Homeward Bound
Volume 11
Could Jesus Sin?
Although this is a seemingly simple
question, there is no clear and simple answer
from scripture. We know from reading the
Gospels that Jesus did not sin and knew no sin.
But, it is important to know that because He
overcame, we
can overcome.
Had Jesus
sinned, even but
once, God’s plan
to save man and
redeem him to
Himself would
have failed. A
perfect, sinless
lamb must need
be offered and
Jesus was that
Chosen sinless
Lamb of God.
Jesus hungered. Jesus thirsted. Jesus
sweat. Jesus needed to cleanse His body.
Jesus labored and tired in His flesh. Jesus
wept and experienced sorrow. Jesus had more
than ample opportunity to be frustrated and
possibly even to the point of anger. He was a
man living in a body of flesh just as you and
me. We are familiar with Jesus’ temptation by
Satan in the wilderness before He began His
ministry. This is a powerful story for us to
recall and be an empowerment for our own
selves as we face the onslaught of temptation
daily from Satan and his minions.
Jesus is 100% God and 100% man by
nature. These two natures were somehow able
to coexist contemporaneously in the body of
flesh in which He habitated. It would have
been impossible for this to happen had He
been born in a sinful state as did all men born
prior to Him. Since the sin nature is passed to
the children from the seed of a human father, it
was necessary for the Father to provide the
“seed” for the sinless flesh of Jesus.
Homeward Bound Ministries – Post Office Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 – (203) 882-9661
Number 07
Yet, Jesus was subject to temptation just
as each and every one of us. The Bible says,
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest,
that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son
of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we
have not an high priest which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
(Hebrews 4:14-16) In “all points” Jesus was
tempted. Not a few, not some, but in all points
He was tempted, just as you and me, yet He did
NOT sin. The writer of Hebrews tells us this
because it was important for the Christ to
endure temptation without sinning to make
His redemptive act an act of value, one filled
with merit and power. To have been tempted
knowing that He could not possibly sin would
have been insincere and falsely portray His
humanity, therefore not being just like you and
me.
If Jesus could not possibly sin, then the
temptations He endured would have been
meaningless and
His suffering and
death upon the
cross of no
redeeming value.
Satan tempted
Jesus sorely and
though He left
Him for a time
after the great
temptation in the
wilderness, he did
return. Only by overcoming temptation, each
and every one, without sinning, could He have
possibly set the example for us to overcome sin
in our own lives. Knowing from scripture, had
it been so said that Jesus could not and would
not sin, we would despair of being able to
overcome sin in our own lives, there being no
true example.
(continued on page two)
 Homeward Bound – Volume 11 – Number 07
Could Jesus Sin? (continued)
Jesus most certainly had opportunity to sin and
there are some examples in scripture that
uniquely show that temptation was at work in
His life and that He made conscious effort to
overcome the temptation and not sin. Not the
least of which was the Gethsemane garden
experience in the hours before He was
crucified.
The Bible says, “Then cometh Jesus with
them unto a place called Gethsemane, and
saith unto the
disciples, Sit ye
here, while I go
and pray
yonder. And he
took with him
Peter and the
two sons of
Zebedee, and
began to be
sorrowful and
very heavy.
Then saith he
unto them, My
soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death:
tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he
went a little farther, and fell on his face, and
prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I
will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the
disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith
unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me
one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not
into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak. He went away again the
second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father,
if this cup may not pass away from me, except
I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and
found them asleep again: for their eyes were
heavy. And he left them, and went away
again, and prayed the third time, saying the
same words. Then cometh he to his disciples,
and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take
your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the
Son of man is betrayed into the hands of
sinners.” (Matthew 26:36-45) Matthew here
relates the powerful experience of Jesus in the
Garden at Gethsemane where He certainly
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must have had thoughts of another way, any
other way than the cross of Calvary. His soul
being sorrowful, even unto death and, “ . . .
being in an agony he prayed more earnestly:
and his sweat was as it were great drops of
blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke
22:44) The agony, temptation and the decision
to be made and carried out in His flesh was so
great that, “ . . . there appeared an angel
unto him from heaven, strengthening him.”
(Luke 22:43) Any lesser man would have run,
immediately run far away from what was facing
Him at that very moment. The decision to take
upon Himself the sins of man, to suffer
horrendously and die without mercy for them,
to this end He came to Earth and overcame the
desires of His flesh and submitted to the will of
the Father.
The Bible says, “For even hereunto were
ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow
his steps: Who did no sin, neither was
guile found in his mouth: Who,
when he was reviled, reviled not
again; when he suffered,
he threatened not; but
committed himself
to him that judgeth righteously:
Who his own self bare our sins in his
own body on the tree, that we, being
dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by whose stripes ye
were healed.” (I Peter 2:21-24) Here
Peter tells us that though He was hanging upon
that cruel cross He sinned not though He had
opportunity. Jesus chose to commit Himself
unto the righteous judgment of the Father,
knowing like as Abraham said, “Shall not the
Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis
18:25)
Jesus operated from a position of au-
thority, of being omniscient (knowing all
things) and being omnipotent (possessing all
power). Jesus knew from before the foundation
of the Earth that man, the pinnacle of His
creation, would fall in sin and that He was
chosen by the Father to redeem man from that
fallen position. Knowing all and having all
power gave Him, (continued on page three)
 Homeward Bound – Volume 11 – Number 07
Could Jesus Sin? (continued)
in His flesh, the confidence and the power to
overcome and do the will of God. What an
example for you and for me! Without this
example we would not know it could be done,
be possible for us to overcome and endure unto
the end. His call to us would have been
meaningless without proof, without evidence.
The fact that His Spirit comes to abide in us as
we surrender our lives to Him gives us that
very same power that the flesh of Jesus of
Nazareth possessed and therefore we can, we
must overcome sin!
The Bible says, “Wherefore seeing we
also are compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is
set before us, looking unto Jesus the author
and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that
was set before
him endured
the cross,
despising the
shame, and is
set down at the
right hand of
the throne of
God. For
consider him
that endured
such
contradiction
of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied
and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet
resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”
(Hebrews 12:1-4) This, this very thing is the
confidence that both you and I have knowing
that if Jesus could overcome the possibility of
sin in His life, we can, we must do it also. In
the Garden Jesus resisted unto blood striving
against doing His will over the Father’s. Those
precious drops of sweated blood that dropped
to the ground was proof enough in His own
flesh of the actual struggle going on in both the
flesh and the heavenlies since it was at that
very point in time that Jesus overcame and
proceeded to the cross, performing the Father’s
will as planned. Satan was overcome and
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would soon be crushed and defeated, Jesus’
death and resurrection forever breaking the
power of sin and death that he exercised over
mankind!
This is why John, the beloved disciple,
the man who more than probably any other
man on the Earth at that time knew Jesus
intimately, could say to all who would follow,
“My little children, these things write I unto
you, that ye sin not.” (I John 2:1) This
exhortation to overcome sin in our own life
would have rung hollow had He not overcame
sin and went to the cross unblemished by sin
stain and be that perfect sacrifice.
How did Jesus fulfill
PROPHECIES
only God could fulfill?
There are at least 44 specific prophecies
relating to the life of the Messiah . . . and Christ
fulfilled everyone of them . . . a feat that only God
could perform. (Example: being from the line of
David (Matthew 1:6), being born of a virgin
(Matthew 1:23) and being crucified (Psalm 22:16).
Some would say, “That could happen simply by
chance.” Really?
Two science professors, Peter W. Stoner and
Robert C. Newman, applied the science of
probability to just 8 select Old Testament
prophecies being fulfilled in one man. The odds?
One chance in 10 to the 17th power. To make this
huge number more understandable, they illustrate
it:
''Suppose we take 10 to the 17th power in
silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas.
They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now
mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole
mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man
and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes,
but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that
this is the right one. What chance would he have of
getting the right one? Just the same chance that the
prophets would have had of writing these eight
prophecies and having them all come true in any
one man, from their day to the present time,
providing they wrote using their own wisdom.''
(Stoner and Newman, Science Speaks, p. 107)
 Homeward Bound – Volume 11 – Number 07
The Story of
Harry Orchard
-Adapted from 'Harry Orchard The Man God
Made Again’, An Autobiography
“The word which came to Jeremiah from the
LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the
potter's house, and there I will cause thee to
hear my words. Then I went down to the
potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a
work on the wheels. And the vessel that he
made of clay was marred in the hand of the
potter: so he made it again another vessel, as
seemed good to the potter to make it.”
(Jeremiah 18:1-4)
The following story is about a man who,
after living a life of crime, was suddenly given
time, lots of time, to think. Fortunately, for
him, it was not too late to change.
A loud, official knock sounded at the
door of the hotel room.
The sheriff stood out-
side. "Orchard, you're
under arrest," he
stated.
Shortly, Harry
Orchard found himself
in the county jail. That
day marked the end of a
long career in organized
crime.
Life began for
him in 1866 on a
farm near Toronto,
Canada. Every Sunday he was sent to church.
By the age of 22 he married a sweet Scottish
lassie and together they worked to establish
their home. It was a happy home and all
seemed to be going well. Life was off to a good
start.
After four or five years of marriage
however, plagued by debt, Harry began taking
steps that led him down the wrong path. First it
was an occasional drink and a game of cards.
Next came frequent gambling and many nights
away from home. Little dishonesties crept into
his business practices.
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One winter day Harry and his wife went
to visit an uncle that was a minister. They
intended to stay a day or two, but an
unexpected blizzard snowed them in for two
weeks. During this time God spoke to his heart,
and Harry gave his heart to Jesus. He vowed to
turn his back on the world and live for God.
Peace returned to their home.
Unfortunately, Satan was there to
destroy that decision. Back home, Harry had a
court case pending where he had to face a
previous dishonesty in his business. He was
determined to confess the whole thing and
make it right, but at the moment of truth he
weakened and covered the whole affair with
lies.
His vow to God was broken, his new
Christian experience was gone. From then on
Harry plunged deeper and deeper into sin.
Desperate for money, Harry set fire to his
business, collected the insurance, then skipped
the country with a friend's wife.
Alone before long, he eventually moved
to Idaho and began working in the mines in
1899. Those were the days of the "wild, woolly
west." Crime was prevalent, and labor unions
ruled the country with a reign of terror. At first,
Orchard despised the ruthless tactics used by
the unions. Later, however, he became
convinced that their cause was justified. The
cruelty used by officials who were sent in to
correct the situation enraged him. He didn't
understand that two wrongs do not make a
right.
He gave himself over to getting revenge.
For years he was a skillful and willing tool for
the leaders of the labor unions who were
anxious to remove any man that stood in their
way. For a price, he became guilty of the blood
of scores of innocent people.
The day of reckoning finally came. After
taking the life of former Governor Frank
Steunenberg of Idaho, he found himself for the
first time behind bars. It was a jarring
experience. He felt like a caged animal.
Deprived of his freedom he had time to do
something that he hadn't done for years. He
had time to think. In fact, he had nothing to do
but think. As he lay (continued on page five)
 Homeward Bound – Volume 11 – Number 07
The Story of Harry Orchard (continued)
in his cell, the dreadful deeds of the past forced
their way into his consciousness.
Beginning with his boyhood, each scene
marched through his mind. As he reflected,
conviction and remorse began to take hold of
him. Desperately he tried to fight these
feelings but to no avail. For weeks the
struggle continued. Nights passed
where he was unable to close his eyes all
night due to the thoughts that chased
each other wildly through his mind.
After three long weeks in the
local county jail, he was moved to the
penitentiary at Boise for "safekeeping."
The struggle in his mind intensified. He
was placed in solitary confinement. His
meals were handed to him in silence.
For ten days he was not permitted to
communicate with anyone in any way.
This angered him, but here again there was
nothing to do but think without interruption.
Try as he would he could not get away
from those terrible scenes that seemed to haunt
him. He was not deeply concerned with the
charges that were being brought against him,
for though he was guilty, he knew it would not
be difficult for the labor union leaders to build
an alibi to acquit him. He also knew that any
money needed to buy his freedom would be
used.
It was the eternal side of life that
troubled him now. He often had boasted that
he did not believe in God, but deep in his secret
heart he believed there was a God and that he
must face Him. Alone and imprisoned, he
finally wondered if he could ever make his
peace with God.
As he realized how terrible his life had
been, the guilt pressed him down with a weight
that seemed to be more than he could bear. The
devil harassed him with the thought that he
had gone too far and that God would not listen
to his cry. Suicide was an appealing thought
until he would realize that he was not ready to
die.
he thought came forcibly to his mind
that if he would frankly confess his terrible
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Homeward Bound Ministries – Post Office Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 – (203) 882-9661
deeds, God might still forgive him. Then the
seriousness of his crimes would plague him
again and banish the possibility of forgiveness
from his mind.
Days and weeks passed with this
towering question ever on his mind. At times
Harry Orchard, 3rd from left, on way to prison
he thought he would fight it out in court until
acquitted and then change his life and seek
God's mercy and forgiveness, but this plan
brought nothing but darkness. Only one course
of action brought him the tiniest ray of hope--
to make a full confession regardless of the
consequences.
After months of deliberating, he
virtually came to this decision. Then he would
think that he could never go through with it.
The thought of the shock it would be to the
world, and the monster that he would be
pictured as, were appalling to him. He felt that
he could make public his confession only if he
could receive God's forgiveness and then die.
He wanted the earth to swallow him up so that
he would never have to look upon the face of
man again.
The mental agony was terrible. The one
thing that overshadowed all others and made
the rest sink into insignificance was the desire
to first of all make his peace with God. When
he surrendered, his cold, hard heart began to
melt, and the first real tears in years came to
his eyes. What a relief they were! That night he
made a solemn vow--to confess to all men the
terrible sins of his evil life. The following
morning he began (continued on page six)
 Homeward Bound – Volume 11 – Number 07
The Story of Harry Orchard (continued)
to write out his awful confession which he later
gave to the world from the witness stand.
When the trial came, the labor union
leaders were there to prove his testimony false
since it laid bare their own criminal plans and
actions. Lawyers were hired to confuse him and
prove his story false. Throughout the grueling
days of cross examination, he clung to God to
help him tell the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth, though he knew that his
plea of guilty carried with it nothing but the
death sentence. When the lawyers finished
cross-examining him, they were constrained to
express their amazement at the consistency of
his long sordid story. When he was finished, he
was sentenced to be hung. But in his heart
there was peace, for now he knew he was
forgiven and had become a new creature in
Christ Jesus.
Not long after being returned to the
penitentiary, he heard that his sentence was
being commuted from a death sentence to a
sentence of life imprisonment. As he faced the
thought of life imprisonment, he felt
overwhelmed. Dying seemed easier than living.
Again he struggled as he learned to submit to
the will of God for him.
Life was not easy in the prison, but he
determined by the grace of God to make the
best of it. Day by day he went to his Saviour for
the help that he needed in
struggling with the nature and
habits that had controlled him
for so long.
God worked mirac-
ulously to change him. A
chaplain proved to be a
valuable spiritual counselor to
him and he eventually had the
joyous privilege of following
Christ's example of being
baptized. He saw a touching
revelation of the love of God
when Julian Steunenberg, the
son of the former governor
whom Orchard had murdered,
came to see him to tell him
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that he and his mother had forgiven him and
wanted only for him to turn to God for
forgiveness and the salvation of his soul.
For nearly fifty years Orchard walked
the grounds and halls of prison. He made
himself as useful as he could and became a
financial asset instead of a burden to the state.
At his death his one expressed wish to be
buried outside of the penitentiary was granted
to him.
In his personal testimony he states,
"Were I to live a thousand years, and had to
spend every one of them in prison, I would still
say that I am glad in my heart that I burned all
the bridges behind me when I turned my back
upon the old life of sin that dragged me down
to the committing of such terrible crimes."
By the time of his death at the age of
eighty-eight, the hardened expression and
shifty eyes of the criminal that had first entered
the prison had been changed. The lines of his
face seemed to be etched with kindness and
love. A gentleness seemed to radiate from his
presence. God had re-made him.
One of the most important questions
you may ask in this life is, "Am I ready for
Jesus' coming?" "Is my heart right before
God?" The answer to these questions will
determine where each of us will be throughout
eternity. May God be with you as you seek daily
to know that there is nothing between your
soul and the Saviour.
 Homeward Bound – Volume 11 – Number 07

Hubble Space Telescope this material is very dusty and reflects starlight.
New data shows that this structure consists of
Observes a Star two lobes of material, one of which (lower left)
on the Brink of Destruction is moving toward us and the other of which
(upper right) is moving away. The knots of
Presented here is a Hubble Space ejected material have sizes comparable to that
Telescope "natural color" image of the material of our solar system.
surrounding the star Eta Carinae. Eta Carinae This star is an example of a supernova, a
has a mass of approximately 150 times that of star in the process of exploding. Most
the sun, and is about 4 million times brighter supernovae destroy the star which undergoes
than our local star, making it one of the most such an explosion, but this star is so massive it
massive and most luminous stars known. Eta has survived!
Carinae is highly unstable, and prone to violent God’s Creation is so wonderful and
outbursts. The last of these occurred in 1841, beautiful. There are countless objects in the
when despite its distance (over 10,000 light heavens for us to see, revealing His majesty
years away) Eta Carinae briefly became the and power, this is just one of them. For more
second brightest star in the sky. This pictures of objects in space taken by the Hubble
photograph revealed new detail in the rapidly space Telescope, visit:
expanding shell of material which was ejected
during the last century's outburst. The clear http://www.seds.org/hst/hst.html
view of Eta Carinae dramatically demonstrates
the ability of Hubble to
reliable study faint
structures near bright
objects although far away.
The picture is a
combination of three
different images taken in
red, green, and blue light.
The ghostly red outer glow
surrounding the star is
composed of the very
fastest moving of the
material which was ejected
during the last century's
outburst. This material,
much of which is moving at
more than two million
miles per hour, is largely
composed of nitrogen and
other elements formed in
the interior of the massive
star, and subsequently
ejected into interstellar
space. The bright blue-
white nebulosity closer in to
the star also consists of
ejected stellar material.
Unlike the outer nebulosity,
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 Homeward Bound – Volume 11 – Number 07

It’s What We Do!

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world.
Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

It’s what we do. Plain and simple. This

is Jesus’ command to us today and His Word is
as fresh as it was almost two thousand years
ago. All things we do as believers must be
wrapped up in and concerned with this very
thing. Anything else is anything less than
Jesus commanded us. Is this what you are
doing?
Prior to Jesus giving this final command
to His disciples, when He appeared to them
immediately after His resurrection in the room
where they had gathered, “Then said Jesus to
them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father
hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he
had said this, he breathed on them, and saith
unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” (John
20:21-22)
Jesus sends His disciples on the very
same mission for which the Father had sent
Him, to reconcile the world unto the Father. In
order to do this great work believers need to
receive the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus
Christ. Filled with His Spirit and knowing the
work at hand we go and serve. It’s what we do.
Anything less than this and we have fallen
gravely short.
Receive the Holy Spirit. Preach the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. Baptize those who
repent and are saved. Teach new converts to
obey Jesus in all things. Prepare them for
service in the Great Commission. It’s what we
do! John Payne
In my opinion . . .
In my opinion, the great single need of the
moment is that light-hearted superficial
religionists be struck down with a vision of God
high and lifted up, with His train filling the
temple. The holy art of worship seems to have
passed away like the Shekinah glory from the
tabernacle. As a result, we are left to our own
devices and forced to make up the lack of
spontaneous worship by bringing in countless
cheap and tawdry activities to hold the
attention of the church people. (A. W. Tozer -
Keys To The Deeper Life).
Thank you for taking the time to read this
issue of Homeward Bound! As usual, your
questions and comments are most welcome.
Do you write? Do you have something
you’d like to share with the readers of
Homeward Bound? Please consider sending
it in for review. Until next time . . . may
God bless you and use you in the Harvest of
souls!

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