1 Pet. {3:18} For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit
{3:19} By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison
Our fate should be no better than that of Christ's. If we think we shouldn't suffer at all in our life, or suffer for our faith what are we saying? We're too good to suffer? We need some special dispensation so that we're exempt from suffering in our lives? We are good and faithful followers so we deserve no suffering at all. Those who understand that suffering is to be expected of those who choose to have hope in God are better off than those who wail and flail about when trouble comes to them. The 'why me' is popular? Why me, why am I to walk this hard road? Why should I suffer? What did I ever do to deserve to suffer?
We ask the whys and wherefores and all the while we know our Savior, the Son of God took on flesh and suffered tortures undeserved for us. He was just and He suffered for the unjust, we should do no less, we who are unjust suffer as well we should, and deserve.
Christ suffered and He was quickened by the Spirit and He went on and preached to the spirits in prison. So aptly put isn't it? We're born into sin...born with our spirits in prison. Christ alone can set the spirit within us free from prison, free to unite with His own. We can no more escape from this prison than a prisoner from the most secure prison in existence. Only Jesus can free us. We might think we are free but that's a mere illusion. We are, each of us, caught up in a prison- a prison few will ever escape from because we don't believe we are jailed and in need of a rescuer. We play at wanting freedom and yet we keep ourselves hidden from the One who would rescue us. True freedom is something we need to actively seek, to actively desire.
1 Pet. {3:20} Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
Eight souls were saved from their spiritual prison in the days of Noah...eight.
{3:21} The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a
good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Baptism saves us. Baptism by water and Spirit...but it's not the dirt and sin washed from us, it's not the filth of the flesh that is put away that cleanses us and saves us- it's the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Being able to accept Christ so fully, to have faith in him to the point our conscience towards God is good.
God alone is worthy. God alone is our saving Grace. Christ's righteousness not ours in our filthy imprisoned bodies, bodies we try to wash clean never realizing all our trying is for naught. We must rest in the arms of the Cleanser, we must seek the freedom from our prison by the only One who can rescue us. Salvation isn't ours to give ourselves, it is Jesus' to give to us and we must let Him give it to us believing He and He alone saves.
By His grace and mercy now and forever.
Amen.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
That ye suffer for well doing
1 Peter {3:13} And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? {3:14} But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; {3:15} But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
{3:16} Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
They speak evil of you as of evildoers.
Here we have people following Christ, believing in Christ, witnessing for Christ refusing to give into the local conventions that would give them a smooth, easy life, being persecuted as evil doers.
We know what evil people do, don't we? We know those that purposefully hurt others in any way are evil, right? If you were to give a definition of an evil person what would it be? Would it include someone who follows the principle of Jesus? Seriously? Would it? It's impossible for someone who has the love of Jesus in their heart, someone who has given their life to Jesus fully and is walking in the light of His love to be truly evil. Yet it's true...you will be considered an evil doer. You won't be an evil doer but you will be accused of being so, accused falsely.
1 Peter
{3:17} For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Better to suffer for the will of God, for well doing, than for evil doing.
We need to remember this because people who are content to believe we won't suffer for our faith will be caught off guard. We need to be ready to give an answer to every man for the hope in us. An answer. We need to know why we have the hope. We have to be fully grounded in that hope.
May God Help us all to learn fully what the hope in us is so we may tell others. When we are suffering and being called evil we need to be ready.
By the grace of our Lord and Savior, now and forever.
Amen.
{3:16} Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
They speak evil of you as of evildoers.
Here we have people following Christ, believing in Christ, witnessing for Christ refusing to give into the local conventions that would give them a smooth, easy life, being persecuted as evil doers.
We know what evil people do, don't we? We know those that purposefully hurt others in any way are evil, right? If you were to give a definition of an evil person what would it be? Would it include someone who follows the principle of Jesus? Seriously? Would it? It's impossible for someone who has the love of Jesus in their heart, someone who has given their life to Jesus fully and is walking in the light of His love to be truly evil. Yet it's true...you will be considered an evil doer. You won't be an evil doer but you will be accused of being so, accused falsely.
