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AM Message 5/26/02
38,915 Posts
#1 · May 26, 2002, 6:13 am
Quote from Forum Archives on May 26, 2002, 6:13 amPosted by: jmichaelwalls <jmichaelwalls@...>
JUSTIFICATION AND ITS NEED AS SEEN IN THE GUILT OF THE JEWS
Romans 2:17-3:8
Introduction: Previously we looked at the guilt of the heathen and the
moralist. Before going any further, let me make these few preliminary
remarks. Many of the early people who read the Epistle of Romans were
Jewish people. The Jews viewed all races of people outside of the nation
of Israel as heathen. The unsaved Jewish man almost cheered when he read
the words penned by Paul in chapter one verses eighteen through verse
thirty-two. He could tolerate chapter two verses one through sixteen. He
would have reasoned in his mind that he was a Jew
and thus had an advantage over the heathen and his guilt in chapter one
and the moralist in chapter two. He thought himself to be spiritually
superior to both of these classes of people. Why? He was a Jew.
God knows the Jewish mind and mindset so well. He made sure that the Jews
understood that they were guilt also. He knew that he would have placed
the guilt of the Jews first, that
they may not be interested enough to read on.
Israel has rich heritage. God brought Abraham out of the Ur of Chaldees.
He promised Abraham that his seed would be as the stars of the sky and
the sands of the sea. Do you realize that you can number almost every
American, English and French? But you could never number all the Jewish
people of the world. Why? Foe one reason, you can never find of them for
they were scattered by the Lord because of their disobedience. Secondly,
there are some Jewish people who do not realize they are Jewish because
of the fear of man by their families. Being a Jewish person in many
places means to put you upon the death warrant. Some people do not look
like a Jewish person so they are able to get by without knowing their
family background.
It was from the seed of Abraham that we have our Saviour. From the seed
of Abraham, we have a complete Bible. From the rejection of the Jewish
people, we were engrafted into the olive tree of the family of God. Of
course, we will be talking of this truth more in chapters nine through
eleven.
In this section of the book of Romans which covers chapter one and verse
eighteen through chapter three and verse twenty, Paul shows us that God
sees all the truth about us that is beneath the surface. The Lord knows
all our secrets. He knows all the skeletons in our closets. He knows all
the carefully concealed, hidden areas of our lives that we keep away from
every other eyes.
It is the truth that God sees all and knows all, that we grow
uncomfortable in His presence. It was this knowledge that caused the
publican not to even so much lift up his eyes toward heaven and asks for
mercy. It is this knowledge that the Lord wants to talk with us. Isaiah
1:18
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool."
It is this that causes the Jewish people want to throw a curve ball so to
speak. They want to try to divert attention from their condition, which
is guilty before God to their background and their religion.
Frequently men when they are trying to divert attention from themselves,
will use the facade of religion when confront by the Lord and His Word.
It is wise to remember that religion is man doing something for God and
salvation is what God wants to do for man and can do for man.
The Jew of Paul's day was the world's greatest religionist. There were
very few Jewish people who were not extremely religious in that day.
God is not fooled by the Apostles' Creed recited devoutly every Sunday,
or the Lord's Prayer piously prayed. Neither does having a Scofield
Reference Bible carried under your arm to church every day fool him. It
comes down to this basic question: what effect does the truth of the
Bible have upon you?
Before getting into the message itself, let me ask a few more questions
about religion. Remember Paul is pointing to the greatest religionist of
the world in his day.
1. Does your religion make you more rigid and unbending and legalistic
and demanding?
2. Does your religion cause your neighbors to invite you for coffee when
they see you or do they turn their backs and look the other direction
whenever you are out in the yard?
3. Does your religion make you easy to do business with or does it make
you are shrewd operator that nobody trust?
This is the path that the Jews faced. If you will read modern Jewish
history from the 1930s and up, you will find people who were trusted or
liked many times because of their religion and how they thought they were
better than other folks.
Let's travel through these verses today. As we go through them, I will
try to answer these questions:
1. Why was the name of God blasphemed among the heathen?
2. What was the frequent charge against Israel?
3. What is the first great advantage of the Jews?
I. THE JEWS' ADVANTAGE
Vs. 17-18
"Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy
boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are
more excellent, being instructed out of the law"
It is actually a five-fold advantage.
A. We see that they possessed the Law of God. They were given the Law
written on tablets of stone on Mount Sinai. They had the original law.
That makes it more valuable than any copy you and I have. Not only did
they had it written down for them, Moses was able to rehearse it as he
heard it from the mouth of Almighty God. The Law is much more than the
Ten
Commandments, yet the Ten Commandments were the foundation for the rest
of the Law of God.
B. They had a relationship with God at one time. Before they messed up
this relationship, God was their shade by day and heat by night. He came
down and rested in the Tabernacle showing His pleasure with them. He
spoke to them from the mouths of His men.
For an example to us, this relationship is covered quite well in the Book
of Deuteronomy. He told them to look back at where they had come. Then He
admonished them to look ahead to where they were going. He wanted to look
up from whence come their help. He wanted them to look around for He was
doing for them now. But if they did not these other looks, He told them
to look out. He was going to take care of business like the relationship
between a father and his child.
