"Placed in Neutral"

 "In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure." (Hebrews 10:6 KJV)

  "Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you," he said, "so why are you coming to me?" But Jesus said, "It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires." So John agreed to baptize him. After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."" (Matthew 3:13-17 NLT)

 Neutrality in the Bible is usually viewed negatively, much like the Jesus' message to the church of Laodicea, "But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Revelation 3:16 NLT) Obviously, that is not what we want to be, lukewarm; yet it is really amazing to me that certain verses that are aligned with the address, 3:16, are actually verses that involve action and movement; and surprisingly enough, most of that movement involves God making the move! 

 Anywho, this is about something that takes some serious thought, when it comes to the reason God might not have pleasure in sacrifices for sin! Having been sharing this reason, over and over again, sin is the reason that Jesus was meant to come and die on the cross, to take away our sins. What were the actions God had to perform in order to make that happen?    

 If ever there was a reason for God have any pleasure in sacrifice, it was only the One that would work...

""For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."" (John 3:16 NLT) 

"Switching Gears"

 "Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:" (Hebrews 10:5 KJV)

  "O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand - you don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings. Then I said, "Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: I take joy in doing your will, my God, and your instructions are written on my heart."" (PSALM 40:5-8 NLT)

 This might be the time to show the difference between what is wasted efforts to share, and what is more about getting down to the matters that can really make a difference. The things we sometimes spend time thinking about that are out of our control, usually will be things that cause us to be weary and feeling empty; while all that time, we should have just given it all to God! 'Let go and let God!' is the real best thing we can do; especially when it is something we cannot control. 

 As I was thinking about this message, I couldn't help but wonder how Jesus grew up knowing what He was meant to do, and how peaceful He felt knowing that He had such an amazing purpose! Oddly enough, I truly believe we hardly really understand what our purpose is on this earth; most of what we do for God, is not really planned out by us, but is set up in advance by our Heavenly Father. We are just available and ready, but He has the plans for us, already prepared, and we will only see the real results in Heaven! 

 I can recall a song that I heard, long ago, which was about a man who felt he had wasted so much of his life, not feeling as though he made much of a difference. But, when he passed on into Heaven, there was such a huge crowd of those who were there to welcome him, because they were there because he did the things God gave him to do; even though he didn't think they did much, God used them for more than he ever imagined...

"Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, "At my Father's direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?" They replied, "We're stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God." Jesus replied, "It is written in our Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, 'I say, you are gods!' And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God's message were called 'gods,' why do you call it blasphemy when I say, 'I am the Son of God'? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world. Don't believe me unless I carry out my Father's work. But is I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don't believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father." Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them." (John 10:31-39 NLT) 

"Powerless Sacrifices"

 "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." (Hebrews 10:4 KJV)

  ""You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God."" (Matthew 5:21-24 NLT)

 Interestingly enough, there are several different ways to view this, somewhat simple lesson that Jesus is making regarding anger against someone; and yes, this is something that is associated with what is being said, as it involves the forgiveness of our sins.

 Not that I believe we can lose our salvation over anger against someone or that our foolishness will be something that condemns us to hell; but it surely will ruin our testimony and make life harder to deal with here on earth. There surely are consequences for the way we treat others, especially if we can't bring ourselves to try and make things right.

 Just so you know, the sacrifices of the bulls and goats were only meant to cover sins; they had no power at all to take away sins. Only the blood of Jesus can remove our sins! But, just as that foot washing Jesus did with His disciples, we still can sin; and that sin we commit is something that will need to be washed away! 

 Now, about these things we might have against someone, or someone might have against us; these can be something we can do to offend them, something they have done to us, or, without even saying a word out loud, we could just think it to ourselves, without them even knowing. As if all three of those issues were enough, the worst of all that we can do, is to talk bad about people behind their backs! 

 There is just something important about the commandments we must fry to follow, which are just predicated on just two commands: Love God and love others as yourselves...

