Ecc 3:10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
There is NO denying that this world offers us pain after pain after pain, heartache, agony, anguish, despair. I won't deny it. I won't tell anyone to follow Jesus and there will be no pain. I won't try and spread the word of the gospel, the plan of salvation, the love of our Lord and tell people life will be happiness and sunshine, that nothing bad will happen to them ever again. To tell people that is to lie to them. I will never preach loving God, following God, choosing to live with God in your life will make things better in a worldly way.
I wrote about it yesterday and it bears repeating, writing about it over and over again… we can't live for this world! We can't live for this world's pleasure, this world's good things, this world's happiness. We can't live for a life of ease, or even for a life of barely surviving. We just can't live for this world, bad or good. If our life is horrific… and believe me I barely know what that's like outside of hearing about the horrors of third world countries, or if our life is one of average ease- of which I know something about, or even if our lives are filled with riches untold we CAN'T live for this world.
We want to live for this world. We see the good things it has to offer and we want to live for them. We want to live even when our lives are filled with horror… just look at those who go through life in severe poverty, degraded by those around them and most of them do not choose to take their lives, they want to live. People who are starving and live in families of starving people- want to live. People who are in pain, severe pain still mostly choose to live. I'm not saying EVERYONE chooses life, but the majority of people no matter their circumstances want to live and those in bad situations want to live and hope things will get better.
We've been raised by the world around us to want to live for things of this world. We can't live for this world, if we do we will forever be disappointed. Sure we'll be happy on occasion but life's pain will be overwhelming.
I know I'm harping on this stuff, I'm just going through something right now that keeps this forefront in my mind.
We are NOT OF THIS WORLD!
Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
What treasures have you laid up in heaven?
What treasures have you banked in heaven?
When's the last time you stored up anything in heaven?
What treasures can we put in heaven?
What treasures can't rust?
What treasures can't become moth eaten?
What treasures can't be stolen?
All earthly treasures can be taken from us, every single treasure can be stolen.
We need to take this seriously, we need to believe these words and take them to heart.
We NEED to STOP living for this world.
Jesus wants us to put our hearts with Him, in heaven, in hope and there we will find life everlasting- a life eventually of no more pain, no more heartache, no more hunger, no more agonies, no more disappointments.
May God bless us all and help us to put our treasures in heaven, knowing that only in heaven can our treasures be safe.
By the grace of our Savior, through the love and righteousness of our Lord may we live now and forever in Him.
Amen.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Satan
Satan.
What do you think of when you hear that name? Does it conjure up visions of some evil mythical figure? Do you have the image of an every day guy in a business suit sporting a creepy smile? Maybe the name of Satan brings up the picture of a horned and hoofed creature carrying a pitchfork. Do you ever picture an angel when you hear the name Satan? Seriously. Do you? Maybe you do, who am I to know.
What I do know is this... Satan as a REAL, live entity in our lives- is missing.
Time and time again I've come face to face with the realization that Satan is just not considered a real driving force in our lives.
Maybe if we took a picture of Him, however we view Him, and enlarged it to at least human life-size and stuck it on a wall in our house so that we saw this image every day, maybe then he'd become more real. We could see him and know that he is alive! We could see that picture and know it belongs to something REAL.
No. I don't want a picture of Satan in my house, I don't want a life-size image of Satan on any wall I have, but I do want to live with the realization that Satan is alive as much as I am alive. Satan is alive as much as Jesus is alive. Satan is alive as much as God is alive.
I don't want to tout Satan for anyone, I don't want to champion Satan this isn't at all what it's about, not one bit. But another trick of the great deceiver is getting people to NOT believe he exists, that he really does influences them.
GOD or SATAN!
ONE or the OTHER!
You don't live one minute, not one second without one or the other being your choice.
We are CREATURES.
We are CREATED beings.
We either choose to have faith in our Creator and the hope He gives us through the righteousness of His Son, through His son's sacrifice, or we turn from our Creator and the Creator's enemy takes control over us. We can't live without our Creator… there is only death without Him and our lives are only living death without Him.
We need the living water.
We need the bread of life.
Satan can never give us living water.
Satan can never give us the bread of life.
Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
Joh 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
them bread from heaven to eat.
Joh 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Joh 6:34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
We need life and life is only found in Christ- real life, endless life, life everlasting, life eternal, life.
May God help us to realize we have an enemy, may God help EVERYONE realize they have an enemy that would do anything He can to keep them from life eternal, life everlasting.
In His grace!
Amen.
What do you think of when you hear that name? Does it conjure up visions of some evil mythical figure? Do you have the image of an every day guy in a business suit sporting a creepy smile? Maybe the name of Satan brings up the picture of a horned and hoofed creature carrying a pitchfork. Do you ever picture an angel when you hear the name Satan? Seriously. Do you? Maybe you do, who am I to know.
What I do know is this... Satan as a REAL, live entity in our lives- is missing.
Time and time again I've come face to face with the realization that Satan is just not considered a real driving force in our lives.
Maybe if we took a picture of Him, however we view Him, and enlarged it to at least human life-size and stuck it on a wall in our house so that we saw this image every day, maybe then he'd become more real. We could see him and know that he is alive! We could see that picture and know it belongs to something REAL.
No. I don't want a picture of Satan in my house, I don't want a life-size image of Satan on any wall I have, but I do want to live with the realization that Satan is alive as much as I am alive. Satan is alive as much as Jesus is alive. Satan is alive as much as God is alive.
I don't want to tout Satan for anyone, I don't want to champion Satan this isn't at all what it's about, not one bit. But another trick of the great deceiver is getting people to NOT believe he exists, that he really does influences them.
GOD or SATAN!
ONE or the OTHER!
You don't live one minute, not one second without one or the other being your choice.
We are CREATURES.
We are CREATED beings.
We either choose to have faith in our Creator and the hope He gives us through the righteousness of His Son, through His son's sacrifice, or we turn from our Creator and the Creator's enemy takes control over us. We can't live without our Creator… there is only death without Him and our lives are only living death without Him.
We need the living water.
We need the bread of life.
Satan can never give us living water.
Satan can never give us the bread of life.
Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
Joh 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
them bread from heaven to eat.
Joh 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Joh 6:34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
We need life and life is only found in Christ- real life, endless life, life everlasting, life eternal, life.
May God help us to realize we have an enemy, may God help EVERYONE realize they have an enemy that would do anything He can to keep them from life eternal, life everlasting.
In His grace!
Amen.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tragedies, loss of hope, neither let the deep swallow 'us' up
Psa 69:15 Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
Psa 69:16 Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
Psa 69:17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.
Tragedies, big and small bring pain beyond imagination.
The waters of strife, the floods of emotional agony grip us. The deep, dark depths of pure despair threaten to overwhelm us. The pit would close us inside, the pit of anguish would devour us never to be seen again, to never lay hold of our eternal life in Christ.
Satan would have us drown in our pain, our very real pain.
Satan would have our losses rip any faith we have in God away.
Satan would have us lay all the blame on Christ's shoulders.
Satan laughs at our heartaches.
Jesus weeps with us.
There is no escaping that the pain in this world is endless. Whether you're a Christian or not, you will have pain, you will have heartaches. If you're not a Christian this life- filled with pain- will be all you'll ever know. This world is not our true home, we are NOT of this world. If we place all our hopes and dreams here on earth, in this world, our hopes will be crushed time and time again.
Today my niece miscarried her third child and as we were leaving the hospital in tears I hugged her and she said these heart breaking words to me… 'I just can't hope any more.' Those words broke my heart.
My sister had called me earlier in the morning to pray for her daughter, and with my sister's broken relationship with Christ, to have her reaching out for prayers is wonderful- just knowing she's turning to God for help is a miracle. I told her I was praying but I don't have my own personal direct line to God like she thinks I do (she even says I do). When I saw her at the hospital before the news, I told her I was praying for God's will to be done and she wagged her finger at me while furrowing her brow as if she didn’t want me to pray that way but some other way.
I did pray for my niece and her unborn baby, I did ask for a miracle, but ultimately in all things I want God who knows the end from the beginning to have HIS will done, not mine. Does this mean I believe it was God's will for my niece to lose her 3rd baby? That makes God seem like some cruel tyrant and Satan wants us to believe that He is just that- He wants us to believe God is hateful and hurtful, uncaring, vengeful, and spiteful. Satan glories in those thoughts, if Satan could get us to blame God for everything tragic that happens to us He will. God's will is for us to love Him, for us to have eternal life in Him through the sacrifice of His only Son. God's will is for us to have faith in Him. God's will for us is to place our treasures, our hopes IN HEAVEN. Does this mean we aren't to have hopes here on earth? That we aren't to hope for babies, or finding a marriage partner, that we shouldn't hope for a good job, and good health? No. We can hope for all those things, I know I have, and I do. We can hope but understand that first and foremost our hope needs to be in Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer.
1Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope
2Co 1:2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
2Co 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
2Co 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2Co 1:5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
2Co 1:6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
2Co 1:7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
The sufferings in Christ are many. Sufferings are many for all. In Christ we have consolation. In Christ alone we have hope.
1Co 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
1Co 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
We have hope in Christ for eternal life, not just for life here and now.
To constantly harp on laying our treasures up in heaven seems as if I'm a broken record. But when my niece's heart is broken before my very eyes, when I look into her face and see the deep anguish there and I have nothing to give her to ease her pain I am only reminded of how horrible this world is. I will not blame God, I refuse to blame God! Satan has RUINED this world! SATAN BE DAMNED! And Satan is damned! We can't choose to be damned with Him! We can choose to be saved in Christ! We can choose to live now for life everlasting. We can choose to realize that the agonies of this world will NEVER end. We can choose to understand that the pain, though raw and horrific, threatening to consume us, is too only temporary- even if it lasts our entire life here in this world- it is only temporary.
We have to live for Christ.
We have to have our hope in Him always.
It breaks my heart believing that my sister's tentative faith might be crushed and she's piled yet another brick upon God, placing the blame upon Him and not on Satan.
I can only hope and pray that it is God's will that my sister, my niece, her husband, my brother in law, and all those who are affected by this tragedy can find strength to endure through Christ, that somehow it draws them closer to Him and not further away. It's my prayer my niece places her hope in Christ and finds solace in Him knowing that He weeps with her in her pain, that He is touched by her heartaches and He longs for her to be with Him in life eternal where there will be no pain, no heartache.
Please… pray for my family.
In the love of Christ, by His grace, by His mercy now and forever!!!
Amen.
Psa 69:16 Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
Psa 69:17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.
Tragedies, big and small bring pain beyond imagination.
The waters of strife, the floods of emotional agony grip us. The deep, dark depths of pure despair threaten to overwhelm us. The pit would close us inside, the pit of anguish would devour us never to be seen again, to never lay hold of our eternal life in Christ.
Satan would have us drown in our pain, our very real pain.
Satan would have our losses rip any faith we have in God away.
Satan would have us lay all the blame on Christ's shoulders.
Satan laughs at our heartaches.
Jesus weeps with us.
There is no escaping that the pain in this world is endless. Whether you're a Christian or not, you will have pain, you will have heartaches. If you're not a Christian this life- filled with pain- will be all you'll ever know. This world is not our true home, we are NOT of this world. If we place all our hopes and dreams here on earth, in this world, our hopes will be crushed time and time again.
Today my niece miscarried her third child and as we were leaving the hospital in tears I hugged her and she said these heart breaking words to me… 'I just can't hope any more.' Those words broke my heart.
My sister had called me earlier in the morning to pray for her daughter, and with my sister's broken relationship with Christ, to have her reaching out for prayers is wonderful- just knowing she's turning to God for help is a miracle. I told her I was praying but I don't have my own personal direct line to God like she thinks I do (she even says I do). When I saw her at the hospital before the news, I told her I was praying for God's will to be done and she wagged her finger at me while furrowing her brow as if she didn’t want me to pray that way but some other way.
I did pray for my niece and her unborn baby, I did ask for a miracle, but ultimately in all things I want God who knows the end from the beginning to have HIS will done, not mine. Does this mean I believe it was God's will for my niece to lose her 3rd baby? That makes God seem like some cruel tyrant and Satan wants us to believe that He is just that- He wants us to believe God is hateful and hurtful, uncaring, vengeful, and spiteful. Satan glories in those thoughts, if Satan could get us to blame God for everything tragic that happens to us He will. God's will is for us to love Him, for us to have eternal life in Him through the sacrifice of His only Son. God's will is for us to have faith in Him. God's will for us is to place our treasures, our hopes IN HEAVEN. Does this mean we aren't to have hopes here on earth? That we aren't to hope for babies, or finding a marriage partner, that we shouldn't hope for a good job, and good health? No. We can hope for all those things, I know I have, and I do. We can hope but understand that first and foremost our hope needs to be in Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer.
1Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope
2Co 1:2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
2Co 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
2Co 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2Co 1:5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
2Co 1:6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
2Co 1:7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
The sufferings in Christ are many. Sufferings are many for all. In Christ we have consolation. In Christ alone we have hope.
1Co 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
1Co 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
We have hope in Christ for eternal life, not just for life here and now.
To constantly harp on laying our treasures up in heaven seems as if I'm a broken record. But when my niece's heart is broken before my very eyes, when I look into her face and see the deep anguish there and I have nothing to give her to ease her pain I am only reminded of how horrible this world is. I will not blame God, I refuse to blame God! Satan has RUINED this world! SATAN BE DAMNED! And Satan is damned! We can't choose to be damned with Him! We can choose to be saved in Christ! We can choose to live now for life everlasting. We can choose to realize that the agonies of this world will NEVER end. We can choose to understand that the pain, though raw and horrific, threatening to consume us, is too only temporary- even if it lasts our entire life here in this world- it is only temporary.
We have to live for Christ.
We have to have our hope in Him always.
It breaks my heart believing that my sister's tentative faith might be crushed and she's piled yet another brick upon God, placing the blame upon Him and not on Satan.
I can only hope and pray that it is God's will that my sister, my niece, her husband, my brother in law, and all those who are affected by this tragedy can find strength to endure through Christ, that somehow it draws them closer to Him and not further away. It's my prayer my niece places her hope in Christ and finds solace in Him knowing that He weeps with her in her pain, that He is touched by her heartaches and He longs for her to be with Him in life eternal where there will be no pain, no heartache.
Please… pray for my family.
In the love of Christ, by His grace, by His mercy now and forever!!!
Amen.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Worldly Foolish, Salvation Wise
Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Psa 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Job 36:3 I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
Psa 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
Psa 24:5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Psa 31:1 ...In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
Psa 71:2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
*
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
When so much unrighteousness surrounds us, when Satan would have us buried deep in the thick mire of our own vileness we have to remember that God alone is righteous above all and we have to believe in God and His Righteousness. We aren't to believe in ourselves. We can't SAVE ourselves by believing in own ability, our own righteousness. The only way we can save ourselves is to believe in the Lord and Salvation in our Savior, God's Son.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Act 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
We save ourselves when we REPENT and are baptized in the name of our Savior for the forgiveness of our sins.
Satan's assaults grow more and more intense all around us. The closer we move towards our God the closer Satan moves towards us to take us away from Him.
Praise God we are saved by grace, that the righteousness we possess is our belief in God's righteousness, in His plan of salvation.
We have to CLING to this belief and NEVER give it up. Satan wants us to turn our minds inwards to ourselves and not outward to God. The cares of this world do truly threaten to overwhelm. We must remember that this world is already counted as lost, but the world to come is our Savior's and it's that world we need to look to when this world would tear us apart, when Satan would tear us spiritually limb from spiritual limb. When we are so caught up in the cares of this world that it seems as if Satan is dangling us above a bottomless pit, our legs kicking, our hands scrambling to cling to anything that would keep us from failing, we have to remember Christ is our Savior and we have to let go of Satan's pinching fingers trusting that we will be caught up unto our Lord.
Satan will tell us that we HAVE to worry over this life, to just NOT worry isn't how it's done. He wants us worrying and worrying and worrying as long as he can keep us worrying we keep ourselves from trusting, from believing. Satan wants us to believe it's stupid to even think of NOT worrying when there is SOOOOO much to worry about. We don't want to be stupid, we don't want to be considered clueless and foolish, stupid, dumb, blind to the REAL world, going about with our heads in the clouds, crazily happy in the knowledge of Salvation… we should want to be worldly stupid, worldly clueless, worldly foolish, worldly stupid, dumb and blind as long as we are CRAZY happy in the knowledge of our Salvation!!!
May God bless us and keep us, guide our paths, protect us from the wiles of the Devil so that we may serve Him and only Him, by His righteousness, in HIS everlasting LOVE, through the grace of our Savior!
Amen.
Psa 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Job 36:3 I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
Psa 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
Psa 24:5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Psa 31:1 ...In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
Psa 71:2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
*
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
When so much unrighteousness surrounds us, when Satan would have us buried deep in the thick mire of our own vileness we have to remember that God alone is righteous above all and we have to believe in God and His Righteousness. We aren't to believe in ourselves. We can't SAVE ourselves by believing in own ability, our own righteousness. The only way we can save ourselves is to believe in the Lord and Salvation in our Savior, God's Son.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Act 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
We save ourselves when we REPENT and are baptized in the name of our Savior for the forgiveness of our sins.
Satan's assaults grow more and more intense all around us. The closer we move towards our God the closer Satan moves towards us to take us away from Him.
Praise God we are saved by grace, that the righteousness we possess is our belief in God's righteousness, in His plan of salvation.
We have to CLING to this belief and NEVER give it up. Satan wants us to turn our minds inwards to ourselves and not outward to God. The cares of this world do truly threaten to overwhelm. We must remember that this world is already counted as lost, but the world to come is our Savior's and it's that world we need to look to when this world would tear us apart, when Satan would tear us spiritually limb from spiritual limb. When we are so caught up in the cares of this world that it seems as if Satan is dangling us above a bottomless pit, our legs kicking, our hands scrambling to cling to anything that would keep us from failing, we have to remember Christ is our Savior and we have to let go of Satan's pinching fingers trusting that we will be caught up unto our Lord.
Satan will tell us that we HAVE to worry over this life, to just NOT worry isn't how it's done. He wants us worrying and worrying and worrying as long as he can keep us worrying we keep ourselves from trusting, from believing. Satan wants us to believe it's stupid to even think of NOT worrying when there is SOOOOO much to worry about. We don't want to be stupid, we don't want to be considered clueless and foolish, stupid, dumb, blind to the REAL world, going about with our heads in the clouds, crazily happy in the knowledge of Salvation… we should want to be worldly stupid, worldly clueless, worldly foolish, worldly stupid, dumb and blind as long as we are CRAZY happy in the knowledge of our Salvation!!!
May God bless us and keep us, guide our paths, protect us from the wiles of the Devil so that we may serve Him and only Him, by His righteousness, in HIS everlasting LOVE, through the grace of our Savior!
Amen.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sanctuary Service Before and After Christ
The end to the daily sacrifices had to come and the only way that end could come was if another, a better, a true Sacrifice, the ultimate Sacrifice that ALL the other inferior sacrifices pointed to was Sacrificed.
When that Sacrifice was made then all the ordinances of the daily sacrifices were no longer needed, the way into the Holiest was made. The way into the Most Holy Place was opened. Our HIGH PRIEST would enter the Most Holy Place.
Let's think about this for a moment. All the pieces of furniture in the Sanctuary pointed to Jesus.
The candlestick - Jesus is the light.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
The table of shewbread- Jesus is the bread of life.
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
The altar of incense- Jesus is the way to God, Jesus is our intercessor.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The altar of burnt offerings- Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice-
Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
People make the mistake of thinking that the sacrificial services of the old testament way was what gave people forgiveness before Christ died. Forgiveness is ONLY found through the Messiah. Before Christ arrived it was ever looking forward to the hope of the coming Messiah and His Sacrifice. After Christ died we are forever looking back to His having come and His Sacrifice. Christ has ALWAYS been the only way to forgiveness before He came and after.
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
The Messiah… the Messiah shall be cut off but not for himself. This is foretold!
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
The Sanctuary services were in action all pointing to the coming Messiah.
Once the Messiah had come there was no longer need for the Sanctuary services.
You know today there is no sacrificial system- why? If the Jewish community do not recognize that Christ the Messiah has come and died for them? They say it's because there is no temple. The temple was destroyed in 70AD. One thousand nine-hundred and forty years have passed since the temple was destroyed. You would think if this were something that was NEEDED to keep your faith in a system of sacrifice to point to the coming of your messiah, you would find a way to keep on with it. NOT recognizing their Savior… it's unfathomable to me. The reality is they are waiting to rebuild the temple yet again. The temple that is NO longer necessary to point the way to the Messiah who has already come.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Temple
Heb 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
A figure for the time PRESENT.
Christ in the Heavenly Sanctuary is the figure for our PRESENT time.
By His grace may we continue to study more and more of our Lord, our Savior, our High Priest.
In His amazing love!!!!
Amen.
When that Sacrifice was made then all the ordinances of the daily sacrifices were no longer needed, the way into the Holiest was made. The way into the Most Holy Place was opened. Our HIGH PRIEST would enter the Most Holy Place.
Let's think about this for a moment. All the pieces of furniture in the Sanctuary pointed to Jesus.
The candlestick - Jesus is the light.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
The table of shewbread- Jesus is the bread of life.
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
The altar of incense- Jesus is the way to God, Jesus is our intercessor.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The altar of burnt offerings- Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice-
Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
People make the mistake of thinking that the sacrificial services of the old testament way was what gave people forgiveness before Christ died. Forgiveness is ONLY found through the Messiah. Before Christ arrived it was ever looking forward to the hope of the coming Messiah and His Sacrifice. After Christ died we are forever looking back to His having come and His Sacrifice. Christ has ALWAYS been the only way to forgiveness before He came and after.
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
The Messiah… the Messiah shall be cut off but not for himself. This is foretold!
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
The Sanctuary services were in action all pointing to the coming Messiah.
Once the Messiah had come there was no longer need for the Sanctuary services.
You know today there is no sacrificial system- why? If the Jewish community do not recognize that Christ the Messiah has come and died for them? They say it's because there is no temple. The temple was destroyed in 70AD. One thousand nine-hundred and forty years have passed since the temple was destroyed. You would think if this were something that was NEEDED to keep your faith in a system of sacrifice to point to the coming of your messiah, you would find a way to keep on with it. NOT recognizing their Savior… it's unfathomable to me. The reality is they are waiting to rebuild the temple yet again. The temple that is NO longer necessary to point the way to the Messiah who has already come.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Temple
Heb 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
A figure for the time PRESENT.
Christ in the Heavenly Sanctuary is the figure for our PRESENT time.
By His grace may we continue to study more and more of our Lord, our Savior, our High Priest.
In His amazing love!!!!
Amen.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The way into the Most Holy Place
Heb 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
Heb 9:2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
Heb 9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
Over the ark were cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat.
Let's just look at a few verses about the cherubims so we can get a description of them.
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
God placed Cherubims at the east of the garden of Eden with flaming swords- these would protect the way to the tree of life.
Exo 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exo 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
Exo 25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
Exo 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
We have Cherubims guarding the way to the tree of life so no one could get to the tree of life and eat and live forever in sin.
Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Gen 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Two cherubims as in the pattern of the real shown to Moses in the mount, were made of gold. These cherubims overshadowed the mercy seat. Perhaps symbolically guarding the holy.
Here in Hebrews we are told this--
Heb 9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
This particular aspect of the Most Holy Place would not be spoken of right then. I'm not going to dwell here on the cherubims or the mercy seat…not here. It's enough to have the picture in our minds that we are being asked to have there. A picture of the Sanctuary- of the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place and the objects therein. This is the Sanctuary created on earth after the one in heaven.
Heb 9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
For many, many years from the time of Moses the common priests went ALWAYS into the first tabernacle (the HolyPlace) of the Sanctuary, the first apartment. The common priests had been ordained to perform many tasks in the sanctuary service, there were many ordinances enacted by them. It was a way of life for the priests- doing the work given them by God. There are many details of this priestly work- the services that were to be performed. You can read about them in Exodus, in Leviticus and throughout the Bible.
However ONCE every year the High Priest alone went into the Most Holy Place, the second apartment of the tabernacle behind the veil. The High Priest went into the Most Holy Place once a year for a special purpose- to cleanse the Sanctuary.
Heb 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people
We have to delve into this once a year service because it is all representative a the future- after Christ's great Sacrifice, when Christ becomes our High Priest.
Let's read about it--
Lev 16:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;
Lev 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
Lev 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Lev 16:5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Lev 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
Lev 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
Lev 16:14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
Lev 16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
Lev 16:16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
Lev 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
Lev 16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
Lev 16:19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Lev 16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
Lev 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
Lev 16:23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:
Lev 16:24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
Lev 16:25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
Lev 16:26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
Lev 16:27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.
Lev 16:28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
Lev 16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
Lev 16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
Lev 16:31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.
Lev 16:32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:
Lev 16:33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.
Lev 16:34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
This all signified that the way into the Holiest was not yet manifest…. Only going into the Most Holy Place once a year to cleanse all the people, to cleanse the corporate whole of the congregation, to cleanse the Sanctuary of all the sin. All the sin throughout the year was covered by the blood of the sacrifices, then once every year the High Priest would remove ALL that blood covered sin collected.
Blood covered sin collected.
Blood covered sin.
How filthy, how disgusting, how vile. When we think of something covered in blood it's not in a good way, it's usually accompanied by a sense of horror, a sense of wrongness, blood is not supposed to be shed. Blood is supposed to remain within us, within animals, within all that have blood in them. When blood is let… it's not a natural process outside that which became a woman's lot. The bloodied, the wounded, the dying, the dead. The injured, the murdered- blood covered has it's own sense of being wrong, doesn't it?
Sacrifices were made for sin. The blood would flow and the sin would be covered by the sacrifice. This was an imperfect service, this was a type pointing to the true. For years this service was enacted- daily and then once a year a special service. This special service showed plainly that the daily service wasn't enough by itself to bring about the way to full atonement. The daily service revealed the necessity of the daily need to be forgiven, to seek forgiveness. The yearly service revealed that the daily seeking of forgiveness didn't purify from sin. The yearly service symbolically revealed that there was a greater service needed to cleanse fully. As long as the daily sacrificing and the yearly sacrificing and cleansing were being performed the way into the Holiest…
Heb 9:8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing
The first tabernacle- the place of the daily sacrifice- the place before the Holiest Place.
As long as the daily service in the first tabernacle remained, as long as the daily sacrifices were made, it showed that daily access into the Most Holy place wasn't possible.
The end to the daily sacrifices had to come and the only way that end could come was if another, a better, a true Sacrifice, the ultimate Sacrifice that ALL the other inferior sacrifices pointed to was Sacrificed.
When that Sacrifice was made then all the ordinances of the daily sacrifices were no longer needed, the way into the Holiest was made. The way into the Most Holy Place was opened. Our HIGH PRIEST would enter the Most Holy Place.
Heb 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Heb 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Heb 9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
Heb 9:18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
Heb 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
Heb 9:20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Heb 9:21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
There is so much here we can discuss and will discuss. More tomorrow if God wills. We will go back and really study these verses, really delving into the meat given to us to eat. There is a reason the heavenly sanctuary is here us to understand more fully. The earthly sanctuary services are over- the way into the Most Holy Place was opened and the Most Holy Place is where God dwells.
May God continue to bless us as we study His word, His truth, His love.
By the grace and mercy of our Savior now and forever, for always!
Amen.
Heb 9:2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
Heb 9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
Over the ark were cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat.
Let's just look at a few verses about the cherubims so we can get a description of them.
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
God placed Cherubims at the east of the garden of Eden with flaming swords- these would protect the way to the tree of life.
Exo 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exo 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
Exo 25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
Exo 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
We have Cherubims guarding the way to the tree of life so no one could get to the tree of life and eat and live forever in sin.
Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Gen 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Two cherubims as in the pattern of the real shown to Moses in the mount, were made of gold. These cherubims overshadowed the mercy seat. Perhaps symbolically guarding the holy.
Here in Hebrews we are told this--
Heb 9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
This particular aspect of the Most Holy Place would not be spoken of right then. I'm not going to dwell here on the cherubims or the mercy seat…not here. It's enough to have the picture in our minds that we are being asked to have there. A picture of the Sanctuary- of the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place and the objects therein. This is the Sanctuary created on earth after the one in heaven.
Heb 9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
For many, many years from the time of Moses the common priests went ALWAYS into the first tabernacle (the HolyPlace) of the Sanctuary, the first apartment. The common priests had been ordained to perform many tasks in the sanctuary service, there were many ordinances enacted by them. It was a way of life for the priests- doing the work given them by God. There are many details of this priestly work- the services that were to be performed. You can read about them in Exodus, in Leviticus and throughout the Bible.
However ONCE every year the High Priest alone went into the Most Holy Place, the second apartment of the tabernacle behind the veil. The High Priest went into the Most Holy Place once a year for a special purpose- to cleanse the Sanctuary.
Heb 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people
We have to delve into this once a year service because it is all representative a the future- after Christ's great Sacrifice, when Christ becomes our High Priest.
Let's read about it--
Lev 16:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;
Lev 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
Lev 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Lev 16:5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Lev 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
Lev 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
Lev 16:14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
Lev 16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
Lev 16:16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
Lev 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
Lev 16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
Lev 16:19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Lev 16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
Lev 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
Lev 16:23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:
Lev 16:24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
Lev 16:25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
Lev 16:26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
Lev 16:27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.
Lev 16:28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
Lev 16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
Lev 16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
Lev 16:31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.
Lev 16:32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:
Lev 16:33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.
Lev 16:34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
This all signified that the way into the Holiest was not yet manifest…. Only going into the Most Holy Place once a year to cleanse all the people, to cleanse the corporate whole of the congregation, to cleanse the Sanctuary of all the sin. All the sin throughout the year was covered by the blood of the sacrifices, then once every year the High Priest would remove ALL that blood covered sin collected.
Blood covered sin collected.
Blood covered sin.
How filthy, how disgusting, how vile. When we think of something covered in blood it's not in a good way, it's usually accompanied by a sense of horror, a sense of wrongness, blood is not supposed to be shed. Blood is supposed to remain within us, within animals, within all that have blood in them. When blood is let… it's not a natural process outside that which became a woman's lot. The bloodied, the wounded, the dying, the dead. The injured, the murdered- blood covered has it's own sense of being wrong, doesn't it?
Sacrifices were made for sin. The blood would flow and the sin would be covered by the sacrifice. This was an imperfect service, this was a type pointing to the true. For years this service was enacted- daily and then once a year a special service. This special service showed plainly that the daily service wasn't enough by itself to bring about the way to full atonement. The daily service revealed the necessity of the daily need to be forgiven, to seek forgiveness. The yearly service revealed that the daily seeking of forgiveness didn't purify from sin. The yearly service symbolically revealed that there was a greater service needed to cleanse fully. As long as the daily sacrificing and the yearly sacrificing and cleansing were being performed the way into the Holiest…
Heb 9:8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing
The first tabernacle- the place of the daily sacrifice- the place before the Holiest Place.
As long as the daily service in the first tabernacle remained, as long as the daily sacrifices were made, it showed that daily access into the Most Holy place wasn't possible.
The end to the daily sacrifices had to come and the only way that end could come was if another, a better, a true Sacrifice, the ultimate Sacrifice that ALL the other inferior sacrifices pointed to was Sacrificed.
When that Sacrifice was made then all the ordinances of the daily sacrifices were no longer needed, the way into the Holiest was made. The way into the Most Holy Place was opened. Our HIGH PRIEST would enter the Most Holy Place.
Heb 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Heb 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Heb 9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
Heb 9:18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
Heb 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
Heb 9:20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Heb 9:21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
There is so much here we can discuss and will discuss. More tomorrow if God wills. We will go back and really study these verses, really delving into the meat given to us to eat. There is a reason the heavenly sanctuary is here us to understand more fully. The earthly sanctuary services are over- the way into the Most Holy Place was opened and the Most Holy Place is where God dwells.
May God continue to bless us as we study His word, His truth, His love.
By the grace and mercy of our Savior now and forever, for always!
Amen.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Ark of the Covenant Contents
Yesterday we were discussing the Most Holy Place...
What was found in the Most Holy Place?
Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4
Which had the golden censer
and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold
wherein was the golden pot that had manna
and Aaron's rod that budded
and the tables of the covenant
-
We talked about the golden censer …
The golden censer inside the second veil, the golden censer only went into the Most Holy Place on the day of Atonement when the High Priest brought it into the Most Holy Place-
Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not
Once the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place he had in his hands incense and the censer. The incense representing the prayers of the saints, once put upon the fire a cloud of smoke would be created covering the mercy seat. The prayers of the saints presented before God.
Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Heb. 9 mentions the mercy seat but first it mentions the ark of the covenant upon which the mercy seat rests. Beneath the mercy seat, inside the ark were objects-
The golden pot that had manna
Aaron's rod that budded
Tables of the covenant
Manna-
Exo 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
Exo 16:32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.
Exo 16:33 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.
Exo 16:34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
The bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. Food from heaven. Food directly from God where no food existed.
Aaron's Rod-
Num 17:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 17:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.
Num 17:3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.
Num 17:4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.
Num 17:5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
Num 17:6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
Num 17:7 And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
Num 17:8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
Num 17:9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
Num 17:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
Num 17:11 And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.
Num 17:12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
Num 17:13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?
Num 18:1 And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
Num 18:2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
Num 18:3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
Num 18:4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
Num 18:5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
Num 18:6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 18:7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
Aaron and his tribe- Levites- are chosen for the priesthood inside God's sanctuary.
Tables of the Covenant-
Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
Deu 9:10 And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
Deu 9:12 And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
Deu 9:13 Furthermore the LORD spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
Deu 9:14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.
Deu 9:15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
Upon the tables of the covenant were written the following--
Deu 5:6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Deu 5:7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.
Deu 5:8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Deu 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
Deu 5:10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
Deu 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Deu 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.
Deu 5:13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
Deu 5:14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Deu 5:15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
Deu 5:16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deu 5:17 Thou shalt not kill.
Deu 5:18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
Deu 5:19 Neither shalt thou steal.
Deu 5:20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Deu 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Deu 5:22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
The covenant being - the children of Israel would follow the commandments given by God, and He would be their God.
Any covenant takes two or more people.
COVENANT, n. [L, to come; a coming together; a meeting or agreement of minds.]
COVENANT, v.i. To enter into a formal agreement; to stipulate; to bind ones self by contract. A covenants with B to convey to him a certain estate. When the terms are expressed it has for before the thing or price.
COVENANT, v.t. To grant or promise by covenant.
To have a coming together, to have a meeting of minds, to enter a formal agreement, to bind ones self by a contract all requires at least TWO parties, right?
A covenant between two people is broken when the agreed upon terms are violated. Does the violation mean the terms were wrong? Or does the violation simply mean one chose to no longer follow the terms that they once agreed were fair and just enough to follow? To enter into a covenant that you don't agree with is PURE foolishness. You enter into covenants you agree to. The people of Israel- God's chosen people KNEW the terms of the covenant and agreed to them. Then they violated the agreement over and over and over again. It wasn't that the agreement, the covenant, was to blame- it was the weakness of the people that led to the constant violation. The covenant was full of fault because while it revealed God's love fully, it also revealed a people incapable of following it, people who HOPED to follow it, but failed. The realization being only ONE person would be able to NEVER violate the covenant and that ONE person would be the faultless, sinless Son of God who took on OUR nature, our propensity to sin and did NOT sin. Through HIM alone do we find salvation. That doesn't mean the terms of the covenant were at fault- they were agreed upon. It means HE alone could fulfill the terms of that covenant and THROUGH HIM (the NEW Covenant- that through HIM we could fulfill the terms of the old) we would find our hope, our salvation by His grace and mercy.
So… inside the Most Holy Place--
We have manna- food from heaven, food from God. We have Aaron's rod that budded- the sanctuary priesthood of the Levites enacted. We have the tables of the covenant- the covenant between God and man- God's commandments man were to keep, commandments of love.
God provides us heavenly sustenance, God provides us a High Priest, God provides us love. Precious and holy these symbols were kept inside the ark of the testimony in the most holy place, a place that a High Priest could only enter once a year. Heavenly symbols- the ark itself patterned after the heavenly as all things in the sanctuary were patterned after.
Exo 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exo 25:9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
Exo 25:10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
The ark was the first pattern given for construction of the Sanctuary.
Above the ark… in the most holy place… where God would meet with His people.
Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
The heavenly sanctuary exists today and our High Priest is in the heavenly sanctuary. What a glorious, wondrous God we have who has provided for us in all ways. The day will come when all sin will be done away with once and for all. The day will come when our Savior returns to take us with Him to heaven. The day will come when the new city Jerusalem will come down from heaven to earth and God and His Son will be the temple of that city!
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Praise God for His amazing LOVE!
By His grace may we learn more and more of His love as we study the deep things of God.
In His love!
Amen.
What was found in the Most Holy Place?
Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4
Which had the golden censer
and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold
wherein was the golden pot that had manna
and Aaron's rod that budded
and the tables of the covenant
-
We talked about the golden censer …
The golden censer inside the second veil, the golden censer only went into the Most Holy Place on the day of Atonement when the High Priest brought it into the Most Holy Place-
Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not
Once the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place he had in his hands incense and the censer. The incense representing the prayers of the saints, once put upon the fire a cloud of smoke would be created covering the mercy seat. The prayers of the saints presented before God.
Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Heb. 9 mentions the mercy seat but first it mentions the ark of the covenant upon which the mercy seat rests. Beneath the mercy seat, inside the ark were objects-
The golden pot that had manna
Aaron's rod that budded
Tables of the covenant
Manna-
Exo 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
Exo 16:32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.
Exo 16:33 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.
Exo 16:34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
The bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. Food from heaven. Food directly from God where no food existed.
Aaron's Rod-
Num 17:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 17:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.
Num 17:3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.
Num 17:4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.
Num 17:5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
Num 17:6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
Num 17:7 And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
Num 17:8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
Num 17:9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
Num 17:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
Num 17:11 And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.
Num 17:12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
Num 17:13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?
Num 18:1 And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
Num 18:2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
Num 18:3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
Num 18:4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
Num 18:5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
Num 18:6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 18:7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
Aaron and his tribe- Levites- are chosen for the priesthood inside God's sanctuary.
Tables of the Covenant-
Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
Deu 9:10 And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
Deu 9:12 And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
Deu 9:13 Furthermore the LORD spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
Deu 9:14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.
Deu 9:15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
Upon the tables of the covenant were written the following--
Deu 5:6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Deu 5:7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.
Deu 5:8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Deu 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
Deu 5:10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
Deu 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Deu 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.
Deu 5:13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
Deu 5:14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Deu 5:15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
Deu 5:16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deu 5:17 Thou shalt not kill.
Deu 5:18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
Deu 5:19 Neither shalt thou steal.
Deu 5:20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Deu 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Deu 5:22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
The covenant being - the children of Israel would follow the commandments given by God, and He would be their God.
Any covenant takes two or more people.
COVENANT, n. [L, to come; a coming together; a meeting or agreement of minds.]
COVENANT, v.i. To enter into a formal agreement; to stipulate; to bind ones self by contract. A covenants with B to convey to him a certain estate. When the terms are expressed it has for before the thing or price.
COVENANT, v.t. To grant or promise by covenant.
To have a coming together, to have a meeting of minds, to enter a formal agreement, to bind ones self by a contract all requires at least TWO parties, right?
A covenant between two people is broken when the agreed upon terms are violated. Does the violation mean the terms were wrong? Or does the violation simply mean one chose to no longer follow the terms that they once agreed were fair and just enough to follow? To enter into a covenant that you don't agree with is PURE foolishness. You enter into covenants you agree to. The people of Israel- God's chosen people KNEW the terms of the covenant and agreed to them. Then they violated the agreement over and over and over again. It wasn't that the agreement, the covenant, was to blame- it was the weakness of the people that led to the constant violation. The covenant was full of fault because while it revealed God's love fully, it also revealed a people incapable of following it, people who HOPED to follow it, but failed. The realization being only ONE person would be able to NEVER violate the covenant and that ONE person would be the faultless, sinless Son of God who took on OUR nature, our propensity to sin and did NOT sin. Through HIM alone do we find salvation. That doesn't mean the terms of the covenant were at fault- they were agreed upon. It means HE alone could fulfill the terms of that covenant and THROUGH HIM (the NEW Covenant- that through HIM we could fulfill the terms of the old) we would find our hope, our salvation by His grace and mercy.
So… inside the Most Holy Place--
We have manna- food from heaven, food from God. We have Aaron's rod that budded- the sanctuary priesthood of the Levites enacted. We have the tables of the covenant- the covenant between God and man- God's commandments man were to keep, commandments of love.
God provides us heavenly sustenance, God provides us a High Priest, God provides us love. Precious and holy these symbols were kept inside the ark of the testimony in the most holy place, a place that a High Priest could only enter once a year. Heavenly symbols- the ark itself patterned after the heavenly as all things in the sanctuary were patterned after.
Exo 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exo 25:9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
Exo 25:10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
The ark was the first pattern given for construction of the Sanctuary.
Above the ark… in the most holy place… where God would meet with His people.
Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
The heavenly sanctuary exists today and our High Priest is in the heavenly sanctuary. What a glorious, wondrous God we have who has provided for us in all ways. The day will come when all sin will be done away with once and for all. The day will come when our Savior returns to take us with Him to heaven. The day will come when the new city Jerusalem will come down from heaven to earth and God and His Son will be the temple of that city!
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Praise God for His amazing LOVE!
By His grace may we learn more and more of His love as we study the deep things of God.
In His love!
Amen.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
After the second veil
Heb 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
The first covenant wasn't faultless- it left room for man to fall far short, to disobey. The second covenant would leave no room for man to fall short because the second covenant- the perfect covenant relied on the Son of God. Yes, man could still choose to NOT accept the second covenant, God does NOT force anyone to love Him. The second covenant could not fail, there would be NO need ever for another covenant because the second covenant was perfect.
The first covenant also had ordinances of DIVINE service and a WORLDLY sanctuary.
Heb 9:2
For there was a tabernacle made the first
wherein was the candlestick
and the table
and the shewbread
which is called the sanctuary.
Heb 9:3
And after the second veil
the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all
Heb 9:4
Which had the golden censer
and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold
wherein was the golden pot that had manna
and Aaron's rod that budded
and the tables of the covenant
Heb 9:5
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat of which we cannot now speak particularly.
Heb 9:6
Now when these things were thus ordained
the priests went ALWAYS into the first tabernacle
accomplishing the service of God.
Heb 9:7
But into the second went the high priest alone once every year,
NOT WITHOUT BLOOD
which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people
Heb 9:8
The HOLY GHOST THIS SIGNIFYING
that the WAY into the holiest of all was NOT YET MADE MANIFEST,
while as the first tabernacle was yet standing
The Holy Ghost signified, the Holy Ghost declaring. What exactly was the Holy Ghost declaring?
The PRIEST always went into the first tabernacle (the Holy Place)
The HIGH PRIEST ALONE NOT WITHOUT BLOOD went into the second tabernacle (the Most Holy Place) once a year
As long as the FIRST tabernacle was standing- as long as the Holy Place- the place where the common priest enter always was standing- FULL ACCESS to the MOST HOLY PLACE was not yet available.
What was found in the Most Holy Place?
Heb 9:4
Which had the golden censer
and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold
wherein was the golden pot that had manna
and Aaron's rod that budded
and the tables of the covenant
Heb 9:5
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat of which we cannot now speak particularly.
The golden censor
The ark of the covenant
Inside the ark- manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.
Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not
On the Day of Atonement - once a year a censor full of burning coals from the altar of incense outside the vail was taken INTO the Most Holy Place- inside the vail.
What do the burning coals - the incense- represent?
Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Incensed offered with the prayers of all saints.
Psa 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Prayer set before God as incense.
Prayers continually going up to God. Prayers of the saints.
We know how important prayer is… we are to pray always…
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint
Col 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you
Prayer is very important, prayer is acknowledging God as Creator, as Redeemer. To pray to God is to believe He is. To pray is believing in God's power, accepting that we have a God who LISTENS to us, who HEARS us when we speak to Him.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
For we know not what we should pray for as we ought.
But the SPIRIT itself maketh intercession for us…with GROANINGS which cannot be uttered.
Prayer is vital. Is it no wonder it's represented INSIDE the Most Holy Place; a place that was not yet made manifest in the first covenant?
Our prayers, prayers on our behalf, communication with our Heavenly Father is very important, we cannot pray enough.
More on the inside of the Most Holy Place tomorrow…
By the grace and mercy of our most holy Lord and Savior may we ever pray before Him, may we always be in communication with our God, honoring our God always and forever, without end.
Amen.
Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
The first covenant wasn't faultless- it left room for man to fall far short, to disobey. The second covenant would leave no room for man to fall short because the second covenant- the perfect covenant relied on the Son of God. Yes, man could still choose to NOT accept the second covenant, God does NOT force anyone to love Him. The second covenant could not fail, there would be NO need ever for another covenant because the second covenant was perfect.
The first covenant also had ordinances of DIVINE service and a WORLDLY sanctuary.
Heb 9:2
For there was a tabernacle made the first
wherein was the candlestick
and the table
and the shewbread
which is called the sanctuary.
Heb 9:3
And after the second veil
the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all
Heb 9:4
Which had the golden censer
and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold
wherein was the golden pot that had manna
and Aaron's rod that budded
and the tables of the covenant
Heb 9:5
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat of which we cannot now speak particularly.
Heb 9:6
Now when these things were thus ordained
the priests went ALWAYS into the first tabernacle
accomplishing the service of God.
Heb 9:7
But into the second went the high priest alone once every year,
NOT WITHOUT BLOOD
which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people
Heb 9:8
The HOLY GHOST THIS SIGNIFYING
that the WAY into the holiest of all was NOT YET MADE MANIFEST,
while as the first tabernacle was yet standing
The Holy Ghost signified, the Holy Ghost declaring. What exactly was the Holy Ghost declaring?
The PRIEST always went into the first tabernacle (the Holy Place)
The HIGH PRIEST ALONE NOT WITHOUT BLOOD went into the second tabernacle (the Most Holy Place) once a year
As long as the FIRST tabernacle was standing- as long as the Holy Place- the place where the common priest enter always was standing- FULL ACCESS to the MOST HOLY PLACE was not yet available.
What was found in the Most Holy Place?
Heb 9:4
Which had the golden censer
and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold
wherein was the golden pot that had manna
and Aaron's rod that budded
and the tables of the covenant
Heb 9:5
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat of which we cannot now speak particularly.
The golden censor
The ark of the covenant
Inside the ark- manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.
Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not
On the Day of Atonement - once a year a censor full of burning coals from the altar of incense outside the vail was taken INTO the Most Holy Place- inside the vail.
What do the burning coals - the incense- represent?
Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Incensed offered with the prayers of all saints.
Psa 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Prayer set before God as incense.
Prayers continually going up to God. Prayers of the saints.
We know how important prayer is… we are to pray always…
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint
Col 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you
Prayer is very important, prayer is acknowledging God as Creator, as Redeemer. To pray to God is to believe He is. To pray is believing in God's power, accepting that we have a God who LISTENS to us, who HEARS us when we speak to Him.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
For we know not what we should pray for as we ought.
But the SPIRIT itself maketh intercession for us…with GROANINGS which cannot be uttered.
Prayer is vital. Is it no wonder it's represented INSIDE the Most Holy Place; a place that was not yet made manifest in the first covenant?
Our prayers, prayers on our behalf, communication with our Heavenly Father is very important, we cannot pray enough.
More on the inside of the Most Holy Place tomorrow…
By the grace and mercy of our most holy Lord and Savior may we ever pray before Him, may we always be in communication with our God, honoring our God always and forever, without end.
Amen.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A More Excellent Ministry
Heb 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Is God long suffering?
Exo 34:5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Exo 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth
Psa 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
God IS long suffering. Yet that long suffering does not mean unending suffering. When you suffer long you endure for a LONG time, not forever without end. If a person endures an abusive relationship they endure it until it's over- the relationship has ended, or until they're dead.
Long suffering, you suffer only as long as there is something to suffer from. God is LONG suffering towards humanity. Looking at His people- the descendants of Abraham- God heard their cry and answered it, sending a deliverer in Moses to take them from the captivity of the Egyptians to freedom in Him.
With His people freed God sets up a covenant with them. He will watch over them, He will be their God and they will be His people IF they accept and follow His covenant- something they PROMISED to do.
Yet we read this…
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
BECAUSE they continued NOT in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
The covenant is broken and when a covenant is broken the promises are no longer valid. Why would God regard a people who do not hold up to their promises? God, knowing the condition of man - knew that sin would not disappear. God gave them a way to understand that with sinning comes a penalty. Again, God is long suffering but sin has to end. For sin to end there need to be a covenant that could not been done away with- a final covenant, a perfect covenant, a NEW covenant doing away with the old, a more excellent ministry would be introduced.
Let me ask you something- does doing away with something old mean that the something new contains nothing of the old? As a rule when we get something new it's something that has its origin in something old. A new HDTV -television set for example. The newness comes from the fact it is introducing a new technology- HDTV. The fact it's a television is old. I'm not saying there aren't new inventions- and that everything didn't at one time have to be discovered or invented. Harnessing electricity, producing plastic… each has it's beginning, but those beginnings exist from something already existing. NOT one thing has been created from NOTHING, from thin air, or no air-- you know what I mean.
The point I'm trying to make here is --a better covenant was to be made, a new covenant from the old. A better covenant, a changed covenant.
Being extreme, people like to imagine that Jesus came and DID away with EVERYTHING pertaining to the previous covenant, that's not true.
The older covenant had laws administered to the people by priests.
The new covenant- the better covenant has the laws administered to the minds and hearts of the people.
The older covenant relied upon a sacrificial system.
The new covenant relies upon One Sacrifice for all.
The laws were NOT totally wiped out with the new covenant. The administering of the laws was changed. The need of a Sacrifice was NOT totally wiped out, the Perfect Sacrifice was made and is applicable for us.
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
The new covenant….fully realized will NOT be done away with, ever! The new covenant has promises that will NEVER be done away with. The new covenant with its better ways will last through eternity.
Fully realized without sin- the Lord will be to US a God and we to Him a people. There will be NO separation between us, none!
The new covenant replaces the old, the old covenant had fault, the new covenant would have NO fault.
Heb 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY- Jesus has obtained this. Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant, established upon BETTER promises.
A covenant will forever exist between God and man.
COVENANT, n. [L, to come; a coming together; a meeting or agreement of minds.]
COVENANT, v.i. To enter into a formal agreement; to stipulate; to bind ones self by contract. A covenants with B to convey to him a certain estate. When the terms are expressed it has for before the thing or price.
COVENANT, v.t. To grant or promise by covenant.
God and man- Creator and creature. A covenant does away with that which separates God and man. A covenant allows the breach that separation created to be closed.
Christ is THE MEDIATOR of a better covenant.
MEDIA'TOR, n. One that interposes between parties at variance for the purpose of reconciling them.
The work of our Mediator in the heavenly sanctuary is important to understand and we will continue to study God's word and pray for enlightenment. May God bless us as we seek Him fully, by the grace of Jesus Christ our SAVIOR in all ways, in all things!
Amen.
Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Is God long suffering?
Exo 34:5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Exo 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth
Psa 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
God IS long suffering. Yet that long suffering does not mean unending suffering. When you suffer long you endure for a LONG time, not forever without end. If a person endures an abusive relationship they endure it until it's over- the relationship has ended, or until they're dead.
Long suffering, you suffer only as long as there is something to suffer from. God is LONG suffering towards humanity. Looking at His people- the descendants of Abraham- God heard their cry and answered it, sending a deliverer in Moses to take them from the captivity of the Egyptians to freedom in Him.
With His people freed God sets up a covenant with them. He will watch over them, He will be their God and they will be His people IF they accept and follow His covenant- something they PROMISED to do.
Yet we read this…
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
BECAUSE they continued NOT in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
The covenant is broken and when a covenant is broken the promises are no longer valid. Why would God regard a people who do not hold up to their promises? God, knowing the condition of man - knew that sin would not disappear. God gave them a way to understand that with sinning comes a penalty. Again, God is long suffering but sin has to end. For sin to end there need to be a covenant that could not been done away with- a final covenant, a perfect covenant, a NEW covenant doing away with the old, a more excellent ministry would be introduced.
Let me ask you something- does doing away with something old mean that the something new contains nothing of the old? As a rule when we get something new it's something that has its origin in something old. A new HDTV -television set for example. The newness comes from the fact it is introducing a new technology- HDTV. The fact it's a television is old. I'm not saying there aren't new inventions- and that everything didn't at one time have to be discovered or invented. Harnessing electricity, producing plastic… each has it's beginning, but those beginnings exist from something already existing. NOT one thing has been created from NOTHING, from thin air, or no air-- you know what I mean.
The point I'm trying to make here is --a better covenant was to be made, a new covenant from the old. A better covenant, a changed covenant.
Being extreme, people like to imagine that Jesus came and DID away with EVERYTHING pertaining to the previous covenant, that's not true.
The older covenant had laws administered to the people by priests.
The new covenant- the better covenant has the laws administered to the minds and hearts of the people.
The older covenant relied upon a sacrificial system.
The new covenant relies upon One Sacrifice for all.
The laws were NOT totally wiped out with the new covenant. The administering of the laws was changed. The need of a Sacrifice was NOT totally wiped out, the Perfect Sacrifice was made and is applicable for us.
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
The new covenant….fully realized will NOT be done away with, ever! The new covenant has promises that will NEVER be done away with. The new covenant with its better ways will last through eternity.
Fully realized without sin- the Lord will be to US a God and we to Him a people. There will be NO separation between us, none!
The new covenant replaces the old, the old covenant had fault, the new covenant would have NO fault.
Heb 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
A MORE EXCELLENT MINISTRY- Jesus has obtained this. Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant, established upon BETTER promises.
A covenant will forever exist between God and man.
COVENANT, n. [L, to come; a coming together; a meeting or agreement of minds.]
COVENANT, v.i. To enter into a formal agreement; to stipulate; to bind ones self by contract. A covenants with B to convey to him a certain estate. When the terms are expressed it has for before the thing or price.
COVENANT, v.t. To grant or promise by covenant.
God and man- Creator and creature. A covenant does away with that which separates God and man. A covenant allows the breach that separation created to be closed.
Christ is THE MEDIATOR of a better covenant.
MEDIA'TOR, n. One that interposes between parties at variance for the purpose of reconciling them.
The work of our Mediator in the heavenly sanctuary is important to understand and we will continue to study God's word and pray for enlightenment. May God bless us as we seek Him fully, by the grace of Jesus Christ our SAVIOR in all ways, in all things!
Amen.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
From Milk to Meat
Exhorted to move on from milk to meat it would seem almost senseless to be given more milk and not get any meat. We are given meat. The meat is delving DEEPER into the things of God.
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath REVEALED them unto us by his SPIRIT: for the Spirit searcheth ALL things, yea, the DEEP things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
If we don't receive the spirit which is of God we will NOT know the things that are freely given us of God. We need to learn in the words which the HOLY GHOST teaches- not the words of man's wisdom. Spiritual with spiritual- having the mind of Christ. We need to have God reveal to us by His Spirit- ALL THINGS, YES, the DEEP THINGS of GOD.
Going from the milk to the meat we continue on in Hebrews...
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum-
Hebrews 8: 1-5
We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.
A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
We have a High Priest in heaven.
We have a Minister of the Sanctuary in heaven.
We have a Minister of the TRUE tabernacle.
We have a Minister of the tabernacle which the LORD pitched not man.
We have a High Priest who offers- for this is what High Priests are ordained to do.
On earth He would NOT be a High Priest.
The Earth has the whole Priesthood- given prior to HIS arrival.
The earthly priests EXAMPLES of heavenly.
The earthly priests SHADOWS of heavenly.
The priests on earth do their duty as they were given it- the law dictating their actions- the law of God, the law of God's love.
The priests on earth were given a duty that pointed to the coming of the great HEAVENLY High Priest.
The priests on heaven were patterned after ALL things shown to Moses in the mount, examples of the heavenly, shadows of the heavenly.
When the example met reality, when the shadow met the reality- how much better is the reality?
This is a lot to digest spiritually. To treat it all offhandedly would be ignoring spiritual meat. To shrug this off as not being important is to denied ourselves spiritual sustenance.
People tend to believe that the Jewish sanctuary long destroyed leaving the Jewish people without their temple, without their sacrificial services was the end of it all. It wasn't. Think about it… would God create something so binding to HIS people only to simply end it? There is nothing simple about it. Every piece of furniture in the earthly sanctuary has a counterpart in the heavenly. Every piece of furniture in the sanctuaries has a meaning. The sacrificial system pointed to the Great Perfect Sacrifice. Yet there remains a Sanctuary in heaven where our High Priest dwells. That Sanctuary will remain until…
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, DESCENDING out of heaven from God…
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
NO temple in the great city, the holy Jerusalem that descends OUT of heaven from God.
The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it!
When all is said and done, that is when there will be no need of a temple, no need of a sanctuary or the services it portrays. All the work of salvation will have been completed entirely when that holy city descends out of heaven. Every single human being alive and dead will have been judged - some to eternal life, some to eternal death.
There is so much for us to study, to learn, to know and by the grace of God we'll do so.
Hebrews 8: 1-5
We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.
A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
So much to learn and learning takes time. I'm not rushing this study, I want to chew the meat I'm being given and eat my meal slowly getting as much from it as I possibly can.
By the grace of our Savior, by the mercy of our Lord, in His love and His righteousness may we see and not be blind, may we have faith to believe, may we cling to Christ and His righteousness forever!
Amen.
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath REVEALED them unto us by his SPIRIT: for the Spirit searcheth ALL things, yea, the DEEP things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
If we don't receive the spirit which is of God we will NOT know the things that are freely given us of God. We need to learn in the words which the HOLY GHOST teaches- not the words of man's wisdom. Spiritual with spiritual- having the mind of Christ. We need to have God reveal to us by His Spirit- ALL THINGS, YES, the DEEP THINGS of GOD.
Going from the milk to the meat we continue on in Hebrews...
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum-
Hebrews 8: 1-5
We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.
A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
We have a High Priest in heaven.
We have a Minister of the Sanctuary in heaven.
We have a Minister of the TRUE tabernacle.
We have a Minister of the tabernacle which the LORD pitched not man.
We have a High Priest who offers- for this is what High Priests are ordained to do.
On earth He would NOT be a High Priest.
The Earth has the whole Priesthood- given prior to HIS arrival.
The earthly priests EXAMPLES of heavenly.
The earthly priests SHADOWS of heavenly.
The priests on earth do their duty as they were given it- the law dictating their actions- the law of God, the law of God's love.
The priests on earth were given a duty that pointed to the coming of the great HEAVENLY High Priest.
The priests on heaven were patterned after ALL things shown to Moses in the mount, examples of the heavenly, shadows of the heavenly.
When the example met reality, when the shadow met the reality- how much better is the reality?
This is a lot to digest spiritually. To treat it all offhandedly would be ignoring spiritual meat. To shrug this off as not being important is to denied ourselves spiritual sustenance.
People tend to believe that the Jewish sanctuary long destroyed leaving the Jewish people without their temple, without their sacrificial services was the end of it all. It wasn't. Think about it… would God create something so binding to HIS people only to simply end it? There is nothing simple about it. Every piece of furniture in the earthly sanctuary has a counterpart in the heavenly. Every piece of furniture in the sanctuaries has a meaning. The sacrificial system pointed to the Great Perfect Sacrifice. Yet there remains a Sanctuary in heaven where our High Priest dwells. That Sanctuary will remain until…
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, DESCENDING out of heaven from God…
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
NO temple in the great city, the holy Jerusalem that descends OUT of heaven from God.
The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it!
When all is said and done, that is when there will be no need of a temple, no need of a sanctuary or the services it portrays. All the work of salvation will have been completed entirely when that holy city descends out of heaven. Every single human being alive and dead will have been judged - some to eternal life, some to eternal death.
There is so much for us to study, to learn, to know and by the grace of God we'll do so.
Hebrews 8: 1-5
We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.
A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
So much to learn and learning takes time. I'm not rushing this study, I want to chew the meat I'm being given and eat my meal slowly getting as much from it as I possibly can.
By the grace of our Savior, by the mercy of our Lord, in His love and His righteousness may we see and not be blind, may we have faith to believe, may we cling to Christ and His righteousness forever!
Amen.
Monday, September 20, 2010
May We Be Able to Stand
Eph 6:10-18 The Armor of God
You've heard/read it before many times. Take the armor of God, be a Christian soldier. The reason this strikes me today so hard is because of yesterday's study.
We want to be ready for Christ when He comes. We know some who think they are, won't be. We absolutely do NOT want to be in the group that think they are ready but aren't. It scares us a little bit knowing that those people will be deceived. That WE could be deceived. The deceived don't know they're deceived that's what deception is all about. Those 5 virgins who don't have enough oil fall asleep thinking they have enough. The Bridegroom being delayed wasn't really part of their plan. They had oil, their lamps were burning. Even after they woke up they believed they were Christ's. They hurried off to get what they needed STILL thinking they were Christ's and He would accept them. They ran ALL the way back to the door and it was shut, inside the marriage was going to take place. Those outside STILL believed they were His!!! Even at the door, but… they were DECEIVED.
The Bible tells us how we are to be ready, how we are NOT to be deceived.
Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Today people have done so much to make sin acceptable that it is no wonder many will be deceived. They won't believe they've done wrong!
They'll be SO caught up in the supposed 'Love' of God that they'll be worshipping a false Christ- one that calls evil good and good evil, one that overlooks their sin allowing them to keep on sinning because they KNOW this false Christ understands it's simply too hard to be like those STRICT Christians caught up in their false belief that they are called to perfection.
We don't want to be called to perfection!
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Is it NO wonder at all we are told not to be deceived?
That many shall come in Christ's name?
Think about it… people have made up their own Christ's to follow, they've taken bits and pieces of the one true Christ and molded Him into their own false Christ. Ministers of these false Christ's call their followers to join with them and follow after this false Christ they've concocted. Yes, in the literal sense people from time to time believe they are Christ come again and we are definitely NOT to follow them, but that is obvious to us, right?
Deception is being deceived, having the wool pulled over our eyes, it's truly NOT realizing we're being fooled. We are told the UNRIGHTEOUS will not inherit the kingdom of God and we have NO problem with that because we aren't among them. None of us are fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of ourselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunks, revilers, extortioners right? RIGHT?! We're not deceived, what we sow is good, yes? We're not deceived. We are not deceived we will be ready with extra oil in our lamps, undeceived, prepared doing ALL we can to stand. Is this You? Understanding that MANY will be deceived? Many will believe they are followers and ready to enter into the marriage, but they won't be.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
We need to be ready and we're told how to be ready.
Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
We're told to put on the whole armor of God if we're to stand against the WILES of the devil. The wiles- at least one among the wiles is- deception.
If we want to STAND in the evil day, doing all we can to stand we have to have the armor on, we have to have extra oil to trim our lamps.
We have to have RIGHTEOUSNESS.
We have to have the GOSPEL of PEACE.
We have to have FAITH.
We have to have SALVATION.
We have to have the WORD of GOD.
WE have to PRAY ALWAYS.
CHRIST'S Righteousness
CHRIST'S Gospel of peace
CHRIST'S Faith.
CHRIST'S Salvation
CHRIST'S Word
CHRIST'S Prayer
We have to have all this through CHRIST! In the SPIRIT!
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
We can fool ourselves all we want into believing that no matter what we are going with Christ at His second coming, but that self deception will shock many in that day.
We need to be ready, we need to immerse ourselves in the Word of God.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We need to delve into His word and apply it to our lives- EVERY moment of our lives. We should NEVER set aside our Savior- we should be praying always- in all we do Christ should be with us- LIVING in us, not just visiting us.
May God help us because we need help so badly. May our eyes be opened by the Holy Spirit! May we be clothed in Christ's righteousness! May we have all the faith we need- in quality! May we believe Lord, help our unbelief!
Amen.
You've heard/read it before many times. Take the armor of God, be a Christian soldier. The reason this strikes me today so hard is because of yesterday's study.
We want to be ready for Christ when He comes. We know some who think they are, won't be. We absolutely do NOT want to be in the group that think they are ready but aren't. It scares us a little bit knowing that those people will be deceived. That WE could be deceived. The deceived don't know they're deceived that's what deception is all about. Those 5 virgins who don't have enough oil fall asleep thinking they have enough. The Bridegroom being delayed wasn't really part of their plan. They had oil, their lamps were burning. Even after they woke up they believed they were Christ's. They hurried off to get what they needed STILL thinking they were Christ's and He would accept them. They ran ALL the way back to the door and it was shut, inside the marriage was going to take place. Those outside STILL believed they were His!!! Even at the door, but… they were DECEIVED.
The Bible tells us how we are to be ready, how we are NOT to be deceived.
Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Today people have done so much to make sin acceptable that it is no wonder many will be deceived. They won't believe they've done wrong!
They'll be SO caught up in the supposed 'Love' of God that they'll be worshipping a false Christ- one that calls evil good and good evil, one that overlooks their sin allowing them to keep on sinning because they KNOW this false Christ understands it's simply too hard to be like those STRICT Christians caught up in their false belief that they are called to perfection.
We don't want to be called to perfection!
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Is it NO wonder at all we are told not to be deceived?
That many shall come in Christ's name?
Think about it… people have made up their own Christ's to follow, they've taken bits and pieces of the one true Christ and molded Him into their own false Christ. Ministers of these false Christ's call their followers to join with them and follow after this false Christ they've concocted. Yes, in the literal sense people from time to time believe they are Christ come again and we are definitely NOT to follow them, but that is obvious to us, right?
Deception is being deceived, having the wool pulled over our eyes, it's truly NOT realizing we're being fooled. We are told the UNRIGHTEOUS will not inherit the kingdom of God and we have NO problem with that because we aren't among them. None of us are fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of ourselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunks, revilers, extortioners right? RIGHT?! We're not deceived, what we sow is good, yes? We're not deceived. We are not deceived we will be ready with extra oil in our lamps, undeceived, prepared doing ALL we can to stand. Is this You? Understanding that MANY will be deceived? Many will believe they are followers and ready to enter into the marriage, but they won't be.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
We need to be ready and we're told how to be ready.
Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
We're told to put on the whole armor of God if we're to stand against the WILES of the devil. The wiles- at least one among the wiles is- deception.
If we want to STAND in the evil day, doing all we can to stand we have to have the armor on, we have to have extra oil to trim our lamps.
We have to have RIGHTEOUSNESS.
We have to have the GOSPEL of PEACE.
We have to have FAITH.
We have to have SALVATION.
We have to have the WORD of GOD.
WE have to PRAY ALWAYS.
CHRIST'S Righteousness
CHRIST'S Gospel of peace
CHRIST'S Faith.
CHRIST'S Salvation
CHRIST'S Word
CHRIST'S Prayer
We have to have all this through CHRIST! In the SPIRIT!
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
We can fool ourselves all we want into believing that no matter what we are going with Christ at His second coming, but that self deception will shock many in that day.
We need to be ready, we need to immerse ourselves in the Word of God.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We need to delve into His word and apply it to our lives- EVERY moment of our lives. We should NEVER set aside our Savior- we should be praying always- in all we do Christ should be with us- LIVING in us, not just visiting us.
May God help us because we need help so badly. May our eyes be opened by the Holy Spirit! May we be clothed in Christ's righteousness! May we have all the faith we need- in quality! May we believe Lord, help our unbelief!
Amen.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Prepared for Christ
Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Kingdom of Heaven like--
Ten virgins. Pure, undefiled people of God.
Ten virgins with lamps moving towards the bridegroom- our Savior. We live our lives with the realization that Christ's second coming is what we are living for. We live with the hope of salvation found in our loving Savior. We live awaiting the day we will be joined with our Savior, the bridegroom and bride together at last.
All of these people have lamps to hold the oil which brings forth light.
All of these people have oil in their lamps to begin with and their lamps are burning as they wait.
Those waiting for their Savior prepare for His second coming.
Let's imagine--
You are invited to a wedding and the wedding is prepared so that you'll need to have a lamp with oil in it ready to meet the groom before he goes on into the wedding ceremony. You believe that you'll only need an hours worth of oil because logic tells you that the groom will be prompt. However you want to be ready to have your lamp burning longer just in case something happens to delay the groom so you bring extra oil. Half the people around you are of the same mind, but the other half just bring enough oil for the prearranged time for things to get under way. So there you all are with your burning lamps waiting, and waiting, the time comes and then passes. While waiting every one grows sleepy and eventually falls asleep. The lamps are still burning using up the oil in them. By the time the cry that the bridegroom is coming is given, waking everyone up, there is a rush to get your lamps filled and burning again. Of course those with foresight have extra oil, those who thought they had enough had none and desperately want your oil so they can go meet the bridegroom too. You can't give them your oil though or you won't have enough. You tell them to go and get more oil elsewhere.
We ALL have to be ready for Christ's second coming.
We all have to have lamps.
We all have to have oil in those lamps.
We all have to have extra oil for those lamps.
The reason for this parable is to show that some will be ready for Christ's second coming and others will not be ready. The wise and the foolish. The prepared and the unprepared. Those who think they are all prepared and find out later they are not. Those who wait till the last moment to try and get what they need to be ready, but won't be able to.
We want to be prepared and we believe if we can understand what the lamp and the oil is we will make sure we have that lamp and have extra oil for it.
Jesus is the light.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
As long as Jesus was in the world… He was the light of the world.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 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.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
The Holy Spirit comes to us, the Spirit of truth. The world CANNOT receive the Spirit of truth, or know HIM but we will know Him and He will dwell with us and in us.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
The light of the world- JESUS.
The Holy Spirit given to us by Jesus.
Lamp and lights - enlightenment, knowledge of our Lord and Savior through His word… Jesus in the Word.
Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life
Pro 13:9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The light we need is our Savior-the Word, the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Life- and ALL of this is given to us through grace, the grace of our Savior.
We have to have Jesus in our lives- real, living, guiding, saving, loving, active, alive and we have to have Him and His grace ALWAYS. We can NEVER believe we can EVER on our own-- live. We can never expect to meet our Savior by our own means, our own devising. We have to have Christ with us ALWAYS not sporadically. We have to trust in His Righteousness, we have to trust in His grace, never in our own- we HAVE NONE. We need to believe, to have faith. We live here and now on earth with the promise of Christ living in us. We live here and now with the promised Comforter, the promise of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Luk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
We can all have the Holy Spirit.
1Jn 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1Jn 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
1Jn 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently
To meet the Bridegroom when He comes we need to be prepared through love, His love. Our faith needs to be alive, our faith needs to be active, our walk with Christ needs to be something very real to us, a reality like no other.
All sleep.
All wake.
All have lamps.
Some have enough oil for those lamps.
Some don't have enough oil for those lamps.
Some go on to meet the Bridegroom.
Some who desperately want to meet the Bridegroom will not.
Some are ready.
Some are not ready.
Some will have Christ - a living belief, brightly burning by the grace of our Savior the Word made flesh, through the gift of the Holy Spirit all by our Lord's righteousness.
Some will have a living belief but that living belief will NOT last, for them it is only temporary, they will trust in their own righteousness not Christ's, they will not trust in the Lord forever and ever through all things.
Our Savior is the only thing that matters.
People speculate on what things mean all the time, but in the end, all the matters is the Love of our Savior and us having faith in Him always for All things.
Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
By His Love, by His Grace, through His Righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Kingdom of Heaven like--
Ten virgins. Pure, undefiled people of God.
Ten virgins with lamps moving towards the bridegroom- our Savior. We live our lives with the realization that Christ's second coming is what we are living for. We live with the hope of salvation found in our loving Savior. We live awaiting the day we will be joined with our Savior, the bridegroom and bride together at last.
All of these people have lamps to hold the oil which brings forth light.
All of these people have oil in their lamps to begin with and their lamps are burning as they wait.
Those waiting for their Savior prepare for His second coming.
Let's imagine--
You are invited to a wedding and the wedding is prepared so that you'll need to have a lamp with oil in it ready to meet the groom before he goes on into the wedding ceremony. You believe that you'll only need an hours worth of oil because logic tells you that the groom will be prompt. However you want to be ready to have your lamp burning longer just in case something happens to delay the groom so you bring extra oil. Half the people around you are of the same mind, but the other half just bring enough oil for the prearranged time for things to get under way. So there you all are with your burning lamps waiting, and waiting, the time comes and then passes. While waiting every one grows sleepy and eventually falls asleep. The lamps are still burning using up the oil in them. By the time the cry that the bridegroom is coming is given, waking everyone up, there is a rush to get your lamps filled and burning again. Of course those with foresight have extra oil, those who thought they had enough had none and desperately want your oil so they can go meet the bridegroom too. You can't give them your oil though or you won't have enough. You tell them to go and get more oil elsewhere.
We ALL have to be ready for Christ's second coming.
We all have to have lamps.
We all have to have oil in those lamps.
We all have to have extra oil for those lamps.
The reason for this parable is to show that some will be ready for Christ's second coming and others will not be ready. The wise and the foolish. The prepared and the unprepared. Those who think they are all prepared and find out later they are not. Those who wait till the last moment to try and get what they need to be ready, but won't be able to.
We want to be prepared and we believe if we can understand what the lamp and the oil is we will make sure we have that lamp and have extra oil for it.
Jesus is the light.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
As long as Jesus was in the world… He was the light of the world.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 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.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
The Holy Spirit comes to us, the Spirit of truth. The world CANNOT receive the Spirit of truth, or know HIM but we will know Him and He will dwell with us and in us.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
The light of the world- JESUS.
The Holy Spirit given to us by Jesus.
Lamp and lights - enlightenment, knowledge of our Lord and Savior through His word… Jesus in the Word.
Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life
Pro 13:9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The light we need is our Savior-the Word, the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Life- and ALL of this is given to us through grace, the grace of our Savior.
We have to have Jesus in our lives- real, living, guiding, saving, loving, active, alive and we have to have Him and His grace ALWAYS. We can NEVER believe we can EVER on our own-- live. We can never expect to meet our Savior by our own means, our own devising. We have to have Christ with us ALWAYS not sporadically. We have to trust in His Righteousness, we have to trust in His grace, never in our own- we HAVE NONE. We need to believe, to have faith. We live here and now on earth with the promise of Christ living in us. We live here and now with the promised Comforter, the promise of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Luk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
We can all have the Holy Spirit.
1Jn 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1Jn 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
1Jn 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently
To meet the Bridegroom when He comes we need to be prepared through love, His love. Our faith needs to be alive, our faith needs to be active, our walk with Christ needs to be something very real to us, a reality like no other.
All sleep.
All wake.
All have lamps.
Some have enough oil for those lamps.
Some don't have enough oil for those lamps.
Some go on to meet the Bridegroom.
Some who desperately want to meet the Bridegroom will not.
Some are ready.
Some are not ready.
Some will have Christ - a living belief, brightly burning by the grace of our Savior the Word made flesh, through the gift of the Holy Spirit all by our Lord's righteousness.
Some will have a living belief but that living belief will NOT last, for them it is only temporary, they will trust in their own righteousness not Christ's, they will not trust in the Lord forever and ever through all things.
Our Savior is the only thing that matters.
People speculate on what things mean all the time, but in the end, all the matters is the Love of our Savior and us having faith in Him always for All things.
Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
By His Love, by His Grace, through His Righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
This is the sum....
Heb 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
This is the sum.
We like when we reach the sum don't we? We like conclusions. We like to have things all wrapped up in neat little packages and sometimes we don't even mind having a pretty bow on top. To have the end product is ideal, isn't it? At the end of a story we want the ending to tie up all the loose ends. When we finish watching a movie we don't want to be left hanging, we want a satisfactory conclusion. We want to hear -even if it's only in our private thoughts- this sums it all up.
We hear these words right here in Heb. 8:1.
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum.
We're going to condense this and give you the sum of it all…
'We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. '
We HAVE such a HIGH PRIEST.
This High Priest is SET on the right hand of the throne of the MAJESTY in the heavens.
A MINISTER of the SANCTUARY.
A minister of the TRUE TABERNACLE.
A minister of the sanctuary and true tabernacle which the LORD PITCHED AND NOT MAN!
This is it, this is what we're telling you, listen…this says it all… we have a High Priest ministering in the Heavenly Sanctuary.
People often make the mistake of stopping in their Christian walk after they learn the basics--
Our Savior was promised.
Our Savior was born.
Our Savior died.
Our Savior rose.
Our Savior lives.
We live through forgiveness of our Savior.
We will have eternal life through our Savior.
The End.
The milk of the gospel. The first principle oracles of God. Babes. Remember that?
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
People keep on suckling the milk never growing and people will be accountable for not maturing in Christ for not ever eating strong meat. It's all well and good to take the milk- but only as babes. We ought to be teachers, not be as those who need to be taught again. We ought to be hungry and eating the meat that is there for us to eat and some of this meat is going on to acknowledge that our Savior lives for us, and that He lives for us as our HIGH PRIEST in Heaven. A Minister in the Heavenly Sanctuary. Jesus did not go to heaven and sit down at the right hand of God becoming a permanent statue in the Heavenly museum housing God who sits there as well. We have a LIVING God, a LIVING Savior, a MINISTERING HIGH PRIEST! Our Savior is NOT a pretty portrait hung in the heavenly museum. He's not a magnificent sculpture cold and lifeless. Our Savior is alive and busy! Yes, busy. He is not bored upon the throne ho-humming while the years of our lives are ticked off. Our Savior lives for US, everyone that would have Him know them will be known by Him. Our Savior is just that… OUR PERSONAL SAVIOR. We make much about having personal trainers, personal dieticians, personal physicians, personal advisors, all people that can be called on to do their jobs for us personally. We have a PERSONAL SAVIOR! Our personal Savior needs to be MORE real to us than any other person in our lives. We have to believe in Him as a reality! We need to stop being babes only feeding on the milk of the gospel never growing. We have to sink our teeth into the strong meat of the Word of God.
Heb 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
We have to realize our Savior is our High Priest in a very real way. If you've never thought of your Savior as your High Priest, now is the time to start.
There is a lot more we are going to study on this, there is a lot of meat ready for us to eat. Our Savior would have us fully understand and by His grace, by His mercy, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, by the Righteousness of our Lord we will become the spiritual adults He would have us be.
Amen.
Heb 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
This is the sum.
We like when we reach the sum don't we? We like conclusions. We like to have things all wrapped up in neat little packages and sometimes we don't even mind having a pretty bow on top. To have the end product is ideal, isn't it? At the end of a story we want the ending to tie up all the loose ends. When we finish watching a movie we don't want to be left hanging, we want a satisfactory conclusion. We want to hear -even if it's only in our private thoughts- this sums it all up.
We hear these words right here in Heb. 8:1.
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum.
We're going to condense this and give you the sum of it all…
'We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. '
We HAVE such a HIGH PRIEST.
This High Priest is SET on the right hand of the throne of the MAJESTY in the heavens.
A MINISTER of the SANCTUARY.
A minister of the TRUE TABERNACLE.
A minister of the sanctuary and true tabernacle which the LORD PITCHED AND NOT MAN!
This is it, this is what we're telling you, listen…this says it all… we have a High Priest ministering in the Heavenly Sanctuary.
People often make the mistake of stopping in their Christian walk after they learn the basics--
Our Savior was promised.
Our Savior was born.
Our Savior died.
Our Savior rose.
Our Savior lives.
We live through forgiveness of our Savior.
We will have eternal life through our Savior.
The End.
The milk of the gospel. The first principle oracles of God. Babes. Remember that?
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
People keep on suckling the milk never growing and people will be accountable for not maturing in Christ for not ever eating strong meat. It's all well and good to take the milk- but only as babes. We ought to be teachers, not be as those who need to be taught again. We ought to be hungry and eating the meat that is there for us to eat and some of this meat is going on to acknowledge that our Savior lives for us, and that He lives for us as our HIGH PRIEST in Heaven. A Minister in the Heavenly Sanctuary. Jesus did not go to heaven and sit down at the right hand of God becoming a permanent statue in the Heavenly museum housing God who sits there as well. We have a LIVING God, a LIVING Savior, a MINISTERING HIGH PRIEST! Our Savior is NOT a pretty portrait hung in the heavenly museum. He's not a magnificent sculpture cold and lifeless. Our Savior is alive and busy! Yes, busy. He is not bored upon the throne ho-humming while the years of our lives are ticked off. Our Savior lives for US, everyone that would have Him know them will be known by Him. Our Savior is just that… OUR PERSONAL SAVIOR. We make much about having personal trainers, personal dieticians, personal physicians, personal advisors, all people that can be called on to do their jobs for us personally. We have a PERSONAL SAVIOR! Our personal Savior needs to be MORE real to us than any other person in our lives. We have to believe in Him as a reality! We need to stop being babes only feeding on the milk of the gospel never growing. We have to sink our teeth into the strong meat of the Word of God.
Heb 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
We have to realize our Savior is our High Priest in a very real way. If you've never thought of your Savior as your High Priest, now is the time to start.
There is a lot more we are going to study on this, there is a lot of meat ready for us to eat. Our Savior would have us fully understand and by His grace, by His mercy, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, by the Righteousness of our Lord we will become the spiritual adults He would have us be.
Amen.
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