March 10th 2024
It Is The Season Of Death, And Then New Life Through Our Brother Jesus Christ!
Ephesians 2:9-10 (NIV)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no-one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Have you given up anything you like for your observance of the Lenten season? This time of the year we get to see a renewal of life as the plants begin to show signs of life, as the trees begin to bud out so we know leaves will again be displayed on these trees. And the spring flowers pop up seemingly from the dead and begin to bloom as evidence of the seasonal changes appearing. However, believers also know that we will be preparing for a review of how Jesus died for our sins, offering us a Way to have our sin marred soul saved by His perfect sacrifice!
This free gift of salvation is not completely free, as believers we are being prepared to do good deeds that we may not really perform out of the goodness of our hearts. In the selected verses we read that salvation though being given free, it has a price! With this salvation comes a need for you (us) to love your neighbor as yourself, which is not an easy task! When you came to believe in Jesus and were born again you took on the duty to share a yoke of life with Jesus Christ! Thus, as Paul wrote about the result of this conversion, we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
When you came to believe that Jesus Christ died as the perfect sacrifice to cover over all your sins, your path that leads to heaven was established, and Jesus prepared a room for you in the house of God. With your salvation your soul was also changed, and an earthly path was established which will direct you to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Living in this cursed world will not allow anyone to maintain their faith and fulfill the duties of salvation without support from other believers. I do not believe anyone can grow more Christ-like unless they attend a church of their choice on a regular basis!
Paul wrote a letter to the church in Corinth to tell them, and us, about the changes we will experience when we are born again into the family of Jesus! Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).
Not only are you a member of the family of God, but you have become His representative here on this earth. This change makes you also an alien to all those people who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Non-believers may be shielded from the truth by Satan. Paul wrote about how people may be confused about who Jesus Christ is! And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Paul refers to Satan here as the god of this age. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ!
Remember when Jesus was starting His earthly ministry Satan tried to tempt Him, so Jesus would not complete His earthly mission. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:8-11). This seems to indicate that Satan does have some control of this cursed world, as Jesus did not tell Satan that this offer was not valid, but only that Jesus would only worship God while He walked this earth!
Remember when Jesus was talking to the woman at the well how He described the result of His ministry and the perfect sacrifice He would make to become the Savior of this world. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:20-24).
Your (our) soul is the worshiping spirit that has the capability to worship God through believing that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior! Your mortal body will be left on this earth, but your immortal soul will end up in heaven, if you accept your salvation through Jesus Christ, or it will end up in hell if you do not become a believer in Jesus Christ. There is only one Way for your soul to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven, and we are celebrating the events that led up to the perfect sacrifice during this Lenten season.
Jesus told His disciples (us) about God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows the Son except the Father, and no-one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:27-30). Jesus has revealed to you (us) the truth that allows us to share a yoke with Jesus Christ to lighten our burdens in this cursed world. It is the season of death, and then new life, through our brother Jesus Christ!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Ephesians 2:9-10 (NIV)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no-one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Have you given up anything you like for your observance of the Lenten season? This time of the year we get to see a renewal of life as the plants begin to show signs of life, as the trees begin to bud out so we know leaves will again be displayed on these trees. And the spring flowers pop up seemingly from the dead and begin to bloom as evidence of the seasonal changes appearing. However, believers also know that we will be preparing for a review of how Jesus died for our sins, offering us a Way to have our sin marred soul saved by His perfect sacrifice!
This free gift of salvation is not completely free, as believers we are being prepared to do good deeds that we may not really perform out of the goodness of our hearts. In the selected verses we read that salvation though being given free, it has a price! With this salvation comes a need for you (us) to love your neighbor as yourself, which is not an easy task! When you came to believe in Jesus and were born again you took on the duty to share a yoke of life with Jesus Christ! Thus, as Paul wrote about the result of this conversion, we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
When you came to believe that Jesus Christ died as the perfect sacrifice to cover over all your sins, your path that leads to heaven was established, and Jesus prepared a room for you in the house of God. With your salvation your soul was also changed, and an earthly path was established which will direct you to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Living in this cursed world will not allow anyone to maintain their faith and fulfill the duties of salvation without support from other believers. I do not believe anyone can grow more Christ-like unless they attend a church of their choice on a regular basis!
Paul wrote a letter to the church in Corinth to tell them, and us, about the changes we will experience when we are born again into the family of Jesus! Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).
Not only are you a member of the family of God, but you have become His representative here on this earth. This change makes you also an alien to all those people who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Non-believers may be shielded from the truth by Satan. Paul wrote about how people may be confused about who Jesus Christ is! And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Paul refers to Satan here as the god of this age. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ!
Remember when Jesus was starting His earthly ministry Satan tried to tempt Him, so Jesus would not complete His earthly mission. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:8-11). This seems to indicate that Satan does have some control of this cursed world, as Jesus did not tell Satan that this offer was not valid, but only that Jesus would only worship God while He walked this earth!
Remember when Jesus was talking to the woman at the well how He described the result of His ministry and the perfect sacrifice He would make to become the Savior of this world. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:20-24).
Your (our) soul is the worshiping spirit that has the capability to worship God through believing that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior! Your mortal body will be left on this earth, but your immortal soul will end up in heaven, if you accept your salvation through Jesus Christ, or it will end up in hell if you do not become a believer in Jesus Christ. There is only one Way for your soul to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven, and we are celebrating the events that led up to the perfect sacrifice during this Lenten season.
Jesus told His disciples (us) about God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows the Son except the Father, and no-one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:27-30). Jesus has revealed to you (us) the truth that allows us to share a yoke with Jesus Christ to lighten our burdens in this cursed world. It is the season of death, and then new life, through our brother Jesus Christ!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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