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Examining your own heart Hosea 12:10 Break up the fallow ground; Breaking- humble yourself before the Lord. Confess that your heart has become hard, fallow, and shallow. Acknowledge it is your own responsibility to break up the fallow ground. Ask for his help and guidance in the breaking – the Holy Spirit will assist us. Confess all known sin-all the usual suspects- found in the Ten Commandments Include unforgiveness, bitterness, grudges, and resentment- then forsake them. Examine your heart... Examine your heart for unbelief. Examine your heart for prayerlessness. A sinning man stops praying, a praying man stops sinning [1]. Examine your heart for the lost. Examine the priorities of your heart. Is your first priority in the material world? Is your first priority in human relationships? Is your first real priority to get money, power, or possessions? Is your heart, seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness knowing that all these things shall be added unto you? What are you living for? Who are you living for? Next, deal also with the questionable things in your life. It might not be outright sin, but does it glorify God? Examine your friendships and associations –do they please God? Develop convictions to protect yourself from falling into sin. Convictions help integrate our hearts (inward) with our actions (outward) Job made a covenant with his eyes [2]...... For it is time to seek the Lord; Seeking – the time to seek God is now –the time to seek his face is now- the time to seek his face in faith is now- believing he wants you to find him now. It is God’s will for you to find him- when you seek him with all your heart. Til he comes and rains righteousness on you, Persisting- how long O Lord? Persist until he comes – he will certainly come if we persist. If we focus on the persisting –He will focus on his coming- Yes, the very presence of the living God will come down on you- History testifies to this in the Lewis revival. Prepare ye the way of the Lord in your own heart- remove every obstacle – and bring the presence of the living God in a new way into your heart. God wants to do a new thing in your heart today. Raining-Until the Spirit is poured on us from on high [3] And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field. And the fruitful field is counted as a forest. God wants your heart to be an orchard. God promised to pour out his Spirit on the dry and thirsty ground[4] He promised that the crocus and the rose would bloom in the desert place. Imagine fragrant flowers and sweet fruit trees in planted in the soil of your heart. God desires to breathe in your fragrance. God desires to taste the sweet fruit of your character. Jeremiah says, ‘break up your fallow ground and do not sow amongst thorns.’ Conclusion The reason we do not have revival is that we are willing to live without it. [5] The alternative to revival is progressive decline into barrenness. Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground,  For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Let us bring the plough of God’s word into the fallow grounds of our hearts today asking God to empower the plough by his Holy Spirit and that he shows us exactly what needs to be removed. Are you willing to break the fallow ground in your heart? are you willing to be made willing? God is willing and God is able to help each one of us break up our own fallow ground. Amen Prayer [1] Leonard Ravenhill [2] Job 31 1 I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman. [3] Isaiah 32 15 [4] Isaiah 44 3-4 [5] Leonard Ravenhill

Hosea 10:12 breaking up the fallow ground Here is God’s solution for a backslidden and lukewarm church. Sow for yourselves in righteousness –Sowing; –live right before God- Believe and practice God’s word- let it dwell in your heart richly- Ask the Holy Spirit to water the seed of the word-Pray fervently-share the gospel. Sow only good seeds Do only good deeds Reap in mercy; Reaping; when we sowed in righteousness, we reaped a harvest of the Lord’s loving-kindness (chesed) Our God is Chasidic-full of loving kindness. Our God multiplies the righteous seed we have sown way beyond the measure we sowed. Our first cycles of sowing and reaping produced a good harvest. But something crept up on us- the sin crouching at the door? Or the worries and cares of this life? The pursuit of wealth? And now whatever has happened, the soil of our hearts has become fallow ground. Examine your heart..........................take the Tozer [1] test. The fallow heart is smug and cannot be taught much. The fallow heart is self-contented. The fallow heart is protected from the shock of the plow. Some hearts have lain fallow year by year, safe and undisturbed. The fallow heart focuses on past fruit. The fallow heart has two signs on it; ‘Do not disturb’ and ‘Past-master.’ The fear of the plough means there can be no present fruit. The spirit of adventure is dead. The fallow heart is fenced in, and God is fenced out. The fallow heart smiles indulgently at fastings, revivals, self searching and the need to move on in God. The fallow soil has been hardened and can only support weeds, thorns, and thistles. The very seeds sown by the world, the flesh, and the devil. The soil of our hearts lies fallow to varying degrees-what state is your heart in tonight? Examine your own heart... and take the Plough [2] test. The ploughed heart practices confession and repentance We need to keep short accounts with God and each other. The ploughed heart has a sign ‘not safety first.’ The ploughed heart is discontent in God. The ploughed heart is yearning and full of godly sorrow. The ploughed heart is courageously obedient and ready to bear fruit. Break up the fallow ground; Breaking- humble yourself before the Lord. Confess that your heart has become hard, fallow, and shallow. Acknowledge it is your own responsibility to break up the fallow ground. Ask for his help and guidance in the breaking – the Holy Spirit will assist us. Confess all known sin-all the usual suspects- found in the Ten Commandments Include unforgiveness, bitterness, grudges, and resentment- then forsake them. Amen Prayer [1] A.W. Tozer [2] Michael Catt The power of surrender; breaking through to the ploughed life. In Part 4 we continue to examine our own hearts and deal with our lives.

