Monthly Archives: September 2012

09/24/12

Hebrews 10: Christ’s Sacrifice Once For All

        

          Sacrifice is hard, and it is not a part of the natural ways of mankind. As people, we tend to prefer the easier roads to travel, and sacrifice involves traveling the hardest roads without knowing where they may lead, just having a surety that the way will be hard. So how do we obtain the surety that our sacrifice is not in vain? We find it in clinging to Christ, the ultimate Gift of Sacrifice, where we find our joy and stability. It is through His Holy Spirit that we find the key to happiness–living for Him as our sole source of hope and strength. GOD the Father knew before the beginning of time that we would need a Savior, and Jesus, the son of GOD, volunteered to become the sacrificial lamb. Our sins can be forgiven; our hope can be restored.

Is life easy. Absolutely not. People often envy those who appear to have it all, but this is appearance only. Happiness evades those who are dependent upon the world for their identity and substance. Let us cling therefore to Him who is our everything, our identity, and our substance.

 

Praise Ye The LORD.     Charlene

 

Hebrews 10

 

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

 

10 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshippers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

 

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

 

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.’”[a]

 

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

 

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

 

15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

 

16 “This is the covenant I will make with them
    after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
    and I will write them on their minds.”[b]

 

17 Then he adds:

 

“Their sins and lawless acts
    I will remember no more.”[c]

 

18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

 

 

A Call to Persevere in Faith

 

 

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

 

26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”[e] 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

 

36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For,

 

“In just a little while,
    he who is coming will come
    and will not delay.”[f]

 

38 And,

“But my righteous[g] one will live by faith.
    And I take no pleasure
    in the one who shrinks back.”[h]

 

39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

 

Footnotes:

 

  1. Hebrews 10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)

  2. Hebrews 10:16 Jer. 31:33

  3. Hebrews 10:17 Jer. 31:34

  4. Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:35

  5. Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:36; Psalm 135:14

  6. Hebrews 10:37 Isaiah 26:20; Hab. 2:3

  7. Hebrews 10:38 Some early manuscripts But the righteous

  8. Hebrews 10:38 Hab. 2:4 (see Septuagint)

 

New International Version (NIV)

 

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Charlene Kirst
09/17/12

120917 Jeremiah 6: Warning and Punishment

   Some passages of Scripture speak so plainly to us that we are left on our knees in prayer. Mankind has not changed much since the days of  Jeremiah the Prophet, and because we live in a time when teaching the wrath of GOD is not considered “politically correct”, we miss one of the most basic teachings of scripture. Every child gets warning after warning to change their ways–and we as parents discipline when those changes do not occur. Since we are made in the image of Christ, wouldn’t we as children of GOD  expect discipline also?

 

 

Jeremiah 6

 

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

 

Jerusalem’s Last Warning

 

 

6 “Run for your lives, you people of Benjamin!
    Get out of Jerusalem!
Sound the alarm in Tekoa!
    Send up a signal at Beth-hakkerem!
A powerful army is coming from the north,
    coming with disaster and destruction.
2 O Jerusalem,[a] you are my beautiful and delicate daughter—
    but I will destroy you!
3 Enemies will surround you, like shepherds camped around the city.
    Each chooses a place for his troops to devour.
4 They shout, ‘Prepare for battle!
    Attack at noon!’
‘No, it’s too late; the day is fading,
    and the evening shadows are falling.’
5 ‘Well then, let’s attack at night
    and destroy her palaces!’”

 

6 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Cut down the trees for battering rams.
    Build siege ramps against the walls of Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
    for she is wicked through and through.
7 She spouts evil like a fountain.
    Her streets echo with the sounds of violence and destruction.
    I always see her sickness and sores.
8 Listen to this warning, Jerusalem,
    or I will turn from you in disgust.
Listen, or I will turn you into a heap of ruins,
    a land where no one lives.”

9 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Even the few who remain in Israel
    will be picked over again,
as when a harvester checks each vine a second time
    to pick the grapes that were missed.”

 

 

Judah’s Constant Rebellion

 

 

10 To whom can I give warning?
    Who will listen when I speak?
Their ears are closed,
    and they cannot hear.
They scorn the word of the Lord.
    They don’t want to listen at all.
11 So now I am filled with the Lord’s fury.
    Yes, I am tired of holding it in!

 

“I will pour out my fury on children playing in the streets
    and on gatherings of young men,
on husbands and wives
    and on those who are old and gray.
12 Their homes will be turned over to their enemies,
    as will their fields and their wives.
For I will raise my powerful fist
    against the people of this land,”
    says the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
    their lives are ruled by greed.
From prophets to priests,
    they are all frauds.
14 They offer superficial treatments
    for my people’s mortal wound.
They give assurances of peace
    when there is no peace.
15 Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions?
    Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!
Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.
    They will be brought down when I punish them,”
    says the Lord.

 

       

Judah Rejects the Lord’s Way

 

16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
    Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.
    But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’
17 I posted watchmen over you who said,
    ‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’
But you replied,
    ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’

 

18 “Therefore, listen to this, all you nations.
    Take note of my people’s situation.
19 Listen, all the earth!
    I will bring disaster on my people.
It is the fruit of their own schemes,
    because they refuse to listen to me.
    They have rejected my word.
20 There’s no use offering me sweet frankincense from Sheba.
    Keep your fragrant calamus imported from distant lands!
I will not accept your burnt offerings.
    Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me.”

21 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
    “I will put obstacles in my people’s path.
Fathers and sons will both fall over them.
    Neighbors and friends will die together.”

 

An Invasion from the North

 

22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! A great army coming from the north!
    A great nation is rising against you from far-off lands.
23 They are armed with bows and spears.
    They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like a roaring sea
    as they ride forward on horses.
They are coming in battle formation,
    planning to destroy you, beautiful Jerusalem.[b]”

 

24 We have heard reports about the enemy,
    and we wring our hands in fright.
Pangs of anguish have gripped us,
    like those of a woman in labor.
25 Don’t go out to the fields!
    Don’t travel on the roads!
The enemy’s sword is everywhere
    and terrorizes us at every turn!
26 Oh, my people, dress yourselves in burlap
    and sit among the ashes.
Mourn and weep bitterly, as for the loss of an only son.
    For suddenly the destroying armies will be upon you!

 

27 “Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals,[c]
    that you may determine the quality of my people.
28 They are the worst kind of rebel,
    full of slander.
They are as hard as bronze and iron,
    and they lead others into corruption.
29 The bellows fiercely fan the flames
    to burn out the corruption.
But it does not purify them,
    for the wickedness remains.
30 I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’
    for I, the Lord, am discarding them.”

 

 

Footnotes:

 

  1. Jeremiah 6:2 Hebrew Daughter of Zion.

  2. Jeremiah 6:23 Hebrew daughter of Zion.

  3. Jeremiah 6:27 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads a tester of my people a fortress.

 

 
New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
09/11/12

Haggai 2 The Future of The Temple

 

Haggai 2 Expounded

 

There are seasons in which the work we are called to do for Christ is prolific and productive–then we walk into a quieter season where what we have accomplished in the past seems to be just  there, in the past. If we can keep the perspective that The Heavenly Father has more work to be accomplished, and a different productive season for us in which those things that we have learned from the past can enhance the work of the future–then we can relax in His love and proceed to the next challenge.

 

Why do I say challenge?

 

          The work of the Kingdom; “The Great Commission”  is a challenge to listen well, hear clearly, and walk uprightly before a righteous Savior who is not only willing to equip us for the challenges ahead of us, but through His Holy Spirit seeks to inspire us to trust Him for guidance and direction. It is the measure of our ability to discern and perceive the direction in which Christ is leading us that produces either a perfect work or a work that lacks some of the spiritual and corporeal elements needed to produce good fruit mete for the Harvest.

 

          ‘Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in Heaven and Earth. Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples; baptize them in the Name of  the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28: 18-20

 

          The call to the Great Commission, through the unction of the Holy Spirit, is a task not to be taken lightly and for which we must be prepared. Just as the world prepares us for higher education and personal achievement–The Holy Spirit prepares us through the Scriptural Word,  teaching, preaching, and the example of those saints equipped to instruct and lead us to seek first The Kingdom of GOD, and then to place all other things in their proper perspective.