1 Peter
{3:17} For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Better to suffer for the will of God, for well doing, than for evil doing.
We need to remember this because people who are content to believe we won't suffer for our faith will be caught off guard. We need to be ready to give an answer to every man for the hope in us. An answer. We need to know why we have the hope. We have to be fully grounded in that hope.
May God Help us all to learn fully what the hope in us is so we may tell others. When we are suffering and being called evil we need to be ready.
By the grace of our Lord and Savior, now and forever.
Amen.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Do you know why you have that hope in you?
Speaking out against the majority
Standing up for what seems wrong.
Being placed in the midst of those who hate you because you are out numbered, unfavored, reviled, and ridiculed.
The time is fast approaching and so very few will be standing.
The trials will be of the sort that those who are seemingly of fable, those of legend, and yet are very real, endured.
Will you stand?
The pressure to give in will be tremendous. You will seem wrong. You will seem crazy. You will seem to be against all that is good and right. How will you react?
This is something you need to think about. Or maybe you don't need to, maybe it's something you are of the opinion that you'll face when and if it happens to you, no planning needed.
Do you have an answer for your faith, for your hope?
******
1 Peter {3:13} And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
We like to imgaine that none will harm those who are followers of good, right? We're sickened when we read of abuse against those only seeking to help others. It's an atrocity to us when the good are targeted for harm, when the innocent are stricken purposely. Who harms those who only do good? Who? We want to believe only sick, twisted people but that's not always true in the sense they are noticeably aberrant people. A shock comes to many when they find out some seemingly wonderful people are the very ones harming others. Regardless of who they are the fact remains there are those who do harm followers of good.
1 Peter {3:14} But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.
Suffering for righteousness sake.
The good that are harmed are suffering for righteousness sake aren't they? If those good people weren't so good maybe they wouldn't have suffered. If the good were inclined to give up their goodness so they wouldn't be harmed maybe things would go easier. No one wants to suffer and yet ... 'But and if...ye suffer for righteousness' sake...' it's better to suffer for righteousness than to give into evil, right? If we do suffer then we are told not to be 'afraid of their terror, neither be trouble'.
Afraid of their terror.
If we're not to be afraid of something that is ready to inflict terror upon us then what in the world are we to be afraid of?
It's normal to be afraid of someone or something that is terrorizing us, right? And yet we are told not to be afraid. In fact we're not only told *not* to be afraid we're told *not* to be troubled.
Righteousness stands on its own so to speak. Righteousness backs itself up. Being on the side of the righteous leaves no real cause for fear or worry. The unrighteous are those that will inflict terror and trouble upon the righteous. As long as the righteousness remains in us, that righteousness being Christ's Righteousness, then we truly have nothing to fear because nothing done to us can take that from us and the greatest loss comes if we lose our Righteousness which is Christ in us. We can't let fear strip us of that love of Christ's. We truly cannot allow ourselves to be afraid.
We are told to...
1 Peter {3:15} But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
Sanctify the Lord God in our hearts.
God has to fill our hearts, God has to live in our hearts. God has to be the reason we do live, the reason for the life in us, the hope in us. Jesus has to be so real to us that we couldn't imagine living without the hope of God in us. The thought of living without the hope of God in us has to be what terrifies us, nothing else. That hope when it is alive and real in our hearts gives us the very life we live. We have to sanctify-- make holy -- the Lord God in our hearts! We have to...
1 Peter {3:15} ...be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
Be ready always!!!! How long? Always. Does always include right this moment? Does it include tomorrow? What about a year or two from now? Yes, yes, yes, always means just that. We have to be ready at all times to give an answer to every man. How many men? How many people? Every man, every one, we have to be ready always to answer any one who asks why we have any hope in us and we have to answer humbly...meekly... with fear...with meekness and awe, not the fear in the sense we're scared to answer. In meekness and awe, humbly, quietly, reverently reveal why we have hope in our hearts. Why we can be abused physically, or mentally, maybe emotionally or possibly all three or any combination, why we can be harmed and yet still hope and not give up that hope in us. To give up that hope is to give up Jesus Himself.
People will want to beat that hope out of us. They'll want us to cry uncle. They'll want to hear us renounce the hope in us. But if the hope in our hearts is our very life we know that to renounce it means death and not from those that harm us but from the Eternal One.
We have to be ready always to give an answer to anyone who asks us why we have the hope in us that we do.
Do you know why you have that hope in you? Could you tell someone meekly, reverently why you have hope in your heart? What keeps you going, why aren't you succumbing to the abuse, even under the threat of death?
Could you?
Standing up for what seems wrong.
Being placed in the midst of those who hate you because you are out numbered, unfavored, reviled, and ridiculed.
The time is fast approaching and so very few will be standing.
The trials will be of the sort that those who are seemingly of fable, those of legend, and yet are very real, endured.
Will you stand?
The pressure to give in will be tremendous. You will seem wrong. You will seem crazy. You will seem to be against all that is good and right. How will you react?
This is something you need to think about. Or maybe you don't need to, maybe it's something you are of the opinion that you'll face when and if it happens to you, no planning needed.
Do you have an answer for your faith, for your hope?
******
1 Peter {3:13} And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
We like to imgaine that none will harm those who are followers of good, right? We're sickened when we read of abuse against those only seeking to help others. It's an atrocity to us when the good are targeted for harm, when the innocent are stricken purposely. Who harms those who only do good? Who? We want to believe only sick, twisted people but that's not always true in the sense they are noticeably aberrant people. A shock comes to many when they find out some seemingly wonderful people are the very ones harming others. Regardless of who they are the fact remains there are those who do harm followers of good.
1 Peter {3:14} But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.
Suffering for righteousness sake.
The good that are harmed are suffering for righteousness sake aren't they? If those good people weren't so good maybe they wouldn't have suffered. If the good were inclined to give up their goodness so they wouldn't be harmed maybe things would go easier. No one wants to suffer and yet ... 'But and if...ye suffer for righteousness' sake...' it's better to suffer for righteousness than to give into evil, right? If we do suffer then we are told not to be 'afraid of their terror, neither be trouble'.
Afraid of their terror.
If we're not to be afraid of something that is ready to inflict terror upon us then what in the world are we to be afraid of?
It's normal to be afraid of someone or something that is terrorizing us, right? And yet we are told not to be afraid. In fact we're not only told *not* to be afraid we're told *not* to be troubled.
Righteousness stands on its own so to speak. Righteousness backs itself up. Being on the side of the righteous leaves no real cause for fear or worry. The unrighteous are those that will inflict terror and trouble upon the righteous. As long as the righteousness remains in us, that righteousness being Christ's Righteousness, then we truly have nothing to fear because nothing done to us can take that from us and the greatest loss comes if we lose our Righteousness which is Christ in us. We can't let fear strip us of that love of Christ's. We truly cannot allow ourselves to be afraid.
We are told to...
1 Peter {3:15} But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
Sanctify the Lord God in our hearts.
God has to fill our hearts, God has to live in our hearts. God has to be the reason we do live, the reason for the life in us, the hope in us. Jesus has to be so real to us that we couldn't imagine living without the hope of God in us. The thought of living without the hope of God in us has to be what terrifies us, nothing else. That hope when it is alive and real in our hearts gives us the very life we live. We have to sanctify-- make holy -- the Lord God in our hearts! We have to...
1 Peter {3:15} ...be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
Be ready always!!!! How long? Always. Does always include right this moment? Does it include tomorrow? What about a year or two from now? Yes, yes, yes, always means just that. We have to be ready at all times to give an answer to every man. How many men? How many people? Every man, every one, we have to be ready always to answer any one who asks why we have any hope in us and we have to answer humbly...meekly... with fear...with meekness and awe, not the fear in the sense we're scared to answer. In meekness and awe, humbly, quietly, reverently reveal why we have hope in our hearts. Why we can be abused physically, or mentally, maybe emotionally or possibly all three or any combination, why we can be harmed and yet still hope and not give up that hope in us. To give up that hope is to give up Jesus Himself.
People will want to beat that hope out of us. They'll want us to cry uncle. They'll want to hear us renounce the hope in us. But if the hope in our hearts is our very life we know that to renounce it means death and not from those that harm us but from the Eternal One.
