Zeal Without Knowledge

Another good sermon in Voddie Bauchman's series in Romans, this time covering Romans 10:1-4

What Is The Gospel?

Here is the next sermon in Voddie Baucham's series on Romans, this time covering verses 30-33 of chapter 9.

What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Romans 9:30-33

Who Do You Think You Are

Here is the followup to the last sermon I posted; this is Voddie Baucham preaching on Romans 9:19-29.

The Word Of God Has Not Failed

Here is a great sermon from Voddie Baucham on Romans 9:6-13 that asks, and answers the question, has the word of God failed in regard to the nation of Israel?

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

This may be the question that I hear most often asked as an objection to the Christian faith, so let's take a look at this and see what we can learn about why bad things happen to good people.

There are actually several ways that we can approach this, but I would like to look at it from two perspectives:

1. How do we determine what is good or bad?
2. Do bad things really happen to good people?

When we look at this issue we must first determine if what we think is a bad actually is bad. Don't misunderstand, something can be tragic and cause us pain, but does that alone make it a bad thing? In Romans chapter 8 we read:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:28-29

According to these verses, everything that occurs in the life of God's people is there for one reason and one reason only - to conform us to the image of Christ. If God has determined that everything we experience in this life will work for our good do we really have the right to say whether it is good or bad?

In the Old Testament when we read the story of Joseph we see this principle in action. In Joseph's teenage years he was sold into slavery by his own brothers, and then later he was falsely accused of trying to rape his master's wife and was thrown into prison. While he was in prison for a crime that he didn't commit he helped someone who promised in return to help him but didn't, and Joseph remained in prison.

Later on in Joseph's life we see that everything that happened to him was actually orchestrated by God to bring about the deliverance of His people. So I ask you the question, was what happened to Joseph good or bad? Before you answer that question look at these verses from Genesis chapter 50:

But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Genesis 50:19-21

As you can see here, all of the evil that was done against Joseph was all part of God's plan and what seemed like bad things was actually good because God was in it. So to the person who asks why bad things happen to good people I will ask in return, who says they were bad things?

Secondly, in order to answer the question of why do bad things happen to good people we must first answer the question, do bad things really happen to good people?

Romans tells us that no one is good - not even one. Look at these verses from Romans chapter 3:

as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.
“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.
“The venom of asps is under their lips.
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.
“Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:10-18

This is not the picture of a "good" person, and yet this is how the Bible describes all of us. And then we arrogantly question the goodness of God when things happen that we perceive as being bad, and then we ask why do bad things happen to good people. As we saw above in the first point, God is sovereign over all of the events of our lives and He promises that every one of them is being used by Him to mold us into the image of Christ. And in the letter of James we read:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James 1:17

Did you catch that, Every good gift is from God. And since we do not have the ability to discern what is good or what is bad we must put our trust in our good God and the promises that He has given us.

So the next time someone asks you why bad things happen to good people, point them to the Scriptures and ask them in return, Why do good things happen to anybody?

There can only be one answer: we have a great and awesome God who is working everything out for our ultimate good - our conformity to the image of Christ - and for His glory.

All Things For Good

I have been thinking a lot lately about the goodness of God. In fact, over the past several weeks it seems like every time I listen to a sermon, read a theology book, even bounce around the web to some of my favorite blogs, I keep seeing the same verse over and over again. That verse is:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

This verse says that if we love God and are His child all things work together for our good. As I have thought about this it occurred to me that not every Christian believes this verse (and some that do take it way out of context making it say something that it does not).

So, what does it mean that everything will work for our good, and what can we take away from this verse to help us in our walk with God? That is what I want to talk about here.

To begin, this verse teaches us several things about the nature and character of God; from this one verse we can see that: God is sovereign; God is omnipotent; God is omniscient; and God is good. Let's look at each of these individually:

God is Sovereign
First, we can see the sovereignty of God in this verse. In order for God to be able to say that all things will work together for our good He must be in control of all things. That God is sovereign means that He is the absolute ruler of the universe; He is completely autonomous and free of any external control - He is King of kings. A.W Tozer wrote:

God's sovereignty is the attribute by which He rules His entire creation, and to be sovereign God must be all-knowing, all powerful, and absolutely free.

The Psalmist wrote:

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

Psalm 115:3

Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

Psalm 135:6

In both of these verses we can see that God is sovereign. And we know that if the promise in Romans 8:28 is true (and it is) it is because God is in the heavens and He does whatever He pleases.

God is Omnipotent
The next thing we can see from this promise is that God is omnipotent. To be omnipotent simply means that God is all-powerful - that He possesses absolute power. Again, A.W Tozer wrote:

Sovereignty and omnipotence must go together. One cannot exist without the other. To reign, God must have power, and to reign sovereignly, He must have all power. And that is what omnipotence means, having all power.

Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,

Psalm 62:11

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

Revelation 19:1

Notice that in both of these verses (and there are many more) that the Bible says "power belongs to God." Not only does God need to be sovereign to fulfill the promise of Romans 8:28, He also has to be omnipotent because in order for all things to work for our good all things must be under His ultimate control.

God is Omniscient
Third we see from this verse that God is omniscient, which means that He is all-knowing. To be omniscient means more that just possessing all knowledge, however; that God is omniscient means that He never learns anything new - His knowledge is perfect and complete. Speaking of the omniscience of God, Tony Evans wrote:

The omniscience of God means that there is absolutely nothing He doesn't know; that no informational system or set of data exists anywhere outside of God's knowledge - nothing. He depends on no one outside himself for any knowledge about anything.

And here Tozer writes:

To say that God is omniscient is to say that He possesses perfect knowledge and therefore has no need to learn. But is it more: it is to say that God has never learned and cannot learn.

The Scriptures teach that God has never learned from anyone. "Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, or who instructed him, and taught him the path of judgement, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?"

And because God cannot learn anything, nothing that happens in this world surprises him. We read in Ephesians1:11 that He works all things according to the counsel of His will; therefore we can rest in the knowledge that anything and everything we experience in this life is working toward the ultimate goal of our good, which is that we are conformed to the image of Christ.

God is Good
Finally, this verse shows us the goodness of God. What, you ask is the goodness of God? Tozer explains it this way:

The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men.

Goodness is this attribute of God that is most easily overlooked by the majority of people; many will ask - Christians included - if God is good why does He allow bad things to happen?

Could it be that what we view as bad is really not bad at all? Could it be that what we experience as pain and sorrow is actually something that God is orchestrating to mold us more into the image of His Son? We never stop to consider that the goodness of God can be seen every time we take a breath of air, because He didn't have to give us that air. In fact, that you even awoke this morning is proof that God is good. Remember that God is also holy, and that every time we sin (or even think about sinning for that matter) He would be completely within His rights to destroy us. But He is good, and he is working everything out for the good of His children.

When I began this post I mentioned that lately everything that I hear or read keeps bringing me back to this verse, and I want to end this with just one of the many examples that I have run across lately. This is an excerpt from The Letters of John Newton:

September 28, 1774.
My dear friend,
Certainly, if my ability was equal to my inclination--I would remove your tumor with a word or a touch--I would exempt you instantly and constantly from every inconvenience and pain! But you are in the hands of One who could do all this and more, and who loves you infinitely better than I can do--and yet He is pleased to permit you to suffer! What is the plain lesson? Certainly, that at the present juncture, He, to whom all events and their consequences are present in one view--sees it better for you to have this tumor than to be without it! There is a cause, a need-be for it!

The promise is express, and literally true--that all things, universally and without exception, shall work together for good to those who love God. But they work together! The smallest as well as the greatest events have their place and use--like the movement of a watch, where, though some pieces have a greater comparative importance than others--yet the smallest pieces have their place and use, and are so far equally important, that the whole design of the machine would be obstructed for lack of them.

Some workings and turns of Divine Providence have a more visible, sensible, and determining influence upon the whole tenor of our lives. But the more ordinary occurrences of every day are adjusted, timed, and suited with equal accuracy--by the hand of the same great Artist who planned and executes the whole! We are sometimes surprised to see how much more depends and turns upon these minor events, than we were aware of. Then we admire His skill, and say, "He has done all things well!"

Such thoughts as these, when I am enabled to realize them, in some measure reconcile me to whatever He allots for myself or my friends; and convinces me of the propriety of that verse, which speaks the language of love, as well as authority, "Be still--and know that I am God!"

I sympathize with you in your severe trial, and pray and trust that your Shepherd will be your Physician. No storms, assaults, sieges, or pestilences, can hurt us--until we have filled up His appointed measure of service! And when our work is done, and He has ripened us for glory--it is no great matter by what means He is pleased to call us home to himself!

So the next time you are experiencing a trial in your life remember that our God is sovereign, our God is in complete control, and He is working everything out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Also remember that God does not do something because it is good - it is good because God did it.

Conformed To The Image Of Christ

I have been spending a lot of time here lately in the book of Romans. It seems that whatever I am studying over the past few months always seems to lead me back to Romans, so I thought this week for our memory verses I would pick something from this great epistle. As Christians we all seem to know Romans 8:28 (although we tend to misquote it), but we usually ignore the verses immediately following this verse. Romans 8:28 says:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

We normally hear this quoted like this: "All things work together for good" but this completely misses the context of this verse and the great promise that we are given here.

In this verse we have a promise from God that everything that happens to His children (and note that the promise is only given to His children) is being orchestrated by Him for our ultimate good.

Does this mean that everything we experience will be pleasant? No, but it will be for our good.

Does it mean that we will enjoy everything that we go through? No, but it will be for our good.

Does it mean that we will never experience pain, or loss, or grief? No, but when we do we can rest in the fact that our heavenly Father has seen fit to allow that situation to come into our lives, and He promises that it will work for our good.

And what is the good that it is working toward? We can see that in the next few verses. In God's economy it is not necessarily His will that I have a big house, that I drive an expensive car, or that I have a lot of money in my 401k. It is, however, His will that I be conformed to the image of His Son. And that is what we see in the subsequent verses.

In verse 29 we read that those whom He foreknew He predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, and then in verse 30 we see that that is exactly what will happen to "those who love God and are called according to His purpose." In this verse we read: those He predestined He also called; those He called He also justified, and those He justified He also glorified (He conformed them to the image of Christ).

So what we have here is a promise that our sovereign God is in control of every situation that we will ever encounter, and He has promised that everything we encounter in our lives is leading us toward that final outcome - becoming like His Son.

There is a lot a deep theology in these three verses (and we will get into that at a later time), but for now just rejoice in the fact that no matter what we are going through, have gone through, or will go through in the future, is being used by our Father to mold us into the likeness of Christ.

Our memory verses for this week then are:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Romans 8:28-30

The Puritans (Part 3)

Here is another excerpt from that great Puritan, Thomas Watson. This is from his book entitled "A Divine Cordial," which was written in 1663. Enjoy.

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Even temptations are overruled for good, to the children of God. A tree which is shaken by the wind is more settled and rooted. Just so, the blowing of a temptation does but settle a Christian the more in grace.

Temptations are overruled for good in eight ways:

(1.) Temptation sends the soul to prayer. The more furiously Satan tempts, the more fervently the saint prays. The deer being shot with the dart—runs faster to the water. When Satan shoots his fiery darts at the soul—it then runs faster to the throne of grace. When Paul had the messenger of Satan to buffet him, he says, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me" (2 Cor. 12:8). That which makes us pray more, works for good.

(2.) Temptation to sin, is a means to keep from the perpetration of sin. The more a child of God is tempted—the more he fights against the temptation. The more Satan tempts to blasphemy, the more a saint trembles at such thoughts, and says, "Away from me, Satan!" When Joseph's mistress tempted him to lust—the stronger her temptation was, the stronger was his opposition. That temptation which the devil uses as a spur to sin—God makes a bridle to keep back a Christian from sin!

(3.) Temptation works for good—as it abates the swelling of pride. "To keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud!" (2 Cor. 12:7). The thorn in the flesh was to puncture the puffing up of pride! Better is that temptation which humbles me—than that duty which makes me proud! Rather than a Christian shall be haughty minded—God will let him fall into the devil's hands awhile, to be cured of his swelling pride!

(4.) Temptation works for good—as it is a touchstone to try what is in the heart. The devil tempts—that he may deceive us; but God allows us to be tempted—that He may try us. Temptation is a trial of our sincerity. It argues that our heart is chaste and loyal to Christ—when we can look a temptation in the face, and turn our back upon it. Many have no heart to resist temptation. No sooner does Satan come with his bait—but they yield; like a coward who, as soon as the thief approaches, gives him his purse. But he is the valorous Christian, who brandishes the sword of the Spirit against Satan, and will rather die than yield. The valor and courage of a saint is never more seen than on a battlefield, when he is fighting the red dragon, and by the power of faith puts the devil to flight. That grace is tried gold, which can stand in the fiery trial, and withstand Satan's fiery darts!

(5.) Temptations work for good—as God makes those who are tempted, fit to comfort others in the same distress. A Christian must himself be under the buffetings of Satan, before he can speak a word in due season to him who is weary. Paul was well-versed in temptations. "We are very familiar with his evil schemes" (2 Cor. 2:11). Thus he was able to acquaint others with Satan's cursed wiles (1 Cor. 10:13). A man who has ridden over a place where there are bogs and quicksands—is the fittest to guide others through that dangerous way. He who has felt the claws of Satan, the roaring lion, and has lain bleeding under those wounds—is the fittest man to deal with one who is tempted. None can better discover Satan's subtle devices—than those who have been long in the fencing school of temptation.

(6.) Temptations work for good—as they stir up fatherly compassion in God to those who are tempted. The child who is sick and bruised—is most looked after. When a saint lies under the bruising of temptations, Christ prays, and God the Father pities. When Satan puts the soul into a fever, God comes with a cordial; which made Luther say, that "temptations are Christ's embraces," because He then most sweetly manifests Himself to the soul.

(7.) Temptations work for good—as they make the saints long more for heaven. There they shall be out of gunshot; heaven is a place of rest, no bullets of temptation fly there. The eagle which soars aloft in the air, and sits upon high trees—is not troubled with the stinging of the serpent. Just so, when believers are ascended to heaven, they shall not be molested by the old serpent, the devil. In this life, when one temptation is over, another comes. This makes God's people wish for death—to call them off the battlefield where the bullets fly so quick—and to receive a victorious crown, where neither the drum nor cannon—but the harp and violin, shall be eternally sounding.

(8.) Temptations work for good—as they engage the strength of Christ. Christ is our Friend, and when we are tempted, He sets all His power working for us. "Since He Himself has gone through suffering and temptation, He is able to help us when we are being tempted" (Heb. 2:18). If a poor soul was to fight alone with the Goliath of hell, he would be sure to be vanquished! But Jesus Christ brings in His auxiliary forces—He gives fresh supplies of grace. "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!" (Romans 7:37). Thus the evil of temptation is overruled for our good.

Question. But sometimes Satan foils a child of God. How does this work for good?

Answer. I grant that, through the suspension of divine grace, and the fury of a temptation—a saint may be overcome; yet this foiling by a temptation shall be overruled for good. By this foil, God makes way for the augmentation of grace. Peter was tempted to self-confidence; he presumed upon his own strength; and Christ let him fall. But this wrought for his good—it cost him many a tear. "He went out, and wept bitterly" (Matt. 26:75). And now he grows less self-reliant. He dared not say he loved Christ more than the other apostles. "Do you love me more than these?" (John 21:15). He dared not say so—his fall into sin broke the neck of his pride!

The foiling by a temptation causes more circumspection and watchfulness in a child of God. Though Satan did before decoy him into sin—yet for the future he will be the more cautious. He will beware of coming within the lion's chain any more! He is now more vigilant and fearful of the occasions of sin. He never goes out without his spiritual armor—and he girds on his armor by prayer. He knows he walks on slippery ground, therefore he looks wisely to his steps. He keeps close sentinel in his soul, and when he spies the devil coming—he grasps his spiritual weapons, and displays the shield of faith (Eph. 6:16).
This is all the hurt the devil does when he foils a saint by temptation—he cures him of his careless neglect; he makes him watch and pray more. When wild beasts get over the hedge and damage the grain—a man will make his fence the stronger. Just so, when the devil gets over the hedge by a temptation, a Christian will be sure to mend his fence; he will become more fearful of sin, and careful of duty. Thus the being worsted by temptation, works for good.

Objection. But if being foiled works for good, this may make Christians careless whether they are overcome by temptations or not.

Answer. There is a great difference between falling into a temptation, and running into a temptation. The falling into a temptation shall work for good—not the running into it. He who falls into a river is fit for help and pity—but he who desperately runs into it, is guilty of his own death. It is madness running into a lion's den! He who runs himself into a temptation is like king Saul—who fell upon his own sword.

From all that has been said, see how God disappoints the old serpent—by making his temptations turn to the good of His people. Luther once said, "There are three things which make a godly man—prayer, meditation, and temptation." The wind of temptation is a contrary wind to that of the Spirit; but God makes use of this cross wind, to blow the saints to heaven!

Worship the Creator

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Romans 1:20 (NASB)

This verse from Romans chapter one tells us that all men are without excuse when it comes to their knowledge of God, because He has made His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His divine nature known to us through what He has created. But what does it mean that we can know His invisible attributes?

What Paul is saying here in this verse is that by observing the order of the universe we know that God is a God of order; by observing the power of the ocean or or the power of the sun we can know that God is powerful; by looking at a oak tree we can see that God is strong. God is not any of these objects, but His nature is seen in all of them. Through His creation we can see that God in Omnipotent, we can see that He is Omniscient, we can see that He is loving, we can see His beauty. In other words, this verse makes it clear that on judgment day there is not a man who has ever lived who will be able to say "I just didn't know that You were really real." The witness of creation will just not allow it. William MacDonald writes:

The argument here is clear: Creation demands a Creator. Design demands a Designer. By looking up at the sun, moon, and stars, anyone can know there is a God."

The verse then goes on to say that because of this all men are without excuse. So what does man do with this knowledge? Look at the next few verses:

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Romans 1:21-23 (NASB)

These verses make it clear that all men know there is a God, but that because we have chosen to not honor Him as God our hearts have been darkened by foolish speculations and unprovable theories. Man has exchanged the glory of God for idols we have made with our own hands and minds. We no longer worship God; we worship His creation, as is seen in verse 25:

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Romans 1:25 (NASB)

In Ecclesiastes 3:11 we are told that God has placed eternity in the heart of every man. Here in Romans we can see that the creation speaks of God's eternal power. Christianity is not a blind faith; we don't step blindly into the dark. We can see the attributes of God through His creation. God is not opposed to science; He created it, and it all points to Him. Robert Jastrow, an astrophysicist and director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has said:

Now we see how the astronomical evidence supports the biblical view of the origin of the world. … The essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same. Consider the enormousness of the problem: Science has proved that the universe exploded into being at a certain moment. It asks what cause produced this effect? Who or what put the matter and energy into the Universe? And science cannot answer these questions. …

For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been there for centuries.

(God and the Astronomers [New York: Norton, 1978], pp. 14, 114, 116)

The problem is that man is sinful and we don't want to accept that there is a God that we will one day have to stand before and that we will have to give an account of our lives, so we have chosen to believe a lie and we have exchange the glory of God for the worship of what He created. 2 Peter 3:10 tells us that "...the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." and 1 John 2:17 says, "The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

Why do men worship creation when we can worship the God who created it? Becasue we are sinful. Spend some time today observing the creation around you, remember that through it we can see His power, His nature, and His attributes reflected in what He has made. Pay attention and see what you can discover about God through it, you may be amazed by what He reveals about Himself. Then spend some time worshiping Him and thanking Him for the beauty of what He has created for us to enjoy.