But Now…

But Now…

Pastor Bruce has spent the past 3 weeks speaking from the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans chapters 9-11.  As Pastor Bruce has emphasized each week – the importance of this letter, the importance of Romans – to our understanding of our Christian faith.  Paul uses his letter to the Romans to review and explain the foundations of our Christian faith, the basics of our Christian faith.  The apostle Paul explains God’s relationship to Abraham and to His chosen people the Jews.  The apostle Paul explains our relationship as Christians with God and our relationship with the Jews.  He seeks to remind us as Christians that we did not replace the Jews,  it is through the Jews that Jesus came into the world,  it is only through the Jews rejection of their promised Messiah that God reached out to the Gentiles and offers salvation through grace to each one of us.

Paul stresses that the Jews rejected the Messiah, rejected God, but… – God has not rejected the Jewish people.  Even as we look at the nation of Israel today, probably the greatest miracles of all time,  that of a nation totally destroyed 2000 years ago being re-established in 1948.  A tiny nation similar in size to the state of New Jersey, surrounded on all sides by enemies, yet Israel not only survives but thrives.  Only through God’s protection and blessing, can Israel stand.

A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Bruce shared the 30 interesting facts about the nation of Israel .  Those 30 interesting facts, actually become facts that each Christian should know.  Those facts revolve around ancient scripture, ancient promises made to Israel, through understanding those Biblical facts we learn not only about God’s relationship to Israel, but also the faithfulness God has shown in fulfilling all His promises both to them and to us.

The apostle Paul’s letter to Romans can be very difficult to understand, Pastor Bruce has done a great job of taking us line by line, verse by verse to help us understand.  To help us understand the very basics of who we are as Christians, the very foundation of our Christian faith. The apostle emphasizes in Chapter 9: 16 – “It does not, therefore,  depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy”.  Our salvation is incumbent on our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, as our Messiah.  Our salvation cannot be earned by who we are or what we do.  The Jewish people’s salvation is incumbent on the faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ, not their blood relationship to Abraham.

Paul’s letter to the Romans can be very difficult to understand, however I think of it in terms of two simple words “But now”.   Paul uses those words to begin the verse from Romans chapter 3:21.  With those two words, “but now”, Paul changes the conversation, changes the focus of his writing.  Before there was the law, before there were blood sacrifices that needed to offered for atonement,  but now…

But now, there was the shedding of blood by their Messiah Jesus Christ, but now, there was atonement of sins, once and for all, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  But now, everything changes.  Lives change, hearts change – but now hope is given to hopeless, forgiveness is given to the seemingly unforgivable…

The apostle Paul, helps the people in Rome, helps us today understand the path, the steps we must take to see and understand a Christ’s true identity as our Savior and Messiah.

Our prayer.

May each one of us, as we listen to Pastor Bruce’s message, as we read Paul’s words, allow His Spirit to guide our hearts closer to Him.  May we allow His Spirit to help us understand that we can’t make it on our own, it is God that has established the only path to Him, and the path leads through Jesus Christ.

Even God’s chosen people, the Jews, must follow the same path to Him.  There are no exceptions.

Thanks Pastor Bruce!