Laws About the Sabbath and Festivals

 

 

Exodus 23: 10-19

 

September 25, 2024

 

Laws About the Sabbath and Festivals

“For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.

“Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.

“Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.

“Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me.  You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed.  You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.  Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God. 

 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning.

“The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.  “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.  

 

We live in a culture of I deserve, but my dear brother and Sister, if you got what you deserve, you would not like it.  You deserve judgment, you have received mercy and Grace.

 

As followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, how should one apply this Scripture to their daily walk with the Lord?  To not only be aware of the under-resourced in your community but also help those who cannot help themselves.  Jan and I are blessed to be part of two organizations that do so.   One is Oakwood in New Braunfels, Texas.  Our Pastor has a heart for the under-resourced and has led the Church to be part of solving the problem.  Oakwood just finished a clinic for 2 million dollars, and local doctors and others give of their time to help meet the physical needs of people at no cost to them.  In that same area, we have a thing called a kids club that works with the Community & Schools to help children who are not meeting the level or requirement of the grade they are in.  It has helped many young children.  And a counseling center that is also to meet the needs of the under-resourced. 

 

The other is Samaritan’s Purse, which helps families all over the world, and we have been blessed to help do what they call mud-outs of homes that have been damaged by weather, and give to help with monthly gifts. 

 

Many of us who God has blessed are blind to the many needs of those who are under-resourced.   But the need is great, and God will show you what to do if you just ask.

 

Now I believe the Lord is telling His people to rest, to give thought to all that He has done for them.  We live in a culture that seems to never rest; they are not grateful, and they are not happy because they are driven for more.  How does that show up in our lives as followers of Christ?  We have so much good stuff that many of you have storage buildings full of stuff you are paying to keep, much of it you will never use, but it is too good to give to someone who can use it.  That is not being Christ-like, but it is a sign that you have valuable stuff, good stuff over others.

 

Scripture is clear that we need rest; many believe that they can achieve more by long hours of work, but Scripture is not in agreement with that view. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil;  for he gives to his beloved sleep.”

(Psalm 127:1-2)

 

Each of us who follows Jesus must find time to rest, to be thoughtful of how we have been blessed, and to care about those who have needs.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Be Careful not to inter into a Relationship with the Wicked

 

Exodus 23:1-9

 

September 24, 2024

 

“You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.  You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.

 

This is a political year; we are told to vote as a Follower of Jesus Christ. I believe it is not only my duty to do so but to take a stand for the Truth.  I discovered that wicked men and Women are putting out many false reports.  So as a voter, I must seek truth, and that requires going back and seeing what the person did and said 6 months to a year ago.  It is not all that hard, all you have to do is see what they said back then, and believe me a leopard doesn't change its spots.  If you are serious about the future of this country, and truth, you will vote and you will make sure you're not buying a lie by evil people.  If you’re going along to get along, you may be getting or siding with the many, to pervert justice.

“If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

 

I believe one of the hardest commands Jesus gave to you and me was to love our enemies, as a follower of Christ we who are Truth Seekers have both friends and relatives who no longer receive our phone calls and emails. 

This morning at Costco the person checking us out said how is your day going and my reply was early this morning I choose to have a great day.  She said I wish everyone would do that.  As you know it was a long line behind us so I did not say the following but wished I had.  Each morning God has given us the ability to choose, what you choose has a lot to do with how you treat others, your day may not go as you planned but you can still be kind to those you encounter.

 

“You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.  Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.  And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

“You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”

 

Major Thomas often said, “You can't. He never said you could, He can and He Promised He Would.”  If you have Jesus Christ living in you, let Him guide you through those difficult times, many of the men I grew up with have died and left a wife, that is not easy, I have friends who have lost a son and they have just run to Jesus, for the next moment.  They are at this point not interested in who is going to win an election, they are just asking Jesus to help them with the pain of their loss.  As a follower of Christ, our Lord will guide you to be His hands and feet to those, to the Widow and the fatherless child.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Laws About Social Justice

 

Exodus 22:16-31

 

September 23, 2024

 

Laws About Social Justice

“If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride price for her and make her his wife.  If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride price for virgins.

This would be looked on as almost foolishness in our Culture, but one must remember that God’s ways are above our ways and His thoughts above ours.  Today, both people who go by the title of Christian and the ones who have disdain for the ways of God act in the same way, living together and having sex before marriage.  But one must remember that the seducer had to pay equal to the bride price in that he had stolen her claim to being a virgin.  You might say the man had taken from her something very precious. Could not be returned; once taken, it was gone.

 

“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

 

 “Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.

 

“Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction. 

Grace, a word all will someday understand; it was an act of Grace when God sent His only Son to be a man; yes, he showed up like you and I did being born by a special young lady.  She was a virgin; Jesus’ father was the Holy Spirit of God.  At an early age, He was at the temple being dedicated to the Lord, like all young Jewish males who were the firstborn.  He grew up being obedient to his mother and earthly dad, and at the age of 30 began His earthly ministry.  He taught that all have fallen short, for all have sinned, but Jesus became your atonement by taking your sin to the Cross, and His blood covers sin- that grace, that mercy- and in receiving Jesus, atonement for our sins.  He also made clear that He was the only way to the Father in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 

“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.  You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry,  and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

Be a helper to widows and fatherless children.

 

“If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.  If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down,  for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

If God puts on your heart to help someone with a loan, do not take interest.  My thought is, to give the money as a gift, and if they are moved to pay it back, it should not be with interest.

 

“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.

 

“You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day, you shall give it to me.

Exodus 22:30 has a lot of theologian guessing about the meaning; one says it was "Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day." This is likely a reference to circumcision, which happens on the 8th day after being born.”  I also gave thought to that, but it was my best guess.  Another says, “The first-born sons of the people also belong to Yahweh, but the nature of their consecration is not specified in this context. However, based on other passages in the Mosaic Law, a case can be made for their dedication to sacred ministry.”  Once again, a guess, but this is for sure: it was not that the child should be killed; nowhere in Scripture does it state such.  That was the custom of some of the pagan countries at that time.  

This was taken from “Got Questions.” 
“In biblical times, the firstborn was given certain unique rights, responsibilities, and privileges. A married couple’s firstborn male child was given priority and preeminence in the family, and the best of the inheritance. The nation of Israel is identified as God’s “firstborn” in the Bible Exodus 4:22, 

“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son”; Jeremiah 31:9 “With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. In other words, Israel held a special place of privilege and blessing among the nations.”

 

“You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore, you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

-- 

If a man steals

 

Exodus 22:1-15

 

September 22, 2024

 

 

 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.  If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him,  but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.  If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey, or a sheep, he shall pay double. (In other word’s there is a price to pay for wrong actions.)

 

“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.

“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.

 

“If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.  If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. 

 

For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.

 

“If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it,  an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution.  But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner.  If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.

 

 “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution.  If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.

 

Now that you have read these laws God has given to His chosen people, do you believe your nation at this time in history could live under them?  I can only speak for the USA, which is a long way from what the culture and people would abide by.  Let me share some of the reasons: he was raised without a dad, his mother was on drugs,/his folks let them do as they please, or maybe they were poor, uneducated, street kids, mentally sick, or demon possessed. And, in the USA, it is your race or color that gives you an out.  If you are rich, a celebrity, or a politician, you are treated differently from others who are not.

 

A good example, the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.  Just a bunch of nobodies in our culture went into the Capitol, and many of them have been in jail without a trial since.  What happened to more than 1,265 people charged?  “Authorities are still working to identify more than 80 people wanted for acts of violence at the Capitol and to find out who placed pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic national committees’ offices the day before the Capitol attack. And they continue to regularly make new arrests, even as some Jan. 6 defendants are being released from prison after completing their sentences.” Roughly 730 people have pleaded guilty to charges, while another roughly 170 have been convicted of at least one charge at a trial decided by a judge or a jury, according to an Associated Press database.  

