Genesis 28:10-19, Romans 8:18-25   In our Genesis account Jacob is fleeing from his brother Esau. What must be going on in his mind? Will the promises made by God to his father and grandfather, Abraham still come true if he is murdered by his brother? But in his dream, not only does he see a ladder to heaven, but God is revealed. God restates the promise – the unseen hope that has kept Abraham, Issac, and himself going. One wonderful promise is that God is with him and will keep him until the promise is fulfilled. God will keep him safe from Esau’s vengeance – God will bring him home safely. I love Jacob’s response to this, “Surely the Lord is in this place.” Years later Paul in Romans talks about this hope. This is the hope that we will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. He talks about waiting for the adoption as children of God and the redemption of our bodies from physical death. We wait in hope, the hope by which we were saved. Hoping for the u...

  Psalms 119:105-112, Romans 8:1-11 We talked last week about Greek thinking which promoted that your mind had hierarchy in your life over your body. Now what I love about the Hebrew language of the Old Testament is there is no word just for mind – but the heart is the soul that the seat of emotions and thinking comes. We see this is Psalms 119. The Psalmist is talking out of his heart about his love of scripture and God’s righteous ordinances. He talks about God’s decrees being the joy of his heart and he will incline his heart, incline meaning willing or favorably disposed toward an action, belief, or attitude. Here it is to do the action of performing – doing God’s statutes. We return to Greek thinking Paul of the New Testament in Romans where he talks about setting their minds, not their hearts, on the Holy Spirit. Doing so will bring life and peace. He condemns those who set their mind on the flesh which leads to death. The major difference between the Psalmist and Paul ...

  Romans 7:15-25, Matthew 11:25-30 Paul in Romans 7 writes out his frustration of sin dwelling in him. He writes that in his flesh he is powerless to sin. “Wretched man that I am!” he bemoans. Who will rescue him from this body of death? His hope is in the salvation of the Lord who he thanks for rescuing him from sin and death. In Matthew 11 Jesus asks all who are weary – are frustrated like Paul – to come to him and he will give them rest from the burden of their sins. Jesus tells them he is gentle and humble in heart – he won’t overlord them about it. He will provide rest for their souls. His yoke is easy, and his burden is light not like the bondage from keeping the law. Paul expresses the heavy burden of his members being at war and captive to sin. He finds himself wanting to do good – to will what is right but the evil he doesn’t want to do he finds himself doing. He tells about delighting in the law of God but in terms of practicing it he struggles greatly against the s...

II Thessalonians 2:13-17, Romans 6:12-23   In II Thessalonians Paul states that we have been given the first fruits of salvation through sanctification by the Spirit which came from their belief in the truth. First fruits are translated in earlier ancient authorities as, “from the beginning.” We begin with faith in the truth of God’s work of salvation which comes through sanctification of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 6, this sanctification is said to be the advantage we get by being freed from sin and enslaved to God. Paul states this after telling us we are no longer under the law and slaves to sin but are now under grace. Paul is stressing that you don’t let sin have dominion over your mortal bodies. Don’t obey their evil passions. We should no longer be instruments of wickedness but by presenting ourselves to God we can become instruments of righteousness. Then comes one of Paul’s famous questions: “Shall we sin so that grace may abound?” To this he has the harsh reply, “By ...

  Genesis 16: 1-15; Psalms 86: 1-10, 16,17 Have you ever regretted something you did? Sarai did. She thought she was helping Abram have an heir by giving the slave girl Hagar to him to conceive a child. She didn’t realize how much it would bother her when Hagar conceived, especially when Hagar looked at her with contempt. Seeing her pregnant and not herself just rubbed salt into the wound. Now Hagar seems to be portrayed as the evil other woman here. This is because of her superior attitude toward Sarai since she conceived, and Sarai didn’t. She paid for it, however, with Sarai harsh treatment of her. We must realize though that she was a slave who had to do what Sarai commanded. She was just following instructions to give the master an heir. Instead of receiving thanks for what she did, she received harsh treatment for doing what Sarai had asked of her. In response to this rough treatment of her which Abram allowed, Hagar runs away. But our great Master, the one who is with ...