An interesting Hebrew meaning for the word “salvation” here is to be rescued either personally, spiritually, or nationally…and right now, the nations of the world could sure use some deliverance from all the distress, calamity, and frightening events surrounding this Corona virus. It’s time to stand in the gap for the nations and seek deliverance from the Lord. And how better to pray than to pray Scriptures back to God. Father, we lift all the nations of the world to You and ask for deliverance from this evil called COVID 19, (Psalm 3:8) For we know all those who take refuge in You are blessed (Psalm 2:12) and that You will never forsake anyone who seeks You. (Psalm 9:10) We thank You for sending help (Psalm 20:2) as Your Spirit encamps around us (Psalm 34:7)… so we humbly beseech You to save our nations from this enemy. (Psalm 18:48) In the precious Name of Jesus… Amen
Tag: eternal salvation
Psalm 68:20 ” Our God is a God Who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.”
In looking up the Hebrew words in this short verse, I found some interesting things. First, the Hebrew word for “saves” here occurs only once in the Old Testament…its meaning – deliverance. Next, the Hebrew word for “Lord” is the covenant name of God. Finally, the Hebrew word for “death” here means deadly sickness or plague. We need to be reminded today that our God is a covenant-keeping God who delivers us out of all our calamities and distresses. (I Samuel 10:19) And as the Psalmist wrote, “You have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before You in the light of life.” (Psalm 56:13) And as both Jeremiah and Ezekiel proclaimed… it’s only from the Lord that comes escape.
Romans 1:6 ” And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”
You belong to Jesus. “To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1) “And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:6-7) The Holy Spirit extends an invitation…a summons to salvation through the message of the Gospel. We then have to make the decision to either accept or reject that invitation. But if you do reject Jesus, that still doesn’t change His mind about you. He will keep extending His hand of forgiven and love until you draw your last breath…for you belong to Him.
I Timothy 4:9-10 ” This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, Who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.”
Hope…there’s a big difference between what the Believer and non-Believer thinks about this word. For the non-Believer, it’s about wishing for something which may or may not occur. In contrast, to the Believer, hope is based on their faith of a living God with assurance to what He has promised in His Word. In addition, this eternal hope is found in their trust and confidence in God’s Son, Jesus Christ…their Lord and Savior.
Galatians 2:20 ” I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
What does it really mean to be crucified with Christ? Again, we have this picture of putting off the old and putting on the new self. It starts at the moment of redemption when as Romans 8:10 tells us, “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.” But it also becomes a lifetime journey of deliberate and intentional decisions on our part to subdue our worldly and fleshly lusts and desires. And in doing so, our old self is crucified together with Christ so that sin cannot have preeminence in our life. (Romans 6:6)…as we purposefully live for the Will of God. (I Peter 4:2)
Ecclesiastes 3:11 ” He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
God is always on time and always at the proper moment. His creative activity is unfailingly right on time…never too early, never too late. That’s because He knows all events that have transpired in the past as well as all things that will occur in the future. Romans 11:33 says that the depth of wisdom and knowledge of God is incomprehensible, and Job echoed this sentiment when he asked, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of The Almighty?” (Job 11:7) So even though we are totally incapable of understanding all this, we can grasp the idea that God has set eternity in our hearts…filling that “God-shaped” void by His Son, Jesus Christ, who came and died for our sins that we may have the gift of eternal life.
Psalm 68:20 ” Our God is a God Who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.”
For some of us, we’ve had the experience of being spared from death. Maybe it was in a serious car accident, or a critical illness, or some other dire situation that happened. But what we do know is we should of died, but God instead showed us mercy. And when we look back with gratitude and thankfulness for what God did…we can start to appreciate the awesome power and sovereignty of our Lord. And as the writer of Psalm 56:13 declared, “For You have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”
Galatians 1: 13-17 ” For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God , who set me apart from birth and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.”
We all have a past…those B.C. years (Before Christ) when we were far away from God. But for some, their “But when God” conversion is a radical encounter. Saul had a similar divine appointment on the road to Damascus when his idea of God was turned upside down. His radical conversion was a 180 degree turn from his past…showing that with God anything is possible, and that no one is beyond the reach of our Heavenly Father.
Hebrews 7:25 ” Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.”
What does the Gospel mean to you? I’ve been thinking about this all week in preparation for a meeting this Sunday. To me, it boils down to Religion vs Relationship. It’s the difference between ceremony and connection, liturgy and linkage, ritual and relationship. For Religion is mostly man-made, piling on the things we can’t do…while a Relationship with Jesus Christ is about freedom. It’s about freedom from sin and death and freedom from the Law we can never keep. But the biggest difference between Religion and Relationship is this…Religion can’t save you. Only Jesus Christ who lived a perfectly sinless life has the ability to bring you into His glorious Kingdom and eternal life…it’s only through Jesus that you can make your way back to God.
Romans 5:10 ” For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!”
Think back a moment to your “BC” days. (Before Christ) Maybe you had heard about Jesus, but He was far from what you wanted in your life back then. You were content to be in charge…doing things your own way. But in your rebellion you were also alienated from God…spiritually dead and blithely headed to Hell. It was while you were still estranged from God that He reconciled you to Himself through Christ. (II Corinthians 5:18-19) It was while you were still in rebellion that Jesus redeemed you… taking on Himself your sins that you may have a right relationship with God…and eternal life. The bottom line is…long before you were thinking about God…He was thinking about you.
Safetypinlove 