His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): When faith is low, turn to the word. Here is Pastor Matt to explain.

Matt VanderVen: So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. You see the ingredients? That's the recipe. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word. When you are in the word of God, your faith will increase.

If you're having moments of unbelief, if you're having moments of anxiety, if you're having moments of depression, if you're struggling, which we all do—let's not pretend anybody here has arrived. Everybody in this room struggles with anxiety at one time or another, every one of you. The point is, at the end of the day, God tells us that when we read the word of God, our faith will increase.

Guest (Male): Throughout the day, we talk about everything from the weather to what's on the news, our kids, even about the guy that cuts us off on the freeway. But oftentimes, we fail to talk about the most important thing of life, namely, the gospel.

Today on His Perfect Love, Pastor Matt VanderVen encourages us to tell others about Jesus every chance we get, with the realization we're in the last of the last days. This is part of our study in Romans. We'll be in chapters 10 and 11.

Matt VanderVen: So many people changing the word, many people, many churches, they don't even read the book of Revelation, or if they do, they make it an allegory. They allegorize the whole book of Revelation instead of understanding it's a literal revelation of Jesus Christ.

It's like when we read the book of Revelation, and we did a few years back, one of the things I said to the flock at that time, I said, "If we read this book and we don't see Jesus, we've missed the whole thing. We've missed the whole thing, you've missed the whole book if you can read that book of Revelation and not see Jesus Christ."

You can turn back to Romans. See, Paul knew that Isaiah 53 was speaking of Jesus. He was speaking of Messiah. He knew exactly what the problem was because he himself at one time was walking contrary to this. He was walking contrary. What was he worshipping? The law, instead of God. He was worshipping the works of God, not the God of the works.

And he began to understand this. And so what does he do here? He goes back to these scriptures because in his heart of hearts, as we read in the beginning of chapter 10, verse one, he said, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved." That's his heart's desire. He desperately wants Israel to be saved, as we should do today—desperately want that, desperately be praying for that.

Also praying for our land, the America, United States of America. We should desperately be praying for our country. It should be our heart's desire as well for our veterans, for our folks that work in law enforcement, through the hospital, the whole thing, everyone coming to salvation, these emergency responders.

Just think about how much they see on the front lines. To do that without knowing Jesus, I don't know how they could get through the day to see so much destruction sometimes, also times of beauty as well where they would praise God every time a new baby is born. We read the passages in the Psalm 127, about children being a heritage unto the Lord, a blessing. A quiver full, a blessing God has given us.

God wanted them to understand, but he makes it simple. He says, "Look, who brings glad tidings and good things? That's what Messiah brought, and that's what the gospel of Jesus Christ brings. It's a good message. It's a message of hope and love, and you can't separate them."

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. You see, that's the accusation there. Paul is narrowing in on the bullseye. What's the problem? He's saying they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says—and where does he go back? What's the gospel for Paul? The New Testament is not written at this time. So what's the gospel for Paul?

The Pentateuch, the Old Testament, the Torah. He's reading the Old Testament, like you and I just went back. He's referencing, and guess what? It's all in there as well. It's not a new gospel that is only in the new covenant that we read in the gospel that Matthew and on through Revelation. This is a gospel that's been presented through Genesis all the way through Revelation.

There's nothing new under the sun that way. I love when I hear that proclaimed because it's like, amen, he is the ancient of days. What makes me nervous is when people come up and say, "It's a new covenant." It's a fulfilled covenant that's made new through Christ. It's why a Jew that's born again is a completed Jew.

Do you understand that? It's a completed Jew. They already knew the covenant God of Israel. We as Gentiles did not know that covenant God. We were grafted in. We received him as Lord and Savior. And some of us may be like, "Hey man, that's harsh." Talk to God. Israel's God's chosen people, and when they come to salvation, they're completed Jews.

That's the term, that's what Paul brings out, the idea of a completed Jew because what were they still missing? Jesus, because the law couldn't save. Do you see that? They were given the oracles of God, the commandments and statutes, but they didn't believe. That's what he just said: they didn't believe and obey. He says, "Lord, who has believed on our report?"

He goes back and he quotes Isaiah 53:1. We just read that a moment ago. They didn't believe God's word. You see, that's the root of the problem. He's going to explain further on in verse 17. He's going to explain this is what happens to a people group when you don't read the word of God or you're not in relationship with Jesus Christ.

Do you know what happens? You begin to fall away. You begin to be manipulated by the culture, whether you are aware of it or not, and it is subtle and it is very slippery. And next thing you know, we'll read the book of Revelation, chapters two and three. We're in the church age. There's seven churches there. How many of those churches truly are exhorted for their good deeds, not leaving their first love? How many?

