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How
fervently do we pray for our nation? How much do we invest in prayer and a
life of service that would lead our families, neighbors, fellow workers,
and other people God brings into our lives to eternal salvation through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? I’ve been asking these questions the
last couple of weeks and I continue to do so because it is imperative that
we, the Community Congregational Church, have a heart for God’s own.
Remember the words of 2 Chronicles 7:14 – "If
my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and
seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven
and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." These words
were God’s answer to King Solomon at the dedication of the Temple in
Jerusalem. Often times, I have heard well-intentioned American church
people use these words for our nation because they believe that America is
a Christian nation. Let me stress two things: One, America is not a
Christian nation. We were founded on the concept of religious freedom by
many that were Christian, but we are not a Christian nation. Two, this
word from God for the people of Israel around 960 BC can be applied to all
God’s people for all time. If we wonder why we see God’s judgment,
seen in the light of Romans 1:18ff, in the world today it is because of
sin generally in the world and it is a sign for God’s people to bring
them to repentance. We focus on this in Romans 10, today.
As stated last week, we are a religious people.
However, like the Apostle said regarding the Israelites "they are
zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge." Paul
stated here that the people’s zeal is based on being zealous for the God
of their understanding (or imagining) rather than the God that revealed
Himself from heaven in Jesus. It is always possible to be zealous for a
concept, or an ideal. It is possible to get excited for a cause. God is
not interested in this. God wants us to be in a relationship with Him
through the One through whom He revealed Himself – Jesus. When the
disciples were at the Last Supper Jesus granted them knowledge of where
and why He was going; we often remember that conversation with Thomas. We
often forget that Philip was unclear about the person of Jesus. "Philip
said, ‘Show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ Jesus
answered, ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you
such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…’"
Having this knowledge, we move to the next verse.
The reason that Paul gave for the lack of
knowledge of Israel. "Since they did not know the righteousness
that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit
to God’s righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may
be righteousness for everyone who believes." People desperately
want to believe that they are not bad, or evil. What the people of the
Bible era did is much as we would do today. They had a basic concept of
right and wrong (based on the Ten Commandments). Then, they determined to
stay in line with them. To make sure that they stayed close to the
standard they created laws around the law to protect the letter of the
law, rather than understanding the spirit of God’s law.
The law gives us a guideline for living, but
that is not its primary intent. The law was intended to make God’s
people (and the world) aware of sin. Sin is not just the outward act of
disobedience. If that were the case, many could say that they have kept
the law (like the rich young ruler). Sin is an issue of the heart. Jesus
made that clear in the Sermon on the Mount. See Matthew 5-7 for Jesus’
teaching on this issue of the law and the heart of humanity.
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Do
not think that I have come to abolish the law or the Prophets; I have not
come to abolish them but to fulfill them." What is the
fulfillment of the law? It is not to abolish or replace it. Rather, Jesus
took the consequence of the broken law onto Himself. Righteousness does
not come from living rightly. We can always choose to do the right
thing with the wrong motivation. In similar fashion, we often choose to do
the wrong thing though we have the best of intentions about being obedient
to God. The righteousness that is of God is from faith. Therefore
when we read that "Christ is the end of the law so that there may
be righteousness for everyone who believes" we understand it to
mean that He has fulfilled the law in His obedience even to letting
Himself take our judgment by dying in our place. Everyone that believes
that Jesus took our place in death is able to receive the righteousness of
God.
How many of us know where we are going when we
die? How many of us want to change our minds and go to heaven, instead?
Paul cited Moses – "Moses describes in this way the
righteousness that is by the law: ‘The man who does these things will
live by them.’ But the righteousness that is by faith says: ‘Do not
say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring
Christ down) or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ (that is, to bring
Christ up from the dead).’" But what does it say? ‘The word is
near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of
faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is
Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved."
If we believe that our righteousness is dependent on
us to make it possible to ascend into heaven, then we make the work of
Jesus inconsequential (at least according to our understanding). The
writer of Hebrews (chapters 6 & 10) has some harsh words to say
regarding the person that takes Jesus’ death lightly or makes a mockery
of it. The righteousness that is of God is faith in the redeeming work of
Jesus on the Cross, and in His resurrection.
There are many things in my life that I know
to be right (I give them intellectual assent). There are many things that
I feel convicted about in my heart (there is an assent of the will and
emotion). I talk about many things that are correct (verbal confirmation).
However, just because I think, feel, or talk about some things doesn’t
mean that I have made them a part of my life.
Read Paul’s words, "For it is with
your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth
that you confess and are saved." It is when we get all things
working together – the mind, the will, and the mouth – that there is
evidence of the work of God in our lives. Do we want our righteousness,
our striving, to be the determining factor in our eternal security? Do we
want the righteousness of God to be at work in our lives to be the
determining factor in our eternal security with our Lord and Savior?
Hear the words of Paul, "Everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Everyone that calls
on Jesus will enter an eternal relationship with the God of all creation.
Everyone that calls on Jesus will be saved from the consequence of our sin
and be given the righteousness of God. Everyone that trusts this word from
God will never be put to shame. Having said all that, everyone that
becomes a Christian has the guarantee of eternal life and the
opportunity/responsibility to live for the love of God by loving others.
How can the love of God be known to the world?
It is by God’s people having a heart for God’s own. "How,
then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they
believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear
without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are
sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring
good news.’"
We will never know what impact our lives will have
on others when we choose to live for the Lord. Words and deeds can offend
and cause a breakdown in relationships. Words and deeds can also have an
impact that shows the heart of God to His own. How can we determine those
that are God’s. We can not. What do we do? We live the life of love that
God has called us to indiscriminately. Live that life with zeal. Have a
passion for the things of God. We are able to do this without reservation
because we do so based on the knowledge of God’s revelation from heaven
in His Son Jesus.
Despite what some may think, there is no shame
in being a Christian. There is no shame because we know the righteousness
that is by faith based on revelation – not imagination. We trust in the
God and Father of all, not the god of our understanding. Together, let us
live in that knowledge, walk in that faith, and declare to the nations the
wonder that is available to all through the love of Jesus, the Christ of
God.
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