EASTER, PART 2
As Jesus Christ was dying on the cross, one of the two others being crucified beside Him said, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." (Luke 23:42) Even at the end, salvation took place. Christ offered redemption if you accepted His invitation.
When the centurion who stood opposite the cross saw Christ breathe His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!" (Luke 15:39 ) For those who heed the call of Christ (God), the offer of eternal life is always available any place, anywhere. Christ died,
but Easter began. Redemption continues.
Although redemption was accomplished differently in the Old Testament, it was always there. The Law and sacrifice were the method God used before Christ. Perhaps the redemption of the largest number of people occurred in the Book of Jonah. The mission God gave Jonah was so daunting Jonah tried to squirm out of His marching order. He had to go to Nineveh and tell them God would destroy them if they didn't repent.
Nineveh was a great city inhabited by a fierce people who had a huge pile of skulls at the entrance to the city to intimidate anyone who entered the city. It was a very large city for that period of time, spanning eight miles and the center of a nation that extended 55
miles. Jonah went there knowing the savage culture of the people and armed exactly as John the Baptist. His message was simply for the people to repent. To his amazement and consternation, the entire nation repented. Jonah did not like this result because he
felt the people should not be excused from their wicked actions. He needed to understand that redemption is based on the condition of your heart and the reception of God's Word.
We're going to move backwards to Joshua for our next refresher course in redemption, but it is important to pause and take note of a very important event as Israel faced the fortified city of Jericho. While Joshua was contemplating how to take the city, he had a very important visitor. Joshua 5:14 tells us, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." Early in my ministry I had the occasion to meet with several representatives of a Christian denomination to talk about military service. Readers of my messages should know I'm a veteran and very proud to have served. These people told me they didn't believe in taking up arms because they didn't want to have to shoot or kill brothers in Christ. Although they professed to be Christians, they refused to accept the facts in scripture clearly showing that spiritual as well as material warfare
is a constant on-going conflict. It's pretty comfortable if someone else sacrifices their life to save you. I would not count on them or their denomination to fulfill Christ's mission. He was all about putting His life on the line.
The arrival of the Lord's military leader introduces us to the presence of angels. This goes along with other spiritual phenomena such as dreams and visions. Most people doubt these experiences are real. That doubt usually results in no such "visits" or information. People have to have an "open line" to receive such spiritual guidance.
There are many places in scripture where angels appeared as men and brought special messages. The announcements of the future births of John the Baptist and Jesus were brought by angels.
Christ did not teach about physical war, but rather about spiritual war. We are to follow His instructions on how to live as Christians. We receive instructions now so we can practice the Christian life before His kingdom becomes reality. I see very few professing Christians following instructions from the four Gospels, and that includes pastors
and church leaders. Friends, you can not just read at random in scripture or pick out verses to suit your purpose. A major mistake by Christians today is misunderstanding redemption. We will continue exploring this subject in Joshua.
God's Commander in chief gave Joshua the spiritual strategy and tactics to accomplish the goal. There was no military textbook to provide guidance. A general or captain needs spiritual guidance to be able to win battles or war. Joshua sent out two spies to learn
specifics about Jericho. They found a well fortified city, and an ally God had prepared for them. The people of Jericho had heard of Israel and the miracle strength and power they wielded. The only entry to the city was a fortified gate. The city was not large, covering only about seven acres, but the heavy walls were also used for housing, somewhat like our apartment houses.
The spies needed a place to stay, and were taken in by a prostitute named Rahab. The king of Jericho heard that Israelites had entered the city, and sent men to find them. Rahab had somehow become a believer in the God of Israel, and was there to protect the spies. She hid them on the roof of her home among flax spread out to dry. She told the
searchers the spies were gone. She did not have a priest to direct her actions, but did exactly as God, Himself, directed her. Could we have a violation of scripture here, since her answer to the searchers was not exactly accurate?
The walls of Jericho have not yet fallen, but we have several possible scriptural discrepancies to examine. Scripture doesn't conflict with itself, and we must keep that in mind. We also must look at how verses from the Old Testament fit in with Christ's teaching. Putting together the writings from the Old Testament, especially from Proverbs, has been a stumbling block for many loudly proclaiming their Christianity. Proverbs is advice from several sources, and it is good advice. Violating that advice may or may not be a sin, but it is not a sin of condemnation. Too many pious Christians are judging (a mistake) people who do not or seem to not heed the advice. None of us is free from sin. I could quote from Matt. 7:3 about judging others, but if I did, doubters could say I was doing exactly what I warned about--picking one scripture to suit my purpose. So...I'll tell you to read all of chapter 7.
God loves people, but He hates sin. Understand this--He hates all sins, and does not separate them by categories. This is where so many professing Christians err. Compare their misunderstanding: a lie is a sin; cheating is a sin; prostitution is a sin; fraud is a sin, slander is a sin, homosexuality is a sin, adultery is a sin, murder is a sin. In God's eyes,
each of these carries the same value. Note I did not include same sex marriage. That is because a civil ceremony does not imply a sexual union. The Pope recently stated the Catholic Church will accept the civil marriage ceremony. Without sex, the civil union isn't a sin. This is one of the Christian mistakes, especially among Protestants. Another
mistake is to throw gay people under the bus. It is a sin, but does not disqualify the sinner from the opportunity to receive salvation. If a Christian quotes Proverbs 6:17-19 lists things God hates, but all can be covered by Christ's shed blood.
Back to Jericho. The two Israeli spies promise to spare Rahab and her family when Israel captures the city. She lowers them with a rope out the window of her home, which is located on the city wall. She identifies her home with a scarlet cord so the Israelites will spare her family. With the strategy and tactics provided by the Lord's Commander, Israel takes the city, and all the inhabitants were slaughtered except Rahab's family. God used a prostitute to enable Israel to destroy Jericho, and Rahab became a part of Christ's ancestry (Matt. 1:1-16). When a professing Christian sets anyone apart because of his/her personal judgment, that Christian is actually committing a sin.
Elite Christians are bigots who don't realize they are sinning as they pass judgment on others. All judgment will be made by Christ, and all people have the opportunity to accept His invitation to eternal life. That is what Easter and the Cross are all about.
Rev. Walbear
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