Responding the Gospel

Beginning with a discussion of what many see as dangerous times ahead for Christians after the
U. S. Presidential Elections this fall, I talked about the Festival in celebration of the giving of the Ten Commandments, took a look at the Salvation of Y’shuaJesus and Street Evangelism and receiving Messiah. It seemed a bit disjointed, but I shared concerns over the rising conflict and lack of peace that is occurring in America and has been ongoing in many parts of the world.

Rounding it out is the way we respond to situations that affect us. For instance, in some of the videos on YouTube, Street Evangelists evoked responses from an audience that became bitter, angry, and often threatening. I’ve heard that people are tired of the Gospel being used to beat them on the head. This reminds me of a farmer and his grandson. The boy was trying to get a mule to move. He was pulling hard on a lead and yelling at the mule, and getting no response at all. Finally, the old man intervened. “Gentle, Grandson,” the old man said, “on must gentle and speak softly to this fellow.” The boy looked a the old man, and the old man nodded. “Let me show you.” So Grandpa picked up a stick and hit the mule hard on top of his head, then leaned down, stroked his ears, and spoke softly. He then gently grasped the rope and walked with the mule following. “Grandpa,” the boy said, “why did you hit him when you said to be gentle and speak softly?” The old man sighed deeply. “Grandson, we need to get his attention first.”

Messiah Y’shuaJesus never beat anyone on the head, though many may have felt as though he did. What he did was elicit responses from people, some who bowed down, others who picked up rocks. Luke reports how the disciples responded Sunday morning after Friday afternoon’s crucifixion of the Lord.

[Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women] went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Luke 24:1-9

The absence of the body of Y’shuaJesus at first “perplexed” the women. When they saw two men in dazzling apparel, they were frightened, and then bowed their faces to the ground. It only took a Word from the two angels to remind the women of what Y’shuaJesus has said. The women returned to where the disciples of Messiah gathered and received mixed responses. Some of the disciples said the women’s story was an “old wive’s tale.” Peter, though, headed out to check out the situation for himself. What Peter saw made him return home, marveling about it all. Two of the disciples left Jerusalem walking west down an old Roman road west to their village, which we now call Emmaus. They ran into a fellow who “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Himself being the Lord Y’shuaJesus whom the disciples didn’t recognize until, in their home, the Lord broke bread. Then the disciples realized to Whom they’d been talking, just as the Lord left. “They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures.’ ” [Luke 24:13-25]

The Lord appeared to the Apostles, who at first were startled then frightened. While still disbelieving, Lord Y’shuaJesus showed his wounds, asked for food, and when they came to there senses,

He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Luke 24:46-49

In the Gospel of John, we learn that Thomas was not with the other Apostles at that encounter. When told of it, Thomas responded, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” [John 20:25] When the Lord did appear to Thomas, He said, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” To which Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God!” [John 20:28]

Look, you can see by these few examples the variety of ways in which people respond to the call of the Lord. There are so many other examples. The Lord knows what is needed for each to come to repentance and find his or her salvation in the Lord Y’shuaJesus. Apostle Paul described out place in the process of another’s salvation this way:

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinth 3:5-9.

A Song of Ascent

Psalm 127 is one of the Psalms that are called “A Song of Ascent.” There are fifteen of these Psalms, corresponding to the fifteen steps that the Levi ascended to the Temple. One Psalm, tradition states, is said on each step in the processional up to the Temple.

Unless the Lord builds a house,
its builders labor over it in vain;
unless the Lord watches over a city,
the watchman stays alert in vain.
In vain you get up early and stay up late,
working hard to have enough food —
yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves.
Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
children, a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons born in one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them.
Such men will never be put to shame
when they speak with their enemies at the city gate.

“A number of commentators explain this Psalm as a poem David composed upon being informed that his son Shelomo, rather than he, would be given the privilege of building the Bet Ha’mikdash. In the first two verses, David declares that it is God, not man, who determines when a building will arise. Regardless of how hard the laborers toil or how carefully the watchmen guard the building site, the project will materialize only with the direct assistance and support of the Almighty. David here accepts God’s decree forbidding him from building the Mikdash, recognizing that if God does not wish for him to build it then even if he would try the endeavor would assuredly fail.

