March - Reading 15

Good afternoon -

Our schedule of scriptural reading today is:

Matthew 26:1-16

Romans 9:19-33

Psalm 62

and

Deuteronomy 1-3

May God bless you through the reading of His Word.

[ July 02, 2004, 12:11 AM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

 

Good evening -

In Matthew tonight, we move out of the end time prophecies and enter into the thickening plot that will lead to the crucifixion and, praise God, the Ressurection. The account of the woman annointing Jesus with perfume is told in all four gospels and is a mark of the turn of events. The stage has been set.

In Romans, Paul explores the notion of predestination. Verse 19 starts with the question, paraphrased, "since God is making these choices, how can I be blamed?" His reply to his own rhetorical question is, "who are we to question the mind of God!" This is an important concept. Paul further explores that the Will of God is paramount above the wants of man to put God into a box. This passage reminds me much of the Book of Job, chapters 38 - 41. If you want to skip ahead and read some exciting Bible passages, you should check those out!

Finally, a few words about Deuteronomy. The setting of this Book is where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea on the plains of Moab. The Book of Deuteronomy is a four part speech made by Moses to the Israelites that reaffirm the Laws they have received, details the history of their journey, and transfers leadership to Joshua. Moses already knows that he will not be entering the Promised Land because of his sin of pride committed at Meribah when he struck the Rock to call forth water.
I think you will find the Book of Deuteronomy far more gentle and patronly than the previous stories involving Moses. He is an old man now and has lived a totally unique life and this is his final address to the people he led from captivity.
One other note, the name of the Book is actually a result of a mistranslation from the Latin vulgate and the Greek Septuagint from verse 17:18 which in Hebrew means "copy of the law." The more accurate translation is the Hebrew word for "words."...or so my NIV would have me believe.

May God bless you

- Clint

 

Sunday School lesson – 12/11/05

Romans 9:30-10:21

Continuing his discussion on the concept of God’s election, Paul now addresses what could be termed “the Jewish problem.” While he has stated in the previous chapter that not all who are of the house of Israel are Israel, the Old Testament Scriptures had clearly stated that it was the descendants of Jacob who were the Covenant people. Despite their numerous spiritual advantages, the children of Israel, as a corporate whole, had failed to comply with ultimate Will of God in salvation history.

The Roman audience to whom Paul now wrote was most likely predominately Gentile. Yet these people were being educated correctly that Christianity was the next step in Judaism. References to the Promises made to the Israelites freed from the Egyptian captivity must have left them puzzled as to why the Jews had failed to accept the Messiah presented in the Person of Jesus Christ. Likewise, the Jews in Paul’s audience must have wondered the same. How could a people blessed with the actual Presence of God fail when the next phase of salvation presented itself?

The final verses of chapter 9 and all of chapter 10 draw upon the Old Testament Scriptures and primitive Christian confessions to answer these questions. Paul continues in the diatribe style to answer the questions he puts forth.

Romans 9:30-33 Christ as the Stumbling Stone

Paul’s first question is now familiar: What shall we say then? The question is then posed in paraphrase, “How is it that the Gentiles who did not have the advantages of the Jews and did not even know how to pursue God’s justification have attained it while the Jews, who had every advantage and vigorously sought God’s justification failed?”

The wording of the questions as they appear in the text begin to answer these queries. First of all, righteousness is not “pursued.” It is freely given. Justification is not an act of man, it is an act of God. How did the Jews try to pursue righteousness? They approached it as though it were based on “works.” They believed that the sacrificial system and strict adherence to other aspects of the Law would somehow put God in their debt.

New Testament testimonies affirm that Christ is “the Rock of Ages” but for the Jews, as a corporate whole, He was a “stumbling stone.” Paul then quotes two Passages from Isaiah (28:16 & 8:14-15) as the source of his metaphor. It is noteworthy that Peter also uses these same verses in 1Peter 2:6-8. Most scholars believe that this shows the quotes were widely used before the penning of either Epistle.

That the Jews had not used Jesus Christ as the bedrock on which they would build had made Him the stumbling stone. Those, however, who believe on the Messiah are “not put to shame.” Even though He was the destructive instrument to most of Israel, He was the savior to those who accepted Him in faith.

continued

 

Our Scripture for 3/16 is:

Matthew 26:17-35

Romans 10

Psalm 63

Deuteronomy 4-5

 

Our Scripture for 3/16 is:

Matthew 26:17-35

Romans 10

Psalm 63

Deuteronomy 4-5

 

Our Scripture for 3/16 is:

Matthew 26:17-35

Romans 10

Psalm 63

Deuteronomy 4-5

 

Our Scripture for 3/16 is:

Matthew 26:17-35

Romans 10

Psalm 63

Deuteronomy 4-5