Breaking up the fallow ground Hosea 10:12 The life and times of the prophet Hosea The prophet Hosea is known as the first of the minor prophets. Minor in this context means that his prophetic book was comparitively small compared to major prophets such as Isaiah or Jeremiah. However Hosea and his fellow minor prophets brought major messages to God's covenant people. Hosea lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BC. Hosea means literally 'salvation'. The book of Hosea is found in the old testament between the books of Daniel and Joel. The book of Hosea chapters 1-3 tell Hosea’s harrowing personal story God told him to marry Gomer a promiscuous woman and raise children. Hosea had even to buy her back from her lover. Their third child a boy had a name something like ‘my daddy is not my daddy.’ Hosea keenly felt the pain and rejection of loving an unfaithful covenant breaking wife. God keenly felt the pain and rejection of loving an unfaithful covenant breaking people. Hosea identified with God’s breaking heart [1] over the sin of his people. Our sin breaks God’s heart. God’s tender love and mercy towards his people pours out of the book of Hosea. Hosea chapters 4-14 give the prophetic message of Hosea to Israel The land was filled with corruption amongst its rulers. Families were unstable and immorality was widely accepted. Society was divided and poverty was rife. Idolatry was on the rise and the religious leaders had no answers. Sound familiar? Could this be your country today? In Part 3 we will begin study the text of Hosea 10:12 to understand how to break up the fallow ground in our hearts. Footnotes [1] Clayton Dougan in the podcast The breaking heart of God, Sermon Index.com

Break up the fallow ground Hosea 10:12 Revival is when eternity invades time [1] Revival is God’s radical treatment for a sick and lukewarm church. Revival starts with me. Revival starts with you. God is calling me into personal revival. God is calling me to break up the fallow ground in my heart. God is calling you into personal revival. God is calling you to break up the fallow ground in your heart. The fallow ground is the soil of your heart that used to produce fruit. The fallow ground in our hearts is overgrown with weeds, thistles, and thorns. God is calling us into revival through Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves in righteousness Reap in mercy. Break up the fallow ground. For it is time to seek the Lord Til he comes and rains righteousness on you. Amen In Part 2 we consider the life and times of the minor prophet Hosea [1] Unknown author quoted by Clayton Dougan

Introduction to the letter to the Romans The epistle to the Romans can be a life changing study and has lead to many a salvation or revival over the centuries. Romans has changed the lives of a number great saints like Augustine, it took Martin Luther off his knees when climbing the stairs in penance to the Pope and the Spirit whispered to him ‘the just shall live by faith’ thus inspiring Luther to begin to launch the reformation. John Wesley was converted by reading Luther’s preface to Romans saying that his heart was ‘strangely warmed’. The epistle to the Romans is the sixth book of the New Testament and was written by the Apostle Paul about AD56. Paul most likely wrote the letter from Corinth. Paul intended to visit the church in Rome once he had delivered the money collected for the church in Jerusalem. The letter was probably delivered to Rome by the deaconess Phoebe. The congregation was a mixture of Gentiles and Jews.This letter is considered by many to be the finest exposition of Christian doctrine in the NT. Although addressed to the church in Rome the themes of Romans are general and can be applied by all the churches both then and now. Martin Luther’s summary of Romans translated from the German We find in this letter, then, the richest possible teaching about what a Christian should know: the meaning of law, Gospel, sin, punishment, grace, faith, justice, Christ, God, good works, love, hope and the cross. We learn how we are to act toward everyone, toward the virtuous and sinful, toward the strong and the weak, friend and foe, and toward ourselves. Paul bases everything firmly on Scripture and proves his points with examples from his own experience and from the Prophets, so that nothing more could be desired. Therefore it seems that St. Paul, in writing this letter, wanted to compose a summary of the whole of Christian and evangelical teaching which would also be an introduction to the whole Old Testament. Without doubt, whoever takes this letter to heart possesses the light and power of the Old Testament. Therefore each and every Christian should make this letter the habitual and constant object of his study. God grant us his grace to do so. Amen [1]. I am unable to compete with Martin Luther’s summary above but in today’s terms I think that the most useful modern summaries of Romans include the idea that the epistle to the Romans is a systematic explanation of how the Gospel works! May our hearts be ‘strangely warmed ‘as the Holy Spirit teaches us through this letter! The translation I have chosen for this study is the Today’s New International Version (TNIV). [1] Preface to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans by Martin Luther, 1483-1546 Translated by Bro. Andrew Thornton, OSB For a print out and much more please click on the link below https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/romans-a-short-commentary All chapters can be accessed via the above link Added Hebraic notes These were mainly sourced from the Torah Class- Lessons-Romans by Tom Bradford. Theologians such as James D G Dunn and E P Saunders have championed a New Perspective of the book of Romans which is moving into mainstream Christianity. The New Perspective asserts that Paul was fully fledged Jew before and after he turned to Christ. This is a new concept for mainline churches and poses a number of challenges to our previously accepted dogma. It seems that how we view Paul greatly affects our interpretation of the Book of Romans. A good interpretation of Paul's writing of Romans will uphold Christ's words and the words of the Old Testament prophets as being divinely inspired. Paul did not quit his Hebrew faith (as a Pharisee who trained under Gamaliel) to start a new Gentile religion. Tom Bradford asserts that Paul's writings ought to be viewed through the lens of a first century Rabbi. Almost all bible scholars agree that the Book of Romans was written by Paul around 57-58 AD, and probably was written in Corinth. Theologian Douglas J Moo has challenged the accepted Christian dogma that the book of Romans was a new Christian systematic Theology but sees the book as a letter dealing with various issues arising from the merging of the Gentile and Jewish believers. Paul was not the founder of the Christian church in Rome but was called by God to provide an apostolic authority to the church in Rome. This was quite a challenge as the Christians in Rome would probably identify more with the Apostle Peter in Jerusalem rather than Paul. However, Paul was uniquely qualified to be God's Apostle to the Gentiles.

A short commentary on Chapter 1:1-17 Paul as a called apostle brings God’s message to the called people in Rome. A message which still applies to you and I today as we are part of God’s called people here in Edinburgh (or wherever you are). 1:1 Paul, a servant [1] of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle [2] and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures (links to the OT)3regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life [a] was a descendant of David, 4 and who through (or by virtue of) the Spirit of holiness (Holy Spirit) was appointed (or decreed, determined or even declared) the Son of God (invested) in power [3] [b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to faith and obedience for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong (they have already been set apart) to (our Lord)Jesus Christ. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy (consecrated) people: Grace (unmerited favour) and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul uses the Greek words charis for grace and eirene for peace. Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world (famous faith in the Capital city , could it be in Edinburgh too?). 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit (with sincere devotion of the heart-Calvin) in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly (without ceasing) I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. Paul loves these Roman Christians tenderly and just as much as though he had founded the church in Rome which he had not. 11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift (as far as we know none of the apostles had visited Rome so Paul longed to lay hands on them and release the gifts of the Holy Spirit[4] in their ministries) to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith (works both ways). 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest (fruit probably including new converts and building up the body of Christ in character (Fruit of the Spirit), gifting and maturity) among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.(Paul modestly understates his huge success in ministering to the Gentiles). 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.(Paul was called to preach the Gospel both to the learned and the unlearned, he was obligated to them because of the call on his life and also perhaps in view of how he once persecuted the church of Jesus Christ even to death). 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel,(Paul was proud of the Gospel message even when he came up against the learned philosophers or anyone because in it he saw the power to change a human life) because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.(usual order) 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[c] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith [5]” [d] Paul is quoting the prophet Habakkuk here who also had to learn to trust God by exercising trust and faith in His person, His character and His actions. The righteousness of (more accurately from) God means the absolute moral purity of God. What must I do to be accepted by God? The Jews had the law and could not keep it and the Catholic church did not know the way of salvation. So how could the reformers like Luther and Calvin become acceptable to God? They had the revelation which launched the reformation that the way to become righteous before God requires that those in relationship with Him are ‘righteous’ that is that they have an ‘imputed’ righteousness which ‘avails’ them before God. This means that we are put in right standing with God or perhaps we can stand in His presence without being consumed. There is nothing we can do to earn this either by our actions such as keeping the law, doing good deeds or obtain in other way other than simply believing the Gospel message. The righteousness that is imputed to us is actually the righteousness of Jesus Christ and we receive this by faith by simply believing the Gospel truth about Jesus Christ. The new birth begins by faith, develops by faith, receives all the blessings of Christ by faith and is sustained on a life-long basis by faith. The just or righteous person truly will live from beginning to end by faith. There is simply no other way to live before God. This is the only answer to the question, what must I do be acceptable to God. [a} Romans 1:3 Or who according to the flesh {b} Romans 1:4 Or was declared with power to be the Son of God {c} Romans 1:17 Or is from faith to faith [d] Romans 1:17 Hab. 2:4 but the righteous will live by their faithfulness (or faith) [1] Gr. Doulos ; A bond servant or slave. A paid and usually highly skilled employee but with no right to resign. [2] Gr. Apostolos; A sent one or messenger. [3] Gr. Dunamis; English derivatives, dynamic and dynamite. [4] 1 Cor 12:8-10 [5] God spoke to Martin Luther through this verse when he was seeking an indulgence from the Pope ascending the stairs on his knees. Added Hebraic Notes A classic example of the culture clash between the Jewish and Gentile mindsets is found in Romans 1:1 where Paul describes himself as a slave (doulos) of Jesus Christ. In the Gentile Roman world to be a slave was a shameful thing. However in the Hebrew mindset a 'slave of God' (eved as were Moses, Elijah, David) was an honourable and special status. So Paul here is not humbling himself but was rather claiming a position of high authority, as he was hoping to establish himself as an apostle to the Romans. The Greek word for apostle carries the implication of the 'sending out' in a military sense including ships. The nearest Hebrew equivalent to this is the word Shaliach which has the connotation of an agent who carries his master's power and authority. So if Paul considered himself as a Shaliach then this implies that Paul was not merely a messenger but a highly empowered agent of Yeshua. v.11 Paul's desire to impart a 'spiritual gift' to the Roman Christians had in mind that these gifts would help establish the Roman church. The concept of 'spiritual gits' would have been know to Paul and Jesus from the Essenes (Dead Sea Scrolls - DSS 1QS) but would probably have been new to the Gentile churches. v.12 Paul redefines the 'spiritual gifts' as the more meaningful 'mutual encouragement' since the spiritual gifts may have had no clear meaning to the church. v14 Barbarians simply means 'non-Greek speakers' with the implication of being less civilized. v.16-17 give the main thrust of the letter i.e. the power of the Gospel, which is able to save souls because it reveals God's righteousness. The best explanation of righteousness is alluded to in Exodus 21 (in Hebrew Tzedek, in Greek Dikaioo) which we know from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament c.250 BC). The Septuagint can be viewed as a 'Rosetta stone' allowing the best translations between the Greek and Hebrew words. See the next part of the Letter to the Romans https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/romans-1-18-32

The integrity of God and applying the cross The integrity of God assures believers that faith in Him is always entirely appropriate. The integrity of God’s being is fully consistent with all He says and does. All the divine attributes of His being form one consistent, indivisible whole i.e. His total person—with each of the divine attributes working together in complete harmony for the ultimate blessing of all believers. God has always possessed integrity as part of His eternal, infinite, unchanging and perfect being. The integrity of God is composed of two divine attributes working in tandem which are perfect righteousness and absolute justice. Divine integrity cooperates with the divine love; together forming one perfect, integrated system through which God deals gracefully with humanity. Grace is the expression of God’s love, and integrity is the uncompromising method of His justice. Divine integrity ensures that the God of love and grace is neither inappropriately emotional, nor does He play favourites, nor does He fail to be decisive in any human situations. If God lacked integrity in any way, we could not trust what He has said or promised. We know that God cannot lie as Hebrews 6:18 says, “that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie.” Second, God and His word are one. This key is found in the first verse of John: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.” God the Father showed his integrity by not sparing Jesus from the cross. In Psalm 22 we find the Messiah crying out ‘My God my God why hast thou forsaken me’? The Father and the Holy Spirit turned their back on Jesus as he became sin on the cross. The integrity of Jesus Christ After his baptism Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days. While he was there, the devil tempted him. But Jesus showed amazing, perfect integrity to the Word of God and to his character! Jesus quoted the Old Testament to stay strong and showed faithfulness to his mission as the Son of God. Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane displayed his integrity to his Father’s word and will despite the natural recoil of his flesh. Matthew 16:24 But Jesus Himself spoke this way about following Him when He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”. Some bible teachers think that when we are told to take up our cross it means doing God’s will ahead of all our natural wishes and desires. The integrity of Jesus is our example. Applying the cross to our self-life. ‘We must also experience the cross. The enjoyment of Christ is something on the positive side, while the cross is on the negative side to deal with all the things that are not Christ Himself. The old creation, the self, the flesh, the natural man, and the soulish life all need to be dealt with by the cross. If we want to take Christ every day, we need to experience the cross. Christ and His cross are the unique solution to all the problems in the Christian life and church life. All problems in the Christian life and in the church can be solved only by Christ with His cross’.[1] His cross becomes our cross. Jesus carried his cross to Golgotha, and what did he do there? He died on it. Jesus Christ is talking in a spiritual sense here about our own cross which we take to Golgotha and die there as we follow him at any price. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, put it like this: “When Jesus Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” The purpose of the cross of Calvary is to mature us to be more like Jesus. We need to count the cost by need being aware that the cross. 1. Will cause pain and suffering. 2. Will probably take time. 3. Can only be applied by God himself but we need to be willing to submit to it. The cross must be taken up daily and applied to put our self-life to death if we want to walk in integrity before God and man. How do we apply to the cross to our lives? The cross also represents a call to discipleship and self-denial as Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). In different Bible studies, applying the cross can mean different things depending on the context of the passage being studied. For example, it can mean applying the principles of self-denial and sacrifice to our daily lives or it can mean understanding how Christ’s death on the cross fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. We can apply the cross to several areas of our lives by simply killing (or sacrificing) all our natural desires and preferences thus allowing God’s wishes, commands, and desires to prevail in any given situation. Our personal targets for the application of the cross in our lives must include setting us free from the following. a. Our attachment to the present evil age (Galatians 1:3-4). b. Any hope of salvation through keeping sets of rules (Galatians 2:19). c. The domination of the self-life as expressed in worldly ambition, pride, self-love, and self-absorption. (Galatians 2:20). The cross must be applied to our wants, our thinking, and even our feelings when they are contradicted by God’s will and word or by the leading of the Holy Spirit. d. The works of the flesh including sexual sin, the occult, wrong thinking and relationships, and fleshly self-indulgence (Galatians 5:24) e. The love of the world system (Galatians 6:14). As Father God always showed integrity in his dealings with Jesus, and Jesus always showed his integrity by being full obedient to his Father’s word and will, so our challenge is to develop integrity in our life-walk by regular application of the cross to our self-life just like Jesus did. Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Amen Personal Prayer Materials consulted. The integrity of God (2005) by R. B. Theme Jnr. What It Means to "Take Up Your Cross" (and How to Do it) by Dr Roger Barrier on crosswalk.com The Cross in my life Part 2 -4296 (1990) by Derek Prince Footnotes [1] Excerpt from General Sketch of the New Testament in the Light of Christ and the Church, A - Part 2: Romans through Philemon, by Witness Lee.

