A Merciful God and King Died for All

Easter 2025: A Merciful God and King Died for All 

Welcome to Immanuel! For those who have received an Easter postcard from us, this note has some additional insights for your consideration (For those who did not, please see the accompanying postcard images.) May the Lord bless you as you study His Word.

The postcard’s main focus was to show God’s mercy for all people. Because of His mercy and love He sent His Son to die on earth. The Son’s death brought not only mercy, but forgiveness and salvation to many, and now he reigns over all the earth as the “King of kings.” 

To learn more about God’s mercy, we will be studying His Word, the Bible. It is in the Bible that God’s plan of salvation is revealed along with His mercy, love and faithfulness. It is where we learn that those who trust God are given forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ. Here too we find that the faithful are adopted as God’s children and will one day live with Him forever: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him [Jesus]. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he [Jesus] appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:1-2).

The front scripture:

After Jesus was betrayed and arrested, he was moved around Jerusalem to be questioned by the Jewish leaders; King Herod, the Roman ruler of Galilee; and Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. The scripture below shows some of the events which occurred that day. The text is taken from the New Testament book of John written by the apostle of the same name.

John 18

Jesus Before Pilate

²⁸ Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. ²⁹ So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” ³⁰ They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” ³¹ Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” ³² This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

My Kingdom Is Not of This World

³³ So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” ³⁷ Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” ³⁸ Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. ³⁹ But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰ They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

John 19

Jesus Delivered to Be Crucified

¹Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. ² And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³ They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. ⁴ Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” ⁵ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” ⁶ When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” ⁷ The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” ⁸ When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. ⁹ He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” ¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” 

¹² From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” ¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵ They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” ¹⁶ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So they took Jesus, ¹⁷ and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified him … ²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Some have said that Jesus never claimed to be God. Yet from John’s account, we see Jesus declared that he was born to “bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37) and that “his kingdom was not of this world’ (John 18:36). Also Jesus was accused by the Jews of blasphemy for making “himself the Son of God” (John 19:7). So did Jesus’ accusers have proof that he had claimed to be God’s Son? Indeed, they did, and more than just a few examples. So for your consideration, here are two: Jesus said …“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6);and Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one”(John 10:30) and after saying this “the Jews picked up stones … to stone him” (John 10:31).

The back scripture:

The scripture on the back of the postcard is from the New Testament book of Revelation. This book was also written by the apostle John for churches in Asia who were experiencing various challenges.

“John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come … ⁵ and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ⁶ and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. ⁷ Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” (Revelation 1:4-7)

This text is an excellent summary of what the Son of God, who now rules over all earthly kings, did for us and all nations. After illustrating the immortality of God in verse four, John tells us that Jesus truthfully witnessed about God, who he himself is, and why he had come into the world. An example of his witness is seen in the dialog which he had with Pilate before his crucifixion. Next John writes that Jesus is “the firstborn of the dead.” On the Last Day all who believe in Jesus will be raised from the dead with glorified bodies. However Jesus was the first person God raised from death with a glorified body. Therefore Jesus is “the firstborn of the dead.” John then relates that because of Jesus’ love, there is redemption from sin’s slavery due to his sacrifice on the cross. Now with his work of redemption complete, Jesus eternally reigns at God’s right hand and his followers belong to God’s kingdom and serve as His priests. Finally in verse seven we read that Jesus will return to earth one day. On the Last Day everyone who has ever lived will recognize Jesus and mourn since it was for their trespasses that he died.

Next we will briefly focus on verse six where we read that those with faith in Jesus are priests to God. The apostle Peter also wrote that believers “are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). So why did the two apostles write about believers being God’s priests? To answer this question, we have to look briefly at Jewish history. For centuries, the Jewish priests made several types of sacrifices to God on behalf of His people. While some offerings were given in order to request God’s forgiveness, others were given to seek His approval. The sacrifices might be animals, grains, or bread. However, after Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for all sin, God no longer requires offerings in atonement for sin. Now with this understanding how does the priesthood of believers offer sacrifices that are pleasing to God? The New Testament book of Hebrews tells us, “Through him [Jesus] then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:15-16). Other offerings which please God include: to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”  (1 Peter 2:9), to have “steadfast love and …the knowledge of God” (Hosea 6:6),“to obey …and to listen”to “the voice of the 

Lord” (1 Samuel 15:22), “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8), and to repent of sin with “a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). 

The summary: 

The postcard’s summary has been rewritten to include more of the text for several verses which were truncated due to the space limitations of the postcard.  Note that the full biblical text is given along with the postcard’s edits made for clarity. These edits are shown in brackets.

  “The Son of God … loved me [you] and gave himself for me [you]” (Galatians 2:20). Indeed, by“the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). But why did “’the only Son of God’” (John 3:18) suffer for you and all people? Since “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6), we are all “slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness” (Romans 6:19). However, “the ways of the Lord are right” (Hosea 14:9) and “the Lord will by no means clear the guilty” (Nahum 1:3). Thus “transgressors shall be altogether destroyed” (Psalm 37:38). 

  Yet God is “a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Nehemiah 9:17). So “the Son of Man [Jesus] came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) and “at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6) for “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Now, “’whoever believes in him [Jesus] is not condemned’” (John 3:18), but “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:7) for Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is aslave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36).

  So this Easter glorify the “Lord of lords and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14) for “the man Christ Jesus … gave himself as a ransom for all”(1 Timothy 2:5-6)! And “let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).

In order to better grasp what God through Jesus has done for us, it is helpful to understand who God is. In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, God proclaimed to His chosen people, the Israelites, “The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no 

bribe” (Deuteronomy 10:17). In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, He declared, “I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight” (Jeremiah 9:24). More insights into God’s character are given in these verses, “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you” (1 Samuel 2:2) and ”The Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness” (Isaiah 5:16). Then there is, “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without 

iniquity” (Deuteronomy 32:4) and finally, “’Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty!Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!’” (Revelation 15:3). So God is 

“not a God who delights in wickedness;

    evil may not dwell with you.

 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;

    you hate all evildoers.

You destroy those who speak lies;

    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man” (Psalm 5:4-6).

Understanding this, in the Old Testament book of Nahum, we see God’s judgment on those who oppose Him:

“ ² The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;

    the Lord is avenging and wrathful;

the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries

    and keeps wrath for his enemies.

³ The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,

    and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.

His way is in whirlwind and storm,

    and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

⁴ He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;

    he dries up all the rivers …

⁵ The mountains quake before him;

    the hills melt;

the earth heaves before him,

    the world and all who dwell in it.

⁶ Who can stand before his indignation?

    Who can endure the heat of his anger?

His wrath is poured out like fire,

    and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

⁷ The Lord is good,

    a stronghold in the day of trouble;

he knows those who take refuge in him.

⁸ But with an overflowing flood

he will make a complete end of the adversaries,

    and will pursue his enemies into darkness” (Nahum 1:2- 8).

(Note in the midst of the imagery of God’s wrath poured out on His enemies, Nahum briefly stops in verse seven to give a comforting promise of refuge for those who place their trust in Him.)

Indeed God is holy, faithful, loving, merciful, and just. However, we are not. As the Psalmist wrote, “Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness” (Psalm 106:6). Thus we are “slaves to impurity and to lawlessness” (Romans 6:19)for ”if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey” (Romans 6:16) since ”whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:19). So then we are eternally condemned for “the soul who sins shall die”(Ezekiel 18:20) and as the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Therefore, we ”all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and justly deserve God’s wrath as the Psalmist declared, “Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more!” (Psalm 104:35).

Being enslaved to sin, each person suffers daily with the consequences of the sinful nature. Indeed, no matter how much we try not to sin, we still do so every day. 

How then can a sinful person “draw near” to a holy, righteous God whose “ways are right”? A God who “by no means will clear the guilty”? A God who declares that “transgressors shall be altogether destroyed”? Is it possible for a sinner to be free of sin? Or to please God in some way in order to not be eternally destroyed?

