In a dry and dusty land, a lone man dragged a wooden cross while bystanders laughed. This snapshot from two thousand years ago reminds us of Jesus Christ and how he shed His blood to become the Savior. The Son of God died here on earth, so a few people might live forever in heaven. There is no other fact in the history of the world to compare with the deliberate actions taken by God to provide salvation. As the creator of everything, He has the power to save us from our second death and provide eternal life. the Bible says "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." (Ro 6:23)
God has provided everything needed to rid us of our sin problem if we obey His instructions. To live with God we need a savior because man does not have the ability to save himself. We all have a natural fear of death but there is peace in Jesus Christ. No one may be saved until they realize that to continue their life without Jesus will lead them to hell. If we ask the savior for his help and trust our life to Him, be assured that the Lord will do his part. God speaks through the Scriptures making it a vehicle to reach us. We must realize that the words in the book are "about" Jesus Christ the savior for He is the one who speaks life unto us. Only as we find Him "real" through the pages of the Bible will God consider us worthy in Him. Hebrews 1:2 says God has "spoken unto us by His son" and we must find a personal relationship with the Savior. This dependence on Jesus is brought about by the Holy Spirit and it must continue every day for the rest of our lives.
Each person has sin in them from the time of conception. David said, "in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalm 51:5) Our sinful nature has been inherited from Adam because the father of mankind decided to do what he wanted rather than to follow the instructions of God. In other words, we have been given the birthright of death. This is made plain in the Scriptures, "by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Ro 5:12) The result of this death is hell forever. If only we repent of our sins so the Lord can bless with a new life or as Jesus said, "be born again."
Because all people are self-seeking, we are at the same time rejecting our master. The wrath of God is upon mankind and this will keep people in hell forever. We need a spiritual awakening to grip people and cause them to fear God and look for a savior.
The Bible tells us repeatedly that a man cannot obtain righteousness on his own and that he must have help. The people of Israel tried for years to become righteous but they failed every time. The "Law of Sin" means that every person will sin again and again unless some power intervenes to block the law of sin.
Our need for help was responded to when Jesus came to earth and accomplished everything that God required for our redemption.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Christian Life - Love of Wonder
Everyone has at least one person in their past that makes them think about love. Not the boy/girl kind of love, but the kind of love that God has shed abroad unto all people. There is a lady from the Ukraine who married a Jew and moved to Israel, who makes my wife and I think of God's love. For years life has been difficult for Lena. When we moved to Israel we met Lena who was volunteering to work in the kitchen of the Christian lodge. God's love radiated from this vivacious Christian. All Lena's work was done in an attitude of enjoying the wonder of God. It was obvious that she had cast herself into the complete trust of her Savior no matter what happened.
Lena worked at the lodge in the true meaning of God's love. She had the ministry of loving others. Many people benefited from her quiet ministry of wonder. When people's stress was up she like to say, "God's love is so wonderful." We were blessed by Lena as she spent many hours saving their sanity.
During the next couple of years, we met and loved Lena's husband and daughter. There little family worked together to give hospitality to Christians, who, for the most part, are not welcome in Israel. The real wonder of God's love will never be seen or enjoyed until a Christian learns to reach out and help others.
One day Lena went with us to Joppa for a time of rest. It was mid-morning and overcast with rain clouds. We sat down to rest and order coffee at a small cafe. It was on a bluff about 300 feet above the Mediterranean shore. It was one of those rare times when everything seemed to be at peace. As we looked out over the dark blue sea, the power of God seemed absolutely immense. Going out onto the porch, we felt the slight breeze of God's comfort. Suddenly, as if turned on, a huge rainbow appeared to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The feeling of overwhelming love covered us. The understanding of what Lena had said many times became real to us. God's love is truly so wonderful!
Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph 5:1-2)
Lena worked at the lodge in the true meaning of God's love. She had the ministry of loving others. Many people benefited from her quiet ministry of wonder. When people's stress was up she like to say, "God's love is so wonderful." We were blessed by Lena as she spent many hours saving their sanity.
During the next couple of years, we met and loved Lena's husband and daughter. There little family worked together to give hospitality to Christians, who, for the most part, are not welcome in Israel. The real wonder of God's love will never be seen or enjoyed until a Christian learns to reach out and help others.
One day Lena went with us to Joppa for a time of rest. It was mid-morning and overcast with rain clouds. We sat down to rest and order coffee at a small cafe. It was on a bluff about 300 feet above the Mediterranean shore. It was one of those rare times when everything seemed to be at peace. As we looked out over the dark blue sea, the power of God seemed absolutely immense. Going out onto the porch, we felt the slight breeze of God's comfort. Suddenly, as if turned on, a huge rainbow appeared to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The feeling of overwhelming love covered us. The understanding of what Lena had said many times became real to us. God's love is truly so wonderful!
Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph 5:1-2)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Seven Pillars of Christianity - An Overview
In Romans we can find the "Seven Pillars of Christianity"; those things which are vital to the support of a Christian life. Each pillar has a supporting role in God's great plan of salvation for man. Here are the "Seven Pillars" found in Romans on which this new series will be based:
Romans 6:23 The gift of God is eternal life
Romans 6:6 Our old man is crucified with Him
Romans 6:13 your members as instruments of righteousness
Romans 12:12 continuing instant in prayer
Romans 10:14 how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard
Romans 8:15 ye have received the Spirit of adoption
Romans 8:18 the glory which shall be revealed in us
This series will give a comprehensive picture of our Creator's requirements which God intends His children to obey. There are responsibilities which we must accept on behalf of the Lord, as the Bible instructs us to, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12) It will take a notable effort to follow some of the principles of Christianity. As if these things are not difficult enough for us to overcome, there are those who will sometimes make you feel as if the Bible is incorrect or that you are not capable of understanding what it says. You can understand the mysteries of God if you will study and ask the Spirit to help you.
Within this series you will see the fundamental divisions in the plan of God for our salvation. Knowing these divisions will help us to follow the Spirit by recognizing the different types of guidance He brings to our life. To know the complete plan will prevent many errors from forming in our minds. Let us strive to build a sound structure in our understanding so we will stand strong in this world.
An overview of the pillars are:
The first two pillars are named: Life Everlasting and Death to the World. These two pillars were completed in Jesus.
The three center pillars represent the areas where we have work to do as empowered by the Holy Spirit. These pillars are named: Holy Living, Prayer and Light to the World.
The last two pillars are called: Adoption and Glory. These will be validated by the Father some day in the future.
The ensuing divisions of the mystery of God will show how the Spirit performs different operations in our heart, which all contribute to the accomplishment of God's plan for us. As you read this series, "The Seven Pillars of Christianity", and their backup verses from the Bible, I pray that the awareness of what God wants in your life will cause a new determination to form within your mind.
Exercise your faith in God and observe how the Spirit implements His activities in your life; you will never be the same.
Romans 6:23 The gift of God is eternal life
Romans 6:6 Our old man is crucified with Him
Romans 6:13 your members as instruments of righteousness
Romans 12:12 continuing instant in prayer
Romans 10:14 how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard
Romans 8:15 ye have received the Spirit of adoption
Romans 8:18 the glory which shall be revealed in us
This series will give a comprehensive picture of our Creator's requirements which God intends His children to obey. There are responsibilities which we must accept on behalf of the Lord, as the Bible instructs us to, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12) It will take a notable effort to follow some of the principles of Christianity. As if these things are not difficult enough for us to overcome, there are those who will sometimes make you feel as if the Bible is incorrect or that you are not capable of understanding what it says. You can understand the mysteries of God if you will study and ask the Spirit to help you.
Within this series you will see the fundamental divisions in the plan of God for our salvation. Knowing these divisions will help us to follow the Spirit by recognizing the different types of guidance He brings to our life. To know the complete plan will prevent many errors from forming in our minds. Let us strive to build a sound structure in our understanding so we will stand strong in this world.
An overview of the pillars are:
The first two pillars are named: Life Everlasting and Death to the World. These two pillars were completed in Jesus.
The three center pillars represent the areas where we have work to do as empowered by the Holy Spirit. These pillars are named: Holy Living, Prayer and Light to the World.
The last two pillars are called: Adoption and Glory. These will be validated by the Father some day in the future.
The ensuing divisions of the mystery of God will show how the Spirit performs different operations in our heart, which all contribute to the accomplishment of God's plan for us. As you read this series, "The Seven Pillars of Christianity", and their backup verses from the Bible, I pray that the awareness of what God wants in your life will cause a new determination to form within your mind.
Exercise your faith in God and observe how the Spirit implements His activities in your life; you will never be the same.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Christian Life - Fellowship in the Spirit
Fellowship with our friends is great but it is not like the special fellowship of the light that God can provide for us. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. 1 John 1:7 If you have walked with the Lord very long, you know that there are not any words that can bond people together like the love of Christ.
One time in Israel this was made clear to a church of about 100 people. Some Saturdays for church service the people brought their lunch with them and after the sermon they shared food and fellowship. We enjoyed this time together as Christian friends, but the Lord was about to show us just how much of a special fellowship He can provide even without words.
In the middle of the week, a hardened construction man walked up to the little church and we later figured out he did this in order to find Christians. Vasiliu, a Romanian, tried to talk to me outside the church building while I was working in the yard. Finally, after many wasted words on both sides for I did not speak Romanian and he did not speak English, the man took a picture from his pocket. It was a well-worn snapshot of him, being baptized in an old four-legged bathtub. I finally understood a word that Vasiliu kept repeating, "Christi." As we looked at each other we knew the common bond between us was Christ, but we could not communicate. He rested awhile outside the church while I wrote down the name and address of the church, in English, and gave it to him. He took it and left.
