Faith is Trust - April 29, 2014

Scripture: Romans 9-10

30 What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. 31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law[o] instead of by trusting in him. - Romans 9
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”[e] 12 Jew and Gentile[f] are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[g]
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” -Romans 10

Message:

Made right by Faith and not by Keeping the Law.

Observation/Promise:

It is by believing in your heart that you are made right with GOD and by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and Messiah that you are saved. We cannot be saved by trying to earn it, we cannot earn salvation. It's not by our own efforts, by religiously following the traditions of the law. For we know that deep inside we cannot keep the law, we covet when we cannot be happy for others, we kill when we are angry about our brothers. But even with our human evil nature, we trust GOD to save us, it is His Spirit that enables us to overcome the law. It is not by our own human effort but it is the divine Spirit of GOD working in us changing and transforming us to glorify GOD.

Application/Command:

Believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved. Do not harden your heart but trust in the goodness and promises of GOD. We are not saved for nothing but we are saved always for GOD's purpose, for His glory and for the good news to be spread around you. Let your works and words glorify GOD for what comes out of you is really what is inside of you. Real Faith can be measured by how much you trust GOD with every area of your life, with your finances, with your time, with your family, with everything you hold dear and important. If you have faith in GOD then you will trust Him to bring everything according to His will and perfect time.

Generosity in the Right Motives

9 As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem[f]will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.

- 2 Corinthians 9

How does a person become generous? Generosity can be taught by our parents. We can grow up in the values of giving because our parents have made it one of the foundational values we live by. We can be generous because we have more than enough and so we can give. Some can also give for the wrong reasons, giving to get something in return. Giving in exchange for honor and praise. Giving in exchange for a good reputation. But how does one become purely generous, giving from their hearts?

In GOD's word above, it says GOD is the one who provides seed for the farmer. What does farming got to do with our giving? This should not be taken literally but to be understood metaphorically. Seed represents the things we have that we give to sow in other people's lives. We are the farmer. Everything that we have comes from GOD, nothing that we have is ever gained on our own strength or will. And so if everything comes from GOD, the increase in our wealth also comes from HIM. No matter how hard we work, we will never gain increase without GOD's blessings. Therefore true giving comes from GOD because as we increase in our wealth, GOD will also enlarge our hearts, enriching us in every way, soul, body and spirit. So that when we have so much more than we need, GOD can trust us to distribute HIS wealth to others who are in need because our hearts are not greedy wanting for more never having enough, we will always have more than enough because of what when GOD gives to us, it is unending, it is always more than what we could ask or imagine. 

Faithful Recabites

12 Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: 13 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Go and say to the people in Judah and Jerusalem, ‘Come and learn a lesson about how to obey me. 14 The Recabites do not drink wine to this day because their ancestor Jehonadab told them not to. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you refuse to obey me.15 Time after time I sent you prophets, who told you, “Turn from your wicked ways, and start doing things right. Stop worshiping other gods so that you might live in peace here in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you would not listen to me or obey me. 16 The descendants of Jehonadab son of Recab have obeyed their ancestor completely, but you have refused to listen to me.’

- Jeremiah 35

During this time, GOD was sending the prophet Jeremiah to prophecy against Israel. But Israel wouldn't listen because they still feel strong and able, like nothing can stop them. They haven't experienced the destructions that the prophets have been warning them will happen and so their hearts remained hard and unfearful. This is how calloused their hearts have become because of sin. Many prophets before Jeremiah have already prophesied to Israel of her coming disaster for they have been sinning against the LORD. GOD's mercy and faithfulness has brought Israel warning after warning before HE does what HE has been intending to do against Israel. Still they would refuse to listen. 

Then GOD uses comparison to let the people of Israel understand what HE felt. HE illustrated about the ways of the Recabites and how they have been faithful to obey their ancestor. It pleased GOD that even though it was just an ancestor instructing them not to drink wine, they have been diligently faithful to keep what their ancestor had said to them. Isn't it such a great honor to be praised by GOD before men? As simple as not drinking wine has caused GOD to honor the Recabites before the Israelites. What vows have you made before the LORD? The LORD requires us to worship Him alone, not to have any other gods and to always do what is right. Is this a thing so difficult to do? Let us learn from the faithful Recabites.

Fearful

15 Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah:16 “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.
18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?”
19 “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.”
20 So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

- Exodus 1

It is easy to fear the power of man when they truly have power over you. But notice the midwives during the time when Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. The Pharaoh commanded them to kill the hebrew boys but out of fear and reverence for GOD, they did not do what he said. Is it therefore right to defy human laws on earth?? Only when those laws defy GOD's laws which one of them is not to kill or murder. It was holy in GOD's eyes that the midwives feared GOD more than they feared the power of Pharaoh once he found out what they did.

But their fear of GOD brought them more good than harm. For because they risked their lives to defy the Pharaoh's orders and spared the hebrew boys, GOD gave them honor. 

GOD rewarded them with families of their own, own children to raise up. Maybe one of them had baby boys had children and they were able to raise them up and not be killed because they did what was right in GOD's eyes. There will be many times where we have to risk great things for the right thing, don't hesitate to do what you know is right, for the great GOD of heaven, more powerful than any human being can ever be, will reward you. If you should be fearful, it is right to be fearful of what the Creator GOD Almighty can and will do with anyone. It is wise to fear the wrath of GOD than to fear the power of men.

Right with GOD

⁵ 5 But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty,
6 and if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.
7 And though you started with little, you will end with much.
20 “But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked.
21 He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.”
- Job 8:5-7,20-22


No matter how great the troubles, trials or hardship may come in our lives, we always have prayer that connects us to GOD who holds everything in HIS power. When we have sinned we can always ask for forgiveness and be right with GOD in our hearts. For HIS mercies are always standing by for us every morning, waiting for repentance to take place in our hearts. Once we do, GOD will restore all things to us, for HE is faithful to the very end.

When we come humbly before GOD He will not reject us, even when we have been unfaithful, HE will always look to us with mercy and HIS healing power is ready for our taking. He will not let us suffer the consequences of our sins forever, HE is waiting for our hearts to turn back to HIM. He is longing for our hearts, our worship should only be unto HIM and when we restore our worship into it's rightful place, HE will restore us to that place of favor and blessings. HE is waiting for us, are we ready for HIM?