The Gospel of Leviticus

"....The Lord said to Moses: 'Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark....And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord's lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering.  But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness.'"  (The Gospel According to Leviticus, chapter 16)

The title of this chapter is, "The Day of Atonement," the most holy day of the Jewish calendar.  Aaron was warned not to go into the Holiest of All without blood, "And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb. 9:22, NASB).

Aaron was commanded to go into the Most Holy Place, once a year, and then, thoroughly cleansed, cleansed with the blood and with water and with the "holy garments."  Beware the gathering, the worship, and personal walk in Jesus which does not so conduct itself.  Nothing has changed since the command of Leviticus 16, that is, "nothing but the Blood of Jesus."  Personally, I believe every day, every moment, every "sermon," every worship gathering should begin under the Blood of Jesus, a conscious acknowledgment, a conscious, continual awareness that the only right, the only justification which you and I have to speak the Name of the Living Triune God, to preach, do good works or to speak of being "in His Presence" is the Blood of Jesus.  Leviticus 16 has not been abandoned; it has been fulfilled in the Blood of Jesus.

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the Blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a Great High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:19-22, NIV).  Perhaps this should be between the third and fourth "spiritual laws."

Hebrews 10, indeed, the whole Book of Hebrews is the fulfillment of Leviticus 16.  The Hebrews passage quoted above is the transition from only one person allowed in the, "Most Holy Place," to the invitation to all humanity, "to enter the Most Holy Place"--  and that only, "by the Blood of Jesus."  Because of Jesus, and only in Jesus are you and I allowed into the most intimate fellowship, dwelling, and day-by-day living.  What a glorious Gospel is our, what a glorious invitation is yours and mine.  "What a fellowship, what a joy Divine, leaning on the everlasting arms," bathed in the Blood of Jesus, cleansed in the Blood of Jesus, washed, not with hyssop, but with and in the Blood of Jesus.

Father, in Jesus' Name, You do all things well.  Amen.
*************************
Blog:  jhs58.blogspot.com

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

What "Report Do You Believe?

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits...."  (Psalm 103:2)

"....What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

While I was reading Psalm 103 today, I felt the Holy Spirit say, "The choice is yours; you can believe this or all the other 'stuff.'"  The declarations in this Psalm are so wonderful, so loving from our God and Father, and our God and Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, the Holy Spirit, yet so unbelievable and seemingly contradicted by life, that they come under question by those who walk by sight, not by faith, viz., look at, "what is seen," not at, "what is unseen."

The "average" person would say, "Well, what am I supposed to look at? what is not happening in my life, unreality?"  Such is the philosophy (theology?) of the humanist, aka, those enslaved by the "natural" mind.  I know I refer to the following passage a lot, but the reason is the substantive premise contained in it of, "The Kingdom of God/Heaven."  No one can live in Jesus' Kingdom who does not embrace the reality, "Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."  Of course we are.  

I have noticed in recent years that I have been thinking, "There is no time in my sojourn here which I would rather be living than the present."  No, I'm not a strong as I used to be, can't run as fast as I used to, have more aches and pains than before, look old, etc.  But all of the aforementioned is, "what is seen," i.e., "outwardly we are wasting away."--------- yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."  You and I have a choice:  Live for the, "outwardly," or the, "inwardly."  It is the working in us, "What is unseen is eternal," and it is that, "eternal life," in "The Eternal One," Father, Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit, saturation in the very, "Words of God," which enables me to value now in Jesus Christ, rather than longing for the "seen" world of yesteryear.  

The young who read this may not understand.  You look young and healthy, have endless energy, everything in your body seems to be "working" perfectly.  Ah, but as the Lord Jesus may "tarry," as the days and years go by, you too will experience the passing of youth.  You too will "slow down," not look as "young and beautiful" as you do now.  In those days you will have the same choice, "....fix our eyes on what is seen," or, "on what is unseen...."  As you read the, "exceeding great and precious promises," of Psalm 103, the Enemy will be there, as he is with the older among us, attacking you, attempting to get you to doubt or outright reject the very, "Words of God," Words which are the very Breath of the Blessed Trinity.  Choose wisely.  Read, read aloud, proclaim in the face of all the doubt which a secular education, a perverted Western Culture, steeped in "rational," scientific, "falsely so-called," philosophy will throw at you, "Bless the Lord, O my soul...: Who forgives all your iniquities,..heals all your diseases.., redeems your life from destruction.., crowns you with lovingkindness.., satisfies...."

Father, in Jesus' Name, I believe You, not me.  Amen.
*************************
Check out the latest on our Blog: A further take on Obama's distorted State of the Union speech, plus a great article on how Albania rescued many of the Jews of Europe during the Holocaust:    jhs58.blogspot.com

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

A Brief "Paper" On "The Kingdom of Heaven"

"For the kingdom of heaven is like...."  (Matthew 20:1)

The Greek word for, "kingdom," means, "kingship, sovereignty, authority, rule."  The word itself is its own definition.

Matthew's Gospel records that Jesus said the words, "The Kingdom of Heaven," 15 times and, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like," at least 11 times.  I take it from this fact that, "the Kingdom of Heaven is like," nothing which we can describe in the post-Babel languages of man, nothing which can be fully understood in the "natural mind."  When Jesus says, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like," in the many parables of Matthew 13, Jesus does not say, "The Kingdom of Heaven is," rather, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like...."  He describes how the Kingdom "spreads," how the Kingdom "grows" and the many throughout this time/space age come to the King and His Kingdom.

"The Kingdom of Heaven," is about "Kingship, Sovereignty, Authority, Rule," i.e., "the Government of God."  It is not where American, European, African, Mid Eastern, Asian, political philosophies, or race and gender prejudices rule, but where Jesus Christ rules, reigns. As 1 Timothy 6:13-16 declares, "I urge you...before Christ Jesus Who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment (law of the Kingdom) without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, Who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, Whom no man has seen or can see, to Whom be honor and everlasting power.  Amen."  This is another "perfect" description of, "The Kingdom of Heaven/God."  Again, it is about who/Who rules, whom/Whom we obey and whose/Whose law/Law-Word we obey and live by.

Your life and my life are not the "center;" Jesus is the Center.  Our lives have meaning and purpose only to the degree we love, worship, and submit to The Living Triune God in Jesus Christ, and the Rule of the Godhead manifested in Jesus Christ----- in Heaven and Earth and the Universe.  So much emphasis today is on you and me, me-ism.  Communities and nations are not transformed by me-ism, by you being a better "you," but by you and me as we are the image of Jesus Christ, "Who is the image of God...."  They are transformed, experience "revival" when the emphasis, the focus is not you and me, but Jesus.  When the Church begins to "lift high" our Lord Jesus Christ, then and only then will the "change" for which so many seem to pray will come to pass.  It is not, "Looking unto me."  You know what it is--"Looking unto Jesus."

Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to do my part to bring people, not to me, but to You.  Amen.
*************************
Half way to our need for the March Mission.  May include one of the Eastern European nations, as the Lord provides.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

I Know Where There is Comfort For You :)

"When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations ('comfort') delight my soul."
(Psalm 94:19, NASB)

Well, it's that time of month when I read this text.  I have shared before that I read this in the NASB while I was at a gas station on an East German autobahn in October of 1987 (the German's called it "Hitler's Autobahn", because it had not been renovated since the 1930s).  It was a cold, very cloudy and rainy day, not what most would call "inspiring."  Yet on that old road which brought back memories of arguably the most barbaric period in human history, surrounded by a totalitarian, communist state which did not allow you to get off that transit highway, here in the midst of darkness was Jesus, "Light of the world," revealing Himself anew in His "God-Breathed" Word.  I do not recall any, "anxious thoughts," at that moment, but I shall never forget how, in the midst of a day in my life, these Words of Jesus impacted me, yes, "delight[ed] my soul."  It was one of those moments with which our Lord Jesus will abundantly provide us, if we are "open." 

So, again today the Holy Spirit is reminding you and me that no matter what the, "anxious thoughts," no matter if, "doubt and fears assail," no matter the loneliness, the apprehension, "at those things coming on the earth," in general, or in your life particularly, to celebrate with the psalmist when he realized that in the midst of life's, "anxious thoughts," come, "Your consolations," the consolation of and in Jesus, right there, right now.  Man seeks the comfort he so desperately needs in so many counterfeit sources.  At best, they are very temporary, so fleeting, so illusory.  You know what I am writing about today.  You and I have tried these illusions so many times you would think that by now we would discard them forever, never even entertain them again.  But alas, the Enemy keeps feeding his lies and deception in man's struggle. 

The Holy Spirit, by the psalmist said, "Be still and know that I am God."  One translation says, "Let go."  I encourage you today to, "Let go," of, "anxious thoughts," and "embrace" Jesus, aka, "Your consolations/comfort."  Let Him "hold" you, encourage you, strengthen you and believe Him to write in your heart and mind, "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations/comfort delight my soul."

Father, in Jesus' Name, You are my, "consolation/comfort."  Amen.
*********************************
Halfway to our need for the March Mission

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2