Truthfully, this is something we are unable to do. Our sin makes it is impossible for us to “draw near” to a holy, righteous, and just God as “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way.“  Since we are lost in sin, we should justly suffer “the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9)and eternally perish since “evil may not dwell with [God].”

Yet God knows that we are slaves to sin. He knows we are unable to save ourselves. He knows we deserve to be eternally condemned. But He also knows we are His creations as Moses wrote in the Old Testament book of Genesis, “God created man … male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). And then He also knows every person as King David wrote, 

“For you formed my inward parts;

    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb …

I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-14).

Thus out of fatherly love and mercy, God sent His Son “in order that the world might be saved through 

him” (John 3:17).  So Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost” and to do ”’the will of my [his] Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life,’” (John 6:40). 

But how could Jesus appease the righteous wrath of God against sin and sinners? To answer this question, we first turn to the Old Testament book of Exodus. Here we learn how God saved his people, the Israelites, from slavery and death with the sacrifice of a Passover lamb. At that time thousands of years ago, the Egyptian king, also known as Pharaoh, refused to allow the Israelites to leave their lives of slavery and depart for the Promised Land – a land which God had promised to the Israelite’s forefathers hundreds of years earlier. So God sent many plagues which took a great toll on the Egyptians, their crops, and their animals; but Pharaoh, would not change his mind. So God declared that there would be one more plague; after which Pharaoh would relent and allow the Israelites to leave. This plague was the death of all the firstborn males in Egypt – both man and animal. To be spared, God told the Israelites to take the blood of a lamb, a Passover lamb, and paint it on the doorframes of their houses. When moving through Egypt that night, the angel of death knew to “pass over” any house marked with a lamb’s blood. After this plague as God had promised, Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave. Thus the Passover lamb’s sacrifice saved the lives of the firstborn of the Israelites and freed them from slavery. 

Since this lamb was essential to saving His people, God commanded the Israelites to select a Passover lamb which was “without blemish, a male a year old” (Exodus 12:5). This foreshadowed God choosing Jesus as ”our Passover lamb”  (1 Corinthians 5:7) so that we might be “ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your [our] forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:18-19). As the Passover lamb saved the Israelites, so too Jesus’ blood saves us from eternal death and frees us from slavery to sin.

Now briefly turning to the New Testament, the prophet, John the Baptist, declared Jesus would be like a Passover lamb whose sacrifice would save the world from sin: “He [John the Baptist} saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘”After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.”’” (John 1:29-30). Not only did John foretell Jesus’ sacrifice but John called Jesus, “A man who ranks before me, because he was before me.” This statement illustrates both the human and divine natures of Jesus. John describes Jesus as “a man” but one “who ranks before” him because Jesus “was before” him. Yet how could this be since Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary about six months after John’s birth? John’s declaration could only be true if Jesus, God’s Son, is immortal; something which the book of Hebrews confirms: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Returning to the Old Testament, after the Israelites had left Egypt, God gave them many laws. Some of these laws dealt with how to atone for their sin because “the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.”  Now “under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of 

sins” (Hebrews 9:22). So to receive God’s forgiveness, the priests would sacrifice offerings to God on behalf of the Israelite. Except for the very poor, this offering was an animal sacrificed at the tabernacle or temple. Yet “in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins … For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away 

sins” (Hebrews 10:3-4) and “make perfect those who draw near” (Hebrews 10:1). Though required by the law, “gifts and sacrifices are [were] offered that cannot [could not] perfect the conscience of the 

worshiper” (Hebrews 9:9) and so at the temple the “priest stands [would stand] daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can [could] never take away sins” (Hebrews 10:11).  However, Jesus “entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood,thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls … sanctify for the purification of the flesh,  how much more will the blood of Christ, who … offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:12-14). Now as noted earlier regarding John the Baptist, the Son of God became a man to save us: “Since … the children share in flesh and blood, he [Jesus] himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong 

slavery” (Hebrews 2:14-15) and therefore Jesus “for a little while was made lower than the angels … so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). Thus the animal sacrifices required by the law pointed to the final sacrifice which Jesus made to bring freedom from slavery to sin and the devil. So “in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his 

grace” (Ephesians 1:7) and hence all “may receive the promised eternal inheritance,since a death has occurred that redeemsthem from …  transgressions” (Hebrews 9:15). 

The book of Hebrews also tells us that not only is Jesus the perfect sacrifice for sin but he is also the perfect high priest: “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up 

himself” (Hebrews 7:26-27). Again the Bible tells us the Son of God had to take on human flesh and become man since “he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:17-18). And as the high priest would enter the tabernacle or the temple to make atonement for the people so “Christ has entered …into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Hebrews 9:24) for ”Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). So “the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office … he [Jesus] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for 

them” (Hebrews 7:23-25). Accordingly, as the apostle John wrote, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Therefore Jesus, by being the perfect high priest, seeks reconciliation between God and believers, who still sin, by pleading with God on their behalf. 

Therefore, “our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death” (Psalm 68:20). Due to Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, God declared, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no 

more” (Hebrews 10:17) because “where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for 

sin” (Hebrews 10:18). Paul explains this further in the book of Romans, ”All who believe … are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness … so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:21-26) and “since … we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9) and thereby “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Thus Jesus’ sacrifice and intercessions on our behalf are able to appease God’s righteous wrath which out of justice should fall on each of us. So Jesus is the propitiation for sin as John wrote, “This is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10) and “not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). 

Now as Paul wrote, “You, who were dead in your trespasses … God made alive together with him [Jesus], having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14). So then “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36) and no longer are you “slaves to impurity and to lawlessness” (Romans 6:19). But “you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God” (Romans 6:22) and hence “slaves of 

righteousness” (Romans 6:18) because “he [Jesus] became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey 

him” (Hebrews 5:9).However, notice Jesus’ warning in the following verse, “Whoever believes in him [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18).So since “without faith it is impossible to please him for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists” (Hebrews 11:6), those without faith in Jesus are not saved from God’s wrath and are eternally condemned. Therefore as the Psalmist wrote, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Psalm 32:1-2).

Having accomplished the will of “God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4), Jesus is “crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death” (Hebrews 2:9) and so after ”Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his

 feet” (Hebrews 10:12-13).  Now in glory while at the right hand of God the Father, “the man Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6), is the “one mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:5) for as Jesus said,“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through 

me” (John 14:6). And one day “just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ … will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

Then until the Last Day arrives “since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:21-22) for “all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he [Jesus] gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Thereby we are“heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him” (James 2:5) and “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). As a result, “let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16) for “the Lord is … a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him” (Nahum 1:7). 

Therefore out of gratitude for God’s mercy and his numerous blessings, let us offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving and so glorify God and “the Lamb …for he is Lord of lords and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14). And “let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23) and then let us “be faithful unto death, and I [God] will give you [us] the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus …equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

In closing, if you would like more information about the Bible, follow the link https://www.lhm.org/studies/studyvideofull.asp?id=16902 to the Lutheran Hour Ministries video series titled “Bible On Trial: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.” At this site there are four short videos which examine the reliability of the Bible. At Immanuel, as Missouri Synod Lutherans, we believe the Bible is the true Word of God since “every word of God proves true” (Proverbs 30:5). However, we are blessed to have much evidence which attests to the truth of God’s Word and confirms our faith in the Bible is not unfounded. 

So then, after considering these things, join us for church. If you would like to know more or have questions, please contact Immanuel’s Pastor Ottmers. He may be reached at 972-540-1036 or by email at pastor_tab_ottmers@att.net.

The English Standard Version Bible quotes have been cited from https://www.biblegateway.com and The Lutheran Study Bible copyright 2009 by Concordia Publishing House.