Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Grace By Number

I am so thankful that God speaks to all of His children. He speaks to me sometimes through numbers. What I mean is He uses numbers to convey His meaning, or even to encourage, or direct me. A great blessing He has given me in the way of numbers is a revelation of the number five.  Every number in the bible has a meaning, significance, and great importance. Nothing is in God's word by mistake. He is a God of order and no human being, or super-computer can hold a candle to His brilliance. The number "five" stands for "grace"; that by which we are saved through faith. Here is a brief explanation of the grace of five.

In the beginning was God, and God is a triune being...Father (God), Son (Jesus/God), and Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit/God). So, in the beginning was our triune God...1, 2, 3 of them, completely individual, yet completely one. He/They- is/are- awesome! So while one stands for unity, two stands for division or simply implies that there is another. Then three is the basis of the two coming together, and again forming the unified "one" out of two. Three is divine perfection, and the three (the Holy Spirit) is third because He joins the two together to make them one again, thus joining the parts, as a part, and becoming a part of the one. Sometimes, when teaching this, I've drawn the Godhead as a triangle with the numbers 1, 2, 3 at the points. However, it would be more accurate (as if words or drawings could ever do the Lord any justice) to simply draw a circle, symbolizing the never ending oneness of our God.

Next we see something truly amazing. They (God) created. Yes in God's revelation/revealing of himself to man (the Bible), He begins by creating ("in the beginning God created" Genesis 1), thus adding everything created as His means of revealing Himself to created beings. Amazing, huh? He, who is unseen, or spiritual, revealed himself to us (natural, carnal, created beings which are created by Him) through things which can be seen, His creation. Thus adding one to the three, making four - the number of creation.

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they [men] are without excuse" Romans 1:20     
                  
 The number four always speaks of creation. But we know that corruption entered into creation through pride, or sin. There was nothing we could do to redeem ourselves. So God sent His son, Jesus Christ, as our kinsman redeemer to reconcile us back to him. Redeeming us from vanity - having been subjected to it through the corruption that entered into the world.
This redemption has come, not as a reward for anything we could ever have done to deserve it, but by a redeemer. Jesus Christ is that redeemer, messiah, anointed one through who grace and truth have come. He loved us even in our weak and helpless state, while we were yet sinners. So we give this redemption, this amazing grace, the number five.
Here are a few of the definitions given for grace by the Free Online Dictionary:
grace  n.
a. A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill.
b. Mercy; clemency.
5. A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence.
a. Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.
b. The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God.
c. An excellence or power granted by God.

I simply say it is the unearned, unmerited, and undeserved blessing and favor of God.

Every time something in scripture is connected to the five, there will be a reference, or a type, of a model of God's grace. Here are a few examples.

-Father, Son, Spirit, Creation, Redemption = 5 great mysteries

-God added the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the h(hey) the symbol for the #5 to the names of Abram and Sarai, making them Abraham and Sarah when they were called to walk before God in a special way. It was then that God revealed Himself for the first time By El Shaddai, the "all bountiful one", able to provide all their needs, solely for his own purposes and not because it was deserved.

-The fifth book of the Bible, Deuteronomy, points to the grace of God. He makes sure to let us know that it is not as a result of our (the people's) goodness that He chose us and blesses us, but for His own name's sake...For Jesus.

-The life of Benjamin, who is a representative (type) of you, and me (the church), is marked by grace. The first time Joseph (a type of Jesus) saw him, he said "God be gracious to you, my son." Gen 43:29. Later when all the brothers ate with Joseph~ Benjamin's serving was five times as much as the others. Then again later, Benjamin was given five changes of clothes. God makes no mistake in His word. These indications of five/grace in the life of Benjamin are a message to you and me.

