Category Archives: Salvation

Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Heaven and Hell, Obeying God, Protector / Deliverer, Purposeful / Intentional, Salvation, Self Control

Work Out Your Salvation With Fear And Trembling

We are called to obey YHWH even when no one else is looking. Our Father is always aware of what we are doing. We are not to focus on convincing other people we are saved or righteous, but rather focus on working out our Christian walk primarily with YHWH Himself. We do so with fear and trembling, meaning we recognize that YHWH has power over us in this life and in the next. We need not be afraid of YHWH per se, but perhaps more to the point just recognizing the seriousness of the issue at hand. Should we fail to work out our salvation with YHWH, we should fear the consequences of that choice.

Philippians 2: 12-13

     12So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Are you focused on pleasing and obeying YHWH as Christ demonstrated in His earthly ministry? Is this the most important objective or goal in your life? It is hard to do this, but it is the proper standard. Never lower the standard because you feel you can’t reach it. Instead, ask YHWH to help you and by His grace and power you can do all things through Christ who strengthens 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.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Heaven and Hell, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Parables, Peace / Rest, Purposeful / Intentional, Salvation, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

The Dinner Invitation

YHWH has created a metaphorical feast for His people. It is an offer of forgiveness, grace, mercy, hope, love, joy, peace and more that we may partake in through accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. He made the feast for His chosen people, Israel, but they in large part rejected Him and turned down the offer. Then He offered it to the gentiles.

Today we are all invited. Do not let yourself pass on this invitation to receive Christ as Lord and savior of your life. It has implications for our lives even today, missing out on His best for us, but it has everlasting, eternal implications for you as well. Choose wisely and find joy and peace. Choose poorly and find eternal separation from God on this earth and in hell to follow, which Christ warns us repeatedly will be like being in a pit of fire.

Luke 14:16-24

Parable of the Dinner

     16But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ 18“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ 19“Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ 20“Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21“And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22“And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23“And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”

Let us not offend our Creator by rejecting His invitation to come into His feast. Let us not delay coming, but come at once and be fully committed.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Heaven and Hell, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Salvation, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable, Unteachable / Foolish, Worldliness

Strive To Enter Through The Narrow Door; Many Will Seek To Enter And Will Not Be Able

Many reject Christ. Many others think they have accepted and follow Him, but He knows them not. They have been fooled by “religion”. They may go to church, donate money, and say “God bless you”, but do not truly submit their lives to Christ. Tragically, when they meet the Lord they will be devastated…

Luke 13:26-28

26“Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; 27and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ 28“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.

Truly seek the Lord in prayer, Bible study, worship, and quiet time with Him. Do not just go about busy chasing the day to day activities or going through some sort of religious checklist. Look to take the road less traveled in your pursuit of God… the one that appears harder… that requires personal change in your life… requires you to be different than most of those around you in order to be more devoted to Christ.

We are invited to have a personal relationship with our Creator. Don’t miss it!

Luke 13:22-35

Teaching in the Villages

     22And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, 24“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25“Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26“Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; 27and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ 28“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. 29“And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30“And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

      31Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” 32And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ 33“Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. 34“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! 35“Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”

Strive to enter through the narrow door; many will seek to enter and will not be able.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Purposeful / Intentional, Salvation, Share the Good News, Study the Word

Those Who Confess Jesus Before Men, He Will Confess Before God

There is nothing we do which is hidden from God. In the end we will face Him for judgment and be held to account for our choices in life. If you are to fear someone, do not fear those who may mock you or hurt you body or even take your life, but instead fear God who has power to cast you in to eternal hell. Yet, do not fear, you are valuable to Him.

Luke 12:1-12

God Knows and Cares

     1Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2“But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3“Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.

      4“I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5“But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6“Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

      8“And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11“When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Lord, may we never be ashamed or reluctant to speak of you to others. Let us not deny you before men. Let us not fear men and seek to avoid upsetting them, but rather hold you in great reverence and confess you before men no matter the consequence. Let us seek to please you. May we not be worried about how we speak in our defense but trust in you to teach us what we should say when the time comes.

There are two verses I encourage you to dwell on in prayer. Do not skip over them, as they are important. The first is self explanatory.

8“And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

The second is a bit more tricky. What does it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? If there is a sin which will not be forgiven, then we must certainly want to know what that is!

10“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.

This verse is worthy of additional time for you to study on your own and pray for the Lord to show you. There is a lot of material out there on it. As I understand it, it is best explained something like the following.

The Holy Spirit calls to us to draw us to God before we choose to submit to God and follow Him as Lord. To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to continually reject this call as if it is not of God. Thus you remain separate from the Lord by your own ongoing choice.  You can turn toward the Lord and submit to Him and be forgiven at any time.  Don’t take my word for something so important… go forth in prayer and study. Just remember, whatever opinions you hear, test them against the whole of scripture to ensure they are right.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Blessed, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Eternal, Faith / Trusting God, Faithful, Fear / Reverence for God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Promises, Protector / Deliverer, Righteous, Salvation, Seeking God, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Approaching the Lord With Respect and Humility

David was a man after God’s own heart. God raised him up and sustained him. David also made mistakes at times and created separation between himself and the Lord. Psalm 89 focuses on the Lord’s lovingkindness, faithfulness, eternal nature, righteousness, justice, power, etc. and recognizes Him as the source of salvation. It focuses on uplifting and praising the Lord first. This is a great way to start every prayer and consistent with how Jesus taught His disciples how to pray the “Lord’s Prayer” in which we first start with focus on the Lord… hallowed by Thy name, Thy will be done, Thy kingdom come… before it turns to ask anything. It goes on to call out how blessed are those who serve the Lord.

Then it highlights in verse 30 a pivotal and important topic. If we refuse to obey His law, His statutes, then He will punish us. He will discipline us like a good father disciplines children. However, He will not break His promises or His covenant.

Thus the psalmist continues to transition into a call for help from the Lord to deliver Israel from its afflictions. One would presume from the tone of the psalm, there is a repentant heart on behalf of Israel seeking forgiveness and reconciliation with the Lord and once again renewing submission to Him.

Then it ends with a very positive tone lifting up once again the Lord, “Blessed be the Lord forever!”.

It is quite a good example of how we should approach the Lord. Let us focus on Him and appreciate and praise Him. Let us recognize it is our sin that separates us from Him. Then let us seek reconciliation through submission and obedience, seeking Him once again. Let us recognize that His promises endure through even our disobedience and He will always be willing to receive us back again as the father did in the parable of the prodigal son. However, we also realize that there are consequences to our disobedience and sin.

Read slowly and thoughtfully. Seek for the Spirit to help you apply in your life.

Psalm 89

The LORD’S Covenant with David, and Israel’s Afflictions.

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever;
To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.

      2For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.”

      3“I have made a covenant with My chosen;
I have sworn to David My servant,

      4I will establish your seed forever
And build up your throne to all generations.”

Selah.

      5The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

      6For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD,

      7A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him?

      8O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

      9You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.

      10You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain;
You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

      11The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all it contains, You have founded them.

      12The north and the south, You have created them;
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

      13You have a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted.

      14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

      15How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance.

      16In Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.

      17For You are the glory of their strength,
And by Your favor our horn is exalted.

      18For our shield belongs to the LORD,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

      19Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones,
And said, “I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.

      20“I have found David My servant;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,

      21With whom My hand will be established;
My arm also will strengthen him.

      22“The enemy will not deceive him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

      23“But I shall crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.

      24“My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,
And in My name his horn will be exalted.

      25“I shall also set his hand on the sea
And his right hand on the rivers.

      26“He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

      27“I also shall make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.

      28“My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall be confirmed to him.

      29“So I will establish his descendants forever
And his throne as the days of heaven.

      30“If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,

      31If they violate My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,

      32Then I will punish their transgression with the rod
And their iniquity with stripes.

      33“But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.

      34“My covenant I will not violate,
Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.

      35“Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.

      36“His descendants shall endure forever
And his throne as the sun before Me.

      37“It shall be established forever like the moon,
And the witness in the sky is faithful.”

Selah.

      38But You have cast off and rejected,
You have been full of wrath against Your anointed.

      39You have spurned the covenant of Your servant;
You have profaned his crown in the dust.

      40You have broken down all his walls;
You have brought his strongholds to ruin.

      41All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a reproach to his neighbors.

      42You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have made all his enemies rejoice.

      43You also turn back the edge of his sword
And have not made him stand in battle.

      44You have made his splendor to cease
And cast his throne to the ground.

      45You have shortened the days of his youth;
You have covered him with shame.

Selah.

      46How long, O LORD?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your wrath burn like fire?

      47Remember what my span of life is;
For what vanity You have created all the sons of men!

      48What man can live and not see death?
Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?

Selah.

      49Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, O Lord,
Which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?

      50Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants;
How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,

      51With which Your enemies have reproached, O LORD,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed.

      52Blessed be the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Immutable (unchanging), Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices, Salvation, Seeking God, Study the Word

Do Not Think That I Came To Abolish The Law

Many say the Law is no longer relevant now that Jesus has come in the flesh and died for us and risen. They declare some elements of God’s instruction invalid and others still valid. They keep “do not steal” but discard “honor the Sabbath”. They rationalize that it is not required “to get into heaven”, so it is optional.

Our salvation is indeed by grace, through faith, and not by works. That has always been true, old or new testament. Noone has ever been good enough. Those before Christ looked ahead and sacrifices of animals were foreshadowing of Messiah. Those of us after Christ in the flesh look back on His sacrifice as the means of reconciliation to God… of forgiveness. In all cases, our repentance is required, not just lip service to the Lord. We are to submit to Him and turn toward His ways. He has provided much instruction for us and none of it is obsolete.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Keep in mind that when 2 Timothy was written, there was no new testament and thus it referred to the old testament. Further, Jesus had died and risen already. This clearly attests to the value of the old testament even to those of us following Christ after His death and resurrection.

Further, we do not obey the Lord and His instructions to “earn our way into heaven”. What a selfish way of looking at His instructions and what a terrible way to minimize that Christ’s sacrifice was enough for all. We obey the Lord’s instruction because we love Him. It is evidence of our faith.

John 14:15

     15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 14:233-24

23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

Jesus did not make new commandments and instructions different than before and He never spoke out against the scriptures. From start to finish He was raised in the Law and went to Passover and even provided specific instructions that the Law was not going away until the end of the age, not even in a small way. Further, He told His disciples to teach everyone all that He taught them. He did not say, “now that I died and rose again, do this differently… all these things change”. Jesus confirmed it even after He rose from the dead.

Luke 2:39-40

Return to Nazareth

     39When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. 40The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Matthew 5:17-19

     17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 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. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19-20

19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Let us not discard the Law quickly. There are some parts that have been fulfilled such as Jesus sacrifice now nullifying the need for animal sacrifices which used to foreshadow His sacrifice. However, we have been taught to quickly to dismiss far too much of God’s word. Start with the premise that all is good for instruction and study and pray for the Spirit to provide you insight. Do not rely on common church teaching, but on the word of God itself.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Eternal, Salvation, Study the Word

What’s In A Name?

For those who do not know it, many names within the Bible have been changed or translated over the years in addition to the text. Good, God-fearing translations are an awesome way of getting God’s word into the language in which a people can understand it without them having to learn a different language, which can be a barrier. However, I have found it quite helpful and enlightening at times to dig deeper into the history of Greek and Hebrew translations of the Bible for better understanding of context and meaning. Clearly it takes more time, but not that much more. A good keyword study bible can give you a lot of background on the original Hebrew and Greek meaning of key words. More recently, I have begun a journey to learn Hebrew. I want to understand God’s instructions to us in the context of the language He created for us.

Two quick examples, which perhaps some of you already know, to illustrate the point.

Jesus was originally pronounced “Yeshua” in Hebrew, though I am typing it in English letters here. The Hebrew letters are very different and I need to figure out how to load a “Hebrew” keyboard onto my computer to be able to enable Hebrew characters. Yeshua means “salvation”. The Romans changed the ending from an “a” sound to an “s” so as to denote  masculine in their language.  Later the English added the letter “J” to the alphabet and it changed again.

Jehovah essentially means “eternal one”. He will be, He is, and He has been. I may not be getting the grammar structure quite right, but you get the idea.

Anyway, you can see with a little digging  to get closer to the original roots of the scripture the meaning starts to open up more and more. It is not just a name, but each name has significance. It brings us closer to knowing what God intended.

Learning another language is not for everyone or for everyone right now. But I do encourage you to consider a key word study Bible for Hebrew and Greek and to start using the internet to explore the meaning of the scripture more deeply for yourself. Of course, test everything against what scripture says. You can not believe everything that someone says on the internet. Even those of us who are well-intended will not get everything right. Seek God Himself and His help on your journey. He will not fail you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Righteousness / Serving God, Salvation, Share the Good News

We Are Made Righteous Through Christ, Not the Law

Acts 10-11 documents an important event regarding Peter in which Jehovah sends Him to go and share the gospel with the gentiles, which was against the man made rules of the Jews. Peter clearly understood the message and its meaning. So did the others with whom he shared the whole story.

Acts 10:34-35

  34Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.

Acts 10:45

45All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

Acts 11:15-18

15“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17“Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

However, as we read in Galatians, Peter appears to have withdrawn from the Gentiles due to pressure from Jews who insisted that Gentiles first had to adopt and follow the full Jewish law before having available to them the Messiah. Peter knew from a dramatic example in His life this was not true, but still yielded to pressure and that sent a distracting message to the Gentiles and other Jews that the Gentiles could not receive the Spirit and follow Christ without first following the Jewish law. It was wrong and Peter knew it.

Paul confronted Peter (Cephas) on this failure. They both knew that the law is not what makes men righteous, but rather Christ alone. (That is not to say the law given by God is not good. It is very good and serves good purpose. Of course, the many additional instructions laid down by the teachers of the law that were not of God… that is a different matter. Those are not good.)

Galatians 2:11-21

Peter (Cephas) Opposed by Paul

     11But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

      15“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. 17“But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! 18“For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19“For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Christ died for all of us. Let us welcome others to accept that fairly simple, yet all powerful, concept regardless of their background. As one accepts Christ, then there is more to learn about all that God wants and expects from us. The law (instructions) from God, recorded in the Bible, is very helpful in this regard. There is a lifetime for that journey. It goes well beyond a one-time decision.  However, let us first welcome them onto the path as they simply submit to Jesus, turn from their sins and ask forgiveness… asking Him to be Lord of their lives. For in this way we are justified and reconciled to the Father.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Loving / Kind, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Repenting from Sin, Salvation

All Have Sinned and Fall Short of the Glory of God

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None of us are righteous in and of ourselves when compared to God’s holy standard. Our salvation is not through our good works, whatever they may be, but rather through His grace and mercy. The Father sent Christ to pay the penalty of our sin… death.

There can be no boasting of our own works. Rather we must have humility to come before Him and admit our sinful nature, asking forgiveness and turning toward Him in repentance. Through Christ we are saved.

Note, however, how Paul emphasizes that this does not nullify the law. Scripture tells us the law is good and perfect and shows us what is right and wrong. It is still a useful guide to our steps. But we can not be saved by adherence to the law but through Christ alone.

Romans 3:21-31

Justification by Faith

     21But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

      27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.

      31Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.

Come humbly and thankfully before our Father, the Lord of the universe and creator of all things. Praise Him for making a way through Christ for us to be reconciled to Him. Accept Christ as Lord and Savior today. No one is beyond His offer of salvation, no matter what sin has been committed. To learn more about accepting Christ, read The Message of the Cross.

May His name be holy. May His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Help / Serve Others, Holy / Set Apart, Salvation, Seeking God

Engage God Personally; No One Can Do It For You

It is a fantastic concept… a whole section of the people set apart to be holy and serve God without distraction of trying to provide for their families. It can be very powerful to remain focused on the things of God. However, the Levitical priesthood no longer exists. Contrary to what some teach, there is no longer a priesthood which is supposed to serve God as a focal point and intermediary for the people. With the death and resurrection of Christ, the veil is torn and we are all invited to come before our Father in heaven directly. Pastors may be helpful in shepherding the flock, but they are not intended to replace the individual’s relationship with God. In a way, we are each called to serve Him directly and at the same time Christ is our chief priest or intermediary with God on our behalf. What a great and glorious upgrade from a priesthood of men!

Do not pass up this invitation to engage God personally. No one else can do it for you.

Numbers 3

Levites to Be Priesthood

     1Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2These then are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. 4But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered strange fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.

      5Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6“Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7“They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8“They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9“You shall thus give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel. 10“So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to death.”

      11Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12“Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. 13“For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the LORD.”

      14Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15“Number the sons of Levi by their fathers’ households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall number.” 16So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, just as he had been commanded. 17These then are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. 18These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei; 19and the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel; 20and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households.

      21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 22Their numbered men, in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, even their numbered men were 7,500. 23The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward, 24and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.

Duties of the Priests

     25Now the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting, 26and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords, according to all the service concerning them.

      27Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites and the family of the Izharites and the family of the Hebronites and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. 28In the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, performing the duties of the sanctuary. 29The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the tabernacle, 30and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31Now their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all the service concerning them; 32and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the chief of the leaders of Levi, and had the oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary.

      33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. 34Their numbered men in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, were 6,200. 35The leader of the fathers’ households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the northward side of the tabernacle. 36Now the appointed duties of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its equipment, and the service concerning them, 37and the pillars around the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords.

      38Now those who were to camp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but the layman coming near was to be put to death. 39All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the command of the LORD by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000.

Firstborn Redeemed

      40Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and make a list of their names. 41“You shall take the Levites for Me, I am the LORD, instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel.” 42So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded him; 43and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for their numbered men were 22,273.

      44Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the LORD. 46“For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites, 47you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), 48and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons.” 49So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites; 50from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365. 51Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons, at the command of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

There are many who serve in ministry activity. Many of those genuinely desire to serve and honor God. We should prayerfully consider how Jehovah wants us to support them as they are a very important part of the body of Christ. However, never let someone else take the place of your having a personal and direct relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus already died to pay for our sins and reconcile us to the Father in a way we can never do on our own. Accept Christ as Lord and ask forgiveness for your sin and turn your life to seeking and following the instructions of God. What a glorious gift from the Creator of everything that we are invited through His son to have a relationship with Him directly and personally! Don’t give it up and let someone else do it for you. You will not be blessed with His presence in this way or find your way to heaven in this way. You must have the relationship with Christ. No one else can have it for you, on your behalf.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.