Latest / The Daily Word / March 13 – Salvation by Promise, Not Performance
Transcript
- Robert Rosales: Good morning, Lakeshore family, and welcome to today's Daily Word podcast. I'm Robert Rosales, and my wife Yolanda and I have the privilege of serving as the campus pastors at our Gastonia location. Each day on this podcast, we take a few moments to reflect on what God is highlighting from our daily Bible reading. As a church family, we're intentional about creating space to meet with God. through prayer, through scripture, and by writing down what the Holy Spirit is speaking and how it connects to everyday life. We're reading together using the Life Journal reading plan, and today we're focusing on the New Testament passage from that plan. Now when I sit down for my time with the Lord, I keep it simple. My Bible, my Life Journal, a pen for journaling, and a highlighter to mark the verses that stand out as God speaks. I also like to use a couple of trusted study tools. Blue Letter Bible. It's an online tool and it helps me to explore context, original word meanings and cross references. I also go to BibleRef.com and this gives me a clear verse by verse snapshot of what I'm reading. Now these tools don't replace scripture. They simply help me slow down and listen more Carefully, we're also using the SOAP method. You know it scripture observation application and prayer it's a practical way to engage God's Word and Respond to what he's doing in our hearts now lean in with me as I lead us in a Bible Declaration before I share my scripture for the day. Come on. If you know it say with me. This is my Bible It is God's Word written to me. I am who it says I am. I can do what it says I can do. I can have what it says I can have. So I receive it as truth for my life today and open my heart to hear God speak a word, reveal Jesus to me, fill me with the Holy Spirit, then send me out to share Christ with others so that my life will be changed forever. In Jesus name, amen. Now today's passage for March 13th comes out of Galatians chapter 4 and I journaled from verse 27. Galatians 4.27, that's my scripture. This is what it says, for it is written, rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear, break forth and shout, you who are not in labor, For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband." Now, Paul's referring back to an Old Testament scripture and he's pulling it forward and he's using it to speak to the church in Galatia. Now, I have a title for my journal entry and this is what it is. Salvation by Promise, not Performance. Salvation by Promise, not... performance. And here's the observation. The barren woman represents people who cannot save themselves and the children represent those who become sons and daughters of God, not through effort or law keeping, but through God's promise fulfilled in Christ. In other words, the gospel produces God's family by grace, not by human striving. and the Church rejoices because God is still bringing life where there was once no life. You see, Paul's been explaining that Hagar was similar to Mount Sinai, which was equated with bondage, the law, and the flesh in the Old Testament. On the other hand, Sarah represented promise, freedom. the Spirit and grace. Isaac, a son born to Sarah, represents the children of promise, not children of human effort. Sarah was barren, incapable of producing life on her own. Now spiritually, this represents humanity's inability to save itself, the failure of the law to produce righteousness, and religious effort that cannot give birth to true sons and daughters. All this is the backdrop to what Paul is going to say, which ultimately points to the fact that life comes not through effort, but through promise. The barren woman rejoices because God creates life where none was possible. Listen again, rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear. Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor, for the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband. Salvation is a new birth by promise, not performance. Salvation is not achieved, it is received. It is spiritual birth, not just moral improvement. Just as Isaac was born because God had spoken a promise, believers today are born again by the Spirit, made children through grace, and adopted as sons and daughters by faith, not of works." Come on, somebody say, amen. Now here's the application. In other words, how does this apply to my life? This is what I wrote down. As a follower of Christ and a pastor, I will be mindful of the fact that the church does not give birth through programs, the law, pressure, or performance based religion. The church gives birth through the gospel, the Holy Spirit, and the promises fulfilled in Christ. What once looked barren now produces many sons and daughters. The church, our church, our Gastonia campus will be fruitful. Not because we're strong, but because Christ is faithful. Now here's my prayer. Father God, thank you for speaking to me today, for reminding me today that every salvation is a miracle birth. Every believer is a child of promise and every true conversion is evidence that you are still bringing life from barrenness. Holy Spirit, help us remember that ministry does not manufacture disciples. We proclaim promises and God gives the increase. The gospel doesn't ask barren people to try harder. It announces that God has already made a way for life. pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. Lakeshore family, as you go into your day, my prayer is that you'll develop a hunger for God and His word like you've never had before. As you do, God will open your eyes to the riches of His word, giving you revelation and life-changing insight that will help you become everything God has called you to be, fulfilling your mission, purpose, and plan for our great Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thanks for joining me today on the Daily Word Podcast. I hope this encourages you to stay faithful in the Word and sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading. God bless you and we'll catch you again tomorrow.