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 9 STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
UNBELIEF OF THE JEWS DESPITE GOD'S BLESSINGS
ROMANS 9:1-5
9:1-5: ST. PAUL had many opponents who accused him of failing to love his fellow ISRAELITES...
GOD IS SOVEREIGN, FAITHFUL TO ISRAEL
ROMANS 9:6-13
9:6-13: JEWISH UNBELIEF is illuminated by Paul's description of a twofold Israel: one spiritual and the other physical: God is faithful to all of Israel, but the issue is this: Who is a true CHILD OF ABRAHAM???
IT IS NOT ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN OF THE FLESH- (v. 8), his natural or biological offspring, who are his true children: If this were the case, the children of Hagar- (Genesis 16:4, 15) and of Keturah- (Genesis 25:1-4) would be Israelites...So, not all those in Isaac's line are Israelites; otherwise Esau and Edomites would be... Abraham's true children are the CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE (v. 8), that is, those who are in ISAAC- (v. 7), Which means faithful believers: Because Isaac was miraculously conceived through God's promise, which Abraham believed- (Genesis 18:10-15; 21:1-7), It is those who continue in the faith who are Abraham's true offspring...
9:10-13: BOTH JACOB AND ESAU were both of ISAAC AND REBECCA, yet only Jacob is considered the seed of Abraham...Jacob's position is clearly not the result of mere human lineage, but is secured because he is the child of the promise: both Jacob and Esau were called to salvation, for God loves all equally: ESAU I HAVE HATED (v. 13): This does not mean God did not love Esau: Instead, God foresaw the wickedness Esau would choose and hated it: Likewise, God foresaw Jacob's faith and obedience and knew Jacob would serve His purposes...
GOD IS JUST IN HIS CHOICE
ROMANS 9:14-29
9:14-18: AT MT. SINAI, some of the idolatrous Jews perished while others survived- (Exodus 32; & 33), Though God does not explain why He made this distinction: Likewise, PHARAOH opposed God, and thus God used his arrogance to accomplish divine will: The actions of God's will are neither capricious nor vindictive, but are based in divine MERCY AND COMPASSION: even though mankind does not understand the basis of God's decisions- (see Isaiah 55:8), We trust His grace and righteousness, upon which our salvation rests...
9:19-21: MAN can have no complaint against God's sovereignty any more than CLAY can question THE POTTER about he fashions it: When we see and understand our standing before God, the objections vanish-(see- Job 38:1-Job 42:6): It is not only impossible to answer questions of this kind- (vv. 22-24), but it is presumptuous to raise them- (JohnChr):
9:22-24: AFTER FIRST instructing his hearers how presumptuous it is to question God's sovereign will- (vv. 19-21), Paul nevertheless gives an answer: The proof that God that God's judgement is based in mercy is shown by how long HE ENDURED WITH MUCH LONGSUFFERING those who were in rebellion against Him: In other words. God gave His enemies every benefit and every opportunity to repent, though they deserved none: In this way, HIS WRATH is justified and the GLORY He grants believers is complete: VESSELS OF WRATH are unbelieving Jews and rebellious foreign nations- (see vv. 14-17): THE VESSELS OF MERCY are the believing Jews and Gentiles...
9:25-29: THE OT prophets had foreseen God's sovereignty and man's salvation is several ways: (1): HE MAKES THE OUTCASTS -(GENTILES) TO BE HIS PEOPLE AND SONS-(vv. 25, 26); (2): HE SAVES ONLY A REMNANT OF THE JEWS- (vv. 27, 28); and (3): HE FORBEARS TO UTTERLY DESTROY THE UNBELIEVING JEWS ON ACCOUNT OF THE FAITHFUL REMNANT- (v. 29):
ISRAEL PURSUES SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
ROMANS 9:30-33
9:30-33: THE FIRST ANSWER to the question of Jewish unbelief was from God's standpoint: His sovereign will- (vv. 6-29): Here, Paul gives the second part of the answer, which is man's free response: faith: The Gentiles who had been unconcerned with RIGHTEOUSNESS now attain it through FAITH IN CHRIST: God mercifully overlooks their former unrighteousness because it was practiced in ignorance- (Acts 17:30): by contrast, the Jews fail to attain even the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW, for they do not pursue the law BY FAITH BUT BY WORKS- (v. 32): because they only saw the letter of the law, they missed both its spirit and its profession of Christ, the Lawgiver, who was to come: because they saw the letter of the law as being greater than its fulfillment, Christ becomes their STUMBLING STONE- (v. 32):
ROMANS 10 STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS BY FAITH
ROMANS 10:1-13
10:1-3: PAUL WISHES nothing but good for ISRAEL, BUT THEIR ZEAL is not based in truth: if they had merely been IGNORANT in their rejection of Christ, then their offense would certainly be pardonable: However, theirs was more than ignorance, for it was not that they simply did not know Christ, but they were bent on establishing THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS rather than submitting to THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD: In other words, they trusted in themselves and their works and rejected the way of faith when it was presented to them...
10:4: CHRIST has always been the way of salvation in both testaments: The law prepared the people for Him, while His coming was THE END OF THE LAW and the fulfillment of God's RIGHTEOUSNESS...
10:5-13: THE WAY OF THE LAW and the way of FAITH are contrasted: Whereas mere obedience to the law has always failed, faith in Christ brings salvation: Faith does not doubt- (vv. 6, 7), but trusts in Christ: Faith makes God NEAR to the believer- (v. 8): Faith transforms the whole person, HEART, SOUL, MIND, AND BODY- (vv. 9, 10):
10:9-10: THIS CONFESSION and belief are more than simply mental acknowledgement that something is true: Rather, this belief refers to placing one's whole trust in the resurrected Christ and living with Jesus as one's LORD: Only the giving of the whole self to Christ is belief UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS...
10:11-13: BELIEF AND CONFESSION- (vv. 9, 10) were both OT THEMES, Isaiah emphasizing the faith of THE HEART- (v. 11), and Joel emphasizing the confession of THE MOUTH (v. 13): both prophets teach that grace and faith are universally offered to all people...
ISRAEL REJECTS, GENTILES RECEIVE THE GOSPEL
ROMANS 10:14-21
10:14-21: FROM ROMANS 9:1-ROMANS 10:13, PAUL left the Jews with no excuse for rejecting the gospel: Paul insists that God fulfilled His part completely, giving the Jews extraordinary opportunities to come to faith: God sent His message throughout all creation; Israel heard but did not believe- (vv. 16, 18, 21): Therefore, God turned to the Gentiles, who heard and believed- (vv. 19, 20): The Jews demanded signs, yet God had given the continual sign of fulfilled prophecy...
PSALM 12 (13) STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
PSALM 12 (13) How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4 Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
PSALM 12 (13)- TEACHES THE CHURCH how to attain to an exceedingly joyful heart in the singing to the Lord- (v. 6b), WHO IS THE END- (v. 1): (1): BY GODLY SORROW and repentance over sins committed, lest evil-the devil and sinful passions-(MY ENEMY) be victorious-(vv. 3, 5; see also 2 Corinthians 7:10); (2): BY PETITIONING THE LORD to enlighten the eyes of the heart, lest the SLEEP IN DEATH OVERTAKE ONE- (v. 4; see also Ephesians 1:18; and Ephesians 5:14); and (3): BY HOPING in the Lord's mercy- (v. 6a)
END WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER (LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME FOR I'M A SINNER (3) TIMES) - LET'S DEPART IN PEACE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!!!
"CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST!!!"
JPCE SPIRITUAL TALK
NEVER HOLD BACK
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
JEHOVAH SHALOM!!!