“In the Psalm’s final verses (3-5), David turns his attention to the great blessing of children, whom he compares to “arrows in the hands of the mighty warrior” (verse 4). A warrior’s most valuable asset is effective weaponry; for a religiously conscientious Jew, the greatest commodity and blessing is children who follow the Torah traditions that he received from his parents. David thus expresses his gratitude for the fact that his son would perpetuate his legacy and heritage. Although he desired to personally oversee the building of the Mikdash, he found solace in the fact that he leaves behind a son faithful to his teachings, and who will fulfill Am Yisrael’s collective dream of having in their midst an abode for the Shechina (Divine Presence).” —Daily Tehillim

Matthew Henry comments: “Let us always look to God’s providence. In all the affairs and business of a family we must depend upon his blessing.
1. For raising a family. If God be not acknowledged, we have no reason to expect his blessing; and the best- laid plans fail, unless he crowns them with success.
2. For the safety of a family or a city. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen, though they neither slumber nor sleep, wake but in vain; mischief may break out, which even early discoveries may not be able to prevent.
3. For enriching a family. Some are so eager upon the world, that they are continually full of care, which makes their comforts bitter, and their lives a burden. All this is to get money; but all in vain, except God prosper them:while those who love the Lord, using due diligence in their lawful callings, and casting all their care upon him, have needful success, without uneasiness or vexation. Our care must be to keep ourselves in the love of God; then we may be easy, whether we have little or much of this world. But we must use the proper means very diligently.

“Children are God’s gifts, a heritage, and a reward; and are to be accounted blessings, and not burdens:he who sends mouths, will send meat, if we trust in him. They are a great support and defense to a family. Children who are young, may be directed aright to the mark, God’s glory, and the service of their generation; but when they are gone into the world, they are arrows out of the hand, it is too late to direct them then. But these arrows in the hand too often prove arrows in the heart, a grief to godly parents. Yet, if trained according to God’s word, they generally prove the best defense in declining years, remembering their obligations to their parents, and taking care of them in old age. All earthly comforts are uncertain, but the Lord will assuredly comfort and bless those who serve him; and those who seek the conversion of sinners, will find that their spiritual children are their joy and crown in the day of Jesus Christ.”

While there is some overlap in the thinking behind the commentaries, I also see a perspective that differs substantially. It illustrates my own thinking that Christianity has diverged from Judaism, going its own way, leaving behind a wealth of tradition AND a wealth of accompanied understanding. Judaism, on the other had, is stuck with tradition and its understanding. Without the Christian perspective of Y’shuaJesus as the Messiah, Judaism of today is doomed to simply wait. Judaism waits until G-d enables their minds to understand the Messiah Who came, Who is spoken of in Isaiah 53, is the suffering Messiah, is the same Messiah Christians have come to accept, and Who shall come again as the Conquering Messiah.

One Messiah. Two perspectives. Each perspective lacks something, however. Slowly this is changing for some people. Unfortunately it seems the “church” as a whole pulls away from Y’shuaJeus and His truth. As Psalm 127 points out, a building can not be built without G-d. And certainly the “church” tries in vain to build itself. Preachers gather pupils who listen to every word, but miss The Word, because the preachers so often preach from their own agenda, their own “gospel.”

Gentiles were allowed to have a taste of the Shechina, the Divine Presence, of G-d. But the Time of the Gentiles are coming to and end. The “church” has melted its gold and is forming a golden calve to worship. Soon, I believe, All the Shechina of our Lord with come to bear upon the Jewish people, and their eyes shall be opened that they might know Y’shuaJesus as Lord, as Messiah.

Third Aspect of Redemption

This is the final portion of the chapter from Dr. Ironside’s book.

WE GROAN AND TRAVAIL

But there is a third aspect of redemption, and that is brought before us in the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. In verse 22 we read:

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

“We ourselves groan within ourselves.” Of whom is he talking? Christians. Groaning Christians? Yes! Oh, I thought Christians were always happy; I thought they were always shouting and singing! Well, you have a lot to learn. Thank God, it is possible to joy even in the midst of sorrow, and Christians have their griefs and sorrow and trials. But they have a wonderful Savior to carry them through those trials—One to sustain and help them in every hour of distress.

