Truth And THE Truth

Last evening in our Seniors Meeting Bro. Eric Johnson gave us a wonderful devotion about Pilate. He mentioned that Pilate said, "What is truth?" When the devotion was over, I made a statement that Pilate was not asking "What is THE truth," but "What is truth?

Pilate was asking a philosophical question and was being pragmatic (trying to get everything to work out without his being hurt in any way, yet the end would justify the means). Plato wrote about Truth, and that Truth he said to be transcendent, not reachable--no one can ever really know the full truth.

Jesus is not just Truth; he is THE truth. The Truth was standing in the very presence of Pilate, but his carnal mind could not comprehend it; so he pragmatically endeavored in his eloquence to display some kind of truth that would satisfy everyone.

Thus, God used this confused man to bring about his Divine will in the life of his Son, Jesus. Jesus was placed under the authority of the Jews that they may crucify him, and this crucifixion satisfied God's judgment against sin so that every believer may have eternal life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.

Abraham's Imputed Righteousness

Preaching Points From Romans #6
Dr. Ronnie Wolfe
Romans 4:18-22

I.  HE BELIEVED IN HOPE, 18

There was no hope for Abraham or his wife, Sarah. They were both too old to bring forth children. He was to become the father of many nations, and yet he had no children of his own. God had said, "So shall thy seed be."

Against the fact the all hope seemed vain, Abraham believed God. He believed in that hope that he thought did not exist. He saw that which is invisible. He pursued thoughts of grandeur that were to him (in the flesh) unreasonable and impossible.

Abraham believed accord to that which God had spoken and simply because he had spoken. We can learn much from this: that we must believe what God has said (in his word) simply because God has said it with no need for mundane proof of some kind that can deliver what he has promised.

II.  HE BOWED TO FAITH, 19

Abraham considered not his body to be dead, although by all earthly reason it was dead to the production of offspring. His faith, then, was against all human reason and must be completely divine, prompted by God, led by God, induced by God, and brought into the human realm by supernatural means, which God did for Abraham.

Abraham was 100 years of age, and his body should be dead to reproduction; but Abraham believed God, not his own surmising. Not only so, but he had to also believe Sarah's womb to be alive. This deepened the need for Abraham's strong faith in God. Jesus said in Mark 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

III.  HE BENT TOWARD FAITH, 20-21

In this situation unbelief would be unsurprising and doubt would be expected; but Abraham "staggered not" at the promise of God. His faith was firmly fixed on God, and his heart was one that had been touched by the divine grace of God Himself.

Abraham was "strong in faith" and even gave glory to God. He rejoiced in his faith, being affected by God's goodness in his promise, which left no room for doubt that God would do what he said he would do.

Abraham was "fully persuaded" in what God was about to perform. He understood the concept that Paul wrote about in Ephesians 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

III. HE WAS BLESSED WITH IMPUTATION, 22

Abraham could not conjure righteousness in his own mind, his heart, or his own will. He was completely dependent upon God to give him righteousness. All of his earthly effort would contribute nothing to righteousness. The only righteousness that had any merit was the righteousness that God had to give, and that is Jesus Christ's righteousness in his perfection.

God worked all of these things in the life of Abraham by faith that he might be credited with pure and perfect righteousness before God. There is no merit to procure this righteousness, and there is no sin that can destroy it. This is the very righteousness that Abraham needed. It is also the very righteousness that produced a faithful life in Abraham to be the "father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11); the "father of many nations" (Rom. 4:17); and the "father of us all" (Rom. 4:16).

Grace #1 -- Grace Is Divine

GRACE #1 – Grace Is Divine -- No one knows grace inherently. Grace must be thrust upon a person with compassion, tenderness, mercy, and love that only God possesses. Grace, then, cannot be procured or produced by the mind or hand of man. Man receives grace only at the hand and from the mind of God and not man’s own ingenuity and understanding. Everyone stands outside of grace; God must bring it to him. It is divine and the property of only God and not of man or any other creature. Yes, there is a subordinate grace that man executes at his will, but that grace is meager compared to that divine grace which saves a soul. Therefore, we are “saved by grace through faith,” (Ephesians 2:8). That is the only way of salvation.

There Is A Was

-Ronnie Wolfe | 3-1-2018

I.  IS

Genesis 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

In this first verse of the Bible there is no mention of an IS or a WAS. We must simply assume that there IS a God.  Paul the Apostle, however, tells us that we must know that God IS – Acts 17:24  God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he IS  Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

Not only should we read and notice that God IS, but we should believe that he IS. Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he IS, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Many in the world do not believe that God IS. They train their minds (or someone else trains their minds) to reject the being of God to their misery and destruction.

II.  WAS

John 1:1-2  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2  The same was in the beginning with God.

The word translated WAS here is a timeless word. It is not simply the past tense of a verb; it is a word describing the WORD as a timeless being. “In the beginning was the Word” means that at the time of creation Jesus (the WORD) existed. He WAS because of his timeless existence.

“The Word WAS with God” indicates that he exists as a separate person but not as separated from the essence of God but is the same with God and as God. He WAS with God all the time of God’s existence. Verse two reiterates the fact that “the same” (the Word) was with God in the beginning (the beginning of universal creation).

In verse one again, we notice at the end of the verse “the Word WAS God.” This is a claim made by John that the Word (Jesus) was God. Not only was he with God; he WAS God. This word WAS, remember, is timeless. Just as God is timeless and exists above time and creation, so does Jesus exist and live above time and creation.

He “WAS God” does not mean that he “used to be God,” as in the past and now is no longer God but that he WAS in a timeless sense. He IS God; He WAS God; and he will continue to be God, for it is his essence by which he IS God.

John 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. The verb AM here also implies a timeless existence in Jesus. Then one more layer of this musing is this:  Hebrews 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Image Of The Cross

By Dr. Ronnie Wolfe – 2-23-2018

Listening to a message one Sunday morn,
My heart was sad, my mind forlorn.
As the message went on, I saw in my mind
A man who was merciful, tender, and kind.

I saw a crude cross on a lonely hill
And a man stretched out, solemn and still.
I stood in its shadow so far away,
But I knew in my heart that I could not stay.

So far from the cross that was meant for me
But given to a man to set me free,
I saw a man of infamous fame.
I could see his face and read his name.

It said he was a king of the wandering Jew.
I wondered if he could be my king, too.
As the preacher preached on, I came to the side
Of the man on the cross; I could not hide.

Then as He stared in my watery eyes,
I knelt in sorrow and stared at the skies.
And as if he were speaking an audible voice,
And as if for some reason I had no choice,

I knew his love, experienced his grace,
And I looked again at his glorious face.
Though stained with blood, as the preacher went on,
He looked so precious as God’s own Son.

As the preacher preached on, I saw him arise,
For only by this could his kingdom survive.
He lived, he died, he arose from the grave.
It was his love and his best that he gave

I turned from my sins to hate every one.
He melted my heart; I trusted God’s Son.
The sermon now ended, I surrendered my soul
To the man on the cross who just made me whole.

A Jesus Put-Down

By Ronnie W. Wolfe – Sept. 19, 2014

I put down Jesus deep into my heart so he can comfort me.
I put down Jesus in my mind so that I can renew it.
I put down Jesus in my lap when I read his word.
I put down Jesus in my problems so he can deal with them.
I put down Jesus in church, that he might lead in his way.
I put down Jesus in the grave when I think of the Gospel

But I lift up Jesus in my song.
I lift up Jesus in my study.
I lift up Jesus in my preaching and teaching.
I lift up Jesus as I tell others about him.
I lift up Jesus when I believe him.
I lift up Jesus when I read of his resurrection.

I put him down in my heart and lift him up in my song.
I put him down in my mind and lift him up in my study.
I put him down in my lap as I read and lift him up in my preaching.
I put him down in my problems and lift him up by my witness.
I put him down in church to lead and lift him up in believing his way is best.
I put him down in the grave that I might lift him up at his resurrection.
He puts me down to lift me up!

What will you do with Jesus?

Abraham Our Father

Preaching Points From Romans #5

Dr. Ronnie Wolfe

Romans 4:16-18

I. OUR FATHER SYMBOLICALLY (4:16) “Father of us all”

Abraham was not our father naturally as though we were begotten through his linage. The Jews in the New Testament put their trust in their physical linage to Abraham, but Jesus rebuked them for that (See Matthew 3:9). They thought they had a priority position with God because they were Abraham’s children.

We are children of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. So says Galathans 3:7 "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham". Abraham, then, is our faithful father, a man of faith, and a father to all who believe in Christ.

Abraham believed God (Christ), and it was accounted to him for righteousness – Genesis 15:6 "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." See Galatians 3:6; James 2:23.

So, we are Abraham’s seed (children) and heirs of God – Galatians 3:29 "And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."

II. OUR FATHER SPECIALLY (4:18) “Father of many nations”

Abraham could be noted as the head of the Hebrew nation (the Jews), although the nation was not brought together as a nation until years later. He stood seminally as their head through his son, Isaac. God gave promise to Abraham that his seed would be blessed through Isaac, whom God chose for Abraham’s blessed linage.

But the intimation is given here that Abraham as a father of faith would not be father only to the Jewish nation but to many nations. Even in Abraham’s day God already had in his mind to bring faith to Gentiles, which he did in Old Testament times but especially in New Testament times when Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, turned mainly to the Gentiles and away from the Jews due to their rejection of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Abraham, then, is our father as well as to Jews. Abraham is the father of the faithful as written in Galatians 3:8-9 "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen [Gentiles] through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham."

Abraham is father specially to all who believe in Jesus as Savior, but he is our father typically and metaphorically. God is our Father in reality. Thus, we pray “Our Father which art in Heaven . . .”