Jesus IS the Desire of ALL Nations

• Haggai 2:7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty

  • Note the context in Haggai 2:7 where Jesus is called the desire of all nations, 

•  This House is the rebuilding of the temple …

  • God’s people are focused on themselves - their own houses – they are neglecting God’s house

    • God promises that He is going to beautify His house so that the nations will want to come. And He will fill His house with His glory.

Jesus IS the Glory of God

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus IS our Hope of Glory

In the temple of the Old Testament (Torah), God’s shekinah glory was over the Ark of the Covenant between the cherubim       …         when they sinned, the glory departed

• Ezekiel 10:18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.

  • The Glory of God returns to the temple in Ezekiel 43. However, God's glory is still only for the High Priest's eyes - until ...​

In Luke 2:26, The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Messiah. (Luke 2:23) The Holy Spirit moved Simeon to go to the temple courts in Jerusalem, (Luke 2:27) where Jesus was to be “consecrated to the LORD” in the Holy Temple, (Luke 2:28-32)  Simeon took the infant, Jesus, in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

The Magi (the wise men) came from the east to Jerusalem. They were gentiles from the nations. In Matthew 2:2 they asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

In Luke 2:9-10, At Jesus’ birth, the shepherds were visited by 'an angel of the Lord, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:13-14) 'Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

The promise of the glory of God coming back into the temple is when Jesus, the glory of the Father, came into the temple at 8 days old.

• Philippians 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• Mark 11:17 (NASB) Jesus began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

God is building a living temple, we (believers) are living stones, because Jesus is the cornerstone.

• Ephesians 2:19-20  Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

• 1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price, so honor God with your bodies

The many names of Jesus are not just titles. These names are functions whereby Jesus says,

• 1 Peter 2:9 “ you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

  • Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

  • Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.

This is The Salt Covenant, it is “forever” – The Eternal Covenant

• 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 11-14 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?” … “The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son …

The Lord is speaking about Jesus -  Forever -  Forever is a Salt Covenant, an Eternal Covenant

• Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The 1st Salt Covenant was made with Aaron, who God had appointed as High Priest, and his descendants

• Leviticus 2:13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

• Numbers 18:19 Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring.”

Leviticus 17 tells us that there may be no blood in the sacrifice, that the blood must be sprinkled on the altar. That the people (of the Old Testament) may not eat meat with blood in it. The blood belongs to God.

• Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.

The 2nd Salt Covenant was with the King, David, himself.

• 2 Chronicles 13:5 Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?

• Luke 1:54-55 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

  • Genesis 17:19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

Jesus, Son of David

From Abraham, the father of Issac … to Jesse the father of King David … to Jacob the father of Joseph, the Husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus, the Messiah. (see Matthew 1)

• Luke 1:31-33 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.”

• Psalm 89:3-4  (a song by Ethan the Ezrahite) You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,  I have sworn to David my servant, I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’”

• 2 Samuel 7:16 (The prophet, Nathan, is speaking to King David) Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

• Romans 1:3-4  regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus was Born of a Virgin

• Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

• God prepared a flesh for the second person of the trinity (Immanuel, meaning “God with us”). Born with no Adam’s seed in Him – with imperishable blood – even though He died, He resurrected from death … He overcame death …

  • Luke 1:35 The angel answered (the virgin Mary), “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

    • After the ‘fall’ (Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit) God, in His infinite grace, promises a way to conquer death … 

      • 'you' in Genesis 3:15 is the serpent (the devil), the 'woman's offspring' is Jesus Christ. 

        • Genesis 3:4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

          • Genesis 3:15  “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

In Matthew 5 Jesus changes the concept of the Israelites and history …

In (Matthew 5) the Sermon on the Mount Jesus speaks to a multitude:

In front of the Jewish leaders and priests, Jesus speaks only to His disciples, 'You are the salt covenant for me.' In the Old Testament, the salt = Moses and the Law; The light = the Prophets.

In Isaiah 9:2 He says that Israel is the light. The true Israel is the true vine … which is Jesus himself.

• John15:1 (Jesus said)  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

• John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

  • John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

• Matthew 5:13-17 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Jesus says that He is not changing, or abolishing, the law and the prophets, but He is fulfilling it. He says, “I am ordaining priests forever, I am ordaining Kings forever.”

• Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

In Revelation 5 we are chosen to be His kings and priests.

• Revelation 5:9-10 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

We are salt and light and priests and kings – by adopting us by the eternal covenant that was given to David in 2 Samuel 7.

