What Does It Mean to be Saved?

Romans 10:9-10

Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Acts 4:13

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

What is salvation? What does it mean to be saved?

Salvation is forgiveness of sin and cleansing from the stain of sin.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Being saved means that when we admit our sin, God forgives us from the penalty of our sin and takes away the stain or guilt of sin. It means that we don’t have to live in fear or discouragement or guilt.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing God’s forgiveness.

Salvation is having eternal life.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

Believing that Jesus is the Son of God and the only source of salvation leads to receiving, by God’s grace, a life that does not end at physical death. It continues forever in the presence of God in heaven and then our eternal home in the New Jerusalem.

We as humans with our finite perspective cannot wrap our minds around eternal. Everything we know has a beginning and an ending. Something that never has an ending goes beyond our ability to comprehend. But just because it goes beyond our ability to fully understand does not mean it is not true.   

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing that we will live forever.

Salvation is being justified in God’s sight.

Romans 3:24

And are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Justification is being declared by God that, through Jesus’ death on the cross, we have been made right in our relationship with Him. It means we are innocent.

We cannot earn that justification. It comes only by God’s grace.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being in right relationship with God.

Salvation is your lifestyle changing.

Acts 3:19-20

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus.

Repent means to have a change of mind that leads to a change in behavior.

Salvation is allowing God to change our lives so we live the way God wants us to live.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is having our lives transformed by God’s grace.

That is the standard way of looking at salvation. But there is more!

Salvation is being made new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

We become brand new people when we surrender our lives to Jesus.

The old desires, the old way of living, the old goals as well as the old sin and guilt are gone and the new desires, the new way of living, the new goals, and new peace and freedom are here to stay.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being made new in Jesus.

Salvation is being righteous.

2 Corinthians 5:21

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

We are righteous just like Jesus because He became our sin.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being righteous.

Salvation is Jesus living His life in and through us.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

When we surrender our lives to the authority of Jesus, He then lives His life through us.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is having Jesus live His life through us.

Salvation is becoming like Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3:18

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

When we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins to form us into the image of Jesus. We start to take on the character of Jesus.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is becoming like Jesus.

By the Power of Jesus’ Salvation Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls

                                                      Joe

You Are the Righteousness of God

I love the fact that in all of my failure, mess, and insecurities, God loves me. He doesn’t just tolerate me or like me; He loves me.

I shared this truth that God loves me with a person lately and they asked how I know. They weren’t trying to disagree or mock my statement. They were honestly asking how I knew that God really loved me.

There are an overwhelming number of evidences of God’s love for us. There are so many that I don’t have the space or time to share all of them.

I will focus on two passages of scripture that are huge in revealing the extent of God’s love for us and the result of that love.

Romans 5:6-8

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Please, allow me to draw the picture that is presented here.

We as humans are powerless.

The word powerless means to be weak, infirmed, feeble, or helpless.

We are sick from sin. We are also helpless to provide the cure for our sickness.

I hate feeling powerless. I don’t like feeling that I have no ability to control or change things.

The reality is that, before I surrendered my life to Jesus, I had no control. Even as a follower of Jesus, there is very little I have control over. But before Jesus, I didn’t have the ability to change the fact I was a sinner and was dying because of sin. I couldn’t change the fact that God and I were not in unity. I couldn’t change the fact that I was sick with sin.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is admitting that we in ourselves have no power to change the fact that we are sinners.

We as humans are ungodly.

Romans 3:10-18 says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

That is not a flattering picture of humanity.

Humanity without Jesus:

Is Not Righteous

Doesn’t Seek God

Has Rejected God

Has Become Worthless

Does Not Do Good

Words Are Deceitful and Mean

Violence Characterizes Our Actions

Living in Failure, Misery, and With No Peace

Doesn’t Fear God

When you take all those characteristics, it equates to ungodliness.

I know that to many, the idea that we are born sinners or born with a bent toward sin or a nature that leads us to sin is not believable. Yet that is what God’s Word teaches and what our experience testifies to.

We are not only ungodly, but remember we are also powerless. We cannot in our own ability and resources change the fact that we are ungodly.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is acknowledging the fact that, without Jesus as Savior and Lord, we are ungodly.

We as humans are sinners.

Sin is mainly defined by many, even many in the church today, as immorality. There is so much more involved in sin than immorality.

The word sin in scripture means to miss the mark.

The idea of sin is revealed in Romans 3:23. Sin is not living up to God’s standards.

What are God’s standards? To perfectly obey Him all the time. I equate that to have to making 100 on every test, assignment, and homework in kindergarten through your senior year in high school. Some people have made all A’s, but no one has made 100 on everything through thirteen years of school.

There is no human being who has ever completely obeyed God all the time. Oh, wait a minute. Yes, there is, and His name is Jesus.

Jesus lived a powerful, godly, sinless life. He perfectly obeyed the Father all the time.

Jesus then allowed Himself to be placed on the cross and crucified. Jesus did that as our atoning sacrifice. He could be our atoning sacrifice, our perfect sacrifice for sin, because He was sinless.

Jesus died for us while we were powerless, ungodly sinners.

No one else would even think about doing that. Jesus didn’t think about doing it; He did it.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is accepting the gift that only Jesus could give us, the gift of forgiveness and eternal life.

The result of Jesus dying for us while we were powerless, ungodly sinners is found in 2 Corinthians 5:21.

That verse says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus took the guilt and penalty of our sin and gave us His righteousness, His sinless perfection before the Father.

The result of you and me accepting Jesus’ gift of His life sacrificed for us is not becoming a better person or better spouse or parent or going to heaven. All those will happen, but the primary result of us accepting Jesus’ sacrifice is that we become the righteousness of God.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is, through the sacrifice of Jesus, becoming the righteousness of God.

You and I are the righteousness of God, not because we have done anything to accomplish that, but because Jesus went to the cross, and in dying He accomplished that.

Through Jesus Making Me the Righteousness of God, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls

                                                      Joe

Finding Contentment

Contentment is living in peace and confidence in what is going on in your life and where your life is going.

Contentment is not complacency. It is not a false peace based on trust in yourself but it is abiding peace and confidence in God in the midst of the battle.

In the last section of Philippians, chapter 4 verses 10 to 23 Paul shares the secret of being content. A clue: Without Jesus as the center of your life, it is impossible.

A key word in this passage is learned. It means to know something because you have experienced it. Paul says we can learn to be content when we find our sufficiency in Jesus, not ourselves.

Paul shares with us three spiritual resources that make us sufficient and give us contentment.

Philippians 4:10

I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.

#1: The Overruling Providence of God

The word providence comes from two words that mean “before” and “to see”. God’s providence means that He sees it beforehand and gives us what we need even before we know there is a need. It is the working of God in advance to arrange circumstances and resources to accomplish His purpose.

Joseph’s life is a great example of God arranging circumstances, which were not always wonderful in the short term, to accomplish His purpose of delivering His people.

The greatest example is Jesus. Jesus came and died for us before you and I knew we had a need. God provided a Savior before we knew we needed to be saved.

Romans 8:28

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose.

The provision that God promises is:

For the long term, not the short term

For those who are following Him

For His purpose

We need to see life not as a series of accidents, but as a series of appointments arranged by God for our benefit and His glory.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is trusting God’s provision.

Philippians 4:11-13

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

#2: The Unfailing Power of God

It was the power of Jesus within Paul that gave him spiritual contentment.

The followers of Jesus have the power within them that they need to live fulfilling the desires of God. God has given us His Holy Spirit, so we have the power to do whatever He directs us to do.

In John 15:5 Jesus tells us that without Him we can do nothing, but with Him we will produce much fruit.

The more we trust God and obey Him, the more we will experience His presence.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is depending on and experiencing the presence and power of God.

Philippians 4:14-20

Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing God. And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul points out ways that his needs were met:

The Philippians helped meet his needs in the early days.

Epaphroditus brought gifts that met his needs.

                                                                           

The bottom line of the different ways that his needs were met is that they all came from God. It was God who supplied all Paul’s needs.

All the ways that God met his needs came through Jesus.

We as followers of Jesus don’t have to go looking for Jesus; we have Jesus. When we as Jesus’ followers are in the will of God, serving for the glory of God, then we will have every need met.

Hudson Taylor said, “When God’s work is done in God’s way for God’s glory, it will not lack God’s supply.”

God’s promises are real and we can depend on them.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is depending on the person and promises of God.

Contentment comes from adequate resources. Our resources are the providence of God, the power of God, and the promises of God.

On a personal note, I want to thank you for giving me the privilege of sending these devotions to you. This devotion marks the end of six years of doing Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls. My prayer is, as always, that God will speak to you through these devotions and use them to help you to more intimately know Him.

With Contentment Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls

                                            Joe

Don't Worry!

We live in a culture where there is a ton of stress. Our lives tend to be filled with worry.

Paul ends Philippians 3 by reminding us that we are to live differently than those in the world who don’t know Jesus.

Philippians 4:1

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

Therefore is referring to what he has just said. We are to stand firm because of who we are in Jesus.

The world has a way of leading us to forget who we are in Jesus or wearing us down to the point of not caring who we really are.

The word worry or anxious in Greek means to be pulled in different directions. Our hopes pull us in one direction and our fears pull us in another direction.

The English root from which we get our word worry means to strangle. Worry can strangle our hope, joy, and peace. It can paralyze us.

Worry affects us in many ways. It affects us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Paul had many reasons to worry:

Divisions in the church in Philippi

Divisions in the church in Rome

Possibility of his death

Philippians 4:2 shows us one of the things that could have caused Paul to worry.

Philippians 4:2

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.

Two people in the Church at Philippi were causing conflict and division.

Philippians 4:3

Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, to help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Paul asks the other members of the church to help these women to work out their problems because they are fellow believers and in order to bring unity to the church.

Paul had many reasons to worry. How did he overcome worry and walk in faith and trust in Jesus?

Philippians 4:4-5

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

We need to let Jesus give us the right attitude.

Our focus should be on rejoicing and praising Jesus.

Many times, we focus on the negative and that leads to an attitude of whining, not rejoicing.

Our focus should be on gentleness and compassion toward others.

That doesn’t mean that we just coddle or enable others to live in a destructive lifestyle.

It means we see others as Jesus does.

We don’t see them as the enemy but as victims of the enemy.

We don’t see them as beyond hope but as people who can know Jesus as their hope.

We don’t see them as people to hate but as people that Jesus loves.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is allowing God to form in us the right attitude.

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

We need to practicing right praying.

The number one antidote to worry is prayer.

In prayer, we:

Bring all our needs and concerns to Jesus

Thank Jesus for His answers before we see the answer

Rest in God’s peace

Let God’s peace guard our hearts and minds

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is bringing our fears to Jesus and trusting Him.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything

Is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

We need to let Jesus direct and control our thinking.

Focus on what is:

True

Honest and Just

Pure and Good

Worthy of Praise

Full of Virtue

What we think about, what we let our minds dwell on, will determine what our actions will be. Our actions will determine our lifestyle.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about letting Jesus direct our thinking and what our minds focus on.

Philippians 4:9

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

We need to let Jesus make what we know the reality of our lives. We need to practice what we say we believe.

Following Jesus is not just about what you know; it is about living out your faith.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living out our faith in Jesus.

No need to worry! With the peace of God to guard us and the God of peace to guide us – why worry?

In Trust and Obedience Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                               Joe

Following The Pattern of the Gospel

In Philippians 3:17-21, Paul talks about two groups of people.

In verses 17-18 Paul identifies the two groups.

Philippians 3:17-18

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross.

The first group are those who live life according to the pattern of the gospel.

The second group are those who live as enemies of the cross.

In verse 19 Paul describes those who live as enemies of the cross.

Philippians 3:19

Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

First, their destiny is destruction. They live lives that are wasted and will lead to death. These are people who live based on the values of a fallen culture and at the end, their lives have been wasted and they will experience spiritual death and thus separation from the source of all life – Jesus.

Second, their god is their stomach. They live to fulfill their physical appetites. They focus their lives on pleasure. It is all about comfort and luxury with these guys.

Third, their glory is their shame. They live being proud about things that should cause them to feel shame. They live to please themselves, not to honor God.

Their mind is on earthly things. They live focused on the things that are earthly and temporary.

Colossians 3:2 says that we are to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things.

These are people who have no desire for God in their lives and find the message of the cross foolish. They want nothing to do with God.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing that not everyone will agree with you, and living based on the truth no matter what the circumstances or what others think.

In verses 20-21 Paul gives the characteristics of those who live according to the pattern of the Gospel.

Philippians 3:20-21

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.

First, their names are on heaven’s books. They are citizens of heaven. Their names are once-for-all written and will never be removed from the book of life.

Second, they speak heaven’s language. They speak the truth, they live the truth, and they do both in love.

In Ephesians 4:15 we are told to speak the truth in love. Truth without love is harsh. Love without truth is wimpy.

Third, they obey heaven’s law. This is not tied to getting salvation by works or by following the law. It is loving God and loving others, not to earn salvation but because you are saved.

Paul is referring to what James calls the royal law. In James 2:8, the royal law says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Fourth, they are loyal to heaven’s cause. They have as their mission to:

Know Jesus

Love Jesus

Serve Jesus

Share Jesus

Life for them is Jesus, not self.

Fifth, they are looking for heaven’s Lord. They are looking for and desiring Jesus’ return. They don’t know when Jesus will return, but they know He will return and they are eager for it.

We are to live anticipating Jesus’ return any day.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing and living based on the truth that this earth is not our home.

Paul is talking about living in an intimate relationship with Jesus in the present and looking forward to what He will do in the future.

As we enter a new year I pray that you will experience the newness of Jesus everyday of 2017.

In the newness of Jesus, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe