(a look at the Sunday School lesson for Jan. 7th, 2007)

Only the sinless blood of Jesus could atone for the sins of humanity and reconcile the Creator with His creation.

Hebrews 9:6-15
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 11But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

“Nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus.“ The words of this great hymn proclaim the profound truth that only the precious, sinless blood of Jesus Christ can bring a person into right standing before God. neither a lifetime of good works through unfeigned sincerity, nor an unblemished reputation that gains the esteem and regard of pious people could ever make us righteous in God’s sight. All of these things fall miserably and hopelessly short. However, while our very best could never obtain the forgiveness and mercy of the Lord, the grace of God has made it available.

1. Basis for Atonement
-God’s Love was the motive
-Mankind’s Predicament was the Objective
-Christ’s Blood was the Means

2. Divine Involvement in the Atonement
-Jesus Christ, Our Perfect Sacrifice
—The Eternal Spirit
—Without Spot
-Jesus Christ, Our Reconciliation
-Jesus Christ, Every Person’s Atonement

3. Our Response to the Atonement
-Faith in God
-God’s Goodness
-Genuine Repentance
-Baptism in Water

Jesus has become the final sacrifice for our sins. God followed the precedent that He established in Scripture- that blood must be involved. He did not leave us to devise our own means of salvation, but He became involved in redemption through the Incarnation.

Our response should begin with faith and continue with obedience to the gospel, truly appropriating the power of the Atonement.

While fellowship with God and man are necessary to our spiritual development, our choice opens the door.

Deuteronomy 30:11-19
For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
15See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Joshua 24:15
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Amos 3:3
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Mankind began to fear only after sin entered his heart. Because of sin, Adam lost his confidence, his innocence, and his communion with the Lord. what a terrible tragedy to break fellowship with almighty God? Adam and Eve crated the first barrier when they ate the forbidden fruit. They crated the second when they “hid themselves” from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8)

1. Free Will
a. Our Actions are caused by our Decisions
-We are influenced by heredity and environment.
-We are personally responsible for our lives.
b. God Expects His Law to Be Kept
-We have freedom to choose correctly.
-We have the freedom to refuse.

2. Choice
a. We are Born with the Ability to Choose
b. We are Responsible to God for Our Choices

3. Fellowship
a. Fellowship with God
-God’s Response to Man.
-Man’s Response to God.
b. Fellowship with the Church
-The New Birth
-The Saints
-The Communion
c. Fellowship with Man
-Love your neighbor
-Who is my neighbor
-Am I my brother’s keeper

The momentous decision to give ourselves over to God is also the wisest choice we could possible make. Without the Lord’s influence and power in our lives, we would drift like a ship that has broken away from its moorings and faces certain disaster.

However, we can make choices that will bring us back into fellowship with the Almighty. He has loved us and made provision for us through the blood of Jesus Christ. Certainly, we can repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Then the Lord will fill us with His Spirit. Heaven awaits our response to the Lord’s invitation to all who will hear His voice to open the door of their heart and welcome him in.

Sorrel Wilby walked 1,800 miles across Western Tibet, a journey beset by disappointments, robbery, blisters, dog bites, stitches, freezing, loneliness, dynamite blasts, sword-wielding madmen, blizzards, frostbite, fleas, and 36 hours of snow-blindness. Sorrel wrote: “I reached the holy city- three months and 1,800 miles behind me…Every inch of Tibet had taken something from me, every mile, every virus. Every flea had had its share of me and hunger had done its worst…A single tear fell from my eye. It was not for pride, not for myself. I suddenly realized the magnitude of what I had gained, not lost, on my journey through Tibet. There had been days I remembered as gifts, but now I realized my whole life was a gift, a parcel to be held and unwrapped layer by layer. It has passed from the hands of one Tibetan to another so gently that I had not noticed them peeling away veneers of ego, pride, and ambition. Tibet had unwrapped me, laid me bare. Not taken, but given-given me everything. Showed me a power I had long considered imaginary. A power called love.” (National Geographic, Dec. 1987).

Life is not tidy. And though god lovingly passes us through the hands of experiences that peel away the veneers of ego, pride, and worldly ambition. He does not intend life to take anything of value from us.

Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

If we would unwrap the gift of life, there are five things that we must do.

Obey Acts 2:38
The first step to experience the new birth by obeying Acts 2:38. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Confront Adversity
Avoiding adversity creates weaklings. Facing up to adversity builds character-toughens us, gives us pathos, and gives us empathy for people’s needs and hurts.

Refuse to Be Distracted
If we allow ourselves to be diverted to secondary issues, much of life remains unlived. We must concentrate on living life to the maximum instead of fretting over t he unfairness of life.

Live With Enthusiasm
“Enthusiasm” comes from entheos: “from God.” To be enthusiastic is to be inspired; to have passion.

Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton said, “Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm…Enthusiasm is the genius of sincerity, and truth accomplishes no victories without it.”

In ancient Greece, Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing, was thought to work his cures while his patients slept. He appeared in dreams, mixing potions, applying bandages, and summoning snakes to lick the afflicted areas. The patients then offered replicas of body parts to Asclepius in thanks for healing.

Paul wrote to Christians who had been converted from the influence of Greek paganism: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

We must give ourselves whole-heartedly to living for God.

Learn How to Live from Jesus
Jesus said, “Learn of me” (Matthew 11:28:30).

Paul wrote, “Walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him” (Ephesians 4:17-21).

Life is a terrible thing to waste.

Simeon Young Sr.
Editor
The Pentecostal Herald

God has revealed Himself through his Word, the display of His creative works in the natural world, and through the record of His involvement with humanity.

Lesson Text:

Genesis 17:1-8
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Ephesians 1:17; 3:2-9
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ

Hebrews 1:1-2
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

Each of us desires to received direction from the Lord concerning the varied circumstances that life throws toward us. God certainly does not expect us to be wandering through life without direction. Indeed, He has particular thoughts for each person’s life, and He will provide direction for anyone who seeks it. Jeremiah proclaimed, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). God has plans for each person to live his life to the fullest and at the end of it to transition into everlasting life with Him. (See II Peter 3:9) Seeking to know God and His will for our lives will result in an abundant life that will positively influence others for His kingdom. (See I Timothy 4:16)

No wonder Jesus admonished us: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). Learning is a God-given ability that we should continually develop.

General Revelation
-Internal Knowledge of God
—Human Conscience
—Human Experience
-External Knowledge of God
—Nature
—History

Personal Revelation
-To a Man - Abraham
-To a Family - Jacob
-To a Nation - Israel
-To Individuals Today

The Revelation of the Son
-God’s Supreme Revelation of Himself
-God’s Purpose Was Redemptive

God wants us to seek Him to know His plan of redemption. Unless God reveals it to us, we have no idea of the things that He wants to do for His people. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the hearts of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (I Corinthians 2:9:10). the good news is that He will reveal His purpose to the sincere believer. God always honors the sincere seeker, and He will reward each individual who diligently searches after Him.

Indeed, when we search with the Spirit’s direction, we discover a whole new world. Even when we get to heaven, there will be things there about which no one wrote, and they will be so awesome that we could not possibly comprehend them from this side of glory.

You can view the pictures of our second annual turkey giveaway in our photo gallery.

Congratulations to all that participated in the Christmas Parade this year. The Westside float took 2nd place in the Civic or Church category.

Special thanks to Bro. & Sis. Baltimore for chairing this endeavor.

Jeremiah 32:16-25

Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying, 17Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: 18Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name, 19Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings: 20Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day; 21And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror; 22And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; 23And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them: 24Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it. 25And thou hast said unto me, O Lord GOD, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

The sovereignty of God expresses the nature of God as all-powerful and omnipotent, able to accomplish His good pleasure, carry out His decreed will, and keep His holy promises.

1. Sovereign in Creation:
—God Created All Things
—God Sustains All Things

2. Sovereign in Providence:
—God Controls the Natural World
—God Controls the Spiritual World
—God Controls Human History

3. Sovereign in Redemption
—God Established Covenants
—-Adam and Eve
—-Noah
—-Abraham
—-Moses and Israel
—-David
—-The Church (See Matthew 16:18-19)
—God Worked Redemption
—Lordship of Jesus Christ

As Christians we have a long line of covenantal opportunities simply because God has chosen to enter into agreements with sinful humanity. Previous covenants all pointed to God’s incarnation in Christ. Covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, Israel, and David were not failures; Jesus Christ fulfilled them all. He is King of kings and Lord of lords! We have the freedom to acknowledge His lordship now and enjoy the earnest of our inheritance as we eagerly await the new city whose builder is God (Hebrews 11:10).

1. God won’t ask what kind of car you drove. He’ll ask how many people you drove that didn’t have transportation.

2. God won’t ask the square footage of your house. He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

3. God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet. He’ll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

4. God won’t ask what your highest salary was. He’ll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

5. God won’t ask what your job title was. He’ll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

6. God won’t ask how many friends you had. He’ll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7. God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived. He’ll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8. God won’t ask about the color of your skin. He’ll ask about the content of your character.

9. God won’t ask why it took you so long to seek salvation. He’ll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven and not to the gates of Hell.