"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36)
We are reading through Romans 11 tomorrow in life group. Paul is finishing up the doctrinal section of the letter, teaching, explaining all these mysteries and theological concepts, etc. . . . and I just love how he finishes this section . . . with praise, with adoration, with worship.
I pray that at the end of our “bible study”, our “quiet time” whatever it may be, it would bring us to this place. A place where we can step back, perhaps not fully understanding God’s way or plan, but worshipping Him because He is good, He is beyond our thinking, He is the source, sustenance, and the focus of it all . . .
Let our learning about God lead to our worship of God.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Scripture 6
Our Deliverer
We have learned through our scripture memory verses that reverence for God is the beginning of knowledge. God is our Creator, Sustainer . . . Hiding Place . . . Dwelling Place . . . Hope.
In our next verse we learn that God is our Deliverer.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)
He will deliver us, save us, redeem us, and restore us. When we trust in Christ, when we confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts (Romans 10) that Jesus is the Messiah, that He is who HE says He is, and HE will do what He says He will do, we are delivered. We are delivered . . . delivered from the “domain of darkness” (sin, Satan, and death) . . . delivered from the penalty of sin (past), power of sin (present), and presence of sin (future).
We are delivered from . . .
Penalty of sin-death and eternal separation from God. Remember the penalty of sin? Death.
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
When we trust in Jesus, we are delivered from the penalty of sin, forgiven, and made righteous in the moment of belief.
Power of sin- We are no longer bound to sin, in the present we can choose to resist and run to Christ!
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7)
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:7-8)
Presence of sin-In Heaven, in His Kingdom, we will no longer be with sin. We will be clean, justified, and glorified.
“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.” (Revelation 21:27)
“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30)
I just think it’s amazing, knowing my own sin and filth that I am delivered from the “domain of darkness”. I am delivered from the consequence/penalty of sin, delivered from the guilt, delivered from the power, and someday I will be delivered from the presence of sin all together into the “kingdom of his beloved Son”. Not just delivered, but transferred into His kingdom, His family. I can’t even believe that I will get to see the Holy One face to face. It brings me excitement and fear just thinking about that.
God is our Deliverer, past, present, and future. We have redemption, we are freed and forgiven.
Let’s meditate this week on what we’ve been delivered from . . . and . . . what we are saved into.
I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:1-2)
We have learned through our scripture memory verses that reverence for God is the beginning of knowledge. God is our Creator, Sustainer . . . Hiding Place . . . Dwelling Place . . . Hope.
In our next verse we learn that God is our Deliverer.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)
He will deliver us, save us, redeem us, and restore us. When we trust in Christ, when we confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts (Romans 10) that Jesus is the Messiah, that He is who HE says He is, and HE will do what He says He will do, we are delivered. We are delivered . . . delivered from the “domain of darkness” (sin, Satan, and death) . . . delivered from the penalty of sin (past), power of sin (present), and presence of sin (future).
We are delivered from . . .
Penalty of sin-death and eternal separation from God. Remember the penalty of sin? Death.
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
When we trust in Jesus, we are delivered from the penalty of sin, forgiven, and made righteous in the moment of belief.
Power of sin- We are no longer bound to sin, in the present we can choose to resist and run to Christ!
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7)
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:7-8)
Presence of sin-In Heaven, in His Kingdom, we will no longer be with sin. We will be clean, justified, and glorified.
“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.” (Revelation 21:27)
“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30)
I just think it’s amazing, knowing my own sin and filth that I am delivered from the “domain of darkness”. I am delivered from the consequence/penalty of sin, delivered from the guilt, delivered from the power, and someday I will be delivered from the presence of sin all together into the “kingdom of his beloved Son”. Not just delivered, but transferred into His kingdom, His family. I can’t even believe that I will get to see the Holy One face to face. It brings me excitement and fear just thinking about that.
God is our Deliverer, past, present, and future. We have redemption, we are freed and forgiven.
Let’s meditate this week on what we’ve been delivered from . . . and . . . what we are saved into.
I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:1-2)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Scripture 5
Our Hope
HE is our Hope. We have been reading through Romans during life group and I have been thinking of the hope that is sprinkled throughout that book! Especially in Romans 8, it is so full of hope! Hope, not just in our present circumstances, but hope in future glory! Easter is only a few days away, and I can’t think of a better theme of scripture to meditate on than HOPE. I’m praying that we rejoice in HOPE this Easter weekend, and pray for those who have yet to put their faith in Christ . . . that they would understand the Hope of Jesus’ life, death, and most of all resurrection. I’m posting a few scriptures on hope, feel free to pick the one that you want to memorize and meditate on!
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5)
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:24-25) *All of Romans 8 is HOPE!!
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
“Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22)
“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.” (Psalm 71:5)
“Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.” (Psalm 119:49-50)
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25)
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
“He is not here, for he has risen . . .” (Matthew 28:6)
HE is our Hope. We have been reading through Romans during life group and I have been thinking of the hope that is sprinkled throughout that book! Especially in Romans 8, it is so full of hope! Hope, not just in our present circumstances, but hope in future glory! Easter is only a few days away, and I can’t think of a better theme of scripture to meditate on than HOPE. I’m praying that we rejoice in HOPE this Easter weekend, and pray for those who have yet to put their faith in Christ . . . that they would understand the Hope of Jesus’ life, death, and most of all resurrection. I’m posting a few scriptures on hope, feel free to pick the one that you want to memorize and meditate on!
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5)
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:24-25) *All of Romans 8 is HOPE!!
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
“Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22)
“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.” (Psalm 71:5)
“Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.” (Psalm 119:49-50)
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25)
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
“He is not here, for he has risen . . .” (Matthew 28:6)
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