GOD’S WORD FOR AUGUST 14~ ~ 2 Cor. 5:21 ~ ~ “ He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Since the Father is so holy, He cannot even look upon sin. Jesus exchanged robes with us, so the Father could see us through HIS perfection—HIS robe.

That’s why the Father could not look upon Him when He was on the cross, because He had OUR sinful robe on at that time, while He was taking the punishment for OUR sin.

Therefore, since He became sin for us (2Cor 5:21) the Father could not look on Him,…….that is, on OUR sin that He had taken on FOR US.

Continuing with excerpts from Dr. Tony Evans book, “the Power of God’s Names”

Tony says:

As we begin our dive into the deep waters of God’s names, you might be saying, “that’s great, Tony. I’ve learned some Hebrew. Nice. But really, what does that have to do with me in my home today with noisy kids and arguments with my mate?” Or if you’re single, “what does that have to do with the lonely nights or the search for personal significance? What about y finances? My health?”

Friend, it has everything to do with all of that. Read Genesis 2:1-3.

“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His word which God had created and made.”

On day one, God created. On day two, God created. On days three, four, five, six, God created. After He created on each and every day, He said “That’s good. It’s good.” God left the creation of mankind for the sixth day so that mankind wouldn’t have to live in darkness. He waited until all of His creation was ready to receive man, and then He made him.

Finally, He gets to the seventh day and says, “That’s very good.” Up until that time, He had said things were good. After He created man He said the creation was VERY good.” then He rested, which is interesting because He had just spoken it into existence. So when we read that God rested, we shouldn’t think He got tired and quit.

Rather, this means He was finished and had nothing left to do. He had completed what He had set out to do. That ‘s when He sanctified the seventh day. To sanctify something is to set it apart as unique and special. He declared His day of rest to be unlike all of the other days Keep in mind that He didn’t sanctify the workdays. He sanctified the rest day.

He didn’t sanctify the day He was getting everything ready, doing all His stuff, and bringing everything into existence. The day He declared as special was the day He chose to rest. In fact, God carries this concept of rest throughout the Old and New Testaments, relating it to other things as well.

In the Old Testament, not only did God say to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, but He also consecrated the seventh year as a sabbatical year of rest. The Israelites were instructed to rest the land from farming every seventh year (Lev. 25:3-7) God also declared every forty-ninth year (seven multiplied by seven) to be a year of jubilee—a restoration of order through the implementation of the Sabbath principles of rest and freedom (Lev. 25;8-17)

In the New Testament, we’re never instructed to keep Saturday as the Sabbath day of rest. In fact, in the New Testament we read that we’re not to allow anyone else to legislate our days for us. (Colossians 2:16-17)

Typically, we experience a day of rest on Sunday during the Church age, because that’s the day Christ was resurrected from the grave. Regardless of the day, the principle of the Sabbath rest continues up until now. In the book of Hebrews, God lays out for us the principle of rest, particularly linking it to the work of Creation. We read,

“He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.’” (Hebrews 4:4) Moving ahead to verses 9-11, we read the personal application for us today:

“So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God for the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore, let us be diligent to enter that rest.”

When God finished everything He needed to do to create the worlds and all they contain, He was able to rest. The reason He could rest was that he infused His creation with the ability to reproduce.

For example, He gave the flowers seeds so they could be self-perpetuating. He gave the animals the desire and ability to reproduce. He assigned tasks to the insects and birds of the air to assist in cross-pollination for the continuation of vegetation. And when he created man and woman, He instilled in them the miracle of birth.

God only had to create once. So when ELOHI created the worlds, He built into His creation the capacity for reproduction for generations to come.

God is telling us through this passage in Hebrews 4 that He has likewise established a rest for us. First, he created a rest for the people of Israel. It was called the Promised Land. In the Promised Land, others had already dug wells, built buildings, and cultivated the land. While the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt, God was preparing a place for them. They simply had to walk into it and enjoy it.

And now, God has a rest prepared for you. IF YOU BELONG TO JESUS CHRIST, you are a part of the people of God. As a member of God’s family, you can enter into the Sabbath rest He has for you. It’s called a Sabbath rest because it’s already completed.

Rather than trying to make God do something for you, you can rest in what God has already done. He has already prepared works for you to do so that you night walk in them. You don’t have to scheme, manipulate, or wear yourself out trying to live your life in God’s will.

Scripture says, “For we are His workmanship,created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

Whatever God is going to do for you, He has already done. Whatever God has planned for you to do, He has already planned. Whatever God has purposed in your life, He has already purposed.

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