Sunday’s Blessing - 10/8/2023

Sunday’s Blessing 

May you know the beauty of God is within you 

May you experience the fullness of God’s love

May you see the goodness God has for you

May you display the joy of God every day of your life

The Names of God - The Propitiation for Our Sins (Jesus)

The Propitiation for Our Sins (Jesus)

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.  

1 John 2:2 (ESV)

There are a few words in scripture that really capture my attention, mainly because they are not part of everyday language, yet have such deep meaning. Propitiation is one of these words. It literally is the crux of the matter when it comes to our salvation. Without it, we would still be lost.

When God met with Moses on the mountain and laid out the plan to redeem Israel and seal them as His chosen people, the plans for the tabernacle were given, along with everything which would happen in it. 

They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” Hebrews 8:5 (ESV)

There is so much here it would take a few volumes to explain it all. Let’s just look at this one piece called the propitiation.

Every year the high priest would enter the Holy Place to offer atonement for the people. Time was spent preparing the lamb for sacrifice. Additional time was spent preparing the priest for his ministry in the Holy Place.

When the time came, the “spotless lamb” was sacrificed on the altar. Some of the blood was saved and used in the purification process of the high priest. Then the high priest would take the blood into the Holy Place were God’s presence met him between the cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant. Once there the high priest would place the blood on the Mercy Seat. It was in this moment the blood became the propitiation, the one thing which God declared would stay His wrath from the people. Sin had to be dealt with, but the propitiation became the payment to cover the sins of mankind.

In Hebrews, the writer (whom I believe to be Paul) described the New Testament version of the tabernacle; not the replica which Moses built, but the real one in Heaven. Everything Israel did in the Tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness was just a picture of what God planned to do in the real tabernacle in Heaven. For THE Propitiation (the blood of Jesus) to cancel sins of all mankind “once for all” there would have to be a “spotless lamb” and a High Priest qualified to enter THE Holy Place in Heaven to offer the blood sacrifice on the REAL Mercy Seat.

He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Hebrews 7:27 (ESV)

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:17–19 (ESV)

This is why Jesus commanded those who saw Him immediately after the resurrection not to touch Him.

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” John 20:17 (ESV)

He had not yet been to the Holy Place in Heaven to offer the “once for all” propitiation to pay the debt created by sin. Later He instructed His followers to “touch me.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” John 20:27 (ESV)

The difference between seeing Mary and seeing Thomas was the visit to the Holy Place. He also imparted the Holy Spirit to them because He had been to see His Father.

There is so much more here than can be addressed in this format. I hope you will dig into this for yourself. It is the difference between life and death, spiritually speaking. Because Jesus offered Himself, His own blood, as THE Propitiation, we can be saved!

The Journey - Week 7

The Journey – Week 7

I’m beginning to feel settled. It’s a long way from normal, but more manageable. I met a few more folks at the campgrounds. So far, they all have a story which brought them here. The vast majority of the campers here are long-timers. I’m the newbie.

My neighbor on one side is a young couple. They are here trying to save money for land to build a house. They have a young daughter. I can’t really imagine raising a child here. Maybe their dream will be realized soon. Another I met is here from Florida. She and her husband are here for an undetermined time-frame. Unexpected health problems have sidelined their plans. They are biding their time here waiting on things to improve.

Waiting is a common motif I’ve heard in all of the stories thus far. Apparently, campgrounds are popular spots to wait. That seems to be a pretty easy thing to do here. There is not much else to do but wait.

Waiting is not really a problem. The important thing is what you do during the wait. When you have the luxury of time to wait, it should be spent with intentional activity. If not, it is just wasted time.

My book, “Wonder in the Wilderness”, gives lots of insight into what to do with waiting time. I’m gleaning from my own words during this season. You don’t have to be living in a camper to be in a wilderness. The path to where you are varies for each of us, but the actions we take while here are basically the same. You have to get your eyes (both natural and mental) focused on the answer which for every one of us is God.

You can pick up a copy of my book on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. If you don’t have the funds to cover the cost, send me an email and I’ll email a .pdf copy of the book to you. I pray as you find a way to “wonder” while in the wilderness you will spend less time “wandering”. 

If you choose to read it, please let me know your thoughts.

All of Creation Cries Out

Everything God created was done so to declare His goodness in the earth.

The beauty of Spring, with the blooming flora and fauna bearing their young indicates new life; a new beginning.

The bounty of Summer feeds us year round, a vast variety of fruits and vegetables, every color imaginable; the whole spectrum of taste.

The wonder of Autumn brings a kaleidoscope of color as the leaves turn, indicating the end of the growing season.

Winter comes with its own array of beauty and splendor with snowfall, icicles, and freezing temperatures.

These are the seasonal changes which boldly proclaim the manifest variety of visual stimulation created by our environment.

Then you have the daily wonders of sunrise and sunset, painting the azure blue canvas with red, purple, black, and gray, and every possible hue between these.

At night, the billions of stars and planets create a menagerie, perplexing even the most learned minds. Does it ever stop? How did it get here? Why are we alive when it appears there is no other life to be found?

With all of this, creation cries out the praises to its Creator. How, then, can we be silent?

Unintended Consequences

Unintended Consequences

Choices always have consequences. Sometimes, the consequences are clearly understood. An example: if you buy the Camaro, you cannot buy the Firebird. Most choices are not this straightforward. There are secondary, and even tertiary effects which either cannot or have not been identified. It’s a lot like playing chess. Each move a player makes creates a new environment for the next move. Good chess players can see several moves ahead. Unfortunately, most of us cannot do the same when it comes to life.

I recently made some choices which had some obvious consequences. There were other things which were potential consequences, but most of these were based on the decisions of others. Some of the potential consequences may not be resolved for a long time.

