Whosoever believeth on Him...the Wayfarer 9/3/13

Whosoever Believeth on Him shall not be Ashamed!!!

9/3/13

“As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed”

(Romans 9:33)

Today we go to the book of Romans for our message. We find Paul in a discourse on both the Jew and the gentile, and in the hope and certainty of forgiveness through our Savior.

 As with all of the Epistles, or if you will, letters to the churches of the time, he was giving guidance as to what belief and faith were all about, and how to avoid the traps of falling into false teachings that continually cropped up within them because of the vanity and weakness of their teachers.

Jesus himself told us the penalty of having shame in our belief, or rather having peace with the lack thereof:

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

(Mark 8:38)

 The 33'd verse of Romans, with which we opened, sums up the fact that repentance, redemption, and resurrection is available to all who believe truly in Christ Jesus, and that those who will not will stumble and fall, but rise to the heights of heaven will never be ashamed. Let’s examine the entire Chapter to keep in context what Paul would have us understand:

“I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 

That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 

For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

(Romans 9:1-5)

Paul tells us that his sorrow for Israel is continual and that he would gladly sacrifice himself to persuade them to accept the promise of the new covenant. 

He references the fact that Israel is a special people chosen by God Himself and has been given the blessing of the four unconditional covenants given them by God.

 The first of these is the covenant with Abraham that it would be a nation forever.

 The second is that they would have a land forever.

 The third was that they would have a king forever.  The final one being the new covenant, the remission of sin through the blood sacrifice of Jesus.

 God continues to live up to His end of the bargain even to this day, despite the fact that the Jews refuse to accept Jesus as their king forever!

 Paul also referenced the glory, this being the cloud that led them out of Egypt and bondage, and to the Promised land.

 It also refers to the services demanded by God of the Israelites, this being the worship of Him and adherence to the laws given them.

Like Paul I often find myself sorrowful and of heavy heart for another people that God chose to bless.

Like the Isrealites, we too have strayed from the path He set us on. I only pray that some be reached in time for their salvation when God finally has enough of this sinful creation of His and calls us all to the final judgment.

Like Paul I can say, I lie not! Christ Jesus is the only way to salvation, the only intercessor with the Father, and the only hope in the day of resurrection!

Having accepted Him as Savior, I have no fear of the judgment. I do however have a great and abiding fear of God for our people and for the children taught to turn from the truth of Christ.

Verse 6 continues:

“Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, are they children:

 but In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 

That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God;
but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

 For this is the word of promise, AT THIS TIME WILL I COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.

 And not only this; but when Rebecca had conceived  by one, even by our father Isaac;

 (for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God  according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth:)

It was said unto her, THE ELDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER. 

As it is written, JACOB HAVE I LOVED, BUT ESAU HAVE I HATED.

 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

 For he saith to Moses, I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I WILL HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I WILL HAVE COMPASSION. 

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.”

Romans 9:6-16

Just because we are born into a particular family, this neither justifies nor condemns us. It was the faith that separated the true children of God from the offspring of Abraham. 

 Today it is faith that still separates the children of God from Those claiming to be descended from Abraham.

 Abraham had two sons, that were promised the future of becoming great nations.  God chose Isaac to build the nation of Israel. It was Isaac’s faith in God that led to the further covenants with him.

We live in a world of turmoil and trouble today, that can be traced to original sin, and the choices that we make because of our hard-heartedness. It can also be traced to the descendants of Abraham’s other son who God also promised to make a great nation, and also said that he would be a wild man and his hand against every nation..

We see this today constantly with the wars being fought globally between the descendants of the two sons of Abraham. God Chose Isaac to be the faithful fruit and to become the forefather of Jesus

 It is only through Jesus that we may find hope of that mercy promised!

The 17^th verse continues:

“For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, EVEN FOR THIS SAME PURPOSE HAVE I RAISED THEE UP, THAT I MIGHT SHOW MY POWER IN THEE, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE DECLARED THROUGHOUT ALL THE EARTH.

Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?

 What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 

And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 

Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

As he saith also in Hosea, I WILL CALL THEM MY PEOPLE, WHICH WERE NOT MY PEOPLE; AND HER BELOVED, WHICH WAS NOT BELOVED.

AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID UNTO THEM, YE ARE NOT MY PEOPLE; THERE SHALL THEY BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF THE LIVING GOD.”

(Romans 9:17-26)

God will use whom God will use!

 It is my belief that all Christians are the people referred to in the quote form Hosea!

It is also my further belief that this nation, when it was formed came under the special provenance of God, dedicated to him and to the teachings of Christ Jesus.

  I firmly believe that, despite a presidential statement that this is not a Christian nation, (282,000,000 Christians strong according to the statistics!) that we ARE in fact a Christian nation owing our liberty and our rights not to any man or government, but to God himself through the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus!

We should get down on our knees and thank him daily for the gift of this nation, and pray for its guidance in HIS will!!

The 27^th verse continues:

“Isaiah also crieth concerning Israel,

THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BE AS THE SAND OF THE SEA, A REMNANT SHALL BE SAVED;

 FOR HE WILL FINISH THE WORK, AND CUT IT SHORT IN RIGHTEOUSNESS: BECAUSE A SHORT WORK WILL THE LORD MAKE UPON THE EARTH.

 And as Isaiah said before, EXCEPT THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT US A SEED, WE HAD BEEN AS SODOMA, AND BEEN MADE LIKE UNTO GOMORRHA.

 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles , which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness even the righteousness which is of faith.

But Israel, which followed the after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.For they stumbled at that stumbling stone; 

as it is written, BEHOLD I LAY IN ZION A STUMBLING STONE AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE: AND WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH ON HIM SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED.

(Romans 9:27-33)

The prophets, and Paul, remind us that not all will be saved. Paul refers to the fact that only a remnant of Israel will believe.

He says that the Gentiles, (Most of us by strict definition), attain righteousness through faith.

He goes on to say that by hanging on to the law of the old covenant, righteousness cannot be attained.

Again it is only through the true belief in Christ Jesus that we have any hope of attaining righteousness and being in God’s presence for eternity; what we call heaven!

 In closing I adjure you once more to examine your soul, and humbly accept Jesus as Savior.

If you claim Him as Lord, be who you say you are and follow his teachings!

Mean what you pray, and pray what you mean knowing that God sees any falsehood in your heart.

I conclude with the promise of His love though His Son, myself  only a simple sinner saved by God’s grace by the blood sacrifice of my Savior Jesus, and humble soldier in His Service, and salute you again in HIS most precious name.


2 Timothy 1:12 ¹²For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

. Amen and Amen.

the Wayfarer