servant for Christ

Christ's first coming was to take away the sins of many people. When he will come again, he will bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. The Jews expected the second. Isaiah 53 fits because in His agony on the cross, Jesus interceded for sinners. His minintry of intercession still continues in heaven.

Christ mediates the relationship between God and the people by his sacrifical death and ongoing intercession. His blood forgives the sins of all who repent and believe and His blood ransons all believers from the power of Satan and evil powers.

If the blood of animals had some effect in cleansing, the blood of Christ will be much more effective, will purify our consciences. Christ's sacrifice, unlike the sacrifices of the old covenant, remove the paralyzing guilt that keeps us from God by decisively cleansing us from sinful deeds (from dead works). The Old Covenant, they had to go through the sacrifice every year, with Christ, one time only.

Redemption means deliverance from some evil by payment of a price. We were redeemed from all our sins. The price of our redemption was Jesus Christ shedding his blood and giving His life on the cross. Our redemption last for eternity.

They were unable to cleanse because the people could not be cleansed by the blood of Christ. There was no way open for them to have a relationship with God. They could not experience God in their hearts. A guilty conscience will keep us from God because of the sin. We have to repent of anything that will keep us from God. To go boldly, we have to believe and trust God. Know that He is a loving and caring Father. Because He sympathizes with our weaknesses.

No, the Old Covenant did not provide forgiveness for intentional, active, maintained rebellion against God. Yes, the New Covenant does. By Christ death on the cross, all of our sins are forgiven. To get forgiveness all we have to do is to repent of our sin with a sincere heart.

The Old Covenant failed because of human weakness. Because they were unable to keep the terms of the old covenant. They did not remain faithful. Under the old covenant, the people were commanded to take the words of the law to heart. The promises of the New Covenant is that it would be writtn on their hearts, it would be possible for people everywhere to fulfill God's covenant plan because of Holy Spirit. All believers in Jesus Christ will know him directly by the activity of the Holy Spirit. They will know him personally and experience him powerfully, as only a few did in Old Testament. Jesus' death brought the new covenant into existence and made him the mediator of the covenant for whoever believes in him.

Jesus Christ's position as mediator of the new covenant is based on His sacrificial death. Jesus is the one who instituted the new covenant and His heavenly ministry is far superior to the ministry of Old Testament earthly priest. The new covenant is an agreement, promise, last will and testament, and a statement of intention to bestow divine grace and blessing on those who respond to God in obedient faith. It is covenant of promise for those who by faith accept Christ as God's Son, receive His promises, and commit themselves personally to Him and obligations of new covenant. Jesus sacrifice is better than the sacrifices of the old covenant because it was a voluntary and obedient sacrifice of a righteous person (Jesus Christ) rather than involuntary sacrifice of an animal.

Jesus is described as a high priest who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. He differs from human priest because He is living eternally. He will neve die like the human priest. It gives me confidence because I know I have a High Priest that is interceding for me continually. A High Priest that I can go to with all my problems and He will take care of them. I know I am safe and secure in Jesus Christ.

Since Jesus lives forever, the salvation he brings also lasts forever. To draw near to an eternal God, we need an eternal priest. Jesus will intercede to God for us as our High Priest of the new covenant, and his intercession is never ending. The function of a priest is to intercede for man to God. Through Chris's intercession, the one who draws near (continually draws near) to God may receive grace to be saved "to the uttermost". Christ intercession as our high priest is essential to our salvation. Without that and without His grace, mercy, and help mediated to us through that intercession, we would fall away from God, once again be enslaved to sin and the dominion of Satan, and incur just condensnation. Our only hope is to draw near to God through Christ in faith.

A guarantee or surety is the one who guarantees refers to the person who bears the risk of another person's investment or debt. Because of God's oath, Jesus' priest hood is unassailable, so our covenant relationship with God is secure. Having Jesus as the guarantor makes the new covenant better. The gospel dispensation is more full, free, perspicuous, spiritual, and efficacious than that of the law. Christ is in this gospel covenant, a surety for us to God and for God to us. To see that everything be performed on both parts, He, as surety, has united the divine and human nature together in his own person, and therein given assurance of reconciliation. As a surey, united Gid and man together in the bond of the everlasting covenant.

We can flee to the place of refuge because we know God cannot lie. The truthfulness of God not only applies to His Word to Abraham, but also to His Word in all Scripture. Because Scripture is the inspired Word of God, it is completely true and trustworthy. The truth of God's Word is inherent in the very words and sentences of Scripture. Under the law there were cities of refuge provided for those who were pursued by the avenger of blood. Jesus Christ is a much better refuge prepared by the gospel, a refuge for all sinners who shall have the heart to flee to it though they have been the chief of sinners. The consolations of God are strong enough to suppot his people under their strongest trials. The comforts of this world are too weak to bear up the soul under temptation, persecution, and death, but the consolations of the Lord are neither few nor small. We are in the world as a ship at sea, liable to be tossed up and down, and in danger of being cast away. Our souls are the vessels. The comforts, expectations, graces, and happiness of our souls are the precious cargo with which these vessels are loaded. Heaven is the harbor to which we sail. The temptations, persecutions, and afflictions that we encounter are the winds and waves that threaten our shipwreck. We have need of an anchor to keep us sure and steady, or we are in continual danger. We have hope through grace. Not a flattering hope made out of spider's web, but a true work of God, it is a strong and substantial thing. It is an anchor that is cast upon the rock, the Rock of Ages. Jesus Christ is that anchor. He is the anchor-hold of the believer's hope. He is a steadfast hope. We will forever be safe, satisified, and secure in Christ, our anchor and hope.

Prayer must be concerned with transgressions and a willingness to forgive those who have harmed us. By loving God and others, we follow the example of great poeple of faith. We have to have faith and endurance. We can resist by staying in the Word, praying and seeking God, staying close to Him.

Apostasy is a falling away, defection, withdrawl, or turning from what on has formerly turned to. To sever one's saving relationship with Christ or to withdraw from vital union with and true faith in Him. It is impossible because of self-deception. Those who by an unbeliving heart depart from God may yet think they are Christians, but their indifference to the demands of Christ and the Holy Spirit and to the warnings of Scripture points otherwise. On the Parable of the Sower, Christ speaks these parables in order to alert His true disciples to expect evil within the kingdom and to teach them how to overcome the influence and opposition of Satan and his followers. The only way to do so is through wholehearted devotion to Christ and a life commitrted to righteousness. The Parable of the Tares, Jesus is saying that Satan will sow alongside those who sow the Word of God. The gospel and true believers will be planted thrughout the world.Satan will also plant his followers among God's people to counteract God's truth. The principle work of Satan's emissaries within the visible kingdom of heaven will be undermining the authority of God's Word and promoting unrighteousness and false doctrine. While we are on this earth, God's people and the evil will live together. God will not destroy the evil until He comes back. Faithful believers must always be alert to the subversive elements and individuals that Satan is planting within all parts of God's work.

No, there is no difference. If apostasy continues on its course unchecked, an individual may eventually reach the point when no second beginning is possible. A person who once had a saving experience with Christ but deliberately and continually hardens his or her heart to the Holy Spirits voice, continues to sin willfully, and refuses to repent and return to God, may reach a point of not return where repentance and salvation is no longer possible. I don't think it can be emphasized enough that while apostasy is a danger for all who drift from the faith and fall away from God, it is not made complete without constant and willful sinning against the voice of the Holy Spirit. I think the point the writer is making that we have to examine ourselves every day, are we sinning in any way, are we in true faith, are we believing God's Word, are we making it our life.

Those who are weak and immature in the faith lack spiritual sensitivity and discernment with regard to what is good and what is evil in this life. Mature believers, because of their strong commitment to God and His Word, practice righteousness and thereby possess a sensitivity to all that brings dishonor to God. They have learned to love righteousness and hate iniquity, their minds are enabled by the Holy Spirit to see things from God's point of view. We can mature by reading and studying God's word and seeking Him.

I think made perfect means that Christ goal was made complete.We have salvation because of his suffering. He was the perfect propitiation. The eternal salvation that was gained by the suffering of Jesus is made available only to those who are obedient to Him through faith.

Christ learned by experience the suffering, cost, and hardship that often result from faithful obedience to God in a corrupt world. His suffering and death on the cross were accomplished without sin. Christ made improvements by his sufferings. By his passive obedience, he learned active obedience. He practiced that great lesson and made it appear that he was well and perfectly learned in it. Though he never was disobedient, he never performed such an act of obedience as when he became obedient to death, oven on the cross.

Because Christ sympathizes with our weaknesses, we can confidently approach the heavenly throne, knowing that our prayers and petitions are welcomed and desired by our heavenly Father. It is called the "throne of grace" because from it flow God's love, help, mercy, forgiveness, spiritual power, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, His spiritual gifts, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and all that we need under any circumstances. One of the greatest blessings of salvation is that Christ is now our high priest, opening a wayy to His personal presence whereby we can always seek the help we need.

Jesus shared our weaknesses in the same way we do by going through test and temptations. Jesus was tempted in ****, greed, unforgiveness, and dishonesty. I don't think it was any easier or harder, I think it was the same as we feel today. We do not face any temptation that Jesus did not experience. It should comfort us because of the compassion that Jesus had for us.

We have to hold fast to our confession in Jesus Christ because He is our hope for eternal life. Our confession is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, he died for our sins, and rose from the grave to give us eternal life. Maintaining our confession is showing our faith in what Christ did for us. It shows that perseverance in faithfulness is proof of real faith.

When ine child senses that one is loved more than the other envy, jealousy,, hurt feelings, begin to set in. Yes, it did. Not with my brothers and sister but with a cousin. I found healing and forgiviness through Jesus Christ. The Lord revealed to my Dad what was going on. We grew up in a Christian home. Our parents loved us equally but differently. When they bought for one they bought for all unless a special occassion as birthday. I think I can say that our parents spent equal time with us. They were involved in our activites as a group and individual. Most of all, they showed us their love. They would not do something for one that was not right for the others.

Isaac couldn't reverse his blessing because it was God's blessing, not Isaac's. Isaac's role was that he was just a spokesperson for God. Once he spoke the blessing, it could not be undone. God's role was that it was his plan for their life.

There is no excuse for her plan to deceive Isaac. She was wrong. Instead of waiting on God's plan, she did things her way. She chose one son over the other. Jacob bore a lot of responsibility in the deception because he knew it was wrong, was thinking only of birthright, and not integrity.

Yes, I think Rebekah was interested in spiritual things. I think she was strong in faith and had courage. When the twins were born, she changed. She remembered God's prophecy about Esau and Jacob. She took manners into her own hands. She became deceitful, lack of reverence and respect to her husband and his leadership, and she showed favoritism concerning her sons.That brought rivalry, deceit, and contention. Her faith faltered. Yes,I think Isaac was a spiritual man. No, I don't think Esayu was very spiritual. Yes, Jacob was because he drew nigh to God, his name was changed to Israel, he struggled with God but obeyed.He became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.