Secret Followers Come Out of Hiding...

 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.—Matthew 27:57-61

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.—John 19:38-42

I am not sure why this is the first time I noticed that at the death of Jesus, His “secret” followers became “public” and His “public” followers became “secret”.  Piecing together information from other gospel accounts, we learn that Joseph, in Mark 15:43 and Luke 23:50-51 is identified as a member of the Sanhedrin. Luke also says in verse 51 that “he had not consented to their decision and deed.” John 3 tells us that Nicodemus was a Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews, who came to Jesus by night. These two men, upon the death of Jesus, risked “everything” by coming out to bury His body. Both had come to believe but had not yet openly testified to their faith.  Here at Jesus’ death, they come out publicly while the disciples who had followed Jesus openly before His death were in hiding. Read Isaiah 53:9 with me:

And they made His grave with the wicked—

But with the rich at His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Christ was buried in Joseph’s own “new tomb”, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9.  Earlier in Matthew 26:31, Jesus says this:

Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

I will strike the Shepherd,

And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

Prophecy fulfilled brings much comfort to my heart. God’s purposes stand. The plans of his heart to all generations. Beloved, God uses both our moments of faith and our moments of failure to fulfill His perfect will and purpose.  I can rest knowing that what He did for Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and His disciples, He will do for imperfect me as well.  In Him, I am sufficient for whatever I will face.  He WILL complete the good work He began in me and by His grace I will walk in those works He has prepared beforehand for ME.  

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

9 For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.—Psalm 33:8-11

Offering Made by Fire..

 It is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. 10 And what is left of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire.—Leviticus 2:9-10

I cannot help but see Jesus, the bread of life, in the grain offering...the offering that Leviticus tells us is the most holy of offerings to the LORD made by fire. Jesus who was our sinless substitute on the cross at Calvary. Jesus whose life was free from sin of any kind and who lived not for His own pleasure but for the will of His Father in Heaven. Jesus is He who nourishes our inner man and preserves us faultless through this world and into the arms of His Father and ours in heaven. 

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."—Luke 22:19

32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Decision Making Time...

 32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,

For blessed are those who keep my ways.

33 Hear instruction and be wise,

And do not disdain it.

34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at the posts of my doors.

35 For whoever finds me finds life,

And obtains favor from the LORD;

36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul;

All those who hate me love death.”—Proverbs 8:32-36

Proverbs Chapter 8 begins with wisdom crying out, making herself known and declaring God’s truth in every place.  Here in these verses she calls on the hearers to make a decision...

Beloved, there is no neutral ground...you are either for God or against Him.  You either believe or you don’t.  In choosing to not believe, you choose against your own soul by turning away from the One who offers you the free gift of eternal life. In choosing to believe you find life and obtain favor with God.  Choosing not to make a decision is the same as choosing not to believe. The evidence of your ultimate choice will be reflected in your life.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.—Galatians 5:19-24 

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.—Hebrews 3:12-13

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.—Jeremiah 29:11-13

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.—1 John 5:12-13

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.—1 John 2

And Wisdom Rejoiced...

 30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;

And I was daily His delight,

Rejoicing always before Him,

31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,

And my delight was with the sons of men.—Proverbs 8:30-31

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.—Genesis 1:31

Genesis 1:31 tells us that God rejoiced over His creation and here in Proverbs 8 we see that “wisdom” was rejoicing with Him, especially in the creation of mankind. Why? Because man was made in the image of God and could, therefore, appreciate not only the intricate beauty of the physical creation but also the eternal wisdom used in the creative process. 

It is so helpful for me REMEMBER when I gaze upon the utter awesomeness of God’s creation that all of it was done in the greatness of His wisdom.  

Beloved, God is the same....yesterday, today and forever.  He wants to use this said same wisdom to work His beautifully wise and perfect will in the lives of each of His children. Why then, knowing this, do I resist His will?  The very One who spoke the world into existence and holds all things together by the word of His power wants to work His perfect will in me!  Praying that I would put aside my own prideful idiocy in thinking I know best and submit to Him and allow Him to accomplish His purposes in me for His glory.  

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.—Jude 24, 25

The Cross and The Line: Crucified with Christ

 

The Cross and The Line: Crucified with Christ

By Bill Lilley

The Lord Christ stopped at nothing to make us forgivable. He went to the most extravagant lengths possible, even to the point of death, the death of the Cross. He, the Son of God, learned obedience through the things which He suffered and by so doing became the perfect sacrifice for the once-for-all propitiation for our sins.

We are never more like Christ than when we erase all lines that separates us from loving and forgiving. The popular phrases, "I draw the line at…", or "She crossed the line…" are the opposite of this for the most part. There were no barriers between Jesus and the work that the Father sent Him to complete.

It is rightfully said that there is only one thing you can do to earn your way into Hell, and that thing is not really a doing, it is an undoing - it is the purposeful refusal to exercise the gift of faith all have been given. You have to work hard for a long time to traverse the distance between everlasting life and eternal death. And you have to trample the Son of God underfoot to get there.

To be crucified with Christ means, at least in part, to have no lines that others can cross. By this I don't mean being a squish, or not standing up for what is right. What I do mean is that if someone reaches the point of true repentance and remorse in regard to some offense he or she has done to you, there will be no refusal of forgiveness based on the pitiful notion of that person having "gone too far." Gone too far for whom? You?

Christ went to the Cross for you, and you can't swallow some hurt and pride to forgive someone else of far less an offense? Please!

Salvation is a miracle of the grace of God, but part and parcel of that miracle is true repentance. To have a broken and contrite spirit that leads you to The Cross is a gift of God. He will by no means cast you out. Can you yourself justifiably do anything less when someone who has hurt you or broken your heart, however often or for however long, seeks your forgiveness?

Suffering for your own idiocy is not commendable. It is only just.

Suffering unjustly on behalf of someone else makes you like Christ.

He set His face like flint toward Jerusalem and excruciation. In like manner, can we cement our resolve to put away pride and be a standing offer of forgiveness to those who truly desire it?

Hurt and betrayal are human emotions precisely because we are made in the image of God. We feel because He does.

It would be a horrible thing indeed if the Sovereign of Existence was an unfeeling force. It would be a life without meaning, a journey without destination, and all suffering would be the cruelest travesty imaginable. Better not to be alive at all if such is true.

But it is not true. Even the most militant atheist knows deep down inside that there is more to life than can be experienced through sense and mind. Else why would he care so much to fight for his point of view? What possible difference could it make in the long run if he converted the entire planet to godlessness? Would it change one iota of the ultimate futility of life?

There is only one thing that gives hope and makes free: the truth of God. Anything else is at best a mere guess, or wishful thinking, or at worse, a murderous lie.

Becoming like Christ is why we are alive. When we have gone as far as we may in that direction in this life, the Lord will bring us Home.

Until then, swallow pride and surrender to Him.

Freedom from personal offense is freedom indeed, as is freedom from the misery of self.

Don't think that what we try to hide won't be uncovered. Don't think that the lies we tell ourselves to justify the hardness of our own heart afford any refuge from the truth.

These things will all be shouted from the rooftops one day, and the unquenchable regret of wasted opportunity and irrevocable time will weigh us down like anchor chains.

Erase the lines and be like Him. Open your heart to the Lord God. He does not want what you can do, He wants you. The doing of anything for Him comes after your becoming a living sacrifice.

A Willing Heart...

 Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; 7 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 8 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 9 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.—Exodus 35:5-9

Beloved, our heart is the “seat” of our will. God wants our hearts surrendered to Him to do His will...not our own. The beautiful thing about this is that it is what is best for us anyway. Read Psalm 33:11 and also Jeremiah 29:11:

The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.—Psalm 33:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.—Jeremiah 29:11

I have always loved what Warren Wiersbe says about Psalm 33:11:

“The will of God for His children comes from the heart of God and is an expression of His love for them, so there is no cause for us to be alarmed or afraid (Jer. 29:11).”

How wonderful is that.  God wants the best for us.  We can trust Him. Jesus illustrates this in the Garden of Gethsemane saying:

“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”—Matt 26:38-39

John MacArthur says that Jesus’ cry of anguish here reflects the extreme bitterness of the cup of wrath He was given.  Not as I will but as You will implies no conflict between the Persons of the Godhead. Rather, it graphically reveals how Christ in His humanity voluntarily surrendered His will to the will of the Father in all things precisely so that there would be no conflict between the divine will and His desires. (See John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29; Phil. 2:8)

Praying today that I can make His footsteps my pathway and surrender what I want — not only for His glory but also for my own temporal and eternal good. I want to be like the people I read about in Exodus today whose hearts were willing to bring an offering to the Lord. Stir up my own heart, Father, and make it voluntarily willing to do Your will so joyfully that I need to be restrained from giving. (Exodus 36:6-7) Thinking of Romans 12:1-2

I beseech[a] you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your [b]reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

And He said, “My Presence Will Go With You..

Show me Your glory, Father!  May my heart never depart from Your tabernacle.   I want to live in the secret place of Your Presence...hide me there.  Draw me close and never let me go. No matter where I find myself physically and emotionally, the truth is You are my Emanuel. You are my God who is with me...my God who makes His home with me. 

Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.—Exodus 33:7

So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.—Exodus 33:11

And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

16 “For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us?—Exodus 33:14-16

But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”—John 6:68-69

One thing I have desired of the LORD,

That will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the LORD

All the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the LORD,

And to inquire in His temple.

5 For in the time of trouble

He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle

He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;

Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!

Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8 When You said, “Seek My face,”

My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

9 Do not hide Your face from me;

Do not turn Your servant away in anger;

You have been my help;

Do not leave me nor forsake me,

O God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me,

Then the LORD will take care of me.

11 Teach me Your way, O LORD,

And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.

12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;

For false witnesses have risen against me,

And such as breathe out violence.

13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness of the LORD

In the land of the living.

14 Wait on the LORD;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the LORD!—Psalm 27:4-14

Joy in Your Strength...

 1 The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD;

And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

2 You have given him his heart's desire,

And have not withheld the request of his lips.

Selah

3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness;—Psalm 21:1-3

Beloved....

Our joy comes when we go in the strength of our God!  In Him all that we do will prosper and we will rejoice. His desires will be our own.  Our God meets us with the blessings of goodness!  He is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. Oh, trust in the Lord for He is good and His mercy upon those that are His is from everlasting to everlasting.  

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Amazing Love!

 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” --Exodus 32:30-32

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen--Romans 9:1-3

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. --John 15:13

To My Daughters,

WOW! WOW! WOW!  What a heart of love both Moses and Paul had for God's people.  What conviction this brings to my own heart.  How much of a burden do I have for the lost around me?  I can say this, it is nothing, nothing like what Paul and Moses demonstrated.  I barely spare the effort to share the gospel with those around me, much less desire to be accursed so that they could be saved.  I do not carry constant grief and sorrow in my heart daily for the lost...I carry it for myself and for my own problems but not for others.  I do not wish myself to be blotted out from God's Book of Life or sent to hell so that others could be saved!  I do not understand nor can I fathom the depth of this kind of love.  

Here is what I do know.  This kind of love is not of man...it is of God.  It was God's love shed abroad in both Moses' and Paul's hearts that enabled them to have such agape (selfless) love for the people in their care.  Looking into the lives of both Moses and Paul, we see Jesus...

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. --Romans 5:8

AMAZING LOVE HOW CAN IT BE THAT YOU MY KING SHOULD DIE FOR ME?

Love

Mom

Total Commitment...

Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar.--Exodus 29:20

I thought this was bizarre the first time I read through the bible.  After a few readings it began to dawn on me what this might signify. The ones chosen for the priesthood had to go through what was called an investiture before they could commence their priestly duties.  (See Exodus 29:4-35 or Leviticus 8:1-36) 

It was a seven day process that included washing, dressing, anointing, sacrificing, daubing and sprinkling with blood and finally, eating.  This daubing of blood on the right ear, the right thumb and the right big toe set apart and consecrated the priest's ear to hear the voice of God, his hand to do the work of God and his foot to walk in the way of God.  Commitment to God was total.  Very convicting...

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.--Romans 12:1-2

Here is another on Exodus 29

https://istwenty63.blogspot.com/2011/11/pictures-of-christ-in-exodus-29.html

Facing the Battles...

 1 May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

2 May He send you help from the sanctuary,

And strengthen you out of Zion;

3 May He remember all your offerings,

And accept your burnt sacrifice.

Selah

4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire,

And fulfill all your purpose.

5 We will rejoice in your salvation,

And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!

May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

With the saving strength of His right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

8 They have bowed down and fallen;

But we have risen and stand upright.

9 Save, LORD!

May the King answer us when we call.—Psalm 20:1-9

This is a prayer before the battle kind of psalm. I have never gone into battle before, but I do battle with my flesh and the enemies of God daily.  How helpful it would be for me to remember this and do as David and his men did here...BEFORE going into battle...BEFORE facing the enemy. 

—Pray

—Acknowledge my dependence on You

—Trust and affirm that it is in You that I place my trust. 

—Rejoice!  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; 

You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

And Your right hand will save me.

Father... I am so thankful that You are for us...and if You are for us, then none can truly be against us.  We are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through You who loved us so much that You died for us. 

Help me today and every day to remember that this world is not about my ease and comfort.  I am a soldier in Your army.  I am set aside for your purposes.  Keep me from entangling myself in the every day affairs of this life. I want to please You. Today I will put on Your full armor so that I can resist the evil surrounding me and stand firm.  I will remember that I can do all things through You, my God, who strengthens me. In this world I will have tribulation, but today I will take courage because You have overcome the world.  In You, I will have peace.  

And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, "LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!"—2 Chronicles 14:11

“Nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few.” (1 Sam 14:6) Lord...we rest entirely on You...for without You, we are without strength.  Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength!  We will sing and praise Your power.  (Ps 21:13) O God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." (2 Chron 20:12) You are our God...and You have promised to be ours...we cleave unto You.  We go out in Your name...do not let man prevail against You!  Bring glory and honor to Your name!

He said,

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;

My savior, You save me from violence.

“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

And I am saved from my enemies.—2 Samuel 22:2-4

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”—Joshua 1:9

10 Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

11 "Behold, all those who were incensed against you

Shall be ashamed and disgraced;

They shall be as nothing,

And those who strive with you shall perish.

12 You shall seek them and not find them—

Those who contended with you.

Those who war against you

Shall be as nothing,

As a nonexistent thing.

13 For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,

Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'

14 "Fear not, you worm Jacob,

You men of Israel!

I will help you," says the LORD

And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.—Isaiah 41:10-14