True Worship

August 20, 2022 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better System of Worship

Book of Hebrews Chapter 12 Verses 18 through 29

What is true worship? We could say that worship is the act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being who is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The term “God” is such a generic term that sometimes I hate to use it and use the term Lord or Lord God.

It seems that everyone who has ever lived has a god that they worship!

Even the Atheist has a god! They put their own selves in the position of being god and they think they can tell all others what to do.

This is acting somewhat like a god.

Some people have many gods.

As Christians we are to reverence our Lord God! In the Old Testament He says His name is Jehovah.

He says He is the “I AM” because He is self-existing, and He is.

It is our Lord God who is the Giver and the Taker of life!

We could say our reverence is the fear that is within us, that is acceptable to the Lord God Jehovah.

You see if our worship is not acceptable to the One True God then it is not worship!

We also know Him as the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

We also know Him as God the Holy Spirit!

We are to acknowledge His perfection.
We should be unwilling to offend Him.
We should have that admiration of someone so great He is unfathomable.
We are to respect Him.
We are to respect everything that He says.
We are to respect everything that He does because everything the Lord does is the right thing to do.
We are to love Him and show that love to Him.
We are to talk to Him just like He is with us at all times because He is!

True worship must be of a spiritual nature, and it must be in accordance with the truth of God as revealed to us in the Bible.

Remember the Scriptures recorded in the Bible are the words that our God chose to use to teach us about Him.

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

He did not have to reveal Himself to us! Think about that for a moment.

Worship involves presenting all we have in our heart, our body, our soul, and our entire being, to our Lord God!

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

As Christians, we are to be devoted to our Lord God Almighty!

What is true worship?

Act 24:14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, “believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets”:
Act 24:15 And have “hope toward God”, which they themselves also allow, that “there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust”.
Act 24:16 And herein do I exercise myself, “to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men”.

This is the Apostle Paul describing to us true worship.

True worship is an expressed service of thought, speech, or action that ascribes glory to the One True God!

Let us begin:

*Heb 12:18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
Heb 12:19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

We must be clear, “no one” can approach God and be acceptable to God who is imperfect, “no one”!

No human being can become perfect without the Lord Jesus Christ, who says we must be “Born Again”!

Imperfect beings can never become perfect beings!

It is a simple law of creation; imperfection can never be made perfection!

Once a thing is imperfect, it can never become perfect, it is impossible!

These things are true upon this earth, but God can do the impossible!

So, what can be done?

We could say that life is a race to perfection, but a race that cannot be won without the Lord Jesus Christ!

We must still understand it is God who will first call!

No one can approach God who has not been called by Him!

Once called, we must decide if we are going to approach God or not.

There is where the “gift of choice” becomes so important!

It is the call of God that enables a person to believe!

“It is then a human responsibility to answer the call of God”!

We must clearly understand that God will not just wait around to see if we will answer His call!

God is not governed by situations outside of Himself!

God’s purpose will be achieved with us or without us!

Again, we must understand that God took it upon Himself to reveal Himself when He did not have to, so everything God now does is according to His own purpose!

In reality, God has sent out an invitation to join Him in His realm!

His realm is not upon this earth!

The first approach to God was the Old Covenant.

The second approach to God was the New Covenant.

The approach of the Old Covenant was an external, material approach to God.

People had to approach God to receive His Word and His Law.

The people approached God at Mount Sinai an earthly place, not Spiritual nor Heavenly, just a physical place upon this earth.

When we approach God with material and physical things, these things will not last, this approach will never last long because all material things never last.

A Christian must approach God with a Spiritual approach!

When we try to approach God through the Old Covenant of the Law, we will stand before God condemned!

When we stand before God according to His “Grace”, we will be justified.

Just as if we had never sinned!

Mat_20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Mat_22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

The children of Israel stood before God at the base of an erupting volcano, yet when God spoke His voice was so full of authority and so sure, it drowned out the noise of these things and the people became more frightened of God than the noise of Mount Sinai.

This is when the children of Israel decided they had a need of a mediator and Moses was God’s man chosen for this position.

These people were so frightened of God, they did not want to hear from Him anymore!

We cannot be saved unless we hear for God in a personal way.
We cannot worship God unless we have a personal relationship with His Son Jesus!

*Heb 12:20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
Heb 12:21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

Why could not God deal with Israel as He deals with the Church?

They could never overcome their true fear of God in order to approach Him in a Spiritual manner!

They could not make themselves believe they could have of a higher understanding of God.

Even Moses got caught up in this fear, as we all would have on this day.

Exo 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

They were as little children, who wanted to see past His voice in order to believe!

Exo 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

We could say that God was preaching that day to the congregation of these Hebrews, who were so afraid they could understand the message.

When people approach God according to the Law, they must approach God cautiously, because each broken Law will see the wrath of God.

This is the fear that God intended for them to realize.

This is the fear that God wants us all to realize, we absolutely do not want to see the wrath of our Heavenly Father.

We just do not want to see the wrath of God!

God has shown us a way to avoid His wrath by His Son Jesus!

The second approach, the New Covenant removes the wrath of God!

*Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

The New Covenant is a Covenant of “Grace”!

The true approach to God today is by this New Covenant!

The Old Covenant, the Law is our “schoolmaster” to teach us about sin not about salvation!

Gal_3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal_3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

This new approach to God is Spiritual and it is Heavenly!

It is by the cross of Christ Jesus that a doorway is opened for us to enter into Heaven, which is where our Lord is located right now.

This Mount Zion that is the place of the city of the New Jerusalem.

Mount Sinai is earthly and physical!

Mount Zion is both Spiritual and Heavenly!

What does the Church say?

2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

We should know that there are angels around every child of God to help and protect us, but there are still more angels in Heaven than can be counted.

These angels are perfect and when we get to Heaven we will have been perfected.

Rev 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Rev 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

In fact, we will join them singing this same song!

It is by this New Covenant, that the Church will enter into Heaven and there is no other path but by the Church!

That One, who is the Firstborn, is of course the Lord Jesus Christ!

He is also God and the Judge of all things, but we can be assured He will only judge according to the Word of God!

The Lord Jesus is First Born of the Church, but He is also the Founder of the Church, the Author of Salvation, the Beginning of the Truth, and Savior of the Church.

Those who are part of the true Church, are the same ones whose names are written in Heaven in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

We get to Heaven, we will join not only the angels, but also to those who have gone on before us who have already reached that state of perfection.

Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

Those that can reach Heaven’s gates are the same ones who have been judged by God and are then “justified”.
Each believer has been judged while in this body of flesh and justified to enter in Heaven!

Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

It is also important that it is this same Judge who will judge the unbeliever!

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Heaven is the place where all the Saints of God will come together to rejoice in the Lord!

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

We can only be received into Heaven if, we know the Mediator and He knows us!

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Then comes the warning to all those who reject the Lord Jesus.

*Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Heb 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

If we remember when we started in this great book, the first thing we read was that we had better listen to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Here in this Scripture the Holy Spirit states that we had better not refuse the Lord Jesus Christ, who is speaking to us in this New Covenant!

There is no one who will escape the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and then get to Heaven!
There is God’s warning about a great shaking and judgment of the entire universe not too far into our future.
There is a new unshakeable kingdom that must be received by all!

It was Moses who spoke on this earth and gave us the Law of God.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who speaks from Heaven who speaks as He is God, because He is!

Because the Lord Jesus is speaking from Heaven, the New Heaven, we will be held more accountable than the Old Covenant Saints and will face a much greater judgment if we reject our Redeemer.

Mar_6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

There will be no escape whatsoever for any person who refuses to hear the words of “Mercy” and “Grace”, which are the words that the Lord Jesus Christ proclaims.

It is only by the Blood of Jesus Christ we will ever enter into Heaven!

*Heb 12:27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

There is coming a great shaking of this earth!

In the time of Moses when God spoke, the early Hebrews became so afraid, they just told Moses that he could talk to God.

They did not want to hear the voice of God again because of their great fear.

There is another great shaking coming again when God will decide to speak to this earth, and this is a promise and God does not ever break His promises!

Hag 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
Hag 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

Have you ever seen the damage caused by earthquakes today and some are major, but we have seen nothing compared to the day God will shake this entire planet called earth and there will be no place to hide then and there is no place to hide now because the Lord put us in the places where we are located, he knows where we are at all times.

It will be only those things that cannot be shaken that will remain!

God’s New Word will be eternal and more alive than anything we can see upon this earth!

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

By the way, God does not make empty threats!

*Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.

How do we receive God’s New Kingdom?

1) Make sure we have received the “Grace of God”.
Grace is that unspeakable gift and favor of God that comes by His “Grace”.

2) Make sure after we have received God’s Grace, and that we serve Him with a godly fear.
This fear describes our reverence to Him and His formidable power.

Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

We must serve God according to His Word because God is a consuming fire.

A consuming fire will not go out until all things that fuel it are consumed!

Let us pay attention and worship God, the Lord Jesus Christ with the reverence that He deserves!

This way we will be in practice when we join Him in His Father’s House.

Amen

Jesus Christ Offers to us A Better Priesthood

July 8, 2022 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Priesthood

Book of Hebrews Chapter 7

Melchizedek is a character in the Bible we know truly little about.

The name Melchizedek (in the Old testament) has the meaning of “the righteous king”.

Melchizedek, the same person, but spelled differently (in the New Testament) has the meaning “priest of the Most-High God”.

He claimed to be the king of Salem when he went forth to meet Abraham.

Remember Abraham had gone forth to save Lot who had been kidnapped by King Chedorlaomer and his band of kings.

He met Abraham in the “valley of kings” and brought to him and his men “bread and wine” and blessed Abraham and his men and Abraham paid this royal priest a tenth of the spoils of that war.

Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Gen 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

The Bible in the Book of Psalams, but especially this Book of Hebrews, tells us the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, would be a Priest after the order of this man Melchizedek.

Psa 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Psa 110:2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Psa 110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
Psa 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Psa 110:5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
Psa 110:6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
Psa 110:7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

Notice this Melchizedek would have a priesthood higher than that of the priesthood of Aaron!

Notice also, that this Melchizedek is recognized as higher than Abraham who was the “friend of God”.

He brought bread and wine which reminds us of the Lord’s Supper.

Melchizedek is not mentioned again in the in the Old Testament until about one thousand years later when David who would be king writes about the coming Messiah here in this Book of Psalms.

David understood by the Holy Spirit, that the Messiah would be both High Priest and King of Jerusalem, King of all kings.

After another thousand years we, have the writer of the Book of Hebrews again by the Holy Spirit referring to this Melchizedek.

For this to happen, then the Levitical priesthood would be abolished with the coming of the Messiah.

The Lord Jesus, the Messiah, whose work brings Him to be Prophet, Priest, and King and we desperately need Him in each of those functions because of the terrible ignorance that results from sin, we need someone to teach us, and it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Author of our salvation!

This is where we pick up this great prophecy in Chapter 7 of the Book of Hebrews.

*Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb 7:1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

We might ask ourselves, “what is so important with Jesus Christ being High Priest after the order of Melchizedek”?

The real importance of this passage is prophecy that will be fulfilled and is partially fulfilled right now.

Our Lord Jesus has not failed to accomplish what He has set out to do, He is just much more patient than we are!

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

If we look back to the 110th Psalm, we see King David writing a song celebrating the complete victory of the Messiah over the entire power of evil.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the true Messiah, will hold every office of God, including that of High Priest and King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the right hand of God, the right hand of Power and will remain there until it is time to be our Redeemer.

Act 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Act 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Act 2:35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

The Apostles clearly understood, and this is the message they have given to us, a message of “Victory”.

The Apostle John wrote:

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

We must understand that the Lord Jesus will remain at the right hand of God until the purposes of God have been fulfilled in this age, the Church Age!

He is still our High Priest and our Advocate and our soon coming King!

We should utterly understand what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Churches!

The Lord Jesus will remain at the right hand of the Throne in Heaven only until His enemies have been made the footstool for His feet!

This is not a prophecy of the world turning toward the Church, this is a prophecy that says our Heavenly Father will make the enemies the footstool of our Lord Jesus.

When might we ask?

We know the Lord Jesus will not deal with His enemies during this time of “Grace” or it would not be Grace!

We also know there will be a time of great vengeance from the Lord!

But when Apostacy has reached its peak throughout the world.

When the political world has caused lawlessness and the manifestation of the man of sin.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

It amazes me that we have more government and yet we have more lawlessness, and it has always been this way!

Politicians never learn because it threatens their job and their means to get rich!

No doubt the King of kings will one day rule his world from Jerusalem!

Abraham recognized the importance of all these things!

*Heb 7:2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

The Bible describes the typology of Melchizedek.

Abraham saw the King of Righteousness.
Abraham saw the King of Peace and they were in the same person.

So, in the Lord Jesus Christ, righteousness and peace will be joined together!

So, it will also be in all those who believe in Him!

It is a fact, that there can be no peace until there is a world of righteousness!

Psa 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Psa 85:11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Abraham saw the Priest of the Most-High God who was also King!

The Bible does not say that Abraham was the only one who worshipped God during this era, but he certainly would have shown great joy in meeting someone else who did worship the Most-High God as did he.

We already know that Jehovah is never without those who love Him.

What did He teach Elijah?

1Ki 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

We also know that “Job” may have lived at near the same time of Abraham.

The importance of Abraham ties into the importance of Israel as a nation!

Notice that this Melchizedek showed up unexpectedly.

We are shown nothing about his life except that he worshipped the Most-God, and this is the most important thing that can be said about any of us who love the Lord Jesus.

There is nothing about his life, his birth, his death, or his descent and all these things can be said about Jehovah.

He just simply arrives just as Jehovah appeared to Abraham and Moses.

He brings bread and wine the ingredients of the Lord’s Supper.

He blessed Abraham and then vanished just as quickly as He came.

Abraham considered this Melchizedek to be a great man.

*Heb 7:6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
Heb 7:7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

This Melchizedek was greater than Abraham because Abraham paid tithes to him.

Abraham realized his greatness and we should realize the greatness of our Savior and Our God who is the Most-High God!

Abraham understood how great where the blessings of this Priest who was also King of Peace.

What do we learn from these things?

1) We do not have to approach God through some priest or an earthly priesthood such as a Pope or any other such person.
2) We know there is a much greater priesthood than earthly priests.
3) To show us earthy religion and earthly priests are inadequate to represent man before God.
4) To show that God has provided a much better priesthood.
5) To teach us that there is now the perfect and an eternal priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ!

What does this mean to the believer?

*Heb 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is eternal because He is God!

Jesus Christ lives forever.
Jesus Christ has an endless life.
Jesus Christ is the perfect and eternal Priest who lives forever and willing to share His life with us!

Jesus Christ makes us acceptable to the Most-High God because He is the Most-High God!

It is because of all these things that Jesus Christ is able and also willing to save us if we have faith in His work and repent of our old lifestyle!

The Lord Jesus Christ offers to us a complete and a perfect salvation!

He has a perfect forgiveness!
He has the perfect power to accomplish these things!

The Lord Jesus Christ lives to make intercession for those who love Him!

In Jesus Christ we see the perfect “love of God”, but also the perfect “justice” of God!

It is in the Lord Jesus Christ that we see God’s willingness to provide a means of salvation for all those under the curse of Adam

The Lord Jesus Christ the perfect “God-Man” now stands before the throne of God having born the “Justice” and the “Judgment of God” for all those who failed because of sin, but still willing to believe and accept the truth of God!

The Lord Jesus has saved us to the uttermost!

He has saved us from sin, death, and condemnation!

Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

He has saved us to live with God forever!

Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He saves us to be the citizens of the New Heaven and the New Earth.

You know, if we step back and look at our world today, we could say we are on the verge of this happening.

He saves us to rule and reign with Him throughout eternity.

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Luk 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
Luk 12:43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Luk 12:44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

Luk 22:28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
Luk 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

You cannot be any of these things unless you come to God by the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no other way nor other means to get to God’s New Heaven!

Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

The Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest who lived a perfect life!

There is no other who meets these qualifications in any religion!

When we think, we can get to Heaven by the work of some imperfect man we have ignored the Word of God that says this is impossible.

Only God makes salvation possible for sinful men and sinful women and sinful children!

Jesus Christ is Holy, set apart and separated to God!

He is separated from sin and from all evil, and from all immoral, wicked, and lawless behavior, the things we see prevalent in our world today.

Jesus Christ is harmless! Meaning not evil, free from guile, deception, envy, and malice against anyone, but the very things that we see in all our world today.

Jesus Christ is undefiled! He is unstained by sin as is the New Heaven. As will be the New Earth. As will be the New Jerusalem.

Jesus Christ is separate from sinners. He is different from sinners. Jesus Christ has never sinned.

Jesus Christ has never yielded to temptation!

Jesus Christ is “Higher than the Heavens!

Jesus Christ raised Himself from the dead never to die again!
Jesus Christ went back to Heaven in a bodily form.
Jesus Christ alone is exalted to the right hand of God as the Supreme Lord of all His creation!

1Pe 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

*Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

It is only Jesus Christ who could offer the perfect sacrifice for our sin, which was Himself.

The High Priest of the Jews could only offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people once a year and then only after they had offered a sacrifice for their own sin.

The regular priests offered sins daily for those who came to confess their sin.

That one day the High Priests offered was the “Day of Atonement”.

I can honestly tell you that my “Day of Atonement” was the day I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior because It is He who offered the perfect sacrifice for my sin!

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

*Heb 7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Jesus Christ is the High Priest with a perfect appointment.

No mere man can say this or if they do, they are deceiving themselves and all those who follow them!

It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who can fulfill the Word of God because He is the Word of God in the flesh.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the One sent down from Heaven for the purpose of saving created man.

You see if you believe there is a God and there is just One, then you have better believe this God has a plan to save His greatest creation, the human, and this plan is centered around the Lord Jesus Christ.

God, Jehovah, sent His own Son to perfect us and to give us eternal life and the glorious privilege to live with Him throughout eternity!

Sounds impossible but it is Biblical Truth!

Amen

Jesus Christ Has A Better Message

June 3, 2022 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Message

Book of Hebrews Chapter 1

Notice how this epistle to the Hebrews begins without a greeting from an author, or an address to the Church, or even words of introduction.

All other books of the New Testament contain these things.

We do not know who the author was for certain, but most all the Church agrees that the author was the Apostle Paul though this is not certain.

By the words that are said, we can determine that those Hebrews this epistle is written to, would certainly have known this author.

Even though this great Book of the Bible was written to these Hebrews, we know that all the Word of God was written to the Church.

This audience according to the author, would be those Hebrew speaking Jews as distinguished from those who spoke Greek.

It is very possible that the Book of Hebrews was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD simply because this destruction it is not mentioned.

1) The purpose of this terrific book was to show these Hebrews that much of the fulfilling of the Old Covenant is fulfilled with this New Covenant of Jesus Christ!
2) Another purpose of the Book of Hebrews was to invite these Jews to join the Church. It is Judaism that will convert to Christianity and not the revers.
2) Another purpose of the Book of Hebrews was to warn these Jews of the consequences of neglecting the salvation of Jesus Christ.

This is the same message that we are to carry to the world.

This is why the Book of Hebrews begins as it does:

*Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

We should understand that most of these Jews have always looked upon the prophets of God as great men with the message of God.

Another thing we should consider is, that humanity has always felt an inner drive to live forever in a perfect world and we know from history this world we live in is far from perfect, and there has been no perfect place in all this world after God shut down the Garden of Eden to humans.

This is behind much of the money that is spent in an attempt to find such a world somewhere in outer space which will also never happen.

There is a place, and it is called Heaven but you cannot get there in a spaceship.

You can only get to Heaven by the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Bible teaches us where to look for this perfect world and it also shows us how to get there.

These words of the Lord Jesus Christ tell us the truth of this perfect world, and it is only by Jesus Christ that we can get there.

Most of this world which is called Earth reject the truth of God!

The Book of Hebrews is written so all the Jews could understand these truths.

Since the Bible is written for the Church, then the Church had better understand these things also.

The Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, but He is also the greatest of all Prophets.

He is the greatest of all kings!
He is the greatest of all lords!
He is God in the flesh which is the message of this Book to the Hebrews!

Remember a prophet of God must speak the truth because all their words came from God and cannot lie nor deceive.

We could say that all the Bible is written prophecy because all the Word of God comes by the Lord Jesus Christ and is insured correct by the Holy Spirit!

The Bible speaks of the “last days” and much of the Church always wanted to know when these “last days” began and this Book of Hebrews is specific, these “last days” began when the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ began on this earth.

This passage also reveals again that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Creator!

This book begins with (using my words) “God, at many times and in many diverse ways spoke in the past by prophets who He had “called” and “these prophets could only speak what God told them to speak”.

Deu_18:22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

“But since time has grown short to be saved, God came to this earth as the true Prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ”

This same Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is also our Creator!

This same Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is also our Savior!

This same Messiah will return to get the Church because He is our Redeemer!

I believe the Apostle Paul was the writer of the Book of Hebrews, but this is not as important as the message to the Church and to these Hebrews.

The writer says: “it is time to stop teaching the Old Covenant and time to teach the New Covenant of God!

Mat 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
Mat 26:27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Yes, this is a “blood covenant” the blood of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the “Gospel”.

1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

The prophets of God were incredibly special servants of God.
The prophets of God had such a special message.
The prophets of God could tell others how to be acceptable to God
The prophets of God could tell others how to live to please God.

You see, no one man could ever tell us all we need to know about God.

The Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, had many things to say but He chose specific things for us, enough to give us His salvation message

God and the truth of God is far too big for any one man.

Joh 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Then, the Lord Jesus Christ being the ultimate Prophet of God is the supreme spokesperson of God!

One of the first things that we can understand is that God loves humanity.

God does not want us to be in the dark in our understanding of our God!

He wants us to know where we came from.
He wants us to know why we are here, our purpose.
He wants us to know where we are going.
He wants us to know how we can conquer the trials of life, how to conquer evil and wickedness, and especially how to conquer death.

Because all these things are so important God sent His Son the Lord Jesus Christ who is the “express image” of God.

*Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

We should understand that God used His Son Jesus to be the Creator of all we see and all that we cannot see.

**He is our Savior, and He is also our Maker!

We see here another reason that the Lord Jesus is far above any prophet even all the prophets of God!

We know that it was the Lord Jesus who Created all the worlds or all this universe.

We know that all the great universe that can be seen so far, is vast with many solar systems, but we should keep in mind that the Greek word (aiones) could also mean (Ages).

**Jesus Christ is the Maker of all our vast universe and all the ages that roll one after another.

Jesus Christ is in control of all of time, as it moves forward to its end.

Event to event and generation to generation, will all come to their conclusion with the beginning of eternity or the time of no time.

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the “Glory” of God Himself!

There is no human that can compare to our Savior and our Maker!

The Lord Jesus Christ possessed the glory of God before He came to this earth to make away for our freedom from sin!

Jesus Christ has always existed as the “Glory of God”.

Which means all those places in the Old Testament where we read of the “Glory of God” we are reading about the Lord Jesus Christ!

Just as the glory of the Sun reaches down to earth and touches the lives of mankind, then the Lord Jesus Christ has in every Age been that glory of God that has reached down to this earth to touch the lives of all mankind, but most of the world has ignored Him.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the “express image” of God, which means in every way He is the exact representation of the God of the Bible!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the physical being of the God of the Bible because He is the God of the Bible!!!

**Jesus Christ is the very substance the very Person of God!

Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.

Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

**Jesus Christ is the Sustainer of this thing called our Universe.

All Christians that accept that “climate change” is because of humans, have forgotten that the Lord Jesus Christ is the sustainer of our Universe.

Yes, we could do a better job in all things that relate to our home planet, but we are not in control of it, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who allows or does not allow all the things that are going on, good or bad!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the glue that keeps our Universe together!

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

**The Lord Jesus Christ our Redeemer

It is our Maker who sacrificed Himself so that we can live in eternity!

When we believe, when we truly believe in all the things of our Lord Jesus Christ, the righteousness and the death, then God takes this faith and honors it by counting that man or woman or child as being in the righteousness and the death of His Son and therefore pure enough to enter into Heaven, their sins being washed away by the blood of Christ.

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

You see all the things written down for us about the Lord Jesus Christ are then true!

At least in the KJV Bible which is an English translation of the “Received Text”!

**It is by the Lord Jesus Christ that we can have a conversation with our God!

He is Mediator and Intercessor and the only Person who has the right to represent us before God!

Jesus Christ is not our Judge; we have already been judged by the Word of God.

Jesus Christ stands before God to plead for us, and to offer His own righteousness and His sacrificial death for us.

God will now deal with us in love and not in judgment!

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

**The Lord Jesus Christ is superior to all life in Heaven but His Father, and He is on equal standing with His Father because they are One and the Same.

*Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

Angels do actually exist, and they are glorious beings created by the Lord Jesus Christ to be His messengers and also His servants.

They are spiritual beings who live in God’s presence, but we are wrong to look to angels instead of Jesus Christ.

When we take any attention that should be shown to the Lord Jesus Christ and offer it to the angels, we have made them false gods!

This is a terrible sin!

They have their purpose, but it is not to be mediator or intercessor between us and God!

Yes, we are unworthy to approach God, but the Lord Jesus solved this problem for us and not some angel!

God is never too busy to hear from His children and no angel is ever needed to take any message to God for us.

We are never to seek an angel to meet face to face even though we may meet an angel during our lifetime.

The angels are assigned by God Himself to do as He pleases, and they are not for our use!

Much of the world does not believe that Jesus Christ is the only Mediator, and when they seek help from the spiritual world through some angel or person in the spiritual world, this is an abomination in the eyes of God because He has told us all that the Lord Jesus is our only Mediator.

God does not ever send His angels for any of these things!

They are “messengers” and in some case provide protection for God’s children.

They may deliver believers through some trials of life:

Act 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
Act 12:8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
Act 12:9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
Act 12:10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
Act 12:11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Isa 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

The Lord Jesus Christ is far superior to all angels!

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and nowhere in the Bible does it say the angels are the sons of God!

Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

God did not send nor cause any angel to be born in this world, and you cannot be a child of God without being born into this world!

God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to secure perfection and righteousness for mankind and Christ obeyed, and by His obedience He forever established a relationship between God and man

Jesus Christ is far superior to any angel because God is a Father and Jesus Christ is the only Son of God.

It is Jesus Christ who made our way to meet God face to face.

No angel could ever have accomplished this!

*Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

When we understand that the Lord Jesus is the “first” begotten, we should understand the superiority of the Lord Jesus being above all others.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is to be worshipped and praised and not some angel!

When the Lord Jesus Christ was born into this world by His mother Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was attended to and worshipped by the angels.

When the Lord Jesus Christ returned to Heaven, He was attended to and worshipped by the angels.

When the Lord Jesus returns to this earth, and it is not as far away as we might think, He will be attended to and worshipped by the angels!

Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The Lord Jesus Christ entered into this world to save mankind!

He did not send that angels to do this for Him!

He is that person who conquered life, death, and Hell to save mankind not the angels!

It is Jesus Christ by whom we can make it to Heaven and not some angel!

It is the angels who are commanded to worship the Lord!

*Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

The Lord Jesus Christ is God’s heir, angels are only created beings to serve God in the operation of His creation!

The Lord Jesus Christ is not a created being, but God in the flesh!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Sovereign Majesty of this universe and of all His creation!

He is God Himself!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has a throne that is eternal, forever, and forever!

Joh 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has been anointed with the oil of gladness above all people!

That word “fellows” means all creatures in Heaven and all creatures upon this earth!

Jesus Christ is above all angels.
Jesus Christ is above all prophets, all priests, and all kings.
Jesus Christ is above all believers, living or dead!
Jesus Christ is exalted because He is God!
Jesus Christ rules and reigns in righteousness.
Jesus Christ hates sin and iniquity.

Therefore if we look to angels for help, we will get no help, we must look to the Lord!

God loves His Son Jesus enough to believe everything He says!

If we place our faith in anyone else but Jesus Christ, then we will fail, the angels cannot help us but by the command of the Lord Jesus Christ!

*Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Heb 1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
Heb 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Everything Christ Jesus made in the beginning will perish!

All His children will have been “Born Again”

Everything that has been “Born Again” will survive throughout eternity.

It is our Creator we owe our life to, not some angel!

It is our Creator that will keep us throughout eternity and not some angel.

The only ones who will live in eternity are the Lord Jesus Christ and those that He has saved to be with Him.

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

We need to quit wasting our time on fallacies, and grab hold of our Savior and never let go!

Time grows shorter every day.

Jesus Christ has finished all the work on this earth as the faithful Son of God and we will meet Him in the clouds on Redemption Day better known as the Rapture of the Church.

Jesus Christ has conquered the forces of sin and death, so that we may live and be with Him forever.

Jesus Christ now sits on His throne in Heaven and is the Right Hand of God, which means it is He who has the power of the Living God!

God at no time has ever told any angel to sit at His right hand and some say it is these things that caused Lucifer to rebel.

As believers we are to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation and life!

Angels are powerful creatures but under the direct control of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is He who is Captain of the angelic hosts.

Angels are servants and not lords.

Christ and Christ alone is Lord, of all His creation!

Amen

Teaching About Our Lord Jesus Christ

March 5, 2022 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Offerings of Israel

Book of Leviticus Chapter 16

Some fifteen hundred years before the Messiah came, Moses led the nation of Israel, called the Israelites, out of Egypt and a new nation was born.

Jehovah led them to Mount Sinai and then God gave to Moses the first five books of the same Bible we have today.

The Israelites were given the Civil Law, the Moral Law (The Ten Commandments), and the Ceremonial Law, in all 613 commandments.

We should remember that the Lord Jesus taught us that all those 613 laws could be reduced to two laws if we were to be sincere in our love for one another and our love for Him.

Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

We should remember these words of Jesus and let them guide us throughout all our lifetime!

We should consider that all these laws expressed the “righteous and the holy Character of Jehovah God”!

Even though these laws contained the standard for righteousness, without which no one could stand before our Holy God, no one could keep all those laws and God knew this and in reality, it was never expected.

These laws were our schoolmaster to teach about the Messiah and God’s Grace.

In the end these laws served their purpose, and this purpose was to teach us that we all need Jesus Christ to be reconciled to our Heavenly Father.
These laws were intended to reveal our sin and bring this entire world to the knowledge of guiltiness before a Righteous and Holy God.

Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Even though the Law spoke primarily to this new nation of Israel, it also bore this message to the entire world and especially the Church.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

We must never be confused. The Law never offered salvation to anyone!

The Ten Commandments of Moses and those other 603 laws only offered condemnation and damnation!

We might ask ourselves, why then as New Testament Christians, would we study this old book of the Old Testament.

The pure fact is, we can find the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Old Testament and we find that in the Book of Leviticus, that all those worship services revolved around the Lord Jesus Christ and how He sacrificed Himself for us.

The greatest lesson of the Old Testament is that it teaches us the character, the love, and the Grace, of our Holy God!

We know that the Book of Leviticus is so named after the tribe of Levi who were the priests for the nation of Israel, just as every child of God is to be a priest and member of the Church after our salvation.

The sacrificial system in this great book points to our Savior and would fulfill every picture through His death on the cross on Mount Calvary.

When the Tabernacle was prepared, according to the Word of God, God began explaining how the worship by these Jews would lead them to the Messiah.

The first seven chapters of Leviticus will teach us about these things.

1) The burnt offerings gave prayers and praise to God the Father.
2) The meat-offering was a pleasing aroma to God the Father as are our prayers.
3) The peace offering demonstrated fellowship through sharing a meal.
Salvation is all about our renewed fellowship with our Heavenly Father and with each other. Every child of God will one sit at the table with Jesus Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
4) The sin offering was all about the atonement for our sins. The Lord Jesus atoned for all our sin on Mount Calvary!
5) The trespass-offering was about providing compensation for our trespasses against our Holy God.
We have nothing of value to offer God for our sin. He sent His Son to do this for us!

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

6) All animals were required to be without blemish as was our Savior.

2Co_5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Why? God never enjoyed the slaughter of animals!

Heb 10:6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

God does not take any pleasure in the slaughter of animals!

We must understand that our Holy God required a blood sacrifice, but it was never about those animals.

It was always about the Messiah!

This place called earth was created for humanity. In fact this entire universe was created for humans to show us the glory of Jehovah God.

Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

You see, there must be a forgiveness of our sin though we are not worthy of forgiveness!

There must then be a reconciliation to God, for our trespasses which we do not deserve!

Finally, we begin to see a picture of God’s Grace.

So let us begin:

*Lev 16:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;
Lev 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not “at all times” into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

We must understand that no one can approach our Holy God but according to His rules!

Someday into the future, God will show His wrath to this world, but He has provided a way to avoid seeing His wrath.

All people and even some angels will face the “Judgment” of God!

This is why we need to be reconciled to our Holy God before our death comes, and none of us have any idea when that day will be!

Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

You see, it is only Jesus Christ who fulfilled God’s holy requirement!

Sin has separated us from God, and it began with Adam and Eve!

Yes, we all have a sin nature! Even that newborn babe!

We learned from the Book of Romans that our Holy God forbids us to continue in sin and He provided the only means of reconciliation and this by His Son, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many are still looking for a messiah, but there could be no one else who could fulfill God’s own requirements as was the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see, it was the Lord Jesus Christ who is the fulfillment of all Scripture!

John said Jesus was the Word of God in the flesh!

We see, in a very harsh manner, Aaron had seen that there is a wrong way to approach God and we should all be aware.

Aaron’s two sons tried to approach God through self-righteousness, but we have no righteousness of our own and God killed them instantly.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

There is only one way to become righteous in the eyes of God and it is by the “Grace” of God!

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Rom 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

There was only one time each year that the High Priest (Aaron) could enter the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was located, but these two sons of Aaron felt they could enter the Holy of Holies at any time, and it cost them their lives.

We must be able to see that Aaron the High Priest could only enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement.

The Lord Jesus Christ was sacrificed on the day of Atonement, and it is by His death that our sins are forgiven.

This is such an important day that God would never allow it to be abused by those who did not take it seriously!

There is a right way to approach God and there is a wrong way, but we have no righteousness of our own! No one did until the Messiah came!

Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

*Lev 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Lev 16:5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Lev 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Lev 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

In the Old Testament there was a specific preparation to be observed by the High Priest.

Today, the Holy Spirit prepares every Pastor and every child of God, in the study of the Word of God and Prayer after our salvation.

We also know that the High Priest of the Old Testament were to be a symbol, a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know that when it came time the Lord Jesus Christ did not back away from His role as High Priest to the Church.

In this passage we see these sacrifices pertain only to the High Priests of the nation of Israel.

1) He had to be prepared to offer the right sacrifices! Any deviation could cost him his life!

A young bull for the Sin Offering.
A ram for a Burnt Offering.

We know the Lord Jesus had no sin and did not have to make a sacrifice for Himself.

It was the Day of Atonement that our Lord Jesus was sacrificed upon that cruel cross!

2) He had to wash himself and he had to wear the right clothing. Note washing never sanctified anyone. It was only a picture of the regeneration by the Holy Spirit.

He had to remove the beautiful clothing of the High Priest and put on a special clothing, and it is the High Priest where we first see britches in the Bible and there was a specific reason for this.

This white linen clothing represents the righteousness of our Savior!

All the Jews wore robes!

The Hight Priest was never to have the appearance of sin and when the High Priest climbed the stairs to the Altar of Sacrifice then we see a robe could reveal a little too much and nakedness was considered a very great sin since the time of Adam and Eve’s sin and their sin was covered by the sacrifice of a lamb.

Today, God tells each of us to never have even the appearance of doing evil.

This clothing of the High Priest was made of linen and symbolized righteousness.

To stand by God each priest had to project sinless righteousness!

Linen was made from the flax plant, but it can also be made from hemp.

Maybe, this is the true reason God gave us the hemp plant and not for the drug effect.

3) He had to prepare the right sacrifices for the people!

He had to get two male goats for the Sin Offering and a ram for the Burnt Offering.

One goat to be sacrificed.

The other goat would be taken deep into the wilderness to be set free.

This is a picture of our sin being removed from us forever.

Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

4) Aaron had to be prepared to offer sacrifices for himself and his household.

He had to offer a bull for his own Sin Offering.

Note: Christ our High Priest had no sin and did not have to make an offering for Himself.

Heb 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
Heb 9:8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Heb 7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

5) Aaron had to always be prepared to offer the right sacrifice for the people. The casting of the lot insured that man did not choose so the results would have to be the choice of Jehovah.

Pro 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

The lot was always resorted to by the Jewish Priest with strictest reference to the interposition of God, and as a method of ascertaining the divine will, and in serious cases, of doubt.

Hence it was also the method used to determine chances or preferences, or to decide a debate.

The decision by lot was often resorted to among the Jews, but always with the strictest reference to the interposition of God.

The High Priests had to always be ready to present that chosen scapegoat to the Lord!

The High Priest was to be a symbol or a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Two goats were used in the Sin Offering because no single picture can fully demonstrate what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us!

**The goat that was sacrificed symbolized the sacrifice of Christ, the ransom price He paid to set us free from sin.

**The goat that was set free was sent alive bearing the sins of the people, symbolized the removal and the taking away of sin, no more visible to our Holy God.

We know the Lord Jesus took all our sin to Hell the place designed for sin and the father of all sin the Devil.

This is a picture of what our Savior has done for us!

He paid our Sin Debt that we could not pay and has made us free from sin forever!

We must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ was our Substitute!

Jesus Christ died for my sins, so I do not have to die for them myself!

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

This was the only way we can obtain the “Righteousness” that is required to stand before God the Father.

He bore all our sins, all the sins of everyone who has ever lived in this entire world!

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

The doctrine of “Substitution” is important in that through the Lord Jesus Christ’s death, the righteous demands of our Heavenly Father have been met!

This was a legal transaction, which means, it was God’s own requirement to deal with the sin problem of all humanity in this wicked world.

It is by this action of our Savior, that we have been redeemed and are now the servants of God!

1Co 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
1Co 7:24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

Since we are bought by the blood of Jesus, then we are truly His slaves!

Slaves to the world is a terrible thing, but being a slave to our Savior is a wonderful thing!

We have been removed from the curse of this world!

Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

What was the blessing of Abraham?

Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

We are bought by the blood of the sacrifice of our Savior and now have hope!

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

1Th_1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

We have become a special possession of our Savior!

Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

This is why the true Christian is so noticeable to this world and why the world hates us so much!

We that believe have been reconciled to God!

The barrier that was once between us and our God, has been removed!

Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
Col 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

These are all things we can learn from the Book of Leviticus and the books of the Old Testament.

It was humanity that moved away from God, and it is still happening!

It is humanity that needs to be reconciled to God to renew our fellowship with our Holy God and then God will heal our lands.

As Christians we are the people of God.

The one thing God expected from the Jews and now expects from the Church is for us to represent Him accurately to the world.

We cannot do this if we refuse the study of the Word of God including the study of the Old Testament!

Amen

God’s Grace and Christian Liberty

February 19, 2022 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Gospel of Grace and Christian Liberty

Book of Romans Chapter 14

What is Christian Liberty? It is when sin no more has control of our lives.

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

How do we obtain Christian Liberty?

Jas 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Psa 119:101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.
Psa 119:102 I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.
Psa 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psa 119:104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Christian Liberty comes by being guided by the perfect law of God!

Christian Liberty is not a license to sin!

*Rom 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

What are doubtful disputations?

First we are never to argue with anyone about the Word of God.

The Word of God speaks for itself and the Word of God is settled in Heaven!

Psa_119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven

Sometimes we can be so determined to glorify God that we act like the the Devil.

Those that reject the truth of God are not our friends even though we need to always pray for them.

2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

There are also those who are just weak in their faith.

We must certainly not place burdens upon those who are weak in their faith that the Lord Jesus did not place upon any of us!

We must always receive those who are weak in their faith just as Christ has received us when we were first saved.

This happens many times with those who are babes in Christ.

There are babes in Christ who have been saved for many years because they failed to study the Word of God which is actually a commandment to us all.

We are not to argue with them, just receive them and when the opportunity arises, then we can point out their misunderstanding.

1Co 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

In the early Roman Church there were many disputes in most cases because of the laws given to the Jews by Moses that have nothing to do with the Law of Grace.

We should understand this passage as it deals not with the express commandments of God which deal with the “Grace of God”.

This passage is dealing with differences of opinion of the Word of God.

We are never to dispute the Word of God, again the Word of God speakes for itself and is indisputable!

Christian maturity is measured by our obedience to the Word of God!

Listen to Jesus:

Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

For instance:

*Rom 14:2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

There are some Christians who become strict vegetarians and practically condemn those who add meats to their diet and vice-versa.

The one who just eats fruits and vegetables could be looked upon as a weak Christian yet, they both are subject to criticizing and condemning each other.

When the Apostle Paul was facing this issue, he was very careful to keep the differences of Judaism and Christianity.

For instance Paul had Timothy to be circumcised which conformed to the law of Moses because he was a Jew yet, he would not allow Titus to be circumcised. Titus was a Gentile (heathen)

Gal 2:3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
Gal 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
Gal 2:5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

It was not necessary for Timothy to be circumcised to be a Christian, but he would never have been allowed the time to preach the Gospel to the Jews had he not done so.

The lesson with Titus was to prove to the Jews that those other than Jews would not have to be obedient to the Laws of Moses to be saved.

These things were done in order to reach as many lost souls as possible, either Jew or Gentile with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

No one has ever been saved by the Laws of Moses!

Rules and Observing old doctrines can never save and are in fact heresy!

There is only one way to approach God and it is by and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is that Christian who has become weak and judgmental, who is also weak in their faith!

*Rom 14:3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

When we become judges then we have forgotten we are to be witnesses!

We see it is the vegetarian who has become the judge in this passage, yet God received them both.

1) The strong believer, who walks in the Liberty of Christ and does not live by strict rules such as those Laws of Moses, is also accepted of Christ no matter what that weak Christian thinks.

2) No one has the right to judge the servant of the Lord!

Both of these people belong to the Lord, both are servants of the Lord because the Lord has already judged them and accepted them because of Grace, and not by laws.

They have no reason to judge nor pass judgement upon each other!

No believer has the right to play God!

3) God will hold up every believer!

*Rom 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Rom 14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

If we have a God who cannot keep us saved then we do not have much of a God!

2Ti 4:18 And the Lord “shall deliver me” from every evil work, and “will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom”: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In the time of Paul these things caused havoc in the early Church!

If we truly believe the Word of God, then we must be persuaded that we are right and not wrong because God said we are!

We are to live as we understand the will of God!
We must dedicate everyday to the Lord!

What was the only difference between the saved Jew and the saved Gentile.

One set aside a few more days to celebrate God than the other, who gave everyday to the Lord.

Certainly nothing to cause a dispute as long as they both understood that salvation comes by Jesus Christ!

The hearts of both these men were given to the Lord!

*Rom 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
Rom 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
Rom 14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

The truth is that, no one can tell Jehovah God what to do!
No one can tell the Lord Jesus Christ what to do!
No one can tell the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) what to do!

Only prayer can move the hand of God and this according to His will!

As Christians, we are to act like Christians according to the Word of God expressing that Jesus Christ is our Lord.

This is a Divine fact that is never to be questioned!

This being true, then we are independant of the world’s judgement because we are subject to the rule of Jesus Christ!

We belong to the Lord in this world and we will still belong to the Lord in the world to come.

We belong to the Lord forever if we belong to Him in this life!

This being fact, then we live for the Lord by completing the work He gave us to do!

The Lord Jesus Christ has proven that He is the Master of Life, but because of His death it proves that He is also the Master of Death because he arose from that death.

Satan holds no control over the life or the death of those who love the Lord!

This is the reason the Lord Jesus laid aside His glory to come to this earth and bled and died for our sins and He rose again in that same body that we may live with Him throughout eternity.

Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ is Lord of the living and of the dead in Christ because He is the Master of both worlds.

The Lord does not give up His ownership of the Church when a member dies!

Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

If we are to fear anything in this life, then we need to understand what the Lord is saying here!

What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

So we can readily see that we have One Judge and that Judge is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Not Allah, not Budha, not any false diety!

So why even as Christians do we try to judge anyone in the Church or even outside the Church.

The Lord has already taught us that we can tell by the way they live their lives.

*Rom 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

The Holy Spirit demands us to answer these simple questions ourselves!

Knowing these things, then why do we judge another brother or sister in Christ?

Why would we despise and look down upon a brother or sister in Christ when we know the only Judge is the Lord Jesus Christ who can see into the heart

The pure fact is “I know I belong to the Lord” but in reality I cannot know the truth of anyone else because I cannot see into their heart!

If you are a true Christian, then you have already been judged by the Lord Jesus Christ because He is the only Righteous Judge!

I got news for you, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, we will not be judged for our salvation!

We will not be at the Judgment Seat of Christ, unless we already belong to the Lord!

At the Judgment Seat of Christ we will be judged for what we have done since our salvation.

It is a “judgment” for rewards or loss of rewards.

Notice that phrase “every tongue shall confess to God”. This does not leave anyone out!

If we have noticed the Holy Spirit began with teaching the weak Christian and now He is speaking to the strong Christian.

The fact remains we will not reach full maturity until we reach the “Judgment Seat of Christ”!

Everyone will give an account for themselves!

We will not be called to testify about others!

We will only be held accountable for our selves!

We will not be held accountable for what any other person has done!

We will stand alone before God at this judgment if we are one of God’s children!

Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

We must understand that we are to never become a stumbling block for any child of God!

*Rom 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

So now we see that having Christian Liberty, it does have it’s limits!

We must never be an obstacle standing between someone and our Righteous God!

We must avoid any offence.

Php 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Php 1:11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

We must respect the convictions of others.

We must remember that conviction is the first stage of repentance.

We must promote the work of the Lord in all others.

We must guard against any appearance of evil upon ourselves.

It is a full time job trying to be a good Christian which leaves no time to judge others.

Php 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

When we are seeking the prize of Jesus Christ, there should nothing else have a greater importance!

We must remember the Lord Jesus Christ died for us all, not to judge us, but to save us!

Amen

God’s Grace and the Restoration of Israel

January 29, 2022 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Gospel of Grace and Israel’s Restoration

Book of Romans Chapter 11

There is a simple truth we had better understand and it is, that what we believe determines our ability to see things properly.

When we reject the truth, we will believe a lie and the things that go with that lie!

This is the exact reason the government we have in place today is doing its best to influence our children or indoctrinate our children, at every level of our school systems.

Of course they are denying this just as Iran is denying their attempt to make nuclear weapons, but it is still true.

They are both hoping that enough time will pass that these things will be irreversible!

It is not Nuclear weapons that make great nations or even powerful nations, but only foolish nations!

This same thing happened to the Israel of old!

Another thing we had better be clear on, is that God will never abandon this people!

Though the many things they did were wrong, they did preserve the Word of God down through the many generations.

To this, we as Christians owe a great debt, even though we know that God was behind this important thing to make sure it took place.

*Rom 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? “God forbid”. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

The Word of God does not just stop at the introduction of the Church!

In God’s wisdom, He has blinded the eyes of the Israelites until the fulness of the Church comes in.

The Apostle Paul said that jealousy would provoke them to see the Lord in a unique way.

It was the Jews, in the time of the trial of the Lord Jesus Christ who demanded to see the wrath of God.

Mat 27:25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
Mat 27:26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

God has promised that the Church would not see His wrath.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

These Jews, the children of disobedience, and those who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ during the Church Age, will see the wrath of God, but not the true Church.

1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

The Church will not see the wrath of God!

The Jews begged to see the wrath of God, so in God’s wisdom He set aside Israel until the fulness of the Church comes in at the “Rapture”, then He will again deal with Israel as He promised Abraham and David, after they witness His wrath which they could have avoided!

God always keeps His promises!

God’s covenants are sincere!

Israel was disobedient to God and turned away the hand of a loving God.

Rom 10:21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

They had decided that they did not need to be obedient to the Word of God just as so much of the world has decided today!

Again we should be clear, God has not cast away His people.

Before God removes the blinders from this people, they will see the wrath of God that they had pleaded for at the death of their Deliverer who is the only Deliverer from the wrath of God!

Israel is not saved at this time and to be saved they must come to Jesus and repent.

This does not ever mean there is not a remnant of these Israelites ready to serve the Lord!

There will never be some new way to be reconciled to God, the Father of us all!

Jehovah has blinded the eyes of Israel, but the rest of the world just has no excuse because they have seen the truth of God through eyes that clearly see!

Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

The Apostle Paul was proud of His Jewish heritage, but most proud of his Christian heritage!

We cannot be disobedient to the Word of God and be reconciled to God!

This is something that we just cannot do and expect the “Grace of God”!

Israel is not a saved people at this time even though God will always have a remnant of the Israelites who love Him!

God’s promises are to all people and God will deal with Israel just as His Word has said, and these things are not changeable!

We should clearly understand that God always has a remnant of Jews who love Him and who will serve Him.

The Apostle Paul was part of that remnant in the days of the early Church.

The Apostle Paul could be said to be a true Jew a direct descendant of Abraham through his mother.

In fact, it is the mothers who determine the line of Jews from Abraham just as it was Sarah who determines who is a true Israelite and a descendant of Abraham!

There are many descendants of Abraham who are not part of the family of Israel, such as those from Abraham’s second wife Keturah along with the descendants of Ishmael and of Esau.

God will not cast off the descendants of Abraham by his wife Sarah!

Elijah, as powerful a prophet as he was, fell into this trap thinking that God did not have those who love Him at all times.

*Rom 11:2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
Rom 11:3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

The Book of Hebrews teaches us that without “faith” it is impossible to please God, because we must believe that He is the God of the Bible and the God of all creation.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God “must believe that he is”, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Once you have accepted this in your mind, then why would you ever believe He would not be “all-knowing”?

God saves those He knows!

God does not forget those He knows!

The key here is that God knows!

Remember Jesus said to those who hated Him “that He never knew them”.

God only knows those who love Him and are obedient to His Word.

If you understand the Lord Jesus, He does not even know those who do not love Him.

Remember He said, “I never knew you”!

God says you can always tell the ones that He knows by the way they live their lives!

Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

God cannot be fooled, or He could not be God!

Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

It is a fact that only a remnant of Israel will be saved during the Church Age!

It is also a fact that during the time of Elijah and all the other prophets there was only a remnant that genuinely loved God!

But there is always this remnant!

Elijah felt alone for a moment of his life because he did not see any around him that were trying to be obedient to the Word of God.

Elijah allowed the world (wicked Jezebel) to frighten him, and he became afraid to die and we must not ever be afraid to die for our Savior who died for us.

Luk_9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

The cross is a symbol of death!

We must never believe we are all alone in serving God!

We never will be!

It is a fact that most of this world are disobedient and disloyal to our Creator and certainly disloyal to our Deliverer!(they are One and the Same person)

We should also understand that the image of a nation is determined by the lifestyle of the majority who live in that nation, not by that remnant!

As far as the United States goes, our image is not that of a godly nation, but our image is that of Sodom and Gomorrah just like the European Union and just like all nations of the United Nations that have adopted this wicked and immoral stance.

These are not freedoms; they are just sin against a Holy God!

Most of the rest are corrupt and wicked and self-righteous and seeking power they will never have.

There is a remnant today, but there is also the true Church that lives amongst all these wicked nations.

God will never leave Himself without a witness!

God will never leave His people without brothers and sisters going about the work given to us by Jesus Christ!

We must keep that work going until the Lord takes us home!

There will be a remnant of the Jews in place even when the Church has been removed from this world!

*Rom 11:4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
Rom 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

The Apostle Paul knew there was a remnant of Jews in his day, and we had better know there is a remnant of Jews today who serve the Lord according to the “Grace of God”.

The Holy Spirit is alive and well, working throughout this world according to the “Grace” God has shown to us.

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Tit 2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Since it is by “Grace”, then there is still only the Law of Grace, and not any other law by which we can be saved, no matter where we come from!

*Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Grace is no longer “Grace” if God allowed a remnant according to those old Laws of Moses.

The Old Testament Saints were saved because they had the “faith of Abraham” which gained their righteousness.

What was the “faith of Abraham”? That God would provide Himself to be the Lamb of God, the Messiah!

No one deserves the “Grace” of God, so all who come to the truth of Jesus Christ are eligible to receive God’s “Grace”!

We must clearly understand that no one will ever get to Heaven who does not have the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ!

There is no one who will ever work their way into Heaven!

God does not bestow His “Grace” upon anyone because we are deserving of it, because none of us are!

It is Jehovah God who placed the blinders upon the Israelites, and it is only Jehovah God who can remove those blinders!

What is said of Israel?

1) Isa 29:10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

Isa 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

2) Psa 69:22 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.

3) Psa 69:23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.
Psa 69:24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.

They were blind to the truth of the Messiah, and they still are!

*Rom 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
Rom 11:9 And David saith, Let their “table” be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
Rom 11:10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

They were blinded.
They were given the Spirit of slumber.
They were given eyes that they should not see.
They were given ears that they should not hear.

That table is their lust for the things of this world rather than the things of God!

Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Those who reject the truth of God experience judicial blindness and rejection by God!

Those who choose to reject the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Grace, have chosen for themselves damnation!

God offers His love and salvation freely, but God will not be taken advantage of, and God will not be mocked!

Unbelief only causes more obstinate unbelief!

We had better understand, God will not violate our will nor force His will upon us!

Sin only multiplies as our faith dwindles to nothingness!

Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

What is the whole truth?

2Co 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

By rejecting the truth of the Gospel, we have placed ourselves in jeopardy and the penalties of Hell!

The Gospel which should feed and strengthen our souls, will become the means of destruction of the unbeliever!

*Rom 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Rom 11:12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

What was the “Gospel Message” to these Jews?

Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

True repentance must always be directed toward Jehovah God!
True repentance must always be for the remission of sins unto salvation!

These must be the desires of our heart!

Another especially important thing to remember is that God can save anyone, at any time and from any place!

Israel stumbled at the message of Jesus Christ!

Will Israel ever accept the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Is the Spiritual fall of Israel to be forever?

The Holy Spirit says God forbids this to happen. Perish the thought of such a thing!

We should understand that the message of the “Gospel” is for the entire world.

God sent His messengers to Israel first, but God’s salvation message is for all people.

The only ones who cannot be saved are those God has turned over to a reprobate mind!

This is a choice they have made, and the Holy Spirit will not strive with those people ever again, because it would not ever change their mind.

It is said that Israel stumbled because there were so many who chose to reject the message of God.

America was once known as a Christian nation because a greater majority of people trusted the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

This is no longer the truth!

America is no longer known as a Christian nation because most Americans have abandoned the truth of Jesus Christ!

America is now the nation of Sodom and Gomorrah, along with the European Union and most of the United Nations.

The rest are power hungry nations who will fail because of their arrogance.

When Israel rejected the Gospel Message, God sent His messengers to all the other nations and one by one each nation either becomes a Christian Nation or they become a nation of reprobates by their own choice!

Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Act 13:47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

The things of this world may have been much better than what we see now, had the Israelites accepted the Word of God as it was given and had been missionaries to the world.

It has now been about two thousand years since Christ returned to Heaven and still the world has not been reached with the Gospel even though there are only a few places left if any now at this time.

We can now also see how our world could be much better had most of the Gentiles have received the truth of the Gospel and believed.

Even though all these things did not take place, God has still worked out all things for the good of those who love Him!

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

God’s plan cannot be overcome in any way form or fashion!

It is because of these two things that we are left with the world we now have, and God will take care of these two problems during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

Even though people will still be left with a choice, with Satan out of the way there will be no temptation and none of his evil works to try to sway people at least for One Thousand years, where then he would be freed to do his evil for a brief period of time.

It is after this that the Israelites and the Church will be united in one mind and one faith to serve the Living God!

God assures the Church of these promises.
God assures the restoration of Israel.
God assures a restored earth back to the original as it was in the early days of Adam and Eve.

It is the Gospel that has impacted the world to the truth, the world is built upon the lust of the flesh, lies, deception, corruption, wickedness, and the love of money.

We should understand that millions have been saved from the wrath of God.
We should understand that millions have been saved from death and Hell.
We should understand that millions now have the promise of eternal life, and many millions are already living that life.

It is by the Gospel that humanity knows about the moral laws.
It is by the Gospel that morality and purity is preached world-wide.
It is only by the Gospel that we can be saved from the wrath of God on the Children of Disobedience.

The children of disobedience are all those who reject the truth of the Word of God!

Once Israel returns to Jehovah this world will see the blessings of God!

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2Ch 7:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

The Apostle Paul preached the truth until he was also murdered for preaching the truth to this world!

Rom 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Rom 11:14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

We should have this same love for all the lost and be obedient servants to the Lord Jesus Christ, the God who loves us enough to die for us that we too might be saved!

Amen

The Gospel and National Israel

January 22, 2022 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Gospel of Grace and National Israel

Book of Romans Chapter 10 verse 1 through 13

Who are the Israelites?

Rom 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Rom 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Israel was the nation chosen and adopted as God’s people and those to whom Jehovah God first revealed Himself.

Their job was to tell the world about Jehovah God, but they chose to try to keep Him to themselves.

Gen 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
Exo 4:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

They were privileged with the great patriarchal covenants and were given laws that were to teach them the truth and this truth was that no one could keep all those laws. (613 laws not just 10)

We know those Laws were given to teach them about the Messiah.

Gal_3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal_3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

The Israelites never came to know true “faith” and so never attained to God’s “Grace”.

When we mention the Jewish Law, most people think of the Ten Commandments but in reality, there were 613 commandments given to the Jewish people and God knew that no one could keep all those commandments all their lives and it only took one failure to be condemned.

They rejoiced in their Levitical Service and had great expectation of the Messiah which they are still looking for now because they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ.

The worship services in the Tabernacle and the Temple were to remind them what was due unto God on one hand and how much was graciously provided by Him on the other hand.

All the Old Testament promises will be filled with promises of the Messiah and the Millennial Kingdom (the one-thousand-year rule of Christ).

The Atonement, the kingdom of Heaven, the reign of Israel upon this earth, but they thought all these things were just for Israel and did not include the Gentiles and they rejected “faith” and decided that righteousness could only come by the keeping of the Law.

Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Rom 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

Their entire system of worship was calculated to reveal the Divine greatness and holiness of Jehovah God and human insignificance and sinfulness.

Instead of becoming a humble nation of servants, they became a nation full of pride and self-righteousness!

When God wanted holiness Israel showed rebellion!

They were looking forward to the important things that are still in their future, because when the time came to move forward, they became legalist and rejected God’s Messiah.

All the promises God has made to Israel are to be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ who was rejected!

The Lord Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh!

Israel made some tragic mistakes!

The Apostle Paul understanding all the Old Testament scriptures having been trained under Gamaliel the great Jewish teacher of that day and now a “Born Again” child of God, full of the Holy Spirit clearly saw the failures of Israel and the truth of Jesus Christ.

What was the main problem for the Israelites? They had a zeal for God, but not according to the Scriptures given to them by those Prophets they murdered because they rejected their message.

*Rom 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Rom 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

Paul had a burning desire for the salvation of the Israelites. Paul absolutely loved this people!

We have no reason to hate the Jews, the Israelites!

We read earlier of those that God had turned over to reprobate minds, who God knew would never accept the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul knew that the Israelites would never be placed in this group of reprobates.

In fact, we know that God has blinded the eyes of this people and will one day remove those blinders and they will clearly see their mistakes they made concerning the Word of God.

Rom_11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

This blindness in fact will be removed when the fulness of the heathen (Gentiles) come in.

This will happen at the “Rapture” of the Church. God does not consider those who have this zeal to be reprobates.

We know that the first Christians were in fact Jews and many Jews are still saved today.

Keep in mind that not all Israel are Israelites. Many are called Israelis today.

God is speaking to those actual descendants of Abraham through his wife Sarah!

What is the truth of these Israelites? They have a zeal but not according to the knowledge of Jesus Christ!

What is the truth of the Gentile (Heathen) the Church of the last days? We have the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we do not have the zeal to serve Him as we should!

Over and over we see the evidence of the Laodicean Church Age, yet the Church denies it.

What did the Lord Jesus say?

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

We see the modern Church has pushed God away with the modern pastor believing that He knows better than the Word of God that we have been given.

There is no such thing as a new understanding of the Scriptures! God does not change His Word nor His ways!

Mal_3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not;

The modern Church is now trying to establish its own righteousness which has been the same problem for the Israelites all along!

*Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

These Jews knew many things about the Messiah, but it was not based on a complete knowledge!

The Church has the complete knowledge, but many today think they know better than God who gave us His complete Word.

There will never be some new “Gospel”!

Israel was ignorant of God’s righteousness!

Israel was ignorant of God’s method of “Justification”!

Israel was ignorant as to how to be acceptable to God!

This acceptance can only come by the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for our salvation!

Everyone is born with a sin nature and this sin nature can only be done away with by the Work of Christ that allows us to be “Born Again” a Spiritual Rebirth!

You cannot reject Jesus Christ and then receive this new life!

Jesus Christ is the source of all “Spiritual” gifts, the Holy Spirit is the Administrator of those gifts!

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and “gave gifts unto men”.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, “that he might fill all things”.)
Eph 4:11 And “he gave” some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

You see the true Church is made up of those who have come in the unity of the “Faith”!

Not the many denominations, and certainly not of those who take the authority of Jesus Christ out of the Church!

If you believe, then you had better believe that when God removes the blindness and restores sight to these Jews, they will all be in unity of “faith”.

For Jesus Christ is the end of those old Laws and the key to “Righteousness” to everyone who believes in Him and the work He has done for our salvation!

*Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law of righteousness to every one that believeth.

We had better understand that once false teaching has taken place it is hard to get people straightened back out!

The Church has been struggling with this for years and the Jews have never overcome this at this time.

Without the Lord Jesus Christ you cannot receive the Holy Spirit!
Without the Holy Spirit you can never have the mind of Christ!
Without the mind of Christ you will still depend on your own self-righteousness which is worth exactly nothing in the eyes of God the Father!

Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

What does the Holy Spirit teach us?

Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, “whatsoever I have said unto you”.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the end of the Law.

Mat_5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

These are most important things, yet these things are left out of the teaching of many denominations causing disharmony in the Church.

We had better cling to the basic truths of the Lord Jesus Christ and remember the Holy Trinity of God!

Not three Gods but One God in three persons, all bound up in the truth of Jehovah God, our Maker!

Moses tried to explain these things to the Jews, but they rejected them.

As much as they claimed Moses, they still rejected the things He taught them of the Messiah!

*Rom 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

Most everyone who claim the Lord Jesus Christ think that the “Gospel” is some cafeteria plan given to us from God, where we can pick and choose the things to place our faith.

God has no cafeteria plan!

God has one plan, and it is all bound up in the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Law is simply our teacher to get us “justified” by “faith”!

Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

As humans, we have no righteousness of our selves. You can like this or dislike this, but it is still the truth because God said it!

Just as you cannot pick and choose the parts of the Bible you accept and the parts you reject, those Jews could not pick and choose which of those old Laws they would keep, or they would reject.

The difference being there is no “Grace” built into those old Laws.

When we try to reach God by law and works, simply by doing the absolute best we can, we should be able to see there is a terrible flaw in this way of thinking.

No one, but Jesus Christ has ever been able to keep those laws perfectly!

Lev 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

It is a losing effort every time!

Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

There are only two ways to become righteous before God:

1) Keeping the Law and being perfect in the keeping of the Law, which no one but Christ was able to do.
2) Trusting in the righteousness in that person, Jesus Christ, who was able to keep all those 613 laws!

We can see that there is only one choice!

When this makes sense to you, you will begin to understand the truth of Jesus Christ!

You see everyone is seeking the forgiveness of sin, but this forgiveness comes only by the “Grace” of God, because there is no law that can bring “Grace” except for the law of Christ Jesus the true and only Messiah!

Php_3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Though Paul has been criticized, we must understand that “ALL” Scripture comes to us by the Holy Spirit if that Scripture comes to us from the “Received Text”!

2Ti_3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

The name of the writer is unimportant for all those writers were guided by the Holy Spirit of God!

When we doubt the Word of God, we are not doubting the writers, we are doubting a Holy and Righteous God who cannot deceive and who cannot lie!

We must know that there is nothing unholy in the glory of Heaven!

That being true and it is, then it must take a perfect righteousness to be accepted into God’s home in Heaven!

Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

This righteousness can come only by faith in the work the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us to receive this acceptable righteousness!

*Rom 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
Rom 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

“Saving faith” is that “faith” that concerns itself only about the Lord Jesus Christ!

Unbelief says, “Who shall ascend into Heaven”? Unbelief says, “Who shall descend into the deep”?

