Dakota Community Church
September 27, 2009
The Field & the Force 7
The Force at Rest – (Part 3)
So far we have looked at:
1. When the Church is the field
When the church is the field it is seen as the place people come to do the work of God.
2. When the Church is the (labor) force
When the church becomes the force – the world becomes the field.
3. When and where is the gospel to be proclaimed?
The gospel is to be proclaimed everywhere and in every way!
4. In what ways is the force mobilized?
Just how do we get out there and work in the field?
5. What is the role of pastors and elders?
Should we even have pastors and elders?
6. How do I find my place in the field?
7. The force at rest.
Let’s go to the word of God:
A. By God’s design and the laws decree there is a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
B. Fallen man is so broken we cannot even rest without a savior.
Romans 3:19-20
19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Most of the time when Jesus encounters questions about the law He turns the heat up.
Why the Bible? The Bible is not just a collection of ancient writing that we can use to glean insight for better living; the Bible is the inspired word of God!
If the Bible is not the standard – what is? Subjective human feelings.
“Well I know the Bible says that but let me just tell you what I believe.” – What comes next is error is almost guaranteed to be some sort of heretical error.
Why Doctrine? For years I tried to avoid any talk of doctrine; that is just putting God in a box. We don’t put God in a box, He’s God. God does however put us in a box, He calls it a sheepfold and declares that He is the only way in or out of it!
The word doctrine simply means “teaching” so either you believe Biblical doctrine or you believe some other extra Biblical doctrine.
Biblical doctrine says that no one will be saved by keeping the law, by doing good works, if you believe that all good people will get to heaven because God could never condemn someone who had good intentions then you have left the realm of Biblical doctrine.
What if I go home tonight and start singing “Brown Eyed Girl” to express my love to Kathy. If I gaze into her face and say “Oh how I love you, you the best part of being me, I love your brown eyes and your long black hair.” Will Kathy accept this expression of love? NO – Kathy has BLUE EYES and reddish brown hair. But we want to do this to God.
Romans 9:1 – 10:13
1I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised![a] Amen.
6It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."[b] 8In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."[c]
10Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger."[d] 13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."[e]
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."[f] 16It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."[g] 18Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ’Why did you make me like this?’ "[h] 21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
22What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea:
"I will call them ’my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ’my loved one’ who is not my loved one,"[i] 26and,
"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them,
’You are not my people,’
they will be called ’sons of the living God.’ "[j]
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
"Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality."[k]
29It is just as Isaiah said previously:
"Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah."[l]
Israel’s Unbelief
30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33As it is written:
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."[m]
Romans 10
1Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
5Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them."[n] 6But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, ’Who will ascend into heaven?’[o]" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7"or ’Who will descend into the deep?’[p]" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,"[q] that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."[r] 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Continued next week!
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
