Alienated from God, but Reconciled

Col 1:21,22
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

It is only through the blood of Christ, the blood that was shed on the cross that we can stand before a holy God and be presented unblameable. We are all born in sin and the works of the flesh are seen in our lives at an early age. The tendency is to put self first. Many times the good work we do is done to compensate for the selfish things that we do. Balance out the bad by doing good. The works of the flesh alienate us from God, and we believe that if we do things that are kind and helpful that we can in some way get God’s approval. Works not done by faith or love for God, or anything done without the Holy Spirit is a “work of the flesh.”  The teaching that humanity is basically good, and only needs to be trained and put in the right environment to do what is right is inaccurate. We do see moments during natural disasters of people coming together to help each other. This is a natural desire of survival and a God given desire to reach out to humanity, but such actions do not negate the fact that man is basically self-centered and seeks to please and satisfy himself, disregarding God's desire. Wicked works cause a separation between God and us. Yet now, we are part of the body of Christ and no longer do the works of the flesh. We align ourselves with the works of the Spirit, and manifest the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. This is the natural desire for the person who is sanctified and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live unblamable in this present world.

Crucify Him

 Luke 23:21
 But they cried, saying, crucify him, crucify him.

A week ago, the people were praising Him, “Hosanna! Blessed is the king that comes in the name of the Lord.” Some say that these were the same people now crying out to crucify Him, crucify Him! I like to think that they were not. The crowd last were filled with hope and anticipation that Jesus would be their deliverer. I believe many of them were heartbroken to see their hopes dashed by the events that were happening. Those that were crying out for the blood of Jesus to be put to death were those who felt threatened by His popularity and the large following He was gathering.  The Pharisee, Sadducees, Sanhedrin, and many of the religious sector who were blinded by their own self righteousness and greed for power. They were convicted by the life of Jesus. The crowd last week were fearful for their lives to be identified with Jesus, and I believe, feared repercussions from the religious leaders. But, their refusal to stand up for Jesus made them part responsible for Jesus being crucified. They may not have cried out, “crucify Him!” but like Peter, they were guilty of forsaking Him. His death on the cross was necessary for the salvation of mankind. It was prophesied many hundreds of years ago. We don’t have control over the events of life and what happens tomorrow, but we can still do what is right today, and live a life that is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. Many still today are nailing Him to the cross and crucify Him afresh and anew. But we can take a stand for God and take up the cross and follow Him.

He Gave His Life

Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

His blood was shed, He took His last breath, and He died. The Son of God, Jesus who was perfect and blameless allowed sinful man to put Him on the cross and put Him to Death. Why? Because He loved us so much that He was willing to be the supreme sacrifice to atone for my sin and yours. His blood that was shed on Calvary rent the vail in two giving us access to the Father. Hanging on the cross, He spilled out His blood that we may have fellowship with the Father and have a relationship with the Triune God. The history books have recorded it, and millions have availed themselves to the cleansing blood that continues to flow from Calvary.

Good Friday

Heb. 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

We are not made holy through any thing that we do. He commands us to abstain from all appearance of evil, yet it is not living a sinless life that make us holy. God says, “Be ye holy as I am Holy”. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”. This standard of living is impossible for man to reach. We can only be made perfect through the cross. Jesus who offered up Himself as the supreme sacrifice for sin, took our sin, it was nailed to the cross and we bear it no longer. Through the blood of Christ we can now be made whole and sanctified. We are made clean and can now come boldly to the throne of God and make our request known to Him. Once and for all, the blood was shed, no need for any other sacrifice. Today is Good Friday, good because the price has been paid and we no longer have to sacrifice animals for sin offerings. Good because we now can be made holy and pure, not of any works we can do, but through faith in the cross that Jesus died for us to set us free from the bondage of sin and has written the law of God in our hearts. His commandments are still required, but they are not what makes us holy.

We Believe with all our Hearts

Act 8: 37 If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Believing with all your heart holds back no reservations of your motives and intentions. To believe intellectually that Jesus in the Son of God is a good start, but it will not be enough to have eternal life. The devil believe that Jesus is the Son of God and tremble in His presence. Our belief in Jesus must go to the heart of our affections. It is the passion of our life to know that Jesus is who He says He is. He is the Son of God, the 2nd person of the triune God. We believe that He came to earth to take on the sins of the world by dying on the cross, we believe that we must accept this gift for us by confessing our sins and believe that the power of Christ can forgive us of our transgressions. We believe that Jesus not only came to take away our sins, but provided a way for us to live a life without sin. Not human perfection, but heart perfection. Christian perfection is made possible because we believe that Jesus died without the gate to sanctify us. Sending the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. When we believe with all our hearts, there is a transformation in our lives that changes the way we think, the way we act, and the things we love. I believe this with all my heart!

The East from the West

Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.”-

“to such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His commandments to do them” God’s love is unconditional. He loves people and desires that people will follow Him. He sent His Son to earth to live and die on a cross that our sins may be cast in the sea of God’s forgetfulness. He rose from the dead that we may experience new life in Christ. His mercy does not over look sin, but His mercy will forgive sin to those who will yield their hearts to Him. To those who keep His commandments and come unto to Him that He may give us rest. His covenant is for us to humble ourselves before the presence of Him and He will take our sins and remove them as far as the east is from the west, never to be remember again. We look back and see how sin destroyed our lives and separated us from His fellowship, but the Lord is Great is mercy to them that fear Him, and will not bring up our past that is under the blood. His blood covers a multitude of sins and are never remember against us again. 

Living in Truth

John 8:31 ““If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”-

Living in Truth is to abide in Him. Free from sin. There are those who teach because we are born in sin and have a sin nature that we cannot live a life without sinning. Sin is part of the human nature and to say you do not sin is to say you are not human, and no one is perfect. This teaching is contrary to the teaching that Christ gives the Jews as they defended their claims to know the Father. It is true that we are all born in sin and by birth are sinners. For all have sin and come short of God’s glory. Being free from sin is not humanly possible for deliverance from sin is only made possible because Jesus died on the cross to pay our debt of sin. Accepting Him as Savior, we now abide in Him, we are now living in the Vine. We now live in truth for He is Truth. As long as we live in Him we can be free from living a life of sin. Sin no longer abides, we are no longer in bondage or enslaved to Satan, He is no longer our father, we have a new Father, a heavenly Father that sets us free from the sin bondage that Satan had on us. A life free from sin is made possible through the blood of Christ and abiding in Him. 

Riches of His Grace

Eph 1:7 “ in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace,”-

The favor of God is given to us as a gift. Because of His grace, we don’t have to suffer the judgment of our sin. His grace is a gift of love that was demonstrated by the giving of His life to pay for our sins. Forgiveness for our  sinful ways is provided through the shedding of the blood of Jesus. We do not deserve it, but His grace provides it. Our responsibility is to accept this free gift. When we do, He changes our life so drastically that we desire to live a life that will please Him. His commandments are not grievous, His grace allows us to live each day with desire to serve Him. A person truly saved by the grace of God is motivated by love to share this grace to others. To pass it forward, to show our neighbor that God’s love can give purpose to life and a joy everlasting. 

Healing By His Strips

Isaiah 53:5 “ But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.”-

On the cross, Jesus suffered and died to save us from our transgressions. He took on Him the sin of humanity and paid the ultimate price. His strips were many and in pain He suffered them all for you and me. His flesh was ripped open, as blood flowed, healing was made possible for us all. He heals broken lives that have been shattered by poor choices. Choices that sought pleasure, but brought destruction. He heals broken marriages, and brings lives back together again. By His stripped we are healed from our addictions and habits that take us away from doing what is right. Sin brings spiritual sickness to everyone who yields to unrighteousness. Bitterness, hatred, malice, covetousness, and all manner of wickedness causes the heart to turn black and ugly. All born into this world, were born in sin. We like to think that our good humanitarian works will out weigh the wrongs in our life, but righteousness does not come from doing works of good deeds, but it is only through Christ, that we can find peace and salvation for our sinful heart. Healing is offered to all who will believe in Jesus and accept His strips and death to heal us from all our diseases and make us completely whole. 

Flesh and Blood

 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:12-13 KJV

Our real enemy is not those who make it difficult to live or survive. They may be instruments of the powers that are unseen, but the real foe is Satan. He seeks those who are seeker after God to dissuade them from serving God. He works to get those that are under his control in bondage and prevents them from finding God. The struggle to give God the preeminence and lordship of our heart comes from the world of darkness. The Christian fight is a spiritual one that is fought against an evil dominance in the spiritual world. The struggle to be free from the bondage is sin is not one that is done in the human. The power of will or human spirit is not enough to overcome the power of spiritual darkness. Satan has evil powers that we as humans cannot match. He is not all powerful, but he does possess power that is too great for any human being to resist in his own strength.

