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Bro. Otis Fisher
Open your Bibles to the Book of Romans, to the 9th chapter, please. Verse 1. I say the truth in Christ, I lie not. My conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost. Now, before we start this chapter, I must warn you that this chapter deals with the doctrine of election and it is not for newborn.
It's not for brand new Christians. It was at this time that the events in Acts took place and I'd like for you to turn to the 23rd chapter of Acts and follow along beginning with verse 12. Paul, all of his Christian life, was receiving persecution from his own people up until he was notified that he belonged to God.
He was persecuting the Christians, the very ones that he now has joined. If you'll follow along in Acts 23, verse 12. And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
They were more than 40 which made this conspiracy. Now, the last we ever heard of these men was that they died from starvation. Paul says it is of a truth. Now, I am not lying to you and I call on the Holy Spirit to witness the fact that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
David, what does he mean? He's continually sorry or sorrowful in his heart and heaviness, the word heaviness.
He's very burdened over his own people, the Jews, that they don't receive Christ.
But he was not, the Jew was not his commission, the Gentile was. He always went to the Jew first, wherever he went. Then in the third verse, and I want us to be sure and understand this verse, Paul continues, For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh.
The word accursed in some translations will have anathema. Let's see if we can find out the meaning of his use of the word accursed. Greg, you're the one with the dictionary. But what does it mean as it's used here?
I wish myself were accursed from Christ.
To be separated from God. To give his life for them. If he could exchange his salvation and go to hell for the people he's trying to show the right way, he would gladly do so. Even though he knows he wouldn't be able to.
He would be willing to sacrifice his own voice in heaven to save.
He didn't know what he was saying. I think he knew exactly what he was saying.
He thought that if he could have done that, he would have. Even though he knows it wouldn't be possible.
Well, let's dig a little deeper. Phil?
I thought that was, I thought that was the whole verse.
Alright, did anyone look up the word accursed or anathema? How are you going to learn if you don't study the expression accursed or anathema? The fossil here does not speak of a wish as a possible thing.
Of course we know it's not possible. It is a simple though vehement expression of feeling showing how strong was his desire for the salvation of his people. The word accursed means this in this place.
It is not that he would trade his salvation but that he would spend the rest of his life separated from God on this earth and that he would give his physical body for that just like Moses was willing to die physically for his people.
Paul's saying that he would give his body as a sacrifice for the welfare of his people. Now, it's very seldom that you'll find even a good man that would give his life for another. Jesus gave his life for us on the cross and Paul was so burdened that he would go as far as he could possibly go and that would be giving himself as a sacrifice for his people.
Of course that didn't happen and it wouldn't happen and if you want to interpret it that he would give his salvation that's alright but I don't think he went that far. Is there any other comments from anybody?
Well, he knew that. He certainly understood far more than we do about his position with Christ.
The definition I have here is that he was separated. The definition that I have here is that he was separated.
David, do you have some further information?
Yes, if you look at Exodus 32 verse 32 it's a reference of Moses' position where Moses healed the sick and said, Yet now thou wilt forgive their sin and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
And the Lord said to Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. And I think that book is a book that Jews kept that included living people on the earth. It was a physical reference to physical death.
So that's a little problem that I have here. So that would lend itself to your interpretation that he would be willing to be separated from Christ in his life if his brother was living. I've never thought of it that way so right now but I think that's a good thought because it's hard as a Christian to even contemplate that anyone can get to a place where they honestly say, I would want to be separated from Christ forever once he did rise for anybody for any reason.
I mean that would be hard to comprehend any Christian to get to that place.
Well, of course it would be an impossibility but he would be infringing upon God's power to do that because God's the one that called him and saved him and to reverse that would be impossible but it would be possible under strange circumstances to live a separated life a hermit, whatever, or someone else.
All this is doing is showing us the deep feeling that Paul had for his people. Anything else? Verse 4, he continues now well let me back up to 3, 4, I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh who are Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises.
Whose are the fathers of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came. Jesus came as a descendant of David in the flesh. Yet he was virgin born, had no earthly father he had to be virgin born so he would not have the sin nature the sin nature passed on by the man, not the woman.
Concerning the flesh Christ came a man who is over all, God blessed forever. Christ is over all. Jesus Christ is the one that by whom all things consist now what does the word consist bring to mind glue, hold together in fact we get our word glue from the same root that consist comes from he is the glue that holds everything together.