 

         As saints living as imperfect people in an imperfect world, we struggle to rise above the tide; to stand out in a crowd as those who truly care about our brothers and sisters; fellow travelers on this road of Life. What does standing out involve?  It is a heartswork conducted and led by The Holy Spirit that uses all that we have learned to instruct and help others not as advanced as ourselves in their spiritual walk in Christ. This is not a matter of pride or superiority–it is a recognition of those who have worked hard and have paid their dues through pain and even bloodshed for the Cause of Christ. After all, Jesus paid our price on the Cross. How can we do less?

 

          The Temple represents not only our physical bodies, but the entire body of believers. The walls of the church are spiritual walls independent of hewn rock, pillars, and pews. These walls are held upright through the intercessory prayers and petitions of those who approach GOD’s throne daily, building up a foundation of faith and perseverence, and of allegiance to the Fruit of the Spirit as found in Galations 5: 22-26.

 

So, how does GODly application yield Good Fruit? What is the Future of The Temple?

 

           That depends upon you and me. Do we “study to show ourselves approved”, or do we study to simply announce our worth to other’s? The zeal to take The Word to the entire earth is our inner being responding to the desires of GOD’s Holy Spirit. Following His lead brings peace and inner healing to all who would receive Him. The commissioned work is already proclaimed, the victory is already sure, and the war’s results are already ordained. As soldiers in GOD’s army we must grab hold of the promises of GOD as weaponry, and trust to His Mercy and Grace to see us through the battle for hearts and spirits. Jesus’ grace and mercy abound in limitless measure. We simply need to approach the Temple where provision is laid out for us and walk in the door. Jesus awaits us there. We are then in His Holy Temple and the peace of His perfect Will.

 

GOD Bless You, Charlene

 

 

Haggai 2

 

The New Temple’s Diminished Splendor

 

2 Then on October 17 of that same year,[a] the Lord sent another message through the prophet Haggai. 2 “Say this to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua[b] son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of God’s people there in the land: 3 ‘Does anyone remember this house—this Temple—in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! 4 But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5 My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’

 

6 “For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. 7 I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

 

Blessings Promised for Obedience
10 On December 18[c] of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord sent this message to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Ask the priests this question about the law: 12 ‘If one of you is carrying some meat from a holy sacrifice in his robes and his robe happens to brush against some bread or stew, wine or olive oil, or any other kind of food, will it also become holy?’”

 

The priests replied, “No.”

 

13 Then Haggai asked, “If someone becomes ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person and then touches any of these foods, will the food be defiled?”

 

And the priests answered, “Yes.”

 

14 Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin. 15 Look at what was happening to you before you began to lay the foundation of the Lord’s Temple. 16 When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty. 17 I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy everything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you refused to return to me, says the Lord.

 

18 “Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day[d] when the foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid. Think carefully. 19 I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn.[e] You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.”

 

Promises for Zerubbabel

20 On that same day, December 18,[f] the Lord sent this second message to Haggai: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overthrow royal thrones and destroy the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and riders. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other.

 

23 “But when this happens, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

 

Footnotes:

a.Haggai 2:1 Hebrew on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event (in the second year of Darius’s reign) occurred on October 17, 520 b.c.; also see note on 1:1a.
b.Haggai 2:2 Hebrew Joshua, a variant spelling of Jeshua; also in 2:4.
c.Haggai 2:10 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar (similarly in 2:18). This event occurred on December 18, 520 b.c.; also see note on 1:1a.
d.Haggai 2:18 Or On this eighteenth day of December, think about the day.
e.Haggai 2:19 Hebrew Is the seed yet in the barn?
f.Haggai 2:20 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the [ninth] month; see note on 2:10.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Charlene Kirst
09/4/12

Quote from Perry Stone’s “How to Interpret Dreams & Visions”

 

 “Once when I was ministering, a man cynical of spiritual manifestations said, “So what is the difference between a psychic telling someone correct information about himself and some preacher telling someone GOD”s future plans?’

 

I replied, “The difference is that an alleged psychic will tell you what’s on your [italics mine] mind, but a man [or woman] of GOD will tell you what is on GOD’s mind!”

 

Charlene’s Source: How To Intepret Dreams and Visions: Understanding GOD’s Warnings & Guidance pages 84 & 85.  Perry Stone 2011, Charisma House, Publishers.

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