Category Archives: Jesus Christ / Yeshua

Faith / Trusting God, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Salvation, Unteachable / Foolish

Yeshua Is The Bread Of Life. Those Who Come To Him Will Not Hunger Or Thirst

Yeshua had just fed 5000 people by miraculously multiplying a small portion of food. The people wanted to follow Him and make Him king. We can gain insight by reflecting on the words He spoke to them.

John 6:26-40

Words to the People

      26Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 28Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” 30So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’”32Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33“For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”

      35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36“But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39“This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Yeshua first addresses that this crowd is following Him not because they believe Him to be Messiah, but because the food He gave satisfied them and they want more. He warns them not to work for simply food that we consume and then we are hungry again. Instead, devote your lives to pursuit of the bread which satisfies for eternal life… the bread that is Yeshua.  Let us recognize that not all who follow Christ actually believe in Him as Messiah. Some come along yet do not believe. This is true still today. Let us be sure we are not complacent in accepting that we “go to church” and hang out Christians and read the Bible, yet have no relationship or true belief in Him as Messiah.

They ask an important question… “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Yeshua’s answer is very important… “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” Our first and most important “work” is simply to believe in Yeshua as Messiah, sent from the Father. In this way we receive the bread that lasts into eternity, and satisfies… never leaving us hungry or thirsty. Of course He is referring to spiritual food that we receive in close relationship with Yeshua and the Father. We are to pursue Yeshua as bread that satisfies. There is no other “work” required. What a loving God! However, as we pursue Yeshua genuinely and wholeheartedly, our actions change and our motivations change. Our genuine pursuit of Him is reflected in our behaviors and our thoughts. We change.

I am a bit stunned at first by the dialog where they ask for a sign. Had He not just performed a great sign by the feeding of the 5000?  He will address this starting in verse 36. Never the less, Yeshua continues to address them. However, He does not perform a sign just because they asked for one. He had already performed a sign. We can learn from this. Let us not always demand signs from YHWH but rather look to acknowledge the signs and wonders already at work in our lives around us.

Starting in verse 36 Yeshua addresses the fact that some have seen Him and seen Him perform signs, but they still do not believe. They still ask for signs. Not all have been given to Him by the Father, but listen to the beautiful closing of this section of scripture in regards to those whom the Father does give to the Son.

37“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39“This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

It is an amazing thought for those of us who desperately want to take some sort of credit for our own salvation, even by simply choosing the Lord when He reveals Himself to us. Let us remain humble. Let us first and foremost pray the Lord help those who are not walking with YHWH, who have not accepted Yeshua. For we see that all the Father gives to Him, will come to Him. Yeshua accepts all of us, and we must choose to accept Him, but recognize that the Father first calls us.

This can cause some difficulty for some. They struggle with their idea of “fairness” that the Father gives some to the Son and others He apparently does not. Let us trust the Father as we seek to understand. Ask Him as we would a loving Father whom we trust deeply. But remember that He is ultimately in control and His ways are far beyond our own.

Romans 9:19-24

    19You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God

Read The Bible Like You Are Searching For Treasure

John 6 documents a time when Yeshua walked on water. This is a fantastic miracle, but there is more to the story than that. Let us put that aside for a moment and dig beyond the surface of the scripture to see what treasure we can find and apply to our lives.

After feeding the 5000, Yeshua realized that the people were wanting to come to Him to make Him king. However tempting that may be for all of us to deal with, Yeshua chose to withdraw to avoid this because He knew that this was not what His Father had called Him to do. He did not seek power for Himself, but only to do the will of the Father. If we take the time to really think about it, this may be almost as stunning as walking on water. How many of us would really seek to avoid the distraction of thousands of people praising us and trying to give us power? How tempting might it be to just let them follow you and cheer for you?

If I flip the situation to the other side, we can also appreciate the passion of the people to follow Yeshua as they did. They recognized Him for what He was and did not want to simply go about their regular business as if they had not encountered Him. This is another challenge for us to consider personally. Do we passionately pursue Christ?

Finally, a third point to consider… the disciples were afraid, but they trusted Yeshua when things looked frightening to them. Once they had trusted Him, their situation was quickly resolved.

John 6:15-25

Jesus Walks on the Water

      15So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

      16Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

      22The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. 23There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. 25When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”

There is a lot of activity going on in John 6 besides just Yeshua walking on water. How will you apply what you have read today in your life? Pray for the Spirit to guide you.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Justice / Judgment, Salvation, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

We Will All Face Judgment Before Him

All of us will die, unless the Lord returns before we do. All of us will face judgment before Him. Our deeds will reflect our heart and obedience toward God, or against Him. Our deeds will reflect whether or not we have submitted to Christ and asked forgiveness, turning our lives over to Him.

John 5:25-32

Two Resurrections

      25“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26“For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

      30“I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

      31“If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. 32“There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.

We know not when our time will be to face Him. We should make ourselves prepared to face Him now and remain ready any time thereafter. If we live in the light we will find joy in this world and the next. If we live darkness we may chase contentment and joy in this world and may even catch it from time to time, but we will face judgment and punishment which Yeshua warns us not to take lightly.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News

An Unlikely Audience

Yeshua was willing to go through Samaria (Jews generally avoided dealings with Samaritans) and stop and talk with someone that Jews did not typically associate with. This was intentional, not accidental. He knew what He was doing and what would happen next. He chose to reach out to people who Jews generally avoided.

He started a conversation about something very basic, a drink of water, but quickly transitioned into sharing the truth that He is the anticipated Messiah, son of YHWH. He started with a metaphor about thirst and painted the picture of how accepting Christ as Lord satisfies us permanently, like living water. It is a great example of how we may engage someone to speak of Yeshua and how He has transformed our life. We may begin perhaps without a full theology lesson and start with the human aspect of how it affects our lives and will affect theirs should they choose to follow Him. Yeshua also demonstrates sharing truth with those whom we may not normally expect will be open to hear it, those who many Christians may often avoid talking to.

John 4:1-30

Jesus Goes to Galilee

      1Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2(although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. 4And He had to pass through Samaria. 5So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

The Woman of Samaria

      7There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.9Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12“You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

      15The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” 16He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” 17The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20“Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

      27At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” 28So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, 29“Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” 30They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

Let not overlook, however, that this should not be the end of the journey toward Christ for this woman. She told others and they came to Yeshua. It is easy to conclude that He continued to teach them as they came. Further, for those who truly accept Him as Lord, they will want to learn more and understand more over time in their new walk with Him. To stop seeking Him after only declaring you will follow Him (as if all were complete and finished at this point) would be folly. It would be like starting a long journey to a wonderful destination by opening a gate that leads to the path, and then sitting down at that point inside the gate and never going any farther. We must seek to know, love, and serve Him more as we continue forward.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Study the Word

In the Beginning Was the Word, and the Word Was With God, and the Word Was God

Yeshua is God. I am surprised sometimes that people claim the Bible does not say so. They claim Yeshua never said… “I am God”. However, it is stated explicitly and implicitly throughout the New Testament in the testimony of Yeshua. It is precisely why Yeshua was crucified… because He claimed to be God. In the gospel of John, it is explicitly stated. Yeshua is the Word. The Word is with God and the Word is God.

John 1:1-5 and 14

The Deity of Jesus Christ

      1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

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      14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

It is also very interesting to consider verse 3 carefully. As Christians we often think of YHWH, the Father, creating all things as if it happened apart from Christ. However, this is not the case. Christ is one with the Father. At creation, Yeshua was one with the Father.

All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Take time to pause and reflect on the truth of the Word. Yeshua is the Word made flesh. The Bible is the word written for us. They are consistent with one another. One does not contradict the other. Similarly Yeshua is one with the Father. They do not contradict one another. The Old Testament does not contradict the New. Quite the opposite. Yeshua referred constantly back to the Old Testament scriptures. He explicitly stated He did not come to abolish the law, not even a jot (that’s small grammatical markings).  To correctly understand His word and His will, we must look to His example and understand that all of the Bible is still true and applicable today. If there is confusion it is not with God, but rather with our own understanding.

Always approach the word from the perspective that it is consistent and timeless. It will not contradict itself. God does not change. It all fits perfectly together, but often we don’t understand many of the details. Instead we try to dismiss parts of the Bible based on assumptions that it no longer applies or as if Yeshua suddenly changed all that God valued when He came in the flesh. There was no change in what God said is good and what is bad. That is timeless. If something does not seem to fit right, it means we don’t understand it correctly. Study and prayer are the approach rather than just assuming our initial view or position is correct based on our understanding from today’s culture or what is taught in churches today.

Seek truth in God’s word revealed in the Bible. Invest time yourself, not just reading books about the Bible, but the Bible itself. Of course you can read other books also but they are not a substitute for the Bible. Pray and spend time on it. You can not grow closer to God if you spend no time with Him or His word.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Slow to Anger

Father Forgive Them

What an example our Lord sets for us, as He is crucified He asks the Father to forgive those who are doing this to him. It is not enough for them to kill Him, but they must mock and taunt Him as well. Everyone from soldiers to a criminal on the cross next to Him join in. In the midst of His greatest suffering, He still sets an incredible example for us to follow. Flawless indeed.

There is more for us to ponder here as well. On one of the crosses next to Him is someone deserving judgment and hell. But He repents and turns to Christ at this late hour… and Christ comforts Him and assures Him He will be received. There was no time for his actions to “earn” salvation. It is all about grace through faith in Christ.

Luke 23:33-49

The Crucifixion

     33When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. 35And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” 36The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, 37and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” 38Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

      39One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41“And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

      44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” Having said this, He breathed His last. 47Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent.” 48And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts. 49And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

It is never too late for us to repent (until we die) if we are genuine. That is grace indeed! But do not wait for your deathbed or put off submitting to Christ when you have the chance to find Him now. There is joy and hope and rejoicing in a relationship with Him in this life as well as treasure in heaven to be had by how we live for Him.

When we find ourselves in suffering, try not to let our suffering block out our concern for them. Ask God for help with this as I am not sure how to do this on my own power.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Help / Serve Others, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Loving / Kind, Righteous, Suffering / Adversity

Our Pain Should Not Overwhelm Our Love For Others

Even while He was carrying His cross to His own execution, Yeshua was focused on others. He knew that His pain was happening now, but that others would experience pain later because of their rejection of YHWH. We should not miss the opportunity to see this clear expression of Yeshua’s love for His people. We should strive to live in similar manner. With help from the Spirit we too should strive to love others and be concerned for them whether or not we are also having a hard time.

Luke 23:26-32

Simon Bears the Cross

     26When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

      27And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. 28But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29“For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30“Then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’ 31“For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

      32Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.

Our pain should not overwhelm our love for others. This is hard. Pray to YHWH that He would help us to love others more consistently and more deeply. Pray He would help us know how to love others consistent with His word. It is not just about the happiness and comfort of others in giving them what they want. Obeying YHWH’s word helps us love Him and love others and we should not violate His instructions on the premise that we are loving others.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Mockers, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News, Worldliness

Whom Will You Choose?

We all must decide in our lives… whom will we choose? Will we choose to follow the crowd or will we choose Christ? The crowd will demand we reject Christ.  Even in many churches today, the members do not live according to the word of God. They live more by the laws of man than those of God.  There are an absurd number of churches that can’t figure out if God changed His mind on homosexuality because some mortal judges passed a court ruling by one vote. They pursue the ways of men rather than those of God.

Often the seeming easy route, the route to be praised and accepted by men, will lead away from God. Perhaps it is subtle sometimes and often not subtle at all. The crowd will not draw you toward God. We must seek personal holiness and a relationship with our Father in heaven. We must pray, worship, and study. We must ask for the Spirit to lead us and be willing to obey and follow, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable. Then perhaps we may be ready and willing to stand for Christ when all others around us call out to crucify Him.

