Category: The Lord Jesus

Lamb of Calvary

Hebrews 9 New International Version 

The Blood of Christ

11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,[a] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining[b] eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[c] so that we may serve the living God!

15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

16 In the case of a will,[d] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”[e] 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Gentle Love

Oh Gentle Love that fills this room

The height and breadth of Grace

Reaching far beyond these walls

To fill all land and space

Protecting us, with feathers tight

His Angels lo, descend

Swirling all around our rooms

While we sleep in our beds

No wrong comes near our dwelling place

While long fingers point above

Reminding us, He lays us down

And that God is Love

He gives us night time to reflect

And rest from busy days

May we practice loving him

And learn to see His ways.

Be careful little eyes what you see!

One of the songs we teach little children reflected in the title of this article, warns them to be careful what they do with their eyes. All of us need to remember this lesson as we decide which TV shows and movies to watch, which books to read, which songs to listen to, and what to do on the Internet.

Recent Studies
U.S. News and World Report reported that teens who watch sex on TV are more likely to start having intercourse (USNews.com, 9/7/04).

Researchers at the RAND corp., the study referenced in the US News and World report above, found that it didn’t matter if kids watched sexual behavior or if people just talked about sex on TV; the result was the same — kids who watch TV shows with sexual content are more likely to be sexually active.

The conclusion in the RAND study states that “watching sex on TV predicts and may hasten adolescent sexual initiation.” Also that “reducing the amount of sexual content in entertainment programming, reducing adolescent exposure to this content, or increasing references to and depictions of possible negative consequences of sexual activity could appreciably delay the initiation” of sexual activities (PEDIATRICS, Vol. 114, No. 3, September 2004, pp. e280-e289).

A new study released in Pediatrics this month concluded that “exposure to sexual content in music, movies, television, and magazines accelerates white adolescents’ sexual activity and increases their risk of engaging in early sexual intercourse” by as much as 2.2 times (PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 4 April 2006, pp. 1018-1027).

Jesus Said It
These studies prove what we already know to be true. Jesus said, “The eye is the light of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. . . .” (Matt. 6:22-23).

Jesus tells us that we will become what we watch with our eyes. If we view good things, this will help us be good. But if we view evil things, this will encourage us to be evil.

Evil Companions
Paul warns us, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals'” (1 Cor. 15:33).

If we watch evil entertainment, we are prone to imitate the evil things we see. If we watch sexual content, we are prone to imitate the sexual behavior we see. If we watch violence, we are prone to imitate the violent behavior we see.

All of us should determine to turn from the deception of Satan, turning away from wickedness that corrupts good morals.

Be Committed, Like David
David’s commitment was, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes” (Ps. 101:3).

All Christians should make the same commitment. It’s not possible for us to avoid all the evil that is in the world. But we can avoid evil in many respects, including TV, movies, the Internet, video games, books, magazines, and music.

If you haven’t made the same commitment as David, why don’t you make it today? Set no wicked thing before your eyes!

Perseverance

Jude 1 V17 – 23

A Call to Persevere

17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh