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24 March:   OUR STORY:   SIN, JESUS, the CROSS and LIFE!

Here is mankind’s story:   Sin, Jesus, the cross and life!!!

In our lesson today we will see that our sin required Jesus to suffer the cross so that we could have LIFE!

What I am going to present to you today will not be earth-shattering news, but I hope it does have some “life changing” news! Last week I presented to you several situations which showed times during Jesus’ life in which He showed great love for His Apostles. That love is most assuredly also there for us.   Jer 31:3 “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”   1 John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.    1 John 4:16 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

The question that might arise if we are in God’s children and loved by Him the why was it necessary for Christ to be sacrifice on the cross?

 

ALL HAVE SINNED:   

Romans 3:23           for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

Ecc 7:20 “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins”.

Romans 3:9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin”.

Romans 5:12           Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”.

 

SIN REQUIRES PUNISHMENT: 

2 Peter 2:4  “God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment”.

Galatians 3:13        “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”. 

James 1:15 “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

(BLOOD):   HEBREWS  9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is not forgiveness.”  Heb 10:1 - 4, 11 “For the Law . . . can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.  Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would to longer have had consciousness of sins? But in sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.  . . . Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take ways sins.”

 

JESUS MADE THE ULTIMATE/FINAL SACRIFICE FOR OUR SINS:

Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”   Eph 2:8 “ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”.   

Hebrews 9:15         “For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

1 Peter 3 :18 «Christ suffered and died for sins once for all. He never sinned and yet He died for us who have sinned. He died so He might bring us to God”.

Rom 5:6, 8 “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. . . . . But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Col 1:13.14 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved So, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  

MADE ALIVE:

1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”

Eph 2:10 “For  we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,  which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Col 1:10 “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”.

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and world desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who  gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

ETERNAL LIFE:

Jude 1:21 “21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”

1 John 2:25 “This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.”

John 14:2,3 Jesus has gone and prepared for us a place in His Father’s house, and He will return and take us there.

Titus 1:2  “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago”.

1 John 5:11  “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”

1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

John 10:27,28 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eterneal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

OUR STORY:   SIN, JESUS, the CROSS and LIFE!

We have sinned  - but Jesus did not.

We deserve punishment/death  - but Jesus did not.

Jesus did die so that we do not have to.

We now can enjoy “LIFE”  - both here and for eternity!!!

 

 

17 March: Are YOU Loved?

I want to first look at a verse about Jesus which occurs in His final days:  John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. …. got up from supper, and (washed the Apostles feet)”

This verse happens just before He institutes the Lord’s Supper and He washes the Apostles’ feet.

I point this out to show you that Jesus is becoming very much aware of what is about to happen – His torture and crucifixion. But in this verse, as He contemplates what is ahead – His thoughts turn to His followers. He feels a sense of emotion rising within Himself for His followers. He realizes that in those 72 hours during His death His people are going to become anxious, unsure and, plainly, scared. He feels for them during His own turmoil.

This moment of emotion is what lies in front of His act of proclaiming the Lord’s Supper. Mt 26:26ff “While they were eating, He took the bread and the cup and said, ‘Take eat; this is My body; … Drink for it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.’”

In His establishing the Lord’s Supper He is forever establishing a memorial of the greatest act of love the world has ever seen.  And immediately following this memorial Jesus proceeds to then wash His Apostle’s feet. One of the greatest acts of humility and love ever recorded.

After this act of service Jesus then tells His followers about His future suffering and how it was necessary not only for securing salvation for all of mankind, but so that the Father can then send the Holy Spirit: John 16:6,7 “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”

After this promise Jesus prays the prayer recorded in chapter 17: In Jesus’ prayer He speaks of the glory of Him and the Father. He then prays for His followers:     John 17:15,19,20 “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” “I do not ask on behalf of those alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me in I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

Jesus’ freedom ends in the garden at Gethsemane: John 18:2-4,8 “Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. Judas then, having received the roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. So Jesus, knowing all things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek? . . . Jesus answered, ‘I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way.’”

Right up until the very end Jesus’ concern is first and foremost for His followers. I present this chronology as evidence to the love, devotion, and concern that He had for those who accepted Him as the Messiah and Son of God when He was here on this earth. This same attitude exists for each and every one of us as well:   John 6:38 - For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me.  

 

Heb 4:15 - For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.     

 

1 John 4:9,10  “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”     

 

1 Peter 1:18,19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things . . . but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” 

 

2 Cor 5:21 - He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.    

 

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  

 

My original question was to ask if YOU are loved? We are in fact loved beyond our ability to comprehend the love that the God-head has for us.

“Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22)

“No eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 64:4)

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45)

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Sirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; … And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:26,28)