Newness

“Newness” by Romans

Good Evening, and welcome to this Installment of our regularly scheduled Thursday Evening Bible Discussion. This is the second time that I can recall conducting a Discussion on a topic based on a request. The first time was a request several years ago by Shadowlou, that I do a Bible Study on the Seven Deadly Sins. We were members of another Christian Chat Room, then. Were it not for her original request, I don’t believe that this door would have opened for me. And now, I am beginning to publish expanded versions of my Notes as Kindle eBooks. I just ePublished my posted Notes on Doubt, but not before I doubled the  length, enhanced the Notes with addition Scriptural support, and added defense strategies for combating doubt. It is now available on Amazon as my third eBook, this one titled “[i]The Bible Talks About Doubt[/i].” So I just want to say, before we begin, Thank You so much, Wendy (Shadowlou) for planting that seed.

I recently received an e-mail from Joyful  requesting that I build a Bible Study around the word, “new.” And so, the subject and title of this Evening Discussion is “Newness.”

Let me ask all of you, when you think of the word, “new” as it appears in Scripture, what comes to mind?

For centuries, and following the requirements of the Old Covenant, the children of Israel sacrificed animals as part of their worship of God. Without that background of sacrifice, the crucifixion of Jesus would be nearly impossible to understand. We read in Hebrews 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: 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? The New covenant, itself, has its basis in the Sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus made this clear in Mark 14:24: “And he said unto them, This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many.” Chapter 9 of Hebrews brings things into focus beginning in Verse 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. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”

I would like to give share expanded background on the practice of sacrifice in the worship of God.

In spite of the fallacious claims of some books and commentaries that I have read, the tenets of Christian worship is not borrowed or based on the practices and doctrines of pagan religions. Christianity is, at once completely new, and yet the basis for what we understand and observe goes back to Adam and Eve. God's Plan of Salvation was acted out and recorded for our learning and edification very early in Genesis. When our first parents sinned, and they covered their own nakedness with aprons of fig leaves, they were still hiding in the bushes when God came to the Garden that Evening. We read, later, that God, Himself, provided clothing for them using the coats of animal skins. Notice the Account in Genesis 3:21: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” The clothing was not made of leaves, or cotton or wool. An animal had to be sacrificed... blood needed to be shed in order for God to make the clothing that He provided Adam and Eve.

Clothing is often symbolic of righteousness. We put on the righteousness of Christ when we accept His sacrifice in our steads. This helps us to understand what the Apostle Paul's meant when he wrote beginning in Romans 13:11: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

Matthew Henry writes of those coats of animal skins, “The beasts, from whose skins they were clothed, it is supposed were slain, not for man's food, but for sacrifice, to typify Christ, the great Sacrifice… God made them coats of skin, large, strong, durable, and fit for them: such is the righteousness of Christ; therefore put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Sacrifice is a vital element of Christianity. The sacrifice of animals goes back some 5,000 years. But contrary of the charges of our critics, this practice in ancient Judaism, and the concept of Sacrifice in Christianity is not borrowed or based on pagan worship. If anything, just the opposite it true. Why do I say that? Sacrificing to God, as worship, is first named as being performed by Noah when he and his family first disembarked from the Ark. Noah's example of offering a sacrifice is the reason why so many pagan cultures have incorporated sacrifices into their religious practices. Sacrificing to God was a known worship practice when God confounded the languages of the people at the Tower of Babel.  When they dispersed, the knowledge of God that they passed on diminished and was altered over time. We read of this taking place in Romans 1:25 and 28: “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator,” and Verse 28: “... they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.” They changed the identity and nature of the One being worshiped. The one True God became a myriad of deities that included animals and insects and celestial bodies, but they apparently maintained the practice of sacrifice in the worship of those deities. And those practices were departures from true worship, and not the original pattern which the Bible used as its blueprint. As I said, just the opposite is the case.

I felt that, for some here,  a good background regarding sacrifices, or refresher for others here tonight, would be a good thing. The word “new” occurs frequently in regard to the notion of sacrifice.

Our next occurrence of the word “new” is in regard to Jesus' teachings. They were something of a startling and controversial departure from what the observant Jews of His day were accustomed to. We read of their reaction to His ministry in Mark 1:27: “And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.”

Baptism is a public declaration of our having accepted Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. Baptism is the picture of our entering into the death of Jesus Christ with Him. We read beginning in Romans 6:3: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

We are, each of us, new creations in Jesus Christ: We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Can you appreciate the power of that single Verse? Notice how this is brought into greater focus in a [i]new[/i] commentary that I am introducing this Evening: Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible: “Therefore if any man be in Christ,.... There's a secret being in Christ from everlasting; so all that are loved by him, espoused unto him, chosen and preserved in him, to whom he was a covenant head, surety, and representative, are in him, united to him, and one with him; not in such sense as the Father is in him, and the human nature is in him, but as husband and wife, and head and members are one: and there is an open being in Christ at conversion, when a man believes in Christ, and gives up himself to him; faith does not put a man into Christ, but makes him appear to be in him: and such an one "is a new creature"; or, as some read it, "let him be a new creature": who understand being in Christ to be by profession, and the sense this, whoever is in the kingdom or church of Christ, who professes himself to be a Christian, ought to be a new creature: the Arabic version reads it, "he that is in the faith of Christ is a new creature". All such who are secretly in Christ from everlasting, though as yet some of them may not be new creatures, yet they shall be sooner or later; and those who are openly in him, or are converted persons, are actually so; they are a new "creation", as the words may be rendered: , "a new creation", is a phrase often used by the Jewish (h) doctors, and is applied by the apostle to converted persons; and designs not an outward reformation of life and manners, but an inward principle of grace, which is a creature, a creation work, and so not man's, but God's; and in which man is purely passive, as he was in his first creation; and this is a new creature, or a new man, in opposition to, and distinction from the old man, the corruption of nature; and because it is something anew implanted in the soul, which never was there before; it is not a working upon, and an improvement of the old principles of nature, but an implantation of new principles of grace and holiness; here is a new heart, and a new spirit, and in them new light and life, new affections and desires, new delights and joys; here are new eyes to see with, new ears to hear with, new feet to walk, and new hands to work and act with: old things are passed away: the old course of living, the old way of serving God, whether among Jews or Gentiles; the old legal righteousness, old companions and acquaintance are dropped; and all external things, as riches, honours, learning, knowledge, former sentiments of religion, are relinquished:”

The whole idea of our being renewed from the inside out predates by five centuries the actual events that brought it about. We read in Ezekiel 36:26-27: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

There is a corresponding New Testament acknowledgment of this Prophecy having been fulfilled in the Church with the establishment of the New Covenant. We read beginning in Hebrews 10:15: “Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way , which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Like the Old Covenant, the New Covenant includes things very familiar to those to whom this epistle was written: The Laws of God, but now they were to be written on our hearts and minds and not on tablets of stone. Sin offerings are referred to, but now, this new Offering of the Lamb of God in the Person of Jesus Christ only needed to be offered once.  The veil of the Temple was torn that once restricted the people of God from the Holy of Holies. It is identified as the flesh of Christ through which we now can now enter with boldness. There is a high priest in the Old Covenant who offered sacrifices for sins daily, including his own sins, but this High Priest is new and very different: We read beginning in Hebrews 7:24: "But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 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.”

The New Covenant provides us a new and living way with greater access to God. It provides a far more intimate relationship with God, and a deeper understanding of His great Love for His people.

We already spoke of being buried with Christ in baptismal waters. When we come up out of that watery grave, a picture of our being raised with Jesus to new life is presented. The Apostle Paul tells us beginning in Romans 6:5: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.”

Allow me to read, again from Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death,.... The nature and end of baptism are here expressed; the nature of it, it is a "burial"; and when the apostle so calls it, he manifestly refers to the ancient and only way of administering this ordinance, by immersion; when a person is covered, and as it were buried in water, as a corpse is when laid the earth, and covered with it: and it is a burial with Christ; it is a representation of the burial of Christ, and of our burial with him as our head and representative, and that "into death"; meaning either the death of Christ as before, that is, so as to partake of the benefits of his death; or the death of sin, of which baptism is also a token; for believers, whilst under water, are as persons buried, and so dead; which signifies not only their being dead with Christ, and their communion with him in his death, but also their being dead to sin by the grace of Christ, and therefore ought not to live in it: for the apostle is still pursuing his argument, and is showing, from the nature, use, and end of baptism, that believers are dead to sin, and therefore cannot, and ought not, to live in it; as more fully appears from the end of baptism next mentioned; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we also should walk in newness of life; for the end of baptism is not only to represent the death and burial, but also the resurrection of Christ from the dead, which is here said to be "by the glory of the Father", some read the words, "unto the glory of the Father"; meaning either, that the Father might be glorified hereby; or that Christ, being raised from the dead, might enjoy glory with the Father, as he does in human nature; but rather the phrase expresses the means by which, and not the end to which, Christ was raised from the dead: and by the "glory of the Father" is meant, the glorious power of the Father, which was eminently displayed in raising Christ from the dead; and as baptism is designed to represent the resurrection of Christ, which is done by raising the person out of the water, so likewise to represent our resurrection from the death of sin, to a life of grace: whence it must be greatly incumbent on baptized believers, who are raised from the graves of sin by the power of Christ, to "walk in newness of life"; for since they are become new creatures, and have new hearts and new spirits given them, new principles of light, life, grace, and holiness implanted in them, and have entered into a new profession of religion, of which baptism is the badge and symbol, they ought to live a new life and conversation.”

Our former habits, tendencies and practices, and priorities need to be uprooted and replaced with living to the Glory and Honor of God in both word and deed. The Apostle Paul tells us about our becoming a new man. Notice how he tries to cover all of the ways we need to be renewed from the inside out, and do an about face and begin to live a different life. We read beginning in Ephesians 4:22: “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” As I said earlier, the new man is new from the inside out!

Matthew Henry has this to say about the new man: “The apostle charged the Ephesians in the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus, that having professed the gospel, they should not be as the unconverted Gentiles, who walked in vain fancies and carnal affections. Do not men, on every side, walk in the vanity of their minds? Must not we then urge the distinction between real and nominal Christians? They were void of all saving knowledge; they sat in darkness, and loved it rather than light. They had a dislike and hatred to a life of holiness, which is not only the way of life God requires and approves, and by which we live to him, but which has some likeness to God himself in his purity, righteousness, truth, and goodness. The truth of Christ appears in its beauty and power, when it appears as in Jesus. The corrupt nature is called a man; like the human body, it is of divers parts, supporting and strengthening one another. Sinful desires are deceitful lusts; they promise men happiness, but render them more miserable; and bring them to destruction, if not subdued and mortified. These therefore must be put off, as an old garment, a filthy garment; they must be subdued and mortified. But it is not enough to shake off corrupt principles; we must have gracious ones. By the new man, is meant the new nature, the new creature, directed by a new principle, even regenerating grace, enabling a man to lead a new life of righteousness and holiness. This is created, or brought forth by God's almighty power.”

This next occasion of the word new is in regard to correction that Paul had to give to the Church at Corinth. They had tolerated, and even seemed to be proud of tolerating a man who was a member, but who also was having a relationship with his step-mother. This was not right and good behavior for Christians in the eyes of God. Paul figuratively refers to the Congregation as a new batch of dough being unleavened at for the Passover Season. Paul uses the concept of leaven, or in the translation I used, yeast, to represent those things we need to remove from our daily lives. We read in 1 Corinthians 5:7: “Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough, since you are to be free from yeast. For the Messiah, our Passover, has been sacrificed” (International Standard Version). Matthew Henry had this to say regarding this passage: “Christians should be careful to keep themselves clean, as well as purge polluted members out of their society. And they should especially avoid the sins to which they themselves were once most addicted, and the reigning vices of the places and the people where they live. They were also to purge themselves from malice and wickedness-all ill-will and mischievous subtlety. This is leaven that sours the mind to a great degree. It is not improbable that this was intended as a check to some who gloried in the scandalous behaviour of the offender, both out of pride and pique... Christians should be careful to keep free from malice and mischief. Love is the very essence and life of the Christian religion. It is the fairest image of God, for God is love (1 Jn. 4:16), and therefore it is no wonder if it be the greatest beauty and ornament of a Christian.”

The love that God would have us manifest in our lives is both an ornament of great beauty, as well as a Badge of Identification. The Apostle John quoted Jesus saying, in his Gospel in John 13:35: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

And he wrote of it, again, in his first epistle in 1 John 5:2: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.”

For many people, when the words “Commandment of God” is used, they think of a menacing order that is thundered from the heavens that is received with dread and trembling. But Jesus also gave us Commandments. In keeping with the tonight's theme of newness, we read in John 13:34: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
Jesus' new Commandment is that we are to love one another as He has loved us. Let me ask all of you,

How has He loved us?

And how should we love one another?

From Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible:
For the phrase, “A new commandment I give unto you,.... As parents, when they take their leave of their children, in their dying moments, give them proper instructions and orders, and lay their dying injunctions on them, so Christ taking his leave of his disciples, gives them his; which were, that they love one another: as brethren in the same family, children of the same Father, and fellow disciples with each other; by keeping and agreeing together, praying one for another, bearing one another's burdens, forbearing and forgiving one another, admonishing each other, and building up one another in faith and holiness: and this he calls "a new commandment"; that is, a very excellent one; as a "new name", and a "new song", denote excellent ones; or it is so called, because it is set forth by Christ, in a new edition of it, and newly and more clearly explained, than before; and being enforced with a new argument and pattern, never used before.”

From Gill's Exposition, The phrase “as I have loved you; (is) to be observed in a new manner, not "in the oldness of the letter, but in the newness of the spirit": … as Christ has loved his people freely, notwithstanding all their unworthiness and ungratefulness, so should they love one another, though there may be many things in them observable, which are disagreeable; as Christ loves all his children without any distinction, so should they love one another, whether poor or rich, weaker or stronger, lesser or greater believers; and as Christ loves them not in word only, but in deed and in truth, so should they love one another with a pure heart fervently, and by love serve one another.”

David, in the Psalms, writes of our having a new song: We read beginning in Psalms 40:1: “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”

The was a promise of new tongues: We read in Mark 16:17: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;”

Of course we remember on the Day of Pentecost when the Church was born, that the disciples were all speaking in new tongues that enabled them to preach the Gospel to many  nationalities, and all in their own languages, bringing thousands to repentance and salvation.

As faithful believers, Scripture speaks of our being given a new name: Notice, beginning in Revelation 2:17: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”

We read of Abraham in what is known as the Faith Chapter. Does anyone know what that chapter that is? Hebrews 11:8: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

As Christians, we are Abraham's seed as it tells us in Galatians 3:29: “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

As heirs with Abraham, we also look for that city, whose Builder and Maker is God. We read of it in Revelation 3:12: “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God:”

And then another new name is referred to: as this Verse closes with Jesus' words, “and I will write upon him my new name.”

Everything we see in the Universe, as magnificent and breathtaking and awe-inspiring as it is, is merely a temporary backdrop like cardboard scenery in a stage play. Scripture gives us a preview of this future where we read in Revelation 6:14: “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

But God has something all ready to take its place. The New Jerusalem will be a part of it. We read of our Glorious and Eternal home beginning in Revelation 21:1: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

Is it any wonder why Satan is jealous of us, hates us and wants to deprive us of the unimaginable joy waiting for us for Eternity which God has in store for us?

I will close with a comment from my old friend, Matthew Henry: “This new Jerusalem is the church of God in its new and perfect state, the church triumphant. Its blessedness came wholly from God, and depends on him. The presence of God with his people in heaven, will not be interrupt as it is on earth, he will dwell with them continually. All effects of former trouble shall be done away. They have often been in tears, by reason of sin, of affliction, of the calamities of the church; but no signs, no remembrance of former sorrows shall remain. Christ makes all things new. If we are willing and desirous that the gracious Redeemer should make all things new in order hearts and nature, he will make all things new in respect of our situation, till he has brought us to enjoy complete happiness.”

This concludes this Evening's Bible Discussion on “Newness.”
Romans, delivered on March 8th, 2012

Christ, Our Passover

Christ, Our Passover
by John W. Ritenbaugh

What Is the Passover Anyway?
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The idea of human sacrifice is repugnant to our modern sense of decency and civility. We feel that those who practiced this act of appeasing the gods were ignorant savages of by-gone times. However, it is beyond question that Jesus of Nazareth, the only begotten Son of God, was crucified—sacrificed—for the forgiveness of our sins. He is the propitiation, the appeasing force, by which we can enter into God's presence. God, the righteous Judge of all mankind, provided Jesus Christ to pay the incalculable price for sin.

God's judgment is perfect. Notice how the psalmist describes the quality of His judgments in Psalm 111:2-4, 6-9:

The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. . . . He has declared to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of His hands are verity and justice; all His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name.

God's judgments are great! But only those who have experienced and deeply considered them know how truly great and exalted they are. In addition, all of His judgments and works are righteous, a characteristic that points to eternal rather than temporary effects. God's judgments are not only right, they are eternally right! God does not deal in situation ethics—His laws, His morals, His ethics, work every time, all the time!

Further, He never makes decisions or exercises His power arbitrarily. Because His Word and works always harmonize with the immutable dictates of what is right, they are sure and trustworthy guides for us. Thus, trusting in them and making them a part of our lives will always be right. For this, among many other things, God should be reverenced.

The Word of God

When we compare God's works with man's, what a difference we see! The closer we look at man's, the more flaws we see. Yet, when we scrutinize God's works, we just see more perfection. Man is finite; God is infinite. Man is mutable; God is immutable. Man is imperfect; God is perfect.

Consider how adept God is in using one creation to do many different jobs. Air, for instance, is invisible and appears to be weightless, yet it will support the flight of an airplane weighing many tons. In supplying the lungs with oxygen, it supports life. Air also supports combustion, but when separated into its component parts, some of its gases can put out a fire (carbon dioxide), while others greatly intensify fire (oxygen, hydrogen). Air conveys heat and cold, scents and sounds. It holds moisture, moves ships and other things besides. In contrast, man must create special tools for every purpose, and our attempts are often quite clumsy.

Because we have been subtly trained since infancy to seek quick answers, our studies of His Word tend to overlook how profound He is. We often just accept what God says without really searching it out. But like His works, God's Word is just as much His creation as air.

How infinitely deep and broad God's Word is! Its uses are virtually inexhaustible. Consider how the ministry applies a familiar scripture to one subject, and a few weeks later, another will use the same scripture to illustrate a different subject altogether!

The writer of Psalm 119 has this to say about God's Word: "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times" (verses 18-20). He had the correct idea! We are pilgrims on our way to the Kingdom. We have no idea how long the journey will be, nor have we ever been this way before. If we ignore God's Word, we will surely wander aimlessly; we will stray from the path.

So we cannot merely look on its surface—we must delve into the Bible! Digging is hard work! God's instruction is scattered throughout His book (Isaiah 28:9-10). Each section—even each verse!—may have multiple purposes, even as air does in the physical creation. From this principle, it is easy to see that we can understand the Bible on many levels and give them several applications.

What Is He?

Think of this principle in relation to Christ. Notice how the people of His own day perceived Him:

For even His brothers did not believe in Him. . . . And there was much murmuring among the people concerning Him. Some said "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people." . . . The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?" . . . "But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?" (John 7:5, 12, 20, 26)

Even then, opinion was greatly divided about Him.

» To the average Jew, He was a mysterious fellow, a Man not really understood but liked. Jesus did fantastic things on behalf of the common man, which appealed to his curiosity.
» The Pharisees and Sadducees considered Him an arch-rival, a competitor, the ringleader of a new cult and a threat to their authority and popularity.
» Generally, the Romans saw Him at first as little more than a curiosity, a magician, but in the end they condemned Him as a troublemaker, a traitor. Pilate called Him "just" (Matthew 27:24) and found "no fault in Him at all" (John 18:38). Yet to avoid a seditious riot, he sentenced Him to be crucified.

But what is He to you? It is very important to answer this because Passover is all about what He is. The Bible shows Christ as Creator, Prophet, High Priest and King. He is the Redeemer of Israel and in a multitude of situations, Savior and Deliverer. He is Provider, Healer, Apostle, Judge, Avenger and Forerunner. In all, the Bible gives Him over two hundred guises. At Passover, though, the focus centers primarily on Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world, a human sacrifice of the most sublime quality.

When we ponder what Christ means to us, we should include Romans 10:4: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." In this regard, Paul says that Christ is the object of the Bible. The law, as one aspect that represents the whole plan of salvation, is the instrument that broadly describes God's righteousness. Like everything in God's purpose, the end—the goal—of the law is to bring us "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).

Jesus fulfilled the law in that He perfectly exemplified God's desires in everything He did (see Matthew 5:17). He personifies perfect love and government. He is the perfect man yet also God in the flesh. He is the Standard toward which men are to strive.

Not a Mystery to Us

Christ, Paul and John use the term "mystery" to refer to Christianity itself or some aspect of it. Jesus uses it in Matthew 13:10-11:

And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given."

To a Greek-speaking person, a mystery was not a difficult puzzle to solve, but a secret impossible to penetrate. A biblical mystery is a teaching that is impossible to understand until the meaning is revealed, then it becomes plain. Greeks used the term to describe something that was crystal clear to insiders, but unintelligible to outsiders.

Only "insiders," those who are obedient to God's will (Psalm 111:10), can understand the fullness of Christianity. As a result of our submission, we understand the plan of salvation far better than any "outsider," no matter how intelligent.

Where is the balance point? What is His true nature? Is not the gospel of the Kingdom of God the totality of the message, life, works and promises embodied in Jesus Christ of Nazareth? The gospel reveals Jesus as:


» The Creator, the One through whom the Father made all things.
» The very Son of God who revealed the Father.
» The Head of the church and Dispenser of the Holy Spirit.
» The Savior who was crucified and resurrected after three days according to the Scriptures.
» The Conqueror of Satan and the soon-coming King of kings.
» The High Priest of the rank of Melchizedek, who sits at our Father's right hand to make intercession for us.
» The Firstborn, our Elder Brother, the Captain of our personal salvation, who loves us with an intensity we cannot fathom even in our deepest, most profound moments.

In short, Jesus Christ is everything we are not, yet are striving to become! He is the Standard, the Example, to whose stature we are conforming ourselves. Therefore, we cannot ever allow what He was and what He accomplished, what He now is and what He will accomplish, to stray very far from our minds.

Though people could look at Jesus with their eyes and hear Him speak with their ears, they could not understand who He was or grasp the implications of His message to them personally. But a miracle has happened to us. Our minds have been opened, and the truth has been revealed to us.

Thus, Jesus says in Matthew 13 that His parables—in reality, most of the Bible's teachings—are not just general illustrations of moral and spiritual truths, but powerful, life-changing messages! Grasping their fuller and deeper meanings depends upon our active recognition and application of Jesus as Savior, King and High Priest in our lives. He reminds us of this in John 15:5, "Without Me you can do nothing."

Preparing for Passover

The apostle Paul gives these instructions regarding Passover:

And when He had given thanks, He broke [bread] and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. (I Corinthians 11:24-29)

The "cup" symbolizes the blood Jesus spilled in sacrificing His life. God is saying that through the blood of Christ, He is "sealing" His agreement of salvation with us. Though He had already promised it, Christ's blood certifies His agreement to justify us in preparation for salvation (Romans 5:9-10).

Such a monumental sacrifice must be fittingly remembered! If Passover becomes a mere ritual or pious habit, it loses its significance because Christ is not really being remembered with understanding and appreciation. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes the brethren as rushing through the service, their minds so focused on their own bellies that they were treating each other with selfish disregard. Passover's purpose is not just to remember certain historical events, but to grasp the point of Christ's death. If we fail to comprehend its meaning, we are much more likely to treat His death unworthily.

Though we will not deal with them here, Paul covers three major subjects in I Corinthians 11 and the chapters surrounding it: 1) our relationship with God, 2) our relationship with other members of the church and 3) spiritual liberty. Their common factor—the unique means by which all three are made possible—is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Taking Passover Worthily

Understanding Christ's sacrifice properly determines the quality of our observance of the Passover. To prevent taking it in a careless and unappreciative manner, Paul charges us to examine ourselves, discerning the Lord's body (I Corinthians 11:28-29). "Examine" means to test, prove or scrutinize to determine whether a thing is genuine. "Discern" means to separate, discriminate, to make a distinction for the purpose of giving preference.

A major factor that enables us to take Passover in a "worthy" manner is seriously reviewing our spiritual and moral failures in contrast to the perfect glory of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This Man lived thirty-three-and-a-half years without committing even one sin!

To avoid taking Passover unworthily, we should not take it without seriously considering its meaning. If we fail to do this, instead of honoring Christ's sacrifice, we share in the guilt of those who crucified Him. However, awareness of sin should not keep us from taking Passover. It should drive us to it, for our grateful participation in eating and drinking the symbols enables our sins to be paid.

Despite our self-examination, the focus at Passover is not on ourselves but on the payment for our sins, the means by which we are forgiven. It is a time to concentrate on the most elementary precepts of our salvation, especially on the part Jesus Christ plays in it. Only by a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of any discipline, and energetically and skillfully using them, will we produce success in an endeavor. In this way of life, if we do not understand and use the fundamentals, we will not overcome sin.


Self-examination

We understand that we are to examine ourselves in the weeks preceding Passover and Unleavened Bread. Sometimes, however, we miss the purpose for the examination. Consider these two scriptures in relation to self-examination:

» Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. (II Corinthians 13:5)

» For we dare not to class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. (II Corinthians 10:12)

If we are not careful in this, we can easily fall into two snares, both of which center on the self.

The most obvious one, expressed in II Corinthians 10:12, is that we will judge ourselves in light of other people. This fatal trap deceitfully provides us with self-justification for the way we are. The result is that we will not change or grow because we will be judging according to our own standards—and why change perfection? Self-examination by our own code produces self-righteousness.

The other dangerous snare occurs when our self-examination is so rigorous that we become very depressed and feel salvation is impossible. Brethren, this is just as utterly self-indulgent as the other! This "woe is me" approach is a not-too-subtle blast against God's judgment and grace for calling us and making things so difficult for us!

Anyone who compares himself to others is not exhibiting faith in God. He is telling God that His Son's life means little to him. Likewise, anyone who feels so morose with guilt that he threatens not to take the Passover is not exhibiting faith in God. He is telling God that He is unable to forgive that much.

At Passover, our focus should be on the payment for sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God in His grace is willing to forgive our transgressions on the basis of Christ's death. During Unleavened Bread, the focus shifts to overcoming sin and coming out of this world through God's power, which is also part of His grace. At Passover, it is the grace of God to justify us through Christ's blood. At Unleavened Bread, it is the grace of God to sanctify us as we move toward His Kingdom and glorification.

The Value of Christ's Blood

I Peter 1:18-21 adds more information as to why we should value the sacrifice of Christ.

. . . knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Jesus lay dead and buried three days and three nights. His resurrection is the foundation of our faith, and His glorification is God's pledge to us that there is hope for our future. I Peter 1:20 emphasizes that "He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world" to be that sacrifice. That is not merely foresight, brethren, that is planning! God's plan included redemption from the very beginning.

Verse 19 stresses the value of His sacrifice by using the word "precious," translated "honor" three times in chapters 2 and 3. The Greek word means "to place a value upon," and this is exactly what we are to do in preparation for Passover! We are to assess the value of His sacrifice to us personally. What would you be willing to pay for His sacrifice?

Those who know Jesus Christ well place an immeasurably higher value on His sacrifice than do others who are acquainted with Him only casually or intellectually.

Verse 18 emphasizes "knowing." The Christian lives his life knowing the redemption Christ accomplished. The price of our redemption is the value we place on the Life given for our forgiveness. Our former lives were "aimless" because of the value we placed on possessions and our own satisfaction. Now our lives have direction because we count Christ's sacrifice as priceless!

Perhaps Hebrews 10:26-29 can help us realize the awesome value God places on His Son's sacrifice and provoke us to value it more highly.

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

This is what the unpardonable sin ultimately accomplishes. Through willfully practicing sin, the sinner rejects the very basis of his covenant with God, the blood of Jesus Christ. If one deeply appreciates and values His sacrifice, he will not willfully practice the very actions that made that sacrifice necessary. God forgives with the understanding that the one forgiven has turned from sin and will continue to overcome it.

When God designed this creation, He considered His purpose along with our free-moral agency. He concluded that He had to devise a payment for sin so profound in its implications that the heirs of salvation, out of overwhelming gratitude, would drive themselves from sin. Such a price of redemption could not be the death of any common person or animal, for these have neither the worth nor the ability to pay for all sin. Only the sacrifice of the sinless God-man, Jesus Christ, could meet these qualifications.

What we see in Hebrews 10:26-29 is the end of a person who, by the very conduct of his life, reveals his pitiful assessment of that sacrifice. The author makes a three-fold indictment against this person. First, they repudiate the oath taken at baptism. Second, they contemptuously reject Christ. Third, they commit an insulting outrage against the merciful judgment of God.

The Lamb of God

Remember, the focus at Passover is on the Lamb, not our sins. Certainly, we should be aware of our sins to provide the contrast to the sinless, spotless and unblemished Lamb, but we ought not wallow in them. To the contrary, we should rather glory in the unique One who makes our deliverance possible.

Under the Old Covenant Passover, the lamb was separated from the flock on the tenth day of Nisan, giving each family four days to observe it more closely. Perhaps, at its birth or purchase, only the father of the family saw and examined it. But from the time of separation until the lamb was slaughtered, the family came to know it more intimately.

Perhaps this sacrifice will have more impact on us if we realize that for many Israelite families, the lamb may have been the family pet. Most Israelites were not ranchers with large flocks, but farmers with very few animals for meat. In such a situation, their animals became much like members of the family.

How often have you killed an animal you love? Even if you have had to do so, you probably avoided putting a knife to its throat! God devised an object lesson in Passover to illustrate its price as forcefully as only the death of an innocent can.

Sacrifice—THE Holy Act

Jesus says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (John 6:53). He is everything to us. Words inadequately describe how much we need Him. He is our Savior, Lord, Intercessor, Brother, Teacher, Example, Strength and King. Passover forces us to focus in on our weakness and Christ's strength, our need and His abundance, our sinfulness and His perfection, our sentence of death and His offer of life.

The Bible sees sacrifice as THE holy act. It is the very essence of love. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16)—in sacrifice!

Therefore, when He came into the world, He said, "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.'" Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:5-10)

Here, Jesus is recognizing His body as a gift given so that the Father's will may be done. Animal sacrifices could not accomplish God's will, but the sacrifice of the sinless God-man, Jesus of Nazareth, could. It has the power to cleanse from sin so that a New Covenant, a whole new religious order, may be established based on a personal relationship—unparalleled in its intimacy—with our Creator.

A major weakness of animal sacrifices is their failure to produce a desire in the offerer to obey God. No animal life is equal in value to a human life. Though we may grieve at the loss of a pet, an animal's sacrificial death cannot have a real impact because it will not motivate us to do anything. But when a human dies for us, we feel it! We feel we owe something in return; indebtedness arises from our gratitude for what the sacrifice accomplished.

In our case, the most valuable Life ever lived was given. Gratitude, worship and obedience are the only appropriate responses to such a sacrificial gift as the body of Jesus Christ. There is no other acceptable sacrifice for sin that will allow us to continue living.

The theme of Passover is the awesome cost of salvation, which is manifested in the sinless sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His was not a mechanical sinlessness, but He was sinless, innocent, even while encumbered with the frailties of human nature just as we are. His was sinlessness with sympathy, empathy, compassion, kindness and concern for the helpless slaves of sin. Understanding this, we should feel revulsion that our sins caused such an injustice as His death to occur. At the same time, we should also express appreciation, indebtedness and thanksgiving by departing from sin.

The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who take pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. . . . He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name. (Psalm 111:2-3, 9)

His name is Savior, Redeemer and Lamb of God.

Human sacrifice? Just one, with the approval of the Father and the selfless participation of a unique God-man, Jesus Christ, was enough for all of time.

Discussion for Sunday April 1

This Sunday we will continue our discussion of Romans chapter 5-6.

Here are some questions for thought. Feel free to bring your own questions to the discussion. These are not multiple choice questions. However, they are multiple thought questions. All interpretations and understanding are welcome.

Bible Reading

Can you describe the peace that is being talked about here? 5:1
What has changed in your life because you are justified by faith?
Who made this peace possible?
What is meant by "we also glory in tribulations"? What is the result? 5:3-5
How has God demonstrated His love for us?
What is meant by "when we were enemies"? 5:10
How did sin come into the world? 5:12
What is meant by "sin is not imputed when there is no law"? 5:13
Does this mean there was no sin before the Commandments?

We will further discuss verses 12-21 on Sunday night.  This should be enough to start you thinking.

Bible study guidelines that may help:
Study Aids

ABCs "T" When I am afraid, I can trust my Father. My Father

ABCs "T" TRUST
When I am afraid, I can trust my Father. (Psa. 56:3-4, 11)
My Father is absolutely trustworthy. (Psa. 9:10, Isa. 12:2, Jer. 17:5-8, Mat. 12:17-21
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOGb6rAy ... re=related I trust you Lord
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcBWOBUVdfY I will trust you Lord
*** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3wwWFsSlNQ
Still 
How is your heart today? Are there any hidden or not so hidden fears? Any place where you are just not sure if God is trustworthy like the Word says he is?
Are there unhealed places where you need to invite God to show you how he was trustworthy even though it might not have felt like He was?
If/when we ask our mind if God is trustworthy, we can all say yes... but if we look into our heart... is it different?
Hopefully today we will get it implanted deeper into our mind AND heart.

Psa. 56:3-4, 11 (AMP) 3 What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You.
**When I am afraid, not IF I am afraid. Then the choice... an act of our mind, which hopefully once we state it our emotions will follow..I WILL (act of our will, a choice) put both my trust AND reliance. I have been doing a study which has helped me so much, about how I can’t but God can. And my part is to call upon Him. So in this context we see we WILL trust.
4 By [the help of] God I will praise His word; on God I lean, rely, and confidently put my trust; I will not fear. What can man, who is flesh, do to me?
Verse 11 kind of repeats this...11In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?


** I like amp, with the HELP of God, I will praise His Word and again lean, rely and trust him with confidence. I will not fear ( will-choice). We know the final outcome, is heaven. So yes men may hurt us, in fact they will at times. But we know that in the end, we belong to GOD.

How though do we do that?
Comments or questions?

I think one way is to simply “do it” to affirm it, to state it out loud or put it in writing.. “I am choosing to trust God, he is trustworthy and safe.” We can admit exactly how we feel too, God already knows anyhow. So I might say to God...”It feels like, or I feel like things will never change, it feels so unsafe right now, or I am so hurt right now, but your Word says you are on my side and I WILL praise you and I WILL and am choosing to trust, lean and rely on you. Please help me.”

Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Often we or I did at one time think of a rod and staff more as a tool of discipline instead of a tool of LOVE.
Do you ever think that way? 
But look at the amp version... 4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
From “A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm”
Each shepherd boy, from the time he first starts to tend his father's flock, takes special pride in the selection of a rod and staff exactly suited to his own size and strength. He goes into the bush and selects a young sapling which is dug from the ground. This is carved and whittled down with great care and patience. The enlarged base of the sapling where its trunk joins the roots is shaped into a smooth, rounded head of hard wood. The sapling itself is shaped to exactly fit the owner's hand. After he completes it, the shepherd boy spends hours practicing with this club, leaning how to throw it with amazing speed and accuracy. It becomes his main weapon of defense for both himself and his sheep. ...the rod, in fact, was an extension of the owner's own right arm. It stood as a symbol of his strength, his power, his authority in any serious situation.
The rod was what he relied on to safeguard both himself and his flock in danger. And it was, furthermore, the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away.
If the shepherd saw a sheep wandering away from its own, or approaching poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort or another, the club would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the bunch.

Another interesting use of the rod in the shepherd's hand was to examine and count the sheep. In the terminology of the Old Testament this was referred to as passing "under the rod":

And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: (Ezek. 20:37).

This meant not only coming under the owner's control and authority, but also to be subject to his most careful, intimate and firsthand examination. A sheep that passed "under the rod" was one which had been counted and looked over with great care to make sure all was well with it.
In caring for his sheep, the good shepherd, the careful manager, will from time to time make a careful examination of each individual sheep. As each animal comes out of the corral and through the gate, it is stopped by the shepherd's outstretched rod. He opens the fleece with the rod; he runs his skillful hands over the body; he feels for any sign of trouble; he examines the sheep with care to see if all is well. This is a most searching process entailing every intimate detail. It is, too, a comfort to the sheep for only in this way can its hidden problems be laid bare before the shepherd.
the staff, more than any other item of his personal equipment, identifies the shepherd as a shepherd. No one in any other profession carries a shepherd's staff. It is uniquely an instrument used for the care and management of sheep -- and only sheep. It will not do for cattle, horses or hogs. It is designed, shaped and adapted especially to the needs of sheep.

The staff is essentially a symbol of the concern, the compassion that a shepherd has for his charges. No other single word can better describe its function on behalf of the flock than that it is for their "comfort."

Whereas the rod conveys the concept of authority, of power, of discipline, of defense against danger, the word "staff" speaks of all that is long-suffering and kind.

The shepherd's staff is normally a long, slender stick, often with a crook or hook on one end. It is selected with care by the owner; it is shaped, smoothed, and cut to best suit his own personal use.

Somehow the staff is of special comfort to the shepherd himself. In the tough tramps and during the long weary watches with his sheep, he leans on it for support and strength. It becomes to him a most precious comfort and help in his duties.
There are three areas of sheep management in which the staff plays a most significant role. The first of these lies in drawing sheep together into an intimate relationship. The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and bring it to its mother if they become parted. He does this because he does not wish to have the ewe reject her offspring if it bears the odor of his hands upon it.

...the staff is used by the shepherd to reach out and catch individual sheep, young or old, and draw them close to himself for intimate examination. The staff is very useful this way for the shy and timid sheep normally tend to keep at a distance from the shepherd.

