Sellout (Blood Money)

 

Thirty pieces of silver. The value of a man's life. One Man in particular. Blood money given to a different man. 

        Zechariah 11:12,13 

Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

                            Matthew 26:14,15

Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.

                            Matthew 27:9,10

Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet (Jeremiah 32:6-9) was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on Him by the people of Israel,and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord had commanded me."

                            

    Judas, who had been chosen by Jesus to be one of "the chosen", the twelve men whom Christ had called by name to follow Him, was not a faithful follower. He had his faults, namely, money. He sold out this Prophet he followed from town to town for thirty pieces of silver, the equivalent of four days labor. 

    *In Roman terms it would have been the equivalent of four denarii; in Grecian terms it would have equaled four drachmas. It is the shekel referred to from Genesis to Zechariah. It is the penny, the denarius, mentioned in Matthew 20:1-16. It is a day's wages. This is how the Jewish leaders determined the correct price to pay to have Jesus betrayed. 

       Yet Jesus called him, "Friend" (Matthew 26:50). That must've cut into Judas' heart, but it was too late. He had already betrayed Jesus by a kiss on the cheek. While we know Judas was sorrowful for what he done to his Friend, we can only surmise about whether or not he was repentant. For neither sorrow, nor remorse, nor penitence is repentance. 

        But we should not be hasty in judging Judas. We, too, have blood on our hands. We, also, have traded the riches of knowing Christ better for the wealth of a bag of holes. Instead of reading our Bibles on a daily basis that we might gain strength and wisdom from them, we squander our days. Instead of kneeling prayer over The Word of God, we might read a passage or two and hope for the best. 

        Whatever we have set our sights on and our hands to do instead of seeing and doing what we are supposed to be doing is the thirty pieces of silver we have been paid to look the other way, instead of at The Way. We have looked to the left and looked to the right on this narrow path in which we attempt to walk: our eyes have seen and our hearts have wandered. We have become faithless sellouts to our Faithful Leader.  

        We need to get back to the altar and lay down our pride, humbling ourselves at the foot of His cross. We will repent of all our wickedness and set our face to seek Him out. We will fall prostrate before Him and He will lift us up. 

        Even if you can't get to church, you can get to the altar. It is a sacred place where a person meets God. In Old Testament times, an altar was built after a person had met (communed) with God. Many altars were constructed to burn a sacrifice on. Though it is not necessary for the Christian to burn a sacrifice, it is necessary to lay the sacrifice God wants from us on the altar. 

        Where is your altar set up that you meet with God and lay your sacrifice on? Some have set up a small table or chair on which to lay their open Bible and pray there. Some go out into an open area, open Bible in hand, and speak with God there. You'll know your altar when you see it, if you are listening to The Spirit direct you. 

    

Resources:

*1. TruthSaves 

Talking To Jesus 

Sweet Hour of Prayer 

Lay It All Down

    

 

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Be A Living Sacrifice

 

    Romans 12:1

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

    What does it mean to be a living sacrifice? A sacrifice is giving up that which is precious to us. It's more than lent, it's given up to God. We give this sacrifice willingly, joyfully and obediently because we love The Lord that much. 

    In the Old Testament people were commanded to give God the best of their cattle and fowl: doves, lambs, bulls. But that blood only covered sins temporarily. So God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die once, and for all, that all who believed God and received The Word--the gospel of salvation through the blood of God's precious Lamb--would have their sins forgiven and be saved. 

    A living sacrifice is when we give our lives over to God, for Him to live in us and us to live in Him through Christ. We greet Him first thing in the morning. Speak with Him throughout our day. Meet with Him in private prayer. Listen for His still, quiet voice to speak with us. We read the Holy Scriptures He has given us, seeking out how we may please Him that we might be, as stated in this verse, acceptable to God. 

    A living sacrifice chooses to do God's will and not their own. It's opting to live a life that pleases God instead of living for our own self-satisfaction. Sometimes the decision to obey is harder than you might think. 

    For instance, quite a few family/friend get-togethers are set up on Sundays. And people expect you to be there. In their mindsets, you can skip church for one Sunday, at least!  But, no, you have made the decision to follow Christ. Your heart is in His and He is in you and you want to please Him and His Father more than you want to please your family, your friends. 

    See what I'm saying? 

    A living sacrifice makes the decision every day to be obedient to our heavenly Father. To be honest, I don't always sit here and begin typing right away. Takes me awhile sometimes to be in a position to hear the Spirit flow. Yet, there are other days when I can't stop typing because I'm not getting the words out fast enough. What a privilege to be used of God! 

    Have you made the decision to be a living sacrifice yet? If not what are you waiting for? God has shortened the days for His people who are suffering for His Name's sake. The lesser length of days means those who have not yet made a decision to believe on The Name of The LORD Jesus Christ for their salvation are running out of time. 

    Come, come to The Father. Confess your sins to Him and turn away from doing those things to following God's Way of doing things. The Word says to Repent and be baptized; be filled with His Holy Spirit. To do so would make you acceptable to God. It is the foundation for living a sacrificial life: having the Sacrifice of God living in you. As He lives in me, I long for more of my family and friends to know this Joy, too. 

    I want you to be in the body of Christ, too. Living for Jesus. Loving Like Jesus. Talking to Jesus. Walking with Jesus. I want you to know what a joyful satisfactory life this is. But you have to want it, too. More than life itself. 

    As God spoke to Isaiah in Chapter One verse 18: “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool."

    And in Romans 10:9-11, 13

9) If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10) One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

11) Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame.

13) For whosoever shall call upon The Name of the Lord shall be saved.

CALLED TO BE  A LIVING SACRIFICE

I Surrender - Hillsong

Purify My Heart - Jeremy Riddle

All To Jesus I Surrender - Robin Mark

Let Your Living Water Flow - Vinesong

Psalm 40 - Francesca LaRosa

Not My Will - Kim Walker-Smith

Here's My Life - Planetshakers

    

    

A Crucified Life - - Is A Sacrificial Life

 

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might be made rich. 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1223

For Your Sakes: on account of, because of, by reason of

From the Greek word 'dia' (pronounced dee-ah'): for the benefit of.

    It is for our benefit that the Son of God left His heavenly home and the wealth it contained: to become like us that we might become like Him. For without Christ we are nothing, we would be the poorest of the poor who have no hope. But with Christ Who is our Hope of Salvation, we have Him living in us through the power of the Holy Spirit of God. What a benefit!

    Know you not that if Christ had not obeyed God and died on the cross for us, more of us would be in hell; myself included. For though I was raised in a Christian home, I did not know Christ personally for myself. Too many times my soul would have known the darkness of hell.

    But thanks be to God! Jesus died for me and I believe in Him for my salvation and my resurrection. Jesus is my Salvation. Jesus is my Resurrection. For my benefit and yours, Jesus "He Shall Save His People" Christ left His glory in heaven and took on the form of mankind that He might taste death for all people. 

    Tasting death but not lingering in it. Becoming like us briefly, but not straying like us. For Jesus Christ had been given the authority to both lay down His life for us and the authority to take life back up! Shout His praise even now! All you His saints!

    A crucified life also turns its back on fame (glory) and fortune (wealth). Living a crucified life requires Biblical discipline: 

~Surrendering our hearts to God (trusting Him completely at all times)

~Submitting to His ways instead of demanding to do it our way

~Conforming our ways to His ways (obeying His will for us)

    This crucified life the born again believer enjoys living brings unspeakable joy, the peace of Christ, and a love like no other~a divine love that covers all sins which are committed against us. To live without the world's pleasures is to live for God's pleasure. Have you made your decision to live for God in Christ? The riches of heaven are mine both now and forever. 

    

    INDIE FOLK WORSHIP 2

I Found God

Beatitude

Defender

Unfailing

Psalm 34:1-9

Red Carpet

You're The Best

Rest In You

Simple

Simple Truth

Filled With the Light

Altar

He Makes Me Well

Home

Seek & Find

Holding Us All Together

Made For Jesus

Lion|Lamb

Guard Your Heart - - Guard Your Approach To God

 

Ecclesiastes 5:1

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 7272

Steps: foot (by extension: any part of the foot or relating to the foot: toe, heel, sole or pluralized (feet, toes, heels, soles)

From the Hebrew word 'regel' (pronounced reh'-gel); footstep(s),  journey (Genesis 29:1), pace (Genesis 33:14), follow (Exodus 11:8), times (Exodus 23:14).

    So many seemingly different ways to express the word 'steps' and yet they all make sense. In our study today we learn how to guard our hearts when we approach God in His house, whether that house is His sanctuary in heaven, His designated house of worship or His presence (in prayer when we speak together). 

    In Exodus 3:5, when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He instructed Moses to remove the sandals from his feet for the place in which Moses stood was holy ground. Where God is is holy and nothing unholy can be where God is. Moses, just like Joshua, needed to be obedient to the voice of God or he would not be able to obey God.  This same instruction would be repeated to Joshua (Joshua 5:15). 

PREPARE TO MEET YOUR MAKER (James 4:7-10)

      When we approach God we are to resist the temptation to turn aside from God. We choose to be resolute in our desire to hear what our God has to say to us. We put on our Helmet of Salvation, which blocks our 'hearing' what the devil is saying, for he can neither step into nor cross the blood which flowed from Calvary. 

    In our approach to God we are fully dressed in the armor of God, ready with our Swords (the Word of God) to repel the enemy of our souls, having fully applied said Word to ourselves. 

    We are to submit to God, with a desire to draw near to hear what He has to say to us that we might obey Him and do the work He has for us to do, whether it's cleaning the bathrooms or preaching from a pulpit, whether it's resting in His presence or fixing the roof. God has a work for us and we need to be ready to do it, according to the Word He gives us to do. (James 4:7)

    Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Approach God with clean hands (in good conscience [cleansed by faith, repentance and transformation into a changed attitude]) and a pure (sanctified) heart (James 4:8).

    Grieve, mourn and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom. (James 4:9) When God sends afflictions (tribulations, persecutions, distresses) on us, it is to our benefit that we accept such trials and not rebuff them, nor be antagonistic against our persecutors (Matthew 5:11). Mourn and weep over our sins, and the sins of others, when we approach God. For it is God who turns our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11), it is God who wipes away our tears (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 21:4).

    Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up (James 4:10). Both Moses and Joshua had to remove their shoes, a sign of humility in obedience to the voice of God. Both men were elevated to a higher place of position amongst the people they would be in charge of. While a higher position in this lifetime is not guaranteed to us when we obey God, the obedient Christian will still be in an exalted position during the millenial reign of Christ (Revelation 20:4. 6) . And 1 Peter 2:9 tells us that even now we are 'a royal priesthood, a chosen people, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession'. 

OBEDIENCE BETTER THAN SACRIFICE (1 Samuel 15:22)

    Having guarded our heart in such a manner, we are now prepared to enter His presence. Almost. This verse in Ecclesiastes tells us we need to obey God and not offer sacrifices to Him that will not be accepted. If God is telling us to do something and we are not doing it, no amount of 'sacrifice' on our part is going to be accepted by Him. King Saul learned this the hard way: he lost his kingship (1 Samuel 15). 

    Though animal sacrifices were instituted by God in the Old Testament under the Old Covenants, they were but shadows of the ultimate sacrifice which Christ would make when He became God's Lamb who once and for all Redeemed us to Himself. 

    Sacrifices done not according to God's Holy Word are not going to be acceptable to God at any time ever. Even before Christ arrived on the scene, David wrote in Psalm 51;17 that "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." A broken and contrite heart is the sacrifice God now requires of the people who want to be in His presence. 

    Broken spirit. Broken and Contrite Heart. Humbled, not self-centered. Not self-indulgent, not self-involved. Not a willful, disobedient heart, not a rebellious spirit. A God-centered heart. A heart and spirit that are ready to receive from God, not reject God. These are the sacrifices which God has approved for us. Anything less or more will be rejected by Him. We must prepare ourselves to be in His presence or we will not be allowed entrance through His gateway, His doors. 

THIEF IN THE NIGHT (1 Thessalonians 5:2)

    Are we ready now to approach God? Let us get ready. For the day is fast nearing when God will send His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to return  for His bride, for His church, to bring her into the kingdom of heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:17). On the Day of The Lord, when He returns to set up His kingdom here, unlike His birth here, His arrival  will be unannounced (1 Thessalonians 5:2). 

TODAY IF YOU WILL DRAW NEAR TO GOD

    The Word tells us we only have "Today" to hear God and obey (Psalm 95:7; Hebrews 3:7, 15; Hebrews 4:7). What will happen "Today" when we respond to God's voice? Hebrews 10:15-22

15. "The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says, 

16. '“This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.” 

17. Then He adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” 

18. And where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed. 

19. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 

20. by a new and Living Way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,

21. and since we have a great Priest over the house of God,

22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

GUARD YOUR STEPS MEDLEY

A Sacrifice of Praise

Hebrews 16:15
"By (through) him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."

Sacrifice: to surrender or give up some thing for the sake of something else; atonement, relinquish, offering, yield, surrender.

From Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:
2378 thysía – properly, an offering (sacrifice); an official sacrifice prescribed by God; hence an offering the Lord accepts because offered on His terms.

If what we are offering to God is not acceptable to God then God will not receive it. The offerings we bring to God must be according to God's Word in order for God to receive it into Himself. 

