Meaningful Life
Some people feel that a satisfying worthwhile life consists of the following...
A good education, close friendships, a good marriage, and healthy children, success in a business, or profession, helping those in need, beng environmentally conscious, and involving oneself with Israel and the Jewish community.
Although these are important, they lack in truly fulfilling an individual's life. Why?
The answer is simple. God has placed a void in the heart of man, a void that can only be filled by Him.
The Holy Scriptures tell us five vital facts we need to know:
1. God is the source of a satisfying and worthwhile life.
You make known to me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; in your right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16.11
This kind of life is the result of a close relationship with God.
In your presence ... in your right hand speaks of a personal relationship that can be as intimate as the one between Abraham and God: Abraham my friend. Isaiah 41:8
2. God's character is the standard by which man is to live.
“You shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:2
Anytime man deviates from God's holiness, he violates God's standard, and this is called sin. Obviously, then, all of us have sinned. Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:20 (to be compared with Psalm 53:3-4)
Since God is holy and just, He will not establish a personal relationship with anyone until his sin is dealt with because He cannot allow sin in His presence. Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor. Habakkuk 1:13
Because sin is a violation of His standard and character, God must judge man's sin and reject it. This is why sin causes spiritual death and results in separation from God. But everyone shall die for his own iniquity (sin). Jeremiah 31:30
Your iniquities have ever made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have caused Him to hide His face from you. Isaiah 59:2
As long as sin separates us from God, we can't enjoy the life and relationship God wants us to have. But can't man solve the problem by living properly by prayer, repentance, and good deeds? No, man cannot remove the sin barrier by his own effort. And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no man living is righteous. Psalm 143:2 (cf. Ezekiel 33:13)
Human effort is not adequate because, in God's sight, all of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment. Isaiah 64:5 Human effort is not adequate because man cannot do enough to solve the problem. No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him. Psalm 49:7
How can this problem of spiritual death and separation from God be solved?
3. God must take the initiative; He must provide the solution.
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave. Psalm 49:15
The sin barrier can be removed by believing God's Word (faith) and by having the blood of the atonement.
Abraham was an example of how the sin barrier can be removed. Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 We must follow the same pattern. The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever. Isaiah 26:3-4a (cf. Habakkuk 2:4) But Moses said that one more thing is essential, the blood of the atonement. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement. Leviticus 17:11 (cf. Leviticus 10:17;4:35)
But why would God want man to go through the awful procedure of killing an animal?
When the offerer saw the sacrifice suffering and bleeding for the sins which he had committed, he was impressed with the awfulness of sin and the penalty of death (Ezekiel 18:4, 20) the sinner deserved.
THE SACRIFICE SHOWED HIM GOD'S:
- HOLINESS because of His hatred of all evil,
- JUSTICE because He does not leave sin unpunished,
- MERCY because of His readiness to pardon the truly repentant and believing by providing a substitute for him.
THE ANIMAL SACRIFICE THUS PROVIDED THE BLOOD OF ATONEMENT AND WAS AN ACT OF FAITH ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.
But without a priesthood and without a temple, there can be no sacrifices.
How can we have the blood of atonement today?
4. God has provided the blood of atonement for today.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53.6
For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. Isaiah 53:8b
For he bore the sin of many. Isaiah 53:12b
IN THE PROLOGUE TO ISAIAH 53 (ISAIAH 52:13-15), THE AUTHOR IDENTIFIES THE “HE” OF THESE PASSAGES.
He is described as God's servant who will be exalted.
God's provision of the blood of atonement through the Messiah follows the same principles God set up in the sacrifice system.
- SIN-OFFERING: Atonement for a man by means of a sacrifice.
- PESACH: Atonement for a family by means of a sacrifice.
- YOM KIPPUR: Atonement for a nation by means of a sacrifice.
- MESSIAH: Atonement for all by means of a sacrifice.
As we have seen, under the sacrifice system, personal faith was necessary along with the blood of atonement. So also faith is necessary with the sacrifice of Messiah.
He should be the object of our faith today.
But how can we know who Messiah is?
God made sure we could recognize Messiah by certain specific identifying marks.
- His ancestry was from the family of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6).
- The city of his birth was Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
- He had a supernatural nature (Jeremiah 23:5-6; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 9:6).
- The manner of his execution was crucifixion (Psalm 22:14-17).
- He rose from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10).
- The time of his coming was before the destruction of Herod's Temple in 70 CE (Daniel 9:26)
HISTORY TELLS US THAT YESHUA (JESUS) OF NAZARETH FULFILLED THESE AND MANY OTHER PROPHECIES.
There are at least 48 specific prophecies concerning Messiah which Yeshua fulfilled. The probability that one person could fulfill all 48 prophecies is 1 out of 10 with 157 zeros after it!
Many people since that time, both Jews and Gentiles, have had their sins forgiven and have gained a personal relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).
5. You must, by faith, receive Messiah Yeshua into your life in order to have a personal relationship with Him.
To all who received Him (the Messiah), to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12
Receiving Messiah Yeshua means believing Messiah died for our sins, was buried (the evidence of His death) and that he rose again from the dead. (I Corinthians 15:1-4)
Remember...
- God is the source of a worthwhile life.
- Your sin has separated you from God.
- God's provision through Messiah Jesus is the solution to the sin barrier.
- The only thing God asks you to do is to believe that Messiah Jesus died for your sin and rose again and thus receive forgiveness.
YOU can receive Messiah Yeshua by faith right now.
THE NEXT STEP:
After embracing Yeshua as Messiah, your next step is to “grow in Him” and become spiritually mature. We encourage you to do the following 4 steps:
- Find a local congregation near you that preaches the Word of God in a balanced and doctrinally sound way (click here to search a directory that may help you locate a Messianic Congregation in your area).
- Get plugged in to a small group where real growth in your life can take place. (Most congregations have “home groups” into which you should inquire.)
- Spend time with God's Word! Hear it, read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it and apply it! Deut. 17:19; Proverbs 7:2-3; Psalm 119:11
- Pray. The Lord wants to hear from you! King David serves as a wonderful example for all of us. Psalm 27:3, 5, 13-14; 37:3-6