Better All the Way

“A temple is to be built”

I hear some say,

“But the Muslim sacred dome

Is standing in its way.”

 

That dome must be moved

Can’t be there still,

The temple will be there

Believe me it will.

 

It will be the signal

Of Israel’s Messiah’s coming

For which devout Jews

Are currently looking.

 

Sacrifices must restart

So, the temple is a must,

Dispensationalists believe it

And do make a fuss.

 

Israel will be in charge

As nations go up to her,

This will follow the tribulation

To which the Bible refer.

 

Thus, a new temple

And animal sacrifice

Though this in the first place

Did not quite suffice.

 

There’s no temple need

Or for animal sacrifice,

Jesus’ once for all atonement

More than sufficed.

 

 

Why return, I ask,

To the beggarly elements

After the veil in the temple

Was permanently rent?

 

Showcasing for all

A much better way,

Jesus’ once for all sacrifice

Speaks to a better day.

 

A better High Priest

Than any before him,

The only High Priest ever

That can forgive sin.

 

Jesus is our temple

And our sacrifice,

He is also our High Priest

That gave his life.

 

This is borne out

In the book of Hebrews,

Go there I recommend

For a better view.

 

Better than the angels

And of better things,

We are so wonderfully blessed

We’ve a right to sing.

 

A better blessing

And a better hope,

Jesus is a better testament

Please take note.

 

 

A better covenant

Built on better promises,

The heavenly things themselves

With better sacrifices.

 

A better country

With a better resurrection

God providing a better thing

To bring us salvation.

 

Jesus is the mediator

Of this better covenant

That speaks of better things

For the elect remnant.

 

 

Better all the way:

From the Old to the New,

For the Jew and the Gentile:

For me and for you.

 

Better here and now

And still better to come,

Heirs to the kingdom of God

Through Jesus, His Son.

 

 

 

Christ the new temple,

Believers his lively stones,

Built up in Jesus the Christ

As the Spirit tones.

 

Go to Hebrews now

To study the word better

And see how Jesus shines

In this descriptive letter.

 

To God be the glory

And praise to the Son,

Honour to the Holy Spirit:

Three yet one.

 

Stewart Russell © July 12, 2024

 

A Blood Obsession

 

 

I am beginning to wonder,

And maybe you should

About the apparent obsession

We have about the blood.

 

Especially, I must say,

The blood of the Jesus

Which was shed at Mt Calvary

For every one of us.

 

Some will sprinkle it,

As though they could,

And draw a protective line too

With the blood.

 

Some plead it on others

As though they are foes

And what comes out of such,

Only God knows.

 

A seeming obsession

That the blood gives power

Over the enemy and misfortune

Every day and hour. 

 

 

Like the covenantal ark

Of the Ancient Isrealites

That would win them the victory

Over whom they fight.

 

Was the blood spiritual

Or was it real?

The blood we sprinkled today,

Of what is it made?

 

Who collected the blood

Off the cross and the ground

And please tell me if you can,

Is this blood still around?

 

The life is in the blood

And Christ gave his for us,

The blood given on Mt Calvary,

Was the life of Jesus.

 

 

He is no longer dead

As he conquered death

And because of his resurrection

The believer has rest.

 

The price for our sin

Was Jesus’ precious blood,

The beautiful hymn correctly says,

That no one else could.

 

No one was good enough

To pay the price of sin,

It took Jesus to open heaven’s door

And let the born-again in.

 

No sprinkling required

Except in the sinner’s heart

And everyone can rest assure

It’s where the Spirit starts.

 

No shedding of blood,

No remission of sin,

Nothing Apostle or Pastor can do;

Jesus must be allowed in.

 

 

‘Tis via the Holy Spirit

That Jesus will come in

And together with the Almighty

Will make his abode within.

 

The atonement was done

In a once-for-all sacrifice

And that once-for-all sacrifice

Was the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

So why this obsession

With this so-called blood?

It is time to stop the sprinkling;

I think we really should.

 

Stewart Russell © November 23, 2024

 

The Message Leaders Forget

 

 

We also are men

Of like passions with you,

And preach unto you

That ye should turn from these vanities

 Unto the living God,

Which made heaven,

And earth,

And the sea,

And all things that are therein.

 

The gods are come down

In the likeness of men

And straight away Paul had perceived

There was a problem.

 

From the very outset

He tried to nip it in the bud

As any modern-day apostle

Also should.

 

Barnabas became Jupiter

And Paul they called Mercurius

And they were just about ready

To make a huge fuss.

 

They were going to sacrifice

The oxen they brought

But the apostles rent their clothes

And of the living God taught.

 

Why do you do these things?

They sincerely asked

And scarce had restrained them

In this herculean task.

 

Herein is a lesson

For our modern-day gurus

Who often mislead the people,

Even me and you.

 

Taking some of the glory

That belongs to God

And often their followers don’t see

That they are frauds. 

Unlike Paul and Barnabas

Who knew their place

And to accept any of God’s glory

Would be a disgrace.

 

There is much gullibility

Among Christians today

That allow so-called modern-day apostles

To over them hold sway.

 

They are seen like trees

Like that blind man of old

Who had to receive a second touch

From Jesus, we are told.

 

Oh, that they were mature

Like Barnabas and Paul

And point out to such followers

They made the wrong call.

 

For there is only one God

And always will be

And that one God reveals Himself

In the blessed Trinity.

 

An apostle is no greater

Than the least in the pew,

No believer is more significant

When in God’s view.

 

There is an equality

That should be very obvious

Once we are part of that oneness

That exists in Christ Jesus.

 

We are one in Christ

As he is one in the Father

And the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Makes us one together.

 

And as I end this poem

It is wise that I repeat

The verse with which I started;

Please do not delete.

 

 

Acts 14:15

 

We also are men

Of like passions with you,

And preach unto you

That ye should turn from these vanities

 Unto the living God,

Which made heaven,

And earth,

And the sea,

And all things that are therein.

 

Stewart Russell © August 9, 2025

 

Paradox of Freedom

 

 

To do as we please

Is the freedom sought after,

Which is living a carefree life

Full of fun and laughter.

 

This is not the freedom

That we see in God’s Word

But there, we see a freedom

Hitherto untold.

 

A paradoxical freedom

That goes beyond self

And that seeks out a niche role

To build communal health.

 

Since none exists alone

But in a community,

Communal health is critical

To both you and me.

 

 

Freedom does not come

By dollars and sense,

Instead, real freedom was bought

By a sacrifice immense.

 

 

The sacrifice of one

Who willingly gave up

His ownership in heaven’s glory

For a bitter cup.

 

To die a death

That he did not deserve

Even after his declared innocence,

Was before this unheard.

 

I find no fault in him

Said the Roman judge

But those he came to set free

Would not budge.

 

Crucify him, they cried,

Over and over again

And our freedom cost Jesus

Incredible pain.

 

His blood flowed for all,

Not for himself

And thus, freedom was purchased,

And community health.

 

The Christian community

Wherever they be,

Once born again, they all have

Eternal liberty.

 

 

Slaves, but free,

Servants of Jesus Christ

Who willingly bought freedom

With his sacrifice.

 

Consequently, a new nature

God has given to us

Meaning those whose freedom

Is in Christ Jesus.

 

It is not an expectation

To do as we please

Or even to experience in life

Nothing but ease.

 

 

 

But a freedom to cope

With whatever may come,

A freedom that is only possible

In God’s incarnate Son.

 

A slave to something

Or someone we will be,

Why not to the one who created

Both you and me?

 

Stewart Russell © February 19, 2025

 

Polysyndeton

 

 

What a strange word

But what does it mean?

I will show you in this poem

What I have gleaned.

 

Verse 3 and verse 5

Of Genesis chapter 22:

Here is a little assignment

I want you to do.

 

Focus on those verses

And you’ll get an idea

Of an interesting polysyndeton

Standing in the way.

 

Find the word repeated

More than any other,

Checking just these two verses

Shouldn’t be a bother.

 

You can pause here

Before you continue

And concentrate on the task

I have given you.

 

 

You must be saying,

What a really weird name

And before I had understood,

I thought the same.

 

I was studying this text

In a way unlike before

When an Internet presentation

Shone light in my door.

 

It was a study showing

How we have strayed

Regarding Bible based worship

In a significant way.

 

Mentioned in the Bible

First at Genesis 22 verse 5

Where God a timely sacrifice

Did provide.

 

In the place of Isaac

A ram temporarily sufficed:

A foreshadowing in actual fact

Of God’s sacrifice.

 

The sacrifice of Jesus

His promised Son

On whom He did established

His heavenly kingdom.

 

You’ve had much time

To find that word:

The first known conjunction

Most have heard.

 

 

Genesis 22:3

 

 And Abraham rose up early in the morning,

And saddled his ass,

And took two of his young men with him,

And Isaac his son,

And clave the wood for the burnt offering,

And rose up,

And went unto the place

Of which God had told him.

 

Genesis 22:5

 

And Abraham said unto his young men,

Abide ye here with the ass;

And I

And the lad will go yonder

And worship,

And come again to you.

 

Seven “ands” in verse 3

And five “ands” in verse 5

And at the purpose of this poem

We have now arrived.

 

 

Polysyndeton is the name

For this use of a conjunction,

No doubt English teachers today

Would have an objection.

 

But it’s a description

Rather detailed, I believe,

That Abraham specifically followed

As from God he received.

 

Worship is our response

To God for Jesus Christ,

The Lamb from God, the Father,

His enduring sacrifice.

 

Typified in these verses

By a rather strange word

Showing the length God went to

To redeem His world.

 

Matthew 2:21

 

And she

Shall bring forth a child

And shall call his name Jesus

And he shall save his people

From their sin.

 

Stewart Russell © October 22, 2024

 

Just to Think

 

 

To think that the King of kings

Dwells within my heart,

To think that the Lord of lords

Gave me a brand-new start…

 

To think that the Almighty God

Is my all in all,

To think that on Abba Father

I can always call…

 

To think that the one I offended

Gave His life for me,

To think that through His sacrifice

I have been made free…

 

To think that He walks with me

And he holds my hand,

To think that I am His child

And he includes me in His plan…

 

To think that everything about me

Is important to Him,

To think that he has forgiven me

Of all of my sin…

 

To think that he calls me by name

His name He has given me,

To think He has made me somebody

When I was a nobody…

To think that He cares for me

Each and every single day,

To think He points me in the right way

Every time I go astray…

 

To think that His love is infinite

And His mercies are everlasting,

To think His grace reaches even me

And in Him I am abiding…

 

To think that He has a plan for me

And that He will complete it,

To think that He is so faithful

That trusting is my daily habit…

 

To think that He’ll return for me

Whether I am alive or dead,

And to think that while I live here

He is my Living Head.

 

Just to think that God is my Father

And Jesus is my Lord,

Just to think the Spirit guides me

And I have His Holy Word.

 

Just to that think I do not merit it

Yet He lavishes His love on me,

Just to think that as He promised

I am His eternally.

 

Stewart Russell © October 30, 2020