A Net in Time

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Romans

God’s Wrath, Choices Made, Natural Consequences

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Hello, continuing my study in the Book of Romans. Glad to have you here. Click here for the rest of the series.

Today Romans 1:18-31.

Today we’ll be closing off Chapter One, yesterday we saw how the righteous live by faith, today this section in the ESV is called God’s wrath on unrighteousness. 

18 For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For
his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in
the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For
although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to
him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts
were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because
they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served
the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For
this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women
exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and
the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed
with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men
and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They
were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness,
malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.
They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though
they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things
deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who
practice them.

Remember yesterday?   How Faith carries one from one generation to the next?  Did you know there are people who work to suppress God’s truth? 
 For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 

These people KNOW about God.  They can see the truth plainly because God revealed it to them BUT They don’t honour God or thank him. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For
his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in
the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For
although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to
him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts
were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.   Do you see how they have no excuse?  God is evident in the things we can see, and God made it clear to them.  They have no excuses, they just think to their own wisdom. Their foolish hearts, thinking to their own wisdom, have become darkened.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because
they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served
the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.   Amen means So Be It. These people made a choice.  They knew God’s truth, but they put it aside in order to believe a lie.  A choice. They turned aside from the Creator God to follow their own path.  THEREFORE God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women
exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and
the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed
with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men
and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
God let them live with the choices they made and compounded those choices.  They chose to ignore God as revealed in nature. Ergo, God let them be turned from nature to unnatural pleasures with each other. I honestly never even really thought of this before. How because of their choice to ignore God as revealed to them, God let them live with unnatural pleasures.  It’s like a natural consequence.
 
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They
were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness,
malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.
They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though
they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things
deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who
practice them.
And again, since they chose to turn away from God (who had revealed himself to them) God let them turn away from the things they knew to be right. So they have been filled with all manner of unrighteousness. 

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Faith Lives On, Be Not Ashamed.

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Hello, continuing my study in the Book of Romans. Glad to have you here. Click here for the rest of the series.    Today Romans 1:16-17. 

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

What then do these verses say today?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel.  Honestly, sometimes I have to wonder about that. I remember telling a lady about a good Christian Mystery I read once, one that weaved the bible into the mystery in a good manner. She asked me why I liked it so much and I found myself stumbling all over the place not wanting her to think I’m weird and yet wanting to say why I liked the book so much. Even now sometimes I find myself not wanting to say “I’m being kind because that’s what God would have me do.”   I shouldn’t be like that.  I should have that boldness to say what’s really important…and the end of it is.. GOD.  Seriously, if God weren’t God working in my life I’d be such a lost soul.

But why shouldn’t we be ashamed?
for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes
God is our salvation, but not only ours. It’s for EVERYONE who believes.  Not just Joe Right or the jewish believers … but for EVERYONE.  

 to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Admittedly… God came first to the Jewish nation.  The whole Old Testament is about that. He chose them.  His son was born within the Jewish nation.   His first friends and followers were Jewish people, he first was in the temple as a lad astounding the Jewish Teachers.  But from there the gospel spread.  Friends, families, neighbours, Roman Guards and more.  Seeing the power of God’s salvation at work.  WHY?   Because his people were not ashamed to proclaim the gospel of God.

So if I truly want to see God’s good news spread I MUST stop being ashamed of the gospel. It must be there and ready on my tongue when people ask me why I live as I do.  Why I teach my son as I do.   Why I’m kind or helpful or whatever.  It’s all God and I mustn’t be afraid to admit it..

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
I read these words and I find myself compelled to think about those last words.  The righteous shall live by faith.  It’s true you know.   If it weren’t for God and his righteousness I wouldn’t be the person I am today.  The faith of my parents is revealed in me.  The faith of the righteous who have gone on before me is passed on through me.  My son’s faith will be influenced by the faith of those who have gone on before him. 

I wonder who else’s faith will be influenced by my generation, and who will be influenced by my son’s generation.  It moves on faith does… 

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time .

Reliance, Encouragement, Faith Proclaimed

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Hello, continuing my study in the Book of Romans. Glad to have you here. Click here for the rest of the series.

Today Romans 1:8-15

 
 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Paul is thankful to his readers, the people in the Rome.  
Why?
Their faith is proclaimed in all the world.

Can you imagine it?
Having an apostle the stature of Paul praising you because your FAITH is proclaimed.  People talking about your faith. 

I hear that can I think…wow…that would be cool.  For people to see my faith and have THAT be what is talked about.  Imagine if that were the case for the church you were part of?   For the faith of your church to be a topic of discussion.. rather than the bickering or lack of service be the points mentioned.   YOUR FAITH!  Wow… that would just be very very cool. 

Paul tells his listeners, that God knows the truth, he prays for them all the time, and he asks God to allow him to get to visit with them.   He wants so badly to see them so he can strengthen them with some spiritual gift. 

The point being that they will mutually encourage each other through their faith.

Mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

Do you feel encourage by the faith seen in others?   Does your faith encourage others?
 I have to admit, I have felt encouraged by others… but I don’t know if my faith is a point of encouragement for others.   I so often just see my weakness and faltering… but it’s something to strive for eh?   To build up my faith, to see God more clearly so I can then more clearly show him to others.

Paul wants his readers to know this.  He wants so badly to come to Rome, but so far has been prevented from doing so.   He has so many obligations … to the Greeks, the barbarians, the wise, the foolish…he wants to preach God’s word to them all.   He is so eager to preach God’s word to them as well. 

I can imagine the pressure Paul found himself under.  To have this strong compulsion to be out doing, and yet finding so many areas in which to be busy doing that he can’t do it all.  He wants to go to Rome, but since he relies on God to help him find his way….he recognizes that God has not yet created a way for him to get there.  

Ah … that reliance on God eh?
 
To have that reliance.    Oh… so much to learn from Paul eh?   To see that reliance, to have that strong desire to preach the gospel to everyone, to see the faith in others and be encouraged by it.  It’s a good thing that.  🙂

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This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time .

Who Wrote Romans and Why

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Today I’m going to start going through the book of Romans. I hope you’ll join me. If all goes as I hope it will, I’ll be writing daily, but sometimes my priorities get skewed.  For that I offer my apologies.  I do strive for more.

Anyways, with that said, I do hope you’ll join me, offering your opinions and setting me straight if I misinterpret God’s word, or even broadening my thoughts.  It’s good to do so eh?

Today, the first seven verses of Romans 1.

 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans.
Written by Paul.
Just who was Paul

  • a servant of Christ Jesus
  • a called apostle
  • set apart for the gospel of God

Now just what is that gospel of God?

  • Promised by the prophets
  • Concerned his son Jesus Chrit
  • Who is the offspring of David according to the flesh
  • Declared to be the Son of God by the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead
  • This is Jesus Christ our Lord
  • the giver of grace and apostleship
  • To bring about obedience of faith for the sake of his name through all the nations
  • Including all those called to belong to Jesus Christ.

 Who is this book written to?

  •   To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

What greeting is extended?

  • Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I read these words and the depth that is in them eh?  God made promises to the world through his prophets long since passed.   Promises that a boy would come, one from the lineage of David.   This boy would be God’s own son even though physically he came from King David’s line.  God’s son.

We saw him declared so at Jesus’ baptism.

But here it is clearly stated that his resurrection from the dead made a difference.  The Holy Spirit declared him to be God’s own son when he arose.  But not only that….he was declared (see I almost missed this part).  God’s own son IN POWER.   Not saying that He didn’t have power before the resurrection (cause he did) but something changed….Now he’s the Son of God in power.   He bodily changed, he explained things to the disciples, showing them what they missed from history etc. 

This, this is Jesus Christ our Lord.

The one from whom we receive grace and mercy, the apostleship.
Hmm…I wonder if he’s talking globally or personally here?  I know that I am follower of Christ (albeit a poor one at times)… but I don’t tend to see myself as an apostle.  I tend to think of apostles as the powerhouses like Paul and Luke and John of the bible.  Not little me sitting here in my corner of the world.

Paul does make it clear though… my job as a believer is to help bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of the name of Christ in all the nations.   Even here, in my small corner of the world, my job is to help make faithful obedient believers.

Today I don’t feel particularly up to the task.  🙂

But I don’t think Paul is too concerned about that.  He’s just here to tell me what my job is.  🙂   and The Book of Romans will give me the skills to do that eh?

Also shared at  faith n friends.

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How do we bear one another’s burdens?

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You know something?   It’s hard to get used to another churches way of doing things.  The church we are going to for the rest of January doesn’t write down things like scripture passages, sermon titles or music used.   Makes it MUCH harder for me to take good notes.   I know that I missed a couple of songs this morning, but it is what it is eh?   And I made up a title based on the short message presented.

Hymns/Songs: 

Precious Lord take my hand
My eyes are dry by Keith Green
Set my spirit free by Charlotte Baker
Lord I need you by Matt Maher
Follow you by Ed Cash

Scripture: Psalm 31, Romans 12:9-13, Galatians 6

Text Romans 12
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 

Sermon Notes:

Our focus this week is on mental health.  We are called to learn and grow.
How do we care for those with mental illness in the church.

How do we bear one another’s burdens?   Galatians 6
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.

We need a Holistic approach,  moving toward the person instead of stepping away.

Why do we step away?
. Fear
. Not knowing how to help
. Seeing others as able to help better ie counselors

Romans 12:9-16
Cling to what is good,
Be devoted to one another
Walk with them
Be joyful in hope
Be hopeful for their recovery and let them know it’s not the whole story
What does it look like to welcome the mentally into our hi,especially,  or even going into their homes
Be a blessing to them.
Show them how they are a blessing to you.

You might need to ask people with mental illness how you can help them, what support do they need?

THE REST OF THE SERVICE was taken up talking with health care professions, and having people with mental illness tell their stories and what has been most beneficial to them in getting better.   My notes are included as they may prove helpful.

Holistic care…what does it look like?
People used to treat just the physical and the mental either together or separate, the spiritual was ignored.  More and more the integration is seen as not only as helpful but necessary

Describe what a helpful community looks like
. A lot of advocacy needed, different agencies working together,
. Acceptance

What are unintentionally hurtful ways
. Giving pat answers
    . Instead we should listen with all your skill instead of listening to give an answer
. Forgetting the person and only seeing their illness.
. Giving unsolicited advice
. Trying to fix the person
. Minimizing their pain
. Prayer as a way of stopping the conversation
.
What we should do
. Walk with the person not ahead of them
. Listen with all your skill
. Take in a mental first aid course (like physical first aid)
. Know when you are in over your head
. Let the person do for themselves what they are able
. Show mercy and God’s grace

Sabine’s story
Has schizophrenia
As a youth had a good life
Then at age 19 three people died who where Important to her
Age 20 was hospitalized….psychosis
Age 30 hears voices, telling her how to kill herself and others
World shattered,
Eventually learned how to share it with others
Her world opened up

Suggestion:  to pray for those with mental illness
: to say hi and ask how are you doing as isolation is a big concern for the mentally ill

Sara
Chemically induced depression….as in the chemicals in her brain don’t work together correctly
Clinical anxiety, seasonal affect time disorder

Stress is a trigger

What helps
. Knowing she is not alone, having a mentor
. Doesn’t need people feeling sorry for her
. A good listening ear
. Ask how you can help
. If you don’t have time to listen then don’t ask
. People she can trust
. Be understanding of the struggles.

Damaging
. People saying snap out of it
. Anxiety is stupid get past it
. Not understanding good weeks/bad weeks