Romans 8 Study Guide & Breakdown/ Psalm 11 (12) Study Guide & Breakdown ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI
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 8 STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
THE SPIRIT DEFEATS SIN AND THE FLESH & THE SPIRIT CONVEYS DIVINE SONSHIP
ROMANS 8:1-17
8:1: REPENTANT SINNERS will have NO CONDEMNATION if they remain IN CHRIST JESUS through faith and baptism and if they WALK in the power of THE SPIRIT...
8:3-4: THE LAW of Moses failed because of the weakness of human nature...The term SINFUL FLESH does not imply our nature is inherently sinful, but that our flesh has become corrupt and given over to all manner of sin- (see-Romans 7:17): CHRIST FULFILLED both the law and human nature by becoming FLESH HIMSELF: Christ did not sin, for He came in the LIKENESS of our sinfulness, but did not succumb to it: In doing so, HE CONDEMNED SIN ITSELF, destroying its power over mankind: In Christ, human nature has final victory over sin...
8:5-8: THE MIND here is far more than intellectual capacity: It is the highest knowing faculty of the soul-(Greek- nous), the spirit and understanding behind all we think and do: So, it follows that repentance literally means to have a "change of mind", a change not only of intellect but of all our being... TO BE CARNALLY MINDED-(v. 6) means to choose to have one's whole being captivated by sin: This decision against God puts ENMITY with Him- (v. 7). and so we have no lasting peace: TO BE SPIRITUALLY MINDED means to accept liberation by THE SPIRIT, so that one's whole being-body, mind, and soul-becomes directed by and is led to the Holy Spirit...
8:9: THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST declares the intimacy between the Son and the Holy Spirit: The Son becomes incarnate by the Holy Spirit- (Matthew 1:20) and in turn sends the Holy Spirit from the Father into the world- (John 15:26; and John 16:7):
8:10: THOUGH THE BODY IS DEAD-(it is mortal) BECAUSE OF SIN, the HOLY SPIRIT gives a new LIFE, both now in this world and in the promised final resurrection...
8:13: THE GIFT of new life requires the reception and cooperation of the believer through faith and obedience to God: We are His children- (v. 14) as He leads us by the power of THE SPIRIT: In this new life, THE BODY becomes the follower, not the leader: In choosing the way of the Holy Spirit, we PUT TO DEATH sinful passions expressed through our thoughts, words and deeds...
8:14-17: CHRISTIANS ARE ADOPTED AS CHILDREN OF GOD (v. 16) and therefore HEIRS (v. 17) of the same Kingdom Christ inherited when He ascended in the flesh into heaven: This standing is given by grace, what Christ inherited by His nature, we receive as a gift: OUR ADOPTION (v. 15) is a fact of our baptism...Yet it rests on us to receive the love of this adoption by continuing in faith and turning constantly toward God: The experience of this adoption allows us to address God with the intimate term ABBA, which means "Papa" or "Father"- (v. 15; see Galatians 4:5-7):
8:15: THE SPIRIT OF BONDAGE refers to a return to the law, Israel feared God as a slave would fear a strong master: Under the new covenant, we are no longer slaves but by ADOPTION are part of God's family, the Church...
8:17: JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST reveals that everything Christ is by nature, the Father gives us by grace: (see also 2 Peter- I spoken about Deification before):
THE SPIRIT ASSISTS US THROUGH SUFFERING
ROMANS 8:18-27
8:18: NOTE the contrast between SUFFERINGS AND GLORY: As Christians, we have God's glory IN US, though His glory is not fully REVEALED- (see also- Colossians 3:3-4): In the Orthodox Church, the icon of the Incarnation, the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child, is on the left side of the door to the altar, while the icon of Christ as Ruler is placed on the right side: Thus we proclaim that Christ has come first in the Incarnation and will come again in glory as Ruler and Judge: We learn that we live in tension between our present and future experience of the Kingdom, one marked by both sufferings and glory...
8:21: GLORIOUS LIBERTY is the resurrected life THE CHILDREN OF GOD will experience in the age to come...Then our wills, free from the CORRUPTION of the flesh, will be at liberty to follow God completely...
8:24: HOPE is more than wishful thinking, more than optimism: It is settled confidence concerning things to come...This hope is so sure that we can patiently endure suffering in anticipation of Christ's Kingdom...
8:26: BELIEVERS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY: The guidance of THE SPIRIT in prayer aids in overcoming OUR WEAKNESSES by teaching us how to pray and by interceding directly for us when our own prayers are inadequate: The Fathers identify three stages of prayer: (1): SAYING THE WORDS OF PRAYERS; (2): SAYING THE WORDS WITH MEANING AND CONCENTRATION; (3): PRAYING WITHOUT THE WORDS, WHEN ONE IS SO FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT HUMAN WORDS BECOME INADEQUATE, THE HIGHEST FORM OF PRAYER...
THE FATHER ENSURES OUR DESTINY
ROMANS 8:28-30
8:28-30: THE SCRIPTURES and man's experience both bear witness that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD: Setbacks and difficulties there will be, but God turns them into light affliction- (2 Corinthians 4:17-18; and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10): PREDESTINED must not be understood as overpowering man's free response, for man's free will is a gift from God: Nor does the term apply to individuals: Rather the term- (also translates "preordained") means that God has a specific calling for His people from the before the beginning of the world: Based on His foreknowledge, God assures, or predestines, that those who will choose to love Him will be CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, THAT IS, GLORIFIED...
THE FATHER'S LOVE TRIUMPHS IN CHRIST
ROMANS 8:31-39
8:31-39: THESE VERSES summarize all that has preceded in the Epistle to the Romans: Because of (1): GOD'S LOVE FOR US, (2): HIS VICTORY OVER SIN AND DEATH, AND (3): OUR LIFE IN THE KINGDOM, we can withstand all the assaults' of the world and the devil and arise from these attacks as MORE THAN CONQUERORS (v. 37): we conquer sin not by our own strength, but only through God...
8:38-39: ANGELS, PRINCIPALITIES, AND POWERS are spirit beings of various angelic ranks: while nothing external can SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD, we can choose to reject Him by our own free will: Those who remain in eternal rebellion against God are still loved by Him...Even our rejection of God cannot take away His love for us...
PSALM 11 (12):
PSALM 11 (12): Presents a contrast between the godly who live in Christ (THE END, v .1) and the EIGHTH DAY (v.1), that is, the coming of Christ, the resurrection from the dead and the life of the world to come- (see Nicene Creed); and the ungodly, who WALK IN A CIRCLE- (v. 9), that is, who live only within the confined vision of their seven days each week: And as the godly journey through this present world, (1): THEY PRAY FOR DELIVERANCE FROM THE UNGODLINESS AROUND THEM- (vv. 2, 3); (2): THEY ASK THE LORD TO DESTROY THE UNGODLY ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR AROUND THEM- (vv. 4, 5); and (3): THEY GROAN TO THE LORD IN THE MIDST OF THEIR SUFFERING (v. 6a): And because of their prayers and groaning in this way, the Lord, through His Resurrection- (I WILL ARISE, v. 6)- (1): BOLDLY ESTABLISHES THEM IN SALVATION- (v. 6); (2): PURIFIES THEM IN VIRTUE WITH HIS WORDS- (v. 7); (3): GUARDS AND PRESERVES THEM FROM THE UNGODLY GENERATION (v. 8); and (4): THROUGH HIS ASCENSION (EXALTATION, v. 9b), highly exalts His godly ones- (v. 9 (b); see also Philippians 2:9-11; and Ephesians 2:6-7):
HOLY WEEK CONTINUES FOR US...
MATTHEW 27:4: 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
MATTHEW 27:24: 24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a [a]tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this [b]just Person. You see to it.”
THE NINTH HOUR: And at the ninth hour...Yeshua (Jesus) uttered loud cry and breathed His last breath... -Mark 15:34, 37
ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI??? MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME???...
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!!!