- When David slew Goliath he chose five smooth stones, and took him down with one.
- When Jesus was approached by His Goliath (Satan) in the wilderness, He also had five smooth stones; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. But He only used one, the fifth one, the book of Deuteronomy in every response to the Devil. Satan was easily defeated.
-The Children of Israel made five main offerings, all pointing to the one offering made by Jesus.
-Jesus took five loaves and fed five-thousand
-The fifth Psalm tells us how God surrounds us with His favor (grace) as a shield.

-The fifth book of the New Testament, Acts, tells of the amazing Acts of the Apostles who had recently scattered and even denied the Lord when trouble came. But now, under the influence of God's amazing grace and the power of the Holy Spirit they turn the world upside down.

I hope you will begin to research the fives of the Bible. You will be amazed that when you find a connection to the number five there will somehow always be a link to God's grace. I pray that it strengthens your faith as you see more and more that no human being could have linked so many references to this beautiful gift of God. Our Bible is truly God's love letter to His children.

I am especially thankful that God marked this disciples life with so many fives; born on the fifth day, of the fifth month, of the sixty-fifth year, the youngest of five children. I think He knew it would take that many for me to actually believe He could actually forgive, and love someone like me. But He did, and He does. Now I am His! That should give everyone hope.

"For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:17

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Godly Motives Are Birthed By The Good News

Our motives are more important to God than our actions/deeds.
"For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”~1 Samuel 16:7

We can take an inventory of motives that compel us to do things. If we are honest, many are derived of the things that we want. We may want to be famous, known, or accepted by men. We may crave power, money, sex, or just attention. Instead of trying to earn man's approval some do things to try and earn God's approval by their own goodness, holiness, deeds, self-effort...works. Still others are driven by bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness, or revenge. All of these are ungodly motives; in other words they are carnal, or of the flesh.
{def. Carnal -1."pertaining to or characterized by the flesh or the body, its passions and appetites; sensual: carnal pleasures.2.not spiritual; merely human; temporal; worldly: a man of secular, rather carnal, leanings.} 

"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" Romans 8:6.

And while men rate these things in different ways, some being worse than others, and actually some being accepted and even expected in the society we live in and around the world... God sees them all as sin, and they all link back to the Garden of Eden. That's right, nothing new, they all fall into three categories; lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It is the same stuff that caused Adam & Eve to fall, nothing new under the sun.
Want to know something else? All people know they are sinners. I know it is true because the Holy Spirit told Paul to write it down in the book of Romans. I will agree that some have not admitted it yet, maybe even to themselves, but their conscience tells them that there is a God and that they are not Him (read the first two chapters of the book of Romans). You don't have to tell people they are sinners, as a matter of fact, most of them will readily admit it, albeit this is usually where the sin of comparison comes in. They start trying to justify themselves by comparing themselves to other people who they deem to be worse sinners than themselves. God doesn’t see it that way.
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. 

The point I want to make is that the knowledge of the fact that they are sinners does not surprise anyone. And condemning them and giving them a list of regulations, dos and don't s and putting them on a path to God that is shaped from the arrogance of men and is performance based, will not help them anymore than it did for the 1500 yrs. the Old Covenant of the Law was in effect.
What people need is the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the Good News. Actually, if you had a literal translation it would say the "almost too good to be true news", “great news”, the “you are not going to believe this but its true news”. People are not fixed by being told how broken they are. Sure in some cases, when people are in extreme pride & arrogance, the law can be useful to beat them with, as a club, until they admit what they really already know. But then, what they desperately need is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance. Romans 1:16 amplified 

They need to know that there is a savior that loves them, that died for them, and that lives today and is waiting with open arms to receive them into the family of God. He is the one who will free them from this bondage to the sin that destroys lives. He is the only one who can change their selfish motives into selfless ones. Like Jesus' own motive, theirs can be one of love. Instead of doing things to try and earn God's approval, they can come to a place where their good deeds are done as a loving response to the good He has done on their behalf, and not as a means to earn it or deserve it.

