Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags

We all know the story of the Prodigal Son very well. While we know that the Prodigal Son is accepted by the Father, we do not if the Elder Brother accepted his Father's pleading to accept the Prodigal Son. The parable just ends with the pleading. Yesterday at a sharing during our Wednesday night prayer meeting, a pastor proposed this startling ending: the Elder Brother beat his Father to death. The Elder Brother cannot accept the fact that his good works is not acceptable. The same is Cain who killed Abel; and the Pharisees who put Jesus on the Cross. The righteousness of men cannot be compared to the righteousness of God. But many good people cannot accept that their righteousness’s are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) in the sight of God. They have spent so much effort and time. They put in so many sacrifices to be good and have done so much charity. They have much assurance that they have must done well on the basis of their good works. It is a pity that many did not check the KPI (Key Performance Indicators) God had set for them because they ignored Him. Many assumed that God wanted them to be good, but did not seek out God's definition of "good". They are very sure that their KPI is better than that of the Prodigal Son. When they found out that all they have done is nothing in the sight of God, it is all too late.

Our Children's Salvation

Copied from C. H Spurgeon's Daily Check Book:

February 11
Are the Children In?

I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. (Isaiah 44:3) Our dear children have not the Spirit of God by nature, as we plainly see. We see much in them which makes us fear as to their future, and this drives us to agonizing prayer. When a son becomes specially perverse, we cry with Abraham, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before thee!" We would sooner see our daughters Hannahs than empresses. This verse should greatly encourage us. It follows upon the words, "Fear not, O Jacob, my servant," and it may well banish our fears.

The Lord will give His Spirit; will give it plentifully, pouring it out; will give it effectually, so that it shall be a real and eternal blessing. Under this divine outpouring our children shall come forward, and "one shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob."

This is one of those promises concerning which the Lord will be inquired of. Should we not, at set times, in a distinct manner, pray for our offspring? We cannot give them new hearts, but the Holy Spirit can; and He is easily to be entreated of. The great Father takes pleasure in the prayers of fathers and mothers. Have we any dear ones outside of the ark? Let us not rest till they are shut in with us by the Lord's own hand.

The Glory of God departed from the Temple of Jerusalem

The Glory of God leaves the temple (Ezekiel 10:18-22).
The Glory went up from cherub to Temple threshold (Ezekiel 9:3, 10:4).
The Glory stood over the cherubims at entrance of East Gate (Ezekiel 10:18).
The cherubims stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house (Ezekiel 10:19).
The glory of the LORD stood upon the mountain east of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 11:23).

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, razed and burned the Temple on 14th August 586 B.C.

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:24 KJV).

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 KJV).

Religions of the God of Abraham

Samaritans
The Samaritans accepted only the Torah (i.e. the Pentateuch of Moses). They refused to accept the rest of the Tanakh (i.e. the Prophets), which generally spoke highly of Jerusalem. They insisted the temple was to be at Mount Gerizim in Samaria, not Jerusalem. In Deuteronomy 34:10, the Torah wrote "there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses". But in the Samaritan version, it is written as "there will not arise again", implying that Moses was the only Prophet. However, they were waiting for the Prophet prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:18 (John 4:25). The Samaritans recognized neither the Temple at Jerusalem nor the Davidic Dynasty.

Jews
The Jews accepted the Torah and the Prophets. In the Prophets, God promised King David a descendant shall build a house for God and his throne shall last forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16, 1 Chronicles 17:11-14, Psalm 89:3-4). This promise was immediately fulfilled in part by King Solomon. But the Jews are still waiting for David's greater Son, the Messiah.

Christians
The Christians accepted the Law, the Prophets and the Gospel. They believed that Jesus is the Prophet prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:18 and the Son of David, the Messiah.

Muslims
The Muslims believed that God spoke to Muhammed. But unfortunately, God no longer seem to refer to all the earlier promises found in the Law, the Prophets and the Gospel. The Koran stands alone, completely different from the other revelations of God.

Ninth of Av (called Tisha Ba’av)

And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. (Numbers 14:1)

It was said that as punishment for crying in the desert upon hearing the report of the spies, God said to the Israelites, "You are crying tonight for no reason. This night will be set aside as a time for crying throughout the generations' with a reason".

The Talmud tells us of five tragedies that happened on the ninth of Av (called Tisha Ba’av).

1. Crying in the desert upon hearing the report of the spies;
2. The first Temple was destroyed.
3. The second Temple was destroyed.
4. Bar Kokhba's revolt against Rome failed in 135 CE. Simon bar Kokhba was killed, and the city of Betar was destroyed.
5. The wicked Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple and its surroundings. Following the Roman siege of Jerusalem, the razing of Jerusalem occurred the next year.

Others:
March 31, 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella issued a royal decree to expel all Jews from Spain;
1095: The declaration of the Crusades by Pope Urban II;
1242: The burning of the Talmud;
1290: The signing of the edict by King Edward I expelling the Jews from England;
1914: The start of the First World War;
1942: The mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp in Poland;
1994: The bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center by Arab terrorists in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which killed 86 and wounded more than 120.
2005: Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Delaying in doing good

Once I had this Indonesian Muslim colleague who does not wear a tudung. Someone asked her why she was not wearing one. She replied, "I am still young. I want to enjoy myself first. I will wear the tudung when I am older."

I had a student who once said to me, "If I know the exact date when I would die, I would be a nun for two years before that date."

To me, wearing tudungs and becoming a nun had no value. But to these two, they were something good and also have some religious values. However, it seem such an unhappy burden to them that they preferred to postpone these good things to enjoy themselves. But why did they not enjoy doing good?

The Bible has the answer. All men (and women) are sinners and they enjoy sin but hate righteousness.

Why was Christ born?

Why was Christ born?
Answer: Bear witness to the truth.
John 18:37-38
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
彼拉多就对他说：「这样，你是王吗？」耶稣回答说：「你说我是王。我为此而生，也为此来到世间，特为给真理作见证。凡属真理的人就听我的话。」彼拉多说：「真理是什麽呢？」说了这话，又出来到犹太人那里，对他们说：「我查不出他有什麽罪来。

What is truth?
Answer: All must die.
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
按著定命，人人都有一死，死後且有审判。
Psalm 89:48
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
谁能常活免死、救他的灵魂脱离阴间的权柄呢？（细拉）

Why?
Answer: Because the wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
因为罪的工价乃是死；惟有神的恩赐，在我们的主基督耶稣里，乃是永生。

All must die implies all have sinned.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀；

But God had made provision for the salvation of sinner.
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
惟有基督在我们还作罪人的时候为我们死，神的爱就在此向我们显明了。

Mechanics of salvation – propitiation (挽回祭).
1 John 2:2
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
他为我们的罪作了挽回祭，不是单为我们的罪，也是为普天下人的罪。
1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
他被挂在木头上，亲身担当了我们的罪，使我们既然在罪上死，就得以在义上活。因他受的鞭伤，你们便得了医治

Christ rose again because He was sinless.
1 Corinthians 15:4
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:
而且埋葬了；又照圣经所说，第三天复活了，

All in Christ shall all arise with Him.
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
在亚当里众人都死了；照样，在基督里众人也都要复活。

What do you have to do? Believe.
Acts 16:31
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
他们说：「当信主耶稣，你和你一家都必得救。」

Jesus is the only way.
Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
除他以外，别无拯救；因为在天下人间，没有赐下别的名，我们可以靠著得救。」