"Catapult to Glory" - Too

 "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:10 KJV)

  "Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth we love by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything." (1 John 3:18-20 NLT)

 When it comes to gifts, the ones that we are given by God, every gift that He has given us, to actually be a gift, it must be put to use! In other words, if you have a gift, such as the gift of healing, if you have never actually healed anyone, then where is the proof of that gift? We are all given something, even the simple act of sharing the Lord to someone; but even that requires an action: You open your mouth and speak! 

 Real love is also a gift from God! We know this because He loves us; and because we know that He loves us, unconditionally, we have been given the gift of knowing God's love; that love then abides in us, but it isn't of any use, if it is not put into action! Therein is the point of learning to love! It requires us to do something we sometimes fail to do: We must die to ourselves, just as Jesus sacrificed Himself in order to give us life and right standing with the Father! 

 It just doesn't get more real than that! Yet there are certain things we all have in common, most of which is the fact that we are not perfect, and we will at times put ourselves first, even though we know it is wrong, we will do it anyway. Yes, it happens with the best of us, even with Paul, when he and his friend Barnabus had their argument about Mark. 

 Much of what we go though in this life is about learning; that is what Pilgrim's do, they learn how to get through this life and come out on the other side victorious...

"Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? And comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out for you own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." (Philippians 2:1-8 NLT)     

"Catapult to Glory"

 "By the which will we be sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:10 KJV)

  ""I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one - as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me."" (John 17:20-23 NLT) 

 Looking at this from a different direction, there are several things that I feel could be challenging to just about anyone of us, if we don't learn how to love one another. There are several points of view on the way that works; some of which will say it is really not possible to learn love, that it is something given to us by God. Well, if that is something you believe, then why does God need to teach us how to love one another, instead of just giving us the ability to love as we should? 

 If you don't understand what I am talking about, learning to love, think about this basic principle of how God makes this work. If you pray for God to help you love others as you should, does He make them all warm and fuzzy towards you, or does He challenge you to love them unconditionally, as He loves you? 

 Hypothetically speaking, the Holy Spirit within us is able to assist us to love; but to be perfectly true to the facts of life, sometimes we don't want to do what we should, even when we are told to do it. The Holy Spirit is a Helper and Comforter, but when it comes to relationships and differences, there are times when we don't want help or comfort; we want justice and want to be proven right.  

 If you look at the prayer Jesus is asking for us, believers, the thing that He says repeatedly, is about being one; one is the thing we seldom think about when have conflict with one another. Instead, we break off the oneness, forgetting that each part of the body of Christ is needed! Whatever it is that is making you not love as you should, it is best to embrace it, own it, and then give it to God! That is how you learn to love! It might be easy, but it is hard to learn...

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we belong to each other." (Romans 12:1-5 NLT) 

"OVERRIDDEN"

 "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second." (Hebrews 10:9 KJV)

  "I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations." (PSALM 22:25-28 NLT)

 There is really something important here, for us, those of us that have been born outside of the family of Isreal. I can recall being in church, at that compound, the one that I never wanted to go into; making it the place I never wanted to leave. There was at least ten or fifteen of us gathered in a circle, all of many races. We were singing and marching in step, bobbing our heads, and swinging our arms; singing that song, "Father Abraham, had many sons; Many sons had Father Abraham, and I am one, and so are you." 

 You would have had to be there, to really understand how important this was for all of us to be in one accord, without feeling any embarrassment, whatsoever! It definitely was the power of the Holy Spirit that was at work in that circle. Something I will never forget.

 There was something that is sometimes easy to overlook in that "Parable of the Evil Farmers", as it may be showing how the Gentiles replaced Isreal's position to watch over the garden. Not that God has made Isreal obsolete, because He has not! God does not abandon His children! We must believe that is so, because we are all broken and every one of us need to be saved; sometimes, more than once, if that is even possible...

"I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, "The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins." Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God's mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God's mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy of everyone. Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advise? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everyone comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen." (Romans 11:25-36 NLT)  

"Stepping Back" - Too

 "Above when he said, Sacrifice and offerings and burnt offerings and offerings for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;" (Hebrews 10:8 KJV)

  "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." (PSALM 139:23-24 NLT)

 If you were questioning this title, "Stepping Back," it shows the importance of 'pausing or distancing yourself from an activity, problem, or situation in order the think about it calmly and objectively.' There is this thing that has made me think about certain instances in the Bible, where I feel as though God did something that seemed at tad-bit extreme; something that was a little too much.

 Case in point was the too points in the Old and New Testaments: the first being the death of Uzzah, who simply just tried to steady the Ark of God, because it felt like the right thing to do. Second, were the two deaths of a husband and wife during the start of the church: Ananias and Sapphira, who gave a portion of the land they had sold to the church, but gave the impression they had given it all. 

 All three of those who had their lives taken, but I do believe that we will see them in heaven as God was using them as an example of the justice and holiness of His law. In Uzzah case, there was a very strict law that only a very few were allowed to touch that Ark, and they had to be totally purified to do so. In the case of two that lied about what they gave, this was the beginning of the church, which was an example to show that God's Spirit meant business. 

 Don't get me wrong, because God has every right to do whatever He does, as He knows best what is good and perfect, even if we don't understand why, His ways are always perfect! In this regard, those who are giving the message, whoever they might be, are showing us that when it comes to His law, which is based upon His justice and holiness, what we do can never be sufficient enough to cleanse us by the sacrifices that we might give or any work we might do.  

 As the Bible clearly says, "We are all infected and impure with sin, when we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6a NLT) This means that there is nothing that we can do in order to make ourselves worthy; we are all sinners that need to be saved from our sins, nothing we try to do on our own will save us...

""'What will I do? the owner asked himself. 'I know! I'll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.' "But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, 'Here comes the heir to this estate. Let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves!' So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him. "What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?" Jesus asked. "I tell you - he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others." "How terrible that such a thing should ever happen," his listeners protested. Jesus looked at them and said, "Then what does this Scripture mean? 'The stone that the builders rejected has now become the corner stone.' Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on." The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them - they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people's reaction." (Luke 20:13-19 NLT)   

"Stepping Back"

 "Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;" (Hebrews 10:8 KJV) 

  ""Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died."" (Zechariah 12:10 NLT)

 Just so you know, this verse in Hebrews does not have any correlating verses listed. Why that might be the case, I really don't know; but the story must go on, regardless! Looking back to these last few verses, the whole reason for doing so, is that which would be the point, because there must be clarification for the reason. It's a lot like Christmas, when we say, 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season,' those who are not believers might require clarification as to why that is so.

 I truly believe that God was not a great fan of all those sacrifices; much as He wasn't all that thrilled about flooding the whole earth and killing everyone, as well as all those animals. When it says that the LORD was sorry, He had ever made man, we can just assume He felt that He made a mistake. God does not make mistakes! But He does feel the hurt and pain of what must be done. 

 With that, we just need to examine one portion of this verse, all about offerings, which is the part that says, "which are offered by the law." Yes, that is just the point, (no pun intended,) it is God's justice and holiness that causes Him to need to do that which He must do, even though it might hurt...

"Then surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question: "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They replied, "He is the son of David." Jesus responded, "Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah 'my Lord'? For David said, 'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.' Since David called the Messiah 'my Lord,' how can the Messiah be his son?"" (Matthew 22:41-45 NLT)  

"Full Speed Ahead" - 2

 "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God." (Hebrews 10:7 KJV)

  ""I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life."" (John 5:24 NLT)

 As we must know, not only did Jesus pay the price for our sins, He has also given us new life, which is not a life that is wasted or left undone! As He said, 'The life He gives will be abundant!' I have thought about this so many times, even shared about it hundreds of times; because the thief on the cross, that died alongside Jesus, the new life he had been given, even though he didn't need to do any work, whatsoever, his salvation on that cross has caused a multitude of people to be saved; all because of the grace of God! 

 You know that, that thief most likely never thought his life mattered much at all; after all, he was on a cross, being punished for the bad things he did, preparing to die hanging on that cross. What kind of a testimony did he think his death might have made? All he could think about was being in Paradise with Jesus, that very day! 

 I know it might not have made the local news, as if anyone cared about him and whether or not he lived or died, because he was going to be dead on that cross; so, they might have thought! But he lives! Just as Jesus said he would, there was eternal life granted to him, an honest to goodness thief on a cross, who could do nothing but die on that cross. Think of all of those who have been saved from that one man's request to Jesus: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."  

 This is not in the Bible for no reason, because I know for a fact that it changes lives! How important it is to know that you can be saved, even if you are dying! As long as you have breath in your lungs, you are able to be saved, if you will just believe and receive the gift that God has given. You're believing in the mighty work that was done through the cross of Christ, is more than enough to cleanse you of your sins; He gives you a new life also, to be with Him forever! 

 Maybe you don't understand the message that is shown in this, but it has caused countless lives to be saved, through almost two thousand years of being told: it is all about believing and receiving! Do you know what happens after that? God does His work through us, no matter if we are our body is alive or dead, we are not done...

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. You can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)  

"Full Speed Ahead"

 "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God." (Hebrews 10:7 KJV)

  ""The LORD formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else. I was appointed in ages past, at the very first, before the earth began. I was born before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters. Before the mountains were formed, before the hills, I was born - before he made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil. I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans. I was there when he set the clouds above, when he established springs deep in the earth. I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth's foundations, I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence. And how happy I was with the world he created; how I rejoiced with the human family!"" (Proverbs 8:22-31 NLT)

 As many of you should know, Solomon was writing this in reference to wisdom; however, there are many things which are written, throughout the entire 'book' that illustrate and speak of Jesus, the Lord of heaven and earth! Much of what many of the authors wrote about, they might not have even know fully what it might have meant, or who it was that they were writing about; but the Holy Spirit was there, guiding and directing their every word.

 This is why we must remember what we read, even though we might not fully understand it all, that this Book that we read was not written by men, but by God's Spirit speaking through every word that was written! Interesting as it might seem, that was the reason John started his Gospel Message with those first 18 verses, illustrating the Jesus Christ was the Word of God. 

 When he was done with his writing, he illustrated how Jesus, being the Word of God, has done infinitely more than can ever be written...

"This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate. Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:24-25 NLT)   

"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)