I love to read history and see what choices men and women have made and how it affected the course of mankind. The Bible is clear that all of our choices affect people around us and they have an eternal impact. Each life is made up of multiple choices; therefore, each of us is leaving a legacy whether we want to or not. So, what legacy are you leaving?

In Romans 16, we see the legacy of many mentioned by Paul. These are a legacy of service to the Lord. The Bible is a history book of legacies and choices both right and wrong. Let us look at a few today.

I Sam 1; 3:10-14; 4 give us a little insight into the choices of a man named Eli. Eli was a priest in the temple and he is the one who raised Samuel. However, Eli made some really bad choices and left a legacy for all to read. Eli ended his life with nothing to show for his labor except two sons who abused their office in the priesthood, these two sons die in battle, and he fell off a chair and broke his neck because he was heavy. His choice determined what legacy he left.

Saul is another example, I Sam. 28. Saul was a man of God. God chose Saul to be the first earthly king of the Jews. He made a few wrong choices and ended up chasing his friend and next King, David. He also has God turn away from him and ignore him. Then he died miserably in battle.

Then you have the legacy of David, Acts 13:16-24. David made some bad choices but he made some good choices and repented when he disobeyed. God tells us that in all David did, he was a man after God’s own heart. What a legacy! This weighs more then all the good that David did as a king. This is God saying, “well done thy good and faithful servant.” Once again, this legacy was left because of the choices that David made.

Legacy is based on choice of service. You and I choose to serve Satan and self or God and others. When we choose self, we leave a legacy of deceit and destruction and our families go astray. When we choose to serve God, we leave a legacy of blessing and it compels our families to remain faithful to the Lord, Joshua 24, I Kings 9:1-8.

So, the question is whom will you choose to serve, Matt 6? God is clear that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve ourselves and then come and play church and expect people around us to be drawn into a relationship with the Father. We cannot appear to be godly and then secretly fulfill the lust of our flesh for God is not mocked. We will reap what we sow and the all knowing, eternal God is keeping the tabs.

What legacy are you and I leaving? When those around us look at our lives, will they be compelled to live a life for the Lord or self? The choice is yours and mine so let us honor God, get self out of the way, and serve Him whole-heartedly!

Last week we had our VBS culmination and the Lord truly great. Thanks again for all who had a hand in honoring our Lord. Two weeks ago, we looked at verse 14-21 and Paul talks about all the glory going to the Father. This is hard for we are a selfish people and like to be praised ourselves.

He then goes on to tell us who to give the glory to the Father. First of all, glory depends on who you serve, vs. 22-24. Paul tell the Roman Christians that he desires to come unto them but that is not what God wants at this time. So, Paul chooses to follow the Lord’s leading. Now Paul wanted to go to the Romans to do a good work and to help them in their relationship with Christ but for some reason that is not what God wanted. So, whom do you serve, God and others or Satan and self?

Eph. 2:1-3 tells us that in our natural state, we serve Satan. We want to fulfill the desires of the flesh and this desire is ever battling us through our Christian walk. Jonah, was a man of God and yet he choose to serve himself and he ended up paying for it three days in the belly of a whale. When we serve ourselves and Satan, there will always be consequences.

On the other hand, Joshua in 24:15 challenges the people to serve God, “as for me and my house, we WILL serve the Lord.” It takes resolve and a decision to serve God. I John 3:16-18 encourages us to love in deed not just in word if we want to serve the Lord. You can choose to use everything the Lord has blessed you with to serve self. You can use your talents to bring honor to yourself. The choice is yours. Blessing and life or Cursing and destruction.

Next, Paul gets into the pleasure of service. If you have never sacrificially served the Lord, you have no idea what pleasure is. This world’s pleasure does not even come close to the pleasure of working with the Lord. Prov. 11:30 tells us that the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. This world only offers heartache, pain, toil, and a fruit that is spoiled. Earthly fruit withers and rusts away but the fruit of the righteous sustains and withereth not, neither does moth eat it nor does it rust away. Notice as well, that righteous fruit is linked to winning souls. This is wisdom. Who have you told lately?

