You Have No Idea What's Hanging On Your Obedience

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Advent Reading (Day 13): Luke 1:26-56

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

 
 

The angel Gabriel announces to the virgin Mary that she will give birth to God’s promised Son whose kingdom shall never end.

 
 

You have absolutely no idea what’s hanging on your obedience. Like Mary, obedience opens up opportunities that cannot come any other way.


What call to obedience are you resisting? What might be waiting on the other side?

What's the Longest You've Ever Waited for Something?

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Advent Reading (Day 12): Luke 1:5-25

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their childrenand the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

 
 

What’s the longest you’ve ever waited for something?
I think this story is one of the sweetest ones in the scripture—this old, faithful couple, waiting all these years for a child, only to be surprised by the angelic message that the Lord is answering their prayers. So poignant.


Are you waiting for something? Don’t lose heart. Keep hanging on.

Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

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Advent Reading (Day 11): Micah 5:2 –5a

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace.

 
 

Summary: The king will be born in Bethlehem.

 
 

Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem?
The above passage from Micah is what the scholars reference when the Magi show up in Herod’s palace asking to see the king of the Jews. Herod asks for expert opinion, and the scholars tell him that the Bible says that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, the city of David.

Of course Luke tells us that the reason Jesus was born in Bethle- hem is because Caesar made a decree for a census, causing Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem to be counted.
So, why was Jesus born in Bethlehem?

Was it because the Bible foretold that’s where it would take place, or was it because Caesar wanted a census?

Yes.

God is always at work, even when we can’t understand it at the time. God is always at work, and he is using our free choices to realize his divine purposes.

“God works all things for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

 

John the Baptist Foretold

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Advent Reading (Day 10): Isaiah 40:3-5

3 A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

 
 

Summary: A voice crying in the wilderness: “Prepare for the King’s arrival!”

 
 

When John the Baptist came on the scene, people remembered these words of Isaiah and saw John as the one going before Jesus to prepare the way.
How can you be like John, today, and point someone toward Christ?

 

Frankincense Foretold in the Old Testament!

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I was reading through this passage last year and I was SHOCKED when I got to the last sentence. Keep in mind this was written centuries before Jesus.

 
 

Advent Reading (Day 09): Isaiah 60:1-6

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
    and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
    and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
    they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
    and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
    your heart shall thrill and exult,
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
    the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
    the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
    all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
    and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.

 
 

All nations will come to honor God’s covenant people.

 
 

Thought for Day

Isaiah foretold what would happen! I just can’t get over this pas- sage—I’m not sure I ever before paid attention to verse 6—for- eigners who come bringing gold and frankincense. That’s exactly what happened! Tell someone about this cool connection today.

 

(Why didn’t Isaiah mention myrhh? This is because God is always adding something new and unexpected, like a jazz artist riffing on a familiar theme, but also creating something new. When myrhh was given by the Magi to the Holy Family, it signified the death that Jesus was to die.)

 

Peaceable Kingdom

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Edward Hicks, Peaceable Kingdom, circa 1833

From the Worcester Art Museum’s website:

Trained as a sign, coach, and ornamental painter, Hicks painted over a hundred versions of his now-famous Peaceable Kingdom between 1820 and his death. His artistic endeavors provided modest support for his activities as a Quaker preacher in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The theme of this painting, drawn from chapter 11 of Isaiah, was undoubtedly attractive to Hicks and fellow Quakers not only for its appealing imagery but also for its message of peace: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." Into many versions, including the Worcester painting, Hicks incorporated a vignette of William Penn's treaty with the Indians, an image he adapted from a popular painting by Benjamin West (q.v.). Hicks may have viewed parallels in the two parts of the composition, inasmuch as Penn, who had introduced Quakerism into Pennsylvania, had also brought about a measure of the peaceable kingdom on earth.

 
 

Advent Reading (Day 08): Isaiah 11:1-9

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
    and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
    and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

 
 

The king is coming and will usher in a reign of justice for the poor and peace for all of God’s creation.

 
 

Thought for the Day:

How can you be a peacemaker today?

 

(“The stump of Jesse” is the idea that the Messiah will come from David’s family. (Jesse was David’s father.) In 586 BC, the Babylo- nians destroyed Jerusalem and deposed David’s descendants from the throne—in the image that Isaiah uses, it is as if the “family tree” of David is cut down. Nevertheless, the line of David contin- ued for the centuries and ultimately resulted in Jesus.)

A Land of Deep Darkness

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Advent Reading, Day 07: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

 
 

The prophet announces the birth of a king to a people in darkness.

 
 

Thought for the Day:

My favorite part is the last verse: “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”
What the Lord promises will come to pass.
Don’t be afraid today!

 

The Stars in the Sky

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Today’s Reading: Genesis 22:15-18

15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the sea- shore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

 
 

The Lord promises to Abraham that by his descendants all the nations of the earth shall obtain blessing.

 
 

Thought for the Day:

Jesus, centuries and centuries later, comes from the line of Abraham. The Lord is always at work!
Be encouraged today—the headlines don’t tell the whole story.

 

Family is How We Fight

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Genesis 12:1-3

12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

 
 

The Lord’s plan to save all of creation begins with one man’s family.

 
 

Despairing about the state of the world?
Worried about the future?
FAMILY IS HOW WE FIGHT.
Strong families are needed to raise strong children. The next gen- eration is our hope. Remember, God’s entire plan depended on one man’s family. From Abraham’s family comes Jesus, so many centuries later, but at just the right time.

 
 

Questions for Reflection:

What can you do this weekend to build up the next generation?

How can you teach the next generation to build their lives on Christ?

My Favorite Image of Christmas

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I love this image, created by Sr Grace Remington, OCSO in 2003 at the Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa. Its title: “Mary Consoles Eve.”

Do you understand?

 
 

Genesis 3:8-19

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field;

on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”

16 To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.

Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”

17 And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’

cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,

till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.”

 
 

The Lord announces in the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve’s punish- ment for their rebellion and that the seed of woman shall bruise the serpent’s head.

 
 

Reflection:

Go back and look at that picture of Mary consoling Eve again. Keep it in front of your mind this Advent season—maybe save it as the wallpaper on your phone? It’s worth going back to over and over again.

Praise God for his promise to undue all the wrongs and to renew all things.

The Image

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Genesis 1:20-2:3

20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures accord- ing to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our like- ness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

 
 

The crowning achievement of Creation is the creation of the human, made in God’s own image to join with God to steward the earth and bring beauty out of it.

 
 

Question for the Day:

How can you step into your identity today of an image-bearer of God and use your God-given creativity to bring order out of disorder or to care for the civilization we have inherited?

Creation by Separation

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Genesis 1:3-19

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered to-gether into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yield-ing seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

 
 

Once you see the pattern, you’ll never forget it:

God creates through separation.

Each division brings order and complexity to Creation:

  • light from dark;

  • day from night;

  • water from water;

  • land from sea;

  • plant from dirt;

  • sun from sky;

  • etc.

 

Two quick thoughts:

  1. God brings order out of chaos; he does it at Creation,
    Jesus does it in his healing ministry—order to chaotic minds and bodies—and the Holy Spirit is doing the same thing today.

  2. God loves even the darkness! I love that detail.

 

Question for the Day:

Where do you need God to bring order out of chaos this Advent season?

The Beginning (Advent Reading Starts Today)

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2021 Advent Reading Plan

Advent is the 4 week season of preparation that precedes Christmas. Christmas is an event of joy and feasting, but if we don’t learn the reason for the celebration it can become superficial and materialistic.

This year we need the joy of Christmas more than ever—let’s take the time to prepare so that our celebrations are as rich and joyful as the grace of God can make them.

 

Reading Plan Details

Readings are Monday-Friday, beginning today and ending Friday, 12/24.

Munger is a Bible-reading church. We believe that the Bible tells a unified story that leads to Jesus; many of the readings in this plan come from the Old Testament to help us understand the story of which Jesus is the fulfillment.

Each day, I’ll provide a brief commentary about that day’s reading, and include a reflection or question or prayer focus or thought to help connect the reading to our everyday lives.

Of course, feel free to do your readings at any time, but I strongly encourage you to develop the habit of the First 15: spending the first 15 minutes of each day in silence, prayer, and scripture.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

 
 
 

I like to pray early in the morning this time of year, just sitting in my chair under the light of the Christmas tree. Where’s your spot?

