Boldly Approach

 

“Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (NASB)

To what do we boldly run to own? Is it our mothers or fathers, money, fame, or status? Many things during our lifetimes grab our attention and cause us to walk toward them. Are we ever absolutely sure we should aim for those people and things? We train our minds and bodies with studies, degrees, apprenticeships, and exercises to go for the desired goal we have set our minds to do. One man in and over history lived with just one goal in life; it wasn’t for Himself. His goal was to help other people. Who is this man? Let’s consider what the writer of Hebrews meant when he wrote Hebrews 4:16.

The passage above refers to what the writer earlier stated. In Hebrews 4:1, he spoke of entering His (God’s) rest. This “rest” about which he wrote is a not struggling and straining to reach an earthly prize but resting in the fact a Christian no longer carries the weight of wrongdoings and decisions. Guilt is removed. The writer of Hebrews said believers in Jesus could rest, knowing all that needs to be done has been done. People who accept this work through Jesus’ efforts can experience peace of heart, mind, soul, and body.

How does a person get this rest? The writer explained this in verse two. He wrote, “For indeed we have had good news preached to us.” He goes further to state those who did not have faith in this Gospel did not become united in faith with the Father and with those who trusted in Jesus. What is this writer intending the hearers and readers to understand? People who believe in the One (Jesus) who made a way for them to rest with God in His kingdom. Peace exists for each believer who walks with God, doing His will in His strength. Striving and straining to become the best (perfect) through one’s own efforts is unnecessary and impossible. Sinful people cannot be perfect on their own. So, how do we enter and what are the benefits of attaining this rest with God?

In verse fourteen, the writer of Hebrews said we have a high priest, Jesus, the Son of God, who lives in heaven. He has God the Father’s ear and, for each person who has faith in Him as their Savior from their sin, He will forgive them and give them an inheritance in God’s kingdom. Jesus offered the sacrifice for the sins of each person with His death on the cross. By His sacrifice, He defeated death to return to His kingdom. Jesus offers His own body as the sin sacrifice for the sins of each person who trusts in Him. When a person professes Jesus as their Savior and repents of their sins, that can be with Him in His kingdom. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, each believer is saved at that point from the penalty of their sins. As that believer walks each day with Jesus, He sanctifies him or her. Upon that believer’s entrance to heaven, he or she is perfected, made complete.

God gives this rest. Each person who believes in Jesus no longer must struggle to be the best and then fail. The person saved by Jesus can give up the inner struggle and rest, receiving the promise of eternity with God in His kingdom and living in the knowledge of its future fulfillment. Until the point where a believer enters the kingdom of God upon his or her mortal death, that believer can rest knowing Jesus, through His Spirit, will train, guide, and protect him or her as he or she continues his or her mortal life.

When the writer arrives at verse sixteen, he said, “Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.” Because a person trusts in Jesus for his or her salvation from sin and death and because his or her hope is found solely in Him, this believer, with conviction, can draw near to God. Christians can understand without doubt that they will be in God’s presence, at His throne, in His kingdom forever. These believers will grasp, as they boldly go to God, they will receive “mercy and grace for help at the time of their need.”

No genuine need exists for which God has not made provision. Christians can rest in the hope and promise that God provides what we need. We Christians can boldly and confidently stand with peace because God loves us. Yet, some of us still try to manufacture our own happiness. We try to meet our own determined needs. At that point, we strive for things that will fade away or rust or rot (Matthew 6:19). We chase the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14 & 2:17) instead of resting in complete peace, knowing God provides whatever we need. What we assume we need or should do does not equal what God knows we need or should do.

Are you seeking after a better job, a grander degree, a bigger house, or to be fulfilled in another way? Do you find it frustrating and tiring trying to “get ahead”? We have a high priest, Jesus Christ, who can sympathize with our weaknesses because He was tempted in all things just as we are. Yet, He did not sin. Jesus did not strive after things of this world, but obeyed the Father to give salvation to each person who believes in Him. So, boldly approach the throne of grace and receive mercy, pardon, kindness, and love at your time of need.

Consider the following words and music of Boldly I Approach Your Throne by Rend Collective.

Boldly I Approach Your Throne

By grace alone somehow I stand
Where even angels fear to tread
Invited by redeeming love
Before the throne of God above
He pulls me close with nail- scarred hands
Into his everlasting arms.

When condemnation grips my heart
And Satan tempts me to despair
I hear the voice that scatters fear
The Great I Am the Lord is here
Oh praise the One who fights for me
And shields my soul eternally

Boldly I approach Your throne
Blameless now I'm running home
By your blood I come
Welcomed as your own
Into the arms of majesty

Behold the bright and risen Son
More beauty than this world has known
I'm face to face with love Himself
His perfect spotless righteousness
A thousand years, a thousand tongues
Are not enough to sing his praise

Boldly I approach Your throne
Blameless now I'm running home
By your blood I come
Welcomed as your own
Into the arms of majesty

Boldly I approach Your throne
Blameless now I'm running home
By your blood I come
Welcomed as your own
Into the arms of majesty.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QDnVD7gu5Y)

Escape

 

Therefore, let the one who thinks he stands watch out that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind.

God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:12-13 [NASB])

If you have ever read a Bible, listened to one being read, or heard people quote Scriptures, you have probably heard this verse or something akin to it. Most often, people will use part of it. What they say is, “God will not allow you to be tempted more than you can handle.” There is much more to these two verses Paul wrote than God’s benevolence to a person. These two verses speak almost exclusively about God.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in south-central Greece. The body of Christ, the church, there was experiencing problems within it. (Note: All churches will experience difficulties, temptations, and sin at least once.) Paul wrote to these Christians about the factions and divisions in the church caused by people falling to temptation. He wrote to tell them each member of the church must stand strong in their faith in Jesus to be a unified body of Christ that serves the members and the neighbors outside the church. A Christian’s freedom through Jesus Christ does not mean they are free to sin. Potentially, that would cause a brother or sister in faith to stumble because of his or her example.

To what were the temptations did the Corinthian Christians fall? Lust and craving what they did not have and but wanted. They were discontent with God and seeking only Him. The Corinthian Christians allowed these things and activities they desired to be their gods. These Christians worshiped false gods. Paul said the Corinthian believers wanted to gratify their evil desires and live immorally. By doing this, they caused factions and division in church and caused other believers to falter in the growth of their faith.

Next, Paul reminded these believers about the Israelites, God’s chosen people, and how they had a covenant with God through Moses. Repeatedly, the Israelites broke their covenant with God and sinned against Him. Paul helped the people recall what happened to the Israelites when they sinned. This, hopefully, would cause reflection amongst the Corinthian Christians and influence them to become mature followers of Christ. Paul wrote to the Corinthians because he cared for them. He did not want them to fall to temptation, but to stay in a growing faith-relationship with God.