Monday, June 13, 2011

THE CURE FOR WHAT ILLS YOU

These are portions of a letter I sent to a loved one who had been given a couple of bad reports from the Doctor. I am inclined to share it with everyone. It is the truth we know and rely upon that sets us free. Be blessed.
 ------------------------------------------------
Here is a little bit of wisdom for you from the Word of God. He wants you healed, and He provided that healing for you 2000 years ago on the cross. So the healing has already been provided by grace, what you need now is faith to receive it. The Bible says:

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6.

The good news is the faith He is looking for is not something you have to conjure up, it is a gift from God.

“…as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3

 So you don't need more faith, you need less unbelief. People make the gospel too hard. It is really simple:

The world is fallen and so is everybody in it that doesn't know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It's not a matter of being good or bad, everyone born since Adam has been born into sin. It's in the seed we inherited. Jesus came down in the form of a man, born of a woman so he could be like us and legally be our kinsman redeemer. But he was not born of Adam's seed; He is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life, took our place on the cross bearing our sins, rejection, illnesses, disease, poverty, and much more. He laid down his life, was buried, and on the third day was resurrected from the dead and lives today where he sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven as our High Priest forever, making intercession for us. Now by simply believing on Him and asking Him to be Lord of our life, God imputes His righteousness unto us. Even the faith required to do this is a free gift from Him. See how much He loves you. He requires all the glory, so He does all the work. That way it excludes boasting on our part. No one is ever going to get to heaven and say it was by their own doing.

So now I want you to consider a few things.

1. Is Jesus the Lord of your life? If not, nothing else matters. No one gets to the Father without going through Him. So if He isn't... stop and ask Him to be right now... if you really want Him.

2. The Word, or the Bible, is real and it's alive. It is important to ask God to give you revelation of this fact in a way you can understand. The Bible is the way God chose to reveal Himself to His children, and we use it to renew our minds to think and love like Him. Without letting the Bible, quickened by the Holy Spirit, be our guide for life, we can never mature as Christians.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Psalm 107:20

3. This is a big one, but the most liberating yet. Fear is not of God. If you have been fearful, don’t let this condemn you. Whenever the word corrects you, see it as an opportunity to get in agreement with God and slam the door on the devil.


"For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

Try reading the Gospel of John, Chapter 15, and receive the Peace that Jesus gives as a gift. Just believe... like a little child.

The fear of man can stop physical healings from occurring in your body. Look at the blind man in Mark Ch.10. He cried out, "Jesus, Thou son of David, have mercy on me." The crowd around him told him to hold his peace (Mark 10:48), but he refused to fear the opposition of men around him and he received his miracle.

Don't let fear, or the opposition of man, stop you from receiving from God today. Come into His presence. Reach out toward Jesus. Ask Him to dispel every ounce of fear within you. Begin to thank Him for paying the price, making you an over-comer, and interceding for you before the Father. Jesus is alive. He longs for an intimate personal relationship with you.

4. He has a steady supply of grace (unmerited, unearned favor and blessing) for every area and need of your life; spiritual and natural. The grace of God has appeared to all men, but not all are saved, healed, prosperous, etc. Why? It is because we are saved by grace through faith. Grace is everything he has provided for us through Jesus. In Christ we have been given all things pertaining to life and godliness. So if this is true, and it is, then it is up to us to reach out by faith and acquire those things which have been provided by grace. 


 We do not live by sight, but by faith. He is the Alpha and Omega, which means He has the first and last word in everything concerning us. If a doctor report says you have an illness or disease, they are merely reporting what they can see with their natural eye, according to the training they have been given. We are thankful for them and many times they tell us the name of what to pray for.  Everything that has a name has to bow to the name of Jesus...everything. So if it is cancer, it must flee when commanded in the name of Jesus. If it is addiction, it also must go. Yes, kidney stones and heart disease as well. Do not go by your feelings or what you see. Just start saying what the word says about you, proclaiming the promises of God over your life and wait for the manifestation of your freedom to appear. Don't worry about being a man or woman of strong faith in an instant. The bible says "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God", so get into the Word.

