Background Understanding
Romans 3:19-20 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
Romans 3:21-22 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.
Romans 7:6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere…
Romans 7:18-20 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I CAN’T. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyways. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
Romans 8:9-10 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Holy Spirit of God if you have the Holy Spirit living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Holy Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Holy Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
Ezekiel 26-27 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
2 Corinthians 12: 7- 10 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Acts 2:42-44 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
Verses for today
Romans 12:9-10 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
Message for today
When we are saved, the bible says that the Holy Spirit of God comes to live inside of us with power. And this is no small deal. It is such a big deal that we are now described as being controlled by the Holy Spirit as a description of who we are, not something we do. He says that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, it will have an effect that we will experience not just some academic truth.
So, when we read these verses in “Romans 12:9-10 to not pretend to love others”, we should not read this as a command to follow. Remember , we serve God by living in the Holy Spirit of God not trying to obey laws which only show us that we cannot follow them. But, do we control the Holy Spirit of God that we can make him do as we please? No. Our hearts are prone to try to obey laws to serve God because that is the only thing we feel like we can control. We are afraid of feeling helpless, but that is what we are. We are sheep. But we are not alone. The Good Shepherd is close at hand. John 10:11-18 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” But if we try to follow the laws, we will be like Paul. “I want to do what is right, but I CAN’T”. Instead, as Christians we can read these commands as descriptions of who God is. And if these are descriptions of who God is, and He lives in us, can we see him living in us by these descriptions of who he is? YES YES YES. Our dinner gatherings are an example of this. Are we trying to obey a law when we gather? NO, we love these gatherings so much because GOD is so present. How do we know this? We feel and see the love and affection flowing between each other and because we know what the bible says about God, we can see that this love and affection is evidence of the Holy Spirit of God in and among us. Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”. Romans 10:3-4 “For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.” Christianity is so much better than trying to follow rules and always finding yourself falling short. Christianity is all about The Living God, living in you. The Perfect One, who obeys every command of the bible, lives in you. So even though your sinful nature will never please God and will always be hostile towards God, when God looks at you he sees His Own Spirit who is perfect inside of you and credits you with His righteousness because that same one that lives in you, also sacrificed his life to pay all of the debt you owe for the sin that remains in you. Amen Amen Amen. Never leave church thinking, I should be better, I should do this or that. Christ has fulfilled all the commands of the bible with perfection, and he lives in you. So today, celebrate, praise the Lord, and let’s gather together again soon to experience the joy of His Spirit living in and amongst us. For when the commands of the Bible are preached, the Spirit of living God, lifts his hand from within you and declares rightly, “I have always obeyed that command and I always will”. Scandalous Grace.
Psalm 32
A psalm of David.
1 Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,[b]
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude
6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
7 For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude
8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
The Wretch & The Savior 