Introduction
Romans 1.18-19: But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves
Brothers, Sisters, and Neighbors, I have a lot to say please bear with me because I intend to say it
I need to ask first, how do we get right with God:
1st Answer: the Law
Actual answer: By Faith
Romans 3.19-21
Obviously, the Law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep from having excuses and to bring the entire world into judgment before God. For no one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what His law, commands. For the more we know God’s law, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it.
But now God has shown us a different way of being Right in His sight- not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the scriptures Long Ago
Romans 10.9
For if you confess in your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the Dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God
Roman 5.1
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by Faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
OK, who were we? Why did we need to get right with God?
We were Gentiles
To put it simply, the term “gentile” describes any and every person of non-Jewish heritage. The Old Testament often describes gentiles as tribes who worship other gods. The Hebrew word for “gentiles” can also mean “nations”. The Bible often describes those as hostile towards Israel.
The Gentiles were scorned by God’s people everywhere, gentiles and Israelites were not allowed to dine together nor talk of sharing the basis of their faith(religion).
It was Gentiles vs. God’s people
AH.
It wasn’t pretty,
Do you have any idea what God will do for His people?
• It was because of His people the firstborns of an entire nation were wiped out Exodus 12.28
• It was because of His people He destroyed 7 Powerful nations (and more before then) so they would have a place to live and be free from slavery – Deuteronomy 7. 1-8
• Amongst His people because their leader hit a rock he couldn’t enter the promised land
• Amongst His people in only two generations came the greatest King and the Wisest man 1 Samuel 21 to end, 1 Kings 2 – end
• Because He loves His people even if 10 and 10,000 perish left and right none of His will be touched – Psalm 91.7
However, by Faith we have been made right, Glory be to God.
He turned this saying
“The Enemy of my Enemy is My Friend”
To
“The Enemy of My Friend Can Become My Friend”
Now that we are believers, who are we? because we are no longer Gentiles but we are not Jews either.
We are Christians, What an Honor!
Romans 8.1-4
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has Freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent down His own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
V14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God
Spirit-led Children, I greet you
What are our entitlements now that we are His Children
Abrahams Blessings
Gen 12, 15, 17
12 The first time we’re introduced to Abram aside from the genealogy, was a Blessing, God just said ‘Go let me Bless you’.
When they left after a while the Egyptians saw his beautiful wife and gave them gifts, servants and livestock
Made the whole house of the pharaoh barren because he wanted to sleep with her
Pharaoh ended up sending them away with even more gifts and an armed escort to not incur the wrath of God on his Land
15 After a war where Abram retrieved the stolen property of the king of Sodom without taking anything as a reward, God simply decided to make a covenant of Blessings on Abram.
And he was so close and so blessed by God that he started to complain 😂
‘What use is the blessing if I don’t have a child’ he said
17 He was bound to be the father of many nations as Abraham and on his end, all Abraham had to do was get circumcised along with the male children of his household (servants and children of servants included)
Abraham’s end of the covenant makes sense today because of the medical benefits, circumcision is now so commonplace that we think almost nothing of it.
You see how much God Blessed Abraham?
Those Blessings belong to you and I
In agriculture there’s a plant joining technique called grafting, it allows for the plants to produce more fruit and extend the life of the plants being joined together, it gives better resistance to pathogens and diseases, environmental stress more growth.
Romans 11.17
But some of These Branches from Abraham’s tree, some of the Jews have broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in, so now you also receive the blessings God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in God’s nourishment of His special Olive tree
Briefly, about John the Baptist, He came to prepare the way for Jesus Himself to pull people to the Faith of the Gospel that the Messiah will come can pass through the criteria for our salvation, He was the one who was the opening act for Jesus. A Great man whom not even the Pharisees questioned until his Mission was over, this is what Jesus said about him:
Matthew 12.11
I assure you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the most insignificant person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!
I am greater than John the Baptist!!!!
Let’s just Thank God for His Mercy.
