come to life

August 30, 2011 by Rick Stassi you

14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.
17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Hebrews 2:14-18

Partaking in the flesh and blood is the experience of living in the flesh. We all have that experience. It is God in His perfection who is not subjection to that of the flesh. However, God revealed Himself in the flesh, or, became flesh (John 1:14). He shared in the same flesh as us. He walked in the material as us who knew only the material until the Savior brought our newborn, awakened, souls to life. There is an equality between the Master and His servants. Jesus came so, as He established Himself among the people, they would see the true revelation of the perfect image of God. They would see that in His death would be a new life for all. They would see, and we now see, God’s Grace covering all man but affecting the souls of the believing man. Giving life eternal, is power over death. Satan’s temptation leads us away from God and creates a gap in our relationship with our Father. Satan can make us believe that we can be wise in our empty thoughts – we can live through worship of creation leaving out the Creator. He can make us believe that we should live life fully today for we have but one chance here. On this aspect, he is right. We have but one chance; however, the consequence of what we choose affects our eternal soul versus our temporal soul. Jesus conquered death in the way that gives us life in spite of Satan’s temptation. In our death in the material is our birth in the ethereal. It is our birth in the permanent and freedom from the impermanent.

We who feared death could now love God, love life, love each other, and love His creation. Losing our life as our choice through our following Jesus does not cheat us of our lives, but gives us lives with the characteristic, or image of God. We are all works on a path of progress. To think giving our lives to Christ is missing a fulfilled life, we have Satan’s distorted views of living permeating within us. This very thing is conquered in Christ. We have not lost but we have victory.

Our subjection to a life in the flesh in disintegrated. Our aid is in the Father through His Son and His Holy Spirit. Angels do not receive what we are freely offered. This verse (v16) offers further differentiation between Jesus and angels and our affected lives through Jesus rather that through God’s messengers.

Jesus walked in the flesh so we could begin to know the mystery of God. He was fully God and fully man. We want to believe but we need the evidence to substantiate our faith. The Bible prepares us for Jesus, God gives us Jesus and we now give back to Jesus because of faith blended with physical historical evidence. He is the High Priest of His church that spreads without boundaries or walls. We are the church of believers.

Jesus reconciles our sin with the Father and gives us victory over the one who only wants to cheat us out of eternal life.

Jesus suffered being tempted in that He resisted Satan in the wilderness. He went to the cross willingly and silently. He is the Lamb of the Sacrifice and we are permanently the benefactors. In believing in Jesus – in giving fully our lives to Him – we begin to see what others will miss as they suppress God’s pull upon their hearts. What the Spirit makes clear to us, is cloudy and mysterious to the unbeliever and gives the believer the distinction of weakness. Nevertheless, we submit that we are weak and God promises strength through Jesus Christ.

Jesus became flesh to live and die before man’s eyes. He came to teach the way to truth and to be that truth. He overcame death and rose to walk again to conquer Satan. He came to give us life as we are free to choose.

“Seek first the kingdom of God…” (Matt 6:33)

Jesus is the key to the kingdom. He is the King of the kingdom. He is the conqueror of all we are fooled into thinking is real. He is permanent and redeems us from our sin – He is God’s Grace. Take what He offers. Believe our Redeemer and give your life to Him.

His house

August 30, 2011 by Rick Stassi you

Hebrews 3:1-6

1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,
2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house.
3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house.
4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.
5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward,
6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Heb 3:1-6

Jesus Christ is the Apostle and High Priest. The Apostle is the One who is sent from God as the heavenly delegate. Jesus is considered apostolic because He was indeed sent as an apostle, or heavenly messenger. The Highest Apostle

We are partakers of the Lord’s message in our witness of Jesus Christ. Our soul cries out the truth of what is our faith. Our heart craves that which is not seen. Jesus is the Apostle because He is the One who brought the message to end all messages. This is the crux of our Christian faith. This is the end and the means. The means is to love as Christ loved and to live unconditionally in opposition to worldly logic and reason. The very core of the message of salvation is illogical in the terms of the flesh. Jesus brought the message that we must die to live – we must discard our current life and begin a new life. We must be born anew. We are benefactors on Earth in His love and we are heirs to eternal heaven. Jesus is the Apostle and we hear His calling.

The comparison to Moses is a comparison of faiths. Moses was faithful to God in his instructed path to lead on Earth. He received and delivered God’s message so the people would know that he who delivered from the confinement of Egypt, delivered under heavenly instruction and strength. His glory was of the house but not as great as He who built the house. Jesus is the builder and died and resurrected because it is God’s will. He is the bedrock foundation of His house and the cornerstone of we who are the church. We are the virtual church with no walls. We are the church that Jesus builds therefore as it is stated, He who builds the church is greater in honor that what He builds. We are subject to the will of God therefore He is superior. We are the creation and He is our Creator therefore He is awesome.

Moses was faithful to his people as he delivered a message from heaven as Man was prepared for a message even greater. The prophets spoke of the Messiah to come. The messenger was foretold and His message was quite emphatic. Moses was the faithful among the faithful of the Israelites. He is the testimony of the truth in preparation for the one truth.

Jesus Christ is Son of His house. We hold firmly and faithful to Him rejoicing with hope to the end. Jesus Christ is our celebration. He is the cornerstone of the church and He is the cornerstone of each of our lives, homes, and families. We hold fast in confidence in this. We are subject to the temptation of one who is against our fellowship with our heavenly Father. Our heavenly Father gives us strength against this subjection. He brought the message that we no longer need to live under the influence of the temporary. We are believers of the eternal and partake in confidence and hope this message delivered on this day that we call Good Friday. Why is His death “good”? It is Good Friday because the course of humanity is changed through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins. Satan is defeated not yet banished, but our subjection to him is now over and we have the hope not only of our eternal salvation, but we rejoice in the joy of the Lord in our lives. The end and the means. Altogether one life with our Father because of the Apostle sent with a heavenly message that in His suffering all of our burdens are piled on His shoulders and He is laden with unconditional love for us. Show Him your love. Live for Jesus Christ in confidence and rejoice in God’s gift to mankind. God’s grace is in our testimony that we show through our faith and confidence. Live in this endurance provided by our Father through the One who we celebrate every day of our lives.

Rick Stassi
April 14, 2006
Good Friday

Man in the Mirror

August 30, 2011 by Rick Stassi you

²³For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

²⁴For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

²⁵But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James 1:23-25

As I look in to the mirror who do I see? Do I see an image of godly integrity? Do I see an image of godly character? What I see is the image of a man who ebbs and flows like the tides at the shore.

I pray to see the perfect image of God, of whom we are on a pilgrimage with, for, and to…a pilgrimage on this earth in this time for the purpose of emanating His light. To be the fruit of joy, from the dressed vines of our Father.

Take a close look. Examine your character. Examine your image. Seek first the perfect Law of Liberty as it is promised to be found in your heart. We are knit together with all believers and with God in this way. Savor this moment in time.