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Strange Justice
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BEGINNING OF PULLING PIECES TOGETHER FOR BOOK, “STRANGE JUSTICE”
The Bible is a book of laws, instructions, directives, promises, hopes, rewards and judgements. The Bible expresses the mind of God regarding reward for righteousness and judgement for sin. The Bible defines the character of God as holy, righteous and separate from sin.
(INCLUDE SCRIPTURE IN SUPPORT OF THESE STATEMENTS)
With that in mind, we have thought about the divine dilemma which all of Christian Theology poses. (stopped here 2-24-2024)
We have captioned our series; “STRANGE JUSTICE.” And I have suggested that Romans untangles what I have chosen to call, The Divine Dilemma. How can a just and righteous God identify man as unrighteous and unjust and then turn around declare him righteous in His, God’s sight? Remember our key verse in Romans 3:26 “… that He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
Verses 16, 17 and 18 come together to reveal this amazing work of God with all its intricacies and all its wonderful outcomes as we will see as we go further into this amazing book.
In 16 Paul says I am emboldened to preach this Good News because it has power. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. The power in the Gospel comes via the work of The Holy Spirit, based on the finished work of Christ on the cross and through the grave to resurrection life.
But if the Gospel has power unto salvation, it implies that there is a need for salvation from something. Yes, there is a great need because the Holy God has declared His creature, man, as in need of salvation because sin has made him unrighteous, unholy, and unclean.
 
In fact that is indeed, the message of verse 18. The wrath of God is revealed. This is not new with Paul. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation is definite about the wrath of God against sin.
Here are just a few instances where we encounter divine displeasure with sin:
In Genesis we have the beginning of sin in the human family. Right there is the only utopia the man has ever enjoyed, sine entered. There is the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve violated the commands of God and God came down in judgment against their rejection of His boundaries. You and I are just as guilty as were Adam and Eve.
Time and again Almighty God moves against sin. He did at the Tower of Babel. He did at Mount Sinai. We find God pronouncing His displeasure with sin and his wrath against sin in Genesis through Malachi. And when we come to the New Testament, God’s displeasure and wrath against sin continues to be pronounced. Jesus said He came to call sinners to repentance.
He also said that the condemnation that men and women face is a direct result of choice. In John 3:19, Jesus said that our condemnation is self inflicted. Listen to the Savior speaking: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather that light because their deeds were evil.”
Page 2
Lets’ review the scene:

1. Holy God

2. Unholy man

3. Sins demands punishment

1. Man needs salvation, deliverance for the penalty of his sin

2. Jesus makes a sacrifice that satisfies God’s just demands

As if to say, prove to me that man is really guilty of transgressing the law of God; as if to say show me how; verse 19 begins the divine indictment.  Let’s hear what is has to say:
 
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. (Romans 1:19-23 NIV)
The message here is an echo of what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:19. Remember? Light has come into the world but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.
You can see the divine tapestry of Scripture unfolding step by step for our benefit.
I would like to revisit the sin and guilt issue for just a moment. We said that the divine plan of salvation has been in the plan of God from the beginning. Last week we pointed to the fact that the coming of Jesus into the world as the means of our salvation from the penalty of sine was promised, beginning in the first book of the bible. We read for Like’s Gospel how Jesus acknowledged the fact that the entire body of Jewish Scripture spoke of His coming, his death and His wondrous resurrection.

 
, just as verse 19 of John 3 comes to the scene.
 
Numbers 5:6-8 Speak to the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit …
That declaration involves you. It involves me. Each of us has sinned against God. The Bible says so, our consciences tell us so, and our behavior is evidence of our
sin and our guilt. Our salvation then is a priority with God. It is this salvation, this saving work that Paul is bold and happy and eager to proclaim.
 
And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.
"Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!
 
----Original Message-----
From: Billy Hall <billsophia@hotmail.com>
To: AUDLEY F. MCLEAN <biblspks@aol.com>
Cc: Billy Hall <billsophia@hotmail.com>
Sent: Thu, Sep 3, 2015 9:41 pm
Subject: BIBLE SPEAKS edited
 
THE BIBLE SPEAKS FOR 9-6-15
 
Greetings to you and welcome to another edition of STRANGE JUSTICE, our title for a study of the Book of Romans.
 
We concluded our look at chapter four last week as we focused on faith as the only means by which God grants the gift of righteousness.
 
Last week’s discussion reminded us that this righteousness by faith was not a concept employed in recent times. It was the means by which God justified Abraham  long before the law was given.
 
It is this righteousness that God grants on the basis of faith plus nothing. Paul took us back to the Book of Genesis to showcase God’s star pupil in the school of faith….His name is Abraham.
 
The text that Paul cites is Geneses 15:6, where we read that Abraham believed in the Lord and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.
 
That very verse is quoted by Paul in Romans 4:3. In last week’s study we placed emphasis on the simplicity of Abraham’s faith.
Perhaps the most revealing statement on the simplicity of Abraham’s faith is the statement in Genesis 12:4. It simply states: So Abraham departed as the Lord had instructed him.
This same simple faith is all you need to receive from God the great gift of salvation. Jesus highlights the imperative of simplicity when, one upon a day, the disciples asked Him who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
How Oh, I love the response of Jesus. Listen to the account as recorded in Matthew 18:2-4:  
Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt 18: 24).
The Apostle Paul also thrills us with his teaching on the simplicity of faith we need to exercise to become righteous in the sight of God .   
In Romans chapters one, two and three – as we journeyed through those chapters --we could rightly say that we felt as though we were taking  four, we observed, is like a long walk along a quiet, tree-lined street, as we reflected upon man’s unrighteous rejection of God., as stated in chapters one, two and three of Romans.
Along that journey we were reminded that God provided a basis for the same ungodly human being to be granted a righteous status. There we answered the question of how God could hate sin and yet justify the sinner. We were reminded too, that it took the sacrifice of the holy, sinless Son of God, who gave His life upon a Roman cross to make that a blessed reality for us..
But, oh so absolute is the requirement that each person, each individual who would avail himself or herself of this gift of righteousness, must come to God by faith. The death of Jesus Christ atoned for our sins. The resurrection of Jesus Christ authenticates His substitutionary work and provides everlasting life for all who believe. Are you a believer in Jesus?  I mean, have you put your faith in him as your own, personal Savior?
 
When in simple faith you believe in Jesus, you join countless others on the Highway of Faith….the Highway that leads to Heaven. This Highway of faith is designed to lead us to a grand mansion rich with troves of rare treasure.
 
Indeed, as we enter the vestibule of chapter five, we are not going to be in the least disappointed. In fact, we are going to be ecstatic.
 
And so, ladies and gentlemen: Enter with me the treasure house of Romans five.
 
Before we begin our reading from Romans five, let me tell you about a treasure trove discovered in Caribbean territorial waters of Jamaica.
 
It is a fact of history that pirates of from the 17th century ruled the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea and used Jamaica as a storage place for their ill-gotten gain. Over the years, large discoveries of treasure have been found from time to time, but in 2014, the largest ever was discovered.
March 2014: A team of American treasure hunters searching the Jamaican waters for ancient shipwrecks, has uncovered the greatest stash of precious metals ever n found in the modern era. The amazing hoard, certainly linked to a group of pirates operating in the area in the 17th century, was discovered in the remains of a badly damaged English ship named  The Manticore , near the limit of Jamaican national waters.
Considering the weight of the precious metals alone, the treasure is evaluated to be an incredible 187 million American dollars, making it the most valuable hoard ever discovered. Many semi-precious and precious stones like amethyst, opal and jade were also present in great quantities, and have been recovered. The total value could possibly reach 500 million dollars if sold at auction.

By any standard, that was an incredible find, and justifies the excitement the treasure finders expressed. But that earthly treasure find, pales into insignificance when compared with the eternal treasure found right here in Romans five.
 

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1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Romans 5:1-11 NIV
 
