Category Archives: Study the Word

Sabbath is a Day of Rest Commanded By God

Jehovah has a lot to say in the Bible about Sabbath. Jesus also helps to clarify the priority and application of Sabbath through His earthly ministry and personal example. In the Jewish calendar, Sabbath begins on Friday at sundown in the evening and continues until sundown on Saturday evening. Jehovah consistently tells His people to observe Sabbath as a day of rest to the Lord.

Exodus 35:1-3

The Sabbath Emphasized

      1Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do:

      2“For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3“You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day.”

 We have six days of the week to prepare for Sabbath so that we need not be doing work on the Sabbath. We know it is coming. There is no good reason not to prepare other than we choose not to make it as important as God said it was. I encourage everyone to take a deeper study about Sabbath and consider prayerfully how to apply it in their lives today. I encourage you to study about Sabbath from what God’s word actually says, rather than an off the shelf pamphlet from a local church. Most of our culture today has neglected or changed Sabbath and even in the churches there have been changes from God’s word… the most obvious of which is moving the day from the Jewish calendar (Fri sundown to Sat sundown) to observing it on Sunday (12:00am to 11:59pm).

Certainly those of us who celebrate Sabbath can have a rich dialogue on how God intends for us to do so, but we should anchor that discussion on His word. I recommend visiting some of the ministries in our resources section of our website, Focused Ministries – Understanding Hebrew Roots, as a helpful way to get pointed in the right direction. Test everything against God’s word.

Remember, God did not suggest Sabbath as a good idea for His people to consider… He commanded it as part of our covenant with Him. I have found much benefit and joy in leading my family to celebrate the Sabbath more regularly in our lives since I began a few years ago. I hope you have a similar experience.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

The Same God

Many find it hard to reconcile the Old Testament and New Testament. To some, the Old Testament seems harsh and too fiercely regulated. It may seem legalistic. On the other hand, many go astray chasing a misunderstanding of the New Testament… claiming that forgiveness by grace through faith in Jesus means we can ignore and rebel against God… claiming that we can do whatever we want but claim His name and we are in good standing with Him. But it is the same God… the same Jehovah throughout both and He does not change.

If we find ourselves with difficulty reconciling the Old and New Testaments, that means we need to continue to study and pray and seek the truth that God has provided in scripture… the entirety of scripture in the Bible.

Hebrews 12:18-24

Contrast of Sinai and Zion

      18For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20For they could not bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.” 21And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling.” 22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

We can certainly be encouraged that we are indeed welcome and in invited to seek Jehovah through Jesus Christ. We can look forward to the heavenly Jerusalem, the angels, the general assembly and the church in heaven and to Jehovah, Himself. We can embrace Jesus and disciple after Him and give thanks for the offer of salvation by grace through faith because of His death for our sins. But let us also take care… Jesus routinely in His earthly ministry points back to the Old Testament as permanent part of God’s revelation to His people. Let us also seek to understand that part of what He reveals to us. Let us remember also to approach God with great reverence and respect. He is the same God that met His people at Sinai. He has not changed.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Why Was It Important For Aaron To Wash His Feet?

There are sections of scripture which I often am tempted to read over quickly because the significance is not always clear to me. I find it a different way to read the Bible to break it into small pieces daily and refuse to skip over these sections, but instead read, reread, and study in some of the Biblical commentaries to understand their significance more clearly.

Reading through Exodus 30, I found myself tempted  to do so for some of the rituals about which God instructed Moses for Aaron and his sons. But if we take time to dig even a little below the surface we will often find some significance that reinforces the gospel message even today. That is because our God has not changed. How He wants to relate to His people and guide them has not changed.

Exodus 30:17-21

      17The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 18“You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19“Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; 20when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the LORD. 21“So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”

Certainly it seems a bit intimidating as to why God indicated that Aaron and his sons would die if they failed to wash their feet and hands before approaching Him. We could probably spend a bit of time here, but it would appear clear that this was important to our Father in heaven and He was making that clear to Aaron and his sons.

It is very unlikely that Jehovah was just concerned about dirty hands and feet or germs. So much of His instruction is for teaching the people about how to properly relate to Him. We should remember that Jehovah is a holy God. There is no sin in Him. We are sinful people. To be cleansed of sin once, such as when we come to Christ or when Aaron and his sons were made priests, is not enough. We must daily seek to cleanse our spirit from sin and repent and seek to become clean in order to maintain close relationship with the Lord. As Aaron and his sons were instructed to cleanse themselves daily, so too we can remind ourselves that we must choose to obey and follow our Lord daily. We must be cleansed of sin and rebellion if we are to develop a close relationship with the Father.

There is no power in water and soap to do this type of cleansing. That was a ritual to remind the priests. However, by accepting Jesus as Messiah and repenting from our sins we can be cleansed. This is not a one time activity but rather an ongoing part of our daily lives. Let us never grow complacent that “we accepted Jesus a long time ago. nothing else is required”. Accepting and submitting to Jesus is part of every day in our journey as a disciple of Christ.

Ask yourself, “How often to I consciously choose Christ in determining my attitudes and activities? Do I ask forgiveness often? Do I choose to repent from wrong behavior often? Do I test everything I do against the scripture or just accept what local community or church culture defines as acceptable? “

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Turn Away From Those Who Teach Contrary To The Scripture

We are not to just trust anyone who claims to teach the word of God. We are to test them and what they teach against the truth of scripture. Many will come pursuing their own appetites and with flattering and smooth speech to deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. We are to study and understand scripture ourselves and use it as a constant measure to discern who is a false teacher who claims to come in the name of Jesus. We are to seek out those who teach truth and follow them and help them to remain accountable to God’s truth.

Romans 16:17-27

     17Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. 18For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 19For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

      21Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.

      22I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord.

      23Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother. 24[The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]

      25Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; 27to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

There are many, even today in churches who teach false doctrine. We are still to test them against the word of God and reject those who teach false doctrine, for they lead us away from the truth of God’s word. Pray for wisdom from God and remain in His word personally so as to learn truth from deception. Beware… the deceptive teaching usually seems flattering and pleasant as a lure to lead you down a path more devoted to self than the path that leads to God Himself. But it is God’s path that brings joy and peace and right relationship with our Creator. Let us each choose wisely.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

The Truth Will Make You Free

Many of us are captive to addiction and other sin and do not even realize it.  Some of us realize it and want to be set free, but struggle to break free. There are many programs that claim to help, and some of them are helpful. However to truly be set free from our addiction  we must learn and apply God’s truth to our lives. The truth will make you free from addiction (and other sin).

John 8:31-36

The Truth Will Make You Free

      31So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

      34Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35“The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

For any who are struggling to overcome addiction or sin, it is good to come before God and pray for His help. Study and learn His word and apply it to your life. Come together with others who share your faith in Christ and seek their help. Find others who follow Christ that have gone through what you are struggling with. Ask them about their journey to overcome addiction with God’s help.

There are many programs that claim to help, and some of them actually do, but to fully be set free from addiction and sin of any kind, we must lean on the truth of God’s word and seek His help to apply it in our lives.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

We Can Trust God To Do What He Says

We can trust God to do what He says He will do. It may not come in the timing we desire or in the way we desire, but He is always true to His word. God told Abraham in Genesis 15 that his descendants would be strangers in a land that is not theirs (Egypt), where they would be enslaved for 400 years (round number), but that they would come out of the land with many possessions.

A lot of time and generations of people came and went in between, but God is true to His word, even when we don’t understand or agree with how He is doing things. Even for the generation that saw the plagues on Egypt and were set free as foretold… few or none would have expected God to harden Pharaoh’s heart to make it seem even harder for the people to be set free. Most would just expect God to change Pharaoh’s mind and let them go or strike Pharaoh down. God instead hardened Pharaoh’s heart to make the opportunity for more signs and wonders.

Genesis 15:12-14

   12Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. 14“But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.

Exodus 12:33-41

Exodus of Israel

      33The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We will all be dead.” 34So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders.

      35Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; 36and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

      37Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. 38A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. 39They baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had not become leavened, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

      40Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

We do well to seek to understand what God has revealed in His word, the Bible. He will do what He says He will do. How well we understand what He has said and how we react to that in how we live our lives has great implications in this world and for what we will experience either in heaven or hell when we leave this world.  We can trust God to do what He says He will do. He will not change His mind because of the opinions of those who reject or dismiss Him or those who claim to follow Him in name, but rebel against Him in action and thought.

If you want to know more truth about God, do not just listen to what people say about God, not even religious “leaders”. Begin to learn to read and study God’s word for yourself. Test everything you are told or think you understand against God’s unchanging written word in the Bible.  Do not be overwhelmed thinking you must get it all right. Instead, focus on becoming a disciple of Christ as a way to know the Father. A disciple is quite simply “a learner”, not one who has all the answers. To be a disciple is to begin a journey that you will not finish in this life, but it will transform your life to be more like that of Christ along the way.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Study God’s Word Directly At The Source… The Bible

I never cease to be amazed by people who claim the Bible is no longer relevant to our lives today. Quite the opposite, when I study scripture I often feel I can in no way capture and share all that God is revealing in even a short element of scripture. The Bible is truly a wonderful gift from God, so easy that a child can understand it and so deep that an adult can study if for a lifetime without reaching the end of its depths.

I encourage everyone to read and study for themselves. That is what God commands us to do and it is the example He set during His earthly ministry as Jesus Christ.  We must remember to read all of God’s word in context, and be careful not to misrepresent it even to ourselves and we must study the Bible and interpret it in light of itself for consistency.

Let us just explore one small section of scripture that is one of many revealing some truth that have been disregarded by mainstream Christianity. In Acts 13, Paul is on a missionary journey. This occurs after Jesus died, rose again, spent time with His disciples and went up to Heaven.

Acts 13:13-15

    13Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15After the reading of the Law and the Prophets the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.”

The first observation that seems obvious and many Christians get this right… we must obey the command of Jesus to go and make disciples of all the nations. Christ did not say… sit and wait for them to come to you. But rather we must go to them. Many brothers and sisters in Christ do a remarkable, inspired job of bringing the gospel to others via mission trips or even evangelizing at school or work. However, we should each challenge ourselves not to get to comfortable just “checking a box” each week sitting in church for an hour. That is a great way to experience fellowship and praise God and other things, but it is not all we are commanded to do. We must study our Bible and apply it further in our lives. We are to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to others.

The second observation is quite simply that Paul continues to observe the Sabbath and the reading of the Law and the Prophets. Paul, like Jesus, reinforces observing Sabbath in the Jewish tradition as God commanded… on the seventh day. This means Sabbath is observed from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown. Jesus has already risen from the dead and had counsel with His disciples. Here we see Paul (the other disciples did likewise as revealed in scripture elsewhere) recognizing and observing the importance of the Old Testament (e.g. the Law and the Prophets) and worship and gathering on Sabbath. There is of course a much deeper study available, and I am happy to share it with others… just ask by replying at Contact Us if you are interested. It should be apparent as well if you just read and study the New Testament and observe the behavior of Jesus and the disciples regarding Sabbath and the importance of the Old Testament.  If you ask most Christians, they will explain why it has been changed to Sunday instead of Saturday… but ask them to show you where the scripture indicates that. You can’t find it because it is not there.

Many Christians do not even realize that man, not God, changed the Sabbath to Sunday and that the entire Bible, including the Old Testament, are still completely applicable today.

The more I study the Bible, the more clearly I am able to see what God said and differentiate it from what man has said. I will do things God’s way rather than the way of the traditions of men. I encourage you to boldly do the same!

It is important to study God’s word for yourself direction from the Bible. Yes, you can study with others, but go to the source. Don’t believe me… try a game next time you have a gathering of many people. Sit in a circle, start with a message that is several sentences long, or a short story. Have each person, without writing it down, whisper to the next what they heard. By the time it comes around the circle of 10 or so people, you will typically find the message has changed quite a bit. So too if you ignore the Bible and only ask people what it says or only read books about the Bible.

For more information on what the law means for us today, read Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean For Us Today?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

HFJ News: Apocalypse Code by Hank Hanegraaff

We are continuing our weekly extra post on Fridays. We have now expanded from “HFJ News”, providing updates and information about our website and other online resources, to also include specific prayer requests for our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.

This week I am recommending a book I found very helpful in studying the book of Revelation.

The Apocalypse Code, by Hank Hanegraaff

Breaking the code of the book of Revelation has become an international obsession. The result, according to Hank Hanegraaff, has been rampant misreading of Scripture, bad theology, and even bad politics and foreign policy. Hanegraaff argues that the key to understanding the last book of the Bible is the other sixty-five books of the Bible—not current events or recent history and certainly no any complicated charts.

For those who are interested in studying and understanding the book of Revelation, even in a little more depth, in order to recognize what is true and what is false and how it affects our lives today… I truly encourage you to consider reading this book.

May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Whom Shall We Believe? Whom Shall We Follow?

Many times even today people defer to the perceived “religious leaders” or authority figures for guidance on what is right and what is not of God. Often it is for lack of studying God’s word themselves and a habit to just trust whomever identifies themselves in a established religious bureaucracy or whomever has the biggest crowds or most Facebook likes. These are not reliable measures of who teaches the truth about God. Often this can lead on a path to Hell, lost and far away from God.

Consider the high priest, Pharisees, and Sadducees during Jesus’ earthly ministry. They not only killed Jesus but also persecuted His disciples  violently. For those who trusted only in the established religious bureaucratic organization, they were lost and missed out on the revelation of grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Instead, the truth of Jesus Christ was being proclaimed by Jesus’ humble disciples, who were being arrested and whipped and threatened for speaking the truth of Jesus Christ.

Each of us should take care… God wants us to study His word ourselves and pray daily, wholeheartedly seeking after Him and changing our lives to reflect how He wants us to live… even if it means pain and suffering for us in our lives. Of course this is difficult, and that is why God sent a helper in the Holy Spirit to help us as believers and followers of Jesus.

Acts 5:27-42

     27When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31“He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32“And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Gamaliel’s Counsel

      33But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. 35And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. 36“For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37“After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. 38“So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

      40They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Notice the wicked and hard hearts of the chief priest and the other religious leaders of the time. Not once is there a mention that they prayed to God for guidance regarding Jesus. Always they reacted in the flesh, seeking after their own traditions and power. They never considered that the Messiah they all said they were waiting for would actually come. What else could they possibly expect as evidence beyond what Jesus provided!

Now they are so mad that they want to kill the disciples rather than pause and consider if Jesus really was God. Now it is twice as hard for them because they would have to admit they were wrong and killed the Messiah.

Gamaliel came closest to recognizing the power of God… his advice was wise in that there is no point going against God.  However, he too missed the fact that Jesus was Messiah. The others still insisted on flogging and threatening the disciples before letting them go.

By contrast to the attitude and behavior of the religious leaders, we see the Spirit filled disciples rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for Jesus’ name. Despite continued threats, they returned to publically teaching and proclaiming Jesus as the Christ! Surely true followers of Jesus should seek to be like these men.

When we seek to discern those who teach truth from folly we must first study God’s word in the Bible consistently and seek God humbly in prayer daily. They we will be better prepared to test the teachers we hear to ensure we follow the right ones… and none have the authority to re-write scripture and change God’s word… not even a jot or tittle.

Matthew 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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HFJ News: Please Share God’s Word With Others

We are continuing our weekly Friday extra post of “HFJ News” which is intended to introduce our Christian community to different parts of the website or related resources that many find useful.  Links are provided for your convenience or you can just visit the site directly at HearingFromJesus.org and look around on your own.

Today we just want to encourage each of you to share God’s word with others. Thank you for joining us to study God’s word daily and for trying to apply it to our lives. It is a commitment and a journey to die to our sinful nature and to become more like Jesus Christ. Please consider sharing our daily devotions with others you know and care for. We hope it will bless them as much as it blesses us as we study to write it.

May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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