Christ's sacrifice
opened the way for all humanity to be with
the Father.(Daniel
9:23,24).because
we are now correct, now perfect and now holy
in the Father's eyes and this
as a gift:.Romans
5:11 "And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Emmanuel
Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.(or
being made 'at one purpose with God', 'reconciled')."
One may be reconciled and
be unaware of that, as a vast amount of humanity is. If one doesn't
know something, information is lacking that he or she could believe in,
agree with and that is acceptance and spiritual power. Those who believe
are "saved to the utmost":.Hebrews
7:25 "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them."
So, people have to be exposed
to information, information that is correct, that is, in
accordance with the true message of the New Testament's gospel,
because its information is on the helpful side:.1Corinthians
14:7-9 "...except you utter by the tongue words easy to be understood,
how shall it be known what is spoken? for you shall speak into the air."
Matthew
18:3 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted and
become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
John
6:53 "Then Emmanuel said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have
no life in you.".Just
means to learn about the epitome
of higher consciousness, that this is the fuel that keeps you going spiritually,
that keeps
you in eternal life:.John
15:1-9 "I am the true vine and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch
in me that bears not fruit he takes away and every branch that bears fruit,
he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now.you
are clean through the word.which
I have spoken unto you. Abide in me and I in you.(that
is, if it's you decision to abide in me, I'll then be in
you). As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you.(you
can't either),
except you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abides
in me and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit.(a
dynamic.{2Corinthians
3:6 "...the spirit.gives
life"}, not a static
relationship which is the normal way
of life with the consciousness we came here with),
for without me you can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast
forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into
the fire and they are burned. If you abide in me and my
words abide in you, you shall ask what you will.(what
you need, desire, etc.).and
it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that you
bear much fruit.(so
ask for that which enables you to grow spiritually; why:.1Corinthians
2:9); so shall you be my disciples.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Continue you in my love."
Hebrews
2:17 "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."
Are we to sacrifice today
as in the Old Testament?.Hebrews
10:26 ".....there remains no other sacrifice for sins.".Christ's
sacrifice covered it.all!.Hebrews
9:13,14 "For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh,
how much more shall the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God? Hebrews 10:4 "For it is not
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away.(original
is 'cut off', 'remove').sins."
Now
did
He just take away sins that came before Him?.Hebrews
9:15 "And for this cause he is the mediator
of the New Testament, that by means of death for the redemption
of the transgressions.that
were under the first testament, they which are called.might
receive the promise of eternal inheritance."
That is what
Christ did for us. He reconciled us:.2Corinthians
5:18-21.
The 'sacrifices'
for
today are...
And why did He have to take
away sin anyway? Why did He have to die for sin?
Sin has been with humanity
since humanity has been on the Earth. In Old Testament times sins were
covered.(Psalms
32:1).during
the year, covered and forgotten until once a year when remembrace was again
made of the sins during only the past year and just for that year
and then forgotten forever. However today in
spite of what Christ came to do, many churchgoers are reminded
almost weekly of their sins thanks to false
ministers.
Since those living at the
time
of Christ on Earth were familiar with the Old Testament laws and sacrifices
and the time for all these over 600 laws, sacrifices, etc. was now completely
over in God's plan, something Earth shaking was needed to completely sever
any connection with Old Testament decrees,
commandments, etc., which the religiots
at the time, the
Pharisees and their ilk
wanted to maintain for profit. Is it much different today?
If a messenger of God were
to come and announce to everyone back then in the midst of all the Old
Testament practices still going on that sin is now over, it would not have
had much affect upon the habits of the people, like, what do we do know
now, now that sin is gone? Hmmm, do we still go to the synagogue,
do we still do sacrifices, should we still be into all this law keeping
as dictated by all these 600 plus Mosaic laws?
Some would believe the messenger
and move onward. But most would remain
stuck in their old habits, relying on what had become a comfortable
form of living with a worship they had developed. Most would still equate
sin to do with what they had been used to, that of being covered by that
Old Testament system which included going
to the priesthood to have sin covered. Now all that is over, except
in some modern day religions.
Not only did Christ have
to come and upset the entire world.(Acts
19:23).then,
but also the entire Old Testament system had
to be so wiped out that it would
never recover.
A new way had begun, not
based on physical obedience, but now a new way with great promises:.Acts
17:19,20; 2Corinthians 5:17;
Ephesians
2:15; 4:24;
Colossians
3:10; Hebrews 8:13; 9:15;
10:20;
1John
2:8; 2John 1:5,6;
So how should we view all
this?.Hebrews
10:19-24 "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to
enter into the holiest by the blood of Emmanuel, by a new and living
way, which he has consecrated
for us, through the veil,
that is to say, His flesh. And having a high priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with
pure water, let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering,
for he is faithful that promised. And let us consider one another.(and
not
this).to
provoke
unto love and to good works." Ephesians
2:14 "For he is our peace, who has made
both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us."
2Corinthians
3:14 "But their minds were blinded, for until this day remains the
same vail untaken
away in the reading of the old testament, which vail is done away in Christ."
This drastic
difference between the old and new covenants would separate those who
strongly believed they should
adhere
to the
old, as the Pharisees
did in Emmanuel's time.
The Pharisees added so many
of their own traditions, their
own righteousnesses to the law they claimed they knew so well.(Matthew
23:1-3), that they totally corrupted
the Old Testament laws, but they
thought that they were the righteous intelligent ones:.Proverbs
14:12. Paul
was the same before his conversion.
What the mind can think to
do out of touch with the
Great Infinite One.is
amazing:.Luke
18:10-14; Matthew 5:20; 12:14;
15:12;
19:3;
22:15;
23:14,25;
Mark
2:16; 3:6;
7:3;
8:11;
Luke
5:30; 6:7;
11:39;
15:2;
John
8:3; 9:16;
11:57;
12:42;
Acts
23:7,9.
But,.Ezekiel
33:12-16 "...The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him
in the day of his transgression. As for the wickedness of the wicked, he
shall not fall thereby in the day that he turns from his wickedness, neither
shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that
he sinneth. When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live,
if he trust to his own righteousness and commit iniquity, all his
righteousnesses shall not be remembered, but for his iniquity that he hath
committed, he shall die for it. Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou
shalt surely die, if he turn from his sin and do that which is lawful and
right.(and
in the new covenant, that is belief in Christ).....he
shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he has committed
shall be mentioned unto him....."
I mean, these guys were
corrupt, vile, judgmental and vicious: Matthew
21:15 "And when the chief priests and scribes
saw the wonderful things that He did and the children crying in the temple
and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they were sore displeased.".Welcome
to.religion!
Any praise not to these
pride filled Pharisees
and their ilk caused them to be offended:.Mark
12:38-40. They did not know that there is no peace in the heart unless
love for others, sincerity
and integrity.reigns.
They even threatened those who thought differently. They disallowed heartfelt
influence by the writings they claimed they followed:.Matthew
12:3,5; 19:4; 22:29,31;
Luke
6:3.
Sadly some who call
themselves Christian are like that today, becoming the 'frozen
chosen'.
Paul
was not like that!
Emmanuel said that the last
shall be first, referring to the spirit being the last thing that humans
concern themselves with. You've heard it, 'cramming for the finals':.Matthew
6:10; John 1:10.
