Tag: Salvation

Miraculous Faith

Published on by James TravisLeave a comment

Do you have miraculous faith? Yesterday at Saar Fellowship we talked through Hebrews 11.23-31 and saw miraculous faith in action.

I would say that yes, you do, and that you don’t need to get lost in the search for signs and wonders because you are one, you are a sign of the miraculous, you are a miraculous wonder. 

Do you know the biggest and most miraculous example we can possibly see?

The most miraculous and wonderful and exceedingly surprising?

The Word of God taking on flesh and living, dieing, rising, and ascending, and promising to come again.

The person of Jesus, casting aside for a time His heavenly glory and location to take up temporary residence among us to demonstrate to us the way, and the truth, and the life, to show us how to be reconciled to God, to offer us the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit through being in Him in faith to become a new creation, to cast aside our old person and become a new creation in Him…that is exceedingly surprising and wonderful therefore it is miraculous!

If you believe that, if you believe Him, then your faith is absolutely miraculous.

The fact that you are not who you used to be is miraculous, it’s surprising and it’s wonderful.

The fact that you can think, reason, consider, conclude, and confess that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead is an example of your miraculous faith. 

The fact that you love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and that you love others as yourself is miraculous, that is exceedingly surprising and wonderful. It is so different to the culture at large, you are so different to the culture at large because you have miraculous faith.

So, take this knowledge, take this understanding, and let your miraculous faith be the engine that drives your life. 

Let your miraculous faith change everything about what you say, what you do, how you feel about yourself and the world. Let your miraculous faith be the central point that your entire life revolves around.

Thinking Beyond Christmas

Published on by James TravisLeave a comment

What did Christmas bring for you?

Did you get everything you wanted?

Did you get everything you needed?

We said last week that our greatest need as fallen sinful people is forgiveness, and we were given a Saviour, but, what does that mean, what comes with that?

2 Peter 1.3-4 tells us that it comes with everything. Everything to live the life that God made you to live. The life of love. The life focused on others.

Mark 2.17 tells us that it comes with perspective. Christmas, the incarnation, God piercing the space-time journey that we are on to take on flesh and live among us and die to atone for our sins shows us that really, we are not naturally good, we are not naturally strong, we are dependent, we are broken in spirit, depraved in thinking, by nature bound to choose the poor choice left to ourselves, and that we need Him to be, truly, all that we were made to be.

Luke 2.25-35 tells us that it comes with salvation. To receive salvation, all we have to do is take Jesus as Simeon did; personally, with the proper perspective that He is everything we need.

What did Christmas bring for you?

Everything, perspective, and salvation.

Why Is Christmas A Time Of Great Joy?

Published on by James TravisLeave a comment

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2.10-12

This is what the angels said to the shepherds that wonderful night 2000 years ago. The Good News that Jesus was born means many things to many people;

Liberation. Reconciliation. Restoration. Justification. Salvation.

First though, notice with me what the angels said, 

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Good news of great joy…for all the people. Good news of great joy. Great joy.

The first advent of Christ, His first coming, which we are but three days away from celebrating, was a time of great joy.

The first three-quarters of the Bibles we carry looks forward to this very moment, all the way back to Genesis 3.15 looks forward to this moment, and it was a moment of great joy.

Everything that people had wanted and had struggled towards for hundreds of years was now here. Everything that people had tried and tried to work towards in their own strength was now here, and this meant it was a time of great joy.

For us now, it is still a time of great joy.

The gift of liberation from slavery to sin has been given.

The gift of reconciliation in our relationship to God has been given. 

The gift of restoration to the life we were made to live has been given.

The gift of justification and a right-standing before God has been give. 

The gift of salvation and eternal life has been given.

Christmas is a time of great joy because of what we are celebrating. Christmas is a time of great joy because of what came into the world. Christmas is a time of great joy because of Jesus. 

Simeon and Salvation

Published on by James TravisLeave a comment

Lets set the scene – so here is young Jesus, baby Jesus, and He is taken to temple (Luke2.22-23). This is before the wise men arrived, and His earthly parents offer the required sacrifice as part of the dedication ceremony for families that could not afford a lamb (v.24)., and in Luke 2.25-35 we read 

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;

 for my eyes have seen your salvation

 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.””

So here is Simeon, waiting for the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Consolation of Israel, and he takes up Jesus in his arms. He blesses God, he loves this baby despite only just having met him, so to speak, because he knows who He is, and what He is bringing…salvation.

Simeon knew that this was salvation for all, notice with me what he said…

…my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

All people, not just Israel, not just Jews, but Gentiles too, salvation is here for everyone through this person.

Though Mary and Joseph had been told that their Son was the Messiah (Matthew 1.21), perhaps they had not properly understood the global scale of what this child would accomplish.

Jesus was then, and is now, and always will be, God’s salvation.

Simeon saw, and Simeon knew. Simon knew that he saw the Lord’s salvation, a light for revelation, and the glory of God. I wonder if you have ever seen Jesus like that, as your own personal salvation, as a revelation of who God is, as the glory of God walking and talking in human flesh.

If you have, then this Christmas do everything you can in your own words and ways to manifest that to others, to show others what you believe.

If you haven’t, all it takes is faith; believe Him, believe in Him, put your trust in Him, and the gift you will receive this Christmas will be the best gift ever, the gift you need the most, forgiveness and life eternal. 

Spiritual Depression – That One Sin – 1 Timothy 1.15-16

Published on by James TravisLeave a comment

Lloyd-Jones makes an interesting point when saying that if all the Christian life entailed was accepting salvation and going to heaven then the New Testament letters would never have been needed, and there would be no real need for the church.

His point is that we all struggle with life and will continue to struggle with life regardless of whether we have professed Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Being a believer is no guarantee that life will be smooth sailing.

He goes on to say that if you have never had trouble in your life, never battled through anything, are you really a believer? His point is that upon becoming a Christian, there will be things in our lives that we want to let go of, get rid of, or just plain run away from.

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

1 Timothy 1.15-16

There will be things we all want to get rid of in our lives, some may take more time than others and this is ok. We know from the full counsel of Scripture that the forgiveness that Jesus offers is total and complete, and it is in this truth that we need to rest. 

Maybe there is something in your life that you look back on and cannot understand how you could be forgiven for.

This one sin can really get people down. They look at the testimony of others and say ‘Praise God, what a transformation!‘, but struggle to understand that they are also forgiven from all of their past. 

When we differentiate between sin (this one is worse than that one), we fail to take God at His Word. We fail to understand that Jesus died for the sins of the entire world, including the one sin that you feel you will never be forgiven. 

When an angel appeared to Joseph to reassure him he said this,

…“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1.20-21

The shed blood of Jesus covers all sins, and you are completely forgiven. The angel didn’t say “…he will save his people from some sin, but not that one sin you committed…”

Lloyd-Jones summarises well, and this is a great thought for us to take into today,

“You and I must never look at our past lives; we must never look at any sin in our past life in any way except that which leads us to praise God and to magnify His grace in Christ Jesus. I challenge you to do that. If you look at your past and are depressed by it, if as a result you are feeling miserable as a Christian, you must do what Paul did…He glories in grace and says the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 9.11-28 – A Greater Blood, Death, and Sacrifice

Published on by James TravisLeave a comment

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.[h] 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

To the original readers/hearers this passage would have meant that 

  • The blood of Jesus is far greater than anything you have been offering before.
  • The blood of Jesus can cleanse you on the deepest level.
  • The blood of Jesus offers true and eternal redemption.
  • The blood of Jesus offers provision and protection for your life. 
  • The blood of Jesus is enough. 

Once, for all.

What did the blood of Jesus do for me, now, today?

It secured you an eternal redemption, an eternal relationship with God, an eternal life, an eternal forgiveness of sins.

We say ‘it’s in the blood’ but why? How?

It is His provision, His protection, His blood that covers your sin. 

Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Leviticus 17.11), and His is perfect, sinless, spotless, and supreme. His provision is eternal and heavenly, His protection is against sin past, present, and future. 

Jesus gave a greater sacrifice, died a greater death, and shed His greater blood for you to have eternal redemption. 

What do we do with this then?

Understand why the blood of Jesus is greater.

Live as if Jesus shed His blood for you. 

Live as those bought for a price, the price of greater blood, a greater death, and a greater sacrifice.

Live as those who are eagerly waiting for Him.

This devotional was taken from a message given at Saar Fellowship, more can be found here!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saar-fellowship-podcast/id1461704931

http://www.saarfellowship.com

1 Timothy 2.15 – The Childbirth

Published on by James TravisLeave a comment

This is one of those verses that people use, again, to say all sorts of things. Let us first read it and see what comes to mind. 

Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

First, it’s difficult and dangerous to interpret stand-alone verses, especially those that begin with words like yet, or so, or therefore.

So then, she will be saved through childbearing – sounds like ladies are only saved if they give birth. Does that line up with everything or anything else we read in the Word, that ladies have to bear children to be saved? If we back up a verse to v.14 we see that the she should really, given sensible reading, be Eve. We read …the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be…Normal sensible reading would say that she is Eve then. But then Paul seems to open it up and say if they continue…Eve was only one, so they cannot be Eve, so we have something particular to Eve that then affects all ladies?

Back in Genesis 3.15 Eve was told that from her family line One would come who would right the wrongs of Eden, who would trample sin and death and the devil, and restore humanity’s broken relationship with God. This, I’d suggest, is the she will be saved. 

Interestingly, in the Greek text, there is a definite article, the, before childbirth. So, translating literally word-for-word would render this,

Yet she will be saved through the childbirth – if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self control.

The idea seems then, that rather than blame Eve for sin entering the world, rather than pin the fall onto all of womankind, we are be thankful and grateful that it is through the ladies in our life that we are all brought into the world, and it was through a lady, Mary, that our Lord and Saviour came into the world. 

David Guzik summarises this well, he writes, 

Probably, the idea here is that even though the “woman race” did something bad in the garden by being deceived and falling into transgression, the “woman race” also did something far greater, in being used by God to bring the saving Messiah into the world…Don’t blame women for the fall of the human race; the Bible doesn’t. Instead, thank women for bringing the Messiah to us.

Without the ladies in our lives none of us would be here, and the Word become flesh wouldn’t have miraculously come to earth in the way He did, and it would be impossible for us to say, with confidence, that we are all saved through the childbirth.