Good Thursday May fourteenth as we seek God’s will to grow in our faith in Christ.
God’s word the final authority-
It is important that we learn the differences between religions and the faith in the promises from God’s word. Paul identifies the two main ruling parties of the Sanhedrin the council he was brought before to answer the charges they had of him. At the root of the charges was the accusation that Paul was not telling new converts with a Jewish background to obey and follow all the customs of the Law of Moses. Remember the Law of Moses was established some three hundred years after the promise of the free gift of salvation which was given through Abraham and to all who believed Jew or gentile. Genesis 26:24”And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” The promise would filter by faith from generation to generation breaking down religious rules but then the people rebelled against God and became subject to hatred and prejudices and slavery so God brought the people out of Egypt and established the Laws for the purpose to have a mark for the people to live before God righteously. The first five dealt with honor and respect of God as the Father and the second five in how we are to live respectively before others as children of God. The laws were, as many do today with wrist bands that say WWJD, reminders to keep our eyes, hearts focused on honoring God. But instead man rose to higher positions and religious rituals and traditions replaced the simple truth Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus said to him, “‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Understanding God’s love is not a hard thing to find, but can be a hard thing to obey when religion gets in its way, the religion that honors man. Let’s read together from Acts 23:11 “But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”Paul is taken in fear that the mob may kill him and Luke tells us that the next day, the day after Paul spoke before the whole Jewish council in Jerusalem, at night the Lord stood before Paul. You know Luke does not go into describing this with bells and whistle rather said Paul would not die until the promises were fulfilled. First the Lord says to Paul be of good cheer, meaning be at peace, being something normal in their relationship, wow! John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” The Lord speaks some words that will give Paul the faith that he will need for the months ahead and then the Lord says Paul you testified of Me before Jerusalem, testifying of Paul’s true heart to reach the Jews. 2Timothy 2:13”If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Then the promise, “so you must also bear witness at Rome.” No matter what would come his way in the future, Paul was promised a day to testify in Rome. What are doing with the promise? Remnant