The Passover

Exodus 12: 1-14

Special Day

• Days to Celebrate- Spiritual celebrations
• Abib-the corn appears- Fruit of God’s Deliverance

Selection of the Lamb

• One lamb per household of at least 10 people
• Without Blemish- Perfect- no defects or deformities
• Male and Firstborn- firstborn of the begotten
• Innocent and faultless

Slaughter of the Lamb

• No bone are broken
• The Blood is the life- Christ gave His life

Sprinkling of the Blood

• The blood is applied to the door- Under the blood

Serving of the Lamb

• Eating of the flesh- partaker of His flesh- symbolic
• Food to strengthen for the travel ahead- Need his strength
• Roasting the lamb- Symbolic of suffering- born not broken
• Unleavened bread- separation from sin- particular people
• Bitter herbs- remind them of the bitterness of sin
• Eat with lions gridded about- Prepare for service and journey

Smiting of the Firstborn

• God ordained
• Stand still and see God work- Let God be God
• God will have the last word-
• Intolerance of other Gods- He alone is God, There is no other

Saved by the Blood of the Lamb

• The blood of Christ is applied to the door post of our hearts
• It was the blood that saved the Hebrew- It is the blood that will save us.
• Man is lost in sin and the blood must be applied for redemption
• Christ our Passover- making atonement for our sins
• Calvary is the turning point for new life.
• It was at Calvary where I found forgiveness and purpose in life

The Last Battle

Revelation 20:7-15

The battle that will end all wars will someday be fought. There will be no human artillery in this battle. The Lord God will use fire from heaven to destroy all Christ rejecters and Satan will also be cast into the lake of fire. All sinners will give account for what they did with Christ. Those who are not found in the book of life will be given their reward. The justice of God demands payment. Payment for sin in only made when the blood of Christ is applied to the doorpost of our hearts. “When I see the blood, I will pass over you”

Restraining Satan - bound him a thousand year vs. 1-3

• The devil is chain and bound
• Cast into the bottomless pit
• Shut up and sealed for a thousand years

Reign of Christ – They live and reigned with Christ vs. 4-5

• Saints beheaded for Christ
• Did not receive the mark of the beast
• No sin, no Satan, but the flesh lives

Release of Satan – Satan shall be loose out of his prison

• Just for a season
• Satan’s last chance
• Army is gathered- Gog and magog- sand of sea

Rebellion and Deception – shall go out to deceive

• Those born in the Millennium are tested
• The heart is deceitful and wicked- turn against Christ Lordship

Rain of Fire – fire came down from heaven

• The army surrounded the city of Jerusalem
• God send fire from heaven to destroy them
• The battle is the Lords- He will fight for us

Released into Hell – the devil…cast in the lake of fire

• Satan is thrown into the fire that quenches not
• The beast and the false prophet are already there
• Will be in torment for ever and ever

Resurrection of the Dead- And I saw the dead

• The dead are brought before God to give an account
• Name not found in the book of life

Revelation of Sinful Deeds- according to their works

• The “books” were open- things recorded in God’s account book
• Punishment given out in degrees- Hell will burn hotter

Reward of the Unbeliever- cast into the lake of fire

• The 1^st death and hades was cast into Hell fire
• This is the second death- will be no end- perpetual dying

Israel Restored

Isaiah 62:1-12

As we look ahead to things that are yet to come, we find hope in knowing that Christ will someday rule over all earthly kingdoms. He shall reign forever and forever! And those who have been redeemed by his precious blood, washed and made clean will come to Zion singing, the song of the redeemed. Until then, let us remain diligent and watchful lest we find ourselves without a song to sing.

Righteousness Rules- righteousness goes forth

• God’s Objective- His People (Jews) will lead
• The People of God are a light shining in darkness

Renewed in Christ – a new name

• Exalted with Christ- as father Abraham is the bossom..
• We are given a new start- know by others as –a new man
• Things are different now- a changed life

Royal Diadem – royal diadem in the hand of the Lord

• We our the precious jewel in his hand
• God’s handiwork- God said, “it is good”

Rejoicing of God – God rejoice over thee

• Parallel- Christ and the bride
• The joy of the bridegroom over his bride
• ·Marriage supper of the lamb

Reign of Christ –till he establish-arms of His strength

• God will set his watchman to guard against the evil

• There will be no rest or ceasing to watch until all is safe
• His kingdom will be established- His promises is true

Return to Zion – go through the gates

• The gathering of God people back to Jerusalem
• The people of God from all times will return
• Spiritual return to Christ- Leave your sin- clear the way

Reward of God- his reward is with him

• A reward to them that diligently seek him

Redeemed of the Lord- They shall be called the redeemed

• Once forsaken and desolate- Mercy of God to remember
• Sought out by the Holy Spirit
• Called unto holiness