Messianic Perspectives

Liz Aiello: Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctive first century Jewish point of view. I'm Liz Aiello. Today our Bible teacher, Pastor Al Runge, is discussing the love of our heavenly father. I'll be back at the close of the program to tell you about our special offer. And now, here's Pastor Runge.

Al Runge: This is the third message on my series concerning the love of our heavenly father. In my first message, I spoke on the yearning love of our heavenly father. I pointed out that he yearns to have a multitude of children to love and to be loved by them. Love was God's motivating force behind the creation of the human race. God desired to have children in his likeness and image. All in all, we are an amazing God like creation. We can think, imagine, understand, remember, learn, analyze, and make decisions. We can plan, build cities, invent technology, and create works of art.

We can experience gladness, joy, sorrow, and grief. We can love and accept being loved. All these characteristics reflect the original image of God. Unfortunately, something tragic happened to human nature that broke our connection with God and deformed our moral character. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was positive about human nature until he experienced the evil of World War I and the rise of Nazism. He was an astute observer of human nature. Freud identified a dark side in all of us, which he called the id. According to Freud's view, the id is a part of the unconscious human psyche, which is totally self-seeking and the source of evil imaginations and desires.

The Apostle Paul, who lived centuries before Freud, called the id by another name. Under the inspiration of God, he called it the flesh. We all are born in the flesh. The word of God points out that this flesh is rebellious against God. Listen to the word of God in Romans 8:7. The fleshly mind is enmity. It is antagonistic and hateful against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Human nature cannot under any circumstances please God. Even the good that we do in the flesh arises out of self-interest or personal pride.

In our second message, I spoke on the sacrificial love of our heavenly father, who offered his son to die on Mount Moriah for our sins, as was foreshadowed by Abraham's offering up of his beloved son Isaac. You know, God had every right to eliminate mankind from the earth on the very day Adam and Eve rebelled, but instead, out of his love and grace, he offered one day to sacrifice his son, Jesus, who brought redemption to sinful mankind. Listen to the words of scripture in Romans 5:7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

But God demonstrated his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God's holy son died not only for sinners, but for his enemies. Look at Romans 5:10. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Now, in this message, I want to speak to you on the life-giving love of our heavenly father. Although God loves us with an infinite love, he will not accept evil into his kingdom. So God brought forth a redemption that not only brings the forgiveness of sins, but also the creation of a new life, a life that is both eternal and holy.

God promised this new life in the Hebrew scriptures. Look with me in the prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 36 verse 26. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and I will give you a true heart. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them. Because of our natural inbred hostility against God and his authority, we needed a new birth that brought with it a new spirit, a new mindset.

We can't say it enough. We must be born again in order to perceive the kingdom of God and in order to enter the kingdom of God. This is not optional, but a absolute necessity. Now, when I was a young believer, there was a verse that troubled me greatly because I didn't understand it and I knew my own imperfections. Listen to 1 John 3:9. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for God's seed remains in him. And he cannot sin because he has been born of God. I knew that I was still a sinner, so how could I have been born again?

Some Bible scholars point out that this verse is in the present continuous Greek tense. Therefore, it means that everyone born of God does not continue or practice sin. Yes, it is true a believer can fall in sin, but he will not practice it. However, I've come to understand an even deeper meaning. Remember what Jesus told Nicodemus, a very religious man, in John 3:6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you you must be born again. Now, here is what I discovered about my two natures.

On November the 21st 1928, I was born into this world of the flesh. My flesh nature is hostile toward God and self-centered and it is motivated by lust, uh, pride, and covetousness. However, my flesh nature isn't the end of my story because on June the 6th 1943 at the age of 14, I was born of God. That part of me perceives the truths of God's kingdom and has given me entrance into God's kingdom. So that part of me cannot sin. So if I sin, I sin in my old nature. But if I do that which pleases God, it is in the new nature and that's why we're told in Galatians 5:16, I say then walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Ephesians 4:23 tells us that we must make a daily decision and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man, which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. That new person, which is me, but it is the spirit of God that has regenerated a new nature within me. And that is in true righteousness and holiness. Now, the flesh nature can be very religious as we've seen in the writings of scripture concerning the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Listen to what our Lord said to them in Matthew 23:27.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, you actors, for you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so, you also appear righteous to men, but inside you're full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. God does not accept fleshly religion because it lacks the love of God. When a terrorist gives his life to die as a martyr by taking innocent bystanders with him, he thinks he's performing an act that pleases God, but it is an act that God hates. He's deceived to believe that his sacrifice will gain him entrance in the paradise and the gift of 72 beautiful virgins.

He doesn't know God. Listen to God's word directed to religious people recorded in Isaiah 1:14. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They are trouble to me. I'm weary of bearing them. When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Why? Because your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, put away the evil from your doing from before my eyes. Cease to do evil. Killing innocent people in the name of God is hateful to him. Religion without regeneration does not save anyone.

In order to avoid hell and to get to heaven, a person then must be born of God with that new birth. Now, listen, God's made a wonderful promise about what he's going to actually accomplish in the end. In Isaiah 65:17, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind, but be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. The day is coming when this earth and the heavens will pass away and God will end evil forever. The Apostle Paul explains this truth in 2 Peter, that is Peter, the Apostle Peter in in chapter 3 verse 13.

Nevertheless, we according to his promise look for new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. God will not allow unredeemed human nature into his new creation because sin is contagious. In light of that fact that all of our present reality will be destroyed and done away with, what should we do? The Apostle Peter suggests some very good wisdom in 2 Peter 3:11. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, the heavens and the earth, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? All of mankind's accomplishments will be destroyed including the cities, the technology, and the art of man.

The only thing that will survive is God's new creation. God has already begun his new creation in us. Look with me at 2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. So God has already begun his new creation in the lives of people who will believe him and only those who have that new creation will enter into the new creation of the heavens and the earth. D. L. Moody, the famous evangelist, told an audience, someday you will read in the papers that D.

L. Moody of East Northfield is dead. Don't you believe a word of it. At that moment, I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher. That is all out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal, a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body fashioned like unto his glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837, he said. I was born of the spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh will die. That which is born of the spirit will live forever.

I can say the same thing that he did as many multitudes of people can say about their new life, about their new birth, about the new creation. And I know that if you will accept the Lord Jesus as your savior now, I know I can guarantee on the authority of God's word that he will beget within you a new nature in true holiness and righteousness so you can be a part of God's new creation of the heavens and the earth. Oh, may you come to Jesus now. May you accept him and allow him not only to forgive you of your sins, but to regenerate you and give you a new nature that will never die.

This I pray for you, those who are listening. Even though I don't know you, I pray all God may everyone who hears this message turn to you, believe in you, and repent of their own righteousness, which is at like filthy rags, and trust you. I pray this all, oh Lord, in Jesus name. Amen.

Liz Aiello: Thank you, Pastor Runge. You've been listening to Albert Runge, our associate Bible teacher here on Messianic Perspectives, and his discussion of exploring the love of our heavenly father. You'll be glad to know we've placed the entire series on one convenient CD. It's available for a gift of just $6 or more to the ministry of Messianic Perspectives. Just ask for Pastor Al Runge's series titled exploring the love of our heavenly father. Visit our secure online store at messianicspecialties.com to place your order. If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, P.

O. Box 345, San Antonio, Texas 78292. To order by phone, use our toll-free order line. The number is 1-800-926-5397. And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. I'm Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Pastor Al Runge continues our series of studies on exploring the love of our heavenly father right here on Messianic Perspectives. Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries of San Antonio, Texas and is made possible on this station by the free will contributions of our listeners in this area.