Monthly Archives: July 2025

Death is not the end!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 12, 2025: SOAP #5700: Isaiah 11-14; Hebrews 9

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews (NIV) 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

OBSERVATION:   Obviously what we often consider the end, is not the end.  Death is not the end.  What comes next?  Judgment.   Just as death was not the end for Jesus, death is not the end for us. 

The Father so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son… (John 3:16)   Jesus was sent to earth to die for the sins of God’s creation.  His death was not the end of His existence.  Death is not the end of our existence, just a doorway through which we pass into life eternal. 

APPLICATION:  Since we are destined to “die once” we can be assured that the life after death will never end.  Death will have no power over those who have died.  For those who have accepted the death of Jesus as the payment for their sins, they will enter the never-ending joys of heaven.  For those who have refused to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they will enter the never-ending judgment in hell. 

PRAYER:   Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice in payment for my sins.  I want my life to count for you. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon
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We do have such a High Priest!!!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 11, 2025: SOAP #5699: Isaiah 8-10; Hebrews 8

(last years SOAP which perfectly follows yesterdays)

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews (NIV) 8:1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.

OBSERVATION:   After years of high priests wearing ceremonial garments and offering token sacrifices for sin and then dying in office.  After years of offering animal sacrifices that could never properly cover the sins of the people for which they were killed.  After years of going through ceremonies and rituals full of meaning but that could never change any heart.  Wouldn’t it be good to have a real high priest who would not die in office and need to be replaced?  Wouldn’t it be good to have a high priest make a sacrifice that could really pay for sin? 

The point of what the writer of Hebrews is saying is that in Jesus we really do have such a High Priest!!!   We have a High Priest who was sinless and sacrificed His own blood to be the covering for sin!  We have a High Priest who rose from the death of His own sacrifice and will never die again!  He is eternal! 

APPLICATION:   His one sacrifice covers the sins of our grandparents, our parents, us, our children and our grandchildren—generations before and generations after! 

What a day that will be when family generations will join to worship this Great High Priest!   He is worthy of the praise of all generations!

PRAYER:  Lord, you are the Great High Priest who fulfilled all the prophecies we find in the tabernacle built by the Israelites in the wilderness.  You are the Great High Priest who made the one sacrifice that will forever be accepted as the payment for sin.  On my knee I bow, and with my tongue confess that you are LORD!   Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon
Also on:  soapsbyleon.wordpress.com

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 10, 2025: SOAP #5698: Micah 5-7; Hebrews 7

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews (NIV) 7:27   Unlike the other high priests, he (Jesus) does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.  He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself!  

OBSERVATION:   UNLIKE the High Priests making the sacrifice for the sins of the people in the Old Testament, Jesus did not need to bring a sacrifice for his own sins.  AND UNLIKE the Old Testament priests, Jesus did not bring an animal, He gave his own life as the sacrifice.  AND UNLIKE the Old Testament priests Jesus did not make a sacrifice in faith that the proper sacrifice would someday be made to reward the faith of the worshippers.  Jesus sacrifice was the fulfillment of the faith of all the previous sacrifices!  AND UNLIKE the Old Testament priests, Jesus did not make a sacrifice that would need to be repeated.  His sacrifice put an end to all future sacrifices for sin!  

APPLICATION:  His “once for all” sacrifice is sufficient to cover all my sins!   When He forgave me, He did not just sweep my sins under the rug, He did not say, “Leon, your sins are not very bad; we will just forget about them.”  NO, He said, “Leon, your sins are terrible, but my sacrifice is sufficient!”   His sacrifice was more than sufficient to cover my sins—and the sins of the whole world!    

PRAYER:   Lord, I am amazed at your holiness and love!  I am amazed at your sacrifice for me.  You are amazing!  Thank you for forgiving me and cleansing me from ALL unrighteousness!    Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon
Also on:  soapsbyleon.wordpress.com

Sunshine in the Heart!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 09, 2025: SOAP #5697: Micah 1-4; Hebrews 6

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews (NIV) 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.      

OBSERVATION:   How sad it is to hear of someone being hopeless.  To them everything looks gloomy.  They feel that nothing will work out for good.  What a difference to those whose hope is in Christ. 

Hope in God is an anchor that holds the soul steady in the midst of the storm.  The circumstances may be gloomy, but there is sunshine in the heart.  There is a confidence that all things will work together for good because they love the Lord and are called according to His purpose!  (Romans 8:28)

APPLICATION:  My hope is confidence that God is in control.  My hope is confidence that He is able to use even the bad to bring about good things.  What people may do for evil, He uses for good!  With Him, I cannot lose! 

My hope is confidence that He loves me and wants me to live a life that pleases Him.  My hope is the certainty that His plan for me is to spend eternity with Him!           

PRAYER:   Lord, there is no area of my life that is not affected by my hope!  Thank you for hope!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon
Also on:  soapsbyleon.wordpress.com

Scriptural Expressions of Praise and Worship

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 07, 2025: SOAP #5695: Hosea 13-14; Psalm 100, 102; Hebrews 5

SCRIPTURE:  Psalm (NIV) 100:1 Shout for joy to the LORD all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3.  Know that the LORD is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

OBSERVATION:   Joy and gladness, shouts and songs are proper expressions in God’s presence.   In the above verse, I am told that gladness is to be a part of my worship.    

As a child, I learned many up-beat joyful songs that we sang in honor of what God had done.  The following generations have written new songs, and future generations will still be writing new songs.  Music lends itself to worship.  The Holy Spirit puts a smile on our face and a song in our heart!   

APPLICATION:  My circumstances may not be the source of my shouts and songs, of my joy and gladness.  But I know who created me.  I am His.  I am a sheep in His pasture.  I have many reasons for joy.  True joy in my heart will find some outward expression. 

PRAYER:   Lord, when circumstances would make me hopeless, unhappy, and gloomy Your presence, Oh God, causes me to shout and sing and worship with joy and gladness!    Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon
Also on:  soapsbyleon.wordpress.com

My GREAT HIGH PRIEST!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 07, 2025: SOAP #5695: Hosea 10-12; Psalm 73; Hebrews 4

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews (NIV) 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin. 

OBSERVATION:   We have a Great High Priest!   He is great because of what He accomplished.  He is High because he is the priest appointed by God to offer the ultimate sacrifice.  He is a priest because he was chosen from among men to approach God on their behalf. 

My Great High Priest is qualified because he is human; he is one of us.  He is qualified because he was tempted in every way we have been tempted.  He is qualified because he overcame every temptation and remained without sin.  He is qualified because he did not die for his own sins, but for our sins.  He presented the perfect sacrifice to cover the sins of all who accept Him as Lord and Savior.   

APPLICATION:  So, what does that all mean to me?  I need to hold firmly to the faith I profess.  My faith is to be a part of every day and every activity in which I participate.  With my faith, I can face every opportunity and every difficulty. 

PRAYER:   Lord, living out my faith is possible when I remember that you, the one in whom I have faith, is actually living inside me!!!  You are with me every moment!  You speak into my heart and mind. May my life bring you joy!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon
Also on:  soapsbyleon.wordpress.com

Not An Interruption!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 06, 2025: SOAP #5694: Hosea 6-9; Hebrews 3

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews (NIV) 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

OBSERVATION:   The Bible does not tell us how to feel but often tells us how to think.  Our spiritual battles are often in our mind.  We are to fix our thoughts on Jesus.  We are to consider what He feels or thinks about what we are doing. 

Since, Jesus, by the person of the Holy Spirit has made our lives His permanent home, He is always available for us to talk to Him.  He wants you to know that He does not consider your question as an interruption!  Living in you, He has time for you. 