I challenge you to think about that this week if it were not for him and that power things are not together what are they Bill they are all. I can't even think in that realm. Verse 6 not as though the word of God has taken none effect for they are not all Israel all which are of Israel.
Now he's getting into something that may be a little bit confusing but let's be sure Israel had the visible presence of the Lord the Shekinah glory. Remember that? Everybody remember that? Anybody not remember that?
Well then Russell explain to me the Shekinah glory. Where is Roger? He passed away. I think I recognize that voice.
I can just see the top of his head. Explain to us the Shekinah glory.
Alright but no one's told me yet what Shekinah is. Dennis? Mrs. Fisher? You won't be when you go home. Now I must ask you to not laugh. Let's get to Diane. It's the light.
Of his presence. When Moses came down off the mountain he had a glow of the light of the Shekinah glory and those that were able to go before him in the presence had that glow. Now Christ Jesus is our Shekinah glory.
He's in us. So we don't have that eminent glow but they should be Christ's in us.
David why do we not have this Shekinah glory like the Israelites did?
Well in the last days God revealed to the church that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
They did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Jew demanded a sign. It had to be something that they could see and God provided not because they desired it but because he desired that his presence would be made visible by a flame, a fire, a brilliance.
We have no words to describe it. It was a flashing force that was visible. Extremely visible. It was brighter light than man has ever seen. Yet it would not hurt your eyes to look at it. Now how do you explain that?
His face shined away.
Yes. They were fearful and he put a veil over his face to let them come and talk to him. That's right. Alright. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham but they are all children but in Isaac shall the seed be called.
That is they which are the children of the flesh. These are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. Why are we called the children of promise?
God's promise of Abraham and Isaac's children show that Christ represents the perfect cause of our lives.
And it all started with the birth of Isaac. Well it started before with the promise of the son. You remember they had another son, Ishmael that was not the child of promise. This was one that he and his wife and a handmaid conjured up.
And God says no way. And Abraham loved that child and wanted it. But God said no. Alright. You're not a child of God just because your parents are. Is that true or false? John 8, 39. Go to that please.
Diane read 39 and 40 and 44 please.
You want 39, 40 and what? 44 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said unto them, if you were Abraham's children he would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me and men that have told you the truth which I have heard of God, this did not Abraham.
And then you want 44? Yes. Ye are a real father of the devil and the less of your fathers he will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and a boat not in the truth because there is no truth in him.
When he speaks of the lie he speaks of his own for he is a liar and the father of it.
Alright. Extremely hard words to these Pharisees. True. But I want you to see something else. In verse 44 Jesus says you are of your father the devil and you'll do whatever he does. Now if that's true for the unsaved how true is it for the saved?
Are we of our father God? Will we do that which he wants done or that he does? If it's true on one side it's got to be true on the other. In verse 9 for this is the word of promise At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.
Goes right back to Isaac. And not only this but when Rebecca also had conceived by one even by our father Isaac for the children being not yet born hold on to your seats neither having done any good or evil how could they before they were born?
Strange as it may seem at the time Jesus was on earth Christ was here the Jews believed in a form of reincarnation and they also believed that the fetus could sin. Do you remember I think it was Peter asked the Lord who sinned this man or his parents that this man was born blind?
Think about that. So it's not mentioned much except in just a few hidden statements but this is what they believed. Now for the children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil but that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of him that calleth it was said unto her the elder shall serve the younger as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated.
This proves that there are two seeds in this world. I want you to get that fixed in your mind forever you'll hear lots of opposition to that you'll hear a lot of preaching that tries to tear that down but that's not what's in the Bible the Bible tells us very plain that Satan has his people and God has his people here well that brings up a whole lot of questions since God is the ordainer of everything and controller of everything why did he make people that belong to Satan?
Clarence that's a good question for you.
He's the father of the world. He can choose whatever he wants to choose. Well that's true. And do whatever he wants.
Can we find any logical reason to the fact that the children of Satan are in the world?
But the best proof will come in.
Alright how do you prove something?
I walk past him and show him.
Those people that are his people if you're his you need to reflect that in some way and you need to reflect it in the presence of those things in the world around you that might interfere.
With that projection.