"But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they meet together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."" (Matthew 22:34-40 NLT)

"Sinful Memories"

 "But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year." (Hebrews 10:3 KJV)

  "Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude" (PSALM 32:5 NLT)

 My heart aches for anyone that is unable to love someone that should be near and dear to their hearts. If there is anything that hurts my heart the most, it is remembering some of the very harsh things I might have said and done, not only to my wife, but also my son. The things we let ourselves do in a heated moment; it is really hard to take forget, especially when they are gone; and even more if they are still with you, but unable say they forgive you! 

 I was very serious yesterday about that message of loving someone you are meant to love, even though you might not feel like it. It is in those times that you really need to pray for God to give you the ability to love, even though you don't want to forgive them or even try to show them how much you care and love them. 

 For the sake of trying to share something that we be, even though it might be hard to do, we must know something that is very important, yet also very easy to forget: If we don't forgive others, then we will not be forgiven! Talk about sinful memories, that kind of memory is really not worth it...

"Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude" (PSALM 32:6-7 NLT) 

"The Conscience"

 "For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have no more conscience of sins." (Hebrews 10:2 KJV) 

  "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude" (PSALM 32:1-4 NLT)

 I am sorry if there was anything that didn't make sense from the last few days of posting, because there is nothing more important to me than trying my best to share honestly and completely what the Lord puts upon my heart. Besides that, I know full well that some things are hard to interpret, especially when they are hard to explain. Hopefully this will make it perfectly clear, as there is nothing more important to me than being right and following the complete truth of the Bible! 

 To that, I heard a message about allegories in the Bible the other day, and that the Bible actually does not contain them, because allegories are more or less a symbolic fictional narrative. Everything in the Bible is absolutely true! The parables that Jesus used to show things were real life issues and showed the things which are for certain and spiritual truths about loving God and each other! More importantly, that God loves us completely! 

 If you thought those two posts were weird or too hard to comprehend, then maybe you will think this one is also! God loves you and wants you to love Him, unconditionally, which means that you love Him even in the trials and storms of your life. In the same way, we are supposed to love each other that same way, making every effort to forgive and love one another, even if it means putting blame on ourselves in order to show them that you love them! 

 That said, I heard Pastor Jack sharing about the illustration Jesus gave about prayer, how important it is that we earnestly pray to our Heavenly Father! I really don't know how else to explain this, but if you are at odds with someone you are meant to love, then you must earnestly ask your Heavenly Father for help to love them unconditionally, regardless of what they might have done! Sometimes we just need to ask God to give us the love we need, because we won't get it on our own...

 "Then teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of breed. You say to him, "A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.' And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.' But I tell you this - though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

 "And so I tell you, keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

 "You fathers - if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him."" (Luke 11:5-13 NLT) 

"Adumbration" - 2

 "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect." (Hebrews 10:1 KJV)

  "Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, "With the LORD'S help, I have produced a man!" Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. Able also brought a gift - the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. "Why are you so angry" the LORD asked Cain. "Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master."" (Genesis 4:1-7 NLT)

 Moving on, there is a whole complete picture presented in the illustration of Cain and Abel, as they were both offering sacrifices to God, but only Abel's sacrifice was accepted. Basically, it all was about the blood! If it was just based upon their actual jobs, and they offered based upon what they did, then it would have been a little more even. However, this is the whole point of that which is of works, and that which is giving the sacrifice of blood, from an innocent lamb! 

 I have been told that the Mormon Temple in Hawaii has a mural on the wall, as you would walk in, that has an alter with fruits and vegetables on it, while a lamb is laying, as if peaceful, right next to the alter. If that is true, then the picture presents that of works being the sacrifice, while the blood of the lamb being unnecessary to offer. 

 In a strange sort of way, this is the same way it works with the law, if that is, you are trying to be saved by keeping the law! Works will not save you, as the Scriptures say, "Our works are filthy rags to God." It is only by the blood of the Lamb of God that we are saved! Even still, there are those who believe that to be true, yet they still count all that they do as a portion of their salvation. We can add nothing to the price paid for our salvation! 

 Jesus paid the full price for all of our sins, not only for us that believe, but for the entire world; we just need to receive it and believe in the work that Jesus did, not the work that we have done or do. For the past few days, I have heard the same sermon on the radio from Pastor Jeff, which had to do with that parable of the Vineyard Owner.

 If you recall, the Vineyard Owner hired workers throughout the day, promising wages to those who started early, at a certain wage, yet he paid the same wage to those that started later. Each of the workers were all paid the same; those that worked 12 hours and those that only worked an hour. Yet even though those who worked all day received what they were promised, they were very angry at the Vinyard Owner, felling as though he cheated them, because he paid those who only worked an hour the same! 

 Do you see the connection with Cain and Able in that parable? There is something that is made perfect in believing in Christ, because Christ was a perfect Sacrifice to take way all of our sins! All other types of sacrifices do not make us perfect, because nothing but the blood of Christ can remove our sins! All of those who gave sacrifices at the altar, their sins were just covered, they were not removed. 

 As I was thinking about that yesterday, I was reminded about another parable which was very similar to the one about the Vinyard Owner, the one about the Unforgiving Debtor. If you didn't read my post about that, it was probably seven or eight years ago, maybe more; but my reason given for the servant that was forgiven, to then not forgive another fellow servant, was because he knew he would probably be in debt again. 

 Again, there is just certain things we need to be certain about, the main one is that the blood of Christ is sufficient enough to take away all of our sins...

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes - the Jew first and also the Gentiles. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."" (Romans 1:16-17 NLT) 

"Adumbration"

 "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect." (Hebrews 10:1 KJV)

  "There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. "Rabbu," he said, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you." Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." (John 3:1-3 NLT)

 Before I try to express, what I feel is something that we should all clearly understand, I feel as though there needs to be something said about why the law is important to God; even though there is no way that anyone can keep from breaking its commands. Some say that the law started with Moses, yet the first law that God made known to man, was to Adam, when He told him, 'You can eat from every, except that one in the midst of the garden; for when you eat of it, you will die.' 

 Just as I shared about the law of gravity, so too, this was a law with certain properties and results, if you tried to break it: death! Interesting enough, we discover in God's word, that even then, before Adam had the chance to break that law, God had already decided that His Son would need to come and sacrifice Himself, in order to pay the price for our sins. 

 Stepping forwards into the time when Moses was given those ten commandments, these commands were real, much the same as that law of gravity; the thing that really blows our minds, is not that we cannot actually adhere to those commands, because we understand by our weakness to do so, that we can't! But, in the coming of Christ to die for our sins, we are given forgiveness, as if we never broke any of those laws! Not that this is any great mystery, because many of those who wrote about it, knew who and why; they just didn't know when. 

 Therein lays the reason for good things to come from the law, even though we obviously cannot keep it; it was never meant to be kept, but it was meant to show us we needed a Savior! Even Adam and Eve knew that there would be a Savior to come and undo the wrong that they did. Abraham too was very aware that He needed a Savior; that God was real and that He was capable of raising the dead, back to life again.

 The Scriptures shows us that Abraham knew he was a pilgrim here, that this was not his home; he was looking forward to a home that was eternal and built by God...

""What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit."" (John 3:4-8 NLT) 

 

"Christ's Sacrifice Once for All"

  "The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshippers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

 "But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, "You did not want animal sacrifices. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God - as it is written about me in the Scriptures.'" 

