The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
13 and to keep the LORD’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?”

“You have WON!” the notation reads. “All that is necessary is for you to show up at the designated place and receive the prize.” It’s an exciting presentation that awaits you— until you arrive and understand that there is more to the “win” than just arriving and receiving the prize.

Some people have that concept of Heaven. Indeed, it is a glorious place, and it’s there for those who have met the LORD’s requirements. But, there’s more required for residency. In fact, there’s more required to just get there than is normally believed. To be sure, it requires a “forward” look. One cannot just bounce around indiscrimately in life with a “hope” that Heaven will be one’s home. It requires meeting the LORD’s standards all the way.

What are those standards? One must fear the LORD; that is, honor Him, and show Him reverence. One must live and walk according to His commandments; one must love Him with an undying love and serve Him with a complete and honest heart and soul. Further one must keep His commandments and statutes because they are always for one’s good. Yet, above everything else, one must believe in the saving grace of Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross and arose from the dead. That’s what it takes to unlock Heaven. It’s not just belonging to a church, or just receiving baptism, or simply living an honest and humble life. It’s trusting Jesus!

I earnestly hope that you have trusted Him. If you haven’t, why not just commit your life to Him right now? Ask Him in a simple prayer to forgive your sins and accept you as one of His own. You will know it when He accepts you. Believe me, you will know it! Then, say “Thank You” with a loving and sincere heart! You’re on your way!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Numbers 32:23, “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.”

If there is a theme to the Book of Numbers (and there is!), it is “Saved to Serve; Beware of Unbelief.” God had a purpose for His Israelite people. To be sure, they were saved from their enemies. How could they ever expect to be used of Him if they lived in slavery under a godless people? But that was only the half of His purpose.

The second half of the LORD’s purpose was that Israel might learn that they could not live in unbelief while simultaneously serving Him. They knew (or should have known) that the LORD’s power was sufficient to allay the onslaught of any foreign foe. After all, they had just returned home from a victorious battle. But they needed to learn that they could not go back to sinning against Him and hope to be victorious in the next battle. It just wouldn’t work!

Looking at our own situation in today’s world, we can rest assurred that the LORD’s power is still able to deal with any adverse situation. BUT, we cannot disown Him by aligning with evil and expect Him to win future victories for us. That would be the equivalent to our “changing sides.” We need Him to wage war for us and against sin! Thus, whether we lived in Old Testament times or in our current 21ST Century, the principle is the same: we are “Saved to Serve or Beware of (the results of) Unbelief.”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Don’t forget the attachment.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Leviticus 17:11, “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 19:2, “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.’”

How gratious the LORD is! He created us from Adam and Even; then, when we sinned, we deserved to be anhilated. But instead of condemning us, He provided a way for our forgiveness: it was through Jesus Christ alone. God gave His only begotten Son to die on the Cross for our sins. All of that was predetermined through what was mentioned in verse 11 above. Of course, at the time, those words were for the Jewish people. Still, they foreshadowed the coming of Jesus, who became the Father’s Sacrifice for our sin.

Once God had provided a plan of salvation for us through the shed blood of His Son, it was His design that we should live holy, moral lives that would be “to the praise of His glory!” Every human parent that loves and cherishes his children, wants those children to “look” like him. If the parent is a morally upright, wholesome, God-fearing man, he wants his children to be morally upright, wholesome and God-fearing just like their father. So it is with God. He sets the pattern for us, His spiritual children, and is glorified when we walk in His steps.

How close to God are you? Have you turned from your sin that sent Jesus to the Cross? Have you trusted Him to be your LORD, Savior and Guide in life? Heaven will be a place of spiritual fellowship brought about through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. It is a haven of pure love, a barrier against even the slightest sin. How do I get there? you ask. By asking God to forgive you of your sins and trusting that the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient sacrifice. I’m going there some day. I want you to meet me there. I am earnestly praying for you.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Be sure to access one of the attachments on Leviticus.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Exodus 12:21-23, “Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb.
22 ‘You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
23 ‘For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.’”

The theme of the Book of Exodus is Redemption by Blood. The word “blood” is mentioned something like 461 times in the entire Bible. Twenty-nine of the Old Testament’s notations of “blood” are listed in the Book of Exodus. The remaining 95 mentions of “blood” are in the New Testament Scriptures. In sum, the entirety of the Scriptures are immersed in blood.

The LORD’s challenge to Cain when he killed his brother, Abel, comes to us from the fourth chapter of Genesis: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground” (Gen. 4:10). The disciples of Jesus speak often of His blood and the necessity of it for the salvation of mankind. Two of my favorite verses in Scripture come from Colossians 1:19-20,

“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through
the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

We often hear it said of those who died in the military: “He gave his life’s blood for his country.” Blood is the very essense of life. There is no life without blood. And there is no Eternal Life without Christ Jesus’ blood. We have sin that separates us from the purity of Jesus Christ. Our sin can only be washed away by the precious Blood of Jesus. He died on the Cross and shed His blood to do away with the sin that separates us; His blood unites us with Him.

Have you exercised faith in His blood for your sin? Church membership won’t do it! Baptism won’t
do it! Living a good moral life won’t do it! Only the Blood of Jesus, shed on the Cross for our sins
can bring us into unity with Him. And that unity comes only by faith in His death and resurrection.
Trust Him today! Be ready to meet Him when He comes again. “When” is His secret. Just be ready!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

all trust that the problem has been resolved. Also, note the attachment of the Outline of Exodus. I hope it will be
helpful in your study.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Genesis 1:1-5, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God
was moving over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was
morning, one day.”

With the increased expansion of human denial, it seems appropriate that this Letter should address Truth as it comes to all mankind from Holy Scripture. There was no “big bang!” The beginning of all things, both gargantuan and miniscule, originated in the Mind and by the Hand of Almighty God! The avalanche of pseudo-science that polutes Truth and invades the textbooks of our times would have to us believe otherwise. Yet, true science evidences creation and is tracable only to Holy Scripture: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Such profound words become key to the Book of Genesis.

Prior to the LORD’s Divine Activity in Creation, the Earth possessed no form. There was no life, no light –all was void. Only darkness, the absence of light, hovered over the surface of am empty universe. All was left to the Holy Spirit of God to hover over the surface of what would shortly become the Creation. “…evolutionary science may itself be said to have given the thought of theistic evolution its best base or grounding. The theistic conception is, that the world…all cosmic existences, substances, and events–depend upon God.”

“The Old Testament presents the conception of time…or successive ages, but its real emphasis is on the energy of the Divine Word, bringing into being things that did not previously exist….Then God said, ‘Let there be…’ and there was…!

Ultimately, the Light, separated from darkness, became not only a reality that subsequently enabled Adam and Eve to see their surroundings; but it became a euphemism for the LORD Jesus Christ, who is indeed “The Light of the World.” Has He enlightened your life? Does His Word virtually “come alive” as you read and study it? All of our human senses are vital; otherwise, the LORD would not have created them for us. Yet, “seeing” enables us as none other. With sight, we can read His Word and come to know and trust Him personally.
This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas–
His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!
Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom