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Good Friday – Your healing in Jesus Christ
O fellow believers in Jesus Christ take heart on Good Friday for Jesus Christ the Son of God by his crucifixion and death on the cross has redeemed us from sin, death, Satan and hell. Most importantly he paid the price for us on the cross to restore our relationship with God and this is available freely for those people who believe in Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The doors of heaven are open to all who repent of their sins and believe in the Gospel. One who believes in the Gospel must understand that Christ Jesus didn’t suffer for himself but suffered because Jesus Christ wanted to redeem all humankind from their sins.
Now take heed while this gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is freely given from God, it must be truly respected. For when you have the true respect for the Gospel and faith in God then you open up youself to healing which comes from God. Healing can be physical but is also spiritual. For bringing you out of the darkness of sin, into the light of the world your soul and spirit will be healed.
Many yearn for physical and mental healing and rightly they must desire it, but such people must also pray for the healing of their soul and spirit from the darkness and evil that they had to suffer in their life. The restoration of your soul and spirit in its entirety can only happen through the redemptive suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross. Therefore have faith in God and say blessed is Jesus Christ who comes in the name of the Lord.
Verses for reflection:
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases. (Matthew 8:17)
God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)
But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. (1 John 3:5)
Pentecost and the tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel is where the people wanted to make a name for themselves. This was no small thing for the people wanted to exalt themselves. Shinar later was also know to be part of the evil Babylonian empire. The Lord God knew that such a unity that is built on pride of man will then go on to bring forth even more sin and wickedness. So God in his Holy wisdom confused their language so much that they got confused in understanding each other. And then the Lord God caused them to scatter abroad over the face of all the earth. Remember that not all unity is holy and such unity is best rejected. Therefore do not ever be united with those who rebel against God.
On the other hand Pentecost is a Jewish festival, in which we who believe in Jesus Christ now use this time instead to remember the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The early believers especially those who lived with Jesus Christ during the time of his earthly ministry were assembled together that day. They were together not for their own glory but gathered themselves in obedience to the will of God as given by the Lord Jesus. They were then filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Though there were people of other ethnic groups, each of them heard them speaking in his own language such as languages of the Par′thians and Medes and E′lamites and residents of Mesopota′mia, Judea and Cappado′cia, Pontus and Asia, Phryg′ia and Pamphyl′ia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyre′ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians.
The Apostle Peter rebuked those who mocked this as being a case of being drunk and attested that this just happening as per what the Lord God had spoken by the prophet Joel. This was show that the Word of God got fulfilled when the Holy Spirit descended on the believers in Jesus Christ. This is a unity that the Lord God will honor from the people who believe in Jesus Christ his only begotten son!
Verses for reflection :
Tower of Babel :
Now the whole earth had one language and few words. 2 And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:1-9)
The descent of the Holy Spirit :
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and wondered, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Par′thians and Medes and E′lamites and residents of Mesopota′mia, Judea and Cappado′cia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phryg′ia and Pamphyl′ia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyre′ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days
I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth beneath,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned into darkness
and the moon into blood,
before the day of the Lord comes,
the great and manifest day.
21 And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
moreover my flesh will dwell in hope.
27 For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades,
nor let thy Holy One see corruption.
28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life;
thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.’
29 “Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says,
‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,
35 till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
The First Converts
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.” 40 And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Life among the Believers
43 And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:1-47)
If you want faith then hear by the Word of God
If you want faith then hear by the Word of God. Yes don’t bother to increase your faith by worldly ways and neither by vain traditions of man.
The Holy Bible teaches us ; ‘So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Romans 10:17)
Dear believer in Christ, do not trust everything blindly. Not everything can bring up faith. You need to take that time out to listen to the Word of God. Here a few things that you can try out in this regard:
1) Read the Bible for yourself, especially the Psalms and the book of Proverbs and the Gospels and the book of the Revelation. You may even read the other books of the Bible but make sure that you don’t miss out on reading the one’s I mentioned especially never miss out on the Gospel.
2) Read the Bible aloud when in a private place such as your home. This will give you the opportunity to both hear and memorize the Word of God to increase your faith
3) If you can use Bible apps such this one (click here) given on this blog, it has no charge for usage on Android based phones. Or you can use any other Bible app similar to this, which has the feature of text to speech by which you can hear the verses of the Bible being automatically read out to you at the touch of a button. This comes in handy, especially if you are having earphones to maintain your focus as you hear the Word of God.
4) There are various Christian podcasts available online or for download that preach the Word of God. Pray to the Lord God for discernment and hear them out whenever you get the chance.
5) Most importantly, you can visit your local church / preaching center where the Word of God is preached so that your faith in God increases and also that it brings edification to you as the people of God encourage you in the Word of God.
Verses for Reflection:
- What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. (1 Corinthians 14:26)
- Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)
- How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (Romans 10:14)
Good Friday Blessings!
Jesus Christ the Son of God, became the son of man. Because all of humankind by itself cannot atone for their sins. However God in his great mercy sent Jesus Christ his own son, to live among us. And as he lived among us he was tempted in all ways like us but didn’t sin. He knew he came from God and was going back to God. By his redemptive suffering on the cross he obtained for us forgiveness of sins that it not only gives us everlasting life but also restores our friendship with God. Adam and Eve’s sin was rebellion against the Word of God. And God by his Word redeems all those who repent of their sin and believes in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus didn’t come from heaven to earth for his own glory. He didn’t come to sit on the Throne of David. He only came in humility to preach the Good news and die for the sins of the world on the cross.
God created time through His Word. And the same Word of God in the flesh, was subject to the limit of time and human experience. Yes the day and hour Jesus was nailed to the cross, he wasn’t punished because he sinned but rather became a victim to take upon himself the sins of the world. In those moments when Jesus died all the punishment that is due for the people who sin, he took upon Himself. Therefore God has ordained that whomsoever believes in His Son Jesus Christ would not perish but have everlasting life. Yes such is the love of God for all the children of Adam and Eve which shows up as we remember our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on Good Friday!
The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.
The Bible teaches us that ; The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe. (Proverbs 29:25)
Now there were those who believed in Jesus but because of the fear the Pharisees they didn’t confess Jesus as the Messiah. They feared being put out of the synagogue simply because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
You can read about this in the Gospel of John, Chapter 12:36 to 43
When Jesus had said this, he departed and hid himself from them. 37 Though he had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him; 38 it was that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Lord, who has believed our report,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 Therefore they could not believe. For Isaiah again said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart,
lest they should see with their eyes and perceive with their heart,
and turn for me to heal them.”
41 Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
O dear believer in God, never fall into the same foolish logic of those who didn’t confess their faith in Jesus during the times of the Pharisees. Today the locations might have changed. You might have never been put of the synagogue but what about being put out of your office or your school or college due to your faith in Jesus? In truth its better to be asked to get out of any place which doesn’t honour Jesus Christ than to be a partner in their heresies and unbelief. So, are you willing to continue to trust the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so much that you wouldn’t care about losing the praises of the people who despise the Word of God? Are you willing to be so focused on praising God by standing up for your faith each and every place where you work or play or study? If yes then you are not held on by fear of man! If no then you need to give up the fear of man lest it ensnare you.
Be not deceived!
In your life you may have encountered many lies but do take serious note that the biggest lie that you might have encountered or may encounter in the future is that Jesus loves you so much that he won’t mind you living in sin.
Jesus was serious about sin and is even today serious about sin. Therefore, it is only wise to repent and believe in the Gospel. Don’t let anyone mislead you saying by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross not only your past and present sins are forgiven but also your future sins. Now for a second this seems legit but that lie further adds that if you live in sin in the future, even that is forgiven without you feeling the need to repent. This is simply a heresy of the highest order. This has already been debunked in my previous article (click here to read in detail) and mentions how why Ananias and Saphira were NOT pre-forgiven for their sins.
You need to repent each time you sin. If you disagree, just ask Ananias and Sephira about their pre-forgiven sin. This is why repentance is mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 5:6)
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. (Jeremiah 29:8)
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7)
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous (1 John 3:7)
Related articles :
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
The Descent of the Holy Spirit is the birthday of the Church!
Jesus promised to his Disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit. Until the Holy Spirit’s arrival the Disciples of Jesus Christ were all gathered up in Jerusalem waiting upon the Word God and trusting in promise of Jesus. And when the Holy Spirit descended upon them on the day of Pentecost, they were emboldened to preach the Gospel to all. The Holy Spirit gave them the gift of tongues so that people of all nations hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, so that they repent and believe in the Gospel and be saved. Today we the Church owe all it to the Holy Spirit that the grace of God dwells in us as we trust in the Word of God!
Acts 2 :1-22
2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Is God only love?
There are many who say that God is love but very less who also say God is holy. And because God is holy, those who say that that they are children or servants of the Lord God must also be holy and full of the love of God!
Now the Holy Scripture mentions God is love and gives the context as well, which is to love another because God is love. Many a times, people take this the wrong way and run away from other Christians but love the world instead, but here’s the Scripture which you can read below for the right perspective:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)
Here are the verses which mention that God is holy:
“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)
“You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.” (Leviticus 20:26)
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8)
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:19)
Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. (Deuteronomy 8:5)
For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:12)
But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:32)
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. (Hebrews 12:6)
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil! These are the words which are of God which have power. And they are relevant today even as they were relevant in the past and will continue to be relevant in the future. While each may claim to that they are entitled to their opinion, that does give any assurance that their opinion is wise. Any human logic that tries to defy the knowledge of the Living God is not fitting to part of those who claim to believe in Jesus Christ.
Do not let anyone deceive you by their crafty words. For humankind to worship mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles or anything which is not the Living God, is always going to be a foolish act, not matter how many people claim it to be wise. The Word of God stands a testament to their vile words when they try to beguile the unwitting into thinking that anything and everything is to be worshipped.
And in the same manner there are people who in the name of liberty are encouraging various sins to be passed as just another way of life to which no one must add condemnation. The Word of God condemns them and all such sinners who persistently reject the natural order of things in which the Lord God created things to be. Blaming the Church or blaming Christians won’t in anyways justify the things of this fallen world. The world is moving more and more into darkness but falsely calling this the light of freedom. However this is darkness which will eventually lead them to damnation for those who reject the truth especially the truth which comes from God.la
God has not given anyone the permission to sin. Don’t bring up exceptions to this in the name of anyone who did wrong to anyone in the past or present. God will never authorize such exceptions to the Word of God. A fault finder will never be able to prevail with the Lord God who gives us the wisdom of the Bible to live a life that is holy.
Verses for reference:
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; 21 for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error. (Romans 1:18-27)
The One Mediator between God and Man is Jesus Christ
The One Mediator between God and Man is Jesus Christ. There is no mediator can that replace Jesus because only Jesus is the high priest of our confession.
Anyone who claims that there is a replacement to Jesus is not of God and is of the Devil. Jesus cannot be bribed nor is Jesus bothered by how you look but instead he looks that your heart. Some people try to push others as mediators with God as they know that those cannot truly look into the thoughts of your heart to then give you what you truly need. Some people will try to promote others as mediators because they are too vary of preaching holiness. No matter even if the most elect person tries to undermine the role of Jesus as the One Mediator between God and Man, do not believe them for they have chosen to depart from the Grace of God.
While Jesus being the high priest of the New Covenant, goes on to live on forever. During his earthly ministry he did not fear the Jewish religious leaders nor the Roman empire but went to preach the Gospel and heal people and raise up the dead back to life. And now in heaven he sits at the right of the Living God to make intercession for us. Blessed are those who trust Jesus as their mediator to God!
Verses for reflection:
- For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5)
- Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)
- But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)
- But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
- “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:10)
Disciples of hope 