Jesus fulfilled the Law and all of the prophesies of the Old Testament. As Jesus Christ our risen Messiah, King and Lord over all, He overcame sin and death. In Him we are kept. There is no other name by which we can be saved and there is no other way to the Father. It was too small an act that He come only to save the Jews but that the whole world could be saved through Him.
We can not earn salvation. Jesus willingly gave up His spotless life in exchange for ours. Salvation is the gift of an all loving Father who wants no one to perish but all to come to His saving grace.
grace (Gk. charis) (15:11; Rom. 3:24; 5:15; Eph. 2:5; Titus 2:11) Strong’s #5485: The Greek word for grace is probably equivalent to the Hebrew word chesed meaning “lovingkindness,” a word frequently used by the psalmists to describe God’s character. In the NT, the word charis usually means divine favor or goodwill, but it also means “that which gives joy” and “that which is a free gift.” This is a noteworthy occurrence of the word grace, because while it was one of Paul’s favorite words for God’s free gift of salvation, here we see Peter using it in the same way.
John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Alleluhia to our risen Savior.
…we can relate to the prodigal son who promised himself freedom yet, as time progressed, became enslaved by his desires. Self is an insatiable idol. When his money, friends and fun evaporated, the son was reduced to the dirty task of feeding the most detestable, unclean animals in Hebrew culture: pigs. He was hungry, weary and desperate, "but when he came to himself" (Luke 15:17), he remembered the abundance of provision in his father's house.
As he prepared to return home in shame and humiliation, the prodigal son practiced his words to his father: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son" (Luke 15:18-19a). The acknowledgment that his sin was not only against his father but also against God was evidence of a repentant heart. At that point, he turned away from the far country and set his sights on his true home.
Our heavenly Father always gives more grace than we expect or deserve. The world may promise to fulfill our dreams and desires; however, nothing will ever compare to our God, who offers to fill all of our emptiness with nothing less than Himself.
Only those who know they are lost can realize the amazing joy of being found. Only those who know they are dead in sin can understand the extravagant love of God our Father, who, "even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ" (Ephesians 2:5). First 5
What if the waiting of Advent, is the story of a God who pitches a tent among us, even as we live in the midst of a culture grown weary from too much? Too much speed, too much fear and too much strife?
What if waiting now provides space for a reset. For replenishment. For spiritual hydration.
Bottom line... When I recognize (value) that the ordinary is the hiding place for the holy, I can make room. I can welcome. I can see (pay attention). And I can share the gift.
The good news? Advent waiting is grounded in hope. The affirmation that God’s light and love always shines in every kind of darkness that we might encounter (be it illness, grief, injustice, cares about work or relationships, or spiritual darkness). Which means, we can wait, with hope, together. Yes, remembering that no one of us is on this journey alone.
So, let’s go back to remembering what we value. Remembering those things and people, for which we are grateful. Today... making space to see that the ordinary is the hiding place for the holy. In other words, the permission to let moments of grace heal us, carry us, sustain us, inviting us to a bigger world. And in that bigger world, grace is always alive and well. Sabbath Moments
Acts 15:12–20
12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. 13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 16 ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the Lord who does all these things.’ 18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works. 19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. The New King James Version
James was the half-brother of Jesus and, according to the early church fathers, the author of the book of James. James quotes from Amos 9:11–12. The tent of David refers to the humbled Davidic dynasty. God promised to restore the dynasty to fulfill his promises about the royal line. Faithlife Study Bible
Barnabas and Paul reported what God was doing in changing the lives of Gentiles with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their testimony at this council was critical. The council listened to James because he was the first of the three pillars of the church. He was the leader of the church in Jerusalem until he was stoned to death at the insistence of the high priest in a.d. 62. James was the Lord’s half brother, the one who did not believe until the Lord appeared to him privately after the Resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
While the testimony of Peter, Barnabas, and Paul was important for the council in making their decision, something more than the experience of the Gentiles had to be taken into consideration. The council needed to know what the Word of God said. James pointed out that what was happening among the Gentiles was in full agreement with the Old Testament.
Amos 9:11
“On that day I will raise up
The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And repair its damages;I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old;
Amos 9:12
That they may possess the remnant of Edom,
And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
”Says the LORD who does this thing.
The testimony of Paul and Barnabas—those who worked among the Gentiles—and most importantly the teaching of Scripture, indicated to James that God was truly at work. In view of this, he suggested that a letter be drafted that alleviated Jewish requirements for Gentiles who placed their trust in Jesus. Though James did not want to trouble Gentiles with Jewish ceremonial regulations, he believed certain practices should be followed.
He mentioned four issues: eating food offered to idols, sexual immorality, eating food from animals that had been strangled, and eating food with blood. If Gentiles continued such practices, there would continually be tension between the Gentile and Jewish Christian communities. The NKJV Study Bible
Leviticus 3:17 ‘This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’ ”
Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
Revelation 2:20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
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