Pastor Caroline - Bus to Glory - Heaven Bound

Thank you to all who contributed to the Shoe Box campaign. Through your donations we were able to fill 28 boxes. A big thank you to our super shopper, Janice, for shopping and filling those boxes. And a big thank you to all of you who filled your own boxes. God has used many hands to reach out and the spread the gospel to children across the world.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 30

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - HE SAT

 HE SAT

Perhaps the most important person in the hierarchy of the Jewish religion, during the time of the Old Testament, was the High Priest. He was the leader of the religion as well as being a powerful political figure. It was he who was in charge of the temple and of the sacrifices and who, once per year, entered the Holy of Holies to make amends for the sins of the people. He was considered the intermediary between the people and God and was someone whose work never seemed to be completed.

In the New Testament, Jesus is considered to be the High Priest for His followers. Hebrews puts it this way: “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” (Hebrews 4:14)* It goes on to say: “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

This means that while Christ, as our high priest, had all the feelings and emotions that we have, He remained free from sin. This is unlike the high priests in Old Testament times who continually had to make intercessions for their own sins before they could do so on behalf of their people. Frequently, year after year, he would have to make sacrifices to cover his own misdoings before making similar reparations on behalf of the Jewish nation. It is no wonder he remained so busy keeping up with the needs of his followers.

This perhaps explains why, in all the furnishings in the temple, there was no chair, no place to sit, no place to rest himself, but instead he had to constantly remain standing to continue to perform his priestly duties. “…the priests went always into the first tabernacle…But 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” (Hebrews 9:6-7). “For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices…” (Hebrews 8:3).

But Christ came as “an High Priest of good things to come…by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us…And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” (Hebrews 9:11-12,15) “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28). 

The high priest had to repeat his work many times and over many years but Christ did it once, and as He said: “It is finished” (John 19:30). Then He “…sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).

Isn’t it nice to know that everything has been done for us and we just have to accept it? There really is nothing more you have to think about.

*All scripture is from KJV

Pastor Caroline - Do You Believe?

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 29

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE LAST PROPHECY

 THE LAST PROPHECY

If one looks carefully at the Bible, there can be found about 400 different prophecies concerning the birth, life, and death of the Messiah. It is hard to be really accurate regarding this number because some writers combine two or more similar prophecies into one and others split one prophetic statement into two or three subdivisions. Regardless of this, there are many prophetic statements concerning the Messiah and it is felt that Jesus fulfilled all of them perfectly. Peter Stoner, a former Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College, along with a number of students, examined just eight specific prophecies and determined that the likelihood of any one man fulfilling these eight prophecies by chance alone was about one in ten to the seventeenth power. This would be about the equivalence of finding one silver dollar from among the mass of silver dollars if the entire State of Texas were covered in them to a depth of about two feet.

So these prophecies, mentioned above, are from the Old Testament, but even in the New Testament there are those statements which prophesy about Christ and His mission. At the very last stage of His ministry, Jesus was brought before Pilate and, although innocent, was condemned. Pilate was aware of this and even said to the Jews “I find no fault in Him at all” (John 18:38). But Barabbas, a known robber, was freed and thereby it was shown that Christ, the innocent, would take the place of man, the guilty.

This, however, was not the last prophecy. This was made unknowingly by the high priest Caiaphas when the priest and Pharisees gathered to plan what to do with Jesus. One  apparently said: “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” (John 11:48) Caiaphas, being somewhat arrogant, relied: “You know nothing at all” (John 11:49). Thinking of his own position and not of what should be considered moral and right, went on further to say: “it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish,” (John 11:50). And so he “…prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation…” as well as “…gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad”( John 11:51&52) “Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.” (John 11:53)

So in his arrogance and self-serving manner, Caiaphas unwittingly gave the last prophecy concerning the Saviour and pointed out that Jesus was indeed the One, although innocent, who would be chosen to die for the guilty and for the nation at the same time gathering together all the children of God.

The prophecy that Christ fulfilled on the cross giving us always something to think about.

Pastor Caroline - The God of Impossible