Posts filed under ‘Judaism’
Israelites Went In and Out of Fellowship Constantly
Much like the Prodigal Son who deliberately chose to leave his father’s presence to live a life of sin (Luke 15) and had to deal with the consequences of his actions, Christians today make decisions all the time that directly impact whether or not we are and/or remain in fellowship with God. Just as Achan chose to disobey God and take what God warned he should not have taken (to enrich himself), the consequences of his actions resulted in death for Achan, his family, and animals. I don’t take this to mean that Achan lost salvation (if he actually had it). But it is clear that God was much quicker to judge those who fell out of fellowship with Him during the Old Testament times than He does during these times.
Continue Reading January 16, 2016 at 8:35 AM Leave a comment
All the World’s a Stage and So Much of It is Absolute Vanity
Because of the misplaced value of too many in society, things that have no real eternal value are lifted up and adored, while the things that have eternal value are denigrated or ignored. This is sadly true even among Christians. It’s all about what we “accomplish” for God whether it’s His will or not. It’s all based on how things look on the outside, things we can brag about or put our faith in.
Christ, Our Fellowship, Part 17
When Moses met with God on the mountain, there was certainly a “to do” list of sorts and part of that included giving the Ten Commandments. Other parts included providing all the parameters for the building of the tabernacle, which eventually became the Temple under Solomon. Still other areas included all aspects of the Law, including the ceremonial aspects of the Law that dealt with daily living in Israel. But Moses also simply enjoyed God’s presence and who wouldn’t? It was through this “face-to-face” that Moses began to learn about and got to know the Pre-incarnate Jesus. It was based on these experiences with Jesus that Moses grew in knowledge of the Lord, how He wanted things done, and how He expected Moses to live before Him.
Christ, Our Righteousness, Part 19
Remember, this time of judgment is not regarding our salvation, which is safe and secure. That cannot be removed from us. We’re talking about our actions, words, and intentions, for which we are accountable. How would God be able to provide us with any rewards if He doesn’t judge those things? I guess what I can hope for when the time comes for me to stand before Him is that there will be a marked difference in my life as I grow toward Him. I’m hoping that as time progresses toward the end of my life, I will be a good student, a good soldier for Jesus, one who boasts in the Lord and willingly submits to Him in all things. I’m hoping my times of sin will be fewer and further between and my actual intentions for the actions and words that flow from me will stem from a heart that is more molded in His image and character. We can only hope this will be the case for all of us, but certainly, much of that is up to us and our desires for God in the first place.
Christ, Our Righteousness, Part 17
Did Jesus set up a corner stand with the banner stating “Free Samples of Eternal Life!” and then encouraged people to simply “try” them? If they didn’t like them, they would always reject it, right? But if a person actually becomes truly born again or born from above (John 3), wherein that person is sealed with the Holy Spirit and made partakers with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3; 4:30), how can that be taken away? How can they legally reject it? It seems as though this and other portions of Scripture we’ve highlighted are pointing to the fact that the only thing about being a Christian that a Christian can ultimately reject is whether or not that Christian makes and keeps Jesus LORD over their life daily. By stating this, I am not stating that so-called Lordship Salvation has merit. I’m simply stating that each and every Christian must come to terms with the fact that we need to submit ourselves to God in Christ daily. This is the fellowship aspect of being a Christian that rests with us. But even there, Jesus appears to have made it easier because He says He will help us.
Sons of the Kingdom Will Be Thrown Out
Those Jews who reject Jesus are rejecting His redemptive work on their behalf (and ultimately, they are rejecting salvation), because they wrongly believe they are “safe” because they have Abraham as their “father.” It is not Abraham who saves them. In fact, it is clear that Abraham also needed saving and God only counted Abraham as “righteous” because of the faith he exhibited in God (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; Hebrews 11:8-12). That salvation that came to Abraham was not automatically passed down to Jews through Isaac and Jacob. Only the culture of being Jewish was passed, not the salvation.
Continue Reading December 3, 2015 at 9:53 AM Leave a comment
Moving Toward Peace and Safety Ultimately Means Destruction, Part 4
We cannot stop what is coming. Most importantly, we are not called to attempt to stop it. Our calling is to be involved in the Great Commission (Matthew 28). I honestly believe as the time continues to draw near for these events to occur, people will become more afraid. They will be searching for answers. The last thing they need is for so-called Christians to tell them that as “patriots,” we must fight for our rights and stand against the government. That’s absurd. What people will need is what they’ve always needed. To hear the gospel of Jesus, the gospel that has the power to save them not only from what is coming in this temporal plane, but also to save them in the eternal realm.
Prophecies of Daniel 2, Part 5
Note that God chose to reveal the mystery of the king’s dreams to Daniel during the night. The revelation came as a direct response to the prayers of these godly men and as Constable points out, James says as much in James 4:2-4. There, James points out the problems associated with not received answers to our prayers. The exact opposite is seen in Daniel and his four friends. We could easily follow this up with James 5:16, which states, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
Continue Reading November 12, 2015 at 7:19 AM Leave a comment
You Are a Fragrance to the World
I’m willing to bet that even as Paul set off for Damascus where he chased down Christian after Christian (these were Jews who had converted, not Gentile Christians) in anger (Acts 8:3), God was busy using Paul’s recollections of Stephen’s death and the forgiveness he had evidenced for his murderers to thoroughly soften Paul’s heart. It worked. Though he may have begun in a form of righteous anger immediately after the death of Stephen, God would not let Paul off the hook, so He continued to bring that scene to his mind repeatedly. I imagine Paul’s recollection of that event and his trying to convince himself that Stephen “deserved” it was part of what gave Paul his anger toward Jewish Christians. But God used that for other purposes and God won the day.
God Told Zedekiah to Surrender to Nebuchadnezzar
Jeremiah had been warning about the eventual fall of Jerusalem, precipitated by Nebuchadnezzar, but it did finally arrive. The day came and it came with a vengeance. Can you imagine living inside a city where you know there is an army outside, building ramps and things in order to be able to get into your city? Let’s remember what God had said to King Zedekiah. He said that if Zedekiah went out to the officers (to surrender), all would be well. Oh, he would be taken captive, but he would survive along with his entire household. Moreover, Jerusalem would not be trashed and burnt to the ground.
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