Monday's Message: Render to Every Man

Render to Every Man

Text:  Romans 2:5-10

But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

Romans 2:5 “against the day of wrath” – The day when Jesus will return to claim His bride and the tribulation will begin

-      Also referred to as the “Day of the Lord” in the Scriptures (Isa.13:6-13)

V  Remember, this letter is being written to the “Church at Rome”

·         Just because a person goes to church does not make them a Christian

·         You are not saved or unsaved based on your church membership

V  Paul is being very direct about the mindset of the church, and how we are to approach those who have not yet believed as well as those who are not yet mature in their faith.

Romans 2:6 “Who will render to every man according to his deeds:”

-         There will be two judgments

·         Each one of us will be dealt with according the Scriptures

-         Salvation has already been clearly described in

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

-         Statements like the one found in Romans 2:6 can be misleading and maybe even confusing, if we isolate them from the other parts of this passage.

-         The Apostle is describing salvation (justification) to Jews.  It is fitting that he would appeal to their sense or religion.

Romans 2:7 “patient continuence”

-         Romans 8:24-25  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

-         A constant contentment of blessed assurance

·         This accompanies our gift of salvation

“in well doing seek glory and honour”

-         For Christ, NOT self!

-         This is another feat that is impossible in the power of our flesh

“seek…immortality”

-         Having sought out the Gospel and trusted in Christ for salvation

“eternal life” – this is what will be rendered according to the deeds of the redeemed

-         This is a result of justification

-         This is an impossibility without redemption

-         If we received justice in this matter there would only be ONE who would have eternal life… JESUS!

Romans 2:8-9 – In these verses the person who has not been redeemed is described by the obvious things that will accompany his nature and disposition, and what will be rendered as a result of righteous judgment.

“contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,”

-         Those who are ruled and consumed by sin

·         Note: there is a difference in struggling to mortify the ‘old man’ and relinquishing full control to him.

“indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish,”

[indignation]: anger of a superior

[wrath]: violent effects of anger

[Tribulation]: Severe affliction; distresses of life; vexations.

[anguish]: Extreme pain, either of body or mind.

“to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile”

-         He recognizes that they were God’s chosen people, but that it now also applies to the Gentile.

-         He is also highlighting the fact that because they received it FIRST, they should be informed and practicing and sharing it with others as he was.

“BUT glory, honour, and peace”

-         Each of these terms describes Heaven in a different way.

·         Glory: we will be privileged to be in the presence of His glory

Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

·         Honour: we are the children of the king, we will be honored as such when we receive our inheritance for eternity

§  We will rule and reign with Christ for 1,000 years – Honor!

·         Peace: all of the struggles and battles of this life with be passed, and we will have perfect bodies, free from the scars and desires of sin.

“to every man that worketh good”

-         “good” is impossible without redemption

·         Again, inserting the “goodness” of man into the idea of maintaining one’s salvation is an arrogant misnomer!

-         The fact that some are described as “good” is proof positive of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God

“to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile”

-         Again, balance and order of delivery

·         Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

“For there is no respect of persons with God”

-         His judgment cannot be corrupted by anyone.

-         God does not favor any of us over any others.

·         Religions

·         Nationalities

·         Races

·         Gender

-         The judgment He will make is, “Are we sinners or saints?”

Family Friday: Serving God as a Family

Serving God as a Family

            Our children will often do the kinds of things that we as parents do.  For example, young ladies will often clean in the same manner as their mother; young men will often do yardwork in the same manner as their father.  So it is with serving God.  Service is not natural; it takes seeing things from God’s perspective.  How we view service will be transferred to our children!  Serving should not be done out of duty, but out of love for Him.  Christ’s ministry was completely about serving others, not Himself.  When our children see us put aside our own wants in order to put someone else first, they will begin to see what serving others really is.  So the question is this: From our attitude, do our children see service for God from the right viewpoint?  If we complain about serving God, so will our children. 

            Sometimes, serving Him is tiring!  It could be that our children don’t want to serve simply because they are tired.  Make sure they never hear you say that!  Be sensitive to the fact that you are an adult who is used to making the right decisions because you have spiritual maturity, and your children do not.  Guide their thinking when they don’t want to serve.  If necessary, tell them that they are going to serve with you first and discuss the reasons with you later.  Be practical in the amount of time you expect your family to serve together, but make sure they don’t complain about it!   