On Saturday morning at the church, I kept looking down the road to see if Vasiliu had understood the invitation he had received in a foreign language. Then here he came. When he arrived we greeted each other like old friends. Over the next few weeks, Vasiliu went to every member of the church and showed them the picture while repeating the name, Christi. He kept coming even though he didn't understand the preacher or any of the congregation. He accepted us and we accepted him and began to love each other in Christ. We knew we were of one spirit even without words.
After five months, Vasiliu came to church with his arm hurt from his job. Someone figured out that he was being sent home and he wanted to get up in front of the church. As he stood up in front of the church he reached in his pocket and pulled out the tattered picture that we had all become so familiar with. He looked at it and then held it out towards the congregation. With a smile on his face he said, "Christi". There was not a dry eye in the church. We all understood Vasiliu was leaving but he wanted to make sure we knew that our fellowship together over the short time he'd been there was all because of Christ. It was as if he was telling us, "I love Christ. Follow Christ. We are one in Christ."
This was the most wrenching departure the little church ever felt. We had never been able to converse with Vasiliu but our spirits had adhered to each other. It will be wonderful to meet Vasiliu in heaven and maybe he will be without that old picture.
May we each find fellowship with each other in the Spirit!
One time in Israel this was made clear to a church of about 100 people. Some Saturdays for church service the people brought their lunch with them and after the sermon they shared food and fellowship. We enjoyed this time together as Christian friends, but the Lord was about to show us just how much of a special fellowship He can provide even without words.
In the middle of the week, a hardened construction man walked up to the little church and we later figured out he did this in order to find Christians. Vasiliu, a Romanian, tried to talk to me outside the church building while I was working in the yard. Finally, after many wasted words on both sides for I did not speak Romanian and he did not speak English, the man took a picture from his pocket. It was a well-worn snapshot of him, being baptized in an old four-legged bathtub. I finally understood a word that Vasiliu kept repeating, "Christi." As we looked at each other we knew the common bond between us was Christ, but we could not communicate. He rested awhile outside the church while I wrote down the name and address of the church, in English, and gave it to him. He took it and left.
On Saturday morning at the church, I kept looking down the road to see if Vasiliu had understood the invitation he had received in a foreign language. Then here he came. When he arrived we greeted each other like old friends. Over the next few weeks, Vasiliu went to every member of the church and showed them the picture while repeating the name, Christi. He kept coming even though he didn't understand the preacher or any of the congregation. He accepted us and we accepted him and began to love each other in Christ. We knew we were of one spirit even without words.
After five months, Vasiliu came to church with his arm hurt from his job. Someone figured out that he was being sent home and he wanted to get up in front of the church. As he stood up in front of the church he reached in his pocket and pulled out the tattered picture that we had all become so familiar with. He looked at it and then held it out towards the congregation. With a smile on his face he said, "Christi". There was not a dry eye in the church. We all understood Vasiliu was leaving but he wanted to make sure we knew that our fellowship together over the short time he'd been there was all because of Christ. It was as if he was telling us, "I love Christ. Follow Christ. We are one in Christ."
This was the most wrenching departure the little church ever felt. We had never been able to converse with Vasiliu but our spirits had adhered to each other. It will be wonderful to meet Vasiliu in heaven and maybe he will be without that old picture.
May we each find fellowship with each other in the Spirit!
Friday, September 17, 2010
The Leper and the Lamb - A Summation
Jesus was about to leave this earth but first he gathered the disciples together for their last supper with Him. The students were full of questions as the Lord talked to them about leaving this world and returning to his Father. One answer he gave is a comfort to us all, as He declared we could join him someday because I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) It's a great feeling to know the only person who can bring us into Heaven. This begs the question, "How do I get to know Jesus in the acceptable way?" because we are told that even one of the twelve disciples who walked with Him did not enter heaven. Today we look at what our Savior did and see the sacrifice of one man in place of the three lambs of the old days. The three lambs that were killed in the ceremony for the cleansing of the leper in Leviticus pointed out salvation principles to us. To find God we must first admit our guilt as sinners and seek His righteousness. Then we may ask forgiveness through Jesus Christ and receive it by our faith. Finally we are to live as a servant of God with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is how a person can know The Way, The Truth and The Life.
The Old Testament pattern from Leviticus was designed to show us the different features of man's redemption. After each of the lambs was slain we see a different explanation given for the atonement. In the case of the guilt lamb, Lev 14:18 says an atonement for him before the Lord. Everything about this first lamb was concerned with the guilt of man before the Lord. Our guilt must be removed in order for our soul to have a relationship with our creator, remembering that the cleansing of our heart is interrelated to the holiness of our physical life.
Now consider the very exclusive sin offering which was the second lamb. Its purpose is given in Lev 14:19 an atonement for him that is to be cleansed. The only way any man will ever be cleansed is to transfer his guilt to the one who can pay the price. It is now revealed to us that through the cross of Christ this transfer can be made. Jesus paid the price needed to redeem all people on the earth when He gave his life. The reason that all men are not saved is because they do not humbly come to Christ and ask Him to take their sins away and use their life to serve God. Salvation leaves people with a clean slate and the freedom to serve God. This is also where we find our justification for the purpose of living with God someday.
The third lamb shows us another facet of salvation an atonement for him and he shall be clean. In Lev 14:20 another purpose is revealed for what Jesus does when he redeems us. Christ makes us clean here on earth so we can be consecrated totally to God. For some reason God decided to let us carry out his will and we cannot seriously believe that a human is capable of doing God's work while living like the world does.
In the ceremony of the cleansing of the leper, the three uses of oil were straightforward and they made it clear that the Spirit is the only one capable of bringing all the spiritual things of God into our lives. Jesus said he would ask the Father to send the Spirit to earth to live in us. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:15) The first use of the oil represented our complete sanctification because it was sprinkled seven times before the Lord. The second use of the oil was to place it over top of the blood. Although Jesus provided the cleansing blood on the cross all alone, the Spirit is the one who brings its power to us today. The last of the three uses was to pour oil upon the head of the man. This shows the anointing of power which is for the purpose of making God real here on Earth. It is through a holy life that the manifestations of the Spirit work their best.
If we desire to be in the image of God our soul must be brought into the operation of the Spirit's power. Without the operation of the Holy Spirit through our bodies we will become just observers of Christianity. By faith a believer must step out of their comfort zone and into God's will before the power of the Spirit will ever be seen in their work. Jesus is in heaven on the throne of power that God gave him and He has sent the Spirit to bring this power to his followers. The power is only sent to people who put their faith into action. In fact John said that if we don't love others we cannot know God, And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3)
God's help to us is the salvation plan and we have seen it by using the Old Testament pattern for cleansing a leper. By understanding the plan of God and utilizing the power He has made available, a person can be ready to live in the new world. You may have observed that God's plan presents repentance and sanctification before justification. This is not the same order our church teaches today but it is in the Scriptures as our pattern. Some people need to see it in the New Testament and one good place is in 1 Cor 6:11 where the order is repeated, but ye are washed (repentance), but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified...By the Spirit of our God.
The truth (Jesus) must become the solid rock of our life as we follow the Spirit of God and walk uprightly. Jesus had not yet come to earth at the time of the Law, but people could see what kind of life God expected from them and they knew help would come later. What a privilege it is to have the plan made real to us.
The Old Testament pattern from Leviticus was designed to show us the different features of man's redemption. After each of the lambs was slain we see a different explanation given for the atonement. In the case of the guilt lamb, Lev 14:18 says an atonement for him before the Lord. Everything about this first lamb was concerned with the guilt of man before the Lord. Our guilt must be removed in order for our soul to have a relationship with our creator, remembering that the cleansing of our heart is interrelated to the holiness of our physical life.
Now consider the very exclusive sin offering which was the second lamb. Its purpose is given in Lev 14:19 an atonement for him that is to be cleansed. The only way any man will ever be cleansed is to transfer his guilt to the one who can pay the price. It is now revealed to us that through the cross of Christ this transfer can be made. Jesus paid the price needed to redeem all people on the earth when He gave his life. The reason that all men are not saved is because they do not humbly come to Christ and ask Him to take their sins away and use their life to serve God. Salvation leaves people with a clean slate and the freedom to serve God. This is also where we find our justification for the purpose of living with God someday.
The third lamb shows us another facet of salvation an atonement for him and he shall be clean. In Lev 14:20 another purpose is revealed for what Jesus does when he redeems us. Christ makes us clean here on earth so we can be consecrated totally to God. For some reason God decided to let us carry out his will and we cannot seriously believe that a human is capable of doing God's work while living like the world does.
In the ceremony of the cleansing of the leper, the three uses of oil were straightforward and they made it clear that the Spirit is the only one capable of bringing all the spiritual things of God into our lives. Jesus said he would ask the Father to send the Spirit to earth to live in us. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:15) The first use of the oil represented our complete sanctification because it was sprinkled seven times before the Lord. The second use of the oil was to place it over top of the blood. Although Jesus provided the cleansing blood on the cross all alone, the Spirit is the one who brings its power to us today. The last of the three uses was to pour oil upon the head of the man. This shows the anointing of power which is for the purpose of making God real here on Earth. It is through a holy life that the manifestations of the Spirit work their best.
If we desire to be in the image of God our soul must be brought into the operation of the Spirit's power. Without the operation of the Holy Spirit through our bodies we will become just observers of Christianity. By faith a believer must step out of their comfort zone and into God's will before the power of the Spirit will ever be seen in their work. Jesus is in heaven on the throne of power that God gave him and He has sent the Spirit to bring this power to his followers. The power is only sent to people who put their faith into action. In fact John said that if we don't love others we cannot know God, And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3)
God's help to us is the salvation plan and we have seen it by using the Old Testament pattern for cleansing a leper. By understanding the plan of God and utilizing the power He has made available, a person can be ready to live in the new world. You may have observed that God's plan presents repentance and sanctification before justification. This is not the same order our church teaches today but it is in the Scriptures as our pattern. Some people need to see it in the New Testament and one good place is in 1 Cor 6:11 where the order is repeated, but ye are washed (repentance), but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified...By the Spirit of our God.
The truth (Jesus) must become the solid rock of our life as we follow the Spirit of God and walk uprightly. Jesus had not yet come to earth at the time of the Law, but people could see what kind of life God expected from them and they knew help would come later. What a privilege it is to have the plan made real to us.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Christian Life - Walking in a Mine Field
The Golan looks down on the beautiful blue lake of Galilee. One day when we lived there, we had a day off and were excited about our trip to the Golan Heights. This place is a flat topped hill that extends in all directions for miles. There is an eerie feeling everywhere because it is seemingly void of all life.
After driving around bomb craters that were in the narrow road, we began to look over our shoulders for trouble. Adding to our uneasiness were the signs everywhere warning of the many minefields. After some time we rounded a corner and saw 6 or 8 Muslim women out in one of those fields. The shock of finding women in a minefield is hard to process.
After passing an old beat-up car, we pulled over and stopped. There was Mohammad sitting on the hood of the car while lounging against the windshield. He was calmly sipping a cup of coffee. As the head of the family, he could not enter the dangerous field. Therefore, his wives and daughters had to gather the herbs for their business. As women, they were simply not as valuable as men. When a Christian looks upon this scene, the begin to wonder how much value they assign to other people. Do we realize that the people we meet everyday are walking in a minefield far more dangerous than the Golan?
Paul said to the church, There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:28) This is one of the beautiful differences between Christians and Muslims. When we give our life to Jesus, we are all equals for eternity. It will be worth it all to tell others about Jesus if we really do value the people around us.
Jesus said that he would leave the comfort and peace of his ninety-nine to rescue one lost sheep that called to Him. Are we willing to go out into a minefield to rescue others?
After driving around bomb craters that were in the narrow road, we began to look over our shoulders for trouble. Adding to our uneasiness were the signs everywhere warning of the many minefields. After some time we rounded a corner and saw 6 or 8 Muslim women out in one of those fields. The shock of finding women in a minefield is hard to process.
After passing an old beat-up car, we pulled over and stopped. There was Mohammad sitting on the hood of the car while lounging against the windshield. He was calmly sipping a cup of coffee. As the head of the family, he could not enter the dangerous field. Therefore, his wives and daughters had to gather the herbs for their business. As women, they were simply not as valuable as men. When a Christian looks upon this scene, the begin to wonder how much value they assign to other people. Do we realize that the people we meet everyday are walking in a minefield far more dangerous than the Golan?
Paul said to the church, There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:28) This is one of the beautiful differences between Christians and Muslims. When we give our life to Jesus, we are all equals for eternity. It will be worth it all to tell others about Jesus if we really do value the people around us.
Jesus said that he would leave the comfort and peace of his ninety-nine to rescue one lost sheep that called to Him. Are we willing to go out into a minefield to rescue others?
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The Christian Life - God's Mysterious Ways
Maybe we should not talk about Billy and God in the same essay. Billy is about as close to nothing in this world as you can get. He lives on the streets of Jerusalem and everything he owns is in a bag. He is an average looking man of about 30 years. Billy knows the ways of Christianity and uses them to his advantage. Sometimes we would find Billy just outside the gate to Christ Church, the oldest active church in Jerusalem. Located there is the only Christian bookstore in Old Jerusalem. This small rock store has been in business for many years. Most American tourist have been to this store. Maybe you've been there. Maybe you've met Billy.
One of Billy's scams is to pick a likely tourist out in front of this store. Billy would begin a tale of how if he just had a Bible, he could serve Jesus. He had several versions of this story and they seem to work for him because Billy does not look hungry. One day, against all advice, we went in and bought a beautiful little Bible with a flap and a snap to keep the pages safe. When he took off with the Bible, he had a look of satisfaction on his face. He had outsmarted another sucker.
Billy's scam is not that he is desperate for the Word of God. Billy uses the Word of God to sell. If you ever go to Israel (or have been), don't try to give out Bibles. It is illegal. Because of this, there is a demand for underground Bibles. Some Jews have hidden a Bible so they can read it secretly. Thus enters Billy's manipulation of this situation. One way Billy supports himself is to trade his Bibles for food and things he needs. Is it possible that God uses Billy and Billy does not even know it? Throughout the Bible we find stories of how God uses people that aren't His children to further His plan. Some of God's children in Israel today are feeding their spiritual hunger with the help of Billy's physical hunger.
He (God) chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Cor 1:28-29)
One of Billy's scams is to pick a likely tourist out in front of this store. Billy would begin a tale of how if he just had a Bible, he could serve Jesus. He had several versions of this story and they seem to work for him because Billy does not look hungry. One day, against all advice, we went in and bought a beautiful little Bible with a flap and a snap to keep the pages safe. When he took off with the Bible, he had a look of satisfaction on his face. He had outsmarted another sucker.
Billy's scam is not that he is desperate for the Word of God. Billy uses the Word of God to sell. If you ever go to Israel (or have been), don't try to give out Bibles. It is illegal. Because of this, there is a demand for underground Bibles. Some Jews have hidden a Bible so they can read it secretly. Thus enters Billy's manipulation of this situation. One way Billy supports himself is to trade his Bibles for food and things he needs. Is it possible that God uses Billy and Billy does not even know it? Throughout the Bible we find stories of how God uses people that aren't His children to further His plan. Some of God's children in Israel today are feeding their spiritual hunger with the help of Billy's physical hunger.
He (God) chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Cor 1:28-29)
Monday, September 13, 2010
The Leper and the Lamb - Continual Burning to God (Consecration)
The last we saw the leper in The Leper and the Lamb series, he was in the midst of the cleansing ceremony at the Meat Offering which includes both the bread (meat) and drink offering. The drink offering is for us to pour our lives out daily for the cause of Christ. This is "consecration". Consecration is a part of our salvation and it is being ignored by many church people today. When some people are confronted with the subject of their consecration they will normally say that God knows they are weak and He will forgive them. The problem with this defense is that people are so many times just not interested in the things of God and He will never allow them into His home. It is necessary to seek God with all your heart and no excuse is good.
Jesus loved his disciples in a special way because they had given their all to him. Before he left this earth Jesus attempted to comfort them with these words, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:2-3) Jesus is busy preparing a place for his disciples to live with God. We are told that eleven of the original disciples are going to live in heaven and there will be other followers who will dedicate themselves to Jesus Christ. Some people understand what Jesus was saying but they are so busy they cannot consecrate their life. It is very sad to speak about people who know the truth but will never enter heaven. The Bible talks about Heaven for people who are seeking a better life with their God of whom they feel no shame and He is their only goal in life. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city. (Heb 11:16)
God created us and gave us great promises that are almost unbelievable. Sometimes people ask how we know these things are actually true. This normally indicates that the person does not have proper faith in God. When a person is really saved the Spirit comes to live inside them and actively participates in their life. Saved people have no doubt to God's promises and have a certainty not found anywhere else in this world.
In the time of Moses the people would die if they touched the things of God. We are different because today we are invited to belong to a family with access to God. ye are come unto mount Zion...and church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all. (Heb 12:22,23) Jesus is providing everything we need to be part of eternity with God the Father. It is only reasonable to believe, when we have a desire to join God's family, that we must commit ourselves to pleasing the Father. People who ignore God today are very unreasonable to think He owes them anything.
Consider the price paid by our Savior Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come (Heb 13:12-14) This passage also refers to a new world in the future that will be available for those who do become a part of God's family. Jesus gives assurance of salvation to followers who obey Him. Continually just saying one is going to heaven does not make it true. God is looking for consecration.
In order to produce the consecration that will honor our Lord, we must seek a personal life of purity through the Spirit. This requires a state of the heart having complete devotion to God. There should be no split loyalties, hypocrisy, outside interest, unpure motives or an insincerity in our holiness. When a heart is reserved completely for God it will find harmony with the character of our Creator. Some people struggle to find this place with our Lord but are not willing to trust God enough to turn everything over to His control. Faith is not just a word to be understood but a life to be given up.
Look at the life of Job in order to see another measurement of dedication people today are overlooking. Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. (Job 1:5) Notice that Job was getting up early to do more than was necessary for his own salvation. A person who really fears God will do all they can to please the Master by going out of their way to do extra for Him. Americans cannot seem to get past looking out for themselves long enough to do extra duty for others. God cannot be pleased when church people only do for themselves and then go around trying to represent Jesus on earth. Our lives should have a continual burning away of anything that interferes with our service to Jesus Christ. If we go outside our comfort zone we can find a place to offer sacrifices unto God.
Many people never consider giving up this worldly life because they cannot visualize heaven being worth all the trouble. I wish there was some way to describe heaven but like everything of faith...it is impossible. There are a few things we do know about Heaven which may help to see its value. It is an everlasting home for the redeemed and there is no negative attribute of any kind. God dwells in this place of inexhaustible fullness and He supplies all life for eternity. Man has never been able to visualize the incredible beauty of gold streets and the twelve transparent colors of the Holy City. God is the only one who has an independent existence and He supplies all the power needed for life to continue. Heaven is perfectly innocent because God is an infinite Spirit who is both personal and pure. The sovereign creator is absolutely perfect which causes everything around Him to be unparalleled in splendor. God's son has identified with the human-creation for the rest of eternity as our Savior and if we are adopted into His family we will have the guarantee of an indescribable adventure for evermore. If we will consecrate ourselves there is no telling what joys will be found.
Jesus loved his disciples in a special way because they had given their all to him. Before he left this earth Jesus attempted to comfort them with these words, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:2-3) Jesus is busy preparing a place for his disciples to live with God. We are told that eleven of the original disciples are going to live in heaven and there will be other followers who will dedicate themselves to Jesus Christ. Some people understand what Jesus was saying but they are so busy they cannot consecrate their life. It is very sad to speak about people who know the truth but will never enter heaven. The Bible talks about Heaven for people who are seeking a better life with their God of whom they feel no shame and He is their only goal in life. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city. (Heb 11:16)
God created us and gave us great promises that are almost unbelievable. Sometimes people ask how we know these things are actually true. This normally indicates that the person does not have proper faith in God. When a person is really saved the Spirit comes to live inside them and actively participates in their life. Saved people have no doubt to God's promises and have a certainty not found anywhere else in this world.
In the time of Moses the people would die if they touched the things of God. We are different because today we are invited to belong to a family with access to God. ye are come unto mount Zion...and church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all. (Heb 12:22,23) Jesus is providing everything we need to be part of eternity with God the Father. It is only reasonable to believe, when we have a desire to join God's family, that we must commit ourselves to pleasing the Father. People who ignore God today are very unreasonable to think He owes them anything.
Consider the price paid by our Savior Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come (Heb 13:12-14) This passage also refers to a new world in the future that will be available for those who do become a part of God's family. Jesus gives assurance of salvation to followers who obey Him. Continually just saying one is going to heaven does not make it true. God is looking for consecration.
In order to produce the consecration that will honor our Lord, we must seek a personal life of purity through the Spirit. This requires a state of the heart having complete devotion to God. There should be no split loyalties, hypocrisy, outside interest, unpure motives or an insincerity in our holiness. When a heart is reserved completely for God it will find harmony with the character of our Creator. Some people struggle to find this place with our Lord but are not willing to trust God enough to turn everything over to His control. Faith is not just a word to be understood but a life to be given up.
Look at the life of Job in order to see another measurement of dedication people today are overlooking. Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. (Job 1:5) Notice that Job was getting up early to do more than was necessary for his own salvation. A person who really fears God will do all they can to please the Master by going out of their way to do extra for Him. Americans cannot seem to get past looking out for themselves long enough to do extra duty for others. God cannot be pleased when church people only do for themselves and then go around trying to represent Jesus on earth. Our lives should have a continual burning away of anything that interferes with our service to Jesus Christ. If we go outside our comfort zone we can find a place to offer sacrifices unto God.
Many people never consider giving up this worldly life because they cannot visualize heaven being worth all the trouble. I wish there was some way to describe heaven but like everything of faith...it is impossible. There are a few things we do know about Heaven which may help to see its value. It is an everlasting home for the redeemed and there is no negative attribute of any kind. God dwells in this place of inexhaustible fullness and He supplies all life for eternity. Man has never been able to visualize the incredible beauty of gold streets and the twelve transparent colors of the Holy City. God is the only one who has an independent existence and He supplies all the power needed for life to continue. Heaven is perfectly innocent because God is an infinite Spirit who is both personal and pure. The sovereign creator is absolutely perfect which causes everything around Him to be unparalleled in splendor. God's son has identified with the human-creation for the rest of eternity as our Savior and if we are adopted into His family we will have the guarantee of an indescribable adventure for evermore. If we will consecrate ourselves there is no telling what joys will be found.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The Christian Life - Let Me In
There are some people that won't take "no" for an answer and will try every way they can around it to get what they want and on their terms. While in Israel, I met one of those people. StJohn (pronounced Sin-Gin) was a tough, little, English fellow that came to Israel and decided he was not going back to England. He tried the visa office again and again, and consistently asked government officials about his staying in Israel. The answer was always "no". Finally, when he was about to be deported, StJohn found a Jewish dentist that needed a kidney donor. (You probably see where I'm going with this...) That's right, StJohn traded one of his kidneys for a resident visa that allowed him to live in Israel. There are several ways to live in Israel, but some people, like StJohn, cry let us in.
Upon hearing this story, we may think trading part of our body a very strange idea. However, there are people who try to obtain a visa to Heaven this same way. Some believe they can trade their lives for Heaven by doing "good" for the poor. There are others who give exactly 10% of their money to the church and they also never miss an opportunity to be at service. Many others think that a certain religious routine is the way to Heaven, even if they just make it as by fire. Some people think their mothers and fathers will pray them into Heaven. I've heard one man say, "My home in heaven may be small, but just let me in." If people will do anything to get to Heaven, then why isn't everyone following Christ instead of trying to plead their way into heaven?
There is only one way to Heaven. And when Jesus says there is no other way, he means it. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 There is no ritual or wishful thinking or nice thoughts that get anyone into Heaven. It takes a surrendering of one's life to Jesus Christ and walking daily in a faith of the one who came to earth to die for the world. If only people could realize the freedom and liberty that comes with knowing Jesus. Some people are just not willing to surrender their lives to Christ because they are hiding something in their heart that they are unwilling to lose. Whatever it is people try to hide within their heart from man and God, they cannot hide it from God. God sees it clearly. Man may be fooled, but no one can fool God with false pretense, He knows their heart.
After 2000 years, Jesus continues to ask people if they will let Him in. In these last days, we must pray that the Spirit will give His people the courage to surrender to Jesus all things.
Upon hearing this story, we may think trading part of our body a very strange idea. However, there are people who try to obtain a visa to Heaven this same way. Some believe they can trade their lives for Heaven by doing "good" for the poor. There are others who give exactly 10% of their money to the church and they also never miss an opportunity to be at service. Many others think that a certain religious routine is the way to Heaven, even if they just make it as by fire. Some people think their mothers and fathers will pray them into Heaven. I've heard one man say, "My home in heaven may be small, but just let me in." If people will do anything to get to Heaven, then why isn't everyone following Christ instead of trying to plead their way into heaven?
There is only one way to Heaven. And when Jesus says there is no other way, he means it. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 There is no ritual or wishful thinking or nice thoughts that get anyone into Heaven. It takes a surrendering of one's life to Jesus Christ and walking daily in a faith of the one who came to earth to die for the world. If only people could realize the freedom and liberty that comes with knowing Jesus. Some people are just not willing to surrender their lives to Christ because they are hiding something in their heart that they are unwilling to lose. Whatever it is people try to hide within their heart from man and God, they cannot hide it from God. God sees it clearly. Man may be fooled, but no one can fool God with false pretense, He knows their heart.
After 2000 years, Jesus continues to ask people if they will let Him in. In these last days, we must pray that the Spirit will give His people the courage to surrender to Jesus all things.
Friday, September 10, 2010
The Leper and the Lamb - Continual Burning to God (Meat Offering - The Drink)
Yesterday we discussed the symbolism of the bread in the Meat Offering in the ancient Israeli ceremony. Along with the bread offering in the Meat Offering, is also the drink offering. Today we will see that the drink offering is just as practical to a Christian's life as the bread offering.
God's instructions for the wine were given in Exodus along with other laws of sacrifice. And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. (Ex 29:40) This was wine which was poured out on the ground during this offering. The pouring out represents shed blood of our Savior as he purchased our salvation. In the following scripture where Jesus discussed eating his flesh and drinking his blood, it turned some people away from him because they took it literally. Without a spiritual understanding it does not seem right to people.
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. (Jn 6:54-56) The wine of the communion service symbolizes the blood of the New Covenant. All those years the priest poured out the wine because the Messiah had not yet come to earth. Do no drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor they sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die. (Lev 10:9) What a privilege for us to eat and drink of our savior by having the Spirit living inside us.
It is interesting that when Jesus became our High Priest he said And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. (Lk 22:17) Jesus did not drink wine that night as he began his suffering for our sin. Our Savior is still following that law by not drinking wine in the tabernacle of the heavens above. After we settle in the new earth Jesus will once again drink with his friends.
As Christians, we are to pour out the drink offering still today. However, it is not a cup of wine, but our lives. The apostle Paul said that his life was being poured out for our good. It was his privilege to bring the gospel to the Gentiles and this job took everything he had in life. The two verses that tell us this are difficult to understand in the King James Version. They are found in Phil 2:17, Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all and 2 Tim 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
When Paul says it is joyous to be offered, we need to understand what that means. The word "offered" in the common Greek is described in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance number 4689 which in English is "being poured out as a liquid sacrifice." We are to offer our lives to God as living sacrifices and pour them out for His sake and His people. When looking in the Old Testament for this offering you will find many warnings against pouring the drink offering out to a strange god. Are people today pouring out their lives to God or to worldly endeavors?
God's instructions for the wine were given in Exodus along with other laws of sacrifice. And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. (Ex 29:40) This was wine which was poured out on the ground during this offering. The pouring out represents shed blood of our Savior as he purchased our salvation. In the following scripture where Jesus discussed eating his flesh and drinking his blood, it turned some people away from him because they took it literally. Without a spiritual understanding it does not seem right to people.
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. (Jn 6:54-56) The wine of the communion service symbolizes the blood of the New Covenant. All those years the priest poured out the wine because the Messiah had not yet come to earth. Do no drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor they sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die. (Lev 10:9) What a privilege for us to eat and drink of our savior by having the Spirit living inside us.