When Elijah challenged the prophets of Ba-al to build an altar to prove who the real God is, the fire of God fell on Elijah's altar which he had built according to God's instructions. Fire did not fall on the godless prophets' altar because there was no adequate sacrifice on their part. Fire does not fall on empty altars. 
We need to make sure our sacrifice is acceptable to God before we bring it to Him that He might receive it unto Himself. Our hearts need to be right with Him: Christ Jesus needs to be living there; the Holy Spirit needs to be there, guiding us through God's Word, bringing it to life, breathing it into our spirits and inscribing it onto our hearts.
When we bring to the altar that which God asks of us, then He will accept not only our sacrifice, but our praise, as well. 

Psalm 141:2
"May my prayer (intercession [prayers for others], supplication [petition humble prayer], hymn [song of praise to God's name and glory]) be set before You like incense [burning sacrifice, sweet aroma, fumigation], my uplifted hands (beacon, raising up, present, utterance) like the evening offering (donation, tribute, sacrificial offering)."

And, yes, it will be difficult at times to be obedient and faithful. 

But nowhere does it say that walking this walk

and talking this talk will be easy.

But it will be worth it. 

Blood Sacrifice

As I recall from my studies, Easter is actually everything about the rabbit and the eggs; none of it good, or for children. What began as idolatry and human sacrifice has been watered down over time to colored eggs and chocolate. JESUS has nothing to do with Easter!

The calendar we follow is one set up by the Romans. We should be following the one set up by GOD. Good Friday is not really good; JESUS did not die on Friday; HE died on Thursday. Because it was Passover, the Sabbath began on Thursday night and not Friday. JESUS was in the grave for three days. It was on the third day, that GOD rolled the stone away and JESUS walked out of the grave and into the garden.

It is a much different sacrifice from the spring celebration of new life, which worshiped the goddess Ester. JESUS died for us, so we wouldn’t have to die in our sins.

It is not our blood that brings new life: it is CHRIST’S blood which gives new life. His blood is applied to our sins, not just to cover them up, but to wash them away permanently. Permanently! GOD not only forgives sin, HE forgets sin. Imagine being able to forgive and forget when someone sins against you!

We read in Isaiah 53 about THE MESSIAH: (1)Who has believed our report? And to whom is THE ARM OF THE LORD revealed? (2) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, And as a root out of a dry ground: He has no form nor comeliness; And when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire HIM. (3) HE is despised and rejected of men; A MAN OF SORROWS, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. (4) Surely HE has borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem HIM stricken, Smitten of GOD, and afflicted. (5) But HE was wounded for our transgressions, HE was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon HIM; And with HIS stripes we are healed.

That’s my JESUS. By HIS stripes I am healed. My sins are washed away by the blood of GOD’S LAMB. Every time that cat-o-nine tore through HIS back, ripping away not just the epidermis but into the muscles and bone, HE took it: for me, for you. When they crowned HIM with thorns, it was not just set atop HIS brow, but pushed into HIS head so harshly that blood flowed. The Roman soldiers threw a robe around HIS bleeding body, and pretended to worship HIM as their king, then ripped it off, causing the wounds on HIS back to flow even more profusely.

(6) All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And THE LORD has laid on HIM the iniquity of us all. (7) HE was oppressed, and HE was afflicted, Yet HE opened not HIS mouth: HE is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, So HE opens not HIS mouth. (8) HE was taken from prison and judgment: And who shall declare HIS generation? For HE was cut off from the land of the living: For the transgression of my people was HE stricken. (9) And HE made HIS grave with the wicked, And with the rich in HIS death; Because HE had done no violence, Neither was there any guile in HIS mouth.

That’s my JESUS. HE did not defend HIMSELF. HE never sinned in any form, yet HE died a sinner’s death. HE was brought up on false charges and declared guilty by mob rule. The crowd gathered to see HIM die, cried out “HIS blood be upon us and upon our children!” ( Matthew 27:25). And so it is. HIS blood is on me. And on some of you. Would that HIS blood was on all of us, and not just some of us.

But to get the blood applied, a person must first acknowledge their sins. Repent (turn away from) of their sins and ask forgiveness from GOD for their sins. A person must believe wholeheartedly that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD and that HE is GOD’S ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, that HE died on the cross, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is coming back again. For GOD’S WORD IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE. All of it.

John 3:16, a most beloved verse around the world: For GOD so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten SON that whosoever believes on HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I have everlasting life because I believe. I want you to have this everlasting life, too. But I can’t force you to make this choice, because it is just that: a choice. We are each born with the ability to choose and make decisions that affect our lives. This choice regarding salvation through JESUS CHRIST will determine not only how we live our life, but where we will go when this part of life is passed. I would not have you ignorant on the matter. Your blood is not on my hands now. Had I not told you about my JESUS, I would have been held guilty for you dying in your sins. I love you and I want to take you to heaven with me.

That’s my JESUS and I’m sticking to HIM.