Faith Is Still the Key Even in Sacrifice

 A Better Sacrifice

Book of Hebrews Chapter 10

The sacrifices under the Old Testament dispensation were all shadowy representations and types of that one great sacrifice of the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, whereby "He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."

We know that these sacrifices came by the Laws of Moses, and they are "types" of the truth of Jesus Christ, but we know that the sacrifice did not begin with the Laws of Moses.

It is in the Garden of Eden in the early days of Adam and Eve where the Law of Obedience to the Word of God was first given!

All the sacrifices in the Old Testament can be considered to be "types" of the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ!

As in all things, it took "Faith" for any sacrifice to be received of God and then it must be a sacrifice true to the Word of God.

Heb 11:4  By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 

For instance "God says thou shalt not kill" so human sacrifice will only bring death to those who murder.

Heb 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 

Heb 11:18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 

Heb 11:19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham's "faith" was in the fact that if God took His son Isaac, then God would have to raise him from that death.

We know that God did not allow the sacrifice of Isaac and He will not allow the sacrifice of any human by those who are Christian.

All vengeance belongs to our Heavenly Father!

The only acceptable sacrifice was the sacrifice of God's Own Dear Son, Jesus!

Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 

Heb 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 

Heb 9:14  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? 

Let us begin Chapter 10 of the Book of Hebrews:

*****Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 

Heb 10:2  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 

Heb 10:3  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

We should understand that there has never been a perfect man!

Every individual will fall short of what they could become if they have not learned obedience to the Word of God!

Humans are lustful and immoral and the proof of this is seen every day in this world.

All this movement called LBJQT is about lust and immorality and rejection of the Word of God!

LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. These terms are used to describe a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. 

All these things are abomination to the Lord Jesus, but God is willing to forgive even these things but just like all others so full of sin, they must repent after salvation.

God does not expect us to repent before salvation because we just do not have it in us to do so.

God says to come as you are and be saved and then the Holy Spirit will cause us to repent of our old life. 

This works the same for every sinner!

It is by the Holy Spirit who will give us the power to repent as we are "Born Again" into something new!

We can never live with God until we are "Born Again"!

If we had to the power to clean our sinful lives ourselves, then we would not need Jesus nor the Holy Spirit and many believe they have it in their own power to do this today and they are so wrong!

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Even in animal sacrifices, those animals had to be pure and flawless, so why should we ever expect God to require less from humans?

1) An animal is not the same nature of a human no matter what evolution teaches.

2) An animal has not the same value of humans in the eyes of God.

3) An animal was not capable of consenting to be a sacrificed or volunteer to be substitute for that human that offered it.

There was no power in the sacrifices of the Old Testament to gain salvation and a fellowship the with God!

There is no power in our own sacrifice of ourselves because it brings our own death, and we would get not one step closer to the Lord.

It is only because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that we can have New Life!

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 

God knows we believe this when pray the sinner’s prayer!

Hos 14:2  Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 

Rom_12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

We must be capable of consenting to the fact of our sin before God will hear us!

It is only by the Holy Spirit that comes to live within us after we are saved, that we will have the power to repent!

God had no pleasure at all in the sacrifice of animals especially when the true meaning of those things was ignored!

*****Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 

Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 

The perfect sacrifice for our sin was in a Body specifically prepare by Jehovah God!

Psa 40:6  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 

Psa 40:7  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 

Psa 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

It should be obvious, that both the Psalmist and the Holy Ghost inspired writer of the Book of Hebrews, were speaking of the Virgin Born Son of God.

Do not listen to false teachers and preachers who reject the "Virgin Birth".

The Lord Jesus had to be born of a virgin or his sacrifice would be the same as all those other sacrifices, which is worthless!

He also had to live a perfect life, so that He would be the ideal person to die for our sin!

He also had to be eternal Himself, in order to cover our sins eternally!

Remember Jesus died for all past sin from the day He hung on that Cross and all future sin since that day!

There is a reason His arms were reaching to the East and West of His body!

When God knew that no one person of earth could die for our sin, He came Himself to be the perfect sacrifice!

I am heartbroken to know that Jesus the Messiah had to die just I could be saved!

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 

1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 

1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

We must understand that God the Holy Spirit has taken the time and with patience to write down all the Word of God, just so we can come to this conclusion.

There is only One Body of Christ!

One in nature.

One in truth.

One in glory.

Jesus was mortal and natural.

Jesus is Supernatural and real.

Jesus is mystical (the Spirit of Jesus) yet magnificent in His truth.

Paul by the Holy Spirit wrote:

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

We must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ had to do the Will of God, or He too would have been a false Messiah!

The Lord Jesus Christ took away the First Covenant by fulfilling it, so He could establish the New Covenant!

Notice that verse 7 should have been in Red Letters because this is Jesus speaking, though by the Holy Spirit!

*****Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 

Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 

Because the Lord Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice and the sacrifices of the Law were imperfect, then those sacrifices became useless!

This what the Scriptures above have proved.

The sacrifices of the Law were powerless to remove sin because of a lack of faith!

The removal of sin would take a perfect sacrifice!

God loves His created beings, and it is God's will that as many as will believe be saved.

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

The Lord Jesus came to do the will of His Father!

This is the same thing that our Heavenly Father expects from us, to do His will for us!

The fulfilling of the will of God is spoken of as a substitute for sacrifices.

The Divine will of God is our redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ and is perfectly fulfilled by Him!

No other sacrifice will work and there is no other way to approach God, but by His Only Begotten Son!

*****Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

The perfect sacrifice, the offering of the body of Christ, makes people holy once-and-for-all.

This work of the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly satisfied the holiness, the righteousness, and the justice of God once-for all!

When a person comes to God by the Lord Jesus Christ, the sacrifice of Christ Jesus is applied to that person and covers all that person’s sins!

Only then, can we have a complete fellowship with our Heavenly Father, all because of the work Jesus Christ did for us!

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

All the shame that comes from our sinful lives will be removed, because we can be at peace with our Creator.

Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

Our sin could never be removed by some earthly priest nor the sacrifices that they offered!

*****Heb 10:11  And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 

The earthly priests were never done with their work.

Our Heavenly High Priest has completed His sacrifice, by making one sacrifice that last forever!

The Lord Jesus gave His own life willingly, that we could be reconciled to His Heavenly Father!

1Pe 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 

*****Heb 10:12  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 

Heb 10:13  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 

The fact of the matter is, that after completing the work He came to do, the Lord Jesus Christ is now at this time, sitting at the right hand of God.

He would not be in this place if His work were not finished!

He accomplished these things because He obeyed!

No matter how much we think we know about our Heavenly Father, the most important thing we can do is to obey Him no matter what He ask of us!

Remember God will never ask us to do unreasonable things!

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

How long will the Lord Jesus Christ be sitting at the throne of God?

He will sit there until God the Father has separated the goats from the sheep!

This is what is going on in our world today!

The Lord Jesus Christ has already taken away our sin and now He is in place to deliver us from sin, from the evil in this world, from disease, from corruption, from death, from evil spirits, and from Satan.

We will find none of these things in Heaven!

These things are reaching their peak today as we have seen and continue to see!

He will deliver those who love Him eternally! 

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 

Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 

Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 

Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 

Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 

Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 

Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 

Those old sacrifices could do none of these things!

*****Heb 10:14  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 

Heb 10:15  Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 

Heb 10:16  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 

Heb 10:17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 

Notice it is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that has caused our sanctification!

To be sanctified is to be set apart to God!

To be sanctified is to be made holy!

To be sanctified is to be consecrated, dedicated to the service and the worship of the One True God!

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 

1Co 1:2  Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 

1Co 1:3  Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:2  Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 

1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 

1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 

1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 

Amen

God Has A Plan and A Purpose For Each of Us

 Jacob Moves To Egypt

Book of Genesis Chapters 46-47

The safest place we can be is in the "Will of God"! This is much more important than our physical location.

During this Covid 19 plague we have forgotten this!

As Christians we must learn how to prosper in these last days. Even during the times of plagues as we see right now.

Many of God's people have given up and lost their faith but the Lord will not ever leave us to battle these things alone!

Jacob the patriarch of Israel would have never left his homeland if not for the providence of God.

What had God told to Abram?

Gen 15:13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 

Gen 15:14  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

There were many reasons that Joseph as a teenager was taken away from his father by his own brothers by evil and wicked means and had made it to Egypt.

We all get caught up in the reason Joseph gives which is true!

Gen 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Though this was a very good reason and very true, there was another reason Joseph was taken away from his father all these years.

His father Jacob would never have left his homeland if not to go see his son Joseph.

Gen 45:28  And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

If Joseph had remained in Hebron, Israel would not be the nation that it became and as it still exists today!

In chapter 45, it was Jacob's heart that fainted for his lack of belief, but it was Israel that decided to go to Egypt!

*****Gen 46:1  And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. 

We should never begin any journey before we spend some time with the Lord!

In fact, in these last days we need to spend more time with the Lord and every time, just before we leave the house, as we step out into this evil and wicked world that is now also full of plagues.

These things may not ever change before the Lord takes us home!

In fact the Holy Ghost states that things are going to get worse.

To remain in the will of God, we cannot just hide from these things and be too afraid to go out as the world will have us to believe.

We keep forgetting that we are not afraid to die! Jesus Christ took the fear of death away from each believer!

This does not mean we can step out in front of a speeding train, but it does mean that continuing in the work God has given us to do, is the safest place to be.

God still says to be obedient to our leaders as best we can without going against the Word of God!

God still says to be at peace as long as we are able to be at peace with the enemy!

To prosper during these times is to manage these things guided by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

Israel took this journey to see his son Joseph!

We must continue on our Christian journey to see our Lord Jesus Christ!

We must stop and make some sacrifices along the way!

We must commit all we have to the work of the Lord remembering the Lord wants "Living Sacrifices"!

*****Gen 46:2  And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. 

Gen 46:3  And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: 

Gen 46:4  I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. 

God does not ever ask from us bits and pieces God demands our all!

When we give God our all, then He will go with us.

He is still God our Father in fact He is Abba Father!

Gal 4:6  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

We have gotten so used to compromising our faith, that we just give up far too easily in the path of the storm before the storm even arrives!

The Lord says, to fear not, to Israel just as the Lord tells us to fear not!

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Just why are we so afraid?

Good Christians say, "I am just so afraid I will catch this plague".

Someone offers a vaccine that may stop you from catching this plague and the first thing out of these Christians mouth is, "well I am not taking no shot, not matter what".

This exactly the position our wicked governments want us in, afraid to do anything, afraid to make the right choices so the government can make our choices for us!

I can imagine Joseph with his fears, after all his great grandfather Abram had been run out of Egypt.

God had stopped Isaac from going to Egypt, but now this same God was speaking to Israel in visions in the night.

Israel was listening. We must always be open to hearing what God has to say!

God said listen Israel, "I am going down there with you"!

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 

God promised Jacob (Israel) that Joseph would be with him until the day he died, if he would just take all he had and go on down to Egypt.

Israel took all his family and everything he owned and listened to what God had to say.

Jesus is telling us the same exact thing today! To give Him all we have and stay on our journey to Heaven.

It will still be sweeter every mile of the trip and as God said, "and Jesus shall put His hand upon our eyes".

*****Gen 46:5  And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 

Remember we truly do not need to go anywhere without knowing God is with us, but there are many places God will not go!

God had promised to make Israel into a great nation. It would not happen unless Jacob went to Egypt.

God had promised to go to Egypt with Israel. This will not happen unless Israel was in the Will of God.

God had promised to bring Israel back to the promised land.

God promised Israel that he would not be separated from his son Joseph again before his death.

With all these promises from the Lord, how could Israel say no?

Look at all the promises the Lord has made to us, how could we ever say no to the Lord Jesus Christ?

Our faith is based upon the promises of God!

Jacob (Israel) now traveled free of fear of what laid ahead of him.

We seem to forget this from time to time! We already know our future and have no reason to fear the things of this world!

If God is traveling with us, just what should we be afraid of?

This may be the most important thing to remember as we go through these plagues and this new administration!

Israel (Jacob) did not leave anything behind, he took all his possessions with him and he took all his family with him.

*******Gen 46:6  And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: 

Gen 46:7  His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt. 

We should understand that we should be quick to do what God has told us to do!

There is no benefit to being disobedient to God!

We must understand that when God speaks to us, it is for our benefit!

God is able to do all that He says He will do!

God warns us because He loves us, and God will never lead us to do the wrong thing!

When God warns us, then we need to move quickly!

There was no longer a benefit for Israel to remain in Canaan land at this time.

God did not want a godly presence left in this land and God had His reasons!

Gen 15:16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 

God had determined that the Amorites, the inhabitants of Canaan Land, had not reached that degree of iniquity that He would cause their destruction.

You see this is what God is waiting upon today!

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is

longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God removed Jacob and all his possessions so he could not influence Canaan Land in his absence.

God will remove the Church from this world so the world cannot be influenced by the Church! This is called the "Rapture of the Church".

So when God tells the Church to do something, then we had better listen and, then do what God has told us to do without hesitation, for we are not going to Egypt, we are going to Heaven!

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

God moved this family all in one group and they would remain in one group while they lived in Egypt.

It was just 215 years since God made His covenant with Abram.

We know it would be over 400 more years the time they would spend in Egypt.

God's promise would still be true, and His covenants are still real, and they are still true!

*****Gen 46:28  And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. 

It was Judah who had the idea to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites and it would be Judah who would lead Israel to the land of Goshen.

Goshen was a district of Egypt where Israel would settle in and remain until it came time for the Exodus.

Before Israel left Goshen, it was called the "Land of Rameses".

Gen 47:11  And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 

It was not Rameses when Israel first came to Goshen.

Goshen was a place of some of the best land in Egypt suited to the raising of animals and was not far from the herds of Pharaoh and probably not far from his residence.

Gen 47:5  And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: 

Gen 47:6  The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

After the plagues God placed upon Egypt, the land of Goshen is now no more than a desert.

*****Gen 46:29  And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. 

Gen 46:30  And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive. 

It was a wonderful thing to not have to worry about that famine, but Jacob would have never left the land of Canaan because of this famine.

It was a wonderful thing that there was food in Egypt, but Jacob would never have left Canaan because the only food source was in Egypt.

The only reason Jacob left Canaan land was because he could see his son Joseph, and God promised Jacob he would be near his son the remainder of his days, which were 17 more years.

Jacob was not concerned very much about the future because he knew the future lie in the hands of God.

Jacob was only concerned with the time he would spend with his son Joseph!

We should feel these same things about Jesus!

It is not important how much time we have left in this flesh because we know we will live eternally in the presence of the Lord!

The messenger of Jacob was now Judah.

It was Judah's plan to sell Joseph and now it would be Judah who would lead his father Jacob back to Joseph.

Judah would remain in the forefront of all Jacob's children, the tribes of Israel.

It is amazing the irony of all these things that happened. 

It seems Judah had seen a dramatic change in his ways.

Jacob was a Godfearing man, so he felt great pride in seeing how God had worked through his son Joseph.

What do we know? God can work anywhere to see His Will progress upon this world!

After 22 years the entire family was in one place at the same time.

The whole land of Egypt was suffering from a famine but Joseph who was in charge of all the food, took the time to welcome his father and his family.

Joseph was now a prince in the land of Egypt, but he was not ashamed of the shepherd, his father.

We can see typology all through these passages of Joseph in the Book of Genesis.

Jacob was now at peace with his life and assured of Joseph's happiness, he had nothing else to live for, he considered his life fulfilled.

When we know the promises of God and the salvation brought to us by the Lord Jesus Christ, we can be at peace with this world and God would have taken us home to Heaven except for the fact that He has things for each of us to do. 

We must be witnesses to this lost and dying world!

When we meet Jesus, we will then get the best of God's creations!

*****Gen 47:11  And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 

We should see that Israel was not just allowed to live in Goshen, but they were allowed to own the land, and this was a command of this Pharaoh.

This land would not be known as Rameses for probably at least 300 years.

Exo 1:11  Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. 

What we see is that while most all Egyptians were perishing in their own land, God supplied Israel and his family with the food of the Egyptians.

God will make the His enemies supply the needs of His children!

Isa 65:13  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: 

Isa 65:14  Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. 

Isa 65:15  And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:

God proves over and over that He knows how to take care of His children!

*****Gen 47:12  And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families. 

Gen 47:13  And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. 

As we read through this passage, we will see that these children of Israel were given the best land to settle in and Joseph provided all their needs.

Doing this, while the people of Egypt were getting poorer, in the end having to sell themselves to the government to buy food for their families.

We will see that by the time this famine ended, Pharaoh had control of all the money in Egypt and all the land except for the land of the false priest and the land of the children of Israel.

Hunger will cause many things to happen and many of those things are not good and hunger will drive the people of the Seven Year Tribulation after the Rapture of the Church.

To the Egyptians, Pharaoh was more like a god for what he had accomplished.

Gen 47:25  And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.

This is the way Governments operate today. This is the way the Antichrist will operate!

Saying this, no doubt tight controls were needed for Egypt to survive at this time in history, but the people should never have to give up their land.

Pharaoh could have fed his people without taking all they had from them!

What were the children of Israel doing all this time, multiplying! All their needs were met!

Joseph was operating under divine guidance!

We should remember it was God who interpreted Pharaoh's dream!

It was God who saw that Joseph was exalted!

Pharaoh the pagan ruler was used of God to care for God's children even better than he did his own!

Pro 21:1  The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. 

God does make use of unbelieving leaders like this Pharaoh and He still does this thing today for His own purpose.

We should remember how God used Cyrus.

We should remember how God used Nebuchadnezzar.

How God used Pilate even with him knowing Jesus was innocent of all charges!

God still uses unbelieving leaders today to get His will done!

If we need to know more, all we need do is study the Scriptures!

*****Gen 47:27  And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. 

Even during a long famine we see where God will take care of His people if we just do as He says.

We may have to move as did Jacob to a foreign land, but the results were that a nation was formed according to the will of God.

God was fulfilling his promise to Jacob and as He had promised Abram and Isaac.

Gen 46:3  And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: 

Gen 46:4  I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

We might ask ourselves, why did the children of Israel not leave after the famine was over, but we must see that it was not in the will of God at this time to do so.

We know that the children of Israel continued to grow until they may have outnumbered the Egyptians.

The problems came to Israel when they began to spread themselves throughout Egypt, where they began to learn the ways of the Egyptians who worshipped many pagan false gods. They all should have remained in Goshen until God called them home!

Again they forgot the promises of God.

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 

Jacob the old man now Israel as a nation grew at his feet died in peace!

*****Gen 47:28  And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years. 

Jacob may be the last of men to live for such and age as 147 years.

As he raised Joseph, he felt he was in his last years.

For 17 years Joseph had cared for his ailing father until he was sold into slavery, but the Lord was with him.

Twenty-two years passed and Joseph reappeared as Governor of Egypt and Jacob got to spend the last 17 years of his life with Joseph still taking care of his dad.

Jacob died in peace after 22 years of mourning for his son and 17 more years learning the truth!

A couple more things we see is, how a government operates with a 20 percent flat tax on its subjects.

One more thing we see that the government owns all the land, and the people are only tenants on that land.

Our own government is leaning this way today.

Egypt still operates with a system close to this today.

Amen

Being Obedient to God

The Blessings of Christian Relationships

Book of Ephesians 6:1-9

The world may offer many different solutions to have the right relationships but only Jehovah God has the right answers!

Remember that Paul is writing to the Church!

It is hard to have good relationships outside the family until we have the right relationships within the family.

One of the greatest problems we have in America today is with those that are called the millennials.

Those supposedly of higher learning have placed this label upon "our young adult generation".

Who are the Millennials? (The world describes them as) The millennial generation is the generation of children born between 1982 and 2002, some 81 million children who have taken over K-12, have already entered college and the workforce.

Notice in this definition that they are still considered to be "children" rather than "young adults".

This is the beginning of the problem with dealing with this age group!

It reminds me of "DACA" where these people are still called children when the average age of them is 40 years who never made an attempt to become a U.S. citizen. Just like those Millennials they think the world owes them everything.

The millennials are those who have reached adulthood at the beginning of the 21st Century who have not yet grown up or at least the majority of them have not.

This problem came about because the Word of God is no longer in the government. It is rejected!

This problem came about because the Word of God is no longer in the schools. It is forbidden!

This problem came about because the Word of God is longer in the homes. This is the place where the problems with our younger generation could have been corrected!

The greatest problem is, we have allowed the government to dictate the needs of our children and not the parents.

Our generation can be described as the age of problem children and those evil adults who prey on their young minds!

Our generation can be best described as the age of improper parenthood!

We know we live in a less than perfect world and many things may have to just play out, but as Christian parents and grandparents we must do our very best to obey the Word of God in this world and especially in our homes.

Obedience in the home is the place where we can do the most good!

Ephesians chapter 6 verse 1 says

*****Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

All children everywhere are to obey the just commands of their parents!

But we see the root of the problem right here in this Scripture, most parents are "not in the Lord".

That word "obey" means to "submit to".

If we have not submitted to the Lord, how can we expect our children to submit to us!

These Scriptures are written to the Christian family, so as parents, the greatest example we can be to our children and our grandchildren, is submit to the Lord and follow in the ways of the Lord.

If we as parents or even grandparents are not obedient to the Lord, then why should we demand that respect from our children?

We must correct our children, but this does not mean physical abuse!

Small children may require a spanking but there are many forms of discipline for the older children, but none include physical abuse!

Pro_22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Pro_23:13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

Pro_29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

That word "rod" in these Scriptures means "a method of correction" because what works for one child may not work for another child.

If our "words" do not work, then some other method will be required.

We must understand that most all children will hold onto their wrong doing with great tenacity! They are born with the same sin nature that we have.

The key to discipline is to be sure that the child is aware of why he or she is punished!

The parent must be aware that the real reason for any punishment, is to prevent the destruction of that child by this evil world we live in.

One of the greatest problems with our children is that they are left alone much too often while both parents or even a single parent tries to provide for them.

We must also remember our children are never to obey the parents in anything that goes against the Word of God.

This is another Scripture that says, God will hold the parent accountable for that child if we go against the Word of God!

The child has every right to get away from the ungodly home!

Remember the Lord Jesus Christ came to this world to free us from ungodly abuse and the Lord is very serious about these things!

Mar 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

God will not tolerate the abuse of any child!

If those parents are godly parents, then that child is to obey them!

Col 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

As godly children, they also need to be familiar with the Word of God and be taught the Ten Commandments, so they will begin to have an understanding of what God considers to be sin.

Those commandments were given to this world, to see how we measure up to the sinless Son of God, who had no sin in His life!

*****Eph 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

Eph 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

To honor our parents is to realize the great value of having Christian parents!

We also see in this passage that God makes very real promises to those children who honor their Christian parents.

We must know that when the Lord makes a promise it is a binding declaration!

When we toss out the promises of God, then how can we say we have "faith"!

To honor our parents is just the beginning of realizing of a long life that could lead to an eternal life if they also give their hearts to the Lord!

Exo 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: "that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee".

There is a second promise here.

God says, things will go well for the children who honor their parents!

This means that the Lord will help those children to live a victorious life again, if they give their heart to Jesus!

It is the godly family at home that will also realize the importance of the Church, where all the family of God will gather together.

To honor means that those parents or grandparents must be very precious to each of us!

To honor our Lord Jesus Christ, is to know that He is very precious in this life and holds the gift of eternal life, because He is life!

Jas_1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, "which the Lord hath promised to them that love him".

When we honor someone, we will do the things that make them happy!

We should also realize that when this passage talks of children, it does not refer to any age group because even as we age, we are to honor our Christian parents as long as they live!

A child who honors their parents and grandparents will not do any wrong!

God also has many other promises.

Deu 27:16 "Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother". And all the people shall say, Amen.

The parents also have obligations!

*****Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord".

As parents we have this great responsibility!

Children are a blessing given to us from God Himself!

Gen 33:5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, "The children which God hath graciously given thy servant".

As Christian parents, we are to love our children and remember, love is an action word and not just words that come out of our mouths.

Tit 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, "to love their children",

As Christian parents, we are to lead our children to the Lord no matter their age!

Mat 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

We are to do for our children, just as the Lord does for each of His children!

Isa 38:19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: "the father to the children shall make known thy truth".

We must realize that family life has its origin in Heaven!

Each family is to be little world reflection of the family of God!

Each family is to be a little world reflection of God's church!

God will punish His own children who show open defiance of His Word and as parents we must punish our own child who show open defiance to our words, but our words must be according to the Word of God!

We must not over control any child. Remember God gives each of us the freedom of choice, but He also cautions us to know that choices also bring consequences that we will have to endure. This is a great lesson for the child to learn early in his or her days! Choices bring consequences!

There should be a balance between home life and life outside the doors of that home.

We are to train up that child in a godly manner and pray that they will use that training in every decision that they make when they are out in the world!

If we are over protective of our children, they will become discouraged and through this discouragement make bad choices.

The other side of this this is, if we to over control our children they will take advantage of us!

This is the biggest problem in the family today. We pamper our children. We try to give them anything they want. We give in to their desires without questioning them.

It is also true that the parent needs some free time but never at the expense of losing that child to the world!

We must live our lives according to the Word of God if we expect our children to live by our words!

When we tell a child not to do something and then we turn around and do those things in their sight, we will certainly cause problems with that child and in that home!

Jer 9:14 But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, "which their fathers taught them":

We are to raise our children according to our own thought and ways, we are to raise our children according to the Word of God!

The Word of God is to be the guide for the entire family and not just the children!

If we have the fruit of the Holy Spirit, then our children will realize that this is the way they should be.

And if our children have given themselves to the Lord, then we need to disciple them as well as being taught ourselves.

Life is full of pitfalls and temptations which can destroy the family, and this must be the thing that we try to avoid the most!

Lam 2:19 Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: "lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street".

As Christians we must pray that our children will be hungry for the Word of God just as we must also be.

Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

God wrote these words not just for the adult but also for the children.

All these things should follow us in every facet of our lives!

*****Eph 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Eph 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

Eph 6:7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

We must clearly understand that the problem with this world we live in is not an economic problem, but it is a spiritual problem and it begins in each home.

There were millions of slaves in the Roman Empire in the days of the Apostle Paul. It is said, that the number could be as high as 60 million slaves.

This leaves us no doubt that many of these slaves became Christians and the Holy Spirit caused Paul to address these things.

Most all the things we learn here in these Scriptures we can carry over into the work place of today!

The Lord did not allow the Jews to have slaves and we can understand that this is still the same for all Christians today, but it cannot be denied that slavery was a large part of the world of that day and slavery is much more widespread today than is covered by any news source, or reported by any governments, including the United Nations!

The New Testament has a lot to say about slavery!

As we go through these things lets also consider that slaves of that day had no rights at all, they were considered nothing more than a piece of merchandise!

It is not proper to change anything in the Bible but let’s just think of the word "employee" in the place of the word "servants" as we look at this passage.

As employees, we are to follow the instructions of our employer.

"According to the flesh" means that these employers are to be obeyed in the workplace.

The phrase with "fear and trembling" does not mean to work with the fear of men but to work with the "fear of God" which really means to understand what God is teaching in this passage.

As Christians, no matter our positions in the workplace or any other place, we are never to bring reproach upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the things that we do!

Psa 31:19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them "that trust in thee before the sons of men"!

No matter who we are or what we do, when we undertake to serve individuals or even the public for any sort wage or payment, we must do so according to the will of God in our lives!

As Christians, if we receive a payment for some service we are providing, then we are to work with singleness of heart as if we are providing that service for Jesus Christ.

We must be devoted to our work and not just pretending to be a good workman!

1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

We do not quit being owned of God no matter what we do! We are bought and paid for with the blood of Jesus Christ!

We are never to do anything to please men, all our work is to please God!

Whether our boss is looking at us or not looking at us while we work, we should accomplish our work as if the Lord is watching "because He is".

We are to work from our heart that has been changed by the Lord, no matter what we do or who we do it for!

Exo 23:25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.

We must realize that it is an honor and a privilege to serve the Lord even while we are serving others!

We must realize that the "Grace" of God makes us servants of God even while we are servants of men!

Grace enables us to do the business of Heaven, while we are attending to the business of earth.

This may sound funny, but we are to come out from the evils of this world, even while we are still among them!

No matter where we are, or what we are doing, as long as it is not immoral or unjust labor, we are to work diligently as if we were working for the Lord!

1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, "forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord".

The result of such a diligent work habit will reflect on an equal reward from the Lord!

We will always receive our rewards based upon effort no matter who we are, because God is no respecter of persons.

2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

We must also remember, God is not going to hold these things over our head, God is truly wanting to bless each and every one of us, but He does expect us to do right after He has given us the gift of His "Grace" which came by our "faith".

*****Eph 6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

It does not matter if we are a slave or a CEO of some large company, we are to be diligent in our workplace!

No matter how hard our job, no matter how difficult our job, God rewards us for the effort in doing that job right!

Jesus Christ gave of Himself in everything He did, even giving His life for all of us!

We must also remember craving recognition for our service, can become a disease.

Isa 3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

Even today, there are many Christians who cannot do anything unless the world knows about it. They will then have lost any reward they could have had!

Pro 11:18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.

We should remember the slave, who would work in hope of a future day of freedom and release from that bondage.

It should be the same for the Christian, we should work for the future, that day of perfection when we will meet the Lord in the air.

Nothing upon this earth has the importance of that day!

It is the day the Lord gathers His redeemed! After all, as Christians we know that this is the next thing on God's agenda.

1Co 7:22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.

Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

The Lord has given the workman many things that become the Christian service, even at his workplace and to those who serve, and even to those who are the slaves in this modern-day world, but the Lord also has instructions for those who are masters.

*****Eph 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Notice the master is to do all the same things as the worker, or the slave!

The master is to treat the workman in the same way as they are to treat him!

These masters, or foremen, or supervisors, and all such people, are to follow the same principles of God as the worker!

We are all humans created by the Jehovah God, through Jesus Christ!

We all have the same Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, who sits on the throne in Heaven, taking account of all things upon this earth.

To the Lord, the master on earth and the slave (the worker) are one and the same, when they belong to Him.

Col 4:1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

The Lord will reward, or He will punish according to the character we have shown here on earth no matter who we are or what place in society we are a part of!

As Christians we must be loyal to all our responsibilities until the Lord takes us home. This includes the family, including our Christian family, the workplace, the community and especially the Church where God has placed us.

Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Col 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Col 3:25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

There is to no one and in no place, are we to be in a threatening manner. We are all accountable to the Lord for every action we take!

Amen

Let's Pray!