3. Faith That Works ENDURES ADVERSITY CONFIDENTLY
(Romans 4:18-21)

Here we see the Lord inspiring the Apostle Paul to be our interpreter of Abraham’s situation …

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:18-21)

God gave Abraham a promise and then allowed circumstances to pile up that would seem to make the promise unkeepable … Sarah was barren – Abraham was nearly 100 years old – but once God had clarified that it would in fact be from Sarah that the son would come, Abraham believed.

And when it seemed that the promised son was to be taken from them and the promise again put in jeopardy, Abraham believed.

Once the promise was clarified and his faith solidified, there was nothing that could shake him – He endured the adversity (the adverse circumstances) confidently.

The writer of the book of Hebrews even chimes in to tell us (Hebrews 11:19) …

“Abraham reasoned (even if the Sacrifice of Isaac had been made)
that God could raise the dead.”

You could say that Abraham took the position …

“It’s my job to obey and it’s God’s job to work everything out …
and I’m confident that He will.”
So when Isaac asked, “Where is the Lamb?” his father could confidently answer,
“God will provide” … “One way or another God will provide and
keep this whole thing moving forward, I’m sure of it!”

No wonder God loved him and called him “Friend”.

Now one last thing to say this morning … And this is especially intended to encourage you and me.

4. Faith That Works PROVIDES BLESSINGS ABUNDANTLY
(Romans 4:7-8; Genesis 24:1)

Here Paul quotes another great Man of God (Romans 4:7-8) …

David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man
to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

Is there any greater blessing than to know deep down in your heart that you are forgiven of all sin by God Himself and thus acceptable in His sight? Heaven in your ultimate destination and a meaningful life of servant for Christ here on earth is your privilege.

The blessing of forgiveness itself and the gratefulness it generates produces fertile ground in which Faith can Work its wonders in our lives.

Here’s the final word the Scripture gives us on Abraham (Gen 24:1) …

Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the
LORD had blessed him in every way.

Faith that Works Trusts God Completely and Obeys God Explicitly and Endures Adversity Confidently and Provides Blessings Abundantly.

Final Thot …
The Faith that Works is FAITH that WORKS;
Allow it to WORK in YOUR LIFE!

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Pastor Mark Mikels – January 3, 2010
“THE VALUE OF THE LAW”
(Romans 3:19-31)

Intro … This morning, as we prepare for our first communion service of the New Year, we come to a passage in Romans that could not be more appropriate – Romans 3:19-31. Follow along as I read …

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (That is, we recognize just how sinful, how unrighteous we are.)

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. (Now that’s the only way a man can be justified.)

Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith?
Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (That is, we recognize and value the law, for it plays and has played and will continue to play an essential role in our understanding of our salvation itself.)

Thus the title of our meditation this morning:
“THE VALUE OF THE LAW”.

I find in that passage four incredibly helpful and necessary things that the
Law accomplishes in the ultimate plan of God to bring salvation to the world.
Four things that can be incredibly helpful to the saved as well as to the lost;
four things that can place our feet on a good and solid path as we enter into
this New Year.

Let’s look at them together …

* The Law SHUTS Every Man’s MOUTH
As It Establishes Every Man’s GUILT. (vs. 19)

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are
under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and
the whole world held accountable to God.”

The LAW … whether the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai or the Summarized Law given by Jesus (Love the Lord your God with all
of your heart and with all of your mind and with all of your soul and with all of your strength and Love your neighbor as yourself) or the dozens of specific prohibitions and expectations applied to the Jewish people or the Moral Law that (Paul has previously established) exists inside every human heart … (that LAW) has the ability to shut up those who think that they have accomplished something great – those who would think of themselves as being good or righteous and worthy of honor and distinction.

The LAW would silence all those who would declare their moral superiority over someone else. The LAW would silence and declare foolish anyone who would dare say,
“I’ll take my chances when I stand before God –
I’ve lived a pretty good life – I’m better than most”.

The LAW declares the sinfulness of all … the LAW demonstrates that all are worthy of receiving its harshest judgment. When confronted with the reality of the situation, there’s not one human being who can justifiably declare himself innocent or acceptable.

Thus we come to the second great Value of the LAW seen in this passage …

* The Law Would Bring Every Man
To The POINT of DESPAIR. (vs. 20)

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law;
rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Man in and of himself cannot be both conscious of sin and optimistic about his future … Any moral being (and that’s what God has created human beings to be) knows that immoral living leads eventually to judgment … Sinful living leads eventually to self-condemnation.

And the LAW makes sure that man understands that he cannot reverse his course and solve his problem by simply “living better”.

Every New Year’s Resolution ever made in one way or another takes the form … “This year I’m going to live better” – “This year I’m going to live in such a way that come December 31st, I’ll be proud of myself – I’ll be able to pat myself on the back and say ‘You’ve done it’ and possibly and hopefully everyone who knows me will say the same!”

Most of us can’t even do that with regard to some isolated specific behavior let alone all the behaviors of life taken together. And that doesn’t even take into account the thoughts and feelings that lie within that are known to none but us and God – the thoughts and the feelings that God evaluates right along with our outward actions.

The LAW indeed would bring every man to the place of despair – the despair of inability – the despair that says,

“I can’t do it – I’m destined to fall short forever and some day I will stand
before a Holy God whose standard is perfection – whose LAW is absolute”.

And it’s in the bringing of man to such a point of despair that the LAW demonstrates the third great value I find in this passage …

* The Law PREPARES Man For
God’s Gracious PROVISION. (vss. 22-25)

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Has there ever been better news than that … God has provided another way – a way that I can be declared righteous (that is, a law-keeper) even though (I know) I cannot actually “keep” the LAW – or even come close to keeping it.

This is like a drowning man being thrown a life preserver … better yet, this is like a rescuer diving into the water and pulling him to shore knowing that he wouldn’t even have had the strength to hold onto a life preserver had he been thrown one.

God has figured out a way to do it all though it required me swallowing quite a bit of water before I was ready for Him to do it for me.

Listen again to that central statement … verse 23-25

“There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His Blood …”

“All fall short” … that we already knew; that’s the truth that the LAW would teach us all … here’s the new thing – the exciting thing …

“All are justified freely” … this applies to everyone and it comes without the requirement of “law-keeping” … in fact, it comes to “law-breakers” like us.

“By His Grace” … this is absolutely undeserved – I didn’t earn it.

“Through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ” … Jesus did something for me that I could never do for myself – He bought me back from the place of judgment and provided me with an entirely different destiny.

“A Sacrifice of Atonement” … This gracious provision of God necessitated not only Jesus’ sinless life on earth but his Sacrificial death on Calvary’s Cross.

“Through Faith In His Blood” … there’s the hint of what is yet to come – what Paul will spend most of chapter four discussing.

“Faith” is the key. Believing in – trusting yourself to – the work that Jesus accomplished on Calvary. That is the sole human element and even that God will help you with …

Remember the distressed father who said to Jesus … “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief” … Billy Graham has always said … “You only need to be willing to be willing.” This morning we provide yet another opportunity for you to exercise “faith in his blood” as we share communion together.

“To be (both) Just and the Justifier” … God didn’t suspend the law and its demands – he provided a “Law-Keeper” and allowed him to take our place.

And now a final thing – a thing that at this point should go without saying but a thing that Paul says nonetheless …

* The Law Eliminates Both PRIDE and PREJUDICE – (vss. 27-31)

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. (Now that’s the only way a man can be justified.)

Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

There’s no room for pride and pride’s frequent companion prejudice in the heart of a man who has learned the lessons taught by the LAW … He knows he is better than no one else. He knows that he is as needful of God’s forgiveness as anyone else. He knows that in and of himself he stands helpless (along with every other human being) before a God who has brought all men out of one.
The LAW has eliminated his “edge” and taken away any ground upon which he might value one type of man over another.

Four Incredible Values brought into the world by the LAW …

It is any wonder Paul would conclude this passage by saying … “We uphold the LAW” … We underscore his statement with Today’s Final Thot …

Final Thot …
UPHOLDING the LAW readies man to RECEIVE the Savior.

So Where do you stand this morning? Do you uphold the LAW ?

Have you recognized the validity of the LAW to point out your sin and to declare you Guilty before God?

Have you allowed the LAW to bring you to a point of despair – have you realized that there is no way that you can ever keep it, no way that you can ever be acceptable in God’s eyes because of it?

Has your understanding of the LAW prepared you – readied you – stirred a desperate desire within you – for some provision outside of yourself whereby you can get out from under the judgment of God?

Have you received God’s Provision – the very one that the LAW has convinced you that you need? Have you exercised faith in Jesus Christ and his Sacrificial Death on the Cross?

Do you desire to do so this morning – do you desire to renew yourself in that faith as we enter into this New Year?

Share in this communion meal with us …

Eat the Bread and Drink of the Cup as though it were Christ Himself that
you were devouring – yield yourself entirely to Him and trust yourself and your eternal destiny entirely to His Work of Redemption on the Cross and you
shall be saved.

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Pastor Mark Mikels – December 20, 2009
“THE DEVASTATION WROUGHT BY SIN”
(Romans 3:9-18)

Intro … The topic of sin is neither common nor popular today though it used to be the central topic of almost any Christian message.

Reminds me of a cartoon I read quite some years ago … a little boy came home from church one Sunday and his neighbor asked him what the preacher had talked about… “Sin” said the little boy. “And what did he say about it” asked his neighbor. In answer the little boy simply said, “He was against it”.

That preacher would agree wholeheartedly with the truth conveyed in the title of my message today …
“The Devastation Wrought By Sin.”

You see, the truth is, as Today’s Key Thot puts it …

Today’s Key Thot …
There is nothing so DEVASTATING
to a HUMAN BEING as SIN.

And to that key thot I could easily add this corollary one:

“There is no human being in a more dangerous position than one
who has forgotten how devastating to himself sin can be.”

That’s the very position that God would never want us to be in; that’s the very position that Paul wanted to protect the believers in Rome from; that’s the very reason I believe the Holy Spirit inspired him to write the words contained in our text of the morning – Romans 3:9-18 and that’s the very reason I would focus our attention upon it this morning.

In this extended passage, we look as it were with divine x-ray vision into the very heart and life of a sinner and we get to see just what kind of devastation persistent, un-dealt-with sin creates.

Follow along as I read …

“What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written:

(A simple glance at the notes in the margin of your Bible will reveal that Paul weaves together concepts and phrases from at least 8 Old Testament sources in this description)

‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ ”
(Romans 3:9-18)

I find in that passage three key areas of devastation wrought by sin in the
life of any human being who becomes entangled in it … in the life of any human being … saved and unsaved alike.

You see, sin doesn’t stop being destructive in my life just because I’m a
Christian … the only difference in me being a Christian is that my sin can no longer condemn me to Hell and that my sin grieves the Spirit of God within me and His grief might eventually bring me to repentance but apart from those facts, sin is as devastating to me a believer as it is to one who has no relationship to God at all.

So don’t ease yourself into your comfortable spiritual recliner this morning and doze off with the thought that finally you’ve come to a message that is aimed at someone else … This message like just about every other I will ever preach is aimed at every one of us in this room.

It’s vital that each of us understands clearly – for our own sakes as well as for the sake of others – the devastation wrought by sin … by persistent, un-dealt-with sin.

Consider with me then these Three Great Areas of Devastation Wrought By Persistent, Un-Dealt-With Sin …

1. SIN DEVASTATES MAN’S PERCEPTION (11a, 18)
“No one UNDERSTANDS … No one FEARS God …”

There is no one who understands (11 a),
There is no fear of God before their eyes (18).

The first thing that sin does once it takes up residence in our lives is it begins to “mess with our minds” … Some messing, of course, is done before sin ever “sets up house” because somehow we “talked ourselves into doing something that we knew was wrong” or else we wouldn’t have sinned in the first place.

But by whatever means we convinced ourselves that that first sin was okay, sin itself is more than willing to “take it from there” and seek to make us comfortable with a continuation and even escalation of that sin until that particular sin seems like an almost normal part of us.

Frequently we begin by posing the question “What’s so wrong with …” and end up asserting “There’s nothing wrong with it at all” – it’s the way I live my life.”

Sin modifies and ultimately devastates man’s perception of things; Sin challenges every Biblically-Based Perspective that we hold or that we hear taught …
Sin would make its goal to remove the fear of God and His Judgment from man’s mind. Sin would seek to remove any awareness of God’s Standards from man’s mind as well.

The original battle in the Garden was a battle for man’s mind – for man’s perception of things …
“Did God really say …” and “God knows that in the day you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like God”.

And of the woman it is said … “And when she saw …” that is, when she began to see things from a new perspective – when her perception of things changed, “she took the fruit and ate …”

Sin, left to run its course, will completely devastate man’s ability to perceive things clearly and properly – even Christian man.

To the exasperated inquiry aimed at one who has even repented … ”How could you have done such a thing” frequently comes the answer “It seemed good at the time”. And to those who have not repented, it still seems good.

Oh what a sad state to be in … to become one who “no longer understands”
(who no longer perceives things properly) and who because of that lack of understanding no longer properly “fears God”.

Sin devastates man’s Perception!

Now here’s another thing … something that reveals that something has gone amuck within the heart of man …

2. SIN DEVASTATES MAN’S CONVERSATION (13-14)

Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is
on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.

It never fails … a bad mouth reveals a bad heart and mind …

They DISGUST (that’s) unwholesome speech
(“Their throats are open graves”)
They open their mouths and disgusting things come out … crude things, twisted things; perverted things; ugly things; filthy things … sin has a unique vocabulary.

They DECEIVE (that’s) untruthful speech
(“Their tongues practice deceit”)
They “practice” deceit … maybe in front of a mirror; practice lying with a straight face … Such a thing must be taught in Orientation Sessions for all newly elected Congressmen.

You see, once your Perception of things becomes “What’s best for me is the most important thing” then Deception for the purpose of protecting or advancing yourself is seen to be perfectly acceptable (in your mind at least).

They DEBILITATE (that’s) unhelpful speech
(The poison of vipers is on their lips.)
Those who hang around them eventually suffer because of it. There’s damage done by the things they say … sometimes irrevocable damage. Their words, taken to heart, lead their listeners down dangerous paths.

They DEMEAN (that’s) unhopeful speech
(Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.)

There is nothing uplifting in their words … they focus so upon themselves that they find no merit in anyone else – in fact, they must deny the existence of merit outside of themselves lest they diminish themselves. They find it easy and enjoyable to demean others and do so in the strongest language possible.

Un-Dealt-With Sin will eventually Devastate Man’s Conversation – people learn to stay away!

Sin devastates man’s Perception and man’s Conversation … What else?

3. SIN DEVASTATES MAN’S SENSE OF DIRECTION (11b, 12, 15-17)

“Turns him from the path of MAJESTY to the path of MISERY”

Here’s how Paul outlined it …

“They do not seek God … They have all turned away …they have become worthless …
their feet are swift to shed blood …ruin and misery mark their ways …
the way of peace they do not know.”

What a resume with which to highlight one’s life … it’s a lot like saying they have become “senseless, faithless, heartless and ruthless” – the descriptors Paul used in chapter one and it all comes of “refusing to seek God” and of “turning away” from the things of God.

Sin can convince a man that he is making progress even when he is rapidly running the wrong way …

Sin would turn man (would turn you and me) from the path of Majesty to the path of Misery.

More than one professing believer (like the prodigal son) has found himself saying “How did I get in this mess – How did I wander so far from the path I was once on” and the answer is “SIN” … somewhere along the line, sin has entered in and messed with your PERCEPTION of things and thus altered your sense of DIRECTION and most likely gave hints of its presence through your CONVERSATION.

Final Thot … The most FOOLISH thing a human being can do is
PERSIST in a life of SIN.

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Pastor Mark Mikels – December 13, 2009
“THE VALUE OF A CHRISTIAN HOME”
(Romans 3:1-2)

Intro … This morning I want to talk about “The Value of a Christian Home”.
It’s a topic stimulated by the first two verses contained in our passage of the week … Romans 3:1-2 … The rest of the passage (verses 3-8) raises issues that Paul will deal with more fully later in the book – we will discuss them then. Verses 1 and 2 raise and answer a question that is of great importance.

Here’s how they read:

“What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.”

Now it’s important that we read this question in context … the word “then” in verse one is just like the word “therefore” … to understand the meaning of the verse we must know what it’s “there for”.

In Chapter One Paul outlines the horrible plight of a world lost in sin – a world from which God has lifted his gracious hand of restraint. He characterizes the people of such a world as having become “senseless, faithless, heartless and ruthless”. He concludes chapter one with the judgment that those who do such things “deserve death” – a judgment with which he would expect his readers to agree.

However, in Chapter Two Paul immediately turns the tables on us his readers – on us who have just “agreed with his judgment” by saying “You who pass judgment have no excuse because you who pass judgment are guilty of doing
the same things” … you are as guilty as they are!

Then, just in case some of Paul’s Jewish readers were considering his remarks to be focused only upon his Gentile readers (as they no doubt were doing), Paul takes the Jews to task in the second half of chapter two as he points out that the Jews were the cause of much Divine Distress … in fact, he goes so far as to say that their behavior has caused “God’s Name to be blasphemed among the Gentiles”. He then pushes the point further by declaring that even the “Sign” of their Covenant Relationship – Circumcision” in and of itself is meaningless.

Now in light of those incredible statements, Paul begins Chapter Three by raising the very question that would be on any Jewish reader’s mind.

“What advantage (if any), then, is there in being a Jew,
or what value is there in circumcision?”

Do we need to throw away our heritage – do we need to forget everything that we have been taught – if we would be saved?

To that frustrated and perhaps even despairing question, Paul gives a most unexpected answer – “Absolutely not” he would declare …

“There is “much (advantage), in every way!” Chiefly (or most importantly)
“They (the Jews) have been entrusted with the very words of God.”

Today I would rephrase the question this way …

Today’s Key Question …

What ADVANTAGE Is There In Being BORN
Into A CHRISTIAN FAMILY?
(Romans 3:1-2)

Some Basic Parameters:
Christian Family Is Composed of PEOPLE who are Committed to CHRIST, Connected To His CHURCH and Convinced of the
TRUTH of His WORD.
(Joshua 24:15)

“As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Now having defined those parameters, back to our “Key Question”

“What advantage is there in being born into a Christian Family?” or
“What motivation is there to seek to establish a Christian Family?”

Now I raise that question because there have been times in my life when I felt like the proper answer to that question was “Not Much” … there is not much advantage to having been raised in a Christian Home.

I never got to experience the world … I was always told what was right and what was wrong … I was never allowed (it seemed) to just make up my own mind …
I was kind of spiritually “coasting along on my parents coattails” as it were …
I was saved when I was nine years old and therefore possess neither a dramatic testimony nor a lurid history with which to impress an audience. Being raised in a Christian home took most of the excitement out of my Christian life.

When I arrived as a freshman at Wheaton College, it was pointed out during our Orientation that the Wheaton years would provide me an opportunity to discover just how much of my “faith” was my own and how much I was in fact just riding on my parent’s coattails.

It was even suggested that I might find myself “setting aside the things that I had always believed” so that I could examine them and make sure that my faith was in fact “my faith” and not just something I had “borrowed” from my parents.

It seemed like I needed to dismantle everything that had been built into me so that I could build it myself … make sure it was my own. Maybe it would have been better (I thought) if I had been an unenlightened 18 year old pagan who was discovering these things for the first time! Then I might have the enthusiasm of discovery and the thrill of a “God turned me around” kind of testimony.

Needless to say, at that point in my life I did not necessarily feel like there was any great advantage to having been raised in a Christian Home. I would possibly have challenged Paul’s declaration in this passage … I certainly would have been lukewarm towards it.

Things drastically changed during those next four years and then in the three years of Seminary training that followed …

By the time I was establishing my own family and stepping into a ministry position where I would be seeking to encourage the establishment of others, I had become absolutely convinced that there had been (in my life) and would always be (for anyone else) great advantage to being born into a Christian Family!

Let me share just three of those advantages with you this morning.
Advantage #1: As a result of being born into a Christian Home …

You Easily EMBRACE Things Others STRUGGLE To ACCEPT.

(The EXISTENCE of God …The WORD of God
The PEOPLE of God …The PLACE of God)

Biblical Example: Timothy … 2 Timothy 3:14, 1:5

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of,
because you know those from whom you learned it and how from infancy
you have known the holy Scriptures,

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother
Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

“From Infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures” … what a legacy!

Timothy never lived a day outside the awareness that God had revealed His Purposes for man in written form. He didn’t need to be convinced through careful argument or reasoning that the Scriptures were reliable, though that process is helpful … He just knew it – He had always known it. His life was based upon it. His family was steeped in it and so was he!

Those who have been raised in Christian Homes easily embrace things that others (those not raised in Christian Homes) struggle to accept and/or understand.

They embrace the fact of God’s Existence … They embrace the Scripture as God’s Divine Word … They embrace the importance of the Church – their extended family of faith … They embrace the Place of God in the world – His Sovereignty and His Oversight. As far as they are concerned “It just the way things are”.

Advantage #2: As a result of being born into a Christian Home …

2. You Naturally KNOW Things Others Must WORK To LEARN.

(The WORKINGS of God – That’s Biblical HISTORY)

(The WAYS of God – Those are Biblical PRINCIPLES)

Biblical Example: Timothy … 2 Timothy 3:15-17

“From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise
for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is
useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that
the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

One does not become “wise unto salvation” without some understanding of the entire flow of God’s workings in this world … the Creation of the Perfect World, the Fall into Sin, The Promise of A Savior, The Choosing of A People, The Giving of a Sacrificial System, The Establishing of a Witness Nation … all the things that paved the way for the Coming of Christ into the world.

One does not become “equipped for every good work” without some detailed knowledge of the ways of God – the principles by which He would have His People live their lives.

For the child of a Christian Home these things are second nature – for someone raised in a non-Christian home these things can seem strange and mysterious … much work is needed to master them.

Advantage #3: As a result of being born into a Christian Home …

You Intuitively SENSE Things Others YEARN To EXPERIENCE

IDENTITY – I know who I am;
SECURITY – I know whose I am.
FORGIVENESS – I know that my slate is clean.
CONFIDENCE – I know that God is working in all things.

Biblical Example: Jesus … Luke 2:52
“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.”

There’s a wonderfully natural progression that can take place in one who has been fortunate enough to be born into a Christian Home. He or she develops from infant to adult in all areas of life in an inter-connected way – physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual – and as a result such a one intuitively senses realities that others yearn for and frequently struggle to experience.

Final Thot … It’s an awesome thing to either CONTINUE or
BEGIN your LEGACY as a CHRISTIAN FAMILY!

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Pastor Mark Mikels – December 6, 2009
“MAKING GOD LOOK BAD”
(Romans 2:17-29)

Intro … This morning in preparation for a time of soul-searching, life-renewing communion with Christ, I would draw your attention to what I’m calling …

A HORRIBLE INDICTMENT …

(It’s the indictment the Apostle Paul leveled against the self-righteous Jews of his day – Jews who felt that being God’s Chosen People and knowing the law was enough, Jews who felt that they had a special relationship with God that trumped everything else, Jews who felt superior to all other men, Jews who taught and preached that superiority, Jews who, by their haughtiness and carelessness regularly violated the very law that they professed to cherish.)

Here’s what Paul said to them …

“God’s NAME is BLASPHEMED … because of YOU.”
(Romans 2:24)

In other words …
“People think BADLY of God because they ASSOCIATE Him with you.”

Could any more terrible indictment be brought against anyone?
“The more people get to know you, the less they think of your God.”

You claim that your God provides peace and joy and yet they see you fret and stew like everyone else. You claim that your God forgives sin and yet they find
in you a most unforgiving heart. You claim that your God is even now preparing for you a heavenly home and yet you live like this life is all that matters. You claim that your God takes sin very seriously and yet you tolerate all kinds of misbehavior and seem to be little affected by it. You claim that Jesus is the only answer and yet you seem to be forever scrambling to find satisfaction.

Like Doctor Phil – the watching world would say – “So how’s that working for you?” – meaning, it’s obvious that it’s not working very well and no thinking person would want to try what you’re demonstrating.

How sad when the person drawing that conclusion is your best friend or a co-worker or your spouse or your child or grandchild …

“The more I get to know you, the less I think of your God.”
“The more I think about the fact that you claim to be a Christian, the less I want to be one.”

Is that not the last thing that we would ever want to hear anyone say?
Is that not however something that could today be said about many?

What causes that to happen – How can a genuine believer keep that from happening?

As we approach this time of communion with Christ, consider with me why Paul brought such an indictment against the self-righteous Jews of his day.

Here’s my answer in a nutshell …

They were living a LIFE that was only HALF-BAKED because
they possessed a FAITH that was only SKIN-DEEP.

Two parts to that answer:

They were living a Life that was only Half-Baked; that is …

* They failed to PRACTICE what they PREACHED. (vs. 21)

“you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law,
do you dishonor God by breaking the law?”

They were only “half-baked”… they professed but they didn’t perform.

A “Half-Baked Potato” is hard and unappetizing;
A “Half-Baked Pizza” is gooey and unappealing;
A “Half-Baked Chicken” is rubbery and unhealthy; and
“Half-Baked Christianity” is unattractive and generally repulsive!

Something that is “Half-Baked” possesses all the proper ingredients but has had insufficient contact with the flame.
And so we come to the second part of this answer: They possessed a Faith that was only Skin-Deep, that is …

* Their HEARTS had never been REACHED. (vss. 28-29)

“A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely
outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision
is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.
Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.”

Circumcision was the outward sign of the covenant – a physical indicator that a man was one of God’s Chosen People. But if the man’s heart was not in tune with GOD, circumcision was no more than a physical anomaly .

Paul was not making anything up here … the studious Jew had long known this to be true. Moses (the lawgiver himself) had written these words to the early Israelites (Deuteronomy 10:16) …

“Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and be stiff-necked no longer.”

Earlier in that same chapter (verse 12) Moses had written …

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Jesus once said of the Jews of his day (Mark 7:6) …

“These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.”

The heart’s the thing … God wants the heart; for He knows that if He has the heart, then He on His way to having the whole man.

But hearts are fickle things – hearts can cool, hearts can be distracted … even circumcised ones. And when hearts cool, then behavior becomes forced and phony.

So how’s your heart this morning as we prepare for Communion?
Check it out if you haven’t already for as our Final Thot puts it …

Final Thot … A transformed LIFE begins with a transformed HEART and
that TRANSFORMED life puts our God is the best possible LIGHT!