Sermon Central
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A Study Of The Book Of Romans Lesson 36 Series
Contributed by James May on May 23, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: Continuation of the expository study of the Book of Romans
Book of Romans
Lesson #36
By Rev. James May
In our last lesson we talked about being citizens of two kingdoms; the Kingdom of Heaven is our eternal home and the land that we all will dwell forever with the Lord; and the “kingdom in which we live on this earth”, the USA. While we dwell in the earth and are citizens of the United States we are bound by its laws and government as long as those laws do not conflict with the laws of God of his Holy Word.
The law of God and the ways of righteousness taught in the Word of God always trump the laws of the land. One example of this can be seen in Peter and the Apostles as they confronted the Jewish council. They had been arrested and cast into prison, and had been set free by an angel from the Lord, and went right back to preaching Jesus. The Jewish council was infuriated that these Jesus followers would not cease stirring up trouble and threatened them even more.
Acts 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
As time goes on I am convinced by all that I see happening, that the law of the land will become more and more opposed to the laws of God. Christianity is in the crosshairs all over the world, and now those sights are being set on the church within our own nation. Perhaps God will spare the church much of this persecution by taking us home in the Rapture at any time.
But there is no guarantee of this, for not only are we being prepared for the rapture, but we are still under the mandate to preach the gospel and win souls for Christ. We are to “occupy”, or keep on working as long as we are on this earth, and that occupying entails the great probability that we will face persecution far above what we see right now.
The church should be crying out to God every day in repentance, humbling ourselves before God and seeking his face. The power to delay that persecution and bring any kind of healing to our nation lies in the prayer of the saints who are trusting and believing God for revival.
On Tuesday, if you had the opportunity to do so, you watched history in the making. If you missed it, you can still see it and get the entire transcript of the speech of Israel’s Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, as he addressed the joint session of the American congress. His speech was laced with predictions and scenarios for the future of the Middle East and of the entire world which very well may hinge on the current foreign policies and deals being made with Israel’s enemies.
One thing he said was, “The battle between Iran and ISIS doesn't turn Iran into a friend of America.” He reiterated this again a few seconds later by saying, “So when it comes to Iran and ISIS, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy!”
This is a prediction that the battle against terrorism if far from over. In fact it says that the battle has only just begun. We cannot afford to support either side, for both sides are against us and both sides are determined to destroy Israel.
The prophetic words of God concerning these last days and the turmoil among nations, was truly magnified.
Jesus warned of these days in Matthew 24.
Matthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
While we watch history unfolding it can become so overwhelming that it will discourage even the strongest people of faith. We cannot dwell on it all of the time. Our trust is in Jesus and he has promised to be with us and never fail. No matter what happens, we win! Stay informed but don’t immerse yourself in the negative things that are going on. Instead; think on the good things and remember that your redemption is getting closer all of the time.
Matthew 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
That phrase “Kingdom against kingdom” has often been interpreted to mean “kingdoms of religions”, and that’s what we see in the rise of militant muslims declaring war on any other religion than their own. Their entire purpose is either the conversion of every soul to their system of religion, or wipe out everyone who refuses including peaceful muslims, Christians, Hindus or anyone else.
