April 14th 2019
Jesus Promised Us By Saying, “I Am Going There (To Heaven) To Prepare A Place For You.
2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Paul did a good job of presenting the idea of the three persons in the one God. It seems to me that no one can really fathom the Triune God. The best I could ever do was to think of the three as personalities of the one God. Yes, I know this is kind of nonsense in that we read of all three being present at the same time, but it is still the best way for me to grasp the idea of the Triune God! When Jesus was baptized by John, those present saw evidence of all three persons of God being present at the same time. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:16-17). Water is made up of three parts and is required for life on this earth. And it can be seen in three forms, as a liquid, then it can be a solid as ice, and it can be a gas in the form of steam or evaporation. This then could be a way of seeing three distinct parts of the one thing!
In the selected verse Paul points out the saving grace we get from Jesus, and the love we get from God the Father, and maybe most importantly for this life we accept the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, which enables us to be able to genuinely love other members of the body of Christ, also known as the church in this cursed world! The writer of Hebrews sums up the power that the shed blood of Jesus offers us the cleansing needed to live an unblemished life. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:14). Even though we are still sinners, we can be viewed as an earthly representation of Jesus to people who are seeking salvation, but they do not understand the Good News!
Jesus knew the church on this earth is not perfect, however, it does allow a refuge for salvation of mankind by covering over their sinful nature with the blood of the perfect sacrifice that Jesus offered to all of mankind! Knowing this Jesus commanded His followers to go out and tell this God News account to every member of mankind. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20). During this Lenten season we are, or should be, offering some form of a sacrifice of our time and/or our comfort as an offering to thank Jesus for this wonderful salvation plan, He lived to die in your stead. Jesus died a terrible painful death as atonement for your (our) sins!
Paul wrote about this access to the Father through Jesus, which all who accept the salvation from Jesus are offered. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:18-20). What an offer this is that you can be,” fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household!” This was all paid for by the blood sacrifice made for you (us) by Jesus Christ. Remember too that Jesus knowing we will need it sent the Holy Spirit to help us understand this great sacrifice He made for us. But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26). Are you depending on the Holy Spirit to remind you of everything Jesus said? Jesus taught His disciples that the Holy Spirit, “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
Jesus told His disciples who were with Him as friends about what this Holy Spirit will do for them. When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. (John 15:26-27). If you are a disciple of Jesus these promises were actually being made to you (us) too. During this Lenten season we are again waiting for Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which we will be celebrating this Sunday. We will be remembering how the people were lauding Jesus and waving palm branches to honor Him as an earthly leader. They were giving Him honor mostly as an earthly leader, who they hoped would free them from earthly rulers.
We on the other hand are, or should be, honoring Jesus as our heavenly leader, and offering us eternal salvation, and preparing each of His followers a place in heaven. Jesus told His disciples about how He was going to prepare a place for them, and us, a special place in heaven, where we would be with Him! Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3). This strikes me as the greatest promise Jesus made to us, His disciples! Jesus promised us by saying, “I am going there (to heaven) to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Are you willing to accept this wonderful offer from Jesus?
Can you tell someone about this offer during this Lenten season?
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Paul did a good job of presenting the idea of the three persons in the one God. It seems to me that no one can really fathom the Triune God. The best I could ever do was to think of the three as personalities of the one God. Yes, I know this is kind of nonsense in that we read of all three being present at the same time, but it is still the best way for me to grasp the idea of the Triune God! When Jesus was baptized by John, those present saw evidence of all three persons of God being present at the same time. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:16-17). Water is made up of three parts and is required for life on this earth. And it can be seen in three forms, as a liquid, then it can be a solid as ice, and it can be a gas in the form of steam or evaporation. This then could be a way of seeing three distinct parts of the one thing!
In the selected verse Paul points out the saving grace we get from Jesus, and the love we get from God the Father, and maybe most importantly for this life we accept the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, which enables us to be able to genuinely love other members of the body of Christ, also known as the church in this cursed world! The writer of Hebrews sums up the power that the shed blood of Jesus offers us the cleansing needed to live an unblemished life. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:14). Even though we are still sinners, we can be viewed as an earthly representation of Jesus to people who are seeking salvation, but they do not understand the Good News!
Jesus knew the church on this earth is not perfect, however, it does allow a refuge for salvation of mankind by covering over their sinful nature with the blood of the perfect sacrifice that Jesus offered to all of mankind! Knowing this Jesus commanded His followers to go out and tell this God News account to every member of mankind. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20). During this Lenten season we are, or should be, offering some form of a sacrifice of our time and/or our comfort as an offering to thank Jesus for this wonderful salvation plan, He lived to die in your stead. Jesus died a terrible painful death as atonement for your (our) sins!
Paul wrote about this access to the Father through Jesus, which all who accept the salvation from Jesus are offered. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:18-20). What an offer this is that you can be,” fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household!” This was all paid for by the blood sacrifice made for you (us) by Jesus Christ. Remember too that Jesus knowing we will need it sent the Holy Spirit to help us understand this great sacrifice He made for us. But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26). Are you depending on the Holy Spirit to remind you of everything Jesus said? Jesus taught His disciples that the Holy Spirit, “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
Jesus told His disciples who were with Him as friends about what this Holy Spirit will do for them. When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. (John 15:26-27). If you are a disciple of Jesus these promises were actually being made to you (us) too. During this Lenten season we are again waiting for Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which we will be celebrating this Sunday. We will be remembering how the people were lauding Jesus and waving palm branches to honor Him as an earthly leader. They were giving Him honor mostly as an earthly leader, who they hoped would free them from earthly rulers.
We on the other hand are, or should be, honoring Jesus as our heavenly leader, and offering us eternal salvation, and preparing each of His followers a place in heaven. Jesus told His disciples about how He was going to prepare a place for them, and us, a special place in heaven, where we would be with Him! Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3). This strikes me as the greatest promise Jesus made to us, His disciples! Jesus promised us by saying, “I am going there (to heaven) to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Are you willing to accept this wonderful offer from Jesus?
Can you tell someone about this offer during this Lenten season?
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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