January 27, 2008 - Romans 7 : 7-25

This passage gives sin a personality. Sin is a never ending, persistant, entity that is always there. In our minds, around us when we least expect it. We can categorize this generally by calling 'sin' the devil. We know that God's law is the truth and that it should never be broken. We know what the right thing to do is, but sometimes it just goes the wrong way. Why does it go the wrong way? Because the devil is always playing tricks. 

To first fix a problem, you must admit that you have a problem. God can see anything and do anything. He sees what you suffer with and how the devil tempts you. He will always take into account how you are fighting against the sin or if you are just giving up. He will judge everyone separately (Romans 2 : 6-7). 

I really need to evaluate myself and see what I need to change. In firms, managers usually evaluate their company's status with the help of an accountant. The accountant implements something called 'activity based costing' to evaluate every single activity of the firm to see if it is productive or not and see if it should be continued or not. In the same way, I need to look at myself and say "I really need to read scripture more, converse with my small group members outside of church, have more faith in you Lord, pray more, and so and so". 

Praise the Lord though for allowing us grace even when we screw up. 

Amen.

January 26, 2009 - Romans 7 : 1-6

An Illustration From Marriage...

As you know, within the church, Jesus is known as the bridegroom and we, his followers, are known as his bride. The example this passage gives is that once we have accepted Christ, we are basically bound by that love that is comparable to a love between a man and a woman by marriage by nature. This illustration depicts a woman (well and man also because this can go either way) who is bound to her husband (or wife). If his/her spouse is dead, only then would she be released by the law that is of marriage. But if the spouse is alive and you are cheating on him/her, you are an adulterer.

The point of this passage is obvious. We have been bound to Christ by this marriage like love. Yet we cheat on him all the time. He is not dead so why do we continue to break this law? Why do we continue to sin? Imagine if your boyfriend or girlfriend cheats on you; imagine how you would feel. In the same way, God feels betrayed, but in no way does he leave us. That is the greatness of our merciful God. He offers us the grace that we do not deserve.

"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit to God"

Amen.

January 25, 2009 - Romans 6 : 15-23

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" 

The word slave or slavery tends to carry a negative image with itself. When we think about slaves, besides the past historical occurance between the caucasian and african race, we think of a guy being whipped by his girlfriend or an employee being a slave of his boss at the workplace. 

But being a slave to God, what does it bring? Does it bring pain and suffering? Of course not! This passage explains how different being a slave to God really is! Being a slave to God means that we have already accepted his son, Jesus Christ. Through his son, we got to know the father. "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slave to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." Servants are usually treated like nothing, the lowest rank of a human back in the old days. 

But God offers so much more. Once we offer ourselves to God and not sin, we have eternal life. We were once weak and owned by sin and tempted to sin time and time again, but because we believe in Jesus and his hope to overcome our natural selves and free us from sin, we are saved. From that we cannot help but be slaves to our Lord! 

Amen. 

January 22, 2009 - Romans 6 : 1-14

The main idea of this passage is the separation between being alive or dead figuratively. Verse 1 starts off the passage with a similar argument that we see in chapter 3 verse 7. "... Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"

When we first prayed that prayer of forgiveness, we died. What this means is that we died in the blood of Christ and was buried with Him. But because God raised His son to live a new life, so may we be born again. Whenever people speak of being born again, Counterstrike pops into my head where you respawn every round after you die. In a way this is similar, but the difference is that, once you are reborn with Christ, sin no longer has a hold on you. In other words, you do not want to kill any terrorists or counter-terrorists anymore and you instantly drop every weapon.

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus... do not let sin reign in you mortal body so that you obey its evil desires... do not offer parts of your body to sin... but rather offer yourselves to God."

"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."

The sad thing is. Our bodies are weak and we fall into sin every so often, some more than others. But the thing is, let God's grace surround you. The goodness that he has brought into your life will surely not tempt you to sin!

Amen.

