The Plan of SALVATION – Page 2 – Jesus ~ Amazing Grace!

The Passion of Christ

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

Nisan 14 – the Passover lamb is Sacrificed

It was the custom since Moses gave the law and the statutes that 3 in the afternoon is the time of the day that the Jewish Priests sacrificed the Passover lamb. It’s no coincidence that this is the time that Jesus – Yeshua said “it is finished” and died on the cross. Nisan 14 is preparation day for the High Sabbath which is the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, commemorating the time of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.

John 19:28-30 After this, when Yeshua knew that all things were now completed, to fulfill the Scripture He said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹A jar full of sour wine was sitting there, so they put a sponge soaked with the sour wine on a hyssop branch and brought it to His mouth. ³⁰When Yeshua tasted the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

All four of the Gospels in the New Testament give an account of the time from the arrest to the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach: Matthew 26:36—27:56, Mark 14:32—15:41, Luke 22:39 – 23:49, and John 18:1—19:37.

I’ll be taking scriptures from all 4 Gospels to paint a picture of what happened, but equally important is why…

The passion of the Christ was prophesied by Isaiah in the Old Testament:

Isaiah 53:4—12 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our pains. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, struck by God, and afflicted.⁵But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities. The chastisement for our shalom was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.⁶We all like sheep have gone astray.Each of us turned to his own way. So Adonai has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.⁷He was oppressed and He was afflicted yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, like a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.⁸Because of oppression and judgment He was taken away. As for His generation, who considered? For He was cut off from the land of the living, for the transgression of my people—the stroke was theirs⁹His grave was given with the wicked, and by a rich man in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.¹⁰Yet it pleased Adonai to bruise Him. He caused Him to suffer. If He makes His soul a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the will of Adonai will succeed by His hand. ¹¹As a result of the anguish of His soul He will see it and be satisfied by His knowledge. The Righteous One, My Servant will make many righteous and He will bear their iniquities.¹²Therefore I will give Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoil with the mighty—because He poured out His soul to death, and was counted with transgressors.For He bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.

Here’s the WHY:

Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities. The chastisement for our shalom (peace) was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

John 3:16 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.

Scriptures from the TLV – Tree of Life Version (TLV is a new Bible translation produced by Messianic Jewish and Christian Scholars.) I have just recently become acquainted with the Tree of Life Version, so far what I appreciate the most is that is that Jesus is called by His Hebrew name Yeshua.

Here’s what Happened:

John 3:19-20 “Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.

Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour, darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.

Mark 15:33 When the sixth hour had come, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.

Luke 23:44-45 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, ⁴⁵for the sun died out.

I marvel at the miracle of darkness that covered the land (earth). It became dark at noon and it wasn’t an eclipse (The darkness cannot have been a solar eclipse, because the full Passover moon is always on the wrong side of the earth for that to be possible). After solemn thought, I recognized that there can only be one reason for the darkness. Jesus – Yeshua is the Light of the world and when He became sin for us and He bore the weight of the sin of the entire world as he hung on the cross, His light was momentarily gone as he was clothed in our dark hideousness called sin. Throughout the Bible, we are told that Sin is darkness and the only light in this world is found in Christ.

Doesn’t it chill you to think of what this world will be without the Light of Christ?

1 John 1:5 Now this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you – that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.

He endured the wrath of God:

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Because of our sin, the Father couldn’t even look upon His own Son! However, thankfully for us, Jesus’s death on the cross satisfied the wrath of God. He swathed Himself in our sin and paid the price in full! When we believe that He’s the Son of God, we are covered in His blood – His righteousness and Heavenly Father can’t see our sin! In order to continue in His light, we must all repent (turn away from) our sin and trust in the blood of Christ. In Christ we can truly see the light and there is NO darkness anymore…that is unless we seek it out!

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Doesn’t the pain of Jesus’ anguish when He cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” cause you to fall to your knees and beg forgiveness? Doesn’t it make you want to Live for Jesus – Yeshua because HE died for you?

Before the trial and His crucifixion:

Luke 22:44 And in His anguish, He was praying fervently; and His sweat was like drops of blood falling down on the ground.

Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me! Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

In the beginning Jesus – Yeshua and the Father, who are one, agreed on this plan, because They are “ALL KNOWING”, and They new that man would be tempted and therefore fall away. Jesus – Yeshua had walked this earth as a human and he fully understood what lie before Him! It wasn’t that His pleas fell on deaf ears, it was that once God says this is how it’s going to be, he doesn’t change his mind.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades.
But the word of our God stands forever.”

Malachi 3:6 “For I am Adonai. I do not change, So you, children of Jacob, are not consumed.

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. ⁴In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.

Hebrews 13:8 Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The new man who lives for Yeshua:

Romans 6:6-8 knowing our old man was crucified with Him so that the sinful body might be done away with, so we no longer serve sin. ⁷For he who has died is set free from sin.⁸Now if we have died with Messiah, we believe that we shall also live with Him.

Romans 12:1–2 I urge you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy, acceptable to God—which is your spiritual service. ²Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Galatians 2:20 and it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me. And the life I now live in the body, I live by trusting in Ben-Elohim—who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Ephesians 4:24 and put on the new self—created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Does Your Hope Lie in Jesus?

Biblical hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness.

Scriptures from KJV – King James Version of the Bible.

From the very beginning the Word communicates to us in the language of “HOPE”! It does not communicate to us in wishful thinking as we know it to be in this carnal world. Until we accept Jesus into our lives, we are in a constant state of hoping for this or that, or hoping something will or will not happen. The carnal world of hope is about throwing the dice and getting lucky.

The “HOPE” spoken about in the Bible is promised! It’s not a verb…it’s a noun…Biblical Hope can be touched, felt, embraced and completely trusted. Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach is our only “HOPE”! “HOPE” is a blessing to those who believe in, trust and obey Jesus.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11 is full of encouragement – I suggest you read the entire chapter.)

Through out ALL of our lives, we face countless trials, today we’re facing a pestilence named Covid-19 and there’s no end in sight. But Covid is just a symptom of a much more fatal disease. Jesus tells us in Mathew 10:28 not to fear him that kills our body, but fear him that will kill our body and your soul. If you have put your HOPE in Jesus, you have taken the cure for the worst disease that has plagued this Earth: SIN. All the terrible things that happen on this Earth are a direct result of the fall of the 1st Adam: disease (covid, etc), disaster (earthquakes, storms, etc), despair (loss of job and security, etc), emotional and physical pain (loss of a loved one), tears and ultimately our own physical death (the condemnation of God).

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

When you believe in the HOPE of Christ, that his death on the cross has given you the crown of eternal life, then the Holy Spirit enters in, you will be changed! You will desire change, you will allow the Spirit to guide you away from SIN!

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Consider this promise given to believers in Revelation:

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

WHO is our “HOPE” of Salvation? Our HOPE is JESUS…

The Old Testament speaks of HOPE throughout, here are a couple of Psalms.

Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Psalm 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

After reading Psalm 119:114, I went through several translations of the Bible and discovered that “word” used in this scripture was not capitalized in any of them. It seems to me that David was referencing the promise of Salvation in this verse, which of course refers to Jesus – Yeshua. If you read the following verses, you’ll see the parallel:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

So if you’re reading this and you aren’t sure about your future…Jesus is not only our only “HOPE”, He’s the only WAY!

Jesus – Yeshua not only died on the cross for our sins, but when we accept and believe in HIM, he becomes the Shepherd of our lives! He sent the Holy Spirit to show us THE WAY! To show us THE TRUTH and give us the HOPE of LIFE! How does a Good Shepherd keep “HIS” Sheep safe?

5 Qualities that Make Jesus the Good Shepherd

He is good. Kalos, the Greek word, translated “good,” describes that which is noble, wholesome, good, and beautiful. …
He protects. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” …
He guides. “He restores my soul. …
He nurtures. …
He lays down his life.

My Sheep Hear My Voice

Do you offer your life to Jesus in total WORSHIP and DEVOTION?

Are you waiting until tomorrow to give HIM HIS GLORY?

Like the prodigal son…are you willing to leave behind the harlots and the wine cup?

Is Jesus – Yeshua truly the LORD of your life?

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

So JESUS is our “ONLY HOPE”! HOPE is a PERSON…That Person is Jesus who left his habitation in Heaven to seek and to save us. He came to suffer and forgive us. He came to rescue us from our sins and restore us back to the Father. He came to call, draw, and love those who without HIM, there would be NO HOPE!

The Plan of Salvation

Choose LIFE – Not Death!

Do you live every single day of your life for Jesus?

If not, isn’t today the day to start?

John 12:26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there My servant also will be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

Do you want to turn away from your sin? Do you want to not just turn, but RUN away from your sin? If this is the case, you’re most likely feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Do you know which way to run? Do you feel that you’re not good enough because of the sinful life that you’ve lived and that possibly there’s no turning back? I sincerely plead with you to run to the arms of Salvation – Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach! He didn’t just start loving you yesterday or today, HE has ALWAYS loved you! He’s waiting for you to give your life to Him. He gave His life on the cross for ALL Sinners…not just the ones who sit in church on Sunday.

This is a quote from a southern Baptist Pastor Adrian Rogers: “Holiness is not the way to Christ. Christ is the way to holiness.”

You cannot clean up your life without Him! Christ’s blood on the cross washed away the sins of those who believe and trust in Him. So if you are reading this and you haven’t already done it, I beg you to fall on your knees and repent from your sins, ask his forgiveness and trust HIM to do the rest. I’m not saying you won’t have weak moments, I’m saying when you do, pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you. The following Scripture should help you to realize that you’re not alone!

Romans 3:10-12 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. ¹¹There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.¹²All have turned away; all alike have become useless.There is no one who does what is good, not even one.

Until you are born again, the Scripture you just read from Romans 3 describes the plight of mankind.

Being born again means giving up your old life to live a new life through Christ Jesus. Becoming a born again Christian might sound difficult, but God has made it easy for his faithful to come to him. By accepting Christ, you can come before God and be born again.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and we are covered by the righteousness of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

When the first man Adam disobeyed God, his sin became a DEATH PENALTY for the entire world! Then the second Adam (Jesus -Yeshua) the son of God, came to earth as a man, HE satisfied the DEATH PENALTY so those who believe and trust in Him don’t have to suffer eternal damnation.

John 17:3 This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent—Jesus Christ.

The Deceitful Heart

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?

According to Romans 7 Paul tells us that recognizing sin is the beginning of the battle (Satan doesn’t give up easily). If Paul, a chosen apostle of Christ, has a struggle with sin, just think about how difficult it must be and how we must give in completely to the Holy Spirit in order to be led away from the desires of the flesh.

Romans 7:18-23 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. ¹⁹For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. ²¹So I discover this principle: When I want to do what is good, evil is with me. ²²For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God’s law. ²³But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.

Do you continue in sin and grieve the Holy Spirit?

James 4:7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.

Do you hate your sin? God Hates SIN too! But HE LOVES YOU!

Luke 15:10 Jesus tells us “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”

When you recognize your sin, do you ask forgiveness?

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Ephesians 5:8-11 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:⁹(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)¹⁰Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.¹¹And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

1 John 1:5-6 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.

1 John 3:6-7 Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.⁷Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous.

Keep this thought in the forefront of your mind if you’re not yet ready to give your ALL to Jesus – Yeshua today! The Gift of Grace will not last forever, the Scriptures tell us that there will be a day when it’s too late. Also keep in mind that today or even the next moment may be the last of your life…do you want to risk burning in HELL?

Matthew 25:41 Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!

Matthew 25:46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Revelation 22:11 Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy go on being made filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; and let the holy go on being made holy.”

What is Evangelism?

Evangelism is the communication of the gospel message that includes a warning, an explanation, and a call to Salvation at the Cross by the blood of Jesus. Evangelism warns people about sin and it’s consequences.

John 16:8 When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:

Acts 24:25 Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I find time I’ll call for you.”

Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. ¹²I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books.¹³Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. ¹⁴Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

It includes an explanation of God’s remedy for sin—the gospel

Acts 8:29-35 The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.”³⁰When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”³¹“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³²Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so He does not open His mouth. ³³In His humiliation justice was denied Him.
Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.

God’s Righteousness through Faith

Romans 3:21-26 But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets ²²—that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. ²³For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ²⁴They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. ²⁶God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

And it includes the clear call to REPENT (to turn from sin and to turn toward God) and believe the gospel, by faith.

Repent or Perish

Luke 13:1-5 At that time, some people came and reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ²And He responded to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all Galileans because they suffered these things? ³No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well! ⁴Or those 18 that the tower in Siloam fell on and killed—do you think they were more sinful than all the people who live in Jerusalem? ⁵No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well!”

Acts 17:29-31 ²⁹Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.³⁰“Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

Romans 1:17 For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Romans 10:9-13 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. ¹¹Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, ¹²for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. ¹³For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

WE PLANT THE SEEDS! GOD MAKES IT GROW!

The principle of Evangelism is to bring our fellow man to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior. We must not be complacent…sometimes I think that Americans are the most complacent people on earth. We need to wake up as the day will come when His mercy will end, so we must not take His mercy for granted, share the Gospel while there’s still time!

The entire chapter of Matthew 10 tells the disciples of their commission to go out and preach, He warns them of the pitfalls…

Matthew 10:16 Jesus said…”Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves… so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Matthew 4: 17 And as ye go, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

As the a member of the body of Christ I’m blessed…I know Jesus died for me and that when I repented (turn away) from my sins and put my trust in Jesus, that by His intercession, He will save me from God’s wrath.

Here’s the Hitch!

There are many living on this earth, in this country and even in our town that don’t know Jesus. They don’t realize that they’re dead in their sins, because they don’t recognize what sin is. They may have heard of someone named Jesus, but they have no idea of what He did for mankind or the consequences of their thoughts and actions, because they’ve never heard the Good News.

The Ten Commandments EXODUS 20: 1-17 (NIV)

And God spoke all these words:

²“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³“You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹²“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³“You shall not murder.

¹⁴“You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵“You shall not steal.

¹⁶“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

“Now once a man has thus been humbled by the Law (10 Commandments) and brought to the knowledge of himself, then he becomes truly repentant for the true repentance begins with the fear and with the judgment of God. He sees that he is such a great sinner that he cannot find any means to be delivered from his sin by his own strength and effort of works.” (Martin Luther)

Martin Luther, O.S.A. 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk, and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. Wikipedia

The Bible teaches that as the church, we are the body of Christ. “We are to love the people of the world. We are here for this very purpose – to go into the nations and proclaim the Gospel to all who will hear.” (The Gospel Project, Vol 2, p.96)

***The Gospel Project is an adult Sunday school study program with teacher’s guides and student workbooks.

Will you Share the Gospel?

The principle of Evangelism is to bring our fellow man to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior.

The Bible teaches that as the church, we are the body of Christ. “We are to love the people of the world – Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Hamashiach tells us:

Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

We are here for this very purpose – to go into the nations and proclaim the Gospel to all who will hear.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

As the a member of the body of Christ I’m thankful that I’ve been blessed…I know Jesus – Yeshua died for me on the cross and that when I repented and turned away from my sins and put my trust in Jesus alone, that by His intercession, He will save me from Heavenly Father’s wrath.

Here’s the hitch…there are many living on this earth, in this country and even in our town that don’t know Jesus. They don’t realize that they’re dead in their sins, because they don’t recognize what sin is. They may have heard of someone named Jesus, but they have no idea of what He did for mankind or the consequences of their thoughts and actions, because they’ve never heard the Good News.

The Ten Commandments EXODUS 20: 1-17 (NIV)

And God spoke all these words:

²“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ³“You shall have no other gods before me. ⁴“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. ⁷“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. ⁸“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. ¹²“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. ¹³“You shall not murder. ¹⁴“You shall not commit adultery. ¹⁵“You shall not steal. ¹⁶“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.¹⁷“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/11/18/lets-talk-the-10-commandments/

As I study the Bible I see that God’s plan for the church is much greater than man’s plans. In the book of Revelation 2, there are 7 angels sent to convey Christ’s letters to 7 churches…when you read these letters to the churches, you realize that they all fall short in one way or another. I’ve been told by many that these letters only pertain to the churches that existed in the early church or that they’re actually periods of time throughout history starting with the early church. Fast forward to today and I believe that these letters pertain to today’s churches too. How many of us are lukewarm? How many of us make time to read our Bibles and spend time getting to know God? How many of us honor His gifts (including waking up in the morning to have another chance to get right with Him)? How many of us stay home to watch football instead of worshiping Him with the congregation? How many of us stop to smell His roses, stop to enjoy His sunset or sunrise, gasp at the beauty of a new born baby created in His image? All glorious creations of God! Everywhere we look we are surrounded by His magnificence and wonders and the testimony of His creation is before us. When I study the 7 letters to the churches, I find myself desperately praying that as a congregation of followers, we will heed the messages in these letters and try our best to follow His plans for us and the world.

Why is Evangelism Necessary?

Is Evangelizing a scary concept?

Scriptures from HCSB – Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Definition: Evangelism is the communication of the gospel message that includes a warning, an explanation, and a call to Salvation at the Cross by the blood of Jesus. Evangelism warns people about sin and it’s consequences.

John 16:8 When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:

Acts 24:25 Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I find time I’ll call for you.”

People may become afraid or resistant when they hear about these things…just as Felix did when Paul preached to him. Keep in mind that the most important way to treat them is to talk to them as a friend, all the while being humble, loving and kind. Prayerfully, this approach will keep their attention while you present the subject of faith and trust in Christ. All the while remembering ultimately that they are saved by GRACE and not by anything that you can say or do can save them…that only their belief that Jesus is the Son of God and that HE did it ALL for us on the cross can save them. If someone doesn’t want to hear you or they brush you off, don’t be offended, don’t be afraid to talk to others because of what you consider to be a failure…we don’t need to know the outcome of the seeds we plant. We plant and Heavenly Father harvests.

The Plan of Salvation

Have you heard about the Great White Throne Judgment?

Evangelism includes an explanation of God’s remedy for sin—the Gospel

Acts 8:29-35 The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.” ³⁰When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” ³¹“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³²Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so He does not open His mouth.³³In His humiliation justice was denied Him. Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. ³⁴The eunuch replied to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or another person?” ³⁵So Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture.

God’s Righteousness through Faith

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Evangelism includes the clear call to REPENT! (to turn from sin and to turn toward God) and believe the gospel, by faith

Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!”

Do you want to Repent or Perish?

Acts 17:29-31 Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.³⁰“Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

Romans 1:17 For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

WHO’s going to tell them?

It’s so true that social media has become a major part of our lives and I see this as both a blessing and a curse! It depends on how you plan to use the social media platform…if it’s for the Glory of God, then I believe you may be headed in the right direction. If it’s for entertainment and controversial subjects such as politics, etc, if you find yourself arguing with friends, family and strangers, then maybe it’s not good for you. So, at first thought, it might seem like a good idea to have an account on all the major social media platforms, but soon you’ll find that there’s only so many hours in the day and spending your day posting and responding to comments; it may not be satisfying or productive. However, with Covid-19 being a concern, for the time being, it may be your easiest way for now… to spread the Gospel.

The principle of Evangelism is to bring our fellow man to the recognition that they are sinners just like you and me and that faith in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior is the only road to Salvation. We must not be complacent when it comes to sharing the Gospel…sometimes I think that Americans are the most complacent people on earth. We need to wake up before the Rapture as the day will come when His mercy will end and those who have not accepted Jesus – Yeshua as their Savior will face the terrible times known as Tribulation. So we must not take His mercy for granted, share the Gospel while there’s still time!

Don’t say to yourself that you’re not qualified…when Jesus – Yeshua called His disciples (the Apostles), he chose them from all walks of life; He started his ministry with 4 fisherman: Simon Peter and his brother Andrew and James and John, the son’s of Zebedee.

Matthew 4:19 “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!”

It would be a good idea to read the entire chapter of Matthew 10 as it tells the disciples of their commission to go out and preach the Gospel, He warns them of the pitfalls…

Matthew 10:16 Jesus said…”Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves… so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Matthew 4: 17 And as ye go, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand today as much as when it was spoken of by Jesus 200o years ago. Jesus is currently waiting for the Father to send Him for His Church…His Bride (the Rapture). Only the Father knows when this will occur. Then after the rapture of the Church, there will be 7 years of Tribulation for the non believers (during this time many will come to faith including a large number of Jewish people). Jesus will then return to Jerusalem to lock up Satan and set up his 1000 years Kingdom ~ His Millennial Reign on Earth. This Kingdom will precede the final destruction of Satan and this planet after which He will create a NEW Heavens and a NEW Earth.

When you’ve completed the study of Matthew, consider an in depth study of the BOOK of JOHN.

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Always praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

Do You Feel Chained to Your Sin?

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Do you feel truly heartbroken when you recognize that you’ve sinned against God and your fellowman? Do you say to yourself – I will never do that again and then you turn around twice and find yourself chained to the sin that you are trying to escape from? Has that sin become the “thorn” in your side that has brought you to despair because of your weakness and therefore acknowledges your need for a SAVIOR?

If this describes your life’s journey and the path that you find yourself on, at some point in time, you need to “let go and let God”! There’s only one escape from the prison of the sinner and that’s to give yourself over entirely to faith and trust in Jesus – Yeshua (Hebrew translation). Once you’ve done this, repentence and the “heartbroken” grief you feel will set you free from the prison of sin. Jesus came and died for the sinner…that’s you and me! For all have sinned! Read what the Apostle Paul tells us…

Romans 3:21-24²¹But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;²²Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

The Apostle Paul also tells us in Romans 5:6-7 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

John 3:36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

Thankfully, there’s still some time…Heavenly Father is still waiting for us to accept His gift of His SON and ultimately the gift of “eternal life”! I don’t know how He could have made it any easier for us or explained it clearer than what He has done through Scripture and through the perfect life that Jesus lived. When we accept this gift, we become disciples (followers of Christ) our role is to show others through our faith, obedience and the sharing of the Gospel of Salvation, the joy we feel at the momentous return of Jesus and HIS Kingdom.

John 15:12-14 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. ¹³Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Jesus the Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach laid down HIS Life for us and if you become a disciple of Jesus and when you look at yourself in the mirror, you should be seeing the reflection of HIS righteousness as we have none of our own! So NOW is the time to ask for the Father in Heaven’s forgiveness and allow His Spirit to work in you the miracle of a true heart broken desire to turn your life around.

Matthew 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. YES! Emmanuel means GOD with Us! The Son of God came once as a baby that grew into a man who showed us how God wants us to live and taught us that LOVE is the key to HIS SALVATION. He suffered the consequences of our sins…a most hideous death on the cross. The next time He comes, He’ll be coming as the KING of KINGS! https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/05/16/our-king-and-his-kingdom/

WOW! Don’t wait until tomorrow to ask Jesus into your life…tomorrow may never come! Jesus is returning soon! Are you ready?

Warning against Deliberate Sin!

Hebrew 10:26-30For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries. ²⁸If anyone disregards Moses’ law, he dies without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰For we know the One who has said, Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, and again, The Lord will judge His people.

Let’s talk the 10 Commandments

This blog is inspired by the New Testament Book written by Paul as a letter to the Romans. Romans, chapter 7 has been viewed by some as confusing and difficult to figure out what Paul is talking about. I believe that what He’s saying is that the 10 Commandments or the Laws are “NOT A DEATH PENALTY”, but that doesn’t mean that they are void! The LAW is actually an expression of God’s Heart and the way HE wants us to live in this world. These LAWS were not just designed for the Children of Israel when He brought them out of Egypt, they were designed to show us WHO HE IS – the LAW is HIS VOICE speaking to mankind! So we should give it a 2nd thought when as a Christian we get angry because someone brings up the LAW! After all, HE gave us these LAWS for our benefit and correction! In Roman’s 7, Paul begins by talking about the humanity of Adam’s sinful nature which brought mankind death and Jesus’s righteousness which defeated death giving us victory over the death penalty of the LAW. I feel an essence of determination as Paul speaks of his own flaws and about the clash of his flesh and spirit; so in my eyes he’s telling us that as long as we’re alive, the “Letter of the Law” will be wrestling with the “Spirit of the Law”. This disagreement between the flesh and the spirit is why we continue to stumble and fall. This is why “WE NEED the SALVATION of JESUS CHRIST“. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to pick us up and put us back on the path of HIS Righteousness which can only be attained by HIS Blood that HE shed for us on the cross.

Therefore, although the 10 Commandments are no longer a death penalty for the believer, they are the way of life for how we are to live as Christians. This is why Paul was having such a struggle between his flesh and his spirit…his spirit desired for him to be in harmony with Christ.

2 Corinthian 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” ‭‭

WOW!!! A new identity! Has the “old man – woman” in you been crucified with Christ? Be honest with yourselves… are you doing your best to repent of your sin and to turn away from sin , or are you dragging your sin and the baggage of your “OLD LIFE” into a pretentious non-existent salvation because you refuse to let go of this world? Until you love and serve the Savior with all of your heart, mind and soul, you’re cheating on HIM! Frequently scriptures in the “OLD TESTAMENT” tells us that He’s a jealous God!

Psalm 79:5 How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy keep burning like fire?

The first commandment and the Greatest Commandment is to Love God! Matthew 22:36-38 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.³⁸This is the first and great commandment.

When Jesus Messiah – Yeshua HaMashiach (Hebrew), enters into your life, more and more as each day passes, you come to be so “in LOVE” with HIM and so overwhelmed by the fact that He loved you so much that He died for you and that our Father in Heaven so loved us that He was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son for our Salvation, that we are overcome by the desire to please and obey God. The knowledge of this sacrifice should become the motivation and the catalyst for your existence in this world. You should be overcome with a tremendous desire to do all that you do to glorify Jesus and your Heavenly Father.

John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

Ezekiel 36:25-27 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. ²⁶I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances.

When I hear people say that the “OLD TESTAMENT” has no bearing on who we are today as Christians, it’s almost shocking! We have been adopted into the family as the Children of God, the Heirs. Wasn’t it enough that He gave us His Son as a sacrifice? Why would we think that God changed His rules for us too? If you were to invite someone into you home, would you change the house rules? Would you say it’s okay for them to continue in the lifestyle they were living before they became a part of your family? Wouldn’t the other members who follow the rules of your family ask…why have you made it so easy for them to be a part of this family, yet so difficult for me?

Walking the path that Jesus shows us how to walk becomes a heart and head journey. Why does Jesus use and expound upon and clarify the 10 Commandments as a mirror to show the reflection of sin? For one thing, he’s making it perfectly clear that when you break any one of these commandments, you’ve broken them all. When he reiterates the commandment about adultery, he goes so far as to spell it out that “looking in lust” is committing adultery because you’ve partaken of sin in your heart. When you’re angry with your brother without cause, you are the same as a murderer. Not only does he tell us to love our fellowman, but to love our enemies too! In both the Old & New Testaments, God tell us that his people will follow him because “HIS LAW” is written on our hearts and in our minds. Following the 10 Commands that God laid down for His people becomes a privilege not a burden and when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, he leads us. When we “KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, we are pleasing our Father in Heaven.

Chosen to be the children of God:

Deuteronomy 7.6 For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be His own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

WE HAVE BEEN SET APART! We are to look different, live and act differently than those who haven’t accepted Jesus as their Savior. We are to become a light in the darkness of this world! God gave the world the 10 Commandments that we might become obedient…and of course the 10 Commandments were not designed to save us! Jesus is the “ONLY” Salvation! Therefore, we need to embrace the WORD not the WORLD! Jesus came to earth as a man to give us a standard to live by and HE was “Obedient unto Death”! Obedience is not an option…in order for us to be a royal priesthood and a holy nation, we must become God’s children in every aspect of our lives! That’s not to say that we won’t stumble and fall, or that we can ever be perfect as HE was perfect, but we can know and recognize the “perfect will of God” and do our best to be faithful to Him to the end.

Many people who read Revelation become filled with fear…however, when we read Revelation, we’re told right at the opening of the book:

Revelation 1:3 The one who reads this is blessed, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it are blessed, because the time is near!

Revelation 14:12 This demands the perseverance of the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.”

Revelation 21:8 But the cowards, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Without the LAW, how can we show someone that they’re walking down the wrong path? How can we say the Law no longer matters…until the sinner has repented and been covered by the blood of Jesus, it matters! We can’t do away with the “perfect nature of God”!

The Law of God or the 10 Commandments are not just a list of right and wrong, once again I reiterate, they are a reflection of the WHO GOD IS! They are a reflection of WHO Jesus is! Why is it so easy for a Christian to nonchalantly say: I don’t need to follow THOSE LAWS anymore. When HE says that HE will put them in our hearts and write them on our minds, does that make them less important than when they were written in stone on Mt. Sinai? And why would he write just some of the law on our hearts and in our minds? He didn’t say that he would write just portions of it in our hearts and on our minds…the scriptures say:

Hebrew 10:15-17 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after He says: This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws on their hearts and write them on their minds, I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts.

Jeremiah 31:33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

As Christians, we need to be careful of the language we use, especially when there are non-believers within hearing distance! Accepting Jesus as your Savior is the 1st step of many more steps to become pleasing to God…to become a child of God.

Are YOU WASHED in the Blood of the Lamb?

Tomorrow isn’t promised, so TODAY is the DAY! It’s my prayer that you choose to put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead on the 3rd day!

JESUS Messiah – Yeshua Hamashiach (Hebrew) is COMING! Are you covered in the blood of Jesus? Have you repented of your sins so you can stand before Heavenly Father? Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus?

Scriptures are from KJV (King James Translation of the Bible).

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Matthew 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. ²⁷And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; ²⁸For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

When Jesus and His disciples shared the Last Supper together, he told them that HIS BLOOD was the new testament (covenant). Our God – Heavenly Father has been making covenants with His people since Genesis! A covenant is a strong and solemn binder between two people or peoples.

Because a covenant is a bond between peoples and this binding is a promise that involves God, the breaking of the covenant has consequences; people break covenants, but Heavenly Father NEVER breaks HIS covenants. When God made a covenant with Abraham in the Old Testament, he swore on his own self: Hebrews 6:13-14 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,¹⁴Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

One of my favorite examples of a Covenant in the Old Testament is between the son of King Saul and David who later became King of Israel.

1 Samuel 18:3-4 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.⁴And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

So when Jesus shared the Last Supper with His Disciples, He made a “NEW TESTAMENT” or in some translations new “COVENANT”.

To understand covenants more clearly, I suggest that you read and study these 13 books in the Bible. Start with 3 books of the Bible that are found in The Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus and Deuteronomy. More Old Testament Covenants are also found in Joshua, Ruth, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Isaiah and Hosea. The New Testament books that talk about covenants are Matthew, Romans, Galatians and Hebrews.

The last two people who stood in the presence of God and walked with God in the Garden of Eden were Adam and Eve. Once they’d sinned, they could no longer enjoy this privilege. They had no idea of what exactly death was until God killed some animals and made them clothing from the skins of the animals. They were then banished from the garden and ever since man has been plagued by a sinful nature.

In the Old Testament, the shedding of blood or sacrifice at the alter of God was that of bulls, goats, sheep and doves. This ceremony was a graphic reminder and an atonement or a covering of the sins of the people; what I’d refer to as a wake-up call to the gravity of sin.

When Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins, his blood became the New Testament; a covering of the sins of those who believe, repent, follow and have faith in Him. This new covenant put an end to ritual sacrifice found in the Old Testament because He was the ultimate sacrifice. Because of the sinful nature of man, no human can stand in the presence of God! This is why Jesus – Yeshua shed his blood for us…HE loved us that much!

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Colossians 1: 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/09/22/the-gospel-inspires-change/

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/05/24/this-is-amazing-grace/

When we become believers, we are now citizens of the Kingdom of God! Our faith has saved us, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and we are no longer citizens of this world! We lean on the truths found in Scripture and we listen to the Spirit as it works inside of us…read the following Scripture and let it sink in.

Luke 17: 20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:²¹Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Yes! He will be bringing His Kingdom back to earth, it says so in Revelation, that those who are followers and believers of Christ, both dead and alive shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye and we’ll return to earth with Jesus so that the earth and it’s inhabitants can be judged and then the earth will be handed back to Heavenly Father by His Son. When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we express knowledge that we know that our Father’s Kingdom is coming. We the children of God are His Kingdom! Because we are cloaked in the righteousness of His son Jesus, His Will…will be done on this earth as it is in Heaven. The earth will be renewed and we’ll once again have the privilege of walking, talking and communing in harmony with our Father in Heaven.

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This verse tells us why it’s so important to share the Gospels and the Kingdom of God with our fellowman while there’s still time.

1 Peter 1:8-9 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:⁹Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

It’s just a fact that the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside you when you become a follower of Jesus and His Spirit gives us His Wisdom and His Revelation as we read and study His WORD! We then rejoice in the knowledge that He LOVES us! In the “Old Testament”, before the “New Testament” or covenant was revealed by Jesus to His disciples, the children of God recognized that a Savior would come someday and we would live forever in the Kingdom.

Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. Verse 6 of Psalm 23 cherishes the knowledge that those who trust in the Lord will dwell in HIS house forever!

The Gospel Inspires Change

All Scriptures from the KJV (King James Version of the Bible).

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

From darkness to light!

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²The same was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴In him was life; and the life was the light of men. ⁵And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

When we consider and think about the time that Jesus the Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach walked this earth, all of His miracles, His teachings about love and forgiveness; according to John 21:25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.

It’s difficult for us as Christians to comprehend that as he died on the cross for us and after all he’d done and said, that there were people on this earth still walking in darkness. Much to my sorrow, there are so many people today who walk in darkness; some of these people actually prefer the darkness. However, there are others who haven’t heard the message proclaimed to them in such a way as to wake them up and make them desire with all of their heart to walk in the “LIGHT”.

John 12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Without light, the entire world would quickly die as the bitter cold would encompass us… the planet as we know it would no longer exist. If you don’t have Jesus in your heart and in your mind, you’re walking in darkness and there’s nothing truly good in your life; the new car, the new house, the growing 401K, the evening out of dining, dancing and drinking are but a futile search for what is really good and it can’t be found in things or places of this earth.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Jesus – Yeshua is that GOOD and PERFECT gift who came to this earth to die for our sins and save us because HE LOVES us…and to be honest, I ‘m not 100% certain that I fathom that kind of love. He truly is the Light, His love warms us and protects us from the evil one. The light that Jesus gives us is the light that exposes our sins and wake us up to the fact that we need a Savior. His death on the cross to attain forgiveness from Heavenly Father for our sins lit the path to our salvation. Through faith, love and repentence we walk in His light and HIS LIGHT is eternal life!

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

When you become a follower of Jesus, you walk from the darkness into the “LIGHT”. You are changed forever! Everything you do is for the “Glory of God” and every thought you have is for the “Glory of God.” 1 Chronicles 16:11-12 seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.¹²Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

From death to life!

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

When we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He gave us His only begotten Son to die for us, we’re saying that we trust HIS WORD and that we know and accept that HE would never lie to us. This trust is the beginning of faith and faith brings us from death and damnation to eternal life in Jesus.

Jesus makes it perfectly clear throughout the Scriptures that HE is the ONLY WAY to eternal life, that HE is the door (the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE) and that HE is our mediator/counselor between us and our Father in Heaven. Now nothing can separate us from God because Jesus died for us!

Matthew 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

Luke 20:38 or he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob physically died thousands of years before Jesus Christ, but Jesus tells us that they are alive…WHY? Because they believed God’s promise of salvation.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

From sin to salvation!

Mark 10:45 (HCSB) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”

When God created us, He created us for fellowship with Him! He walked in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. He created us to not only believe what He tells us, but to LOVE, WORSHIP and PRAISE HIM for His blessing of our life as well as the blessings of all of creation! He didn’t create man last because we were an afterthought, He created everything for us and then He even gave us a day, the Sabbath, so that we can know that it’s okay for us to rest from our labors. Adam and Eve were the first ones to betray that relationship and sin against God. Cain, son of Adam and Eve and the brother of Abel, was the second to betray the relationship with God and sinned by killing his brother Abel in a fit of jealousy because God preferred Abel’s blood sacrifice over his fruits and vegetable sacrifice. Men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and many others understood the meaning of the blood (the representation of Christ’s sacrifice) and that the sacrifice of blood atoned for sin and that the sacrifice was a proxy for the death of the person.

Romans 5:12-15 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:¹³(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.¹⁴Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.¹⁵But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

James 1:12-15 ¹²Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.¹³Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.¹⁵Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Jesus did not have to die for us…He’s GOD! He could have left the cross anytime HE wanted to, but HE chose to suffer and die for us because He loved us to atone for OUR SINS. For those who believe He’s the Son of God and repent from our sins, we are covered in and protected by HIS BLOOD and have been saved!

So today is the day! So in faith and trust, make a clean break from sin and confess you sins to God asking Jesus to intercede for you!

Please take a few moments and read this blog: https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/05/03/the-plan-of-salvation/