One of our chief causes of groaning is that of physical infirmities, and that is what the apostle is talking about here. In our unconverted days our groaning was caused by our sins. We cried out in pain as we longed for deliverance. Then we were groaning in bondage. Now as Christians we groan in grace, because of physical infirmities that are often such a hindrance in our lives. Perhaps you were just getting ready to go to prayer meeting one night. (I hope you love the prayer meeting.) But you did not get there. You were preparing to go, when suddenly you came down with such a sick headache that you had to stay at home. When others were gathered for prayer and praise, there you were, lying on the couch sniffing at camphor, and you were saying to yourself, “What a wonderful day it will be when I get a new body and a new head that will never ache.” Well, that is what the apostle means when he says, “We that are in this tabernacle (body) do groan.” We are so often hindered by physical weakness, but we are looking on to the day of the redemption of the body. We have the firstfruits of the Spirit, but we are looking forward to the full “son placing,” for that is what the word “adoption” means. Then we shall be fully conformed to the Son of God.

“FOR OUR CONVERSATION IS IN HEAVEN”

When will that be? That “redemption of the body”? In Philippians, chapter 3, verses 20-21, we read, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body.” He is drawing our attention to that wonderful event which should now be the hope of the Christian, and I am thinking again of you young Christians. He wants you now to get before your soul as the lodestar, the blessed hope of the Lord’s return. The One who died for you on the cross is coming again, and He is coming to receive you to be with Himself. He could not have you there in the glory as you now are. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” So in order that you might be suited for the place to which He is going to take you, He will give you a new body, a glorified body; and when you receive that, you will be fit for a place in the Father’s house.

He said before He went away, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” And we learn from other Scriptures what will take place in order to prepare us for the Father’s house. The first Epistle of the Thessalonians, chapter 4, is a wonderful passage as to this. It says:

“The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.”

That is the time when the body will be changed, and our redemption will be complete. Already we have the redemption of the soul; we have been redeemed from judgment. We are experiencing day by day, as we walk in obedience to the Lord, practical redemption, redemption from the power of sin. When our blessed Savior returns, our redemption will be complete—spirit and soul and body will be fully conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[I hope you’ve enjoyed this chapter. I very much did so. Oh, and I found this chapter posted on the Lighthouse Trails website, where you will find many other excellent articles and references to other articles available on the web.]

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Another Side to Redemption

The following is another portion of a chapter begun yesterday from a book by Dr. Harry Ironside, Great Words of the Gospel
REDEEMED, BUT DISOBEDIENT

When we turn to the Epistle to Titus, we have another aspect of redemption. In chapter 2, verses 11-14, we read:

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world: looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

It cannot be too often insisted that salvation is not of works, that no works of ours could avail for our redemption; but here in this message we have another side of the truth emphasized, and that is that our blessed Lord not only died to redeem us from the judgment due to our sins, but He died to redeem us from all iniquity, that is, from all lawlessness. And sin is lawlessness. He died, as Mrs. Alexander’s beautiful old hymn put it, not only to save our souls, but “He died to make us good.” The Gospel has not accomplished its purpose if it only frees people from judgment. It has not completed its work until it presents every believer in the glory, fully conformed to the image of God’s blessed Son.

We have been called to holiness, to purity of life, to uprightness of behavior, and if any of us who profess the name of Christ are playing fast and loose with unholy things with worldliness, with carnality, with impurity, with things that defile these temples of the living God, these bodies in which the Holy Spirit dwells; if we are in any way living so as to bring dishonor upon the name of the One who died to save us, we are just to that extent thwarting one of the purposes for which Christ died. He died to redeem us from all iniquity. Here the word “redemption” is used in the sense of deliverance. He died to deliver us from all iniquity, to draw us away from evil things that peril our Christian experience and that would wreck and ruin our lives.

Redemption was illustrated in a stirring news article that appeared in our daily papers recently. Many read the story of those men shipwrecked in the South Pacific in connection with the world war. A number of them were huddled upon a raft and only one of them was able to swim, and he a big, burly black man. When those sailors saw nothing but death and despair before them, this black man sprang into the sea and towed that raft as he swam for over six miles through shark-infested waters, until he brought them all to a place of safety. That was redemption, and that man was a redeemer.

WHAT OF GOOD WORKS?

Our Lord Jesus not only risked His life but gave His life, not only to save us from judgment, but also to “redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Dear young Christian, I beg of you, do not allow yourself to be careless as to this aspect of redemption. Do not be content to know that you have trusted Christ as your Savior from hell, and forget that you are called upon to live a heavenly life here upon this earth. Do not be content to say that at a given time or at a certain meeting you went into an inquiry room and told the Lord Jesus you would trust Him not only as the Savior of your soul but as the One who is to be Lord of your life, the One who died to redeem you from everything that is unholy.

