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We live not under the law but under Grace

10/20/2022

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I attend an average of two Bible Studies every week, sometimes even four, in addition to weekly Church services, and I have been doing this for the past 15 years. As I study the Old Testament I am constantly reminded of our need for Jesus and of Truth and Grace. I was in a study yesterday where the following passage from the Old Testament was read and discussed:

"
Water From the Rock"

In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.


Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”

Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as Holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved Holy among them." Numbers 20:1-13

Beloved, God became angry at Holy men like Moses and Aaron because they were prideful and emotional men, just as we are today, and they did not Honor the Lord while they seemed to take credit for what God had done, so God denied them the Blessing of leading the Israelites into the Holy Land. Could you possibly imagine his wrath toward us as sinful, failing, emotional, and faltering individuals? If Holy people like Moses and Aaron could not perfectly keep the law of God, and incurred his displeasure, what chance do we have? "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 reminds us. So, how do we appease an angry, wrathful God whose commands we can hardly keep, let alone keep perfectly? Famous Pastor and author Jonathan Edwards penned a famous sermon on the wrath of God: "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" which reminds us of the fury and wrath of God, and what Hell would be like without salvation. So beloved, when one reads through the Old Testament, we find that a great portion of it speaks of the law and the importance of keeping the law perfectly. Since the old law is seemingly of great importance, what is its relationship to Christians today? For most Christians, the understanding of the law and the Christian either goes too far to the extreme or not far enough. Beloved, read the following passage from the New Testament:

"And the Word became 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.


John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." John 1:14-18

Beloved, Christ is the end and the fulfillment of the law for Christians. Before Christ came to die on the cross, all were under the law. However, since humans are not perfect, they were unable to fulfill it. Because of this, Christ came to fulfill the law for humanity, allowing those who put their trust in Him to be delivered from the condemnation of the law. While it is important to think of salvation in terms of the law and realize that no one receives salvation from their own works, it is also important to realize that when anyone believes in Christ, they receive His righteousness and He enables them to keep the law through the Spirit. Because of this, Christians can have peace knowing that they are no longer under the rule of the law, but under the rule of Christ. What a relief that we no longer have to keep every "jot and tittle" --- period and semicolon as prescribed under the law to escape the wrath of God....! We who are in Christ have been saved already through what He accomplished on the Cross for us....!!!
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Every quality relationship is personal

10/13/2022

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Every relationship which is meaningful and of tremendous quality is a personal relationship. Jesus demonstrated this for us in person. He personally chose the 12 to mentor and to teach and to live alongside them and mentor them in order to build up their faith. He broke bread with his 12 disciples and washed their feet. He knew how to build quality relationships. If we want to build quality, meaningful relationships, we need to do the same in and through our lives. We live in an age of superficial relationships where "friends" can be people on social media, across the country or across the globe. None of these relationships can be as meaningful as personal friendships shared with folks in person and around the table breaking bread together. In this perspective how meaningful and wonderful does that phrase sound "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

"​And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 Jesus knew that the only way to be able to have a direct impact on the folks he would entrust his ministry to after his crucifixion was to dwell among them and have a direct impact on them. His ministry on this earth began only in the final three (3) years of his life. During this time he spent a majority of his time with his disciples, personally instructing them through his parables, his healing miracles and his love towards them. What can we learn from this? In order to have the maximum impact on the folks around you, get in a Church small group, and do life together with the folks you want to have a direct impact on and through. Pick a child or an adult less mature in faith than you, to mentor. Have a direct, meaningful impact on someone's faith life and grow them to maturity in Christ Jesus. Teach them the Living and breathing Word of God, the Bible. In this way you will have taught them how to fish, and will yourself become a fisher of men. 
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When life doesn't make any sense

10/5/2022

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So, what happens when life doesn't make any sense? Confusion reigns and fake news about you is pervasive? People don't seem to want to show Grace towards you but write you off completely? Not even your closest friends, your Pastors or your brother can or are willing to explain why things are going wrong. It is something I am going through right now and have been since the beginning of 2022. 2020 and 2021 were great years for me...! I was healthy, I prospered financially, I was making and saving a lot of money, I was doing well in my job, I was driving my own car, keeping my own schedule, travelling widely and enjoying life with my sweetheart. Everything was going right. The LORD's abundant Blessings were upon me. However, almost nothing has gone right for me this year (See my article ​https://www.paulsgospel.org/motd/getting-crushed-for-righteousness-sake) I could elaborate but that would be divulging too much information in a public forum. So what do you do in a year when absolutely nothing seems to be going well for you? You cling to the garments of Jesus and hope a rescue is not far. It has been a devastating year for me --- the only years in my life which were worse in devastation, pain and suffering were 2008 and 2009. Thrown to the sharks and trying to survive has been the mode of operation for me this year. Almost nothing has gone right for me this year despite praying to Jesus on my knees every day, attending four Bible Studies throughout the year, tithing very generously all year long as I always do, and never missing a Sunday Church Service. Goes to prove that sometimes Satan has the upper hand over God. In the end though, God always wins. I await God's victory. 

So what does scripture have to say about this? “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 Jesus predicted that life in this world would not be easy, and sometimes extremely painful. Seeking shelter in Him in these turbulent times are perhaps the only way to survive.
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    This scripture message of the day is authored by Paul J Narang, servant of the Lord  Jesus Christ who edits and manages this website. 

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