Really one. There's another church that's encouraged okay, maybe a little bit, but really one, Philadelphia, is the one church that's really lifted up and said, "This is the example." We ought to read that not only in our lives personally to run our lives through the grid of scripture, but corporately as a church. Why is that so important that it's there?

Because do you think the church of Ephesus—remember the church of Ephesus? Paul spent the most amount of time there, three years, to the church of Ephesians. The book or the letter of Ephesians we get today. He spent the most amount of time with that church, and what was the sin that they were guilty of that Jesus Christ condemns them of? That they had left their first love.

"If you would return to your works in the beginning, how far you have fallen. While you've done this, you have left your first love." What's that tell us? That there are churches today that when they leave the word of God because of a culture, because of a bait and switch, because of entertainment, because of anything else—look, I am not the author of this. I don't understand it all.

I just know what God's word says: that when we move off the word of God and we look for something else to fill that, it says that we walk in our ways, but our ways are not his ways. That's all I understand. I'm a simple man. And it says that when we do that and we walk off like that, we begin to walk, lean on our own understanding. We're no longer relying on him to direct our path, Proverbs 3:5 and 6, contrary to what if we do what? We lean on him, acknowledge him, and he'll do what? Direct our paths.

They're mutually exclusive. So when we see this here and we read this, Paul's drawing it back to the fact that they don't believe the word. And not only that, but they're not reading, they're not understanding, they're not obeying it. They're not obeying the word of God. And I believe that's what's happening in Christianity across America today, friends, well, around the world.

Is that people have the greatest gift they could have ever been given from God, God-breathed, the word of God, supernatural? This book you have before you, there's nothing else like it. You can't find anything else like it. 27% of it is prophecy, over 1,200 different prophetic promises, 700 plus have already been fulfilled with 100% accuracy, 100% accuracy.

Nothing else like it that we could even go to. Nostradamus and all the other cults and guys out there, mediums and everything and seers, at their best, 58 to 60% at best, and that's with demonic influence. But with God and the Holy Spirit, 100%, not even close, not even close. And it's been preserved for how many thousands and thousands of years?

If the Earth is 6,000 years old and we've had writing probably within 500 to 1,000 years within that time, that means that we've had well, we've had the word of God for over 5,000 years. Today, we have the whole counsel of God in a way that generations 2,000 years ago before us never had. We have the entire counsel of God.

Much is given, much is required. We're not ignorant nor blind to it. It's a willing disobedience. He used the word obedience, not me. Paul used the word obedience. He says when you have the word and you don't follow it, what is that called? Disobedience. What's the opposite of that, right? Obedience. You with me?

The opposite of that—some of you are like, "I don't like that word." But that's what it is. And if it convicts you this morning and it's like, "Man, I know," don't get mad at me. Hey, look, I'm with you sometimes right there. I'm no different, brother and sister, I'm no different, friend. Sometimes I'm right there, I'm reading and I'm like, "Oh man, I blew it again."

Praise you, Jesus, that you call me back and you love me and you're not turning around. You said in Romans 8:1 there is no condemnation. You meant what you said and you said what you meant. You're not grammatically challenged. Isn't that great? That's the covenant you and I are part of. That's a covenant of love, grace, and mercy. That's what Paul wants for covenant Israel.

That's what he wants for his chosen people. He wants them to experience the real love that they've never had because of the stumbling stone that was put before them that they rejected. Now, this may be hard for some of you to imagine, I say that cynically, it's not, because we all have family members, friends that we love, that aren't born-again believers in Christ.

And I understand in the context that Paul is speaking to covenant Israel here. I get it, you get it, we understand hermeneutically that's who he's talking to. But can we not abstract that in our lives today, 2,000 years later, as Paul was writing this to a church in Rome that was also full of Gentiles as well as Jewish Christians? What was he communicating to them?

He was communicating that if you're not hearing the word of God, if you're not reading the word of God, your tank, your faith tank, if I can call it that, your faith tank's going to go on E. Why? Because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, verse 17. That's what he says. That's the context of this passage.

How many of you had people that you love repeat that passage to you? "Well, brother, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." And it's like, "Thank you," in the middle of your trial. That's not the context of the passage. This passage is meant to be an encouragement, but it's meant to say, "Look, whatever you're going through in life, go back to the word of God. Go back to Christ."

That's what it's trying to do, draw you back to Jesus. Who do you draw people to? Who are you drawn to? Your word, Jesus. There's no limit to what he can do. It's not like our opinions matter, but when we speak the word of God, just by the very utterance, there could be somebody here not saved this morning. There could be people wrestling.

