Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
500 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678106
The heaviness of the Apostle Paul’s heart for the Jewish people, his kinsmen, is likened to Nehemiah’s grief (Neh. 1) when he saw the desolation that had befallen the returnees in Jerusalem after 70 years of Babylonian captivity. The walls of Jerusalem were broken. It is likened to the burden in Daniel’s heart when he sought the Lord in prayer and fasting to know the future for His people in the 69th year of their captivity (Daniel 9-12) in Babylon.
This new section is focused upon the Jewish people. The Apostle Paul explains his burden for the salvation of his people, the Jews. He explains why the Jews seemed to have been set aside by God and yet they are not. God is not finished with the Jews yet. He has a great spiritual burden for the salvation of the Jews. They were his kinsmen. Whichever city he was sent to preach the gospel, he would reach out to the Jews first.
The Apostle Paul testifies he is convinced that Christ’s love for him triumphs overall. There is nothing that stands in-between that relationship. Jesus was born into human history more than 2000 years ago, lived a perfect life, died on the cross as man’s substitute to reconcile man with the living and true God. Jesus rose from the dead the third day victorious over sin and death. Jesus gives to every man who would believe in Him eternal life. We, by faith, appropriated this salvation. It is the ultimate blessing of His love!
There is nothing that shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the conviction borne out of a clear understanding concerning the unfailing power and desire of God to protect His people under His care. The Apostle Paul speaks of Jesus Christ’s continual intercession for His people at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He speaks of the indwelling Holy Spirit that prays and enables the believer to have the strength to do God’s will for his life. He tells us that we are a privileged people chosen by the Father called out from sin unto holiness, purchased by the Son for an intimate fellowship with God and a protected people sealed by the Holy Spirit –destined for heaven!
Every trial and tribulation in the believer’s life will serve to build him up to have a closer walk with God. Christ’s love will be experienced in those anguishing moments of trial.
The Christian living in an unchristian world upholding an eternal value system according to God’s Laws will often find himself being persecuted because he tries to live righteously as a just man before God and man! If Jesus, the perfect Man, the living and true God had to suffer such persecution and humiliation by wicked men who reject God, realize as Jesus said, “You are sent as sheep among wolves.” The believer must be prepared to endure hardship because he loves God and want to live a Christ honouring life before God and man. Quoting Psalm 44:22, the Apostle Paul described the believer’s identification with Christ as a cause for a troublous life.
The believer’s life is filled with many trials and temptations described as distress, persecution, famine, destitute of convenient or decent clothing, danger and even violence. But none of these can separate him from Christ’s love for him. What a powerful truth that still every aching heart. Oftentimes, he feels as if this is the end. He will not go through this impasse. But he needs to realize that he has a Sufficient High Priest who will help him.
In ancient Israel, the Levitical priests had to succeed one another because they kept dying, as one generation comes, another goes, time and tide waits for no man. But Jesus Christ needs no successor because He will not die. The fact that Christ will not die and need replacement by another priest means that He can see His work of delivering His people through to the end.
The believer stands justified to receive the past, present and eternal heavenly blessings because of what Jesus Christ had done for him. Christ died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and seated in a position of authority to plead the believer’s cause before the Father! Jesus Christ will also be the final Judge. Hence, the believer is in a secure position having entrusted his soul to Jesus Christ. Jesus is both Chief Advocate and Judge. The courtroom metaphor best describes what Jesus has done and will do for the believer.
The Apostle Paul assures believers that God will not withhold anything good from them seeing that He has given His own Son for our redemption. God will do us good. He is working out His good will in our lives. Will he withhold anything good from us? Surely not! It is cause for praise and thanksgiving. There must be that assurance and restfulness of God’s abiding presence to help us.