Justified by the Precious Blood
Oh, the precious blood
that flowed from Mercy’s side,
Washed away my sin,
When Christ my Savior died.
Oh the precious blood
of Christ the crucified,
speaks for me before your throne
where I stand justified.
It is interesting how we spend much time justifying sin. We like to think the little white lies we tell are okay because they are justifiable. We also may believe it okay to steal food when we are starving.
We know that lying and stealing are wrong. However, we want to be justified. If then we long for this justification, how is it obtained?
Do we bring out a scale and weigh the perceived good and bad, and then make a decision?
If so, and we proceed with “justified” sin, is it still not sin?
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we all have to work for justification. However, we know that we need it. Romans 3:20 tells us that if we try to be good enough to always do the right thing, it will not be good enough!
As the lyric in the song above… if we have put our faith in Jesus, we ALREADY are justified! It is by Jesus’ blood alone. It testifies to God the Father as we stand before His throne.
Hey, don’t believe me! Read it here in Romans 5:9.
We cannot justify ourselves, yet it is there readily available for all! Abundant enough that all can, in Christ, stand before the throne of a holy God! (Romans 4:5)
Oh, it is precious blood indeed!
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You Thought I was One Like Yourself
Psalm 50:16-21 “But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you. If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, land you keep company with adulterers. “You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.”
How careful are we in our perception of Who God is?
Do we make Him out to be like us, or do we conform ourselves to Who He is?
These are interesting questions. To some extent, we are all guilty of the charges in these verses. What I find haunting and curious is the penultimate sentence. God’s longsuffering is extended to those who do not repent.
Yet, He is not like us. He is holy, and as such He requires us to be holy and sinless. He knows that we cannot, however, the charge is still laid at our feet, and we must bear the consequences.
Unless, in His love for us, He has provided a way in which we can stand before Him blameless!
It is Jesus, His Son Who bore the consequences some 2,000 years ago. He was put to death, and rose again the third day in triumph over death. Those that put their faith in Him, like putting on a parachute… have His righteousness and holiness imputed to them, making them acceptable to stand before a Holy God.
Romans 3:23-25 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”
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Stephen Hawking: Abandon the Earth
Stephen Hawking in Abandon the Earth says…
“It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred years,”
Yessirree… I will almost say it will be darn near impossible! We can both agree this, however, the particulars of the cause and solution are very different.
My outlook is taken from yet future events as they are recorded in the books of Daniel and the book of the Revelation. In these, is written a detailed description of coming events in a future time of great tribulation on Earth. It was also spoken of by Jesus, at length, in Matthew 13. It will be terrible to behold, let alone live through.
The escape, though, will not be on space ships… it will be a call by Jesus Himself!
You want to make sure you can hear the escape call? Check out this from Wretched Radio.
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| Tags: End Times, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, rapture, salvation |
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Is Christianity Religion?
All religion, basically, is man’s effort to raise himself or make himself acceptable to God. Muslim, Hinduism, Buddhism even Mormonism and to some extent Catholicism require certain work or duty to become accepted. They all have their different tenets, but there is always something YOU have to DO to become acceptable to God.
This is played out in the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. After their eyes were opened to good and evil, they knew they were naked. They tried to cover themselves with leaves to hide their nakedness and make them acceptable before God. That was the first religious act.
But Christianity is different…
The Bible tells that there is none righteous and that no one seeks after God. (Romans 3:10-18) In fact it goes so far to say that we have all sinned. (Romans 3:23) It instructs us that the burden of death on the physical world is the result of sin. (Romans 6:23)
But there is a Remedy offered in the second half of Romans 6:23, where Paul speaks of a gift from God through one man Jesus Christ. If we step a few verses backward, it tells us that even though we were not yet born, nor even considering to stop sinning, that Jesus died for us. (Romans 5:8)
So there is nothing any of us can DO to please God. What condition are we left in if we then have no hope to please God?
Romans 10:9 offers the solution. It is to look upon yourself, and agree with God on your condition and the finished work of Jesus who took our penalties upon Himself willingly! A few verses later in Romans 10:13 it is declared "For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”"
The results of salvation are summed up in a few more verses. In Romans 5:1 we find we have been justified and have found peace with God. Romans 8:1 then explains that we have been removed from our former condemnation. A little further ahead in Romans 8:38-39 we read that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.
That is Christianity… we are justified by faith alone, through God’s grace alone in Jesus Christ alone!
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92 Year Old Preacher
an email I wanted to share…
While watching a little TV on Sunday instead of going to church, I watched a church in Atlanta honoring one of its senior pastors who had been retired many years. He was 92 at that time and I wondered why the church even bothered to ask the old gentleman to preach at that age.
After a warm welcome, introduction of this speaker, and as the applause quieted down, he rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort and a sliding gait to the podium. Without a note or written paper of any kind he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak……
“When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50-odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials.. The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heartbreak and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me… The only thing that would comfort was this verse…….. …….
“Jesus loves me this I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
We are weak but He is strong…….
Yes, Jesus loves me….
The Bible tells me so.”
When he finished, the church was quiet. You actually could hear his foot steps as he shuffled back to his chair. I don’t believe I will ever forget it.
A pastor once stated, “I always noticed that it was the adults who chose the children’s hymn ‘Jesus Loves Me’ (for the children of course) during a hymn sing, and it was the adults who sang the loudest because I could see they knew it the best.”
“Senior version of Jesus Loves Me”
Here is a new version just for us who have white hair or no hair at all.. For us over middle age (or even those almost there) and all you others, check out this newest version of Jesus Loves Me.
JESUS LOVES ME
Jesus loves me, this I know,
Though my hair is white as snow
Though my sight is growing dim,
Still He bids me trust in Him…
(CHORUS)
YES, JESUS LOVES ME.. YES, JESUS LOVES ME..
YES, JESUS LOVES ME, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.
Though my steps are oh, so slow,
With my hand in His I’ll go
On through life, let come what may,
He’ll be there to lead the way.
(CHORUS)
When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song..
Telling me in words so clear,
“Have no fear, for I am near.”
(CHORUS)
When my work on earth is done,
And life’s victories have been won.
He will take me home above,
Then I’ll understand His love…
(CHORUS)
I love Jesus, does He know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus loves to hear me say,
That I love Him every day.
(CHORUS)
If you think this is neat, please pass it on to your friends. If you do not pass it on, nothing bad will happen, but you will have missed an opportunity to “reach out and touch” a friend or a loved one.
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Who Are the Two Gods in Daniel 7:13-14?
Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
This is a particularly exciting passage of scripture. It records God, here described as the “Ancient of Days” on the throne, yet someone who looked like a human being was presented to Him. Yet, implied in the original language, this human being was not mortal. In fact, this Human was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, and that all peoples and nations and languages should serve him. I would ask, is this Human then a God on par and equal to the Ancient of Days?
The Israelites of Jesus’ time new the scripture well… in fact they knew this very passage referred to the Messiah, they also knew that the Messiah would reign forever, as is clearly expressed by the last phrase in the passage. They also knew the Messiah was God.
In John 12:27-34 there is an interesting conversation between Jesus and a crowd of Jewish followers. The Jews ended with some questions posed to Jesus. “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
Curiously, Jesus Himself declared He must be lifted up, and would die. Those Jews present knew what the scripture said of the Messiah, or son of man, in Daniel 7:13-14. It surely must have perplexed some… but let us look at another New Testament passage… this time in the book of Matthew. Jesus is on trial before the high priest.
Matthew 14:60-63 “And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need?”
Here, recorded for us, is exactly what the high priest and Jews believed before the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The son of man was indeed God, as Jesus Himself quoted and even ascribed Daniel 7:13 to Himself, calling Himself the Son of God. The reaction of the priest is self-explanatory.
And as the priest declared, I then ask you… “What further witnesses do we need?”
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Netanyahu turns to Bible in tussle over Jerusalem
Hmmm… it kind of makes you wonder, but should it. Read the original article here.
Jerusalem is indeed a “cup of trembling” to the entire world, except of course, the United States. We have moved to our side, the wrong one.
May all mighty God bring peace to Jerusalem quickly. It will happen, He has promised…
God has an agenda for the ages and its centerpiece is Jerusalem. There are also some vast irreconcilable differences between Islam and Judaism and/or Christianity. Islam is not a continuation of Christianity or Judaism. It is the religion that will bring shackles to the entire world.
To find out God’s agenda as told by a former PLO terrorist… Wallid Shoebat go here.
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| Tags: abraham, america, arrogance, Democrats, End Times, God, government, israel, Jesus, jews, obama, politics, prophecy, the lie |
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Two Emails
This morning I got, besides all the usual ads, two emails that caught my attention. They were both about comedians but they could not have been more different.
The first one I opened had a video of Steve Harvey in what looked like a basketball arena, a lot of people there. Steve was talking about what he would say if he had the pleasure of introducing Jesus Christ on his second coming. As he started his introduction, people were standing up and waving, obviously loving what he was saying about the king of kings. At the end the camera panned across the arena showing thousands of people that were worshiping Jesus, at the end of a secular comedy act. It was wonderful.
The next email I opened was about Kathy (D-List) Griffin giving her acceptance speech at the Emmy awards. She made quite clear that Jesus had nothing to do with her getting the Emmy and ended with “suck it Jesus! This award is my god now!” The other people on stage were laughing, obviously agreeing with her as she dissed Jesus.
I was cheered by the first video, saddened by the second. How long ago would it have been when neither event would have occurred? I may be showing my age, but in my younger days I believe that anyone saying what Ms D-List said would have been out of work, as far as entertainment goes. Nobody would stand to hear that trash. By the same token, what Steve Harvey said probably would not have been said in a venue like that simply because being a Christian was a social norm, going to church was what people did, regardless of whether they believed or not.
The world was not truly polarized as it is now. You either love Jesus or you hate him. If you do not love Jesus, you will probably do something like Kathy Griffin did to show how cool and with it you are because that is what is expected in the media today. In the email was a call to boycott her shows. I am not sure how effective that would be. I boycott her shows already because they are trashy and not worth watching.
Is this another sign of how close Jesus it is to coming back?
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Which Jesus? Indeed!
It is an interesting juxtaposition that may perplex some. Those who do their homework will have an easy time of it. In this article at Bible Prophecy Today David Welch makes the case for discerning Who the true Jesus is. But in making his case, he presents some questions we need to ask ourselves.
All one has to do is skip to the first 3 of the 7 questions posed in the middle of the article. For a Christian who strives to follow Jesus, the answer to these questions must be “yes.”
But a closer inspection of the questions posed, creates offense even in my heart. Question 6 asks what we do to impact the spiritual, moral, and political conditions of the places we live. It is question 7 where the dagger of conviction is slid into my heart!
The name of Jesus Christ is “explosive” and “all hell breaks loose” when uttered reverently on national news, as Britt Hume stated, because either He as God the Son came to “seek and to save that which was lost” and is Lord, or he was a lunatic or liar. His Name is the center of the battle today because if He is the former, sin exists and He is our Redeemer.
Perhaps there is a reason for this explosiveness, that there may indeed be two different perceptions of Jesus, or better yet, Christians! Can we be the cause of that?
Consider this, we all can talk it, but do we live it! I know, brother, I have to fight that subtlety, too!
But, the confusion of the citation of the quoted passage in 1 Timothy did not match the quote. The quoted scripture is from chapter 2 of the same book, however… in reading the actual referenced passage, my eyes were drawn further to 1 Timothy 1:9.
A simple truth… If we indeed are Christians, then we will manifest the fruit of the indwelling Spirit of God. These are listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
Laws exist to govern the behavior of mankind by providing a punishment for behavior that may harm another in reputation, property or possession. In the same manner, the Law of God exists!
But, has it ever occurred to you, that if you and I, who profess to have the living God inside of us, exercised self-control at all times… there is no need for law?
A good start on question 7 begins with self-control!
Think about it!
Which Jesus? ~ Bible Prophecy Today
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Where’s the Line to See Jesus?
Where is that line? There is no line, He is waiting right now… He is here 1 John 1:8-10.
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