This week we looked at the third chapter of Romans.  This chapter and verse twenty-three, in particular, is popular with those who would pervert the grace of God into a license to sin.   So we broke down the chapter, verse by verse raising important questions.

Can we truly say we believe God's warnings in regards to sin if we are currently living sinfully?
Which sin does God permit or overlook?
People often use verses ten and eleven to lower the standard saying there is none good no, not one.  But, the same passage describes one whose feet are swift to shed blood, that have speech that is an unbearable stench to God and that their lives are useless to Him.
Can this describe one of God' Saints?
Can sin produce righteousness?

Notes-
Ps. 5:4-11; 14:2-3; 36:1; 51:4; 52:4; 84:11; 119:138; Mt. 13:58; 17:20; Mk. 6:6; 9:24; 16:4; I Ti. 1:13, 19;
​Dt. 7:9; Ga. 2:17-18; 6:14; Jb. 33:26; 34:31

​Hallelujah! This week we looked at another fundemental of the letter to the Romans, that is hypocrisy.  As an Evangelist the number one excuse given as to why a person doesn't come to church is hypocrisy.  Have we become as the Jews were before us, so certain that since we have the church we are no longer required to live holy?  The Jews thought that they were above the Gentiles because they had the law.  Paul called out their hypocrisy reminding them that though the Gentiles didn't have the law there were people among the nations who lived uprightly.   This is the preamble to chapter III it establishes important truths in order that we can properly understand the whole letter.  God is just and will judge the world in righteousness and if we refuse the cross we will stand on judgment day guilty and without excuse.  What you do with this understanding directly determines your eternal future!    God is reasonable and wants us to respond in kind.  Where does your treasure lie?

Notes:
Mt. 6:19; 7:1-5; II Co. 12:14; 3:6; I Sa. 25:28; 23:5-6; Dn.4:26; II Ti. 2:19; I Pt. 4:17; 3:4: Jn. 6:27;10:28;
I Th. 1:8; Ja.1:20; Ep. 6:9; Mt.3:9; Hb. 4:15; 10:1; 9:13-14; Mk. 8:36; Ez. 36:20, 23;
   

This week was the introduction to this expositional study of the Letter to the Romans.  Chapter 1 is divided basically in half, contrasting the righteous v. the unrighteous, the dividing line comes in verses 16-17,

Christ is the fulfillment of the Scripture and anyone who has His promise living in them will walk as He walked.  We are admonished to follow Paul as he followed Christ and Paul called himself a bondservant.  He was often praying for the Saints of God, he felt obliged to tell the world the message of the cross.  Are we walking like Paul?  Sin hinders our prayer and it cuts off any hope of witnessing as it makes us hypocritical.  This is one of the many reasons we have been called to righteousness, that is to sin not.  We are called to walk in the light, on the contrary those who refuse the light come to hate the light.  Are you a doer of the truth?

​I hope this audio blesses you today and I pray continually for the people effected by this great ministry of Jesus Christ.  Thank you for your prayers and support!

Often, on the street you hear statements like, there was only one perfect man (referring to Jesus of course).  While in a sense this is true, that is Jesus was the only one who ever lived His life without flaw.  Still, usually, when they say this it is implying that you cannot obey God today.  Well, let me introduce you to Job!

God, in His Word, referred to Job as perfect and upright three times, it says he sinned not twice.  We look at Job's friends and see many of the same reactions we get today when street preaching.  Job's friends knew some things that were true of God, still they twisted those things to suit their own comfort.  They believed if you lived holy you would never suffer, for they believed all rewards/ punishments were in this life.  If Job who appeared to them to be upright (God said he was) suffered such cruel losses and pain, what hope did they have?

A man after God's own heart suffers graciously.  God suffers alongside His saints and He does so graciously, He never flies off the handle under pressure.  We ought to walk as Jesus walked.  Job understood that sin causes destruction, this was why he was found making intercession for his children and pleaded continually that God would examine and show him his sin.  In this case sin was NOT the issue, it was his obedience which was being tested.  Job said rightfully, rebuking his wife, "We receive good at the hand of God shall we not receive evil?" 

Job understood true humility and as it usually goes they called him self righteous.
"Though I were perfect, yet I would not know my soul: I would despise my life."-Job 9:21
God called him perfect and Job did not know it, he wasn't aware of himself.  He was striving for the strait gate, and by doing so he knew he could trust God!  

We can see so many lessons in this great book of wisdom.  One day I hope to do a series on the book of Job, but much more study will take place before then.  This week we gleaned the surface of chapter 13-14 and brought it into light with other Scripture throughout the book. 
I hope this blesses you! 

Notes-
Ps. 19:1-5; Jb. 13; 14; 1:1, 5,8,22; 2:3, 10-13; 9:19-22; 19:25

David spoke a lot of the Messiah to come.  This week we looked at Psalm 69 and we see how David's troubles drove him to God.  There at the throne, he brought back many things to shine light on things to come as well as giving insight into how we can approach God for ourselves.  A big part of the role of the prophet is that of edification of the body.  David was a very humble king, his heart was to lead by example.  He loved to spend time with God.  What about you?  Do you love your time with Him?

Notes-
Jn. 1:16-17; 19:28-30; 12:39-40; Rm. 8:19-23; Ps. 22:15;31:9;38:10;119:82,123; II Co. 5:14-21; 1:1-3Ep.4:8-10; Is. 61:1; Lk. 4; 23:36; Mt. 5:4; 27:34; 13:15; 11:28-30; Mk. 15:23, 36; Is. 6:10; A.A. 28:26-27
II Pt.2:23-25; Rv. 22:1-2