Saturday, September 27, 2014

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: God's Chosen Remnant

God's Chosen Remnant

Zephaniah 3:13, New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³The remnant of

Israel

shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies,
Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.”

{The following are verses which speak to the remnant of God’s people

Israel

who will come back to Him through the Son. Remember His people were the first believers after Christ Jesus rose again. They will be again.

Many are coming to know Him now yet there will be a time when their will be a multitude of believers (Revelation 7:4) from all the tribes of the children of

Israel

Isaiah 1:9, (NKJV)

⁹Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.

Isaiah 11:11New King James Version (NKJV)

¹¹It shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time
To recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and

Egypt

, from Pathros and Cush, from

Elam

and

Shinar

, from Hamath and the islands of the sea.

Isaiah 11:16, (NKJV)

¹⁶There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who will be left from Assyria, as it was for

Israel

in the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.

Isaiah 46:3, (NKJV)

³“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of

Israel

, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb:

Isaiah 10:20-22, (NKJV)

²⁰And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, will never again depend on him who defeated them, but will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. ²¹The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God. ²²For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them will return; the destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

Isaiah 37:31-32, (NKJV)

³¹And the remnant who have escaped of the house of

Judah

shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. ³²For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Romans 9:27-28, (NKJV)

²⁷Isaiah also cries out concerning

Israel

:“Though the number of the children of

Israel

be as the sand of the sea,
The remnant will be saved. ²⁸For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”

Romans 11:25, (NKJV)

²⁵For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Isaiah 17:7-8, (NKJV)

⁷In that day a man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel. ⁸He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands; he will not respect what his fingers have made, nor the wooden images nor the incense altars.

Isaiah 28:22, (NKJV)

²²Now therefore, do not be mockers, lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts, a destruction determined even upon the whole earth.

Isaiah 50:10, (NKJV)

¹⁰“Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.

Zechariah 8:6-8, (NKJV)

⁶“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’ Says the Lord of hosts. ⁷“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; ⁸I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness.’

Micah 4:7, (NKJV)

⁷I will make the lame a remnant, and the outcast a strong nation;
So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever.

Jeremiah 31:33, (NKJV)

³³But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of

Israel

after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

My Comments: Though we are Called Out to be the chosen of the Lord Jesus who He offers blameless before the Lord God Almighty there have and always will be those who were chosen by God the Father from Abraham's seed from the nation of Jerusalem. They will one day return to Him as they have returned and are returning to Israel. All nations who are against them are against God Almighty and that is a terrible thing.

Those nations who come against Her will have to answer to our Might God. When God talks about what He will do to those who come against Israel, He is not speaking cruelly. He is warning those nations to leave Israel alone. He has allowed those nations to try and test the Israelis many times in history as the nation of Israel walked away from their first love, God.

That does not mean they will not have to pay consequences for coming against His nation and peoples. They will and many have through the ages as will those who come against Her now and in the future. Those who protect Her will prosper and those who do not will be punished.

I shudder when I hear Christians (at least that is what they call themselves, I wonder) say bad things against the Nation of Israel and listen to the lies of the deceiver and newspersons and spread those lies. They heap coals upon their heads unless they repent and do what the Lord God, the One True and Living God, the one they claim to serve, tells them to do. He tells us all to support His Nation. He tells what He will do to those who do not. Do you stand with God Almighty or with the ruler of this world?

Like with salvation this is a choice. We can choose to follow a Righteous and Holy God or we can choose our own way, the worlds way our false god’s, the father of lies. For me I choose to follow Abba Father though I am imperfect in all ways, I will follow Him and ask Him to help me follow better and represent Him in a way that glorifies and brings Him praise.

This study is really too large to do in one so I will do more on it in the future though even that will not be comprehensive so I encourage you to study the Old Testament and any cross references you find in the New Testament of which you will find many.

Yes, we also are God’s chosen because Christ Jesus chose to come to Earth, die in our place on the Cross for our sin and most importantly as He said He would do, rise again on the third day. Of which many saw, talked, touched and ate with Him and attested to doing so. What God says He will do, He will do because He is Righteousness complete.

Abba Father, turn our Nations back to following You, hearing and obeying Your Word and supporting Your chosen people Israel. We pray for our leaders who make the decisions for our nations that they will open their hearts, minds and souls to You; that they will do what You want them to do; that they will become Your servants and do Your will in regards to Your people and salvation. Thank You Father for loving us so much You gave us Your Word to prepare us and guide us as all good Fathers do. We have all sinned against You Almighty God and we know we deserve death and we thank You that You sent Your Son Jesus to Redeem us and prepare a place in Heaven for us. We thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us especially when we go astray. We pray You send the Holy Wind to teach the nations and their peoples Your ways. Fill our hearts and souls with a all consuming love for all that is Yours.

In Jesus name in union with the Holy Spirit I pray. Amen

Rebishka

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Sing, Praise, Dance and Rejoice Before the Lord.

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Sing, Praise, Dance and Rejoice Before the Lord.: 1 Corinthians 1:31 , New King James Version (NKJV) The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. 31...

Friday, September 26, 2014

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Names of God continued, #3.

Names of God continued, #3.

Genesis 17:1, New King James Version (NKJV)

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

Acts 3:15, (NKJV)

¹⁵and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

Romans 9:5, (NKJV)

⁵of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Psalm 91:1, (NKJV)

91 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Revelation 21:6, (NKJV)

⁶And He said to me, “It is done!^[a] I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.

Revelation 15:3, (NKJV)

³They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!

Deuteronomy 33:27, (NKJV)

²⁷The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, ‘Destroy!’

Isaiah 9:6, (NKJV)

⁶For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. and His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

(MY Note: Whenever you see a Capitalization of words like wonderful, counselor then those denote the names of God not just attributes of God Almighty)

1 Corinthians 3:11, (NKJV)

¹¹For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Malachi 3:3, (NKJV)

³He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.

1 Peter 5:4, (NKJV)

⁴and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

1 Peter 4:19, (NKJV)

¹⁹Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Colossians 1:18, (NKJV)

¹⁸And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

My Comments: In the names of God Almighty we also see His attributes and things He has and is doing for us. We see He is from the beginning and will be to the end of time as we know it. He is Creator, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Chief Shepherd the Firstborn from the dead, He purifies us (Jesus), He is Wonderful, Everlasting Father, Counselor, He is our refuge and the Lamb of God, the Christ (Messiah), He created the world and all that is in it and holds it together.

I broke a glass butter dish the other day. It only broke into a couple of large pieces so I thought I would just glue it back together again. The directions said wet the surface lightly, apply glue and clamp. So after doing the first two steps I stood there holding the pieces together. Holding, and holding and holding. After a long while I could hold it no longer so I gently set it down. For the Lord God Creator of the Universe, He created it all and holds it together. Now that boggles my mind. Especially since I cannot hold a few pieces together and I did not even create the piece let alone all the elements that go into making up the piece. God made those elements and gave man the talent to make the piece and even some a talent to repair (not me though).

He created then gave us our own free will to choose to be in relationship with Him the Everlasting God or follow after other god’s. To follow after Him one must admit their sin, seek forgiveness from the Creator and lover of our soul, Jesus the Messiah and accept Him as our Redeemer, then follow Him. I remember the day I finally understood what being Born Again was. My heart quickened, I knew what I was hearing was true. Right there and then I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and come into me. I gave Him my heart and soul and all I posses. Into His hands I placed my very life in exchange for everlasting life in Him. He accepted me and I became a Child of God and desired to know Him more than I ever thought possible. I have a hunger and a thirst to study His Word to have more knowledge and understanding of Him to be in a deeper relationship with Abba Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit the Triune God.

If you have not placed your life and your soul in His hands I pray you will consider doing so loved ones as therein lies true safety, faith, hope and love. This world lasts a short time and when we leave it we stand justified by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) or condemned by our sin. It is up to us and can only be done by our acceptance or denial of the One True and Living God, the Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning and the End, The First and the Last, the Purifier, King of Kings, The lamb of God, the Creator of all there has been, is and ever will be. We do not know when our last breath will take place. Ask Him for faith and He will fill you. Accept His gift of Life Everlasting and become a Child of God Almighty.

Abba Father, it is hard for us to fathom all that You have are and will do. I look back on my life and see the times You called and tried to show me the truth and I went the other way. I shudder to think I could have died in my sin and never known Your saving Grace. I pray all who read Your Words will open their hearts and minds to You so they too may come to You through the blood and sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus the Christ. Thank You for giving us a way to come back to You.

