Dear Thomas, thank you for the simple lessons.  You are an inspiration to all of us.  I love that picture of a cross.

Blessings,

Sara

<sub>Thank you friends, i have some further understanding to what should be to our knowledge and most defenant way of my walk with rabbi Jesus. Three events occurred in dramatic succession on that Easter weekend: the trial of Jesus, then the death of Jesus, and finally the resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus actually went through six trials. In that one night, he was brought before Annas (the father-in-law of Caiaphas), Caiaphas (the high priest), the Sanhedrin (the religious Supreme Court), Pilate (the governor of Jerusalem), Herod (the governor of Galilee), and then back to Pilate.

At the end of those six trials, what did they find to accuse Him of? Nothing. He had done nothing wrong. They brought in people to make up phony charges, but those didn't stick. Finally they convicted him on one count: claiming to be the Son of God. That's the sole reason Jesus went to the cross.

Everyone who has ever been presented with Jesus has already made some kind of decision about who He is. You either believe He's a liar, or you believe He's a lunatic, or you believe He's the Lord. It can't just be "I believe He was a good teacher." He couldn't be just a good teacher, because a good teacher would not say, "I'm God, and I'm the only way to heaven." A good person would not say that unless it was the truth.

Jesus claimed to be the Savior of the world. In John 12:47, He is recorded as saying: "I did not come to judge the world, but to save it" (NIV). He allowed Himself to be put on trial so there would be no doubt about who He was. He could have stopped the trial at any moment; he knew He would be proven guilty and put on the cross—but He allowed it to happen. It was all part of the plan.</sub>

_{Rabbi Jesus is in the business of giving people a fresh start.}

<sub>The apostle Peter says, "Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life, and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven" (1 Peter 1:3-4 MSG).

Several things happen once you give your life to Christ:

1. You open up your life to God and get to know Him.</sub>

2. You're given a brand-new life, which gives you everything to live for.

3. You get a future in heaven.

The way I say it is this: You get your past forgiven, you get a purpose for livin', and you get a home in heaven. What a deal! Your past, present, and future are taken care of as you put your trust in Jesus. A fresh start!

"Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:30 MSG).

Someone said it this way...to the humble we preach Grace and to the prideful, the Law. Because if you preach the Law to a humble man whose heart is open and willing, if our words to him of the Law, condemn him ,rather than being shown or given the love of God that he is feeling need of, he is condemned by the Law, and we only destroy him. But the Law, it will break a prideful spirit, because it reveals the powerlessness of man to save himself, and in a broken or humble state, the prideful man now may see his need for God, and receive the Salvation and Love he didn't before feel he had any need of. This is the difference in what or how we preach to whom. With thoughts of Kathleen, who was tickled by her illustration of all the sins being laid on the alter, and I thought that was a cute & imaginative perception... I had come, after some time of being saved and knowing God and also knowing the sifter of our souls, whose name is Lucifer, the father of lies, The Deceiver, etc...I had come to view sin more as a power that grips our soul than some deed known to be anti-religious, such as drinking, etc. There's a broad perception in the world today that "sin" is something like drinking alcohol or swearing, or using God's name in vain, when in it's fuller truth or revelation, it is Not merely something that disappoints God or makes him mad at us, but... It's more so something that "separates" us from Him, from any connection to the knowledge of him, from his Grace which freely gives us Life both today and eternally, even though we have earned death by sin. Sin is the power that enslaves or chains us to the sentence of eteranl death, but no!...Not just eternal death, but the death I just mentioned, which is, being separated from the knowledge, awareness, and presence of who God "really" is! What the world says about him is one thing, that usually has nothing to do with the realistic reality of who God really is, or what his message and intention to you and I is today. Sin, we have heard is something we are born "in." Consider that if we are born "in" sin, that no good works we could possibly do, say, above and beyond not drinking or swearing, as if these were good deeds, could undue the sin that we already had before we did any deeds at all! Tom said that we should come to God even with our sins, and not wait until we are spotless enough to come to God or call ourselves a Christian? It's not deeds that put us in place to call ourselves Christina, so deeds, whether good or bad, actually have nothing to do with Salvation or with coming to God. Even if we were the person who "seemed" above sin and spotless in the estimation of men, this has no bearing on say, our judicial standing in heaven or in how God sees us. Remember God's word? "Man looks on the outward but God on the heart." So what is it that God is looking for in the man or woman who he calls his own, if it's not for his deeds being good or bad? I've written enough and don't want to be overwhelming. If anyone wants to hear "the rest of the story," I will so gladly write it...for this and only this purpose...to kick the Deceiver off the alter, who hates all of you no less than me, who would rather that we believe his lies or his distortions of God's Truth more likley, so that we never come to know the power of Life that is in God's Word and his truth and his love for us. I am thinking that sin is like a curtain that separates our mind and heart from the brilliant light that is on the other side. It's something we "all" deal with and are hurt by and have a war with, whether we know God or not, in this life, so there is no judging or condemning anyone. It's taken it's great tolls on me and my life "even as" a Christian, and my motive is never to judge even the alcoholic who is oppressed and imprisoned by a desire and impossible habit that won't let him go, but as God has said that, "the Truth will set us free," it is my great passion to expose the Truth, in order that it may set us free from some things that we aren't even aware we are imprisoned by! With the Persistent & Comassionate Love of the Son of God, who is Alive and Well today, the preachergirl and your Adland friend, Kim

_{Hey Kim, thanks for your inlighting words of wisdom as always, it is true God does look at the heart but for good reason, he wants so badly for you to join Him in hopes of leading you to salvation,}

_{rabbi Jesus died and payed the price for all so how many more times do we have to sin till our cup runeth over sort to speak, Grace does come with a price with rabbi Jesus, either your Hot or cold in your faith or he will have nothing to do with you; Revelations 3:14.}

_{vs.21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. vs22 He who has an ear , let him hear what the Spirit says to the churchs."  Sin is whatever causes problems within what you do in your life ,so it can be anything, anything at all.}