We read, “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Do not let it ever be said of you that you are not concerned about good works, and do not ever tell people that because salvation is not works, it does not matter what kind of lives they live. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” They cannot see your faith, but they can see your works, and if your life is not in accordance with your faith, they will soon realize it and will put you down as a fraud and a hypocrite, and instead of your influence being for good, it will be for evil.

“THIS IS A FAITHFUL SAYING”

James says in his Epistle, “Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” You cannot show your faith without works, and so in that sense faith without works is dead. Justification is by faith, absolutely without works, but the same scripture that tells us that, puts emphasis on our works as the evidence of our salvation. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, chapter 2, we read: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” But Paul immediately adds, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” This is our practical redemption. If one Scripture tells me that “this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief,” another Scripture says, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works.” Our Lord Jesus, the living Savior, has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, in order that as we walk in the Spirit we may find this practical redemption from the power of evil in the life.

[Tomorrow I plan to post the remainder of the chapter from Dr. Ironside’s book.]

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine . . .

A Nickle a Bottle

One day a friend and I walked to my parents home collecting soda bottles discarded alongside the road. It took us an hour to walk the three miles, but we collected two large bags each. We took them to a store where we got a nickle a bottle for them. That was the redemption value at the time.

When I hear the word redemption, I always think of those old, discarded bottles. I think how they are turned in for cash, sent back to the bottling factory, cleaned up, and come out like new. So here’s the first part of a chapter in a book by Dr. Harry Ironside, Great Words of the Gospel.[It’s in the public domain, so can be distributed freely.]

What is Redemption?

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:18-21)

The word “redemption” is one that runs all through the Bible; in fact, we can say without any suggestion of hyperbole that it is the great outstanding theme of Holy Scripture. This important truth runs through the Book like the proverbial red strand that, we are told, runs through the cordage of the British navy. Everywhere, from Genesis right on to Revelation, you find God in one way or another presenting to us the truth of redemption—redemption in promise and in type in the Old Testament; redemption in glorious fulfillment in the New Testament.

THE MEANING OF THE WORD

What do we mean when we use the term “redemption”? Ordinarily, and in Scripture too, the word means to buy back, to repurchase something that has been temporarily forfeited; or, it means to set free, to liberate, as we speak of redeeming one from slavery; or, it means to deliver, as to redeem one from some grave danger.

Back there in Israel in olden times, if a man fell into difficult circumstances, found himself burdened with debt, he might mortgage his entire property, and if that was not enough to satisfy the claims of his creditors, he could even mortgage his own strength, and ability, his own physical powers. He could sell himself into a kind of slavery until his debt was paid. Sometimes, he found himself hopelessly thus enslaved. Scripture says, however, “After that he is sold, he may be redeemed again.” One of his brethren may redeem him, or, if he is able, he may redeem himself. It would be almost impossible in most instances for anyone to redeem himself. Probably, the only way would be if he suddenly fell heir to some vast estate. But on the other hand, if he had a rich relative who cared enough for him to undertake to meet the liabilities and discharge them, he might thus be set free.

THE KINSMAN-REDEEMER

The one who did this was called a kinsman- redeemer, and he was a wonderful type of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Hebrew word is goel. He comes before us in Scripture long before the time of Israel. Even in the book of Job you read of him. It was the goel that Job spake when he said, “I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”

Then one may, as I say, have forfeited his property. Well, some wealthy one could come and pay off the mortgage and thus redeem the property. We are used to such transactions today, and we attach that meaning to the word “redemption.”

Now, in thinking of man, we know he is a sinner, sold under judgment. It was his own fault. God says in His Word, “You have sold yourselves for naught; and ye shall be redeemed without money.” It is not possible for any man to redeem himself from the sad condition in which he finds himself because of sin, but that is why we need a kinsman-redeemer who is more than man, one who is divine as well as human.

REDEMPTION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

When we turn to consider this subject of redemption in the New Testament, we find it presented in three different ways: first, redemption from judgment. That is redemption from the guilt of sin, which is through the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ. But that is not all. It is not only the will of God that we should be redeemed from the judgment due to sin, but Scripture also has a great deal to say about redemption from the power of sin, so that we might be redeemed from those evil habits and unholy ways which at one time held sway in our lives. This redemption is through the indwelling Christ, through the risen Christ working in the power of the Holy Spirit, who makes Christ real to His people down here.

And then Scripture speaks of a third aspect of redemption: the redemption of the body. I have been redeemed as far as my soul is concerned, if I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am daily being redeemed from sin’s power, if I am walking in subjection to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. But though I am thus redeemed in measure, I am made to realize every day that this very body of mine is often a hindrance instead of a help in regard to the my practical deliverance; but I am looking forward to the time when the body itself shall be redeemed and made like unto the glorious body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then I shall be redeemed from the very presence of sin and from all the evidences of its corruption.

THE JEWISH FEAST OF PASSOVER

Here in the first Epistle of Peter, the apostle carries our minds back to a wonderful event that took place in the land of Egypt centuries before, that event which the Jewish people to this day celebrate annually in the Feast of the Passover. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, suffering under Pharaoh’s cruelty, and God, you remember, said, “I am come down to deliver them,” and He told Moses of something that was to take place whereby, He says, “And I will put a division (or literally, a redemption) between my people and thy people (the Egyptians).” That redemption was made by the blood of the passover lamb; and it is to this that the apostle Peter is referring typically in his first Epistle when he says, “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (empty behavior) received by tradition from your fathers (ancestrally handed down); but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

The blood of the lamb shed so long ago was God’s picture of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ which was shed on Calvary’s cross fifteen hundred years later, but to which we now look through the mists of nearly two thousand years. How can that blood avail for our redemption today? The blood had to be sprinkled of old on the actual lintel and door posts and then they were safe inside. It is centuries since Christ has died. In what sense, then, can we be made secure from judgment through the blood that He shed so long ago?

FROM THE LINTEL AND DOOR POSTS TO THE HUMAN HEART

We read in the Epistle to the Hebrews of having our hearts sprinkled by the blood of Christ. How is that blood applied to our hearts? Through simple faith. In the Epistle to the Romans, chapter 3, after dwelling on the lost condition of all men by nature and practice, the apostle says in verse 23 and on, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”; and then adds:

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26)

What is he telling us? That the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus is all-availing, that it is sufficient for all men everywhere, that it settled for the sins of all men in past ages, who looked on to the cross in faith, and it settles now for all in the present age and in all the years to come, who look back to that cross in faith—”through faith in his blood.”

In other words, when we trust the One who shed His blood at Calvary, then we are numbered amongst those who have redemption through the sacrifice that He offered, and that means that we are secure forever from the judgment due to sin, just as Israel, sheltered beneath the blood of the passover lamb, was secure from the judgment that was to fall upon Egypt, for God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” So today, we who put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are redeemed from the judgment that is hanging over this poor world—the judgment that sin deserves. And so we can enter into the meaning of that Scripture which says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”

WHAT DOES YOUR SALVATION DEPEND UPON?

Some of you have only lately come to Christ; you have not known the Lord very long. Oh, I beg of you, do get this clear. Your salvation, your security from judgment does not depend on anything that you can be or do. It depends upon the work that the Lord Jesus did for you when He suffered in your place upon the tree, and you enter into the good of that redemption through faith in Him. When Satan comes to tempt you, when you discover things in your own heart that you did not realize were there, just meet him with this: the redemption that is in Christ Jesus has settled everything, has made me free, has given me deliverance from the judgment of a holy God.

The believer is said to be redeemed from the curse of the law. He was exposed to that curse because of sin. God has declared, “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” We have failed; we have broken God’s law; we are under that curse. But our Blessed Redeemer was made a curse for us, as it is written, “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” Redemption guarantees our safety from judgment.

[Look for the remainder of the chapter tomorrow.]

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Micah and Bad Times

Since the beginning of our current “global recession,” many have compared it with the American Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s. I’m not sure it really matters which hard time, which bad time, was the worst. During the life of Micah’s preaching, he lived through three kings’ reigns. In all of them, there were some really bad times. Bible scholars have wondered about which king’s reign Micah described when he wrote:

Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.

Micah 7:1-3

According to Matthew Henry, Micah described a time in the reign of King Ahaz and the earlier reign of King Hezekiah. There were reformations and a rekindling of desire toward G-d during the reign of King Hezekiah, though. Unfortunately, it didn’t last; after King Hezekiah died, under the reign of King Manasseh, the country fell once again into idolatry and pagan worship. I read that this was because the hearts of the people were not changed. Laws may change the outward behavior, but it takes a change of heart to make a lasting change.

Micah, like many of the prophets, looked ahead to the coming of The Messiah who would redeem us and change us. Like Micah, we live in bad times. But we do not have to look to a future time for our salvation. Salvation came to us, is now ours, in Y’shuaJesus. We only must choose to accept. If we accept that salvation comes from no one, from no where, other than through Y’shuaJesus’s life, death, and resurrection, we may look forward to His coming to collect us to Himself. In this knowledge alone we may rejoice. In Y’shuaJesus we rejoice. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. As He has told us, no one comes to the Father unless he or she comes to Him.

There is no other way!

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

The Old Cross and The New

It’s been an interesting week. Do you believe in spiritual attacks? Or when things go really wrong, is it just stuff happening? It felt, to me, more, well, spiritual than simply physical. It felt like something drove the physical events. At any rate, I’m okay–we’re okay. I hope you’re okay, too. It’s a crazy world in which we stay–strangers in a strange land, and all.

I ran across this message by A.W. Tozer that I really enjoyed. I hope you do also. Lord Bless, Keep, Shine.

The Old Cross and The New
By A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

Unannounced and mostly undetected there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental.

From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and from that new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique — a new type of meeting and a new kind of preaching. This new evangelism employs the same language as the old, but its content is not the same and its emphasis not as before.

The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam’s proud flesh it meant the end of the journey. It carried into effect the sentence imposed by the law of Sinai. The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure….

The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist… preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level…

The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect…. It is false because it is blind. It misses completely the whole meaning of the cross.

The old cross is a symbol of death…. The race of Adam is under death sentence. There is no commutation and no escape. God cannot approve any of the fruits of sin, however innocent they may appear or beautiful to the eyes of men. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him again to newness of life.

That evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways of God and the ways of men is false to the Bible and cruel to the souls of its hearers. The faith of Christ does not parallel the world, it intersects it. In coming to Christ we do not bring our old life up onto a higher plane; we leave it at the cross. The grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die.

God offers life, but not an improved old life. The life He offers is life out of death…. Let him not seek to make terms with God, but let him bow his head before the stroke of God’s stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die. …the power that raised Christ from the dead now raises him to a new life along with Christ.

Passover 2012

And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. Exodus 12:11-14

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. 1 Corinthians 5:7

This Friday, at sunset, begins passover. It is known as פֶּסַח pesach, which comes from “pretermission, that is, exemption; used. . .of the Jewish Passover (the festival of the victim), passover (offering).”

The weeks preceding pesach are spent in much house cleaning in search for bread crumbs. It is quite an activity in which all members of each household are involved—young to old. I hadn’t realized Christians from some denominations also follow this part of the Law, too.

What does leaven symbolize? It has long been thought of as a metaphor for sin. Just as we’ve spoken of, before communion, we search ourselves looking for any sin in our lives. Passover and Resurrection Day are forever linked to communion. Y’shuaJesus is the Lamb of G-d—the Lamb slain whose blood covers us, keeping us from the Angel of Death. We celebrate communion to remember Y’shuaJesus, that His body and blood were given for us. It seems appropriate that we should, before Resurrection Day, which also called by the pagen name of Easter, search for bread crumbs containing leaven, not only in our lives but throughout our homes.

While this is all good, I wonder if there is a deeper meaning to leaven than that of sin only. In Luke 13:21 Y’shuaJesus says of the Kingdom of Heaven: “It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” I read that many reconcile this as being the one time in a hundred where leaven isn’t a metaphor for sin. Yet it just doesn’t seem reasonable to me. Matthew Henry comments on Luke 13:21: “You expect [the Kingdom of Heaven] will make its way by external means, by subduing nations and vanquishing armies, though it shall work like leaven, silently and insensibly, and without any force or violence. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump; so the doctrine of Christ will strangely diffuse its relish into the world of mankind: in this it triumphs, that the savour of the knowledge of it is unaccountably made manifest in every place, beyond what one could have expected, 2Co_2:14. But you must give it time, wait for the issue of the preaching of the gospel to the world, and you will find it does wonders, and alters the property of the souls of men. By degrees the whole will be leavened, even as many as are, like the meal to the leaven, prepared to receive the savour of it.”

So to speak of leaven, one is speaking of something that is silent, working almost mysteriously within—sin does that, doesn’t it? Y’shuaJesus warned of the leaven of the Pharisees. Their doctrines, traditions, interpretations of the Law, and even their hypocris, that would all work within those that adhere to their leadership. Leaven. Y’shuaJesus said to seek first the Kingdom of G-d. It will also work within us, slowly, silently, mysteriously. The Word of G-d, made flesh in Y’shua, made flesh in us.

Yet go back to the woman hiding the leaven in three measures of flour. There’s a view that even here leaven is sin hidden within the ingredients that the loaf is made from. There is a belief that the loaf is symbolic of the church, which is G-d’s Kingdom on Earth, and that the leaven is false beliefs and false doctrine hidden withing the ingredients so that these deceptions are passed on to all who partake of the loaf. An extreme example of the way an entire nation can become captive to a bizzare notion is the propaganda machine developed by Hitler prior to World War II. The leaven of his deception grew slowly, silently, until it permeated most all in the nation of Germany. The German people were mentally poisoned to hate the Jewish people, gypsies, virtually anyone that did not adhere to their Aryan cultural view of themselves. Extreme nationalism gave rise to the Hitler youth movement. No one questioned the authority of the Third Reich, of Hitler, of his agents, until too late. When they did, they were eliminated. The world, it seemed, went crazy. Sixty million people died as a result of Hitler’s leaven. Two atomic explosions rocked Japan.

Could the church of the twenty-first Century become permeated by false beliefs? The Apostle Paul said: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) It’s not that there may be evil lurking in heavenly places, it’s that THERE IS evil lurking. It is leaven in the church. Sin!

Proceeding pesach, we rid the leaven within our homes. We celebrate the feast of passover with the knowledge of Y’shuaJesus as the pesach lamb. On Sunday we celebrate the empty tomb, the resurrected Lord. And we rejoice!

A Foolish Hope?

Cover of "Preaching the Cross (Together f... — Cover via Amazon

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

The Cross. A powerful symbol. And in recent years the Cross has become quite controversial. I’ve lamented in the past at the growing number of churches that do not display a cross on their buildings. I’ve also shared my growing excitement at the number of large crosses placed near highways. Even as the church seems to be growing colder and colder, there are still numbers of people committed to the Cross as an expression of their faith. It reminds me of Elijah telling G-d, “Hey, I’m that last of the good guys here, and they want to kill me!” Pardon my paraphrasing. How did G-d reply? Yup. Elijah isn’t alone, there are true-born followers of G-d, hidden, cared for. . .

But in all this, do you ever wonder why we seem to be the losers here? When Paul tells of his successes he always says he was persecuted, beaten, rejected. And all for he cause of preaching the cross. In order to move on, to live in this world, there is a constant battle engaging the human senses. There are distractions. We seem to get beat down and begin to lose our hope. And often it comes in the form of an offer for help.

The other day a man took his son to the doctor. The boy complained of an ear ache, which the doctor said was only congestion. What the doctor did then was to tell the father and son all about a particular series of shots that will prevent a sexually transmitted disease. Among the various statistics that the doctor cited was one that said without the shots there was a 70% chance of contracting cancer or other nasty diseases related this human papillomavirus (HPV). The doctor said that even if the boy were to actually find a virgin to marry, the chance the girl was free of HPV was very slim. No hope in this world. No hope for a virus-free girl. No hope.

Our hope is in the Lord Y’shuaJesus. We are the losers of this world. We don’t go along with the world. We really don’t fit in it. The world doesn’t like that, either. The world doesn’t like the Cross, for it is a powerful symbol of resurrection from the dead, of life after death to G-d’s people, to G-d’s chosen ones. Paul says the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. They are dying. The will stay eternally out of the presence of G-d the Father, Y’shuaJesus, Holy Spirit. To us, the true-born believers, the saved, the Cross is the power of G-d to redeem our lives, to give us crowns of His Joy and His Peace. And this happens in His time.

Does that mean there is no hope during our lives on Earth? I think with our hope in our Lord, with our relationship with Him, we have struggles and temptations and trouble, yes, but we certainly also have blessings from Him. We are to seek first the Kingdom of G-d. Then let G-d’s Kingdom bless us.

Lord, have mercy upon us! Amen.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .