God is Severe

God is Severe

 

Romans 11:22, Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

God’s balanced nature is set forth to grip our attention! He wisely pairs severity with goodness, indicating God is both just to those who fall away and loving to those who trust Him.

God’s “severity” toward fallen Israel with His “goodness” toward Gentile believers who continue in His faith is the focus of our meditations. These concepts are addressed on a national and not an individual scale.

An Appreciation of the Biblical Context Would be Helpful!

Picture an olive tree where unbelieving branches were broken off and believers were grafted or inserted in their stead. The Believer’s Bible Commentary affirmed,

“11:21 If God did not hesitate to cut off the natural branches from the line of privilege, there is no reason to believe that He would spare the wild olive branches under similar circumstances.

11:22 So in the parable of the olive tree, we see two great contrasting facets of God’s character—His goodness and His severity. His severity is manifest in the removal of Israel from the favored-nation status. His goodness is seen in His turning to the Gentiles with the gospel (see Acts 13:46; 18:6). But that goodness must not be taken for granted. The Gentiles too could be cut off if they do not maintain that relative openness which the Savior found during His earthly ministry (Matt. 8:10; Luke 7:9).

It must be constantly borne in mind that Paul is not speaking of the church or of individual believers. He is speaking about the Gentiles as such. Nothing can ever separate the Body of Christ from the Head, and nothing can separate a believer from the love of God, but the Gentile peoples can be removed from their present position of special privilege.”^[1]

Matthew Henry (1662–1714), the British minister and commentator wrote,

“This is called here severity, v. 22. God laid righteousness to the line and judgment to the plummet, and dealt with them according to their sins. Severity is a word that sounds harshly; and I do not remember that it is any where else in scripture ascribed to God; and it is here applied to the unchurching of the Jews. God is most severe towards those that have been in profession nearest to him, if they rebel against him, Amos 3:2. Patience and privileges abused turn to the greatest wrath. Of all judgments, spiritual judgments are the sorest; for of these he is here speaking, v. 8.” ^[2]

And Dr. W. W. Wiersbe devised,

“It is worth noting that, according to Bible prophecy, the professing Gentile church will be “cut off” because of apostasy. First Timothy 4 and 2 Timothy 3, along with 2 Thessalonians 2, all indicate that the professing church in the last days will depart from the faith. There is no hope for the apostate church, but there is hope for apostate Israel! Why? Because of the roots of the olive tree. God will keep His promises to the patriarchs, but God will break off the Gentiles because of their unbelief.

No matter how far Israel may stray from the truth of God, the roots are still good. God is still the “God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:6; Matt. 22:23). He will keep His promises to these patriarchs. This means that the olive tree will flourish again!”^[3]

Thus, in this light the goodness and severity of God coupled with His pure justice are remarkably set before us to consider carefully!

We Understand God’s Severity as the Counterbalance of His Goodness!

Romans 11:22, differentiates or contrasts God’s “severity” toward an unbeliever nation who fell away with His “goodness” toward believing peoples who continue in His faith. Some clarity surrounding these critical terms would prove enlightening and beneficial.

     ·       Goodness defined: “but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness”, that is God shows mercy to those who hold fast to their faith—those who stay true to His grace.

     ·       Severity defined: “on them which fell, severity”, meaning God’s strict judgment and ‘cutting off’ of those who live in unbelief—“them which fell” points to those who turned away in disbelief.

     ·       “Goodness” and “Severity” reveal that believers are to consciously look at, reflect on, both the undeserved kindness and the extremely strict justice of God. This balance, or stabilizing truth, show more fully His nature. It inspires us to grow in our faith commitment, wholly respect God’s essential nature, and correctly appreciate His infinite grace toward us.

We must take informative account of these two sides of God’s character: His kindness toward those who trust Him and His severity or sternness toward those who reject Him. As Gentile Christians we must reject prideful feelings, humbly stay in God’s kindness through an active faith, or nationally risk being cut off just like unbelieving Israel is now. God does not compromise, negotiate, bargain or adjust on these matters!

 

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^[1] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1726.

^[2] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 2223.

^[3] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 552.

“First Focus on Prayer”

Spiritual Leadership in the Church Series

1 Tim 2:1-15

 

THEME: the church is to conduct its services with order.

RELEVANCE: “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40) is a basic principle for the conduct of the ministry of the church. Apparently, young Timothy was having some problems applying this principle to the assemblies in Ephesus. The public worship services were losing their order and effectiveness because both the men and the women members of the church were disobeying God’s Word.

 INTRODUCTION:

The church is an organism,” a pastor said, “so we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on organization. We should allow the Spirit to have freedom.”

“But if an organism is disorganized,” I submit, “it will die. Yes, I agree that we must permit the Spirit to have freedom, but even the Holy Spirit is not free to disobey the Word of God.”

Often, what we think is the “freedom of the Spirit” are the carnal ideas of some Christian who is not walking in the Spirit. Eventually this “freedom” becomes anarchy, and the Spirit grieves as a church gradually moves away from the standards of God’s Word.

