OPENING PRAYER
"Man Shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"- Matthew 4:4- "My mother and brothers are those who hear the Word of God and do it" - Mark 8:21
Having received this day as a gift, I (We) thank You Holy Trinity, for through Your goodness and patience You were not wrathful with me (Us), and idler (s) and sinner (s), neither have You cast me (Us) down in my (Our)sins...But You have shown Your love towards me (us) and have guided me (us) to keep my (our) daily watch to glorify Your power...Enlighten my (our) mind (minds) to study Your teachings in Scripture...Help me (us) to apply what I (we) learn and to praise You with all my (our) heart and glorify Your Holy Name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever...Amen!!!
Shine within my (our) hearts, loving Master, the pure Light of Your Divine Knowledge, and open the eyes of my mind that I may understand Your teachings...Instill in me (us) also reverence for Your Blessed commandments, so having conquered sinful desires I (we) may pursue a spiritual way of life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You...For You, Christ my God, are my light, and to You I (we) give, glory, together with Your Father and Your Holy Spirit, now and forever...Amen!!!
CHANT PSALM 23
INTO YOUR HANDS LORD YESHUA (JESUS CHRIST) WE COMMIT OUR SOULS AND BODIES, BLESS US AND HAVE MERCY ON US AND GRANT US ETERNAL LIFE!!!
ROMANS 2 STUDY GUIDE & BREALDOWN
JUDGEMENT OF EACH CONSCIENCE
ROMANS 2:1-16
2:1: BOTH THE URIGHTEOUS AND SELF RIGHTEOUS: will at some point experience God's judgement- (Romans 1:18-32):
2:2-16: I will read from the article that is in my study Bible- the article is called "The Basis of God's judgement"...
2:14-16: A GENTILE IS COUNTED AS A JEW- as one of God's people-when his CONSCIENCE leads him to righteousness the way the law leads a virtuous Jew... THE LAW WRITTEN IN THEIR HEARTS-(v. 15): refers to a person's conscience: Because man's conscience is God-given, it has the same power to lead a person to God as the law does: According to St. John Chrysostom, those who are able to follow their conscience to God are more virtuous than those with the law, for they do have the advantage of concrete instructions yet still desire to please God-(however, see Romans 3:1-2):
JUDGEMENT OF THE JEWS
ROMANS 2:17-29
2:17-24: MANY JEWS RELIED ON KNOWING THE LAW: for their righteousness, when in fact they did not obey it: Knowing the law does not make one A GUIDE TO THE BLIND-(v. 19); It is keeping the spirit and heart of the law that makes one a guide to others...
2:29: THE NAME JEW: comes from 'Judah", which means "THE LORD BE PRAISED": A true Jew is one who seeks...PRAISE...NOT FROM MEN BUT FROM GOD: The goal of the legalist is to have praise from men; the goal of the spiritual person is to please God only...
2:25-27: CIRCUMCISION: is an outward sign of THE LAW, valuable only when accompanied by interior conversion and love for God: Those who are UNCIRCUMCISED but the virtuous will JUDGE the circumcised...
ROMANS 3 STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
THE JEWS UNFAITHFULNESS
ROMANS 3:1-8
3:1-2: WHILE THE GENTILES: can find God through their conscience- (Romans 2:14-16, & verses 25-29): they are not better off than the Jews: The Jews have the advantage of the ORACLES OF GOD- (that is, the Law and the Prophets): to lead them all to God: The advantage to the Jew is pedagogical; they are taught more thoroughly and more precisely about God: Nevertheless, the advantage does not make the Jew any more righteous than the Gentile, for all are under sin-(vv. 9, 23):
3:4: LET GOD BE TRUE BUT EVERY MAN A LIAR: means God remains faithful to His word and to His creation, while man is continually unfaithful to God...
CONCLUSION: ALL ARE UNFAITHFUL
ROMANS 3:9-20
3:9: see my notes for (vv. 1, and 2 above):
3:10-18: THESE QUOTATIONS: from the OT speak to the questions Paul asks in (vv. 1-9):
3:19: SINCE THE LAW: reveals sin, all the world is accountable BEFORE GOD by the very presence of the law...
3:20: THE LAW: cannot justify a person-(that is, bring them into an ongoing state of communion with God) because that is not the purpose of the law, nor does it have that power: The purpose of the law is to reveal THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN-that we have fallen from communion with God-in order to turn our hearts to repentance...
RIGHTEOUSNESS IN CHRIST FULFILLS THE LAW
ROMANS 3:21-31
3:21-22: THE LAW: may be kept by obedience- (Lv 18:5) and by faith- (Dt 30:14): obedience without faith cannot bring anyone to RIGHTEOUSNESS: Yet faith, even APART FROM THE LAW, can bring a person to righteousness, because JESUS CHRIST supersedes the law...
3:23: THE ULIMATE PURPOSE: of man's existence is to attain THE GLORY OF GOD: Even if a person were to keep the whole law, he would still FALL SHORT of that glory, because he would still be bound by death: The glory of God is both eternal righteousness and eternal life: Jesus Christ alone lived in completed righteousness, and He alone was resurrected from the dead: Therefore, He alone is the full
ness of the glory of God, and we receive that glory in Him- (see-John 14:6):
3:24: BEING JUSTIFIED: refers to an ongoing state of righteousness and not merely to a one-time event: This justification requires a REDEMPTION: a sacrificial offering capable of (1): SETTING US FREE from sin and death, and (2): UNITING US ETERNALLY with righteousness and life: In the OT, this sacrificial offering was prefigured by blood sacrifices- the killing of the physically perfect animals for the temporal remission of sins -(Hebrews 9)" Under the New covenant, Christ is the sacrificial offering that once for all eternally frees us from sin and death- (Hebrews 10:14) AND BY HIS GRACE- unites us with righteousness and life...
3:25: TO PROPITIATE MEANS- "to cover" or to "conciliate": PROPITIATION: refers to the mercy seat in the tabernacle where God was enthroned among His people-(Exodus 25:17-22): Once a year, on the Day of the Atonement, the blood of the sacrifice was liturgically sprinkled on the mercy seat in the holy of holies: This prefigured the covering of our sins and our reconciliation to God that was to come in Jesus Christ...Heaven holds the true mercy seat- (Hebrews 9:23-26; Hebrews 10:19-22), and Christ's blood was taken to heaven through His Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension, thus reconciling us to God once and for all...
3:26: ONGOING FAITH IS JESUS: is the way mankind receives God's RIGHTEOUSNESS: Justification (being made righteous) by faith is not a one-time-"not guilty"-verdict, as some may and seem to love and teach: Instead, it is Christ living in us, and we in Him- (Galatians 2:20): Thus, to be justified is to be in communion with Jesus Christ in an ongoing, dynamic, and growing life with Him: The relationship between God and His people is one that symbolizes the One Shepherd to the sheep, Master to servant, and Father to an adopted child:
3:27-31: THE LAW: teaches us that: (1): ATTAINING RIGHTEOUSNESS through WORKS alone is impossible-(v. 27): (2): RIGHTEOUSNESS: is attained by FAITH and is a gift from God-(vv. 27, 28): (3): GOD IS IMPARTIAL: Jews and GENTILES are justified on the same basis of ongoing faith in Jesus Christ-(vv. 29, 30): There is no difference- (JohnChr): between the terms BY FAITH AND THROUGH FAITH -(v. 30): (4): BY TEACHING JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH in Christ, Christians ESTABLISH (or uphold) THE LAW (v. 31), because Christ Himself fulfills the law...(Matthew 5:17):
PSALM 7 STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
PSALM 7:
PSALM 7: THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF PSALM 7: is Absalom's rebellion against his father, King David: This history is found in (2Kingdoms 14-18): KING DAVID and his army prefigures Christ and the Church, whereas Absalom and his army represents the devil and the other fallen angels...Psalm 7, teaches the Church how to pray in this type of warfare: (1): THE FAITHFUL- place their hope in God for deliverance from the enemy, that is the devil, called A LION- (v. 3; see also 1 Peter 5:8): (2): PERSONAL VIRTUE- in the Church is essential for successful warfare against this enemy- (vv. 4-17): (3): THE CREDIT- for any victory achieved goes to the Lord- (v. 18):
END WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER- LET'S DEPART IN PEACE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!!!
JPCE SPIRITUAL TALK
NEVER HOLD BACK
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
JEHOVAH SHALOM!!!