20120315: HeBrews 10 : Testament, Will & Death

Heb10:10 "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all"

Before the world began
You were on His mind
And every tear you cry
Is precious in His eyes
Because of His great love
He gave His only Son
Everything was done
So you would come

Nothing you can do
Could make Him love you more
And nothing that you've done
Could make Him close the door
Because of His great love
He gave His only Son
Everything was done
So you would come

Come to the Father
Though your gift is small
Broken hearts, broken lives
He will take them all
The power of the Word
The power of His blood
Everything was done
So you would come

Reflections of HeBrews 10:

About the emphasis of sacrifices.

1. Why animals are not the right substitute?

 V4 It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

2. Why Jesus has to to be the perfect lamb of sacrifice?

V5 wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body thou has prepared me

V9 He came to do the Father's will

V10 He is the finale sacrifice - Once and for all

V11 Others cannot take away sins 

V12 Only this man - Jesus - his offering of Himself on the cross

V20 Jesus has consecrated for us, through the veil, his flesh for us - it is a new and living way

 A testament is also known as a will. It will only take effect upon death. The testament would lay out the details of the beneficiaries and the inheritance.

Have you ever made a will? I have. It must also be witnessed by two persons before it can be effective. The beneficiaries we named in the will would inherit all the assets that we have accumulated on this earth. We gave them away upon our death. Do they have to work for it? No, those benefactors are bequeathed with our desires for their benefit. 

The death of Jesus Christ. He left behind an invaluable inheritance for us all.  His death was witnessed by multitudes.  We do not have to work to inherit it. It is all about His grace that we become His precious benefactors through his death. All we now have to do is to accept his benevolence, His inheritance He left behind for us.

Psalm 22:10

¹⁰ From birth I was cast on you;

   from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Psalm 139:13

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Mui's poem:
Life and death - it was His design, His divine master plan
From the day we were formed, His promises forever stand
To the day we breathe our last breath, our time is in His hand
The mysteries of our journey, will be revealed as we pressed in till the end.

As we approach Good Friday in 2 weeks time, the video clip taken from the Passion of Christ the movie often make me cry.

The above is a beautiful and most fitting song to come to the Father. Won't you open the door of your heart and come? This gift of new and living way - it cost Jesus his very own life. He came as a perfect sacrifice - just for you and I.

20120318: John 3:8 TellTales-Physical & Spiritual Observations

John 3:8

King James Version (KJV)

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Ever wondered what a telltale is? 
A tell-tale or telltale is an indicator, signal, or sign that conveys the status of a situation, mechanism, or system. It appears not only in sailing boats but also in automotives, spacecraft, steam locomotives.
The two attached pictures above are telltales on the mainsail of a sailing boat.

The telltale tells the sailor about the wind condition and how to position his boat and sail so that it will sail at an optimal path. When the telltale flutters or sags, it says that there is no wind or the boat is not properly trimmed (best position). When the boat is trimmed, the telltale flows with/into the wind in streamline flow and it does not flutter. Even though we cannot see the wind, the telltale becomes our guide to the invisible environment around the sailor.


Recently I have been observing the education system development in S'pore. Indeed the new Minister of Education has made some improvements. However, with regard to the Edusave Character Award now implemented, the Planning Division still misses a BIG point!  They dangle a carrot of monetary reward and "their objective is to send a clear and strong signal of the importance that the MOE places on character and values, on a par with achievements in the academic domains....The Edusave Cgharacter Award will recognise a small number of students in each school who are exemplary in character, and who can inspire others as role models.  For instance, these may be students who have shown resilience and have done well despite their difficult circumstances.  The monetary award can be used by students for their educational needs , such as books and stationery.  OUr school leaders and teachers are very mindful for the need to foster the intrinsic motivation of their students to do good deeds..." ST 13/3/2012 by Dr Cheong Wei Yang - Planning Division MOE


Character - is intrinsic , hidden .  It can only be evaluated over time and observation through the outward behaviour of a person.  From the inside out.  Money cannot buy character. If monetary awards are to be given to induce good behaviours - then the beginning footing is already on the wrong start!
Human beings.  We have a body , soul and spirit.  What makes a person Christian or not, depends on whether the person is truly born again of the Spirit. Like what Nicodemus had questioned.  One cannot go back into the mother's womb to be born again right? It has to do with the spirit being. This is something we cannot see.  Having said that, there will be true and false Christians.  Conversions that may be true or false.  Only the fruit of the person can provide the telltale. 


I often reckon that what we see in the physical is a kind of 'manifestation' of the spiritual.
It is sad that our MOE had gone into the monetary way again to promote character values.
Likewise, if a spiritual teaching encourages someone to look for outward manifestations as a proof of the spirit within us, then it is another telltale. How do we know that if the spirits are right or wrong? Good or evil? We need to test the Spirit.   1 Cor 12 talks about the gifts of the spirit.  One of such gifts is that of discerning of spirits.  Sometimes, we are so often mesmerised by the other earlier gifts starting from the first - the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, the working of miracles, prophesy..the first 6..that we forgot number 7! - that of discerning of spirits (The 8th gift is the divers kinds of tongues and 9th being interpretation of tongues) 


LIke education, we in the spiritual realm needs to go back to the radical fundamentals.
Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.



Reflections
Jesus has not yet come back a second time. He did the first time more than 2000 years back.  But He gave us His Holy Spirit - His counsellor to guide us into all truth when he departed this earth back then.


Col 2:4-7" And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him; Rooted and built up in him, stablished int the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgving."


Gotta be steady and poon pee pee.....Pray for the spirit in Isaiah 11:2 be upon us all.

20120309: HeBrews 8: Old, Better & New Covenant?

Heb 8:13 "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old.  Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away" .... Heb 8:6 " But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises"

We ended with Heb 7 knowing that Jesus is the hope and the anchor of our soul.

Heb 8 opens up with a summary of it all:-

V1 Jesus is the high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens

V 2 Jesus is the minister of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man

V6 Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant

What is a covenant?

Basically, A covenant is a solemn agreement to engage in or refrain from a specified action.  It refers to sacred agreements between God and human beings. 
Covenants can be conditional and unconditional.
In the OT, we can see a few covenants : Noahic covenant where rainbows are given as a sign from God after the flood . Abrahamic covenant where God promised to make him a great nation. The Mosaic covenant where God gave the ten commandments to the children of Israel. Davidic covenant where God chose King David to reign and where the Messiah lineage would come from.


All these are the Old covenants.


V7 "For if the first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second"?
V8 "For finding fault with them , he saith BEHOLD THE DAYS COME ,SAITH THE LORD, WHEN I WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH,
V9 NOT ACCORDING TO THE COVENANT THAT I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS IN THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; BECAUSE THEY CONTINUED NOT IN MY COVENANT, AND I REGARDED THEM NOT, SAITH THE LORD
V10 FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAITH THE LORD; I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MIND, AND WRITE THEM IN THEIR HEARTS, AND I WILL BE TO THEM A GOD AND THEY SHALL BE TO ME A PEOPLE;
V11 AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERY MAN HIS NEIGHBOUR, AND EVERY MAN HIS BROTHER SAYING, KNOW THE LORD: FOR ALL SHALL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST.
V12 FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR INIQUITIES WILL I REMEMBER NO MORE"
 [Jer 32: 31-34]


Personal reflections
Thank Jesus for His personal sacrifice on the cross for me. Without the shedding of the blood , there is no remission of sins. He is the mediator of a better covenant.  When He died, He gave us His Holy Spirit as a counsellor to guide us into all truth.  He resides in our body- which is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Our conscience pricks us when we are off course- thank God for the "policing" of the Holy Spirit!


Each time I behold a rainbow, I am reminded, By His grace, I  am saved, not by my efforts - merely through His grace.  John 14:6" He is the way the truth and the life" Amen! Eph 2:8-9 " For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast"

20120303 : HeBrews 6:18-20 -Heb 7 Hope as anchor of the soul

Heb 6:18 -20 " That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us; Which hope we have as and anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, and even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec"


The last 2 verses in Heb 6 related 2 important characteristics of our God:-
1) He does not lie
2) He is the hope


Is Jesus a liar?
Surely not, his birth , death and resurrection is a proof of a living God. 2 Cor 15 If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ is not risen, then is our preaching in vain, and your faith is also in vain..v19 if in this life only we have hope in Christ , we are of all men most miserable (like in les miserables!)