Then, there are unintended consequences; things which you had no idea would be affected by the choice at hand. I moved into a camper parked in a campground. That was a conscious choice. One thing I did not know was that Verizon had zero bars in the campground. I finally wound up having to switch cell providers in order to have a phone which works in my new home. This could have been determined before making the move. However, I have never had an issue with Verizon service for the past 25 years. It was not even on my radar for things to consider.

It was an unintended consequence. These are very difficult to predict. The best we can do is respond as quickly as we can, making informed choices, to minimize the impact. The unfortunate part is when these unintended consequences affect other people. Correcting these offenses can sometimes take a long time and/or a lot of effort. Some are irreparable.

I am thankful for the grace of God. The Bible tells us it is “new every morning.” It’s inexhaustible. It’s irrevocable. It’s irreplaceable. Grace doesn’t necessarily fix the issue when others are affected by unintended consequences. It is up to them to receive God’s grace for their life. But for me, I can continue to move forward, living life, hoping for reconciliation, knowing I’m good with God, and He is good with me.

The Names of God - The Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus

The Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Romans 3:26

The practice of using what is known in the preaching circles of “proof texts” has sometimes lulled us to sleep to the point that we miss the surrounding verses. This is the practice of taking one verse, usually out of context, in order to prove a particular part of one’s theology. One example of this is 1 Corinthians 2:9:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV)

This verse appears on greeting cards and is used liberally around milestone events in the lives of loved ones, such as graduation, etc. It sounds poetic, full of wonder and speculation as to what the future holds. However, God would never leave His children without direction, without a sense of purpose and plan. It wasn’t until I finally read the next verse that my angst was removed. Some of you may have never read it, so here it is:

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10 (KJV)

But!! How could this conjunction be ignored by anyone studying scripture? God has left us in the dark regarding His plans for us. He gave us His Spirit to abide in us, to lead us, direct our steps, and help us find His plans, purposes, and pursuits.

That is not the topic of this Names of God installment but is necessary to illustrate what we are about to see regarding God being the Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus. 

Growing up in an evangelical church, I learned the Roman’s Road, a series of verses from the book of Romans which can be used to lead someone to Christ. The first of these verses is Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Those words are in the Bible, and they are true. However, they do not accurately express what Paul is trying to communicate to the Roman Church in this passage of scripture. Let’s take a closer look. First of all, read the verse in context with what comes before and after.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. 

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21–26. (ESV)

Honestly, today was the first time in sixty-four years of living that I ever knew the context of this verse. The evangelical church was so sin-conscious that they totally missed the point Paul was trying to express. The Law says, “All have sinned.” Righteousness has been restored through Jesus Christ. Notice the conjunction, “and.” It’s the same as the passage in 1 Corinthians where two opposing statements are joined together to make a much stronger truth. Romans 3:23 is not even a complete sentence. Paul declares, 

“There is no distinction between what the Law did to bring us to repentance and what faith in Jesus Christ did to bring us into righteousness.” 

We have all sinned AND we have all been justified through our identification with Christ. This is much better “Good News” than just learning we are “dirty rotten sinners.” So much more! Once you see this truth in Romans 3:23-24, verses 25-26 makes so much more sense:

This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 

God has always wanted to redeem man. It was His plan in the Garden. It was His plan when He made covenant Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was His plan when He made covenant with Israel. Even the giving of the Law to demonstrate the sinfulness of man was part of the plan of redemption. This is what Paul is trying to communicate here. All have sinned AND we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Do not allow the truth of the gospel to be lost in proof texts. Find out the fullness of the promises made in the “new” covenant we have with our Creator, the Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus.

The Names of God - Messenger of the Covenant

Messenger of the Covenant

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:1

You cannot separate Jesus from The Covenant. As a matter of fact, The Covenant doesn’t even make sense without Jesus. John 1 tells us how “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus has been from the beginning. In creation, He was The Word. The original covenant made with mankind came through The Word. When God spoke to Abraham, it was The Word who brought the covenant which made Abraham into a great nation. When God spoke to Moses at the bush and on the mountain, it was The Word who spelled out the covenant made with Israel.

Jesus changed time when He “became flesh”. Time used to be described by B.C. and A.D., which stood for “before Christ” and “Anno Domini”, meaning 'in the year of the Lord' (later changed to B.C.E. and C.E.). No other person affected the world like Jesus.

The reason for His coming was clear – to make a new covenant with mankind. And who was better qualified to do this but Jesus? No one, because He was the Messenger of the Covenant! There was a forerunner so we would know when the “messenger” arrived. John the Baptist came declaring the coming of “One whose shoelaces I am unworthy to untie.” 

Then, through a virgin named Mary, by a “word” given through the angel, Gabriel, The Word became flesh; Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The Messenger of the Covenant had returned to earth, but this time in the body of a man. The Second Adam was now here to begin the completion of what the Old Covenant had started. The “schoolmaster”, as the Old Covenant was called (Galatians 3:24) brought us to a place of realizing the need for a Savior. Blood sacrifices on a brazen alter could only cover sins. There was a need for a Spotless Lamb who could place the blood (the propitiation) on the heavenly mercy seat to once and for all remove sin from mankind.

This was the Good News (gospel) Jesus brought. He made righteousness available to mankind, which could bring us back into fellowship with our Creator, so we could once again “come boldly to the throne of grace.” What a welcoming place that is; to have Father God lift our head so we can gaze into His eyes of compassion and be consumed by His love, restoring everything in us – spirit, soul, and body. That is the New Covenant! This is why Jesus came as the Messenger of the Covenant one last time. All He accomplished made a way, once and for all, back to the Father. All we have to do is choose to walk in it. How can we not?