The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Exodus 24:6-8, “Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”
8 So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Did you ever paint yourself into a corner? You know what I mean. It’s like agreeing to something –something you honestly believe will never come to pass– only to find that it has! Now, you’re stuck! You’ve agreed to something you thought would never happen; but now it has and it’s happened and to you!

Whether these Israelites had overlooked what they said earlier, I’m not sure. Still, they had truly promised what they said. It was an open declaration to the LORD: “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!”

Have you ever made a promise to the LORD? Someone you loved was ill and might not live the night. You pled with the LORD for the life of your loved one:
“LORD, I promise that I will be what I said; just let my loved one live!” Then, the doctor came into the room with good news that your loved one would live!
Did you kept your promise?

The Covenant that the LORD made with His people at the hand of Moses was sealed in blood. An animal had given its life’s blood to assure the covenant relationship between the LORD and His people. That was serious business even beyond what the people knew. That blood foreshadowed the Blood of the LORD Jesus Christ, who centuries later would die on the Cross of Calvary to deliver His people from their sins.

But, how can we substantiate a statement like that above? How do we know that Christ Jesus’ blood saves us from our sins? How can we be assured that He will keep His word? Re-read the words of Holy Scripture:

“Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD
has made with you in accordance with all these
words.”

In yet another place, the LORD covenanted with Abraham:

“And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look toward
the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count
them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’
Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him
as righteousness” (Gen. 15:5-6).

Thus, the end of such matters lies in the Hands of the LORD. Yet, He does not covenant with us unless we believe and covenant with Him. Have you
done so? Have you entered into a covenant with Him?

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,

Exodus 24:1-5, “Then He said to Moses, ‘Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance.
2 ‘Moses alone, however, shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him.’
3 Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!’
4 Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.”

Four chapters earlier, the LORD gave to Moses the Ten Commandments. Moses, in turn, schooled the people in all that the LORD had said. What was the response of all the people? They promised: “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!”

Have you never written down a promise –and then later broken it? I doubt if very many could honestly deny having done so. Why do you suppose that happens? It happens because it is in our nature to sin. Left alone, without internal restrictions, we will always cry out for that “golden calf.” That’s precisely why we insist on personal, written signatures on documents we receive from others.

When we accept the LORD Jesus Christ as our Savior, we effectively sign a document, saying that we will abide by His directives (commands, et al). What He has for us is the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit comes immediately and expressly from the Father and indwells us.

At that point in time, we no longer belong to ourselves. We are His! Our commitment is to follow Him; His commitment is to secure us within Himself, providing everything we will ever need to live the Life He requires. Sound good? Believe me, it is! It’s also the only way to make peace with God. Yield your life to Him today! I promise you will never regret it.

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,

Joshua 1:1-6, “Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,
2 ‘Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.
3 ‘Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.
4 ‘From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.
5 ‘No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
6 ‘Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’”

What do you do when your top employee dies? Many company owners have faced that very question. What on earth are we going to do? He’s run this company for 40 years! He irreplaceable! We’ll never be able to achieve like we have in the past.

That brief scenario may fit some business leaders today, but the LORD is not just “some business leader.” With Moses dead, the LORD looked immediately to Joshua. There was a land to be conquered, and there was to be no slack in occupying it.

Joshua was not asked if he would like to undertake the leadership of this vast nation. He simply obeyed the LORD’s command and accepted the responsibility! We often do the opposite. We doubt our abilities, and even question the LORD’s directives. Yet, our confidence in the LORD should be sufficient for us to undertake whatever He requires of us.

It’s interesting to view those who replace their leaders. Their tactics are sometimes different, but their objectives are always the same. Often, the replacements fair better than those they’ve replaced. Moses led Israel out of Egypt and to the edge of the Promised Land. Joshua then led Israel into the land, fulfilling God’s intention, when He said to Joshua, “No man will be able to stand before you, all the days of your life.”

Responsibility is also often greater than it first appears. Still, when the LORD is the True Leader, the objective never fails. We all possess responsibilities. Yet, when we rest in the promises of God, those responsibilities become less
cumbersome. Just remember that He said, “I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” With backing like that, it’s impossible to fail. So take the reigns of responsibility He gives you and claim victory!

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,

2 Peter 2:1-9, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;
7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men
8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment…”

The first three verses above appeared in yesterday’s Grand’s Letter. It spoke of false teachers, who entice others to follow them in their destructive, heretical teachings — leading them away from God’s truth and ultimately into Hell itself!

Notice that the LORD “did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into pits of darkness,” just as He did the unbelieving in Noah’s day, and the sinful city of Sodom in Lot’s era. Still, the LORD rescued Lot and his family while He kept the unrighteous prisoners, awaiting the final day of judgment.

We have false teachers today! They’re all over television! At the same time, there are faithful servants of the LORD, who are declaring His message of salvation. It’s a war: Truth against error! The Bible teaches us to believe on Jesus Christ as the only means of mankind’s salvation from sin. Others drive people away from Jesus, offering simply “do good” remedies that provide “warm feelings,” but have no resistance to sin and no hope through Christ’s death and resurrection.

I accepted Jesus Christ when I was young! I’ve never been sorry. I have met and witnessed to many who’ve never known Christ. He calls for everyone to trust Him; and those who do, understand how He is different from the world. They have His gift of eternal life. Do you have eternal life? If not, yield your life to Jesus today! He is the difference! And you will know it immediately!

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,

2 Peter 1:20-21, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

2 Peter 2:1-3, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

The Scripture doesn’t give us much information on Simon Peter as a fisherman, but it certainly gives us information on his knowledge of Scripture and of false teachers. Scripture simply cannot be what one wants it to be. “No prophecy,” Peter says, “was ever made by an act of human will…;” nor can Scripture mean whatever the reader wants it to become. Is there any instruction more needed in our day?

A New Zealand pastor once shared with me that a Bible class in his church voted on the meaning of Scripture! If a difficult verse arose and someone suggested a meaning of the verse, objection would be raised, saying that the class had voted on that verse’s meaning a year or more ago. End of discussion!

Peter warns against false teachers! They are rebellious (2:10-12a); they are animalistic (2:12b) and deceitful (2:13). They are chronic sinners (2:14) and mercenary (2:15-16). Check those descriptions against some of today’s popular “preachers.” Men can twist the Scriptures so as to make them palatable for their hearers; but they cannot derive the truth by making them say what they would like.

The Scriptures were written to guide us to be like Jesus. Read and believe!
There is truly no better 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