Letter to the Hebrews Volume 80

The Earthly Sanctuary Part 1

Hebrews 9:1-2 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. KJV

Having completed his discourse declaring the magnificent, majestic, and mighty reality of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ being the first Man (God and Man simultaneously) resurrected from the death of His human body on the Cross at Calvary for our sins and given the highest esteem and honor of any human being ever by now sitting at the Right Hand of Mighty Power in Heaven (God the Father), the writer of Hebrews now comes back down to earth (so to speak) and describes to us in detail the Hebrew/Jewish earthly tabernacle and its significance before the arrival of the Messiah Jesus Christ, beginning with these words, "Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary." (Hebrews 9:1) (KJV). In this first verse, when the writer declares, 'ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary', he means that within this actual physical structure there were regulations or authoritative rule that directed the divine services or worship of Jehovah God within the sanctuary. The little English phrase 'of divine service' is translated by the Greek word latreia which means ministration of God, that is, worship: - (divine) service. The English word 'sanctuary' is translated by the Greek word hagion which means a sacred thing (that is, spot): - holiest (of all), holy place, sanctuary. Moses documented for us what Jehovah God required of the Hebrew people with these words, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take My offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." (Exodus 25:1-9) (KJV). Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of Hebrews 9:1, "The object is to describe the tabernacle in which the service of God was celebrated under the former dispensation, and to show that it had a reference to what was future, and was only an imperfect representation of the reality. It was important to show this, as the Jews regarded the ordinances of the tabernacle and of the whole Levitical service as of divine appointment, and of perpetual obligation. The object of Paul is to prove that they were to give place to a more perfect system, and hence, it was necessary to discuss their real nature."

Now the writer of Hebrews begins to describe the nature of the outer tabernacle and its contents therein beginning with these words in verse 2, "For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary." (Hebrews 9:2) (KJV). The English word 'tabernacle' is translated by the Greek word skēnē meaning a tent or cloth hut (literally or figuratively): - habitation, tabernacle. The English word 'candlestick' is translated by the Greek word luchnia meaning a lamp stand (literally or figuratively): - candlestick. In other words, within this outer part of the tabernacle there was a lampstand or light to illuminate and there was what was referred to as shewbread sitting on a table which was used in the service and worship of Jehovah God in the outer part of the tabernacle, as it is written and documented for us by Moses with these words from the Lord, "And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway." (Exodus 25:30) (KJV). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of Hebrews 9:2, "In the outer part: and there were several things, of which you have here a sort of schedule. (1.) The candlestick; doubtless not an empty and unlighted one, but where the lamps were always burning. And there was need of it, for there were no windows in the sanctuary; and this was to convince the Jews of the darkness and the mysterious nature of that dispensation. Their light was only candle-light, in comparison of the fullness of light which Christ, the Sun of righteousness, would bring along with Him, and communicate to His people; for all our light is derived from Him the fountain of light. (2.) The table and the show-bread set upon it. This table was set directly opposite to the candlestick, which shows that by light from Christ we must have communion with Him and with one another. We must not come in the dark to His table, but by light from Christ must discern the Lord's body. On this table were placed twelve loaves for the twelve tribes of Israel, a loaf for a tribe, which stood from sabbath to sabbath, and on that day were renewed. This show-bread may be considered either as the provision of the palace (though the King of Israel needed it not, yet, in resemblance of the palaces of earthly kings, there must be this provision laid in weekly), or the provision made in Christ for the souls of His people, suitable to the wants and to the relief of their souls. He is the bread of life; in our Father's house there is bread enough and to spare; we may have fresh supplies from Christ, especially every Lord's day. This outer part is called the sanctuary or holy, because erected to the worship of a holy God, to represent a holy Jesus, and to entertain a holy people, for their further improvement in holiness."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…






 

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 79

 Jesus Christ is now Seated @ the Right Hand of Majesty Part 9

Hebrews 8:13 In that He saith, A new covenant, He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. KJV

