Return to Me

The main message of the Bible is simply, “God solving man’s sin problem.”  From Genesis to Revelation, God is working in the lives of His created beings to restore the loving, harmonious relationship sin has destroyed.  The Scriptures are more than reminders of how we humans have “messed up.”  Every book, every command, every incident, every plea on the part of God has been inspired in order to urge sinners to give up their selfishness and return to Him. 

Many of the biblical stories center on God’s desire to restore fellowship: men with other men exemplifying the possibility of men returning to fellowship with God Himself.  The most famous accounts are Jacob and Esau (Genesis 33), Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 45), the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), among many others.  God sums up this basic desire of His beautifully in the last Old Testament book: “‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Malachi 3:7).

Then the New Testament tells about man’s ability to return to God’s fellowship through the atoning work of Christ on the cross.  This was, in fact, Jesus’ main mission (Luke 19:10).  The truly amazing thing about this restoration of fellowship with God lies in the fact that the One offended by our sin has done all of the work to make returning to Him in loving fellowship a possibility for everyone!  He Himself came to live as one of us, faced life the way we are expected to, overcame all sin and paid the price for sin that we owed.  That’s why all of God’s promises (to save, love, forgive, restore, etc.) find their “Yes” in Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20).

Paul makes reconciliation the central theme of his gospel message (Romans 5:9-11) and urges all disciples to do the same (2 Cor. 5:18-21).  It’s the New Testament version of God’s constant plea to “Return to me.”  It’s a perfect example of how much He wants each one of us near Him so that He can bless all of us in unimaginable ways (2 Cor. 9:15).

What will you do in order to make this desire of God’s a reality?  Can anything of this life compare to what He is offering?

Free yourself of the selfish restraints that are keeping you from enjoying the relationship you most need – and the one your Creator originally designed for you.

Doug

Setting The Stage

            I doubt that many will disagree that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus was the most dramatic scene in all of history (with the lone exception of God creating everything out of nothing, of course).  It is impossible for any human to comprehend the love, mercy, grace, kindness, etc. of God when reflecting on Jesus’ perfect sacrifice of Himself on Calvary.  Paul, who was still trying to fathom the awesomeness of that event, admitted that all else a human can master in this life in worthless in comparison to the cross of Christ (Philippians 3:4-11).

            To fully appreciate and have the faith necessary to be saved, one must come to grips with this act of God.  Jesus’ death (which paid the penalty you owed for sin), burial (which removed the sin He bore for you) and resurrection (which proved His mastery over Satan and sin and death) is the foundation of the Christian’s faith (1 Corinthians 15:12-23).  Only when these facts are firmly understood, can there be the faith needed to respond to God and be saved.

            The Bible is the history of God “setting the stage” for this divine production.  He stated His intention for bringing it to pass at the moment man and woman first sinned (Genesis 3:15).  The lineage of Seth (those who called upon the LORD) began a succession of faithful seekers.  Noah and his family were spared in the great flood, to visualize God’s disdain for sin (rebellion).  The selection of Abraham and his descendants exemplified the kind of faith essential for Jesus’ sacrifice to be effective.  Through Moses, God detailed in writing what He expected all of us to act like.  And with the worship and daily activities of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple) He taught what Jesus would do to rid us from the oppression of our sin.  I could go on and on.  Just listen to God speak through His Word, and know that He did all of this for you.

            Is that enough to show you how God really feels about you?  Does it give you a greater appreciation for all of His hard work on your behalf?  How much more do you need to know in order to trust Him completely with your life?  If He was willing to go through all of this so that Jesus’ work on earth would save you from your sin, can you not give up your simple, selfish ways and live with Him – as He wants you to?

Doug

Covering Sin

Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year.  The name of this festival is translated “Day of Atonement” in our English Bibles.  The name literally means “Day of Covering”.  The rules and regulations God decreed for this holy day are recorded in Leviticus 16 & 23.  It was a special day meant to be a teaching device explaining how, one day, God would provide a way for man’s sin to be permanently covered and removed.

Among the many ritualistic acts that were required to be performed on this day, two stand out as being the most significant: the first was the sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant.  This was the only time during the year that anyone entered the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle / temple.  After flooding the inner room with the smoke from the burning incense (to dim the glory of God’s presence), the high priest sprinkled the blood of the main sacrifice on the mercy seat seven times. 

The other significant act was the selection of twin goats.  Lots were cast to select one for the burnt offering and the other one became azazel (the goat of removal or the scapegoat).  The one chosen for slaughter provided the blood that was taken into the Holy of Holies.  The other was to be chased out into the wilderness – far away from the people, never to return – after the high priest had symbolically “transferred” the people’s sins to it.

It is in the New Testament book of Hebrews (chapters 9 & 10) where we learn that Jesus’ atonement on the cross was the fulfillment of this symbolic festival.  For it was by His blood shed on Calvary that our sins are removed; remitted; cleansed.  It was the one-time, perfect sacrifice of the sinless Son of God that (1) was freely given to pay the price for sin (death), and (2) that completely removed sin from the people (never to return), and (3) that was presented to God in heaven (the real Holy of Holies) which justifies completely those who return to Him through faith in His blood (His atoning sacrifice).  For it is by our being baptized into Christ that clothes us with Him (Gal. 3:25-26), puts our sin to death (Rom. 6:3-5) and thereby provides remission of sin (Acts 2:38) and the hope of new life in God’s presence forever.

Whew!  That’s a lot of work.  And isn’t it awesome that God did all of this for you – before you knew you needed Him to?  Before you even asked for Him to help you?  And isn’t it amazing that all He asks of you to take advantage of His special offer of atonement / covering is to surrender to Him completely, be cleansed in the prescribed way and live the rest of your life for Him?

The decision to do so becomes much clearer the more you come to know His Son Jesus.  It is also much easier to accept when one realizes how much time and energy He went through (way ahead of time) in order to make your choice so simple.  So, isn’t it time you return to Him for cleansing; for life?

Doug

Jesus’ Sacrifice

Have you ever witnessed an animal sacrifice?  Not many of us in this country have.  This is the major reason why most of us have a difficult time comprehending what it means to sacrifice.

The common interpretation is that you give up something you enjoy doing for a certain period of time in order to show someone (or God) that you are serious about a commitment you have made.  Athletes sacrifice rest and leisure in order to train to compete.  Parents sacrifice time, energy or money in order to see to the needs of their children.  Many people sacrifice by volunteering to help those in need.

Old Testament sacrifices certainly gave the Israelites the impression of how terrible their sin was, and that it was no easy matter to get rid of it.  Yet there was also the fellowship offering, and the Passover, and the Day of Atonement. Each of these sacrifices were followed by a time of feasting and celebration with others.  Could it be that we have somehow overlooked an important element in God’s definition of sacrifice?

Jesus didn’t enjoy being crucified.  It was a huge sacrifice for him to surrender his life and will and to go through all of that shame and torture.  Yet he spoke often about it as being a victory.  What it was going to do for us brought a joyous feeling to our God and Savior.  He was able to see you and me back into fellowship with him because of it.  And that was worth all of the pain and suffering he was to endure.

So what are we to make of Paul’s admonition in Romans 12:1 when he calls upon us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices?  Can he really mean that I have to give up what I want to do - more than just once or twice a week?  Does God really expect me to be so involved in “boring” religious stuff that I won’t have any time, money or energy for the things that bring me joy? 

No, but do think clearly for just a moment.  The wisest man that ever lived chased and filled himself up with everything that this life has to offer and discovered it all to be totally meaningless (Ecclesiastes 1:12-14).  After “testing” all of the things people pursue in order to find happiness, he concluded that the only thing that makes sense in life is to “fear God and keep his commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).  Even Jesus was unable to understand how anyone could chase after worldly things and end up forfeiting their soul (Matthew 16:26).

We are called on to sacrifice so that we can be free to possess and enjoy the things in life that really do matter.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control, etc are blessings that enable us to fulfill the purpose we were created for.  But the cares of this world and our selfish desires make it impossible to really take advantage of these favors from God.  That is why we must sacrifice them.  Not because God sees our happiness as being evil.  But because the cares of this world are just an allusion of the true happiness that can only be enjoyed in Christ.

Doug