With verses twelve and thirteen, Paul explained how Christians could avoid the snare of temptation, not be seduced to sin. In the New Living Translation of the Bible, Paul’s words in verse twelve say, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful (take action) not to fall.” Just when a Christian thinks he or she has conquered his or her temptations and cannot be tempted again, watch out because one is already in front of you. No one is outside the sphere of temptation. Paul’s word standing comes from the Greek word meaning being steadfast in mind and faith. It involves the mind, heart, and spirit. Indirectly, what Paul said involves action, too. Strong faith in and from God will keep Christians from acting out their desires that He does not approve. Paul meant, do not stop guarding yourself against Satan’s attacks. Put on the armor of God always. No person is strong every minute of his or her life. If that was the case, then Jesus would have had no reason to come to earth and die sinless of a sinner’s death. He died to take our place, so we would not have to die for the judgment of our sins. So, stand strong in your mind and faith and be careful not to fall. Consider the possibility of falling to temptation and being on guard, consider, and take heed (act) to avoid sinning. Living the life of a Christian in a fallen world is like being in a battle.

Paul continued with verse thirteen by telling the Corinthians how to avoid falling to temptation. He began by writing, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.” Remember, in verse twelve, Paul mentioned one must be steadfast in faith and mind and act, so he or she does not fall to temptations. Fight temptations with your whole being–heart, soul, mind, and strength (body). With verse thirteen, Paul reminded them no temptations any Christian faces are different from what other people experience. Each Corinthian Christian (and us) faced what the other did, wallowing in pity and being the lord of their lives, or allowing God to be the only God of their lives. None of us is beyond being tempted by Satan. All people have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Jesus came for this reason. He paid the penalty for each person’s sins by dying a criminal’s death, though He had not sinned. Jesus did not leave believers defenseless against temptation. He gave His Holy Spirit upon their belief in Him. Other Christians have faced the same temptation the Corinthians Christians faced and emerged victorious; therefore, each believer can overcome temptations. The Corinthian Christians were not defenseless; no one is. Take heart by remembering the people who walked through and defeated this same temptation. Remember, the ones who went before us, like the Israelites, who fell to temptations, reaped their reward of disciplining and judgment from God.

Even more than recognizing we must be strong and have faith, in both of which falter, we must recognize God and not wallow in self-pity. Paul wrote about God in verse thirteen. He said, “God is faithful.” In the middle of these two verses, Paul reminded the Christians of the most important part of fighting temptations. God is unlike humans who fail in their promises. He always keeps his promises. He abides by them. God’s faithfulness is a fundamental part of His being. He cannot lie or fail. What God says He will do will be done. Everything He promised in the past still holds true. He promised He would be found if we sought Him with all our hearts (Jeremiah 29:13). God will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8 & Hebrews 13:5). Jesus said to His disciples He was going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house (John 14:2). The Bible is filled with God’s promises to His people and to those who earnestly seek Him. God is always faithful to His children. Faithfulness is inherently part of God. Each believer must hold on to that truth as they battle temptation. They do not fight alone or with failing strength. God gives faith to believe in Him, that He will lead him or her to victory over that temptation.

The third statement Paul wrote in verse thirteen is, “He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.” (NLT) God is faithful and God is powerful. Omnipotence is part of who God is. Only He holds the universe in its correct alignment, so cataclysm does not occur and destroy all life. No person is more powerful than God. When fighting Satan’s forces as they strike out against you, a person needs superlative power, power beyond all imagining. The word power comes from the Greek word dunamis, from which the English word “dynamite gets its origin. Besides knowing this, we must recognize Paul did not tell the Corinthian Christians they will fight the temptations alone. God is with the person and will not allow it to be greater than the person can withstand. God knows that each temptation and trial grows a person stronger in their faith and trust in Him. He knows when it will be more than the person can stand up against because the person’s Christian growth has not grown that far. God also knows when a person needs to grow more and allows stretching through trials and temptations. In this verse, remember, God is and has the power (dunamis) to help a Christian get through temptations and to stop it completely, so His child is not overwhelmed. Note that God’s hand in all this. He is faithful. He has and gives His power. God controls how long a temptation/trial will last. Defeating temptation is all about being united with God in heart, mind, body, and soul.

The fourth and final part of verse thirteen states Paul told the Corinthians Christians, “When you are tempted, He (God) will show you a way out so that you can endure.” So, understand well, God won’t let a temptation go longer than you can stand with faith in Him and His power. He will show/give you a way out. He knows the map of the temptation and your desires and leads you, with His light, to green pastures (Psalm 23). Paul began this teaching and encouraging passage by telling the Christians to be careful and make sure they are standing strong against temptations. Look, see, and discern you face temptations and without God, you will not prevail. At the end of verse thirteen, Paul said, “When you are tempted, God will show you the way out and carry you away safely.”

Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians they will still face temptations like they did when they were not believers in Jesus. So, do not be surprised. Paul did not end with that fatalistic thought. He said God is faithful. He is faithful to His children and His promises. Paul continued by reminding the believers God is all-powerful. He can defeat the temptations Satan throws at them. God knows how far a Christian has grown spiritually and has the power to end the temptation at a specific point. The LORD is almighty and gives the strength His people need for the temptation/trial when they ask Him. Inherently, God is faithful, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and almighty. He knows what each person faces at any moment in time and desires to help him or her. Christians must do their part, too. Paul mentioned only two things Christians must do. He said believers must be steadfast in mind and spirit (vs. 12 a) and “be careful not to fall.” Christians must remember He is always with them, giving them His power and strength, and making a way for them to greener pastures (Psalm 23).

Being careful not to fall requires action. Believers in Jesus must act on the faith and trust they have in God. They act based on who God is, His promises, and what He has done and can do; He can do everything. The faith and actions of Christians are not baseless. Christians’ lack of faith can cause harm to themselves and their relationships with family, friends, God, and believers in the body of Christ. Paul addressed the Corinthians Christians because of their sins of living like non-Christians: visiting temple prostitutes, worshiping idols, cheating people out of money. In essence, they made their desires into their gods and did not follow the LORD God. Be aware when you sin, you cause disunity in the church, just as the Corinthian church experienced. You cause other believers to stumble. And you allow yourself to be led astray by Satan. When Christians live by God’s power against temptation, they gain more faith, grow more like Jesus, grow closer in relationship with God, grow stronger relationships with other people, strengthen the church to follow God more diligently, and bring God glory 1 Corinthians 10:31b).

Where do you stand in your relationship with God? Are you fighting temptations in your own weak strength and power? Or are you calling on almighty God to fight with you, give you faith, and show the way out of that situation. From this, your relationship with Him will grow and be an example of His faithfulness to someone who watched you conquer that temptation. Do not stop praying for strength to combat temptations. They will confront you every day.

 Whether then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 [NABS])

God is faithful, all-powerful (omnipotent), almighty, all-knowing (omniscient), and always-present (omnipresent). You face and endure nothing without His knowing, His light, His power, and His strength because He is always faithful to His promises to His children. Going through trials and temptations can be all about God or all about ourselves. You choose and that choice decides the outcome of the temptation. What you choose can and will affect other believers, your neighbors, and the church.

 

Approved

 

“Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Council member, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.” (Mark 15:43 [NIV])

Each of the Gospels in the Bible (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19) tells us about Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish High Council. The High Council created laws for the people of Israel. They passed judgment with the Jewish religious leaders on anyone who broke the laws. Joseph would have been in the meeting with the priests and other religious leaders as they questioned Jesus. These men later took Jesus to Pontius Pilate. Yet, something was different about Joseph.

Not all religious leaders turned their backs on Jesus. A couple listened to what He said, questioned Him, and secretly believed in Him. They became Jesus’ disciples, too. Nicodemus is the first religious leader we read about who became a believer in Jesus (John 3.) The second is Joseph of Arimathea. We discover he was Jesus’ disciple after Jesus died. In the Bible passages noted above, Joseph asked Pilate if he could remove Jesus from the cross and put Him in his own unused tomb. Once Pilate determined from a centurion that Jesus was dead, he gave permission for Joseph to take Jesus’ body off the cross, wrap him in linens, and lay Him in the tomb.

This sounds normal. You may wonder what the big deal is. Why did each of the Gospel writers decide it necessary to record Joseph’s actions toward Jesus’ body? For Jews of the time, touching a dead body was a big deal. Why? Because it caused a person to become unclean, according to God’s laws. A person who touched a dead body had to perform ceremonial cleansing. For seven days after touching a dead body, a Jew is unclean and must perform a specific ceremonial washing as described in Numbers 19:11-13. Remember, Jesus’ arrest and death occurred during Passover week, a holy week. God’s laws required Jewish men to go to the Temple in Jerusalem for this holy week. Since Joseph touched Jesus’ body the night before the Sabbath, he would be unclean and unable to enter the Temple on the Sabbath to celebrate Passover. For Jews, especially Jewish leaders, becoming unclean, more so, choosing to become unclean, was unheard of, especially at Passover. They exerted effort to ensure their ceremonial cleanliness (righteousness).

What would cause Joseph to choose to be unclean according to the religious laws? Joseph counted the cost of acting like a Jew and keeping up the façade next to honoring and respecting Jesus the Messiah. To him, putting on a façade for the Jews was less important than taking care of the body of Jesus, his Savior. Jews could not leave a dead body on a cross over the Sabbath. It would dishonor God and the land He gave them. Joseph chose to honor Jesus and not to seek the approval of people. He chose to honor God. Joseph chose to humble himself let the Jewish people consider him unclean. He allowed the dishonor to fall on himself instead of the Messiah.

One other consideration Joseph may have had is Jesus taught He Himself is the fulfillment of God’s laws. Since Jesus fulfilled the laws, the Jewish people need not offer sacrifices for sins anymore. They did not need to consider ceremonial cleansing since Jesus cleanses all who believe in Him for their salvation. Because of Joseph’s belief in Jesus, he would not be unclean for having touched Jesus’ body. Joseph, by his actions, showed his belief in Jesus as the Son of God. He and Nicodemus went from being secret and peripheral believers to being open and active believers in Jesus, the Son of God.

Why is this a big deal 2000+ years after Jesus’ death and ascension? Joseph sought the approval and respect of the Jewish people and priests. As part of the High Council, he clearly had to keep every law. Joseph, a lawmaker and judge, wanted to be righteous. He wanted to get to heaven when he died on earth. When he listened to and about Jesus, he decided for himself Jesus is the Son of God. We each are at that point now. Jesus has already come to earth and returned to heaven. He became the sacrifice for our sins. He loves each person. Jesus provides cleansing from sins and God’s approval for each person. He gives eternal life with Him in heaven. We can be like Joseph and Nicodemus were. They sought love, respect, and approval from other people. Getting those things from people can never cleanse us from our sins (our wrongdoings). We cannot be good enough or earn our way to heaven. But, we can do like Joseph and Nicodemus did while Jesus was on earth. We can have God’s love, approval, and salvation by believing in His Son, Jesus. Yes, God loves us all the time. That love provided a way for us to be cleansed of our sins. God does not force us to trust in Jesus. He makes it salvation to us and we can decide for ourselves, like the disciples who walked with, heard, and trusted in Jesus while He was alive on earth.

The decision is your own to make. Keep trying to be good enough. Keep seeking love, approval, and respect from other people. You will never be assured of your salvation and place in heaven with God. Alternatively, seek God and His love, trust in Jesus as His Son for your salvation, and be approved by God and have eternal life with Him in heaven. Doing things to look good and trying to be good are not good enough. Joseph and Nicodemus understood that. They knew the religious laws and realized trying to keep them and appear good was not the same as the goodness (righteousness) God gives to each person who believes in Jesus. God gives love, forgiveness, approval, and salvation. Will you believe and accept it?

Stop trying to be "good enough."

Seek God’s approval.

The Cup

 

“And He (Jesus) was saying, ‘Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me, yet not what I will, but what You will.’” (Mark 14:36 [NASB])

 Jesus approached His final Passover. He and His disciples walked to Jerusalem to take part in the festivities and remembrances that week. The Jews recalled the times when I AM (Yahweh God) provided food for them in the wilderness. They remembered when the Spirit of God went from home to home and from one animal stall to another, killing the first-born of each species. Moses told the Jews to put the blood of a sacrificial lamb on their door frame to protect them from God’s judgment. The Spirit bypassed obedient Hebrews when exacting God’s vengeance against Egypt. During that night the Jews prepared for the journey they would begin the next day. They packed their belongings and asked their Egyptian neighbors for their gold, silver, and other assets. During this night, they made unleavened bread for the journey. Jesus traveled to Jerusalem like obedient Jews did to celebrate the Passover and the exodus from Egypt.

 Jesus and His disciples obediently journeyed to Jerusalem to thank God. They prepared and ate a meal together. Jesus knew, though His disciples did not understand fully, that His time had come. Soon He would be arrested and handed over to the Jewish religious leaders and Roman leaders. The purpose for His life on earth had arrived. The purpose for Jesus’ birth as a man was to provide a once-for-all perfect sacrifice for humanity’s sins. For this reason, He purposefully walked to Jerusalem.

 After Jesus celebrated the Passover and began giving its new meaning of the “Lord’s Supper,” He and His disciples walked to the Mount of Olives, where they often prayed and He taught them. During this time, Judas Iscariot prepared to betray Jesus. He took thirty pieces of silver from the Jewish religious leaders and sought a time to betray Jesus. Jesus knew who would betray Him. He realized, because He is 100% divine, He would be given into the hands of men who would crucify Him. The Son, like the Father, knows all things. That He knew His disciple would betray Him weighed heavily on His heart. As the Son of Man (100% God and 100% man), Jesus understood He would experience the pain of being nailed to a cross, having His side pierced by a spear, and gasping for breath. As a man, Jesus probably felt trepidation and needed strength to finish His purpose on earth. His human mind and heart possibly dreaded what He understood must be done. This gives new depth of meaning to John 3:16. God (Father, Son, and Spirit) loves us so much that He willingly sent His Son to earth in the form of a man to die the death of judgment for our each of our sins. Jesus, God with us, came to us and for us, willingly and knowingly living on earth as a man to die a slow death of asphyxiation for each person. He did this so whoever believes in Him as the Son of God, the Messiah, will have eternal life and forgiveness of sins.

 Jesus said in Mark 14, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me, yet not what I will, but what You will.” Jesus called out, “Daddy!” That speaks of a close relationship with the Father. He then states fact; God is Sovereign and can do anything. Anything, like keeping one from death and from the hands of angry, evil, and scared men. Anything, like making a way for His created and rebellious humans to have an eternal relationship with Him. God is the source of all power. Jesus knows the Godhead is all-powerful. He also knows no other way was available to provide redemption from sins. A sin sacrifice was required, and it could not be just anything. This sin sacrifice had to be perfect, without blemish or stain from sin. The only sinless being is the Godhead-Father, Son, and Spirit. God provided the perfect sacrifice through the death of the Son of Man and Son of God, Jesus the Messiah. With this understanding, Jesus made His final statement in this verse. He said, “Not what I will, but what You will.” The humanity of Jesus submitted to the perfect, divine will of the Godhead. He willingly walked to the cross to be crucified, pierced, and to suffocate so humanity could be saved from their sins and death.

 The Father did not leave Jesus to walk to His mortal death alone. In Luke 22:43, Luke tells us, “An angel from heaven appeared to Him (Jesus) and strengthened Him.” The Father realized the mortal flesh was weary and frightened but determined to do His will because of His overabundant love for each person. Luke continued in verse forty-four by saying, “And being in anguish, He (Jesus) prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” [NIV] Jesus prayed for the strength to walk to His death. He prayed for each person to believe in Him. Jesus prayed so fervently that sweat became profuse, like a river of blood flowing from an arterial vein. The angel encouraged, strengthened, and upheld Him for the purpose for which He humbly gave up His place on the throne in heaven. Jesus’ decision was deliberate before He left heaven, while He walked and taught on earth, and as He prepared for Judas’ betrayal, the Jewish religious leaders’ antagonism and unbelief, and Pontius Pilate’s handwashing. This One who died for the sins of each person was betrayed, mocked, tormented, and found unworthy for a governor to be held accountable.

 Considering what Jesus did and said in Mark 14:36 and Luke 22:43, are any of us ever willing to make these statements to God? Have any of us lived out God’s purpose this determinedly? Have we made a genuine sacrifice of ourselves to God’s plans and purposes? With Jesus as our model, I realize few people make this ultimate stand for God. This purpose in life requires a total surrender of heart and will to God’s plans. Jesus understood this profound surrender. To give oneself in total surrender to God means giving the right to oneself-one’s whole heart, mind, body, and spirit-to obey God in His purposes to save every person before he or she mortally dies.

 Just as Abba gave strength to Jesus to walk the road to Calvary, He gives us the strength to walk according to His plans. Those plans may be to help someone with food, offer shelter for someone without a home, or donate to a charitable organization. It may also mean leaving home and country to live where most people have not heard about Jesus and walk with them telling them about Him. Walking with unbelievers often means being willing to sacrifice our lives. The key to each of these tasks and others God asks of believers is God, not us. God created. He sacrificed and redeems. God cleanses. He calls and strengthens. Then, God walks with those who willingly offer to Him what He asks of them. God gives each person what she or he needs to live abundantly in a loving, growing, and eternal relationship with Him.

Jesus didn’t ask for a kiss, but Judas gave it.

He asks us to believe in Him; He paid the price.

 Are you willing to give your all-heart, soul, body, and spirit-to God? He will give you the strength and everything you need to follow Him. All things are possible with God.

Gnat

 

“What do you think about the Christ? Who’s son is He?” (Matthew 22:42 [NASB])

 Read Matthew 22:41-46 & 23:13-36, Mark 12:35-37, and Luke 20:41-44. Jesus again taught the Pharisees and religious leaders. He spoke to them about their straining of the gnat and not the camel. Jesus also spoke to them about Him being both son of man and Son of God.

The Pharisees and other religious leaders refused to see Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah. They actively refused to believe, so much so that they executed Him on a cross. They also actively strained the gnat, the small laws that made them appear more pious, but couldn't make time for the camel, the things everyone else does in following God's commands, decrees, and laws. These leaders went to great trouble to strain out all the small things. It takes more care to strain small things than large things like the camel. Yet, their efforts to follow the letter of the laws they created supposedly showed their piety.

Jesus’ statement to these men meant they considered the Son of God like the camel; they refused to hear and believe Jesus is the Son of God. These leaders believed He was flesh and a son of David but no more. They wanted to keep their reputation and status in Judea and not be overshadowed by anyone. These religious leaders knew all the laws, commands, and decrees of God and the traditions of the church, but they chose to make only the small things important, things like church traditions. They believed Jesus was a son of man because of His parentage, but refused to believe He is more than that, that He is Sovereign Lord. These leaders wanted people to keep thinking they themselves were the most God-like. They did not want to concede that some poor carpenter's son from Bethlehem is God made flesh. 

To apply this to us, which of the traditions of the church and the laws, commands, and decrees of God do we choose to follow to appear more godly than other people and which do we relegate to the closet considering them unworthy of recognition? Do we make sure we are seen giving money to the needy or the church? Do we attend church every Easter, Christmas, and Sunday only so others can see us attend? Do we give money to a charitable organization that lists its donors? Do we do these things instead of choosing to recognize, listen to, heed, and obey God in the daily things of our lives? When we do these gnat-straining things, we are like the Jewish religious leaders who actively did not seek Jesus Messiah but sought to enhance their status in the community.

God seeks obedience, not grand gestures. This means we must live like Jesus is the Sovereign Lord of our lives and of the world. We must step out of the spotlight and honor and serve God by serving others. Live like Jesus is son of man and Son of God, not one or the other. Let Jesus be Savior and Ruler of your life each day as Son of God,  and be son of man, knowing what it’s like to deal with what life throws at you.

  “Therefore, if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” (Jesus said.) (Matthew 22:45 [NASB]) 

Tears

The tracks of tears,

Refreshing? Not so.

Swiftly downward,

Silently go.

 

Unheeding pain

Felt deep within,

These silent creepers

Start once again.

 

Volcanic, at times,

Sputtering deep within,

Bursting up and over

Pain cascading.

 

Unwanted news,

Though expected, still,

Loss and heartache,

Surprises until…

 

What I knew comes,

Life ends for all,

Life given to God,

Goes to His call.

 

He calls to each,

Wanting to redeem,

He calls to His children,

Come, take your claim.

 

The promise from Him,

Upon accepting His gift,

Opens and reveals

For those who admit.

 

Admit His Son died,

Ransomed for all,

Sins washed away,

Children of faith.

Washed by His blood,

Cleansed from all sin,

Accepted by Father,

New life begins.

 

Entrance to heaven,

Open, free, for all,

Accept and believe,

Before tears fall.

 

Tears will still flow,

Trickling gently down,

At the loss of a dear one,

Absent here on this ground.

 

No more is present,

No more in pain,

No more discouragement,

Always have faith.

 

Faith in the Father,

Knowing He saved,

We’ll see our loved one,

Again, face to face.

 

Tears, yes, let them flow,

Cleansing, renewing,

Sputtering, flowing,

Refreshing relief.

 

Grief flowing up,

Tears flowing down,

Refreshing and healing,

God’s love surrounds.

Keeping and holding,

Weeping with you,

Comforting, cleansing,

His love ever new.

Salty

 

You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. Matthew 5:13 (NLT)

Many people have heard about Jesus and that He taught, healed, fed the hungry, and died on a cross, a brutal death of suffocation. Jesus taught on many things. Each teaching was about loving God by obeying Him, and believing Jesus is the Son of God, the prophesied Messiah.

The passage above comes from Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It speaks about saltiness. I’ve learned saltiness is slang for being sarcastic. A person is salty when he or she is sarcastic. People can be too salty. It comes from adding our humanness to an already difficult situation.

Jesus covered many aspects of life when He taught during His Sermon on the Mount. Their messages taught about loving God with our heart, mind, body, and spirit and loving other people as we want to be loved. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus spoke about a common commodity, salt. At that time, people used salt for preserving food, flavoring it, and caring for people’s and animals’ health. People understood salt. Jesus used this common item to teach the people a truth a truth. He used a parable.

When we consider this passage, we must wonder, can salt become unsalty? Have you ever heard of unsalty salt? In my mind, its flavor dictates its name. What good is unsalty salt? How can we make sure we have pure salt? How can we get it? What was the deeper meaning of this parable Jesus told? As we consider this passage briefly, let’s consider these questions and their answers.

Can salt be unsalty? Salt can lose its flavor, preservative, and disinfecting power if people add other things to it. This combined salt is impure. When people or a company create salt and add another ingredient to it, like iodine or carbon, the salt loses its saltiness. The shelf-life of iodized salt is five years. After five years, it loses its flavor and purposes. It can no longer be used to preserve meats or flavor food. In Israel, salt from the Dead Sea in southern Judah was not pure. The people could not use it for flavoring, preserving meat, or disinfecting wounds. Pure salt is sodium chloride. The only place people could get pure salt in that region was from the Mediterranean Sea. Obviously, salt was important to them, and is important today.

What can we do with unsalty salt? When this salt is worthless for its original purpose, people used it to clean ovens and pots. They used it as an abrasive. Unsalty salt absorbs the odor of garlic. It deodorizes strong odors, like bicarbonate soda does, because it combines carbon dioxide with sodium. When impure salt has lost its saltiness, it becomes an abrasive and deodorizer.

Impure salt is only good for its purposes for a short time, then it’s used for dirty activities. People add something to unsalty salt to it to make it salty for a short time. Nobody can add anything to manmade salt to make it permanently salty. Nothing can make impure salt salty again.

Did you catch that? Impure salt is manmade. Are we like impure salt? Do we try to make ourselves into good enough to be accepted by God and gain entrance into heaven upon our physical death on earth? People often will try to donate their time and money, strive for the highest position, or seek more money trying to be good enough. Of course, sometimes those actions are an excuse when people want power, position, status, and wealth. We must realize that nothing we do or say can make us righteous. Adding something good to our personal resume will not remove our sins. Just adding good words and actions to our personal sinfulness does not move us on the scale from sinful to holy/righteous.

Because we can do nothing to make ourselves righteous, since we have a sinful nature, the God the Father sent Jesus His Son to die on the cross in our place. His sinlessness means He is holy. His sacrifice of His life on the cross was as a substitute for ours. Jesus died so we do not have to die for our sins, the judgment we deserve from holy God. When we believe Jesus is the Son of God who died for us and confess and repent of our sins, we are not adding Jesus to ourselves. We are giving ourselves-heart, mind, body, and soul-to Jesus to cleanse and remake us into His image. Jesus is not an addition we make to our lives, like money, status, and fame. He makes us in His image-holy/righteous and renewed, born again. Our old selves are gone; the new has come. Paul wrote this in 2 Corinthians 5:17. He wrote, “This means anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.” (NLT)

Consider yourself. Are you adding to yourself good works and things, hoping you’ll be good enough for God and enter heaven? When we do that, we add to our impurity, even if those things are good. We, like the manmade salt, are impure. To be and do good, we need Jesus to make us righteous. We are the impure salt until we believe in Jesus and confess and repent.

Don’t add good to impurity. It will not be good enough and will only be cast away. Let Jesus purify and remake you. Know you will be with God in heaven. Live out your faith in Jesus by your words, actions, and thoughts. Show the pure salt from heaven so others choose Jesus, and He makes them the salt and light of the world. Will you seek Jesus, who will remake you into pure salt and use you to share about Him?

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16 (NLT)

 

 

 

Life Challenge

 

The God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including His people, His own special possession. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is His name! Jeremiah 51:19 (NLT)

Growing up, each child wants to be like someone. Some children want to be firefighters, police officers, or doctors. Others want to be the President or a teacher. Throughout the Bible, we read of people who want to be like others. Most often, we read about the Israelites wanting to be like the people of other nations and having what they have.

The Israelites descended from Abraham and Sarah. To Abram (Abram’s name before God changed it), a man who had no heir, God promised he would have as many descendants as the stars in the skies (Genesis 15:5). He continued this covenant with Abram, in Genesis 15:7-8,

I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you, and I will be their God. (NIV)

God made another promise to him saying He would make Abram’s descendants a “people.” He said in Genesis 17:4, “As for Me, this is My covenant with you; you will be the father of many nations.” Before God led Abraham’s descendants out of Egypt, these people were not a “people.” The word “people” means a group of individuals called by one name and made into a nation. God made Abraham’s descendants a nation when He rescued them from Egyptian slavery using Moses and Aaron.

In Genesis 26:3-5, God reiterated His promises to Abraham’s son, Isaac. Isaac passed God’s promises as a blessing on Jacob in Genesis 28:3-4. Yet, the descendants of Abraham were not a nation. They were a collection of people from the same area. These people, by God’s plan, became descendants (heirs) of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In Exodus 6, when God spoke to Moses about the Israelites in Egypt, He told him Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew Him as Yahweh, “the existing One.” Yahweh God explained He had covenanted with these men. With His rescue of the Israelites from Egypt, He declared His relationship with the people of Abraham. God told Moses,

“I am the LORD (Yahweh, the existing One). I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name the LORD. I did not make myself fully known to them. I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. (Exodus 6:2-4)

God then commanded Moses to tell the Israelites, "I will take you (the Israelites) as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians." (Exodus 6:6-7, NIV)

God said His relationship with the descendants of Abraham is close. He called Abraham’s descendants His people. God did not call other people and make them His own. With God’s declaration about the Israelites, He made them into a nation, His nation. This nation was the inheritor of the promises God made with their founding fathers. He would be their God and they would be His people.

Consider Israel’s spiritual life. They followed God, then sinned repeatedly. These descendants of Abraham worshiped God in the tabernacle, then made a golden calf at the bottom of Mount Sinai. They promised to obey His commandments and decrees, then kept things from the villages and cities they attacked. These Israelites had a spiritual life of peaks and troughs. What caused them to stand strong for God then disobey Him? What would make a group of people called by Yahweh His nation turn their backs on Him? This God is the same One who redeemed them from slavery in Egypt. He made them to be a light for the nations (Isaiah 42:6).

What happened? The Israelites sinned against God because of temptation. The ways people lived in the surrounding nations enticed the people of God. They wanted the gold and silver. The Israelites wanted idols, false gods, like other nations had. They must have thought, “Surely, the land of those nations is thriving. Their gods are working for them, so let’s give offerings to their gods, too.” This desire for more things-more gold, fame, and glory-drew them away from their devotion to Yahweh, LORD. Their actions, words, and thoughts disobeyed God’s commandments and said to Him they were not content with what He, the Giver of all good things, gave them (James 1:17). The Israelites coveted, killed, took part in adultery, worshiped other gods, etc. They no longer distinguished themselves as the people of God, His nation. Abraham’s descendants were like other nations. They became like the nations who God allowed to defeat and rule over them. The Israelite nation, people God chose and made into a nation, became slaves and exiles. They were in bondage to other nations and to their sins. What about these other nations enticed the Israelites? For a while, these nations prospered, defeated other nations, and expanded their empires. In the end, other stronger nations defeated them.

Considering this again, we read about the Israelites and wonder how they ever could have wavered in their spiritual fervor. God was among them in by cloud, fire, amazing provision, in protection, and in power. How could they have left Yahweh to be like the other nations? Understand, they wanted what other nations had, while forgetting Who made them a nation and proved Himself faithful to His covenant with them. They wanted to be like Babylon, Edom, Amorites, and other nations.

If we look honestly at ourselves, we realize our spiritual lives are no better than the Israelites’ lives. We have had times of faithfully following God and growing in our relationship with Him, then gradually or suddenly, we stop. When we consider these dips in our spiritual journey, we realize we decided we wanted more than God was giving us. We were not content with the “good and perfect gifts” He has given us (James 1:17). Reflecting on this, we realize we are no better than the Israelites, who were no better than the Babylonians, Assyrians, and other nations around them. We each are sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Of course, saying we fell away from God assumes we had a relationship with Him already.

Let’s think about this. God, through Abraham, covenanted with the Israelites. Yahweh promised to be Abraham’s, Isaac’s, and Jacob’s God. That was a personal covenant for them from Him. Only from Exodus 6 does God make this covenant with a group of people, the Israelites. He chose the Israelites to be His people, a nation. God chose them to draw other people and nations to a covenant relationship with Him. They could do that by their faithfulness to Him and His to them. They were to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6 & 60:3). The Babylonians, Assyrians, et al. had no covenant with Yahweh God. The people of these nations followed in other gods like Molech (child sacrifices required), Chemosh, Asherah (goddess of fertility who had temple prostitutes), and Baal. Each of their gods were false gods. These gods had no power. They were idols made by people from parts of God’s created world. They could not move themselves or cause any benefit or harm to people who bowed to them.

With this information, reflect on what this means for us. We are like Israel, who are like Babylon and the other nations. We sin and fall short of the righteous standard of God. The other nations had no god that could cleanse their sins from them. The nations’ gods could not help or save them. Their spiritual journey was a flat line in the trough. They had no hope of salvation from sin and no hope for eternal life with God. Still, they were like us, sinners separated from God.

The Israelites knew God and knew about Him. He chose them before they were a people, before each of them was born. God chose them when He covenanted with their ancestor, Abraham. These same Israelites had the prophets and priests of God who proclaimed what God required-to love Him with their whole being and to obey Him. The people who were not His people saw and heard about what God had done over the centuries. They understood from the Israelite lineage, God loved them, was gracious to them, and protected and provided for them. Still, the people of God had a spiritual journey of peaks and deep valleys. They had no steady upward growth in their spiritual journey with Yahweh God.

Consider this. God existed from before time began. He makes Himself evident in creation, provides testimony of Himself in personal accounts from people over these millions of years since He created people. The Bible, His word, tells us about Him-His attributes and works. Many of us have heard of the covenant God had with the Old Testament Israelites. This covenant was a covenant to lead the people to seek and follow Him. It carried His promise of always caring for them. Yet, God’s first covenant did not provide salvation, the cleansing from the stain and guilt of sins. God required by His laws that the Israelites twice daily offer animal sacrifices to atone for their sins. No created thing was perfect enough to cleanse people of their sins.

God had the perfect plan. He sent His Son, Jesus the Messiah, to be born as a man and live a sinless life as fully God and fully man. This Son, Jesus, died at the hands of humans. They crucified and laid Him in a tomb, which was then sealed. Yet, three days later, He rose from death to life as death’s conqueror. Forty days later, Jesus ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father in heaven to intercede for us. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ sacrifice cleanses the stain and guilty conscience from the sins of each person who believes in Him as the Son of God, the Messiah, and who confesses and repents of their sins. To be a Christian, a person must believe in Jesus the Messiah and confess and repent of his or her sins. From then, Jesus redeems the believing person. God declares him or her righteous. That makes her or him more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. That person can know he or she will have eternal life with God in His kingdom. This is the second covenant God gave to all humanity. It surpasses the first covenant, which could not save a person from his or her sins nor give eternal life.