That statement opens the treasure house of Almighty God. Dear listener, do remember that the things of earth will dim and lose their value when we remember they are borrowed for a while.  The treasuries of our God are yours for time and eternity.
Let’s highlight the treasures that we find in God’s grand mansion. In verse one we have:
…….God’s justification
…….Peace with God
…….Access by faith
…….Joy
……Hope
All of that is found in the first two verses of Romans chapter five.
The third verse leads us into a vault of truth and reality. We are not deceived into thinking, as some would have us believe, that our salvation is a passport from any earthly ills. Verse three tells us that here on earth, we will face the same ups and downs as other men do, but we have an adjusted attitude, acknowledging that when bad things happen, we have the Holy Spirit’s power to  learn from them and so we rejoice because we know trials only come to make us strong.
With this list as an introduction into what is available to us by faith, let’s thank God for the wonder of this STRANGE JUSTICE. I invite you to avail yourself of that wonderful provision of Almighty God.  Jesus died and rose again to set you free from the bondage and judgment your sin deserves. Join the millions who have come to God in Christ and begin to enjoy the treasures of God’s wonderful grace.
This story of God’s grace is both complex and simple. The divine plan of salvation is a rather complex matter, born in the heart of God; predicted by prophets; executed through miracle and fulfilled with divine miracle. Yes, it is complex in its origin and execution but oh, how simple for its acquisition. Glory to God on high!
Men and women from every walk of life have embraced this simple message of salvation. One such person is the famous Gospel preacher on the 18th. Century.
John Wesley’s Biographer writes:
John Wesley was almost in despair. He did not have the faith to continue to preach. When death stared him in the face, he was fearful and found little comfort in his religion. To Peter Böhler, a Moravian friend, he confessed his growing misery and decision to give up the ministry. Böhler counseled otherwise. "Preach faith till you have it," he advised. "And then because you have it, you will preach faith." A wise Catholic once made a similar statement: "Act as if you have faith and it will be granted to you." John acted on the advice. He led a prisoner to Christ by preaching faith in Christ alone for forgiveness of sins. The prisoner was immediately converted.
John was  astonished. He had been struggling for years. Here was a man transformed instantly. John made a study of the New Testament and found to his astonishment that the longest recorded delay for salvation was three days -- while the apostle Paul waited for his eyes to open.
The Moravians assured him their personal experiences had also been instantaneous. John found himself crying out, "Lord, help my unbelief!" However, he felt dull within and little motivated even to pray for his own salvation.
On this day, May 24th, 1738 he opened his Bible at about five in the morning and came across these words, "There are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, even that ye should partakers of the divine nature." He read similar words in other places.
That evening he reluctantly attended a meeting in Aldersgate. Someone read from Luther's Preface to the Epistle to Romans. About 8:45 pm. "while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
It took him some time to learn how to live the life of faith, for he was not always possessed of joy and thought he had fallen from salvation.
It took time for him to see that it is not Christ and good works, but Christ alone who saves, resulting in good works.
As time went on, John Wesley was mightily used of the Lord to reform England. His Methodists became a national force. John rode thousands of miles (as many as 20,000 a year) preaching as only a man filled with the Holy Spirit can preach, telling the gospel to all who would listen. He acted "as though he were out of breath in pursuit of souls."
Wherever he preached, lives changed and manners and morals altered for the better. It is often conjectured that his preaching helped spare England the kind of revolution that occurred in France.
SOURCE: Christianity.com Rodney’s Notes # 7
 
My friend, I am confident enough to believe that God’s next John Wesley may be listening right now. Perhaps it is you to whom the finger of God is pointing. Do end your confusion. Do, end you running.  It does not matter, the state of your life. God loves you. Jesus died to save you. He wants to forgive and justify you. Strange but true, His love about love shown is also about Justice done.
 
850 plus 850 words…..equal 1, 700

Cankerworm Trial
You gotta make sure how do I know you've got to make sure OK I'd like to dictate the story of cankerworm that's just the title of my new book do you think with my restoration to the Lord first of all I'm like let me talk about the cankerworm the Palmer worm a set of insects logins exit could destroy crops regionally send the whole farm into poverty God describes the canker were almost his charmed in the book of Joanne Joe is a prophet of the Old Testament addressing the nation of Judah the southern section of the Israeli territory and God had given them specific commands and behavior patterns and they violated them all God through the prophet Joel said I'm gonna whip you actually in my language God says I'm gonna whip your behind and God did that and Joe turns around guided by God to talk about the time when God would restore to them all they lost from the destruction of the power and the cankerworm who God calls my servants and so beginning with that I bought into that story as my own personal relationship with God because up in the morning in February 1 year while I lived here in Ocala FL I had the time of prayer and I began to review my wasted years as a servant of God as a young man called by God to the mission of proclaiming the gospel of Christ and things went well in fact very well great things happened in the city of Buffalo and God took announced known country boy from Jamaica and broke into some territory that they told me were unbreakable some combinations they told me were on attachable some relationships they told me that were unworkable God showed me differently and in the height of that I suspect you'd call it a great revival coming together of churches black and white Satan began to knock on the door just like he did in the garden of Eden to eat did God really did God say this well that wasn't the approach that I heard in my heart and head because the devil knew better than challenge me challenging me with that but he sent me what seemed like good things to what seemed like good people and this is my digital my resistance to the things of the world and sin eroded and I like the children of Israel began to feel the spiritual impact of this spiritual cankerworm and Palmer worm whom I dress as we continue our discussion today

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