Sons of Korah - Psalm 130 Live

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Sons of Korah - Psalm 93

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Sons of Korah

Do Christians and Jews worship the same God?

by Scott Rossy
A friend once asked me: “Since both claim to be worshiping the God of Abraham, do Christians and Jews worship the same God?”

I told her no, and gave her my reasons. She asked a bible teacher at her church and he responded by saying yes. He backed up his point by quoting the story of Paul while at Athens when he said “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.  For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:21-23). His (the bible teacher) point being that the Athenians were worshiping God, but they were just doing it in ignorance.

Notwithstanding his point, I still believe the answer is no.

I think the question should really be; “Does God accept their worship?” Many people “claim” to worship God, whether they are a Jew or a Gentile but does God accept or is He pleased with their worship?

When speaking of whether we worship the same God, I understand the question to be all encompassing, concerning our entire life offering, meaning; do we serve the same God? Do we pray to the same God? Do we have faith in and are we trusting in the same God?  Do we know the same God and are we known by Him? Do we all have equal access to Him? Are we all a part of His family? But even more importantly, does He accept or receive our worship, our prayers, our service, our life? Is He pleased with it? We may claim to be serving, worshiping, and praying to Him, but is it on His terms?

I believe the answer to this question is clearly, No. Reason being that Jesus Christ is the only way of access to the Father.

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)

“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5)

There is no other way to come to the Father. All access to the Father is in and through Christ. Access to the Father not only for salvation, but also for prayer and worship as well. It is not possible to come to the Father some other way, to side step Christ and then expect Him to accept our worship. Only those (both Jew and Gentile) who have been adopted by the Father and have born into His family are at peace with the Him. Those who are outside of Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, are still abiding under the wrath of God. They have never been reconciled to the Father. Man may claim that he is worshiping the Father and that the Father is pleased with or accepts his worship but that is not the case.

“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.” (Proverbs 15:8)

“He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” (Proverbs 28:9)

Scripture is filled with examples of God rejecting the worship of man. This was particularly true of the covenant people of Israel and Judah. God rejected their worship in Isaiah 1:11-15 saying:

“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?  “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.  “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, they have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.  “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.”

This is an example of people coming to God based mostly on the fact that they are the physical descendants of Abraham and assuming that He will be pleased with and will accept their worship. They overlooked the fact that their hearts were not right before Him. They still had hearts that were evil and corrupt. They possessed hearts of stone. They were never forgiven, cleansed, washed and purified. God will never accept worship from such a vessel. Even we as His children today will have our worship and prayers rejected if we cherish sin in our hearts, so how much more those who are outside of His family?

Being a descendant of Abraham wasn’t enough. John the Baptist said to the Jews of his day, “Do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.” (Matthew 3:9). Jesus said to the Jews who claimed that they were Abraham’s children, “You are of your father the devil.” (John 8:44). All who are outside of Christ are children of the devil, whether they are a Jew or a Gentile. So in what way can it be said that God accepts their worship? It can’t.

Old Testament saints

So what about the OT believers? Since Jesus had not yet come, was their worship, etc. accepted by the Father. Was it pleasing to Him? Where they coming to Him on His terms? Yes, it WAS accepted by Him. It was accepted by Him because they also were coming to God based on the cross of Christ. There is only one way of salvation. The cross of Christ is the way of salvation under both Covenants, the old and the new. Humanly speaking, they were looking ahead to the cross just as we look back to the cross. It was necessary for Christ to step into time during the incarnation but from God’s viewpoint, Christ’s atoning work was already accomplished. “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.” (I Peter 1:20). He does not exist in time. He does not see “history” and “time” as we do. He sees as one, what is to us the past, present and future. Because of this, God accepted Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, David, etc. because from His viewpoint, their sins were already atoned for. Christ’s atoning work was a done deal. These godly men of faith understood that “the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5). They had placed their faith Him and understood that salvation was to come from and be provided by Him. They may not have had the understanding that we do today but they were trusting in the One who is to come, just as we trust in the One who has come.

Those who are outside of Christ (Jew and Gentile) are separated from God and still have their debt of sin remaining. It’s still between them and the Lord. It hasn’t been dealt with. As a result, God’s wrath is abiding on them.

”Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)

There is simply no other way to the Father than through Christ for both Jew and Gentile. Claiming to worship the God of Abraham without faith in the Christ (Messiah, Anointed One, Branch, Servant of the Lord) wasn’t acceptable in the OT and it is still the case today.

Worship in truth

Concerning worship, Jesus said, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24). To worship in truth is to worship in and through Jesus because He alone is the truth.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)

“truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21)

The Holy Spirit

It is necessary for the Holy Spirit to be present for all true worship to take place. At least worship that is pleasing to the Lord. It’s only what the Holy Spirit produces in us that is pleasing to the Lord. Apart form the Holy Spirit, no good indwells us. There’s nothing but our wicked, corrupt flesh. And since the unbelieving, unregenerate do not have the Spirit within them, all that’s left is their wicked flesh and the wicked flesh cannot produce a life that is pleasing to the Lord. “The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7-8). Those who are outside of Christ, whether they be a Jew or a Gentile possess neither the Holy Spirit or know the truth. They are still abiding in darkness. In fact, those who have never been born again with the Holy Spirit don’t even have the ability to understand the truth. “ The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (I Corinthians 2:14)

Regarding the Gentiles in Athens, Paul never said that the Father accepted or was pleased with their worship. He claimed that what they were doing was done in ignorance. That’s not a commendable place to be spiritually. I’m not sure why someone would use this verse to prove that those who are outside of Christ are presenting worship that the Father accepts.  Paul proclaimed the truth to them. He didn’t want to leave them where they were, in ignorance. He wanted them to convert. The same with the Jews of their day.  Peter, James, John and the other Apostles took the gospel to them because without it they were still rejected by God. If God accepted their worship, why would the Apostles have endured all the suffering and persecution that they did in order to try and persuade them to turn to Christ?

 “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.  Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” (I John 2:22-23)

Salvation is available to all today, no matter what our ancestry may be. No matter where we are born or where we live. We may be born a Jew or we may be born a Gentile. The salvation that God has provided for man is in/through and by His Son. The message that Paul proclaimed to those in Athens is still true to man today. He concluded by saying:

“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness  through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)

Jesus says: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus on Homosexuality

by Scott Rossy

There are those within professing Christianity who support and defend the homosexual lifestyle and homosexual marriage. Among them there are those who are practicing homosexuals as well as those who although they themselves are not homosexual, are of those who give “hearty approval” (Romans 1:32) and support to those who are. This may sound strange since homosexuality is clearly prohibited in the bible, but in recent years there have been more and more Christians who gradually adhere to this view. So how then, does someone who claims to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ defend a lifestyle and an act that the bible calls an abomination?  

There are two lines of argument behind their reasoning:

1) Jesus never spoke about homosexuality, so therefore He never condemned it. They attempt to find support for their view from Jesus supposed silence on the matter concluding that He would support and condone homosexual marriage.

2) It was Paul (and Moses) who condemned homosexuality and since Christians are to be followers of Jesus, we don’t need to obey what Paul said. He was just a man and his words aren’t authoritative to Christians today. It’s only what Jesus spoke that matters.

Neither of these arguments are valid. Concerning the second argument about the authority of the Apostle Paul, please see the previous post titled, That's Paul, not Jesus  where I give some thoughts on the authority of Paul. 

But what about Jesus? Do we know His view on marriage and sexual relations? Did He ever speak on these matters? Yes! He absolutely did. Jesus did reveal His will on these matters. He spoke clearly on God’s will for marriage and sexuality. He clearly upheld and affirmed that marriage is to consist of one man and one woman. He states that this has always been God’s purpose and plan for marriage. He did this in a number of ways:

First, He speaks directly about marriage. “He[Jesus] answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,  and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6).  Of these 3 verses that Jesus spoke, the first 2 were quoted directly from the Genesis chapter 2 account of the creation of man and woman on the earth. The third verse was added directly by Him. He states clearly that marriage is between one man and his one wife. He upholds the Genesis account of creation and marriage. The institution of marriage has been created by God, not man. He states; “What therefore God has joined together…”  It’s a man and a woman joined together in marriage by God. This is exactly what happened in the Genesis account that Jesus quoted. After creating the first man (Adam), “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18).  The helper that God created for the man is the first woman (Eve). Genesis 2 continues; “The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.” (Genesis 2:22).  The bringing of the woman to the man was done by God. He brought her to the man to be his wife, uniting them in marriage. This was His plan, His will and His purpose in creating marriage. The idea of marriage and the definition of marriage were not conceived by man. Again, this is what Jesus meant when He said; “What therefore God has joined together...”   It started with God, in His mind. Marriage exists by the work and will of God. It exists for His purposes. Man is not at liberty to change what God has created. He created the man and then created the woman as the corresponding helper for the man. He then brought the woman to the man and joined them together in marriage. Adam understood this and responded joyfully to what the Lord had done. The Genesis account ends with the words that Jesus quoted; “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24). The two become one in the union of marriage. This would prohibit the idea of polygamy as well.

Secondly, Jesus spoke more of the marriage/family unit saying, “‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ – (Matthew 15:4).  These two quotes are both contained in the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy and Leviticus.  Here, Jesus again affirms that the family unit is to consist of both a father and a mother. He does not say to honor “your parents” which is quite different and would have left it open for a mixture of family units, but instead He reveals that in His mind a child is to have both a father and a mother. Not a father and a father or a mother and a mother. In fact, Jesus quotes some 7 times the “father and mother” unit. Obviously, from His perspective, He considered this to be the norm.

In the Old Testament Moses speaks against and prohibits homosexuality saying,

“If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.” – (Leviticus 20:13).

“You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” – (Leviticus 18:22)

These 2 verses are from the book of Leviticus.

Some attempt to pit the words of Jesus against the words of Moses or Paul, claiming their words don’t have the same authority as Jesus. It’s important to note that Jesus quotes Moses. In fact, Jesus quotes from the book of Leviticus, the very book in which Moses clearly condemns homosexuality. He (Jesus) affirms that what Moses spoke was scripture, the very words of God. Moses didn’t make these things up. This is what God revealed to him.

Man, who loves darkness, may choose to pervert God’s purpose and plan for marriage but man certainly CAN’T use Jesus to support his rebellion. For sure, those enslaved to homosexual sins can be cleansed and purified of their defilement and rebellion just the same as those enslaved to heterosexual sins can be cleansed and purified of their defilement and rebellion. But it is utter blasphemy to claim that the Holy Son of God who was without sin and obeyed the Law of God perfectly would in any way condone and approve of what is clearly prohibited in scripture.

There are countless matters that Jesus never spoke directly to. He never spoke directly of embezzlement, bribery, arrogance, rape, bestiality, etc., etc. His silence in these areas should in no way be taken as Him somehow supporting such acts.

Professing Christians who are not involved in the homosexual lifestyle yet support homosexual marriage may think they are being Christlike, loving and charitable but in reality they are of no help to those enslaved to this sin. Why not share the truth of the gospel with such folks, showing them that God has a better way and a better life for them where they can be reconciled to Him, cleansed and forgiven of all unrighteousness and defilement? Then will they experience His peace and joy, saying with the rest of the redeemed, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!”

That's Paul, not Jesus

by Scott Rossy
"Well, that's Paul, not Jesus.  Jesus never said that!"  Have you ever heard someone say this? People often say this when confronted with something in the bible that they disagree with or with something in the bible that they don’t like. It’s said in response to something the Apostle Paul said in one of the New Testament epistles. Since they don’t like what is said, they make the claim that since it was said by Paul and not Jesus, they can dismiss it. They claim that Paul’s words are not on the same level and don’t carry the same weight as Jesus words’, therefore, the words of Paul as recorded in the New Testament are not authoritative to Christians today.

But is this a valid argument? Are Paul’s words as authoritative as Jesus’ words? After all, Jesus is the Lord and Paul was only a mortal man.

No, it is not valid. It is an attack on the inspiration of scripture. Paul’s words as recorded in the bible are equal with the words of Jesus. They are equally authoritative. The reason being, the words that Paul spoke are the very words given to him by Christ. Paul did not write letters to churches to give his opinion. He was a called Apostle who was given direct revelation from the Lord.

“For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12)

“By revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit” (Ephesians 3:3-5)

The truth that Paul taught was not “discovered” by him, but was revealed to him by the Lord. His New Testament epistles are scripture themselves, equal with the Old Testament scriptures. The Apostle Peter refers to Paul’s letters (epistles) as scripture saying “just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (II Peter 3:15-16).

Paul’s letters are scripture as the “rest.” Whose writings are the “rest” that Peter is referring to? Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Zechariah, etc., and the rest of the Old Testament prophets. Those who distort scripture are described as untaught and unstable because all scripture originates from God. He is its source. It does not originate from these men themselves “For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (II Peter 1:21)

It originates from Him and is given to His holy apostles and prophets. Scripture is as the very breath of God. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (II Timothy 3:16-17)

Jesus frequently quoted Moses and the Old Testament prophets. He referred to their prophecies as the word of God. Like Paul, these were all mortal men. But Jesus affirmed that although they were mere men, they were speaking the very words of God. God revealed truth to them. He spoke through them. The Holy Spirit moved them to speak the very words of God. In like manner, Paul was given revealed truth as he was moved by the Holy Spirit. Paul’s words are as authoritative as the “rest” of scripture (Moses and all the Old Testament prophets).

The inspiration of scripture is one of the non negotiable cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith. To attempt to find a division or disagreement between the words of Christ and the epistles of Paul is to do so to ones own destruction. To discard the words of Paul is just as equal to discarding the words of Christ. You cannot pit one against the other. As Jesus said, “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35)

Either, Or

by Scott Rossy
We live in a postmodern world. It’s a world that hates absolutes. It’s a world that rejects the idea of knowing anything for certain. It hates clarity. It despises the idea of seeing things as either black or white. It despises being absolutely sure or certain in our faith and in our beliefs. Instead, it loves the idea of gray, of not being completely sure of anything. It loves the concept that in spiritual matters, we really can’t know anything for certain and to claim certainty is a sign of ignorance. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking has also spilled over into the church. While there are things in scripture that are hard to understand and leave room for honest debate and discussion, man’s eternal destiny and standing before God is not one of them. The Bible is very black and white on this. Every human being on the face of the earth is in either one category, or the other. We all fall into either this or either that.

For instance, we’re all:

Either saved or we’re unsaved

Either born again or we’re not born again

Either a child of God or we’re a child of the devil

Either a child of light or we’re a child of darkness

Either a sheep or we’re a goat

Either wheat or we’re chaff

Either spiritually alive or we’re spiritually dead

Either in Christ or we’re in Adam

Either a slave of righteousness or we’re a slave of sin

Either have a mind set on the Spirit or we’re have a mind set on the flesh

Either married to Christ or we’re married to the Law

Either we’ve entered through the Narrow Gate or we’ve entered through the Broad Gate

Either we’re traveling on the Narrow Path or we’re traveling on the Broad Path

Either we’re clothed in the righteousness of Christ or we’re clothed in self righteousness

Either we have the Son or we don’t have the Son

Either we’ve been reconciled to God or we haven’t been reconciled to God

Either we’re on our way to heaven or we’re on our way to hell

In all of these, there is no middle ground. There is no 3rd option. In every case, we all are in one of the two. There is no situation where someone is neither saved nor unsaved but is in the middle, trying to be saved. The same with being born again. Nobody is in the middle, hoping, working on or trying to be born again. Either we are or we aren’t. To be in the middle would be like being sort of pregnant. It can’t be. Either you are or you aren’t. The same with salvation. Either you’re in Christ or you’re not. If you’re in Christ, you’re saved. If you’re not in Christ, you aren’t saved.

The good news is that God does want us to know for certain. He doesn’t want us to be uncertain about our eternal destiny, but to know Him and to have an intimate relationship with Him. He wants us to be able to live a fruitful and productive life for His glory and to have the joy and assurance of our faith. He says in 1 John: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (I John 5:13). It’s those who believe in the name of the Son of God who already, right now possess eternal life. They are the only one’s who can know for sure. Believing in the name of the Son of God is to believe fully in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. To trust in Him and Him alone for forgiveness. By coming to Him in faith and repentance, we no longer place any hope in our own self effort and goodness as a means to gain approval and acceptance from God. It’s to truly believe that if it weren’t for Jesus Christ and His work on the cross, then no one could be saved. We’d all be consigned to an eternity in hell. Forgiveness would not be possible.

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (I John 5:11-12)

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (I Corinthians 15:3-4)

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Jesus says; “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

The concept of grayness or finding the middle ground is not admirable. It’s not a virtue and it doesn’t come from God. It’s spiritual poison, don’t drink it. Know for sure! You can know for sure. God wants you to know for sure. His salvation in Christ is certain, sure and complete. “He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

Do you know for sure? If you don’t know for sure, could it be that perhaps you are placing your trust and hope in something else other than Christ? Are you trusting in your own goodness? Thinking that you’re not that bad and that you’ve done enough good to outweigh the bad, hoping God will understand that even though you’re not perfect, you meant well? If you think this way, you’re still on what Jesus called the road to destruction. You’re not trusting completely in Him.

“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22)

“Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)



Treading the Wine Press Alone

by Scott Rossy
“I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath. And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments. And I stained all My raiment.” – Isaiah 63:2

I still remember the first time I heard these verses as a new Christian and I can still remember the strong impression it had on me. This vivid, awesome image of the Lord Jesus Christ is something I’ve never forgotten. When most people think of Jesus, this probably isn’t the way the picture or think of Him. Here the Lord Jesus Christ, who is “The King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16) is pictured at His second coming as marching to Jerusalem, in anger having trampled in judgment His enemies under His feet. He’s portrayed as a Majestic warrior King, with wrath and vengeance in His heart.

Isaiah 63:1-6

"Who is this who comes from Edom, with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, marching in the greatness of His strength?

"It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."

Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

“I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment. "For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come.”I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; so My own arm brought salvation to Me, and My wrath upheld Me. "I trod down the peoples in My anger and made them drunk in My wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth."

This is an awesome picture of Christ coming in judgment to carry out God’s vengeance on the nations. The winepress imagery that’s portrayed here refers to the process of winemaking in Isaiah’s day. The grapes are the essential element. To make the wine, they needed to get the juice out of the grapes. The grapes would be put in a large winepress. The workers would then step into the winepress and begin trampling the grapes to squeeze the juice out of the grapes. As the juice squeezed out of the grapes some of the juice would inevitably splash up and stain the workers garments. But when Christ returns in judgment, instead of grapes, it’s people that are portrayed as being thrown into the winepress and trampled. He then tramples them in His wrath and instead of grape juice, it’s their blood that squirts out and stains His garments. He’s asked in v. 2: "Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? He answers: “I trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment.” His garments are red because He has just trampled His enemies in the winepress of judgment and it’s their blood that has stained His garments. The wine press imagery for God’s judgment on the nations is not unique to Isaiah. Other scripture passages also use this imagery. Habakkuk says: “In indignation You marched through the earth; In anger You trampled the nations.” – Habakkuk 3:12. This picture of treading the winepress is also described in the book of Revelation. Here, as in Isaiah’s vision, the Apostle John’s vision of the Lord Jesus Christ also sees Christ pictured as coming in glory, riding on a white horse, marching in the greatness of His strength. Here, as in Isaiah His garments are pictured as bloody, “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” –Revelation 19:13. The trampling is described further, “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” –Revelation 19:15.

The Angels Reap People for the Winepress

Both the prophet Joel and the book of Revelation describe people as the grapes to be thrown in the winepress and the angels as the ones who harvest these people. Joel says:

“Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great”. – Joel 3:13

“So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.” – Revelation 14:19-20

This is an awesome picture of judgment. As I said, this is not the way the world thinks of Christ. The idea of God’s judgment is lost to the world. It’s a thought that never enters their mind. The world prefers to view Christ as weak, non judgmental, tolerant and accepting of sin. A “loving” Jesus that changes with the times. Sadly, even many Christians reject the idea of God’s wrath and judgment. They prefer to be “positive”, speaking only of God’s love. They will never speak of God’s wrath and judgment. They will mention that Jesus said He didn’t come to judge the world but to save it. Yes, Christ did say that, but that was true of His first coming. Then, He came to atone for His peoples sins’. But at His second coming, He will be coming in judgment. His first coming He came as “the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36) but at His second coming, He comes as “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5).  In fact, all judgment has been given to Him:

“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son.”...“He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” – John 5:22, Acts 17:31

All of humanity will bow and appear before Him for judgment “at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:10-11

Redeemer or Judge

Christ is the Redeemer/Judge. To every single person who has ever lived, He will be either one or the other. He’s either your Redeemer or He’s your Judge. There is no other option. He alone is worthy to judge. He, being fully God and fully man was the only One to live a perfect life, without sin, always obeying the Law of God in all points. He as the sacrificial “Lamb of God” has alone provided salvation. Coming in judgment, He states in verses 1 and 5 “"It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save...I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; so My own arm brought salvation to Me.” The One who has provided salvation is also the Judge of all. The One who came to reconcile man to God is the same One who will trample under His feet those who remain unreconciled. Those who are abiding in Christ, who have been born of His Spirit, who have come to Him in faith and repentance, trusting in Him and Him alone for their salvation and forgiveness have already passed from judgment to life. They are not amongst the ones trampled in God’s wrath. But this is what the world has ahead it. This is what those who have never been reconciled to the Father through the Son are destined to. Those who are still abiding in their own self righteousness and are trusting in their own goodness.

Who is Jesus to you? Your Redeemer or your Judge? Will you be amongst those who He will trample in His wrath? Have you called on Him?

“WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” – Romans 10:13

 

Born Again

by Scott Rossy
The term “born again” when used in Christian/religious circles tends to lead to a lot of misunderstanding. What is meant by this saying? Is it just another “type” of Christian? Just another denomination? Is being born again nothing more than a person deciding to start over again by turning over a new leaf in life? Some well meaning people understand it to be just that. They see it as something similar to making New Year’s resolutions. Taking stock of one’s life and determining to make some changes. Changes that attempt to clean up one’s life in the hope that these changes will make one more acceptable to God. These changes can include going to church, trying to do “good” things and trying to stop doing “bad” things. Maybe even volunteering and getting involved in church. But making changes in one’s life is not what the bible means when it speaks of being born again. Making changes like this is clearly the work of man, trying to improve himself by self effort.

The most direct portion of scripture that talks of being born again is in the gospel of John, chapter 3.   Here a conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus is recorded. Their conversation, though taking place almost 2000 years ago has as much significance for us today as it did when these words were originally spoken. In this conversation Jesus talks of the need to be born again.

We all know who Jesus is but who was Nicodemus? Well, Nicodemus was a very devout, sincere religious leader in Israel. He is described as “a ruler of the Jews” and as “the teacher in Israel”. He was a member of the Pharisee’s who were the spiritual leaders and rulers of the Jews. Jesus tells this very sincere, devout religious leader what he is lacking and what is necessary to enter heaven. The necessary thing that Nicodemus and all of us lack and must have is the New Birth, also known as being born again or born of the Spirit.

John 3:1-10

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? “

I’ve been asked by people if it’s necessary to be born again or born of the Spirit to be a Christian. Whether it’s necessary to be born again or born of the Spirit to get to heaven. The words of Jesus leave no room for doubt. Jesus uses the words must, unless and cannot. He states: “You must be born again”, “Unless you’re born again”, “You cannot see the kingdom”. He says these things more than once. Unless! Must!, Cannot! But why? Why does Jesus say we must be born again? What does He mean by these things? The reason why Jesus said that it is necessary for Nicodemus and for all of us to be born again or born of the Spirit is because we do not possess spiritual life within us. He says in John 6: “you have no life in yourselves.” – John 6:53. Obviously, we all possess physical life but what Jesus is speaking about is spiritual life. We do not possess spiritual life within us when we come out of the womb. Our parents can give us physical life but they cannot give us spiritual life. To understand Jesus meaning, we must understand what the bible says about man’s true spiritual condition. The bible teaches unequivocally that all of mankind without exception is spiritually dead. This is the case of every one of us. We are spiritual corpses. Walking around in physical bodies but dead spiritually. None of us possess spiritual life within us. The reason for the spiritually dead condition of man is SIN. Sin brings about spiritual death. It is by the decree of God that the result of sin is death. He says: “when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” - James 1:15 “so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” – Romans 5:12. In Ephesians 2:1 we are described by God as being “dead in your trespasses and sin”. Spiritual death is what sin deserves, “the wages (earnings) of sin is death” – Romans 6:23. So all of us are dead spiritually. We do not possess the necessary spiritual life we need to enter into heaven. Only God, the Creator of life can give us the necessary, eternal, spiritual life we need. It must come from Him.

The new birth spoken of by Jesus is described in the 36th chapter of the book of Ezekiel. Here God says through the prophet: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh…"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” – Ezekiel 36:26-27. This is the new birth. God places His Spirit in us, giving us the spiritual life necessary to enter heaven and to obey God. At this point, a person becomes born again or born of the Spirit. He has new life, spiritual life. He is no longer spiritually dead but is now spiritually alive! God’s Spirit is now permanently in Him and gives him the ability to know and understand the things of God. He now can perceive the beauty, the greatness, the holiness and the majesty of God. He now desires to obey God and walk with Him. He now delights in God. This spiritual life is permanent, making him fit to enter into and live in the presence of God for all eternity. He is now a child of God. He has experienced spiritual birth, spiritual renewal and spiritual regeneration. “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)

This new spiritual life comes only from God. He alone is the Author and Creator of life. We can’t inherit it. As stated before, our parents can give us physical life but they can’t give us spiritual life. This is why Jesus said: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” – John 3:6 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” John 6:63

If being born again or born of the Spirit is absolutely necessary to enter into the kingdom of God, then how does one become born again? The Lord continually tells us throughout scripture to call upon Him. Repeatedly He says: call upon Me, seek Me, come to Me. Over and over again throughout the bible He continually calls on man to do this. Romans 10:13 says: “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

”Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” - Isaiah 55:7

“Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” – Isaiah 55:6

“AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’ – Acts 2:21

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” – John 7:37-39.

Jesus promises: “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” – John 6:37. Whoever comes to Him in faith and repentance, believing that He is the only way to the Father has the promise that He will not be cast out. Jesus alone has provided salvation for His people “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (I Peter 2:24). While He was bearing in His body the sins of His people, the Father in Heaven was pouring out His hatred and wrath towards sin on His Beloved Son. He was our substitute. He was punished in our place. "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." - I Corinthians 15:3-4. The debt of sin was paid and those who believe are now clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is not their own self righteousness that they possess but it is “the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.” – Philippians 3:9. They are born again with God’s Spirit and are now clothed in white robes, representing the perfect life of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. They can now stand before God without the debt of their sin hanging over them and are now viewed by God as perfectly holy.

Psalm 14 states that one of the characteristics of the wicked is that they “do not call upon the Lord” – Psalm 14:4

The Test

Scripture declares that the new birth is the test of whether we are truly of the faith. It’s the test of whether we are a genuine Christian. Paul told the Corinthian Christians: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?” – II Corinthians 13:5. The test of whether we are of the faith is if Christ is in us, if we’ve been born again. If Christ is not in us, if we haven’t been born again, we fail the test. We’re not of the faith. Similarly he says in Romans 8:9, “you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Spiritual life is found only in Jesus Christ. He alone can give it. “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” – I John 5:12

A person who is still trying to gain acceptance from the Lord based on the “good” things he is doing has never been born again. It’s an indication he’s never received the new life Jesus spoke of. He is like the person who views being born again as turning over a new leaf in life. He is still spiritually dead. His works or deeds proceed from his spiritually dead condition and are nothing more than an attempt to try and reform his condition. It can’t be done. Good deeds cannot produce spiritual life. It can only come from above, from God.

 If you leave this life while still in your spiritually dead condition, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven but will be separated from God for all eternity. Jesus says; "Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24) “You must be born again!"

Nicodemus’ end

As a side note, Nicodemus did become a true believer in Jesus Christ. He is amongst those who have been born again. John 19:38-42 records that after Jesus was crucified, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Christ, gained permission to take the body of Jesus from the cross to bury it. It then records that Nicodemus came also and brought with him “a mixture of myrrh and aloes” for Jesus burial. For many reasons, Nicodemus certainly wouldn’t have done this had he not become a true believer in Christ.