Rom 11:22 “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.” ESV
Rom 11:22 “Make sure you stay alert to these qualities of gentle kindness and ruthless severity that exist side by side in God-ruthless with the deadwood, gentle with the grafted shoot. But don’t presume on this gentleness. The moment you become deadwood, you’re out of there.” MSG
- God who loves is cut off with sin. We need to walk in the love that He has for us. If we try to use it as a license for sin; we are in for a surprise. He will punish sin. It is not how you start, but how you finish, that counts. Rom 11:6; Rev 3:5; Even those who have received grace can choose sin over grace and make themselves again slaves to sin and the punishment that comes with it. Rom 6:15; Heb 10:29; Jude 4; God, I want to live the new life in Christ that you have for me. John 15:4-5.
Rom 11:6
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. ESV
- Grace Ps 5:7; Zech 3:3-4; Rom 2:4-5; 3:23; 4:4-5; 5:1,8; 6:1, 15-16; 8:1-2; 1 Cor 5:2; Eph 2:8-9; Phil 2:12; Heb 10:29;
- No one earns it. No one can, by definition, it is unearned. Some how by nature we want to earn it, but we can’t (PS103:12). But God did, for us, what we never could do on our own.
- Heb 10:29 Speaks of those who outrage the spirit of Grace, by intentionally continuing on in their sin. Rom 2:4-5 says they are storing up wrath by continuing in their sin. Rom; 6:1 & 15; Tells us not to use grace as a license for sin, making us slaves again to sin. Rom 11:22 warns that though we have been forgiven, if we are grafted into sin God will let us and then we will receive what comes to those who live in sin. Jude vs4 Grace is not a license to sin.
Rom 6:12
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. ESV
- The one you obey becomes the master of your life. It says not to let sin reign in your body. “To reign is to rule, to have control over, dominating power or influence.” http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/reign The one you obey is the one you have appointed king of your life. (Rom 6:15-16) Who have you appointed king in your life? Whose desires do you live out, who do you listen to? Jesus said you can only have one master Matt 6:24. If you try to have two, he said you would love one and despise the other. Who does my life show that I have made my master? What evidence in my life shows who I have made my life and my lips declare? If I declare different masters my lips are lying because I know I declared the wrong king, but don’t want to admit it. Who reigns in your life?
Rom 6:15-16
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? NKJV
- vs 1-2; Ps 19:13; Prov 5:22; Isa 30:1; 44:14-17; 65:13; Joel 2:13; Matt 6:24; John 8:34; 13:3-5; Rom 2:4-5; 5:8; 6:1, 12; 11:6; 1 Cor 5:2; 6:12; Gal 4:8; 5:1; 2 Tim 2:26; Heb 10:15-16; James 4:4; 2 Peter 2:19; Jude 4
Ezek 18:32
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” ESV
- Vs 23; God doesn’t want to punish. 2 Peter 3:9; Rom 10:13
- So turn and live. Even though God doesn’t want to punish He still is just. He gives us the option. His mercy is really unbelievable. He is like a father standing there saying don’t do that or you will get spanked. I really don’t want to spank you, so please don’t hit your sister again. God help us to take the warning and listen.
1 Kings 13:33
33 Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. NIV
- God extends grace to all, but many reject it. Jeroboam got a warning accompanied by signs, yet he chose to harden rather than repent (Heb 3:8). Rom 10:13 says that whoever calls. The offer to call is open but we must receive it. Matt 22:14 says many are called but few are chosen. Most of the people called don’t receive what God offers. Jesus said in Matt 7:13-14 That wide is the way that leads to destruction and many find it but that they way of life is narrow and few find it. God help me receive the grace you have given and to live to please you. Help me to introduce you to others in a way that will lead them to respond to your extended grace.
Gen 6:8
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. ESV
- Why did Noah receive favor? It doesn’t say that the reason he was shown favor was because he earned it. It may have been simply an act of grace, but immediately after it mentions his favor, it points out that Noah was blameless in his generation. It goes on in 6:22 & 7:5 to tell us that he did everything the Lord commanded him. Was it obedience, or just his desire to please God that set him apart? I don’t know, but I know I want to be set apart for God. I too want to walk with God.
Rom 4:9-10
Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. NKJV
- As they speak of circumcision it represents the law. It is stating that he was declared righteous when he believed not when he followed the law. Rom 5:8 tells us that God loved us while we were still sinners. Therefore like Abraham our righteousness is not based on our merit or performance. Rom 4:4, because it isn’t based on our perfection our lack of perfection doesn’t lose or change it. God’s love for us is not connected to our performance. God thank you for your grace and mercy.
Jude 4
4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.NIV
4 I say this because some godless people have wormed their way in among you, saying that God’s forgiveness allows us to live immoral lives. The fate of such people was determined long ago, for they have turned against our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. NLT
- - Those who use grace to justify sin have turned against the Lord and are Hell bound.
- - They use God’s grace as a license to sin. We are told in Rom 6:15-16 that we are not to sin because we are under grace, we become a slave to the one we obey. Mal 2:17 Tells us that God is wearied by people saying those who do evil are right in the sight of the Lord. In 2 John 10-11 If we greet and help one teaching such things we are taking part in their evil works. The Bible makes it clear that you can’t separate someone from their fruit. A tree is known by its fruit Matt 12:33b. Prov 20:11 says that even a child is known by their actions. 3 John 11 tells us to imitate good not evil andour fruit demonstratesour relationship with God. Matt 3:10 says that the tree that doesn’t bear good fruit will be cut down. My actions are tied to my heart they are an overflow of what is in my heart whether I like to admit it or not (Prov 4:23; Matt 12:35). We often want say we believe something that our fruit says we don’t. I get the impression that what counts is what our fruit says not what we claim we believe James 2:17-20. Is there a gap between what we thought we believed and whatour fruit shows us to believe? The Bible tells us what we should do, so we have a choice. If the fruit we see isn’t what it should be we can choose to do some weeding of the heart. God show me the weeds in my life that I need to uproot and prune what you must to make me fruitful for you John 15:2.
