Listen to Your Teachers

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

Hebrews 12:22-25, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.”

                                                                                                                                                                       

I heard about a little boy who was not getting good grades in school because he had not been paying attention to his teacher. One day, his teacher sent a note home for his parents about his conduct and his grades. The next day, he came up to the teacher and said, “I don’t want to scare you, but my dad told me last night that if I don’t start getting better grades somebody’s going to get a spanking!” That kid needs a dunce cap. The teacher is not the problem. Bad things happen when we do not pay attention. I do not know how many times someone has sat in my office that was desperately seeking help, and I heard them say, “I wish I had listened.” This concept of listening is not just hearing; the idea is listening with the full intention of heeding what is said.

First, God speaks to us through Jesus’ blood. The alternative to listening is refusing to hear. That is what the children of Israel did at Mount Sinai. They asked for God to speak to Moses because they did not want to hear His voice. The warning here is very stern. If we refuse to heed God when He speaks to our hearts, as he calls us and challenges us to this matter of growth and maturity and perfection, then we are trending on very dangerous ground.        

Secondly, God speaks to us through His Word. Hebrews 12:5 says, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children…” The rest of verse five and all of verse six are a quotation from Proverbs 3:11-12. That is a reminder that God speaks to us through His Word. When we open the Bible with its 1,189 chapters and 773,466 inspired words, we are not simply reading the writings of Paul, the writings of Peter, or the writings of John – it is the eternal Word of the Living God. The Bible is not simply a statistical book of historical significance; it is contemporary to every generation, every individual, and every situation and circumstance in life.

Thirdly, God speaks to us through His Spirit. Hebrews 3:7-8 says, “Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harde

n not your hearts.” Often, we get so busy in our lives, that we do not take time to listen to God. We do not allow Him to speak to our hearts. In all of the action and activity of life, we must carve out, on a regular basis, quiet time where we can listen to God. Before we launch out to face the adversity and pressure of the day, we need to allow Him to speak to us. Every child of God has the internal voice of the Spirit of God speaking. That voice is the voice of the Author of the Scripture. He will take the Word and apply it to our lives, if we will heed His voice.

Fourthly, God speaks to us through the testimony of faithful believers. Hebrews 3:13 says, “But exhort one another daily while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” God’s plan is for us to encourage and uplift each other. He speaks to us through other believers. Thank God for those people who care enough about you to come alongside and say, “Listen, you need to change this. You need to dedicate your life to Christ. You need to serve Him with your whole heart.” Sometimes, people resent those who correct them; that is foolish and dangerous. God is speaking to you through their words. I watched video of Richard Wurmbrand speak. He was a pastor in Romania, who spent fourteen years in a Communist prison, being tortured for his faith. When he walked to the pulpit, I saw a little man, thin and emaciated, with hollowed out eyes and sunken in cheeks. But, when he talked, his face lit up with a radiant glow. As he told the story of his ministry in the underground church, God used his testimony to stir my heart. He has been with the Lord for several years now, but his voice is still speaking today. The impact of his testimony is still encouraging and motivating me and thousands of others who heard him speak. That is the kind of testimony I want to leave behind for the glory of God. But, I can only leave that testimony if I listen to His blood, His Word, and the testimony of other faithful believers. When you hear God speak, do not refuse Him. Do not turn away. Do not turn back. Obey His voice. Run to Him and find His will. Do His will and forever you will be blessed.

Thoughts of Thanksgiving: Around The Table

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

Food is often associated with people and their fellowship.  As our hearts and minds are flooded with thoughts of Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas, perhaps it is no coincidence that Christmastime is also the time associated with the Feast of St. Stephen’s. Then, right on the heels of Thanksgiving and Christmas is New Year’s, another day the families gather at the table. Christmas will be a time of turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, ham, yams, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, peas, corn on the cob and pumpkin pie. I am not in favor of changing the name from Thanksgiving to turkey day. We still need to be thankful, even for the turkey we eat. All the glory goes to God for His benefits. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). As we gather around the table this Thanksgiving. Let us ask ourselves, what is the attraction?

The table says I’m accepted.               

The first time the word “table” is mentioned in the Bible is in Exodus 25:23 which says, “Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof” (Exodus 25:23). The revelation of this table came to Moses at the same time God gave him the Ten Commandants, “And look that thou make them (the Tabernacle furniture) after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the (Exodus 25:40).

The law was given to set a moral standard and create civility in an uncivil and fallen world. The law also shows us that we have sinned and need a Savior. Paul said, “…I had not known sin, but by the law…” the law…” (Romans 7:7). “For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me” (Romans 7:11). Thanks be to God, in the same revelation of the law, God also gave us the Tabernacle, which was the way back to God. It was here God explained in detail about the sacrifices, the altar and the mercy seat, in other words, the way back to God. Among the artifacts of the Tabernacle was this Table of Shewbread. God was saying, come back to Me. Come back to fellowship. He was saying, as long as the blood has been shed for your sins, we can talk. Now Christ has died once for all for our sins and through Him we can sit at the table for fellowship. “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).

You know what the table means? It means we are accepted.  The food said you are accepted back to the land of the living, back to the will of God.  This is why holidays mean so much. It means you are accepted. Hardly anything can be more emotionally painful to know that you are not invited to a Holiday meal hosted by someone you love. Holidays are a good time to make amends and welcome the prodigal home. The table says, you are accepted! “And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:23,24).

I originally heard this story from Paul Harvey. Although I have heard different versions, this is the one I recollect. A young son had been incarcerated for some ten years. He had been arrested so early in his youth for mischief that he had turned criminal. Oh, how remorseful he was for the wrong he had done that caused him to be imprisoned. One of the great regrets was the deep pain and embarrassment he place upon his fine up-standing family. So great was the shame that he sincerely wondered if his parents would ever forgive him. He wrote home, saying, “I know I have disappointed you. I shall be coming through town on the 3:00 train. The train passes your house shortly before it pulls into the station. If you don’t want me to come, do nothing, I’ll understand. I’ll stay on the train; go to another place, another town and start all over. Believe, me, Mom and Dad, I understand why you wouldn’t want to ever see me again. I can promise you this; I will never embarrass you again. If you do want me to come home, there is a way I’ll know. Just tie a white handkerchief to one of the limbs on that old oak tree that I presume is still standing. You know, the one I built my tree-house fort in. The one I tied the old tire to for a great swing; that one. The train slows at that bend just before our house. I’ll have a perfect view from my window. The day came, the train slowed, with fear and trepidation, he looked. And he did not see one…not one handkerchief. Every limb was covered with white handkerchiefs. It looked like a snowstorm! And beneath the tree, crying for joy that their son was home was Mom and Dad waving a giant white sheet. In my mind I see them showering the boy with hugs and kisses. And can you see it with me? …. just beyond them, a table set with all of his favorite food. Thanksgiving would be good time to say, “Welcome home.”

The Cry of Blood

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

Hebrews 12:22-24, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

The phrase “the blood of sprinkling” goes back to Old Testament days. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would take the blood into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle it on the mercy seat. Jesus Christ was both our High Priest and our sacrifice. (Hebrews 9:12) It is through the shedding of Christ’s blood that we have the forgiveness of our sins, and that blood gives us salvation – eternal, everlasting life. But, salvation is not that last time we need the sprinkling of the blood. That is not the last time we sin. I got saved when I was fourteen years of age, so most of my sins of my life were committed after I was saved. I do not need to get saved again and again and again. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin at salvation. But, we need a new sprinkling of the blood for our sins after salvation. First John 1:7 declares, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” The blood speaks. Verse twenty-four says that Christ’s blood speaks better things than Abel’s blood. So let’s compare the two, and see what they have to say. In Genesis 4, we see the first murder in human history. Abel was killed by his own brother, Cain.

Cry of Abel’s Blood – Justice. I believe that when Cain slew Abel, he probably buried Abel’s body and thought, “I’ve gotten away with this.” But, he did not get away with anything. God confronted Cain for his evil deed. God said, “I heard a voice. I heard the voice of some precious, righteous blood.” In Matthew 23:25, Jesus Himself talks about the blood of righteous Abel. Abel was a man who loved God and lived for God and served God. When he was slain, his righteous blood cried out to God. Based on God’s response to Cain in verse in eleven. Abel’s blood cried out to God and said, “Justice! Vengeance!” So God, responding to the voice of Abel’s blood, came down, and confronted Cain. He said, “Cain, you’ve sinned. Because you murdered your brother, I am going to punish you with a curse.” Cain said, “This is more than I can bear.” Abel’s blood cried out for justice – with good reason. But, I am so glad that there is another blood crying out with its voice.              

Cry of Christ’s Blood – Mercy.  On the night of the first Passover, each Jewish family was instructed to take the blood of a lamb, put it in a basin, dip a hyssop branch in the blood, and sprinkle the blood on the top and sides of the door. This act of faith and obedience spared their firstborn children from death. The blood spoke for their covering. Thousands of years later, Jesus Christ was crucified on the very night of the Hebrew celebration of the Passover. He was, as John the Baptist announced, the Passover Lamb that took away the sins of the world. The blood of the Passover lambs, and the blood of the high priest sprinkled on the mercy seat only covered sin; Jesus’ blood cleanses sin! Sins that are only covered can be brought back against us again. Sins that are cleansed are gone forever. God says concerning those sins, “I will remember them no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

Ark of the Covenant.  To understand fully what Jesus’ blood says, we have to understand the Ark of the Covenant. As part of the instructions for worship that God gave to Moses in the book of Exodus, he was told to make a special box that would go in the tabernacle. Exodus 25:8-9, “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle.” You cannot build the tabernacle on earth after the pattern of the tabernacle unless there is another tabernacle to be patterned after. The instructions God gave to Moses allowed him to recreate on earth a picture of what is in Heaven. If you read on through Exodus 25, you will see very specific instructions for the size, shape, and composition of the Ark of the Covenant, and the rest of the items that would go into the tabernacle. The pattern that God gave Moses for worship followed the pattern from Heaven. If you read Hebrews 9 and 10, you will see how the sacrifices in the tabernacle picture what Jesus Christ would later do.

Run to the Mercy Seat.  When was the last time you went to the throne of grace and asked for mercy? We all sin. The problem is too many people sin and then say, “Well, that’s too bad.” How many times I have heard, “I just couldn’t help myself.” Our natural tendency is to make excuses instead of repenting and asking for mercy. But, if we make excuses instead of repenting and asking for mercy. If we make excuses for our sin, we are certain to begin to fail in life’s tests. Our A’s will go to B’s, our B’s will go to C’s, and our C’s will go to D’s. It will not be long before our hearts are cold and hardened and we are far away from God. Instead, we need to be running to the throne of mercy. We need to come there, and we need to confess our sins. We need to forsake them and say, “Dear God, I’m not coming to you because of anything worthy in and of myself, but I’m asking for Your mercy.” The path on which you travel to get mercy ought to be well worn, but the tragedy of many Christians is that they are so busy, so caught up in their lives, and so unconscious of wickedness that they forsake that path. But, apart from that path, we miss out on the mercy, we miss out on the grace, and we slide away from God. The only way back to an intimate relationship with Him is to get back on that path. Those Christians who are closest to God are close to Him because they are often at His throne seeking mercy. When we are distant from God, it is because we have sin in our lives, and we are not coming to Him and dealing with it, confessing it, and finding His mercy. The blood of Christ speaks better things than the blood of Abel. I will take Christ’s blood, how about you? I do not want justice, I need mercy. Thank God we can find it at the throne of grace.

Thinking Differently: Bringing Down The Strongholds Of Family Dysfunctions

Making Jesus Known and Loved

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

Once again, I would like to discuss our vision for our Church.  At Lefferts Park Baptist Church, one goal should take precedence over all else: making Jesus known and loved.

The life of our church is based on the person and work of Jesus Christ. We want to share Jesus with the world around us, so that in knowing Him, they will come to love Him.

1. Making Him Known: through Evangelism & Education

To make Jesus known, we proclaim the free offer of God’s grace to sinners, urging them to repent and believe in Jesus.

The Apostle Paul has described our work as a ministry of reconciliation. We call men to make peace with their Creator by believing in His Son. There is no salvation apart from Christ, so if we desire to see men saved, we must preach Christ and Him crucified!

    We baptize new believers in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and then we follow the Great Commission by teaching them to be disciples. To be a disciple of Christ means to follow both His teaching and His example. Through our preaching and teaching, we set forth biblical doctrine, and through our ministries and worship service we offer believers the opportunity to bring glory to God by their obedient service.

2. Making Him Loved: through Obedience & Fellowship

To make Jesus loved, we follow His example. Jesus breaks bread with His disciples, and He calls them brothers.

To grow in love for our Savior and His people, Lefferts Park fosters a sense of community, bringing believers together for worship, fellowship, learning and spiritual growth. In all this we emphasize our Lord’s words when He said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).

Together, we study God’s Word and experience His goodness as we learn to be conformed to the image of His Son. We strive to make Jesus loved by loving one another and loving the people in our community to whom God has sent us as witnesses.

Let’s do our part to make Jesus known and loved today and every day.

Thinking Differently: Bringing Down The Strong Holds Of Family Origins

Thinking Differently: Why Is It So Hard?

Where Do You Live?

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

Hebrews 12:22-24, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

                                                                                                                                                                       

As God describes His children and their dwelling and their lives in this passage, He blends together the present and the future, and He forgets the past. I am so glad He does! God, who lives in eternity, looks at you and I as already being seated in the heaven beside Him. Our part is to live by faith, accepting and claiming what God has declared to already be true. No, we cannot see it yet with our eyes, but faith sees what is invisible. Let’s look at the privileges of those who live in Zion.

Sion – Lack of Prejudice. First, there is no prejudice to those who live in Sion. It is true that the book of Hebrews was written predominantly for Hebrew people, but the promises are for everyone who is a believer. God is not prejudiced. Sion is not simply for the Jew. Now, in Christ we are one. The Scripture says we are no longer Jew, Gentile, Greek, bond, free, male, or female; we are all one in Christ. (Galatians 3:28) That means all of us can enjoy all of the privileges of this relationship with God through faith in Christ. The world may be divided by racial and ethnic prejudice, but Jesus erased all of those divisions.      

Sion – Premier Location. Second, Sion offers us an incredible location. In the real-estate business, they say that the three most important factors in pricing a property are location, location, and location. Well, look at Sion’s location. Verse twenty-two says we are come “unto the city of the living God.” You cannot beat that! The Greek word for city means “a community with walls”. In Bible times, walls were vital to the defense of a city. Without them, you had no means of security or protection. Compare that to Sinai. In the wasteland of the desert, there were no defenses. It was wide open – every man for himself. There was no law, no order, no security, and no safety. Now, we have a home in the city of the living God.

Sion – Enduring Construction. Third, Sion offers us an enduring home. Buildings built here on earth are subject to decay. Over time, the elements and the wear and tear of use make our buildings grow old and decay. But, Sion is built with materials that will last. The Bible says that each gate of the Holy City is made from a single pearl. A thousand-year-old pearl is just as strong and beautiful as a brand new one. It does not age or decay. The street of Heaven is made with pure gold. If you have some 500-year-old gold that you want to get rid of because it is old, bring it by my house! Gold does not age or decay. All the materials used in the New Jerusalem are perfect, because everything in Heaven is perfect. By the way, if we keep that in mind – that we are heading for an enduring home – we will not get so bent out of shape about what’s happening in the here and now.

Sion – Wonderful Neighbors. Fourth, Sion provides us wonderful neighbors. Verse twenty-two says that in Heaven there is  “an innumerable company of angels”. Heaven is filled with angels praising and worshiping God. Oh, what wonderful neighbors! Verse twenty-three says, we will also live with “the general assembly and church of the firstborn”. In Bible days, the firstborn son received the greatest blessings and the largest share of the inheritance. What god is telling us here is the through His grace, we get to share in all the privileges of His firstborn Son. All the believers of all the ages will be our neighbors. Sometimes, Christians do not get along very well here on earth. But, there all of us will be perfect; we will get along wonderfully with all of our neighbors.

Sion – Presence of God. Verse twenty-four says, “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant”. Now, there are many different names and titles of Jesus, but here He is called the Mediator of the new covenant. The old covenant was the Mosaic Covenant – given at Sinai. God gave Moses the law, but the law never saved a soul and never brought peace to a broken heart. Jesus came to bring a new covenant. He not only provided for the covering of sins, which the sacrifices had done; He provided for the cleansing of sins, which animal sacrifices could never do. A mediator is someone who brings harmony between two parties there are at war. We were at war with God over our sins. We are sinners by nature, and we are sinners by choice. But Jesus stepped in and mediated between God and man. In Sion, we get to live in His presence. Why would anyone live in Sinai? Come live in Sion with its lack of prejudice, its wonderful location, its enduring construction, and its wonderful neighbors.