• 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

All who are a New Creation in Christ are the fulfillment of 2 Samuel 7:12-17

• 2 Samuel 7:12-17  When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish His kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. I will be His Father, and He will be my Son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

All who are in Christ are salt and the light – we are to live our lives in the light, convicted and directed by the Holy Spirit.

Christ’s Sacrifice

Once For All

Matthew 20:28 … the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

• Psalm 40:6 (NCV) You do not want sacrifices and offerings. But you have made a hole in my ear to show that my body and life are yours. You do not ask for burnt offerings and sacrifices to take away sins.

  • Psalm 40:6 (Aramic Bible in Plain English) With sacrifices and with offerings you have not been pleased, but you have pierced the ears for me; burnt peace offerings for sin you have not requested.

    • Exodus 21:2, 5-6 “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you for six years. In the seventh year you are to set him free, and he will have to pay nothing. “But if the slave says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children, and I don’t want to go free,’ then the slave’s master must take him to God. The master is to take him to a door or doorframe and punch a hole through the slave’s ear using a sharp tool. Then the slave will serve that master all his life.

  • Philippians 2:6-11 Christ himself was like God in everything. But He did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own benefit. But He gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born as a man and became like a servant. And when He was living as a man, He humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused His death—death on a cross. So God raised Him to the highest place. God made his name greater than every other name so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus — everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and bring glory to God the Father.

Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver = the same price for a slave in the Old Testament

• Matthew 26:14-15 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.

• Exodus 21:32 If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death.

• In a vision, Zechariah sees himself as a Good Shepherd, who is treated with contempt and hatred by his masters. He asks for his wages & they weigh out a slaves wage (Note: in John 10, Jesus tells us that He is “the Good Shepherd”)

  • Zechariah 11:12-13 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.

    • Acts 3:13-15 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over to be killed, and you disowned Him before Pilate, though He had decided to let Him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

• Hebrews 10:1-14 The law is only an unclear picture of the good things coming in the future; it is not the real thing. The people under the law offer the same sacrifices every year, but these sacrifices can never make perfect those who come near to worship God. If the law could make them perfect, the sacrifices would have already stopped. The worshipers would be made clean, and they would no longer have a sense of sin. But these sacrifices remind them of their sins every year, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. So when Christ came into the world, he said: “You do not want sacrifices and offerings, but you have prepared a body for me. You do not ask for burnt offerings and offerings to take away sins. Then I said, ‘Look, I have come. It is written about me in the book. God, I have come to do what you want.’” First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” — though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool. For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

  • Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

  • 1 Corinthians 15:50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

The Gift of Salvation

We inherited the perishable nature from Adam …

• Genesis 2:17 (God said,)  but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

  • Adam disobeyed God and ate (“The Fall”) … Adam died … we will die …

We need spiritual rebirth from one who is imperishable …

• John 1:12-13 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

  • God is spirit and He wants to give us spiritual birth …

    • John 3:6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Blood Sacrifices were made to atone for sin throughout the Old Testament. The first sacrifice was made by God after Adam and Eve sinned …

• Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

• Hebrews 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

  • See, Genesis 4:2-9; Genesis 8:20-21; Genesis 22:1-14

In Exodus 12, God sent 10 plagues on Egypt because Pharaoh refused to yield to God’s request. The last plague was that every firstborn of man and beast would die … unless they slaughtered an unblemished goat or lamb at twilight on the 14th day of the month and put some of the blood on the sides and tops of the door frames (per God’s instructions). The blood was a sign so God would pass over them when He struck Egypt. (Exodus 12:3-13)

• Hebrews 10:4-6 The blood of animals cannot take away the sins of men. When Christ came to the world, He said to God, “You do not want animals killed or gifts given in worship. You have made My body ready to give as a gift. You are not pleased with animals that have been killed or burned and given as gifts on the altar to take away sin.

God provided imperishable blood upon the altar to make atonement for our souls …

• Colossians 1:19-20 God the Father was pleased to have everything made perfect by Christ, His Son. Everything in heaven and on earth can come to God because of Christ’s death on the cross. Christ’s blood has made peace.

• Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

• Romans 10:9-10 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

• John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

• John 14:6-9 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father …

  • John 10:30 (Jesus said) I and the Father are one.”

    • John 8:58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

      • Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites:     ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

• John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

• John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

• Ezekiel 37:26-27  I will make a peace agreement with them, one that lasts forever. I will bring good to them and make them many in number. And I will set My holy place among them forever. I will live with them, and will be their God, and they will be My people.

• John 5:24 (Jesus said)  “For sure, I tell you, anyone who hears My Word and puts his trust in Him Who sent Me has life that lasts forever. He will not be guilty. He has already passed from death into life.

Death to Life

• John 3:5-8 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

• Ezekiel 36:25-27 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

• Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

• 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

• 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

All who are a new creation, are partakers of His divine nature

If you are born of Him – it is by action (not a title) – it is an actual new nature

• Colossians 3:10 (NLT) Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.

• 2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

• Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit

• Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.

• John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

• 2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

• Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

• Romans 8:1-4  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Jesus calls each of us by Name to have a relationship with us Now and Forever

We are dead by nature – but in Christ we are changed from death to life!

• Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

• 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

• John 5:24 (Jesus says)  “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life”

• Hebrews 13:7-8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

• 2 Peter 3:9  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

• Revelation 3:20 (Jesus says)  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

  • Exodus 24:9-11 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.

    • Exodus 33:20 (God is speaking to Moses) But,” He said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

      • Moses and the elders did not die when they ate and drank with God on the mountain – it was Jesus with them.

        • Colossians 1:15-16 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.

        • John1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

          • John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

• Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

  • John 10:2-3, 7-9  The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to His voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 

• Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

• Ephesians 1:4-14 For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — to the praise of his glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, He made known to us the mystery of His will according to his good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

We need cleansing:

Lessons from the Leper in Luke 5:12-14  ... Leprosy is an illustration of sin:

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.[a]When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” (Luke 5:12-13)

• Isaiah 1:6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness – only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with olive oil.

• Psalm 38:5 My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.

• Matthew 15:11 "What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

Sin is an internal problem that can spread to the outside. It is our heart condition. In the Old Testament, the priest looked at the skin to see if the defilement was spreading.

• Leviticus 13:8 The priest is to examine that person, and if the rash has spread in the skin, he shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease.

• 1 Samuel 16:7 … “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Leprosy destroys the nervous system to numb pain, so that the afflicted is no longer aware that he is being harmed. In the same way, sin gradually destroys the conviction of our wrongdoing in our heart.

• Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Leprosy isolates & separates … Sin separates us from others. Sin alienates. Sin separates us from God.

• Leviticus 13:4-6 As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.

• Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

The priests in the Old Testament felt that leprosy can only be healed by God.

• Luke 5:12-13 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

Only God can heal us from sin.

• Romans 7:24-25 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

• 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus told the healed leper to make an offering just as the law given to Moses:

• Luke 5:14 Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone,  but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

• Leviticus 14:3-7 (NKJV) And the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the leprosy is healed in the leper, 4 then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. 5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water. 6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. 7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field.

The cleansing for a leprosy is a shadow of our cleansing by Jesus ...

In Leviticus 14, one bird is slayed in the vessel under running water, the live bird on the cedar and the hyssop and thread and dip in the blood of the slayed bird then under running water and set free

Which is a picture of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins: The bird is slain in the earthen vessel = Jesus slain in an earthen vessel (Hebrews 2:14-15). The live bird is on the cedar wood (a picture of the Cross) the scarlet string is a picture of deliverance from judgment, depicted in (Joshua 2:17-18, 2:21; Joshua 6:25). The hyssop pictures purification and deliverance by God. (Exodus 12:22-23; Ps 51:7). All was done under running water, the Hebrew for this is living water, which is representative of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus describes in John 7:37-39. The bird that was slain was being cleaned even as he was being slain, Jesus was clean even as he was slain because there was no sin in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The live bird set free into the heavens = Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. He is alive! (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

• Hebrews 2:14-15 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

• Joshua 2:17-18, 2:21; Joshua 6:25 Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.” So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window ... But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

• Exodus 12:22-23 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.

• Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

• John 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

• 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

• 1 John 1:7. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. (1 Timothy 1:15)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life iin Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. —  not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made Him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned Him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:4-8)

(Jesus said) Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” (Matthew 9:5-6)

Jesus has this authority, because, Jesus IS God:

• Luke 8:58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

  • Exodus 3:14 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’

John 10:25-30  Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

One God

God           Existing in Himself, He declared Himself as The Father

Speaking His Word, He declared Himself as The Son - The Word (Logos)

Alive in His Spirit, He declared Himself as The Holy Spirit

The Holy Trinity = Triune = three in one – NOT one of three.

The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit are One in Eternity

• Psalm 145:3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.

• Mark 12:29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one

• Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one.

• James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

God speaks in plural terms 

• Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

God is creator and is speaking to God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He could not be speaking to His angels, as they are created beings, not involved in 'creation.'

• Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Revelation 22:16-21 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

"Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.