Lord Jesus, lover of my soul, thank You for pulling me back from the brink of the abyss and giving me new life in You so I may be called a Child of God. Open up the hearts and minds of all who read Your Words or hear Your words. Open their eyes and ears to Your truth and give them a desire to know You. I pray they confess their sin and accept Your sacrifice of the Cross so they may be covered by Your blood and sanctified by Your Grace. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your sacrifice and Your love for us. Thank You for accepting the Cup and choosing to die in our place.

Holy Spirit, thank You for filling me with knowledge and understanding of You Word and filling me with a desire to know Jesus more so I may have a stronger walk with the Way the Truth and the Light. I pray all will come to know You and be filled with Your Holy Wind and be comforted by You the Comforter and Teacher. Thank You for showing us the way to our Lord Jesus the Christ who presents us to Abba Father.

Heal all who need healing especially spiritual healing. Strengthen any who are weak or struggling due to lack of faith or fear as You cast out all fear through Your Love. Teach us so we will have the knowledge You desire for us and the wisdom and discernment to understand Your Words and Your names and Your attributes. We praise You and glorify Your Holy name. In the name of Jesus in union with the Holy Spirit I pray. Amen.

Rebishka

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Only the Lamb of God can make us blameless.

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Only the Lamb of God can make us blameless.: 2 Peter 3:14, American Standard Version (ASV) 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye may be ...

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Names of God (continuing study).

Names of God (continuing study).

Exodus 31:13, New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³“Speak also to the children of

Israel

, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

(My Note: Though Christians are not commanded to follow the Ten Commandments as the nation of Israel was, we are to lovingly follow them even though Christ Has paid the blood sacrifice for us because of our sin. Christ has given us two to follow because we love and we love God above all and others or neighbors because of His love for us. This verse was used to show you the “I Am.,” meaning Jehovah-Maccaddeshem which means “The Lord Thy Sanctifier.”)

Exodus 15:26, (NKJV)

²⁶and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

(Note: this “I Am” is Jehovah-Rapha which means “the Lord our Healer.”)

Exodus 17:15, (NKJV)

¹⁵And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner;^[a]

Footnotes:

Exodus 17:15 Hebrew YHWH Nissi (Note: The Jewish do not use vowels in the name of God because they deem it wrong. We know we may as we are adopted Sons and Daughters of our Abba Father so this is how we would write it. Jehovah-Nissi meaning “The Lord our Banner.”)

Exodus 3:14, (NKJV)

¹⁴And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of

Israel

, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

John 8:58, (NKJV)

⁵⁸Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 14:6, (NKJV)

⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 14:26, (NKJV)

²⁶But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 8:12, (NKJV)

¹²Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

1 Timothy 6:15, (NKJV)

¹⁵which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

1 Timothy 1:17, (NKJV)

¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Isaiah 9:6, (NKJV)

⁶For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Romans 8:15, (NKJV)

¹⁵For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Job 19:25, (NKJV)

²⁵For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth;

Revelation 22:13, (NKJV)

¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

My Comments: There is nothing I can add to the Word of God ever yet as God has laid on my heart to do this study I will attempt to make my comments. Please forgive me if I do not touch on all that you would think I should from these passages. Also, feel free to comment and add to the knowledge of the Bible and the verses we study I only ask that you keep to the study we are doing and the Word of God not folk lore or myth. God’s word is rich in meaning and His knowledge enriches us all.

I have a study sheet with the names of God on it and have been working from it. The names used today are evident in the verses though some are not and those I have placed the meanings in quick notes below the verses. I am not a Greek or Hebrew student so as with most of us I rely on the knowledge God has placed in others to impart here. I hope it encourages many of you to study deeper into the Scripture and the meaning of His names.

One thing of note is we serve the Living God the only True God who was from the Beginning, who is and ever shall be. Because He is Living His names are Living. I think I understand this from my Alaskan Native perspective this way. When I was born I was given a name, then because of things I did I was given Rebishka (Little Fish) from my Grandfather, then I grew up and people called me at different times in my life by different names (Springboard, Goldilocks, Smiley and various versions of my first name). Even my last name changed as I married.

Now these are changes that many of us go through yet with Abba Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit there are names to do with what they did/do or attributes and some are given to us by them some by others who received from them certain gifts, names that tell us how they took care of us and still take care of us. Studying the Scripture tells us many of His names and His names tell us much of what He is to us, does for us and even His promises to us.

I love to pray with His names, especially the names that show so much about Him like “Abba Father, Beginning and the End, First and Last, Alpha and Omega, I Am, Holy Wind, Redeemer, God Almighty, Blessed and Holy Ruler, Counselor, Truth, Way, Light, Lord of Lords, Mighty God and Prince of Peace.” One could go on but for this study I believe this to be enough. I will endeavor to add more to this study as time goes on and interest is evident.

Abba Father, You have shown Yourself in Your Word and in Your names. Help us to understand all You say about Yourself in Your Word and in Your Holy names. Open our hearts to hear Your heart through the Holy Spirit who seeks to teach us about Your Son Jesus and Your truth.

Jesus Redeemer and Friend, create in us a new heart that seeks to know You more and desires all that You desire for us. You are Lord of Lords and true God of true God the Lord of Righteousness. Through You we come to Abba Father relying on Your Light to show us the Way.

Holy Spirit, Comforter, Spirit of God, Teacher, create in us a burning desire to know the Word, give us clear understanding of the Word and come Holy Wind to clean out of us all that separates us from the union Abba Father desires with all of His creation.

Thank You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for this study and all of them You have placed on this site. May they all bring You glory and praise and be instruments to bring many to the knowledge and understanding and relationship all were created to have. In Jesus name in union with the Holy Spirit I pray, Amen.

Rebishka

Friday, September 19, 2014

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: We who were created and given much.

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: We who were created and given much.: Romans 12:3, American Standard Version (ASV) 3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man that is among you, not to thin...

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: A study on the Chapter of Romans 8.

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: A study on the Chapter of Romans 8.: Romans 8:1 8-39, New King James Version (NKJV) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk...

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Forgive as you are forgiven

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Forgive as you are forgiven: Genesis 50:17, English Standard Version (ESV) 17 ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because...

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Separated From God By Sin

Separated From God By Sin

James 2:10, New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

Romans 3:10, (NKJV)

¹⁰As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;

Romans 3:23, (NKJV)

²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23, (NKJV)

²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 8:34, (NKJV)

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

John 8:36, (NKJV)

³⁶Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Galatians 3:10, (NKJV)

¹⁰For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

Galatians 6:7, (NKJV)

⁷Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

1 John 5:16-17, (NKJV)

¹⁶If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. ¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

1 John 5:16-17American Standard Version (ASV) (to give you another version with the same meaning yet helps to understand this passage.)

¹⁶If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: not concerning this do I say that he should make request.

¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

1 John 3:15, (NKJV)

¹⁵Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Matthew 6:9-15, American Standard Version (ASV)

⁹After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.

¹²And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

¹⁴For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 6:9-15 (NKJV)

⁹In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. ¹²and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. ¹⁴“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 7:1-5, (NKJV)

7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. ²For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Matthew 12:31, (NKJV)

³¹“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

John 3:16, (NKJV)

¹⁶For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:17, (NKJV)

¹⁷For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, (NKJV)

⁴Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never fails. …

Romans 3:25, (NKJV)

²⁵whom God set forth as propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

John 3:3-7, (NKJV)

³Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

⁵Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

1 Peter 1:3, (NKJV)

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:23, (NKJV)

²³having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

1 Peter 3:18, (NKJV)

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.

Subject: all sins are equal and forgiveness when “Christians” say or do something unrighteous.

My Comments: This study was asked of me by a young man who came into my Hubby and my life when we were in college. His path was strewn with thorns and his feet were on a wayward path yet my heart was drawn to him and he became as an adopted Son.

We are adopted into the family of God when we accept Jesus as our Savior and believe He died on the Cross and was buried and rose again on the third day as He promised He would and as was prophesied in the Old Testament that He would. He did and it all was so we could be saved from sin to life eternal.

To understand sin we look first at the first Adam who sinned in the Garden and brought death upon all generations and that is why the atonement of blood through animals sacrificed yearly and then the Lord Jesus the Lamb of God came and willingly sacrificed Himself on the Cross as the fulfillment of the Law so that He was the propitiation for our sin. Then He was buried and rose on the third day to fulfill the Scripture and His Word and rising into Heaven on the fortieth day He made it so we too can go to Heaven when the time comes.

This is the love and forgiveness of the Father for His Children who come to Him through His Son Jesus. When Jesus was here He taught the Apostles how to pray and in that teaching He also showed them and us how important it is to forgive as we are forgiven by our Abba Father. Christ Jesus did not differentiate who He would die for or forgive. He chose to die and offered forgiveness for “All” people for “All” time until He comes again. As His followers we do not have a choice who we will or if we will love or forgive.

We are commanded to Love and forgive. One cannot Love truly if one does not forgive those who have harmed or slighted us or someone else. Forgiveness does not retaliate (Deuteronomy 32:35; Vengeance is mine, and recompense is what the Lord said towards

Israel

when she sinned against Him and we can do nothing else when someone does something against us).

Many times we see people who say they are “Followers of Jesus” or call themselves Christians yet live or speak in a way that belies what they proclaim. Some may not be saved or “Born Again” (John 3:3, 6, 1 Peter 1:23) yet they may be “baby Christians” even if they have been a Christian for many years. Some remain a “baby” and never grow because they do not stay in fellowship or read the Word with understanding. They probably do not have a hunger or thirst for the Word because, I can tell you, if one does hunger and thirst for the Lord then the Lord will bring understanding through His Word, into ones life.

When one claims to be a Sister or Brother in Christ then we who are the Sister or Brother in Christ are told in the Word to talk to them lovingly about their behavior that is wrong and not of God. Then if they do not change or will not hear we are told to bring another Brother or Sister with us to talk with them. If that fails, as a last resort, we do as Paul told the Corinthians to do. We put them out of the body (not we personally but the Leadership of the body yet we can lovingly say to them we will not be a part of their lives if they choose to continue the path they are on). Not as punishment but to help them to realize what they are doing and to keep them from damaging the body of believers, as well. If they repent they are welcomed back into the body and forgiven. I have seen this process done. It is a joy to see those who repent and seek the will of God in their lives and come back into the body. This I have seen and rejoiced in watching them grow in the Lord.

Those who are not true believers will not repent, will not listen to being told they are sinning against the Lord. It is their choice. We are not to harbor ill will towards them either way. We are commanded to Love and let God take care of everything. What a relief. He is God and I/we am/are not.

There are so many verses and even whole Chapters upon Chapters in the Old and New Testament that speak to the question the young man asked for this study. It would take many, many postings to the blog to deal with them. The Book of Romans is full of answers and shows us our sin and the forgiveness of the Father by sending His Son Jesus and the Love of Jesus by willingly dieing for us (Romans 5:8) because of our sin, so that we may become Righteous through His Righteousness (Romans 3:10-12). For without Him giving us this gift of Eternal Life through His Blood shed for us, we would still be under the Law (Romans 3:31, 7:4-8) which brings death. Yet the Law is the guidepost (Romans 8:1-4) of our lives as our goal is to become Holy as He is Holy.

Abba Father, this study was asked for and I pray it answered or was of some small help to he who sought Your wisdom. I pray I have listened to the Holy Spirit and he as well as any others needing Your guidance, have been fed and enlightened by Your truth. May they and all of us rely on You through Your Word to guide and fill us with Your understanding through Your Holy Spirit who brings us Your truth. May we look Abba at the life of Your Son Jesus, the Lamb of God, and know how our lives should look if our eyes, hearts, and minds are focused on Him and Your Word to guide us. May all who do not know You, seek You through Your Son Jesus and may all seek Your forgiveness from their sin through Him who died for their sin. Help their unbelief. Open their eyes, ears and hearts to the truth that Jesus died that they might live and all they have to do is confess and call on the name of Jesus to be saved. Thank You Abba for Your love and Your forgiveness through Your Son. We praise and glorify Your Holy Name and lift our hearts to You.

Jesus, please help us to Love as You love, forgive and lead all to the Father through You by how we are loving and forgiving and how we live our lives for You to the glory of Abba Father. Fill all who come to You with Your Holy Spirit and feed them with Your Word.

Holy Spirit, open the hearts of all seeking the truth of God. Open the Scripture to their understanding. Remove the motes from our eyes so we will see through the Love of Jesus and show mercy and grace through the love and forgiveness of Jesus the Christ, The Lamb of God.

In Jesus name in union with the Holy Spirit we pray. Amen.

Rebishka