The oky’s Podcast

February 9 - Mark 1

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today we will start a quick series about Jesus. For those who call themselves Christians, He is the main thing we look to for how to live this faith we have in the middle of the world we are in. So I want to talk this week about Jesus, through the eyes of John. . . 
 
Now we already talked about Jesus being the light that the darkness could not overcome. So we won’t get into that today. But I want to start today in the book of Mark. But this week we will jump around the gospels a bit. So follow along in the text if you can. And while I am reading, I’ll give you some brief explanation of why each text is so important. So here we go, starting in Mark, chapter 1. 
 
Mark 1
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: 
“I will send my messenger ahead of you, 
Who will prepare your way”
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, 
Make straight paths for him.’
 
This reference to Isaiah prophesying about the messiah coming, and just as importantly, the promise that someone would come and prepare the way for the Lord. Which if you go to John’s gospel, he says that John the Baptist was questioned about who he was, and he answered in the words of Isaiah - “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.” (John 1:23) So John the Baptist admitted that he was the one who would prepare the way for the Lord, just as Isaiah promised. And that is why this is just as important as the messiah coming. This shows God’s faithfulness to his promise. He won’t just do what he said, he will do it in a way that he promises. John the Baptist coming and preparing the way for Jesus was a sign that the prophecies would come true. 
 
Mark continues by telling us, 
 
And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 
 
So John went out into the wilderness and lived a different lifestyle than everyone else. He was weird!!!! He ate honey and locusts, and wore camel’s hair clothing with a leather belt around his waist. 
 
Why is this in the text? Remember, everything written is in the text for a reason. . 
 
Well Mark is tying John the Baptist to Elijah. 
 
In 2 Kings, there is a story where a prophet gave an unfavorable word to King Ahazia’s servant and told him it was for the king. When the king asked who the prophet was that told him this message, the servant replied, 
 
2 Kings 1:8 
“He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.”
The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”
 
And this isn’t just a coincidence, they didn’t just have the same fashion advisor, Jesus acknowledges this as well. He talks about the importance of John the Baptist IN Matthew 11:11-14
 
Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
 
So Jesus even acknowledges this parallel. 
 
Why is this so important? 
 
Elijah said that one would come. And he had an important role. Malachi tells of the role John would play - 
 
Malachi 4:5-6
See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” 
 
Did you know that John is responsible for Peter and Andrew following Jesus. They were his disciples first, and he told them about Jesus. When Jesus appeared on the scene teaching, John told them to go and follow him. He was preparing people to be ready for the messiah to come.
 
And how was he preparing them? 
 
He was teaching them, telling them to repent of their sins, and baptizing them. 
 
This prepared the people for Jesus’s ministry. 
 
And Jesus came and modeled the importance of this ministry. Keep reading in Mark 1:9
 
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “you are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 
 
Jesus got baptized! 
 
Why? 
 
He was demonstrating for us, how to honor God. It starts with obedience. Jesus wanted to honor John and his teachings. And he wanted to show us what it looks like to repent and follow Jesus. 
 
So baptism is important to us because of this. 
 
It’s not what gets you saved. But it is a symbol of your salvation. It shows that you believe Jesus was buried by going down into the water. But then it also symbolizes his resurrection as you come out of the water a new person. When Jesus came up, the Holy Spirit landed on him like a dove. Not to mess up your childhood Bible pictures, but it wasn’t necessarily a dove or even a dove like figure that landed on him. The verbage here indicates that the spirit descended upon Jesus as though it were landing on him like a dove would. But what you have is the first moment in the gospels where Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united in one place. The audible voice of God was heard, the Son was coming out of the waters of baptism, and Holy Spirit was gently resting upon Jesus in a form that was noticeable. 
 
See, when we fully believe in Jesus, surrender our will to him, and obey him wholeheartedly, we begin to commune with him. And when I say him, I mean with the LORD. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
 
Jesus is set up to go into the wilderness and be tested, because he is in communion with his Father while also being full of the Spirit. 
 
We don’t acknowledge the full trinity being involved in our lives enough. 
 
We like to parse things out. 
 
God answers prayer
 
In Jesus name we are healed
 
The Holy Spirit does neat tricks when we need it . . . . 
 
But real communion with God, is understanding the Father at work in our lives while the Spirit draws us to the salvation that Jesus brought us. It’s all three working in our lives at the same time. And baptism is an understating that we believe the full triune God to be at work in us. We have salvation, sonship from the father, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. 
 
Continuing in Mark 1:12, we read “At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.”
 
See Jesus went into the wilderness and was tempted. While we know the church answer of how he was able to resist the devil, let me give you deeper answer. The church answer is he resisted him because he knew the Word of God. If you go and read the temptations in Luke 4, you will see that Jesus answered every temptation with scripture. But the truth is. .  . JESUS IS THE WORD. So it wasn’t because he filled himself with he scripture that he was able to resist the devil. People think that knowing scripture will help you resist satan and keep from sinning. But knowledge doesn’t do that. What prepared Jesus, and what helps you resists the devil too, is being aware of the full presence of the triune God. Bing in communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is how we live the best life possible and resist the devil. 
 
So what does that look like? 
 
Spending time in prayer and meditation. Becoming aware of the fact that God is with you. Sitting still and allowing him to love you. Putting aside distractions and allowing the Spirit of God to rest on you like a dove. Being in God’s presence without having to do anything or focus on anything. Just resting and knowing God’s goodness. The more you become aware of the full presence of God, the more you will be able to resist the devil. 
 
Think about it this way, 
 
Would you willingly sin if you were in the same state of mind as when you are in deep worship of God at the altar? 
 
NO!!!
 
Well the key is remembering that your life is an altar. You are the place where God comes to meet with you. He come to you, fills you, and leads you along the day. The more you realize this, and the more you spend time enjoying the presence of God, the more you will be able to resist the devil! And if you resist the devil, he will flee from you. . . . . .
 
So, to conclude for today, 
 
Two take-a-ways. . . .
 
Get baptized. If you haven’t already done this, it is a symbol of your obedience to God and your interest in becoming more aware of his presence in your daily-minute by minute- life.
Spend time being in the full presence of God. Remove distractions, turn off all electronics - I would say including music - breath in the presence of God, and recognize that He is with you! 
 
And if you make a habit of practicing this, you will begin to see the hand of God move you, as the Spirit of God leads you, because the Son of God has saved you for his glory! And that, is the lesson we can learn from Jesus in Mark 1. 
 
That’s all the time we have left for today. I love you, and God bless! 

February 8 - Science and the Bible

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today’s question goes out to Ava - yes, she is my daughter! She asks, “If we believe in the Bible, what are we supposed to do with science?” 
 
Great Question Ava!!!!
 
Burt first, let me give you some thoughts. 
 
When a Hebrew child was born, they had to wait 8 days, and then be circumcised. This was prescribed by God in the book of Genesis 17:12. Listen to this instruction starting with verse 9. 
 
Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to underdog circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner- these who are not your offspring. 
 
After 8 days. 
 
Now I know today we rush it and circumcise children just days into their existence. But science has proven this to be a risky way to do circumcision. Medical science has only recently discovered that blood clotting in a newborn reachers its peak on the 8th day. That’s when the coagulating factors in the blood are at optimal levels: vitamin K doesn’t reach sufficient quantity until after day seven, and day eight is when prothrombin is the highest, reaching 110 percent of the normal levels. If you are like me and don’t know what prothrombin is - it’s a protein in your plasma that aids coagulation. 
 
Job talks about earth as a free floating globe in the middle of space. . Job 26:7 (which mind you, was written over 3000 years ago when there were no telescopes or other ways of seeing into space. Job 26:7 says, “He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.” The Bible proclaims that the earth is freely floating in space. This was written during a time when people had no clue about what the earth looked like from space, and before they even had way to tell what space is like. 
 
And how about this, Isaiah 40:22 explains that the earth is round - it says, “It is HE who sits above the circle of the earth.” Back then, they had no working understanding of the shape of the earth. Yet the Bible writes about it’s shape - and got it right. 
 
In the 1670s, French scientists, Pierre Perrault and Edme Marriotte researched and developed our understanding of water cycles here on the earth. They discovered how water evaporates into the air, comes down as precipitation, and even causes condensation. Yet, once again, thousands of years before their research, it was recorded in Job 26 that - He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. Later in chapter 36 we read, “He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.” So basically, Job had already done the work to understand the water cycle much before the French scientist made their discoveries. 
 
And don’t forget Noah’s ark. Remember what I said a few weeks back? The floating buoyancy of a large cargo vessel keeps exactly half the weight below water. It’s recorded in the flood account that the waters rose to 15 cubits above the highest mountain. Which is exactly half of the 30 cubit high vessel of an ark. 
 
Science. . . 
 
There are pieces of science all throughout the Bible if you look. And the funny thing is, we don’t even realize how significant these discoveries are! The Bible makes claims about science far beyond the years it was written! 
 
So when we talk about science, you should know that science is the understanding of the order God created in. It’s logical words to the spiritual mysteries of God’s great design in the cosmos. We should embrace science. It is the proof of God’s majestic power! 
 
Not science that tries to experiment and recreate things that weren’t meant to be. That’s mad science. But science that strives toward learning and understanding will always lead us to a greater revelation of God’s majesty! 
 
So learn more about the science of the world, and at the same time study your Bible deeply and see how science is laid out all throughout the scriptures. Science is mean to help us understand the God who created all things! So focus on the Bible, and then study science to see what amazing things are confirmed about scriptures! 

February 7 - Is the Bible Relevant for today?

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today’s question goes out to Alia - yes, she is my daughter! She says, "Why do we follow the Bible even though it’s old?” And I think a question I’ve heard people follow up with is - isn’t the Bible out of date? 
 
Which is a great question! 
 
I don’t know if you know this or not, but the Bible is made up of a bunch of different scrolls. It was written over a period of 1500 years by over 40 authors - some of which we don’t know for sure who wrote. It was written in three languages - Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. 
 
We believe these words were inspired by God for man to write them. 
 
Listen to what Paul tells Timothy about scripture In 2 Timothy 3:14-17
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you have learned it, and how form infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 
 
Paul is telling Timothy that the scriptures are useful to help us grow and understand the wisdom of our salvation. 
 
Ok, hold onto that set of verses for a minute. 
 
Jump the the writer of Hebrews who tells us something important about Jesus. Hebrews 13:7-8 says to “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” 
 
The writer is telling us to remember the words that our leaders have taught us about Jesus. He has always been the same throughout the years, and he never changes. This is the thought that God is the same forever. He never changes - neither does the son of God. His heart is the same and always will be. Some might say, “Yeah, but what about the Old Testament. God ordered them to kill entire groups of people. Is God really loving then? Or did his heart change when Jesus came into the world?” I know some people think that way because I’v had that discussion before. Let me give you a brief answer now, and then I will discuss it further later this weekend. 
 
God of the Old Testament was protecting the plan of salvation when he ordered nations destroyed. If you look, it was always nations that would threaten the existence of a Holy People. God’s love for mankind was so strong, that he refused to let anything step in the way of bringing salvation to this earth. So he was willing to destroy anything that would try and stop His plan of redemption from happening. This is because of his great love for us. Like I said, we won’t go into that now, but be watching for this conversation this weekend. 
 
But here is the thing. Since God doesn’t change, His words never change. He said what he meant and he means what he says. So, we trust the word of God because it doesn’t change. 
 
Listen to what Jesus said about the Word of God. This is Matthew 5:17-19
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teachers others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but however practices and teachers these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
 
Jesus came to fulfill the law. 
 
What does this mean? 
 
The law was given to help us understand what holiness looks like. But since we can’t accomplish holiness on our own, Jesus came to be our righteousness. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:21 - “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 
 
The law proved our sinfulness and that we are unable to accomplish holiness on our own. So Jesus came to fulfill holiness and make us righteous. Remember, there is a meta-narrative of the Bible. It goes like this,
 
1.God created life in the middle of the Chaos
2. Mankind is drawn to the chaos
3. God redeemed mankind through Jesus
4. He calls us to bring restoration to the world. 
 
So when someone says, “the Bible Says. . . “ they better be pointing to one of these four things. Not many single verses are worthy of “The Bible Says.” In order for those words to be true, they would have to be talking about all 4 parts of the Bible 
 
Ok, now, back to the question - why do we still use the Bible if it is so old? 
 
Unless one of the 4 pieces to the meta-narrative of the Bible changed, it still stands as a solid piece of instruction. So let’s check it. 
 
God created life in the middle of the Chaos. Did that change at all? Well, when I look through creation, all the way to now, I see destruction and ruin taking place. And in the middle of it, God is the only hope that comes from it. If you’ve gone on missions trips before, when you see people in third world living situations, they always seem to have the hope of Christ as a sure foundation. When you come across a person who is transformed by the gospel, and a life that is radically changed by the love of Jesus, God is still at work breathing life in the middle of the chaos. So that piece hasn’t changed.
Mankind is drawn to the chaos. . . IN other words, mankind is constantly trying to find new orders instead of the created order of things. .Well, I think it’s safe to say this one hasn’t changed yet. People are trying to rewrite gender ideology, the meaning of sex, when life matters, and every law that God intended to help us grow. So I think it’s safe to say this hasn’t changed a bit. We will dig into some of those topics in the near future. But mankind is still definitely drawn to the chaos!
God redeemed us through Jesus Christ. This one hasn’t changed. It is the only firm foundation we have. Remember, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. . .
God has called us to participate in the redemption story. You are still God’s workmanship and the vessel that he has designed to help spread this gospel message of reconciliation. You are commissioned to go into all the world and preach the gospel and baptize people. So no. . .this hasn’t changed yet either. 
 
So if none of the meta-narrative of the Bible has changed its relevance for today, we would we ever think the relevance of the Bible to be outdated? It’s still the message of hope and how God brought reconciliation to the world through his people. 
 
So back to the words of Paul to Timothy about scripture In 2 Timothy 3:14-17
 
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you have learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
 
Paul is telling Timothy, the scriptures are what help you understand the salvation God has brought you through Jesus, and then are able to train you to understand the other pieces of the narrative. Through an understanding of these things, you will be able to do every good work that God has already equipped you to do! 
 
So, until human nature becomes outdated and salvation is no longer needed, the Bible will be the most relevant word you will ever read! 
 
And that, is why I believe the Bible is still relevant for today. 
 
Tomorrow we will answer Ava’s question - my other daughter - who asks, Well then, what do we do with science if we believe in the Bible? 
 
Great questions! 
 
Remember you can ask me your questions too by texting, emailing, or reaching out to me on Facebook, instagram. But for now, that’s all the time we have for today. I love you, and God bless.!

February 6 - Psalm 25

February 5 - Did we save ourselves?

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today I am answering a question for a listener named Tony. Remember, you can ask me your question too and I will do my best to talk it thought. Find me on Facebook, Instagram, email at Michaelgrove1@icloud.com, or text me at 630-995-1253! Even feel free to text some thoughts and push back to anything I say! This way we can have healthy dialogue. But today want to talk through Tony’s question. Tony says, “Doesn’t saying we have free will imply that we saved ourselves? If it was my choice, then I didn’t need help from the Lord to make that decision. In essence, I decided to be saved myself.”
 
Great question Tony. If by the end of this you don’t feel like I’ve satisfied your question, please get back to me and let me know what you are wrestling with. 
 
Ok, I believe in free will because of the verses and conversation we spoke of yesterday. If you didn’t get a chance to listen to that one, please go back and give it a listen! And I apologize, for some reason it didn’t post on Spotify properly. So apple podcast listeners got it in the morning while Spotify listeners didn’t have it released until evening. But listen to it before you listen to this one if you haven’t yet. 
 
Because yesterday I gave the verses and explanation for why I believe the Bible points toward free will. But I started by saying that you have to understand a level of predestination as well. There are some things that are set up by God in order for us to find the purposes he has for us. 
 
John Wesley did a lot of work on what he calls the different levels of grace. I want to give you a little bit of insight into these levels today. 
 
Level one is what is called prevenient grace. This grace is the earliest grace people can experience in their lives. They receive it before they are even saved. This is the grace that draws you to the Lord. It’s the grace that makes you realize that there is something missing or something wrong that can’t be fulfilled on your own. Jesus talks a little about this in the book of John chapter 6. In vs. 44 he says, 
 
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned form him comes to me. No one has been the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 
 
Here Jesus is saying that everyone is drawn to the father at some point. In fact, everyone is drawn to Jesus. There is a sense at some point that something is missing in life that causes people to be open to receiving the gospel message. Jesus is saying that the Father causes this. That’s prevenient grace. It’s the fist step of grace that is in our lives. 
 
Then the second step is called convicting grace. This is the grace that calls us to turn away from our sinful lives. It is grace that allows us the chance to do what is right. James talks about it this way, in James 4:13-17
 
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
 
This is the idea that once we have been given the grace to be drawn to the Lord, the next thing he does is try to order our steps. Inside this stage we know the good we ought to do, we just have to make the decision to submit and do it. This stage of grace is meant otherwise teach us obedience and responsiveness to the Holy Spirit. 
 
Because it leads to what Wesley called Justifying Grace. This is the point where the serious work of grace is taking place. Here the Lord is dealing with us and calling us deeper into his presence. In fact, Wesley says that Convicting grace is like the porch of the house, and Justifying grace is like the doorway into the house. We aren’t quite there yet, but are working our way in the right direction. 
 
Listen to the words of 1 Peter 1:6-9
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 
 
Peter is understanding that through trials and grief, you are being transformed into a deeper understanding of God’s grace. You are growing and becoming justified. Paul adds this in romans 5:1-5
 
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 
 
See, we go through suffering in order to build the character to seek out God. It is his grace that gives us this opportunity to grow and understand his goodness more. Which leads to Sanctifying grace. This Wesley says is like having moved from the porch, thought he door, and into the house. You live in the grace of God and continue to understand it more. This is the stage I think of Paul being in as he wrote these words to the Philippians in 3:10-11
 
I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 
 
He then continues to day that he hasn’t yet obtained this, but he continues to press on in order to take hold of the prize. 
 
See this is a grace that causes us to only want the things of God. We grow into this type of grace. We don’t receive it just because we choose to have it. God has to do the work inside us in order to get us there. it’s a grace we should all strive for! 
 
See, each of these steps are up to us to pursue. But they are only there because God imbedded them into us. It is his Spirit that draws. He causes all things to work in us and grow us. His Holy Spirit draws us in and grows us. 
 
So yes, it is up to us to be obedient. We have the freedom to ignore the calling of God. But should we choose to accept it, we will be able to, but only because God has done the work to draw us and set us up for success. This is why it is such a disrespect to God when someone chooses a life of sin. He has done the work to try and lead them out of this destructive path. It’s a blatant disrespect slap in the face to him. His grace has already done the work to lead us to deep spiritual maturity. We just have to submit and allow grace to do its work. 
 
Let me leave you with one final verse. This is one of my favs. . . . 
 
 
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
 
This goes back to yesterday’s conversation a bit. God’s grace is constantly trying to save us and grow us. This is because he has a predetermined plan for you life. If you will submit to his grace, he will lead you to do great works that are meant to honor him! He prepared them in advance for you! 
 
Burt remember this, You are God’s workmanship. That means he loves you and is proud of you. His eye is on you! He has trusted you enough that he has given you the chance to choose for yourself. But he knows that if you will trust in him and follow his plan, you will have the best life possible! So seek out growth. Allow the Holy Spirit to do the work to grow you. And when you do, you will find the sanctifying grace that keeps you deep in the presence of the LORD!

February 4 - Do we have free will?

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! So excited to answer a question for one of our listeners. So this is for Nancy who asked the question, “Should we believe in Predestination?” let me reverse the questions a little and ask it this way. we will ask the discussing - today we will be asking, “Do we have free will?”
 
Let me start by saying that this is a complicated question, and one that has no perfect answer. In fact, theologians continue to wrestle the depths of this question over and over again. So let’s talk about some of the things we can deduce. 
 
First of all, this question doesn’t sit in a neat, clean box that we put it in when looking for a yes or no answer. First of all, we have to acknowledge a level of predetermined outcome when God formed us. First Jeremiah was told by God “before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” This is Jeremiah 1:5. God was telling Jeremiah that he had purposed him to be in a specific place at a specific time for a specific purpose.
 
If we are honest, we all believe that God has a specific plan for our life. This would need us to believe a level of predestination in order for us to fully accept this. If God knew the plans for us and formed us specifically for a purpose, then he would have predestined us to be in this time and space. 
 
In fact, you didn’t decide where to be born did you? 
 
You didn’t decide what family to be born into, or in what birth order you would be in with your siblings. This was out of your hands completely. Yet we all love David’s words in Psalm 139 when he says, 
 
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God!” (13-17)
When it comes to those type of words, we love the idea of predestination. God foreknew us and had a plan for us. God knit us together and placed our specific gifts and talents into us. We had no choice in the matter. God did it out of his goodness and divine understanding. So first acknowledge that there is a level of predestination that is necessary for this to be reality. God did have a specific design for us. 
 
Can we agree with this? Hopefully so. I can’t hear your answer right now. . . But hopefully you can agree that God predetermined a path that he would hope you would be on so that you could fulfill his will for your life. 
 
With this notion in mind, listen to what Paul says in Ephesians 1:3-14
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment-to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 
 
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of this will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked win him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-to the praise of his glory. 
 
Here Paul is making some big claims. He is declaring that he is part of a group that has been predestined to represent Christ and bring his glory to this earth. But listen closely to his claim. He wasn’t saying he was predestined to be in heaven. He wasn’t predestined to be saved. He was predestined to be in a position where he would have the chance to believe. He even admits that he was among the fist to do what? PUT HIS HOPE in Christ. There was a decision for him to put his hope in Christ. 
 
Now some might say I am stretching this to say he wasn’t talking about being predestined to believe and have eternal life. But listen to the rest of what he said. Talking to the people of Ephesus he said, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” Listen to the timing of what he said. He isn’t saying that they also were included before the beginning of time. He didn’t say they were predestined to believe, and so they were included. No - they were included in Christ WHEN YOU HEARD THE MESSAGE OF TRUTH. Once they heard the message, they received eternal life. 
 
So Paul isn’t talking about people being predestined to be the ones saved for eternity. He is referring to what we already agreed on. That God predetermined each of us to have a specific role at a specific time in the timeline of the world. Yes, God predetermined a time when Paul and the apostles would live and walk the earth with Jesus. Again, if you believe Jeremiah, or David’s words about being fearfully and wonderfully made, you have to also accept that God determined the best time for you to be on this earth. 
 
But not only that, God predestined that those who would accept him would have a specific outcome. Paul tells us about this in Romans 8:28-30
 
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 
 
What is Paul saying? 
 
Well, that God foreknew he would have a group of believers who would carry this message forward. This is the predestination of God. That he would send Jesus into this world, and then Jesus would invest this message into others who would carry the message forward. The word predestined might be scary in this context, but think about it this way. God wasn’t going to send Jesus into this world to give up his life without there being a solid plan on how the message would go forward from there. So God made sure Jesus would spend 33 1/2 years on this earth building relationships and coworkers in the gospel message so that when Jesus left, the message wouldn’t just stop and fall flat. Now over 2000 years later we are still talking about this message because God planned out how to keep the message moving. It’s like having a business plan before opening a small business. You go and raise up a team, invest in them, and do the hard work to make sure it succeeds. But if you are that small business owner, did you predestine the team to work for you? No! You just knew what it would take to succeed, so you did the work that you needed to do. 
 
For instance, kristi and I are going to plant a church. We know we need a team with us. So we are looking for the right people to go with us and carry out different parts of the mission. We will go, when the timing is right to have those people along side of us. Jesus did the same thing. Again, God predetermined when Jesus would enter into the world. Then he predetermined that Jesus would leave a legacy of followers who would carry on the message. 
 
So does all of this mean we don’t have free will? 
 
Not exactly. 
 
While God determined the time and space in which each of us would be born, and he also determined that those who call on his name will be saved and brought into sonship with him, he still is waiting for us to make the decision to accept this grace he is handing us. 
 
Now it has already been predetermined that every knee shall bow. Listen to Philippians 2:5-11
In your relationship with one another, have the same mindset of Christ Jesus: 
Who, being in very nature God, 
Did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 
Rather, he made himself nothing 
By taking the very nature of a servant, 
Being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, 
He humbled himself
By becoming obedient to death-
Even death on a cross! 
 
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
And gave him the name that is above every name, 
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 
In heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
And every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, 
Tot he glory of God the Father. 
 
This was another predestined outcome set in motion by God. There is a way for people to be saved. They must confess that Jesus is Lord. And every person will come to that understanding. The question is, will they come to that understanding before they stand before him and see him in his glory? 
 
Well, God is not forcing anyone to do that now. In the end, they will see his glory and accept this. But until then, he is leaving space for us to make that decision. 
 
Listen to what Peter said in his second letter’
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
 
God is longing that everyone comes to repentance. He is patiently waiting to restore the earth for more people to come to him. Because once he starts restoring the earth, he is getting rid of everything that is evil. So those that haven’t accepted him yet, they will not make the cut. But he is patiently waiting. 
 
If you weren’t able to listen last year as we read through Revelation, we read about the end times. In Revelation we have the events that lead up to the destruction of the earth in order for God to bring about the new heaven and the new earth. And what you see when you read Revelation, is that God is slowly destroying all things. He wipes out a huge portion by a place, then waits before wiping out another portion with famine, then another with some other disease. . . He doesn’t do it all at once - because he is waiting for them to repent and turn to him so he doesn’t have to destroy them. 
 
See, We have the free will to make pursue God. All people have the right to become children of God by accepting Jesus. It is our choice. Listen to the choice given us as Paul describes in Romans 10:9-13
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 
 
Ok, so here is my conclusion . . Nancy, get back to me if this doesn’t answer your question. 
 
God predestined that every knee should bow.. . One day everyone will bow before Jesus as Lord. He also predetermines who you are, where you will be born, what gifts you have, what timeframe you were born in, and even what part of the redemption story you are to be part of. But then, you have to make the decision to accept his free gift of love. 
 
So there is a level of predetermined set up, with a hopeful outcome. But everyone is free to make this decision as Adam and Eve were in the garden when they disobeyed God. This is why it is so important to preach the gospel. God predetermined that he would utilize mankind to help spread the word. And since people still have the choice to accept him or not, they need someone to bring the gospel message to them. Listen to the rest of what Paul says in Romans 10:14-15
 
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?  As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
 
Because people have the opportunity to accept Christ out of their own free will, we must preach the gospel to them. For if we don’t go, who knows if they ever will get the chance to hear the gospel message. So with your free will, go, preach the gospel to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. And when you do this, surely God will be with you always, until the end of the ages. . . . 

February 3 - Do I really need a savior? Can't I just be good?

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today we will ask the discussing - Can I just be good? Do I need a savior or can I just be good enough on my own?
 
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
 
What is the glory of God? 
 
And how do we fall short of it? Aren’t we made in his image? 
 
Ok, let me address the second part of this first. Please know that we were made in the image of God. That is often misunderstood to mean we are “like” God. We are not like him, we simply reflect him. We can carry his characteristics, but we are no way like him. Let me give you a few simple ways to deduce that. 
 
God is eternal - he always has been and always will be. Have you always been? 
God is eternal - The other side of this is that God is able to be in all time and space at the same time. Can you do that? I wish! My girls are on the other side of the country right now, and I so miss them that I would give anything to be with them right now. 
 
Or how about his, God is omniscient - he is all knowing. . . Are you able to know all things? I would’t want to if I’m honest with you! 
 
But there are so many ways to prove that we are not LIKE God. We are made in his image! And that’s not the constellation prize. That’s the beauty of his design. He made us to reflect his image. So while he made us in his image, we are not like him. . . He is Holy. Which is a word I’ll explain in a minute. Bur first, let’s go back to that verse that Paul wrote. 
 
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 
 
Well what is the glory of God?
The word glory, is the workings of. . the glory of God is the way he operates and functions. It’s much more practical than some mystical cloud that just surrounds God. His glory is his perfection and ability to only give off right-ness. . . Which, if you go back to the conversations from last week, you know that he is a God of order. He created order in the middle of the chaos. His glory, is his ability to work all things for his good, because he aligns things into the proper order. 
 
What’s the problem with that? 
 
You and I like disorder. 
 
So let’s go back to the word Holy for a moment. The word Holy means to be set apart. And what is God set apart from? 
 
Sin - or the rebellion against the order God designed. 
 
For God to remain Holy - or set apart from the disorder of rebellion, he cannot allow anything unholy to be near him. By definition, this would prevent him from being separated from sin. So when you and I carry sin with us, it is not a matter of just being good. We carry something that in opposition to God’s ability to be separate from sin. 
 
So what do we do? 
 
We have to have reparations for this sin. We can’t get rid of this on our own or by just being good. Once we rebel against God’s plan, there is no way of taking that back. We carry the chaotic darkness of rebellion in us. We have to pay the price for this. As we talked about yesterday, the only way to pay that price is death. It doesn’t go away on its own. So anyone who has ever rebelled against God’s plan in any way - whether intentionally or unintentionally - has sinned and falls short of God’s glory - or his way of doing things. This is why Paul says, “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)
 
What does it mean to become the righteousness of God? We were made right with him. And, We were set in the right as well - in light of our rebellion and desire to do things wrong - or out of order - sin. 
 
It’s like this. . . 
 
If you have contaminated water in a bottle, it doesn’t matter how much clean water you add to it. It all will all become contaminated. You have to clean the water of the contamination so that it doesn’t keep destroying the water you add to it. 
 
The same with sin. 
 
It doesn’t matter how good you are or how many good deeds you do. Until the sin is paid for, you are not made righteous. So you need to be saved from that sin in order to be made right again. 
 
But the good news, Jesus came to take on that sin, in order to make you righteous again! So accept the love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord so that you can be made right!!!!
 
Super excited, tomorrow I will be answering a listeners question that was sent to me about predestination vs. free will. So don’t forget to let me know what you want to hear on this podcast so I can get to it! But for now, that’s all the time that we have for today. I love you, and God bless!

February 2 - Why Death

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today we will ask the discussing - why death? Why is death needed for us to be set free from sin? 
 
 
Exodus 24:1-8
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but Moses alone is to approach the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.” 
 
When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.” Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. 
 
He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “we will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” 
 
Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” 
 
Ok, real quick, Moses is making a legal covenant with the Lord. The law that he was reading to them was legally bound by them saying they would do all that the Lord commanded, and then Moses sprinkling the blood on them. The very law that pointed out sin, was secured by the shedding of blood that represented death to the flesh. This was the covenant that they would obey the law. . .Let’s keep reading in
 
 
Leviticus 16:11-19
Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover. 
 
He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bulls blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. No one is to be in the tent of meeting form the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he come out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel. 
 
Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it form the uncleanness of the Israelites. 
 
Wow!!!!
 
Lot’s of blood! 
 
In fact, if you look through the old testament, there are close to 100 verses that talk about blood being shed during a sacrifice. And the blood was put on Aaron’s right earlobe, right thumb, right big toe, splashed against the altar, splattered at the entrance to the Tent of meetings, and even sprinkled on the people. Blood was everywhere during the sacrifice. 
 
But why ?  ? ? ? 
 
this is important to know so that you understand because it will help you understand why Jesus died! 
 
So the simple answer we all know is that the wages of sin is death. We’ve all known this since we will little if we grew up in church. It’s the easy way out of explaining why Jesus died. But it still doesn’t explain why death! 
 
So let’s take a quick look at that for a moment and see if we can’t shed some  . . . Iight - not blood - on the subject. 
 
 - You are both carnal and spiritual. If you have listened to any of the podcast over the past month, we have discussed the fact that God made you with both sides of your existence. You are meant to live in the physical world, but are part of the spiritual communion with God at the same time. The problem is, our foot in the physical world leads us to sin all the time. This was Pauls’ frustration in Romans 7 - remember - the things I want to do I do not do, and the things I do not want to do I keep on doing! What a wretched man I am!
 
This is why Paul talks so much about dying to the flesh. He understands that the human being in him will always be led into sin. He can not escape it because the chaotic darkness was let back into the world and is rapidly trying to consume all things. Remember - this darkness represents disorder, and causes us to miss the mark of God’s plan by getting us to reject the plans (or order) of God. 
 
Now when Adam and Eve sinned, God made animal skins into coverings for them. This was the first death that took place. God took a piece of his own creation and put it to death in order to make clothing for them. This represented death covering the effects of sin. The animals died, and then were used to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve. 
 
From that moment forward, throughout the OLD Testament, (pre-Jesus) animals were sacrificed for the same reason. The blood taken from the animal represented an end to this carnal world, and atoned for the sin of the people. It was the payment for getting out of sin. It represented being set free from this physical world in order to be free from sin. 
 
So why death? 
 
It is how we become heirs of Christ. 
 
What is an Heir? Well it is someone who receives the full rights and benefits of someone upon their death. The word heir is a legal term for an official contract. 
 
The legal right from the beginning of time was that we would rule the earth. God placed the earth and everything in it, into the hands of mankind to have dominion over. Once sin was brought back into the world, God was forced to roll up the deed to the earth and banish mankind from the garden. In revelation we read the unrolling of this deed before God makes the earth new again. But until death takes place, the deed has been sealed. 
 
Death represents the ability for the deed to be presented to the benefactor. We were cut off from God’s full blessings because of sin. However, death, allows us to have access to the deed once again. 
 
Listen to the writer of Hebrews on this. . . 
 
Hebrews 9:16-22
“In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 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. He said, “this is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleaned with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
 
Sin is part of our carnal life. So death represents passing into a freedom from sin. Our spiritual self is able to resist sin because it is something found in the material world. Romans 6:6-7 Paul says, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” 
 
Death is necessary, because it concludes the contract and unlocks the deed. 
 
Listen to what Jesus says at the last supper about his own blood. . 
 
Luke 22:20 - This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
 
Jesus is saying that the new covenant is open because his blood represents the death needed to make us benefactors of the deed. It’s a legal term. We legally have right to be heirs, making us in line to receive the fullness of the kingdom of heaven.  
 
Blood is a symbol of death because it is the lifeline of all living creatures. When blood is shed, it means that life has been taken, and the body is set free from sin. 
 
So when Paul says that the wages of sin is death, he is referring to the fact that death had to take place in order for us to be cleansed from this carnal world of sin. 
 
I love Pauls’ words in Romans 6:1-4
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 
 
When we become followers of Jesus, we are baptized into his death. This is the symbol that we are being set free from sin. The death has paid the price and has opened the opportunity for us to be the benefactors of the deed. 
 
And Jesus did this willingly, so that we would not miss out on the full blessings of God! 
 
You don’t have to pay the price for your sins, Jesus did. He made sure that you were an heir to all things that belong to him when he shed his own blood. You were set free from the bondage of sin! So now, live in that freedom, and thank God for the blood of Jesus on the cross! 

February 1 - How can God be both Just and Merciful?

February 1 - If God is just, can he be merciful? 
 
Your listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today we will ask the question, if God is just, can he be fully merciful? And if he is merciful, can he be fully just? 
 
I will proclaim the name of the Lord. 
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
He is the Rock, his works are perfect, 
And all his ways are just. 
A faithful God who does no wrong, 
Upright and just is he. 
 
Deuteronomy 32:3-4
 
I was recently speaking at a camp, and I told the students to ask me questions anytime they saw me throughout the weekend. So all weekend long, young people came to me with random questions, trying to wrestle with things that they were struggling to figure out. One of the students came to me and asked, if God is just, how can he also be merciful? Don’t they cancel each other out? 
 
So is God really just and merciful at the same time? 
 
My answer is unequivocally - YES! 
 
So let’s do a quick dig into it. 
 
Just. 
 
The Hebrew word ṣeḏeq is used 449 times throughout the Bible. Most of the time it is used in a governmental or authoritarian rulership. And it means what is right or normal, rights, justness. It infers a balance as in the weights of measurement. The imagery is that there is an equal punishment that fits the crime of an individual. 
 
So the question is, if God is merciful, can he really be Just? 
 
Paul tells us in Romans 6:23, that the wages of sin is death. This wasn’t his own words actually, this is something that God had told Adam and Eve. His instruction was that disobedience would bring death. If they ate from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, they would surely die. 
 
Go back to the meta narrative of the Bible and you find that death came in as a result of sin. The chaos of the darkness was released to do whatever it wanted against humanity, ultimately leading to death. But not only that, death took place once Adam and Eve sinned. Genesis 3:21 tells us that God made clothing for Adam and Eve out of animal skins to cover them. This was the first death that took place because of sin - also the reason for animal sacrifice following this sin. Death is the judgement of sin. Something has to die in order to pay the price of sin. 
 
This is the evenly balanced cost of sin. For God to be just, death has to pay the penalty for sin. . . 
 
So how can he be gracious at the same time? 
 
Psalm 103: 8-12
 
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, 
Slow to anger, abounding in love. 
He will not always accuse, 
Nor will he harbor his anger forever; 
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
Or repay us according to our iniquities. 
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, 
So great is his love for those who fear him;
As far as the east is from the west, 
So far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
 
Well this sounds like David is saying he is not just then, doesn’t it? 
 
So this is the best part. 
 
God is just! 
 
He is true to his standard and holds sin accountable. 
 
There is a payment and that payment is death! 
 
But his grace is so strong for us, that he is compassionate toward us. 
 
Romans 5:9-11
“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, his much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
 
Or remember Romans 8:31-32
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 
 
Here is the thing.
 
God is gracious. That means you don’t have to be put to death for your sins. Though sin separates us from God and the only way back to him is through a sacrifice of blood - We will address that one tomorrow - God is gracious enough to keep you from making that sacrifice! He won’t let you die for your sins. He is, however, a man of his word! So death still has to take place! 
 
So in his justice, he still allowed Jesus to die for sin! Listen to the justice side of God as described by Isaiah
 
“Surely he took up our pain
And bore our suffering, 
Yet we considered him punished by God, 
Stricken by him, and afflicted. 
But he was pierced for our transgressions, 
He was crushed for our iniquities; 
The punishment that brought us peace was on him, 
And by his wounds we are healed. 
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, 
Each of us has turned to our own way; 
And the LORD has laid on him 
The iniquity of us all. 
He was oppressed and afflicted, 
Yet he did not open his mouth;
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, 
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, 
So he did not open his mouth
By oppression and judgment he was taken away. 
Yet who of his generation protested? 
For he was cut off from the land of the living; 
For the transgression of my people he was punished. 
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, 
And with the rich in his death, 
Though he had done no violence, 
Nor was any deceit in his mouth. 
 
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer
And through the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, 
He will see his offspring and prolong his days, 
And the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 
 
See, a long time ago I stopped telling kids that God gets rid of their sins. That’s not actually true. He doesn’t get rid of our sins. If he got rid of them, there would be no reason for Jesus to have gone to the cross. 
 
No, in his mercy he did not allow me to pay the price I deserved. But in his justice someone had to pay for my sins. They don’t just disappear. So Jesus took my place. But God still poured out the justice of his wrath on Jesus so that I would be redeemed - or purchased back. 
 
But we will dig into that more tomorrow. But for know, the good news my friend is that yes! God is merciful! And God is just. . . But in his mercy, he took the wrath upon himself, so that we would understand his mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
Tomorrow we will discuss death. Why was death the method for covering sin. 
 
But for now, that’s all the time we have left for today! 
 
I love you, and God bless!

January 31 - OKY