5. Our words are powerful. God formed the heavens and the earth by speaking words, and He formed us in His image. Don't sabotage your life by your words. Speak life into every situation in agreement with the word of God. Choose faith and life, over fear and death.

Here are a few scriptures for you to meditate on for now. Say them out loud and personalize them with your name or the names of others, even under your breath is fine. Just give Jesus a chance, and see what happens. If it seems awkward, that's just the enemy trying to keep you from the Lord. He is faithful to try and do that, but he has no power over you...just resist him and he will flee from you.


 The bible says that the gospel is foolishness to them that are perishing. Don't be moved by unbelief. Trust God... If you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him.

----------------------
"Jesus was made in the likeness of men" Phil 2:7
"He took our infirmities, and bore our sickness" Matthew 8:18
"and with his stripes we are healed" Isaiah 53:5

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits…
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. Psalm 103:2-3

"I will restore you to health and heal your wounds", declares the Lord....Jeremiah 30:17

"I know the plans I have for you, " declares the Lord,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11


http://livingwaterline.blogspot.com/
 http://graceonhislips.blogspot.com/
http://glorygarden.blogspot.com/
http://catchmelord.blogspot.com/

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Life Is Precious

Precious Friends,

I just came from the funeral of a friend, Officer Kevin Will (HPD) 37. He used to come to the church, and I remember how I thought it was crazy when he decided to leave the banking industry, take a cut in pay, and be a Houston Police Officer a couple yrs. ago. I believed he would be a good preacher, though I never had the opportunity to tell him. During his training his parents, especially his dad, would come to my house a couple times a week. His Dad never stopped talking about Kevin, they are best friends. From the time I met Kevin, and his brother Todd, the Lord put a burden on me to pray for them. I remember joking with Kevin about getting him and his brother both to church on the same day, and how I always asked about them and would tell Donna, their Mother, that God had a plan for them. I just came from the funeral, and I don't think Kevin made a bad choice anymore. Our Lord Jesus Christ was honored by Kevin's life, and today I watched as through the story of his life and faith, Kevin indeed preached the message of the gospel... posthumously, to thousands. He served God, by serving His people. He loved people, and made them laugh. And as his mother said, "He Finished Strong". Please pray for Kevin's family. His wife is gonna have a Kevin Will, Jr. pretty soon.


Life is precious, and short. Love God. Love People. Tell everyone about Jesus.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Let's Get Real With God


Look more closely at the question- “Do I Really Know Him?"
Is Jesus your Lord...or are you with the millions of others who admire Jesus and like the idea of the Savior part, but can't seem to bring yourself to the place of surrender? I am not talking about just saying a prayer. I am asking if you have knowingly and willingly made a choice to surrender your life to Jesus Christ.
If you find yourself in that category with those who are "dipping their foot in the water" but can't bring yourself to take the "plunge" it might be because you think it is some sort of trick and that you will be giving up much more than you will get back...you know, selfishness. Don't worry, we were all born that way.  We didn't mind if someone did without when we were infants, as long as we were provided for. Unfortunately that still applies for many of us today. We are afraid God won't provide for us the way we are accustomed to, or as good as we do ourselves. It is good to be honest with ourselves and God regarding these things. Let's get real with God. The worst thing we can do is live in denial when it comes to the Lord.
Please consider this scripture:

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Psalm 32:1-2 NIV
And again in the New Living Translation:

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!” Psalm 32:1-2 NLT

What a great opportunity. By simply being open and honest with the God who already knows everything about us, we step into total forgiveness and blessing. Believe me he already knows it all. He is hurt by us, but not deceived. No, this is for our own benefit, just as everything he asks us to do is for our own good. He wants to bless us more than we are willing to receive. We just have to come to a place in our hearts where we admit we are sinful and in need of a savior.

“The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” Psalm 51:17 NLT

“Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2 AKJV
 
We need to get to the point where we trust him enough to be completely honest with him and with ourselves. The void that every human being has on the inside of them that causes them to search and search for things to fulfill them, is really their longing for the one who created them; for God. That need to be loved, cared for, and encouraged can only be satisfied long-term by filling that void with the presence of God. No one can provide for us better than our heavenly father, who created us, and wants above all things, for us to be in good health and prosper even as our souls prosper? Not only does he want it, but he is the only one who can actually make it happen.

One thing about God's grace...it's available to everyone, but forced upon no one. 

Monday, April 25, 2011

The New Wine

Jesus is our Rock. It is all about Him. He is the Rock from which the living water comes forth, the New Wine of the Covenant of Grace, Truth, and Redemption. He is everything you will ever need, and without Him there is nothing good. He tells us quite bluntly on the night of his betrayal that we can do NOTHING apart from him.

“I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

 Later we are encouraged to hear that the alternative to doing nothing, apart from Him, is we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 

 In the old covenant we are always looking forward, toward the cross of Christ and what Jesus would eventually do for us, reading about Jesus in types and shadows, veiled, or concealed, but it is still all about him. Sometimes the author of the Bible (the Holy Spirit) let's us see how it is, or would be, without Jesus.

 The first miracle that Moses performed when he went to get God's children out of bondage in Egypt, was to turn the water of the Nile into blood, a picture of Judgment and symbolic of death. The first miracle Jesus performed when he began his ministry was to turn water into wine, symbolic of life, joy, and blessing.

 In this comparison we can see the difference in the two covenants. One, the Law of Moses, is designed to bring Judgment. It is designed to bring us to the end of ourselves, and to make us realize our need for a savior...for Jesus.

The other, the New Covenant through the blood of Jesus, brings life, grace, and peace.

 “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.” 2 Peter 1:2

Under the New Covenant we are no longer looking forward to the arrival of a savior. Instead, we are looking back at what our savior, Jesus, has already done. Now we can rest in His finished work, and wait confidently for his return.

Begin to SEEK God regarding the difference in the two covenants and how it applies to you and your life.

“Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself." Hebrews 3:3


Are you still trying to do good to get good, afraid of doing bad and getting beaten?

“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”  Hebrews 10:14


KNOCK on the door of God's kingdom...He will answer.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

Ask Jesus to baptize you with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33) and with Fire (Luke 3:16).

Come to him and drink this living water (John 7:37), the new wine of the covenant of grace and peace. Instead of being in need and spiritually thirsty, become a source of all his goodness as you allow his love to flow through you (John 7:38). It is what you were created for.

Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? (Acts 19:2)

Friday, March 25, 2011

Revelation of Moses' Punishment

I was awakened one night a few years ago by the Lord. He drew me downstairs, where I sat staring into my bible...the book of Numbers. I had been reading Numbers and was intrigued by the "water from the rock." Not so much the miracle, but the method by which God dealt with Moses regarding a little fit of anger he displayed. I thought the punishment of not being able to enter the Promised Land was harsh against Moses. The thinking of my relatively un-renewed mind was that after all, God knew Moses...He had certainly committed worse sin before God ever decided to use him.

In Egypt, at the age of forty, he killed a man. Then he ran away to the desert where God left him another forty years before he was ready to use him. Time apparently needed to get Moses out of Moses. Now, at one hundred twenty years old, the end of his third forty year span, the end of his life, and his brilliant service to the Lord, he was not allowed to enter in to the Promised Land.

Yes, I understand that God told him to speak to the rock, but he hit it instead. He and Aaron also took credit for the miracle God performed. He was also God's appointed leader which carries a great deal of responsibility. But, you do realize that those people...those people Moses had the job of leading were not exactly nice.

I find it a little amusing that at one point, at Mount Sinai, neither Moses nor the Lord seemed to want to claim them. The Lord called them Moses' people, and Moses called them the Lord's (Ex.32). By the time they arrived, for the second time, at the waters of Meribah they had grumbled, complained, and rebelled against Moses and God. Moses sister had just passed away, and here they were again at a place where thirty- seven years earlier the same thing had happened. The Israelites seemed to forget that their wanderings and sufferings were a result of their own sin, and that of their relatives. They blamed it all on Moses.

This is not uncommon even for people today. We like to complain and blame others for the situations we get ourselves into. According to Psalm 78, the children of Israel limited God in the wilderness by their complaining and unbelief of His goodness. Unfortunately, we do not often learn from others mistakes.

That's why they are written there you know...the mistakes and shortcomings of bible folks. The Holy Spirit lets us see faults of every writer in the bible, so that we could learn from them. Oh well, another message for another time. Where was I? Why was God so hard on Moses? This is the man whom God called the meekest in the world! But He pronounced this judgment on him, and later when Moses would ask Him about going into the Promised Land, the Lord would tell him not to even ask Him about it again. (Deut.3:25-26)

 In other words, it was final!

Well there I was, staring into the bible, in the wee hours of the morning. Then the Lord showed me something. He told Moses, "because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them."(Num.20:12). That is the only reason He gave...and it was sufficient. He was justified. God only needs one good reason and He used Moses' disobedience.

But...He had other reasons as well.

God had given Moses a reason, and as far as anyone ever has the right to say, He was justified. But it goes deeper. The Lord showed me two more reasons that changed me forever. First, that day Moses broke one of the types that God had placed in the bible for us, when he struck that rock. If you recall some thirty-seven years prior, in Exodus 17:6, they had been at that same location, with the same problem… no water. God had instructed Moses to take the staff, and STRIKE the rock. Yes strike. He did, and water came forth. Well this time God told him to simply SPEAK to the rock for the same desired result. He did not. He struck it, not once, but twice.

 Then God, out of love for the people, in His great mercy even though Moses had disobeyed, brought forth water from the rock. Moses had no way of knowing, but God knew that the first time that rock (or should I say The Rock) was struck would be the only time. See that striking of the rock in Exodus was symbolic. It was a type and shadow of things to come. It was a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Rock, being struck down on Calvary (although He was not actually struck down because He freely gave up His life for you and me). So the next time was to be a type also. God wanted Moses to show us a picture of a beautiful promise which would come through the Messiah.

God told him to simply speak to the rock and the water would come forth. This was a picture of what is available to us today that ever since He allowed them to strike Him down for the sin of the entire world, all we have to do is speak. Just ask, and the grace that has been provided for all men can be ours. Just by that simple act of faith, asking...He will come into our hearts. And not only that, but by asking Him, we can receive that living water. Just as Jesus said that day when He stood up and proclaimed that any man that thirsts could come to Him and drink, and out of his belly would flow rivers of living water. That living water is symbolic of the Word of God, quickened by the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is the only one who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. 
 
“John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” ” Luke 3:16 NIV

“I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”  John 1:33 NIV

So you see when Moses hit the rock again, not once but twice, it was like crucifying Jesus all over again. And that will never happen.

“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” Hebrews 6:4-6

 His sacrifice was perfect and when it was accomplished He sat down at the right hand of the Father. There will never be a need for another sacrifice. He is overpayment for any debt we could ever have.

 Lastly that night, God showed me a beautiful example of grace. He showed me that He never intended to allow Moses to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land.

That's right. Moses was never supposed to lead them all the way in. Instead, God chose Joshua (another type), whose name means the same as Jeshua, or Jesus. Moses is God's representative of the law. So for Moses to lead the children of Israel (who are a type of the church) into the Promised Land, it would have sent us the message that we could get there on our own, under the law, by self-effort, or good works. No way. Many are still trying to earn their way to heaven, but it is impossible.

 God could not allow His servant Moses to take them in because it would have sent the wrong picture to all believers in the future. God wanted to make sure we knew the only way to get across that proverbial "Jordan River" into the promised land of our salvation is a bridge made of an old rugged cross.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one gets to the Father, except by (or through) Him.