Tag Archives: confessing our sins

Yes, Mandy, there really is a Hell

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 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Matthew 10:28

Our first summer in camping ministry, we had a potpourri of counselors from various church backgrounds.  One tall slim girl named Mandy grew up Lutheran and knew her Bible well.  As Mandy spoke with her campers during Bible study one week, the topic of hell came up. Mandy shared what she had learned from God’s Word.  When one of the campers went home, she told her parents, who told their pastor, who told the superintendent of camps at the head office, who called my husband to say our “counselors were not allowed to talk about hell since some churches don’t believe in it!” 

…whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.  Matthew 5:22 (NKJV)

We were astounded!  Yet being new to camping ministry and young Christians ourselves, we encouraged the counselors to just keep the focus on Jesus in their Bible studies.  But if there is no hell, why does anyone need Jesus who came to save us from our sins so that we won’t go to hell?!!  Well, I can tell you, if we were in that situation again, we would pull out our Bibles and march down to the head office to show the leaders God’s Word.  And so, to paraphrase the famous line from the 1897 New York Sun editorial by the aptly named Francis Church, I reply, “Yes, Mandy, there really is a hell!  You were right all along!  Here is the proof I’ve found in God’s Word which does not lie.” Oh head office, know the truth and the truth will set you free!

The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God.  Psalm 9:17 (NKJV)

Perhaps the best Bible story depicting hell is found in Luke 16:19-31. Here we meet a very poor man named Lazarus (a different Lazarus than the one Jesus’ raised from the dead). This Lazarus suffered throughout his life.  When he died, he went to Abraham’s bosom (a picture of being held in heaven in the arms of God).  At the same time, a wicked wealthy man died and was sent to hell.  From hell, this rich man could see across a large chasm into heaven, where Lazarus was being comforted on Abraham’s bosom.  The rich man begged for Lazarus to bring him some water, but Abraham said, “No, you had the good things during your lifetime, and besides there is this big chasm that separates us.”  The rich man begged for Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family about hell, but Abraham replied, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” And so the rich man was left in hell to suffer for all eternity (Luke 16:19-31). It is interesting that Jesus raises another Lazarus from the dead in John 11! And were any persuaded by this miracle to repent?  

If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  Psalm 139:8 (NKJV)

Oh, dear one, we don’t want this eternal torture for anyone, not our friends nor our family nor our worst enemies.  We want to bring them the Good News of God’s salvation through His only Son Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ)!  We want to show them through the scriptures how Moses pointed to a Savior.  Jesus is the Seed to crush satan’s head Whom God promised Adam and Eve in Genesis. He is the Passover Lamb who died for our sins in Exodus.  He is our High Priest and the Law fulfilled in Leviticus.  He is the Prophet foretold in Deuteronomy.  He is the Captan of our salvation in Joshua. He is the One the psalmist declared is poured out like water for all the world. He is the One wounded for our transgressions in Isaiah. He is the 4th person walking in the fire in Daniel. He is the ruler from Bethlehem as told by Micah.  He is Jesus Christ, the baby born to the Virgin Mary, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.  He is Yeshua Messiah, who bore our sins on the cross that all who believe in Him will escape hell, have our sins washed into the depths of the sea, and live eternally in heaven, with Lazarus on Abraham’s bosom!  (Genesis 3:15, Exodus 12:21, Leviticus 21:10, Deuteronomy 18:15, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53:5, Daniel 3:25, Micah 5:2,Micah 7:19,  Luke 2:7, Luke 2:12, 1Peter 2:24,  Pastor Tim Sheets, “Knowing Him,” Oasis Church, November 26, 2023).

Today’s TEA CUPP:  Read Job 33:23-30  and Jude 24-25 and see there is HOPE! Jesus is our Mediator, the One who keeps us from the pit!  Jesus’ blood He shed for us on the cross washes us clean so that we can be in heaven with Him for all eternity. Our citizenship is in heaven!  Make your salvation certain today by calling on Jesus and confessing your sins. Rejoice in our great hope, dear one!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  1Peter 1:3 (NKJV)

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  Romans 10:9 (NKJV)

Hell and Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more the hearts of the sons of men. Proverbs 15:11 (NKJV)

I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.  Revelation 1:18 (NKJV)

If you’d like to learn more, you might enjoy reading We still need the Key and It is Finished and Leave no Doubt and My Dear Loved One. 

 …and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.  John 20:28-29 (NKJV)

(See also Deuteronomy 32:22, Job 21:30, Job 26:6, Psalm 11:6, Psalm 21:9, Psalm 73:18-19, Psalm 140:10, Proverbs 1:12, Proverbs 5:5, Proverbs 7:27, Proverbs 9:18, Proverbs 23:14, Proverbs 27:20, Proverbs 15:24,  Proverbs 20:26, Isaiah 14:15, Isaiah 14:19, Daniel 12:2, Matthew 5:29-30, Matthew 13:24-49,  Matthew 18:8-9, Matthew 23:33, Matthew 24:29-51, Matthew 25:30-46, Mark 9:42-48,  Luke 3:17, Luke 12:5, John 5:22-30, John 5:46-47, John 8:32, 2Thessalonians 1:8-9, 2Peter 2:4-11, 2Peter 2:17, James 3:6, Jude 23, Revelation 20:15)

“Thus says the Lord God: ‘In the day when it went down to hell, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it. I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to hell together with those who descend into the Pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the depths of the earth. They also went down to hell with it, with those slain by the sword; and those who were its strong arm dwelt in its shadows among the nations.  Ezekiel 31:15-17 (NKJV)

For great is Your mercy toward me,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.  Psalm 86:13 (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

Forgiven 4:7

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Romans 4:7 Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.  

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.  We are the blessed, dear one.  We are the blessed because our Father in heaven forgives us all our sins with the covering of Jesus’ blood on the cross. He no longer sees us as the lost, messed up, broken, bad-choosing, prideful sinners we are — that is washed away by Jesus’ redeeming blood. He sees us as pure children, clothed now in clean robes of white, with hearts clean inside and out, all our thoughts and actions are of Him, we walk in His word and by His Holy Spirit.  We are sheltered under the covering of His wings, like chicks around the mother hen. And any time we want, we can cuddle up safely in His nest, for even the sparrows have a place at His altar. But He does not make us stay there, He allows us to choose to come and go and grow and bring others into HIs family. And lest we wander too far from Him, He calls us back. Oh, dear one, bless the Lord for blessing you with His forgiveness and covering.  Always remember the cross and how Jesus bled and died for you and rose again. And stay close in His Word and prayer always, sheltered under His wings. ❤️ Amen. 

Leviticus 4:7 And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.  

Here we see the Gospel story of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.  Leviticus 4 describes the sin offerings God ordained for His people Israel. This involved an animal without blemish (4:3) being sacrificed by the anointed priest at the tabernacle, for there was no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.  When Adam and Eve first sinned, God had to shed the first animal blood when He made them coats.  This is God’s Law, it’s how He ordained our purification, and yet still we could not sacrifice enough perfect animals for all our sins. So, God the Father sent His only Son Jesus to come into the world to die for our sins. He had to remain pure and spotless to be the perfect sacrifice. Jesus not only gave His life and shed His blood, He was also the anointed Priest who poured it out and interceded to the Father on our behalf.  And, just as the blood was poured out by the Tabernacle door, Jesus is the Door, the only way to heaven, everyone must enter through Him by accepting His free gift of salvation. And thus, we will all be sheltered under our Father’s Tabernacle forever.  Believe in Jesus, dear one, believe!  Come Lord Jesus, come!  Come Holy Spirit, come!  Come, Emmanuel, come!  ❤️ Amen. 

And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.  Hebrews 9:22 (NKJV)

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV)

(See also Psalm 17:8, Psalm 36:7, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 61:4, Psalm 84:3, Psalm 91:4, Isaiah 1:18, Matthew 23:37, John 10:9, John 14:6, Romans 8:1, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, Colossians 1:20, 1 Peter 1:18-20, Hebrews 9:22, 1 John 1:7, Revelation 1:5)

In summer 2022, the Lord called me to write 4:7 Petitions, Prayers, and Proclamations…  I heard the Lord saying, “Pay attention to 4:7!” I started reading every 4:7 verse in the Bible. When there wasn’t a 4:7, I read the closest verse. I used these verses as Prayers, Petitions, and Proclamations to the throne room of Christ our Savior. Bit by bit, I’m sharing them with you, my TEA CUPP Sisters.  Thank you for reading and praying 4:7!  

 

Prayer Journal Snippet for the USA

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Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing? Psalm 2:1 (NKJV)

Very often I pray for our nation. My next book, More TEA CUPP Prayers, has a whole section on praying for the USA. As I work to complete this book, you may have noticed I have less time to share posts. But, never fear, I’m still praying and writing! I hope to announce More TEA CUPP Prayers is published before the end of summer. So this week, I share a snippet from today’s ADMIT section of my prayer journal. I used verses that are in the M’Cheyne Daily Bible Reading Plan.

Today’s TEA CUPP: Won’t you please join me in praying for our nation again and confessing its sins? Thank you, dear one…

Deuteronomy 21:8 ...do not lay innocent blood to the charge of Your people Israel. O Jesus, so many babies have died from abortion, so much innocent blood. Forgive the USA, O Lord, for this horrid sin. Reverse Roe Vs. Wade. May the Supreme Court release their final statement on the Dobbs case and may it be for LIFE! Do this miracle! Keep the pro-life justices steadfast. Guard and protect them. Have mercy on the USA, dear Jesus. Heal our land.

Psalm 108:11 ...and You, O God, who did not go out with our armies? Of course not, they aren’t inviting You! They are doing abominations and gay pride. O Jesus, end this pride month! You said right in Genesis that you created us male and female, marriage is for one man and one woman. End this great evil! Forgive the USA and set it back on Your straight and narrow path with Your Laws and leaders and justices. Send a revival across this land and pour out Your Holy Spirit, even upon Zoo Montana in Billings, Montana. Don’t let them host a drag queen story hour on June 22. O Jesus, stop all the evil, forgive our nation for all its sins. Have mercy on Your children, O Lord.

And when we are forgiven and back in Your good favor, all people will know that this was done by Your hand, that You, O Lord, have done it! (Psalm 109:27).

In the name of Jesus I pray, Thy Kingdom Come. Thy Will be done.

Amen

Thank you for stopping by My TEA CUPP Prayers. If you enjoyed today’s post, you might also like to read Wars and Rumors, Consecrate a Fast, and Every Age Needs Jesus.