APPLICATION:  I am not to just try to think about Jesus, I am commanded to think about Jesus.  I am to make a choice to think about Jesus.  1Peter 1:13 tells me to prepare my mind for action.  Instead of letting circumstances crowd Jesus out of my thinking, I want my mind to be filled with an awareness of His Presence and what He would do in my current circumstances. 

PRAYER:   Holy Spirit, keep reminding me today of how I am to be thinking.  Guide me in taking proper steps to only think thoughts that would please you.  You dwell in my heart and with my thoughts.  Forgive me for allowing thoughts that make you uncomfortable.    Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon
Also on:  soapsbyleon.wordpress.com

The MAIN STORY of all history!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 05, 2025: SOAP #5693: Hosea 2-5; Hebrews 2

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews (NIV) 2:10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy [Jesus] and those who are made holy [believers] are of the same family. So, Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

OBSERVATION:   The main story of the Bible is not what man can do for God, but what God has done for man!   History is truly “HIS STORY!”  The above verse deals with the part of the story where God so loves the man He created that He sends His sinless Son, to become a man and die for man’s sins.  In this way people can become part of the sinless family of God!  Now when man’s sins have been properly covered with a sinless blood sacrifice—now when man is forgiven, the living Jesus is not ashamed to identify with man as brothers. 

APPLICATION:  After all that Jesus suffered for me, I should live my life as being honored to be a part of God’s family.  The cost paid to release me from sin proves that I am loved and that I have value to God.  The main story line is not what I can do for God, but what God has done for me! –and what He has prepared for my future! 

PRAYER:   Jesus, forgive me for taking my place in your family so lightly.  Such a high honor deserves my deepest appreciation.  Thank you for forgiving me and accepting me. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon

God speaking…

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 04, 2025: SOAP #5692: 2Kings 15-16; Hosea 1; Hebrews 1

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews 1:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.

OBSERVATION:   Of the many special characteristics of God is that He wants to be known.  He is a “self-revealer.”  One of the ways He shows Himself is through His words; He is a “speaker.”  The writer of Hebrews mentions that God has spoken in the past but recently (in the writer’s day) God had spoken through Jesus. 

God did not stop speaking when Jesus finished His ministry here on earth, but continued to speak through the writers of the New Testament and today through the Holy Spirit.  
 
Because God is eternal and immutable, we know that what Jesus said lined up perfectly with the Old Testament.  We know that what the writers of the New Testament wrote lined up perfectly with the Old Testament and with Jesus.  And we can have confidence that what the Holy Spirit speaks to us will also line up perfectly with the Old Testament, Jesus, and the New Testament. 

APPLICATION:  Obviously, the better I know the written Word (the Old and New Testaments), and the better I know the living Word (Jesus), the better I will recognize and understand what the Holy Spirit, who lives in me, is speaking to me today. 

PRAYER:   Lord, Eli in 1Samuel chapter 3 directed Samuel to pray, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”  And, as Israel needed Samuel, so the United States of America, on this Independence Day, needs people who hear your word today!  May SOAP readers be people who hear your voice.  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon

Held Close

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 03, 2025: SOAP #5691: Isaiah 6-7; 2Chronicles 26-27; Philemon

Held close to Jesus by love.

SCRIPTURE:  Philemon (NIV) 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow-worker,

OBSERVATION:   In Clark’s Commentary we read, “some think that the term “prisoner…” should have been translated “bound with a chain.”  Very likely Paul was bound with a chain to the arm of a Roman soldier.  Yet Paul describes himself not as a prisoner of Rome, but as “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.” 

The cords of love that bound Paul to Jesus were stronger than the chains of Rome that bound him to the soldier. 

APPLICATION:  Whose prisoner am I today?   What chains are binding me?  To what am I bound?  

Like Paul, am I a prisoner of Christ Jesus?  I already know what His love for me motivated Him to do; what has my love for Jesus motivated me to do today? 

PRAYER:   Lord, like R.K. Carter wrote in his song, “Standing on the Promises” I want to be “bound to you eternally by love’s strong cord.”  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon