Barren Hill of Sacrifice - Breath-taking Views

Last Sunday I gave a message on Israel's victory over Ai (second time around). The last five verses were about how the Israelites fulfilled God's command to proclaim Blessings and Curses from Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (Deut. 27 & 28), as soon as they entered the Promise Land.

They were also to build an altar of natural stones (without being altered by anyone) on which they were to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. This altar was to be built on Mount Ebal from which the curses were proclaimed from - sin, and the Israelites had to proclaim these curses personally.

Here lies a very powerful object lesson, if we allow God to speak to us:

In order for us to live victoriously in the land the Lord has given to us in this life and have a victorious one in eternity, we need to arrive and acknowledge our mountain of sin where sacrifice needs to happen and you need to understand that you can add nothing of value to that sacrifice.

In other words, you need to arrive at a place in your life where you understand that your sin is to be handed over to Jesus Christ, our High Priest, through confession to Him; and, that there's nothing that you can do to make that process better on your part, or on your behalf.

The good news is that Jesus Christ is not only our High Priest, but also the Sacrifice that atoned for our sins once and for all! All we have to do is believe that and receive that removal and cleansing of our sin by God's grace through faith! (Eph. 2:8-9)

The meaning of the names of those hills that the Israelites came to is "barren" and that's indeed how it feels when you come to that place yourself. But God promises that once you place your sins and your very life in Christ, you will lose the old life and gain a vision of the Promise Land that is absolutely BREATH-TAKING!

From those barren hills God's people could see the whole land He had given to them to possess; and, from the barren hill where Christ was crucified we too can see the promises of God and receive them as our own, including eternity with our Lord.

Living for the Weekend

Are you living for Fridays? Knowing the contents of the week, we can start the week eagerly desiring the days go faster.

We’re not promised another Friday, but we do have today and God tells us to redeem the time; to make the most of it.

To do so, we need right thinking! Jesus said, “…do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:34)

Instead we need to meditate on the goodness of God and how much He loves us. Prepare for tomorrow, but live in today. Pray, read the Bible and ask God to renew your mind!

See Phil. 4:8 for a list of things to think about. Meditate on these things and you too can “rejoice in the Lord always.” (Phil. 4:4)

Thank God for today, making the most of it and Friday will be a joy too.

Pastor Raul

Image

The world teaches that IMAGE is more important than character. We have Public Relations people, Image Consultants, and Marketing gurus that can make your company, or you, sound and look like anything you want!

But as followers of Christ, Jesus talks to us in the Beatitudes, drawing us a picture of what WE are to be. Here Jesus described Christian character that flowed from the Spirit – from within! It wasn’t some gimmick that He was selling, but rather a divine list of godly attributes we should live by.

The scene at the beginning of Matthew 5 is Jesus coming to a hill with a trail of people, including His disciples. He had just traveled throughout Galilee teaching, preaching, and healing; His fame spread quickly and great multitudes followed Him.

The crowd was inseparable from Jesus and their eyes and ears were fixed on Him!

“What is He going to say next?” “What is He going to DO now?”

Jesus climbed the hill, sat down, His disciples drawing near and as He prepared to speak, I can just imagine the hush that came over the crowd...

Jesus said, “Blessed are the…” and the people were blown away!

You see the word “blessed” Jesus used meant “divine joy and perfect happiness” but it wasn’t normally used for humans. It was a word that described the kind of joy that was only experienced by gods and the dead!

It was a powerful word and the people must have had perplexed looks on their faces and maybe even questioned these first few statements because the people knew exactly what this word meant.

For Christians, this word means that there is a satisfaction that is quenched in the Lord and a sufficiency that is eternal in Christ, and this should be seen in the way we live our lives.

The IMAGE, as Christians, we are to portray is a real one that comes from the Holy Spirit living within us as we live in obedience to God!

Like the crowd on that hill, does Jesus have YOUR undivided attention? Do you hang on His every Word? Do you have that “divine joy and perfect happiness” that no person, or circumstance can take away?

What is the IMAGE you are portraying? Is it a list of godly attributes, or your own made up list?

Matthew 5:3-10, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…those who mourn…the meek…those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…the merciful…the pure in heart…the peacemakers…those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Abiding in Jesus - John 15:1-8

Jesus in this section of Scripture is vividly describing our vital need of abiding in Him. A person discussing their opinion of whether this is true to them will not change the fact that a branch that is not attached to a tree will die and wither; it’s simply fact and law!

The difference between humans and branches is that we have the gift of choice and will. This gift can rob us of life or allow us to receive it freely. Where the branch, once attached, cannot “decide” to leave the vine, we can and many times do, or worse, we never allow the Vinedresser to attach us to the Vine in the first place.

I’ve heard people say that they have no purpose in life but God does have purpose for everyone. In Isaiah 43:7 God tells us that “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

Our perfect Creator does not make mistakes, He creates pieces of canvas on which He wants His craftsmanship to show His glory; all He asks is that we remain in Jesus.

To abide in Christ is much more than just existing in a position, but to truly abide means to attach; to draw from; to grow from; and, produce of like kind. Jesus said that the fruit of the Spirit is what we are to produce, what He is… love.

Are you withering in your spirit or are you drawing life from the True Vine, Jesus Christ? Today, pray that God gives you the strength to truly abide in Christ and draw from Him so that you may produce that fruit that brings glory to our Father!

by Raul Montano