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happy waiting
Happy Waiting by Joe La Bianca
Romans 15:5-12
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” And again it say, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.” And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; and Gentiles will hope in him.”
God gives cheerful hope and happy waiting in Jesus. This is the meaning behind the word “endurance”, in Rom. 15:5. God also gives true solace in Jesus. This comfort is found in the gospel, where people are saved apart from works, and solely by the work of Jesus on the cross. This is the only way to true spiritual comfort.
Some Christians feel guilty when they are comfortable. That was me all over. But now I have the peace of Christ. That doesn’t mean I turned into a weirdo, with wild eyes and no emotions. I am still very much Italian. But now I am happy about something very important. I am saved. You may think this is a strange term. You may think that you do not need to be saved. Tell me, what is the first thing people yell when their lives are threatened? SAVE ME!! SAVE ME!! I just yelled it a little early, and Jesus heard me. Now no matter what happens to me, I know that my spirit is saved and this gives me joy. The spirit is not some loss of consciousness, or universal mind. It’s who I am. It’s me on the inside, the eternal part. We will know where we are for all eternity. It’s great to know my ending is sure and my spiritual future will be happy. All I must do is continue to trust in the cross of Christ. That’s not too difficult. If I trust the cross I am forgiven. If I stop trusting in the cross, I have given up on God; my mind and heart will know I am not forgiven, and this will ruin me.
When people believe in grace, then and only then, can they be like-minded. It is important to fellowship with those who believe in the gospel. Only then can you have a unanimous mind, and one mouth, declaring one message. This brings glory to God, not denominationalism, which is various religious bodies, separated in their different beliefs. Division never brings glory to God, only happy unity in the free gospel of grace.
Accept each other just as Christ accepted you. Jesus accepted you when you merely believed in Him. He did not require you to follow the law or religion to be saved. So we should not require people to follow our religion before we accept them. We should accept them when they believe the gospel, just as Jesus accepted us. Religion is manmade; the gospel is God-made.
When it says that Christ has become a servant of the Jews, it means that Jesus ran an errand for all mankind. The Jews were chosen to bring Messiah into the world. They were not chosen because of any inherent goodness in their ethnic group, but because if God would enter human history, He would have to come through a people. So, Jesus pinpointed His appearance on this globe through the prophecies, types, lessons, and fore-shadowings found in the entire history of Israel, from the rite of circumcision, right through to all the practices and customs of the chosen people. This, He did to be a minister, or errand boy, of not only believing Jews, but also for every person who would believe in Jesus, from every tribe and nation on the earth. Jesus is said to be a servant, errand boy, or waiter, because our loving, humble Savior, bore the weight of fulfilling the law of Moses, and then the weight of dying on the cross for all sin, just because He wanted to save all who would believe. In fact, Jesus wants to save everyone, but only those who believe the gospel can be saved.
Paul goes on to write of Gentile salvation to show that Jesus accepts everyone of faith, and no person can be saved without faith in Jesus, not even Israel. What is more, Israel has the greater responsibility because they had the advantage of being God’s chosen people. Jesus, with His very life, established every promise given to the patriarchs, so if a person wants to participate in the promises of the Abrahamic covenant, he must believe in Jesus, the confirmer of the promises. Otherwise, no one can be a participant in the promises of God.
Jesus was made a servant of Israel, as a ministering Jew, so that the Gentiles may glorify God. Jesus served the world by obeying God in our place, and living the only legally perfect life. After, Jesus in grace, died our death on the cross. Jesus is why a person can be saved from hell, and admitted into heaven. Jesus is the only Savior the world will ever know.
The salvation of Jesus causes Gentiles from around the globe to rejoice. Think of this. The bible predicted that one day the world of the Gentiles would trust in a Jew for salvation, and it happened. It happened!! Isn’t this enough to convince you? What more do you need? On Judgment Day, you will realize that it was enough. I hope you will not be ashamed on that Day. We are put in a good frame of mind because we know that Jesus earned our right-standing with God. We applaud Jesus for His bravery and His good work on the cross for us all.
Jesus is the root of Jesse, the father of David, for the Messiah sprang from the line of David, as prophesied in the Old Testament. Daniel the prophet predicted the Messiah to come to earth 2,000 years ago. The Gentiles, according to Isaiah, will hope and trust in this Messiah. Now tell me, who is it that the Gentiles trust in, who was born 2,000 year ago? Is it a man called Theudas, who gathered a following as he vainly tried to part the Jordan River, but failed to? Is it an Egyptian, who claimed to be Messiah, and tried to collapse the walls of Jerusalem with a mere word, but failed to do so? Do people from all over the world, from every nation, tribe, and family trust in any Jew besides Jesus Christ? Why is it 2009? Because Jesus Christ was born that long ago. Why do we have every Sunday off from work? So that we can play soccer, go boating, or do anything but thank Jesus? No, it is because of the resurrection of Jesus.
Who, from Israel or the world, will admit that only Jesus Christ fulfills the credentials of Messiah? I will tell you. Believers will admit it. They will admit it because it is the only answer to the demands of the scriptures. Only One Person fulfilled the law, the prophesies, the redemption, and the resurrection. Jesus is the answer, and by simple faith in the gospel story, comes salvation from everything we need to be saved from. Amen!
Romans 15:5-12
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” And again it say, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.” And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; and Gentiles will hope in him.”
God gives cheerful hope and happy waiting in Jesus. This is the meaning behind the word “endurance”, in Rom. 15:5. God also gives true solace in Jesus. This comfort is found in the gospel, where people are saved apart from works, and solely by the work of Jesus on the cross. This is the only way to true spiritual comfort.
Some Christians feel guilty when they are comfortable. That was me all over. But now I have the peace of Christ. That doesn’t mean I turned into a weirdo, with wild eyes and no emotions. I am still very much Italian. But now I am happy about something very important. I am saved. You may think this is a strange term. You may think that you do not need to be saved. Tell me, what is the first thing people yell when their lives are threatened? SAVE ME!! SAVE ME!! I just yelled it a little early, and Jesus heard me. Now no matter what happens to me, I know that my spirit is saved and this gives me joy. The spirit is not some loss of consciousness, or universal mind. It’s who I am. It’s me on the inside, the eternal part. We will know where we are for all eternity. It’s great to know my ending is sure and my spiritual future will be happy. All I must do is continue to trust in the cross of Christ. That’s not too difficult. If I trust the cross I am forgiven. If I stop trusting in the cross, I have given up on God; my mind and heart will know I am not forgiven, and this will ruin me.
When people believe in grace, then and only then, can they be like-minded. It is important to fellowship with those who believe in the gospel. Only then can you have a unanimous mind, and one mouth, declaring one message. This brings glory to God, not denominationalism, which is various religious bodies, separated in their different beliefs. Division never brings glory to God, only happy unity in the free gospel of grace.
Accept each other just as Christ accepted you. Jesus accepted you when you merely believed in Him. He did not require you to follow the law or religion to be saved. So we should not require people to follow our religion before we accept them. We should accept them when they believe the gospel, just as Jesus accepted us. Religion is manmade; the gospel is God-made.
When it says that Christ has become a servant of the Jews, it means that Jesus ran an errand for all mankind. The Jews were chosen to bring Messiah into the world. They were not chosen because of any inherent goodness in their ethnic group, but because if God would enter human history, He would have to come through a people. So, Jesus pinpointed His appearance on this globe through the prophecies, types, lessons, and fore-shadowings found in the entire history of Israel, from the rite of circumcision, right through to all the practices and customs of the chosen people. This, He did to be a minister, or errand boy, of not only believing Jews, but also for every person who would believe in Jesus, from every tribe and nation on the earth. Jesus is said to be a servant, errand boy, or waiter, because our loving, humble Savior, bore the weight of fulfilling the law of Moses, and then the weight of dying on the cross for all sin, just because He wanted to save all who would believe. In fact, Jesus wants to save everyone, but only those who believe the gospel can be saved.
Paul goes on to write of Gentile salvation to show that Jesus accepts everyone of faith, and no person can be saved without faith in Jesus, not even Israel. What is more, Israel has the greater responsibility because they had the advantage of being God’s chosen people. Jesus, with His very life, established every promise given to the patriarchs, so if a person wants to participate in the promises of the Abrahamic covenant, he must believe in Jesus, the confirmer of the promises. Otherwise, no one can be a participant in the promises of God.
Jesus was made a servant of Israel, as a ministering Jew, so that the Gentiles may glorify God. Jesus served the world by obeying God in our place, and living the only legally perfect life. After, Jesus in grace, died our death on the cross. Jesus is why a person can be saved from hell, and admitted into heaven. Jesus is the only Savior the world will ever know.
The salvation of Jesus causes Gentiles from around the globe to rejoice. Think of this. The bible predicted that one day the world of the Gentiles would trust in a Jew for salvation, and it happened. It happened!! Isn’t this enough to convince you? What more do you need? On Judgment Day, you will realize that it was enough. I hope you will not be ashamed on that Day. We are put in a good frame of mind because we know that Jesus earned our right-standing with God. We applaud Jesus for His bravery and His good work on the cross for us all.
Jesus is the root of Jesse, the father of David, for the Messiah sprang from the line of David, as prophesied in the Old Testament. Daniel the prophet predicted the Messiah to come to earth 2,000 years ago. The Gentiles, according to Isaiah, will hope and trust in this Messiah. Now tell me, who is it that the Gentiles trust in, who was born 2,000 year ago? Is it a man called Theudas, who gathered a following as he vainly tried to part the Jordan River, but failed to? Is it an Egyptian, who claimed to be Messiah, and tried to collapse the walls of Jerusalem with a mere word, but failed to do so? Do people from all over the world, from every nation, tribe, and family trust in any Jew besides Jesus Christ? Why is it 2009? Because Jesus Christ was born that long ago. Why do we have every Sunday off from work? So that we can play soccer, go boating, or do anything but thank Jesus? No, it is because of the resurrection of Jesus.
Who, from Israel or the world, will admit that only Jesus Christ fulfills the credentials of Messiah? I will tell you. Believers will admit it. They will admit it because it is the only answer to the demands of the scriptures. Only One Person fulfilled the law, the prophesies, the redemption, and the resurrection. Jesus is the answer, and by simple faith in the gospel story, comes salvation from everything we need to be saved from. Amen!