To counteract this tendency, Paul exhorted the men and women in the church and reminded them of their spiritual responsibilities. Paul's urge, “I exhort therefore,” echoed his original mission for Timothy (1:3). False teaching had to be challenged, and right actions needed to be reinforced.

MESSAGE:

I. The Call to Order Regarding Prayer—Men (1 Tim. 2:1–8)

It is generally agreed that this passage has to do with public prayer, although there is nothing in it that would not be equally applicable to one’s private devotional life.

A. The Priority Of Prayer (V. 1a).

Paul placed primary importance on prayer; thus he addressed this issue first of all.

1. “First Of All” Indicates That Prayer Is Most Important In The Public Worship Of The Church.

a.                      It is sad to see how prayer has lost importance in many churches. “If I announce a banquet,” a pastor said, “people will come out of the woodwork to attend. But if I announce a prayer meeting, I’m lucky if the ushers show up!” 

b.                      Not only have the special meetings for prayer lost prominence in most local churches, but even prayer in the public services is greatly minimized. Many pastors spend more time on the announcements than they do in prayer!

c.                      The late Peter Deyneka, Sr., founder of the Slavic Gospel Association, often reminded me: “Much prayer, much power! No prayer, no power!”

2. Prayer Was As Much A Part Of The Apostolic Ministry As Preaching The Word.

a.      Acts 6:4, But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

b.     Yet some pastors spend hours preparing their sermons, but never prepare their public prayers. Consequently, their prayers are routine, humdrum, and repetitious. I am not suggesting that a pastor write out every word and read it, but that he think through what he will pray about. This will keep “the pastoral prayer” from becoming dull and a mere repetition of what was “prayed” the previous week.

c.      The local church does not pray because it is the expected thing to do; it prays because prayer is vital to the life of the local church. The Holy Spirit works in the church through prayer and the Word of God (1 Thess 2:13; Eph 3:20-21). The church that prays will have power and will make a lasting impact for Christ.

·       1 Thes. 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

·       Ephes. 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, [21] Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

d.     Note how the believers in Acts turned to prayer and overcame their enemies. Paul exhorts us to pray - it is important!

3. But The Church Members (Men) Also Need To Be Prepared To Pray.

a.      Our hearts must be right with God and with each other.

b.     We must really want to pray, and not pray simply to please people (as did the Pharisees, Matt. 6:5), or to fulfill a religious duty.

c.      When a local church ceases to depend on prayer, God ceases to bless its ministry.

B. The Variations Of Prayer (V. 1b).

• There are at least seven different Greek nouns for “prayer,” and four of them are used here.

• The different words used for prayer focus not only on different types of prayer, but also on the beautiful scope of prayer -- that we can come to God with requests, needs, and desires for ourselves and for others.

1. Supplications.

                     a. This carries the idea of “offering a request for a felt need.”

         b. In modern usage, supplication has the thought of strong and earnest pleading, but here the thought is more that of specific requests for specific needs.

2. Prayers.

a. This is a very general term for prayer activity, and it emphasizes the sacredness of prayer.

• We are praying to God; prayer is an act of worship, not just an expression of our wants and needs.
• There should be reverence in our hearts as we pray to God.

b. The word prayers covers all kinds of reverent approaches to God.

3. Intercessions refers to “petitions.”

a.  Intercessions describe those forms of petition in which we address God as our Superior in behalf of others.

b. This same word is translated “prayer” in 1 Timothy 4:5, where it refers to blessing the food we eat. (It is rather obvious that we do not intercede for our food in the usual sense of that word.)

c. The basic meaning is “to draw near to a person and converse confidently with him.” It suggests that we enjoy fellowship with God so that we have confidence in Him as we pray.

4. Giving of thanks.

a. This is definitely a part of worship and prayer. But often we forget the last word – thanksgivings. 

• We not only give thanks for answers to prayer, but for who God is and what He does for us in His grace.
• We should not simply add our thanksgiving to the end of a selfish prayer!

                        b. Thanksgiving should be an important ingredient in all of our prayers.

·       In practice as well as in teaching, Paul insisted that prayer should always include thanksgiving (see, for example, Eph 1:15-16; Phil 1:3-6; 4:6).

·       Romans 1:8-10 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. [9] For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; [10] Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

·       Many are good at asking God for action, but not very good at remembering to thank God for his answers.  We should rehearse the grace and kindness of our Lord, and pour out our hearts in gratitude to Him.

·       In fact, sometimes we need to imitate David and present to God only thanksgiving with no petitions at all! (see Ps. 103)

d.     “Prayer and supplication [petition] with thanksgiving” are a part of Paul’s formula for God’s peace in our hearts.

·       Philip. 4:6, Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

e.      It is worth noting that Daniel, the great prayer-warrior, practiced this kind of praying.

·       Daniel 6:10-11, Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. [11] Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

·       We might summarize the verse by saying that in praying, we should be humble, worshipful, trustful, and thankful.   

CONCLUSION:

Men should seek to maintain an atmosphere of holiness and unity in the church (2:8).

Witnessing Justice Like Never Before

“Witnessing Justice”

Matt. 28:19-20; Rev. 20:11-15

 

SUBJECT: HELL/EVANGELISM

THEME: Perhaps a better understanding of Hell will stir us to become more consistent evangelists for our Lord.

RELEVANCE: Our compassion for the perishing multitudes must be informed and aroused by the realities of Hell, to encourage us to become involved or remain with the task of evangelism. Multitudes are dying without Christ and going to Hell, who will give themselves to consistently point them to Christ?

INTRODUCTION:

The dreadful final future of the unsaved is distinctly outlined for all to witness! Rev. 20:14-15, And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. [15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

This is why we need to be motivated to share the Gospel and send out missionaries! Our neighbors and the world are destined for a Devil’s Hell forever! We must be concerned to reach them for Christ before it’s too late.  

MESSAGE:

What Should We Do Now with This Information?

Two facts present actions we must take in obedient submission to Christ and the Great Commission….

A. FIRST, WE WILL BE THERE TO WITNESS THIS JUGDMENT!

Matthew 12:41-42, The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. [42] The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

·       Jesus rebukes the religious leaders of His day for demanding more miraculous signs. He warns that the repentant men of Nineveh (who heard Jonah) and the Queen of Sheba (who sought Solomon’s wisdom)—will stand at the final judgment to condemn Jesus’ unyielding generation. Historically, Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba repented. Yet, Jesus’ contemporaries rejected God standing right in front of them. Instead of responding with humility to even small glimpses of God’s truth, these proud Jewish leaders rejected physical proof and Christ Himself. But not in the final judgment of the unsaved!

·       Likewise, the Great White Throne Judgment is the final, ultimate judgment described in Revelation 20:11-15. Jesus Christ presides as the judge sitting on the great white throne, as God has given all judgment to the Son. The unregenerated dead, both great and small, stand before God after being raised from the dead. Unbelievers from all eras are judged by their deeds recorded in the books. Anyone not found written in the Book of Life is cast into the lake of fire, which scripture calls the “second death”. “Death and Hell” are also thrown into this fire. Again, unbelievers are sent into the lake of fire.

·       We will witness the judgment of the eternally lost, observe the proceedings to witness the vindication of God’s holiness, and we will witness their final sentencing to be cast into the lake of fire! Some of these individuals will be people we know! Every person will be there without even one exception. Beloved, this event will be colossal!

·       Believers will not face condemnation or sentencing at the Great White Throne Judgment because it is specifically designated for the unredeemed dead. However, believers will be present as witnesses to God’s ultimate justice and righteousness.

God’s standard of justice remains uncompromised. Remember Christ’s blood demonstrates God’s righteousness, proving that He does not ignore evil. Through this judgment, God remains perfectly just proving His moral consistency despite previously overlooking past sins in human history.

B. SECONDLY, WE MUST PROCEED AGRESSIVELY WITH THE GREAT COMMISSION! This magnificent authorization is our Lord Jesus Christ’s closing directive to his disciples and to us by application to make disciples of all peoples worldwide, baptize, and train them to obey his commandments. Regarding His continuing spiritual presence throughout all time! Christ promises and reassures us we are never alone as we undertake his final instructions seriously crossing whatever human boundaries that may exist to execute His expectations.

·       Matthew 28:19-20, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

·       Mark 16:15, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

·       Luke 24:46-49, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: [47] And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. [48] And ye are witnesses of these things. [49] And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

·       John 20:21, Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

·       Acts 1:8, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

·       Acts 8:4, Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

o   So, tell somebody in some manner about Jesus’ saving grace every week.

o   Financially support missions and missionaries who are doing the same work or have similar priorities in other locations.

o   Belong to and support churches who take the Great Commission and the Kingdom of God seriously submitting yourself to Christ’s authority in that institution. Many ‘churches’ unfortunately have forgotten these words of Christ in pursuit of greater attendance, entertainment, novelty, selfish goals, religious experiences, personalities, and monetary affluence!

o   Devote yourself personally to being a faithful witness of the Lord Jesus by sharing the everlasting hope of Christ.

o   If possible, go out on visitation and outreach to follow up, express compassion, and evangelize regularly.

o   Tell all your family members about the Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord immediately or as soon as possible.

o   Arrange a discipleship relationships sharing the importance of obedience to God, daily walking with the Lord, prayer fellowship, Bible reading/direction, and adherence to the Spirit’s guidance.

o   God will not be mocked or disregarded forever…people are accountable to Him as Creator!

Submitting to this commission involves aligning with Christ’s authority to share the gospel worldwide, fostering fellowship through baptism, and teaching believers obedience to Christ’s directives.

CONCLUSION:

Beloved, we need compassion for the perishing multitudes stirred by the reality of Hell! Such reflections encourage us to become involved or remain committed to the tasks of evangelism and discipleship. Sometimes we grow indifferent towards this area of ministry, we can even prize our relationships with a lost person more than we cherish their soul’s salvation. We can even respect people more than we respect the Lord…. Multitudes are dying and will go to Hell all over the world…. Who will give themselves to consistently get in their way and point them to Christ? Often, we miss the important work of showing God will vindicate His righteous nature…perhaps we never really realize this significant ministry, but people are accountable to the Creator Himself. He will judge finally one day…. Beloved, it’s guaranteed!