This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you take the words in this blog and breathe life into them. Apart from your anointing they are just words on a page. I ask that you quicken our hearts to hear, see, and act upon what you are trying to teach us by the Power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.”
As always, we start with the word of God. Today we will be looking at Romans 10: 8-13.
Romans 10: 8-13 (NLT).
“In fact, it says, ‘The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.’ And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11As the scriptures tell us, ‘Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.’ 12Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. 13For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
What the Word is Saying
Oh, the excitement we feel when we find something new. Be it a new car, a hidden shop, a series to stream on the internet, or even a destination we had never been to before. We can’t wait to tell our family, friends, and neighbors about it. We even will tell strangers if the topic comes up. We have found something we did not expect, are excited about what it is, and are anxious to tell others about it. On the flip side we are grateful when others do the same for us. In fact, we are disappointed when we find out they knew and did not tell us. The spread of knowledge by word of mouth is powerful. It has kept people out of danger. Telling a person to stay away from something that will inevitably cause them harm. It can provide for them lifesaving knowledge. For example, where water can be found I the desert or where food can be food in time of need. We as humans depend on each other and word of mouth is one way that we meet each other’s needs.
In the same way when we find something we have been told about we express our gratitude for the help. Be it a doctor when an injury or illness is at hand, directions when we are lost, or even safety when we are in danger. We had a need, perhaps one we were unaware of or even one we one we were convinced there was a solution to. When we find these things, we shout it from the rooftops. The great joy we have in finding that thing causes us to declare about it to everyone we meet. Not only are we excited about the impact it has on us, but we want everyone we come across to enjoy the same benefit.
That is what today's word is talking about. We confess what we have come to experience and believe. Initially this is done by faith. When Jesus asked the disciples concerning who they thought He was “’But, who do you say I am?’ Peter replied, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being (Matthew 16:15-17, NLT).’” This is what occurred to me when I went forth for an altar call to receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I had no reason to believe what I was saying. I had no training or knowledge of what had happened to Him. However, because the day or week before I fell to my knees and cried out to God that I would do anything He asked I heard His voice inside of me saying “Just say it now and you will understand it later.” I took the words and by faith proclaimed Jesus as the Lord of my life and confessed that I believed God raised Him from the dead. Man did not reveal this to me, the Father did, and God took my faith in proclaiming that confession and counted it to me as righteousness. I regained right standing with God and He could no longer see my sin. Rather, He saw the blood His Son on the cross for me and that cleansed me from all sin. What a glorious day and experience.
I told everyone I knew about what had happened to me. I told people I did not know. Because I had found the thing that I needed more than anything and I wanted others to know that thing as well. For me this is a two-stage confession. For Paul, for Peter, for the disciples, for all believers really. We first confess our faith out loud in the presence of others by the knowledge the Father has given us of who His Son is and what He did for us. Next, we proclaim the word about Him and what He did for us to others so that they too might be saved. For those of you who are shy about such things I have good news for you. Your proclamation is not what leads other to faith in Christ. Rather, you are being obedient to your faith and the Father is the one who reveals to them the truth of what they are hearing.
If you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus, I urge you to do so now. Listen to that still small voice inside you prompting you to proclaim the words by faith. As I said you do not have to understand them right now. That will come later as you become His follower. Rather this is a proclamation of your belief in the one who is drawing you to Himself. Pray this prayer with me now: “Jesus I confess that you are the Lord of all, I believe that you died on a cross, was buried in the tomb, and on the third day you were raised from the dead. I ask you to forgive me of my sins and I will do anything you ask and go wherever you want me to go. In Jesus Name Amen!” If you prayed that prayer, I encourage you to contact us. We would love the opportunity to support you in your new life. I also encourage you to find a church. Maybe you know someone who is a Christian or maybe as with happened to me the Holy Spirit prompted me to find a Sargent that I had not talked to previously, God is giving you a name of a person to help you. Nevertheless, let me tell you that we have been where you are, and it gives us great joy to walk beside you and support you on your new Journey.
Thank you for joining me today as we explored God’s word together. I consider it a privilege to study it with you and provide a little insight into What the Word is Saying today!
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
留言