Written by: Neville Willerton – Summer Madness
Romans 2 v 6-11
God will reward or punish every person for what that person has done. Some people,
by always continuing to do good, live for God’s glory, for honour and for life
that has no end. God will give them life for ever. But other people are selfish.
They refuse to follow truth and, instead, follow evil. God will give them his
punishment and anger. He will give trouble and suffering to everyone who does
evil—to the Jews first and also to those who are not Jews. But he will give
glory, honour and peace to everyone who does good—to the Jews first and also
to those who are not Jews. For God judges all people in the same way.
Notes
A verse in Galatians says, “The important thing is faith – the kind of faith
that works through love” (Galatians 5 v 6). When the Bible says “The important
thing”, I presume it must mean it is fairly important! Much youthwork that
I have seen is about entertaining young people. Tony Campolo once said: “We
will not lose our young people because we ask too much of them; we will lose
them because we ask too little.” The Bible conveys in these verses that we
are to be people who are “always continuing to do good”. We are also to be
like Christ in taking off our outer clothing and washing other people’s feet
(see John 13).
I remember last summer taking teams of young people down the streets of Belfast and seeing lives and communities changed because they rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty. James was on an estate where Streetreach was working and the people noticed a real change in his life. At first James was really abusive to one lad who was doing Streetreach, kicking him and spitting on his jacket, then asking, “What are you going to do now?” The Streetreacher replied: “I am going to carry on serving this area.” In time, James started to work alongside the Streetreacher and a barrier was broken down. One night we put on a concert in the school and he came along, enjoying the music and listening to the message. During the event he gave his life to Christ and it was the Streetreacher that he was abusive to that led him to Christ.
Through Streetreach we take teams of young people off the streets of Belfast to serve and do good practical deeds to the divided and hurting areas of that city. See www.summermadness.co.uk
Prayer
Lord, please show me how I can “continue to do good” in my life. Who can I
be like Christ to today? Amen
Romans 2 v 12-16
People who do not have the law and who are sinners will be lost, although they
do not have the law. And, in the same way, those who have the law and are
sinners will be judged by the law. Hearing the law does not make people right
with God. It is those who obey the law who will be right with him. (Those
who are not Jews do not have the law, but when they freely do what the law
commands, they are the law for themselves. This is true even though they
do not have the law. They show that in their hearts they know what is right
and wrong, just as the law commands. And they show this by their thoughts.
Sometimes their thoughts tell them they did wrong, and sometimes their thoughts
tell them they did right.) All these things will happen on the day when God,
through Christ Jesus, will judge people’s secret thoughts. The Good News
that I preach says this.
Notes
We can be so easily influenced by the standards that we see around us. Much
of our individualism has gone as we have become so shaped by the world around
us. If we are not careful we can become more shaped by the screens we watch
than by any person we know. Today’s challenge is to be careful to do what
God’s word says. The truth is, God wants us to keep up with our regular heart
checks - to ensure that we are right with him and our attitudes are in line
with his heart and word. We check our heart by reading his word, praying
and remaining accountable to someone close to us who can check our walk with
him. When was the last time you allowed someone ask you how you are doing
in your spiritual life, to check what you watch on TV or see on the web?
The Christian life is hard enough; we need each other in this life to keep
our hearts close to his.
In a culture so shaped by the media we need to be people who are shaped by God’s Spirit. Romans 12 v 2 helps us with this challenge: “Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.” This encourages us to have the heart of Christ within us; to have the law of God written in our hearts, as today’s reading reminds us.
Prayer point
Ask God this day to give you the attitude and heart of Christ and fill you
with his Spirit to conform you into the likeness of his Son Jesus Christ.
Romans 2 v 17-24
What about you? You call yourself a Jew. You trust in the law of Moses and
brag that you are close to God. You know what he wants you to do and what
is important, because you have learned the law. You think you are a guide
for the blind and a light for those who are in darkness. You think you can
show foolish people what is right and teach those who know nothing. You have
the law; so you think you know everything and have all truth. You teach others,
so why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but you steal.
You say that others must not take part in adultery, but you are guilty of
that sin. You hate idols, but you steal from temples. You brag about having
God’s law, but you bring shame to God by breaking his law, just as the Scriptures
say: “Those who are not Jews speak against God’s name because of you.”
Notes
These verses are a sobering wake-up call for us to be real - not pretend Christians
who live two lives, one in the church and another in the world. We need to
be honest before God and man. Somebody once said: “I am my neighbour’s Bible
- he reads me when we meet. Today he reads me in my house, tomorrow in the
street. He may be a relative or a friend or may not even know my name; yet
he is reading me.” That is an awesome challenge for us as Christians: that
by the Spirit of God we seek to represent something of the heart of God before
a watching world.
Mission should be our lifestyle and our work, not just something we do in the summer in Africa or when our church leader has told us to do it. I long for the whole church to be geared for mission and the outsider, and not just something we do when numbers of worshippers get low!
1 Timothy 4 v 16 says: “Be careful in your life and in your teaching. If you continue to live and teach rightly, you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.” It is so important, in whatever we do, to be “good news” to whoever hears, sees and meets with us, so that people who observe us see what we preach with our actions! Some Christians allow Christ’s name to be dragged through the mud because of their actions. I remember seeing a car cutting everyone up on the road near our house; when it came in front of me I saw in the back window the words: “Jesus Loves You”. When I’m driving I don’t have a Christian sticker! Let us be Christians who bring honour to God.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you that you have brought “good news” to me. Help me to be
“good news” to whoever hears, sees and meets with me today. Amen
Romans 2 v 25-29
If you follow the law, your circumcision has meaning. But if you break the
law, it is as if you were never circumcised. People who are not Jews are
not circumcised, but if they do what the law says, it is as if they were
circumcised. You Jews have the written law and circumcision, but you break
the law. So those who are not circumcised in their bodies, but still obey
the law, will show that you are guilty. They can do this because a person
is not a true Jew if he is only a Jew in his physical body; true circumcision
is not only on the outside of the body. A person is a Jew only if he is a
Jew inside; true circumcision is done in the heart by the Spirit, not by
the works of the written law. Such a person gets praise from God rather than
from people.
Notes
This symbol of circumcision was a sign of covenant; a solemn binding agreement
between two parties. The Hebrew people did this as a sign that they belonged
to God. God has called us to be in covenant with him through the sacrifice
of his Son. His broken body and the spilling of the blood was the seal of
the covenant, the binding agreement. In other words, our God has made a lasting
covenantal agreement between ourselves and him.
When people make the covenant of marriage between each other they exchange rings as a symbol of that covenant, their names will become one through a joining of names, and they themselves will become one through the act of sexual intercourse.
God’s son exchanged our place as a sign and fulfilment of his covenant; our names become his as we become CHRIST-ians - his people. What an awesome thought: God himself bridged the gap where we could not and fulfilled the covenant of love and faithfulness to us his people.
However, there is also our part to play in the covenant. Someone once said that the covenant on our part is like signing a piece of paper at the bottom and allowing God to fill in the gaps! I guess it is a lot like that when we call him Lord and Master; he is exactly that and we don’t know what he has in store for us in this covenant - yet we know he has the best for us.
God today is in covenantal agreement with you! Today, lift up your head and remind yourself who you are. Remind yourself in the words of Ephesians 2 v 10: “God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works...”
Prayer
God, thank you for your covenant relationship with me. Help me to live out
the words of Ephesians 2 v 10 today. Amen
Romans 3 v 1-4
So, do Jews have anything that other people do not have? Is there anything
special about being circumcised? Yes, of course, there is in every way. The
most important thing is this: God trusted the Jews with his teachings. If
some Jews were not faithful to him, will that stop God from doing what he
promised? No! God will continue to be true even when every person is false.
As the Scriptures say:
“So you will be shown to be right when you speak, and you will win your case.”
Notes
In our reading, there is a massive distinction between human nature and the
character of God: “God will continue to be true even when every person is
false.” God is way beyond our comprehension and understanding, yet he calls
us friends.
Some preachers use earthly terms to describe the nature of God’s faithfulness. This is right, because Jesus often used human terms to illustrate the love that he has for his people. However, even this falls short of the actual expression of God’s level of commitment towards us, his people. Hosea 11 v 4 says these amazing words: “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ropes of love…”
Isabel (my wife) and I have a baby daughter known as Aimée Louise. She is nine months old and a complete treasure, and the love that we have for her, even though it is immense, is still a poor reflection of the love that Christ has for her and indeed the love that he has for everyone reading these words.
Today’s reading is all about God’s faithfulness to us - that he will never forget or forsake us. “Can a woman forget the baby she nurses? Can she feel no kindness for the child to which she gave birth? Even if she could forget her children, I will not forget you. See, I have written your name on my hands” (Isaiah 49 v 15). He is faithful beyond our human comprehension because of his covenant of love, and as a sign of this we are physically engraved on Christ’s hands!
Prayer point
Take a few moments to give thanks for the faithfulness of our God to you, and
in the stillness worship him.
Romans 3 v 5-8
When we do wrong, that shows more clearly that God is right. So can we say
that God is wrong to punish us? (I am talking as people might talk.) No!
If God could not punish us, he could not judge the world.
A person might say, “When I lie, it really gives him glory, because my lie
shows God’s truth. So why am I judged a sinner?” It would be the same to say,
“We should do evil so that good will come.” Some people find fault with us
and say we teach this, but they are wrong and deserve the punishment they will
receive.
Notes
Only such amazing grace brings us into a place of liberty. Only such grace
and freedom allows us to walk away if we would prefer. God is so graceful
and loving that if we walk away from fellowship with him, he then appears
as the expectant, waiting and forgiving Father longing for our return (see
Luke 15 v 11-32 for the story of the wayward son). These verses in today’s
reading are saying that you would be a complete ass (my version) to carry
on the way you are living once you have experienced sins forgiven, but even
if you manage to stray away there is still hope. These verses convince us
that we are all sinners in need of a saviour.
I remember the story of a man finding grace and forgiveness in Belfast with the Streetreach mission I was on just recently. He was amazed that God could forgive someone who had taken a human life. The Streetreacher had a good time praying for him and his friends. This reminds us how God embraces us and welcomes us back as forgiven sinners, and that God is just and righteous in how he treats us.
Prayer
Thank you, heavenly Father, that each and every time I come back to you, I
am put right with you and cleansed from all wrong. Give me a heart, Lord
Jesus, to seek you in my life. Amen
Romans 3 v 9-18
So are we Jews better than others? No! We have already said that Jews and those
who are not Jews are all guilty of sin. As the Scriptures say:
“There is no one who always does what is right, not even one.
There is no one who understands.
There is no one who looks to God for help.
All have turned away.
Together, everyone has become useless.
There is no one who does anything good; there is not even one.”
“Their throats are like open graves; they use their tongues for telling lies.”
“Their words are like snake poison.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and hate.”
“They are always ready to kill people.
Everywhere they go they cause ruin and misery.
They don’t know how to live in peace.”
“They have no fear of God.”
Notes
I am told that confession is good for the soul, so here goes: I got a ticket
a few months ago from a traffic police officer. I felt that it was for an
insignificant minor misdemeanour. Enough of my defence - here is what happened.
This driver in front of me was winding me up by crawling along. It was a
Wednesday morning and I was in a hurry to get to work on time, but the driver
was convinced it was an opportunity to do some lazy Sunday afternoon driving.
Not only that, he was in the overtaking lane. So I did the unforgivable and
overtook him on the inside. Then the inevitable happened - the siren and
lights came on behind me and the police pulled me over (they were conveniently
disguised in an unmarked police car!). However insignificant I felt that
the “crime” was, at the end of the day I broke the law and the penalty had
to be paid: £30 pounds no less!
The truth is that whatever the past, whatever our background,
we are all on the level playing ground of being people who need God, None of
us has made the grade, even if we think that we have only committed insignificant
sins. It was for those insignificant sins that my Jesus died. Our reading reminds
us: “There is no one who always does what is right, not even one.”
But the awesome thing is that we don’t have to pay the fine, which is actually
incomparably and significantly more than £30.
Prayer point
The price has been paid in full for sinners like you and me who are in need
of grace. Remind yourself of this today and give thanks.
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes