Governed by God

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. Romans 9:6-8

Last Sunday we learned that the name “Israel” means, “Governed by God” (which is why God changed Jacob's name to Israel). It implies being in the family of God, being under His authority, and being submitted to His will.  This is why Paul said that not all who are Israel by birth are governed by God.  It’s not that God isn't willing to govern His people, but rather that God isn’t a dictator who forces Himself in control of a person’s life. In order to be governed by God, there must be a willingness to be governed by God.  There must be a surrender.

For the same reason not all who are “in the church” are actually governed by God. Just believing in God and being in church doesn't equate to being governed by God.  In order to be governed by God, there must be a willing surrender of my will and my life.  To me this is the essence of our faith, not just saying a prayer and getting my ticket punched to heaven, but willingly allowing Christ to be my Lord and Savior, and allowing God access to every part of my life.  It means raising the white flag of surrender.  Chris Tomlin wrote a song that celebrates this act, the chorus line goes:

We raise our white flags, we surrender all to You, all for You

We raise our white flags, the war is over,

Love has come, your love has won.

This is one of my favorite worship songs, as it declares what I must deal with each and every day:  The act of laying down my weapons, my will, my stubbornness, my rebel heart, and surrendering to Him who loves me.

Pastor Clay

Children of the Promise - Romans 9:6-13

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Children of the Promise

Romans 9:5-13

1.         Church, this morning I’m going to ask you to engage your mind:  because we are going to wade into some intellectually deep water!

a.    I believe you guys are up to it!

2.         For those of you who are familiar with the Apostle Paul, you know that he was an intellectual genius -

a.    He was a Heavenly heavyweight!  The Einstein of doctrine and theology!

b.    For the next few weeks, we’ll be looking at some doctrinal truths that are mystical and deep, but also important, things like:

i.      God’s promises

ii.     His character and nature

iii.   His sovereignty

iv.   His election

v.     His justice

vi.   His grace

3.         To accomplish this objective, Paul is going to take us on a journey through time

a.    He is going to turn to the historic and present situation of the nation of Israel as a backdrop to help us grasp these great truths of God.

4.         Now some of us may not have an interest in the nation of Israel, and that’s OK, but I’d like to point out three things:

a.    #1 Israel is important to God, which I believe is reason enough for us to at least have a basic understanding her place in God’s plan

b.    #2 God is not finished with Israel. Isreal is like Gods timepiece in prophecy, which means we can learn some things about God, and where we are in God’s plan, based on what’s happening with Israel,

c.    #3 God’s relationship with Israel is a picture of His relationship with you and I, the New Testament believer.

A Heart for the Lost - Romans 8:35-9:5

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 “A heart for the lost”

Romans 8:35-9:5

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1.         What an awesome promise to us from God.... that NOTHING can separate us from His love for us!!

a.    And after reading in 2 Corinthians 11 what Paul went through for the sake of the gospel, I'm sure that promise kept him going through many difficult and trying situations.

b.    But this passage of scripture isn't just a stand-alone promise for you and I; it's also a setup for chapters 9, 10, & 11.

2.         A lot of people wonder why Paul would take what seems like a off-topic tangent right in the middle of his letter.

a.    Chapters 1-8 presents the solution to the problem of sin and death - our hope - God’s plan of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ

b.    Chapters 12-15 contain practical instructions for everyday living

c.    But in chapter 9, Paul suddenly starts talking about Israel, and the fact that they sort of missed the Messiah! Where's that coming from?

d.    But I believe Paul knew what he was doing...

3.         See, after the proclamation that nothing can separate us from God's love, the bible student might ask "What about the Jews? Are they separated from His love?  Aren't they lost?"

a.    Romans chapter 9 - 11 answers that question, as Paul paints a beautiful illustration of the love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness of God,

b.    With the Jewish nation being a living example of these attributes.

c.    Israel’s Rejection of Christ (or how to have a heart for lost people)

Israel, an illustration of God's love

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

~ Romans 8:35-39

What an awesome promise to us from God.... that NOTHING can separate us from His love for us!!  And after reading in 2 Corinthians 11 what Paul went through for the sake of the gospel, I'm sure that promise kept him going through many difficult and trying situations.  But this passage of scripture isn't just a stand-alone promise for you and I; it's also a setup for chapters 9, 10, & 11.  See, after the proclamation that nothing can separate us from God's love, the bible student might ask "What about the Jews? Are they separated from His love?  Are they lost?"

The Jews had the promise of God, the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), the Law, Moses, the tabernacle, the glory of God, the prophets.... all of this, yet they rejected and crucified the Messiah!  I mean, if the Jews, who are God's chosen people, if they're lost, what chance do I have?  In fact, many Christians have written off they Jewish people completely, arguing that the church replaced the Jewish nation as God's chosen people. Not only is this untrue, it's not biblical.

Romans chapter 9 - 11 paints a beautiful illustration of the love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness of God, and the Jewish nation is a living example of these attributes to the entire world.

Don't miss this Sunday at Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, as we break open the next section of Paul's letter to the church at Rome.

~ Pastor Clay

Our Hope - Romans 8:18-29

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 “Our Hope”

Romans 8:18-29

When I was a young boy, one of things I looked forward to the most was going to “Uncle Rogers.”  See, my cousins lived on a farm, and whenever my dad took us for a weekend, I knew that weekend would be filled with AWESOMENESS: Exploring the woods, playing army, riding motorcycles, hunting, and fishing. Man, it was heaven for an eight-year-old boy! It took about two hours to drive there from our home, and the entire time I would be so excited, it felt like I was going to jump out of my skin!  Every week, I would wait anxiously to find out if we were going to Uncle Rogers, because I knew that no matter what problems I had that week, what bully picked on me, not matter how lame school was, some magical things were going to happen that weekend!  I looked forward to it. 

Roman’s chapter 8 paints a similar picture, when Paul says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Vs 18).  See saints, while this world may throw rocks at us from time to time, something better is coming, Heaven! 

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

1.         One of the thorniest questions that Christians face is, "Why do Christians suffer? “

a.    Why does a God of love and power permit his loved ones to go through any anguish here on the earth?"

b.    You’d think that our Heavenly Father would put some type of protective shield (bubble-wrap kid) around us so that we’d never have to suffer.

c.    Fact is many of us have suffered through trials, or have watched a loved one suffer, and so you’ve felt the full force of that question…  WHY?

Uncle Rogers Farm

When I was a young boy, one of things I looked forward to the most was going to “Uncle Rogers.”  See, my cousins lived on a farm, and whenever my dad took us for a weekend, I knew that weekend would be filled with FUN:  Exploring the woods, playing army, riding motorcycles, hunting, and fishing. Man, it was heaven for an eight year old boy! It took about two hours to drive there from our home, and the entire time I would be so excited, it felt like I was going to jump out of my skin!  Every week, I would wait anxiously to find out if we were going to Uncle Rogers, because I knew that no matter how hard my week was at school, some awesome things were going to happen that weekend!

Roman’s chapter 8 paints a similar picture, when Paul says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Vs 18).  See saints, while this world may throw rocks at us from time to time, but something way better is coming, Heaven!  It is the hope that forms the foundation of our faith, for without it Christianity is pointless, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

Join us Sunday at Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, as we finish Romans 8 (finally!), and explore the blessed hope we have in Christ.

~ Pastor Clay