C. They knew the will of God. His will included the redemption of the
world to come through them. His will included that they were to live so
clean that others who lived around them would want the blessings of God
on their lives also.
D. They approved of the things that more excellent. The
Law provided for every area of faith and practice. For example, if a
person would follow the Jewish dietary laws as set down in the Law, they
would be healthier. That is more excellent. That is just one of the
truths that the Jews had.
E. They were instructed by the Law. All the law was fair and equal for
all men. There were no hidden clauses or loopholes for the rich or poor.
The law was equal just like the ground of the cross is equal for all men.
II. THE JEWS' ACTIVITIES
Vs. 19-20
"And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of
them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of
babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law."
God gave the Jewish people some activities to perform. In fact, these
activities are similar to that which we as Christians should perform.
A. He wanted them to be the guide to the blind. Man's sin has blinded him
to his true condition and to the Lord. All around the land Israel lived
people who were idol worshipers. If they would do the Law as they ought
and lived, as they ought, there could have been many nations won to the
Lord by their lives.
B. He wanted them to be light of them who lived in darkness. Where God is
not, there is darkness. No matter enlightened a society may be, without
God, it is a place of humanism, false religion, no hope or true happiness
or blessedness. Jesus tried to get the Jews to see this in His Sermon on
the Mount.
Matthew 5:14-16
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be
hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven."
C. He wanted them to be instructors to the foolish. What are some of the
foolish activities found in the Bible? Psalm 14:1
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they
have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
Proverbs 1:22
"How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners
delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?"
Proverbs 14:9
"Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour."
Proverbs 28:26
"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely,
he shall be delivered."
This is not the way God wanted man to live. But man in his sin and
disobedience choose to live this way. It is foolish to do so. He wanted
the Jewish people to live in such a way that people could see the
blessings and bountifulness of God and desire Him through His people the
Jews.
D. He wanted them to be the teachers of babes. Imagine what this world
would be like if all nations were to live like the Bible admonishes.
There would not be wars or even rumors of wars. Disease would be a word
instead of a reality. But no nation or individual does every thing right
at first.
Remember when your baby learned to eat by his or her own self. There was
more food on them or on the floor than in them. But you taught them how
to do so much. Remember teaching your child how to tie their shoes or
button up their clothes. This is exactly what the Lord wanted the Jews to
do. Teach those around them how He expect folks to live.
III. THE JEWS' ACCUSATION
Vs. 21-24
"Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou
that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest
a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that
abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast
of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name
of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written."
There is a distinct parallel between the charges against the Gentiles and
the Jews. The Charges against the Gentiles was of ungodliness or sins
against God himself. (Romans 1:21-23) This is true of the Jews.
Romans 2:23
"Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law
dishonourest thou God?"
The charge of intemperance is the sin against self in Romans 1:21-23.
This charge is placed at the feet of the Jews also. Romans 2:22
"Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit
adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
The Gentiles were guilty of the sin of unrighteous, which we know is sins
of unrighteousness. (Romans 1:21-32). The Jews were guilty of this also.
Romans 2:21
"Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou
that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?"
God placed the following accusations against the Jews. He accused them of
stealing. Let me cite one from an Old Testament passage. Malachi 3:8
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
They were accused of adultery. This includes spiritual adultery. James
4:4
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of God."
They had a long history of idolatry. In the book of Judges, it was this
sin that caused them to be oppressed by other countries over and over
again. You can see it is in the Book of Ezekiel also. Ezekiel 8:7-12
"And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a
hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall:
and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Go
in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in
and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts,
and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round
about. And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the
house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of
Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of
incense went up. Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what
the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the
chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD
hath forsaken the earth."
They broke the Law in every way yet their pride prevented them to truly
repent and turn back to God.
IV. THE JEWS APPROACH
Vs. 25-29
"For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be
a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore
if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his
uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision
which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter
and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is
one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the
flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that
of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not
of men, but of God."
The Jews is trying to use an age-old argument in their behalf. They refer
to their Judaism. Their name "Jew" is even religion. It means praise.
They refer to their circumcision that was the great mark of being the
people of God, yet it was just an outward sign. They are praising the
Lord that they are the true people of God. Inward there was no difference
between them and the uncircumcised Gentiles. Their breaking of the Law
nullified their circumcision.
Today people substitute other things when you deal with their sins. They
will talk of their confirmation, baptism, church membership, communion,
mothers prayers or even a church office. How frequently you find people
praising these things! Any outward signs do not fool God. He is looking
for changed hearts.
The Jewish people try to rely upon their rite without any righteousness.
You will find very few Jewish people no matter how liberal that they may
be that will observe some of the Jewish holidays. It is a badge of
righteousness for them. It is similar to Catholics. You would not find
them missing church on Easter or Christmas.
Being a Jew is matter of faith not fanaticism. When we get to chapters
nine through eleven, you will find that the church, I am speaking of all
saved people, will be engrafted into the family of God. It is our faith
in Jesus Christ as Saviour that engrafts us into the family of God.
V. THE JEWS ANSWERED Romans 3:1-8
"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of
circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were
committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall
their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let
God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest
be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall
we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) God
forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God
hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also
judged as a sinner? And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and
as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose
damnation is just."
