“For the Obedience of Faith”

Romans 16:21-27

21) Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you.

22) I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.

23) Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother.

24) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

25) Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

26) But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

27) To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

Introduction

T

he victory that we are able to have has already been purchased with His death. The plan of salvation is spiritual and is not a “human” plan. In that He has already set everything in motion, all that we are required to do is to agree with Him.

When we believe God, we are said to be walking “in faith” because in that His plan does not work according to Man’s understanding, we are called upon to accept that which we cannot readily perceive.

Main Thought

The Word of God informs us that He is looking for the one who would profess belief in Him to take Him at His word. Over the years, many have professed to believe God, and indeed, it is a favorite topic of “testimonies” to speak how much faith one has. Be that as it may, the only way for one to prove that he trusts God is to do as He says. You see, even though we may not like what is happening because it is “putting us on the spot” (so to speak), tests only come to show us how “faith-ful” we are.

The “formula” for resting in the Lord is simple: put your problems in the hands of the Lord and leave it up to Him. After all, what, exactly, are we really able to do about anything? Though time-and-time again, we have had it proven to us that our best efforts fail, we still attempt to protect ourselves.

It is possible that rarely do we realize that even those things that supposedly we do just “looking out for ‘your’ best interests” are really done in an attempt to protect ourselves. Then, because we haven’t trusted God and what we attempt doesn’t work, we end up in a “panic.”

So, since God “knows” hw we are and always knows what we will do, what could possibly be His “point?” His “point” is to give us difficult tests in order to make us stronger. This is the only way that we would be pushed out of our “comfort zone” and without this, we would never gain any more knowledge or insight. Now, though this is not, necessarily, important to some, if one is “saved” and can offer no one any help, of what use is he?

Contrary to popular opinion and belief, it is not the Enemy who is the “author” of these tests, but rather, the Lord. If he is allowed to test us, it is through permission, only. We have these illustrations in the scripture, however, it is more convenient to “forget” the truth, if only that we might believe a lie that adds credibility to what we would like to believe.

Everything that the Lord allows to come to us He allows that we might be more firmly entrenched in “death.” The Old Testament makes no apologies about the fact that God is a jealous God and will allow no other to receive the praise that rightfully belongs to Him. And because He will not allow any “competition,” He requires us to be put to death in Him. Everyone who will be saved must die.

Generally, we come into salvation and learn all of the wrong things. All one need do is listen to today’s television evangelists and spend time in whatever ministry is the “draw” in your community and you will certainly hear all that the Lord will “do” for you.

As a doctrine, this would be fine if the Lord were looking to do nothing in our lives but bless us. Fortunately, this is not the sole focus of His dealings with us. We already know that one “goal” is to fashion a “new creature” from a misguided and misdirected “old” one. This requires “re-direction” with the goal of turning us into beings who are engaged in the rest of the world and not only their personal ones. This is the only way that we will ever become concerned about doing anything for Him.

In attempting to provide for his own needs, Man has seriously regressed from the saints of old. You see, those in the early Church never questioned how their needs would be met. They trusted God, for they accepted that He would not have sent them out without provision.

There is no gain in attempting to “go ahead” of God. No one who has attempted to circumvent the Lord’s “personal plan” for his life has ever known advancement or success. To prove this, all we need do is examine the scriptures. You see, without the “preparation of the test,” we would never become “qualified” to receive all that He has for us.

After salvation, if flesh remains a priority in our lives, effectively, we sign our own death warrant. The satisfaction of our mind, body, stomach, or anything else is no longer what we need because once our “obedience is fulfilled,” we will be able to receive everything that the Lord has for us.

Nothing is accessible to us outside of obedience, and obedience, itself, is impossible for us outside of the Spirit. The man who had the withered hand was told by Jesus to stretch out that very hand—and he did it and was healed! In contrast, we are told what to do in our particular situation and yet, we do not do as we are told. Frequently, this is because we get involved in God’s “job,” deciding that our problems are “too big.” Unfortunately, we will remain as we are unless and until we decide simply to “do” as God says to do.

We can “play games” with ourselves, our lives, and the lives of others, but this does not change the fact that if we really want to be obedient, it will not matter what He asks us to do. Whatever He asks, we will do it!