You must ponder on and decide for yourself whether you will believe, confess, repent, and surrender your life to Jesus. Honestly, consider your life beside the Israelites’ spiritual journey. Do you recognize you have spiritual troughs and peaks as the Israelites? God covenanted with them. This covenant was not a redeeming one. Of course, a few people of Israel showed their faith with their lives of obedience to God. God called each of them righteous. Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, and other great men and women of faith God declared righteous.

Are you like the Babylonians and other nations who had no spiritual journey and covenant with Yahweh God? They either did not know God personally or did not know about Him they had no covenant with Him. Are you like the Israelites who wanted to be like their neighbors? Whether you are like the Israelites or like their neighbors, you still need redemption-cleansing-from your sins. Jesus paid the redemption price for you to be freed from the debt of your sins. That debt of sin is an eternal death penalty, an eternal separation from God.

Perhaps you are like the second covenant people, who are in a faithful covenant relationship with God and are co-heirs with Jesus in God’s kingdom. Unlike the first covenant, the second covenant ushered in by Jesus provides salvation and cleansing from sins for all people. Jesus died so each person could be made righteous and so God would declare them righteous. The heirs of Abraham are people of faith. Remember, God declared Abraham righteous in Genesis 15:6. This means Abraham is the father of people who believe in Jesus and become righteous through Him. The Gospel is for each person. God loves each person and wants each one to be saved from his/her sins and death. He wants everyone to become His redeemed child and co-heir with Jesus Christ. He sent His Son to earth because of His great love for each person and His desire to have a righteous relationship with each one. John 3:16 testifies to that. In it, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Through the millennia, Many Christians have stood for Christ and endured persecution. These testimonies of His people and the Bible proclaim God’s love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness available to every person. Each person gets to make his or her decision about believing in Jesus as the Son of God. Be more than other people. Choose to be like Jesus. Jesus is the image of truth and perfection.

Be Imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (ESV)

Who will you choose to be like?

Other people or Jesus?

Masked

 

Life’s masked encounters,

Ones who have no face,

Live on in the voices

As we make our way.

 

Whispers cloth and paper muffled,

Sweet indulgences now life muted,

Never failing, always trying,

Heart aims to be heard before “Goodbye.”

 

Sweet innocence event hidden,

Smiles never by encounter known,

Giggles, laughs must be the bearer

Of heartsong’s language to another.

 

Sparkling eyes, rise of chin,

Demurely bending when encounter perchance,

Cues most often overlooked

Become the clear parlance.

 

Life’s masked encounters,

Hide more than lost whispers

More than lost smiles,

Make no mistake.

 

For as time moves forward,

The more we are aware,

The more stays behind the mask

Secreted back in fear.

 

Each roaming mask

Seeks shelter, solace,

Though fear peeks through the shutter,

Heart, unseen, precious haven finds.

 

The intake of life,

Breath bends mask’s creases,

As depth of emotion,

Causes sighs and stuffs senses.

 

Stuffed tears,

Stuffed sadness

Stuffed distress,

Stuffed fear.

 

People walk behind creased masks

Waiting for crease marks someone to see,

Waiting through blur of tears,

Waiting for hurt to be beheld

 

Immune, none are we,

Walking this once new, now old, path.

Look, really see, behold the masked faces,

Hear the silent crying people hold back.

 

Fear of dying, fear of needing,

Fear of not knowing when,

Fear of gasping, fear of pleading,

Fear of ending the pain within.

 

Before it’s too late,

Take the chance, really see

People here, people there,

People the same as you and me.

 

Be seen without the masks we buy and make.

To be known deeper than a glance.

The fears, more common than before.

Reach out, share, hear, and care more.

The Substitute

 

I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 (NIV)

Jesus said this in His Sermon on the Mount. He pointed out that the people the Israelites looked up to as righteous were not righteous enough to be with God in His kingdom. This must have concerned them. The hearers of Jesus that day must have wondered how they could be with God in eternity. I am sure Jesus realized what was in the hearts and minds of the people listening to Him that day. He already had the plan in place. God has had the plan in place since time began of how sinful people, people He loves, can be with Him. He knows holiness cannot exist together with sin. That is not a choice, but a fact. Where sin is, no holiness exists, just like where holiness is, no sin can exist. Other writers and speakers give this example. When one enters a completely sealed and dark room, no light exists, but as soon as a person strikes a match, darkness is shattered, and the light pushes it away.

With that idea, we should consider what Jesus offers so people could be with God. The people on the mountain that day realized He had been speaking about God and eternal life with Him. Jesus taught them the Beatitudes, about what is more important than gathering things for yourself in this life. He explained that what is in a person causes the sin and offered His listeners a glimpse at the new covenant. Jesus explained He fulfilled the Law and brought the new covenant based on God’s mercy and grace. Nothing people can do can earn it for them. The first covenant required the Israelites to obey the Ten Commandments, which the religious leaders expanded to 622 regulations. Jesus said He fulfilled those laws in the Sermon on the Mount. With His life and death, Jesus provided what was necessary for redemption from sins forever and for each believer to have eternal life.

This idea that one must be righteous is not new to the New Testament. From God’s laws, the Israelites knew He required twice daily sin sacrifices to atone for their sins, their wrongdoings. These animal sacrifices were never enough for the complete and permanent cleansing of the sins they committed. Nothing a person could do would make the stains from sins and the condemnation because of sins go away permanently. Yet, God declared righteous some people in the Old Testament. If we are familiar with the Old Testament, we remember of a few people from memory, like Elijah, Moses, David, and Abraham. There were others, too, who God stated were righteous. Consider Ezekiel 14:12-23. Four times, in His condemnation of Jerusalem, God compared Noah, Daniel, and Job as having a righteousness that exceeds any person in Jerusalem. He stated explicitly in verses 14, 16, 18, & 20, “Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, their righteousness would save no one but themselves, says the Sovereign LORD.” God declared Noah, Daniel, and Job righteous because of their faith. (Hebrews 11:7, Job 1:1. In the book of Daniel, Daniel told the king the interpretation from God of the dreams God had given the king. By doing this, he was a prophet of God. God called His prophets righteous in Hebrew 11:32, & 39-40) God, with the first covenant with the Israelites agreed upon at Mount Sinai, declared the Israelites His people, His nation. This first covenant was to lead them to Him and let other nations know they are His people, whom He will protect. It provided for their faithlessness to their covenant with Him by explaining what He would do to discipline/punish them. This first covenant to the Israelites, the Mosaic covenant, provided no means of eternal salvation by works or by offering animal, grain, and oil sacrifices. Some of the Israelites intentionally sought and believed God deeply. They changed their lives to follow how He led them. Each of these Israelites allowed God to be the Sovereign LORD of their lives, just as God stated in Ezekiel 14.

God declared several Old Testament people righteous because of their belief in Him that led them to revere, love, and follow Him with their lives. Understand, He did not love just a few people. God loves all people. He seeks to have a personal relationship with each person. God understood the first covenant was not one giving redemption. That’s why He planned from creation to give a second covenant. That second covenant occurred when Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified on the cross and buried, three days after which He rose from death. Jesus conquered sin and death with this Messianic covenant. No other sacrifice does a person need to offer for his or her sins. Belief in Jesus, with the individual’s profession of faith in Him, and a confession and repentance of his or her sins brings the person into a saving, cleansing, eternal relationship with God. Nothing else. No one’s faith can provide salvation for anyone else.

God told Ezekiel to tell the people of Jerusalem that having God-fearing and righteous people in their city would not keep them from God’s righteous judgment and wrath. His wrath came because of their repeated sins against Him, each other, and other nations. They could not rest on the righteousness of others-not priest, prophet, grandparent, parent, or siblings, etc. No one is righteous except through God declaring them so.

When a person believes in Jesus Christ and He washes the sins of that person from his or her record, then God declares the person clean and righteous, just like He declared Noah, Daniel, Job, Abraham, Moses, and others of the Bible righteous. God provided a way for each person to be declared clean and righteous with the sacrificial death of His sinless Son in substitution for each of us. We do not have to die an eternal death of separation from God. By our belief and because of His grace, God will declare a person righteous. Paul said this in Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

None of us knows where another person truly stands in his or her relationship with God, but we each realize where we ourselves stand. Do you have a saving faith in Jesus? Do you believe Jesus is God’s Son, who died the death you deserve because of your sins against God? God will apply the death of Jesus against your sin judgment. He will apply His resurrection from the dead to you so that you will live eternally with Him in His kingdom. Now is your chance to confess your sins to God and repent of them asking Him to give you the direction and strength to avoid temptation and live a righteous life? What keeps you from believing in Him and receiving His grace?

As it is written:

There is no one righteous, not even one;

there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.

All have turned away, they have together become worthless;

there is no one who does good, not even one.

Their throats are open graves;

their tongues practice deceit.

The poison of vipers is on their lips.

Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.

Their feet are swift to shed blood;

ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.

There is no fear of God before their eyes.

²³ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

(Romans 3:10-18 & 23 [NIV])

More Than Your Past

 

The king (Josiah) also desecrated the high places (the pagan shrines) that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption-the ones Solomon, king of Israel, had built for Ashtoreth, the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh, the vile god of Moab, and for Molech, the detestable god of the people of Ammon. 2 Kings 23:13 (NIV)

Have you felt you will never overcome what you did or what someone did to you? Have you thought you will never be good enough? Everyone has considered themselves like this at least once, most people more than once. Whatever has caused you to see yourself as insignificant, tainted, and sinful, God can change and remove. Consider what happened on the Mount of Olives during Josiah’s time.

In 2 Kings 23, the writer tells us, after king Josiah read aloud the Book of the Covenant of God with the Israelites, he went to the Mount of Corruption to tear down and destroy the shrines to false gods and idols. During the reigns of his father and grandfather (Amon and Manasseh), they and the Israelites erected shrines throughout the land of Judah. They chose to believe in and offer sacrifices to the gods of other nations, just in case their God, I Am, was not the only true god. Josiah knew from his studies, belief, and relationship with the LORD God that He is the only God; no other exists.

The Mount of Corruption is the Mount of Olives. This mount is about 1 mile from the temple in Jerusalem. Josiah did not have to look far from his palace or the temple to see the corruption by shrines to idols and false gods. He removed and destroyed the shrines and poles from the temple, then walked to the Mount of Olives and did the same.

God created the Mount of Olives. He called it good. People are the ones who corrupted it, but God could make it holy again. Often God makes places holy with the help of people, like Josiah. Other times, He does it by Himself because He is the only one who can.

Just as God created the Mount of Olives, He made each person. When He created people, He said humanity was good. Over time, because of humanity’s sin nature, each person corrupts him or herself and/or considers him or herself corrupted by what other people did to him or her. God made a way for each person to be made new-to be remade and cleansed. Nothing can keep us permanently away from God, not sin, pain, abuse, rape, neglect, or anything. He has power over all these. God loves us when we consider ourselves unlovable. He desires to be in a relationship with us. Because of God’s love, He made a way for our sin and the sins others put upon us to be washed away so we can be clean and made new by Him. Jesus made this possible for each person who believes in Him as the Son of God and confesses and repents of his or her sins. We can never do enough or be good enough to earn this salvation. This salvation God offers to each person redeems us from how we consider ourselves and our sinfulness to His beloved and holy child. Jesus’ redemption He offers freely to people who believe in Him is His paying the price for our sins. He bought our freedom from sin and death.

Consider the Mount of Corruption. Josiah desecrated the shrines, poles, and land on which they stood. He redeemed the Mount for God’s purposes with His righteous indignation of destroying these shrines and idols. We see Jesus sitting on this Mount of Olives centuries after Josiah destroyed the idols. Josiah dedicated it for God’s use, not idol worship. Often Jesus taught His disciples on the Mount of Olives, called the Mount of Corruption in Josiah’s time. What God redeems; no person can blemish eternally.

Just as God created the Mount of Olives and sent His servant Josiah to give it anew to Him by desecrating the shrines, idols, and land on which they stood, so He can redeem you from your past and sins. If you have believed in Jesus Christ for salvation and the forgiveness of your sins, He redeemed you. Jesus saved you. No lies Satan or any person says about you and your past can change that. God made you and redeemed you. Paul said it this way in Romans 8:31b-39.

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [NIV]

If you have not accepted God’s love and trusted in Jesus Christ for redemption, you can today. Just pray to God saying you believe Jesus is His Son who died for your sins so you can receive salvation and forgiveness and live with Him forever. Confess your sins to Him and repent of them asking for His help not to do them again. You need only do that. Once you profess faith in Jesus and confess and repent with your whole being, God redeems you. He saves you from your past and your sins. Nothing will ever be able to separate you from God again, not your past or your future. You are more than a conqueror, more than a survivor of whatever you lived through in the past. God redeemed you, made you His own child, and consecrated you for Himself. He made you holy. He remade you and declared His recreation good.

We are more than what people have done to and with us and more than what we have done to ourselves. We can be who God sees us-cleansed, forgiven, and loved eternally. We do not have to stay a mount of corruption. We can be as God intended, like the Mount of Olives, a place He uses to show and share His love and the Gospel. God will renew-remake-us and call us good as He intended when He first created humanity. On our own, we are never enough. God makes us whole and new by the sin judgment His Son, Jesus Christ, paid for our salvation. He redeems of us from our past and sins.

Will you accept His love and redemption He freely offers to you?