NT: “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean. For if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy, by what you eat, someone for whom Christ died. Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit… So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another… Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭‭14:14-17, 19; 15:1-3a‬ ‭CSB)

There is liberty in Christ, for when we are in Christ, we are in grace and no longer under the law. Even Jesus said that it is not what goes into someone’s stomach that makes him unclean, but what is already in his heart. Our cleanliness, purity and holiness comes from Christ within us, not from all the dos and don’ts pressed upon us from the outside. However, the people who make up the family of God come from all sorts of backgrounds and have different ideas of what is permissible or not permissible. Also, the Lord, as we follow Him, sets different boundaries for each one of us depending on the weaknesses of our flesh and the things that controlled us before we came to Christ. Just because we may feel at liberty to do something, it doesn’t mean that everyone in the body of Christ feels at liberty to do something. In the same vein, we should not condemn others for not walking in the liberties that we are personally at peace with… and we should not pressure them into doing something that they consider to be a sin. For example, I may have a conviction against drinking wine. I am of legal age to drink, and there is nothing illegal about drinking wine in moderation. In fact, there are even scriptures that encourage the drinking of wine for health purposes… but I may have a personal conviction against it. If someone comes along and pressures me into drinking wine against my conscience and conviction because they say I am free to do it and am giving into weakness if I don’t – then that person has caused me to sin. Instead of pressing for equal liberty, we who are in Christ should pursue what promotes peace and encouragement to others. We who are at liberty are obligated through love to temporarily give up our liberties for the sake of those who are “weaker.”

One contemporary example of this is mask wearing. The COVID pandemic introduced mask wearing as an issue. There are those who feel at liberty to not wear a mask, and they believe that those who are wearing masks are giving into fear. Then those who do wear masks believe that those who are not wearing masks are insensitive. According to this passage of scripture, what should the loving disciple of Christ do? The non-mask wearer should pursue peace and understand his obligation to those who do not share in his liberty by voluntarily wearing a mask around those who are not free to go maskless. The mask-wearers should pursue peace by not condemning their fellow maskless brothers and sisters in Christ. The Kingdom of God is not food and drink, or masks and no masks, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So be led by the Holy Spirit, not your preferences.

Psalms: “Lord, I appeal to you. My God, I trust in you. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me. No one who waits for you will be disgraced; those who act treacherously without cause will be disgraced. Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all day long.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:1-5‬ ‭CSB)

The most sure way to pursue peace in every situation is to first pursue the Lord and trust in His leadership. King David did not want to be disgraced… he didn’t want to unknowingly do something that would disgrace his name and character, which would them bring unwarranted disgrace to the name of the Lord. So David said to God, “I trust in You… before I act and speak, I wait for You. Teach me Your ways and guide me on Your paths.” We need to have that same humble dependence on the Lord through the leading of His Holy Spirit. If we trusted and followed the Lord in everything, we would be saved from disgrace and unwittingly hurting our fellow brothers and sisters.

Proverbs: “When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10:19‬ ‭CSB)

If we don’t allow the fruit of the Holy Spirit to be manifested in our lives through self-control over the things we say, we will inevitably fall into sin through our words… we will inevitably say something that will hurt our brothers and sisters in Christ or put a stumbling block in their way that will cause them to sin. For us to pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another, we must allow the Holy Spirit to put a limiter on our lips.

Prayer: Lord, my desire is to be someone who brings honor to Your name and edifies my fellow brothers and sisters. I don’t want to be someone who is disgraceful… who tears down my brothers and sisters because they don’t have the same liberties and convictions that I have. As I place my faith in You and present myself worshipfully to You, grace me with Your Holy Spirit; and allow Him to lead me on the paths that promote peace and grace me with self-control. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

NT: “Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters… One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and returned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭14:1, 5-9‬ ‭CSB)

Whenever people are gathered together, disagreement is inevitable. That was the case in the Roman church. The church in Rome was a cosmopolitan body made up of redeemed Jews and redeemed gentiles who had all come to faith in Christ. Because of their different backgrounds, they had different traditions and convictions. Jews came from a tradition of strict dietary laws and honored days on the calendar. The gentiles did not. To the gentile believers, the Jewish believers seemed strict and legalistic. To the Jewish believers, the gentile believers seemed undisciplined and irreverent. As the body of Christ, we are called to love one another and walk in unity. Thankfully, unity does not require unanimity. We can love one another and walk in unity without being unanimous on everything. How do we do that? Firstly, we need to welcome anyone and everyone who is in the faith – and not argue over things that may divide us. Secondly, we must submit everything we do, say, and think to Christ as our Lord. When we are in Christ, Christ is the head of the body. We are no longer our own, but Christ’s. We are no longer entitled to our own opinions, our own beliefs, our own preferences – we submit everything to the Lord and allow Him to judge whether what we are thinking or desiring is pleasing and acceptable to Him. Christ died and returned to life for this: that He might be Lord of all. If we welcome one another with acceptance and live under the Lordship of Christ in everything, we will love one another and walk in unity, and the world will know that we truly are disciples of Christ.

Psalms: “Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord of Armies, he is the King of glory. Selah” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭24:7-10‬ ‭CSB)

During King David’s time, the gates of a city were much like the city halls of our day. All city business was conducted at the city gates where all could witness what was transpiring. When David called the gates to open up wide to receive the King of Glory, he was calling the entire city… the entire populace to open up their doors to receive the victorious King. Who is this victorious King of Glory? He is the Lord. He is the strong and mighty Lord. He is the Lord of the heavenly hosts – the Commander in Chief of the heavenly army. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. (Read Revelation 19:11-16.) When we as God’s people… when we as people redeemed through faith by the blood of Jesus Christ… when we as people born again into God’s family through Christ’s victorious resurrection… we we the church open up the doors and welcome in Christ as Lord, He will come in. Many believers pray incessantly, begging God to send revival to our nation and to the world. God gave our pastor a word years ago – that God isn’t waiting to be begged… He is waiting to be Lord. I believe that word to be true. When we as the church truly recognize Christ as Lord of the church and Lord of our lives – when we open up the gates and fully receive His glorious kingship, then the Lord will come into our midst and we will see genuine revival.

NT: “Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law… Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:8, 11-14‬ ‭CSB)

Since January 31st, our church has been participating in Awaken Nashville. Awaken Nashville is an organized 30-day time of city-wide prayer and fasting. This is the 3rd year for Awaken Nashville. This year, because of the lingering pandemic, it has looked a little bit different, but has been impactful nonetheless. The goal is to see the unified church of Nashville, through an intentional time of fasting and prayer, awakened out of her slumber and awakened to the priority at hand: seeing souls saved and disciples made. For too long, the American church has been (as Keith Green described it) asleep in the light, and the attitudes and actions of much of the American church during the pandemic and election of 2020 made that reality even more sadly evident.

Paul told the believers in Rome that it was time to wake up. The world around us is growing darker and darker and the end of the age is drawing nearer and nearer. It’s time to wake up. Everything that we do and say must be compelled by love: a devoted and complete love for God and a love for one another. We shouldn’t be motivated by economic gain, or political advantage, or the preservation of our own comforts. We should be compelled by love. There is no need for laws if everything is done in selfless others-seeking love. We need to discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. We must stop allowing ourselves to be conformed to the systems of the world which are born from the kingdom of darkness. Instead, as Paul implored us in Romans 12, we need to present our bodies as living sacrifices of worship, allow the Holy Spirit to transform our thoughts and renew our minds, and fill us with the light of life. We need to walk in and be examples of decency, and discard the carnal works of the flesh by endeavoring to walk in the Spirit. Most importantly, we need to put on Christ. Do we truly believe the full gospel? If so, then why would we be content to slothfully live such a low standard of life? Christ, through His death, resurrection and ascension has afforded us so much! He has opened up a way for us to live according to the high calling that God has for our life… in holiness, power and overflowing divine life. All of that is possible when we deny the flesh, offer ourselves to the Lord and abide moment by moment, day by day in Christ, as His word abides in us. What the world needs now is a fully alive church that is full of light and life and fully awakened to the glorious call on their life. It’s time to wake up.

Psalms: “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who inquire of him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭24:3-6‬ ‭CSB)

When King David wrote this psalm, he was writing about ascending Mount Zion to approach the ark of the covenant that was housed in a tabernacle. The ark and the tabernacle were just types and shadows of the actual presence of God, but even then, in order to draw near, you had to be ceremonially clean. In these verses, David went beyond being ceremonially clean to being spiritually clean inside and out. The truth is that no one in their own efforts can attain to the requirements that David sets forth here. All have fallen short. The heart of man is deceitfully wicked. All have used their hands to do something sinful. Everyone, at some time in there life, has given themselves over to falsehood or to empty and vain idols of the world. The only way to be qualified to approach God and stand in His presence is if God makes you clean and pure. God has done just that. He has made a way, through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, for any and all to be made righteous and enjoy the pleasures of His presence. That way is through faith in God’s Son, and faith on His sacrificial crucifixion and victorious resurrection. Jacob was a man who was known for his tenacity. He was given a vision of God and a promise from God, and he tenaciously held onto that promise until it was fulfilled – and because of his tenacity in faith (despite his imperfections), Jacob was blessed. If we tenaciously hold on to what Christ has done for us by faith, we will receive blessing, righteousness and salvation – and we will be welcomed and given bold access to the very throne of God. For those who are in Christ by faith, there is no reason for low living. It’s time to wake up.

OT: “Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem… He sought God throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear of God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success… But when he became strong, he grew arrogant, and it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against the Lord his God by going into the Lord’s sanctuary to burn incense on the incense altar. The priest Azariah, along with eighty brave priests of the Lord, went in after him. They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the Lord — only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron, have the right to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully! You will not receive honor from the Lord God.” Uzziah, with a firepan in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But when he became enraged with the priests, in the presence of the priests in the Lord’s temple beside the altar of incense, a skin disease broke out on his forehead. Then Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw that he was diseased on his forehead. They rushed him out of there. He himself also hurried to get out because the Lord had afflicted him.” (‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭26:3, 5, 16-20‬ ‭CSB)

Uzziah was third in a line of kings who started out well and ended badly. First, there was Joash, then Amaziah, followed by Uzziah. It said that Uzziah sought God during the lifetime of Zechariah, so that suggests that as soon as Zechariah died, Uzziah lost his way. That was the same thing that happened to Uzziah’s grandfather Joash, and goes to show how important it is to develop your own faith in God instead of simply living in the shadows of someone else’s faith. As long as Uzziah sought God, God graced him with numbers of military accomplishments and victories – to the point that Uzziah became well known throughout the land. It was when Uzziah became strong that he lost his way. He stopped attributing His success to God’s grace and claimed credit for all his accomplishments. He began thinking more highly of himself than he ought and overstepped his boundaries. Even though he was king, he did not have absolute authority. God had set up a system of checks and balances and the authority of the king was limited. He did not have the authority to offer sacrifices or burn incense before the Lord. That was the job and responsibility of the priests. In God’s system of government, the king had to submit to the priest in Godly matters. Uzziah, in his pride and arrogance, overstepped his bounds and infringed on the authority of the priests. By disrespecting the priests’ authority, he dishonored God and suffered the consequences.

NT: “Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience. And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks. Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:1-7‬ ‭CSB)

In reading these first few verses of Romans 13, it is important to understand that the government in power at the time of Paul’s writing was the Roman Empire. The Roman government was highly corrupt, incredibly oppressive, founded on pagan beliefs and far from godly. For those of you who think that your government is corrupt and evil, the Roman Empire was probably worse. Yet Paul tells all believers that they are to submit to governing authorities… even ungodly and corrupt ones. God is the one Who instituted governmental authority. Why? Because mankind is sinful and full of evil and needs authority in-order to prevent chaos and unhindered evil. Men and women who are in authority, outside of God’s leading and grace, will become corrupt – but the authority itself is established by God. The men and women in authority may not be honorable, but we are called to honor to offices and positions they hold.

In honoring authority, we are also called to pay our taxes. There are those who refuse to pay their taxes in the name of Christ, because they do not believe in the causes that the taxes go to support. But keep in mind, that Rome was in power during Christ’s life on earth and Rome was in power at the time of the writing of this scripture. Both Jesus and Paul taught that we are to pay our obligations… even to the government. The taxes that were paid to Rome did not go to honorable causes. They lined the pockets of the tax collectors, paid for Caesar’s opulent and perverted lifestyle, and funded Rome’s violent conquest of the world… yet Jesus and Paul said to pay taxes, for in paying your taxes you honor the systems of authority that God ordained, you take yourself out of the crosshairs of the government authorities, and you set context to live a godly and peaceable life.

Psalms: “The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord; for he laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭24:1-2‬ ‭CSB)

Ultimately, everything on the earth, even the various authority structures, belong to the Lord. He laid the foundation of the earth and He holds everything together by the authority of His word. By honoring His word and the laws and systems He established, we honor God.

Psalms: “The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:1-6‬ ‭CSB)

This past Sunday, as I was walking into church with guitar in hand to rehearse songs for that morning’s worship service, I slipped on some ice in the parking lot and broke my ankle. In that brief moment, all the plans that I had for that day and for many days to come were shut down. Yesterday, I had an appointment with an orthopedist and learned that my treatment and recovery period is going to last for eight weeks or more. That wasn’t the news that I wanted to hear, but it is the truth nonetheless.

Over the past few days, I have been filled with a sense of thankfulness. That might seem a little odd, but it’s true. Through this entire ordeal so far, the grace of God has been so present and so full. When I fell and broke my ankle, I was not in pain and a sense of calm washed over me (if you had seen my ankle, you would know what a miracle that was). Someone was immediately there to carry me inside and get me help. One of the worship team member’s husband offered to take me to the ER, and graciously stayed with me for a few hours until my wife arrived. Worship rehearsal went on as scheduled, and someone quickly jumped in and led a powerful time of worship in my place. Throughout this entire time, I haven’t been in any significant pain, even with the nurses in the ER set my ankle and wrapped it in a splint.

Another thing that I feel from time to time is fear and trepidation. I tend to be a person that is not given over to extremes, so I tend to minimize challenges and think them to be not that bad. But the past few days haven’t been easy or enjoyable. I am having to relearn how to do so many things now that I am limited to one good leg and two crutches… and maneuvering with one leg is really tiring. I have never had major surgery before and don’t really know what to expect. The thought of being in a splint and non-weight bearing cast for the next eight weeks is really discouraging if I think about it too much. Will my ankle fully heal? Will I have the strength in my ankle to do all the things that I enjoy when this is all over with? Is the surgery and recovery process going to cause pain that I haven’t had to experience yet? These are all questions that pop in my mind from time to time.

As I read through Psalm 23 this morning, it ministered to me and encouraged me at a level it never has before. I had to stop reading a few times as tears came to my eyes and the Holy Spirit comforted me and reassured me with these words of truth. The Lord IS my shepherd, and because of that, He will see to it that I will have everything I need. As I follow Him, He will lead me to peace and plenty. Though the path I must go down is a little frightening, He will be there with me all along the way to comfort and protect. Though circumstances have been successful at sidelining me for a time, that is not my future. As I follow the Lord, He will bless me in the face of those things that seek to minimize me. He will continue to cover me with His anointing, overflow my life with His grace and life, and allow me to be fruitful. As I trust Him and follow Him, I can be assured that only His goodness and faithful love will pursue me, and I will always be welcome in His presence. Yes, the Lord IS my shepherd, and for that I am eternally grateful and at peace.

NT: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:1-8‬ ‭CSB)

In light of God’s great mercy towards us… in light of the fact that God did not require us to pay the debt of our sin, but had His Son Jesus Christ pay that debt for us… in light of the fact that God didn’t just reconcile us, but provided a way through His Son Jesus Christ for us to have a new sin-free life… in light of the fact that God did not just leave us to our own devices to work out righteousness in us, but filled us with His Spirit to empower us for holiness and righteousness… in light of the fact that God didn’t do this based on our goodness or our good deeds, but did it by grace as we placed our faith in Him and on His Son… in light of the fact that we who had no spiritual lineage were grafted into the rich spiritual heritage of the family of God and have been made sons and daughters of God – we should present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice and commit our bodies as instruments in God’s service. Because Christ gave His life for ours – because we have been  bought by the shed blood of God’s Son, the only reasonable thing for us to do is devote our bodies to God. Beyond singing songs in church or going to a concert event, this is true worship.

The world around us desires to press us into conformity. We see this all around us in the news and on social media sites. If we don’t conform to the standards du jour of the world, we will be shamed, ostracized and cancelled. The world wants to control our thought life. God, however, wants to transform our thought life. He wants to renew and renovate our minds so that we are no longer stuck in the thought patterns of sin, but free to think thoughts that are righteous, pure and true. When we present our bodies completely to God, He transforms our thoughts and renews our minds by His Spirit. As He does that, no longer are we confused or cloudy on what His will is. Instead we are able to see with clarity and know and prove out what His good, perfect and pleasing will is. And by knowing His will, we are able to surrender ours and walk in His.

As we come to the Lord in faith, present our bodies to Him in worship, and allow His Holy Spirit to transform our thoughts and renew our minds; it is important that we keep a sober and sensible view of ourselves. Everyone has been graced by God the Father with gifts. When we come in faith, God the Father graces us to work in those gifts for the benefit of the body of believers as a whole. We should not think that our abilities are our own, or that we are better than others, or that we can function in a gifting that we don’t have. In the same way, we should not consider ourselves to be ungifted and of no value to God or His body. God has made us to be firstly dependent on Him and secondly interdependent on others in the body of faith. We are not made, nor are we graced to be independent. Our bodies belong to God, and our gifts are for the sake of the body. If we have been saved, redeemed and restored by God through faith, our lives are not our own and we should not live for ourselves.

Psalms: “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before you, for kingship belongs to the Lord; he rules the nations. All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down; all those who go down to the dust will kneel before him — even the one who cannot preserve his life. Their descendants will serve him; the next generation will be told about the Lord. They will come and declare his righteousness; to a people yet to be born they will declare what he has done.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22:27-31‬ ‭CSB)

As King David received and wrote down a prophetic picture of the crucifixion of Messiah, he also received and wrote down a prophetic vision of the global expansion of the Kingdom of God after the Messiah’s resurrection. Global revival begins with those who have been saved and redeemed by the Messiah’s death and resurrection as they bow down in worship to the Lord of All. With hearts surrendered, lives committed, and minds transformed by the grace of the Lord, those redeemed believers will pass on the good news of what God has done to the generations that come… and those generations will do the same, until the Great Commission is fulfilled and the Son returns to claim His bride. It begins and continues as we present our bodies as living sacrifices to God and humbly serve one another.

NT: “I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited: A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in… Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage, but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs, since God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable. As you once disobeyed God but now have received mercy through their disobedience, so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! …For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭11:25, 28-33, 36‬ ‭CSB)

According to Paul, the current hardness of Jews toward Jesus and the gospel is not permanent… and God has not written off the Jewish people. The message of the gospel was given to the Jews first – and because of their hardness of heart toward the gospel, attention was turned to evangelizing the gentile world. That has not changed God’s heart toward His elect people. Though they are “enemies” of the gospel, they are beloved by God. God is unchanging, His covenant is everlasting, and His words are sure. God has graced and called the nation of Israel, not because of what they have done or not done – but because of His commitment to His promise of blessing. Even though the nation of Israel may not be walking in their grace and calling, that does not mean God has revoked His call. A day will come when Israel’s eyes will be opened, and scores of Jews will recognize Jesus as Messiah and place their faith on Him for salvation. Then the blessing that God promised to flow through them to the world will be restored.

