God is Light

When God’s people, Israel, came out of Egypt, they traveled to the edge of the Red Sea. Pharaoh had time to consider what he did in letting Israel leave and changed his mind. He was leading the army of Egypt to bring Israel back to Egypt.

God parts the Red Sea so that Israel can cross on dry ground.

The crossing is described in Exodus 14:19-22.

Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side, so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

There are two aspects here that reveal a connection with Jesus.

The first is that God was leading the people of Israel, and when there was need, He went behind them to protect them from the coming Egyptian army.

In Hebrews 13:5 Jesus promises us to never leave us or forsake us.

Then in Matthew 28:20 Jesus promises to be with us, as His disciples, to the very end of the age.

We as followers of Jesus never have to worry or even question if we are facing life alone. The answer is a huge – NO!

Jesus promises us that He will always be with us through His Spirit.

John 14:16-18

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

We as followers of Jesus will never live as orphans, because we have the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit living in us.

Just as God was there in every direction for the people of Israel, so Jesus is with us in every direction all the time.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing and experiencing the reality of Jesus in our lives every moment.

The second is that God is light.

When they began to cross the Red Sea, the cloud was blocking the Egyptian army and the pillar of fire was in front providing light to see as they crossed.

John 1:6-9

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through Him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Jesus is described as the light that gives light to everyone.

In John 8:12 Jesus says that He is the light of the world. And that whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Jesus Himself declares that He is the light of the world, that when we follow Him we will never walk in darkness.

1 John 1:5-7

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

Just as the light from the pillar of fire that God provided for Israel to cross the Red Sea, so Jesus as the light illuminates our lives.

He as our light show us:

Truth

The Right Direction

Obstacles that Are in Our Way

Jesus as our light also purifies us from the penalty of sin, the stain of sin and the results of sin.

When God provided light for Israel to cross the Red Sea, it led them to freedom and to experience God in ways they had never experienced Him before.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing Jesus as the Light of the World and experiencing freedom from the penalty, stain, and the result of sin.

Ephesians 5:8

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.

In the Light of Jesus, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                Joe

Our Passover Lamb

God brings ten plagues against the nation of Egypt because Pharaoh would not let God’s people, the Israelites, leave Egypt. In Exodus 12 the last plague is unleashed upon Egypt. The last plague is the death of the first born. The Israelites are saved from this plague if they follow the instructions that God gives them.

This is when God establishes the Passover.

The Passover celebrates God’s miraculous deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. The focal point of the ceremony was the sacrifice of the Passover lamb whose blood was placed on the doorframes of the houses of the Israelites. While God enacted this final plague, the Israelites in the homes with the blood of the lamb on them were spared from the death of their first born.

God gave the Israelites clear specifications for the lamb that could be used at Passover – the lamb had to a young male, without any blemish or defect. In order to ensure its purity, the lamb was examined for a time following its selection. Those animals meeting God’s requirements were sacrificed in public, and none of the animal’s bones could be broken.

Exodus 12:46

It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.

The severity of the coming judgment required that the people of God observe this sacrifice with the utmost care. The annual commemoration of the Passover reminded the people both of the faithfulness of God to provide deliverance for His people and of their ongoing need for a substitute to pay the price their sin deserved.

The Passover sacrifice is a clear picture in the Old Testament of the coming work of Jesus.

At the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

John 1:29

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is recognizing Jesus as our Savior who died as a sacrifice for our sin.

Jesus’ life met the requirements for a Passover sacrifice.

Jesus was a young male.

Jesus was perfect in all His ways.

1 Peter 2:22

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.

Jesus died a heinous, public death.

Mark 15:20

And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.

Jesus’ bones were not broken in the crucifixion.

John 19:36

These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”

Jesus’ death and the shedding of His blood brought us salvation and spare us from the coming judgment.

Romans 5:9

Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Jesus fulfills the divine image of the Passover lamb.

1 Peter 1:19

But with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

1 Corinthians 5:7

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch – as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Jesus’ perfect purity and substitutionary death uniquely qualified Him to be the Savior. As the one and only Son of God, He could do what no one or nothing else could ever do – He could eternally satisfy God’s wrath against sin.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is receiving Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for our sin.

There is one difference between the Passover lamb of the Old Testament and our Passover lamb, Jesus. The difference is that the lamb had no choice in being the sacrifice. Jesus chose to be our sacrifice.

With Jesus as the Atoning Sacrifice, Raising the Roof and

Removing the Walls,

                                                     Joe

Jesus: I Am

Moses had fled from Egypt for killing an Egyptian. He had married the daughter of Jethro the priest of Midian. One day as Moses was watching his father-in-law’s sheep, he saw a bush that was burning but not being consumed by the fire. He approached the bush and God spoke to him. God tells Moses that He is going to use him to bring His people out of slavery in Egypt. Moses makes several excuses not to go back to Egypt to lead God’s people to freedom.

One of Moses’ excuses is “What if the Israelites ask who sent him? What would he tell them about who had sent him to lead them to freedom?”

In Exodus 3:14 God says to Moses, “I Am Who I Am.”

God reveals that His covenant name is I Am.

In John, Jesus makes seven statements referring to Himself as I Am. These statements are to show us what, as the I Am, Jesus is and thus who He is in our lives.

John 6:35

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:48

I am the Bread of Life.

John 6:51

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I gave for the life of the world.

Jesus: I Am the Bread of Life

Jesus as the Bread of Life is the basic sustenance of life. Jesus gives us life and sustains our lives.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is receiving Jesus as the thing you need for life.

 

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, “I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 9:5

While I am in the world, I am the Light of the World.

Jesus: I Am the Light of the World

Jesus as the Light of the World illuminates our world so that we don’t walk in darkness. Walking in darkness means we are moving away from Jesus and not really seeing where we are going.

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son purifies us from all sin. 

But as we walk with Jesus as the Light of the World, we enjoy fellowship with other followers of Jesus and are purified from any residue of sin.

Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is living our lives with Jesus as our Light illuminating the direction of our lives and cleansing sin out of our lives.

John 10:7

Therefore, Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.”

John 10:9

I am the gate, whoever enters through Me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

Jesus: I Am the gate or door

Jesus is the entrance into forgiveness and eternal life.

There is no other way to experience forgiveness for sin but Jesus.

There is no other way to have eternal life but Jesus.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing forgiveness of sin and receiving eternal life through Jesus.

John 10:11

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:14

I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me.

Jesus: I Am the Good Shepherd.

Jesus as the good shepherd does for us what a shepherd does for his sheep.

He protects us.

He provides for us.

He guides us.

He disciplines us.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is allowing Jesus to protect us, provide for us, guide us, and discipline us.

John 11:25

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die.”

Jesus: I Am the Resurrection and the Life.

Jesus as the resurrection and the life gives us eternal life that allows us to live eternally after our earthly life is over.

The picture of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is what Jesus does for us by giving eternal life with Him in heaven after our earthly life. 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is receiving Jesus as our Savior and then receiving His eternal life that He secured for us on the cross.

John 14:6

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus: I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life.

Jesus as the way is the way or model for how we are to live and the way to heaven for us.

Jesus as the truth is the source of all truth.

Jesus as the life is the source of our physical and spiritual life.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is surrendering our lives to Jesus and experiencing Him as our way to live, the truth that we are to live our lives based on, and the source of our lives.

John 15:1

I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener.

Jesus: I Am the True Vine.

Jesus as the true vine provides us with what we need to really live and produce works that draws others to God.

We as the branches produce the fruit and the vine gives us all that we need to accomplish that.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is having Jesus as the true source of our lives.

With the I Am, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                         Joe

Grace From the Beginning

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:17

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The law was given by God to show us as humans what His character was like and what He demands from His followers. The law shows us we cannot follow it as God demands and that the law cannot save us.

Jesus came to become our atoning sacrifice and, through His sacrifice, move us from law to grace. It is God’s grace given to us through Jesus’ sacrifice and applied to our lives by the Holy Spirit that brings salvation and provides all we need to be in right relationship with God.

This truth does not mean that grace has not been in operation since the very beginning.

There are four beautiful pictures of grace in the book of Genesis.

The first is picture is seen in how God treats Adam and Eve after they had sinned.

First, God seeks Adam and Eve. They sinned and hid but God sought them out.

Second, God made clothes for them out of animal skins which means that He had to sacrifice animals to make those skins. We are told that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. God, out of grace, makes a sacrifice for Adam and Eve’s sin.

Third, God placed an angel with a flaming sword to keep Adam and Eve from the Tree of Life. God didn’t do this to punish Adam and Eve but to keep them from living for eternity in separation from and opposition with God.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing God’s grace of saving us and reconciling us to Himself.

The second picture is seen in the life of Abraham.

Twice in Abraham’s life, he shows a huge lack of trust in God.

The first is found in Genesis 12 when Abraham goes down to Egypt because of a famine in the land where he was living. When Abraham and Sarah go to Egypt, Abraham asked her to tell the people that she was his sister. This almost caused Sarah to become one of Pharaoh’s wives. God intervened and didn’t allow that to happen. God also used this situation to add to Abraham’s wealth.

The second is found in Genesis 20. Abraham was traveling through a region ruled by Abimelek king of Gerar. Abraham again told people that Sarah was sister. It was again to protect himself, showing that he did not trust God to protect him as God had promised. God again intervened and protected Abraham and enriched him.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is seeing that God’s grace not only saves us but also protects us even when the situation develops from our sinful decisions.

The third picture is seen when Jacob and Esau meet again when Jacob returns to Canaan. When Jacob left home, it was because Esau wanted to kill Jacob for stealing his birthright and his blessing.

In Genesis 33 when the brothers meet, Esau greeted Jacob by embracing him and kissed him. He welcomed him back as a brother. Esau had every reason to hate Jacob but showed love and acceptance instead.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing God’s grace by Him accepting and loving you in spite of your sin and failure.

The fourth picture is found in Genesis 50.

After Jacob brought his family to Egypt, he died. After his death Joseph’s brothers were fearful that Joseph would take revenge on them for what they had done to him.

In Genesis 50:19-21 Joseph says to his brothers, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. And he assured them and spoke kindly to them.”

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the provision of God in every and all situations.

Grace is not a concept that God came up with as a plan B or out of desperation when the His first plan didn’t work.

Grace is who God is and is the foundation of how God relates to us as humans.

God’s grace saves.

God’s grace reconciles.

God’s grace provides.

In and By God’s Grace, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                 Joe