Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:51-56 is about a Samaritan village rejects the Savior.
Luke 9:51-52
9:51. Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,
9:52. and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.
Jesus steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.
Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem?
Matthew 16:21
16:21. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
Jesus went to Jerusalem to die on the cross, rise, ascend to the Heaven, and enter the New Jerusalem.
Jesus steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem means He prepared Himself to be the atonement offering for the sinners.
Genesis 3:9-10
3:9. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
3:10. So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
Since Adam and Eve sinned, they were naked and separated from God, so they lost peace and experienced fear and stress, and had no serenity.
When the sin increases up to the peak, the fear also increases.
Luke 21:25-26
21:25. "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
21:26. "men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.
Approaching the second coming of Jesus, the fear and stress will increase; even it becomes the main killer physically and spiritually.
Physically, the stress will increase the work of hormone, so it becomes abnormal and causes the diseases up to the death.
Spiritually, one is withered and dead up to the second death in the hell forever.
Unfortunately, the sinners do not have any power to return to God, so they are still in fear and stress up to perishing forever.
God does not will if the human that He created just lives in fear up to perishing forever. That is why, Jesus must become the atonement offering on the cross in Jerusalem, so He can reconcile men with God, and men with others. The results are as follows:
There are three steps of the atonement sacrifice as follows:
The process of reconciliation is as follows:
The results of reconciliation are as follows:
God blesses us.
Luke 9:51-56 is about a Samaritan village rejects the Savior.
Luke 9:51-52
9:51. Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,
9:52. and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.
Jesus steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.
Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem?
Matthew 16:21
16:21. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
Jesus went to Jerusalem to die on the cross, rise, ascend to the Heaven, and enter the New Jerusalem.
Jesus steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem means He prepared Himself to be the atonement offering for the sinners.
Genesis 3:9-10
3:9. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
3:10. So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
Since Adam and Eve sinned, they were naked and separated from God, so they lost peace and experienced fear and stress, and had no serenity.
When the sin increases up to the peak, the fear also increases.
Luke 21:25-26
21:25. "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
21:26. "men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.
Approaching the second coming of Jesus, the fear and stress will increase; even it becomes the main killer physically and spiritually.
Physically, the stress will increase the work of hormone, so it becomes abnormal and causes the diseases up to the death.
Spiritually, one is withered and dead up to the second death in the hell forever.
Unfortunately, the sinners do not have any power to return to God, so they are still in fear and stress up to perishing forever.
God does not will if the human that He created just lives in fear up to perishing forever. That is why, Jesus must become the atonement offering on the cross in Jerusalem, so He can reconcile men with God, and men with others. The results are as follows:
- We experience peace.
- We can enter the New Jerusalem.
There are three steps of the atonement sacrifice as follows:
- In the Paradise.
Genesis 3:21
3:21. Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
The atonement sacrifice is from the skin. The animal is not known. The usefulness is to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve (only for two persons), namely marriage or household.
For us now, the marriage or household must be reconciled, so it is in the peaceful atmosphere. - In the age of Law.
The animal is known, namely an ox, a sheep, or a turtledove.
But the atonement offering in the age of Law is still the shadow of the thing to come.
The usefulness is for one nation namely Israelites. The Gentiles do not get any part of it. - In the age of the New Testament.
1 John 4:10
4:10. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
All the atonement offering of animal has been fulfilled by Christ's offering on the cross or the one of the Lamb of God.
The usefulness is for all nations in the world, including the Gentiles.
That is why, we must appreciate and receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross, so we can be reconciled with God (vertical) and others (horizontal).
The process of reconciliation is as follows:
- Confessing sin to God and others because of being encouraged by the true teaching Word or the word that is sharper than any two-edged sword that shows our sin. If we are forgiven, do not sin anymore.
- Forgiving others' sin because of being encouraged by the true teaching word and forgetting it.
The results of reconciliation are as follows:
- The blood of Jesus takes away our sins, so we are justified and live in righteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:20-21
5:20. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
5:21. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
We experience peace, so everything becomes easy and light. Our steps of life are easy, light, and happy.
If we are not righteous, our steps of life surely labor and are heavy laden. Our life is not easy but laborious. - We are trusted in the ministry of reconciliation to bring the word of reconciliation, namely good news and bride tidings.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
5:18. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled usto Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
5:19. that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
It is the same as we are trusted to become the instrument of righteousness, namely the servant of God who ministers to Him faithfully and truly.
Romans 10:15
10:15. And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
If we are trusted to become God's witness, our steps of life will be in success and beauty.
The more we are trusted, the more we are used by God and the more beautiful and successful our life is. - We become the new creation. It is the same as experiencing the renewal of life from carnal men to spiritual ones.
2 Corinthians 5:17
5:17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Ephesians 4:24-25
4:24. and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
4:25. Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
The renewal of life is started from being honest. Saying yes if yes and no if no.
Proverbs 15:8
15:8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
If we are honest, we will become the house of prayer and our prayer will be answered by God.
If spiritual miracle happens, the physical one happens too.
From nothing to something, impossible to possible, and the thing that has been destroyed can be good.
The steps of new men are the ones of miracle. Until the last step, when Jesus comes a second time we are changed to become as glorious as Him. We do not stumble in word, but just say "Alleluia!" The Head and the body become one to enter the New Jerusalem forever.
God blesses us.