Messiah, 146

~ Messiah Would Not Judge By Hearing ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears” (Isaiah 11:3). 

The Messiah  

Jesus, the Messiah, said, “Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’” (Matthew 15:7-9). 

“He answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men”’.” (Mark 7:6-7). 

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). 

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

(1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).

Divine Forgiveness, 2of2

~ God Will Never Remember Your Sin—If You Are His Child ~

Would you like great insight into the mind of God with respect to the sins of Christians? If so, consider Hebrews 10.  

God’s Part  ~  God has put the Christian’s sin out of His mind. The consequences of Christians’ sin has been eradicated because of the blood of Jesus Christ. It is now just as if they had never sinned. “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (v. 17). This is so contrary to the Law, “in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year” (v. 3). God will never again hold the Christian’s sin against him.

Christ’s Part  ~  Christ’s death on the Cross was the only payment needed for the sins of Christians. By the sacrificial death of Christ “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (v. 10). This is also in direct contrast to the Law, “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect” (v. 1). For the Christian there is no more offering for sin required.

Christian’s Part  ~  When a person has been forgiven, he is free from the guilt of his past sins. There is no more dwelling on sin and the associated guilt. “For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins” (v.2). Again we see a very different picture than life under the Law. “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (vs. 3-4). The Christian can live in freedom and confidence knowing that Jesus Christ has paid the entire penalty of his sin.    

comment:  Why not take a moment and read Hebrews 10 right now?

practical application:  In view of the above, “As the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.  But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:12-17). 

closing comment:  If you would like to read more on this subject, there are two related past ALN posts on this topic: “Does God Change His Mind” and “Forgive & Forget.”

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).

Divine Forgiveness, 1of2

~ Are You Free of Guilt? ~

The Divine Author  ~  “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:30-32). God is the author of forgiveness. 

The Procuring Cause  ~  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him” (Ephesians 1:7-10). The blood of Jesus Christ is the only way of obtaining forgiveness for sin. 

The Obtaining Means  ~  “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:36-39). “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5). “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). The only path to salvation is through faith (trust) in Jesus Christ.

The Source of Assurance  ~  “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Colossians 2:13). “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed” (Luke 1:1-4). “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:9-13). These and many other passages in God’s Word confirm the reality of divine forgiveness. 

The Sure Result  ~  “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed [happy] are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin’” (Romans 4:5-8). When sins are forgiven, the result is a deep inner joy and contentment. 

final thought:  Can you identify with all aspects of divine forgiveness? If not, why not trust the Savior?

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).

Direction In Life

~ Learn from Noah ~

Do you need clarity in decision-making?

The following is an excerpt from a book.

Think for a moment about the plight of every child’s Biblical hero, Noah. Picture yourself in Noah’s place and time. Can you imagine Noah striving to please the Lord in his homeland—now known as Iraq—by building a massive boat? The concept of rain was unknown, but Noah humbly obeyed the Lord. His ship was approximately 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high—relatively the same proportions as ships of that size which are built today. In order to build that ship, Noah most likely employed hundreds of laborers.

Imagine the ridicule Noah must have suffered over those many years of construction. “Hey Noah… are you sure it was God who told you do this? Did you say it was God who told you to build this monstrosity? By the way, Noah, where is the water going to come from? Maybe it was not God that told you, maybe it was a hallucination! Maybe it was someone imitating God. Good luck, Noah!”

The secret to Noah’s ultimate success was that he was confident that he knew what God wanted him to do—even though it was different than what God wanted others to do. The good news is that, like Noah, you can be used by God and rise above your circumstances by making right decisions!

In order to understand the events in the life of Job, Noah, or your own life, it is extremely helpful to understand what the Creator has in mind. To do that it is essential to understand three distinct aspects of God’s will. Without a clear understanding of each aspect, you will never be able to understand the will of God.

~ from “THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH: Understanding God’s Will for You” by Robert Lloyd Russell, pg 4  (ISBN: 9781606474303)

Learn more about this important book at Amazon, the Publisher, or the Author’s website. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).