April 20, 2024

A LIVING TESTIMONY TO THE GRACE OF GOD

I am a living testimony to the saving grace of our God.

The arrangement of the furniture in the temple is a copy of Jesus on the cross. Now picture the tabernacle as if you are a bird looking down on it. The tabernacle is in the form of the cross on which Jesus died.

Now, picture if you will, the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. His feet nailed at the site of the altar and laver, fire and water, the fire in His soul for our salvation and the water of life for our salvation. Then His torso, the candlestick, the Light of the world; the altar of incense, the sweet smelling savor to God, and the shewbread, the Manna of life from heaven. all of this for us, in order to appease the wrath of God against our sin. Then the ark of the covenant, His royal head, crowned with thorns as those men wrapped the Ark of the Covenant in thorns. God in heaven saw all of this as they tortured and murdered His one and only Son. He, the Father and He the Spirit turned away in anguish and pain as His Son hung there, dying a mortal's death, suspended between heaven and earth, refusing to save Himself for our sakes.

The disobedient, terrible unrepentant sinners of earth will deserve the wrath of God if they knowingly crucify the Son of God afresh in their hearts. There are stony, sinful, terrible hearts of unregenerate men and women all over the earth. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosovever believeth in Him should not (and would not) perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Moses lifted up a brazen serpent on a pole to cure snake bite in the wilderness and those who believed him and what he was doing were healed. God lifted up His Son on a pole (cross) in this wilderness of sin and degradation and whosoever believes in Him is cured of the poison of sin. Moses said look once and be healed of the serpent's poison. God said look once and be healed of the Serpent's poison.

Holy Spirit of God, please bless this message today. May someone, anyone read it and heed it.

Jesus Christ is God's tabernacle in form on the cross. Catholics keep Him there, Christian believers do not. We take Him down and place Him in our hearts. Priests in Catholicism forgive sins. God alone forgives our sins. Once saved, always saved. We do not continually crucify Jesus over and over, as they do.

We do not work FOR for our salvation. We only work OUT our salvation by following our Lord as He leads us. Vast difference. “Not by works of righteousness, but by GRACE we are saved, through FAITH, and that not of works, as it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone boast”. It is God alone, it is the work of the Holy Spirit and it is by faith alone that we are redeemed. Once saved (by grace through faith), we identify with our Lord in water baptism by immersion to show His death, burial and resurrection in one pictoral act. Baptism does not save anyone, it comes after salvation. Jesus Christ is the saving One and the applier is the Holy Spirit of God, who immediately takes residence in our heart. The Spirit “grows” us up into spiritual maturity.

Paul said, “I would that thou would be as me”, meaning he wanted Agrippa to be saved by God's grace. Agrippa's response was “almost thou persuadeth me”. It is important here to note that the Spirit of God does not make mistakes. He calls whom He will for He knows the hearts of all men. If He convicts you of your need, surrender immediately!

He called me 70 years ago. I have never, ever regretted surrendering my heart and my life to Him.

Maranatha

Gerry