Rescued by God

November 6, 2011 – 9:29 am

The Fall

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,  but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Genesis 3:1-7

The 3rd Chapter of Genesis is titled “The Fall of man.” The story is one that is well known to all but perhaps its true impact and significance might be over-looked. If the issue were a singular issue of touching and eating a forbidden fruit, we might be tempted to downplay its significance. However, the issue when looked at more closely is one of distrusting and questioning God and accepting an alternate opinion. The alternate opinion was stated by a created being who had fallen from God’s good grace as the result of pride and arrogance. The distrust of the Word of God resulted in a breach in the fellowship between man and his Creator. Original sin was born. This separation introduced a calamity within the human race and the world as well. Unless repaired the breach between humankind and God would continue forever.

Since man had failed the simplest of covenants, he must look to his Creator to re-establish their fellowship. Out of compassion and love God begins to do just that.

The Call of Abram

The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

Genesis 12:1-5

Rather than to destroy His created people, God calls Abram of Ur to become a Hebrew (wanderer) in a land that would ultimately be possessed by his descendants. We are told of no unusual perfection within Abram and his wife Sarai. In their subsequent story as revealed in the Biblical record, we find that they trip and fall just as we do. Abram is loose with the truth when it fits his purposes and is willing to not speak up when his wife is taken for Pharaoh’s harem. Sarai is equally guilty in acts of jealousy when her less than sterling plans go awry.

Despite the sinful natures of this seemingly second created pair, God uses them to bring hope and future peace. From their extended family will come a future Messiah, an Anointed one, who will make it possible for fellowship again between God and man. The Bible traces the long record from Abram and Sarai to Jesus of Nazareth who comes not merely as God’s agent to re-establish peace and fellowship but to deal triumphantly with the issue of sin. It is therefore reasonable and the expected that the Bible would deal in depth with the foretelling of the coming of this Messiah and Savior as well as the impact of His life, teachings, and noble sacrifice of Himself for the salvation of others.

The question arises surely as to what purpose is this devoted. The time from Abram to Jesus is approximately 2000 years. Since Jesus’ earthly life, another 2000 years has passed. What has been accomplished by all of this?

God’s Final Word: His Son

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

The Son Superior to Angels

For to which of the angels did God ever say,

   “You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”?

   Or again,

   “I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?

And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

   “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

 In speaking of the angels he says,

   “He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.”

 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

Hebrews 1:1-9

 

The supremacy of Jesus is clearly verified in His life, sacrifice, death and resurrection.  As the Son of God, He rightfully takes His seat at the right hand of God the Father. It is here that we note that He has done so for the glory of God. It is for this reason that He is anointed with the oil of joy.

At issue is the effect of our sin on the glory of God. Our choosing in Adam and Eve to believe the Satan rather than God detracts from the glory of God. We do likewise in this or any time when we succumb to sin and deny the leadership of God.

What becomes clear is that our obedience to the desires of God results in His glorification. Herein lies the understanding of why we are here. We are created as the love object of God and for His glory. By the sacrifice of His Son for our sins, God has made it possible for us to be transformed into the very image of His Son. This transformation begins with the internal by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit on the Throne of the heart of the believer. It is He who teaches, directs and leads us to emulate the very life of God’s Son in all we think and do.

The result is the experience of the true quality of joy. Joy differs from happiness. Happiness is frequently triggered by our senses and provokes an emotional response. It frequently is transitory and fades with time. Joy on the other hand is a lubricant for the soul. Since the soul is eternal and cannot die, joy is a byproduct of being in tune with the Eternal God.

The message of the Bible is one of the restoration of fellowship with God by and through the work of the exalted Son of God. He has no equal for He, too, is God. He and He alone can lead us to the source of joy for our souls.

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What is your Choice?

October 30, 2011 – 11:24 am

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!  It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.  And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.”

Joshua 24:14-18

It was Moses at the direction of God who served to lead the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery. At his death Joshua, who was his lieutenant, assumed the command. He led the Hebrews into the land of Canaan and directed the conquering of the people native to the land. Now at the age of 110, prior to his death, he delivers a farewell address to his people. His declaration is that they must make a choice between following the God of their rescue as opposed to the many idols worshipped by those remaining in the Promised Land. Joshua is clear in his choice to follow God. His example served the people well for a period of time but then they drifted into idol worship once his memory and devotedness departed from their recall. Just how extensive did this drift become away from the word of God?

Solomon’s Wives

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.  He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.  He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.

On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.  He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

 1 Kings 11:1-8

 

God lavished both success and wealth on Solomon the son of King David. This was in addition to the knowledge that he requested when God offered him a gift. Initially Solomon was attentive to the wishes of God but time, age, and pleasure lured him to the bosom of false worship. In a short span of time following his death, Solomon’s once glorious nation was split into two parts never to rise again to the pinnacle reached by King David.

What seems clear is that material and personal gifts were no protection from the rule of idol worship. The focus of Solomon’s life and the nurturing of his own soul solely by the leadership of God were clearly corrupted. He became content to deny the commandments of God and to pursue polluted worship. God is not a respecter of persons. He loves us all as His creation but God’s character prevents Him from tolerating sin.

What is clear is that His God-given Law both underlies and defines His character. His purity is demanding and His call for holiness is absolute.

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”  Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12:13-21

 

This parable is titled “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” The 10th Commandment warns us to guard against envy for it gives birth to covetousness. Covetousness, desiring that which belongs to another, is the impetus behind many sins. It is this sin that draws us to focus on the temporal and temporary rather than that which is lasting and eternal. Jesus warns us to focus on that which is lasting and of value. Nothing exposes our lack of understanding quicker than to realize that our focus is on the material rather than the eternal soul and its welfare.

Steve Jobs died several days ago at the age of 56. Despite his vast fortune and the best of medical care, he died from the entity of carcinoma of the pancreas. He agreed to undergo the massive surgery necessary to cure this but his maverick personality refused chemotherapy. He chose only to take nonspecific follow up care. At a young age and still full of unique ideas, he died. His estimated worth was 8.3 billion dollars, making him the 42nd wealthiest person in the world. Not bad for a college drop-out.

He was given up for adoption by his single mother and initially his natural father wanted nothing to do with his child. At the age of 4, he was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs and was raised within the Lutheran faith. Once on his own, he apparently abandoned Christianity and favored Zen Buddhism. He fathered a daughter out of wedlock that he initially denied. Later he married Lauren Powell with whom he had fathered 3 children. His rise within the world of information gathering, dispersion and such was meteoric. If you have a Mac, iPad or iPhone or if you have watched a Pixar movie, you have been exposed to some of his genius. He certainly will be remembered in the field of electrons but time may make some of his work tarnish and fade as others with inventive minds dazzle us with the unimaginable.

His vast wealth will pass to his heirs with or without major lawsuits. The only thing that clearly remains is his soul that cannot fail to exist. The critical question is not whether he will be remembered in the annals of time but whether his name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Before God he is no different that you or I. Perhaps he has secretly given millions to aid the poor and the disadvantaged. If so, many might declare him “a good person” but that is not the issue. The issue is whether he has a Savior or whether we have a Savior as well. All other questions pale in consideration.

 

 

 

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!!!Operation Christmas Child!!!

October 26, 2011 – 5:36 pm

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The women’s club is planning to make “Operation Christmas Child” a project for the upcoming holiday season. Heather Anderson has provided the information below concerning suggestions and requests for filling the “shoe boxes.”  Please read over the material carefully. Please bring your contributions to church between now and November 1st. At our meeting on Nov. !st, we will prepare/pack the boxes which Heather will take care of delivering. Heather will also be providing the boxes.

Here are the gift suggestions for the shoe boxes for Operation Xmas Child:

  1. School Supplies – pens, pencils, sharpeners, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and pictures books, etc.
  2. Toys – small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yo, jump ropes, small Etch-a Sketch, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries, Slinky, etc.
  3. Hygiene Items – toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (with plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.
  4. Other – T-shirts, socks, ball caps, sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches flashlight (with extra batteries)

You can include a personal note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. If you include your name and address, the child may write back. We can follow our boxes (on-line) to see where they go!

Do not include: Used or damaged items, war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures, chocloate or food, out of date candy, liquids or lotions, medications or vitamins, breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers, aerosol cans.

Operation Christmas Child is a project by the Samaritan’s Purse (Franklin Graham’s organization). Last year, they delivered 8.2 million gift-filled shoe boxes to children in places like earthquake torn Haiti and war-scarred Sudan. Since 1993, OCC has collected more that 86 million boxes. They have been sent to more than 130 countries through over 500,000 volunteers and a discipleship program has been started in 60 countries.

 

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“Let us______”

October 23, 2011 – 5:10 pm

 

Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”  Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.

   At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.

Genesis 4:25-26

Within an early span of time following creation, Genesis records that people began to call on the Lord. Since the intimacy of personal fellowship with God was interrupted by sin, people felt a need to communicate with God. Sin had blighted humanity and violence became an expression of the dark heart of mankind. This was a desire for the presence and goodness of God that they expressed in reverence by thoughts and prayers.

So, early history reveals a need to rise above the circumstance of earthly life to communicate with God. The barrenness of life without God seems apparent. A focus on ourselves only leaves us unfulfilled and restless. We sense that life is more than the material and that eternity rests in our souls. The basic need is for faith in something greater than ourselves. Our powerlessness gives birth to prayer to overcome our limitations and sin.

1 Kings 18:17-19, 36-40

When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

 “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the LORD’s commands and have followed the Baals.  Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

1 Kings 18:17-19

 

At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.  Answer me, LORD; answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD—he is God! The LORD—he is God!”

Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.

1 Kings 18:36-40

Hundreds of years later Elijah as a Prophet of God extends a challenge to the Prophets of Baal and Asherah to determine who the true God is. Both Parties prepare a sacrificial animal to be a burnt offering. The Baal prophets implore action on behalf of their god without success. Elijah then prepares his offering on a simple altar and reverently prays to God. The fire of God (lightning) falls on the offering verifying God’s power and dominance and consumes it. The outcome is one of the shedding of blood of 850 pagan prophets and dramatically sways the people to declare Yahweh as God. Despite the dramatic public demonstration of God’s power the influence is limited and short lived. Life saving salvation cannot be caused or maintained by miracles. The solution must be more personal and individual for us to know and follow God in fellowship.

Prayer

    “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

   “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,  your kingdom come, your will be done,    on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts,    as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation,   but deliver us from the evil one.

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 6:5-15

Who better to instruct us concerning prayer than the incarnate Son of God, who is God. Our prayers are not to be a public show of personal holiness with the focus on ourselves but on God. It is the sincerity of the petition and the faith from which it arises that are important and not the length or ritual that contains it. Key is the posture of humility from which the prayer arises and the awareness of whose audience we are seeking. The successfulness of our prayers requires a familiarity between the one who prays and the One who hears.

So, Jesus begins with Our Father which was an unexplored concept for the Jews of Jesus’ day. God surely was Creator and Judge but they did not know God as Father. Immediately Jesus draws us into the relationship of dependence upon God as the perfect Father. Who art in Heaven draws us into the realm of peace and complete fulfillment. The aim and focus of our prayers are to place us in the very presence of God. Hallowed be Thy name acknowledges that God is sanctified, holy and set apart from anything that we know and will ever know. His name and authority are to be accepted as absolute and answerable to no one. There is no other name of divinity. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven launches a desperate plea for strength in the pursuit of the absolute will of God. Nothing buoys the human spirit more that being in harmony with God. Things of the material world pale in significance when compared to being right with God in actions and thoughts.

Give us this day our daily bread focuses upon both our physical and spiritual natures. The benevolence of God is ever in view as we seek sustenance for our bodily needs. However this plea should also be understood to include the feeding of our spirits and souls that seek intimacy with God. It is God’s feeding of our soul that enables us to pursue the path of faith to God by the Light of Jesus.

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Jesus quickly follows with the desperate need of each soul to tread in the footsteps of the Christ to nourish a forgiving spirit. It is our awareness of God’s forgiveness of our sins in the miracle of rebirth that allows us to focus on that which brings true peace. Our cancellation of our sin debts against God allows us to forgive and move forward. Otherwise, we remain paralyzed by wounds of both pride and person.

Lead us not into temptation. Temptation arises in the heart and soul of mankind. God tempts no one. We are challenged by testing that helps in the development of worthwhile spiritual strength but God sets no traps for us. He is always there to help us by His indwelling Holy Spirit to fend off temptation. But deliver us from evil confesses our weakness in the spiritual battle for the allegiance of our souls. Our opponent is not flesh and blood but a powerful fallen angel whose strength we cannot match. Victory is ours only in the strength of the God who loves us.

For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever defines that we know the source of all wisdom and might. Such reside in the hands of God and no other.

It is our custom to conclude prayers with an “Amen.” In our day such is defined as “So be it,” or “truly.” The meaning was the same in the day of Jesus. In contrast to things that evolve and so rapidly change at this time, the Word of God is forever. In teaching us to pray, Jesus declares that God is always there, holy and pure but also loving and our Heavenly Father. He is dependable and forever. He is deserving of our reverence, trust and love. He must be the focus of this life to be the provider of our eternity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“I know I left them right here.”

October 16, 2011 – 12:51 pm

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the LORD.

Psalm 4:1-5

Note the title and tell me if this ever applies to you. It is the rare person who never misplaces his car keys, purse, billfold, glasses or other personal items. My long term solution is a designated area for safe keeping. There is one problem however. Designating a place and consistently placing them there is another matter. Perhaps one of the greater mysteries of our household was the disappearance of a cell phone. We searched diligently for it to no avail. It was lost or so it seemed. Hours later, when I went into our garage, I perceived a very distant, muffled, solitary “beep”. I remained motionless and seconds later the same meager announcement said “come and find me.” A few paces in one direction was rewarded by a louder “beep”. A few steps and another beep placed me side by side with a black garbage bag filled with scrap paper. Inside was the hiding phone surrounded by shredded paper. Top that story if you can. Designated areas are of little value unless you consistently place your items therein. Our repositories for our keys and things are only as trustworthy as the owner of the items. My trustworthiness has a tendency to vary.

King David encourages us to trust in the Lord. Why should we trust in a Person that we are unable to see? Herein lies the challenge for we sensual creatures who tend to evaluate everything by and through our senses. We desire that food placed before us looks good, smells good and tastes good. We like objects that we visualize to be attractive and to be pleasing to the touch if such is appropriate.

Key to trusting God is to understand that He is Spirit and unconfined by either time or space. This is confusing to us for we are confined by both. Our understanding therefore is incomplete because of the confines and limitations of our human natures.

A Time for Everything

 1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

 2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

 9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

To understand God, we are best served by turning to His revelation to us in Holy Scripture. Since He is Spirit our finite minds residing in our material bodies are incapable of contemplating His true nature. In other words, guessing about God is fruitless. In this passage from Ecclesiastes the whole of life seems to be summed up in a relationship of timed and contrasting events such as being born and dying. We clearly understand this but then is birthed an unexpected revelation that is beyond our understating and expectation. “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.”

Our understanding of life is suddenly greatly enhanced by the mentioning of eternity. To those who will listen, God has revealed His placement of eternal life in the soul and spirit of man. This thought requires the action of God since sensual, emotional man is limited. He has no control over death. However God states that man is destined for an eternity beyond this life.

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus the Way to the Father

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

John 14:1-7

This is a familiar scripture but we hear it most often at the graveside when our senses are overloaded with grief and mourning. We most often focus on the place that Jesus describes, however, the cardinal issue is the aspect of trust in God the Father as well as God the Son. This trust declares that we should conceive of God as being the good Father who desires fellowship with us in eternity. Trust in Christ requires that we rely on Him as being God’s Anointed to overcome our sin and failures so that we can journey into the presence of God in this life and eternity as well.

How should we define trust? Trust is our willingness to believe in the God that we have never physically seen but who is wonderful described in a Book composed over hundreds of years by men, many of whom did not know one another, but knew God by His Powerful revelation to them. They stepped out in this life envisioning for us the God who desires the fellowship of His created. We must trust His wondrous plan fulfilled in His wonderful Son.

Trust therefore is at the heart of salvation. Salvation of the soul, our essence, who we are for eternity, is the paramount focus of the Bible. Salvation depends upon our successfully dealing with our disobedience that separates us from God. To successfully negotiate the journey from this life to eternity and into the presence of God demands trust in God and the Biblical message. God requires and demands that we trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This submission is not one based on coercion but motivated by love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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