A short commentary on Chapter 1:18-32 Last time we in Chapter 1 as we studied verses 1-17, we saw that as Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome that he firstly laid out his credentials as an apostle before communicating to them that his message was about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul tells these Christians that although he never founded their church or indeed attended or participated in it, yet he felt a great love for them and longed to come and visit with them. The reason he gives for wanting to visit them is that he wanted to bless them, build them up in their character, impart a spiritual gift to them and get them moving in their gifting. Paul’s message was not dependent on their ethnic background or whether they were educated or uneducated but rather his gospel message for all people. His keynote point in a nutshell is that ‘the just (righteous) shall live by faith answering the burning question ‘what can a person do to become acceptable to God’. The Jews failed to achieve this ‘right standing’ with God by trying to keep the law. The churches of the day failed to achieve this ‘right standing’ by good works or penance or any other way. Paul tells them that the only way we can become righteous is simply by believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. From the new birth to death all the Christian life is lived by faith. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel message and neither should we because it is the only thing that can profoundly change a person’s life and give them salvation. The next major sections of the letter are mainly about the wrath of God. Chapter 1:18-32 God’s wrath against (mainly) the Gentiles Chapter 2:1-29 God’s wrath against the Jews Chapter 3:1-20 God’s wrath against all sinful men. These passages give the bad news about sinful man before going on to the Good News about Jesus Christ. 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness, The wrath of God is His personal anger against sin. There is a connotation of vengeance here perhaps when it reflects when God has had enough. This is not a temper tantrum but rather God righteously expressing His indignation against sin. God’s wrath is made visible in the OT by acts such as Noah’s flood, the judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues of Egypt and in the NT by the bowls of wrath in the book of Revelation. God’s wrath seems to be acted out in public view. Godlessness refers to those who break the first four commandments of the Decalogue (ten commandments) and unrighteousness to those who break the other six. Some translations include the idea that these people can only ‘try’ to suppress the truth about God rather than manage to do it. God’s truth will never ultimately be suppressed. 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. God deliberately makes His nature plain through at least three things. 1. God actively reveals Himself through the Creation. Its beauty, complexity, order, design, and its usefulness to man. 2. God reveals Himself through the human conscience. Why do we have it? 3. God reveals Himself by giving sinners over to be even worse sinners. How can man clearly see what is invisible? This is a paradox. What the eyes see affects the soul, but a darkened heart has not enough light to see the clues about God in His creation. The clues are there in abundance and to the extent that Paul says those who do not or will not see them really have no legitimate excuse. This process involves a cycle of suppressing or rejecting the things that somehow reveal God as is clearly displayed in the creation. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles. Deep down people know that God really exists from the clues He has set in creation, but most people prefer to suppress this knowledge about God rather openly admit that He exists and give glory to Him and express gratitude to their Creator. When people wilfully reject the knowledge of God a downward spiral engulfs them. Their thinking becomes useless. A fool biblically speaking is not an idiot or someone who cannot reason but rather is the person who says there is no God contrary to the evidence in creation resulting in their hearts or spirits becoming darkened (dull, despairing, and depraved). Their darkened hearts lead them from worshipping the glorious Creator to the heathen and idolatrous practices of worshipping created things such as men, birds, animals or even reptiles or insects. All such idolatrous worship was strictly forbidden in Deuteronomy 4:15-19 and 5:8-9. As the downward spiral of those who reject God continues, we see that three times God give them over to even worse forms of degradation v24, v26 and v28. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. The sin of idolatry leads to the penalty of sexual immorality as God reluctantly begins to abandon those who reject Him. They exchanged the worship of created things for worship of the Creator who is the only being worthy of our praise, glory, and worship. Truth Lie X Creature Creator [1] 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. The sin of exchanging worship of God with the worship of created things leads to the penalty of other things also being exchanged from the natural usage i.e. same sex relationships. This reminds me of the scripture in Deuteronomy 14:21 ‘...Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk’. The mother’s milk was given by God to nourish the kid, not to boil it. This would constitute an unnatural usage. That is why child abuse is so unnatural and parents were given by God to nurture and not to abuse their offspring. Paul states that the practice of same sexuality is shameful and brings its own penalty in terms of the degradation and damage to the practitioners and this affects them spirit, soul, and body. The adverse effects of this practice on the human mind and body are well documented by some though denied by others. 28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. Those who continue reject God giving no heed to the revelations that God has given of Himself and so for the third time God gives them over to depravity of mind so that there is no restraint in their pursuit of evil. Paul then goes on to list 21 Greek words describing evil actions that follow on from the depraved mindset. There are several lists of vices in the NT perhaps the other best-known list is in Galatians 5:19-21 where Paul describes the lusts of the flesh. These sins specified in this list of 21 are more in the mind than in the body [2]. Please note that almost every term spring from a selfish life which exploits others for personal advantage. These sins are anti-relationship in nature and will drive people to an isolated existence and thus apart from any genuine love and fellowship. Another scholar [3] labelled the list as ‘a haphazard catalogue of sins of personality, and sins of personal relationships. Some bible scholars [4] split the vices into groups of 4, 5 and 12 based on the headings ‘having been filled with...’, ‘Being full of...’ and the last subgroup of 12 whose English equivalent starts with, ‘un’ or ‘dis’ or finishes with ‘less’. We will now have a quick look at vices based on a Greek word study [5] Wickedness is the generic term for all wrongdoing and human crimes. Evil; The Greek word ‘Poneria’ is also a general term and denotes "the unrestrained indulgence in the commission of vice or can also mean that state of mind which strives to produce injury to others. Greed: It comes from two Greek words which literally mean "I will have more." "It is the intense love or lust of gain; the determination to be rich; the principle of a dissatisfied and discontented soul. Depravity is viciousness and includes being sadistic and seeing everyone in the worst possible light. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. Envy begrudges anything good in the life of others and wants what they have at their expense. Murder the unlawful taking of a human life with malice aforethought. Strife means being quarrelsome, discordant, or contentious seeking a fight. Deceit is setting a trap or bait for the unsuspecting. Malice is spitefulness or bitterness and actively seeks to harm the intended victim. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Gossips secretly sow poison seeds into their hearer’s mind. Slanders are back stabbers who try to destroy people with words. God haters can mean those who hate God or alternatively those hated by God. The insolent person is the typical overbearing person and if you cross them in any way, beware! Arrogance makes a person see themselves as superior to other people and causes them to look down on them. Boastful means a braggart who really has nothing to brag about. Inventors of evil try to think up new ways of sinning! Those disobedient to their parents are disloyal and rebellious to those whom God has set in authority over them. Those who no longer have any understanding of the things of God and have seared consciences. They have no faith or faithfulness and are unscrupulous covenant breakers. They do not even have natural love for their families. They will not even broker a deal with you as they are unforgiving and implacable in their outlook. They are merciless and without pity or fellow feeling and will not cut you any slack. As if, these things that those who reject God are not bad enough they compound their sin by approving and promoting these wicked things in others. [1] NT Commentary Romans page 76 W. Hendriksen Published by The Banner of Truth 1980 [2] R.A. Batey, the Living Word Commentary: The Letter of Paul to the Romans, p. 31). [3] The New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 1391. [4] W Hendriksen Commentary on Romans pages 80-81. [5] ROMANS 1:28-32 A Greek Word Study by Al Maxey Hebraic Notes v.18-20 Suppressing truth is one of the wrong behaviours of the unrighteous. If you don't know who God is then it is because you don't want to know. Disbelief in creation is a deception that influences what other things you believe about God (See Psalm 19:1-7). Sexual morality is the most important issue in our modern times and has caused many divisions and disagreements within and between the churches. We discern right from wrong by using God's word and especially His Torah. When mankind rebels against God they enter into a process of moral degeneration. God's anger is expressed against wickedness and godlessness. v.21 The refusal of humans to recognise God and worship Him leads to futile thinking. v.22-23 We must worship the Creator not the creation. In Hebrew thought 'to know' God means to worship Him. v.24 Atheism is essentially self-worship. God says that he will give people up (paradidomi = give up, turn over, deliver) to their sins. God actively abandons people to their wickedness as a result of their rejection of Him. v.29-32 Paul says that those whose lifestyle embraces the practice the vices described in v. 29-31 are worthy of death.

