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Today is Sunday December 13, 2009 and we are continuing our studies in the book of Hebrews, please read chapters 5-7 in your Bible or Click Here to read them. You can also copy & paste this URL to your browser http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-december-13

Today's Message: By God's Mercy
Mercy is an expression of God's willingness to forgive sinners and deliver them from eternal hell. Mercy involves love and is a practical demonstration of compassion and God's love for all of His people. It is only by God's mercy that we Christian's can say I am saved.

While God creates all and knows all He knows just as well that only a slight amount of people that come into this world will actually confess that they are sinners and be saved from hell. People think that if they do this they will no longer be able to enjoy life, what is sad is that they are completely wrong. People today have no idea how privileged they are. Before Jesus, there was no option like we have now, in order to be cleared of a sin one would have to go to the Temple with their sacrifice, confess their sins to a priest, and the priest would then offer the animal to God as a replacement. Now, there was a priest and a high priest, only the high priest was allowed to annually enter the Holy of Holies which held the very presence of God (See Exodus 28). Only he could offer sacrifices for the sins of the nation and intercede on the annual Day of Atonement. And as we know, an animal without blemish was given as a sacrifice in place of the sinner to avoid death by sin. “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron..” - Hebrews 5:1-4. Today, we still have someone who intercedes our way to the presence of God, that person is Jesus Christ. He became the sinless sacrifice that would change how we are saved from sin forever.

Can you imagine being in a time when the only way to be saved from death by sin was by taking an animal to the one and only man who had access to the presence of God? Jesus had the power to do all these things while He was on the earth, but He chose to live as a man and endure the same trials and suffering that we do to prove to all that one can live on this earth and not live a life of sin. “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.” - Hebrews 5:8-10. Jesus is now our high priest and once we confess that we are a sinner and accept Him into our lives we are saved forever and enjoy the wonderful presence of God with us always, without having to confess all our sins someone in a box. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” - Hebrews 7:25-28. The high priest, first had to offer a sacrifice for his sin just like we did because he was a sinner just like the rest of us, but Jesus was perfect and never sinned therefore He was able to save all from death by sin. Thank God that He sent Jesus and brought Him to save us.

One thing I would like to point out is that the death spoken about here is not a physical death, it is spiritual. Each person on earth has three parts to their body, a physical body, a soul, and a spiritual body. When a person is born as a baby we are only born with the body and soul, we do not receive the spiritual body until we acknowledge that we are sinners before Jesus and ask Him to save us, hence the term born again. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” - John 3:5-7. In order to receive our spiritual body we must be born again. Now, when a persons life comes to an end here on earth (unless Jesus arrives right now) we no longer have life in the physical body, so what happens to the soul, if it does not contain the spirit it dies, this is a second death and unfortunately it does not get buried in a box in the ground, it will spend eternity burning in a fire. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:7,8.

Now, I did not tell this to upset or convict anyone, but to show the truth of what happens when a person dies and does not know who Jesus is. We do not have to be afraid of death, we do not have to get crazy and do ridiculous things because we think we have nothing else to lose. All who die without Jesus will endure this second death and all the money, possessions and people in the world can not change, hide, or ignore this fact. However, no one has to die and face eternity in a lake of fire, which is hell by the way. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.........For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:9,10,13.

How thankful we are for His mercy, for it is one of our greatest daily needs. If it were not for His mercy we would still be facing eternity in hell. Why? Because God is holy, meaning He is sacred and having divine power, therefore, He must enforce the penalty for sin and the penalty for sin is death. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” - Romans 5:8-12. It is only by God's mercy and of course grace that we can avoid this second death.

Have a wonderful and blessed day/night and Merry Christmas
God Bless You,
Christina

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