Acceptable Sacrifice

Leviticus 4:29a "He shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering",

Here we have an emblem of the way in which a sacrifice becomes available for the one offering. The same ceremony is commanded in other verses; it is therefore important and instructive. The question with many souls is how to obtain an interest in Christ, so as to be saved by Him. There is no question more important to be asked. It is certain that this is a must; but is has been fearfully neglected by many. Christ death would be in vain if none believed.

This symbol is a confession of sin. It is a consent to the plan of substitution, as Christ took our place on the cross. It is an acceptance of the victim, for he alone is acceptable to God; and should be acceptable to us. It was a believing transfer of sin. It was a dependence-leaning on the sacrifice for our salvation. The offerer is to come just as he is, and to have the sin removed by the sacrifice. It is not the amount of faith that shall save, Jesus said the faith the size of a mustard seed. The salvation come from leaning totally on the power of the sacrifice. The weak hand that grabs hold of Christ, hold just as much of him as the strong hand, we just need to make sure we grab him.

 

It is with faith that we take hold of Christ, but it is with total submission that we lean on him. Come to Jesus, whether you are a confessed saint or sinner, and lean hard on Jesus. He takes away the sin of the world. Trust Him with your sin and it is forever taken away. It is not a matter of what you can't do, but more of what Christ can do. Die into the life of Christ; let him be all in all while you are nothing at all. Lean on Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for an imperfect people.

My Perfect Peace

Nahum 1:7 "The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him".
The safest place in the whole wide world is in the will of God. The only place of safety in this world is the one in which we are sure to meet God, and be under the shadow of his wing. The Bible speaks of a great fortress which the righteous run to and is safe, a strong tower, a place of refuge for the children of God. Tamar may disguise herself, and walk a different path, so that Judah may not know her; Isaac, half blind, might bless Jacob and pass over Esau; Joseph may forget or be forgotten by his brothers; Solomon might doubt to which mother the child rightfully belongs; and Christ may come to his own, and not be received: but the Lord knows them which are His, and his eye is always on them. Time, place, speech, or the way we dress cannot obscure his vision or dull his hearing. He can discern Daniel in the den; Jonah lodged in the belly of the fish, Peter in prison, Lazarus wrapped in rags, or Abel rolled in Blood, He can call them by name, and send his angels to comfort them, for God knows those that are His, and are known of His. Ignorance and forgetfulness may cause love and knowledge to leave his creation, but the Lord is not subject to either, for His eye is on the Sparrow, so I know he watches over me.

Many talk about trusting God when indeed they know nothing of real faith. You can see who the real believers are in the time of a storm. The true believer is calm and quiet in his God, and he takes refuge in His strong tower while the mere pretender is at wit's end. Our Text seems to hint this point. Everybody can find a bird's nest in the winter when the trees are bare, but the green leaves hide them; but believers are put on displayed by adversity. The true believer shines in times of tribulation, for His trust lies within the Lord. One thing, however, should never be forgotten: whether we know believers or not, God knows them. He does not include one hypocrite in the number, nor exclude one sincere believer, not even though he may be of little faith. Ask yourself, "does he know me as one of those who trust in him ?

 

The Lord knows them that are His, and they know him as their stronghold. It might sometimes rain on a true believers life, but it never rain in his life, for his faith is in the hand of the man who stills the water. God is my stronghold.

Bearing Witness

Acts 28:30-31"And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him".

 

With this new week upon us what  will we show the world? Will our week life bear witness to the Savior, or will we give in to the lust, will and desires of the flesh?  Will we be a lighthouse or a stumbling block to a lost and dying world. Jesus commissioned all believers to witness for him, not just in talk but our walk should also bear witness that he is. Some people will listen and accept Christ with open arms; others will reject the message and the messenger. In our text we see that Paul set a wonderful example of how to give the message and persevere in spite of those who refuse to listen.

As Christians, we have made a commitment to work on growing in our walk with God. The mission is ongoing, it doesn't stop after we have attended church a certain number of Sundays or read through the entire Bible a certain number of times. Of course, those things are important to being a disciple, but a bigger charge is that we not only believe in the Lord, but also to believe the Lord having an unwavering faith in Him. Once we learn the Gospel, it is our responsibility to share it with all we see. We will want to share it, because it is such good news to us and everyone else. The Gospel is bigger than our failures, even when we fall short of perfection, we must remain steadfast and determined to believe the gospel and share it. To a dying world we might be the only glimpse of Christ many will see, for " How shall they believe in Him whom they haven't heard". We are ambassadors for Christ, there are no days off and there is no lunch break. Once you have been born you cannot be unborn, so be a living witness for Christ at all times.When we minister to non-believers, we will sometimes be met with resistance, as was Jesus and the apostles.This should not discourage us from our unwavering loyalty.

Regardless of what challenges we're met with or what failures occur, we cannot feel responsible for the fate of others. We cannot save others, only God can do that. We are only responsible for our commitment to the gospel, and sharing it with others. We have to continue in our walk regardless of how others receive the message. Let us be unwavering and steadfast with the gospel truth.

Saved By The Blood

Hebrews 9:22 " And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and without shedding of blood is no remission.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God; there is none righteous, no not one,there is none who wants to obey the Lord, none who wants to do His will. There is not one who is able to walk in the Holy manner in which we have been called to walk in, we all had to be born again. If we could have done better, Jesus would not have had to die.

The love God has for mankind is beyond the understanding of the carnal mind. How can one who is holy love something so unholy? How can one who is love, love someone so unloving, un-giving, unkind, uncaring and unforgiving. God is so perfect and without flaw while we are so flawed without perfection, and yet God commended His love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.Why? What is man that thou art so mindful of Him? When Adam sinned the soul of man was condemed to death,"for the soul that sinneth must surley die". So God took His precious word and wrapped it up in the sin of man and sent Jesus, the word of God made flesh to be sacrificed on the behalf of mankind. All who by faith accepts the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus shall be saved. His Shed blood for our salvation.

Blood had to be shed to accept for man the wage paid by sin. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for such a imperfect people. The precious lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. His blood for my sins, will you accept His blood for your sins?

Jesus Saves

Acts 16:31" And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. God has done all that is needed for man to be saved. Jesus said from the cross "it is finished". Now we must only believe.
The spirit and the bride say come. The word of God says come, make Jesus your choice. Jesus is standing at the door of your heart, knocking let Him in. In our text today the jailer after the quake had open the jail doors, found himself in darkness, thinking the prisoners had escaped he was seeking the light(vs29). He fell at the feet of the apostles and asked what must I do to be saved? There is a dying world out there, trapped in darkness seeking the light of the world, lost and scared, wondering what must they do to be saved. We the redeemed of the Lord must tell them as Paul told the jailer,"believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved." It is not about joining church, or a certain denomination. It is not about what leadership you are under, it is simply about your belief in Christ and Him crucified. You must believe that Christ died on cross, and rose on the third day with all power in His hands, and in faith belief that you died with Him and rose a new creation in Christ.

Today's church has made salvation about everything except what God intended it to be. The only way to salvation is through the belief in the death ,burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The forgiveness of sin is only through His shed blood. There is no other way, so let us live a life before man that will lead lost souls to believe that Jesus Christ is the way. That a lost world might be saved through Faith.......... 

The Gift Of Salvation

Acts 13:26 "Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham,and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent".

Paul and Barnabas first preached the gospel to the seed of Abraham, but they contradicted and blasphemed, and therefore, in verse 46, we see that they now were proclaiming the good news to the Gentiles. Let all heed to this warning, let us not refuse the gospel and find it taken away from us. Now is the acceptable day of salvation; when you hear his voice harden not your hearts." To you is the word of this salvation sent".

What is the word of this salvation? It is the testimony that Jesus is the promised Savior. The word which promises forgiveness to all who exhibit repentance of sin, and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In a word, it is the proclamation of perfect salvation, through the risen Savior. It is a word, as being spoken by God, and as being his present utterance even at this moment. It is a word which reveals "the word", Jesus the living word of God. It is a word of salvation; for it declares, describes, presents and presses home salvation. It is a word sent, for the Gospel dispensation is a mission of mercy from God, the gospel message, Jesus the Messiah, and the Holy Ghost himself is sent to work salvation among men. Will you decidedly and honestly refuse it? Will you delay and put off your acceptance of this Free gift? Will you play the hypocrite and pretend to receive it, while in your heart you reject it. Will you be a temporary convert, or will you accept the word of salvation with delight?

We have an invitation. Let us exercise our freedom, we can choose or reject the plan of salvation set before us. Be sure of that you know by personal observation and experience, and let your decision be based on unquestionable knowledge. Decide for your self, but let it be done with much prayer and spiritual thought, for you decision is for an eternity.

The Blood Of Salvation

Zechariah  9:11-12 "As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoner out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee".

Here we behold a description of our Savior, we see his Kingdom, his character, his power to save, his lowliness,  and the weapons of his conquest. Because of Him and through Him there is mercy for the oppressed and troubled ones in Zion. This is a wonderful text for all those who are in the lowest possible state of mind. Those prisoners bound in servitude, freedom gone, trapped in the power of another, where escape seems impossible, the darkness intolerable and fate seems unavoidable.You are comfortless feeling like you are dying of thirst, for there is no comfort in sin. The many oppressed souls helpless in the power of despair until the Lord comes and rescues them.

He has an all seeing eye, He alone has the power to set you free from the bondage you feel.He is the light the shines in the darkess hours of our lives,he saves us by the blood,the blood of the covenant made between Zion and her King. True redemption is in the blood. All the temporal, spiritual, and eternal deliverance which we enjoy, they swim to us through the blood of that covenant that is passed between the Father and the Son. By virtue of the same blood of the covenant, the shed blood of Christ, we are reconciled, justified and saved. We who were in the dungeons of life, trapped in the despair of darkness, thirsting for the freedoms which evade us, while being bound by the ones which in slaves us, were all set free by the blood of the Christ.

Look as all the choice mercies, the high favors, the noble blessings that we enjoy and lay claim to,they are all purchased by the blood of Christ. What ever desperate situations, or dangers,we the children of God may find ourselves falling into,we can hold on to the fact that we are prisoners of hope, and should look forward to deliverance, because it is all in the blood of the lamb. Jesus died on the cross and rose on the third day with all power that we might be made the righteousness of God,if we only believe.