For this is the will of God, your sanctification

1 Thessalonians 4:3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification ....

It is clear what the will of God is for us. Salvation does not require us to gain favour or merit. Sanctification however, requires us to be careful of our living once we are saved. It is easy to fall down, living in a world that is increasingly against God. But God's will has not changed and we must strive to walk in His ways and focus on Him.

Look to Me, and be saved

Isaiah 45:22
“Look to Me, and be saved,
All you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.

God desires very simple from us - our attention, devotion, loyalty and so on. All these will be there if we simply love God with all our hearts, mind, soul and body.

We only need to look to God and be save. How consistent is this requirement from God throughout both Old and New Testaments. There is no difference in doctrine, no complexity. There is nothing we can do to achieve salvation, neither in the pre and post first Coming our Yshua Ha Masiach.

As the rest of this verse reminds us, He is the Creator and He chooses how we can be together with Him. All His Righteous requirements are satisfied in His perfect and only plan for salvation through Yshua our Lord. There can be no other for us to look upon that will be able to save us.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God

Paul addresses the division and strife within the Corinthian church. He describes it as carnal, and not spiritual and that the church is still immature concerning concerning their walk with Messiah. He specifically addresses the division based on the split between those who claim to follow Paul while others who choose Apollos. He explains that they are both ministers of God and neither is better than the other.

Paul explains that the work of ministers like himself and Apollos are building on the foundation of God's work. The real foundation itself is Jesus Christ, and others build on Him. Although saved by faith and not works, Paul also explains that our work is valued and rewarded by God. Those whose works are not valuable will be saved, but having no other reward. Paul also refers to each individual believer as the Temple of God, because the Holy Spirit dwells in each believer. Finally Paul warns the believers against worldly wisdom, which is foolishness in God's sight.



1 Corinthians 3
Sectarianism Is Carnal

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Watering, Working, Warning

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Avoid Worldly Wisdom

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; [a] 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”[b] 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. 23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Nor Shall the Priests, the Levites, Lack a Man to Offer Burnt Offerings before Me

God gives Jeremiah more details of the restoration that will take place. Before that He explains the futility of those who try to fight the Chaldeans. It is God's will for the Chaldeans to defeat Judah for their wickedness and disobedience. But the grace of God resulted in God revealing His purpose and will, so that those who know His will, will go through the captivity in faith and look toward the promised time of Restoration.

After the invasion, the land of Judah will be desolate - this is a way of cleansing the land and people. This will then allow God to pardon their sins and rebuild the land, bringing back joy, peace, goodness and prosperity. The captives will return and the people will once again praise God.

Here God reveals the Messiah, who will be from the line of David and refer Him as the Branch of Righteousness, also called  Lord of Our Righteousness. In that time, Judah and Jerusalem will be in peace, and the Messiah will reign in righteousness. God will exercise His promise to bless the land and the people. It is interesting to note that beside Messiah reigning as the everlasting King, the Levites will be called once again to perform their sacrificial offering and priestly duties forever. God also reiterates His Covenant which cannot be broken, which is to restore the nation of Israel and to have a ruler, Messiah, from the descendant of Jacob and David in particular.




Jeremiah 33
Excellence of the Restored Nation

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name): 3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

4 “For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah, which have been pulled down to fortify[a] against the siege mounds and the sword: 5 ‘They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but only to fill their places[b] with the dead bodies of men whom I will slay in My anger and My fury, all for whose wickedness I have hidden My face from this city. 6 Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. 7 And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. 8 I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. 9 Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.’

10 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place—of which you say, “It is desolate, without man and without beast”—in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, 11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say:

“Praise the Lord of hosts,
For the Lord is good,
For His mercy endures forever”—
and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the Lord.

12 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. 13 In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks shall again pass under the hands of him who counts them,’ says the Lord.

14 ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah:

15 ‘In those days and at that time
I will cause to grow up to David
A Branch of righteousness;
He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
16 In those days Judah will be saved,
And Jerusalem will dwell safely.
And this is the name by which she will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’[c]

17 “For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.’”

The Permanence of God’s Covenant

19 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 20 “Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, 21 then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. 22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’”

23 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 “Have you not considered what these people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the Lord has chosen, He has also cast them off’? Thus they have despised My people, as if they should no more be a nation before them.

25 “Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, 26 then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’”

Trust and Fear the LORD with Broken Heart and Contrite Spirit

The theme of this Psalm as before is to fear and trust the LORD. Such people who call upon the LORD, will have their prayers heard by the LORD. This can be nicely summed up by the verse "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry." The LORD also hears those with a "broken heart" and a "contrite spirit". On the other hand, God is also against those who are wicked and do evil. They will be condemned.

Psalm 34

A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

 1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
         His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
 2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
         The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
 3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
         And let us exalt His name together.
       
 4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
         And delivered me from all my fears.
 5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
         And their faces were not ashamed.
 6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,
         And saved him out of all his troubles.
 7 The angel[a] of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
         And delivers them.
       
 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
         Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
 9 Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!
         There is no want to those who fear Him.
 10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
         But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
       
 11 Come, you children, listen to me;
         I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
 12 Who is the man who desires life,
         And loves many days, that he may see good?
 13 Keep your tongue from evil,
         And your lips from speaking deceit.
 14 Depart from evil and do good;
         Seek peace and pursue it.
       
 15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
         And His ears are open to their cry.
 16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
         To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
       
 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears,
         And delivers them out of all their troubles.
 18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
         And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
       
 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
         But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
 20 He guards all his bones;
         Not one of them is broken.
 21 Evil shall slay the wicked,
         And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
 22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,
         And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.