God Speaks
Jews and Gentiles Alike Experiencing God’s Mercy and Grace
Verse of the Day: What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath–prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory–even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? (Romans 9:22-24 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Romans 8
Reflection: In the previous chapter Paul wrestled with the dilemma of not wanting to sin but doing it anyway. Here, he states unequivocally that believers are no longer condemned because Jesus died on the cross in our place. This selfless action on His part condemned our sin and cancelled its power over us. Now we are free and able to love and serve God instead of the old evil nature within us. It’s all a matter of what we let control us–the pure Holy Spirit or our old sinful patterns and thoughts. Following our old nature leads to death while obeying the Holy Spirit within us brings love, joy, peace, and life. We have been adopted by God because of Jesus. Now we can call Him Abba, honored Father, and receive an inheritance along with Christ. This means suffering like He did. But our suffering is light and brief; His was great and painful. He overcame it, so we can too. His suffering and ours will lead to glory forever with the Father. To sum up the good news: The Holy Spirit helps me to pray and to live in harmony with God’s will. Jesus suffered and died and rose again for me. God the Father loves me, adopts me, forgives me, gives me right standing with Himself, and makes me a co-heir with Christ. With this Great God on our side, who or what could ever stand against us to the point of defeating us? Nothing!
Consider the following questions regarding Romans 8:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God has made every provision through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit living in us for us to live, not according to our natural inclinations but under the direction of the Spirit.
2. People can fulfill the law only by being adopted by God and living in obedience to and faith in the Spirit of Christ
Prayer: Thank You, Lord God, that because I am now united with Christ Jesus by faith, I no longer face condemnation. I am free to live according to Your Spirit’s direction and guidance. Thanks, Jesus, for coming to earth to live as a human being. You met all the requirements of the Jewish law. You suffered and died so that I could be forgiven, set free, and enabled to live in righteousness. Knowing that Jesus paid my penalty in full makes me more open to confronting my sins, confessing them, and conquering the circumstances that led me to sin in the first place. I can only do this by following the lead of the Holy Spirit. I need His help in overcoming my old sinful nature that really never did want to obey God and His laws. Now I want to, and I can because His Spirit lives in me. Thank You for adopting me into Your family, LORD God. You even give me an inheritance along with Jesus. That inheritance comes to me because of Jesus’s suffering and death. Thank You, Jesus, for suffering for me. May I keep hoping and trusting in You until I see You honored by the Father for all Your trusting obedience. Help me to always remember that no matter what happens, nothing will ever be able to separate me from Your love. You are always working things out for Your glory and my ultimate good. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Romans 8?
- I will spend at least ten minutes telling God how wonderful He is, naming something for each member of the Trinity.
- I will spend at least ten minutes repenting of sins for which Jesus died and set me free.
- I will memorize Romans 8:28 and repeat it aloud to myself or someone else once a day for a month.
- I will write down situations or fears that might be an attempt to separate me from experiencing the love of God.
Romans 9
Reflection: In this chapter, Paul addresses the salvation or blessing of the people God chooses. With great earnestness, Paul states his deep concern for the salvation of his own people group, the Jews. He lists several advantages the Jews had been given which were meant to lead them to faith and dependence on God. These include the following: God chose and blessed Abraham. God adopted his descendants as His special people. He miraculously rescued the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and guided them through the wilderness. God showed them His glory and gave them His rules for righteous living and directions for proper worship. He gave them the patriarchs, the prophets, and His promises. Even the Messiah physically descended from Abraham. Though He is God over all people, not all descendants of Abraham are truly Jews. So, what makes a person truly a child of God? Only those who believe the promise of salvation which God made to Abraham. Only those God chose to bless. “God’s blessings are not given just because someone decides to have them or works hard to get them. They are given because God takes pity on those He wants to.” (Romans 9:16 TLB). Paul goes on to discuss how God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt “for the very purpose of displaying the awesome power of God against him: so that all the world would hear about God’s glorious name.” (Romans 9:17 TLB) Just as a potter has the right to decide on the purpose of whatever he makes, God has the right to choose who He will pour His blessings upon and who He will not. Those who choose to trust and obey God will never be disappointed.
Consider the following questions regarding Romans 9
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God chooses to whom He will show mercy and whose hearts He will harden. He also gives people the choice of responding to His provision and to His invitation of salvation or not.
2. Not all people will be saved. After the flood, Abraham was the first to be chosen. Next came Isaac, God’s promised child. Then came Jacob, chosen before he was born. David was God’s chosen king. God has chosen people down through the ages to the present day to demonstrate His power and keep His eternal promises.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Romans 9?
Dear all-wise and loving Father God, thank You for choosing to bless me with faith to trust and obey You. You are so patient and kind. You are so wise and wonderful. Give me the earnest heart for people that You gave the Apostle Paul. Please especially work in the hearts and minds of prodigals (both those who have been exposed to biblical truth but have walked or run away from You and those who think that they have to work very hard to gain Your favor and love which they already have). By Your mercy and grace, use me to draw other people to live in total dependence on You and to live in interdependence with fellow believers. You are the ultimate source of all we need. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Romans 9? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will pray daily for _________ (a specific prodigal I know).
- I will thank God for who He is, for choosing me, as well as for the blessings He has poured out on me.
- I will ask God how He wants to use me to bless someone else, then do it.
- I will give time, talents, or treasure to support the work of others who are seeking to bring the prodigals back to Father God. _________ (a specific person or organization).
Romans 10
Reflection: Paul again appeals to his fellow Jews. He is zealous for their salvation. He commends their zeal for God, but he states that they are seeking to please God on their own terms rather than putting their faith in Christ’s righteousness. What all people really need to understand is this: If a person confesses with their mouth that Jesus is their Lord, [He has gained the right to be in control of their life because of His suffering and death on their personal behalf.] and if they will believe in their heart [not just their head] that God raised Him from the dead, they will be saved. Because it is with the heart that we believe, resulting in God declaring us righteous, while with our mouth we confirm and declare our salvation. Anyone [whoever they are, wherever they live, or whatever they have done] who [honestly] calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But what about those who have never heard of Jesus or what He has done for them? That’s where we who already know and love Christ come in. We need to send others or go ourselves, whether that is across the aisle, across the street, across town, across the nation, or around the world, to tell unbelievers the Good News of all that Jesus has done for us and them.
Consider the following questions regarding each Romans 10:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God will stir up people who aren’t looking for Him to make His people (Jews and Gentiles) jealous so that they will return to Him.
2. People need to quit trying to get to or serve God in their own (man-made) ways and instead turn to Him by repentance and faith in all that Jesus has already done.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Romans 10?
LORD God, I reaffirm that Jesus suffered and died to cancel my sin and to give me His righteousness. Please give churchgoers in the USA, who are thinking and acting like the Jews of Paul’s day, a true understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Arouse us from our lethargy and self-absorption. Set us on fire with Your Spirit of love, like Jesus. Lord of the harvest, please send out, empower, and provide for laborers in Your fields. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Romans 10? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will research a summary of God’s work on behalf of the Jewish people in the Old Testament.
- I will research a summary of God’s work on behalf of the Jews from New Testament times until today.
- I will investigate and decide on which ministry to Jewish people God wants me to support with the time, talents and treasures He has given me.
- I will pray for the peace of Jerusalem, all of Israel and individual Jewish people.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.