 
 

The Beginning

My goal is throughout this Advent reading plan is to trace the whole story of salvation starting from The Beginning, because the entire Bible tells a unified story that leads to Jesus, and we rarely take time to see it. Christmas is great, and preparing for it makes it even better. Let’s do this.

 
 

Genesis 1:1-2

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

 
 

The Lord, like a master artist, brings beauty and purpose out of nothingness.

 
 

Prayer for the Day:

A great prayer to pray during Advent 2021:

“Lord, can you make something beautiful out of all of this?”

The End - Let's Read Romans Backwards

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We’ve made it! Here we are at the end of Romans, and I’m going to combine today’s and tomorrow’s readings into one post.

I actually preached on Romans 16 this past Sunday, and rather than trying to recap in one post the sermon, I’ve decided to include it below.

I learned this week that the key to understanding Romans is to read it backwards.

When you start at the end, you see that Paul really wants for the Romans is unity.

Unity wasn’t any easier 2,000 years ago than it is today.

Which doesn’t make it any less important.

 
 
 
 

16:1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.

6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.

7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christbefore I was.

8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.

Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.

11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.

Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.

13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.

15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.

16 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ send greetings.

17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

21 Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jasonand Sosipater, my fellow Jews.

22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.

23 Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.

Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. [24] 

25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel,the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Paul's Reason for Visiting Rome

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Today’s Reading: Rom 15:22-33

 
 

23 But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, 24 I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assistme on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. 27 They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. 28 So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

30 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, 32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Paul is writing before heads to Jerusalem. We know from the Book of Acts that once Paul arrives in Jerusalem, a riotous mob tries to kill him and he is taken into Roman custody. Eventually, he will be sent to Roman to be judged before Caesar.

The reason he is going to Jerusalem is to take a contribution he has collected from the Gentile churches back to the struggling Jerusalem (Jewish) church.

Paul’s reason for wanting to visit Rome is that he hopes the churches there will be his home base so he can take the Gospel to Spain, which would be the “end of the earth.”

Endurance and Then Encouragement

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Today’s Reading: Romans 15:1-21

Paul is addressing the split between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians in the Roman house church network. The “strong” are the Christians who no longer eat kosher or follow the Jewish ceremonial law. The “weak” at the Jewish Christians who continue to insist that Christians should follow Jewish ceremonial law.

 
 

15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I love the thought of the scriptures providing us with both endurance and encouragement.

Paul wants the Roman Christians to stop looking down on each other, but to be unified.

 

7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
    I will sing the praises of your name.”

10 Again, it says,

“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”

11 And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
    let all the peoples extol him.”

12 And again, Isaiah says,

“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
    one who will arise to rule over the nations;
    in him the Gentiles will hope.”

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s point is that God has always planned to bring Jews and Gentiles together in the Messiah, “the Root of Jesse,” so the Romans need to start living as one family!

 

14 I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19 by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. 21 Rather, as it is written:

“Those who were not told about him will see,
    and those who have not heard will understand.”

Paul knows he’s been pretty bold in challenging the Roman Gentile Christians to do a better job of loving the Jewish Christians in Rome, but he reminds the Romans that he was given a special mission from God to preach to Gentiles, and he takes his calling seriously.

Romans Handout

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I’ll post on all of Romans 15 tomorrow.

Below is the handout I gave at last night’s Bible study.

The Key to Understanding Romans

 

Reason for the Letter: to bring unity to fractured house churches in Rome.

 

·      In the early chapters of the letter, Paul explains that it’s always been God’s plan to unite all peoples into one family (that’s what the stuff about Abraham and faith is about in chapter 4, e.g.)

·      In the later chapters of the letter, Paul builds on his theological foundation to urge the divided Roman churches to be unified in Messiah Jesus.

 

Important Historical Background

 

The Emperor Claudius expelled “the Jews” from Rome around AD 41.

 

“Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome.”  (From the ancient Roman historian Suetonius)

 

Claudius died in AD 54, and some time around then Jews returned to Rome.

 

When the Jewish Christians returned, they encounter Gentile Christians in the Romans churches, and this caused divisions in the church.

 

To Really Understand Romans, You Need to Start at the End

 

Paul mentions more people by name in chapter 16 than in any other letter he wrote.  Most likely, he is greeting the leaders of the various house churches.

 

  • Jewish names: Mary, Andronicus, Junia, Aquila, Prisca, Herodian, Rufus and his mother (of Mark 15:21)

  • Latin names: Ampliatus, Julia, Urbanus

  • Greek names: Remaining names

 

The Roman Church is divided along ethnic lines, and Paul writes his great letter to urge them to be unified.

"Do Not Destroy the Kingdom of God For the Sake Of...."

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Paul’s point in writing to the Romans is to introduce himself and his gospel, and to address some of the divisions in the Roman church between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians.

His message in today’s reading? Don’t let this stuff divide you—as important as it is, it’s not as important and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

I wonder what contemporary debates might fall into that category today?

Today’s Scripture: Romans 14:13-23

****Don’t forget—last Romans Bible study is this Wednesday, 6-7 PM.****

 
 

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.

So, there were Jewish Christians who felt that faithfulness required them to continue to obey the Jewish kosher laws. Paul—Jewish by background—has come to understand that in Jesus all the food laws that separated Israel from the nations have been fulfilled.

BUT

Paul also knows that there is nothing wrong with the Jewish Christian practice of continuing to keep kosher, and he doesn’t want those Christians who do NOT keep kosher to scandalize the Jewish Christians by eating food in front of them that the Jewish Christians would consider unclean.

 

16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

So, Paul tells the Roman Christians who do NOT keep kosher that if they mess with someone’s faith, they are doing wrong. Ultimately, the Kingdom of God is more important than what you eat or drink.

 

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

Try really really really hard not to let these things come between you and another Christian!

 

23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

What does this verse mean? I found this helpful:

In contrast to the Christian who acts from conviction is the weak Christian “who has doubts” or “who wavers.” The doubts of such Christians arise from the fact that they do not have a strong enough faith to believe that they can ignore the ritual elements of the OT law. Doubters such as this, Paul says, are “condemned” when they eat. This is not simply a subjective self-condemnation; as the reference to it later in the verse makes clear, Paul refers to God’s disapproval of such an act. Condemnation comes not because of the eating itself; as Paul has already explained (vv. 14, 20), eating anything one wants is quite all right for the believer. Rather, what brings God’s condemnation is eating when one does not have the faith to believe that it is right to do it. This, Paul claims, is “sin.” Why? Because, Paul goes on to explain, “everything that is not out of faith is sin.” Paul here asserts a general theological principle. But it is necessary to describe accurately just what that principle is….Paul claims that any act that does not arise from a conviction rooted in one’s faith in Christ is sinful. For a Christian not a single decision and action can be good which he does not think he can justify on the ground of his Christian conviction and his liberty before God in Christ. Violation of the dictates of the conscience, even when the conscience does not conform perfectly with God’s will, is sinful. And we must remember that Paul cites this theological point to buttress his exhortation of the strong. The strong, he is suggesting, should not force the weak to eat meat, or drink wine, or ignore the Sabbath, when the weak are not yet convinced that their faith in Christ allows them to do so. For to do so would be to force them into sin, to put a stumbling block in their way (see vv. 13, 20-21). First, their faith must be strengthened, their consciences enlightened; and then they can follow the strong in exercising Christian liberty together.

—Douglass Moo

 
 

I think one area in our lives where Paul’s words are relevant are with regard to pandemic responses—let’s not let whether that person wears a mask or doesn’t wear a mask divide us one from the other. Let people do what they think is the right course of action, and bear with them until they come to see otherwise. The people that are behaving in a way that you think is dead wrong probably think the same about you. You very well may be right, but don’t let that fact divide you from other Christians, if it can possibly be helped.

The Weak and the Strong

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 14:1-12

I’m reaching a churchwide Bible study this Wednesday, 6-7 PM. Come hear Romans tied up with a bow!

 
 

14:1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
    every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

The “weak” are Messianic Jews (i.e., Christian Jews) who still follow the Mosaic Laws and who are really troubled by the Gentile Christian practice of not following the Mosaic Laws. These Messianic Jews are passing judgment on the Christians who do not keep kosher.

Paul’s point: stop being so concerned about issues about which God permits differences between Christians! Whether this person observes the Mosaic Law or not doesn’t matter if that person is committed to Christ.