Unbelief always has questions!

Faith takes her stand wherever Jesus Christ is located!

Salvation can come only by the Lord Jesus Christ!

It takes a real imagination to believe the lies of this world!

It takes a truly lively imagination to believe in evolution!

Faith is done with imaginations and faith is done with dreamers!

Faith deals in reality!

The Lord Jesus came to this world to pay the sin debt of all peoples and He died to do so!

Faith is the truth!

The Lord Jesus Christ arose from that death proving He is God!

The Gospel is the truth, so for these reasons, all questions are answered about salvation!

If we look within ourselves, we can know these things are the real truth.

If we look at the world all we see is lies, deception, and wickedness!

The truth of God will satisfy the soul and the Word was indeed made flesh and dwelt among us!

Joh 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

In our search for a place called Heaven, we soon realize that we do not have it in our own power to get there, so we need a Deliverer, in fact a Messiah!

Psa_102:19 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;

In order for this to be true, then this Deliverer must be able to conquer sin, death, and Hell to remove these things from us.

Psa 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Psa 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

It is only our Heavenly Father who has this knowledge so only He could be this Deliverer, this Messiah!

As long as we depend on our own righteousness we will be lost forever!

Joh 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Jesus Christ is that Deliverer who brought the wonderful things of Heaven within reach of those who trust Him!

God has made these promises available to us if we just believe Him!

*Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

What is true faith?

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God has placed His Word within our reach!

It is easy to understand.
It is to be remembered.
It is to be practiced.
It is the Word of Faith!

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

We are not required to find some way to Heaven!
We do not have to find a way to avoid Hell!

The Lord Jesus Christ has solved this problem that we have all had since our birth!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ only requires “faith” in this reality!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is applied to us, when we confess with our mouths that we believe this truth!

Why? Because of the great love that God loves us!

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

We may never understand this, but it does not make it any less true!

The means to get to God’s New Heaven is located on the tip of our tongue if in our heart we will believe Him!

We must confess the truth of the Gospel with our mouth, believing He is that Great Deliverer sent down from Heaven to make a way for us to join Him in His home!

Jesus says, do not worry about this I got it all under control. (My words)

God’s “justice” was perfectly satisfied with death of His Son!

God was perfectly satisfied with His Son dying for us!

So God raise His Son up from the dead to live forever and those who confess this to live with Him!

Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

How could such a plan be conceived and then followed exactly as it was written not be true?

Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

God has done these things so we will repent and return to Him, our Creator!

This cannot be done on a whim; it must come from the heart!

*Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Salvation is available and that shame comes when we do not give consideration of what a loving God has done for us.

God did not give these precious gifts to just one nation. God’s offer is to all the world!

God’s message is to all peoples!

There is only one Gospel and there can be only one Gospel!

Whoever believes in the truth of Jesus Christ will be saved!

God has made it just that simple!

The Gospel has made its way around this world, and this could only have happened by the power of God!

There may still be a very few places where Jehovah God is not known, but it can only be a very few and even those places will soon hear the “Gospel” of our Savior and our Deliverer.

The “Gospel of Jesus Christ” is universal!

Isa 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

We do not have to be ashamed of our Savior!

When we are covered in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we should have no fear of this world!

We must never be ashamed to confess the Lord Jesus Christ before any man, any woman, or any child!

God’s love is never limited to any people!

*Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

The Lord our God treats all humanity the same!

There is no distinction between humans in the eyes of God!

There is only one race, and it is the human race!

Every human being is related to God in the same way because He is our Creator!

God does not show partiality!

We are all His creations.
We all have the sin nature of Adam.
We are all loved by Him.
None of us can be saved, but through the Lord Jesus Christ by the righteousness that is in Him.

God does not save one person one way and another person a separate way.

We must all come to Christ!

No person is favored over another person in being saved or being condemned!

Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

God will respond to all that call upon His name!

Every good thing that comes to this world comes by the hands of our Loving God!

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

This means that terrible things do not come by the hands of God!

The truth being that we must call upon God to receive the riches of His “mercy” and His “grace”!

*Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

This statement is not in the Bible to be a deception, it is in the Bible because it is the truth!

This same promise goes out to every man, woman, and child upon this earth!

This is a prophecy that is fulfilled from the Old Testament!

Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

It means when we call upon the name of the Lord, then we believe in the righteousness of His Son Jesus!

It means every person with such a belief.

Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

You cannot get around Jesus Christ to make your own way to Heaven!

Jesus Christ is the answer to spending eternity with God our Father!

We must follow in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luk 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Amen

Grace and Justification

December 25, 2021 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Gospel of Grace and Justification

Book of Romans Chapter 4 through Chapter 5

Here are a few especially important things we need to know in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

1) We can never be “Justified” by our works!

Without the Holy Spirit abiding within us, we are still lost!

Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

What does the Holy Spirit do for us?

The Holy Spirit does His work through a twofold ministry in our lives.

A) He will work on Christ’s behalf, through our witness, to bring conviction to those not yet in Christ (John 16:7-11).
B) He will also minister to us as the teacher of our spirits to guide us into all truth (John 16:13; 14:17, 26; 15:26).

2) Faith is the key to our relationship with the Almighty God!

Gal 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

3) Those who try to keep the Law must keep all of those Old Laws, which are impossible!

4) It is the same for all races and all cultures of people!

Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

5) The promises of the Lord Jesus Christ come only by “Faith”!

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

6) Those old laws were given to all the world to teach us how to live!

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

It is by “faith” in the Works of Jesus Christ for our salvation that we receive the Holy Spirit.

7) Once the Holy Spirit moves in, He will never move back out!

There are so many who believe we have to work our way into Heaven.

In a sense work gets us to Heaven, but it is not any work that we have to do! Jesus Christ has done all the work that was required for us!

What does Jesus say? What work does our Heavenly Father accept?

Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, “that ye believe on him whom he hath sent”.

Joh 6:38 “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me”.
Joh 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

*Rom 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Rom 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
Rom 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Rom 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

God has given us the fitting example of Abraham to teach us about “faith”.

Against all probability, Abraham believed in the promises of God!

Our “faith” must be in the things that the God has spoken!

Our “hope” lies in the promises of God!

Abraham had nothing to give to God but these two things and this is why it is called “Grace”.

You see, we must be fully persuaded that what God promises, He is also able to deliver.

No one can stand before our Holy God who is not righteous, and it is these things that bring to us righteousness enough to stand before God and not perish!

Our “faith” must be in the work that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for our own righteousness. Why?

We must believe that God sent His only Son who was delivered for our offences (our sin) and raised by God for our “justification”.

Therefore peace with our Holy God comes by “faith” in the things He sent His Son to do for us!

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

All God ask from us, is to believe in what He has done for us!

Now God has done all these things it is time for all humans to show “faith” or to reject these things in a lack of “faith”!

A notable example given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ from the New Testament:

Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The truth is, most all the world has turned their back on God and seek a path to salvation that will never be true, because we cannot choose our own path to Heaven!

It is by “Faith” that we are “Justified”!
It is by “Faith” that we can be at peace with God!
It is by “Faith” that we have access to God’s “Grace”, God’s favor, and welcomed into the presence of God!
It is by “Faith” whereas we find hope for the Glory of God!

We can have peace with God because He has nothing to be held against us throughout the remainder of our lifetime on earth and we will spend eternity with Him in His house.

The Lord Jesus Christ was our “Substitute” in making payment for our sin.

God our Father was satisfied with the sacrifice (payment) of His dear Son.

God the Father is forever satisfied that our sin debt was paid, and He will never bring it up again, nor will He ever judge us again.

We will never be a part of God’s “wrath”!

We will one day be a part of God’s Glory!

These are all things we can know in this lifetime!

We should also know that this world will now hate us!

*Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

We cannot allow the trials and tribulations of this world to destroy us. We now have a renewed strength because we are at peace with God!

We do not have to live in despair and hopelessness.

We can in fact, learn from all these things and become stronger because our strength is now in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

You see the Holy Spirit who lives within each child of God will stand up to all trials and temptations and all we need do is listen to Him!

You see, we are now able to defeat all things that come against us!

Rom_8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Because of this we can have patience in the trials of this life and there will be no trials in our glorious life.

When we endure the trials of this life, and there will be many, we come out stronger and better able to stand against any future trials in this life.

This is where we stand in these last days!

Luk 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.
Luk 21:18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

It is in these things that we will be able to see these last days approaching, which, we are now in!

The Lord says we are on the winning side, and we can in our “Faith” know that this is true!

When we lean on the Holy Spirit who lives within us, He will hold us up!

As long as we have this “hope” in the truth of God, we will never be ashamed of our Savior who will never disappoint us.

It is in our strength in Jesus that the world will see, and it is this strength, His Strength, that we are better able to cope in this wicked and hopeless world!

1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1Jn 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

It is by the Holy Spirit, who lives within us, that we can feel the “Love” of God!

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

There is great peace that comes by the awesome love of God!

*Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

God knew that there would never be a human capable of being pure enough to be sacrificed for sin and God hated the fact that so many of false worship would attempt to sacrifice humans and most all of them were babies.

The false gods Chemosh and Moloch, sometime called Baal-Peor or Baal-Zebub, required human sacrifice and God hated these things done to the innocent, but even babies are not pure enough to be a payment for sin.

Every nation on earth is still sacrificing babies today calling it women’s rights.

The only sacrifice that God would ever accept was His own, the sacrifice of Himself!

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, “God will provide himself a lamb” for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

We were an ungodly people, yet a Holy God left the portals of Heaven, came, and lived as a human, but a sin free human, and sacrificed Himself so that we can be saved.

God is perfect, all humans carry the sin nature of Adam, it was the only choice that could be made, and it was made.

There are a few fathers who would die for their children but few, especially in today’s world, but because of His great love for us the living God gave Himself so that we might live.

As farfetched as this sounds it is still the truth!

The Lord Jesus Christ died for our benefit.
He died for our sake!
He died in our behalf!

Since God cannot die or He would not be God, then He poured Himself into a body of flesh that could die, and we call Him Lord Jesus!

2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

What is a ransom? The price that is paid to recover a person from someone who is detaining them.

It was Satan who required a perfect human for sacrifice and since there are none, we each became our own sacrifice, but this brought eternal death!

God knew this and therefore sacrificed Himself.

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

What is a propitiation? Propitiation is to restore or to reconcile our friendship once again to our Heavenly Father!

Jesus Christ is represented as the propitiatory sacrifice for the sin of the world!

His blood alone atones for and covers our guilt!

This is the thing we could never do for ourselves and why no one is ever good enough to be a sacrifice for our sin.

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

I pity those who reject these things because these things are the real truth!

Jesus Christ died for me because there was no man who would die for me.

I had no value.
I had no goodness.
I was opposed to God.

But God loved me enough to save me!

*Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

How did God prove He loves us? God did not wait till we made a commitment to provide our means of salvation!

The sovereign Creator of all we see and all we cannot see came to this earth and took the form of a human and died in our place!

This is unbelievable love that you cannot find on this earth.

How many of us would willingly give up our sons to save somebody we do not even know? I dare say not any.

God gave His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to save worthless, useless, rebellious, sinners who could not save themselves at any cost!

The God of all creation died in a humiliating manner that we might have the opportunity to live forever with Him!

The wrath of God was reserved for all those who had rejected Him, yet He still chose to offer eternal life!

This is something God will never forget and all those who have rejected the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ will certainly see His wrath even more so for not believing the truth of Jesus Christ.

We have already read that even though so many know these truths, they have still intentionally chosen to rebel against our Almighty God.

It is no wonder they are said to be fools!

God has proven His love yet most of this world has shown no respect for that love.

Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Joh 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

We see truly little love left in this world!
We see very few who really want to hear the truth!

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

People ask, just what are we saved from?

1) We are saved from the destruction that we cause ourselves, yes.
2) We are saved from a place called Hell, yes.
3) We are saved from a dying world, yes.
4) Greatest of all, we are saved from the wrath of an angry God, who did not want to show His angry side!

It is the work that the Lord Jesus Christ did willingly to save us that has allowed us to miss seeing the wrath of God!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We who were once enemies are now in the family of God!

*Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

That word reconciled means becoming friends after a state of disagreement and enemies of our Creator.

Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

There is great peace that comes when you know you are no longer an enemy of God!

When we live for ourselves, we become enemies of God!

When we oppose our God, we become His enemy!

As long as we reject our Savior, we are promoting evil in this ungodly world!

If you are not on the Lord’s side, you are certainly on Satan’s side!

Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

How are we reconciled to God?

God has accepted the death of His Son in our place.
God has accepted that His Son Jesus has borne all our sin from the time of Adam until the end of the Church Age.
God has accepted the condemnation of His Son as the condemnation of all humanity.

Sin we are made free from sin by the work of the Lord we are also made free from the punishment of sin.

It is God who has provided this reconciliation!
It is God who reached out to us!

All we need do is receive these free gifts of a Holy God who cannot become unholy.

What is the atonement?

*Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

It is by the Lord Jesus Christ that we now have hope that there is something more than this short span we call life.

How can we look at our world and all the life that is in it and think that there is not something more even after our death?

You see, we can have that joy in this life knowing that there is much more to life than what we see in this life.

There is so much more that comes by a life in Christ Jesus.

We can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God!

We can rejoice in the midst of the tribulations of this world knowing that there are greater things to come after this life.

We can rejoice knowing that we are loved by our Sovereign God who watches over us as His own dear children.

We had no strength in ourselves to provide these things, but God does!

We can now be at peace with God knowing we have been forgiven!

Rom 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

Our sentence was death, but God has given us new life and life eternal.

He has also given us a work to do ourselves with His help because we are not remade, but made a new person (Born Again).

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

The truth of God will awaken a new life within us that should show on our outer being.

What is real love? It is Jesus Christ!

Amen

Why There Is A Need For God’s Grace

December 4, 2021 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Gospel of Grace for the Gentiles

Book of Romans Chapter 1

We should not have any problem believing that the Holy Ghost used the Apostle Paul as the vessel to author this Book of Romans. These things have been argued for years and the early Church decided this was true.

This Book to the Christians living in Rome was written before 60 AD which is within 30 years of the death of our Savior.

Rom 15:25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.
Rom 15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
Rom 15:27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.

The Apostle Paul had many reasons for authoring this great book the most obvious reason is because the Holy Spirit insisted on it and another reason was that Paul intended to go to Rome to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ and he used this letter as an introduction to his ministry.

The Apostle Paul had a great desire to evangelize Rome and each city on the route from Jerusalem to Rome to ensure the spread of the Gospel.

We should clearly understand that if we are obedient to the Holy Ghost, we will find that it is His job to ensure the success of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Peter was not that Rock; the Lord Jesus Christ is the Rock of our salvation!

At this time, the Church in Rome was a strong Church.

This was a lay church!

In other words this Church had been established solely by the work of the Holy Spirit without the help of the Apostles.

It is very possible that the early Church leaders in Rome had actually witnessed the resurrected Messiah.

They had certainly witnessed the moving of the Holy Spirit that day of Pentecost!

Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Act 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Act 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
Act 2:7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Act 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Act 2:10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

The “faith” in the work of the Messiah was very strong in Rome at this time!

Rom 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
Rom 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
Rom 1:10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

I should also mention that this was a Christian Church and had nothing to do with Catholicism which came much, much later.

Within seven years of this letter to the Roman Church, persecution came to this Church because of the Emperor Nero who in a fit of madness tried to burn the city of Rome and he blamed it upon the Christians.

The Book of Romans will show to us the great plan of salvation of Jehovah, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Like Paul we must never be ashamed of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, who has come and who will return to get His Church and then after a set time, show this world how it has failed.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

We are justified by our “faith” in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation!

Those who remain ignorant of the work of the Messiah will see the wrath of God!

*Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

What was Paul’s mission which is also the mission of every Christian?

Rom 1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, “for obedience to the faith among all nations”, for his name:
Rom 1:6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

Our mission is to be obedient to our faith and that faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation.

We are saved for two purposes which are to be the purposes for each and every true Church.

1) To obey Him!

Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

2) To lead others to obey Him!

Joh 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

All other work for the Church comes after this work is established and is working according to the Words of Christ!

All those who reject this obedience will certainly see the wrath of God!

We are saved by the “Grace” of God, which we can understand as “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”.

If the Lord is so willing to show us His “Grace”, then we should understand that to reject that “Grace” will certainly have a penalty!

Because we all fall under the sin of Adam, which was disobedience, then we are all already subject to the wrath of God!

What two groups will see the wrath of Jehovah?

1) The ungodly!

The ungodly are all those who fail to love Jehovah who also fail to be obedient to Him.

These are all those who put forth no effort to developing a Godly nature.

2) The unrighteous!

The unrighteous are all those who fail to love others. If righteousness is doing all things according to the Word of God, then unrighteousness is doing things that go against the Word of God.

And you cannot be like our President or Ms. Pelosi who use the copout, “I know right from wrong, but I cannot tell others how to live”.

All they are saying is, that they are not going to obey the Word of God.

Jesus used these words:

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

This is the mission of the Church!

Obedience; is the key to our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

How does the Holy Spirit answer our corrupt government?

They know better than to try to make this sort of excuses and everyone else does also!

It is true that there are so many things that we do not know about our Savior and our God.

It is just as true that we know a lot about what He expects of us and much about Him!

Ignorance of our Holy God will never be an excuse!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

If we seek to know about our Creator, He will show us!
If we do not seek to know about our Creator, He will still show us!

If we choose to not know our Creator, then we have made a conscience determination to reject His truth!

God says that He has planted that information within each of us!

I believe Him!

You will never convince our Creator that you do not know anything about Him!

*Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

It is a fact that, that the heavens, the earth, and the great oceans and seas reveal that there had to be a Creator.

This world did not happen by some accident and people are foolish to even think we evolved from some accident.

The heavens declare the “Glory” of God!

Our world has become so tuned in to sin, that people will believe anything that goes against the Word of God.

This ignorance of Jehovah has sent far too many to Hell, because they simply accept what a few foolish men present as the truth.

How can we expect a Holy God to extend His hand of “Mercy” and “Grace” to this ignorant world, yet this is exactly what He does!

This “Mercy” will not be extended for very much longer because it is also true, if there is such a Creator, then how can we not expect Him to show His “Wrath” to those who reject the truth.

This is the battle that goes on today, the “Truth of a Holy God” versus the intentional ignorance of a few wicked men who have had their way in the circles of what is no longer even considered true science.

These evolutionists keep presenting the same old debunked fallacies refusing to even correct their lies and they get away with it because to admit they are wrong means there must be a Creator!

What will God do to them? What is God already doing today?

2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

You see it is the invisible things of God from the creation of this world that are clearly seen!

Our Creator has revealed enough to us make us realize we did not come about by some gigantic accident.

In fact, most every person alive today cannot tell us one thing good that ever came by accident!

An accident is said to be the results that proceed from an unknown cause or the unusual effect of a known cause.

Accidents are things considered to happen without a design in mind.

To believe in accidents is to reject a Creator whose plan is so great and is so awesome that our pea brains just cannot fathom it!

Yes, it is easy to see that there has to be a Supreme Being behind what we think of as our created world.

There must a “Force” that not only put His creation in place but also Who keeps things working at His own whim!

It takes a vast knowledge of life to create life, life does not happen by accident!

There is a purpose and a meaning to everything our Creator has made, and that purpose is extended to His creatures!

There is a beauty and a majesty in all the things we see!

We do not have to imagine a Creator; we can see the results of His creation!

Psa 97:1 The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
Psa 97:2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
Psa 97:3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
Psa 97:4 His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.
Psa 97:5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
Psa 97:6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.

And the Lord God of all creation says even know these things are so easy to see, most people would rather just believe a lie.

You see, if you acknowledge a Creator then you have to acknowledge His Words and His record, He has given to us about His creation!

*Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

If there is one place in the Word of God that tells us what God thinks of all those who have rejected Him, then this is the place.

We should be truly clear, all those who reject the Word of God and the God of the Bible the Lord Jesus Christ, do so because they have chosen for themselves an idol!

They begin with a failure to praise Him and to thank Him “because they are conscious of their own guilt”!

Those who have ever taken the time to study our vast universe have no doubt that there must be a Creator.

They reject our Creator because our Creator points out their sin.

They even claim to be wiser than our Creator!

This has carried over into our pulpits today where many now claim to be wiser than our Savior.

Why would we be so foolish?

We must realize that when we push God away, He will go away!

When He goes away, we are filled with emptiness and the craving to fill that void is where most every lost person gets into trouble.

They will search the world over to find something to fill this emptiness and it cannot be found!

They will sin with, false gods, idols, drugs, and Satan is ready to receive them into his fold. The Lord Jesus said:

Our world has become a place based upon lies and people hate the truth so much that they will reject any and all truth!

What are imaginations? Thoughts, reasonings, deliberations, conclusions, speculations.

That word “vain” means empty, futile, unsuccessful, worthless, senseless.

They become foolish and foolish hearts grow darker daily!

They sometimes become so occupied with trying to pry out the mysteries God existence and reject those things that can be so easily known.

The Word of God teaches us all we need to know to be productive in the eyes of our Creator and He does not try to hide anything so important as our salvation from us!

What more do we need to know to make that choice?

We are all bound for Hell!

God offers us a place called Heaven!

It is not such a hard choice!

We should glorify our Creator relentlessly and surely; we can thank Him for what He has already done!

If we are breathing, we are breathing God’s air!

We do not have a clue of what tomorrow may bring, but the Lord Jesus Christ does!

Jas 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Jas 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
Jas 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

When we know better and just follow that denying crowd, we only harm ourselves. It does not change what God will do!

God has already taken great pains to explain these things to us!

We do ourselves no justice by becoming fools!

*Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

If we take a hard look at our world, we can truly see the evidence of what God is saying here.

There is a prophesy of the last days that we can readily see today if, you have been around the true Church for any length of time.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Many will tell you that so many of our foolish governments taking advantage of this plague of Covid 19 and shutting down the Church as they have, while having no power to do so have in fact influenced this falling away.

Many who were denied the opportunity to worship have never returned to the Church!

We can say what we want about their salvation, but the fact remains they were in Church and now many are still afraid to return and some just do not return.

There is a “falling away” of those who were at one time were regular to the Church!

My point is our world just gets darker and darker every day.

If any nation rejects all the sinful movements of these liberal minded governments, then they are pushed aside as wicked and evil when it is these liberal governments who are wicked and immoral according to the Word of God.

What is happening? Evilness and wickedness are called good, and God’s children are called evil. Just as the Bible says will happen in the last days!

We may not see all the idols today because they are in false houses of worship, but just as this Book of Romans has said, all those that have rejected the Lord and the Word of God, have made themselves to be idols.

And what has our Creator done? He has given them over to uncleanness!

Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

We should ask ourselves, just what is the true reality of our dealings with our Heavenly Father?

Our Creator wants to remove from us our “uncleanness”.

The Apostle John said:

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

John was describing a world that had rejected our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah that came down from Heaven.

If you give up or reject the soul saving power of Jehovah, then He will allow you to continue to dishonor your created bodies.

We live in this time called “Grace” but it will not last very much longer.

It is in this period of time that we have been given the opportunity to make a choice!

Joshua said it like this:

Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

In verse eighteen we read that God has already shown us what He will do at the end of the Church Age which is what the Apostle Paul is speaking of.

He will reveal His wrath to all those who serve false gods and idols!

We live in a world where we can see this taking place right before our eyes!

You see God’s wrath is revealed from Heaven every day to all those He has given up on.

Now He will never turn down any true request for forgiveness, but our All-knowing God knows those who will choose righteousness and sadly, He also knows all those who never will!

These are things that our Savior does every day!

He gives up on those He knows will never return to Him.

This is why our world gets darker every day!

He has been doing this since the beginning of time!

So Jehovah just says, if you want to do things your way, then so be it, but know that your ending will be an eternity of His wrath.

You see though the world denies the truth of the Word of God, it does not make it any less true!

God rejected all the wicked world in the days of Noah, and He has promised He will do it again.

At the death of everyone who has rejected our Savior, they begin their days of eternal damnation which is what they said they wanted.

Notice how many today believe that Hell is nothing more than a big party place for those who reject Jesus.

Everyone in Hell is now a full believer, but it was too late for them!

When you make sin your god, you will see increased sin until you are engulfed into pure wickedness which is what Satan is, “Pure Wickedness”!

When sin looks good, feels good and taste good, then you are hooked on sin!

The sad part of this is that we are not islands. Our sin affects others!

What happens in the mind of those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ?

*Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

So what does uncleanness really mean?

Uncleanness means impurity, filthiness, immorality, defilement, pollution, infection, contamination!

These are things we see at the beginning of everyday in the news and at every evening before we go to bed, and we can be sure these things do not stop just because we are asleep.

People serve themselves at the expense of all other people!

This is what idolatry means!

Worshiping a false god is like being in a heavy truck going downhill with no brakes.

There is no way to stop yourself once God gives up on you!

You see sin can only be curtailed by the Holy Spirit!

2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

So, we can just imagine, no, we cannot imagine what this world will be like once the Church is taken out of this world.

You see, every believer is home to the Holy Spirit, and He promised to never leave us so, when God calls out His Church, there will not be anyone left behind who is a home to the Holy Spirit.

Those who have rejected the Messiah have made themselves gods!

Just look toward Washington if you want to see a many of these fools.

Everyone who has rejected Jesus think that they can fulfill their own needs.
Everyone who has rejected the Lord Jesus believe that the Messiah will just continue to allow them to live in any fashion they so choose.
Everyone who has rejected the Messiah believe they can choose their own god.
Everyone who has rejected the Messiah, think they can remake Him into something more perfect according to their own minds.

These are all those who allow their loose morals to control their thoughts of what a God should be!

Again we see, God will not tolerate this type of behavior and we see God will allow you to live the way you so choose in this life.

*Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

So why would God give them up?

They have chosen to reject the truth of the Word of God and live-in uncleanness!

This is a conscious choice! They blame the truth of God for the reason they have made this decision!

Here we see that God did not cause this to happen.

It is that thing called “choice”!

God is not speaking of harlotry or adultery, here.

God is speaking of the unnatural appetite for wickedness in which all normal instincts are left behind.

Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Eph 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

This takes place not only with women, but for the life of me I will never understand why, but men also!

*Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

Men who reject the marriage.
Men who reject ordinary lusts towards women which is bad enough.
Men who plunge headfirst into total depravity with other men.

Eph 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

These things which have taken place throughout time are paraded down Main Street today, unashamedly!

All these things began with idolatry.
All these things come about because of the rejection of the truth!

All Jehovah told Moses, “they have corrupted themselves”!

The Lord simply says this is the judgment upon all those who do these things.

They have made a spectacle of themselves, so they take advantage of it in a depraved world!

Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

What is our world?

A lost people plunging deeper into their own desires having always someone trying to be pure to blame it on!

The only answer to this depravity is to be “Born Again” into the family of God before you go as far as to be given up on by the Savior Himself!

Jehovah said:

Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man,

The Holy Spirit will only come calling until He gives up on you!

And we already know that many diseases are transmitted in this fashion, but we never hear of these plagues anymore.

So what is a reprobate mind?

*Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

How can we explain the reprobate mind?

First God did not cause this reprobate mind.

These people have reached this point of sinfulness by themselves and their own choices!

God just simply leaves them in this condition!

They have abandoned their lives to sin and God knowing they will never change, removes any opportunity for “Grace”!

Think of it in terms of a piece of metal that has proved to be worthless by the refiner’s fire.

Jer 6:29 The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.
Jer 6:30 Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.

Isa 1:22 Thy silver is become dross,

You see these people did not approve to have God in their knowledge, their mind was depraved and perverted by vile passions.

This is the movement that is taking over our world today!

We also call this a sign of the very last days:

Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

They are full of unrighteousness!

We can understand righteousness as doing things according to the Word of God, they were unrighteous going against all the Word of God!

It was not just fornication it was abnormal sexual activity.

It was not just wickedness it was depravity.

It was not just a craving it for possessions, it was the craving to possess power, fame, and pleasure.

It was not just maliciousness it was with malice and viciousness.

It was not just envy; this word goes far beyond jealousy.

It was not just murder, but a craving to end the life of those who opposed them.

It was not just debate, but was in a dishonest and evil way.

It was not just malignity; it was a complete evil and wicked disposition.

It was not just whisperers but slanderers.

It was not just back biting; it was a loud broadcasting to a lie as the truth.

It was not just haters of God, but the craving to be a living god themself.

It was not being despiteful is was insulting, the spirit of spite.

It was not just pride; it was self-exaltation and arrogance.

It was not just boasting; it was braggarts and boasters.

It was not just inventors of evil, it was inventors of a new depravity.

It was not just being disobedient to parents it is a total disrespect of parental instruction.

It was not just being without understanding, it was senseless, and foolish.

It was not just covenant breakers, it was faithless and treacherous.

It was not just without natural affection; it was heartless without human emotion.

It was not just implacable; it was but an unwillingness to even condone peace.

It was not just unmerciful; it was a craving to satisfy one’s own pleasure at the expense of all others.

What do all these things bring?

The “Judgment of God” and they knew it!

*Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

All those who mention the Lord Jesus Christ, know that there is a “Judgment” coming according to the Word of God.

What are the facts? All those who sin without repentance and all those who just take pleasure in others who do those sins, will be left without the Lord throughout eternity.

They will be “judged” because they have no excuse for their actions claiming to know the truth just will make things worse.

God will not be mocked.

1) They have a complete inner knowledge of Jehovah and admit this is true.
2) They continue in depravity even knowing that this is true.
3) They are in a fellowship with Satan and all other evil doers!

All these who do such things are in league with each other and in league with the Devil!

These things describe our world today and they can be seen in every modern-day nation!

Amen!

Building the House of God

November 27, 2021 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Building the Tabernacle

Book of Exodus Chapters 36 through Chapter 40

We love our freedoms here in the USA but we are slowly giving up our freedoms to corruptness.

There is one freedom we had better be willing to fight for!

Of all the freedoms we must maintain, it is the freedom to Worship that we had better cling to the most!

When we have this freedom, then we need to build places to gather and worship!

Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

We see that this is a command of the Lord who is to be the object of our worship!

It is those who are going to worship who should make donations to the construction of this worship center and these donations are to be given willingly with no strings attached.

The key to our worship of the Lord Jesus Christ is the setting aside of our own desires of the flesh.

If we go into a worship service thinking only of what Jehovah can provide for us, then we have gone for the wrong reason!

Only as we give heed to the Word of God and “rest” in our Savior, can it be said we came to worship our Holy God!

Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

It is only when we can ignore our flesh, that we can be free to enjoy the worship of our Awesome God.

We begin with something that is never heard in the modern Church Era.

*Exo 36:4 And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;
Exo 36:5 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.

Today in every place of worship we only hear that we could do more if we had more.

People need a place to worship much more than they need to figure out how to spend or in many cases to save that donation!

These people finally began to realize they were becoming a part of something incredibly special, at least most of them did.

Today we raise money to see what we can do with it, when we should make better plans for the ministry and raise what it would take to accomplish that ministry.

I have found that most Christians are generous, but these same Christians do not like to see waste!

Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Sometimes too much can cause corruption in the spending of these offerings!

Remember we are not talking about tithes. The tithes are commanded, and they too are to be spent wisely and for the upkeep of the Church buildings and Church ministries, those key ministries of the Church, such as making disciples.

After salvation must come discipleship!

Most of the modern-day Church has forgotten about sacrificial giving and refuse to give even the tithe.

Most modern Churches have strayed from these two key issues!

Maybe then we could hear our pastors say as Moses said.

*Exo 36:6 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.

We should understand this principle!

From last weeks lesson we must remember that too much that the Lord has provided is spent on false worship!

If the Lord has given us a work to do, He will lay the financing of that work on the hearts of the people to contribute what is necessary.

Where many a Church fail today is acting upon their own thoughts and undertaking projects before the provision of that project has been made.

I am not speaking of a work of “faith” here.

We should clearly understand the gifts that come by human means can seldom be used to gain a Heavenly Blessing!

We seem to forget that Jehovah knows what He is doing, and He uses the Holy Spirit to accomplish His wishes.

If God is not in it, it will surely not succeed!

The giving to the work of the Lord is a privilege and is not intended to ever become a burden!

This is not to say we are not to give sacrificially!

Whenever all these things are met according to the ways of the Lord, the Holy Spirit will also raise up qualified people in which this work will be assigned.

*Exo 37:1 And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:
Exo 37:2 And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.

We should understand that the Ark symbolized the throne of God and His presence among the believers.

We must keep in the forefront of our minds, that all those who are ignorant of the truth of our Savior are bound for Hell!

All those who cannot relate to the truth of Jehovah, just do not know about Holiness.
They do not know how merciful and loving He is.
They cannot explain the loneliness and emptiness they feel in their heart.
They have no direction and fall into the traps of Satan, and they cannot understand why.
They have no power outside themselves.
They have no hope as they see the end of the world before them, no matter what the world does or says in trying to stop it.
They have no assurance in this life.

God has provided a sure, but straightforward way to approach Him, but it is a narrow path!

The Ark was made of shittim wood and over laid with gold.

Shittim wood is sometimes referred to as iron wood and is considered almost indestructible.

This wood symbolizes the human side of the Lord Jesus Christ, but also His sinlessness.

Heb 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Heb 10:6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Heb 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Act 13:35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

The Ark was completely over laid with gold within and without.

This reminds us that our Lord Jesus retained His full deity in union with His fullness of humanity!

Our Lord voluntarily emptied Himself of some unique things to come to our world and be that salvation plan of our Holy God.

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

We should keep in mind that there was never a time that our Lord Jesus was not God, the Creator of this world!

*Exo 37:17 And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same:

The candlestick was actually a lampstand.

It symbolized the Lord Jesus Christ as the Light in this dark world!

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

He was not only the Light in this dark world, but He is the Light of Life.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Without the Light that Our Lord has provided, all the world would be lost in darkness.

No one could see a way out of this darkness! Most are still blind to it today!

No one could see a purpose, or have meaning, or know the significance of what life is all about.

Life is not about these few years we live in these aging worthless bodies!

Life is about living eternally with the God of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ!

This first Lampstand was hammered out from one piece of gold. I cannot even fathom how this was accomplished.

This Lampstand illuminated the persons who came into the Holy of Holies. Remember God can see at all times.

This Light is for each believer! As each believer enters into the presence of God, the Light of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, will shine upon them.

Each believer then becomes Jehovah’s light to this world!

Joh 12:36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

We must become children of the Light of Christ!

Psa 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

As darkness approaches, we must let our little light shine even brighter!

Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

*Exo 37:25 And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same.

The Altar of Incense was about 18 inches square and was covered with pure gold.

The Altar of Incense symbolized our prayers reaching into Heaven!

Our Prayers are the most powerful tool we have in our relationship with our Heavenly Father!

We really do not pray enough, and we always seem to forget about prayer when we are in need of something that only Jehovah can provide.

The Apostle Paul said we should stay in prayer mode all the time!

Many Christians have forgotten how to approach our Savior and our Heavenly Father, and it is through prayer!

God loves to hear our prayers! Our prayers are like a sweet aroma ascending up to our Heavenly Father.

Our prayers are so special to our Heavenly Father that He bottles them up so He can hear them again whenever He has not heard from us!

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

We must seek the Lord continuously, if we ever want to make things better in our nation!

*Exo 38:24 All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
Exo 38:25 And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:

Moses kept inventory of all the materials used to construct the Tabernacle.

We must remember God caused the Egyptians, through Holy Ghost conviction to provide all these things to the Children of Israel.

Of the gold and silver given freely and willingly for the work on the Tabernacle all was accounted for.

Jehovah makes us aware that all the gifts given to the Church, must be accounted for and nothing is to be wasted!

We do not think much about an old tent as a worship center, but there was in fact many precious metals and jewels used with the best of wood in God’s design for this House of God!

We must understand that everything, “everything” in the design of the Tabernacle was intended to lead these people to the Messiah.

Gold reminds us of the Deity and the Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is all we need!

Silver reminds us of the Atonement!

Exo 30:13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.
Exo 30:14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.
Exo 30:15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

Our “Atonement” is being reconciled to Jehovah, but not by silver and gold, but something much more precious!

It is by the precious blood of Jesus Christ!

1Pe 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

It all goes back to obedience to the Word of God and those He calls to do the work!

*Exo 39:32 Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.

It seems that in about five months all the work for the Tabernacle was completed.

We can say this was an amazing feat, but when the plan of God is followed by people that He has personally called, things happen accordingly.

It all begins with a great plan.

God’s plan is perfect.
God’s plan is precise.
God’s plan cannot fail.

All the work was done. We have no need to present to God work that is not complete!

God entrusted this work to specific people!

Exo 31:2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

Exo 31:6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: “and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee”;

God did not trust this work to unbelievers!

These workmen were taught of Jehovah, God the Holy Spirit. There was no room for error!

God did not trust this plan to be man-made. It was God’s plan! There was no human input in this plan and no human was allowed to make changes to this plan!

All the work was done! There was none of the work on the Tabernacle left undone!

There is very little if any work that is done by the world that can be said to be completely done!

Something will always be lacking in man-made worship!

Once this work was done then there was a need of an inspection.

Exo 39:42 According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.
Exo 39:43 And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.

We must understand that no matter what task the Lord calls us to do. No matter our profession. We are to work hard to accomplish what God has called us to do.

God does not call us just to see us fail!

We are to be faithful to the work God has called us to do!

We must understand that if we do our best, the results are in the hands of the Holy Spirit who called us!

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

When the Lord is pleased with our work, He will show up when we worship Him!

*Exo 40:34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Exo 40:35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

The Tabernacle implies that Jehovah requires a specific worship!

The Tabernacle also implies Jehovah’s sovereign rule over the Jews and having said this, it also implies complete Authority over the Church as everything about the Tabernacle will lead us to the Lord Jesus Christ!

1) Having only one gate to enter into the Tabernacle offers Jehovah’s invitation to humanity.

Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

2) The burnt offering at the Altar shows our need for atonement.

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

3) The Brazen Laver shows our need for sanctification.

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

4) The Lampstand shows our need to walk with the Lord.

Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

5) The table of shewbread shows our need for the Lord’s nourishment.

Joh 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

6) The Altar of incense shows our need for a continuous prayer life.

Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

7) The Inner Veil, the Ark, the Mercy Seat shows our need for personal fellowship with Jehovah.

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

If we love the Lord Jesus Christ, it will show, and the Tabernacle of God will lead us to Him!

Amen

LESSONS IN GOD'S WORD

Taking time to read the Bible

The Messiah

True Worship

Jesus Christ Offers to us A Better Priesthood

Jesus Christ Has A Better Message

Teaching About Our Lord Jesus Christ

God’s Grace and Christian Liberty

God’s Grace and the Restoration of Israel

The Gospel and National Israel

Grace and Justification

Why There Is A Need For God’s Grace

Building the House of God

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