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 What happened next? Then the revival began to sweep into Arnol, another district where men had been praying and crying out to God because of the deadness of religion. In desperation a little band of men made their way to a farmhouse to plead the promises of God. Just after midnight a young man rose and prayed a prayer that will never be forgotten by those present: "Lord, you made a promise, are you going to fulfil it? We believe that you are a covenant keeping God. Will you be true to your covenant? You have said that you will pour waters upon him who is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground (Isaiah 44:3). Lord, I know how these ministers stand in your presence, but if I know my own heart I know where I stand, and I tell thee now that I am thirsty. Oh, I am thirsty for a manifestation of the presence and power of God! And Lord, before I sit down, I want to tell you that your honour is at stake!" The House Shook! Then came the answer - While the brother prayed the house shook like a leaf as God turned loose His mighty power - the dishes rattled on the sideboard. The elder exclaimed, " An earth tremor!" Then wave after wave of divine power swept throughout the farmhouse. - Walking the streets under conviction Simultaneously, the Spirit of God swept through the village. People could no longer sleep. houses were lit all night; people walked the streets under conviction; people knelt by their bedsides crying out to God to help them. As the praying men left the prayer meeting, the preacher walked into a house for a glass of milk. He found the lady of the house, with seven others down upon their knees crying for pardon. 48 hours to change all the youth and every young man Within 48 hours the drinking house, usually crowded with the men of the village, was closed. Within 48 hours every young person between the ages of 12 and 20 had surrendered to Christ, and every young man between the ages of 18 and 35 could be found in the prayer meetings. Message for Ireland and beyond God is looking for his intercessors for Ireland, and I believe that He has sent me here tonight to tell you that it is you and to remind you about a covenant engagement; c.f. the Lewis revival. He has promised to pour out his Spirit on the dry and thirsty ground. You praying women should put God in remembrance of his covenant, humble yourselves and repent, confess the sins of the nation, then he will come ... Amen Prayer Further reading on the Lewis Revival: The Lewis Awakening: The Nature of a God Sent Revival eBook : Campbell, Duncan, Publications, CrossReach: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 In Part 1 we saw that the praying men and women in the Hebrides were given a revelation by the Holy Spirit that God was a covenant keeping God who responded to the intercession of his covenant people. Here is what happened next; At 3am God swept into the cottage The first night of the meetings in the church at Barvas, nothing much happened, but one of the praying deacons said to Duncan Campbell, "Don't be discouraged, it is coming. I already can hear heaven's chariot wheels. We will have another night of prayer and then we will see what God is going to do." About thirty went to a nearby cottage and continued to pray into the night. At about 3am God swept into the cottage and about a dozen were laid prostrate on the floor, unable to move. Something had happened! Revival had come! As they left the cottage, they found the lights burning in every house as men and women were seeking God. They found three men laying by the roadside under conviction of sin, crying out for God to have mercy on them. Converted before arriving at church The events of the second night will never be forgotten by those who were there! Buses came from the four corners of the island. Seven men were being driven to the meeting in a butcher’s truck, when suddenly the Spirit fell on them in great conviction - they were all converted before they reached the church. As the preacher preached tremendous conviction swept down upon the people and tears fell down the faces of those present. So deep was the distress of some that their voices could be heard outside. Under the burden of Intercession The meeting finally ended, and people began to move outside. A young man began to pray under a tremendous burden of intercession, He prayed for three quarters of an hour and as he prayed people gathered outside the church until there were twice as many outside as there had been inside. When he stopped praying, an elder gave out Psalm 132 and as the great congregation began to sing, the people streamed back into the church again and the meeting continued until 4am. The moment people took their seats the Spirit of God in great conviction began to sweep through the church and hardened sinners wept and confessed their sins. At the police station As the meeting was finally closing, a messenger hurried to the preacher, "Come with me! There is a crowd of people outside the police station; they are weeping and in awful distress. We do not know what is wrong with them, but they are calling for someone to come and pray with them." Describing the scene outside the police station the minister later declared, "Oh I saw a sight I never thought possible. Something I shall never forget. Under a starlit sky, men, and women were kneeling everywhere, by the roadside, outside the cottages, even behind the peat stacks,crying for God to have mercy on them!" Six hundred people had been making their way to the church, when suddenly the spirit of God had fallen upon them in great conviction, causing them to fall to their knees in repentance. Crying out against dead religion and standing on the promises of God. Amen Revival Prayer In Part 3 we find out what else happened when revival came to the Hebrides and the implications for the church in Ireland and elsewhere.

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 Message given at House of Prayer, Carlow, Ireland- (Prophetic Word)– 7th June 2000. He is ready to gather the emeralds for His crown. Understanding intercession and revival Two of the greatest revivals in the 20th century were the Welsh and the Lewis/Hebridean revivals, both involving Celtic peoples. Has God forgotten the Irish? God loves the Irish! Why has Satan laboured so hard to divide and destroy Ireland. The spirit of Herod is still at work, trying to destroy that which is newly born in the body of Christ. Will the coming Irish revival touch the whole earth? Malachi 3 16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. v17 The Welsh were the rubies, the Scots the sapphires. God wants to gather his emeralds for his crown. We must pray that these precious lost jewels will be found. His jewel box is the Church of Jesus Christ. God is putting us in remembrance of something about his character tonight and wants us to remember the Lewis/Hebridean revival. Pastor Sean Mullarkey recently told me of a prophecy he had heard that the Irish would no longer dance with their hands at their sides but would dance like the Scots with their hands in the air. The Hebridean Revival 1948-52 The revival came back in those days on the Isle of Lewis - one of the islands of the Hebrides, just off the coast of Scotland. The church elders met in Stornoway to discuss the sad state of the church. Dead, dry and without much hope, some of the churches were about ready to close their doors. The young people were in the drinking places and the dance halls - they were not at all interested in spiritual things. Seven men begin to change their world through prayer As a result of the meeting, seven men and one of the elders decided to pray and seek God for the Hebrides Isles. They met in an old barn by the side of the road. Three times a week they met and prayed and sought the face of God. As they knelt in the straw of the old barn God reminded them of a verse of scripture in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." They began to pray according to this verse. God is the Covenant Keeper And then the Holy Spirit gave them a revelation - that He was a covenant-keeping God. They realised that if they kept their end of the covenant i.e. to humble themselves and pray and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways" then God was bound by His own covenant to come and keep His end of the two-way promise - to "Hear from heaven and forgive their sins and HEAL THEIR LAND." They continued to pray day after day - keeping their faith strong and reminding God of His word. They obeyed God and cleansed their hearts - and sought His face - and held on to the covenant promise. They had no doubt that God would heal their land and visit the people of the Hebrides. Two elderly ladies change their world through prayer At the same time, two elderly ladies, sisters, one of 82 and the other of 84 years, were also praying continually in their cottage, for God to come in His power and visit their island. Simultaneous glory One night after five months, as the men were praying and travailing before God, suddenly the barn was filled with the glory of God. At the same time, the little cottage where the sisters were praying, was also filled with the glory of God - they knew that God had heard and that He was about to descend in power among them. God is coming in two weeks God instructed the sisters to write to Duncan Campbell, a well-known Keswick speaker- a godly man of prayer. God revealed to the sisters that he was the man the Lord was calling to preach during this visitation. Duncan Campbell received the letter but replied that his itinerary was full, and that they should continue to pray and that he would come the following year. When the sisters heard this, they said, "Well God is coming in two weeks!" They continued to pray, and Duncan Campbell s itinerary got cancelled - so he decided to go instead to the Hebrides and be available to preach. Amen Prayer for revival In Part 2 we find out what happened next when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Hebrides.

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 House of Prayer, Carlow, Ireland- Prophetic Word – 7th June 2000 He is ready to gather the emeralds for His crown. Understanding intercession and revival Two of the greatest revivals in the 20th century were the Welsh and the Lewis/Hebridean revivals, both Celtic peoples. Has God forgotten the Irish? God loves the Irish! Why has Satan laboured so hard to divide and destroy Ireland. The spirit of Herod is still at work, trying to destroy that which is newly born in the body of Christ. Will the coming Irish revival touch the whole earth? Malachi 3 16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. v17 The Welsh were the rubies, the Scots the sapphires. God wants to gather his emeralds for his crown. We must pray that these precious lost jewels will be found. His jewel box is the Church of Jesus Christ. God is putting us in remembrance of something about his character tonight and wants us to remember the Lewis/Hebridean revival. Pastor Sean Mullarkey recently told me of a prophecy he had heard that the Irish would no longer dance with their hands at their sides but would dance like the Scots with their hands in the air. The Hebridean Revival 1948-52 The revival came back in those days on the Isle of Lewis - one of the islands of the Hebrides, just off the coast of Scotland. The church elders met in Stornoway to discuss the sad state of the church. Dead, dry and without much hope, some of the churches were about ready to close their doors. The young people were in the drinking places and the dance halls - they were not at all interested in spiritual things. Seven men begin to change their world through prayer As a result of the meeting, seven men and one of the elders decided to pray and seek God for the Hebrides Isles. They met in an old barn by the side of the road. Three times a week they met and prayed and sought the face of God. As they knelt in the straw of the old barn God reminded them of a verse of scripture in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." They began to pray according to this verse. God is the Covenant Keeper And then the Holy Spirit gave them a revelation - that He was a covenant-keeping God. They realised that if they kept their end of the covenant i.e. to humble themselves and pray and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways" then God was bound by His own covenant to come and keep His end of the two-way promise - to "Hear from heaven and forgive their sins and HEAL THEIR LAND." They continued to pray day after day - keeping their faith strong and reminding God of His word. They obeyed God and cleansed their hearts - and sought His face - and held on to the covenant promise. They had no doubt that God would heal their land and visit the people of the Hebrides. Two elderly ladies change their world through prayer At the same time, two elderly ladies, sisters, one of 82 and the other of 84 years, were also praying continually in their cottage, for God to come in His power and visit their island. Simultaneous glory One night after five months, as the men were praying and travailing before God, suddenly the barn was filled with the glory of God. At the same time, the little cottage where the sisters were praying, was also filled with the glory of God - they knew that God had heard and that He was about to descend in power among them. God is coming in two weeks God instructed the sisters to write to Duncan Campbell, a well-known Keswick speaker- a godly man of prayer. God revealed to the sisters that he was the man the Lord was calling to preach during this visitation. Duncan Campbell received the letter but replied that his itinerary was full, and that they should continue to pray and that he would come the following year. When the sisters heard this, they said, "Well God is coming in two weeks!" They continued to pray, and Duncan Campbell s itinerary got cancelled - so he decided to go instead to the Hebrides and be available to preach. At 3am God swept into the cottage The first night of the meetings in the church at Barvas, nothing much happened, but one of the praying deacons said to Duncan Campbell, "Don't be discouraged, it is coming. I already can hear heaven's chariot wheels. We will have another night of prayer and then we will see what God is going to do." About thirty went to a nearby cottage and continued to pray into the night. At about 3am God swept into the cottage and about a dozen were laid prostrate on the floor, unable to move. Something had happened! Revival had come! As they left the cottage, they found the lights burning in every house as men and women were seeking God. They found three men laying by the roadside under conviction of sin, crying out for God to have mercy on them. Converted before arriving at church The events of the second night will never be forgotten by those were there! Buses came from the four corners of the island. Seven men were being driven to the meeting in a butcher’s truck, when suddenly the Spirit fell on them in great conviction - they were all converted before they reached the church. As the preacher preached tremendous conviction swept down upon the people and tears fell down the faces of those present. So deep was the distress of some that their voices could be heard outside. Under the burden of Intercession The meeting finally ended, and people began to move outside. A young man began to pray under a tremendous burden of intercession, He prayed for three quarters of an hour and as he prayed people gathered outside the church until there were twice as many outside as there had been inside. When he stopped praying, an elder gave out Psalm 132 and as the great congregation began to sing, the people streamed back into the church again and the meeting continued until 4am. The moment people took their seats the Spirit of God in great conviction began to sweep through the church and hardened sinners wept and confessed their sins. At the police station As the meeting was finally closing, a messenger hurried to the preacher, "Come with me! There is a crowd of people outside the police station; they are weeping and in awful distress. We do not know what is wrong with them, but they are calling for someone to come and pray with them." Describing the scene outside the police station the minister later declared, "Oh I saw a sight I never thought possible. Something I shall never forget. Under a starlit sky, men, and women were kneeling everywhere, by the roadside, outside the cottages, even behind the peat stacks,crying for God to have mercy on them!" Six hundred people had been making their way to the church, when suddenly the spirit of God had fallen upon them in great conviction, causing them to fall to their knees in repentance. Crying out against dead religion and standing on the promises of God. Then the revival began to sweep into Arnol, another district where men had been praying and crying out to God because of the deadness of religion. In desperation a little band of men made their way to a farmhouse to plead the promises of God. Just after midnight a young man rose and prayed a prayer that will never be forgotten by those present: "Lord, you made a promise, are you going to fulfil it? We believe that you are a covenant keeping God. Will you be true to your covenant? You have said that you will pour waters upon him who is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground (Isaiah 44:3). Lord, I know how these ministers stand in your presence, but if I know my own heart I know where I stand, and I tell thee now that I am thirsty. Oh, I am thirsty for a manifestation of the presence and power of God! And Lord, before I sit down, I want to tell you that your honour is at stake!" The House Shook! Then came the answer - While the brother prayed the house shook like a leaf as God turned loose His mighty power - the dishes rattled on the sideboard. The elder exclaimed, " An earth tremor!" Then wave after wave of divine power swept throughout the farmhouse. - Walking the streets under conviction Simultaneously, the Spirit of God swept through the village. People could no longer sleep. houses were lit all night; people walked the streets under conviction; people knelt by their bedsides crying out to God to help them. As the praying men left the prayer meeting, the preacher walked into a house for a glass of milk. He found the lady of the house, with seven others down upon their knees crying for pardon. 48 hours to change all the youth and every young man Within 48 hours the drinking house, usually crowded with the men of the village, was closed. Within 48 hours every young person between the ages of 12 and 20 had surrendered to Christ, and every young man between the ages of 18 and 35 could be found in the prayer meetings. Message for Ireland and beyond God is looking for his intercessors for Ireland, and I believe that He has sent me here tonight to tell you that it is you and to remind you about a covenant engagement; c.f. the Lewis revival. He has promised to pour out his Spirit on the dry and thirsty ground. You praying women should put God in remembrance of his covenant, humble yourselves and repent, confess the sins of the nation, then he will come ... Amen Prayer Further reading on the Lewis Revival: The Lewis Awakening: The Nature of a God Sent Revival eBook : Campbell, Duncan, Publications, CrossReach: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store