Num 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Is Jesus our hope?

Heb6:20 the last verse of this chapter recorded Jesus as the forerunner and Jesus made an high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.

Who exactly is Melchisedec?

Well in the following chapter of Heb 7 the answer is found.

v1 He is the King of Salem, priest of the most high God who met Abraham and who blessed him and in return Abraham gave his a tenth back

v4 Now consider how great this man was. He was not even a Levi who would receive tithes, yet he did

Law of Change of Priesthood

v5 Only the sons of the Levi who receive the office of priesthold, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law.

Yet, Melchisedec also received the tenth from Abraham! Wow.

V11 so something is wrong right? If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people rec the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not after the order of Aaron?

v12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law

Jesus beyond the Law - the Spirit life : The anchor of our soul
You see, Jesus is the one who came after Melchisedec. 
v15 for that after the similitude of Melchisedec, there arise another priest!
V16 who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life
v17 he is a priest forever after the order of of M (Heb 6:20)
v22 he was made a surety of a better testament
v24 he had an unchangeable priesthood (unlike other priests)
v27 He needed not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins and then for the people's - Jesus he did once, when He offered up himself
v26 He is the high priest who came - he is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens


What makes Jesus - the high priest special?
V28 For the law make men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, make the Son, who is consecrated for evermore
V19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh to God
v25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.


My Reflections
Jesus lives. He did not die. That's all that I need to know.
And because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone


2 Tim 3:1 says in the last days perilous times shall come.
In the past centuries, we see revolutions like the one in Les Miserables - about the prisoner who escaped, fought in the French Revolution in 1800s.


Today, we see a different kind of revolutions taking place. Nations after nations, we see Arab Spring, OWS , Jasmine spring , Orchid spring and all kinds of springs. Angry birds and angry men!

Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry man?It is a music of a people who will not be slaves again. When the beating of your heart, echoes the beating of the drum, there's a life about to start when tomorrow comes

Gal 5:1 

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage

He is our hope, the anchor of our soul!

20120301:HeBrews 6: A Supernatural Endowment

Hebrews 6:11-12 "And we desire that everyone of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That you be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises"

My study of Hebrews 5 ended with the milk vs meat to discern both good and evil.  Hebrews 6 followed with a "Therefore" telling us to leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ, encouraging us to go on to maturity or unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgement. V3 "And this we will do , if God permit"


As I started reflecting on this chapter, I couldn't help but to observe the trend we have in churches today. We are so blessed with so many different varieties of appetizers, main dishes, desserts and beverages in so many different restaurants. Likewise different churches serve and feed the flock with basic foundation bible classes to intermediate bible courses and advance ones all year round.  In between, each would hold its own banquet , ie the longer seminars or conference to boost one up in the appetite craving.


In  2 weeks' time, there will be such a 4-day feast of "Kingdom Invasion" here in our land. The introduction of new menu of "Supernaturals, Signs and Wonders" will be served and promoted.  Many will be eager and excited to try the new menu for sure.

2 Cor 12:12 "Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds"

During Paul's days, the problem of false apostles was so rampant that he needed to point out the "signs" of an apostle that were evident in his life. He gave certain indicators to help us understand and determine whether or not a person is apostolic. Such divine call is not for the faint hearted but for the extremely committed.

What was Paul's first sign? Was it signs and wonders and mighty deeds? No, no...

The first sign or characteristic of apostolic ministry is "PATIENCE" This word in Greek is "Hupomeno"

Hupo=Under

Meno= Abide or to stay.

One expositor translates hupomeno as the word endurance, or staying power or hang-in there power!

Rick Renner of Sparkling Gems from the Greek quote" It is interesting to me that Paul lists this as a sign of apostolic ministry. We usually think of wonders and miracles as signs of apostolic ministry.  But before Paul mentions anything about what we would normally deem supernatural, he first mentions a person's supernatural ability to hang in there and stay put regardless of what forces come to stop him...God has provided us with a supernatural grace, a divine favour, a special endowment of hupomeno - what others call hang-in there power, staying power, or supernatural endurance - to do what He has called us to do....what I am describing is just as supernatural as any other kind of supernatural sign and wonder.  Anyone who can do what we do day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year - and do it joyfully and successfully - is definitely experiencing something that is truly supernatural.  It is a sign from on High of a divine endowment.  My wife and I have seen the lame walk, deaf ears opened, demons expelled, demons expelled, and even the dead raised through the prayers of our apostolic team.  But I consider hupomeno on our lives to be just as supernatural as any of these other signs and wonders we have experienced.  In fact , I really believe it is more significant than the other signs and wonders.  Supernatural signs and wonders come and go, but the supernatural ability to endure and joyfully succeed in difficult circumstances is a grace that comes and stays continuously.  The quality of patience, endurance, staying power or hang-in-there power is part of the divine equipment for this job.  It is a divine grace that is just as supernatural as any miracle or wonder!"  (Rick was called to serve in USSR in 1991)

Personal Reflections:

As Hebrews 6 started off with elementary teachings to the more complicated ones in v1 -2, do we really need to go for another Supernatural Ministry school to teach spiritual babies to grow into maturity? Perhaps v3 and this we will do, if God permit.

But the question is not about teaching on the signs and wonders yearning. Yes in the last days, Joel 2:28-29 God says He will pour out His spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions, and also upon the servants and the handmaids in those days He will pour His spirit.

So what if gold dust falls in your palm or on your head? So what if a little gem dropped at your feet? They come and they go.

I believe in Heb 6:11-12 highlights the hallmark of a successful supernatural Christian life

2 basic principles laid out here :

1) Diligence

2) Patience  or hupomeno ie endurance or the hang in there power.

1) Diligence ( 2 Cor 8:7, 2 Pet 1:10)

We got to be diligent to make our calling and election sure. But there is a condition "IF". If we do these things, we will never fall. What things? Those things in 2 Pet  3-9. It is up to us to do it to grow into maturity.


2) Patience / endurance/ Hang-in-there power (2 Tim 1 13)
There are 4 metaphors of endurance here. We must learn to endure as a child or son to remain strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ enduring hardness, as an athelete striving for masteries -yet not crowned except he strive lawfully and as a husbandman/ farmer who labours to be the partaker of the fruits.


Heb 6:15 is an example of such a man of endurance himself. None other than Abraham. God made his vow to him and he patiently endured, he obtained the promise.


THE ATP World of Tennis
This year at the Australian Open in January 2012, we witnessed a marathon of almost 6 hours grueling tennis played by the top 2 seeds in the world - Nadal and Djokovic.  Both were diligent in their physical training.  Hours of sweat and toil on their body.  At the end of the day, the one who endures longer, the one who is physically fitter , better stamina and mentally stronger reigns. And the winner is? Djokovic.


Our present body itself is a supernatural creation masterpiece by our Creator God. How He fashioned our hands and limbs, our internal organs to function accordingly for each purpose He had in mind.  The fact that we have been born into this world through the unimaginable fertilization of a minute sperm and egg is a showcase of His supernatural creative workmanship.


And when we come to know Christ, we are born again - inwardly created to become the dwelling place of God.The fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit and the divine supernatural grace of God are working inside us.


That to me is a supernatural endowment! Such hupomeno on our lives is indeed more significant than signs and wonders. Granted that man loves to see miracles , signs and wonders. Well John says blessed are those who do not see and yet believed.  On the flip side, the devil too can perform signs and wonders, can he not?


For that we pray that the Lord grant us discernment all the time. God is unchangeable, He is immutable.


Heb 6 last few verses tell us of His character. v16-20
"Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.  Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.  He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek"


Food for thoughts.


Umm..pretty heavy sobering stuff above on supernaturals study.  On a lighter note, here is a brain teaser "Who sits on the left hand side of the throne of God?" Got this question thrown at me last nite...this is a good one! Ha Ha!