Kingdom's Keys Fellowship
Where God's Kingdom Meets Man's Heart.
Pentecost 48 When Little Things Mean a Lot
Pentecost 48 When Little Things Mean a Lot
“In Christ God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God (2Cor.5:21 Message Bible).”
The shepherd’s gnarled hands reached out from his tattered sleeves weathered from years of exposure to the elements. He grabbed the young lamb as he had done many times before and brought it to the Levite to be delivered to the Temple for the Passover sacrifice (Ex.12:3-6). He made sure it had no physical flaws or undo spotting. He examined it from the tip of its nose to its very dusty hind hooves. “Perfect,” he said to himself, “The High Priest will be pleased.” Thus began the old Exodus commemoration of annual blood sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel prescribed in the Law. “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life (Ex.17:11).”
His brother, miles away, herded goats. His task was as important. He not only provided goats for milk and food. He also raised some for another kind of sacrifice, a double sacrifice, on the Day of Atonement. This required two goats. One, sacrificed like the lamb and the other, driven out into the wilderness after prayer and laying on of hands in order to transfer the sins of the people to it (Lev.16:8,10,26). They too had to be as perfect as possible and he saw to it.
Both of these sacrifices, the heart of the whole sacrificial system, represented God’s final plan for salvation in Jesus, the shedding of blood and the banishment of sin, the visible physical obedience and the defeat of the invisible sinful nature. Both accomplished through faith, which was the theme of the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 where God accounted Abraham as right with Him because of his faith.
It was Jesus’ personal submission in faith to be the Lamb of God on the Cross that would signal the defeat of the devil, evil and sin. As God the Son He was a once and for all perfect physical and spiritual sacrifice so no more blood sacrifices were necessary. His Resurrection was the proof it worked like nothing before or after. Therefore by a personal acceptance of Jesus (the sacrifice of repentance and receiving Jesus as the saving Lord) the heart would be made right with God. Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be “like a lamb led to the slaughter…pierced for our transgressions…the punishment that brought us peace…by His stripes we were healed…(53:4-6).”
Jeremiah followed, “I will put my Law in their minds and write it on their hearts…and they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest (31:33-34).”
Thus the whole of the physical dimension and the spiritual dimension awaits its healing in the final act when Jesus returns to bring His people home and there will be a new heaven and a new earth (Rev.21:1-4). Everyone who asks Jesus to be in a mind and heart relationship with Him will be part of that eternal existence.
Little did the two brothers know what their shepherding work really meant as they day to day fought weather, roaming beasts and their own inner struggles. Little do we realize that every time we make a decision God’s way regardless of weather, wild beasts and inner struggles, we are part of that mammoth plan centered in the once-and-for-all sacrifice Jesus made to bring everything on Heaven and earth together in Him. He is truly the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end and, praise Him, He has, through faith, made us one with Him.
“Dear children, you belong to God. You have not accepted the teachings of the false prophets. That's because the One who is in you is more powerful than the one who is in the world (1Jn.4:4).”
Stay tuned…….
“In Christ God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God (2Cor.5:21 Message Bible).”
The shepherd’s gnarled hands reached out from his tattered sleeves weathered from years of exposure to the elements. He grabbed the young lamb as he had done many times before and brought it to the Levite to be delivered to the Temple for the Passover sacrifice (Ex.12:3-6). He made sure it had no physical flaws or undo spotting. He examined it from the tip of its nose to its very dusty hind hooves. “Perfect,” he said to himself, “The High Priest will be pleased.” Thus began the old Exodus commemoration of annual blood sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel prescribed in the Law. “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life (Ex.17:11).”
His brother, miles away, herded goats. His task was as important. He not only provided goats for milk and food. He also raised some for another kind of sacrifice, a double sacrifice, on the Day of Atonement. This required two goats. One, sacrificed like the lamb and the other, driven out into the wilderness after prayer and laying on of hands in order to transfer the sins of the people to it (Lev.16:8,10,26). They too had to be as perfect as possible and he saw to it.
Both of these sacrifices, the heart of the whole sacrificial system, represented God’s final plan for salvation in Jesus, the shedding of blood and the banishment of sin, the visible physical obedience and the defeat of the invisible sinful nature. Both accomplished through faith, which was the theme of the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 where God accounted Abraham as right with Him because of his faith.
It was Jesus’ personal submission in faith to be the Lamb of God on the Cross that would signal the defeat of the devil, evil and sin. As God the Son He was a once and for all perfect physical and spiritual sacrifice so no more blood sacrifices were necessary. His Resurrection was the proof it worked like nothing before or after. Therefore by a personal acceptance of Jesus (the sacrifice of repentance and receiving Jesus as the saving Lord) the heart would be made right with God. Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be “like a lamb led to the slaughter…pierced for our transgressions…the punishment that brought us peace…by His stripes we were healed…(53:4-6).”
Jeremiah followed, “I will put my Law in their minds and write it on their hearts…and they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest (31:33-34).”
Thus the whole of the physical dimension and the spiritual dimension awaits its healing in the final act when Jesus returns to bring His people home and there will be a new heaven and a new earth (Rev.21:1-4). Everyone who asks Jesus to be in a mind and heart relationship with Him will be part of that eternal existence.
Little did the two brothers know what their shepherding work really meant as they day to day fought weather, roaming beasts and their own inner struggles. Little do we realize that every time we make a decision God’s way regardless of weather, wild beasts and inner struggles, we are part of that mammoth plan centered in the once-and-for-all sacrifice Jesus made to bring everything on Heaven and earth together in Him. He is truly the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end and, praise Him, He has, through faith, made us one with Him.
“Dear children, you belong to God. You have not accepted the teachings of the false prophets. That's because the One who is in you is more powerful than the one who is in the world (1Jn.4:4).”
Stay tuned…….
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