What an encouraging truth that is for us – that God’s gracious gifts and calling will not be revoked. Can we fall out of grace? Yes we can – in the same way that the Jewish people fell out of grace: through unbelief, disobedience and hardness of heart. In fact, a time will come – and may even be happening now – when great numbers of the gentile church will become apostate and fall from grace. But even in our falling, God does not revoke His offering of grace nor His calling on our lives. Restoration is always available through our humility, repentance and return to faith and obedience. God’s calling is based on grace through faith, not on our “goodness.” Lack of faith brings about a lack of grace which results in disobedience. However, when we humble ourselves, repent and place our faith on the Lord, grace is restored and obedience flourishes into blessing.

Oh the wisdom of God!! Only He could devise so perfect a plan to completely defeat the enemies of our soul and bring salvation to all while remaining just, merciful and faithful to all His words in the process. From Him, through Him and to Him are all things. Therefore, He deserves all glory forever. Let it be so.

NT: “Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and have come to share in the rich root of the cultivated olive tree, do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast — you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” True enough; they were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but beware, because if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭11:17-21‬ ‭CSB)

At this point in Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wrote directly to the gentile believers. While it was true that, for the most part, Jews had rejected Jesus as Messiah and the salvation He brought, and gentiles had responded to the gospel of Jesus in large numbers, the gentiles were not better than the Jews. Though believers may be spiritually better off than non believers, they are not better. God’s redemptive plan for mankind was rooted in the covenant He made with Abraham, the covenant He made with Israel and the covenant He made with King David. Gentile believers do not bring life to the Church. The Church receives it’s life and sustenance through the prophetic promises made to Israel and the new covenant made through Jesus Christ, one of Israel’s sons. Gentile believers are wild branches that have been grafted into the rich heritage of God’s elected people. Anti-Semitism has no place in the life of a gentile believer and finds no support in the pages of scripture. Gentile believers were grafted into the vine by grace through faith. It is by faith that we were grafted in, and it is by faith that we are kept in. If we gentiles were grafted into the vine by grace through faith, how much more then would a Jewish brother or sister be welcomed back into the vine as they come to faith in Christ.

OT: “After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to fight against Jehoshaphat… Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah, who gathered to seek the Lord. They even came from all the cities of Judah to seek him… “Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you.” All Judah was standing before the Lord with their dependents, their wives, and their children. In the middle of the congregation, the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel (son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite from Asaph’s descendants), and he said, “Listen carefully, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s… You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. He is with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow, go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.’” …In the morning they got up early and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were about to go out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the Lord and some to praise the splendor of his holiness. When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing: Give thanks to the Lord, for his faithful love endures forever. The moment they began their shouts and praises, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir who came to fight against Judah, and they were defeated.” (‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭20:1, 3-4, 12-15, 17, 20-22‬ ‭CSB)

During Jehoshaphat’s reign, people from three nations banded together to attack King Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah. When Jehoshaphat heard the news, he was afraid – and understandably so. There was no way that the little nation of Judah could be victorious against such an overwhelming foe. In the face of impossible odds, Jehoshaphat humbled himself and sought the Lord… and called the nation to seek the Lord by declaring a fast. Fasting is not a tool to be used in manipulating God to do something you want Him to do. Fasting is an outward sign of a sincere inward humility and dependence. At Jehoshaphat’s call, the entire nation gathered together in Jerusalem at the steps of the temple – and they prayed and sought the Lord. As the eyes of the entire nation was on him, Jehoshaphat looked up to God and said, “We are powerless against this enemy and we do not know what to do, but we trust in Your deliverance and we look to You.” Then the nation waited in silence for God to respond… and in the silence, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel and God spoke to His people. The word of the Lord was for Jehoshaphat and Judah to not be afraid or discouraged – but to trust in the Lord… to face the enemy in faith and watch God bring the deliverance. The next morning, they obeyed the Lord and lined up to confront the enemy in faith – with a choir proclaiming the praises of the Lord leading the way. They praised the splendor of His holiness, proclaimed His goodness and thanked Him for his everlasting faithfulness. As the people praised the Lord in faith, the Lord moved on their behalf and the enemy was completely defeated. When the nation of Judah was faced with an overwhelming enemy and impossible odds, they humbled themselves before the Lord God and fasted, prayed and praised… and God gave them victory. Whenever God’s people humble themselves before Him and exalt Him with praise, He rules and reigns among them and does miraculous things on their behalf.

Psalms: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, by night, yet I have no rest. But you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you; they trusted, and you rescued them. They cried to you and were set free; they trusted in you and were not disgraced.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22:1-5‬ ‭CSB)

Five generations before Jehoshaphat’s reign as king, his Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather King David wrote this psalm. This psalm is considered a Messianic psalm because of it’s incredible parallel to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. In fact, as Jesus hung on the cross, He quoted the first line of this psalm, “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?” David must have begun writing this psalm at a time when he felt abandoned by God. ‘Felt’ is the key word there. There are times in our lives… in especially difficult times, when we may feel that God has abandoned us… when we feel like God isn’t listening to us. In that time of feeling abandoned, David remembered back to God’s faithfulness. He remembered that in difficult times, when God’s people humbled themselves and exalted God in faith-filled praise, He moved on their behalf and delivered them. Unlike David, as Jesus hung on the cross, God actually did abandon Him. In that moment, Jesus became sin. He became cursed as all the sin of the world was placed on Him… and for the first time, Jesus felt was it was like to have sin and be abandoned by His Father. But Jesus trusted in His Father and was obedient to Him, even to death on the cross… and because of that, God raised Him up from the grave to a glorious victory over His enemies. And now, we can trust in King Jesus and praise His Name and allow Christ to be enthroned in our lives. As we do that, the ever-faithful God will set us free and give us victory over our enemies.

NT: “How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:14-17‬ ‭CSB)

Previously in this chapter, Paul declared that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Paul continued that line of thought with a series of rhetorical questions. A person has to believe on the Lord before they will call on Him. There is no way for a person to believe on the Lord if they don’t know anything about Him. For them to know about the Lord, someone has to tell them… and that someone has to be sent with the good news of Who the Lord is and what He has done. Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”” And Nahum 1:15 says, “Look to the mountains — the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace. Celebrate your festivals, Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked one will never again march through you; he will be entirely wiped out.” In Biblical times, a king would go off to war to fight against the enemies of his kingdom. If the king was victorious in battle, he would send a herald back to the cities of his kingdom to announce the good news… that the king was victorious… that the enemy had been defeated and the people could live in peace. Jesus Christ went to war for our souls and He won a decisive victory over sin, death and the devil. We who have heard the good news, believed it and found salvation in Christ are now sent by our King to herald that good news to those who have not heard. Imagine how terrible it would be for someone who has been freed from slavery to continue living as a slave because no one cared to tell them the good news of their freedom. Well… millions of people – people across the street and around the world continue living as slaves to sin because they haven’t heard the good news. Saving faith comes by hearing the good news of salvation. Will everyone believe the message we share? No they won’t – but that shouldn’t prevent us from bringing the good news to a lost world for the sake of those who will hear it and believe it.

Proverbs: “The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10:5‬ ‭CSB)

Harvest time is a critical time in the life of a farmer. Each year a farmer is given a small window of opportunity to bring in the harvest. If he waits too long and misses that window of opportunity, the harvest will be ruined and the farmer will have lost an entire year of work and wages. Imagine that farmer having two sons. One son recognizes the season and diligently works to bring in the harvest. The other son sleeps in and contributes nothing to the harvest. The first son, because he recognized his role in the family business and brought in the harvest when it was ready, is proven to be prudent: showing discipline and good judgement. The other son, because of his laziness and self-centeredness should be ashamed. Jesus spoke of the lost souls in the world as being a white harvest… that is a harvest that is in danger of being completely lost. For the harvest to be brought in before it is too late, the Lord of the harvest needs faithful workers. Heralding the good news of Christ and discipling those who believe is the family business of those who are in Christ. If we choose to ignore the harvest because we would rather “sleep in,” then we should be ashamed. Which son am I? That is the question to ask.