We discovered in the last couple of studies/commentaries that the old covenant of the Hebrew/Jewish Levitical priesthood and Mosaic Law were declared antiquated by God the Father, that is, belonging to an earlier time and period and now rendered old and no longer necessary, for example, those of us who use a computer are often alerted by the system that new updates are ready to be downloaded to your system, likewise, God the Father has now updated His covenant with mankind or humanity by sending His Son our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ to be the propitiation, the placation, or the payment for all of our sins committed by us against Him knowingly or unknowingly, giving every sinful human being the opportunity to have their iniquity, immorality, and injustice pardoned forever before the Throne of God by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ only, as it is written for us with these words by the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John, First Paul, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." (Galatians 4:4-5) (KJV), and now John, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10) (KJV). Therefore, having said these things regarding the more excellency of the new covenant, the writer of Hebrews now concludes by bearing witness to the complete and final end of the old covenant with these words, "In that He saith, A new covenant, He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." (Hebrews 8:13) (KJV). Wanting to make sure then that the new Hebrew converts to Christ would not be tempted to go back to its observance or try to assimilate it into the now new era of the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ alone he was emphatic by using the words vanish away, for it was as if he were again reminding them and we converts to Christ today of what he declared to them and to us at the very beginning of this epistle of Hebrews.

As it is written, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the Prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High." (Hebrews 1:1-3) (KJV). The old covenant held to many observances of certain feast days and festivals and other celebrations so that the Hebrew people would be reminded that God was the source of all their victories in warfare when enemies came against them and attacked them trying to take away their things and destroy them. However, in this new covenant Christ is our source for everything and we need not to observe certain or specific days, but we are to abide in His Body as a baby abides in the Mother's womb attached to all the nourishment that comes to the baby from the Mother through the umbilical cord. Our umbilical cord to Christ Body is the Holy Spirit, Prayer, and the Word of God the Bible, therefore, any and everything else short of this is just a shadow, that is, something existing in perception only and this is what the Apostle Paul so wanted the believers in the Colossian Church to understand when he wrote these words to them and to us, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." (Colossians 2:16-23) (KJV). The old covenant pointed to Jesus Christ and now the new covenant is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of Hebrews 8:13, "In the above prophecy, Hebrews 8:8; this naturally follows from hence; if the second is new, the first must be old; which is called so, not on account of its date and duration; for the covenant of grace itself is older than this mode of administration of it, and the manifestation of that to the patriarchs was before this covenant, and so was the covenant of works before it; but on the account of its faultiness and deficiency, its weakness, and unprofitableness, and especially its being antiquated, and made to give way to another. The apostle argues from the first covenant, being old, to its being near to dissolution, or a disappearance; and the dissolution or disappearance of this covenant was gradual; it began when the Chaldeans seized the land of Canaan; and the ark, an eminent type of Christ, being wanting in the second temple, gave a hint of its waxing old; and both the civil and ecclesiastical government of the Jews were in great confusion under the second temple, at least towards the close of it; and even before the times of Christ, John the Baptist came, and proclaimed the near approach of the Messiah, and his kingdom: this covenant was of right abolished at the time of Christ's death; upon his ascension the Spirit was given, and the Gospel published among all nations, by which it more and more disappeared; and in fact it quite vanished away, when the city and temple of Jerusalem were destroyed, which was in a little time after the writing of this epistle; so that the apostle, with great propriety, says, it is 'ready to vanish away'."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 78

 Jesus Christ is now Seated @ the Right Hand of Majesty Part 8

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.  KJV

Going back to what the writer of Hebrews declared for us in Hebrews 8:6, as it is written, "But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises" we find that in this next verse (Hebrews 8:12) the writer makes the most wonderful declaration of what this new covenant does for every one of us sinners who come to 'know' (ginōskō & eidō) God the Father or now to us our Heavenly Father, as it is written here, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8:12) (KJV). The English word 'merciful' is translated by the Greek word hileōs which means (in relation to mankind or humanity) propitious or favorable; adverbially (by Hebraism) God be gracious! The English word 'unrighteousness' is translated by the Greek word adikia which means (legal) injustice (properly the quality, by implication the act); moral wrongfulness (of charater, life or act): - iniquity, unjust, unrighteousness, wrong. So, we see that it is God the Father who by virtue of the solitary, sacrificial, and sinless life of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead for sinners and then He (Christ) presenting His Blood on the mercy seat in heaven for sinners, then our Heavenly Father can now be gracious to those of us who have come to Him only through our Lord Jesus Christ, even though we do not deserve His grace and mercy because we grieve Him far too much. Let us never forget the parable our Lord Jesus Christ declared of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, as it is documented for us by Luke, "And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14) (KJV). The English word 'justified' used here in Luke 18:14 by our Lord Jesus Christ is translated by the Greek word dikaioō meaning to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent: - free, justify, be righteous. In other words, this word used here by our Lord Jesus Christ in this Parable is exactly what this new covenant or better covenant with better promises gives to any and all repentant sinners and that is to be regarded as righteous, just, and innocent before the Throne of God the Father in Heaven. Remember these words in this same Gospel of Luke when our Lord Jesus said this, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32) (KJV). When the writer of Hebrews in the last part of Hebrews 8:12 declares these words, 'and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more', he means that every sin confessed and repented of (by His adopted children through the Blood of Jesus) will He erase from His presence and His memory never to bring them up against us, for they will be hidden or covered for us under the Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord, as it is written for us by the Apostle John  with these words, "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:7-10) (KJV).

Here is what Alexander MacLaren had to say of Hebrews 8:12, "It is fundamental, because it grapples with the true evil of humanity, which is not sorrow, but is sin. All men have 'come short of the glory of God,' and that fact, the fact of universal sinfulness, is the gravest fact of man's condition; for it affects his whole nature, and it disturbs and perverts all his relations to God. And so, if men would rightly diagnose the disease of humanity, they must recognise something far deeper than skin-deep symptoms, and discover that it is sin which is the source of all human misery and sorrow. To deal with humanity and to forget or ignore the true source of all the misery in the world - namely, the fact that we 'have all sinned and come short of the glory of God' - is absurd. 'Miserable comforters are ye all,' if pottering over the patient, you apply ointment to pimples when he is dying of cancer. I know, of course, that a great deal may be done, and that a great deal is to-day being done, to diminish the sum of human wretchedness; and I am not the man to say one word that shall seem to under-estimate or pour cold water upon any of these various schemes of improvement - philanthropic, social, economic, or political; but I do humbly venture to say that any of them, and all of them put together, if they do not grapple with this fact of man's sin, are dealing with the surface and leaving the centre untouched. Sin does not come only from ignorance, and therefore it cannot be swept away by knowledge. It does not come only from environment, and therefore it cannot be taken out of human history by improvement of circumstances. It does not come from poverty, and therefore economical changes will not annihilate it. The root of it lies far deeper than any of these things. The power which is to make humanity blessed must dig down to the root and grasp that, and tear it up, and eject it from the heart of man before society can be thoroughly healed. Now, what does Christianity do with this central part of human experience? My text tells us partly, and only partly, 'I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.' Of course, the divine oblivion is a strong metaphor for the treatment of man's sins as non-existent. It is the same figure, in a somewhat different application, as is found in the great promise, 'I will cast their sins behind My back into the depths of the sea.' It is the same metaphor as is suggested in a somewhat different application, by the other saying, 'Blessed is the man whose sin is covered.' And the fact that underlies the metaphors of forgetfulness or burying in the ocean depths, or covering over so as to-be invisible, is just this, that God's love flows out to the sinful man, unhindered by the fact of his transgression. If Christian people, and doubters about Christian truth, would understand the depth and loftiness of the Christian idea of forgiveness, there would be less difficulty felt about it. For pardon is not the same thing as the removal of the consequences of wrongdoing. It is so in regard of the mere outward judicial: procedure of nations, but it is not so in the family. A father often pardons, and says that he does so before he punishes, and it is the same with God. The true notion and essence of forgiveness, as the Bible conceives it, is not the putting aside of consequences, but the flow of the Father's heart to the erring child. Sin is a great black dam, built up across the stream, but the flood of love from God's heart rises over it, and pours across it, and buries it beneath the victorious, full waters of the 'river of God.' Here is a world wrapped in mist, and high above the mist the unbroken sunshine of the divine love pours down upon the upper layer, and thins and thins and thins it until it disappears, and the full sunshine floods the rejoicing world, and the ragged fragments of the mist melt into the blue. 'I have blotted out as a cloud thy sins and as a thick cloud thy transgressions,' The outward consequences of forgiven sin may have to be reaped. If a man has lived a sensuous life, no repentance, no forgiveness, will prevent the drunkard's hand from trembling, or cure the corrugations of his liver. If a man has sinned, no divine forgiveness will ever take the memory of his transgressions, nor their effects, out of his character. But the divine forgiveness may so modify the effects as that, instead of past sin being a source of torment or a tyrant which compels to future similar transgressions, pardoned sin will become a source of lowly self-distrust, and may even tend to increase in goodness and righteousness. When bees cannot remove some corruption out of the hive they cover it over with wax, and then it is harmless, and they can build upon it honey-bearing cells. Thus it is possible that, by pardon, the consequences which must be reaped may be turned into occasions for good. But the act of the divine forgiveness does annihilate the deepest and the most serious consequences of my sin; for hell is separation from God, the sense of discord and alienation between Him and me; and all these are swept away. So here is the foundation blessing, which meets man's deepest need. And be sure of this, that any system which cannot grapple with that need will never avail for the necessities of a sinful world. Unless our new evangelists can come to us with as clear an utterance as this of my text, they will work their enchantments in vain; and the world will be the old, sad, miserable world, after all that they can do."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 77

 Jesus Christ is now Seated @ the Right Hand of Majesty Part 7

Hebrews 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. KJV

This new covenant with God the Father that differs from the old covenant in that the law of God is written in the mind or inner man or inner woman of the newly born again son or daughter giving every true believer equal, essential, and everyday access to the Throne of God by way of or virtue of the Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord, Master, and Savior. Therefore, no true Christian needs another to teach him or her to know God, as it is written here for us by the writer of Hebrews with these words, "And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest." (Hebrews 8:11) (KJV). We  discover that the writer here uses two different Greek words that both are translated into our English word 'know', however, there is a slight, subtle, and slim difference in the two words as we will document. The first English word 'Know' is translated by the Greek word ginōskō which is a prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' (absolutely), in a great variety of applications and with many implications: - allow, be aware of, feel, have known, perceive, be resolved, understand. In other words, this word declares the newly born again son or daughter of God now having a recognition of the One True God who made and created all things (including we human beings) when previously that acceptance, acknowledgement, and awareness of God was not there and perceiving Him now for the very first time enables an understanding of God's presence with each one of us and in all of His creation that cannot be dimmed, deterred, or destroyed ever by any argument from any other source. The second English word 'know' is translated by the Greek word eidō which is a primary verb used only in certain past tenses; to behold, look on, see, to be sure of an absolute acquaintance as of one born under God's covenant. In other words, this words signifies an assured, and absolute knowing of God like one would know certain old childhood friends or certain family members for many years. The idea is that the person has moved or gone past recognition into long lasting friendship, that is, knowing God the Father well and regarding Him with reverance and trust.

Here is what Alexander MacLaren had to say of Hebrews 8:11, "Perhaps I can best explain what I take it to mean by commencing with an analogy or two which may help us to apprehend what is the significance of these words. We all know the difference between hearsay and sight. We may have read books of travel, and tell of some scene of great natural beauty or historic interest, and may think that we understand all about it, but it is always an epoch when our own eyes look for the first time at the snowy summit of an Alp, or for the first time at the Parthenon on its rocky height. We all know the difference between hearsay and experience. We read books of the poets that portray love and sorrow, and the other emotions that make up our throbbing, changeful life; but we need to go through the mill ourselves before we understand what the grip of the iron teeth of the harrow of affliction is, and we need to have had our own hearts dilated by a true and blessed affection, before we know the sweetness of love. Men may tell us about it, but we have to feel it ourselves before we know. To come still closer to the force of my text, we all know the difference between hearing about a man and making his acquaintance. We may have been told much about him, and be familiar with his character, as we think, but, when we come face to face with him, and actually for ourselves experience the magnetism of his presence, or fall under the direct influence of his character, then we know that our former acquaintance with him, by means of hearsay, was but superficial and shadowy. 'I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eyes see thee.' Can you say that? If so, you understand my text - 'They shall no more teach every man... his brother, saying, Know the Lord, and make acquaintance with Him' as if He were a stranger - for 'all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.' There is all the difference between knowing about God and knowing God; just the difference that there is between dogma and life, between theology and religion. We may have all articles of the Christian creed clear in our understandings, and may owe our possession of them to other people's teaching; we may even, in a sense, believe them, and yet they may be absolutely outside of our lives, and it is only when they pass into the very substance of our being, and influence the springs of our conduct - it is only then that we know God."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 76

Jesus Christ is now Seated @ the Right Hand of Majesty Part 6

Hebrews 8:8-10 For finding fault with them, He saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people: KJV Note: MKJV=Modern King James Version

At first glance in the previous verse, it would appear that God the Father lays the blame or bad judgement of giving the old covenant to the Hebrew people upon Himself, however, we know that cannot be true because God is perfect and in Him there is nothing that is wrong or that causes Him to make bad judgements, therefore, we have the reason for the new covenant being given to the Hebrew people (and to the rest of Gentile humanity) defined for us in very first words of this next verse, "For finding fault with them, He saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:" (Hebrews 8:8) (KJV). The fault was found in the Hebrew/Jewish people and not with the covenant. The law itself is not blamed, but the people who did not observe the law were blamed, as it is elsewhere written concerning the law of God by the Apostle Paul with these words, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Let it not be said! But I did not know sin except through the law. For also I did not know lust except the law said, You shall not lust. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, worked in me all kinds of lust. For apart from law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once. But when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to life, was found to be death to me. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. So indeed the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good." (Romans 7:7-12) (MKJV). Because the law is holy and good, yet it could not be observed by the Hebrew people because they were unholy and bad, therefore, it was required to establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah and also with the rest of Gentile humanity that would be an everlasting and unbreakable covenant. The little English phrase 'I will make' is translated by the Greek word sunteleō meaning to complete entirely; generally to execute (literally or figuratively): - end, finish, fulfil, make. It is God who not only makes this new covenant, but it is God who sacrifices Himself on the Cross at Calvary in the execution of His new covenant.

Next the writer of Hebrews here goes back to the Prophecy given by God the Father through His Prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and he uses the exact same words spoken by Jeremiah to the Hebrew people, as it is written and documented here for us in Hebrews 8:9-10, "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people:" (Hebrews 8:9-10) (KJV). The English phrase 'regarded them not' in Hebrews 8:9 is translated by the Greek word ameleo meaning to be careless of: - make light of, neglect, be negligent, not regard. Here is what John Wesley had to say of Hebrews 8:9, "When I took them by the hand - With the care and tenderness of a parent. And just while this was fresh in their memory, they obeyed; but presently after they shook off the yoke. They continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not - So that covenant was soon broken in pieces." The Hebrew people were careless, contentious, and combative with God the Father and with the first covenant, see Numbers Chapter 16 for one example, therefore, God the Father was likewise neglectful of them when they constantly and continually broke His covenant. God regarded Himself as a Husband to the Hebrew people (Jeremiah 31:32) and like an unfaithful wife the Hebrew people committed spiritual adultry with other gods, that being, with the devil on numerous occassions breaking the first commandment over and over, as it is written and documented for us in these passages in Deuteronomy, First, "If there is found among you, inside any of your gates which Jehovah your God gives you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of Jehovah your God, in breaking His covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, and if it is told you, and you have heard and inquired carefully, and, behold, it is true and the thing is certain, such abomination is done in Israel; then you shall bring forth that man or that woman who has committed that evil thing, to your gates, even that man or that woman, and shall stone them with stones until they die. At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people. So you shall put the evil away from among you." (Deuteronomy 17:2-7) (MKJV).

And second, "Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt. For they went and served other gods, and worshiped them, gods whom they did not know, and who had not given to them any portion. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against this land, to bring on it all the curses that are written in this book. And Jehovah rooted them out of their land in anger and wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is today. The secret things belong to Jehovah our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our sons forever, so that we may do all the words of this Law." (Deuteronomy 29:25-29) (MKJV). The new covenant, that is, the Gospel of Grace dispensation is the era or reign of the 'new birth' which is when God the Holy Spirit writes the law of God within the mind and inner man or inner woman of the newly born child of God, therefore, this is why the Christian believes that abortion is the murder of a baby in the womb because God declares the fetus to be a human being at the very moment of conception and He declares this truth to the inner man and inner woman of each one of us His children. We now receive grace when we sin and not judgement because Christ took our judgement for sin on the Cross at Calvary, however, this does not mean we have a license to sin because of grace, for we want to obey out of love for our Heavenly Father just as any earthly child wants to please their earthly parents and not disappoint them. When we sin we are chastise by our Father in heaven just as any good earthly Father and Mother does with their children whom they love when they disobey, as it is written here for us by this very same writer of Hebrews, "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons, 'My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives.' If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father does not chasten? But if you are without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then you are bastards and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For truly they chastened us for a few days according to their own pleasure, but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now chastening for the present does not seem to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who are exercised by it." (Hebrews 12:5-11) (MKJV). Here is what John Wesley had to say of Hebrews 8:10, "This is the covenant I will make after those days - After the Mosaic dispensation is abolished. I will put my laws in their minds - I will open their eyes, and enlighten their understanding, to see the true, full, spiritual meaning thereof. And write them on their hearts - So that they shall inwardly experience whatever I have commanded. And I will be to them a God - Their all - sufficient portion, and exceeding great reward. And they shall be to Me a people - My treasure, My beloved, loving, and obedient children."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…





 

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 75

 Jesus Christ is now Seated @ the Right Hand of Majesty Part 5

Hebrews 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. KJV

We learned from the writer of Hebrews in the previous study/commentary (Volume 74) that not only has our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ become the first Man to be resurrected from the dead, henceforth, opening the door for many brethren to be likewise resurrected from death because of Him (Jesus Christ) to live with God forever in heaven, but that in doing this He (Christ) has become the author and the mediator of a far better covenant with humanity than the first covenant made by God the Father with the Hebrew/Jewish people, therefore, also we read these next words from the writer of Hebrews describing for us the need for this new covenant through Christ, "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second." (Hebrews 8:7) (KJV). We learned also that that first covenant was not meant by God to remain or to last forever, because it did not answer all of God the Father's designs or all of humanities wants, but instead it was a preparatory tool, that is, it was to prepare the Hebrew people (and all of humanity) for what they truly needed and that was and is a Savior ( A person who rescues you from harm or danger) and that harm and danger is the sin that separates every human being from God the Father and could only be removed by the Blood of Jesus Christ, as written for us by the Apostle Paul with these words, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) (KJV). No one escapes this life without going through the doorway of physical death, as it is written by this same author of Hebrews with these words, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:27-28) (KJV), but there is a second death that is spiritual and eternal death that separates the soul from God the Father in hell and the lake of fire for all eternity, here are the Scriptures in the Book of Revelation that tell us of the second death, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." (Revelation 2:11) (KJV) and also this word "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6) (KJV) and also this word "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." (Revelation 20:14) (KJV) and finally this word "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8) (KJV).

Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of Hebrews 8:7, "Not the covenant of works; that was made in paradise, this on Mount Sinai; that was made with Adam and his posterity, this with the Jews only; that had no mediator, this had one, Moses; that was not dedicated with blood, this was; that had no forgiveness of sin in it, this had; under that saints are not, but they were under this; to be under that was no privilege, but to be under this it was, as to the Israelites, who on this account were preferable to all other nations: nor is the pure covenant of grace as administered under the Gospel, meant; for though that was first made, yet is the second in administration; that includes the elect of God among the Gentiles, this only the Jews; that is made only with them, and is made known to them whom God calls by His grace in time, this was made with good and bad; that was of pure grace, this required works in order to life and the enjoyment of its blessings; that is an everlasting covenant, this is done away; and the one is manifestly distinguished from the other in this chapter: but the covenant here designed is the covenant of grace, as administered under the legal dispensation, and which was a typical one; the people with whom it was made were typical of the true Israel of God; the blessings promised in it were shadows of good things to come; the works it required were typical of Christ's obedience to the law, in the room and stead of His people, by which He fulfilled it; the sacrifices on which it was established were types of the sacrifice and death of Christ; the mediator of it. Moses, was a type of Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant; and it was confirmed by the blood of beasts, which was typical of the blood of Christ: this covenant was not 'faultless', but was faulty or blameworthy; not that there was anything sinful and criminal in it, but it was deficient; there was a weakness in it; its sacrifices could not make men perfect, nor take away sin; there wanted a larger supply of the grace of the Spirit to write the law of God upon the heart, and to enable men to keep it; there was not in it so full a revelation of the mind and will of God, and of His love and grace, as has since been made; nor did it exhibit a free and full pardon for all sins, unclogged of every condition; the persons that were under it were faulty; hence it follows, that God found fault with them, they could not answer the requirements and end of it: had it been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second; the covenant of grace unveiled in the Gospel dispensation, called the better testament, the better covenant, and the new covenant; in order to, introduce which, the first was removed, that this might succeed it; just as because there was no perfection by the Levitical priesthood, it became necessary that another Priest should arise, of another order."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 74

 Jesus Christ is now Seated @ the Right Hand of Majesty Part 4

Hebrews 8:6 But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. KJV Note: CEV=Contemporary English Version

In the early days of the Hebrew Nation, God the Father established a covenant with the man Abraham whom He founded the Hebrew/Jewish people through, however, even while making the covenant of Law and worship through the Levitical priesthood, God the Father promised Abraham that his seed would number more than the stars in the heavens (Exodus 32:13). So, we see now the writer of Hebrews explaining for us how the seed of Abraham would multiply so enormously through the New Covenant that was established through our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ with these words, "But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." (Hebrews 8:6) (KJV). Jesus Christ is now the only intercessor/reconciler/mediator between sinful humanity and God the Father (which was not the case with the old covenant), hence, the reason for all of the animal sacrifices required of the Hebrew people during the many years of the old covenant. The blood of animals had to be spilled continuously with millions of animals slain for the sin of the Hebrew people, however, Jesus Christ shed His Blood for the Hebrew people and for all the people of the world once and for all to take away sin from all who would accept Him alone and only as Lord and Savior. His ministry as High Priest is now much more excellent than any of the Hebrew high priest during the Levitical priesthood under the old covenant, seeing that He resurrected from the dead and now is in heaven serving as High Priest from the heavenly sanctuary. Here is what the JFB Commentary had to say of Hebrews 8:6, "The Old Testament promises were mainly of earthly, the New Testament promises, of heavenly blessings: the exact fulfillment of the earthly promises was a pledge of the fulfillment of the heavenly. 'Like a physician who prescribes a certain diet to a patient, and then when the patient is beginning to recover, changes the diet, permitting what he had before forbidden; or as a teacher gives his pupil an elementary lesson at first; preparatory to leading him to a higher stage': so Rabbi Albo in his Ikkarim. Compare Jeremiah 7:21-22, which shows that God’s original design in the old covenant ritual system was, that it should be pedagogical, as a schoolmaster leading and preparing men for Christ."

The old covenant established by God in Judaism was that of rituals and ceremonies that were meant to serve as a teacher or schoolmaster to prepare the Hebrew people for the coming of the Messiah who would be the mediator of this 'better covenant', that is, this more nobler or stronger covenant or contract with the Hebrew people and with the Gentile people as well, as it is so articulately written by the Apostle Paul to the Galatian believers, "My friends, I will use an everyday example to explain what I mean. Once someone agrees to something, no one else can change or cancel the agreement. That is how it is with the promises God made to Abraham and his descendant. The promises were not made to many descendants, but only to one, and that one is Christ. What I am saying is that the Law cannot change or cancel God's promise that was made 430 years before the Law was given. If we have to obey the Law in order to receive God's blessings, those blessings don't really come to us because of God's promise. But God was kind to Abraham and made him a promise. What is the use of the Law? It was given later to show that we sin. But it was only supposed to last until the coming of that descendant who was given the promise. In fact, angels gave the Law to Moses, and he gave it to the people. There is only one God, and the Law did not come directly from Him. Does the Law disagree with God's promises? No, it doesn't! If any law could give life to us, we could become acceptable to God by obeying that law. But the Scriptures say that sin controls everyone, so that God's promises will be for anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ. The Law controlled us and kept us under its power until the time came when we would have faith. In fact, the Law was our teacher. It was supposed to teach us until we had faith and were acceptable to God. But once a person has learned to have faith, there is no more need to have the Law as a teacher. All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family, and you will be given what God has promised." (Galatians 3:15-29) (CEV).

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Letter to the Hebrews Volume 73

 Jesus Christ is now Seated @ the Right Hand of Majesty Part 3

Hebrews 8:4-5 For if He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. KJV

As we have already learned from the writer of Hebrews that our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ was not of the tribe of Levi, but of the tribe of Judah; then this fact alone would prevent Him from being a Priest only upon the earth, because God the Father established the Hebrew/Jewish earthly priest by Law to only come from the tribe of Levi, therefore, we now find these words written for us by the writer of Hebrews, "For if He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:" (Hebrews 8:4) (KJV). The writer of Hebrews documented these facts for us in the previous Chapter in Hebrews 7:13-14, however, this only sustains, supports, and solidifies the singular uniqueness of Him/Jesus as Man and of the Eternal Priesthood He does have which is from heaven to the earth because of the Power in His unique Resurrection Life He exercises from His Throne in heaven. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of this verse, "The Socinians from hence attempt to prove that Christ was not a priest, and did not offer sacrifice on earth; whereas His coming into the world, and His appearance in human nature, was in the character of a priest, and to qualify Himself for one; His death was His sacrifice, which was on earth; and He never offered but one sacrifice; and it was after He had offered Himself that He went to heaven; so the sacrifices under the law were first offered, before their blood was carried within: but the meaning is, either if 'that' was on earth, namely, what it was necessary He should have to offer; if His human nature had been earthly, had been of men, had come by ordinary generation, He had not been properly, only typically a priest, at most; and had been no better than the typical ones; yea, He would have been needless, nay, might not have offered, not being of Levi's tribe, and could not have existed as a priest with the sons of Aaron; but He had His human nature in another way, through the power of the Holy Ghost from above, and therefore is said to come from above, from heaven, and to be the Lord from heaven: or the sense is, if He was on earth, and had not died, He had not been a priest; and if He had died and remained under the power of death, He had been a priest of no account and use; and had He rose again and remained on earth, without going to heaven, with His blood and sacrifice, He had not been a perfect priest; if Christ had remained on earth, the Levitical priesthood had remained, and so He would have been no priest, since two priesthoods could not have subsisted together. The Levitical priesthood was in force while Christ was on earth; Christ's priesthood was not perfected on earth; the Levitical priesthood remaining while He was on earth, proves He was not then a perfect priest, or had not completed His priesthood; had He been so, that would not have subsisted; it was necessary therefore that Christ should enter into the holy place, to put an end to the Levitical priesthood: moreover, if He had remained on earth, He had been needless; seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law; there were priests when Christ was upon earth; their work was to offer gifts the people brought, and sacrifices for sin, and that according to the law of Moses, which till the death of Christ was in full force."

The writer of Hebrews now gives the reason for the meticulous (that is, that which is marked by precise accordance with details) service rendered by the Levitical priest in the Hebrew/Jewish Temple on the earth and that being that God the Father had Moses build the earthly Temple as a pattern of what actually existed in the Heavenly realm, as it is written for us with these words by the writer of Hebrews, "Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." (Hebrews 8:5) (KJV). The English word 'pattern' used in this verse is translated by the Greek word tupos which means (as used here) (figuratively) style or resemblance; specifically a sampler ('type'), that is, a model (for imitation) or instance (for warning). Warned was exactly what this Scripture declares that God the Father did to Moses exhorting, encouriging, and envoking him to construct the Hebrew/Jewish Tabaernacle exactly according to the 'pattern'/tupos he was given by God on the top of Mount Sinai. Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of this verse, "All the services of the priest, under the law, as well as every thing in that tabernacle which was framed according to the pattern in the mount, were only exemplars and shadows of heavenly things. Christ is the substance and end of the law for righteousness. Something therefore there must be in Christ's Priesthood that answers to the high priest's entering within the veil to make intercession, without which He could not have been a perfect priest; and what is this but the ascension of Christ into heaven, and His appearance there in the sight of God for His people, to present their prayers, and plead their cause? So that, if He had still continued on earth, He could not have been a perfect priest; and an imperfect one He could not be." Here is what John Wesley had to say of this verse, "After the pattern and shadow of heavenly things - Of spiritual, evangelical worship, and of everlasting glory. The pattern - Somewhat like the strokes pencilled out upon a piece of fine linen, which exhibit the figures of leaves and flowers, but have not yet received their splendid colours and curious shades. And shadow - Or shadowy representation, which gives you some dim and imperfect idea of the body, but not the fine features, not the distinguishing air; none of those living graces which adorn the real person. Yet both the pattern and shadow lead our minds to something nobler than themselves: the pattern, to that holiness and glory which complete it; the shadow, to that which occasions it. Exodus 25:40."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…