January 21, 2009 - Romans 5 : 12-21

"... For if by one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to so many"

In these few verses, Paul is talking about Adam who was the man that brought sin into this world. Because of Adam, all man (and women) are brought into condemnation. Because of the first man, all his predecessors will be born with sin. Even if you tried really, really hard not to sin as a baby, it was inevitable. Because of Adam, we were dead.

But fear not my brothers and sisters. Where one man brought us into condemnation with God, another will bring so much more.

"...But where sin abounded, grace abounded so much more."

The love of one man, the Son of Man, brings us back to God and because of Him, we do not need to worry about Adam (his mistakes nor our own). Because of the sacrifice of this one Man, we have been given salvation, a place to dwell among God. Adam sinned and brought all of mankind to hell, but the love of Christ just brought us right back to him.

What a wonderful God.

Amen.

January 20, 2009 - Romans 5 : 1-11

God offers every man peace and joy through Jesus Christ "through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand". Not only do we gain salvation through Christ, we are blessed with peace and joy which our time on this earth. But behold, not only should we rejoice in the grace that we have, but also in the suffering that comes with it. 

Suffering >> Perseverance >> Character >> Hope 

Hope does not dissappoint us, says verse 4, because the root of hope itself is Christ alone. By believing in Jesus, we have our salvation and our treasures in Heaven prepared for us. Because of God's love for us, allowing His Son to save us, we are able to see the light of day. 

Verses 6-8 speaks truth. "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man... But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 

We were neither righteous nor good, but as sinners, the crappiest of men, the ones that need saving the most, Christ died for us. 

What a wonderful God.. 

Amen. 

January 19, 2009 - Romans 4

Work and.. wages = obligation 

Don't work and... wages = righteousness

This inference relates to the commonly asked question "Do we need to do good things to go to Heaven?" According to verse 5, having faith in God outweighs doing good works solely for the purpose of getting into Heaven. One does not only need to do great things in order to get into Heaven. As a matter of fact, doing good works alone will not get you any closer to God if you do not have faith in Jesus in the first place. But the basic idea in verses 1-8 is that it is better to have faith and not have good works than to have good works without faith. 

And Abraham is the father of all believers. Because he was so faithful to God. God credited his faith not after he was circumsized, but before. And because God has made Abraham a righteous man, all those who are not yet saved can be or allowed to be saved too. 

Amen. 

January 18, 2009 - Romans 3 : 21-31

God is the only righteous being in existance "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Every living thing in existance, no matter who, has sinned in the past. No one, except for Jesus Christ Himself, was blameless. Because of that we deserve death; every single person. Living without Jesus meant that we were all hellbound. But because of God's great mercy, He stent His one and only Son to earth to save mankind. "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood". 

And if you have faith in Jesus Christ, you will be seen as righteous with God. 

"since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law." 

Whoever you are, Jesus is the only way! 

Amen!

January 15, 2009 - Psalm 25

Show me your ways Father! Your good and holy path! 

Guide me and teach me...! For I know so little of you...

For you are my God and Savior, my one and only God ad one and only Savior.

With you, I can fear nothing. 

"Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old" 

Forget the sins of my past Father, and lead me to You. 

I long to be in your presense. To bathe in your light. 

The everlasting Light. 

Selah.

January 14, 2008 - Romans 3 : 1-20

"If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 

"Let us do evil that good may result?" 

No. The arguement here basically challenges God's merciful decisions on us. Because we know FOR SURE that God will forgive us and give us leeway, we should act in sin so that He maybe revealed to us is a mere disregard to God's laws. God teaches us to be humble, to be loving, and to most of all... NOT SIN. But because sinning is inevitable, through His mercy, we are offered GRACE. Without that mercy we would be dead in our transgressions. And because of that fact, with nothing to offer Him that could be equal or greater in value, we give Him our all. 

And yeah, no one is righteous. Not your pastor, parents, super Christian friends, church leaders, no one. But as Christians, we have realized our sin and accepted that Jesus Christ has saved our lives through His blood. And with that, let every mouth be silenced and the whole world be accountable to God. 

Amen. 

I missed you guys sortof haha. bye