Bondage

The LORDS Name Is Wonderful

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“And I gave them My statutes, and shewed them My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.  Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness: they walked not in My statutes, and they despised My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and My Sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, ‘I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.’  But I wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.  Yet also I lifted up My hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; because they despised My judgments, and walked not in My statutes, but polluted My Sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.  Nevertheless Mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.”
Ezekiel 20:10-17

The LORDS name is wonderful for many reasons. Be sure to read the verses, and the chapter it is in; as well as the chapter before and after (chapters 19 and21.

Let us see what the LORD says;

  1.  He is speaking of His deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage; reminding the captives where they came from – it was by the LORDS hand;
  2.  He had given them judgments, statutes, and Sabbaths to do which made them a chosen, and different kind of people;
  3.  If they were to do them, they needed too live by those judgments, statutes, and remember the Sabbaths;
  4.  Israel rebelled against the LORD, and He could have destroyed them;
  5.  But He did not because of His name.

The Lord GOD’S name is a wonderful, marvelous, glorious name. He is trust worthy, and worthy of praise. That is why His name should never be used vainly or in anger.

GOD desires that the whole world know that He is the LORD. Egypt found that out when each of the plagues showed the powerlessness of the Egyptian gods. The LORD is telling us here that He did not destroy Israel, because it would look as if God failed to really deliver Israel from bondage.  He did that for His name’s sake, not for Israel’s sake, but for His own name. His name is holy, righteous, just, also loving, merciful, and gracious.

The most awesome and glorious of His name; if any of His names are better than another; that name is Jesus who is the Christ who is the Incarnation of God who came to earth.

God’s name means so much to Him that you and I can trust that whatever He has said will happen, it will happen. The Old Testament tells us many times about One who would come as their Messiah, even telling that He would die cruelly, horridly, a very ugly death. Read Isaiah 52 – 53. Jesus is that One. God also tells that He would rise from the dead, and be an Everlasting King reigning the world from Jerusalem,

His name is wonderful, His name is wonderful, His name is Jesus. I pray that you the reader of this is already a follower of Jesus Christ, that you are growing day by day in prayer and in the reading and study of the word of God, The Holy Bible.

The LORD will never allow anything He has spoken fail. His salvation is forever, and is found only through Jesus Christ. Call out to Jesus, and He will hear you, and save you.

HIS NAME IS WONDERFUL.

Turning, Turning, Turning, and Turning Again

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And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god. And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side: neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.
Judges 8:33-35

Reading the history of Israel in the book of judges ought to remind us how fickle we people of Adam’s race really is. At this point we read of judges, men, and a woman whom God used to deliver Israel from their tormentors, again and again.

They are loyal and faithful to the LORD while they are following the leadership of the faithful judge, but as soon as he/she is dead they go back into bondage.

Notice where bondage begins. It begins when the people of God turn their backs on God, and live their own way, in their own truth, and worship a god, a demon of their own making. Turning away from their glory in the LORD. They are again in the bondage and iniquity of sin.

When things are going smoothly, with no conflict, and things are comfortable; look out for turning away from God. When we are blessed, and everything seems right, if we are not aware, we need to beware of our position with the LORD, at all times. We also need to continue remembering the LORD our God through all times.

Jesus Christ is the way to God. He is the only way to God. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The sacrifice of His life on the cross dying for our sins, His burial, and resurrection is the way to life, and eternal life. The only way to being forgiven all of your sins, being made  clean, and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. He is also the only way that we can remain faithful and loyal to Him through every situation and circumstance we encounter in life. We will not be sinless in this life, but because of our faith in Christ when God sees us He sees us as forgiven, clean, and righteous because He sees the blood of His Son Jesus.

Yes, we can still be fickle in and about things, even our faith. When we sin Jesus is our Advocate with the Father. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

When we find ourselves turning away from the LORD, let us immediately turn back to Him.

He Laid Hands On Her

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“And when Jesus saw her, He called, and said unto her, ‘Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity’. And He laid hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” Luke 13:12-13 (KJB)

As Jesus was in the synagogue on the Sabbath day is not an oddity. It is in fact a normal part of His life. He sees this woman bent with a physical, even a weakening ailment that has afflicted her for eighteen years (v. 11).

She does not cry out to Him for help or healing; rather He calls her to Himself, lays His hands on her, after He says to her “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity”.

Jesus later in His “discussion” with the hypocrites says this affliction was from Satan who has bound her for eighteen years (v. 16). So she is not only healed of a physical ailment which has kept her in pain, weak, and unable to do many things for herself; but she is now also free from the spiritual torment caused by Satan.

The Lord Jesus saw her, called her, He healed her, and loosed her from her bondage.  He has done that for all who will come to Him through His death on the cross, His burial, and resurrection. He went all the way to fulfill all the Scripture concerning Himself; and to redeem unto Himself, all who would come to Him. Freeing us from our infirmities and all that binds us.

The Burial of Christ

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Many years I have heard sermons, Bible lessons, and teachings on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but it seems the Bible deals with the death, burial and resurrection; and usually in concert with one another.

Maybe I am off track on this, but I have had this on my heart and mind quite often in the past year or two; so today I write dealing with the subject of “The Burial of Christ”.  The burial of Christ proves that He was dead; not swooning or faking death.  I do believe the Roman guards knew death when they saw it.  Thus, He was buried.

Now reading in 1 Corinthians we read…

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures…” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJV)

When we read the accounts of the Gospels we read of His burial, not just His death and resurrection.  So why is it so important to remember His burial as part of the presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

It is in its very meaning a necessity of our salvation, our living now, and for eternity.

Here is one place I get my meaning for the need of the burial.  In the book of Leviticus and chapter sixteen is the ceremony on the day of Atonement, and the lesson of the scapegoat.  One goat is taken, the hands of the priest is laid on the goat representing the sins of the people placed on it, then that goat is slain, and its blood is taken and poured on the mercy seat in the tent of meeting.  We must understand that all of Scripture points to Jesus, and that all is saying that there is one way to God, and that is through the blood of His Son Jesus the Christ.

Just for note: I will not cover every detail of the scapegoat ceremony, but the scapegoat is the one which lives; chosen by lot; and then taken, and released in the wilderness, and some believe maybe slain in the desert; never to return again.

Let us for  a moment think on the death, burial and resurrection of Christ like this;  1.  The death of Christ is our past;  2.  the burial of Christ is our present;  and 3.  the resurrection of Christ is our future.

Those who believe in Him are saved from sin, and its eternal torment.  That leads us to the “burial of Christ” and the present.  When Jesus died and was buried He carried all our sins, shames, condemnations, guilt, and death on the cross, and to the grave.  He carried them away; like the scapegoat -into the wilderness; never to be seen again.

He left all that baggage of sin, shame, condemnation, guilt and death in the grave.  He came out alive.

Knowing that He carried all of that away, and left it there should cause us; the Christian; to live without that baggage in our lives – once we have asked for His cleansing and forgiveness.

Because He was buried and risen we need not live in fear of His appearing, but with joy we do look for Him.

 

Fear Not the gods of America

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“And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites, that the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; and I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed My voice.” Judges 6:7-10 (KJV)

We need to remember what God had done for Israel. Israel needed to remember what God had done for Israel; and to see what He was doing for Israel. God does not forsake His covenant with His people. God’s people often forsake Him, though.

There had been several years from the previous Judge of Israel. A Judge was simply a leader chosen by God to deliver Israel from their oppressors. He or she was chosen by God when the people were crying out for God to help.

In this case God sends them a prophet. God will very often not make a move until He sends a prophet to let the people know of their sins, and what He is about to do.

“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7

Note the message of the prophet to Israel, “…Fear not the gods of the Amorites…” They had turned their backs on the One who had blessed them to the surrounding deities which put them into the bondage of the surrounding populace.

Just for thought. Has that happened to today’s professing Church?  Turn back to GOD the Lord of the Universe who has made all things.  Repent of your sins, believe Him.

O, how we need to turn to Jesus the Christ, Son of the Living God; believe Him, and He alone will deliver us.

Day 7 – From Deliverance to Glory

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The book of Exodus begins with the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in bondage in Egypt.  They are in bitter enslavement to Egypt.  Exodus ends, however, fulfilling the meaning of its title “Exodus” and the children are free from bondage.

My reading this morning included Exodus 35 – Leviticus 8.  I will not be commenting on the Leviticus reading, but only on the Exodus portion, and particularly the ending.

From bondage in Egypt the children of Israel, are delivered after many wonderful things which God performed through His servants Moses and Aaron.  Plagues which came upon Egypt; unlike anything they had ever witnessed; or ever would witness in their lifetimes.  It was God’s plan to deliver them, His way.  It would not be the way of Moses, nor the way of Aaron; but God’s.

It is God’s intention that His name be glorified and nothing else.  That is the greatest desire of God; that He be glorified.

The Exodus shows us the children of Israel on a journey from Egypt, through the wilderness; at least to Mount Sinai; receiving God’s commandments; instructions, and designs on worshipping God.

In the Exodus we see sin raise its ugly, demonic head while Moses is on the Mount receiving the law; and after they have said, “All that God commands we will do.”  They call on Aaron to make them gods (32:1-2) of gold and to honor for their deliverance from Egypt; I suppose.  God tells Moses to go down quickly, and he finds a riotous, debaucherous worship more in tune with the surround peoples than godly going on; defiling everything the people has said they would do.

Yet, God in His grace and mercy brings them to His glory.  They see His glory in the “tent of the congregation” or tabernacle,

“Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: but if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.  For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.”  Exodus 40:34-38 (KJV)

And, even Moses cannot enter due to His glory upon the tabernacle.

That shows us, that even Israel, and the Law cannot bring us into His glory.  The law fulfilled in God’s only begotten Son, His blood sacrifice on the cross, His burial, and resurrection can bring sinful man, redeemed, cleansed, and into the very presence of God.

“For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:15-16

Jesus Christ is our High Priest who has given His own blood that we might go into the very presence of God.  I pray you find yourself there today.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Where There is Liberty

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Where There is Liberty

2 Corinthians 3:17

References – Gal. 2:4; 5:1, 13;  John 8:32;  James 1:25;  Isaiah 61:2;

1.  The Spirit blinds eyes of rebellion (3:14-15).
2.  The Spirit is the veil that hides the fading glory of the Old covenant (3:13, 15)
3.  The Spirit is the means of the liberty of the soul (3:16).

I.  THERE IS LIBERTY, FREEDOM, IN CHRIST THROUGH THE SPIRIT.

II.  THERE IS LIBERTY FROM THE BONDAGE OF SIN AND DEATH.

III.  THERE IS LIBERTY FROM THE CONDEMNATION OF THE LAW (Gal. 2:4).

IV.   THERE IS LIBERTY WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS (Gal. 5:1).

V.  WHERE THERE IS LIBERTY THERE IS RESPONSIBILITY (Gal. 5:13).

Summary –
i.  True freedom comes only in yeilding one’s life to Jesus Christ as Master and Lord.
ii.  True freedom liberates from sin’s bondage and death.
iii.  There is liberty in the faith of Jesus Christ.
iv.  True freedom gives liberty to make clear, godly, righteous decisions.

-T.A.

Sunday morning sermon points preached at Carr Lane Baptist Church July 03, 2011.