Train to Live on Mission – Week 30
“Do Righteousness and Justice!”
Proverbs 21:3 (NAS95)
Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Do Righteousness and Justice!” This is an essential battle drill because, just as we learned the importance of preventing friendly fire incidents, which demoralize an army and reduce its effectiveness, so, today, we learn that we must avoid war crimes, which tarnish the reputation of the Commander and the nation he represents, as well as jeopardizes the moral high ground and legality of the mission. War crimes happen in every war, and when war criminals are brought to justice, they are tried by military tribunals and civilian courts, alike, to measure their actions according to the laws of land warfare, such as the Geneva Convention, and the specific rules of engagement as established by their Commander.
In the same way, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, when we do things outside the authority God has given us as His agents, actions which are not representative of our Commander nor the kingdom He represents, and are outside of His purposes for His army and His will for His people, we tarnish the reputation of Jesus and His kingdom, as well as jeopardize the moral high ground and legality of God’s rescue mission, as Jesus’ commissioned us in Matthew 28:18-20:
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
War crimes must be avoided if we are to fulfill our mission! Let’s learn how to train today’s battle drill, “Do Righteousness and Justice,” by seeing what the Field Manual has to say about it.
Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.
Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.
The word selection of “justice and righteousness,” used by Solomon in Proverbs 21:3 is found throughout the Old Testament and it “represents the ideal standards for legal and ethical behavior and an ideal for kingship modeled on the righteousness of Yahweh.”[1] These words are yoked together as a word pair to signify a larger concept of God’s kingdom and, as such, they cannot be separated in the eyes of God, nor should be in our own. We cannot shirk justice under the guise of “being righteous” and we cannot place justice on a pedestal above righteousness. The two are integral concepts to being loyal citizens of God’s kingdom.
We find this word combination in 1 Chronicles 18:14, to describe David’s kingdom, “So David reigned over all Israel; and he administered justice and righteousness for all his people.” Very interestingly, this idealistic description of David’s kingdom as one of “justice and righteousness” is used in Jeremiah 22:1-5 to establish a standard by which Israel would be judged:
Thus says the Lord, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. ‘Thus says the Lord, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place. For if you men will indeed perform this thing, then kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, even the king himself and his servants and his people. But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a desolation.” ’ ”
The word pair of “justice and righteousness” is God’s standard of conduct for His chosen people. When we carry this into the New Covenant, we realize that Jesus not only exemplified “justice and righteousness” in his own life and ministry, but He also fulfilled it on the Cross of Calvary so that we, through faith in Him, may live according to His example as citizens of His kingdom. Jesus commanded His early listeners to the equivalent of the Old Testament’s “justice and righteousness,” by teaching us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
The kingdom of God that Jesus calls us to prioritize is His fulfillment of what Israel got only a glimpse of with David’s kingdom. As we just saw, David’s kingdom, though not perfectly, was modeled on the righteousness of Yahweh, and, in fulfillment of God’s promises, unified the twelve tribes of Israel and gave them rest from their enemies within the secure boundaries of the Promised Land – a partial and temporary fulfillment of God’s promise to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3:
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Whereas David’s kingdom saw its fulfillment in Solomon’s Temple and his golden era of prosperity and influence, Jesus’ kingdom will not fall into decay and division, and will have its ultimate fulfillment in the eternal Kingdom of God, called the New Heaven and New Earth, with a New Jerusalem, as described in Revelation 21-22. Until that time, Jesus’ kingdom, in which we, His Church, the living temples of the Holy Spirit, are called to administrate His kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven as kings and priests, with justice and righteousness, in order to unify all nations under His banner of love, with the promise that one day Jesus will return to rule from His throne with a “rod of iron,” a symbol of God’s unerring government of justice and righteousness where there is no corruption, perversion, or favoritism (Revelation 2:27; 12:5; 19:15). Until the completion of the promise to see all nations blessed, we are to continue the work of blessing all the families of the Earth through the blessings we have received in Jesus Christ as rightful heirs to the promise of Abram, as I read from Genesis 12:1-3 earlier, and for which Jesus succinctly stated in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
We are to train ourselves to take the blessing we have been given and bless others with it – we are to bring Christ’s rule of justice and righteousness to all people. This is our mission! Now we must deal with what causes us to become distracted from the mission. This brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.
Today’s battle drill exposes our heart issues of worry and anxiety – the worry that causes us to lose focus on the mission of God and the anxiety that entangles us in the affairs of everyday life. As one pastor explained, “Our actions flow from what we actually BELIEVE to be true – not from what we SAY we believe. We worry because we really don’t believe that God owns everything, that he provides our resources and protection. Worry is a statement of belief that God will not fulfill his promises, and is not a good father.”[2]
This is a common example from our daily human experience – many of us struggle with financial security, finding ourselves worried about whether we or our loved ones will have our daily bread, enough money for retirement, or enough (and the right kind of) insurance to pay for our increasing medical care, or whatever it is we are fretting about at that moment. In that place of worry, we have a decision to make in our daily walk with Jesus Christ – to trust God and walk faithfully in His ways, or to trust in ourselves and do it our way or the world’s way.
To do justice and righteousness as a battle drill, we must trust the Commander and seek His will, His way, even in the places and times of our insecurity and fears, which cause us anxiety and worry. Simply trusting in Him is a huge step toward quelling the fears that try to overtake us. Faith moves mountain of unbelief within our own mind and hearts. Faith calms the storms that are raging inside of us. Paul promised God would do this for us in Philippians 4:6-9:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Right actions flow from right emotions which flow from right thinking. Right thinking comes from meditating on God’s Word, which is the spiritual principle behind the promise of prosperity found in Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
We must actively separate our thinking from the thinking of the world. It is the thinking of the world that often feeds into our anxieties and fears. But God’s way is different, and better, from the world’s way.[3] We are admonished to do just that in the promise of transformation found in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” If you want do righteousness and justice, then you must submit to God’s ways.
Let’s take this into our everyday lives. Jesus explained how we are to have victory over our worry and anxiety so that we can prioritize justice and righteousness in Matthew 6:25-34:
For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear for clothing?” For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Jesus diagnosed us accurately and told us the truth of why we struggle to do justice and righteousness – we allow our worry and anxiety to control our lives, instead of living by God’s grace and walking in the Spirit. We are reacting to people and situations from fear and not faith, worry and not grace. We are not trusting God to calm the storms. Jesus is inviting you to a great faith. This leads us to the final action step of training as a good soldier to live on mission today.
Action Step #4) Live on mission.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
The conclusion of this passage, verse 25, has military image in the original language. The picture given by Paul is that when we live by the Spirit then we are walking in rank and file as His good soldiers, submitted to His commands.[4] The Commander is calling you to train yourself to live by faith and walk in the Spirit, and in doing so, you will not commit war crimes – you will do justice and righteousness – you will seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
You can listen to the message here:
You can watch the message by clicking HERE.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), Je 22:3.
[2] Shared with me in an email from Curt Ferrell on September 22, 2022.
[3] Comments to me in an email from Emily Hurst on September 23, 2022.
[4] Emily Hurst commented on this passage in an email to me on September 23, 2022, “The original Greek shows us something interesting about verse 25. The word live here comes from the Greek verb ‘zaó,’ which means both the physical vitality of being alive as well as the process of living life. The phrase ‘let us walk by’ comes from the Greek “stoicheó” WHICH IS THE MILITARY WORD FOR WALKING IN RANK, AS SOLDIERS!!! So, a paraphrase of this verse, based on the Greek roots, might be: ‘Since the Spirit gives you life, stay in rank for the Spirit.’ Which is literally the whole point of the battle drills we are learning.”
[5] Curt Ferrell commented in this statement in an email to me on September 22, 2022, “Reminds me of John 1:12-13 – ‘But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.’ This translation seems to imply that while we have the ‘right’ to become children of God, we might not claim that ‘right’ – and lose out on being called Children of God. But I recently saw a different perspective/translation – ‘he gave the AUTHORITY to become Children of God.’ If we are truly children of God, we must act within the authority that he has given us. We could simply ‘claim’ to be children of God, or be ‘identified’ as children of God – but we can only ACT as children of God if we have his authority and act according to the power inherent in that authority.”
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Seize the Moment – Day 921
Today’s modern day hymn focus will be
Great is the Lord
Psalm 145:3-4 (NASB95)
“ Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.”
In 1982, Michael W. Smith and his wife Debbie were active members of a church in Nashville TN where he also led worship. During that season of their lives, they would often sit together at night, open up the scriptures and allow God to inspire their hearts. One night, God took them to the above passage. While she wrote a few lines, he played the melody, and they saw them come together practically at the same time.
The next Sunday, he taught the song to the congregation of Belmont Church, and they were greatly moved to a spirit of worship, lifting their voices in praise as they sang this song.
Great is the Lord, He is holy and just, by His power we trust in His love
Great is the Lord, He is faithful and true, by His mercy He proves He is love
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
Great is the Lord
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Seize the Moment – Day 920
Finding Jesus in the Details!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, September 23.
You’ve heard it said that the devil is in the details, but I tell you that you don’t need to be looking for him; rather, you need to be looking for Jesus, who desires to be found in even the smallest details of your life.
In 1 Chronicles 24, King David was flexing his administrative muscles to organize the priests into divisions. Significantly, he did so by casting lots to determine the order of the divisions for the twenty-four priestly households (5-18). Providentially, which is what casting lots presupposes, we find an interesting foreshadowing of God’s plan of salvation in the order of the eighth and ninth divisions, described in verses 10b-11a, “the eighth for Abijah, the ninth for Jeshua.”
“Jeshua” is the Hebrew name Joshua, which means, “The Lord is salvation.” From the Hebrew, into the Greek, then into the English, we get the name of “Jesus” (Luke 1:31). While Jeshua was a very common name, the one that came before it was not – “Abijah,” and here is where we find the foreshadowing.
The division of Abijah is highlighted in Luke 1:5, “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.” This is the birth narrative of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. He was of the priestly line of Abijah! In the administrative details of 1 Chronicles 24, an event that happened nearly one thousand years before their births, we hear, “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of you, who will prepare Your way” (Mark 1:2).
Seize the moment and find Jesus in the smallest details of your life! There is no person or place too trivial in all of creation through whom God doesn’t want to lift up the name of Jesus.
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Seize the Moment – Day 919
The Rhythms and Responsibilities of Worship!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, September 22.
Does your devotional life bring order and meaning to your life? In 1 Chronicles 23:30-32, David communicated clear expectations to the Levites:
They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the Lord, and likewise at evening, and to offer all burnt offerings to the Lord, on the sabbaths, the new moons and the fixed festivals in the number set by the ordinance concerning them, continually before the Lord. Thus they are to keep charge of the tent of meeting, and charge of the holy place, and charge of the sons of Aaron their relatives, for the service of the house of the Lord.
It is important that we, like the Levites, have clear expectations upon the rhythms and responsibilities of our life of devotion to God. It is critical to know when we do, what we do – the rhythms of worship provide a framework for our lives. Equally essential, we need to know why we do what we do – the responsibilities of worship give meaning and purpose to those rhythms.
Knowing your rhythms and responsibilities of worship brings order and meaning to your life because we are shaped by that which we devote ourselves. I encourage you to write a “Rule of Life,” which serves as a trellis on which you can grow in Christ and bear fruit for His glory.[1] Jesus promised in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” When our devotional life becomes the framework of our lifestyles, then we are filled with the spiritual vitality that comes from abiding in the Vine of God’s love for us, regardless of our circumstances.
Seize the moment and develop your “rule of life” by journaling about your rhythms and responsibilities of worship – daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally, and annually.
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] “Don’t be intimidated by the word rule. The word comes from the Greek for ‘trellis.’ A trellis is a tool that enables a grapevine to get off the ground and grow upward, becoming more fruitful and productive. In the same way, a Rule of Life is a trellis that helps us abide in Christ and become more fruitful spiritually. A Rule of Life, very simply, is an intentional, conscious plan to keep God at the center of everything we do. It provides guidelines to help us continually remember God as the Source of our lives. … The starting point and foundation of any Rule is a desire to be with God and to love him.” (Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to be Spiritually Mature While Remaining Emotionally Immature. Updated Ed. [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017], 190).
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Seize the Moment – Day 918
Leaders Prepare the Next Generation for Success!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, September 21.
The final chapter of David’s life was spent investing in his son’s success. In 1 Chronicles 21, David purchased the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite to build an altar to propitiate God, then, in 1 Chronicles 22:1, he declared it to be the future location of the temple. Nearing his own death, and forbidden by God to build it himself, he commissioned his son Solomon to build the temple (1 Chronicles 22:7-16).