            Try to keep family morale encouraged by emphasizing blessings you receive by serving Christ.  Point out  people and families that have been influenced by your family’s service for Him.  When possible, do domething fun or have a treat after serving.  If our children see benefits from serving Him, they are more likely to continue until they have matured enough to serve out of love for Christ.

            There are many ways to serve Him, so try to find an avenue in which you can serve as a family.  Ideas are boundless: bus ministry, nursing home, special singing, church cleaning, soulwinning, shut-in visits, hospital visits, cooking for the elderly, etc.  If you can’t think of anything, ask your pastor; he’s sure to have a suggestion! 

            There are many reasons and methods to serve Him as a family. Teach the right attitude about serving.  Choose a way to serve, have some fun with it, and teach your children that there is joy in serving Jesus. 

Thoughtful Thursday: Good Treasure

 (Source)

What if I were to tell you that in your backyard you have a buried treasure?  I give you a lengthy map and after much searching you find the big giant X.  You begin to dig.  Whew!  It's hard work!  You finally hear a thud as a your shovel hits the treasure chest.  Then, you have to figure out how to lift it up!  After getting your muscle-y husband to help you, you open the chest and find gold, jewels, diamonds....a very valuable treasure!  Wow!

I read today in Matthew 12:35, that our heart can hold a good treasure.  It started me thinking, "What about my heart?  Does it hold 'good treasure' ? I sure do want it to.

We can learn some things about treasure:

~It is something you must search and find.  How's your searching for good treasure going lately?  It does take effort to fill your heart with the right things.  It's the easy road to fill it with things that are not 'good' and excellent for us.  I want to determine to search out the scripture and find my treasure.  It's there waiting for me everyday!

~It is something to protect and guard.  I need to be careful with this treasure in my heart.  It's easy to get distracted with "doing" things for the Lord and not truly "being" with Him and spending time with Him.

~It is something very valuable and irreplaceable.  The world's "treasure" won't do.  It won't satisfy.  It won't give me joy.  I want to remember how valuable God's Word and the treasure of living for Him is.   I want to fill my heart with it!


 What about your heart?  Does is hold 'good' treasure?

Teen Tuesday: The Family Fight

The Family Fight

Bro Jayme Jackson

Nehemiah 4:14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

One of the greatest areas of spiritual warfare is that of the home.  As the home goes, so goes the church. As the church goes, so goes the country. We have all been involved in a family fight, but what we are talking about today is a fight for the family. Let us look at four areas that we need to be aware of.

I.  MEANING

Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

 Psalms 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

What is the purpose of your family? Many folks do not know the answer to that question, and thus their family ends in disaster. The answer is simply this:

1.       To glorify God.  Our Family problems will be solved, if we live to glorify God!

 For example: Does showing up late for church, school or work glorify God?

                          Does have a bad attitude with your parents glorify God?

                          Does disciplining your children with anger glorify God?

Get the Idea! Just ask yourself that question and you will solve many problems.

      2. For a godly seed. The second purpose is to continue the work of the Lord. As parents we should be training the next generation of Christians. The reason we have a nation in turmoil is due to the failure of parents in this area.

II. MORALITY

Malachi 2:15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

In our families we must have a Dedication, a dedication to the marriage vows and personal purity. Each person must determine to live right!

III. MONEY

Proverbs 15:16-18 Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith. 17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. 18 A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

Learn to live on less! As my dad use to tell me “son, money don’t grow on trees.” Parents, teach your kids how to handle finances. Kids, remember these two verses: 1. A fool spends everything he has - Proverbs 21:20.  2.  Food and raiment are our basic necessities - 1 Tim. 6:8

IV. MIND (ATTITUDE)

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

This is the family that God has given you! Stop complaining about them and start praying for them. When we have a bad attitude about our family, we are saying God made a mistake! Have the mindset that you have the greatest family and God is going to use them to do some great and mighty things. Your good attitude could change the outcome of your family. Make a choice today to have a great attitude.

There is a fight over the family in America today! Are you going to be the problem or the solution?