Just by the word of God, even if they're trying to tune it out, going, "How long is this guy going?" You know what? That word's going right in there, man. Perfectly cutting through the bone, the marrow, living, beautiful, doing the work, precision. Not taking a large sword like a big ration or ration like a big—no, this is a scalpel.

He goes in and he cuts away, just perfectly, a surgical instrument, that which is not needed, that which is not holy, that which is defiled, and he leaves the goodness in. And he leaves the righteousness and he continues to build more of that by cutting out the waste, by cutting out the defilement, and he replaces it. It's beautiful.

That's why he draws us back here. That's why it's the gospel piece. That's what all of Israel wants today, but they're trying to get it by striving. They're trying to get it through a political savior rather than the Savior. And that's the only way Israel's going to receive it. And you and I have a beautiful opportunity to tell our Jewish friends who Jesus really is, that he is Messiah, he is as Isaiah 53 said, he is the suffering servant, and he will redeem you and he'll set you free, just as he did me.

Just as he did me and all of us. Frankly, if we weren't others-focused, none of us would be here. If somebody didn't care enough and love us and give us the word, we wouldn't be here this morning. But somebody loved us enough to bring us, or somebody loved us enough to raise us under the word as Deuteronomy said, that it's written throughout your house and doorposts.

So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word. You see the ingredients? That's the recipe. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word. When you are in the word of God, your faith will increase. If you're having moments of unbelief, if you're having moments of anxiety, if you're having moments of depression, if you're struggling, which we all do—let's not pretend anybody here has arrived.

Everybody in this room struggles with anxiety at one time or another, every one of you, brother, sister, look around. You're not alone. Let's not play church, let's not play Christian. That is a reality. Every one of us has good days and bad days, right? Some of us, the rollercoaster's a little more extreme, but generally I think a lot of us like the baby coaster, right?

We don't always get to pick that. Sometimes there's hormone things, a lot of reasons for that. But the point is, look, I say it like it is. The point is, at the end of the day, God tells us that when we read the word of God, our faith will increase. We need more faith. We're living in the last days. And not only do we need faith because only what's poured in can be poured out.

Not only do we need it, but guess what? We need to be filled so guess what we can do? Be the hands and feet of God, give out the gospel as Matthew 28:19 commanded, that we can go forward and encourage others. How about that? How about it not being all about us? How about it being others-focused as he said?

Upon all these things hang the law and the prophets: love God with your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. He says upon these things all the law and the prophets, that means the whole counsel of God. It's an idiom, it's the idea behind it. "But I say, have they not heard? Yes, indeed, their sound has gone out to all the Earth and their words to the ends of the world."

Psalm 19:4, it was prophetic speaking that the word would go forth to Israel, but they would reject it, the sound, they wouldn't hear it. Remember they stomped their feet and— "But I say, did Israel not know?" He says, "But wait a minute, go back to the Pentateuch, go back to the first five books if you want to, go back to that and look."

He says, "Moses," right, and he talks about Deuteronomy chapter 32:21 here, he says, "I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation." It was all prophesied. God said this would happen. "I will move you to anger by a foolish nation." That's kind of harsh, but okay, we are foolish, right? But Isaiah is very bold and says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for me," quoting Isaiah chapter 65:1 there.

What's he saying here? What's Paul trying to communicate? That God would draw other nations into relationship. That's what he prophesied, and it's exactly what happened. You and I, for most part of you, most of us here are Gentiles. You want to see the word of God being true? Look around. You are prophecy. You are the fulfillment of prophecy right in this room.

Gentiles and other nations that believe in Jesus Christ. If you want proof that the Bible is true, 3,000 years ago when this was written, 3,400 to be accurate, look around. You are fulfilled prophecy. I am fulfilled prophecy that here we are as a nation, not Jewish ethnically, and we all believe. And it was just as it was written in Deuteronomy, and it's just as it was written in Isaiah.

Think about that, 700 years before Christ even walked the Earth. This was penned, this was written, and it's true. Every one of his promises are true. "But to Israel he says, all day long I've stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." Now I don't want to end right at Isaiah 65:2, right? That's kind of a downer, man.

Right, it's kind of a downer. I don't want to end right there. We're going to read the first verse of chapter 11, because Paul brings it all back around and he says, "Look, but it's not—it's not final. It's not over. God has a plan." Next week we'll read Zechariah chapter 12, we're going to read Jeremiah chapter 31:31.

He says, "I say then, has God cast away his people?" Ultimately, Paul, if you're saying all this stuff about Israel and how they're rejecting the word of God and how they're not listening and how the prophets even foretold it, is Israel off the map? Are they all done with? Certainly not, as Paul would say, absolutely not.

What do we see here? That God's also prophesied about that too, prophesied what would happen, and like I said, Jeremiah 31:31, well they'll receive a new heart and they will believe, and they will believe, and they will be saved. Isn't that beautiful? That God is a covenant keeper. Now, let's all be selfish for a moment, that's not hard, right?

I speak to our flesh, not our spirit. What's that mean for you and I? If God's a covenant keeper and he keeps his promises, are we not his covenant children? When he tells us that I will never leave you nor forsake you, does he mean what he says? Can anything take you out of his hand? No. You are overcomers and you have victory in Christ.

Now that's a word of encouragement because we're children of the covenant. We've been grafted in. We're going to read next week in chapter 11 how he says, "Hey, don't turn around and get haughty about it. Don't look down on Israel and go, 'Haha, you should have believed.'" He says, "Don't you dare do that."

He goes, "Because what's it all come back to? Is it the branches or the root?" He's going to say in chapter 11 it all comes back to the root, and from the root the branches, and the branches bear fruit. It all comes back to Christ because it's all a system of grace. It can't be done by an individual through striving. It was all done through grace.

That's why we can honestly say in our whole lives, none of us have arrived and nor will we ever. Not till the perfecting of Christ when we receive that glorified body and we meet him face to face, which oh by the way, can be any moment because prophetically everything else is fulfilled that needs to be. There's not a single passage that needs to happen before the rapture of the church, not one.

We're looking at Ezekiel's timeline, Ezekiel 38, that's where we're at. It's on a prophetic timeline. You want to know what's going to happen? Keep your eye in the Middle East. Keep your eye in the Middle East. It's all about Jerusalem. That's where everything's happening. You want to know when it's happening? Watch Jerusalem. Things are heating up.

Even though you don't see all the things going on, oh they're happening, and people getting ready to make their moves. And if it wasn't for God withholding just a moment on this pause button, but there is coming a time where that hand will be moved and we will see the Harpazo in a twinkly of an eye.

So he says, "Certainly not, for I am also an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin." He goes back and what Paul does is he said, "You want an example of this? Look at me." He said, "God saved me and I was an Israelite, and if God can save me, he can save anyone." All it has to do is a matter of what? Heart.

So let's pray for Israel this morning, that hearts would be prepared. Let's pray for our own country, let's pray for our own land, let's pray for the Harrisburg area, let's pray that hearts are softened this morning and people hear the word of God. And who knows, you might be that living epistle that are known and read by men and women. He might use you just by your very presence because you can't hide the Holy Spirit in you.

Guest (Male): Pastor Matt VanderVen on His Perfect Love. We're developing our study in Romans, and if you enjoyed today's message, we'd like to know. Email us at our website, HisPerfectLove.org, and be sure to include your prayer requests. And while you're there, you'll notice a place to listen to Pastor Matt's sermons, including all of Romans.

That's at HisPerfectLove.org. You can also listen to us at OnePlace.com or wherever you get your podcasts. And we have a free mobile app. You know, this is a convenient way to listen to Pastor Matt on your mobile devices. Just go to HisPerfectLove.org for more information.

And if you'd like to support this ministry with a one-time gift or ongoing monthly support, you can do so through the website at HisPerfectLove.org. Thank you so much for that. We want all of our listeners to have access to the word of God, so if you're in need of a Bible, we'd like to get one into your hands. Just email us through our website and ask for the free Bible offer.

Here's our web address again: HisPerfectLove.org. Are you looking for a Christian school that offers a quality education and a nurturing environment for your children? If so, you might be interested in Calvary Chapel Christian Academy, a ministry of Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.

Calvary Chapel Christian Academy is a non-denominational Christian school that serves students from kindergarten to 12th grade. The Academy's mission is to provide a Christ-centered education that equips students to love God, love others, and serve the world.

The Academy offers a rigorous academic curriculum, a variety of extracurricular activities, and a caring and supportive staff. The Academy is located at 28 North Locust Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. For more information, please visit our website at CCHarrisburg.org/Academy. That's CCHarrisburg.org/Academy. This has been His Perfect Love with Pastor Matt VanderVen. Thanks for listening. We'll catch you back here next time when we'll share another study in Romans.

His Perfect Love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore. Let the word go out, the perfect love of Christ to shine. Our lives will shout. I am my beloved's and he is mine. Every heart is in his hands. We'll never stop reaching out. This is his perfect love. The word goes out. This is what real love looks like in truth and faith. This is his perfect love.