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Christsfreeservant

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“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say,
‘His steadfast love endures forever.’
Let the house of Aaron say,
‘His steadfast love endures forever.’
Let those who fear the Lord say,
‘His steadfast love endures forever.’
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.” (Psalms 118:1-7 ESV)

The Israel of the Old Covenant was comprised only of people of Jewish descent who were descended from Abraham (and Sarah). The Israel of the New Covenant includes both Jew and Gentile by physical birth who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ to be their Lord (Owner-Master) and Savior (from their slavery to sin) who then empowers us who believe in him to walk holy in obedience to his commands and in surrender to his will and purpose.

“For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring.” “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one..” “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”

[Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 4:22-31; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13;1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]

So now there is no separation between Jew and Gentile. The separation now that exists is between the saved and the unsaved, i.e. between those who have died with Christ to sin and who are walking in obedience to his commands, by God-persuaded faith in Christ, and those who are still walking in their sins living to please their flesh and not God – regardless of whether or not they make verbal confessions of Christ as Lord and Savior.

So we who believe in Jesus Christ in sincerity, in truth, and in practice, are the children of God, the children of promise, Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. All Jews who rejected Jesus Christ were cut out of Israel, out of the family of God, and all Gentiles who believed in Jesus were grafted into Israel, into the vine, into Jesus Christ. And we all are now the branches. So “all Israel” is both Jew and Gentile by faith in Jesus Christ.

Is there still a physical nation of Israel? Yes. But unless they believe in Jesus Christ they are not the Israel of God, and they are not heirs according to the promise God gave to Abraham and to his seed, that is, Christ (Galatians 3:16). But they can be grafted back into biblical and spiritual Israel by faith in Jesus Christ, for the Scriptures teach that a remnant who believe in Christ Jesus will be saved (Romans 9:25-28; Romans 11:1-36).

So all who are Israel by faith in Jesus Christ ought to proclaim that the steadfast love of God endures forever. Amen? God is true to his word, both to his promises, all of which have conditions to be met, and to his warnings to those who have rejected him or who have professed his name but who are presently living in rebellion against him or in deliberate and habitual sin. God will do all that he said he will do. But we need to read these in context.

So, when Jesus sets us free from sin, he is not just delivering us from the punishment of sin, but he died to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now honor him with our lives in walks of surrender to his will and in obedience to his commands in holy living. For the Lord is on the side of those who are on the side of God, who have surrendered their lives to him to do his will, who have died with him to sin, and who now obey him.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

But freedom from sin is not the only freedom that our Lord provides. For, as followers of Christ, if indeed we are following him in his ways, doing what he says to do, going where he sends us, and saying all that he commands us to say, then we are going to have enemies. We are going to face opposition. And we will be mistreated, harassed, persecuted, and falsely accused for the sake of righteousness and for the sake of our obedience to our Lord Christ.

But he is not always going to deliver us out of these situations, but he may leave us in these situations to test our faith and to strengthen us in our walks of faith and endurance to our commitments to him. But he will deliver us from letting these persecutions “take us out” and discourage us and make us afraid. What can man do to us? All sorts of evil. But they cannot steal from us our faith in the Lord Jesus unless we let them. So keep the faith!!

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

Fully Ready!

An Original Work / June 19, 2013
Based off Acts 20-22,26; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8


Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?
I’m fully ready to suffer for Christ.
If I must die for the sake of His name,
I am convinced it will not be in vain.
Glory to God and to His Son Jesus,
Who has redeemed us; bought with His blood.

May I speak to you? Jesus came to me;
Asked of me, “Why do you persecute me?”
He said, “Now get up and stand on your feet.
Go, and you’ll be told all I have for you.
I have appointed you as a servant,
And as a witness; you have been sent.”

“Go into the world and preach the gospel.
Open the blind eyes. They will receive sight.
Turn them from darkness to the light of Christ;
From power of the evil one to God,
So they may receive forgiveness of sins,
And a place among those who’re in heav’n.”