Through Jesus Christ

We must not sit still and look for miracles; up and doing, and the Lord will be with thee. Prayer and pains, through faith in Christ Jesus, will do anything.

Sir John Eliot (1592-1632, British statesman)

Romans 16:25-27

Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the sacred secret kept silent for long ages, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God, to advance the obedience of faith among all nations—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to Him be the glory forever! Amen. (HCSB)

The last piece of treasure that we will mine from this scripture is the most important of all, and gives the most import to our obedience. Hidden in the last sentence of this scripture is the secret of pleasing the “Only Wise God.” We find here the way to Him, and the way to true spiritual blessing in our lives. How? It is through Jesus Christ!

If we walk as Jesus walked, we will glorify our Father through our obedience to Christ, and He told us that while He was here. In Matt 5:16, Jesus says "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” I think that our life’s mission is described in an explicit way here, you can’t miss it.

Paul says it this way in 2 Cor 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Out whole life is to be spent on reconciling others to Christ; we are His spokesmen, His eyes, His feet and His arms. To the extent that we live through Him, is the measure of the Glory and Honor we give to our “Only Wise and Loving God…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Believing Is Seeing

Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945, German Lutheran pastor and theologian)

Romans 16:25-27

Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the sacred secret kept silent for long ages, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God, to advance the obedience of faith among all nations—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to Him be the glory forever! Amen. (HCSB)

There are scriptures that are so rich, they are a minefield of diamonds, and this is one of those. Another question this scripture eloquently places before us is an inquiry of our obedience. The obedience of faith is important as Deitrich Bonhoeffer suggests in his quote this morning. An old English proverb also says that the ship that will not obey the helm, will obey the rocks.

Obedience is important. Most all of us have visited our past and thanked those whom disciplined us for our good. What was the goal of those that disciplined us? It was to advance obedience, but in today’s world discipline and obedience have taken a back seat to the advancement of selfish and temporal goals.

Within Scripture lie the secrets of life revealed. You will not see them nor understand them, unless you first walk in obedience to them. Psalm 34:8 says “Come, taste and see that the Lord is good.” Obedience creates more obedience. Romans 1:17 tells us that God’s Righteousness is revealed in us from faith, to faith, and that His Righteous ones would live that way. Simply put, the more we walk the faith, the more we see…God’s Blessings.


Pastor William

It's Not a Secret Anymore

When thou standest still from thinking and willing of self, the eternal hearing, seeing, and speaking will be revealed to thee, and so God heareth and seeth through thee. Thine own hearing, willing, and seeing hindereth thee, that thou dost not see nor hear God.

Jacob Boehme (1575-1624, German mystic)

Romans 16:25-27

Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the sacred secret kept silent for long ages, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God, to advance the obedience of faith among all nations—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to Him be the glory forever! Amen. (HCSB)

God has given those of us who are called by the name of His most Holy Son, a purpose in this world as “Christians.” The reason that we are fall under that description is because we have the same idea, the same purpose and the same goals that Christ had when He came to this earth. Our purpose is to advance “The Obedience of Faith.”

If we are so filled with our calling to this world, we will miss the calling that our Father has placed on our lives. He tells us plainly in His Word that our lives are not our own, but we were bought with a price, and we are to “Glorify God,” in these bodies. We were ransomed, we were, redeemed; God Himself paid our debt, and set us free.

There was no one else, or nothing else that could procure the price of life itself. Only the precious blood of our Savior, withdrawn from the vaults of heaven by God Himself, could purchase life eternal. It is now our purpose to proclaim Christ, to advance faith, and obedience to scripture, and to reveal the “secret” to a fallen world. The secret was kept quiet for ages, but it is a secret no more, to Him be the Glory, forever…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Silence is Deadly

Power in America today is control of the means of communication.

Theodore White

Romans 16:25-27

Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the sacred secret kept silent for long ages, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God, to advance the obedience of faith among all nations—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to Him be the glory forever! Amen. (HCSB)

I sincerely believe that we as Christians have relinquished any rights that we may have gained so as to be called a Christian nation. In today’s scripture we can see that if we wish we may have the power we need to proclaim the Gospel to a fallen world but, we now have so many restrictions on how we can proclaim our faith in America.

Many have joined the world in its effort to keep Christ out of Christmas. We have holiday cards, not Christmas Cards, and Happy Holiday’s instead of Merry Christmas. We have steadily relinquished these things and joined in because we think it such a small thing in our own minds, but, it is not small.

Satan is at work to remove Christ from your and my life in any way he can. It is the small things that he always begins in, things that you don’t pay much attention to until it’s too late. Holiday cards have resulted in a holiday tree at the white house, it’s not a Christmas Tree anymore…how much more are we going to let slip by…God’s Blessings’.

Pastor William

The Power of Obedience

No principal is so noble, as there is none more holy, than that of a true obedience.
Henry Giles
 

Romans 16:19-20

The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (HCSB)

If we left this verse without claiming the promise that lies within, we could miss the greater blessing that God has placed in this verse for us. When we live in obedience to the Word of God as Children of God we can accomplish God’s purpose in our lives here on this earth, and that is the defeat of Satan.

Notice, if you will, whose feet Satan is crushed under. It is your feet. God will use you to crush Satan and his demons if…you will live in obedience to God’s Word. Obedience is a powerful tool in the hands of an obedient believer. God is telling us through Paul that just as Jesus has crushed Satan’s head and set us free, we must also by our obedience, continue to do the very same thing in our lives today.

That is a dangerous task to undertake without the authority and protection that comes from living in obedience to God’s Word. When we fall away from obedient living we will find ourselves under the feet of Satan and in his power. But when we strive to live in obedience to God’s Word, the Grace of Christ cleanses us, raises us up and puts Satan under our feet. The greatest need in the church today is obedience to God’s Word…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William