DawnMc13

As we go through suffering we allow God to shape us through these pressures to look more and more like Christ. A potter forms the clay by exerting pressure on it until it looks like he designed it to look.

When Abraham brought Isaac to the altar, willing to sacrifice his beloved son, he demonstrated to God by his action that he fully trusted God and was willing to be obedient to him when it went against his own heart. God knew that Abraham believed in him fully by this action. He was counted as righteous, because of his faith.

As children of God, we have been given the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is God in us to give us His power to overcome the power of sin and to guide us to live for Him, to become like Christ. Now we can draw others to Him by His power.

Mankind is the slave. I think this slave-ransom analogy is clearly spelled out in the NT. When God created man, man was without sin and was present with God in the Garden. Man’s sin separated him from God. Mankind is now under the control of the devil from birth. A sacrificial system was immediately set up by God for man to atone for his sin, temporarily. God later came to make a covenant with His chosen people. They became slaves to the law and in turn God would give them His guidance, power and protection. Again, man broke this covenant. God made a new covenant with His people, by sending His Son to be our redeemer and Savior. Christ has truly set us free from slavery to the law.

Since we were purchased at a high price we now belong to God’s family. Therefore, because we love Him wholly we seek to live a life that brings Him honor and praise. We are now part of His family. Now our lives sole purpose is to bring others into the family by sharing the gospel with them, out of love and concern for them.

In the OT, there was a very strong sense of family, and being part of a particular family meant that family members would look out for one another, to rescue, redeem or avenge one another when they were in trouble. Since we were in danger of the power of Satan and spending an eternity is separation from our Father, Jesus came to rescue us from our danger. He redeemed us back to our Father, since we are part of His family.

Slaves were the class of humans that were freed by payment of a redemption price or a ransom. I think that Jesus, Peter and Paul used this analogy because slavery was a part of their culture and was very well understood by the people of that time. We are all born as sinners and therefore are slaves to sin. This puts us under the control of the devil. When Jesus died on the cross He bought us back to the ownership of the Father to those who accept Him as their Saviour. Romans 6:22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.

Romans 8:3 (ESV) 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, I chose this verse because it gives a synopsis of the Bible…OT and NT

God’s righteousness demands sin’s punishment. This is necessary for God to be a just God. By God’s love for us and His mercy… (not receiving what we deserve) we are given grace… (not getting what we do deserve). Jesus received what we deserved…the punishment that our sin required, so that we don’t get the punishment we do deserve!

When Adam sinned, man became separated from God by that sin. God is holy and cannot be in the presence of sin. God set up a sacrificial system that would temporarily pay for the sin of man in the Old Testament. This was done by the sacrifice of an unblemished animal. The blood of that animal is what contained its life and by the shedding of the blood this animal’s life was a temporary payment of sin. The reason it was temporary is because God considers animals lower than man. This repeated procedure reminded man of his sin before the Almighty God. For the payment to be permanent, the blood needed to come from a man without blemish (sin). Since all man is born in sin, only God’s Son could be born without sin and live a sinless life. His life was the only life that could be acceptable by God as a permanent payment for sin. Jesus’ death of the cross (His sacrifice) was man’s substitutionary payment for sin. We can then, by putting our faith in Him and His sacrifice, receive the atonement of our sin, and in turn, receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are then given an inheritance into God’s eternal kingdom.

The fact that Jesus predicted His own death three time, and He did so with the precision of knowing exactly what would happen and why. His disciples were not able to grasp what was happening until later, after His resurrection. They, along with the scholars of the Old Testament, believed Jesus was coming to set up an earthly kingdom, even though Jesus was explaining His kingdom to them constantly in many of His parables. Jesus knew exactly who He was and what God was requiring of Him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He was asking God to remove this cup from Him, but not His will, but His Fathers will.

God removes the sins of the Gentiles as well as the Jews when He says, “many nations. “Our transgressions” not only means ours now, but from the beginning of time until the end of the age, for those who belong to Him. I don’t think it is wasted on people, for God knew His people in advance and He died to wash repentant sinner’s sins away. His call is open for everyone but in His Sovereignty, He knew and knows who belong to Him. Only their sin is wiped away.

. God taught us that the wages of sin is death. Without a payment for our sin we would be eternally separated from God by our sin. The payment was very costly…the death of His own beloved Son. God is merciful to us because He loves us and longs to be with us. He freely offers salvation to us by grace. “Receiving what we don’t deserve”

Mercy means we don’t get what we deserve. Our sin deserves punishment, but by God accepting His Son’s sacrifice for out sin, undeservedly, we are receiving His mercy. Animals were not adequate for mans’ sin because animals were less that man. God, again, bestowed upon man His mercy by allowing animals to be a temporary atonement until Christ.

The basic elements involved in a sacrifice for sin were… · Confession of the sin · A female lamb, without defect, pure of any blemish must be brought for sacrifice · He must lay his hands the head of this lamb which his sin was then imparted to the lamb in his stead. · The lamb would then be slayed by cutting its throat · Blood would be collected by the priest and poured at the base of the altar · Removal of fat portions were burned on the altar · The meat was eaten by the priest The elements that are still necessary of our sin today are… · Confession of sin After Jesus’ death on the cross, He was for us… · The lamb without defect (sinless because He was true God) · Our sin was transferred to Him when we accepted Him as our Savior. · He died on the cross, bloodied and bruised, slain · His blood was laid at our Fathers feet who was sitting on His altar. · The meat being eaten by the priest represents that Christ sacrifice for our sins was accepted by His Father

Many people today were born and raised in a city environment where exposure to the killing of animals for food has never happened. They may be aware of it intellectually, but until you actual witness this for yourselves you are removed from the reality of it. At farms, animal slaughter is part of the package of farming. If you grew up on a farm, you have been exposed to animal slaughter from little on and you understand it and accept it more clearly.

God is holy (which means set apart, reverend, sacred, and worthy of veneration) and righteous (which means just) who is separated from sin. Sin is highly offensive to God and to man for that matter if they are moral. Offense brings anger, naturally. We are to be careful not to sin in our anger but to rebuke and correct the offense out of love for our offender because we know that sin does not go unpunished and is in need of repentance to God.

We know that John the Baptist’s statement about the Lamb of God referring to sacrifice by understanding the history of the Jews. Unblemished young lambs were what God mandated to sacrifice on the altar at the temple was how their sins were atoned for. Lamb of God is often used in the New Testament in reference to Jesus. Sin and our need for forgiveness for sin is a major theme throughout the entire Bible. Of the world refers to all mankind of all time.

To seek His face means to talk with Him. As we spend time with our Lord He draws closer to us. The Holy Spirit give us the desire for this closeness. When Moses talked face to face with God his face glowed radiantly by God’s glory being transferred to him. As we are filled with His Spirit, our lives become transformed, looking more and more like Christ and less and less like ourselves. The cost may be high…rejection by family and friends, ridicule, even persecution but the time here on earth is but the dew on the morning grass as opposed to the eternity of heaven. Seeking His face brings the ultimate peace and joy that only time with Him can offer. This brings Him glory in our lives and shows the world His Glorious Kingdom.

The symbolism here is the same symbolism that the temple in Jerusalem conveyed. God was present with Israel in the center of the Kingdom in the Most Holy Place. God will be present with us in His eternal kingdom. Only the High Priests were able to enter this Most Holy Place. We will all be Priests in His new Kingdom who will be able to be present in His glory. His perfection is shown by His symbolic numbers, His steadfastness is displayed by the Precious Stones, and His radiance is the light. No more sin, no more evil, no more separation from Him. Sin will no longer be present in us. We will be pure and righteous. Present with Him for all eternity, sharing in His glory.

We believers have been given God’s power, through the Holy Spirit, to overcome sin and the devil here and now. The devil has to submit to God. Therefore he has to submit to God in us, giving us victory over sin now. In this way we rule and reign with Christ now. After Christ’s return Jesus gives those who overcame the right to sit with Him on His throne. He has made us to be a Kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father. We who are saved are His Kingdom.

Christ, at His return, will appear in the heavens, coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will send out His angels with the blast of a trumpet and they will gather His chosen ones from the ends of the earth. Daniel's prophecy also sees the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven.

Spiritual warfare is a way we rule in Christ's Kingdom now...if the majority of Christians took this seriously the devil's influence in the world would be reduced. Believers would have more victory in their lives living righteously here and now which would have a greater impact on those who are in our circle of influence By receiving and possessing His Kingdom forever we will be with the Lord with no sin to influence us anymore. Living in victory!

Christ living in me gives me the authority and the power over Satan and his schemes and over my sinful nature. It's the power of the Holy Spirit...not my power. Lack of spiritual understanding is why we do not know and use this power that is available to all true repentant believers.

The "treasure in clay jars" image explains that it isn't about us. Trouble has a way of cracking clay jars, but when the jars are cracked, it's contents are revealed. The contents within the jars (us) is the glory of Christ (within us) IF we have surrendered our life to Him. New Age truism is about yourself which is opposite of the truth, it's all about Him!