Luke 23:13-25

Pilate Seeks Jesus’ Release

     13Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. 15“No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. 16“Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” 17[Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

      18But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” 19(He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) 20Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, 21but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” 22And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” 23But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. 24And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. 25And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Jesus chose obedience to the Father. Jesus chose to die for our sins so we may be forgiven. Whom will you choose? Decide ahead of time or you will likely fail when the situation is difficult around you.  Start by asserting yourself for Christ in small ways at first to gain confidence if you find that helpful. Take small steps until you are ready to take bigger ones. Pray for God to help you be bold for Him.

Keep in mind that in some cases you will not face an angry mob. You may face coworkers or friends at the coffee bar or in the office kitchen or at lunch. They may just be speaking against Christ and how He calls us to live in seemingly small ways. Will you stand up for Christ?

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Faith / Trusting God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional

Keep Your Eyes On The Father Rather Than Yourself

Pilate and Herod were not friends. In fact, the scripture tells us they were enemies. They came together and became friends while handling Yeshua’s case. Pilate seemed disinterested in justice and more interested in politics and looking for a way out of dealing with Yeshua. Herod was just looking to amuse himself, possibly see a sign from Yeshua. He and his guards mocked Yeshua. Somehow they were able to come together in the mistreatment of Yeshua and become friends.

Luke 23:-12

Jesus before Herod

     8Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. 9And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. 10And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. 11And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. 12Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.

Picture yourself in a situation like this. You are arrested for a crime you did not commit. Imaging the lawyers and police and judge(s) do not really care about whether or not you are guilty, but just mocking you for your faith or avoiding having to deal with your case. How many of us would assume this could not be the will of YHWH? We would be crying out to Him asking for His help. It would seem almost inconceivable that this was His will. It seems so “unfair”.

I find it to be very difficult to step outside of my personal situation and think that somehow when things are “going wrong” for me, that somehow it is right in line with YHWH’s plans. Yeshua understood the will of the Father. He stayed connected with intimate and consistent prayer. He asked for help to “take away this cup of suffering” in the garden before He was captured, but then submitted to the will of the Father. He handled Himself with grace and humility through the entirety of His “trial”, torture, and execution. He kept His eyes not on Himself but on the will of the Father.

That is a lesson I pray the Lord would help me with… to keep my eyes not on myself but on His will, even when things seem to be going wrong in my life. He is in control.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Holy / Set Apart, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Prayer, Purposeful / Intentional

Yeshua Sets The Example In Submitting Fully To God’s Will

Reading in Luke 22 about Yeshua’s arrest in the garden, we see that He went voluntarily, without fighting or resisting. Yeshua was committed to obeying the will of the Father. He was to fulfill the plan YHWH had for our salvation by suffering for our sins and dying on the cross. Once again in Luke 23 we see this attitude reinforced.

Luke 23:1-7

Jesus before Pilate

     1Then the whole body of them got up and brought Him before Pilate. 2And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” 3So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” 4Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place.”

      6When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.

Yeshua had been explicitly asked about paying taxes to Caesar and His answer was to pay to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. He did not tell people to avoid paying taxes. Those who wanted to destroy Yeshua lied. This should not surprise us.

Mark 12:13-17

 13Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. 14They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? 15“Shall we pay or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.” 16They brought one. And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.

Yeshua ignores the lies and responds only to the question from Pilate, and not in a way that appears to be trying to defend Himself or get released from punishment. Even still, Pilot found no guilt. None the less, YHWH used Pilate and others to facilitate His plan. Rather than releasing the man in whom he found no guilt, Pilate sent Yeshua to Herod.

Yeshua sets the example for us to follow in submitting to the will of the Father, even when it seems not in our own perception of our best interest. YHWH’s plans are bigger than any one of us. His vision and wisdom far exceed anything we could hope to achieve. He is infinite…without limits and boundaries. We are certainly not.

Let us submit to YHWH and seek His will. Pray for the Spirit to guide us and work to develop a relationship with YHWH through time together in prayer, worship, and study of the scriptures. Ask also for the courage and conviction to submit and obey even when it is hard. In this way we become holy, which is to say set apart for YHWH’s use.

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