The staff is also used for guiding sheep. Again and again I have seen a shepherd use his staff to guide his sheep gently into a new path or through some gate or along dangerous, difficult routes. He does not use it actually to beat the beast. Rather, the tip of the long slender stick is laid gently against the animal's side and the pressure applied guides the sheep in the way the owner wants it to go. Thus the sheep is reassured of its proper path.

Being stubborn creatures sheep often get into the most ridiculous and preposterous dilemmas. I have seen my own sheep, greedy for one more mouthful of green grass, climb down steep cliffs where they slipped and fell into the sea. Only my long shepherd's staff could lift them out of the water back onto solid ground.

Another common occurrence was to find sheep stuck fast in labyrinths of wild roses or brambles where they had pushed in to find a few stray mouthfuls of green grass. Soon the thorns were so hooked in their wool they could not possibly pull free, tug as they might. Only the use of the staff could free them from their entanglement.

That was long but interesting to me. Do you see how we are like sheep and we can TRUST God to take care of us, even including discipline (FOR OUR PROTECTION)?
Does it make sense that a rod and a staff are tools God uses to demonstrate His love? Even when we surely do NOT understand the “why” in the moments?
To be continued next week......

I am GOD, I am LOVE

I desire to pour My love over you,

To flood you with awareness of My love.

To enfold you in My love.

To wash you in My love.

To cleanse your heart.

To melt the hidden places.

To fill the empty places.

To restore the hurting places.

To give you a new freshness and depth.

To sastify the deepest longings of your heart.

That is My desire and My invitation.

It is for right now.

But also for every moment,

From within every circumstance,

Of your life.,

Now and Forever.

You know this.

But sometimes you forget.

As you go about your day,

Remind yourself as you remind others,

I (GOD) am LOVE.

And I love YOU!

3-8-12

Jeremiah 31:3

The Lord appeared from of old to me [Israel], saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.

Song of Solomon 2:4

He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love [for love waved as a protecting and comforting banner over my head when I was near him].

Deuteronomy 7:9

Know, recognize, and understand therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, Who keeps covenant and steadfast love and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations,

Psalm 36:7

How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

Blessed When Persecuted?

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10

Before you can really understand what Matthew 5:10 means, you have to understand and be living the rest of the Beatitudes.

If you are living a life that is poor in spirit, that mourns over your sin, that lives meekly through His strength, that hungers and thirsts after righteousness, that is merciful, pure in heart, and making peace…then you will be exceedingly glad for the persecution that comes your way.

You see, the world is going in the opposite direction and they are trying to push you into their mold. Yet you are a twice-born man among once-born people, and you are going to go against the tide.

It costs to serve Jesus Christ—every day and every step. But you are blessed! When was the last time you took some flack for Jesus? Great is your reward in heaven.

--Adrian Rodgers

Early in the Morning 2

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Early in the Morning 2
Scripture Reference: 1 Samuel 17:1-27

Little Things

And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.
Occasionally it is necessary to remind ourselves that success in life often depends upon little things. Little people, little tasks and little responsibilities often loom large in the eyes of God.
The Philistines waged frequent raids on Israel. The leader of the Philistines, a giant of tremendous stature named Goliath of Gath, was probably one of the Anakim (Numbers 13:33; Joshua 11:22), a strain of huge men that Joshua drove out of Hebron and who took refuge among the Philistines. No Israelite was a match for Goliath, especially not little David, who was sent to the battlefield to inquire of the welfare of his three elder brothers, Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah. David's task was a small one; he was entrusted with very little. Told to take his brothers an ephah of parched corn, ten loaves and ten cheeses for the captain of the army, David set out to the battlefield. This day began with a small task, but it was to be a momentous day in the history of Israel.
"David rose up early in the morning, and left his sheep with a keeper" and engaged in the small chore his father had commissioned to him (1 Samuel 17:20). As he talked with his brothers, behold the Philistine champion came out again to challenge the Israelites. The armies of Israel stood by, trembling in their sandals; but David was appalled and amazed at the fear that paralyzed the Israelite warriors. Not willing to see his nation shamed or his God embarrassed, he inquired why someone did not stand up to the godless Goliath. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" Immediately his eldest brother whisked him away to quiet him. Someone entrusted with such a small task as bringing bread and cheese to his soldier-brothers should not be so vocal about the cowardice of the Israelite army.
Yes, David had slain the lion and the bear, but he was still slight in the sight of those around him. Those were but small feats; silencing the giant Goliath would be a gargantuan task. Besides, even if David accepted the challenge, he was too small to wear the armor necessary to enter battle with Goliath. His weapon, a sling, was likewise a small implement. Everything about David was small, including his chances of success against the giant. But as we all know, David's God was victorious; the slight shepherd of Israel slew the giant Goliath.
Horatius Banal, reflecting on God's use of that which is small, realized that little things can frequently be used by God to be great things. He wrote, "A holy life is made up of a multitude of small things. It is the little things of the hour and not the great things of the age that fill up a life like that of the Apostle Paul or John or David Brainard or Henry Martyn. Little words, not eloquent speeches or sermons, little deeds, not miracles or battles or one great heroic effort or martyrdom, make up the true Christian life. It's the little constant sunbeam, not the lightning, the waters of Siloam that go softly in their meek mission of refreshment, not the waters of the rivers great and main rushing down in torrent, noise, and force that are the true symbols of the holy life."
There are no small people, small tasks or small responsibilities in the service of God. You can be small only if you fail to take the bread and cheese as God has commanded. How much happier Goliath would have been if little David had stayed home that day.
MORNING HYMN
Little is much, when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame;
There's a crown and you can win it,
If you'll go in Jesus' name.