Lastly, Paul talks of priorities and obedience, vs. 28, 29. Paul once again reveals a heart that is serving the Father, not self. He will go to them when the Lord tells him to and not before. God’s priorities over his own. It is not our place to complete our agenda; it is our place to be submissive to the Father and to do His will over our own. Will you choose wisely and reap blessings or will you choose poorly and reap destruction?

Why do you live the way you do? Most in this world live their lives totally wrapped up in themselves. Sadly, Christians fall into this trap as well. The jobs we work, the places we go, the cloths we wear most of the time are influenced by what we want and not governed by the grace of God.

In Romans 15, Paul tells the church that he is persuaded that they are full of goodness, grace, and godliness. When people see you and get to know you, are they persuaded to follow Christ? In Heb. 6, Paul says that he is persuaded of better things concerning the church. Listen, it is not just about what you know but about the truth being lived out through you and I. God has so much more for us if we could just lean upon His grace.

Paul goes on to talk about the grace of God and why we have it. The purpose that Paul gives in Romans is for the service to the King. This purpose is echoed in Eph. 4:7. God gives us grace to serve. He also gives us grace to become heirs of Christ, Titus 3:7 and for salvation Titus 2:11. So, are you using the grace of God for yourself or for its intended purpose?

Then Paul gets into perspective and where the glory belongs. Again, it is so easy to praise ourselves and live to ourselves, but this is totally contrary to the scriptures. Vs. 17 Paul shows us the proper perspective can help us glorify the Father. Because Paul understood that all goes to Christ, he is able to not worry about himself and live a life to the Father. In closing, to whom are you living and using God’s grace?

God is the God of the Jews. They are His chosen people and He is not finished with them yet. His promises and covenant to the Jews are still sure today. This afternoon we will discuss why the world has a deep-seated hatred for the Jews.

God is also the God of the gentiles. The Israelites rejected God and the Bible now says that He came to the gentiles. Although, God did come to gentiles in the Old Testament such as Rahab and the Centurion, Matthew, 8, the Jews are still His people. And we are grafted in.

Now we get to verse 13 and we see the God of hope. Remember, hope is not a wish but knowledge of a truth based upon the Word of God. Notice the first word, now. This means that hope comes only after being reconciled to God and each other. If we are not reconciled or at peace with God, there is no hope only a sure judgment and eternity apart from God in Hell, Heb. 9:27.

Also, notice that the hope is directly proportionate to the filling of the Spirit. In Acts 4 we see an account of Peter and John healing a man and then preaching. We see the ability to be bold based upon the hope they possessed in Christ.

Lastly, notice that the hope and the filling if based in the Holy Spirit not by our own power and might. Eph. 6:10-12 tells us to be strong in the Lord not in ourselves for we fight not flesh and blood but we fight in a spiritual battle. So, our power and hope comes from God and the praise and glory should go back to God. It is amazing how we like to claim praise for that which is not ours at all. In conclusion, God is a God of hope to all mankind.

Another question is why does God not use prophets like He used to? First, one would need to define what a prophet is. A prophet in the Bible was one who was given a piece of information from God to give to the people about the future. This is much more than making a prediction even if it is based in wisdom. One thought suggesting why God does not use prophets like that any more is because the Bible is complete. God gave us Genesis, the beginning all the way to Revelations, the end. In the middle is everything we need to know to live and please Him. If we know the beginning through the end, there is nothing else to foretell.

If someone comes on the scene and claims to be a prophet, we must keep a couple of things in mind. First, God is God. If He chooses to send another prophet, He can and will do it in truth. Second, I John 4:1 tells us that many false prophets will come. Satan is the master liar. Also, we need to try them to see if they are of God or not. Lastly, what ever they say, must not contradict the scripture. God’s Word is truth and is the barometer for every thought and belief. If you have more thoughts, please feel free to share on line in our forums.

God starts off the next set of verses with reminding us that the Jews are His chosen people, vs. 8. Out of all the people on earth, God reached down and chose the Jews. In Gen. 12, God makes a covenant with Abram, the father of the Jews. God tells Abram that He will make a great nation from him and that He will bless them. He gives Abram a promise that their name will be great and that all nations shall reap for themselves blessing or cursing based upon the relationship with Israel.

If you study history, you will understand that the world hates the Jews especially the Arabic nations. Also, if you study the history of America you will see that the world hates us because we have always backed the Jews and stood by them. This gives more credence to the fact of America and its Christian foundation. America must always stand by Israel no matter how it looks to the rest of the world. The world will always hate the allies of Israel so we must remember that the world will hate us. We must pray for Israel and for God to redeem them back to himself.

In the next couple of verses, 9-12, God then shows the breadth of His grace in the fact that He is also the God of the gentiles. God has given us the ability to become companions with the Jews. This is the grace of God. Redemption not only reconciles us to an all loving God, but it also reconciles us to each other. Ecc. 4:9-12 details to us what happens when we stand together. The Bible tells us that a two strand cord is not easily broken. Now when you look at the surface, this makes much sense. Of course two are stronger than one. Upon further study, the word cord carries the meaning of not just being spun together but sewn together giving it a multiplicity of strength. When we are united in the Lord, our strength is in each other as well as our Savior. Remember, redemption is reconciling us to God and each other.

Lastly, let us look at the fact that all need the grace of God. It is easy at times to think that a certain individual is not deserving of God’s grace, but let me ask you who is? No one is deserving. That’s why it is called unmerited favor. Let me ask you when was the last time you thought about witnessing to a wild man, Mark 5? How about a prostitute, John 8? Christ went to the most undeserving and His grace made a difference in their lives. His love broke the chains of bondage and set them free. If you know the Lord, the same happened to you. You were once bound and headed for death until the Master entered and gave you freedom. We must not forget that God loves all, gives grace to all and can change all no matter what their past contained.

So, let us pray for Israel, support them personally and nationally, and let us praise the Lord for allowing us to be grafted into the family. Also, let us remember that we are sewn together and our reconciliation is to God and each other; and we must remember that God’s grace is truly sufficient for all.

This country was founded upon Christ or biblical ideas. This has been argued only in the recent past because past generations knew it to be true. They were educated in our founding father’s writings and beliefs which cannot be said of most today. Until recent years, liberty and our founding documents were common dinner table discussions. Lord, help us to use our liberty and teach those around us.
We have discussed liberty, the main one, so I ask you, “What other Christian ideas was this nation founded upon?” If you read the Declaration of Independence, you cannot escape the belief in God as Supreme, Creator, and as Personal.

If He is supreme, we are accountable to Him, Rom. 14:11, 12. This is why they cried out to God to check their motives and bless them if they were right. In case you are wondering, God did. If you read any letters by our founding fathers to friends and family, you will see that they understood this wholly.

If He is Creator, then we are not our own. We have a job to serve those whom God places in our lives, John 13. I Cor. I Cor. 6:19, 20 tells us that we are not our own and we are indeed bought with a price. We live in a society that does not fear God any more and therefore does not understand this concept at all. Most Christians live contrary to this as well. Remember, we are not our own but we are God’s and we should be willing to serve Him at all costs.
If He is personal, we can know Him, I John 4:9-16, 5:20 . Also, He knows us, Luke 12:6, 7. Jerm. 17:9, 10 goes on to tell us that not only does God know us; He knows the content of our hearts. Yet, He still loves us and cares for us. What an amazing God.
Think of more and feel free to share them on line in our discussion forum.

Last week, we discussed liberty and in our text today we are reminded that this idea is biblical in its very origin. Also, liberty does not mean that you can do what you want but rather you can do what you must to better others for the time present and generations to come, Rom. 15:1, 2. When we exercise our liberty, the whole body is strengthened. This task is one that must be accomplished together, not alone, Ex. 18:22, Numbers 11, I Cor. 10:13. God gives this task to the church as a whole and if we want to see this world turned around, we must work together.

Our example is Christ Himself, Rom. 15:3, 4. In John 13 we see Christ wash the disciple’s feet. At first it does not look like a big deal but in that day, it was a servant’s job because it was so filthy. Christ washed their feet and told them to do likewise. True leadership is servitude. I Pet. 2:21-24 reminds us that we are called to suffer with Christ. This is something that not many of us like to talk about and maybe rightfully so; however, we must not forget it. The example of Christ’s suffering shows us what liberty really is, “Father, forgive them…” Christ did not serve Himself; rather He served all of mankind and every generation.

Lastly, Christ is also our empowerment, Rom. 15:5-7. Again, this is evident and clear in our country’s founding documents. When it comes to serving others, aka liberty, Christ gave us an example and he empowers us to follow, Rom. 8:37, Phil. 4:13, II Pet. 1:3. We can do it. Where ever the Lord leads, we can follow. What ever the Lord asks, we can accomplish. Let us use our liberty for the Lord and for others.

Recently, one of our fearless leaders was asked what her favorite word was. Her answer was foolish but let me pose the question to you. Think about it. My favorite word is … Liberty. It is not necessarily the word but the wonderful meaning. As an American, it rings even more true.

Liberty is not easy nor is it free. You should study, if you have not already, on what liberty cost those who went before us. Many of those who fought for American liberty lost everything. Children were killed in battle, home and fortunes were destroyed, personal savings were all used up. It cost all they had, but those who made it through were able to rebuild because of liberty. It was costly.

Spiritual liberty comes at even a higher price. Just as those who fought for liberty over 200 years ago, we were bound spiritually before liberty set us free, Eph. 2:1-5, Col. 2:13. We had to become a child of the King to know liberty. The bringer of liberty is Christ and Him alone, II Cor. 3:17, Rom. 8:2. We must be a citizen of heaven to know true liberty.

Once we are citizens of heaven, we can go back and dabble in bondage if we want, Gal, 5:1, Rom. 8:18-22. We do not loose our salvation, for that is unbiblical, but there is a great price to pay. We have the choice. Let me ask you, how foolish would it be for someone to taste freedom and liberty at its core, and then choose to go back into bondage? Why then are we so tempted to do so spiritually?

There are blessings to liberty if we stick with it and continue to fight for it. John 11:25, 26; John 8:30-36; James 1:25. We will have life and blessing as we journey through this world. There will still be hardships and tribulation, but we will have the Lord and we will be at peace with Him.

Because of liberty, we as Americans have a job to uphold and defend it. Spiritually we also have a job and there is no higher calling than to be a freedom fighter for Christ, Is. 61:1, II Peter 2:19-f.f., :Luke 4:18, Gal. 5:13. In these passages we see our job to Christian Liberty.

Liberty is not free and it costs dearly. The debt was paid years ago both as an American and as a Christian. However, liberty is constantly under attack. The enemy hates liberty and the freeing power that goes along with it. We have fallen asleep and liberty has been taken away. Now, God is calling his church to wake up both spiritually and physically. Will you heed the call or hit the snooze one more time. Will we get out of “bed” or toss and turn as the alarm is sounding. May men and women hear the call and rise with the Almighty to stand together against bondage for the cause of Liberty!

Have you ever played Simon Says? The kindergartners that I drove this year love to play and they watched like a hawk to see if anyone was cheating and not playing right. In a sense, God is playing
Simon Says with us and says, if you want peace you must follow.

God sets it all up by telling us to stand on truth and to push each other using truth. Then he tells us that God is Lord and the Spirit can do His job better than us. He also reminds us that we all will stand before God and give an account for what we did for Him.

Now God tells us, once you get the facts straight and put these concepts in motion, we must follow after these things which make for peace, Rom. 14:19. The word, follow means to pursue or press toward, Hosea 6, I Tim. 6:10, 11, II Thess. 3:7-9. Satan does not want us to be at peace so he will attack and we must fight.

Paul also discusses offences, vs. 20, 21. Offenses will come and once you offend, it is hard to recover, Prov. 18:19. We must be careful to not offend our brother and sister. However, when one walks with God, the offence is overcome by truth, John 15, 16. The more we know God, the less the offenses come.

On this issue, Paul goes on to encourage us to have our faith to God alone, vs. 22. We do not live and answer to each other but to God, Matt. 6. We also must be convinced in our faith with God, I Cor. 16:13, Gal 5. When we are convinced, we will not be easily offended.

Lastly, God tells us that if we knowing rebel and do something that will offend, we are damned, vs. 23. God goes on in James 4 to tell us that even if we know to do good and do it not, it is sin.

So, are you willing to follow God and press for peace?