Category: JEW – ISRAEL

God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit live in a great fortress, but because of the law and it’s condemnation of us, there is an enormous moat filled with the world’s sin which denies all of us access to God.  Jesus, God’s Son, is the drawbridge.  Jesus, who laid down His life for our sins, is laid down as the drawbridge allowing us to cross over the moat of sin and enter into the Holy of Holies and stand in God’s presence righteous and without blemish because of the blood of Jesus.  So Jesus PROVIDES believers access to God.

When you attend Booster Club meetings, are you representing Spencer as his mom, are you representing Scott as his wife, are you representing your Mom as her daughter, are you representing the neighborhood or community in some capacity?  If so, are you one person or many?  Obviously, you’re one person, but one person represented in different roles at different times in different places. 

The difference is that God, who is everywhere (omnipresent), knows everything (omniscient), and is all powerful (omnipotent) doesn’t make the Trinity seem too difficult to grasp.  It’s just difficult for our finite minds to understand all the things of God.  So God sent the Holy Spirit as the Great Comforter after Jesus left, but God’s Spirit is also talked about before Jesus’ birth.  God sent Jesus to die for sin and conquer death, but Jesus is talked about throughout the Bible before His birth.  God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are 3-in1, but serving in different roles at different times in different places. 

Here is something else I’d like you to think about.  Jews believe and have been taught that God is holy and righteous, so they write G-d out of reverence for Him and sometimes won’t even speak His name.  According to the Bible, God is holy and righteous, but He’s definitely not permissive.  So why would God’s penalty for sins be so much less than man’s earthly penalty?  If repentance, keeping the law, and doing good deeds can atone for sin, why are murderers, thieves, child molesters, and other criminals punished?  Why can’t a murderer go before a judge and say, “I’ve repented and will keep the law.  I’ll do good deeds, if you set me free.”  Would you feel that judge was just if the murderer had murdered your precious family and the judge set him/her free?

⇛ continue reading Letter to a Jewish Friend Part 4
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The Bible stresses there is an incredible price to pay for sin, and nowhere does it say that keeping the law earns you a ticket into heaven, not only because it’s impossible for anyone to keep the law going all the way back to the Garden of Eden, but more importantly, to deny any of us the ability to claim that our works make us worthy of it.  David writes in Psalm 14:3, “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”  This is a recurring theme throughout the Scriptures.

Now look at Leviticus 24:11 and Matt. 12:31.  These verses deal with blaspheming God.  If God hates blasphemy and killed a child because of it, why wouldn’t God wipe Jesus right off the map for claiming to be “I AM”?  Even though Jesus claimed to be God’s Son, the Bible says he didn’t consider himself equal with God, nor did He demand royal treatment.  He was God’s humble servant and yet WAS and IS God.  Do you know how many bragging rights Jesus had?  Imagine if one of us were in such a role.    

We humans are all about consumerism and, from the beginning have been rebellious against God.  We love to customize everything to fit our needs, including God and the conditions upon which we’ll obey Him.  So, as an example, let’s use a smorgasbord of food.  We stroll through taking what we like and don’t like.  I’ll use myself as an example.  I tend to put healthy veggies on my plate because I know they’re good for me, but 99% of the time don’t eat them because I don’t like them.  It makes me “feel good” having them there even though, in the end, I don’t acknowledge them. 

So applying that spiritually, we want a double portion of God’s blessings, but we don’t want God’s discipline.  We want forgiveness of sins, but we don’t want Christ.  Maybe we put God on our plate (like my veggies) because it makes us “feel good,” but never acknowledge Him.  He’s a prop.  So we dictate to a holy and righteous God and give him our conditions.  “God, I like your salvation.  I’ll take that, but I’ll obey you when it works for me.  Don’t ask me to move out of my boyfriend’s house.  I know I’m living out of your will and it’s a sin, but I love Him too much.  It just feels too good.”  “God, I’ll do this, this, and this for you, if you do this, this, and this for me, but DON’T ask me to do THAT because I won’t.  Here’s where I draw the line.”  “God, I’ll obey your commandments because I want to look good in man’s eyes, and it makes me feel like a good person.”  We all need to be careful and not forget that at the end of the smorgasbord, there’s a price to pay for what we’ve taken, and none of us can afford to pay the tab.

There’s only one way to get past the cashier without paying because someone, who loves us very much, came through ahead of us and paid our tab, and was God’s Son, Jesus Christ.  God realized no one could afford the tab because we’re bankrupt, spiritually bankrupt, ruined by sin according to the law.  A person can only get through with JESUS CHRIST and JESUS CHRIST alone.  Nothing else will suffice, not Jesus PLUS something else, not good works, and not religion.  You could say that Jesus is our “Get out of Hell Free” card.  Jesus is God’s gift to everyone.  There’s nothing we can do to earn it, deserve it, and it can’t be bought, stolen, inherited, or shared.  It’s given freely to all, but it’s only good upon redemption by an individual placing their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Redeemer and Savior.

⇛ continue reading Letter to a Jewish Friend Part 5
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God told the Israelites to put an innocent lamb’s blood on their doorposts to avoid physical death when the angel of death passed over, and there will be a second “pass over” when Christ returns for His church and believers.  This time, God tells Jews and Gentiles alike to put an innocent lamb’s blood on their doorposts, the doorposts of their hearts to avoid spiritual death.  The innocent lamb’s blood is the blood of Jesus, the blameless Lamb of God.  When the angel of death passes over, if Jesus’ blood is missing, spiritual death will occur.  Those who’ve rejected Christ will suffer eternal punishment for their sins and eternal separation from God.  God chose Israel as his people, but throughout the Bible they rejected God despite all He did for them.  Even though they are God’s chosen nation, unless they accept Christ, just like Gentiles, they are not God’s children. 

God gave us all a free will.  We can reject His plan, we can reject His Son, and we can curse Him and have idols in place of Him, or we can get with God’s program.  He didn’t make us robots.  He allows each and every one of us to choose because He desires us to come freely.  In order to realize one’s need for salvation, the Bible says we must humble ourselves and come to God in childlike faith leaving our self-righteousness, education, religion, self-sufficiency, good works, self-worthiness, and anything else on our resume and check it at the door realizing we are spiritually bankrupt due to sin. 

Read the following Bible passage speaking about the Jews’ rejection of Jesus:  
2 Cor. 3:12-16, “Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.  But their minds were blinded.  For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.  But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.  Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” 

⇛ continue reading Letter to a Jewish Friend Part 6
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Many Jews today continue to reject God’s plan, as mentioned in the above scripture passage, but whether Jew or Gentile, atheist, Buddhist, Mormon, Islam, or any other religion, faith in Christ often comes with a price as well, but one that we can afford even though it might be difficult.  We might lose a job, friends, a spouse, or family members because of our faith.  Suzanne, you might have a lot to lose by becoming a believer in Christ, but the benefits are for an eternity.  This earth is so temporary, but unfortunately, ignorance doesn’t trump accountability.  We all have to stand before God one day and won’t have opportunity to blame anyone else or pass the buck.  It amazes me that while on earth, we always want the best odds working for us, but when it comes to eternity, we’re willing to gamble with bad odds, take enormous risk and lose everything permanently.

From the perspective of an atheist, Buddhist, Jew, or any other religion, if Christianity is wrong, I really don’t have much to lose.  But if Christianity is true, those who reject Christ have EVERYTHING to lose and nothing to gain in the end.  I don’t know about you, but I want the best odds possible, and God made those odds to work in my favor even though I don’t deserve it. 

I leave you this last passage in closing:  “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, RATHER than according to Messiah.  For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.  And in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Messiah.  Having been buried with Him in baptism (of the Spirit), in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.  And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.  Having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

God, Creator of the universe, who hung the sun, moon, and stars and spoke the planets into place, desires our fellowship, not because He needs us, but because He loves us.  The same way we desire fellowship with our children and husbands because we love them.  In order to make that fellowship possible, God was required to hang something else, His precious Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross and shed His blood as the LAST and FINAL sin offering.  What a picture of God’s incredible love for us, the same love Abraham showed for God when he was willing to offer Isaac, his only son to God.

As you enjoy the warmth of God’s sun there in beautiful Arizona, I pray one day that you, too, will enjoy the warmth of God’s Son, Jesus, in your heart.  If you sincerely seek God through the reading of Scripture, God promises to reveal His truth through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  If through your searching, God doesn’t reveal anything new, you haven’t lost much other than time.  But, if through this, God does reveal truths, you have EVERYTHING TO GAIN.

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According to John, Jesus was (is) the Word and the Word was (is) God and He was the creator. John 1:1-10. In verse 14 He was made flesh (a Jew).
Then John 1:11 states He came unto his own, and his own received him not. He went to the Jews (and offered them the Kingdom of David) but they rejected him. However, according to John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: This would be the Jews who believed on His Name.

But what about the Gentiles?
Let’s look at the words of Jesus while he walked on the earth.
Matthew 10:5-6 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And again in Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The twelve continued this even after the resurrection and ascention:
Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem
And again in Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Even Saul after his conversion went to the Jews. Acts 9:20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. Acts 9:22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
This JEWS ONLY continued for many years as evidenced in Acts 11:19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
And Saul continued this practice even after his name was changed (Acts 13:9) from Saul to Paul: Acts 13:16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
But the Gentiles started to hear Paul in Acts 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath
And as the Jews spoke against Paul he turned to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46) Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you (Jews): but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
But did Paul turn his back on his own people? Nay, he just obeyed the Lord and opened the door of Salvation to the Gentile world.
Romans 3:29 Is He the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
Romans 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, in as much as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Paul stated further:
Galatians 2:8 For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:
1 Timothy 2:7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
2 Timothy 1:11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

The Apostles had a ministry to reach the Jewish nation with God’s good news (Salvation) and Saul (Paul) was commissioned by God to go to the Gentiles. Thus, Paul’s epistles were written to Gentile Churches which also had believing Jews.

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