Psalm 122:1 "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord ." This verse breathes out the joy of a redeemed soul drawn by grace into the presence of God. It is not the natural heart that delights in the things of God, only the regenerate heart made willing in the day of His power (Psalm 110:3) . The gladness expressed here flows from the work of Christ Who by His blood has opened the way into the true house of the LORD—not a temple made with hands, but the assembly of His saints, His church, redeemed and gathered by the Spirit. It is Christ, our Peace, Who brings us near (Ephesians 2:13–14) , and in Him, we rejoice to go where His glory dwells. This Psalm was one of many called ‘Songs of degrees’ because they were sung by pilgrims journeying up to Jerusalem and the temple. Many people from all parts of the promised Land journeyed up to Jerusalem each year for the feasts, especially the Passover in the spring, the Feasts of the Tabernacles and the Harvest in the autumn. During these seasons, companies of people went up, step by step from one town and another and would meet up and journey on together.       What a beautiful picture of the LORD’s people today who walk together in Christ, members of His body, belonging to the house of the LORD, His church. The word ‘church’  means 'called out ones’.   And so it is of those sinners, chosen by God the Father from eternity and in time called out to the LORD Jesus by His effectual grace, from every tribe, nation and tongue, ( Revelation 7:9). He has made them a kingdom of priests unto God by the shed blood unto death of the LORD Jesus, ( Revelation 1:5).       In the Old Testament, the house of the LORD was a physical temple where people went to worship with their sacrifices offered up by the priests unto God.  Today, the temple is not physical but the Spiritual body of the LORD Jesus, John 2:21.  The house of the LORD in the Old Testament foreshadowed the Person and work of the LORD Jesus as God’s House, made up of those sinners that He has redeemed and they are joined together as believer priests to offer up sacrifices of praise through Him Who is God’s High Priest and Mediator ( Hebrews 13:15).   “But Christ as a Son over his own house; whose house are we, if [as] we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” (Hebrews 3:6)       People today talk about ‘going to church’ as if it is a place, when it is a chosen, redeemed, and called out people. The church is a community of believers that the LORD Jesus has bought by His shed blood unto death on the cross,  Ephesians 2:13-22 ,. Therefore, they meet together around the throne of Grace, wherever they can join in that oneness of the Faith once delivered unto the saints, Jude 1:3.  Just like the church of old that would journey to meet together, so we walk this pilgrim path together in Christ, rejoicing in His work accomplished for chosen undeserving but thankful sinners. As we serve out our life sentence, we rejoice together in God’s work of Grace for us and in us, and cherish the fellowship that we enjoy together being members of His House.  As the LORD’s House, we are His household, members of one another as the true family of God ( Ephesians 3:15).        1.)   A household whose members value one another, understanding our need for one another’s fellowship but more importantly our continual need of the LORD Jesus our Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption 1( Corinthians 1:30-31, 12:15-24).     2.)   A household that  relates to one another  with a true caring concern for one another, putting differences aside by the Grace of God, all being sinners saved, forgiven, and justified by the work of the LORD Jesus, therefore one  in Him ( 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 ).     3.)   A household whose unity  is one in heart in Christ, not mere formalism or outward appearance ( Ephesians 4:1-6 ).     4.)   A household that seeks the common good of the other members, not looking out for their own interests ( Philippians 2:1-4 ).       As David declared , “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” So also are the members of Christ’s household who rejoice whenever we can meet together in Him to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth ( John 4:24).

Acts 13:39 "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." In this single verse, the Holy Spirit declares the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ . Here, the apostle Paul proclaims the utter sufficiency and exclusivity of Christ's redemptive work. This is not a conditional offer but a triumphant declaration of what Christ has accomplished for His elect. The law could never justify sinners—it could only condemn. But by the perfect obedience and blood of the LORD Jesus, all who are given faith to believe are freely and fully justified, eternally cleared of every charge. This verse sets forth the finished work of Christ as the sinner’s only Righteousness before God, magnifying grace and exalting the Redeemer. Some would interpret this verse to say that it is by our believing that we are justified from all things before God. Doing so however is to miss the very heart of what the verse declares and what the Gospel teaches. It says, “...BY HIM all that believe are justified...” The tense of the word ‘justified’ is the present passive and means that by the LORD Jesus Christ, all that believe by His grace are being shown, exhibited or made manifest as ones whom God has already declared righteous by the LORD Jesus Christ and His Righteousness imputed to them at Calvary, " For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). One commentator explains it, ‘Christ, as God, is not only the Justifier of His people, Who pronounces them righteous in the sight of God; but His righteousness imputed to them is the matter of their justification, or that by which they are justified and not the works of the law, or obedience to the Gospel, or internal holiness, either in whole or in part, or the Grace of Faith, but the Object of it, Christ, and His righteousness and justification by this is complete and perfect; it is from all sin, original and actual, secret and open, greater or lesser sins; sins of presumption and ignorance, of omission or commission; from all things the law can charge with, as breaches of it; from all things which the justice of God can demand satisfaction for.’ If we, by God’s Grace, are trusting Christ, our faith is not the cause of our justification before God but the evidence of God having justified us by Christ in His obedience unto death, having then and there forgiven us all our sin because He put them all away, " Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:" (Acts 13:38).

Isaiah 50:8 "He is near that justifieth me who will contend with me? Let us stand together: who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me." This verse, spoken prophetically by the Servant of the LORD, finds its ultimate fulfillment in the LORDJesus Christ. It reveals the unshakable confidence of Christ in His Father who justified Him—not by pardoning sin in Him, for He knew no sin, but by declaring His perfect righteousness as the Representative of His people. As the spotless Surety, Christ stood in the place of sinners, and having fulfilled all righteousness, He was vindicated by God in His resurrection. No adversary could lay a charge against Him; therefore, none can lay a charge against those He redeemed. His triumph is the triumph of sovereign grace, for in Him God's elect are justified with the same certainty. When wicked and evil men condemned Christ to die, no one stood with Him. Even His disciples were scattered from Him. Yet with confidence He could say, “He is near that justifieth me.” The word " justifieth"  here is not used in the common Scriptural sense of a sinner being justified before God, but in the proper judicial sense—that He would be declared righteous, He who knew no sin, though tempted in all things. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The Father would vindicate His character and show Him to be perfect before His law and justice. All the testimonies of God the Father were in His favor: by the voice which spoke from Heaven at His baptism; by the miracles which He performed, showing that He was commissioned and approved by God; by the fact that even Pilate was constrained to declare Him innocent; and by the wonders that attended His crucifixion, demonstrating that He was the righteous Man—even in the view of the Roman centurion, who "glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man" (Luke 23:47). Ultimately, He was raised from the dead, taken up into Heaven, and placed at the right hand of the Father—thus showing that His whole work was approved by God the Father and furnishing the most ample vindication of His character from all the accusations of His foes. In all His suffering as the Substitute for His people, the LORD Jesus did not open His mouth to defend Himself; rather, He willingly and patiently submitted Himself to God the Father, Who would justify Him through His sacrificial death for His own: “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously”   (1 Peter 2:23) . Peter declared that although they had taken Him and crucified Him with wicked hands, it was all according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God: “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain”  (Acts 2:23). Therefore, even as the LORD Jesus suffered and cried, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” His confidence remained: “He is near that justifieth me!”   It is the Father Who sent Him into the world. It was the Father Who purposed to save a great number of sinners by a just payment for their sins. It was the Father Who raised Christ from the dead, having done all  that was required for Him to be just and to justify — "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus"  (Romans 3:26). By His death, the Son satisfied every just demand of the Father. He laid down His life willingly and sacrificially in the place of those sinners the Father gave Him to save. He came in the flesh as God’s Substitute, to completely satisfy HIS law and justice on their behalf. There is no other way that God has ever granted pardon to sinners and declared them righteous except through the death and imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus at the cross. God must grant us repentance from thinking it can be in any other way. If Christ was justified as the Effectual Substitute—having finished the work and being raised from the dead—then it must be that His people were justified in Him at the same time, and therefore can, by the Spirit of God, say: “He is near that justifieth me” (Isaiah 50:8).

Revelation 1:4-6 "John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." This opening benediction grounds this prophetic book in the real-time suffering and spiritual encouragement of the first-century church. Written by the Apostle John to the seven churches of Asia during a time of intense persecution—likely under the reign of Nero—the Revelation is not merely a future forecasting but a divine unveiling of Christ's present reign and redemptive victory already at work in His church. Much of what is revealed in this book pertains to events then unfolding or soon to take place in the first-century world, especially the judgment upon apostate Israel and the vindication of Christ and His people. In these verses, John exalts the sovereign grace of God in Christ, who “loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (v.5). He identifies the LORD Jesus not as a distant king but as “the prince of the kings of the earth,”  already reigning, already victorious. This is no hidden grace but a triumphant gospel for a suffering church of Christ's redeemed ones. What follows is not a message of fear, but of hope anchored in Christ’s finished work, His present glory, and His eternal dominion. The opening of this revelation of Jesus Christ is not a message of dread for the believer, but of triumphant grace in Jesus Christ. Written to the seven churches in Asia, it speaks to a specific people in a specific time, at the end of the Old Covenant age, yet its Truth is eternally relevant. In these verses, we behold the glory of our Redeemer and the Surety of His finished work. " Revelation of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:1). Grace and peace flow not from men or institutions but from “him which is, and which was, and which is to come” —the eternal, unchanging I AM (Exodus 3:14). This is the God of sovereign grace, who rules all things by His immutable counsel. The troubled churches were not left to chance or chaos but were under the care of Him who reigns eternally. Verse 5 declares, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.” Christ is the faithful witness—He alone has perfectly declared the Father (John 1:18) . In His life, death, and resurrection, He bore witness of God’s righteousness and love in redeeming His elect. As “the first begotten of the dead,” He is the guarantee of the resurrection of His people, having conquered death by His blood shed unto death (1 Corinthians 15:20). And even then, He was already “prince of the kings of the earth,” not waiting for future enthronement, but reigning then and now (Psalm 2:6; Acts 2:36). As King and LORD He came in judgment upon apostate Jerusalem (AD 70) as a manifestation of that reigning power, (Matthew 24:30). But most gloriously, John breaks into praise: “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (v. 5). Here is sovereign grace in its fullest glory! He loved us—freely, eternally, sovereignly. He washed us—not by law, nor by ritual, but by His own blood. This is by the substitutionary Lamb of God. Christ did not make redemption possible—He accomplished it for His people (Hebrews 9:12). And “hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father” (v. 6) . This is not future potential; it is present reality. All believers, united to Christ, reign with Him and have direct access to God. What the Levitical priesthood could never accomplish, Christ has fulfilled in us. “To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (v. 6b) . All glory to Christ! The One who came in the fullness of time, who judged the harlot system of unbelief, now reigns in glory, having saved the church of His elect by grace. Let every heart given to Him echo this doxology—not in fear of wrath, but in thanksgiving for redemption already accomplished and grace eternally bestowed.

1 John 3:9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." How I long to be free from sin in my experience! There was a day when it was not so, being yet dead in sin, without the life of God in me, by His Spirit. However, since God graciously crossed my path with the Good News of Christ’s death and satisfaction for sin and the Spirit of God brought me from darkness to Light, I am more aware of sin in me now than ever before. On the one hand, I can understand, because now with the Spirit of God in me, as the Light, it exposes what I truly am by nature- a sinful, wicked, wretch. Like a cancer, I long to be rid of it and be free forever from its deadly effects. Therefore, when I read that “whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin,” I wonder how this can be? I hear different ones explaining their theories that if born again, there is a ‘sinless nature’ that we have that is created in us, that does not sin. However, as I have questioned these about this, I can never get a straight answer as to exactly how this keeps me from sinning. Some say that it is by this ‘imparted righteousness’ that we can actually love God as we ought, and pray, witness, believe, etc. And yet, when I ask those who claim to have such a nature to tell me one instance where they have prayed a sinless prayer, or done a perfect work, or believed as they ought, they “hem and haw.” For any who are honest and indeed troubled by their sin, I believe there is a clearer explanation that John is writing of, under the inspiration of the Spirit. He wrote earlier in 1 John 1:9 that if we say that we have not sinned [having sinned in Adam with continuing, ongoing effects], we make God a liar. Then again, in 1 John 2:1 , John affirms the necessity of Christ’s ongoing role as Advocate because of our bent to sin. If there were a sinless nature imparted to us at regeneration, what then would be the need for Christ’s ongoing advocacy? Why the call of Scripture to be transformed by the RENEWING OF OUR MIND, Romans 12:2 ? The only answer I can find is that it refers to our standing in Christ and His IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS through His obedience unto death. If I am born of God, it is because Christ has already put away ALL my sin in His death, His wrath is removed and I am thereby JUSTIFIED and acquitted of ALL charges against me, ( Acts 13:39) . Yes, I acknowledge that ongoing, unchangeable sin nature within me, which the Spirit of God causes me to confess continually before God. However, in so doing, I have the assurance that He is faithful and just to continue to forgive and cleanse me of all my unrighteousness because of the death of His Son on my behalf, ( 1 John 1:9) . The renewing of the mind then is by the Spirit of God causing me to look away from my sinful flesh to the ONLY righteousness of God, that was already imputed to me at the cross and by which God continually looks upon me as sinless, ( Hebrews 8:12; 10:17) . “...for where no law is, there is no transgression.” (Romans 4:15) Christ satisfied the law; therefore, there is no more sin to condemn those He redeemed by His shed blood ( Romans 10:4). When John writes of His Seed remaining in one who is born of God, that Seed is the very Word of Christ, revealed to the soul through the Gospel, ( 1 Peter 1:23). Also, in ( 1 John 1:10) , “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and HIS WORD is not in us,” is not referring to some seed of righteousness implanted in us, but the revealed Word of God, which remains in one born of God and causes them to see themselves as JUSTIFIED before God by the imputed righteousness of God in Christ. What hope can I have that it is so for me? Having been born of God, I know that He gave me Life because He has already declared me perfect through the death of His Son, ( Hebrews 1:3) . In that I rejoice and look to the day when I shall indeed in my experience be completely rid of my sin, through the changing of this body and my final glorification in HIM! ( Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:2; Romans 8:30).

Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." When many talk of Heaven, they speak of family, friends and former acquaintances with whom they hope to spend eternity. While it is true that there will be recognition of one another in glory, yet if any are there, it won’t be because of our relationship to each other. Rather, it will be uniquely because of the LORD Jesus and His shed blood and God’s imputed righteousness for those whom God the Father decreed should be His children and whose adoption and justification the LORD Jesus purchased by His death on the cross. This is why our LORD was able to say to the thief on the cross, “To day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” When Christ died, the thief on the cross accompanied him to Sheol, the place of the dead. After three days and three nights in Sheol, He arose from the grave and took with Him the souls of all of the elect who had awaited His coming, including the thief. He took captivity captive, leading them into glory (Ephesians 4:8) where heaven’s Glory is Christ, the Lamb slain ( Revelation 5:12). A second reality in Heaven will be that our sins, troubles, and tribulations will be remembered no more. Isaiah 65:16 states, “...because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.” This prophetic Word foresaw the putting away of the sins and troubles of the LORD’S people that would be completely and legally erased when Christ laid down His life at the cross. So complete was His work in paying the entire sin debt that the Holy God declares, “...their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:17) The difficulty for us is that in our flesh, our sins and the memory of them stick to us here and now in our hearts and minds, like flies on fly paper, " For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me" (Psalm 51:3). While they are no more in God’s view because of Christ’s finished work at the cross, yet, while in this flesh we are constantly reminded of them. Yet, God in mercy causes us to cry unto our Advocate and Intercessor, by His Spirit, the LORD Jesus Himself, with Whom forgiveness of sins is already and plenteous (infinite and unconditional) redemption, (Psalm 130:4-7). Yet, what a glorious hope to know that in glory, our memories will be cleansed, redeemed, healed and restored to perfection. Revelation 21:4 declares, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” This is Heaven’s Glory to which all of the LORD’S redeemed and called ones aspire in hope, ( Romans 8:18-26) .

1 Corinthians 3:12,13 "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." At first glance, many attribute these verses to some future trial of believers in glory, that will somehow determine who will receive some rewards and how many. However, the context shows that it is not about believers receiving or losing rewards in glory but rather the LORD testing the work of His servants, Gospel preachers, at various times in their ministries.      1.   “Now if any man builds”:    In verses 4-9 , the apostle Paul speaks of those whom the LORD appoints to declare the glorious message of Christ. One plants, another waters, but each one preaching and teaching according to the labor that the LORD has given them.      2. “This foundation”:     It is preachers of the Gospel of whom Paul speaks here because the Foundation on which they build is Jesus Christ, v. 11 . False preachers are not building on the Foundation that is Christ but rather, man and works. The Foundation that God laid in Christ is that of salvation through His blood shed unto death and righteousness imputed alone. God the Father purposed salvation and sent His Son to accomplish it completely on behalf of those He determined to save from eternity. That Foundation was only laid once in the death of the LORD Jesus, Hebrews 10:10-14 . God calls out Faithful Gospel preachers to build on that Foundation  (v. 10)  , but let every man (Gospel preacher) “...take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” (v. 10)   3. “Gold, silver, precious stones”:  This typifies the clear message of Christ and Him crucified preached in all His glory as the Effectual Substitute, Redeemer, and Satisfaction for the sins of God’s elect.  4.   “Wood, hay, stubble”:   Preaching Christ and yet intermingling the message with empty and useless commentary, intellectualism, form, ceremony, or tradition. It is not referring here to any who preach another Gospel but preaching the Gospel of Christ with fleshly motive, envy, and strife, Philippians 1:15-18 . Such were the philosophy and vain deceit, the weak and beggarly elements, and the rudiments of the world of which he speaks in Galatians 4:9 and  Colossians 2:8.     5. “The fire shall try every man’s work...” (v. 13):   It will be manifest by the fruit of that ministry, whether it was built on Christ and His grace, or mere intellectualism and ceremony.  “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he shall be saved…” (v. 15)  . The loss will be the minister’s labor in this life and work crumbling. God removing the ‘dross’. The winnowing work was done, but his soul preserved being one for whom the LORD paid the debt.         May the LORD Jesus Christ ALWAYS be exalted clearly and simply in the preaching of His Gospel.

Hebrews 4:15 "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." This glorious verse stands as a comfort to weary sinners and a testimony to the finished work of our great High Priest, the LORD Jesus Christ. It declares the perfection and sufficiency of Christ in His once-for-all priestly work. The Scriptures affirm that this High Priest has already fulfilled all that was required to reconcile His elect to God. The shadows are past. The reality is Christ (Colossians 2:17). The context of the epistle to the Hebrews is rich with contrast between the fading Mosaic Old Testament Covenant and the accomplished and consummated New Covenant in Christ. The old priesthood, with its continual sacrifices and human mediators, was weak through the flesh (Hebrews 7:23-8:7). The Levitical priests could not fully sympathize with the people because they, too, were sinners, needing sacrifices for themselves (Hebrews 7:27) . But now, we are told “ we have” —present tense, continuing reality—a High Priest unlike any other. Christ, our High Priest, is “ touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”   He did not remain aloof from our frailty but took on flesh and walked among us (John 1:14). He did not pretend to suffer—He truly did. He experienced hunger, thirst, sorrow, rejection, pain, and even the weight of divine wrath, though without sin. This means He knows. He understands. He is not merely aware of our infirmities intellectually—He feels  them. Yet, unlike us, He remained perfectly holy in all. His temptations were real. In the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11) , He faced the cunning of the devil who sought to offer shortcuts to glory apart from the cross. In Gethsemane, His soul was “exceeding sorrowful, even unto death”   (Matthew 26:38). On the cross, He bore abandonment and wrath in our stead, crying, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  (Matthew 27:46). Yet in all this, He did not sin. He obeyed perfectly where Adam failed, where Israel fell, where we daily falter. He fulfilled all righteousness as the spotless Lamb of God. This means our salvation is not contingent on our efforts, feelings, or responses—it is founded in the finished obedience of Christ, Who was “made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law”  (Galatians 4:4–5). The High Priest did not merely sympathize; He satisfied divine justice on behalf of His elect people. He is both merciful and faithful—merciful in that He knows our frailty, and faithful in that He did not fail in His mission. The old system—temple, priests, sacrifices—was already fading and would shortly vanish (Hebrews 8:13). When Hebrews was written, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 loomed near, bringing a visible end to the old covenant. But Christ had already entered not into the earthly tabernacle, but “into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us”   (Hebrews 9:24). His priesthood is eternal, and His once-offered Sacrifice has forever perfected them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). Therefore, we do not look for another mediator, nor do we wait for another redemptive event. Christ has already come, already conquered sin, already entered the heavenly holy place, and already sat down in triumph. The veil is torn. The law is fulfilled. The shadows have fled before the rising Sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2). What comfort this gives to the believer in Christ! In all our weakness, sin, and struggle, we are not left to ourselves. We have a sympathetic High Priest Who has stood in our place, and ever lives to intercede on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25). He is not remote but present. Not awaiting future fulfillment, but reigning now in glory, interceding for us according to the will of God (Romans 8:34). Let us, then, hold fast our profession, not in our strength, but in His (Hebrews 10:23) . Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, not because of our worthiness, but because of His sufficiency. For this High Priest has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, and He has obtained for us eternal redemption. “He hath done all things well.”  — Mark 7:37 “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.”  — Romans 8:33

Genesis 28:12-15 "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." Jacob, fleeing from Esau, lies down in the wilderness with a stone for his pillow. As he journeys toward Haran, God intercepts him with a dream (v. 12). Though Jacob fled under fear, not faith, God graciously reveals Himself, not because Jacob sought Him, but because God had purposed it. In his sleep, he receives a vision from God—a ladder reaching from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending, and the LORD Himself standing above it. The ladder reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending is a glorious type of Christ, the only Mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5). God speaks, “I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac” (v. 13) —not because Jacob had proven himself, but because of God’s covenant mercy. This vision finds its ultimate fulfillment in the coming of Christ. In John 1:51, our LORD declares, “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”  Christ is the true and living Ladder—the Mediator between God and elect sinners that He chose in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3,4). The earthly ladder Jacob saw was but a type and shadow, pointing forward to the real and abiding entrance to heaven found only in the Person and finished work of Jesus Christ. Here, amid isolation and uncertainty, God confirms His covenant of sovereign grace, which was given to Abraham and Isaac, and is now bestowed upon Jacob. The LORD affirms that Jacob is heir to the promise, not by works, but by grace (Romans 4:16). He assures him of His Presence: “I am with thee, and will keep thee...for I will not leave thee” (v. 15). This unconditional language reflects the eternal security of all who are in Christ—kept by the Power of God through faith (1 Peter 1:5) . It is not Jacob’s strength or faithfulness, but God that assures the promise. This covenant promise is not merely of earthly land or national increase but the promise of a Seed—Christ Himself—through Whom “ all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Galatians 3:16).   This is the Gospel of God's sovereign grace: that in Christ, not just one nation but elect sinners out of every nation are gathered, justified, and made heirs of eternal glory by that righteousness imputed that the LORD Jesus earned and established in coming in the flesh, and laying down His life on the cross (Revelation 5:9). The LORD’s assurance to Jacob— “I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of” —echoes the steadfast faithfulness of God to perform all that He has purposed in Christ (Isaiah 14:27). The work of redemption was never dependent on the worthiness of the sinner, but entirely upon the grace, promise, and power of God in, by, and through the LORD Jesus Christ. The vision of the ladder declares that Salvation is from heaven, not from earth, and that Christ alone bridges that infinite gap. We who trust in the Christ of Scripture, by God's grace, have this same assurance. God's covenant of grace has been fulfilled. Christ has come. The blessing to all nations is not future—it is present in the preaching of the gospel and the salvation of His elect. The LORD has not left His people. He has finished the work in Christ and will bring us, through Him, safely into glory. In Christ, heaven is opened. In Christ, God is with us, and in Him all the promises of God are Yea and Amen. Though we are like Jacob—wandering, weak, and unworthy—God's grace in Christ remains sure and steadfast. He will not leave us until He has done all that He has spoken. Blessed be God, Who has joined heaven and earth in His Son and given us this vision of sovereign, saving grace in Christ Jesus our LORD.

Galatians 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law- None are absolved from the guilt of sin or declared righteous in the sight of God by any kind of works done by the sinner.    By the law is the knowledge of sin ,  Romans 3:20 .  God never purposed the law as a means of salvation for any sinner, but only to further show the sinfulness of sin through the revelation of the law.     But by the faith of Jesus Christ .  It is NOT that any are justified by believing in Christ. It is rather that by THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST that is His obedience of faith to the Father, or His faithfulness accomplished in His life and death for those sinners that the Father gave Him.     Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law;   Faith in Jesus Christ is NOT the cause of justification, but the fruit that the LORD Jesus has fulfilled the law by His perfect life and death in accord with the law.     For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.   No one can ever be declared righteous before God by their obedience to God’s law because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 . The best righteousness of the sinner is nothing but filthy rags before a Holy God, Isaiah 64:6.   People will readily give up many things to attempt to earn their salvation.  The question is, ‘What does God Himself require?’  The Scriptures conclude:  Ephesians 2:8,9- God’s salvation is a gift  and cannot be earned.  It is not our merits, but God’s mercies in Christ that are our only hope.     2 Corinthians 5:21- Our best obedience can never satisfy a holy God.   Only the righteousness and death of Christ put to our account can give us that perfect standing and forgiveness needed to be accepted before God.      1 Peter 1:21- It is not our faith that saves, but the faith (faithfulness) of Christ.   True faith is God-given and embraces Him as the only Hope of salvation.  It is because He is the faithful Substitute, Redeemer, and High Priest that God shows mercy to sinners, who then by His grace trust in Him alone.

2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." This verse has been greatly misunderstood by many because of the apostle’s use of the term ‘Godly sorrow’ in connection with repentance unto salvation. Many wrongly assume that sorrow over sin is repentance. However, the word means a change of mind. The apostle defined it as a change of mind toward God, even FAITH toward the LORD Jesus Christ,  " Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). Yes, those who repent have sorrow over their sinfulness but it is ‘UNTO salvation’ or Godward or Christward and not just remorse. Many presume that by preaching the law with its curses and terrors and making people sorry for their sins they can affect change in their hearers and produce repentance. The Scriptures tell us that “Judas thus repented himself, and said, I have sinned...”(Matthew 27:3-5). He may have been sorry but it wasn’t Godly sorrow. He was sorrowful for his actions and yet it wasn’t a God-produced change of heart and therefore it was not unto salvation, which God alone can grant, " In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;" (2 Timothy 2:25). His repentance was actually unto damnation. “He went out and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5). What then is Godly sorrow? It springs from God, it is affected by God, it is directed to Him in preparation for turning the heart to Christ as the Redeemer and Savior. When God pierces the heart by His Spirit the sinner will cry out like David: “Against thee only have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). The heart is pierced to the very quick with anguish for having sinned against God and His Christ, " Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do" (Acts 2:37)? Notice it is a sorrow over sinning against a gracious pardoning God in Christ. This is the sorrow of Faith. It is grateful to God for His pardoning justifying Grace through the work of the LORD Jesus. Faith and repentance are synonymous. The Spirit causes the soul to change its mind from the deception of sin and to see Christ as the only Hope. The soul sees the sinfulness of its sin, looks to the Savior and cries as Thomas: “My LORD, and my God...”(John 20:28), at the sight of the nail prints of the Savior. It is “...not to be repented of.” How could the soul have been so foolish to think that the sin was of greater value than the Savior Who came to put it away? This repentance is unto salvation. It brings the soul to Christ the Crucified One and to never turn away. “There is salvation in him and no other” (Acts 4:12). How could any that God Himself has chosen and for whom Christ came and paid their sin debt, ever turn away from that work that God has done for them? “LORD, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

John 17:19 "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." This statement of our LORD Jesus Christ sanctifying Himself is drawn from the Old Testament imagery of priests being sanctified (set apart) unto God for the work of the ministry on behalf of the people. Priests were to be hallowed (sanctified) by God for the work of representing the people, Leviticus 11.  Sacrifices were consecrated (sanctified) according to the requirements of the law for God to be forbearing with their sin, Leviticus 4.        In the work of sanctification of the LORD Jesus we find two key elements. How He sanctified Himself and those for whom He sanctified Himself.      1.) How the LORD Jesus sanctified Himself. As God’s appointed High Priest, He was eternally sanctified (set apart to this work) by God the Father, Isaiah 42:1;   " Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles."   (Matthew 12:18),  Therefore, the LORD Jesus as God in the flesh sanctified Himself in willing submission to His Father. He set Himself apart to fully satisfy God the Father’s law and justice that by His sanctification, His people would also be sanctified in Him, John 17:17, " Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth ."  The high priests of the Old Testament went into the sanctuary bearing the names of their people on their breastplates,  Exodus 28:12, 29. Even so the LORD Jesus Christ came to earn and establish God the Father’s righteousness in His life and then to lay down His life so that the whole of His life and death, as God’s High Priest, was the complete satisfaction of the Father for His elect. 2.)  Those for whom He sanctified Himself. ‘For their sakes,’ was not for everybody in the world as John 17:2  declares, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Christ did NOT pray for the world but for those that the Father gave Him from out of the world. He died for a world of sinners that the Father purposed should be sanctified (set apart) in His work as their Substitute. When Christ prayed ‘for their sakes, ’ the word ‘for’  means, ‘on behalf of’  or ‘in the place of’  another. Many falsely presume that sanctification is their work but clearly, from Christ’s intercessory prayer here, it was His work to do on behalf of those that the Father gave Him.    What about the Scripture that says, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.”(Leviticus 20:7)? In the Old Testament this was a commandment for the people to set themselves apart to submit to the high priests and the sacrifices being offered on their behalf. However, in the New Testament, we are not instructed to sanctify ourselves as if we have anything to offer.  All the sanctification (being set apart by God in Christ) was accomplished by Christ by Him sanctifying Himself on our behalf. And it is God, by His Spirit that continues to keep His elect, redeemed and justified children in that state of sanctification unto Him, by the righteousness imputed of the LORD Jesus at the cross, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied" 1 Peter 1:2.     1 Thessalonians 5:23  states,  “And the very God of peace sanctify  [literally, continue to sanctify]  you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved  [kept]  blameless  [in Christ’s cross work]  unto the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ.”   Sanctification is the work of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.    -God the Father sanctified sinners in His election of them (setting them apart in Christ), John 17:17.    -God the Son sanctified them in His death on the cross, Ephesians 5:26.    -God the Spirit sanctifies them in calling them to Christ (separating them out in regeneration from Spiritual death and darkness), 2 Corinthians 3:18.        This is God’s work “for their sakes ,” each one that HE has purposed to save and has saved and justified in the death of His Son, 1 Corinthians 1:30; “ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)