We find a privileged position.
Vs. 1-4
Their great advantage is the fact that they had the Law. It was committed
to their trust. They were supposed to spread the Good News that the Lord
wants to have a relationship with mankind. It does not mean that they
were righteous before God. We are justified by the imputing of the
righteousness of God by Jesus Christ at the moment of our conversion.
Church history tells us some sad facts. D. L. Moody was probably one of
the greatest soul winning preachers that every lived; yet it is almost
certain that none of his children were saved. Billy Sundays son was a
drunkard. Yet if you were to talk to these people they would have waved
the family flag as a mark of salvation.
These are false refuges. Paul reminds the Jews and everyone else of one
immutable truth in this passage. God never lies. Man lies. God never
lies. No matter how privileged you and I may be, God has the final say.
B. We find a pious picture. Vs. 5-8
It is seen in the oldest of all arguments used by the Jews and many
others. It is this: the end justifies the means. Some people figure and
this includes the Jews that it really does not matter how you live, it
just matter that you are whatever. To the Jews, it matters that they are
Jewish. To many, it is being a Baptist. Others it is being a Catholic or
a Methodist. But the truth of the matter, it is the blood of Jesus Christ
that cleans man of his sin, not his religion.
God does not have a scale to weigh out your good deeds and you bad deeds.
God sees us for whose we are not who we are.
None of these defenses or justifications will stand before Him. He knows
how we hate to be stripped of all our natural defenses such as our
religion. He knows how hard it is for us to swallow our pride. He knows
that that we like to cling to our self-respect and self-confidence.
God is undermining the self-righteousness of man no matter what race he
may be. Being a Jew is not a defense. Being a religious Gentile is not a
defense. He strips away all those defenses so He can show forth the
righteousness that he can give through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and
His death on Calvary.
Conclusion: There are several lessons that can be gleaned in this
passage. The greatest is that your religion is null and void without a
personal relationship with the Lord. When we stand before God and every
man will, it will be the righteousness of Jesus Christ that will be
needed. Mans self-righteousness will be no more cover him than the fig
leaves kept Adam and Eve covered in the Garden of Eden.
I think the other lessons are thus. God has left us with a job to do. It
is found in verses nineteen and twenty. ("And art confident that thou
thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of
knowledge and of the truth in the law.") We are to be a guide to the
blind. The god of this world has blinded the eyes of men. It is our job
to lead them to the One who can open up their eyes to Him.
We are supposed to lights in dark places. We ought to glow for our Lord
Jesus. We are supposed reflection of Him who is the light of the world.
We are to be instructors to the foolish. To be an instructor, we have to
know the material ourselves. I would not want Patrick to teach a class on
how to start an IV. Neither would he want me to teach a class on postal
regulations or shooting. Why? We do not know the material. Knowing
material involves doing the work required understanding how these
subjects work. It is the same about instructing the foolish. You can not
lead someone further than you have been yourself.
It is our responsibility to teach new babes in Christ. You need to teach
them the four basis growth steps. Everything else you learn as a
Christian spring up from these. You teach them the importance of prayer.
You show them the importance of reading and learning the Bible. You point
out how important being in Gods House is. (I learn as much or even more
sitting at the feet of my pastor than I did at the feet of my Bible
Institute professors.) Then you teach those babes in Christ how rewarding
and growth stimulating winning others to Jesus Christ is. I learned
tithing when I was in church. I learned Bible prophecy when I read the
Bible, sat in church and prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
These four basis truths will lead a person to grow into a mature believer
that will bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ.FBC
5/26/02 AMPastor Mike Walls
Freedom Baptist Church Smithfield, NC
All scriptures are King James Bible
Isa. 41:10
Posted by: jmichaelwalls <jmichaelwalls@...>
JUSTIFICATION AND ITS NEED AS SEEN IN THE GUILT OF THE JEWS
Romans 2:17-3:8
Introduction: Previously we looked at the guilt of the heathen and the
moralist. Before going any further, let me make these few preliminary
remarks. Many of the early people who read the Epistle of Romans were
Jewish people. The Jews viewed all races of people outside of the nation
of Israel as heathen. The unsaved Jewish man almost cheered when he read
the words penned by Paul in chapter one verses eighteen through verse
thirty-two. He could tolerate chapter two verses one through sixteen. He
would have reasoned in his mind that he was a Jew
and thus had an advantage over the heathen and his guilt in chapter one
and the moralist in chapter two. He thought himself to be spiritually
superior to both of these classes of people. Why? He was a Jew.
God knows the Jewish mind and mindset so well. He made sure that the Jews
understood that they were guilt also. He knew that he would have placed
the guilt of the Jews first, that
they may not be interested enough to read on.
Israel has rich heritage. God brought Abraham out of the Ur of Chaldees.
He promised Abraham that his seed would be as the stars of the sky and
the sands of the sea. Do you realize that you can number almost every
American, English and French? But you could never number all the Jewish
people of the world. Why? Foe one reason, you can never find of them for
they were scattered by the Lord because of their disobedience. Secondly,
there are some Jewish people who do not realize they are Jewish because
of the fear of man by their families. Being a Jewish person in many
places means to put you upon the death warrant. Some people do not look
like a Jewish person so they are able to get by without knowing their
family background.
It was from the seed of Abraham that we have our Saviour. From the seed
of Abraham, we have a complete Bible. From the rejection of the Jewish
people, we were engrafted into the olive tree of the family of God. Of
course, we will be talking of this truth more in chapters nine through
eleven.
In this section of the book of Romans which covers chapter one and verse
eighteen through chapter three and verse twenty, Paul shows us that God
sees all the truth about us that is beneath the surface. The Lord knows
all our secrets. He knows all the skeletons in our closets. He knows all
the carefully concealed, hidden areas of our lives that we keep away from
every other eyes.
It is the truth that God sees all and knows all, that we grow
uncomfortable in His presence. It was this knowledge that caused the
publican not to even so much lift up his eyes toward heaven and asks for
mercy. It is this knowledge that the Lord wants to talk with us. Isaiah
1:18
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool."
It is this that causes the Jewish people want to throw a curve ball so to
speak. They want to try to divert attention from their condition, which
is guilty before God to their background and their religion.
Frequently men when they are trying to divert attention from themselves,
will use the facade of religion when confront by the Lord and His Word.
It is wise to remember that religion is man doing something for God and
salvation is what God wants to do for man and can do for man.
The Jew of Paul's day was the world's greatest religionist. There were
very few Jewish people who were not extremely religious in that day.
God is not fooled by the Apostles' Creed recited devoutly every Sunday,
or the Lord's Prayer piously prayed. Neither does having a Scofield
Reference Bible carried under your arm to church every day fool him. It
comes down to this basic question: what effect does the truth of the
Bible have upon you?
Before getting into the message itself, let me ask a few more questions
about religion. Remember Paul is pointing to the greatest religionist of
the world in his day.
1. Does your religion make you more rigid and unbending and legalistic
and demanding?
2. Does your religion cause your neighbors to invite you for coffee when
they see you or do they turn their backs and look the other direction
whenever you are out in the yard?
3. Does your religion make you easy to do business with or does it make
you are shrewd operator that nobody trust?
This is the path that the Jews faced. If you will read modern Jewish
history from the 1930s and up, you will find people who were trusted or
liked many times because of their religion and how they thought they were
better than other folks.
Let's travel through these verses today. As we go through them, I will
try to answer these questions:
1. Why was the name of God blasphemed among the heathen?
2. What was the frequent charge against Israel?
3. What is the first great advantage of the Jews?
I. THE JEWS' ADVANTAGE
Vs. 17-18
"Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy
boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are
more excellent, being instructed out of the law"
It is actually a five-fold advantage.
A. We see that they possessed the Law of God. They were given the Law
written on tablets of stone on Mount Sinai. They had the original law.
That makes it more valuable than any copy you and I have. Not only did
they had it written down for them, Moses was able to rehearse it as he
heard it from the mouth of Almighty God. The Law is much more than the
Ten
Commandments, yet the Ten Commandments were the foundation for the rest
of the Law of God.
B. They had a relationship with God at one time. Before they messed up
this relationship, God was their shade by day and heat by night. He came
down and rested in the Tabernacle showing His pleasure with them. He
spoke to them from the mouths of His men.
For an example to us, this relationship is covered quite well in the Book
of Deuteronomy. He told them to look back at where they had come. Then He
admonished them to look ahead to where they were going. He wanted to look
up from whence come their help. He wanted them to look around for He was
doing for them now. But if they did not these other looks, He told them
to look out. He was going to take care of business like the relationship
between a father and his child.
C. They knew the will of God. His will included the redemption of the
world to come through them. His will included that they were to live so
clean that others who lived around them would want the blessings of God
on their lives also.
D. They approved of the things that more excellent. The
Law provided for every area of faith and practice. For example, if a
person would follow the Jewish dietary laws as set down in the Law, they
would be healthier. That is more excellent. That is just one of the
truths that the Jews had.
E. They were instructed by the Law. All the law was fair and equal for
all men. There were no hidden clauses or loopholes for the rich or poor.
The law was equal just like the ground of the cross is equal for all men.
II. THE JEWS' ACTIVITIES
Vs. 19-20
"And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of
them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of
babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law."
God gave the Jewish people some activities to perform. In fact, these
activities are similar to that which we as Christians should perform.
A. He wanted them to be the guide to the blind. Man's sin has blinded him
to his true condition and to the Lord. All around the land Israel lived
people who were idol worshipers. If they would do the Law as they ought
and lived, as they ought, there could have been many nations won to the
Lord by their lives.
B. He wanted them to be light of them who lived in darkness. Where God is
not, there is darkness. No matter enlightened a society may be, without
God, it is a place of humanism, false religion, no hope or true happiness
or blessedness. Jesus tried to get the Jews to see this in His Sermon on
the Mount.
Matthew 5:14-16
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be
hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven."
C. He wanted them to be instructors to the foolish. What are some of the
foolish activities found in the Bible? Psalm 14:1
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they
have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
Proverbs 1:22
"How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners
delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?"
Proverbs 14:9
"Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour."
Proverbs 28:26
"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely,
he shall be delivered."
This is not the way God wanted man to live. But man in his sin and
disobedience choose to live this way. It is foolish to do so. He wanted
the Jewish people to live in such a way that people could see the
blessings and bountifulness of God and desire Him through His people the
Jews.
D. He wanted them to be the teachers of babes. Imagine what this world
would be like if all nations were to live like the Bible admonishes.
There would not be wars or even rumors of wars. Disease would be a word
instead of a reality. But no nation or individual does every thing right
at first.
Remember when your baby learned to eat by his or her own self. There was
more food on them or on the floor than in them. But you taught them how
to do so much. Remember teaching your child how to tie their shoes or
button up their clothes. This is exactly what the Lord wanted the Jews to
do. Teach those around them how He expect folks to live.
III. THE JEWS' ACCUSATION
Vs. 21-24
"Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou
that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest
a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that
abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast
of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name
of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written."
There is a distinct parallel between the charges against the Gentiles and
the Jews. The Charges against the Gentiles was of ungodliness or sins
against God himself. (Romans 1:21-23) This is true of the Jews.
Romans 2:23
"Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law
dishonourest thou God?"
The charge of intemperance is the sin against self in Romans 1:21-23.
This charge is placed at the feet of the Jews also. Romans 2:22
"Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit
adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
The Gentiles were guilty of the sin of unrighteous, which we know is sins
of unrighteousness. (Romans 1:21-32). The Jews were guilty of this also.
Romans 2:21
"Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou
that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?"
God placed the following accusations against the Jews. He accused them of
stealing. Let me cite one from an Old Testament passage. Malachi 3:8
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
They were accused of adultery. This includes spiritual adultery. James
4:4
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of God."
They had a long history of idolatry. In the book of Judges, it was this
sin that caused them to be oppressed by other countries over and over
again. You can see it is in the Book of Ezekiel also. Ezekiel 8:7-12
"And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a
hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall:
and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Go
in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in
and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts,
and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round
about. And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the
house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of
Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of
incense went up. Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what
the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the
chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD
hath forsaken the earth."
They broke the Law in every way yet their pride prevented them to truly
repent and turn back to God.
IV. THE JEWS APPROACH
Vs. 25-29
"For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be
a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore
if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his
uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision
which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter
and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is
one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the
flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that
of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not
of men, but of God."
The Jews is trying to use an age-old argument in their behalf. They refer
to their Judaism. Their name "Jew" is even religion. It means praise.
They refer to their circumcision that was the great mark of being the
people of God, yet it was just an outward sign. They are praising the
Lord that they are the true people of God. Inward there was no difference
between them and the uncircumcised Gentiles. Their breaking of the Law
nullified their circumcision.
Today people substitute other things when you deal with their sins. They
will talk of their confirmation, baptism, church membership, communion,
mothers prayers or even a church office. How frequently you find people
praising these things! Any outward signs do not fool God. He is looking
for changed hearts.
The Jewish people try to rely upon their rite without any righteousness.
You will find very few Jewish people no matter how liberal that they may
be that will observe some of the Jewish holidays. It is a badge of
righteousness for them. It is similar to Catholics. You would not find
them missing church on Easter or Christmas.
Being a Jew is matter of faith not fanaticism. When we get to chapters
nine through eleven, you will find that the church, I am speaking of all
saved people, will be engrafted into the family of God. It is our faith
in Jesus Christ as Saviour that engrafts us into the family of God.
V. THE JEWS ANSWERED Romans 3:1-8
"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of
circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were
committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall
their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let
God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest
be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall
we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) God
forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God
hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also
judged as a sinner? And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and
as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose
damnation is just."
We find a privileged position.
Vs. 1-4
Their great advantage is the fact that they had the Law. It was committed
to their trust. They were supposed to spread the Good News that the Lord
wants to have a relationship with mankind. It does not mean that they
were righteous before God. We are justified by the imputing of the
righteousness of God by Jesus Christ at the moment of our conversion.
Church history tells us some sad facts. D. L. Moody was probably one of
the greatest soul winning preachers that every lived; yet it is almost
certain that none of his children were saved. Billy Sundays son was a
drunkard. Yet if you were to talk to these people they would have waved
the family flag as a mark of salvation.
These are false refuges. Paul reminds the Jews and everyone else of one
immutable truth in this passage. God never lies. Man lies. God never
lies. No matter how privileged you and I may be, God has the final say.
B. We find a pious picture. Vs. 5-8
It is seen in the oldest of all arguments used by the Jews and many
others. It is this: the end justifies the means. Some people figure and
this includes the Jews that it really does not matter how you live, it
just matter that you are whatever. To the Jews, it matters that they are
Jewish. To many, it is being a Baptist. Others it is being a Catholic or
a Methodist. But the truth of the matter, it is the blood of Jesus Christ
that cleans man of his sin, not his religion.
God does not have a scale to weigh out your good deeds and you bad deeds.
God sees us for whose we are not who we are.
None of these defenses or justifications will stand before Him. He knows
how we hate to be stripped of all our natural defenses such as our
religion. He knows how hard it is for us to swallow our pride. He knows
that that we like to cling to our self-respect and self-confidence.
God is undermining the self-righteousness of man no matter what race he
may be. Being a Jew is not a defense. Being a religious Gentile is not a
defense. He strips away all those defenses so He can show forth the
righteousness that he can give through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and
His death on Calvary.
Conclusion: There are several lessons that can be gleaned in this
passage. The greatest is that your religion is null and void without a
personal relationship with the Lord. When we stand before God and every
man will, it will be the righteousness of Jesus Christ that will be
needed. Mans self-righteousness will be no more cover him than the fig
leaves kept Adam and Eve covered in the Garden of Eden.
I think the other lessons are thus. God has left us with a job to do. It
is found in verses nineteen and twenty. ("And art confident that thou
thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of
knowledge and of the truth in the law.") We are to be a guide to the
blind. The god of this world has blinded the eyes of men. It is our job
to lead them to the One who can open up their eyes to Him.
We are supposed to lights in dark places. We ought to glow for our Lord
Jesus. We are supposed reflection of Him who is the light of the world.
We are to be instructors to the foolish. To be an instructor, we have to
know the material ourselves. I would not want Patrick to teach a class on
how to start an IV. Neither would he want me to teach a class on postal
regulations or shooting. Why? We do not know the material. Knowing
material involves doing the work required understanding how these
subjects work. It is the same about instructing the foolish. You can not
lead someone further than you have been yourself.
It is our responsibility to teach new babes in Christ. You need to teach
them the four basis growth steps. Everything else you learn as a
Christian spring up from these. You teach them the importance of prayer.
You show them the importance of reading and learning the Bible. You point
out how important being in Gods House is. (I learn as much or even more
sitting at the feet of my pastor than I did at the feet of my Bible
Institute professors.) Then you teach those babes in Christ how rewarding
and growth stimulating winning others to Jesus Christ is. I learned
tithing when I was in church. I learned Bible prophecy when I read the
Bible, sat in church and prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
These four basis truths will lead a person to grow into a mature believer
that will bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ.
Romans 2:17-3:8
Introduction: Previously we looked at the guilt of the heathen and the
moralist. Before going any further, let me make these few preliminary
remarks. Many of the early people who read the Epistle of Romans were
Jewish people. The Jews viewed all races of people outside of the nation
of Israel as heathen. The unsaved Jewish man almost cheered when he read
the words penned by Paul in chapter one verses eighteen through verse
thirty-two. He could tolerate chapter two verses one through sixteen. He
would have reasoned in his mind that he was a Jew
and thus had an advantage over the heathen and his guilt in chapter one
and the moralist in chapter two. He thought himself to be spiritually
superior to both of these classes of people. Why? He was a Jew.
God knows the Jewish mind and mindset so well. He made sure that the Jews
understood that they were guilt also. He knew that he would have placed
the guilt of the Jews first, that
they may not be interested enough to read on.
Israel has rich heritage. God brought Abraham out of the Ur of Chaldees.
He promised Abraham that his seed would be as the stars of the sky and
the sands of the sea. Do you realize that you can number almost every
American, English and French? But you could never number all the Jewish
people of the world. Why? Foe one reason, you can never find of them for
they were scattered by the Lord because of their disobedience. Secondly,
there are some Jewish people who do not realize they are Jewish because
of the fear of man by their families. Being a Jewish person in many
places means to put you upon the death warrant. Some people do not look
like a Jewish person so they are able to get by without knowing their
family background.
It was from the seed of Abraham that we have our Saviour. From the seed
of Abraham, we have a complete Bible. From the rejection of the Jewish
people, we were engrafted into the olive tree of the family of God. Of
course, we will be talking of this truth more in chapters nine through
eleven.
In this section of the book of Romans which covers chapter one and verse
eighteen through chapter three and verse twenty, Paul shows us that God
sees all the truth about us that is beneath the surface. The Lord knows
all our secrets. He knows all the skeletons in our closets. He knows all
the carefully concealed, hidden areas of our lives that we keep away from
every other eyes.
It is the truth that God sees all and knows all, that we grow
uncomfortable in His presence. It was this knowledge that caused the
publican not to even so much lift up his eyes toward heaven and asks for
mercy. It is this knowledge that the Lord wants to talk with us. Isaiah
1:18
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool."
It is this that causes the Jewish people want to throw a curve ball so to
speak. They want to try to divert attention from their condition, which
is guilty before God to their background and their religion.
Frequently men when they are trying to divert attention from themselves,
will use the facade of religion when confront by the Lord and His Word.
It is wise to remember that religion is man doing something for God and
salvation is what God wants to do for man and can do for man.
The Jew of Paul's day was the world's greatest religionist. There were
very few Jewish people who were not extremely religious in that day.
God is not fooled by the Apostles' Creed recited devoutly every Sunday,
or the Lord's Prayer piously prayed. Neither does having a Scofield
Reference Bible carried under your arm to church every day fool him. It
comes down to this basic question: what effect does the truth of the
Bible have upon you?
Before getting into the message itself, let me ask a few more questions
about religion. Remember Paul is pointing to the greatest religionist of
the world in his day.
1. Does your religion make you more rigid and unbending and legalistic
and demanding?
2. Does your religion cause your neighbors to invite you for coffee when
they see you or do they turn their backs and look the other direction
whenever you are out in the yard?
3. Does your religion make you easy to do business with or does it make
you are shrewd operator that nobody trust?
This is the path that the Jews faced. If you will read modern Jewish
history from the 1930s and up, you will find people who were trusted or
liked many times because of their religion and how they thought they were
better than other folks.
Let's travel through these verses today. As we go through them, I will
try to answer these questions:
1. Why was the name of God blasphemed among the heathen?
2. What was the frequent charge against Israel?
3. What is the first great advantage of the Jews?
I. THE JEWS' ADVANTAGE
Vs. 17-18
"Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy
boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are
more excellent, being instructed out of the law"
It is actually a five-fold advantage.
A. We see that they possessed the Law of God. They were given the Law
written on tablets of stone on Mount Sinai. They had the original law.
That makes it more valuable than any copy you and I have. Not only did
they had it written down for them, Moses was able to rehearse it as he
heard it from the mouth of Almighty God. The Law is much more than the
Ten
Commandments, yet the Ten Commandments were the foundation for the rest
of the Law of God.
B. They had a relationship with God at one time. Before they messed up
this relationship, God was their shade by day and heat by night. He came
down and rested in the Tabernacle showing His pleasure with them. He
spoke to them from the mouths of His men.
For an example to us, this relationship is covered quite well in the Book
of Deuteronomy. He told them to look back at where they had come. Then He
admonished them to look ahead to where they were going. He wanted to look
up from whence come their help. He wanted them to look around for He was
doing for them now. But if they did not these other looks, He told them
to look out. He was going to take care of business like the relationship
between a father and his child.
C. They knew the will of God. His will included the redemption of the
world to come through them. His will included that they were to live so
clean that others who lived around them would want the blessings of God
on their lives also.
D. They approved of the things that more excellent. The
Law provided for every area of faith and practice. For example, if a
person would follow the Jewish dietary laws as set down in the Law, they
would be healthier. That is more excellent. That is just one of the
truths that the Jews had.
E. They were instructed by the Law. All the law was fair and equal for
all men. There were no hidden clauses or loopholes for the rich or poor.
The law was equal just like the ground of the cross is equal for all men.
II. THE JEWS' ACTIVITIES
Vs. 19-20
"And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of
them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of
babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law."
God gave the Jewish people some activities to perform. In fact, these
activities are similar to that which we as Christians should perform.
A. He wanted them to be the guide to the blind. Man's sin has blinded him
to his true condition and to the Lord. All around the land Israel lived
people who were idol worshipers. If they would do the Law as they ought
and lived, as they ought, there could have been many nations won to the
Lord by their lives.
B. He wanted them to be light of them who lived in darkness. Where God is
not, there is darkness. No matter enlightened a society may be, without
God, it is a place of humanism, false religion, no hope or true happiness
or blessedness. Jesus tried to get the Jews to see this in His Sermon on
the Mount.
Matthew 5:14-16
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be
hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven."
C. He wanted them to be instructors to the foolish. What are some of the
foolish activities found in the Bible? Psalm 14:1
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they
have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
Proverbs 1:22
"How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners
delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?"
Proverbs 14:9
"Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour."
Proverbs 28:26
"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely,
he shall be delivered."
This is not the way God wanted man to live. But man in his sin and
disobedience choose to live this way. It is foolish to do so. He wanted
the Jewish people to live in such a way that people could see the
blessings and bountifulness of God and desire Him through His people the
Jews.
D. He wanted them to be the teachers of babes. Imagine what this world
would be like if all nations were to live like the Bible admonishes.
There would not be wars or even rumors of wars. Disease would be a word
instead of a reality. But no nation or individual does every thing right
at first.
Remember when your baby learned to eat by his or her own self. There was
more food on them or on the floor than in them. But you taught them how
to do so much. Remember teaching your child how to tie their shoes or
button up their clothes. This is exactly what the Lord wanted the Jews to
do. Teach those around them how He expect folks to live.
III. THE JEWS' ACCUSATION
Vs. 21-24
"Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou
that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest
a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that
abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast
of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name
of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written."
There is a distinct parallel between the charges against the Gentiles and
the Jews. The Charges against the Gentiles was of ungodliness or sins
against God himself. (Romans 1:21-23) This is true of the Jews.
Romans 2:23
"Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law
dishonourest thou God?"
The charge of intemperance is the sin against self in Romans 1:21-23.
This charge is placed at the feet of the Jews also. Romans 2:22
"Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit
adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
The Gentiles were guilty of the sin of unrighteous, which we know is sins
of unrighteousness. (Romans 1:21-32). The Jews were guilty of this also.
Romans 2:21
"Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou
that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?"
God placed the following accusations against the Jews. He accused them of
stealing. Let me cite one from an Old Testament passage. Malachi 3:8
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
They were accused of adultery. This includes spiritual adultery. James
4:4
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of God."
They had a long history of idolatry. In the book of Judges, it was this
sin that caused them to be oppressed by other countries over and over
again. You can see it is in the Book of Ezekiel also. Ezekiel 8:7-12
"And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a
hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall:
and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Go
in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in
and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts,
and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round
about. And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the
house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of
Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of
incense went up. Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what
the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the
chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD
hath forsaken the earth."
They broke the Law in every way yet their pride prevented them to truly
repent and turn back to God.
IV. THE JEWS APPROACH
Vs. 25-29
"For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be
a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore
if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his
uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision
which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter
and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is
one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the
flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that
of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not
of men, but of God."
The Jews is trying to use an age-old argument in their behalf. They refer
to their Judaism. Their name "Jew" is even religion. It means praise.
They refer to their circumcision that was the great mark of being the
people of God, yet it was just an outward sign. They are praising the
Lord that they are the true people of God. Inward there was no difference
between them and the uncircumcised Gentiles. Their breaking of the Law
nullified their circumcision.
Today people substitute other things when you deal with their sins. They
will talk of their confirmation, baptism, church membership, communion,
mothers prayers or even a church office. How frequently you find people
praising these things! Any outward signs do not fool God. He is looking
for changed hearts.
The Jewish people try to rely upon their rite without any righteousness.
You will find very few Jewish people no matter how liberal that they may
be that will observe some of the Jewish holidays. It is a badge of
righteousness for them. It is similar to Catholics. You would not find
them missing church on Easter or Christmas.
Being a Jew is matter of faith not fanaticism. When we get to chapters
nine through eleven, you will find that the church, I am speaking of all
saved people, will be engrafted into the family of God. It is our faith
in Jesus Christ as Saviour that engrafts us into the family of God.
V. THE JEWS ANSWERED Romans 3:1-8
"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of
circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were
committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall
their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let
God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest
be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall
we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) God
forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God
hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also
judged as a sinner? And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and
as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose
damnation is just."
We find a privileged position.
Vs. 1-4
Their great advantage is the fact that they had the Law. It was committed
to their trust. They were supposed to spread the Good News that the Lord
wants to have a relationship with mankind. It does not mean that they
were righteous before God. We are justified by the imputing of the
righteousness of God by Jesus Christ at the moment of our conversion.
Church history tells us some sad facts. D. L. Moody was probably one of
the greatest soul winning preachers that every lived; yet it is almost
certain that none of his children were saved. Billy Sundays son was a
drunkard. Yet if you were to talk to these people they would have waved
the family flag as a mark of salvation.
These are false refuges. Paul reminds the Jews and everyone else of one
immutable truth in this passage. God never lies. Man lies. God never
lies. No matter how privileged you and I may be, God has the final say.
B. We find a pious picture. Vs. 5-8
It is seen in the oldest of all arguments used by the Jews and many
others. It is this: the end justifies the means. Some people figure and
this includes the Jews that it really does not matter how you live, it
just matter that you are whatever. To the Jews, it matters that they are
Jewish. To many, it is being a Baptist. Others it is being a Catholic or
a Methodist. But the truth of the matter, it is the blood of Jesus Christ
that cleans man of his sin, not his religion.
God does not have a scale to weigh out your good deeds and you bad deeds.
God sees us for whose we are not who we are.
None of these defenses or justifications will stand before Him. He knows
how we hate to be stripped of all our natural defenses such as our
religion. He knows how hard it is for us to swallow our pride. He knows
that that we like to cling to our self-respect and self-confidence.
God is undermining the self-righteousness of man no matter what race he
may be. Being a Jew is not a defense. Being a religious Gentile is not a
defense. He strips away all those defenses so He can show forth the
righteousness that he can give through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and
His death on Calvary.
Conclusion: There are several lessons that can be gleaned in this
passage. The greatest is that your religion is null and void without a
personal relationship with the Lord. When we stand before God and every
man will, it will be the righteousness of Jesus Christ that will be
needed. Mans self-righteousness will be no more cover him than the fig
leaves kept Adam and Eve covered in the Garden of Eden.
I think the other lessons are thus. God has left us with a job to do. It
is found in verses nineteen and twenty. ("And art confident that thou
thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of
knowledge and of the truth in the law.") We are to be a guide to the
blind. The god of this world has blinded the eyes of men. It is our job
to lead them to the One who can open up their eyes to Him.
We are supposed to lights in dark places. We ought to glow for our Lord
Jesus. We are supposed reflection of Him who is the light of the world.
We are to be instructors to the foolish. To be an instructor, we have to
know the material ourselves. I would not want Patrick to teach a class on
how to start an IV. Neither would he want me to teach a class on postal
regulations or shooting. Why? We do not know the material. Knowing
material involves doing the work required understanding how these
subjects work. It is the same about instructing the foolish. You can not
lead someone further than you have been yourself.
It is our responsibility to teach new babes in Christ. You need to teach
them the four basis growth steps. Everything else you learn as a
Christian spring up from these. You teach them the importance of prayer.
You show them the importance of reading and learning the Bible. You point
out how important being in Gods House is. (I learn as much or even more
sitting at the feet of my pastor than I did at the feet of my Bible
Institute professors.) Then you teach those babes in Christ how rewarding
and growth stimulating winning others to Jesus Christ is. I learned
tithing when I was in church. I learned Bible prophecy when I read the
Bible, sat in church and prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
These four basis truths will lead a person to grow into a mature believer
that will bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ.
FBC
5/26/02 AM
Pastor Mike Walls
Freedom Baptist Church Smithfield, NC
All scriptures are King James Bible
Isa. 41:10
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