So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison[.]

Leviticus 13-15

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison[.] 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - completing chapter thirteen - Unclean! - covering Leviticus 13-15, looking specifically at the fifth and final theme for the chapter - Followers of Jesus Have a Future with No Sickness.  Here, the commentary focuses on how Jesus provides the greatest hope and source of strength believers have.  Leviticus 13-14 describe uncleanness from skin disease, and over the past several days my posts have discussed the commentary's perspectives on how skin disease, although not a sin, represents a consequence of our fallen and sinful state based on the original sin. This morning, the entry from the commentary more specifically looks at our fallen and sinful state, and how, for believers, although our earthly bodies face decay (including sickness and infirmities and the associated discomfort, pain, and suffering), when we enter Heaven, we will be made new again, and all of the earthly aspects of our bodies and the associated experience goes away.  The commentary refers to the following additional scriptures to emphasize this (and arguably most) important point:

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:51-55

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus - thank You!  Thank You and praise God for the hope, peace of mind, strength, and encouragement You provide by promising eternal life!  I know in Heaven I will see a renewed Dustin with no Down Syndrome and I will see my mom there as well - among the many brothers and sisters in Christ I will see - how glorious!  I am not deserving of these blessings and the amazing grace You pour out for me.  My sins of gossip, worry, etc. continue.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us[.]

Leviticus 13-15

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us[.]...John 1:14

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter thirteen - Unclean! - covering Leviticus 13-15, looking specifically at the fourth theme - Jesus Transforms Access to God's Presence.  Here, the commentary starts by looking at how believers today can apply the teachings in Leviticus (including 13-15).  It starts by stating that, for believers, "God has now established the new covenant in Jesus.  God's old covenant prepared for Jesus' coming and taught us principles that help us understand the person and work of Jesus.  God always knew that when the Messiah came and He initiated the new covenant, the old covenant would become obsolete." The commentary then encourages us to see "three ways Jesus transforms access to God's presence:

• Jesus eliminates ceremonial law" - we are encouraged to review the interactions Jesus had with the Jewish leaders and how they placed emphasis on rituals as an end in of itself vs Jesus teachings, using ritual cleansing as an example, where such ritual cleansings were not a matter of external cleanliness but of internal cleanliness and our heart condition with respect to a right relationship with God; Jesus also pointed out the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders who observed the ceremonial law but not the moral law; see also John Piper on the extent to which believers are to observe ceremonial law; see also Piper on the extent to which only worship, among all the activities done within the church, is an end in itself.  The commentary refers us to Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 2:23-28 as a scriptural basis to underscore this point.
  
• Jesus graduates us from symbol to substance" - using Colossians 2:16-17 as a scriptural basis for this point, the commentary highlights how the ceremonial laws were a "shadow" of what was to come with Jesus and the new covenant, and Jesus is the substance.  The commentary writes: "[t]he old covenant law shows us our dirtiness in God's sight, and Jesus came to be the way we become clean--not just clean on the outside, but clean on the inside, and clean forever.  He graduates us from symbol to substance."
  
• Jesus incarnates God's presence" - whereas in the Old Testament, the tabernacle, Tent of Meeting, and temple were the places that symbolized the presence of God (even though it also writes about God's omnipresence), the commentary urges us to understand that with the new covenant God is always among and within us - residing in our hearts. We are referred to John 1:14 as the scriptural basis for this takeaway. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who lives in my heart - thank You Jesus for walking with me in my journey and for sanctifying and refining me into more of Your image!  I am not deserving of such a blessing - my sins of worry, etc. continue.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

...[T]rain yourself for godliness[.]

Leviticus 13-15

...[T]rain yourself for godliness[.] 1 Timothy 4:7

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter thirteen - Unclean! - covering Leviticus 13-15, looking specifically at the third theme - God Cleanses What We Cannot.  Here, the commentary focuses the ritual cleansing discussed in these chapters of Leviticus; as I have posted the past few days, the Israelites with skin disease needed cleansing because of the sin represented by sickness in general as a reminder of humankind's fallen state since the original sin.  The commentary describes the gradual nature of the cleansing process in Leviticus 13-15 as a number of steps were required and the priest was required every step of the way.  The commentary then moves to the process of sanctification for believers in Jesus Christ, and this process is gradual as well as we grow closer to Jesus through the practice of spiritual disciplines. Key to the sanctification process is confession and repentance.  We must be humble, acknowledge, and admit our sin to God and others as a starting point when we turn to Him.  God can and does cleanse us but we must submit and surrender to Him, and through confession and other spiritual disciplines.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has sanctified me and refined me - thank You Jesus!  I know there is more work to do in my heart, but I am grateful for the work You have done and continue to do.  And I recognize that I am undeserving of such blessings.  My sin continues.  Help me confess and turn from my sin, such as worry, towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and energy.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[B]ut your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God[.]...Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.

