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He Was Born To Die

Posted by jefferis on November 27, 2025 in Religion, Sermons, theology

He Was Born To Die

Jefferis Peterson @ The Scholars Corner

What is a Covenant of Blood? 

Blood is Thicker Than Water

A covenant made in blood in the biblical sense is a commitment of life and death. The only way out of it is by the death of one or the other partners. The marriage vow is unto death. It is a covenant historically sealed in blood when the virgin daughter’s hymen was broken, and the blood on the sheets would be paraded for the community to attest to the consummation of the marriage. 

A covenant between people as with marriage signifies that all I have is now yours and all you have is mine. We are one. In case of families, the covenant would join the resources of each. If one were a bread maker and the other an oxcart maker, the bread maker would provide the covenant partner with food, and the cart maker would provide the other partner with transportation.  

Unlike legal contracts, which can be broken, the biblical covenant is life or death and cannot be broken. The wedding ring we wear was historically a cut around the finger that created a scar: a sign that someone was married and in covenant. Circumcision of men and male children was also an act of entrance into the covenant with God.

Luke 2:8–11 ESV

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

March: The time when Temple Lambs in Bethlehem being raised for the Passover Sacrifice 

Luke 2:34–35 ESV

And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Genesis 15:5–6 ESV

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:9–12 ESV

He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.

Genesis 15:17–18 ESV

When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

With God’s covenant with Abraham, God walks through the blood of the sacrificed animals, vowing that he would himself die if he broke covenant. God is obligating himself to Abraham to provide, protect, and do all he has promised to make him the father of many nations.  Abraham in turn promises to obey, believe, and follow God with his whole life. There is no way out of this blood covenant.

Genesis 22:1–3 ESV

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Genesis 22:9–13 (FATHER OF FAITH)

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Hebrews 11:17–20 ESV

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.

Genesis 22:15–17 ESV

And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,

If Abraham was willing to offer up his own son, God could do NO LESS in return. The obedience of Abraham to the Covenant bound God to offer up of himself all he and in return.

When we take communion, we are entering into a blood covenant with Jesus. It is a life and death covenant where we take his sacrifice on our behalf as our own.

JESUS sealed his new covenant with us in his own blood. He laid down his life for us. He says : My Life for your life, my body for yours. All I have is yours and you are mine. We are one. My health to take away your sickness. My obedience to take away your disobedience. My blood to take away your sin and wash you clean. Come to Me and be made whole! 

John 15:12–17 ESV

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Matthew 26:26–29 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

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Are Alien Theories a Tool for Control?

Posted by jefferis on November 24, 2025 in Culture, Philosophy, Political Events, Religion, Technology, theology

We humans tend to think we are so important that we are the center of the Universe. The Chinese extol their Middle-Kingdom as the center of the Earth, to which we should all do obeisance. Islam believes they are commanded to establish the worldwide Caliphate, by force if necessary. England thought their empire was the means of teaching all the other colonies and “primitive” civilizations the English way of life. The early Catholic Church believed the earth to be the center of the solar system and persecuted anyone who questioned it. My point is that we all think we are special, and we see the universe through our singular, human perspective. This thinking comes naturally to us, for, as babies, everything is about us.

So, now we are engaging that same self-centered focus, when we think that the earth is the subject of alien interests and visitors from another planet. The problem with this thinking is that it makes zero mathematical sense. Let’s look at the odds statistically: how on Earth would the aliens actually find us?

First of all, scientists estimate that only 1% of the stars in our own galaxy may have planets capable of supporting or developing life. So, even within our own galaxy, the likelihood of developing a sentient alien species capable of time dimensional space travel is minuscule. And even if there were such a species, we have another problem.

Of all of the 2 trillion galaxies, and of all the billions stars in our own Milky Way,  somehow these beings would find us on the outer rim of an insignificant galaxy where our furthest broadcast of radio waves would have not reached beyond 100 light years?   Not just finding a needle in a haystack, it is finding one needle in one of a trillion haystacks. The ego-centric hubris of thinking we could not only be found, but be of interest to such aliens, reveals just how arrogant we are!

That is, unless…

What if the earth was the center of God’s salvation history? In light of the supposed alien visitations and interest, what seems to make more sense now is the First Book of Enoch. The book tells of advanced watcher angels who helped humans build massive cities and structures before the Younger Dryas 12,000 years ago. These watchers could take many forms and eventually became corrupted through lust and took on human wives, creating a hybrid race of beings. Thus, to put a lid on the corruption of humanity through hybridization, God allowed a massive flood at the end of the Younger Dryas.  

If earth is the apple of God’s eye and the focus of his salvation story,  the interest in our planet by angels and demons makes more sense.  Elijah, after all seems to have been taken up in a ‘fiery chariot’ (a spacecraft?) 2900 years ago…

But what if the evidence of aliens is man-made? What would be the motivation?

If you wanted to deceive the nations and you wanted to gain control of everyone through fear, you would establish a worldwide threat and create the illusion of a great alien power so that all the globe would submit to your control.  Perfect for the globalist agenda. Covid didn’t work, so we have to create something existential. 

“And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.” – Mark 13:20–23 (ESV)

“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:9–12 (ESV)

References:

Habitable Planets: https://www.thoughtco.com/counting-habitable-planets-3072596

Elijah’s Chariot: https://biblehub.com/2_kings/2-11.htm

Book of Enoch: https://www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/enoch/ENOCH_1.HTM

Younger Dryas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Younger_Dryas

World Control: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1J8LScXZ4Z/

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The Battle for AI

Posted by jefferis on October 26, 2025 in Culture, Religion, Sermons, Technology, theology
The Battle for AI https://www.scholarscorner.com/ai/

Lies, Deception, & Corporate Sin

Mark 13:21–23 ESV

And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

UFO’s, Holograms, Nuclear Powered vehicles. Deceptions, preparations to deceive the elect. Facebook Reels and creator AI.

Covid, Lockdowns, and Control through Fear – State of Fear by Michael Crichton and “Global Warming” – How Governments control the masses.  

Use of AI to deceive in the future: political manipulation, false reels, and not being able to tell what is real! Facebook algorithms.

To be used against Christians? The false rumors of Christian cannibalism under Nero led to persecution.

What causes us to be defeated before our enemies?  Hidden Sin and Corporate Sin

Joshua 7:1 ESV

But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lordburned against the people of Israel.

Joshua 7:3–5 ESV

And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.

Joshua asks WHY?

Joshua 7:6–7 ESV

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan!

Joshua 7:11–12 ESV

Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore, the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

There is no such thing as a private sin. All sin affects the community. The tolerance of adultery, homosexuality, prostitution, pornography, fornication (sex outside of marriage), abortion – none of these are private sins or victimless crimes.

Romans 1:18 ESV

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

Romans 1:26–32 ESV

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

God’s judgment is on a culture due to its rebellion, not just upon the individuals who commit sin, but upon a culture that tolerates and embraces it. 

BUT…. our role is not to execute judgment..

Romans 2:1 ESV

Therefore, you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.

Our role is to rescue those under Satan’s dominion by preaching the good news of forgiveness of sins and the love of God in Jesus Christ. 

We discern right from wrong, and stand for righteousness, even though we will be persecuted for it.  We are not to endorse or condone sin, but are to expose it as such. 

The false physicians, the apostate church leaders believe themselves to be more tolerant than God. They embrace sin confusing it with compassion. But they are greasing the slide for those caught in sin to send them right into hell. They don’t bring healing but death.

Ezekiel 13:8–11 ESV

Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord God. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations…. Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash…

My Point is this, if we do not repent of our hidden sins, or worse, if we embrace and endorse sin, we, the corporate church, will suffer at the hands of our enemies.   Don’t think God does not know your hidden sins. He is calling you to repent today! 

Our only defense against AI and what is coming is holiness before the Lord. Else we will be trapped and plundered by those who hate Him!

Matthew 5:13 ESV

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

Persecution and defeat before our enemies is God’s remedy for an unrepentant people.   Don’t be one of them.

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Delta’s Evil Pricing Scheme

Posted by jefferis on August 7, 2025 in Technology

We had an experience this week which rocked our faith and trust in Delta Airlines. We have used them for a long time and have a credit card with them as our favored airline. We were planning a trip to visit my son in Tennessee. My wife had looked up the prices last week, and it was about $309 per person. She didn’t buy right away. We came back this Wednesday to finalize the trip, but found that the prices had gone up $125 per person for the same flight. Knowing prices do change from time to time, I logged into my rewards account on my computer to look at the same flight, and within that 10 minutes, I was now being quoted another $150 per person. From $309 to $579 within a week. This result just blew me away.

Apparently, Delta has admitted using AI tracking and algorithms to boost prices for repeated visits and tracks members to see how much we are willing to pay and change prices instantaneously. This process caused us to question our allegiance. We ended up booking on American Airlines for the same trip for $309.

Deltas has lost our loyalty and our trust.

see: Delta moves toward eliminating set prices in favor of AI that determines how much you personally will pay for a ticket

NO Go Delta
NO Go Delta: No Fair Fares!

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Reagan.com – An Email Service that Doesn’t Live Up to Its Namesake

Posted by jefferis on June 16, 2025 in Technology

Reagan.com – An Email Service that Doesn’t Live Up to Its Namesake

When I found out that Google scanned my emails, I wanted to find a service that would protect my political speech and communications.  At that time, I found one that was promising to be just that. Reagan.com promised to 

 Recapture Your Privacy

Join in the movement to suppress Surveillance Capitalism. Take back your personal privacy and support the restoration of personal liberties.

The service was working great up until about 3 months ago, and I started getting multiplying spam emails from various “investment advisory” newsletters.  I tried unsubscribing, which turned out to be a mistake, because I started getting more of these same type newsletters with only the domain name changed. What was one or two have turned into daily battles with ever increasing spams.  

I can only determine that either  1.  They have sold me email address, or 2. They have no spam detection that works, and no way to improve on spam filters.  

All my emails to support have gone unanswered. Several months of trying to get answers has led to a brick wall. They don’t even have a viable contact form on the website. No phone, no email, and a postmaster address that goes unanswered. 

I also see no way to get a refund. I paid for 2 years but am now SOL.   As a result, I can only issue a warning to stay away.  It is sad, because the Gipper would never have consented to recommend such poor service to his faithful friends. 

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Jesus is Our Sabbath

Posted by jefferis on May 5, 2025 in Religion, Sermons, theology

For an in-depth study on this issue, please visit The Scholars Corner.

A New Covenant in My Blood

Why was Jesus crucified on Passover and not Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement? 

The Passover Seder was a Covenant Meal where the head of each household presided. 
It was not a Temple Sacrifice done by a Priest. 

Jesus even told us that this Last Supper was a New Covenant in “my blood.”  As a covenant meal, it does not require a priest or professional clergy. That is why Acts 2:46 says, they continually broke bread in each other’s home.  

Why is this significant? Because all the Torah, the Law, was created AFTER the Passover, which means it was part of the Old Covenant, which Jesus replaced with his Body and Blood.

Three types of Law in the OT:  civil, ritual, and moral law. 

Civil Law: traffic rules, civil punishments for crimes, etc.

Ritual Law: priestly duties, temple sacrifices, kosher foods – all fulfilled in Jesus

Moral Law: reflects God’s character and never changes – laws against adultery, murder and for love and justice and true worship of God.

Contemporary Controversy: Keeping the Sabbath, Adventism, Legalism, Division in the Body of Christ. 

Come to ME, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Hebrew: Shabat, Sabbath). Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest (Hebrew: Shabat, Sabbath) for your souls. 

Matthew 11:28–29

Hebrews 4:8–11 ESV

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

What is that rest?  Rest in the completed work of Jesus and ceasing from our labors of trying to be justified in Christ through our works. By faith, we enter that rest. 

Jesus is our spiritual rest and our Sabbath. If we insist on an external observance of a singular day we are seeking to justify ourselves by works of the Law

Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Mark 2:27  It is important and for our benefit that we find our rest in Him. And it is right to find in that rest a place of worship and honor for God.

Also, Noah and Abraham were both considered righteous, but there was no Saturday worship noted, mentioned or required of them. They were before the Law of Moses.

 Beware of sowing division or controversy in the Body of Christ.  The scripture clearly says we are not to make a judgment over one another regarding the Sabbath: 

 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance (soma, body, reality) belongs to Christ.  Colossians 2:16–17

Romans 14:4–6 ESV

Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

When Paul went before the Apostles in Jerusalem, he was not told to insist upon the Sabbath among the gentiles (or kosher food laws, or circumcision), but to walk in the covenant of Noah: 

Acts 15:28–29 ESV

For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

Indeed, it would have been hard to insist upon a Sabbath rest for Christians in a secular empire, where slaves and employees were required to work 7 days a week.  Such a setting would have made obedience to the Sabbath impossible.  It is for this reason that Christians would gather early in the morning or late at night, when they were free from their duties. 

Genesis 9:3–6 ESV

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

This is again why the Apostles did not insist on Torah Kosher food laws, but recognized that the gentiles were under the covenant God made with Noah.  

In Conclusion:  What I am saying is that since Jesus is the fulfillment of the ritual law and the moral law (in that he never sinned) his new covenant with us precedes the Law of Moses, with its regulations. 

Honoring God is a moral principle and never changes, but the day or days we worship (indeed it should be every day) should not be a cause of division or legalism in the Body of Christ. To fight over it is to sow death into the fellowship. 

Galatians 3:21–26 ESV

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

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The Irony of Atheism

Posted by jefferis on March 9, 2025 in Culture, Philosophy, Religion, theology

There is an irony in atheism.  The atheist must posit the existence of God in order to not believe. In other words, atheism does not exist without the assumption of  someone or something to not believe in.  The formal definition of an atheist is “a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.”  To disbelieve or lack belief, an atheist must disbelieve or lack belief in something. Atheism cannot stand on its own. Atheism always assumes the existence of a god or gods in order to be able to negate their existence. Atheism without God makes no sense. It only makes sense in relation to the possibility of God.  

What does the atheist say?  “ I don’t believe in God,” or “I don’t believe there is a God or gods.”  He or she could say, “I believe there is nothing beyond this life,” which is a faith statement in itself,  based perhaps upon personal experiences of the physical world, but not a statement of omniscience.  In other words,  he or she does not know everything in or about the universe, or experience the substructure of the material world, or know or understand the quantum nature of physical things. And if God is supernatural, as is claimed, then God is above nature and not material or measurable by human instruments. The atheist, by being bound to the material world, and only able to measure material things, cannot measure the supernatural; he can only deny its existence. He cannot know or prove that there is no supernatural reality; he can only assert it. But even the denial by a singular human doesn’t mean much, since that denial is an act of personal opinion or belief.  And again, he is denying the existence of a Creator, Supernatural God, which he again assumes in order to deny its existence. In order to deny an object, you must first posit its existence or you don’t have anything to deny. In other words, atheism cannot exist in a vacuum. It can only exist if it presumes a God or gods to reject. 

But let’s be honest. The atheist does not go around with any gusto denying the existence of Zeus or Thor. In the West, at least, the atheist primarily directs his anger at the belief in the Christian or Jewish God, and perhaps the god of Islam.  And, in most cases,  the reasons for the rejection of the idea of God is the perception of injustice in the world, the experience of suffering and evil, or the loss of a loved one to disease, murder, or accident.  The questions raised by such things are  “how can there be a good and loving God, if he allows such injustice to exist in the world?  And “if he is all powerful, why doesn’t he stop it?”  The conclusion is either God is not good or all powerful, or he doesn’t exist.  These are deep questions that deserve extended answers, but they are not proofs of God’s non-existence.  A short answer is that God made you in His image, which includes freedom. And being free, you have a choice how to live your live, and some people choose to do evil rather than good. Freedom is good in itself, but freedom has in it the potential for everyone to do wrong and make bad choices. That is essentially what happens in the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  God cannot stop you from doing evil without taking away your freedom, and if he takes away your freedom, you are no longer human. 

But even deeper still is the fact that merely by asking these questions about evil in the world, it shows that everyone has an inward sense of right and wrong, justice and injustice. In other words, everyone has a sense of how the world should be, as opposed to how it is. That innate sense of justice speaks to a conscience, and that speaks to an inward reflection in the mind and heart of an ultimate order to the universe; an order that is  good. By contrast, if all is mere accident, why should we be burdened by a sense of right and wrong in a universe that has no purpose?  Would not justice and injustice be a fiction we have imposed upon the world? Accident, disease, murder, rape and death are all just equal outcomes to a world that has no ultimate purpose. Morals are a fiction of the mind, induced for self-preservation, not an external or objective standard by which we can measure right and wrong. The world is mere chaos and accident and it all ends for us in death, which equalizes everything. Whether we live long and happy lives or die by violence at a young age, the end is the same for all: nothing…. according to the atheist. 

Humanist morals, then, are just a mask used to hide the emptiness of a proposed value system without any foundation in reality. Right and wrong mean nothing in a world of accident. Things just are.  The human construct of morals over a chasm is just an attempt at self-interest and self protection, but nothing more than a delusion.  In the end, might makes right; the survival of the fittest is evolution in action, the use of power and people to obtain goals, and treating fellow humans as cattle or expendable resources is the nature of the game.  Sound familiar?  Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Lenin, Nietzsche, and Machiavelli all endorsed such a view. 

But if you have a conscience, and claim to be an atheist, and still value concepts of right and wrong, then you are listening to an inward beckoning of faith in an ultimate good, where justice reigns and wrongs are righted. That too is an assumption of the good, which in spite of all evidence in the world to the contrary, is an appeal to or at least a hope in the possibility of a good God. Do you have that hope within you? 

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What is The Kingdom of God?

Posted by jefferis on February 14, 2025 in prophesy, Religion, Sermons

What is The Kingdom of God?

Jefferis Peterson / The Scholars Corner

Are We Preaching the Good News?

Luke 4:42–43 ESV

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

What was Jesus preaching? 

Acts 28:30–31 ESV

He (Paul) lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

What was Paul preaching? 

Luke 9:1–2 ESV

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

Luke 10:1 ESV

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. Luke 10:9

Luke 10:9 ESV

Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

Matthew 10:7–8 ESV

And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

What is the Kingdom of God? 

Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done ON EARTH just like   it is being done in heaven right now. 

The Kingdom is where God has dominion, where his will is done, and his rule is perfectly carried out. 

What are the signs of the Kingdom?  Healing, cleansing, casting out demons… Not just salvation. 

How does God establish his kingdom?  

It is through the church!  The word “church” in Greek is Ekklesia. It is used of the governing body of a city or province. 

God’s government is established on the earth through the church acting as his government administering the will of God. 

Paul likens the church’s role is a military one: 

Ephesians 6:10–12 ESV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 3:10 ESV

so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

The aggressive force of the church is supposed to break down hell’s defensive gates and rescue those imprisoned by satan.

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not be able to withstand it.” – Matthew 16:18  

Matthew 24:14 ESV

And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The Church is given a Great Commission, and Jesus is not coming back until we have accomplished it: 

Matthew 24:14 ESV

(First) …this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus expects the church not just to preach the kingdom or the dominion of God but to establish it in all nations. 

Why would he tell us to do that if we were going to be defeated? He expects us to be victorious. Not with weapons of war but by the power of God working in and through the church, his governing body, by the Holy Spirit. 

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 

And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. 

Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.” – Isaiah 60:1–5(ESV)

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Come To Jesus

Posted by jefferis on February 6, 2025 in Religion, Sermons
Come to Jesus
by Jefferis Kent Peterson, 2.2.2025 at  Wimberley Christian Church

Be Reconciled To God

(the message begins with the introduction of our new missionary support in Uganda: https://youtu.be/c5lKLR0xDlc, but since wasn’t mic’d you can watch it here:)

“that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:19–21 (ESV)

No Matter what sin you have committed, God is not counting it against you: incest, adultery, rape, fornication, homosexuality, pedophilia, murder, theft  – God is not holding it against you.

Skull and Bones – and Secret Societies  = Control

Satan knows your deepest sins, he helped you commit them so that you would be enslaved by guilt, fear of exposure, fear of consequences.

While he holds those secret sins, he is your master and you fear the light.

Masons e.g.

Matthew 5:34–37 ESV

But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

John 3:19–20 ESV

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

John 3:16–18 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

It is as if Jesus committed your sins and you didn’t! That is what it means to be cleansed.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

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He is High and Lifted Up

Posted by jefferis on December 8, 2024 in Religion, Sermons, theology

The Majesty of Our God

Isaiah 6:1–5 (ESV)

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Our focus is man centered instead of God centered. As such we focus on what we do and what we can do, instead of on what God has done for us. 

And our faith is hindered because we are weak and miserable creatures, and all our labors are as “filthy rags” as Paul calls them. 

But Paul’s focus is different… 

Ephesians 3:7–13 (ESV)

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of HIS POWER. 

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 

so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 

This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through his faith. 

Paul was called, he did not choose to be an apostle. In fact, he railed against the Lord Jesus with all his might. 

Ephesians 1:11 (ESV)

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Ephesians 3:14–21 (ESV)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through HIS Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

If we want to be whom God as called us to be, we need to rely upon Him and his power in us. Not on our own strength.

Indeed, even Jesus, in his human nature said, 

John 5:30 ““I can do nothing on my own… .”& John 5:19 

John 5:19 ESV

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

And it is the same for us: 

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” 

Paul calls the attempts to perfect ourselves or become righteous by effort works of the flesh and even worse: witchcraft. 

Galatians 3:1–6 “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?” 

The word “flesh” in the negative sense in scripture means: self reliance and a independent self will. Like when Adam decided for himself what was right and wrong instead of listening to the Word of God. 

So, we are not to focus on ourselves in our attempts to be found righteous. Rather we are to keep our gaze firmly fixed upon Jesus who is our righteousness, our peace, and our sanctification. 

 1 Corinthians 1:30–31 “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”” 

2 Corinthians 3:16–18 ESV

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

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