Romans – Day 25
30 Oct 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
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:
“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.”
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. [Romans 3:9-20]
Paul in verse 10-18 quotes a number of Old Testament passages. He writes a poem. The rabbis used a teaching method they called charaz. Charaz literally means a stringing of pearls. They would take verses from a variety of sources in the Bible and put them together and present an argument from it, like a topical sermon. Paul very often taught this way – he taught topically, taking verses from different places, bringing them together to make a point.
We have in these verses Paul’s topical sermon on sin.
- Point 1: he talks about humanities character (v. 10-12)
- Point 2: he talks about humanities conduct (v. 13-17)
- Point 3: he talks about the cause of sin. This is Paul’s final indictment and it’s hard!
1. No-one is right with God – not Mother Theresa, or Barak Obama….
2. Everybody’s doing their own thing [v.12] “And all have turned their own way”
From Psalm 5:9 – “Their throat are open graves, their tongue practice deceit” [v.13] Psalm 140:3 – ”The poison of vipers is on their lips.” [v.13] From Psalm 10:7- “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” [v.14] And from Isaiah 59:7-9 – ”their feet are swift to shed blood, ruin and misery mark their way and the way of peace they do not know.” [v.15]
3. WHY? [v. 18] “Because there is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Psalm 36:1). The reason we do our own thing is because we don’t even let God enter our minds and our hearts.
See if you can pick up a copy of Hello’ or OK’ or Heat magazine, or even a copy of the SUN and pray for our nation: for those who make decisions, and for those thought leaders who determine our culture. God have mercy on us.
- Karl
Romans – Day 24
29 Oct 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: ”So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” Why not say—as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say—”Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is deserved. [Romans 3:2-9]
This passage of scripture is quite long and quite difficult to understand.
Imagine it like this - Paul is a great prosecuting lawyer and is in the court room prosecuting the world on God’s behalf. He is trying to make the point that we are all stuffed, that there is no hope and he does so before a jury who he imagines are asking questions and raising objections. Paul turns these objections around to show two things:
- We are without hope, in and of ourselves.
- God is amazing.
He first deals with God’s FAITHFULNESS
‘Will God give up on the Jewish nation and all Jewish people because some are unfaithful … does that make him unfaithful?’ Paul says emphatically “NO! NO!” In fact the word used in the original means GOD FORBID. Clearly God both makes promises that are conditional, and promises that are unconditional.
Many of His promises are conditional eg. ‘Ask and it will be given unto you’, but the promises of relationship with the Jewish people are unconditional. They are based on the character of God and not on the performance of the people. (I am so glad that God is faithful to me based on His character and not my performance!) Read Psalm 89: 30-37
GOD IS FAITHFUL!
Then he deals with God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS
He uses what at first sight appears to be a strange argument. Paul is saying that some people are saying, “You’ve just said that God is faithful to us even when we’re unfaithful to Him. Therefore it seems that when I sin God forgives me and when I sin more God forgives me more, then every time I sin it makes God look good because it shows how forgiving He is. Therefore God shouldn’t be upset with me when I sin because my sin actually makes God look good.”
Paul says this is human thinking and not very clever human thinking at that!Paul takes it to it’s logical illogical conclusion to make his point. ‘Let us do evil that good may result.’ It cannot be true that you and I sinning against God ends up blessing God because He can show His righteousness ….
NO! GOD IS RIGHTEOUS!
Paul wants to dismiss the arguments, but above all he wants to re-affirm that His God is Faithful to His promises, Just as a Judge, Right in all he does.
Spend some time today just thanking God for His character. Perhaps you could journal some of His names, and His qualities.
- Karl
Romans – Day 23
28 Oct 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
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. [Romans 3:1-2]
In the previous chapter, Paul appears to have been really going for the Jewish people. Here he wins some friends back! What advantage is there in being a Jew? Much in every way … ‘they have been entrusted with the very words of God.’
Paul is referring here to the law and the prophets – the Jewish scriptures. You have the words of God.
We live in such an information rich age. We can google anything, watch a live U2 concert on youtube, buy any book we want from Amazon, listen to almost any preacher from around the globe. Perhaps it is for this reason that our knowledge and understanding and reliance on the Scriptures (the very words of God) is at the same time at its poorest.
Most of us have a number of copies of the Bible in a variety of different versions, yet find that we read it less than we watch TV, use facebook, or speak on our mobiles. We would say that the Bible is the ‘authority of our lives’ but so often in reality it is just theoretically authoritative. The authority of our lives more often is culture – what everyone is thinking or doing, or reason – what I think at the moment about anything, or feelings – my gut instinct.
But God’s got a book out – this Speaking God, this Incredible God of Revelation – he’s got a book out! Why would I not read it? And live by it?
“It is easy for us to revere the word of God – to honour it, discuss it and argue around the minute detail of it – yet not surrender our lives to it, and to the Lord that it reveals .
In John 5, Jesus is speaking to religious people; he says that although they search the scriptures and seek eternal life, the word does not ‘dwell in you… because you refuse to come to me and have life’ [verse 38]
Jesus is not saying that they don’t have information; rather He is saying that this information has not been allowed to transform their lives. Here’s the thing – Father God is far more concerned that we devote ourselves by living this word, by standing on it, by basing our relationships, our marriages, our financial dealings … our whole lives, on it.” [Karl Martin - from a sermon]
Here is an exercise for today: how about fasting from facebook, from TV, from making any unnecessary phone calls…. and carving out time just to be around the word of God. Start reading a Gospel and just allow the word of God to speak to you, to reveal God to you. Who knows? This exercise might even become a habit for us!
We have been entrusted with the very words of God.
- Karl
Romans – Day 22
27 Oct 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. If those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. 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. [Romans 2:25-29]
Paul recognises that God’s covenant people had strayed so far away from what it meant to be God’s people. That is worth redefining here: what it means to be a Jew, and indeed now for us what it means to be God’s covenant people.
It was not just that the Jewish people held up their law as giving them special status, but they had this weird understanding that circumcision was some kind of magical ceremony, or a sign of special status. Rather like Christians believing that because they have ‘achieved’ a leadership position in the church, or read the whole bible, or ….. (you fill in your particular temptation here)…, that they have reached the next spiritual level.
Paul reminds his listeners and us of four things. As far as being God’s covenant people:
- inward is more important than outward – what it is like is more important than what it looks like
- the heart is more important than the externals
- the Spirit is more important than the Law
- the approval of God is more important than the recognition of others
In other words, if you would be God’s covenant people, what God is desiring of you ‘is a deep, inward, secret work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.’ [John Stott]
I don’t know about you, but I want to live my life to the praise of God – which means that in reality I talk and walk and work and spend and play and sing and preach for a ‘audience of one’.
There is a song which has the line in it ‘Living for your glory – living for the Name above all names.’ [Tim Hughes] This way of walking only comes as we spend time in the secret place asking the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts.
Join me in making that your prayer this day – everything I do, ‘an audience of one’. The approval of God is more important than the recognition of others.
- Karl
Romans – Day 21
26 Oct 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth — 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? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” [Romans 2:17-24]
In the context of the day of Judgement and with the crucial issue being righteousness – one might think that being religious is going to help. Paul suggests not!!! He talks here about the Jews and the Law. He might as well be talking about the Church and the Gospel. In fact, he is!
This section for us concludes with the most damning comment ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you’. It’s a quote taken directly from Isaiah 52:5. Paul is saying that far from being a light to the gentiles, they have been a stumbling block causing gentiles to reject God. Might it appear that the Church of Jesus Christ – the way it has practiced it’s righteousness and represented Jesus - has had the same effect?
See how Paul describes the religious people of his day:
- Verse 17 – concerned about labels (conservative – liberal – charismatic – evangelical – emergent – baptist – episcopal etc, etc, etc)
- Verse 18 – superior to anybody else (the church is always right – the world is always wrong)
- Verses 21- 23 – hypocrites (stealing – adultery – idolatry)
I am sure that it is true that the biggest barrier to people coming to know Jesus Christ in this generation is the Church of Jesus Christ (that’s us) - our internal fights (no-one outside the church understands or cares), our air of superiority (we are better than you), our perceived hypocrisy (we don’t appear to live what we say we believe).
I know this is a very unfair and bleak picture. I don’t mean it to be – I think our church is great! But it does make starkly clear the responsibility we all have to bear the image of God well and be the body of Christ attractively and with integrity in this city, for the sake of this city.
Today, would you join with me in praying for the Church in our city – firstly for MBC, then for other churches that you live near, pass on the way to work, see as you go to the gym or out for the night. Pray that we all might be the cause of praise and honour for our God and the conduit through which many come to faith.
- Karl
Romans – Day 20
23 Oct 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. [Romans 2:12-16]
Verse 13 is the memory verse for the week .
Ironically (on a memory verse day!) your righteousness before God has very little to do with how much you know of the word of God, how much you can memorize, how many passages you can quote, or how quick you can do sword drill! (I apologise to any reading who never went to evangelical sunday school between 1950 and 1990)
Righteousness before God and how you will stand on the day of Judgement has far more to do with how you ‘Do’ the word of God - the fruit of your life, the way in which you embody the word. What do the actions and fruit of your life say about your priorities, your faith, your worship, your treasure?
If you have a chance, and can bear to listen to me for 40 minutes, check out MBC sermon on James 1 from 18th October 2009.
- Karl
Romans – Day 19
22 Oct 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism. [Romans 2: 5-11]
There is a t-shirt I would love to have the guts to buy and wear. It simply says ‘Quick – look busy – JESUS IS COMING!’
There is a day coming that the Bible calls the ‘day of God’s wrath’ which sounds incredibly like it should be ‘coming to a cinema near you’ – starring Arnie or Bruce or both, and probably with Sigorney Weaver who has been captured by aliens! According to the scripture writers, however, this is a day we are to expect and be ready for.
It is a day when God’s judgement will be revealed. I don’t know if you grew up in church and, if you did, what kind of church you grew up in. But there was a time when most evangelical churches had a highly realised and probably over-preached doctrine of the ‘end times’. It was all about being ready for God – he could, and might, come at any time and it scared the pants off me. Check out Larry Normans lyrics ‘there’s no time to change your mind, the son has come and you’ve been left behind’.
Perhaps we experience the equal and opposite mistake in our generation. We are so anxious not to ‘scare anybody into the Kingdom’ that our understanding and our preaching is ‘end times deficient’. We’ve got no idea and we certainly are not expectant, let alone ready.
Paul needs to be heard here. What does this judgement consist of?
We’re going to be judged according to our conduct [v. 6] “God will give to each person according to what he has done.” God’s going to judge you according to what you have done, not according to what you intended to do. God is not going to judge you according to what other people have done - husband/ wife/ kids/ parents …. You are accountable for you.
[v. 7-10] “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory and honor and immortality He will give eternal life. But for those who are self seeking and reject the truth and follow evil there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil first for the Jew and then for the Gentile but glory, honor and peace for every one who does good first for the Jew and then for the Gentile.”
This passage could be misunderstood. When you read it, it sounds like you can earn your way to heaven. You do good, you make it to heaven. You do bad, you go to hell. Yet the Bible does not teach that at all. Paul is not saying that you can be saved by self effort, by good works.
He says God will judge you on your works. But what are the works he’s talking about? Going to church? Being nice to grannies and cats? Keeping the ten commandments? Tithing?
This very question was asked of Jesus in John 6. Some Pharisees came – (they above all thought that they might be able to make it to heaven) – ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, `The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.’
That’s the works that get you to heaven — believe in the one He has sent.
You don’t get to go to heaven by being good, or perfect, or by trying to be good – because being good enough to get to God, you’d have to be as good as God! And nobody is perfect. Trusting Christ as your only basis of salvation is the work of God.
Spend time today just praying for your heart that it doesn’t remain stubborn and unrepentant [verse 5] - pray for other people you love who need a heart transplant.
- Karl
Romans – Day 18
21 Oct 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? [Romans 2:1-4]
It is easy to read all this stuff (Romans 1:18-31) and think it has little to do with me/us. God is mad at bad people (a selection of people that does not include me!) The Jewish people would clearly have more reason than most to point the finger and think this is about ‘them’. Paul, however, devotes his attention to showing that there are no exceptions to the wrath of God. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE – YOU WHO JUDGE!
It does not take much imagination or exposure to this stuff for you and I to realize that this includes us – we know ourselves!
And, if we needed further proof, check out JUDGEMENT.
I have said before (but allow me to say again) – if you don’t think this is an issue for you let me take a trip with you inside your brain down Morningside Road one Saturday soon: ”Look at her – why is she with him? Too fat! Too thin! What is he wearing? Did no-one tell her that does not go? Bad Driver! What does he think he’s staring at? Is that her real hair? He smells! Get a job! Who does he think he is driving that car? How do they afford that?”
It would be pretty good going to last more than 5 minutes without judging somebody – and don’t get me started with Church!!!!
Father would you forgive us – for our critical and judgmental spirits.
Ask God today to purify your mind and to help you think only the best things about others.
‘Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.’ [Philippians 4:8]
- Karl
Romans – Day 17
20 Oct 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. [Romans 1:28-32]
All I really want to encourage you to do today is to get a newspaper and pray through it. See – this is an awful but truthful commentary on Britain 2009. We ‘approve of those who practice them’. God forgive us.
Pray for Gordon Brown and his government, and David Cameron and Nick Clegg as they lead opposition. Pray for Alex Salmond, and pray for the Church of Jesus Christ that it might be a model and a voice that relevantly and with integrity calls a nation back to God.
-Karl
Romans – Day 16
19 Oct 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. [Romans 1:26,27]
Why is Sex highlighted here? I don’t think it’s because sexual sin is right up there at the top of the sin charts, but for 2 reasons:
- because relational stuff is the stuff that gets most readily affected by rebellion. The first consequence of buying into the original lie is that Adam and Eve feel shame and start to blame – relationship is busted!
- because the consequences of sexual sin have the potential to scar us, emotionally and spiritually, in a way almost nothing else does.
Our Biblical forefathers were given three hebrew words for love which inform us well.
- Rayah
- Ahavah
- Dod
They refer to friendship, soul mingling , and love expressed sexually. (Can I encourage you at this point to get hold of Rob Bells ‘Flame’ nooma and watch . It’s fantastic – I want to light a fire that big!!!!!!!!!)
The concept being that you are not ready to dod – until you ahavah. Flesh on Flesh is never just flesh on flesh … you are not ready to flesh on flesh until you are ready to soul on soul.
When you act outside of God’s design – (1 man – 1 women – 4 life) – you break off bits of you all over the place; you are playing with fire. And fires SCAR; healing is available, but fires scar.
Spend some time today just in honest conversation with the Lord about your sexual past, your sexual present, your sexual future . Ask for forgiveness, ask for patience and purity. Receive the Love of God for you.
-Karl