 

The truth is that some good people got caught up with some bad guys who came to harm, but all were treated wrong by not having access to a fast trial and lawyers. Many were not allowed to see anyone, and it makes you wonder what if one of them had been somebody in our culture, a star athlete, a person of wealth, a movie star, would they have been treated that way?  We have laws that did not apply to these Americans, why?

 

Now you may be sure it is a Culture of I’m not responsible for my actions, it's mom or dad’s fault, it is the color of my skin, it's being poor, it's being rich, it was my environment, so I’m not to be blamed.  But the problem is our laws do not apply equally to all, and a nation cannot stand that does that.  God’s laws did not change; they were applied to all the same, and when they were not, it was not because God favored one over the other; it was because men's hearts are evil.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice 

Laws About Restitution

 

 

 

Exodus 21:33-36

 

September 21, 2024

 

Laws About Restitution

“When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,  the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.

 “When one man's ox butts another's, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share.  Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.

 

I live in the state of Texas, in the country of the United States of America, and in Texas, as well as the USA, we have problems with lawbreakers. One of my dear friends was Herbert Weeks, a captain in the Texas Department of Public Safety.  Herbert was a man of integrity, and he loved the Lord, and often I had him speak at Lay Renewal to men.

 

The captain did not mince words. This was his opening line, many of you find Christian men, encourage my young troupers to break the law.  If you ask him to fix a ticket, and he crosses the line, he/she is now corrupted.   It got really quiet when Captain spoke, and many in that room of men who had the title of Christian were wondering why he was so worked up over such a small thing.  He went on to say to then cross that line, and it is easy to cross others.

 

Is that not true in our Culture? Have you noticed how many people are breaking traffic laws, with no regard for red lights and the speed limit?  I was pulled over a couple of months ago for exceeding the speed limit. I had a good reason; I was running late for a doctor’s appointment.   But my excuse was not in keeping with the law; I was a lawbreaker, and the policeman was kind and let me go with a warning.

 

I want you to reread the three verses above and ask yourself this question: Is God wiser than man?  If you have a problem with that answer, then you need to sit in a quiet room and have a talk with your Creator.  Without a doubt, He is.  We are lawbreakers. I used traffic and driving to make a point, but I could have used lying or stealing to make the same point.  We have all fallen short in this area; you and I have stolen, only a little thing like a pen or notepad, or a Post-it note from work, but God calls that stealing.  

 

What about telling someone a lie? It's so great to have run into you today. I’ve been wanting to see you. Where the truth is, I have not given a thought about that person in years.  Yes, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

 

As we enter a time of National elections, our thoughts go to how the other side cheats.  I’ve come to the understanding that without Truth and Jesus being the Truth, we as a people will do and say evil things.  As a follower of Jesus, I must do as He has said, pray for my enemies, which is a full-time job, in that many who have never known you hate you for being a follower of Christ.

 

We, as followers of Christ, must have only Christ as our leader, not some political party.  Pray that God’s will is done. If it is time to judge the sins of a nation, you cannot change that, but you can love your enemies when you follow Jesus. He is the only one who can, so let Him guide you into all truth.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Know Your Enemy

 

Know Your Enemy

 

If you do not know your enemy, how will you ever hope to defeat him?  This is one of the biggest problems facing Christians we have no understanding of the enemy of our soul.  By using the life of Esau, the older brother of Jacob, who despised his birthright and gave it to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew, we will be able to have a better understanding of our flesh and how the Enemy works in our life. 

 

Why was the birthright that Esau despised of such importance?   Major Ian Thomas in “The Saving Life of Christ has the following to say on this subject; “The birthright was this – the promise that God had given to Abraham that in his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed, note, as Paul points out in Galatians 3, “…. Seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ.”  That is to say, the birthright involved the birth of Christ – the Seed of Abraham in particular, through the seed of Abraham in general, the One who would redeem man from his lost condition, and restore him to his true relationship to God, - making him dependent once more upon the One whose presence is life, and who alone can enable man to behave as man, as God intended man to be “In Esau the spirit of Satan was incarnate. “What do I need of a birthright restoring me to dependence upon God?  I am independent, and I am self-sufficient, and I will be what I am, by virtue of what I am!”  (Page 99)

 

Out of Esau came many nations, one of them was the Amalekites who lived in the desert, south of Canaan around Kadesh.   They came from Eliphaz (Esau’s eldest boy) and were distant cousins to the Israelites.  Amalek makes a good representative of the flesh, and we find in Exodus 17, “then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim.”  In Amalek is a picture of the flesh, seeking at all cost to stop the journey of God’s redeemed people, and keep them from the Land of Promise, and that is the spirit of your enemy.  “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”  (Galatians 5:17) Quoting from “The Saving Life of Christ” “The flesh contests every attempt of the Spirit of God to lead you on into spiritual maturity.  Standing across your pathway from the very outset of your Christian life is Amalek!”

 

On page 101 Major states, “It is the devil’s business to prevent your translation “from the power of darkness . . . into the kingdom of God’s dear Son” and Amalek, imbued with the spirit of Satan, is unrelenting in his opposition to the prosperity of the kingdom of God.”  In the book of Deuteronomy 25:17, 18, “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.”  On page 102, Major states, “That is when Amalek hits you!  It is when you are faint and weary.  It is when you are one of the hindmost.  When you are dragging your feet.  When you are spiritually low, and the sun is hidden, and the skies are dark.  When you have withdrawn yourself from the conflict, because you feel the pace is too much for you.  When you think you are alone – but you are not alone, for Amalek will be there!”

 

“God says that there is something that you do not have the right to remember, because it is something which God forgets.  God says, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17).  It is not that God pretends that you have not sinned.  He does not ignore your guilt.  He says, “I will remember your sins,” but in the light of the shed blood of His dear Son, having remembered your sins – every one of them – He says, “I will remember your sins no more.”  On to page 103, “Sin should and must be confessed to God, and restitution made where the Spirit of God demands it, but “the blood of Jesus Christ (God’s) Son cleanses us from all sin,” and “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

 

“If, however, you do not have the right to remember what God forgets, - you do not have the right to forget what God remembers, - and God remembers Amalek!  Amalek is the dirty well!  Amalek is the poisoned root!  Amalek is “. . . the mystery of lawlessness – that hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority”

 

Amalek is the voice that you hear, and it sounds like your voice; it always does one of two things: it attacks your person with thoughts like, “you are a loser, and you have always been a loser,” or you deserve better than you are getting.  These are the words of the spirit of Amalek; they are not the words of the Holy Spirit of God.  God desires dependence, never independence; God desires fellowship never isolation.

 

From Our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Laws About Slaves

 

Exodus 21:1-32

 

September 20, 2024

 

Laws About Slaves

“Now these are the rules that you shall set before them.  When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.  If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.  If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone.  But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free, ’then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

“When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.  If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her.  If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.  If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.  And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.

“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.  But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.  But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

“Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.

“Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

“When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed,  then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.

“When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged.  But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.

“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.  But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life,  eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,  burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

“When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye.  If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.

“When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.  But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.  If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him.  If it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.  If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

 

Often, we need to read the Law that Israel was required to keep to be in a relationship with God.  I will give you an understanding of what Jesus has done for you.   “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 say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)

 

You are no longer under the Law; you are under grace. Romans 3:20 gives insight to this truth: “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”  Also, in Galatians 2:16, “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

 

Grace gives us forgiveness, but to receive grace, one must come to the truth: all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  It also must have the understanding that your good life will not earn you a relationship with God.  He calls them filthy rags, but receiving the atonement of what Jesus did on the Cross by becoming sin, your sins and mine, by His death and the shedding of His blood to cover all sin.   

 

Without understanding, there is no hope, and without seeking a relationship with JESUS, there is no forgiveness of Sin.  It is your choice: what will you do? He told us today is a great day to begin a new life in Christ.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice