Who Will Deliver Us?

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Romans 7:22-23 (ESV)

When I was a youngster, I accidently spilled a glob of black oil paint on one of my mom’s pink throw rugs. The spot was only the size of a quarter, but no amount of cleaning could remove it. The spot was set, and the rug was permanently marred.

Sin left a permanent stain on the human soul when Adam sinned. Its source was the highest created cherub of God, Lucifer (Satan), who allowed his beauty to corrupt his wisdom and righteousness so that he rebelled against the LORD, moving to unseat Him from His throne (Is. 14:13-14, Ezk. 28:12-19). After losing his holy position, Lucifer brought sin with him into the world, bringing mankind into his long war against God.

The continual warring of my inborn sin nature with the righteousness of Christ frustrates me. The Apostle Paul was frustrated by the sin in his own life, too. Like myself he wanted to do right but sin always tripped him up. In his frustration he cried out, “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Rom. 7:18-19).

The Bible does not teach that our sin nature is eradicated at salvation. I wish that were so but like that oil stain in that rug, it is permanently set on our souls. We will not be free of it except through death or Rapture. Paul expresses what kind of man sin had made him when he cries out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Rom. 7:24).

When Christ gave His life on the cross, He broke the power of sin to enslave us. Even though the curse of sin was not fully removed, there was still a great victory won at the cross. If sin remains a problem, it no longer has the legal right to force its mastery and control on us.

The good news is God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4) empowers us to stand against sin in its war against the mind. When temptation comes to us with its chains of seduction that once held us, we now have the freedom and the right in Christ to refuse to put those chains back on. The Word of God is our Document of Emancipation. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:1).

God has for reasons of His own chosen not to explain why He did not take the stain of sin completely from us when we believed on Christ. However, since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for nearly 2,000 years His loving power and saving grace have been extended to billions of the sons and daughters of Adam making them into new creations in Christ (1st Cor. 15:45, 17).

After Paul’s question of who will rescue him, he states in the emphatic, “Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:25). It is Christ and the powerful working of the Spirit of Truth who delivers us, for He will be with us and in us (Jn. 14:17, 16:13).

Sin will certainly be eradicated one day, and we have the King of Kings’ true and faithful promise that He will make all things new and perfect again (Rev. 21:5). Until then sin remains that oily smudge we cannot be rid of. Who will save us from this body of sin and death?

We can all gratefully say with Paul, “Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Amen. Let it be so, Lord Jesus, for in Your strength is our power to accomplish all things in righteousness (Phil 4:13).

Maranatha,

Ken

Yom Kippur 2023

But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people committed in ignorance. Hebrews 9:7 (NIV)

Today, Monday, September 25, 2023, is Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, the holiest day within Judaism. It began yesterday, September 24, at sundown and will end at sundown today. This day was commanded by the LORD to be observed on the tenth day after the beginning of the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, to allow Israel to atone for its sins (Lev.23:26-27).

In the tent of the meeting in the wilderness and in the temples that stood in Jerusalem were two rooms, the Holy Place where the priests ministered and the inner sanctum (aka the Holy of Holies). In this second room was the ark of the covenant which according to the writer of the Book of Hebrews held the rod of Aaron, a container of manna, and the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments (Heb. 9:4). The lid of the ark was crafted out of solid gold with cherubim, angelic beings, hammered in gold, on each side with wings outstretched over its top (Ex. 25:10-22).

It was here where the presence of God resided and where the high priest would yearly twice sprinkle the blood of an innocent animal sacrifice upon the lid, once for his sins, and once for the sins of the nation. The cover of the ark came to be known as the mercy seat because that was where God’s merciful forgiveness for the year’s past transgressions was granted to the nation. When done as God commanded it became an acceptable atonement for the sins of the people.

The atonement offered only a temporary relief of the sins of the people and was a covering of their sin. There would always need to be an offering made year-to-year. There was no sacrifice righteous enough that could be made once and for all, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls or goats to take away sins (Heb. 9:4).

Because Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18) and not through an earthly father He was the Son of God, born without sin. He was that perfect sacrifice that just did not cover sin but fully forgave it. When Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering you [God] did not desire but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings you were not pleased (Heb. 10:4-6).  God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2^nd Cor. 5:21).

Yeshua was rejected as Israel’s messiah for various reasons, probably the most cited being He never established an everlasting reign on the throne of His ancestor David. Before His ascension the establishment of Christ’s kingdom was even on the minds of His own disciples and was their final question to Him. “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

Messiah’s eternal kingdom will be restored as Scripture says and with Yeshua legally and lawfully seated on the eternal throne in the lineage of David (2^nd Sam. 7:16, Matt. 1:6, Lk. 3:31). It will be a kingdom that will be glorious and everlasting, however, at the time of Christ’s first advent the establishment of a physical kingdom was not God’s priority. Destroying Satan’s slavery of sin and restoring the human heart into full fellowship with Him was. A happy and healthy kingdom can only come out of a whole and healthy people.

The second temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by Rome over 1900 years ago. Since there is no Holy of Holies or ark now where a high priest can make atonement, our Jewish friends are encouraged to take this solemn and holy day to pray, reflect, and seek God.

As believers, our own day of atonement happened when we confessed faith in the full power of the sacrificial Lamb God offered in Christ Jesus. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the will of God even to death on the cross to see it finished (Philippians 2:8). Because of that He can rightfully say there is no other way to God except through Him (Jn. 14:6).

God was pleased to hear from the mouth of His perfect Lamb that His plan to break the slavery of sin was successfully finished on the cross (Jn. 19:30). As our Great High Priest, He brought us to the Seat of Mercy when we believed, sprinkling our hearts with His own blood, making us holy and His own, once and for all time (Heb. 10:10). All glory and honor to our Great High Priest and risen King on this Day of Atonement. Shalom.

Maranatha,

Ken

 

Come and Dine

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 (NIV)

 

What fully satisfies and brings contentment? Believe it or not Scripture offers the secret of contentment. Paul found it and wrote about it in his letter to the believers in the Philippian church. What is this secret Paul spoke of?

God sustained Israel in the desert with a food the Israelites called manna (meaning “What is it?”). Manna was a bread-like substance that appeared within the camp every morning. Moses wrote that it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste was like wafers made with honey (Ex. 16:31). It nourished the nation for 40 years but did not give eternal life.

Bread has always been a life sustainer for all the nations of the earth, but even though it sustains life it is not capable of granting a life that will last forever. That can only be granted by the One who spoke life into existence (Gen. 1:1-2:1). 

In His conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus presented Himself as living water that would bring a spring of thirst-quenching inexhaustible life (Jn. 4:4-14). Later He presented Himself as the bread of life that would satisfy the hungry soul and give eternal life to its partakers.

The Christian life is not an easy life. Anyone who says differently is unwise in their judgment. It is a life defined by trust in Christ, determination, and focused obedience to the will of God. All the other choices the world offers leave us hungry, thirsty, and always wanting more. Name it; sex, work, relationships, marriages, family, food, possessions, or wealth are our major go-to's. While there is nothing sinful in any of these things when used according to God’s guidelines, depending on them for lasting fulfilment will only disappoint us when they fade. They will leave our soul famished, and always craving something new or more of the same wind (Ecc. 1:14).

The only thing that will leave us fully satisfied is the true and eternal bread of life, Christ Himself. The only thing that quenches the thirst for more of the unsatisfactory is the living water that He offers. Life’s pathway often leads into desert wastes where we can become entangled in addictive lifestyles and overwhelmed with disappointment. Nothing satisfies completely for everything the world offers will eventually fade away. So, what fully satisfies?

Jesus offended many of His disciples when He told them that to have eternal life, they had to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Outside of the manna in the wilderness He was the true bread sent from God that gives eternal life in Him (Jn. 6:53-58). He was saying in following Him we are to completely immerse ourselves into His being as our daily sustenance that nourishes in His strength alone. Paul writes of the secret of a satisfaction that brings contentment no matter the circumstances. Is that possible? Yes, it is. It is nothing we can do in our own strength to make it so. Paul realized the secret to contentment was to put his trust in the strength and power of Christ. (Phil. 4:11-13).  

While life can be joyous at times, sin brings mostly hard toil and difficulty, but in Christ, if it is not always easy, it can be satisfying. God’s Son, the Bread of Life, nourishes and fully satisfies. He leaves every fiber of our being fully alive forever more, proving the day-to-day satisfaction of His rich spiritual sustenance which is lasting and always enough. The Master calls us to come and dine. He is food for thought and the only one who can leave our hungry souls fully satisfied.

Maranatha,

Ken

When Grace Touches Us

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” John 9:1-2 (NIV)

It was widely believed in the Israel of Jesus’ day that a righteous life would always counteract evil outcomes. The righteous never suffer evil things. God would not allow it! So, the disciples of Jesus believed a man blind from birth might be guilty of sin and born under the judgment of God. 

If this man was the guilty party of his blind state, the question remains what was the sin he committed in his mother’s womb causing his blindness? If the answer is the sins he would later commit, then we would all be born in some kind of iniquitous physical condition for the psalmist writes, I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5).

It is unfortunate that if someone is suffering, we seldom first consider that God may be working to refine and purify their lives and bring Himself honor and glory (Phil 2:13). Job was a virtuous man (Job 1:8) yet suffered unimaginably horrific trials and setbacks. We can do as his friends did in their unjust judgment of him, and automatically assume suffering’s cause is always hidden sin, and the suffering person is just getting God’s payback, but that is both petty and vindictive, and those things are not listed in God’s attributes of holiness. He is none of those things. 

Jesus’ reply to the disciple’s query was both on point in God’s estimation and gracious in His promise of help. He said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” And the works of God were indeed displayed as Jesus healed this man’s sight and he became a believer on Jesus as the Son of God (9:38).

Being quick to think and slow to speak are the prerequisites taught throughout Scripture. God was very angry with Job’s friends for their arrogance and self-righteous judgments of this righteous man, and how that misrepresented God Himself! The LORD severely rebuked them (Job 42:7-8).  

God sometimes allows suffering in our lives that can forge our molten pain into spiritual steel. We come out of the furnace of affliction tempered and stronger in our faith and shaped on adversity’s anvil into His perfect instrument for service.

We can throw stones much too easily that hurt those who are already wounded. Let us open our fingers and drop any stones of angry contention. The only stone we need to be touching is the foundation stone of Christ Himself and His welcoming touch of grace. In that touch we can see how to do the same for others and for ourselves.

Maranatha,

Ken

The New Naos

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1^st Cor. 6:19-20 (NIV)

There are two words in biblical Greek for ‘temple.’ The first is hieron. It is the word Matthew uses when the disciples of Jesus pointed out its magnificence to Him (Matt. 24:1). It is the entire precinct or facility. The second Greek word is naos, which Paul uses. This word is from the root naio, to dwell.

Within the heiron was the naos, a separate room, also known as the Holy of Holies. This was where the Ark of the Covenant, containing the Ten Commandments, once sat, and the presence of God dwelt. According to the writings of the Maccabees the ark was supposedly removed and hidden by the prophet Jeremiah for its protection from foreign invaders. To this day its whereabouts remain unknown.

A huge curtain veiled the temple naos to separate the awesome Glory of the Infinite from the fallen and finite. Only the high priest was allowed to enter that room, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement to make penance for the sins of the nation (Leviticus 16:2). Entering into the presence of the Living God was a fearsome task not for the fainthearted or careless. The high priest had to follow God’s instruction to the letter. Any deviation of doing anything his way would result in his death as it did with the two sons of Aaron (Lev. 10:1-2).

From the cross Jesus was heard saying that the work of salvation was finished (Jn. 19:30). This is when you, as a believer, were bought with a price, purchased at a cost of unbelievable sacrifice on God’s part. Darkness covered the land from noon to three in the afternoon with a rock rending earthquake tearing the temple veil from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51, Lk. 23:44). In tearing that curtain open God was showing humanity they could now come boldly into a new relationship with Him, obtaining grace and mercy through His Son Jesus Christ (Heb. 4:16).

Now, for all who accept the redemptive work of the perfect Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29, Rev. 12:11) the presence of the Holy Spirit has moved from the heiron into a new temple, or naos, not made with hands.  What can contain Him? Heaven is His throne and the earth His footstool (Acts 7:48-49). Living without He can live relationally within. When you believed, the Holy Spirit indwelt you and you became the new naos. You are now the Holy of Holies.

This is your promise and security. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of full redemption either through the resurrection from the dead or in the sudden gathering of the Bride of Christ to Himself, that is to come (1^st Thessalonians 4:14-18).

Meanwhile we walk in the light of Christ and in that light we do not stumble in sinful choices, honoring God with our bodies. He gives us the Holy Spirit to live within being our comforter, advocate, guide, and teacher, to forever remain with us (Jn. 14:15-17).

Before the finished work of God’s perfect sacrifice in His Son, the people had to journey to the temple to deal with their sin. Now the temple walks among the people, offering mercy and forgiveness. We are His light bearers, the naos that presents the opening through the veil to a people it once separated.

As the new naos, you are revealing God’s grace, acceptance, and peace to a weary world that is now open and available to all (Matt. 5:16). May your light so shine that the many see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven!

Maranatha,

Ken

When Jesus Loves Us Anyway

You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48

What does the word “perfection” do to you? Recall too many past failures? Never being able to measure up no matter how hard you try? For years this word scared the daylights out of me. Perfection always expected me to clear the bar and brought me to shame when I always caught it with my foot.

Our English equivalent of the word has a very different meaning from the Greek (teleios). The English means flawless while this Greek word means to join-together, prepare, and restore. A huge difference from what we normally think perfection means.

For years I labored under the misconception I could not be a true servant of God unless I matched His perfection, but how can anyone do that? As Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick” (Lk. 5:31). That is why we are in need of a Savior. That is why God sent His only Beloved Son to us (John 3:16). So, I stumbled along in my imperfection, torturing myself by believing the lie that my acceptability to Him was based upon walking in sinless perfection in a nature that was depraved by sin (Rom. 3:10).

When I understood Paul’s anthem that the just shall live by faith (Rom. 1:17, Gal.3:11), I understood that if God in Christ loved me so much that He would die for me in my imperfection (Rom. 5:6-9), how much more would He accept me clothed in His righteousness? He never expects any believer to walk in sinless perfection, for only He is eternally perfect.

Because Jesus is your perfection He continually repairs and restores you. When you put your trust in Him, He polishes you to His brightness and clothes you in His perfection. In doing that He not only lifts an impossible burden from mind and heart but sets upon you His lighter yoke of genuine acceptance and love that brings rest to the soul (Matt. 11:29).

I must confess I still have days I need to return to Paul’s admonition that I am always justified in Christ and not my perfection. I live my life by faith through His redemptive work (Gal. 2:20). It is a life that is burnished to a shiny luster, and perfectly made new every morning. He reminds me that only He is without blemish or error, and I am perfect in Him despite the judgments of others. When I believed in Him, I became perfect in God’s estimation and esteem.

Restoration in Christ Jesus comes only through His perfection and mercies and those mercies never come to an end. In His grace you do not have to come to Him clean, you just need to come to Him in belief (Acts 16:31) and He does the cleanup and restoration. His mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23), and that is where true perfection always lies.

Maranatha,

Ken

 

 

Jesus Was Not a Christian

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham begat Isaac, Issac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Judah and his brothers, From the Gospel of Matthew 1:1-2 (New King James Version)

If you are Jewish and on the fence about who Jesus is, then perhaps this may be a pivotal moment for your world view. Israeli born Jew and President of One for Israel, Dr. Erez Soref, says Yeshua, Jesus, as Israel’s promised messiah, is the best kept secret from the Jewish people. He says, “The kindest thing you could ever do for a Jewish person is to share Jesus with them.”

When many Jews read the genealogy of Jesus, a Jew who was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, they are very surprised if not shocked. Matthew, a fellow Jew, and personal disciple of Yeshua, was one of four who documented in their gospels the life, works and words, of the Jewish rabbi who revealed Himself as Israel’s promised messiah through many infallible proofs.

Three of the four men that wrote the gospels were Jewish, all born and raised in Israel. The fourth (Luke) was a Gentile physician who became a proselyte to Yeshua. Luke was a historian of the highest caliber and carefully documented the many witnessed accounts of Jesus’ life possibly from those still living at the time who had known Him personally. Luke’s quest for empirical evidence traced the Jewish genealogy of Yeshua from Joseph (Jesus’ supposed father), back through Joseph’s father, Heli, through King David, ending at the beginning of Creation with Adam (Gospel of Luke 3:23-38).

The surprise in hearing the responses of the many Jews who learned of the semitic roots of Yeshua is always interesting. They thought he was a catholic, the pope, or a Christian leader who wrote the New Testament as a guidebook to persecute and slaughter Jews. Listen to their testimonials of shock and wonder for yourself at ‘oneforisrael.com.’

When I do present the gospel to a Jewish person, I encourage them to read only the first two verses of Matthew’s gospel in the New Testament. "Wait, What? Really? This isn't what I've been told." It is enough to pique the interest of most to read further.

 Jesus was not a catholic, or a pope. He was not even a Christian. Christians are those who revere and follow His teachings. The term Christian was a cheap-shot moniker pinned on Jewish believers in Yeshua by Antiochian society around AD 40. It was originally meant to be a slur but it suited believers and was soon adapted by them as a sign of regard and reverence to Christ.

If you are interested in this person, Jesus, yet remain hesitant, let me offer a suggestion that can reveal understanding or at least the first glimmer of that spiritual sunrise you’ve been waiting for. Just ask Him. 

It’s OK.  Just pray, “Jesus, I’m not sure that you are who people say you are or if you are even real. I am asking you to reveal to me that you are real and the chosen messiah of Israel. Please show me. That is all I ask.”

You will not lose your Jewish roots and identity when you believe in Yeshua. You will find you become more Jewish, for Yeshua said, “Salvation is of (or comes from) the Jews,” (Gospel of John 4:22).

Jesus is not a Christian in the sense of the guy who shows up for Sunday morning church with Bible in hand. The only ‘bible’ Jesus had was the Tanach. He taught from the writings of Moses and all the prophets and said they foretold His coming (Gospel of Luke 24:22-27). He’s thoroughly Jewish and He is thoroughly wanting to reveal Himself to you.

As I heard one brother’s challenge to an atheist, “Why not trust Jesus? What have you got to lose?” you can do the same right now. Perhaps this devotional blog is that very answer and sign you have been asking for. It is no accident you are reading this. Today is your day of salvation.

 The challenged atheist I spoke of did ask, and Jesus showed him who He really is. This man believed and God was faithful to meet him where he lived. He went from rage to peace and has been a friend and brother in Christ to me for over 50 years. Whether Jew or Gentile I offer that same challenge. Just ask Him. Really, what do you have to lose?

Maranatha,

Ken

If you believe Yeshua, Jesus, is the promised Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world and want to know Him, you can pray this prayer from your heart and He will hear it: “Jesus, I believe you are the Promised One of Israel. I believe You came to bring us freedom from the tyranny of Satan and sin and will one day restore Israel to its rightful place with You. I want to honor and serve You now and I ask you into my heart and to forgive and pardon all my sin. Lead and guide me by Your Holy Spirit. Amen” 

Now, if you prayed that prayer and want to move further in your relationship with Yeshua, I encourage you to read the Gospel of John in the New Testament, then look for a fellowship that teaches the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. If you are Jewish and wish to join a Messianic fellowship, there is more than likely one near you and would welcome you. Get involved with other believers in Yeshua! It is a good beginning. This Jewish Jesus, Yeshua, is real and alive. May He grant you insight and understanding in Himself as your relationship grows. Grace and Peace to you.