If you got what you deserved?

 

If you got what you deserved?

 

April 23, 2011- updated 10-26-2025

 

After hearing Pastor Robert Parrish use this quote in today's sermon, I had to add it to this paper.  “The only person who is not worthy of God’s Love is the one who believes they are Worthy of it.”

 

What would your life be like if you got what you deserved?  We have all heard someone say, I deserve better than that; It may have been when your children forgot to call on your birthday, or your husband forgot a special day, and the list keeps going. We are a culture of people with many “I deserve.”  Many of us never give much thought to the giving of mercy because we have not experienced the need for mercy in life.  And yet if, for some reason, we needed mercy, we would deserve it, or would we?

 

Shall we address the first statement: “What would your life be like if you got what you deserved?”  We are told by many in our government that a person deserves to own a home to live in, no matter if they can pay for it or not, or what about cell phones, yes, our government will give you one because they believe you deserve one, if you enter the country illegally, and the list goes on.  Many teenagers believe they deserve better parents, and if you look at how our culture exchanges mates in marriage, over 50 percent must believe they deserve someone better than the one they entered into a covenant with before God and man.

 

Where did we get all these rights, and a better question is, who has the power to take them away? And if you lost all your rights, would you desire mercy or judgment?  Jan and I went to church on Saturday, and that is not normal. We were celebrating Easter, and on Easter, many of us reflect on the act of love that God showered down on mankind, by taking our place, making our payment, and canceling our debt.  Has that act become an (I deserve) or have you pondered the action of love and rejected it because it is so far beyond what anyone like you would do for people who rejected them?  It may come to you as a surprise, but I totally understand your thinking. It is very logical, you or I, or anyone else who has lived and is not totally insane would not allow their only son to die for people who were their enemies.  But then none listed above are God, and this may come as a shock, He is not like us, His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts are higher than ours, His love has no bounds.

 

As I ponder a love without bounds, my thoughts go to Paul’s account of boundless love in Romans 5:6-10, “While we were yet in weakness [powerless to help ourselves], at the fitting time Christ died for (in behalf of) the ungodly.  Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a noble and lovable, and generous benefactor, someone might even dare to die.  But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.  Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more certain is it that we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [resurrection] life.”  (Amplified Bible)

 

Many years have passed since I’ve wanted what I deserve. I want mercy, not justice, and as a person on whom God has lavished His love, His grace, and His mercy, I must take to heart what James 2:13 speaks.  “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgment.”  That is precisely what our Father in heaven did: His mercy triumphed over judgment.

 

From our Back Porch, 

 

Bob Rice

 

My blog: http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

Consecration of the Priests

Exodus 29: 10-21

 

October 16, 2024

 

Consecration of the Priests

“Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.  Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar.  And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.  But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

“Then you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram,  and you shall kill the ram and shall take its blood and throw it against the sides of the altar.  Then you shall cut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head,  and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.

“You shall take the other ram and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram,  and you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar.  Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons' garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons' garments with him.”

 

The LORD describes the sin offering required to atone for the sins of Aaron and his sons. Sinful and fallen people must be cleansed before they can minister in the presence of the holy God.  

 

Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.—By this symbolical action, which was commanded in the case of every sin offering; Leviticus 4:4, “He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter the bull before the LORD.” 

 Leviticus 4:29, “And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.”

 

Leviticus 16:21, "Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the wrongdoings of the sons of Israel and all their unlawful acts regarding all their sins; and he shall place them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands ready.”

 

The offeror identified himself with the animal and transferred to it the guilt of his own sins and imperfections. The animal thereby became accursed, and its death paid the penalty due to the sins laid upon it, and set free those who had committed them. Similarly, Christ, our sin offering, was “made a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13.)  ^“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree — in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

 

Ellicott's Commentary

 

How often do we take for granted the act of Jesus becoming the Lamb that was slaughtered for our sins? Jesus took the full wrath of God's judgment for everyone who has ever sinned.  And many who go by the title of Christian have never grasped what the blood of Jesus did for them.  I did not for 26 years, till I saw a group of men who knew the Jesus I was only informed about.  

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Consecration of the Priests

 

Exodus 29:1-9

 

October 15, 2024

 

Consecration of the Priests

“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish,  and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour.  You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams.  You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.  Then you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breast piece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod.  And you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban.  You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.  Then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them,  and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus, you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

You may be wondering why it was important to do all of this, why not just have Moses declare Aaron and his sons as the priestly line?  For God ordained it, and they were the keepers of truth, till Jesus became our High Priest, by dying for the sins of all people, the veil is torn, and we have access to the Father.  

