Tuesday 1/30 ~ Me, Lord? Sinful me?

0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-NewThe scripture for today, January 30 (1/30), is 1st Corinthians 1:30 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us “wisdom” from God ~ that is, our…

  • …righteousness,
  • …holiness and,
  • …redemption.”


Me? Sinful me? Considered right and holy?  But I’m not right and holy. How can that be?

Let’s look at these words of reassurance backward. When we are redeemed (bought back from Satan, our accuser and punisher), we gain God’s holiness and God’s rightness. But I am not holy and right.  God, don’t you understand this?

“Yes, my child,” God answers. “But My Son knew how, and so became sinless for you.”

I cannot let what He did for me drift by. Jesus traded.  He took my sinfulness and gave me his sinlessness.  He took my punishment and gave me redemption. Now, at least in the eyes of God, I am holy.

I think on this and the more I do, the more amazed I become.  Me, Lord? Unworthy, sinful me? I am awed into silence and worship.

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#sin, #perfection, #crucifixion, #holy

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Scripture for Tuesday, November 14 (11/14)

The scripture for today, November 14 (11/14), is Job 11:14f as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-Medium“If you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear.”

Job’s misguided friend, Zophar, was advising Job that, if he would become perfect (“allow no evil”), he would stand firm before God.

Oh, Zophar! Hadn’t he caught on yet? Hadn’t he yet realized that we cannot be perfect? At the end of this book, God told Zophar and his friends to repent of their words to Job.

Throughout the Old Testament, the Jews tried unsuccessfully to be perfect with the help of the Law of Moses, but they couldn’t do it. In the meantime, the nations that had not received the Law were left to try with their own methods to be perfect, and they couldn’t do it either.

The only thing that ever has allowed mankind to be perfect has been the blood of Jesus. He was the perfect Lamb of God. So finally, eons after Zophar said those words, we who follow Jesus are able to stand firm because Jesus can make us perfect, washing away our sins (John 1:29; Acts 22:16).

 

Scripture for Friday, October 27 (10/27)

The scripture for today, October 27 (10/27), is Mark 10:27 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

worship-the-first-century-way-cover-kindle“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God: All things are possible with God.’ “

Can we be perfect? God let mankind try for many centuries to be perfect.

To one group of people he gave over 600 laws and said, “If you keep these, you will be perfect.” But, as hard as the Jews tried, no one could keep the Law of Moses perfectly.

To the rest of the world, he basically said, “Try to figure out for yourselves how to be perfect.” So, they tried all kinds of religions, but with all of them, they could not be perfect.

Finally, mankind was ready for Jesus. He came to earth and lived that perfect life that is impossible for us to live. He became the perfect Lamb of God, and sacrificed his life for us, for Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death.” He collected the wage for us.

So now, according to Romans 6:3-4, just as Jesus died on the cross, we too can die to our sinful nature ~ the part of us that sins and doesn’t care. Then, just as Jesus was buried in his tomb, we too can be buried in a watery tomb of baptism. And finally, just as Jesus was raised up out of his tomb the Savior, we rise up out of our watery tomb the saved.

Then God considers us perfect too. God cannot associate with sinners in his heaven. He can only have perfect people in his heavenly home. Impossible for us to live there with him someday? Yes. But, God sent Jesus to fix that problem. With God, nothing is impossible.

 

 

 

Scripture for Wednesday, June 14 (6/14)

The scripture for today, June 14 (6/14), is Numbers 6:14 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 7-ShadowOfDeath-Cover-new-Medium“There he is to present his offerings to the Lord…a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering…. “

A lot of people don’t understand what Jesus dying on a cross has to do with going to heaven. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death.” In Old Testament times, God allowed people to kill a perfect animal in their place whenever they sinned. But they had to keep doing it over and over because it is impossible for us to be perfect.

Finally, Jesus came to earth as a human, and John the Baptist called him the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Jesus was perfect; that is, he never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). Then he took the wages of sin and died as the perfect Lamb of God in our place ~ both physically (separation from people on earth) and spiritually (separation from God). He even went a step further and miraculously came back to life!

Then God said, If you’ll believe and imitate Jesus, I will forgive your sins and consider you perfect too (Romans 6). Then I’ll bring you back to life in heaven. How amazing!

And, by the way, since he came back to life on Sunday, that’s what makes Sunday so special. It’s a I’m-sorry-you-had-to-die-for-my-sins Day, and a Gratitude Day.

 

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#wages, #earnings, #sin, #SoulDeath, #BodyDeath, #perfection, #crucifiction, #forgiveness, #hell, #Satan, #heaven

 

 

Scripture for Sunday, May 21 (5/21)

The scripture for today, May 21 (5/21), is 2nd Corinthians 5:21 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Medium-New“God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

A lot of people do not understand what Jesus’ death has to do with escaping hell and going to heaven. The key is in Romans 3:23 that says “The wages of sin is death.” When Adam and Eve sinned, immediately their souls died, and their bodies gradually died. It’s been happening to everyone since then. But, during Old Testament times, God allowed people to make a perfect animal take their penalty, shed its blood and die in their place when they sinned.

This was only a temporary fix, however. Hebrews says the blood of animals cannot truly take away (take the substitute punishment for) sins; they are remembered again every year (Hebrews 10:3-4).

Finally, John the Baptist announced Jesus was “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). In order to forever stop all the sacrificial substitute dying, God prepared his own perfect Lamb ~ Jesus, who never sinned. For 33 years, God’s Word took human form in Jesus and became one of us. Then he had to shed his blood and die in our place. In so doing, he took the sin penalty forever.

Jesus did two things impossible for us to do: Live a perfect life without sin, and come back to life after he died ~ both physically and spiritually. Why? So we could do another thing that is impossible for us to do on our own: Enter heaven, the home of the perfect.

God invites us to his heaven if we will just follow Jesus. We don’t even have to be perfect ~ just forgiven. Jesus was perfect for us.

What amazing love.

 

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#sin, #earnings, #hell, #death, #soul, #blood, #perfection, #heaven, #sacrifice, #substitute, #lamb

Scripture for Tuesday, May 9 (5/9)

The scripture for today, May 9 (5/9), is Matthew 5:9 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

00-cover-kindle-medium-new“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.”

Jesus, the only begotten Son of God (Christians are adopted sons) was a peacemaker. He came to earth to help us make peace with God. After all, “all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It only takes one sin to be a sinner. And God cannot dwell with sin. What was the solution?

Romans 6:23 says the wages we collect for sinning is death. In Old Testament times, God let people kill a perfect animal in their place. But they kept having to do it. Finally, Jesus came to earth and lived that perfect life that is impossible for us to live as the perfect Lamb of God. Then he allowed himself to take our punishment for our (not his) sins and be killed in our place (collected the wages we earn). His was the final sacrifice. Now, by following Jesus, God adopts us and makes us his children. Jesus was a peacemaker between God and man.

You, too, can be a peacemaker. You can help people be at peace with themselves. You can help them be at peace with each other. And you can help them be at peace with God. Thereby, you can share in what God’s begotten Son was ~ a peacemaker.

Do some peacemaking today.

 

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#peace, #turmoil, #enemies, #arguments, #shakehands, #sacrifice, #wages, #payment, #crucifixion, #death, #life, #sin, #perfection, #purity, #peacemaker

Scripture for Friday, January 13 (1/13)

The scripture for today, January 13, is Habakkuk 1:13 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-BOOK 7-SHADOW OF DEATH-Cover“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.”

This pretty much explains why none of us deserves heaven. Only sinless people can be in heaven. Of course, we cannot be sinless. For thousands of years, God let mankind try any way we could to be perfect. Some people he gave the Law of Moses to, and some people he continued to let try on their own. Neither worked. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t get it right.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). So, God gave us a temporary fix: We could kill an animal to die in our place, and offer it as a sacrifice, to take onto itself God’s rage at destructive sin.

But Galatians 4:4 says, “When the time was come, God sent his Son.” Finally, when mankind understood we needed outside help, God sent Jesus. Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus lived the perfect life that was impossible for us to live; he was completely free of sin. Then God offered his Son as the final sacrifice to die in our place ~ to be falsely accused of all the sins that WE had committed, to take onto himself God’s anger, rage, and fury at OUR sins, to collect the terrible wages Satan metes out ~ death ~ for OUR sins.

That done, God ~ who can only dwell with sinlessness ~ is able to allow obedient, faithful people into his home, heaven.

#Heaven, #Hell, #WagesOfSin, #Sin, #Satan, #Jesus, #Sacrifice, #Crucifixion, #Perfection

Scripture for Thursday, October 27 (10/27)

The scripture for today, October 27, is Mark 10:27 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

WORSHIP THE FIRST-CENTURY WAY-COVER-KINDLE“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man, this is impossible, but not with God: All things are possible with God.’ “

Can we be perfect? God let mankind try for many centuries to be perfect.

To one group of people he gave over 600 laws and said, “If you keep these, you will be perfect.” But, as hard as the Jews tried, no one could keep the Law of Moses perfectly.

To the rest of the world, he basically said, “Try to figure out for yourselves how to be perfect.” So they tried all kinds of religions, but with all of them, they could not be perfect.

Finally, mankind was ready for Jesus. He came to earth and lived that perfect life that is impossible for us to live. He became the perfect Lamb of God, and became our sacrifice for our sins, for Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death.” He paid the wage for us.

So now, according to Romans 6:3-4, just as Jesus died on the cross, we too can die to our sinful nature ~ the part of us that sins and doesn’t care. Then, just as Jesus was buried in his tomb, we too can be buried in a watery tomb of baptism. And finally, just as Jesus was raised up out of his tomb the Savior, we rise up out of our watery tomb the saved.

Then God considers us perfect too. God cannot associate with sinners in his heaven. He can only have perfect people in his heavenly home. Impossible for us to live there with him some day? Yes. But, God sent Jesus to fix that problem.

With God, nothing is impossible.

#Perfection, #LawOfMoses, #CivilLaws, #Ethics, #Morality

Scripture for Wednesday, July 20(7/20)

The scripture for today, July 20, is Ecclesiastes 7:20 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

WORSHIP THE FIRST-CENTURY WAY-COVER-KINDLE“There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”

Many people believe if we don’t murder or steal, and if we help people poorer than ourselves, and aren’t mean to our family, God will have no choice but to let us into heaven. But it only takes one sin to be a sinner.

God ~ who is Perfect Goodness ~ cannot dwell with sin. But mankind has never figured out a way to be perfectly good. Remember, the cost of sin is death (Romans 6:23). So in Old Testament days, God allowed people to kill perfect animals as a substitute for paying the cost of our sins ~ temporarily.

Then Jesus came. He became that perfectly good person (Hebrews 4:15) ~ that perfect Lamb of God (John 1:29). Then he died in our place to pay the cost of our sins ~ permanently. Now all he asks is that we love him, thank him, worship him, follow his examples and his commands (there aren’t many). Then, God the Father will consider us perfect too. Then we will be accepted into heaven.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: Acts 2:38 says to be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins, not because our sins have already been forgiven, but so they will be. It is no more water salvation than the cross was wood salvation. Have you been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins?  Why?

The scripture for today, November 14, is Job 11:14f as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

WORSHIP THE FIRST-CENTURY WAY-COVER-KINDLE“If you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear.”

Job’s misguided friend, Zophar, was advising Job that, if he would become perfect (“allow no evil”), he would stand firm before God.

Oh, Zophar! Hadn’t he caught on yet? Hadn’t he yet realized that we cannot be perfect? At the end of this book, God told Zophar and his friends to repent of their words to Job.

Throughout the Old Testament, the Jews tried unsuccessfully to be perfect with the help of the Law of Moses, but they couldn’t do it. In the mean time, the nations that had not received the Law were left to try with their own methods to be perfect, and they couldn’t do it either.

The only thing that ever has allowed mankind to be perfect has been the blood of Jesus. He was the perfect Lamb of God. So finally, eons after Zophar said those words, we who follow Jesus are able to stand firm, because Jesus can make us perfect, washing away our sins (John 1:29; Acts 22:16).