Last night our church softball team lost 24 to 2 in 4 innings of play in a city recreational league. I began pitching in the top of the 2nd inning when the score was 9 to 1. My only time up, bases were loaded, there was one out, the count was full, and I stood there watching a pitch down the middle of the strike zone that was a little high/deep and I was called out looking. As I pitched, I could not find the corners of the strike zone of the umpire, so eventually gave up trying and pitched fat pitches down the middle. Unfortunately, due to sin in my heart, my attitude toward this umpire was that of clinched teeth anger. Again unfortunately, sin came out of my mouth, because my heart was sinful. I said things while pitching that I should not have said: cheering for pitches he called strikes (not really getting on the umpire's good side), loudly declaring pitches that I thought were catching the inside/outside edges of the strike zones (hoping to influence his call, yet he still called them balls), and an overthrow to our first base young lady player, after an easy hit ball to me, that I overthrew because I was full of anger induced adrenaline. My sin was showing it's ugly face, and the team noticed. I only know that the team noticed, because first, after the Game, our coach reminded us that we were God's witness to the other teams and was encouraging us to give God glory by our example in sportsmanship, and second, the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin, and so confessing it to my teammates, asking them to forgive me for my sinful attitude that I displayed, asking the Holy Spirit to help change my heart from the inside out - remembering that if I received what I 'deserved' - I would end up condemned in hell, and only by the love of the Heavenly Father sending His Son to take my sins upon himself, the spotless lamb, that I have been graciously given that which I do NOT deserve - eternal life with Him in glory. I truly need a savior, o sinner that I still am, and am thankful Jesus Christ is my savior - forgiving me of ALL of my sin.
O to be more like Jesus, is my soul's cry, to put to death sin in my life, by the help of the Holy Spirit.
As I read Romans 8:32 today in light of my need of a savior, I weep for joy for His love towards me:
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things."
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Meditation on Romans 8:32
I've never done this before, but yesterday's sermon by Pastor Mark Alderton suggested in order to assist in meditation on God's Word - [His Word is life to me (Deuteronomy 32:47)] - that one could journal what they have meditated on in His Word, so that one then could consider how best to apply what the Lord is teaching them, because as James admonishes us in 1:22-25, we are not to be hearers only, but doers of the Word.
I thought I would start by attempting to meditate on Romans 8:32 which Pastor Mark had mentioned two Sunday's ago when he spoke on "Don't Worry, because the Sovereign God is going to take care of you as you do His Will."
Romans 8:32 (ESV)
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
(Updated NASB)
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
(Amplified Bible)
He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?
The message of the new Testament by Mark Dever (pg 157 - speaking about Romans with a section heading of "Justification Is by Faith Alone, but Justifying Faith Is Never Alone"):
'Though we struggle now, we will know a glorious liberation, according to chapter 8. God did for us what the law could not do: "what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering" (8:3, margin). Christians therefore look forward to "the glory that will be revealed in us" (8:18). And then, in what may be the most encouraging verse in the Bible, we find Romans 8:32. If you need an encouraging verse to stick on your refrigerator, mirror, or computer screen, use Romans 8:32: "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" We can be assured that whatever God knows we need for accomplishing his perfect purposes, he will graciously give.'
"
Matthew Henry's Commentary:
Romans 8:32-39. "All things whatever, in heaven and earth, are not so great a display of God's free love, as the gift of his coequal Son to be the atonement on the cross for the sin of man; and all the rest follows upon union with him, and interest in him. "All things", all which can be the causes or means of any real good to the faithful Christian. He that has prepared a crown and a kingdom for us, will give us what we need in the way to it. Men may justify themselves, though the accusations are in full force against them; but if God justifies, that answers all. By Christ we are thus secured. By the merit of his death he paid our debt. Yea, rather that is risen again. This is convincing evidence that Divine justice was satisfied. We have such a Friend at the right hand of God; all power is given to him. He is there, making intercession. Believer! does your soul say within you, Oh that he were mine! and oh that I were his; that I could please him and live to him! Then do not toss your spirit and perplex your thoughts in fruitless, endless doubtings, but as you are convinced of ungodliness, believe on Him who justifies the ungodly. You are condemned, yet Christ is dead and risen. Flee to Him as such. God having manifested his love in giving his own Son for us, can we think that any thing should turn aside or do away with that love? Troubles neither cause nor show any abatement of his love. Whatever believers may be separated from, enough remains. None can take Christ from the believer: none can take the believer from Him; and that is enough. All other hazards signify nothing. Alas, poor sinners! though you abound with the possessions of this world, what vain things are they! Can you say of any of them, Who shall separate us? You may be removed from pleasant dwellings, and friends, and estates. You may even live to see and seek your parting. At last you must part, for you must die. Then farewell, all this world accounts most valuable. And what hast thou left, poor soul, who hast not Christ, but that which thou wouldest gladly part with, and canst not; the condemning guilt of all thy sins! But the soul that is in Christ, when other things are pulled away, cleaves to Christ, and these separations pain him not. Yea, when death comes, that breaks all other unions, even that of the soul and body, it carries the believer's soul into the nearest union with its beloved Lord Jesus, and the full enjoyment of him for ever."
Just beginning to meditate on this truth now, will need more time as I have to go to work now.
I thought I would start by attempting to meditate on Romans 8:32 which Pastor Mark had mentioned two Sunday's ago when he spoke on "Don't Worry, because the Sovereign God is going to take care of you as you do His Will."
Romans 8:32 (ESV)
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
(Updated NASB)
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
(Amplified Bible)
He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?
The message of the new Testament by Mark Dever (pg 157 - speaking about Romans with a section heading of "Justification Is by Faith Alone, but Justifying Faith Is Never Alone"):
'Though we struggle now, we will know a glorious liberation, according to chapter 8. God did for us what the law could not do: "what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering" (8:3, margin). Christians therefore look forward to "the glory that will be revealed in us" (8:18). And then, in what may be the most encouraging verse in the Bible, we find Romans 8:32. If you need an encouraging verse to stick on your refrigerator, mirror, or computer screen, use Romans 8:32: "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" We can be assured that whatever God knows we need for accomplishing his perfect purposes, he will graciously give.'
"
Matthew Henry's Commentary:
Romans 8:32-39. "All things whatever, in heaven and earth, are not so great a display of God's free love, as the gift of his coequal Son to be the atonement on the cross for the sin of man; and all the rest follows upon union with him, and interest in him. "All things", all which can be the causes or means of any real good to the faithful Christian. He that has prepared a crown and a kingdom for us, will give us what we need in the way to it. Men may justify themselves, though the accusations are in full force against them; but if God justifies, that answers all. By Christ we are thus secured. By the merit of his death he paid our debt. Yea, rather that is risen again. This is convincing evidence that Divine justice was satisfied. We have such a Friend at the right hand of God; all power is given to him. He is there, making intercession. Believer! does your soul say within you, Oh that he were mine! and oh that I were his; that I could please him and live to him! Then do not toss your spirit and perplex your thoughts in fruitless, endless doubtings, but as you are convinced of ungodliness, believe on Him who justifies the ungodly. You are condemned, yet Christ is dead and risen. Flee to Him as such. God having manifested his love in giving his own Son for us, can we think that any thing should turn aside or do away with that love? Troubles neither cause nor show any abatement of his love. Whatever believers may be separated from, enough remains. None can take Christ from the believer: none can take the believer from Him; and that is enough. All other hazards signify nothing. Alas, poor sinners! though you abound with the possessions of this world, what vain things are they! Can you say of any of them, Who shall separate us? You may be removed from pleasant dwellings, and friends, and estates. You may even live to see and seek your parting. At last you must part, for you must die. Then farewell, all this world accounts most valuable. And what hast thou left, poor soul, who hast not Christ, but that which thou wouldest gladly part with, and canst not; the condemning guilt of all thy sins! But the soul that is in Christ, when other things are pulled away, cleaves to Christ, and these separations pain him not. Yea, when death comes, that breaks all other unions, even that of the soul and body, it carries the believer's soul into the nearest union with its beloved Lord Jesus, and the full enjoyment of him for ever."
Just beginning to meditate on this truth now, will need more time as I have to go to work now.
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