Basic Training 06 Series

Welcome back to Basic Training. We have 4 weeks remaining in our study of the book of Romans after today.

We have covered a lot of ground so far in the book of Romans. Hopefully you have read through the book of Romans at least one time since we began this journey.

If you have not read through it yet, I encourage you to do so before we finish our 10 week series.

There is a vast treasure of Scriptural truths found in this book. Truths that can lead the believer to a personal revival in their life.

The word "revival" is as familiar to us as any other word we use today.

We Christians are constantly speaking about and praying for a revival. So what does revival mean?

The word revive is from the Latin and means, to live again, to receive again a life which has almost expired; to rekindle into a flame the vital spark which was nearly extinguished.

A good illustration of this comes from my years as an EMT B and firefighter. I know that when a person has been rescued from drowning or nearly drowned, many on the scene fear that the person is dead.

When rescuers arrive and are able to assess the person to see if life still lingers, we check for a pulse, we check to see if there are any lung sounds, we check the ABC’s, airway, breathing, and circulation.

If any of those things are missing in the person when we assess them, then we use the proper means restore life to the patient.

The chest is compressed, oxygen is pumped into the body, stimulants and medicine are administered, and if by God's providence life still tarries in that person; they will open their eyes and begin to breathe again.

Another example is when a person faints and then returns to consciousness, we say, “they have been revived.”

According to the great evangelist Charles Spurgeon, the term "revival" can only be applied to a living soul, or to that which once lived.

Spiritually speaking we all need a revival in our lives. A true revival is something that should be looked for in the church of God and it is something that needs to begin in the children of God. Revival begins in the individuals of which the church is made up of.

The results of a revival within the church is that the people of God will grow closer to God and this will then extend to the outside world.

I pray that all of our hearts will be ignited with revival and that each of us will draw closer to the Father through our study of the book of Romans.

God promises a river of blessings to those who are revived and He wants us to jump in with both feet and totally immerse ourselves in His righteousness.

Let’s pray,

Father,

Open my eyes so I can see Your truth.

Open my ears so I can hear Your voice.

Open my mind so I can understand Your Word.

And open my heart so I may receive all that You want me to receive. AMEN

Who is God’s mercy for? Everyone, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

That is how Paul classified people. That is how the Jewish people classify people. Jews and Gentiles.

The Jewish people are originally God’s chosen people. He made a covenant with the father of the Jewish people who was Abraham. I think we are all familiar with that covenant.

God told Abraham that He would make him into a great nation and bless him and that all people would be blessed by him.

Does God still stand by that covenant today?

God advised Israel “up front”, that if they persisted in disobedience, they would forfeit the blessings that He promised and supplied for them, and would obtain curses as a substitute. This is found in Deuteronomy 28:15-68.

These curses included disease, drought, crop failure, hunger, thirst, nakedness, persecution, plundering and enemy invasion; even to the point of their resorting to cannibalism of their young children because of their hunger.

As a substitute of becoming as the stars in multitude, as God had promised in Genesis 15:4-5, they would be decreased to being “couple of in number” according to

Deuteronomy 28:62.

Instead of Israel getting the head and other folks being the tail, as God had promised in Deuteronomy 28:13, Israel would turn into the tail, whilst their enemies would be the head Deuteronomy 28:44.

As a substitute of the Lord’s multiplying and undertaking great things for Israel, giving them their land forever, and getting other nations and kings to serve them, as He had promised Genesis 13:14-15. Instead the Lord would rejoice in destroying Israel and bringing them to practically nothing, and would pluck them from their land; additionally Israel would serve its enemies and be destroyed by them, and no one would save Israel, Deuteronomy 28:29, 48, 63.