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Birdwell Lane Church of Christ Big Spring, TX |
Weekly Thoughts - August 2006
| <---- July 2006 | -- | September 2006 ----> |
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06 - "PROPITIATION III" 13 - "PROPITIATION IV" 20 - "QUIZ TIME RIDDLE" 27 - "JESUS CHRIST THE LIVING SON OF GOD" |
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"PROPITIATION III" The basis of propitiation is a payment that is made for a wrong committed or to avert destruction. This principle is first stated after Noah and his family came off the ark to begin repopulating the earth. Noah and the rest of humanity were now allowed to eat the flesh of animals whereas before they had eaten only vegetation. (Gen. 9:3). They could eat the flesh of animals but they could not eat the blood of the animals. God said, Genesis 9:4 - But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. NKJV The reason they were forbidden to eat blood was because blood was life (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:11). Because blood is the symbol and means for life, God laid down the principle of blood for blood or life for life. He said, Genesis 9:6 - "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man. NKJV That was going to be the principle for the payment for sin from then until the ultimate sacrifice for sin was made - the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the great propitiatory sacrifice. Sin brings death (Rom. 6:23) therefore blood had to be shed in order to pay for the sin that brought death. Throughout the Old Testament, but primarily through the fifteen hundred year period of the Mosaical Law, God recorded events which illustrated the principle of propitiation and thereby enabled us to better understand the true propitiation of Christ. First, during the time the nation of Israel traveled toward the promised land they became contaminated by worshiping gods of the Moabites and by having sexual relationships with Moabite women (Num. 25:1-11). Blood of the guilty was shed to stop the wrath of God. Second, in the song of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 32 God speaks of the blood that was shed. God said, Deuteronomy 32:39 - 'Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. Deuteronomy 32:41 - If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me. Third, the one which was the type or shadow of the true propitiation was the sacrificial system God instituted to last until the time of Christ's death on the cross. Graphically illustrated be the events on the day of atonement in Leviticus 16…. Next week we will look at the fulfillment in Christ. See ya Sunday, Ralph |
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"PROPITIATION IV" This is the final article under this title. Hope that you enjoyed the previous three and will get something from this one. Ralph The root meaning of the Hebrew word for "mercy seat" means "covering." Inside the Ark of the Covenant, along with Aaron's rod that budded and the golden pot of manna, were two tables of stone on which the Ten Commandments had been written. Brother Wayne Jackson, in the section called "Notes From The Margin of My Bible" in the August, 1997 issue of his paper, The Christian Courier, made this interesting observation: "In a manner of speaking, the mercy-sweat concealed from the Lord's view the ever-condemning judgment of the law. Each year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled blood on the mercy seat. The point conveyed by the imagery is this: It is only through the offering of blood that the condemnation of the law can be abated, and violations thereof covered." The word for "mercy seat" in the Greek language is the same word as "propitiation." Jesus became our mercy seat and through His blood we are covered from our sins. Brother, Hugo McCord's translation of the New Testament conveys this idea when he translates Romans 3:25 "God has displayed him publicly as the mercy seat, through faith in his blood, as a demonstration of his righteousness in overlooking past sins." From such an illustration as the mercy seat in the Old Testament system one can begin to understand what the Hebrew writer had in mind when he said, For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. Hebrews 10:1 NKJV The mercy seat was just a shadow. God did all He could in the Old Testament to give us insight into the Christian system, especially the propitiation of the Christian system. The Hebrew write had earlier said, But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:11-12 NKJV By studying "propitiation" a little more deeply may we come to appreciate the death of Christ to a greater degree. No matter what the problems of the world may appear to be and no matter what the world clamors, the root of the world's problem is sin and sin has been taken care of by the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our propitiation. See ya Sunday, Ralph |
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"QUIZ TIME RIDDLE" So I was made before the man To answer God's most holy plan. My body he did make complete, But without legs, arms, or feet; My ways and actions He did control, But I was born without a soul. A living creature I become 'Twas Adam gave to me my name; When from his presence I withdrew, I know more of Adam ever knew. I did my makers laws obey; from them I never went astray; Thousands of miles I roam in fear, And seldom on the earth appear. But God did something in me see And put a living soul in me; A soul of me my God did claim, And took from that soul again. And without hands or feet or soul I travel now from pole to pole. I labor hard both day and night; To fallen men I give great light. Thousands of people, young and old, May by my death great light behold. To heaven I shall never go, Nor to the grave, nor hell below. Now as these lines my friend you read, Just search the scriptures with great heed, And if my name you do not find, It's very strange, I guess you're blind. Taken from the Pearl Street Times… Search the book and find the answer. Those who find it drop it in the plastic holder on Mary Ann's office door. The answer will be in the bulletin two weeks from now. Good luck. See ya Sunday, Ralph |
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"JESUS CHRIST THE LIVING SON OF GOD" And suddenly the sun burst forth with glorious brilliance such as man had never seen! The birds began to sing! The flowers lifted their faces toward the heavens! The trees of the field clasped their hands! The morning stars sang together! And the angels rejoiced as heaven and earth cried out, "His not dead! He lives! He lives! He lives!" Forth from the tomb that day came the one who bruised the serpent's head! Forth from the tomb that day came Moses' burning bush, the great I AM that I AM! Forth from the tomb that day came Daniel's stone cut out of the mountain! Forth from the tomb that day came Ezekiel's wheel in the middle of a wheel! Forth from the tomb that day came Solomon's Rose of Sharon - the lily of the valley - the bright morning star! Forth from the tomb that day came Isaiah's wonderful counselor - mighty God - Prince of Peace - Everlasting Father! Forth from the tomb that day came Zachariah's branch - tender plant -root out of dry ground! Forth from the tomb that day came Jeremiah's balm of Gilead! Forth from the tomb that day came the perfect offering of Leviticus - the starring scepter of Numbers - and the rock of Deuteronomy! Yes, forth from the tomb that day came Matthew's Governor and Mark's Messiah and Luke's Kinsman and redeemer linked parenthetically with man! Forth from the tomb that day came Paul's second Adam, Timothy's potentate and Simon Peter's Lord God! Forth from the tomb that day came John the Revelator's Alpha and Omega - the first and the last - the beginning and the end - the one who always was and always will be - Jesus Christ the Living Son of the living God! He is the life forevermore! Yea, He is everlasting to everlasting! See ya Sunday, Ralph |
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