FROM THE RADIO PROGRAM

CALL TO WORSHIP

As preached by Pastor Bernard (Bernie) Timmerman

 

 

Today I come to you in the name of him who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Even though he is such a one he humbled himself even to the death of the cross giving his life a ransom for many. It is because of that which he did, I come to you today. Only because he died for me do I have a message to give also to you.

 

That message about our Lord and Savior is given in the Holy Scriptures the word of God. It is the message about God our creator, the one in whom we live and move and have our being and his Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

He is God who became flesh, dwelt on this earth, died for sinners, arose again and went back to heaven. One day he will return to gather all nations before him. Then he will take his own to heaven with him where he has prepared a place for them. All that have not believed on him will be cast into eternal punishment.

 

Oh what a glorious message this is, that by faith in him, we can be saved from our sins. We have read from the first chapter of Romans what sin is. Now in the next chapters we read of that great salvation by faith alone. If we are saved from our sins and become children of God it is all and only because of Jesus Christ, the righteous Son of God. In our last message we saw how the saints of the past already knew that forgiveness of sins, as it is shown in Romans 4 verses 1-8. Then in verse nine Paul begins to ask, "cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only or upon the uncircumcision also?"

 

The thinking among the Jewish people had been that they were a special people because they were circumcised. They even looked down on the uncircumcised nations around them. They believed there was a great difference between the Jews and Gentiles or the circumcised and uncircumcised. But Paul shows that Abraham received the blessing of being justified by faith before he was circumcised. Then he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith that he had, yet being uncircumcised.

 

Circumcision in itself didn't do anything, anymore than any others' works will make us just before God. Abraham had believed God before he was circumcised. He believed that promise that God had given him that of his seed the Saviour of the world would come. In Genesis 12 verse 3 we read, "and I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

 

This is the promise that God gave to Abraham that Christ would be born from his seed or the nation of Israel. Fifteen years later God gave him the covenant of circumcision. I believe that sealed the coming of Christ who would be born of that earthly seed of Abraham. God also promised the land of Israel to them and promised to be a God to that nation, but the greatest blessing would be the coming of the messiah, the Saviour of sinners.

 

In Romans chapter 4, Paul shows us that by faith in Christ we also are children of Abraham. In the last part of verse 16, we read, "But to that also which is of the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all." We read in Galatians 3:29, "and if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise."

 

There is but one way to become one with those believers of the past as well as those of the present. That is to be in Christ. In him "there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ."

 

Abraham had peace with God not by works but by faith, knowing that God would provide a redeemer. This blessing came not by what Abraham did, but by what God did in so loving the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Do you believe in God who raised of Jesus our Lord from the dead and was delivered for our offenses, or sins, and was raised again for our justification?