David took proactive steps to prepare the next generation for success: he clearly communicated God’s vision and he invited his generation to follow His example in preparing them to be successful, as evidenced by 1 Chronicles 22:5:
David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore now I will make preparation for it.” So David made ample preparations before his death.
Based on David’s example of making “ample preparations before His death,” here are three ways each of us can prepare the next generation for success:
- Give them a God-focused vision! Don’t just build a business, or volunteer your time, but clearly connect your hard work and sacrifices of time with your love of God. Teach them why you do what you do.
- Make sure they won’t go at it alone! Invite them to do it with you. God’s work is a multi-generational work that shouldn’t be done alone. Vision is caught more than it’s taught.
- Put your money and resources at their disposal! Give them the necessary resources to be successful. Put your money where your mouth is!
Seize the moment and “set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise, therefore, and [prepare the next generation to work hard and make sacrifices] for the name of the Lord” (1 Chronicles 22:19).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
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Seize the Moment – Day 917
Trust God with your Worst Decisions!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, September 20.
Did you know that God can redeem your worst decisions and most painful moments?
In 1 Chronicles 21, David made a bad decision by ordering a census (1-2). Regardless of what motivated him to make this decision,[1] he did so against the counsel of his trusted general (3-4). God’s judgment was swift, leading to the deaths of 70,000 men by pestilence (14). In verses 15-17, David and the elders cried out to God for mercy as “the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite” (15).
In verse 18, God, in His mercy, provided a way out, “Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” Very interestingly, the location of David’s altar became the future location of Solomon’s temple. As 2 Chronicles 3:1 reminds the people of this at the time of the building of the temple, “Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” God chose the location for the temple in a place to remind His people of both His judgment and His mercy!
God loves to redeem our worst decisions and our most painful moments to bring about a redemptive purpose for that event that will bless us and others. The key is to follow David’s example, not in making a bad decision, you don’t need encouragement to do that, but in crying out to God for mercy once you realize you’ve made one.
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] When you compare 1 Chronicles 21:1-2 with its parallel account in 2 Samuel 24:1-2, they are nearly identical historical accounts minus one key point – the responsible party for motivating David to take the census. In the older account of 2 Samuel 24:1, it says, “Now again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and it incited David …”; whereas 1 Chronicles 21:1 states, “Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.”
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Seize the Moment – Day 916
It Takes More Than a Leader!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, September 19.
It takes more than a leader to complete a job!
David had his part to play, but so did other people. Verses 4-8 describes how three different warriors defeated three giants. Previously, only David could do that! We learn that even though a leader may fall, others will arise to win the victories, which, in this case, was to defeat the giants in the land. This was a message of hope, and a call for a unified national effort to rebuild Jerusalem – to face the giants of today. While the postexilic Israelites did have great leaders like Ezra and Nehemiah, it would take all the people working together to complete the job.
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Martin J. Selman, 1 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 10, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 205.
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Power
POWER
Overview
Romans 6:1–14 was a pivotal passage in Paul’s letter. On the one hand it was the culmination of Paul’s presentation that those who are spiritually dead can have life—through union with Jesus! It was also the launching pad for another presentation: an affirmation of freedom to live a righteous life. Here, in brief, is the line of thought Paul has.
Not Under Law, But Under Grace (Rom. 6:14)
(Digression: are we then free to sin? [6:15–23])
How can we legally be freed from the Law? (7:1–3)
Why must we be freed from the Law? (7:4–6)
(Digression: if the Law is so closely linked to sin, is Law evil? [7:7–12])
What happens to a believer who tries to relate to God through Law? (7:13–25)
What happens to a believer who relates to God through the Holy Spirit? (8:1–8)
(What is the source of our victory experience? (8:9–17))
Keeping this simple line of thought in mind can help us understand the powerful teaching of this vital New Testament passage. We often picture Romans as a doctrinal book, full of deep and difficult truth. However, there are some who think the Book of Romans is totally practical. In seeking to understand the human condition, Paul simply looked around him, and saw people experience a daily demonstration of the reality of sin.
In seeking to explain faith, Paul simply went back to Abraham. He saw that for Abraham faith meant unwavering trust in God’s promise. And in turn his unwavering trust led Abraham to respond to God’s word. He was submitted. (Remember that word)
Another example of Paul’s practicality was when he turned his attention to how faith works in us to produce a righteous life. He explored how we find the freedom to be righteous. Oh, it is good to know that sin in his life (and ours) had for him and has been for us “rendered inoperative.” In other words, we no longer have to obey it.
But we do still feel its pull, don’t we?! At times when we honestly want to respond to God, we may find ourselves choosing the opposite way. So, you ask – What does it take for us to live victoriously? How do we experience the flow of the divine power?
Paul’s answer was simple, but surprising. “Sin shall not be your master, because you are not under Law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). We must be released from the Law to live a Christian life under grace and experience freedom. (Remember the word freedom.)
Chapters 7 and 8 in Roman’s hinge on this point. So, let’s look at some answers he provides.
How can we legally be free from the Law? (Rom. 7:1–3)
Paul turned to marriage for an illustration. A married couple is bound to each other under the Law until one of them dies. The death of a partner frees both, so that the living partner is free to remarry. Our union with Jesus is a real union too, so when He died, we were legally released from any obligation to the Law. God considers us to have “died to the Law through the body of Christ” (v. 4), and so to be free from any past obligation to live “under” it (6:14).
Why must we be freed from the Law? (Rom. 7:4-6)
This is an extremely significant question. It is, in fact, central to the Bible’s whole teaching on the Law and the believer. What Paul said here is that the old nature (our “sinful passions”) is aroused (literally “stimulated,” or “energized”) by the Law!
(v 8 Do not covet produced in me every kind of covetous desire.)
And the result of this stimulation is that we produce sin’s deadly fruit. But since we are “not under Law,” we can relate to God in a new way! This new way is by the Spirit, who speaks to us directly from within. And, while Law energized the old nature, the Spirit stimulates the new nature! The result of the Spirit’s ministry is that we produce the fruit of righteousness.
Scripture is clear about our two natures. The old nature and new nature blend to form my conscious self yet they are distinct.
The point is: The old and new natures are channels through which our lives are controlled, either by sin or by God
The problem I hope to address today is: How are these two channels opened? What can we do to experience God’s control?
We see the energizing principle at work everywhere. The child who is told, “Don’t touch the cookies, they’re for company,” finds his hunger for a cookie increased! The forbidden seems far more desirable. Those covetous desires Paul spoke about.
The believer has two natures. The Old with its focus on self. That nature is self-centered. It always focuses on MY way. That is sin dwelling in me. The New Nature with its focus on submitting to the Spirit. There’s that word submit again. The new nature is Spirit focused. The new nature looks to fulfill His way and results in a righteous life.
It is either MY way or HIS way. Can you trust Jesus to be everything you need enough to submit – and to let go of your own selfish desires to His loving control? Trust, Submission. Jesus is enough – let go of that issue. Trust Him with it!
When we approach life through the Law, all marked off by “do’s” and “don’ts,” our old sinful nature is charged with energy. That goes back to don’t eat the cookie.
But when we approach life in God’s new way, seeing each challenge as an opportunity to let God express Himself through us, we are on the way to victory!
What is the experience of the believer who places him (her) self under the Law? (Rom. 7:13–25)
I don’t understand my own actions. I don’t do what I want—I do the very thing I hate. Because I don’t want to do the things I do, it’s clear that I agree that what the Law says is good and right. I’m that much in harmony with God, anyway. But somehow, I’m not in control of my own actions! Some sinful force within me takes over and acts through my body. I know that nothing good exists in the old me. The sin nature is so warped that even when I desire good, I somehow can’t do it. Sin, dwelling in me, is to blame for this situation. It all seems hopeless! The fact is that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. In my inmost self I delight in God’s law. But another principle wars with the desire to obey and brings me as a captive to my knees before the principle of indwelling sin.
Romans 7:15–23 (author’s paraphrase) Lawrence Richards
Paul goes through all that just to say he cannot keep the law and we need to understand we can’t either.
Paul’s effort to keep the Law, with which he agreed, had failed. The sin nature kept enough control over him to make it plain that no matter how he tried to keep the Law, he fell far short of the holiness and goodness it reveals.
Paul found striving to keep the Law through self-effort resulted in keeping the sin nature activated That sounds so hopeless… so what are we to do?
What happens to a believer who relates to God through the Holy Spirit?
Romans 7 ended with a cry: “What a wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (v. 24) “Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” v 25
Victory answered. “There is now no condemnation … because through Christ Jesus the law [principle] of the Spirit of life set me free from the law [principle] of sin and death.”
Sin within is overcome by a new and powerful principle, that of “the Spirit of life.”
Put simply, Paul found his answer in realizing that even as a believer he could not keep the Law … but at this point in his life he was no longer trying!
Paul no longer felt any obligation to try! Paul had finally accepted himself as a sinner, with no hope of pleasing God IN HIMSELF. So, Paul turned his gaze back to the Cross, and found joy in the thought of “no condemnation.” We can do the same!
But then Paul made a greater discovery!
When he stopped trying, and instead relied on God to express His own divine life through Paul’s personality and giftedness, then “the righteous requirements of the Law” were “fully met” in him (v. 4). Yes, Sin lived in Paul and sin lives in us. But Christ lived in Paul and Christ lives is us too!!
Romans 5:17,
“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 the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one-man Jesus Christ.”
We reign with Jesus in this life. We are part of His Kingdom now! We are heirs with Jesus – we have everything we need. The hard part for us is to live in that fact. We keep striving for things we think we need and we already have it! Jesus really is all we need.
Let me compare Romans 7 and 8 to see the continued progression of Paul’s thoughts.
I struggle to keep the law vs I yield myself to Jesus.
If Paul concentrated on keeping the Law rather than on trusting Jesus, his old nature was stimulated, and he sinned. So is ours!
When Paul concentrated on trusting/ yielding/surrendering to Jesus, the Spirit energized his new nature and he found himself living a righteous life. So can you!
Paul realized the battlefield of self-effort can be replaced with Spirit Enablement.
We either battle with our minds and self-will or we rest in our relationship with Jesus. Our obligation, then, is not to the Law, but to respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit (vs. 12, 14). The Law has been replaced by an intimate, personal relationship with God. (V 14 …those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God.) Personal!!
Trying to strive to be good results in sin. Walking in relationship with Jesus results in the requirements of the Law are fulfilled in you.
How can relationship be the key to moral victory? How does relationship produce righteousness? Paul showed us that as we deepen our relationship with the Lord, the Spirit of God gains more and more
control over our lives. Then the Spirit will “give life to your mortal bodies” (v. 11). Yes, in our mortality we are in the grip of sin. Let me be clear, sin is not our master. We do not have to obey it. You see the
resurrection of Jesus paid for that. It has always taken resurrection, life from the dead, for God to express Himself in human beings. And resurrection is exactly what God provides for those who “live in accordance with the Spirit” and “have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (v. 15).
Earlier in his letter, Paul says all men are spiritually dead; they desperately need righteousness and can only receive it as a gift. Then, in Romans 8, focusing on the Likeness of Jesus (Rom. 8:18–30). This is Paul’s explanation of how the Gospel produces righteousness in a believer. God has chosen to shape redeemed men in the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ (v. 28). It is our destiny to be like Jesus!! God is committed to produce the fruit of the Spirit in us!
Let me remind you of what Paul said in Romans 6:22, “But since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God (that’s the submission which gives freedom), you have your fruit which results in sanctification – and the outcome is eternal life!”
God is committed to help us be like Jesus. He understands that takes time. Jesus asks us to let Him show us how to give up our selfish desires. That does not come naturally.
This divine commitment means ultimately the renewal and transformation of the whole creation. It means that one day sin will be demolished and that we will be “brought into the glorious freedom of the
children of God” (v. 21). It also means that we now have hope. In 2 Cor. 3:18 Paul spoke of a progressive transformation, of a growth in Christlikeness which we can expect to take place. “We … are being
(Passive – done by another) transformed into His likeness,” Paul wrote the Corinthians, “with ever-
increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). As the Spirit of God shapes the likeness of Jesus within us, we need never concern ourselves with Law. When we let go of the need to be in control the life of Jesus will overflow in spontaneous righteousness.
What the Law never was able to produce, the Spirit of God within us is producing, even now. Rest in Him! There is a Primary difference between life based in law and life in the Spirit. When you are focused on the law you work toward a personal code of conduct. That is contrary to the Gospel. We cannot save ourselves by self-effort.
The Gospel is that Jesus has already done what is necessary.
My encouragement to you is to let go of personal striving and let the Holy Spirit flow through your personality and giftedness.
Let me share with you a personal testimony that I trust will be helpful in explaining what this looks like…
My stated goal at work is to give glory to God. I love my job because it is a perfect fit for my Spiritual gifts. However, over the last couple of months I have not enjoyed going to work. I was making suggestions to help make the dining room more efficient, but no one was listening and making the changes I thought needed to be made. I was not getting the recognition, the respect, the glory I thought was due me.
Have you noticed how many times the word “I” was used in this illustration? Then through Scripture readings, and a book called Understanding People by Larry Crabb the Spirit got my attention.
While driving to work it became clear that I was not focusing on giving glory to God as I thought. My thinking had become selfish, and I wanted recognition. I was literally living this passage.
I repented of my selfish desires and began to praise God for the Spiritual gifts He has given. I asked the Holy Spirit to remind me of how God wants to move through me to bless others.
Are you ready to repent of your selfish desires? I know many of you have situations in your life in which you are fighting against the leading of the Spirit. Lately I have been asking myself am I, in this moment exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit? If the Spirit reveals to me I’m not I stop and repent. Sometimes that repentance is several times during the same conversation or situation.
I have also been reminded several times lately that we are to do everything without grumbling or complaining. I can do that inside my own head – it’s still wrong. I still must repent. So do you. Come as we sing.
You can listen to the message here:
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Seize the Moment – Day 914
Today’s hymn focus will be
Faith is the Victory
1 John 5:4 (NASB95)
“ For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
John Yates was known for his beautiful poetry, first being published in the local paper, then soon thereafter in Harper’s Bazaar and other national magazines. He was a shoe salesman by trade but served as a lay preacher in the Methodist church. In 1878, his faith was severely tested when his wife and two sons died within a week of each other after an outbreak of diphtheria.
He later remarried and shared poems and messages of faith in the promises of God and how He supplies the victory. In 1891, he sent the words to this hymn to Ira Sankey who was the song director for the D.L. Moody evangelistic campaigns. He wrote the music for this hymn that is still sung today.
Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory!
O, glorious victory that overcomes the world!
We need to wake up and take hold of this glorious promise of God! He is the one who will give us the victory, for He has overcome the world.
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
Faith is the Victory
Encamped along the hills of light,
Ye Christian soldiers rise,
And press the battle ere the night
Shall veil the glowing skies;
Against the foe in vales below
Let all our strength be hurled;
Faith is the victory, we know,
That overcomes the world.
Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.
His banner over us is love,
Our sword the Word of God;
We tread the road the saints before
With shouts of triumph trod.
By faith, they like a whirlwind’s breath,
Swept on o’er every field;
The faith by which they conquered death
Is still our shining shield.
On every hand the foe we find
Drawn up in dread array;
Let tents of ease be left behind,
And onward to the fray.
Salvation’s helmet on each head,
With truth all girt about,
The earth shall tremble ’neath our tread,
And echo with our shout.
To him that overcomes the foe,
White raiment shall be giv’n;
Before the angels he shall know
His name confessed in heav’n;
Then onward from the hills of light,
Our hearts with love aflame,
We’ll vanquish all the hosts of night,
In Jesus’ conqu’ring name.
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Seize the Moment – Day 913
Don’t Miss Opportunities for Peace!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, September 16.
Are you missing opportunities for peace? One of the most damaging things we do to our peace of mind, and relational well-being, is impute wrong motives onto people – we read into people’s words, and we judge them because we presume to know their motives. If you do this, you are projecting the anxiety and fear of your own mind and heart onto others.
If you find yourself frequently in hostilities with others, whether real or perceived, it’s because you are losing on the battlefield of your own mind. When you are expending energy on an internal war, how do you expect to have the energy to “be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50; cf. Romans 12:18). That is exactly what we see happening in 1 Chronicles 19:1-3:
Now it came about after this, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son became king in his place. Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to console him. But the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, “Do you think that David is honoring your father, in that he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?”
Nahash imputed evil motives on David’s peaceful actions, and, in doing so, missed an opportunity for peace. You don’t have to make the same mistake!
Seize the moment and invite the Holy Spirit to guard your heart and mind with the peace of Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:6-7). Peace with others flows from peace with yourself, both of which are made possible by letting “the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15-17).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
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