It is interesting that when Jesus became our High Priest he said And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. (Lk 22:17) Jesus did not drink wine that night as he began his suffering for our sin. Our Savior is still following that law by not drinking wine in the tabernacle of the heavens above. After we settle in the new earth Jesus will once again drink with his friends.
As Christians, we are to pour out the drink offering still today. However, it is not a cup of wine, but our lives. The apostle Paul said that his life was being poured out for our good. It was his privilege to bring the gospel to the Gentiles and this job took everything he had in life. The two verses that tell us this are difficult to understand in the King James Version. They are found in Phil 2:17, Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all and 2 Tim 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
When Paul says it is joyous to be offered, we need to understand what that means. The word "offered" in the common Greek is described in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance number 4689 which in English is "being poured out as a liquid sacrifice." We are to offer our lives to God as living sacrifices and pour them out for His sake and His people. When looking in the Old Testament for this offering you will find many warnings against pouring the drink offering out to a strange god. Are people today pouring out their lives to God or to worldly endeavors?
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Leper and the Lamb - Continual Burning to God (Meat Offering - The Bread)
The Meat Offering performed during the ceremony for the cleansing of the leper in Leviticus 14 is symbolic and pertinent to today's Christian. This Offering consists of both bread and drink. Today we will look at the bread.
The King James uses the word "meat" for bread which causes some confusion when reading the Law. This word is used with the idea that we use to crack a nut and take out the "meat". The main part of the food, which contains the nourishment, is the idea.
The Law says and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar. (Lev 14:19b) Notice that the unleavened bread was a part of the Burnt Offering. The bread is always a sign of God's provision for mankind. Just as God provides bread which is a staple of life on earth, He also provides for us spiritually. This illustrates that Jesus is the bread (meat) of our life. After salvation comes to us we must live the same way Jesus lived unto God. The bread used in this offering was made with fine flour and oil. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. There is no other way to consecrate ourselves without the Spirit being active in our lives. Jesus is the bread of life I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:51) We partake of Jesus every day or we are not his children.
Only a broken piece of the bread was used And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire (Lev 2:9) Remember that the broken bread of the communion service stands for his suffering. Bread stood for the presence of God given to men in the Scriptures and today we have Jesus who is the presence of God in people. The bread of this offering was never to have yeast in it because yeast represented the growth of sin in man. No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire. (Lev 2:11) No person may come to God until the sin (yeast) has been removed. Honey was also not to be used for it represented the sweet enticements of this world. The honey of this world will have no place in heaven because our Savior and all his true followers have suffered at the hands of this world. Everyone in heaven will have suffered for the sake of righteousness and will have this bond with Jesus.
Many churches of today have replaced and confused the things of God with prosperity even though God said that no offering made to Him could have any honey whatsoever. There is nothing wrong with sharing our abundance with the poor, our friends, or the church but God does not want things from your overflow of wealth for himself. God is looking for people who will give themselves at a cost of everything else. His son gave his life and told us that the servant is not greater than the master. The abundance of this contemporary world has no place in the new heaven for eternity.
Another rule for the meat (bread) offering was to always add salt And every oblation of thy meat shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of the God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. (Lev 2:13) The Scripture uses the salt as a symbol of the everlasting covenant between God and his followers. Today we are the evidence of God's covenant with mankind like the Israelites were supposed to be. This is another picture showing how the people of God are different from the world. Salt is used to purify and preserve things in this world. In the New Testament we are called "salt". Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and be trodden under foot of men. (Matt 5:13) Our covenant requires that we do not lose our saltiness. Today we have church people blending in with the world. How can this be if they are to live righteously and standout from the world?
This is the Devil's world and the people of God are greatly outnumbered, but all this will change someday. May the Lord help us see the importance of the continual fire, the lamb, the bread mixed with oil, lack of yeast and honey, also the salt used in this offering.
The King James uses the word "meat" for bread which causes some confusion when reading the Law. This word is used with the idea that we use to crack a nut and take out the "meat". The main part of the food, which contains the nourishment, is the idea.
The Law says and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar. (Lev 14:19b) Notice that the unleavened bread was a part of the Burnt Offering. The bread is always a sign of God's provision for mankind. Just as God provides bread which is a staple of life on earth, He also provides for us spiritually. This illustrates that Jesus is the bread (meat) of our life. After salvation comes to us we must live the same way Jesus lived unto God. The bread used in this offering was made with fine flour and oil. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. There is no other way to consecrate ourselves without the Spirit being active in our lives. Jesus is the bread of life I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:51) We partake of Jesus every day or we are not his children.
Only a broken piece of the bread was used And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire (Lev 2:9) Remember that the broken bread of the communion service stands for his suffering. Bread stood for the presence of God given to men in the Scriptures and today we have Jesus who is the presence of God in people. The bread of this offering was never to have yeast in it because yeast represented the growth of sin in man. No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire. (Lev 2:11) No person may come to God until the sin (yeast) has been removed. Honey was also not to be used for it represented the sweet enticements of this world. The honey of this world will have no place in heaven because our Savior and all his true followers have suffered at the hands of this world. Everyone in heaven will have suffered for the sake of righteousness and will have this bond with Jesus.
Many churches of today have replaced and confused the things of God with prosperity even though God said that no offering made to Him could have any honey whatsoever. There is nothing wrong with sharing our abundance with the poor, our friends, or the church but God does not want things from your overflow of wealth for himself. God is looking for people who will give themselves at a cost of everything else. His son gave his life and told us that the servant is not greater than the master. The abundance of this contemporary world has no place in the new heaven for eternity.
Another rule for the meat (bread) offering was to always add salt And every oblation of thy meat shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of the God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. (Lev 2:13) The Scripture uses the salt as a symbol of the everlasting covenant between God and his followers. Today we are the evidence of God's covenant with mankind like the Israelites were supposed to be. This is another picture showing how the people of God are different from the world. Salt is used to purify and preserve things in this world. In the New Testament we are called "salt". Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and be trodden under foot of men. (Matt 5:13) Our covenant requires that we do not lose our saltiness. Today we have church people blending in with the world. How can this be if they are to live righteously and standout from the world?
This is the Devil's world and the people of God are greatly outnumbered, but all this will change someday. May the Lord help us see the importance of the continual fire, the lamb, the bread mixed with oil, lack of yeast and honey, also the salt used in this offering.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The Leper and the Lamb - Continual Burning to God (Burnt Offering)
After people have walked with God for a while the Spirit of Christ compels a dedication that is beyond even the fear of death. Christians learn to appreciate that Jesus is continually working for their benefit and that he held nothing back when he gave his life Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; (Heb 7:25) The fire of Jesus will never go out and He desires to give eternal life to those who serve Him. It is wonderful as God unlocks one mystery after another for our joyful discovery. These revelations reveal the meanings of life and bring great peace into our soul. We behold His grace as our increasing comprehension of God builds faith and allows us to please the Master.
In the ceremony for cleansing the leper we see that the third lamb offered was called the Burnt Offering. It was to be placed on the fire until it was burnt completely to ashes. When the priest killed this lamb it was to signify the leper's desire for total consecration to God. The Burnt Offering was always given from food that people needed for their survival but by faith it was given to God. Once again we are shown that our spiritual life is more important than anything on this earth.
When a man killed the little lamb, he may have felt uncomfortable taking the life of an innocent animal. If we decide to follow God, we will also find ourselves doing things that don't seem comfortable to worldly people. To approach God, a Jew was required to follow these steps ye shall bring your offering (Lev 1:2). To desire God's fellowship you must be willing to give-up things that have value to you. Then he shall offer it of his own voluntary will (Lev 1:3) meaning that an individual must commit their life freely and gladly to God. It was always a hands on experience he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering (Lev 1:4) and as he did this the man would confess, out-loud, the reason for his sacrifice. Then came the hardest part And he shall kill (Lev 1:5). Today it is not a lamb that dies but ourselves as we identify with Jesus and His cross. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (Gal 5:24) Finally, in the burnt offering ceremony the lamb would be cut apart. he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.(Lev 1:6) and we are to work at our righteous life. All this work was done by the person who desired to make an offering unto the Lord. Many people today feel that they do not owe anything to God which is not even a reasonable idea. The Son of God hung on a cross for us and we should respond by giving ourselves to God.
The closer we obey God's commands the more we show our faith and love in Him. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3)
In the ceremony for cleansing the leper we see that the third lamb offered was called the Burnt Offering. It was to be placed on the fire until it was burnt completely to ashes. When the priest killed this lamb it was to signify the leper's desire for total consecration to God. The Burnt Offering was always given from food that people needed for their survival but by faith it was given to God. Once again we are shown that our spiritual life is more important than anything on this earth.
When a man killed the little lamb, he may have felt uncomfortable taking the life of an innocent animal. If we decide to follow God, we will also find ourselves doing things that don't seem comfortable to worldly people. To approach God, a Jew was required to follow these steps ye shall bring your offering (Lev 1:2). To desire God's fellowship you must be willing to give-up things that have value to you. Then he shall offer it of his own voluntary will (Lev 1:3) meaning that an individual must commit their life freely and gladly to God. It was always a hands on experience he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering (Lev 1:4) and as he did this the man would confess, out-loud, the reason for his sacrifice. Then came the hardest part And he shall kill (Lev 1:5). Today it is not a lamb that dies but ourselves as we identify with Jesus and His cross. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (Gal 5:24) Finally, in the burnt offering ceremony the lamb would be cut apart. he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.(Lev 1:6) and we are to work at our righteous life. All this work was done by the person who desired to make an offering unto the Lord. Many people today feel that they do not owe anything to God which is not even a reasonable idea. The Son of God hung on a cross for us and we should respond by giving ourselves to God.
The closer we obey God's commands the more we show our faith and love in Him. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3)
Monday, September 6, 2010
The Christian Life - Why on Earth?
There are times when we question our own motives. At times we may have forgotten that one of our purposes is to give thanks to God. We are not talking about saying grace before we eat. Giving thanks is much bigger than our habits. Most of us know that chapter nine of 2 Corinthians is about collecting money for the needs of God's people. Paul said, Your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. (2 Cor 9:11-12) In other words, we are to cause other people to thank God. This is one of our motives for serving God.
What we have to offer is not always money. It was a beautiful day in Israel and Marian, the cook had finished the cleanup from breakfast. The lodge was unusually quiet because there were no guests and most of the staff was not at work. As Marian came out front of the large building and looked down the long driveway, she wondered why on earth she had not been informed of another 50 guest arriving. A large tour bus set its brakes and opened the door. The Jewish tour driver explained that he and his 50 retired riders were lost. You need to understand that Christians living in Israel sometimes feel that their flame for Jesus has been pushed down on low. But 50 Jewish people showing up unexpectedly at a Christian, Gentile lodge is like throwing a bucket of gas on a fire.
So, the needs of the people were met: strolls, restrooms, drinks, cookies, etc. After they gathered back at the bus they began to give thanks and ask what kind of a Gentile place was so nice to Jews. Marian began to testify for another 30 minutes about her Savior and how Jesus was a Jew. Standing in front of the bus, looking at the people she thought how good God really is. As the bus left a great feeling of thankfulness came over her because of the opportunity to tell these Jews about Jesus.
A few days later, Marian received a letter from one of the men on the bus. He explained that no one knew how on earth they had wandered up to the lodge but the group was thankful for the kindness and a special thanks for the explanation of Jesus that most of them had never heard before.
Instead of wondering why we may be grinding down and our fire is on low, think about all the opportunities and divine appointments God has set before you. About the privilege of being in the King's service. Think of the wonderful times when we gave thanks for this life and the next.
What we have to offer is not always money. It was a beautiful day in Israel and Marian, the cook had finished the cleanup from breakfast. The lodge was unusually quiet because there were no guests and most of the staff was not at work. As Marian came out front of the large building and looked down the long driveway, she wondered why on earth she had not been informed of another 50 guest arriving. A large tour bus set its brakes and opened the door. The Jewish tour driver explained that he and his 50 retired riders were lost. You need to understand that Christians living in Israel sometimes feel that their flame for Jesus has been pushed down on low. But 50 Jewish people showing up unexpectedly at a Christian, Gentile lodge is like throwing a bucket of gas on a fire.
So, the needs of the people were met: strolls, restrooms, drinks, cookies, etc. After they gathered back at the bus they began to give thanks and ask what kind of a Gentile place was so nice to Jews. Marian began to testify for another 30 minutes about her Savior and how Jesus was a Jew. Standing in front of the bus, looking at the people she thought how good God really is. As the bus left a great feeling of thankfulness came over her because of the opportunity to tell these Jews about Jesus.
A few days later, Marian received a letter from one of the men on the bus. He explained that no one knew how on earth they had wandered up to the lodge but the group was thankful for the kindness and a special thanks for the explanation of Jesus that most of them had never heard before.
Instead of wondering why we may be grinding down and our fire is on low, think about all the opportunities and divine appointments God has set before you. About the privilege of being in the King's service. Think of the wonderful times when we gave thanks for this life and the next.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
The Leper and the Lamb - The Substitute (Our Salvation)
The freedom God gives us as Christians is to serve God and certainly not for us to do as we please. All Christians will have a total change of lifestyle when they believe and obey Jesus Christ. Many people feel boredom as they sit in the church service. Some folks feel regret when they put their money in the plate. Some feel they will be late to some eating place for being in church. These are sure signs that God is not first in their life.
A terrible thing has happened to the American Church in the last fifty years. Our leaders have been teaching that salvation is to only acknowledge the death of Jesus for us. It is not. (See yesterday's post about Aerie, the F-16 pilot) People believe they can come as they are with no need to change their lives. They are teaching that God's grace will cover a person regardless of the way they live their life. There is no friend of God who does not obey every word to the best of their ability. How did we ever get the idea that doing what we wanted was enough to please our Creator? The Church has forgotten that John the Baptist gave his life to tell people they must repent of their ways in order to follow our Lord. God is looking for people who want their life to be different. We must have a desire to know God or the blood will never be applied to our life. God has chosen those who want to know his righteous ways and will hate the ways of the world. It does not make sense to ignore our Creator's wishes.
Remember that the first lamb in the cleansing ceremony for the leper was slain to show our admission of guilt.(Post--The Leper and the Lamb - Righteousness) Our whole life is filled with the guilt of being human. Jesus said the Spirit is helping by convicting us of righteousness. We must deal with our unrighteousness every day by listening to the Spirit. The second lamb slain in the ceremony was to show us that our guilt will someday be transferred to the account of Jesus Christ. (Post The Leper and the Lamb - The Substitute (Our Sin) This will not be done for people who serve themselves and are not seeking Jesus and his Father every day of their lives. With the help of the Spirit we must convince people of their sinful condition and ask them to seek forgiveness from God.
When the church does not ask people to be contrite it is is dooming unbelievers to a spiritual death. Here is an example given to people that are in the church For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, no discerning the Lord's body. (1 Cor 11:26-29) We are not playing a game with God. If a person does not need repentance all of his life then why would we have this warning? This passage tells us that we can become guilty of insulting the sacrifice God has provided. There must be total respect for what Jesus did for us two thousand years ago. To be doomed within the church by eating and drinking damnation must certainly tell you that we must be careful of our behavior. Some churches teach a formal confession but redemption is not found in formality but in the heart and soul of an individual.
Paul also says that if we would judge ourselves, the Lord will spare us His judgment. He is telling us that as we obey every word of instruction, we must make sure we are doing it correctly. Many church people today are not trying to obey God at all. It is unlikely they will find anything wrong with themselves. Oh, that the Church would take God seriously. The terrible mistake is that people are being taught that they will be saved even though they do not obey our savior. This is not true. Please consider these Scriptures, And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. (Heb 5:9) It means those who obey all their life. And Paul says Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil 2:12) Why do people say we have nothing to do? And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Rom 13:11) Our salvation is getting closer every day!
We understand that by faith our salvation is here but as you know it is not at this time physically on earth. Who are kept by the power of God through (your) faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5) If you are not serving God with everything you own, then you may not have the faith that is required. Many church people are simply serving themselves and actually think they are doing God's will. This is why Jesus said, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter in the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. may will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in they name? and in they name have cast out devils? and in they name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. (Matt 7:21-23)
Please repent and do the will of the Father with your whole heart. Don't wait to hear the Lord say he never knew you. It is difficult to find Jesus among gyms, power lifters, banquets, dramas, special pews, great entertainers, golf, schools and gifts shops. You will find Jesus outside the city where we must share his suffering order to share his glory. (reference Rom 8:17)
In the Leper and the Lamb series, you can see that in the leper's cleansing ceremony (Lev 14), the sin offering was required after the guilt offering in God's divine pattern of salvation. It follows the guilt offering for a reason. This means that people must repent and obey the living God before their sin can actually be credited to Jesus Christ. God is watching our life right now and is interested in our behavior. Why do we not confess our sins and follow Jesus as if our life depended on it? Although the offering of a second lamb represents what Jesus provided without the Spirit, it is necessary for the Spirit to apply the blood in our lives for salvation. The Spirit will become visibly active in our life the more we obey God. The Spirit also brings instruction to us and helps us to stay right with God. We must learn to depend upon the Spirit until Jesus returns to bring physical salvation to the redeemed as it is written. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thess 4:17) This is part of the beauty of our salvation as provided by Jesus Christ.
A terrible thing has happened to the American Church in the last fifty years. Our leaders have been teaching that salvation is to only acknowledge the death of Jesus for us. It is not. (See yesterday's post about Aerie, the F-16 pilot) People believe they can come as they are with no need to change their lives. They are teaching that God's grace will cover a person regardless of the way they live their life. There is no friend of God who does not obey every word to the best of their ability. How did we ever get the idea that doing what we wanted was enough to please our Creator? The Church has forgotten that John the Baptist gave his life to tell people they must repent of their ways in order to follow our Lord. God is looking for people who want their life to be different. We must have a desire to know God or the blood will never be applied to our life. God has chosen those who want to know his righteous ways and will hate the ways of the world. It does not make sense to ignore our Creator's wishes.
Remember that the first lamb in the cleansing ceremony for the leper was slain to show our admission of guilt.(Post--The Leper and the Lamb - Righteousness) Our whole life is filled with the guilt of being human. Jesus said the Spirit is helping by convicting us of righteousness. We must deal with our unrighteousness every day by listening to the Spirit. The second lamb slain in the ceremony was to show us that our guilt will someday be transferred to the account of Jesus Christ. (Post The Leper and the Lamb - The Substitute (Our Sin) This will not be done for people who serve themselves and are not seeking Jesus and his Father every day of their lives. With the help of the Spirit we must convince people of their sinful condition and ask them to seek forgiveness from God.
When the church does not ask people to be contrite it is is dooming unbelievers to a spiritual death. Here is an example given to people that are in the church For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, no discerning the Lord's body. (1 Cor 11:26-29) We are not playing a game with God. If a person does not need repentance all of his life then why would we have this warning? This passage tells us that we can become guilty of insulting the sacrifice God has provided. There must be total respect for what Jesus did for us two thousand years ago. To be doomed within the church by eating and drinking damnation must certainly tell you that we must be careful of our behavior. Some churches teach a formal confession but redemption is not found in formality but in the heart and soul of an individual.
Paul also says that if we would judge ourselves, the Lord will spare us His judgment. He is telling us that as we obey every word of instruction, we must make sure we are doing it correctly. Many church people today are not trying to obey God at all. It is unlikely they will find anything wrong with themselves. Oh, that the Church would take God seriously. The terrible mistake is that people are being taught that they will be saved even though they do not obey our savior. This is not true. Please consider these Scriptures, And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. (Heb 5:9) It means those who obey all their life. And Paul says Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil 2:12) Why do people say we have nothing to do? And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Rom 13:11) Our salvation is getting closer every day!
We understand that by faith our salvation is here but as you know it is not at this time physically on earth. Who are kept by the power of God through (your) faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5) If you are not serving God with everything you own, then you may not have the faith that is required. Many church people are simply serving themselves and actually think they are doing God's will. This is why Jesus said, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter in the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. may will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in they name? and in they name have cast out devils? and in they name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. (Matt 7:21-23)
Please repent and do the will of the Father with your whole heart. Don't wait to hear the Lord say he never knew you. It is difficult to find Jesus among gyms, power lifters, banquets, dramas, special pews, great entertainers, golf, schools and gifts shops. You will find Jesus outside the city where we must share his suffering order to share his glory. (reference Rom 8:17)
In the Leper and the Lamb series, you can see that in the leper's cleansing ceremony (Lev 14), the sin offering was required after the guilt offering in God's divine pattern of salvation. It follows the guilt offering for a reason. This means that people must repent and obey the living God before their sin can actually be credited to Jesus Christ. God is watching our life right now and is interested in our behavior. Why do we not confess our sins and follow Jesus as if our life depended on it? Although the offering of a second lamb represents what Jesus provided without the Spirit, it is necessary for the Spirit to apply the blood in our lives for salvation. The Spirit will become visibly active in our life the more we obey God. The Spirit also brings instruction to us and helps us to stay right with God. We must learn to depend upon the Spirit until Jesus returns to bring physical salvation to the redeemed as it is written. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thess 4:17) This is part of the beauty of our salvation as provided by Jesus Christ.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
The Christian Life - Knowledge can become Revelation
The Spirit works in mysterious ways. Humans have the privilege of accumulating knowledge. The question is, "at what point does knowledge have any eternal value?" The answer is very easy when eternity is the central point. Only the Spirit can transform our knowledge into revelation.
God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation...as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. (Gal 3:2-5)
Using the writings of Paul, revelation is available to all believers. The world calls their revelations, "enlightenment". However, spiritual revelation is from another world and far more valuable than this world's enlightenment. We have all considered the life we now live and how it relates to the next world but it must include the input from the Spirit.
Aerie is a pilot of an F-16 for Israel's defense. One spring day this tall, dark, handsome 27 year old man walked four miles into the country. He had never been married and had devoted his life to learning everything possible. Although he had amassed a huge amount of knowledge there was a void in the young man that would not let him rest. This beautiful day Aerie intentionally approached the religious lodge of the Gentiles. Aerie was nervous as he introduced himself to me. He was soon at ease and began to ask a flood of questions. There was such a relief in hearing the answers that the young man returned for several visits.
On the day of Aerie's last visit me, we were summing up the conversations about Jesus the Savior. Suddenly, Aerie spotted a sticker somebody had placed on one of the outside doors. It said, JESUS LIVES. He jokingly said, "I thought we killed Him." The answer rocked Aerie to the bottom of his soul. He looked up with tears in his eyes and said, "I understand now what must be done, but I cannot do it. It would mean leaving my family and my work, and probably my country." He turned around and left. Aerie had received a special revelation from the Spirit about the knowledge he had been seeking. Leaving his life behind was frightening to a very brave soldier.
May the Lord give all the searchers another chance.
God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation...as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. (Gal 3:2-5)
Using the writings of Paul, revelation is available to all believers. The world calls their revelations, "enlightenment". However, spiritual revelation is from another world and far more valuable than this world's enlightenment. We have all considered the life we now live and how it relates to the next world but it must include the input from the Spirit.
Aerie is a pilot of an F-16 for Israel's defense. One spring day this tall, dark, handsome 27 year old man walked four miles into the country. He had never been married and had devoted his life to learning everything possible. Although he had amassed a huge amount of knowledge there was a void in the young man that would not let him rest. This beautiful day Aerie intentionally approached the religious lodge of the Gentiles. Aerie was nervous as he introduced himself to me. He was soon at ease and began to ask a flood of questions. There was such a relief in hearing the answers that the young man returned for several visits.
On the day of Aerie's last visit me, we were summing up the conversations about Jesus the Savior. Suddenly, Aerie spotted a sticker somebody had placed on one of the outside doors. It said, JESUS LIVES. He jokingly said, "I thought we killed Him." The answer rocked Aerie to the bottom of his soul. He looked up with tears in his eyes and said, "I understand now what must be done, but I cannot do it. It would mean leaving my family and my work, and probably my country." He turned around and left. Aerie had received a special revelation from the Spirit about the knowledge he had been seeking. Leaving his life behind was frightening to a very brave soldier.
May the Lord give all the searchers another chance.
Friday, September 3, 2010
The Leper and the Lamb - The Substitute (Our Redemption)
Continuing our discussion of the sin sacrifice of the ceremony for cleansing the leper in Leviticus 14 we find more symbolism between the ceremony and our redemption.
The use of the female lamb in the sin sacrifice revealed that God planned to use a woman in the creation of our savior. An old prophecy was given to show this purpose Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Is 7:14) The idea that a female would be the instrument God would use for the creation of Jesus bothers some people. The Lord created Adam out of the dust and to create Jesus in a womb was no problem. There is a very interesting discussion in the second chapter of First Timothy. It is about the fact that a woman was the first person to sin. But Paul tells us in verse fifteen that in childbearing the woman provided the possibility of Salvation. Because the female was in the plan of God this lamb becomes a dual symbol of both life and death. The scripture tells us that our savior came in the likeness of flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Ro 8:3b) Jesus came as a man in order to fulfill all God's plan to perfection. Flesh now saves flesh. This physical man Jesus was now related to King David through Mary's lineage. The lineage is found in Luke chapter three and it goes back to Adam. The line passes through Nathan, the brother of Solomon, thus avoiding any curses (Jeremiah 22) on the Kings of Judah. This is how the King of the Jews, a son of David, will fulfill all the prophecy concerning His kingdom.
Although the symbolic oil was used in many ways, the offering of this lamb was done without oil being used in any way. This lamb was a compelling symbol of his death which was the only thing Jesus did without the Spirit of God. Before Christ died the land became dark for three hours as he suffered and died all alone for mankind. Now from the sixth hour there was a darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matt 27:45,46) Jesus cried out that he was alone and this was certainly the darkest time for our savior. These dark hours became the power of our relationship with God. Because Jesus had suddenly accepted the penalty for all our sin the Father had to withdraw his helping hand from Jesus and look the other way. Jesus knew why the Father had to forsake him and this was only his cry of agony. Someday a horrendous cry will come from every person who rejects Jesus Christ and attempts to pay their own penalty in Hell. It is important that we find the Spirit who can bring what Jesus provided in the past into our lives.
We need redemption very badly and Jesus provided it through this terrible time of the cross. Paul tells us what happened in one great sentence. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; (we are told about it) Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: (we must believe it) for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (we are all sinners) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (because of what Christ did) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, (God accepts the blood of Christ) to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forebearance of God; (before the cross) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he must be just, (it is just to give us a chance) and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Rom 3:21-26) Paul goes on to say we do not by-pass the law, but by our faith in Christ we uphold the law.
The use of the female lamb in the sin sacrifice revealed that God planned to use a woman in the creation of our savior. An old prophecy was given to show this purpose Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Is 7:14) The idea that a female would be the instrument God would use for the creation of Jesus bothers some people. The Lord created Adam out of the dust and to create Jesus in a womb was no problem. There is a very interesting discussion in the second chapter of First Timothy. It is about the fact that a woman was the first person to sin. But Paul tells us in verse fifteen that in childbearing the woman provided the possibility of Salvation. Because the female was in the plan of God this lamb becomes a dual symbol of both life and death. The scripture tells us that our savior came in the likeness of flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Ro 8:3b) Jesus came as a man in order to fulfill all God's plan to perfection. Flesh now saves flesh. This physical man Jesus was now related to King David through Mary's lineage. The lineage is found in Luke chapter three and it goes back to Adam. The line passes through Nathan, the brother of Solomon, thus avoiding any curses (Jeremiah 22) on the Kings of Judah. This is how the King of the Jews, a son of David, will fulfill all the prophecy concerning His kingdom.
Although the symbolic oil was used in many ways, the offering of this lamb was done without oil being used in any way. This lamb was a compelling symbol of his death which was the only thing Jesus did without the Spirit of God. Before Christ died the land became dark for three hours as he suffered and died all alone for mankind. Now from the sixth hour there was a darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matt 27:45,46) Jesus cried out that he was alone and this was certainly the darkest time for our savior. These dark hours became the power of our relationship with God. Because Jesus had suddenly accepted the penalty for all our sin the Father had to withdraw his helping hand from Jesus and look the other way. Jesus knew why the Father had to forsake him and this was only his cry of agony. Someday a horrendous cry will come from every person who rejects Jesus Christ and attempts to pay their own penalty in Hell. It is important that we find the Spirit who can bring what Jesus provided in the past into our lives.
We need redemption very badly and Jesus provided it through this terrible time of the cross. Paul tells us what happened in one great sentence. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; (we are told about it) Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: (we must believe it) for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (we are all sinners) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (because of what Christ did) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, (God accepts the blood of Christ) to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forebearance of God; (before the cross) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he must be just, (it is just to give us a chance) and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Rom 3:21-26) Paul goes on to say we do not by-pass the law, but by our faith in Christ we uphold the law.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Christian Life - People God Placed In Our Past
Binding Truth will continue publishing "The Leper and The Lamb" series, however, today we want to introduce you to something new. The new series, "The Christian Life", will show you that God is continually working in our lives and those around us. If we pay attention, we can see God at work in situations and through fellow believers.
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There are times when we rush through life on a treadmill and begin to wonder if God is using us for any good purpose. Sometimes in the heat of the battle we cannot see any beauty around us. It might help us to think back to times in the past when God let us learn from another Christian that crossed our path. Paul had the time to look back even if it was jail time. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel. (Phil 1:3-5) There is a real joy that comes to us when we think back to meeting a Christian that serves God on behalf of others.
One time in Israel there was a small church of about 100 people that rented a building where they could meet on Saturday mornings. There were 17 different languages spoken in this diverse church but the Spirit made us one. There are many wonderful stories to be told about our time in Israel, but this is the least of all the events we were involved in. This church building had two small restrooms attached to the outside of the main building. After attending our new church for a few weeks the most amazing thing occurred to us. We were not cleaning them but every Saturday morning both doors were open and the rooms just sparkled with freshness.
Because of our curiosity in what seemed to be the miracle of two clean restrooms, we asked the leaders how this was happening. All they said was, "Fred takes care of them." We had not met Fred yet, but decided to find out some things about this Christian brother. First, we found out that he was coming to the church two hours early to do the cleaning and then going home to get ready for church. Finally someone told us that this tall good-looking black man was from Africa. He knew several languages and was a student at the Hebrew University. He had no money worries because he was a member of the royal family that ruled a nation in Africa.
One day we met Fred. His love for the savior was obvious to anyone that met him. He was a brother that encouraged people in Jesus. After we had visited a while with Fred, the question on our mind was immense. Why do you put such great energy into cleaning those two little restrooms? Fred laughed and explained that his life was so busy that he did not have time to encourage the lives of the believers in the church. He had figured that this was a way that he could contribute his love to the believers in his church. Thank God that we meet people in our lives that show us the joy of our partnership in the Gospel.
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There are times when we rush through life on a treadmill and begin to wonder if God is using us for any good purpose. Sometimes in the heat of the battle we cannot see any beauty around us. It might help us to think back to times in the past when God let us learn from another Christian that crossed our path. Paul had the time to look back even if it was jail time. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel. (Phil 1:3-5) There is a real joy that comes to us when we think back to meeting a Christian that serves God on behalf of others.
One time in Israel there was a small church of about 100 people that rented a building where they could meet on Saturday mornings. There were 17 different languages spoken in this diverse church but the Spirit made us one. There are many wonderful stories to be told about our time in Israel, but this is the least of all the events we were involved in. This church building had two small restrooms attached to the outside of the main building. After attending our new church for a few weeks the most amazing thing occurred to us. We were not cleaning them but every Saturday morning both doors were open and the rooms just sparkled with freshness.
Because of our curiosity in what seemed to be the miracle of two clean restrooms, we asked the leaders how this was happening. All they said was, "Fred takes care of them." We had not met Fred yet, but decided to find out some things about this Christian brother. First, we found out that he was coming to the church two hours early to do the cleaning and then going home to get ready for church. Finally someone told us that this tall good-looking black man was from Africa. He knew several languages and was a student at the Hebrew University. He had no money worries because he was a member of the royal family that ruled a nation in Africa.
One day we met Fred. His love for the savior was obvious to anyone that met him. He was a brother that encouraged people in Jesus. After we had visited a while with Fred, the question on our mind was immense. Why do you put such great energy into cleaning those two little restrooms? Fred laughed and explained that his life was so busy that he did not have time to encourage the lives of the believers in the church. He had figured that this was a way that he could contribute his love to the believers in his church. Thank God that we meet people in our lives that show us the joy of our partnership in the Gospel.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The Leper and the Lamb - The Substitute (Our Sin)
The first reality people need to see is the ugly truth about our problem of sin. God sees our fallen condition as missing the mark of His perfection. Our natural-self can never please the Almighty because our will is the "seat" of sin and our body is the "instrument" of sin. Jesus said about our sin, All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. (Mk 7:23) Our normal life is a continual performance of sin and the result of this fabrication of sins is death. Everyone is affected by our heredity of disobedience. Simply put, we sin because we are sinners. This is the reason we are unable to live a life of righteousness and we will be judged by God. The Bible refers to us as "flesh" which refers to our indwelling for sin. it is possible to seek salvation after the truth has been revealed about our sinful condition.
Acts of sin are a transgression of God's law and His justice will be carried out eventually. There are different categories of sin, such as failure, error iniquity, trespass, lawlessness and even ignorance. Mankind has written the catalogue of different sins just as history records them and they all offend God. Sin began when Adam disobeyed what he had been told and it became our nature to rebel against God. We should not expect God to be complacent towards our sin. It has been said that our sin is the contradiction of God's perfection. Remember that death was promised to Adam if he were to disobey God. Although we all sin and die in Adam, the good news is that we may be saved by our unity with Christ. Jesus was a different kind of human being, who had the ability to live his whole life without a taint of sin. Christ won a victory that makes it possible to cease our continual sinning. We may escape the lust of this world when our lives are lived in obedience to the Savior.
Jesus had not been born, at the time Leviticus was written, so there are no direct references to Him as the sin offering. The Savior was sent as the answer to the fall of Adam, into sin, and the redeemer of souls from the fiery ending. We know today that Christ is the focal point of all history, starting with the creation of Adam and finishing with the burning-up of this universe by God. In order to live with God, our Savior will also provide a robe of righteousness to cover the nakedness of our sinful nature. Every religious effort devised by man and all wars are a failure to recognize Christ as the answer to mans' problem. Even when men struggle to find the meaning of their lives, it is because they do not see Jesus Christ as the center of everything. When Jesus becomes the most important figure in our life everything else will fall into its proper place. Seek this eternal peace by simply having faith and obeying God.
The second lamb killed in the cleansing of the leper was called the sin offering And the priest shall offer the sin offering. (Lev 14:19a) This was the most profound offering because in the middle of the three offerings the transfer of our guilt to Jesus Christ was plainly shown in this sin offering.
The shed blood was the propitiation that our sin required in order to satisfy the anger of our God which began with Adam. Jesus made himself the sacrifice on our behalf and it was acceptable to God. This is how we obtained the opportunity to avoid the wrath of God and escape judgment. All of mankind has enough information to repent of their ways and seek God because the Scriptures tell us the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. (Rom 1:18-20)
Deep inside people know that they are not right with God and a transfer of their guilt is the only answer to this problem. Sin is born into each person and the need for salvation continues each day of history. To say that we must transfer our guilt seems very odd when you have not been redeemed. It means that instead of trying to pay the penalty for our sin, we ask Jesus to pay the penalty for us. The result will be that we are clean and free to serve our God. There is no reason under heaven to be saved other than to join ourselves to the work of our Savior.
Acts of sin are a transgression of God's law and His justice will be carried out eventually. There are different categories of sin, such as failure, error iniquity, trespass, lawlessness and even ignorance. Mankind has written the catalogue of different sins just as history records them and they all offend God. Sin began when Adam disobeyed what he had been told and it became our nature to rebel against God. We should not expect God to be complacent towards our sin. It has been said that our sin is the contradiction of God's perfection. Remember that death was promised to Adam if he were to disobey God. Although we all sin and die in Adam, the good news is that we may be saved by our unity with Christ. Jesus was a different kind of human being, who had the ability to live his whole life without a taint of sin. Christ won a victory that makes it possible to cease our continual sinning. We may escape the lust of this world when our lives are lived in obedience to the Savior.
Jesus had not been born, at the time Leviticus was written, so there are no direct references to Him as the sin offering. The Savior was sent as the answer to the fall of Adam, into sin, and the redeemer of souls from the fiery ending. We know today that Christ is the focal point of all history, starting with the creation of Adam and finishing with the burning-up of this universe by God. In order to live with God, our Savior will also provide a robe of righteousness to cover the nakedness of our sinful nature. Every religious effort devised by man and all wars are a failure to recognize Christ as the answer to mans' problem. Even when men struggle to find the meaning of their lives, it is because they do not see Jesus Christ as the center of everything. When Jesus becomes the most important figure in our life everything else will fall into its proper place. Seek this eternal peace by simply having faith and obeying God.
The second lamb killed in the cleansing of the leper was called the sin offering And the priest shall offer the sin offering. (Lev 14:19a) This was the most profound offering because in the middle of the three offerings the transfer of our guilt to Jesus Christ was plainly shown in this sin offering.
The shed blood was the propitiation that our sin required in order to satisfy the anger of our God which began with Adam. Jesus made himself the sacrifice on our behalf and it was acceptable to God. This is how we obtained the opportunity to avoid the wrath of God and escape judgment. All of mankind has enough information to repent of their ways and seek God because the Scriptures tell us the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. (Rom 1:18-20)
Deep inside people know that they are not right with God and a transfer of their guilt is the only answer to this problem. Sin is born into each person and the need for salvation continues each day of history. To say that we must transfer our guilt seems very odd when you have not been redeemed. It means that instead of trying to pay the penalty for our sin, we ask Jesus to pay the penalty for us. The result will be that we are clean and free to serve our God. There is no reason under heaven to be saved other than to join ourselves to the work of our Savior.
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