If everybody else is doing the same thing that you're doing then you're doing it because everybody else is and so you need to be tested in the presence of opposition.
I think that's what I'm trying to say. Doesn't it also say in testing you show yourself. In the testing it gives you confidence in your own faith. Yes it proves your faith.
That's right let me ask you something now say that we got together and designed a new type of fuse something different than had ever been made. And from all of the paperwork and from looking at the finished product it looks like it was the hold up of 15 people.
Now how are we going to judge whether it will or not? You're subjected to a test. The test comes to us from the children of Satan. I think I've told you about the story of a new bridge that they built over the Cimarron River near where I grew up.
The old one had washed away and they built a new one, concrete and come the day that they were going to open it and they were going to test it, well how do you test a bridge? They had two locomotives come and drove them out on the bridge and they tied the throttle down tied the whistles down, made all the shaking and rattling that they could out of both of them and the engineer that had designed the bridge was there.
And someone asked him what are you doing, trying to tear it up? He said no I'm trying to prove it, so when the tests come when those things that we don't like come it's because they're needed for our growth.
Without Satan we wouldn't mount anything. I hope you understand that, now at the same time we're not supposed to go out and look for sin just so we can grow big. No, you don't have to look for it. You don't have to go to school to learn how to do it.
But this is the design of all the afflictions in our life and he will never put on us what? More than we could ever handle he will not do, so everything that comes is designed by God. If we rebel we've failed the test and didn't grow any.
So don't do that, thank him for it thank him for the conclusion of it, don't pray that it goes away when right after Jesus had been seen after his resurrection the disciples were all gathered together in a room someplace they were there for fear.
They prayed concerning their welfare and everything, but one thing, if you read that you'll see that they did not pray for, that's poor English but it's good theology, they did not pray that the persecution would cease or go away.
We should be with it because it's come for a reason. So look at every one of your problems, that you think is a problem. It's really a growing situation. I wish I could remember what this teacher says.
I have a problem, alright so he says that just because you're an Israelite doesn't mean that you're one of God's children. Just because your parents are Christian doesn't mean you are, just because they belong to the devil doesn't mean you do, he said here in 12 it was said to her, the elder shall serve the younger as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Now David, what's he mean by Esau have I hated, I think in the Greek language it means Esau have I hated. In the Greek it means Esau have I hated, boy that clears it up.
I studied that. I'm glad you can read Greek. He says. Esau have I hated I have pursued with hatred. I detest, I dislike, I loathe I have horror, and I despise him. Did he love him?
You're going to keep on. Why did you look it up? There's a seminary professor in Florida who sent a tape to one of our church members to prove that God didn't hate Esau.
I'll try to get my hands on it. Well I'd like for you to turn to the book of Psalms the 5th Psalm and the 5th verse. John. Would you read that to us? Posters can have no standing in your sight now. How many of you have ever heard the statement God hates sin but he loves the sinner.
Did you ever hear that?
What did that verse just tell us? He hates all workers of iniquity.
Now go to Psalms 11. This is beautiful.
The Lord trieth the righteous but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth that trieth. Is what you were just talking about.
He trieth us right now here on this earth every day all of the time we're subject to temptation not a one of us is above sinning. Alright so when he says he hates Esau I have to believe just like our dear pastor says that's what the Greek says.
To reinforce what you just said in my Bible there's a little translation of certain words or clarifications and so what he says in this phrase when he says I have hated Esau he says love less. And then he relates that back to Malachi and gives a citation and what he says there is I have loved you said the Lord yet you say wherein hast thou loved us.
Was it not Esau. Jacob's brother said the Lord yet I have loved Jacob and I hated Esau and I have laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragon to the wilderness. That doesn't say anything about love.
That part's not in the tape but he takes the statement and translates it differently and refers it back to a reference that has nothing to do with Malachi.
You see what these guys try to say is that it's not that God hated Esau but if you compare the love that he had for Esau to the love that he had for his own children then it was like they try to use that logic to prove it.
Why would he waste his mountains and destroy everything and I didn't cite that that was the editor of this Bible that cited that passage as his I guess proof for his.
What is this Malachi? One two and three two and three.
The the mystery.
Malachi chapter one verse two and three.
The mystery out of all of this verse he loved Jacob and hated Esau was to me. How could he love Jacob? That's right. We have to go back to his. If he loved Jacob then there's some hope for me. You see as Martin Luther King said he had to love me before I was born.
Of course there's been nothing in me. So it has to be before. It has to be from eternity past. He set his love upon us. He did that. Russell. We can do nothing good or bad. Of course we don't know what good is.
We only know what bad is. Then in verse fourteen what shall we say then. Paul speaking is there unrighteousness with God. God forbid such a thought. For he said to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
And you have nothing to say about it. Neither does anyone else. God has always done that which he desires. Now we use human terms. He doesn't desire certain things. He just wills it. In Isaiah forty and thirteen.
Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord or been his counselor. Or hath taught him. With whom took he counsel. And who instructed him and taught him in the path of judgment and taught him knowledge and showed to him the way of understanding.
Who did this. For God. Somebody had to go to seminary. Well what he said was I will not have mercy on those that I hate. I will not have compassion on those that I will not. If he says I will have it on those that I will.
He also says I will not on those that I will not. Try to always look what it does not say. Verse sixteen. So then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that showeth. Mercy. What is the it.
So then it. Alright.
What choice people say things that you choose Jesus. So therefore it's up to the will of man. But in John chapter one it says it's not by the will of man nor the flesh but of the will of God.
It's faith because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word so it's his word of faith he gives to you.
That's right. The faith is of God the hearing is of God and the word is of God. So then it is not of him that willeth. Right. What does it mean of willeth.
We don't have any choice as to whether we're his or whether we're his.
That's right and it doesn't depend on your parents it doesn't even depend on you. I heard a world famous preacher this morning on the air and he's closed his sermon with saying he will change your destiny forever if you'll just accept him.
Right what a great way to talk about that destiny. I mean it was one that one of you might.
I can believe that. So then it is not of him that willeth. Greg what's it mean here. Someone that wills that means making the decision that you want this. But you can't all right. Nor of him that runneth.
What's that mean. Greg in this case it means if you're pursued you're not.
Necessarily going to get it. That's work okay work.
But it does depend upon God that shows mercy. God is not. Salvation is not due to the one who is willing or wants it or that someone else wants it neither is it due to anyone working for it. It is all according to the will of the Father.
Period. For the scripture says unto Pharaoh even for this same purpose have I raised you up that I might show my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all of the earth. He said Pharaoh I put you here for this very reason.
He said you're a son of Satan and I have a work for you today. And this is what you're supposed to do and this is what you're doing whether you want to do. You suppose Pharaoh knew that he was fulfilling the will of God.
No. Do the children of Satan know that they're fulfilling the will of God today. Do the children of God know they're fulfilling the what were will of God.
They've been taught now for 50 years that they have to seek the will of God. They're confused about what that means. That implies they can get out.
That's right and they spend all their lives looking for it.
How do we do the will of God? Do that which you.
Know to be good in the eyes of the Lord. What did Jesus say? No man does good. I just thought I'd let you know that he told me that immediately.
When they asked the Lord what can we do that we do the works of God what did he tell them?
Believe on him who he has sent.
Now how do you get to where you can believe that?
Give his faith. Receive Jesus' faith.
Well now can we prove that? He puts the belief in you. He puts the belief in you. Prove it.
Philippians 1 .29 I think.
Everybody turns to Philippians 1 .29.
Philippians 1 .29 it says for unto you it is given in behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake. I'm in the suffering right here.
Did you realize that he changed your belief or you would never be saved? Now go to Philippians 2 .13.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
It's God that works in you now that you is not collective that's single you and you and you and you individually. It is God that's working in you both to do what he wants you to do to cause you to will to want to do it and it will please him.
We want to do the work that is God's work it's so clear.
All we have to do is just handle whatever you have right now. Do the best you can with whatever you have wherever you are right now. Alright we need to stop here. Let's start with 17 again. Now I have before we break up an assignment for you for next week.
I would like you to write down what is your God. I don't mean write that sentence but I want you to describe your God without even mentioning what God does. We're not talking about his works or what he does.
How do you perceive God yourself. What is God to me. And you cannot relate everything he does now. We're not talking about the works. We're talking about what is he. Any questions. Any questions over the lesson.
Chapter 8. Well we'll do that next week. My wife had a birthday this week.
I cannot and I will not tell you how old she is. I will tell you that when we put the candles on the cake it fell laughter. Really not really.