 "First, Christ said, "You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them" (though they were required by the law of Moses). Then he said, "Look, I have come to do your will." He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

 "Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the alter day after day. offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

 "And the Holy Spirit also testified that this is so. For he says, "This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he says, "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds." And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices." (Hebrews 10:1-18 NLT)

  "Howbeit, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory; which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Corinthians 2:6-8 KJV)

 There are certain things we know are easily understandable, and then there are things we understand, but we sometimes might think that they are not for certain. Much like certain laws of gravity or what might happen if could have the chance to go back in time and do something different. There are just some things that remain the same, only because they are what they are, and there is nothing we can do to change them! 

 If you jump off a cliff thinking that you can defeat the laws of gravity, you will discover that it is a law that cannot be broken; but you most likely will be! And if you think you can undo something you have done, it too will be impossible to defeat; but in this case, you can find forgiveness in Christ; which will make you right with the Father; but you the something you did, will still be here, in one way or another. 

 That is by far the most uncertain thing I believe we struggle with on this earth, knowing what we have done, and wishing it never had happened: wondering if we are really forgiven for doing it! We cannot undo anything that has already happened, but we can find peace and security in knowing that God has forgiven us, and our sins are no more; forever and ever, they have been taken away by the blood of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ...

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up a fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah 55:11-13 KJV) 

"Waiting For Him!" - Again

 "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:28 KJV) 

  "Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, "What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the since the world was first created."" (2 Peter 3:3-4 NLT)

 Not so surprised about how this happens, but I must admit, keeping our focus on the Lord's soon return is sometimes overtaken by life's engagements and pleasures. It is really nothing we actually set out to do, but more about that which we find ourselves doing, all the while, we forget about the Lord's soon return, and focus more on living and planning a good life. 

 This isn't just a personal matter, because big plans are made over and over, even in the corporate settings of the churches. The show must go on, even while we wait, life and fellowship must keep going; and as it does, sometimes the times of planning and going through the trials of this life, keep us focused on the things we must do, and less time on being focused on His return. 

 What is a good pilgrim to do! We can't just neglect our responsivities of our work and families; I am certain that is not what the Lord is expecting us to do; but we also need to keep our focus on the fact that He is coming soon, making every effort to work His coming into everything we do. That includes the days when we are enjoying life's pleasures, such as golf, biking, and taking the family to the ski-park! 

 I say that, only because it is on my list of things to do; so please don't judge me for trying to enjoy time with the kids, as we practice snowboarding. There are certain things that require engagement with family, which is meant to show how much you care and love to spend time with them; something some of us forget to do also, in this busy life. 

 We can still wait for the Lord's return, even while we are riding on the chairlift...

""You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. A faithful servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant is evil and thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while,' and he begins beating his other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."" (Matthew 24:44-51 NLT) 

"Waiting For Him!" - Too

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:28 KJV)

  "For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." (Philippians 3:18-21 NLT)

 If you have been following this blog for some time, you might have realized that I tend to get carried away from time to time, making more of a focus on the things which are wrong, and less of a focus on the things which actually matter most. It's not because I am not always looking for the positive things, because that is not my real reason, at all. There are just too many things I have seen happening in the church; some of which, I really wish I had not witnessed. 

 When you are an elder in the church, especially a small church of 200 or less people, things are usually not that easy to keep unnoticed; especially when it comes to the reaction of some to the things they might not agree with. Having been a witness to several of those things, I have learned that we really don't know who we are and what we are capable of doing, until it is actually done. This stands for everyone, including those that are leading in the church. 

 We must always pray for those in leadership, especially for those that are leading our churches! You just can't image the great bullseye they have on their backs; the more they serve and put forth sound doctrine, the bigger the bullseye gets, and the more the enemy tries to take them down. 

 Anywho, this might not sound as though I am staying in line with this Scripture, but without question, this is exactly in line with every single part of this, as we look for Him to appear! If there is something that is associated with the oil in the lambs of those ten virgins, that Jesus shared about, those five foolish virgins were not looking and waiting for His return. Yes, it could be the Holy Spirit, that is the oil in the lamps; or it could be an indication of their passion to see Him return. 

 Maybe there is something that is more about love, as in really loving one another, just as Christ loves us, giving up Himself for us...

""Be dressed for the service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants that are ready. "Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected."" (Luke 12:35-40 NLT) 

"Waiting For Him!"

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:28 KJV)

  "So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back." (1 Corinthians 15:21-23 NLT)

 If you really think about it, there must be some sort of mystery to this resurrection, as to what might be that of our soul, and that of the body. I know that when this body dies, I will immediately be with the Lord, this I have learned to understand, almost from the very beginning of this new life in Christ. Even so, I also know that there will be a resurrection of this dead body, if I have left this body already.

 Not that I know exactly how it all will work, but based upon the Scriptures I have understood, these earthly bodies will be changed into heavenly bodies, that will never decay or grow old. And this will happen to both, those who are dead already and those of us that are still alive, when He returns at the time of the rapture. 

 This is not just something I think will happen; this is something that I felt sure of, from the very moment I asked Jesus to come into my heart. Death was no longer the threat to me, from that very moment, I was given a peace that totally made me feel as though I was indestructible and nothing could kill my soul. All that was once something I worried about, became lifted off of my shoulders; I was free from that shadow of death! 

 I still don't know how it works, but I really believe it has something to do with eternity, which has no time involved with it, it is eternal; something we won't understand until we get there! I the meantime, I am waiting and looking for Him to come very soon; just as the Bible tells me to do...

"Jesus replied, "Marriage is for people her on earth. But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection." (Luke 20:34-36 NLT)    

   

"We Only Die Once!"

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Hebrews 9:27 KJV)

  "God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:20-21 NLT)

 As there is only once that we get to die on this earth, the death that accrued to was when we accepted Christ, was the final death we would go through; not including this tent that is called a body! The death of this tent is bound to happen; but we will be still alive and will just be moving on, to be with the Lord! To anyone that can't really believe that is true, I pray that you totally and completely make it true in your heart, and you not only believe it is so, but that you also have peace and hope for when it might happen! 

 This is really what our faith is meant for: To really positively believe that we have been given eternal life and that when our time comes, we will absolutely be with the Lord! If you don't really believe that, then what are you really looking for? If we can't really trust in what Jesus has guaranteed to us and what this salvation is all about, then what are we doing, accept wasting our time, playing church! 

 Nothing is more important than the salvation that we have been given; it is the whole reason that Jesus came down from Heaven to die on the cross, so that we could be saved and have eternal life with Him and the Father! That was the plan all along! And it was totally successful...

"Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask." Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again." "Yes," Martha said, "he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believe in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this, Martha?" "Yes, Lord," she told him. "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God."" (John 11:21-27 NLT)  

"Plainly Recognized" - To

 "For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:26 KJV)

  "For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds." (Titus 2:11-14 NLT)

 There was something else I remember that might have been the reason for those times when I would feel as though I needed to get saved again, it was a night, maybe around a week or two after I first asked Jesus into my heart; one of the Officers at the facility was giving us a Wednesday Night Study, sharing about the Scripture we find in Psalm 103:12, which says: "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west." 

 After reading that verse, he described what that looked like, and how the Scripture said, east and west, not, north and south, illustrating the globe as if we were to go north to south, we would always be going to two different directions; but, by going east to west, we would always be going west. Then after giving this illustration, he said, "But you can always turn back to your sins and start walking east." 

 This is not just something that caused me to doubt my security in Christ, every time I sinned; but it made me feel as though I needed salvation again; which as we will see soon enough, is something absolutely wrong and impossible! Jesus died once and for all, and His death on that cross only needed to be performed once; so too, we are only born again once! 

 That doesn't mean we shouldn't rededicate our lives to Christ, whenever we might slip away, because I believe that is something needed, especially in a public church setting, where you are recommitting your life to the Lord, and illustrating the healing of being broken. Which is the primary reason the Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, because they were going to be cleansed, but their feet would surely sometimes get dirty. 

 Maybe that doesn't make much sense to you, as to the fact of east verses west; but that whole thing about walking east again, is the whole point; if you continue always going to the west, you remain totally clean, but going back to the east, you're going to need a little cleansing! There is something else I observed about the illustration of going east, instead of west: this direction of east to west might not charge are direction, but going west to east will make us see a new day every morning... 

"Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously." (Isaiah 55:6-7 NLT) 

"Plainly Recognized"

 "For then he must often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:26 KJV)

  "This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now the Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen." (1 Peter 1:10-12 NLT) 

 For such a time as this! Isn't it amazing to see what is happening everywhere, throughout this entire world; almost every kingdom and country is involved, in one way or another, to what end, I don't think they really know. But there is some kind of a connection to all that is taking place, which I pray will be the trigger that causes the Father to say, "Son, go get your bride!" 

 Much of what we see, plainly, is only sparsely noticeable and hard to determine what happens next; it is that way for us, as we are just pieces of God's tapestry, only able to see the horizon, never able to see the whole picture. But God sees everything, even the things which will soon happen! That just blows my mind and gives me a peace, the kind of peace that lets me know that He absolutely loves me! 

 As I have been trying to say these last few days, we must never quit believing that God loves us! Not only does He love us, but He is rooting for us, knowing full well that we will make it, because He is the one that decides who is are His children, and those that are not. That doesn't mean that we don't have a choice, but it does mean that we can be absolutely certain that He chose us, if that is never ever stop believing that He loves us and will never give up on us! 

 With all of my heart, I truly believe that is the truth, no matter what we might think or do, we are always still His children! Once you are made His child, you will forever be His! That is what I pray we will all fully recognize...

"So the trouble is not with the law, for it is good. The trouble is with me, for I am too human, a slave to sin. I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong, it is sin living in me that does it." (Romans 7:14-20 NLT)  

"Won and Done" - Too

 "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood for others;" (Hebrews 9:25 KJV)

  "My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins - and not only our sins but the sins of all the world." (1 John 2:1-2 NLT)

 Basically, it all comes down to our willingness to believe that Jesus' blood, shed on that cross, was all it took to cleanse us from our sins! Sad is it might be, but there are so many people that just can't come to grip the death of one man on a cross was all it took to cleanse us from our sins. Well, that might be easy to question the result, if you are believing that Jesus was just a man; but believing that He is God, that shines a whole new light on the power of the cross! 

 To be very honest about my understanding of who Jesus really was, the first few years of salvation, there were times when I doubted that He really was God. That was mostly because of the religion I grew up in, as they make every effort to believe that Jesus is not God; but if He was, the title would be a little god, much in the line of an angel; or even of Satan. 

 Not that it made me change my mind, because whenever I doubted who Jesus was, I would read those Scriptures that specifically say that He was indeed God, the True and Living God! Once we make that the Truth in our hearts, even when our mind may start to think differently, our heart will speak His love and sacrifice, which will trump every doubt, again and again.  

 As I have said before, and I will say it again: When I received Christ into my heart, I was totally undone; without even thinking twice, I was overwhelmed by the fact that the Creator, my Creator, was willingly crucified on a cross to save me from my sins! The image I saw of Jesus in my mind, was like a punch to my heart; it was so vivid, yet it just flashed into my mind. I knew right there and then that it really was the truth. 

 There is really nothing that can I think of that can stop me from believing that He saved me, and that He will get me to the other side! I don't believe that, even if I fall, my salvation will be lost, because He will not let me go! Not that there haven't been times when I felt as though I messed up, so badly, that He was not going to forgive me, because there were; but He always makes a way for us to stand back up again, and again!  

 Seriously, I picture it as if we are "Weebles," as it goes: "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down"...

"For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." (2 Corinthians 4:6-10 NLT)