Tag Archives: sin

mmmm esther mmmm

1 Reply

mmmm Mum’s homemade Apple Pie mmmm

Mum lovingly baked an Apple Pie for my family

Tastes delicious when served hot with ice cream

This pie is gluten-free for my coeliac nephew

He had 2 servings because he was extra hungry

Mum bakes many gluten-free treats for him

This reminds me of special food mentioned in the Bible

I have been reading the Old Testament book of Esther recently

This book is set in the time during the Babylonian exile of the Jews

Mordecai and Esther were Jews from the tribe of Benjamin

They eventually settled in the Persian capital of Susa

King Xerxes was looking for a new queen

He ordered that many young girls be brought to his palace

Esther was one of these young girls

The young girls received beauty treatments and special food

The king was attracted to Esther more than any of the other women

He crowned Esther queen and gave a great banquet in celebration

Later on, a royal official named Haman plotted to destroy the Jews

He persuaded the king to sign a decree to exterminate the Jews

The king agreed not knowing the Esther was actually a Jew

This decree caused much mourning amongst the Jews

Mordecai asked Esther to speak to the king about this decree

The Law stated that anyone who approached the king uninvited must be put to death

This is how Esther responded to Mordecai:

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me.

Do not eat or drink for 3 days, night or day.

I and my maids will fast as you do.

When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law.

And if I perish, I perish.”

Esther chapter 4 verse 16

Esther risked her own life to save her people

She approached the king and her life was spared

Esther told the king about Haman’s evil plot

The king was enraged and ordered Haman’s execution

Esther persuaded the king to sign a new decree

This decree gave the Jews the right to protect themselves against persecution

The Jews successfully fought against their enemies and won

Even though the book of Esther does not mention God:

God used Esther to save his people

This Easter, we remember an even greater saviour

At great cost to Himself, God sacrificed his own son Jesus to save us

God did not spare his own son from death on a cross

He spilt the blood of his son to cleanse and purify us

God opened up a new way for his people to have a relationship with Him

Through Jesus we now have forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life

This forgiveness and eternal life is now available to all who trust in Jesus

We do not earn salvation through good works

God graciously forgives us and adopts us into his family through Jesus

This is truly amazing grace!

This Easter, who do you trust to save you?

Is Jesus your Lord and Saviour?

For believers: how is Jesus the king of your life?

mmmm bible mmmm

Note about advertising on WordPress:

I do not endorse or receive payment for the advertisements that you may see above or below my blog. WordPress is the sole beneficiary and solely responsible for advertising on its own platform. If you see any inappropriate advertising, please report this to WordPress directly. Thanks & Happy Easter!

Advertisement

mmmm Day of the LORD mmmm

Leave a reply

mmmm Celebrating Christmas with Yumcha Dim Sum mmmm

Yumcha is my favourite food in the whole world!

Also known as Dim Sum: it originates from Cantonese-speaking China & Hong Kong.

This year I celebrated Christmas by sharing Yumcha with friends in Sydney.

Without prompting, my Dad organised another Yumcha Christmas Party with family.

I wish this Yumcha celebration would never end!

In contrast, did you know that our world will come to an end?

Last month, a visitor to my fellowship asked me an eschatological [1] question.

He volunteered his email to receive my answer and so he could ask more questions.

There is global fascination with the Second Coming of Christ and the “End Times”:

  • When will Jesus return?
  • When will the “Day of Judgement” occur?
  • What will the LORD God [2] do on “Judgement Day”?

Judgement Day is known as the “Day of the LORD” in the Bible.

For thousands of years many have speculated when the day of the LORD will occur.

Many have tried to calculate the date unsuccessfully with spectacular failure.

Some even speculate that Jesus will return directly to Jerusalem in the End Times [3].

Is this one reason behind the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by USA [4]?

Australia has also recognised Jerusalem 2 days ago (15 December 2018) [5].

If Jerusalem is in allied hands, will this hasten Jesus’ return & Judgement Day?

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 2

No human political decision can speed up Judgement Day.

The New Testament verse reminds us that this date cannot be calculated.

The day of the LORD will arrive when we least expect it (like a thief in the night).

What else does the Bible say about the day of the LORD?

Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.

Isaiah chapter 13 verse 9

That day is the day of the LORD God of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes.

Jeremiah chapter 46 verse 10 part A

For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.

Ezekiel chapter 30 verse 3

Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.

Joel chapter 1 verse 15

Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light…

Amos chapter 5 verse 18

For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.

Obadiah chapter 1 verse 15

And on the day of the LORD‘s sacrifice— [Lord God declares] “I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who array themselves in foreign attire…

Zephaniah chapter 1 verse 8

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Malachi chapter 4 verse 5

The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

Acts chapter 2 verse 20

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

2 Peter chapter 3 verse 10

From these eschatological verses [6] we can see the colourful imagery of the day of the LORD:

  • A day in the future when God will destroy the earth and sinners
  • A day in the not-too-distant-future when God will punish his enemies in all nations
  • A day in the near-future when our past deeds will return to haunt us
  • A day coming soon when God will judge the people of Israel and the whole world

But the Bible also promises salvation to those who trust in Jesus

This is the great hope we celebrate at Christmas:

God loved the world by sending his son Jesus [7] to save sinners in all nations.

Our Father God has graciously given the gift of forgiveness for the whole world.

So Jesus’ followers need not fear the Day of the LORD

But we are to be ready for this day: seek forgiveness for your sins now

One question remains:

Is Jerusalem important to Christians today?

Historically the Jewish people made an annual pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem.

The temple symbolised the LORD God dwelling with His people.

The Jewish temple was destroyed by the Romans soon after Jesus’ death & resurrection.

This temple was never rebuilt (in fact there is now a mosque in its place).

So Christians do not need to make an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Jesus’ followers can worship Father God anywhere on Earth.

Through Jesus we can speak to God in prayer at any time and any place.

Jesus is where we go to meet God (instead of the earthly Jerusalem).

God now dwells inside his followers: we are the new temple!

The joy of Christmas is knowing that we’re on the journey to our real home.

Our real home is with Jesus in the New Jerusalem – the heavenly city [8].

The earthly Jerusalem is currently divided and a flashpoint for conflict [9].

The REAL Jerusalem is in Heaven with Father God where there is eternal peace.

Questions to consider this Christmas:

Are you prepared for Judgement Day?

Have you sought forgiveness for your sins?

Have you discovered the Joy of Salvation available exclusively from Jesus?

For followers: does your family & friends know about the New Jerusalem?

Footnotes:

[1] Eschatology is the study of the “End Times” prophesied in the Bible: this includes the Second Coming of Christ and the Day of Judgement (also known as the Day of the LORD).

[2] In modern translations of the Bible: LORD (in capital letters) refers to the Hebrew name of God: Yahweh/Jehovah. In English, the name of God may be referred to as “The Lord God Almighty”.

[3] The author of this blog does not uphold the Premillenial view of Eschatology. After reading various news articles, the best descriptions of Premillenialism are listed here:
CNN News (14 May 2018): https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/08/opinions/jerusalem-israel-evangelicals-end-times-butler-bass-opinion/index.html
BBC News (5 January 2018): https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42402350

[4] Last Christmas in my Micah blog (see below with original news article links), I blogged about USA controversially recognising Jerusalem causing immediate global protests. Jerusalem remains an important city to the Israeli/Jewish people today. However Jerusalem is currently a divided city with the Eastern portion belonging to the Palestinian territories (as officially recognised by the United Nations). The Palestinians also claim that Jerusalem is the capital of their territory. So the status of Jerusalem is currently disputed.

[5] On 15 December 2018, Australia recognised both West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem as the future capital of Palestine. News articles:
BBC News (15 December 2018): https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-46576716
SBS News (15 December 2018): https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-recognises-west-jerusalem-as-israeli-capital-but-embassy-move-on-hold

[6] This is not an exhaustive list. Other “Day of the LORD” references include: Isaiah chapter 13 verse 6; Isaiah chapter 58 verse 13; Ezekiel chapter 13 verse 5; Joel chapter 2 verses 1, 11, 31; Joel chapter 3 verse 14; Amos chapter 5 verse 20; Zephaniah chapter 1 verse 7, 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 5; 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 2.

[7] John chapter 3 verse 16

[8] Revelation chapters 21-22 (final chapters in the last book of the Bible)

[9] Useful articles to read about the current divided status of Jerusalem:
Gospel Coalition (16 May 2018): https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-jerusalem/
Reuters News (21 January 2018): https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-israel-pence-jerusalem-idUSKBN1FA0JL

mmmm Bible mmmm

Note about advertising on WordPress:

I do not endorse or receive payment for the advertisements that you may see above, below or beside my blog. WordPress is the sole beneficiary and solely responsible for advertising on its own platform. If you see any inappropriate advertising, please report this to WordPress directly. Thanks & Merry Christmas!

mmmm romans 5 mmmm

Leave a reply

Mmmm Chocolate Hot Cross Buns Mmmm

In Australia, we have access to awesome food!

But that’s not the only food that is mouth-watering.

At Bible College last semester, I ate big mouthfuls of the New Testament.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5:6-11

We know Easter is coming when all the stores start selling Chocolate Eggs & Hot Cross Buns.

Every year they start appearing earlier and earlier as retailers exploit this Christian holiday.

Sadly I saw eggs appear in January immediately after months of Christmas commercialisation.

Although eggs and buns are delicious, what is the real meaning of Easter?

The passage above is a great summary of the “Amazing Grace” of Easter.

Humans fight with God even though He lovingly created us.

We hate God and His name has become a common swear word in society.

We are at war with God and have become his bitter enemies.

As a result our world is in a mess: wars everywhere and environmental destruction.

How does God respond?

Instead of waiting for us to be his friends, he takes the initiative to reach out to us.

God demonstrated his amazing love for his enemies by sending Jesus to die on a cross.

Very rarely will anyone choose to die for anyone else.

Possibly you might choose to die for a good friend, but never your enemy.

We deserve to die for our own sins – our rebellion against God.

God sacrificed his own Son to die in your place to pay for your sins.

Jesus chose to die so that we can have peace with God.

God raised Jesus to life again as King of the Universe.

We can now have a real relationship with God.

At Easter we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The amazing grace is the gift of eternal life that Jesus offers his enemies.

If we accept this gift, we can be friends with God.

If we reject this gift, we remain his enemies and face eternal death.

Are you at war with God by fighting or ignoring Him?

Do you want to be at peace with God and have forgiveness for your sins?

For Christians, do you think that the Jesus’ grace is the most amazing thing in your life?

mmmm Bible mmmm

I do not endorse the advertisement you may see below my blog:

mmmm galatians 3 & 4 mmmm

Leave a reply

Mmmm Chinese Char Siew (BBQ Pork) Mmmm

In Sydney, we have delicious Roasted Chinese Meats as good as anywhere in Asia!

But that’s not the only food that is mouth-watering.

At Bible College this semester, I’m eating big mouthfuls of the New Testament.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba Father”. So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Galatians 3:26 – 4:7

We have just celebrated “Father’s Day” in Australia.

Christianity is unique in describing God with the familial term “Father”.

Other religions depict their gods as distant, unknowable and impersonal beings.

In stark contrast, we see in the above Bible passage that Christians are called “sons of God”.

Christians are part of God’s family and enjoy a close relationship with Him.

Christians call Him “Abba” which is an affectionate term like “Daddy”.

Followers of other religions would never dream of calling their gods “Daddy”.

So how do you get to call God “Daddy”?

How do you get to be in God’s family?

2,000 years ago a person’s place in religion was determined by race, class and gender.

The New Testament passage above was revolutionary and counter-cultural at that time.

Amazingly, Christianity was not limited to a particular racial, cultural or social grouping.

This remains the same today: anyone of any race, class or gender can become Christian.

Christianity is not a “White-man’s religion” or an “Upper-class religion”.

Christians are male & female coming from all races on Earth and classes in society.

We are all one and the same in Christ Jesus.

Anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour can be part of God’s family.

God sent Jesus into our world to free people from the slavery of sin.

Jesus died on a cross and rose again conquering death which was the penalty for sin.

So those who trust Jesus with their lives are no longer slaves, they are sons of God.

Since we are now sons, we are now heirs of God’s Kingdom and eternal life.

We have bright hope for the future and look forward to our inheritance.

Christians speak to God as Dad when they pray.

Christians listen to God as Dad when they read the Bible.

Christians have a real relationship with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Do you dare to draw close to God and call him “Daddy”?

Are you part of God’s family?

When was the last time you had a close & loving conversation with God?

mmmm Bible mmmm

I do not endorse the advertisement you may see below my blog:

mmmm 2 corinthians 5 mmmm

Leave a reply

Mmmm Spicy Moroccan Eggs with Haloumi Cheese & Coffee Mmmm

In Sydney, we have a vibrant cafe culture with great coffee & yummy food!

But that’s not the only food that is mouth-watering.

At Bible College this semester, I’m eating big mouthfuls of the New Testament.

14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:the old has gone, the new is here!
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God.
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

2000 years ago the city of Corinth in Greece was world famous for sexual immorality.

The ceremonial worship in Temple of Aphrodite (goddess of love) involved prostitution.

Ordinary citizens were often promiscuously infatuated with unnatural sexual relations.

Even some of the Corinthian Christians were boasting about their sexual exploits.

Fast forward to today and nothing has changed: our World is obsessed with Sex!

Paul wrote this letter to remind readers of the gospel message.

Many of us have read the Bible or heard that Jesus died on a cross.

But why did he have to die and why is this significant?

The Bible passage above is a great summary of the Good News that Christians celebrate.

From the Old Testament, God required a perfect spotless lamb to be sacrificed every year.

This sacrifice allowed humans to atone for their sins and be declared righteous before God.

In the New Testament, Jesus took on this role of the sacrificial “Lamb”.

When Jesus lived on Earth he led a perfect sinless life.

So he was the only one on Earth able to die for others providing atonement.

We deserved to die for our own sins but Jesus took our sin on himself and died in our place.

So in Jesus, we can be declared righteous before God and have a relationship with Him.

God no longer counts our sins against us because of the cross of Christ.

Jesus died for all Christians once and for all.

So we don’t have to go through the Jewish ritual of atonement year after year.

Our old self has been crucified with Jesus and we have been given new lives.

So if we now trust Jesus, why would we return to the sins in our past?

If we were sexually immoral before, why would we choose to return to this promiscuity?

The cross of Christ is at the centre of every Christian’s life.

We are now his ambassadors telling everyone we meet about this Good News.

As God’s representatives on Earth, it is our mission to make Jesus known to everyone.

Are you confident that God will declare you righteous when you meet Him?

Is Jesus at the centre of your life and how has he transformed your life & actions?

As a Christian, are you still involved with sexual sin?

How are you going with sharing the Good News with your family, friends & neighbours?

mmmm Bible mmmm

I do not endorse the advertisement you may see below my blog:

mmmm leviticus 16 mmmm

Leave a reply

Mmmm Enjoyed delicious Italian Handmade Pasta with Porcini today Mmmm

I’m grateful that I live in multicultural Sydney with food from all over the world!

But that’s not the only food that is mouth-watering.

I’m being nourished at Bible College with tantalising morsels of Old Testament this semester.

29 “And it shall be a statute to you for ever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselvesand shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute for ever. 32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 33 He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 And this shall be a statute for ever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Moses did as the Lord commanded him.

Leviticus 16:29-34

In the Old Testament book of Leviticus, we see how the Israelites were to relate to God.

The Israelites were “unclean”, rebellious and sinful and needed instructions to come near a holy and “clean” God.

On one special day of the year, the High Priest made atonement for the sins of the whole nation.

This involved animals symbolically being punished for the sins of the people.

A scapegoat was released into the desert and bulls were sacrificed.

The High Priest was only allowed into the Most Holy Place of the Tent of Meeting on the Day of Atonement.

God forgave the sins of Israel when this annual ceremony took place.

The Jewish people still observe the Day of Atonement – “Yom Kippur”.

In the New Testament, “Yom Kippur” has been made obsolete.

At Easter, Christians remember that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice.

He died on the cross and his blood was shed just like the animal sacrifices.

He became the scapegoat and the sins of the whole world were placed on him.

Jesus died once for all, so Christians are forgiven for all time.

We do not need to keep sacrificing animals every year for forgiveness.

In fact because of Jesus, ordinary Christians can come near to God every day.

We no longer need the High Priest to go into the Holy Sanctuary of the Temple.

Anyone can accept Jesus on any day of the year and be forgiven by God.

We do not need to wait for “Yom Kippur”.

We no longer need to go to the temple in Jerusalem.

We can pray to God anywhere on Earth and be assured of forgiveness.

Are you forgiven?

mmmm Bible mmmm

mmmm exodus 20 mmmm

Leave a reply

Mmmm Enjoyed delicious Vietnamese Beef Pho with fresh chilli last weekend Mmmm

I thank God that I live in Sydney with the best authentic Asian food outside Asia!

But that’s not the only food that is mouth-watering.

I’m being nourished at Bible College with tantalising morsels of Old Testament this semester.

Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.
You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not let God speak to us or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Exodus 20:12-21

This passage includes a portion of the familiar Ten Commandments.

Many think that as long as you obey these and lead a good life, you will go to heaven.

Wrong.

Our salvation comes from Jesus alone.

We do not earn our way to heaven by obeying religious rules and regulations.

Jesus saves us & makes it possible for Christians to have a real relationship with God.

These verses show the nature of our relationship with our Heavenly Dad.

We are to fear and respect our Dad because He created the whole universe & us.

The Ten Commandments demonstrate the holiness of being in the same family as God.

They were written to test our love for Him.

When we follow Jesus, we try to live our lives in a way that pleases God.

But often we stuff up and break the Ten Commandments many times in our lives.

Thankfully we don’t have to be worried that we are not good enough to enter heaven.

Because entering heaven doesn’t depend on our “goodness”.

Instead if we ask for forgiveness, God will allow us into his “house” or heaven.

After we’ve been forgiven, we live our lives in thankfulness for what Jesus did on the cross.

Christians aren’t perfect.

Christians are forgiven.

Christians are children that demonstrate their love for their Dad in a way that makes him proud to call us his kids.

Is God proud of you?

mmmm Bible mmmm

mmmm genesis 8 mmmm

Leave a reply

Mmmm Enjoyed delicious Indian Tandoori Chicken and Naan Bread last weekend Mmmm

I thank God that I live in multicultural Sydney with a huge variety of authentic Asian food!

But that’s not the only food that is mouth-watering.

I’m being nourished at Bible College with tantalising morsels of Old Testament this semester.

“So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on the earth—came out of the ark, one kind after another.Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”

Genesis 8:18-21

Genesis sets up this incredible unfolding plan of God.

We have the tension of sin and Man’s rebellion contrasted against God’s love for his people.

We are left asking, “How will this all end?”

God knew that Man would rebel against him well before he even created anything.

The amazing thing is that God decided to go ahead and create the whole universe anyway knowing that Man would rebel against him.

He lovingly created a beautiful world knowing that we would pollute it with our sinfulness.

As a result we now have major environmental problems because we have failed to care for the world:

  • We have chopped down all the trees
  • We have killed all the animals
  • We have thrown rubbish everywhere
  • We have polluted the air with greenhouse gases.

We only have ourselves to blame for Climate Change.

As we read about Noah and the Flood, we see that God is a God of Second Chances.

He could have wiped out all Mankind but he chose to spare Noah and his family.

God knew full well that every inclination of Man’s heart is evil from childhood.

He knew that we are naturally evil from birth. It is in our nature to sin.

Inexplicably he allowed Noah to survive knowing that Man would continue to sin after the Flood.

We see a repeating pattern emerging in Genesis that will continue throughout the whole Old Testament

  • Man rebels against God
  • God warns Man to stop rebelling
  • Man ignores God’s warning
  • God rightfully judges Man for his rebellion
  • God gives Man a Second Chance and lessens the punishment
  • God restores Man

Then the cycle begins all over again showing that we haven’t learned anything from our mistakes.

The whole Old Testament is leading to the climax in the New Testament.

Through Jesus, God has dealt with Man’s rebellion once and for all.

Jesus has taken the punishment that we deserve upon himself.

Jesus has restored our relationship with God and stopped this pointless cycle of hopelessness.

Jesus gives us real food and real hope for the future.

mmmm Bible mmmm