Leviticus 13-15

[B]ut your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God[.]...Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 24:3-4

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter thirteen - Unclean! - covering Leviticus 13-15, looking specifically at the second theme - Sin Separates Us from God.  Here, the commentary starts by making it clear that "these chapters in Leviticus state people were declared unclean and excluded [from worship] because of a skin disease [and bodily discharge], not because of sin." At the same time, the commentary states "skin disease [and bodily discharge are] an external reminder of sin and the physical deterioration sin causes" (see also post yesterday). The commentary then pivots to an examination of why God focused on skin diseases such as leprosy in Leviticus 13-14; while we don't know for certain, once again (see also post from a few days ago regarding how there are no imperfect laws), we are exhorted to avoid questioning the the validity of any of God's laws as although "[w]e may be unable to understand the reason for every law because God did not supply us with a reason....However, if for some reason we reject God's law or decide it is incorrect, we are least being impertinent, if not blasphemous.  God had a reason for the laws He gave, even though those reasons may not be clear to us.  So when we encounter things in the Bible that don't make sense to us, our impulse should be to give God the right to be God.  Skin disease symbolized sin and separation from God because that is the symbol God chose."  Finally, the commentary postulates that leprosy was as apt a symbol of sin as any as this particular skin disease, at least at the time of the writing of Leviticus, was incurable, visible and progressive - all dimensions of sin we of which believers should be aware. The commentary writes: "[b]oth leprosy and sin are incurable.  Also, leprosy affects the nervous system so that infected people become progressively desensitized to pain.  Most forms of sickness cause suffering by making us hurt; leprosy cause suffering by making its victims incapable of hurting.  Sin affects us in the same way.  The more we sin, the more we are desensitized to sin and its pain." Ultimately, the connection is drawn between not only original sin and the subsequent presence of sickness, pain and death, but also between sin and how it separates us from God as God did not allow anyone unclean to worship as described in these chapters in Leviticus. The commentary wraps by pointing us to scriptural examples of these applications, referring us to Isaiah 59:2 and Psalm 24:3-4.  

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me a path to cleanse myself of my sin - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You forgive and how You bless me.  I worry and I have other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my fatih.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life[.]

Leviticus 13-15

To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life[.] Genesis 3:16-17

This afternoon, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting chapter thirteen - Unclean! - covering Leviticus 13-15, looking specifically at the first theme - Sickness Exists Because Sin Exists.  The introduction to the this chapter of the commentary starts by stating the main idea we should explore for Leviticus chapters 13-15: "God is interested in every detail of our lives, including our illnesses.  Illness exists because sin exists, but God takes away our sin through Jesus, and God gives us an eternal future in heaven where no sickness exists."  For the commentary's theme for today - Sickness Exists Because Sin Exists - we are reminded that God created a perfect world for Adam and Eve, but because of their disobedience, we have not just the original sin that impacted Adam (Genesis 3:17) and Eve (Genesis 3:16), but sin for all of humanity for the remainder of humanity's time on earth.  While God's hand and design might not provide any comfort for those impacted by illness and pain, it is important to recognize that illness and pain are just as much a part of life as anything else we experience.  Believers can rest in knowing that God is in all things (Colossians 1:15-17), including our illness and pain, and that even though we will have tribulation, we can "take heart; [because Jesus has] overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who gives me strength to get through difficult times of pain and illness - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You never leave or forsake me.  I worry and I have other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.     

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

Leviticus 12

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord  (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:22-24

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - wrapping up chapter twelve - God Rules from Our Birth - covering Leviticus 12:1-8, looking specifically at the final theme - God Offers Salvation to All.  The commentary this morning provides an explicit and direct connection to Jesus from the text in Leviticus 12. V8 describes the offering commanded by God following a new mother's purification (where even the poor have a path to God): "if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering."  The commentary then emphasizes how Jesus offers salvation to all, including the poor - "[f]inancial condition never excludes someone from atonement God provides.  God offers it to every person free of charge."  Key this morning is how the commentary highlights Luke's (Luke 2:22-24) description of how Mary, after the birth of Jesus, offers this same offering as commanded by God in Leviticus 12:8. The commentary also encourages us to know that Jesus Himself became poor so that we can become rich - rich from the grace and inheritance of Jesus!

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God worthy of my white-hot worship and You offer salvation to everyone, and You gave it to me!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a blessing - the greatest gift of all time.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Leviticus 12

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter twelve - God Rules from Our Birth - covering Leviticus 12:1-8, looking specifically at the first theme - God Provides the Propitiation for Our Sin.  Here, the commentary focuses on atonement and propitiation where the latter "is the "New Testament word for atonement", quoting the commentary.  The commentary states that atonement and propitiation are appropriate topics in the context of childbirth in Leviticus 12 because of the blood and the resulting uncleanness (see post few days ago), and because children are born sinners, as our sinful nature is part of all of us since The Fall (Genesis 3). The commentary also reminds us that in Genesis 3:16, God specifically states that with childbirth, He "will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children." The commentary then states that "the pain of childbirth reminds us of the presence of sin in the human race because of the original sins of Adam and Eve....When a child is born, we know that child is a sinner, and because sin leads to death that child is born to die.  Ironically, birth is a reminder of our death and our death is because of sin.  Sin leads to death.  Thank God He provides propitiation for our sin."  We are encourage to refer to 1 John 2:1-2 and 4:10. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God - You sent Your Son Jesus for me!  Thank You!  I am not deserving such a gift - the greatest gift of all time!  I worry...I know this is sin.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.