We have to be ready always to give an answer to anyone who asks us why we have the hope in us that we do.
Do you know why you have that hope in you? Could you tell someone meekly, reverently why you have hope in your heart? What keeps you going, why aren't you succumbing to the abuse, even under the threat of death?
Could you?
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Campaign for Jesus
1 Cor. {15:10} But by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.
The grace of God.
What is the grace of God? We know that if you're given a grace period for something you've bought it usually means that for that period of time you don't have to pay interest on a debt. If you're given a grace period for six months or so on your insurance that means for those six months you haven't been able to pay but the grace is extended to you until you can pay again. If that grace period runs out they you have to start paying interest on your loan, or you have to start making payments on a bill or risk losing all insurance coverage. There are many different ways to get across what a grace period is but that's not the grace of God. The grace of God is something much more special and everlasting.
The grace of God is giving us undeserved mercy that through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ we are given grace that allows us to claim eternal life so that we will not suffer the penalty for our sins- the penalty being eternal death.
You can see how much more God's grace is that a little grace people might show to one another.
By the grace of God, Paul says he is what he is and that God's grace which was bestowed on him wasn't in vain.
Is the grace of God bestowed upon us in vain?
Are we true laborers of Christ, living members of the body of Christ working together to bring Christ's message of salvation to all those we can?
To be a Christian means that we are Christ-followers. If we follow Christ we need to be bringing His message to all we can. A follower of someone is a supporter of that someone. If you support a certain politician you might go about campaigning for that politican in various way. Are you as a Christian campaigning for Christ? Are you ready to answer anyone for the reason of hope in you? The hope being the message of salvation given us through Jesus' sacrifice.
When you support a politican you might be asked what things that politican stands for, what are that politician's policies, what sorts of things that politician will hope to accomplish if elected and so on. Having just recently been through a presidential year unlike any other most people know what I'm talking about. However, if you don't know what your politician stands for are you really a true follower of them? You might give that politician your vote but what substance the politician holds is lost to you.
There are many professed Christians, many, many, and yes, many! Yet they follow along blindly. They call themselves Christians but aren't even fully aware of who Christ really is beyond God's Son who died and rose again. Do Christians need to know more than that? I say no, not if their knowing that is known with a conviction of heart making it a truth they cannot keep to themselves but need to share.
To nonchalantly say you're a Christian... is that something Jesus wanted, something Jesus promoted? Can God's grace be given in vain?
1 Cor. {15:10} But by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.
I believe it can be. God's grace is something so amazing and so special, so real and so alive that it's something we shouldn't be able to hide or deny. Being saved from eternal death, being given eternal life to fully realize the love of God through Jesus Christ our Savior is something we need to be in awe of and not take for granted.
No, we're not all preachers, prophets, teachers and so on, but the lives we lead need to be such that we are professing Christ and His gift of Salvation.
May the Lord help us all be true campaign workers for Him and that the grace bestowed upon us, not a single bit of it, is in vain.
By His love and mercy!
Amen.
The grace of God.
What is the grace of God? We know that if you're given a grace period for something you've bought it usually means that for that period of time you don't have to pay interest on a debt. If you're given a grace period for six months or so on your insurance that means for those six months you haven't been able to pay but the grace is extended to you until you can pay again. If that grace period runs out they you have to start paying interest on your loan, or you have to start making payments on a bill or risk losing all insurance coverage. There are many different ways to get across what a grace period is but that's not the grace of God. The grace of God is something much more special and everlasting.
The grace of God is giving us undeserved mercy that through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ we are given grace that allows us to claim eternal life so that we will not suffer the penalty for our sins- the penalty being eternal death.
You can see how much more God's grace is that a little grace people might show to one another.
By the grace of God, Paul says he is what he is and that God's grace which was bestowed on him wasn't in vain.
Is the grace of God bestowed upon us in vain?
Are we true laborers of Christ, living members of the body of Christ working together to bring Christ's message of salvation to all those we can?
To be a Christian means that we are Christ-followers. If we follow Christ we need to be bringing His message to all we can. A follower of someone is a supporter of that someone. If you support a certain politician you might go about campaigning for that politican in various way. Are you as a Christian campaigning for Christ? Are you ready to answer anyone for the reason of hope in you? The hope being the message of salvation given us through Jesus' sacrifice.
When you support a politican you might be asked what things that politican stands for, what are that politician's policies, what sorts of things that politician will hope to accomplish if elected and so on. Having just recently been through a presidential year unlike any other most people know what I'm talking about. However, if you don't know what your politician stands for are you really a true follower of them? You might give that politician your vote but what substance the politician holds is lost to you.
There are many professed Christians, many, many, and yes, many! Yet they follow along blindly. They call themselves Christians but aren't even fully aware of who Christ really is beyond God's Son who died and rose again. Do Christians need to know more than that? I say no, not if their knowing that is known with a conviction of heart making it a truth they cannot keep to themselves but need to share.
To nonchalantly say you're a Christian... is that something Jesus wanted, something Jesus promoted? Can God's grace be given in vain?
1 Cor. {15:10} But by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.
I believe it can be. God's grace is something so amazing and so special, so real and so alive that it's something we shouldn't be able to hide or deny. Being saved from eternal death, being given eternal life to fully realize the love of God through Jesus Christ our Savior is something we need to be in awe of and not take for granted.
No, we're not all preachers, prophets, teachers and so on, but the lives we lead need to be such that we are professing Christ and His gift of Salvation.
May the Lord help us all be true campaign workers for Him and that the grace bestowed upon us, not a single bit of it, is in vain.
By His love and mercy!
Amen.
Friday, May 8, 2009
By the grace and mercy of Jesus may we be prepared.
John
{1:32} And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
{1:33} And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
{1:34} And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
God sent John to baptize with water.
God told John that the Spirit would descend and remain on the one which would baptize with the Holy Ghost.
Picture it...
God called John to baptize with water. To make way the coming of the Lord. He called to repentance.
Matt.
{3:1} In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea
{3:2} And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John was preparing people telling them something was coming, something was happening and they needed to be ready for it. All their lives they lived with the need to repent of their sins, they were raised with the sacrifical services part of their every day life. But now they were being told something more was happening. They knew their sacrifical service was pointing to something else. They knew a Messiah was to come.
Hope was revived with John preaching in the wilderness. Hope was come to them that the Messiah was indeed on His way. Hope was to be realized and people needed to be ready. They needed to realize their sinfulness, to understand that the Messiah was coming and they needed to be ready.
John did what he was told to do and then one day as he was baptizing people what he was told would happened- happened.
The Spirit descended and remained upon Jesus, upon the Son of God.
Can you imagine the awe! The wonder as John saw what he'd been told come to pass? It's amazing when predictions come to pass, amazing and awe inspiring. God's wonder is amazing, His love for us is unbelievable.
Jesus Himself told us He would come again for us and He will. The people of Israel had to wait thousands of years to see the realization of the Messiah's coming. The people of the world over have been waiting for thousands of years to see the realization of Jesus' return. God's promises are realized. We must believe, we must have faith, we must have hope.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus may we be prepared.
Amen.
{1:32} And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
{1:33} And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
{1:34} And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
God sent John to baptize with water.
God told John that the Spirit would descend and remain on the one which would baptize with the Holy Ghost.
Picture it...
God called John to baptize with water. To make way the coming of the Lord. He called to repentance.
Matt.
{3:1} In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea
{3:2} And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John was preparing people telling them something was coming, something was happening and they needed to be ready for it. All their lives they lived with the need to repent of their sins, they were raised with the sacrifical services part of their every day life. But now they were being told something more was happening. They knew their sacrifical service was pointing to something else. They knew a Messiah was to come.
Hope was revived with John preaching in the wilderness. Hope was come to them that the Messiah was indeed on His way. Hope was to be realized and people needed to be ready. They needed to realize their sinfulness, to understand that the Messiah was coming and they needed to be ready.
John did what he was told to do and then one day as he was baptizing people what he was told would happened- happened.
The Spirit descended and remained upon Jesus, upon the Son of God.
Can you imagine the awe! The wonder as John saw what he'd been told come to pass? It's amazing when predictions come to pass, amazing and awe inspiring. God's wonder is amazing, His love for us is unbelievable.
Jesus Himself told us He would come again for us and He will. The people of Israel had to wait thousands of years to see the realization of the Messiah's coming. The people of the world over have been waiting for thousands of years to see the realization of Jesus' return. God's promises are realized. We must believe, we must have faith, we must have hope.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus may we be prepared.
Amen.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Lamb of God
John {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.
*******
The Lamb of God.
Throughout the Bible a lamb is referenced as one kind of animal acceptable as a sacrificial offering to God. Why did God require animal sacrifices? Because sin is worthy of death and in place of men dying for their every sin an animal was used in place of man. A man was required to bring the lamb to be offered as a sacrifice and he would place his hands upon the animal symbolically transferring his sins to the innocent animal; the animal would then be slain. Sin warrants death. We often treat sin as of no consequence. We hardly call sin- sin any longer but rather just man's natural state of being and normal. To say something is sin we have to believe that it was a wrong committed against someone. If I steal from someone I've sinned against them. If I murder someone then I've sinned against them. A lot of sins are things we have in our society as wrongs- as things that are against our law. When someone transgresses that law then they have to pay a penalty for it. These are man's laws requiring penalties- God's laws are greater. The wages of sin are...
Ro. {6:23} 'For the wages of sin is death...'
Transgression of God's law is...
1 John '...for sin is the transgression of the law...'
Sin is transgressing the law- we have no qualms understanding this when we put it to our societies laws and yet we won't necessary say this or that person sinned, we simply say they broke the law. We don't like using the word sin. It's a biblical word, a word mostly reserved for those who believe in religion. Sure you might hear someone say... 'Oh, that's such a sin." When something bad happens. People will use it as slang, but the word sin means transgression of God's law, so it's easy to see why it's held in religious connotations even if the same law that a man breaks is one of God's law, such as stealing. While our courts may sentence a man to a year in jail, or give them probation, or perhaps a harsher sentence depending on the way the stealing took place, they won't tell a man he sinned. People have deluded themselves into believing that God isn't real, God doesn't matter, God is a figment, a fable, a non-entity, a fairy tale and then they pat themselves on the back for not being duped. Sin doesn't exist. Eternal life doesn't matter. God doesn't matter and they're all wrong.
God does matter. There is a moral standard that we can all generally adhere to and this moral standard exists in most human beings in a natural manner- it's not something that has to be taught to them. This isn't to say there aren't deviants from the norm, but the majority of the population world-wide adhere to certain standards and these standards exist not haphazardly but they were given us by a power much greater than we are, the same power that created us- created us with those standards. An animal hasn't these standards and everyone knows that tame pets can become feral once more under the right circumstances, either become feral of die in the whole survival of the fittest scenario that rules animal kind. We humans were created with morals, a gift from our creator.
The Creator gives man choices and if a man chooses to sin he chooses to break a law of his Creator.
There is a penalty for this choice.
Death.
Not wanting humans to be destroyed death was still necessary as a penalty for sin. God allowed the sin to be transferred to animal sacrifices and a true repented man could kill the animal instead of suffering death himself. This sacrificial system was in place and pointing to the ultimate sacrifice- the Lamb of God.
John {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.
The Lamb of God.
God provided the Lamb that could restore mankind to sinlessness. No animal sacrifice could do that, only God's Lamb, only God's offering to the world.
God provided the Lamb to be slain for all mankind. God provided the only man that could be slain as a sacrifice for sin, a sinless man. God stripped His Son of His divinity and His Son took on humanity, tempted in all ways as sinfilled man is tempted. Remaining sinless through manifold temptations the sinless sacrifice so much greater than any animal sacrifice could ever possibly be, was slain for us, to redeem us to God. The price was paid and we need to believe that through that amazing, undeserving sacrifice of the Son of God, the Lamb of God, we can become sons of God as well, adopted into His family.
May the Lord bless and keep us all. By the amazing love that goes beyond our comprehension may we lay hold of the grace and mercy offered freely to us and cling to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God slain for us.
Amen.
*******
The Lamb of God.
Throughout the Bible a lamb is referenced as one kind of animal acceptable as a sacrificial offering to God. Why did God require animal sacrifices? Because sin is worthy of death and in place of men dying for their every sin an animal was used in place of man. A man was required to bring the lamb to be offered as a sacrifice and he would place his hands upon the animal symbolically transferring his sins to the innocent animal; the animal would then be slain. Sin warrants death. We often treat sin as of no consequence. We hardly call sin- sin any longer but rather just man's natural state of being and normal. To say something is sin we have to believe that it was a wrong committed against someone. If I steal from someone I've sinned against them. If I murder someone then I've sinned against them. A lot of sins are things we have in our society as wrongs- as things that are against our law. When someone transgresses that law then they have to pay a penalty for it. These are man's laws requiring penalties- God's laws are greater. The wages of sin are...
Ro. {6:23} 'For the wages of sin is death...'
Transgression of God's law is...
1 John '...for sin is the transgression of the law...'
Sin is transgressing the law- we have no qualms understanding this when we put it to our societies laws and yet we won't necessary say this or that person sinned, we simply say they broke the law. We don't like using the word sin. It's a biblical word, a word mostly reserved for those who believe in religion. Sure you might hear someone say... 'Oh, that's such a sin." When something bad happens. People will use it as slang, but the word sin means transgression of God's law, so it's easy to see why it's held in religious connotations even if the same law that a man breaks is one of God's law, such as stealing. While our courts may sentence a man to a year in jail, or give them probation, or perhaps a harsher sentence depending on the way the stealing took place, they won't tell a man he sinned. People have deluded themselves into believing that God isn't real, God doesn't matter, God is a figment, a fable, a non-entity, a fairy tale and then they pat themselves on the back for not being duped. Sin doesn't exist. Eternal life doesn't matter. God doesn't matter and they're all wrong.
God does matter. There is a moral standard that we can all generally adhere to and this moral standard exists in most human beings in a natural manner- it's not something that has to be taught to them. This isn't to say there aren't deviants from the norm, but the majority of the population world-wide adhere to certain standards and these standards exist not haphazardly but they were given us by a power much greater than we are, the same power that created us- created us with those standards. An animal hasn't these standards and everyone knows that tame pets can become feral once more under the right circumstances, either become feral of die in the whole survival of the fittest scenario that rules animal kind. We humans were created with morals, a gift from our creator.
The Creator gives man choices and if a man chooses to sin he chooses to break a law of his Creator.
There is a penalty for this choice.
Death.
Not wanting humans to be destroyed death was still necessary as a penalty for sin. God allowed the sin to be transferred to animal sacrifices and a true repented man could kill the animal instead of suffering death himself. This sacrificial system was in place and pointing to the ultimate sacrifice- the Lamb of God.
John {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.
The Lamb of God.
God provided the Lamb that could restore mankind to sinlessness. No animal sacrifice could do that, only God's Lamb, only God's offering to the world.
God provided the Lamb to be slain for all mankind. God provided the only man that could be slain as a sacrifice for sin, a sinless man. God stripped His Son of His divinity and His Son took on humanity, tempted in all ways as sinfilled man is tempted. Remaining sinless through manifold temptations the sinless sacrifice so much greater than any animal sacrifice could ever possibly be, was slain for us, to redeem us to God. The price was paid and we need to believe that through that amazing, undeserving sacrifice of the Son of God, the Lamb of God, we can become sons of God as well, adopted into His family.
May the Lord bless and keep us all. By the amazing love that goes beyond our comprehension may we lay hold of the grace and mercy offered freely to us and cling to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God slain for us.
Amen.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The way has been prepared.
John {1:26} John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; {1:27} He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
**
Conviction. John the baptist had conviction.
Mark {1:1} The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; {1:2} As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. {1:3} The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. {1:4} John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Malachai {3:1} Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
**
John prepared the way of Jesus. Do you think Jesus needed the way prepared? Seriously, do you think He needed someone to precede Him? Wouldn't His majesty, His miracles, His amazing truth be enough without any preparation? Why then was there a need for John to 'prepare' the way?
In fact couldn't Jesus have just arrived on the scene and in great fanfare start whipping out miracle after miracle wowing crowd after crowd? Couldn't Jesus have been much more flamboyent and showy?
In truth, Jesus could have been many things and yet in the end what He is, is love true love.
All through our lives we are prepared for things aren't we? Oh not everything by far, but for a lot of things we hold great store in the preparation. We are prepared for kindergarten by preschool, we are prepared for college by high school and tests, visits to the colleges. We prepare for long term relationships by dating, we prepare for tests by studying, we prepare for work by garnering lots of information and knowing what sort of job we're taking on. The better prepared you are the better things generally go. Preparing for the worst. Preparing for the best. Preparation, very few if any are unfamiliar with the necessity of preparation in life. Sure you'll get some that like to pride themselves on being ready no matter what, on being brilliant and not needing to study or any such thing. You'll get those that like to say they live on the edge and it's true and some are like that but they're not the majority.
Preparation is something that alerts people to something that is going to happen. John was preparing the way of the Lord not because Jesus needed fanfare but because people needed to wake up out of their stupor to realize that something was coming, something was happening, something big, something very worthy of preparation.
John knew his role as preparer and it was an important role but he was taking no fanfare to himself but giving it all to Jesus whom he knew was coming but wasn't there just yet.
Jesus came to prepare us for His second coming, Jesus came to prepare us for eternal life, to give us eternal life, life that we can have that will last forever. Jesus offers it to us all and He promised there would come a time when He'd come again and eternal life would be realized fully. Yes, we can know we have eternal life- the Bible tells us that- '1 John {5:13} These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.'
We can know we have eternal life but it won't be fully realized until Jesus returns.
Jesus is returning.
The way has been prepared.
May God help us all. By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior may we fully realize life eternal, love eternal in Him now and forever!
Amen.
**
Conviction. John the baptist had conviction.
Mark {1:1} The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; {1:2} As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. {1:3} The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. {1:4} John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Malachai {3:1} Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
**
John prepared the way of Jesus. Do you think Jesus needed the way prepared? Seriously, do you think He needed someone to precede Him? Wouldn't His majesty, His miracles, His amazing truth be enough without any preparation? Why then was there a need for John to 'prepare' the way?
In fact couldn't Jesus have just arrived on the scene and in great fanfare start whipping out miracle after miracle wowing crowd after crowd? Couldn't Jesus have been much more flamboyent and showy?
In truth, Jesus could have been many things and yet in the end what He is, is love true love.
All through our lives we are prepared for things aren't we? Oh not everything by far, but for a lot of things we hold great store in the preparation. We are prepared for kindergarten by preschool, we are prepared for college by high school and tests, visits to the colleges. We prepare for long term relationships by dating, we prepare for tests by studying, we prepare for work by garnering lots of information and knowing what sort of job we're taking on. The better prepared you are the better things generally go. Preparing for the worst. Preparing for the best. Preparation, very few if any are unfamiliar with the necessity of preparation in life. Sure you'll get some that like to pride themselves on being ready no matter what, on being brilliant and not needing to study or any such thing. You'll get those that like to say they live on the edge and it's true and some are like that but they're not the majority.
Preparation is something that alerts people to something that is going to happen. John was preparing the way of the Lord not because Jesus needed fanfare but because people needed to wake up out of their stupor to realize that something was coming, something was happening, something big, something very worthy of preparation.
John knew his role as preparer and it was an important role but he was taking no fanfare to himself but giving it all to Jesus whom he knew was coming but wasn't there just yet.
Jesus came to prepare us for His second coming, Jesus came to prepare us for eternal life, to give us eternal life, life that we can have that will last forever. Jesus offers it to us all and He promised there would come a time when He'd come again and eternal life would be realized fully. Yes, we can know we have eternal life- the Bible tells us that- '1 John {5:13} These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.'
We can know we have eternal life but it won't be fully realized until Jesus returns.
Jesus is returning.
The way has been prepared.
May God help us all. By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior may we fully realize life eternal, love eternal in Him now and forever!
Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)