 

It is also important to understand that, unlike Aaron, some of the High Priests drop the ball; we have the example of Eli, whose sons were evil.  Others who were more interested in power and traditions, and the fear of losing it they also became foolish men.  The only source of Truth today is Jesus; the Scriptures are clear that all men are liars, and only God is truth.

 

From the Back Porch, 

 

Bob Rice

The Priests' Garments

 

Exodus 28:31-43

 

October 14, 2024

 

The Priests' Garments

“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.  It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, so that it may not tear.  On its hem, you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them,  a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.  And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.

“You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’  And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban.  It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.

“You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.

“For Aaron's sons, you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty.  And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.  You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs;  and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.

What is a follower of Christ: a person who, with the faith God has given them, and the grace to ask Jesus to forgive their many sins, and take over the management of their lives.  What does Scripture give as a title for that person?  Words that both the Church and the World are not comfortable with the word Saint, the Catholic Church, is made to be a person whose service to both God and people is exceptional.  Is that what God has said in the Scriptures?  The Scriptures are very clear that all who are in Christ are saints. 

“Got Questions” handles this very well. The following is some of what they said: “The word 'saint' comes from the Greek word hagios, which means 'consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." It is almost always used in the plural, “saints.” "…Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem" (Acts 9:13). "Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda" (Acts 9:32). "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons …“ (Acts 26:10). There is only one instance of the singular use, and that is "Greet every saint in Christ Jesus…" (Philippians 4:21). In Scripture there are 67 uses of the plural “saints” compared to only one use of the singular word “saint.” Even in that one instance, a plurality of saints is in view: “…every saint…” (Philippians 4:21).

The idea of the word “saints” is a group of people set apart for the Lord and His kingdom. Three references are referring to godly character of saints: "that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints …" (Romans 16:2). "For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). "But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints" (Ephesians 5:3).”

The other word is being called to be Holy and into the  Priesthood.  But Scripture addresses both of these; let’s begin with being holy.  1 Peter 1:15–16: "Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy because I am holy'"  Leviticus 20:7: "Be holy; for I, the Lord your God, am holy" And also in the book of Ephesians 1:4-6, “ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us^[a] for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”  It is clear that we are saints that sin, so our holiness is not found in our actions, only when we allow and obey our Lord, for it is His holiness that makes us holy.

What about the word Priest, has God said you, as a follower of Christ, have been brought into the holy priesthood?  1 Peter 2:5-9 give a very clear picture of our calling; “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. ”So, the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”  and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. ”They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

In my career as a professional salesman, I was trained to ask questions that would open the door to share what my product would do that exceeded what they were using or doing.  So here is the question: why do followers of Jesus not understand their identity in Christ?  And the second question is, if we do, why do we not act on them?

Could it be that you are so busy with all the things of this world that you don’t have time to study the Scripture, to know who you are in Christ?  Maybe you are like the man who brought his son to be healed by Jesus and said, “IF” you can please do so.  When Jesus addressed the “IF,” the man said, “I believe, help my unbelief.”  I find myself in need of getting my eyes off this dark and evil world and onto what Jesus calls me.  Could it be that we just have an identity problem?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice  

 

The Priests' Garments

                                                                  Exodus 28:15-30

 

October 12, 2024

 

The Priests' Garments

“You shall make a breast piece, of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod, you shall make it of gold, blue and purple, and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it.  It shall be square and doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth.  You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row;  and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;  and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree.  There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.  You shall make for the breast piece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.  And you shall make for the breast piece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece.  And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breast piece.  The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.  You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breast piece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.  And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.  And they shall bind the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breast piece shall not come loose from the ephod.  So, Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breast piece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord.  And in the breast piece of judgment, you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus, Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.

 

Often, I’ve read past words like the Urim and the Thummim with no understanding of their meaning.  Let me share what I read this morning on these two items.  Urim: The Hebrew word for "lights." Thummim: The Hebrew word for "perfection" or "truth" 

Function: The Urim and Thummim were placed in a breastplate worn by the High Priest, which was attached to an apron-like garment called an ephod. The priest would use the Urim to inquire of YHWH on behalf of the ruler. 

We find them referred to also in Numbers 27:21,  ^“And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.”

 

Deuteronomy 33:8, “And of Levi he said, 'Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah. ”

1 Samuel 28:5-7, “When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.  And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.  Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.”  Often, it is our unbelief or fear that drives us to evil sources, and this sure did not work out well for Saul.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Priests' Garments

 Exodus 28:1-14

 

October 11, 2024

 

The Priests' Garments

“Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.  And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.  You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.  These are the garments that they shall make: a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests.  They shall receive gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

“And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked.  It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together.  And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.  You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,  six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth.  As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree.  And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance.  You shall make settings of gold filigree,  and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.

 

As I read Exodus 28:1-14, one verse caught my attention, verse three. Maybe it would be wise to ponder.  You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill. How many people do you encounter that God has blessed with skills and talents, looks, and a great mind, and believe it was their doing?  In my career in sales.  I often told people who I work for and my customers that would say You are good at what you do;” I’m a composite of all those professionals in sales that I’ve encountered.”  And there was some truth in that statement. I often learn from them, but who gave them the skills they have?  My question to me and maybe to you is, where did the skills, the talents, the mind, and our good appearance come from?  And why are we willing to give credit to others but not to God?

Maybe it is time to open your Bible to James 1:17, which states, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." 

In Exodus 31:1-3, we have a very clear picture of how God has blessed you and me, “The Lord said to Moses,  “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship,” 

That being true, why not apply Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

If you are a follower of Christ and believe you are better than another brother or sister in Christ because of your spiritual gifts, you need to examine yourself. I Corinthians 12:4-11 makes it clear that these gifts have been given to serve others.  “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of work, but in all of them and in everyone, it is the same God at work. Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous power, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

 

Let me share my thoughts about myself. I’m not sure why you do it, maybe for some of the same reasons.  I never applied myself in school; I did not see the value in learning at that time in my life. I just wanted to be noticed.  I was one of the smallest in my class for many years, and I chose to be somebody by association, and who I wanted to be like, the smart kids, not to mention they were popular.  So, my kind of flesh, needing to be noticed, needs to be included, but on my terms.  When you grow up with that kind of mindset, you’re not very secure, and so once more, you look to others who seem to be the best at whatever needs to be done.  One big problem was that fear and insecurity do not go away with becoming a new person in Christ.  I was trained like a bird dog on how to get my needs met outside of Christ.  For many years, I was that man, and then one day early in my career, I was putting a copy machine in my car and saw a young man in a suit, who looked very sharp and handsome, going into my office, and I just knew that he would get my job.  And at that moment of fear and insecurity, I heard a voice in my head that said, Bob, I have given you skills and talents to be the best at this job, and I listened and went about my day, and never again did I doubt that God had blessed me.  I did look at others who were real pros in sales, but often what they did was not a fit for the gifts God had given me.  Was I blessed by the many who helped me improve? You bet, but they were sent by my Lord.

 

Let's end with 1 Timothy 6:6-8, “But godliness with contentment is great gain,  for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

I fell in Love with Jesus

 

I fell in Love with Jesus

 

I fell in love with Jesus when I was just a child, OH yes, I fell in love with Jesus as a child in my mother’s lab, 

As she sang about Jesus and told the stories of how He stepped from glory to show me how to be a man. Telling me how to be a man.  

 

But how what a sad story as I grew and became a man, yes, what a sad, sad story of how I fell out of love with Jesus, and fell in love with self. 

It was a sad, sad story of a life lived without that man.

 

I’m told it's a common story of many men like me, who go for the glory and forget who the King is.  

 

A most amazing story of a King who came from glory to save a wretch like me, Jesus came from glory to redeem you and me,

A story of amazing grace, it is amazing grace  

 

A life without His glory so empty you see, and how I long for the peace I knew on mother's lab, but that is long gone, how empty it all seems. 

 

And now once more I’ve looked beyond this darkness at the heavens above and the God of my mother lab. 

So clear, O’ so clear I see Jesus once again, not on mother’s lab, but now, as a man. 

 

Often I was drowning in all lives demands, but when I came to Jesus He took me by the hand, He took by the hand.

 

Yes, He walks with me and we talk, and I’m learning from Him about being a man.  I’m experiencing the glory of Jesus, whom my mother and dad told me about as a kid.

 

Free again, free to share and talk about His amazing joy and peace, as I walk with Jesus on the highways of this life, learning and depending on Jesus as I learn to be a man, 

I’m learning to be a man. Yes, I’m learning to be a man, walking with Jesus hand in hand.

 

^“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice