Be assured that Satan wants to keep the Gospel of Jesus from being proclaimed in this world.
It was Satan that led the nations of Judah and Israel to reject God’s Word and silence God’s Prophets…but God sent Amos.
It was Satan that led the Jews to have Paul arrested for proclaiming Christ. Paul refused to be silent. He told his captors about Jesus and this made others bold to speak. People’s motives for sharing Christ may be wrong…but God can still bless the message.
It was Satan that first distracted Martha. When she heard the word of Christ, she found real lasting comfort.
The Godly Attitudes that are exalted in the Scriptures must seem insane to the ungodly world in which we live. AVOID Humility – Our society encourages pride in ourselves, our wisdom, strength and wealth. God discourages this type of pride, calling upon us to boast that we know and trust in Him. AVOID Suffering – Our society encourages us to go with the flow to avoid trouble. God tells us not to fear those who persecute, but rejoice when we suffer for Him. Society says look out for number one; God says – Look out for one another. AVOID Religion – Our society tells us not to talk about what we believe. Jesus tells us not to be distracted from it, but to relish every opportunity to listen to Him
On the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared in glory to speak with Jesus. God revealed Himself to Moses at the Burning Bush, but Moses was afraid to look on God.
On Mount Sinai, Moses came into God’s presence and his face glowed with God’s Glory. He hid it from the Israelites. The glory of the Savior Jesus is also hidden from them by unbelief to this day.
It was near the Temple Mount that Jesus called on the religious leaders to search the OT Scriptures, especially the writings of Moses. He wrote about Jesus, and his words still judge those who reject the Savior Jesus (Deuteronomy 18:15ff).
Last Saturday afternoon I followed the instructions of the GPS and found my way to Okabena, MN. This afternoon, we follow the direction of the word of God and are introduced to the Promised Savior by Isaiah. He tells us his purpose in coming and what He will do. In our second lesson we are reminded that this message was once hidden in the mind of God but has now been declassified for us in the Scriptures by the Spirit. Finally, this message will culminate in our seeing Jesus as the ladder, the one way to heaven.
We are sinners who live in a sinful world. We are also forgiven sinners cleansed in the blood of Jesus. We are aware that God knows all things and has separated us from sin and dedicated us to God. We seek above all to follow Jesus.
For all that we think we know…we don’t know much. But we do know that as God delivered the infant Moses for a future purpose…He has delivered us for a reason. We don’t know the future…but we know Him who holds the future. We know that death has no power over us because Christ has power over death.
The Law and the Gospel are both teachings from God intended to have two different effects on sinful human beings. The Law of God demands perfection and is intended to humble us and to create fear. The Good News of the Savior Jesus is intended to chase that fear and give peace and joy.
God offers all people forgiveness for sins…but not to those who are not sorry for their sins against God (Contrition) or who do not trust in the Savior, Jesus Christ (Penitence). God calls upon every sinner to confess their sins, to sorrow over them and make every effort to avoid them. He also promises pardon to all those who trust in His Son. We see that in our Scripture Lessons this Sunday.
