Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Not Strangers, but Sons Forever at Rest

"6Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
 
"7Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people." (Isaiah 56: 6-7)
 
The best translation reads "who are joined to the LORD", since we cannot bring ourselves to God, but rather He came to us:
 
"8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (Romans 5: 8-9)
 
He now serves as our High Priest forever:
 
"Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." (Hebrews 6: 20)
 
We are no longer strangers because we are fully reconciled to God the Father through Jesus:
 
"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5: 18-19)
 
We have an eternal Sabbath in Jesus, too:
 
"For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 8-11)
 
We know that our prayers are accepted before God because we are accepted before Him in Christ Jesus, too.
 
"And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." (1 John 5: 15)
 
He hears us because we are no longer strangers, but sons of God in Christ (1 John 3: 1-3), and we are at rest forever in Jesus our rest!

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