2007 April « No Other Rock

What is the Upshot?

April 21, 2007 at 8:00 am | In Awake My Heart, Christ | No Comments

We have . . . an high priest. ~ Hebrews 8:1

Over the last three days, Baxter has provided us with three aspects of our Lord’s heavenly priesthood; (I) we need such a priest, (II) we have such a priest, and (III) we need no other priest.

But there is more.

Recall Hebrews 4:14 ~ “Seeing then that we have a great high priest who is passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”

Our Confession: Hebrews 10:23 ~ “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope.”
Confession of Hope: Hebrews 9:26 ~ “But now, once in this end-era of the ages He [Christ] has APPEARED to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
Confession of Hope: Hebrews 9:24 ~ “For Christ is entered . . . into heaven iteself, now to APPEAR in the presence of God for us.”
Confession of Hope: Hebrews 9:28 ~ “And unto them that look for Him He shall APPEAR the second time, apart from sin, unto salvation.”

Christ did appear, Christ does appear and Christ shall appear - the second time, with contemplative salvation for those who look for Him.

That is the “confession of our hope.”

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will become living stones by sharing our confession of hope with others.

Couple Housekeeping Items

April 20, 2007 at 7:52 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

You may have noticed a couple new things on the sidebar.

First, NoOtherRock has been nominated for best religion blog. I make no secret that it was me. I don’t particularly think it will win, nor was it the intent. I figured it would be another way to help get visibility for the blog and hopefully continue the mission. But if you want to vote for NOR . . .

Second, NoOtherRock now has a webring. It is called “Living Stones” in reference to

I Peter 2:5 - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

You can join up by clicking the link on the sidebar, or click here to learn more about Living Stones.

We Need No Other

April 20, 2007 at 7:00 am | In Awake My Heart, Christ, High Priest | No Comments

We have . . . an high priest. ~ Hebrews 8:1

If you read further into Hebrews, you will see that no other priest is need in heaven, for Jesus passed “into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24). In effect, His work on earth has done away with th eold-time sacrifices through the one perfect sin-offering.

To suggest otherwise is to suggest that redemption was not completed. And, as we have learned previously, it is indeed finished. The offering is once and for all time.

While Baxter uses today’s devotion to point all this out, it is his reference to Hebrews 7:24 for that has struck me today. the verse says “But this Priest [Christ], becuase He continuith ever, hath an unchangable priesthood.”

As Baxter states, the Greek work that translates to “unchangeable” more accurately means “intransferable”. Read deeper, we understand that His priesthood has never been transferred - not even to the Apostles.

We need no other.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will seek to be living stones for Chrsit.

We Need, and We Have

April 19, 2007 at 7:00 am | In Awake My Heart, High Priest | No Comments

We have . . . an high priest. ~ Hebrews 8:1

Today’s devotion takes the idea of priesthood in a direction I never really considered. Baxter begins by confirming the message in the saying; “We could not stand for a moment down here, if He were not living for us up there.”

But then he goes on to opine that Christ was never a priest while on earth. I had never considered that aspect, but find his suggestion both convincing and compelling.

Whenever He went to the temple, it was as a prophet to teach, not as a priest to sacrifice or burn incense. By human descent He was neither in the tribe of Levi nor in the family of Aaron, but of Judah (7:14; 8:4). The only priesthood God ever appointed on earth was the Aaronic; therefore, to go back to an earthly priest-class as the Romanists do, is to retrogress to Old Testament concepts which are no abrogated and superseded.

Again, a very thought-provoking reference, but it is the next line that really has me pondering much: “Earthly priesthood is done away in Christ, except in the sense that all believers are priests. Baxter then makes the two following references:

I Peter 2:5 - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:6 - To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Revelation 5:10 - You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will see ourselves as living stones for Christ.

We Need a Priest

April 18, 2007 at 7:00 am | In Awake My Heart, Bible, High Priest, J. Sidlow Baxter | No Comments

We have . . . an high priest. ~ Hebrews 8:1

Quote from Awake, My Heart

In today’s world, we thrive of have things that are faster, bigger and better. Often, we seek to achieve these things while neglecting moral principale. After discussing this very fact, Baxter then makes the above statement.

We must be awakened to Jesus as our High Priest. As we seek to enter into holy fellowship with our Father, we must know that we are sinners. How then can we hold fellowship with the Father?

Let us meditate on these three versus with that goal in mind:

Hebrews 4:16 ~ Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Ephesians 1: 17 ~ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
I John 2:1 ~ My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will look to Jesus as our High Priest - the One we have.

The Blood on the Alter

April 17, 2007 at 7:00 am | In Bible, atonement | No Comments

It is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul. ~ Leviticus 17:11

After emphasizing the alter as the one place of sacrifice in the seventeenth chapter of Leviticus (3-9), the remaining versus describe the sanctity of blood and the significance of blood sacrifices (10-16).

The blood apart from the alter ahs no value. The blood must be upon the one alter.

But, as “any fair reading of the Bible shows, it is not that God demands blood, but that sin necessitates atonement.”

There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin.
He only could unlock the gate
Of heav’n, and let us in.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will seek atonement for our sins.

The Christian’s Alter

April 16, 2007 at 7:00 am | In Awake My Heart, The Cross | No Comments

We have an alter. ~ Hebrews 13:10

In Biblical symbolism, an alter is the meeting place between God and man; in essense, the union of holiness and sinfulness.

There is one place - just one - where God in sovereign grace has chosen to meet with penitent sinners . . . the Cross.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will consider our alter and participate in the union as described here.

Obverse Aspects

April 15, 2007 at 7:00 am | In Awake My Heart, J. Sidlow Baxter | No Comments

So great salvation. ~ Hebrews 2:3

O Love, Thou bottomless abyss!
My sins are swallowed up in thee!
Covered in my unrighteousness,
Nor spot of guilt remains in me!
While Jesus’ blood, in earth and skies,
Mercy, free, boundless mercy cries!

- J. Sidlow Baxter

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will ask Jesus to forgive us our sinful ways.

The Common Salvation ~ The One Gospel

April 14, 2007 at 7:00 am | In Awake My Heart, Christ, Christian | No Comments

The common salvation. ~ Jude 3

Note: Today’s devotion is a return to our regular readings after having done the week-long Easter devotions. It picks up in the middle of a two-part devotion on this scripture. I have combined the two into this one.

The Old Testament distinctively presents the old covenant. The New Testament distinctively presents the new covenant. Yet they are both united in their testimony to the one Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Christ died for us. And that single “common” salvation is not merely a privilege, it is a responsibility - as Christians, to preserve and propagate it.

Being a Christian is not being a part of a secret society. The fellowship is that of openness and sharing that common salvation.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we will open up and share the common salvation.

Easter Friday: A Meaningful Addendum

April 13, 2007 at 7:00 am | In Awake My Heart, Easter | No Comments

… and Peter. ~ Mark 16:7

In addition to this addendum being a pledge of restoring love to those who backslide, it is the blessed assurance of victorious love to the Church. Remember, Peter was the one whom Jesus declared “upon this rock I will build my Church.”

As Baxter states: “The Church, historically, did not come into existence until after the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; but Peter and that little group of men were the advance nucleus of it.”

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we may know the transforming power in our hearts, our dispositions and our characters. May it bring us into refining fellowship with God.

Today, my prayer for you and I is that we may know the transforming power in our hearts, our dispositions and our characters. May it bring us into refining fellowship with God.

« Previous Page — Next Page »