HEBREWS 7:19
"For the law has never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God."
Has anyone been able to live without breaking God's laws? The reason this is important is that the old covenant of God could only be achieved if the person never broke God's law. We know that no human being, born of woman, achieved this goal. No one is good, no not one, applies to every living person. Let the first person who is without sin cast the first stone means that no one could inflict punishment on another because they had sinned themselves. So the conclusion to be drawn is that the Laws of God never made anyone or anything perfect. The acted as the standard that we should hope to achieve. They were the target that we aimed for. No one ever got a perfect score. No one is perfect!
If that is true then how do we now have confidence and a better hope through which we can draw near to God? The answer is Jesus Christ the Lord God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of a Virgin. He was human and a man as well as God. This is the new covenant that God made with man that would allow our salvation. We are still sinners and have come short of the glory of God. We have sinned and not one of us is good. We have failed to hit the target at times and we have broken God's laws without exception. Unless someone perfect who never sinned or failed or missed the target came along we were doomed. No one can achieve heaven using the old covenant.
The old requirements have been set aside. They were weak and useless to anyone. The law never made anyone perfect. Now Jesus is the one who guarantees the New Covenant with God and He is the one who can save us from our sin and give us eternal life and allow us to enter Heaven. You can come to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus intercedes on our behalf and through the mercy of God we can be found not guilty of our sins. Jesus is our priest and our Saviour.
The law is not perfect, but Jesus is, and though the law never saved anyone, Jesus Saves anyone who comes to Him and surrenders his life.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
NO BEGINNING OR END?
HEBREWS 7:3
"There is no record of His father or mother or any of His ancestors- NO BEGINNING OR END to His life. He remains a priest forever, resembling
the Son of God."
Everything has a beginning and an ending, right? The universe, the earth, our bodies and lives all have a beginning and an end, right? Can you think of anything that has no beginning and no ending? The correct answer would be God, Jesus Christ the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. They are eternal and existed before they spoke the universe into being! That is why they are God, they made something from nothing and have all the power and knowledge and continuous presence that had no beginning and has no end.
This scripture and the truth for today is about Melchizedek, a priest of God Most High. He is the "king of peace", and the "king of justice". Melchizedek appeared to Abraham before the earthly appearance of Jesus Christ. He had no ancestors and there is no record of His birth or parents. He was not a Levite as required by the law of Moses in order to collect a tithe. Who was this Melchizedek? Obviously He is greater than the priests who die. He was a different priest who could achieve perfection. Only one is perfect and good and that is God.
Jesus Christ was prophesied and pointed out by the psalmist, who said; "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." Sufficient proof exists in the Word of God to equate Jesus Christ to Melchizedek. Their appearance is consistent with the requirements of God. They had no beginning and they have no end. They existed outside the boundaries of time. They had no father and no mother and no ancestors. Abraham recognized this when he gave a tenth of all his income to Melchizedek. He knew that this was the appearance of the priest that was forever and this was an appearance resembling the Son of God. Who has no beginning and no end? Jesus Christ the Lord God.
"There is no record of His father or mother or any of His ancestors- NO BEGINNING OR END to His life. He remains a priest forever, resembling
the Son of God."
Everything has a beginning and an ending, right? The universe, the earth, our bodies and lives all have a beginning and an end, right? Can you think of anything that has no beginning and no ending? The correct answer would be God, Jesus Christ the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. They are eternal and existed before they spoke the universe into being! That is why they are God, they made something from nothing and have all the power and knowledge and continuous presence that had no beginning and has no end.
This scripture and the truth for today is about Melchizedek, a priest of God Most High. He is the "king of peace", and the "king of justice". Melchizedek appeared to Abraham before the earthly appearance of Jesus Christ. He had no ancestors and there is no record of His birth or parents. He was not a Levite as required by the law of Moses in order to collect a tithe. Who was this Melchizedek? Obviously He is greater than the priests who die. He was a different priest who could achieve perfection. Only one is perfect and good and that is God.
Jesus Christ was prophesied and pointed out by the psalmist, who said; "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." Sufficient proof exists in the Word of God to equate Jesus Christ to Melchizedek. Their appearance is consistent with the requirements of God. They had no beginning and they have no end. They existed outside the boundaries of time. They had no father and no mother and no ancestors. Abraham recognized this when he gave a tenth of all his income to Melchizedek. He knew that this was the appearance of the priest that was forever and this was an appearance resembling the Son of God. Who has no beginning and no end? Jesus Christ the Lord God.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
DO NOT BRAG ABOUT TOMORROW!
PROVERBS 27:1
"Do not brag about tomorrow, since you do not know what the day will bring."
Because you wake up each morning you believe that you will always wake up tomorrow morning, but do you know that one day you will be wrong? We are all appointed once to die, and then the judgement. Death comes at the will of God and not at your will. You do not control your destiny and you do not know the moment that you will be called by God. Understanding this premise it is foolish for anyone to say what they will do tomorrow for they do not know what the day may bring forth!
The right approach to any future plan is to say, "God willing", I will do this or that. You must acknowledge that God is in control of you and the universe that you live in. We tend to make plans, some simple, some grandiose. Any plan we make is dependent on the will of God. He alone gives us even our breath. So good advice is not to brag about any future plan we have for we are not in control of what happens.
You can make a plan for your future, just acknowledge that God is in control of your future. The more complete the plan or vision, the more likely it is to come to fruition. Before building a home or starting a war, we should get many counselors and have a finite plan. We must learn from our mistakes or we are condemned to repeat them, but this is not to say that we can go about telling everyone how we are going to do this or that without acknowledging that it must be with "God willing". Of course everyone has failures and their plans fail with regularity, but even though we are to be good stewards of what God has given us, remember that it is God who gives us everything including life and that eternal if we acknowledge Him in all of our ways.
"Do not brag about tomorrow, since you do not know what the day will bring."
Because you wake up each morning you believe that you will always wake up tomorrow morning, but do you know that one day you will be wrong? We are all appointed once to die, and then the judgement. Death comes at the will of God and not at your will. You do not control your destiny and you do not know the moment that you will be called by God. Understanding this premise it is foolish for anyone to say what they will do tomorrow for they do not know what the day may bring forth!
The right approach to any future plan is to say, "God willing", I will do this or that. You must acknowledge that God is in control of you and the universe that you live in. We tend to make plans, some simple, some grandiose. Any plan we make is dependent on the will of God. He alone gives us even our breath. So good advice is not to brag about any future plan we have for we are not in control of what happens.
You can make a plan for your future, just acknowledge that God is in control of your future. The more complete the plan or vision, the more likely it is to come to fruition. Before building a home or starting a war, we should get many counselors and have a finite plan. We must learn from our mistakes or we are condemned to repeat them, but this is not to say that we can go about telling everyone how we are going to do this or that without acknowledging that it must be with "God willing". Of course everyone has failures and their plans fail with regularity, but even though we are to be good stewards of what God has given us, remember that it is God who gives us everything including life and that eternal if we acknowledge Him in all of our ways.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
WHEN YOU TURN AWAY FROM GOD!
HEBREWS 6:4-5
"For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened- those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the power of the age to come- and WHO THEN TURN AWAY FROM GOD."
What happens to those who come to a saving grace and repent of their sins and become enlightened, who experience the goodness of God and the Holy Spirit and then TURN AWAY FROM GOD? Have they committed the unpardonable sin? Have they blasphemed the Holy Spirit? Is it impossible to bring them back to repentance? This question is one of the most important that can be asked of any individual. Many have argued as to whether it is possible or impossible to lose your repentance. We do know that if you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, that is the unpardonable sin.
It is possible to never accept the Holy Spirit into your life. You can choose to reject your Saviour that is Jesus Christ the Lord God, and the consequences are clear. Separation from God for eternity is the penalty for rejecting God. You will die the second death and spend eternity in Hell for making the wrong choice. The next question is what happens to those WHO TURN AWAY FROM GOD after coming to a saving grace and repentance?
This truth for today and this scripture have a clear answer to the question asked above. It would appear that the penalty for having tasted the sweetness of the Lord and then rejecting Him is just as devastating as never accepting Jesus Christ in the first place. The implication is that anyone who turns away from God will find it impossible to be brought back to repentance and Salvation. Those who hold out to the very end in their love of God will be saved. Is it possible for anyone who has loved God and then rejected Him to come back to a saving grace? The best answer is to never put yourself in the position of rejecting God. If you do turn from God then your only hope would be to beg for God's forgiveness and ask for His forgiveness. The answer to the will of God is known only to Him and you must throw yourself on His mercy. If you have turned away from God then right now get on your knees and cry out for His mercy!
"For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened- those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the power of the age to come- and WHO THEN TURN AWAY FROM GOD."
What happens to those who come to a saving grace and repent of their sins and become enlightened, who experience the goodness of God and the Holy Spirit and then TURN AWAY FROM GOD? Have they committed the unpardonable sin? Have they blasphemed the Holy Spirit? Is it impossible to bring them back to repentance? This question is one of the most important that can be asked of any individual. Many have argued as to whether it is possible or impossible to lose your repentance. We do know that if you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, that is the unpardonable sin.
It is possible to never accept the Holy Spirit into your life. You can choose to reject your Saviour that is Jesus Christ the Lord God, and the consequences are clear. Separation from God for eternity is the penalty for rejecting God. You will die the second death and spend eternity in Hell for making the wrong choice. The next question is what happens to those WHO TURN AWAY FROM GOD after coming to a saving grace and repentance?
This truth for today and this scripture have a clear answer to the question asked above. It would appear that the penalty for having tasted the sweetness of the Lord and then rejecting Him is just as devastating as never accepting Jesus Christ in the first place. The implication is that anyone who turns away from God will find it impossible to be brought back to repentance and Salvation. Those who hold out to the very end in their love of God will be saved. Is it possible for anyone who has loved God and then rejected Him to come back to a saving grace? The best answer is to never put yourself in the position of rejecting God. If you do turn from God then your only hope would be to beg for God's forgiveness and ask for His forgiveness. The answer to the will of God is known only to Him and you must throw yourself on His mercy. If you have turned away from God then right now get on your knees and cry out for His mercy!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
A SANCTUARY!
EZEKIEL 11:16
"I will be a sanctuary to you during your time of exile."
Many people have been exiled in one form or another in their life. Prisoners are in exile. The Israelites where exiled from their land for years. Soldiers are separated and in foreign lands and are in a type of exile. Business men go to other lands to make their fortunes and hope to return to their homeland and family after a temporary exile. Even though they suffer in varying degrees of separation and banishment, they all can have one thing in common if they Love the Lord and believe the Word of Jesus Christ the Lord God. They can be in a sanctuary!
Even in the harshest of circumstances it is possible to build a wall of security around yourself. You can build a consecrated place within your own mind and body and be secure and at peace if you have the Lord in your life. God promises us that "He will be a sanctuary to you during your time of exile." God is a strong tower that you can run into and be safe. Whatever is happening to your body in this life here on earth has no final effect on you. Your spirit is eternal and if it is in the hands of the All Mighty God then you have nothing to fear you are in a sanctuary.
Those who do not have the Lord in their life have no real hope and they have no safe zone that they can run to and be saved. Jesus Saves and He alone is capable of gathering you to Himself and giving you life again. The feeling of safety and security that comes from knowing that God is our sanctuary in times of trouble is priceless. You can have peace that passes all understanding. While others are suffering and gnashing their teeth, you can rest in His sanctuary!
"I will be a sanctuary to you during your time of exile."
Many people have been exiled in one form or another in their life. Prisoners are in exile. The Israelites where exiled from their land for years. Soldiers are separated and in foreign lands and are in a type of exile. Business men go to other lands to make their fortunes and hope to return to their homeland and family after a temporary exile. Even though they suffer in varying degrees of separation and banishment, they all can have one thing in common if they Love the Lord and believe the Word of Jesus Christ the Lord God. They can be in a sanctuary!
Even in the harshest of circumstances it is possible to build a wall of security around yourself. You can build a consecrated place within your own mind and body and be secure and at peace if you have the Lord in your life. God promises us that "He will be a sanctuary to you during your time of exile." God is a strong tower that you can run into and be safe. Whatever is happening to your body in this life here on earth has no final effect on you. Your spirit is eternal and if it is in the hands of the All Mighty God then you have nothing to fear you are in a sanctuary.
Those who do not have the Lord in their life have no real hope and they have no safe zone that they can run to and be saved. Jesus Saves and He alone is capable of gathering you to Himself and giving you life again. The feeling of safety and security that comes from knowing that God is our sanctuary in times of trouble is priceless. You can have peace that passes all understanding. While others are suffering and gnashing their teeth, you can rest in His sanctuary!
Monday, November 3, 2008
CRY BABY?
HEBREWS 5:12
"You are like babies who need milk and can not eat solid food."
How long have you been a Christian? Let us assume that it is for a considerable time by now. For most of us it has been years and years. For some of us we are still spiritually dull and just do not seem to listen. In fact we have been Christians for so long that we ought to be teaching others by now. Instead we still feel like we need to learn some basic things about the word of God and we need considerable teaching. If this describes you then the truth for today is of great importance to your Christian life.
If you are still weaning on the milk of the Word and you seem incapable of maturing to the solid food of the Word it is time to stop being a "cry baby". It is time to grow up and mature in the Word and in the Lord. You need to make a commitment to start getting deeper into the Word and its meaning and truly learning to the point that you could teach others about the Good News. You need to train yourself to recognize the difference between right and wrong!
Everyone who continues to feed on milk is incapable of teaching the doctrines of righteousness and needs to come into conformity with the divine will and purposes of God. It is time to become full grown believer's and Christians that are mature. You need to distinguish between good and evil and what is Godly and what is not. You need to digest all of God's word! The first step is to recognize that you are being a "cry baby" and grow up starting now. Today is the day!
"You are like babies who need milk and can not eat solid food."
How long have you been a Christian? Let us assume that it is for a considerable time by now. For most of us it has been years and years. For some of us we are still spiritually dull and just do not seem to listen. In fact we have been Christians for so long that we ought to be teaching others by now. Instead we still feel like we need to learn some basic things about the word of God and we need considerable teaching. If this describes you then the truth for today is of great importance to your Christian life.
If you are still weaning on the milk of the Word and you seem incapable of maturing to the solid food of the Word it is time to stop being a "cry baby". It is time to grow up and mature in the Word and in the Lord. You need to make a commitment to start getting deeper into the Word and its meaning and truly learning to the point that you could teach others about the Good News. You need to train yourself to recognize the difference between right and wrong!
Everyone who continues to feed on milk is incapable of teaching the doctrines of righteousness and needs to come into conformity with the divine will and purposes of God. It is time to become full grown believer's and Christians that are mature. You need to distinguish between good and evil and what is Godly and what is not. You need to digest all of God's word! The first step is to recognize that you are being a "cry baby" and grow up starting now. Today is the day!
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