Sharing Life and Christ

30MAR2012 A Murderous Heart And The Power Of The Gospel Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.   For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, on endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.   For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?   But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing n the sight of God.   For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.   He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.   When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.   He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.   By His wounds you have been healed.   ...

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” Hosea 1:2 I recently read a novel by Francine Rivers called Redeeming Love , which is a retelling of the story of Hosea.   It was a timely read given so many of the things going on in my life right now.   One thing in particular has struck me again through this book.   I am the whore of this story.   Believe me when I say that I’d rather not apply that title to myself if it weren’t true!   But it is simply in agreement with what God’s Word says.   Consider James 4:4 with me: You adulterous people!    Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?   Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. When I choose the world’s offerings over God, I whore myself out t...

According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.   For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9:9-14 So, we’re picking up where we ended last time.   We saw t...

These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.   By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age).   According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.   Hebrews 9:6-10 Ok, so this might seem like an odd text to start off with, and I’m feeling a bit over my head, but we’re going to give this a shot anyway!   Here’s the context.   The writer of Hebrews is talking about the earthly tent that ...