Am I Saved?

Our message this week will be the last of a lengthy series all designed to cause us to ask the question - Am I Saved? Do I know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior?

The series started with learning about the Old Blood Covenant established by Jehovah God at Mt. Sinai when God gave Moses His Law and Moses then presented it to the Israelites. When God's people could not obey the Law, they would sacrifice animals which atoned for their sins but was not forgiveness of sins.

As a result, Jehovah God determined there was a need to replace the Old Blood Covenant with a New Blood Covenant. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to shed His blood on a cross and then to be risen again. This most important sacrificial act in all of history provides a path to salvation, forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

How can this happen? Romans 10:9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." We ask again - Are You Saved? If not, please pray this prayer and believe in your heart, "Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I ask that you forgive me of all of my sins. I confess with my mouth Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. Thank you for saving me and granting me forgiveness of sins, eternal life and the Holy Spirit as my counselor." Amen and Amen!

Romans 10:13 says, "Everyone who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved." Our messages the last two months were for all people whether Jew or Gentile. Jesus is Lord and Savior of all people! 

In closing, November marks the seventh anniversary of For Zion's Sake Ministry Messages. We are honored and humbled to report that over 31,000 people around the world have received and read our messages. Bless His Holy Name!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank

Blessings Of New Blood Covenant - Part Three

Our last few messages have highlighted the numerous blessings of living under the New Blood Covenant. We have learned once we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we receive salvation, forgiveness of sins, eternal life and the Holy Spirit who comes to live in our hearts. Hallelujah!

The infilling of The Holy Spirit is not an act of God to receive without proper reverence or thanksgiving. In reality, part of the Triune God - The Holy Spirit has come to live in our hearts. God is living within us! It is a miraculous Act Of Jehovah God. Our message this week is to help us further understand this loving and merciful act of God.

John 14 is entitled "Jesus Comforts His Disciples" and He is having an important discussion with them just prior to His death, resurrection and ascension back to Heaven. We need to realize this discussion is also for us today since we are modern day disciples of Jesus.

John 14:15-16 says, "If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever." Jesus is explaining that when He leaves this world He will ask The Heavenly Father to send The Holy Spirit who will become our Counselor. He will speak only the truth He receives from God just as Jesus did while He was on earth.

Let us consider this even further to understand the true blessing of God living within us. We now have an intimate friend in the form of The Holy Spirit. We can and should speak with Him at any time, any place and under any circumstances. He is always available and desires to hear from us at all times. Amen and Amen!

In fact, we are encouraged to speak to God! Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." We Serve A Loving, Caring, Compassionate, Protecting and Providing God! Bless His Holy Name!

May The Lord Bless You This Day And Every Day,

Frank

Blessings Of New Blood Covenant - Part Two

For a number of weeks our messages centered around comparing the Old Blood Covenant with the New Blood Covenant. At the conclusion of this series we learned that Jehovah God brought about the New Covenant with these  blessings - forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life. There are still many more blessings!

Jeremiah 31:33 says, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares The Lord. "I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts." What does this mean? We need to look at when God presented His law to His people at Mt. Sinai through Moses. The law came in the form of the Ten Commandments and 613 additional laws. The people responded by saying they would obey all the laws. Did they keep the covenant by obeying the laws? NO! Almost immediately after receiving the laws they constructed a false god which they worshipped. They were not physically or emotionally able to keep or obey the laws.

However, as part of receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, Jehovah God has a way to help us in trying to obey Him. Ezekiel 36:26-27 says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws." God says He will give us a new Spirit and a new heart enabling us to "Keep His Laws." Hallelujah!

How does this all happen? When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit who comes to live in our hearts. The Holy Spirit becomes our Guide And Counselor helping us to function in all areas of our lives pleasing Jehovah God. Bless His Holy Name!

Lastly, 1Corinthians 6:19 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

There are many more of these blessings to explore. Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank

Blessings Of New Blood Covenant

Jeremiah 31:31 says, "The time is coming," declares The Lord, "When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah."

Last week's message illustrated how Jehovah God brought about the New Blood Covenant - He sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die on a cross shedding His own blood. As a result of this most important sacrificial act in all of history, when we humbly confess our sins to God all our sins are forgiven. This replaces the sacrificing of animals under the Old Blood Covenant that atoned for sins but was not forgiveness of sins.

There are numerous other blessings we receive when we decide to live under the New Blood Covenant by receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. How can we do this? Romans 10:9-10,12 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved . . . For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him."

All of God's creation, whether Jew or Gentile, need to first believe in their heart that "Jesus Is Lord And God Raised Him From The Dead." We then need to proclaim these truths with our mouth since we speak of what is in our hearts.  As we believe and speak these truths we are saved. Hallelujah!

When we know without a doubt we are saved we also will know without a doubt where we go when we leave this earth. Jesus says in John 14:2, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." Jesus is preparing a place for all who have received Him as their Savior to live when they leave this earth, this wonderful place is called Heaven. Bless His Holy Name!

Living under the New Blood Covenant provides salvation and forgiveness of sins. However, there are many more blessings! Stay tuned!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank   

Old Covenant . . . New Covenant

For a number of messages we have been comparing the Old Blood Covenant with the New Blood Covenant. Last week we learned there was a problem with the Old Covenant resulting in God establishing a New Covenant. This week we will learn how God established this New Covenant.

Hebrews 9:13-15 says, "The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleansed our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve The Living God!"

There is much for us to learn from these critically important few verses from God's Word. Initially, we learn again that the blood of sacrificed animals only made a person "Outwardly Clean." It was not forgiveness of sins! We then learned about Jehovah God's solution to the problem with the Old Covenant.

God sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die on a cross shedding His Own Blood! Notice how verse 14  of Hebrews 9 says the blood of Christ "Cleanses Our Consciences." The shed blood of Jesus, upon our confession of our sins, forgives us of all our sins! Verse 15 also states that Jesus is the "Mediator" or vehicle Jehovah God used to bring about the New Blood Covenant.

However, there is much more accomplished by Jehovah God through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ! Hebrews 10:7-9 quotes Jesus saying, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." Additionally, Hebrews 10:16 says, "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says The Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and I will write them on their minds."

Next week, we will look further at what Jesus accomplished by dying on the cross. Also what does it mean by God saying He "Put His laws in our hearts and wrote them on our minds?" Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You This Day And Every Day,

Frank