The Encourager

The Encourager

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Written in the Blood Red by Mike Richardson

Sunday, February 07, 2016

Paul, in writing to the church at Ephesus, brings to their mind that one is redeemed by the blood of Christ. In Ephesians 1:7 he writes, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…” It is through the blood of Christ we have forgiveness of sins. Then we observe that Paul told the Ephesian elders to shepherd the flock which Jesus purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). In Paul’s epistle to the church at Rome Paul states that we are justified by the blood of Christ (Romans 5:9). So Paul sets forth that we are redeemed, purchased, and justified by the blood of Christ. Time and time again we see New Testament writers as guided by the Holy Spirit refer to the blood of Christ. For a moment let your mind go back to the scene of the cross and note why Jesus died on that cruel cross. Picture the blood that flowed from His body down the timber to the ground below. If we look closely the blood spells out several things. Observe with me several things Jesus wrote with His own blood. Notice some grand truths written in blood red.

(i)Jesus wrote down in His own blood that you can be a child of God. When we come in contact with the blood of Christ we are “born again” (Jno.3:3-5).We are adopted into the family of God (Gal.4:5; Eph.1:5) Consider Paul’s words “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). When Jesus shed His blood on the cross He wrote it down in blood red that through His shed blood we can be children of God. However, one must be in the blood to receive this blessing. “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Galatians 3:26).

(ii)Jesus wrote down in His own blood “I love you.” Paul wrote in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” When you look at the cross you see the greatest demonstration of love there ever has been. As the blood trickled down the lumber and pooled on the ground the blood spelled out the love of Jesus for you. Jesus loves you so much He wrote in red! Sometimes we get frustrated because of the trials of life, but let us never question the love of God for us (Jno.3:16).

(iii)Jesus wrote down in His own blood “I will forgive you.” Do you ever feel that your sins are too great and that God cannot forgive you? Then you need to look at the cross of Christ. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” (Rom.6:23). The only reason we can be forgiven is because of the cross of Christ. He paid the penalty for our sin by dying on the cross. Jesus wrote with His own blood that if we come to God on His terms, He will forgive us. There is no sin so great that the blood of Christ cannot blot it out. To be forgiven you must want forgiveness and must seek it according to His will.

(iv)Jesus wrote down in His own blood “I will come again.” It is written in red that Jesus was raised from the dead and He is now at the right hand of God (Acts 2:33). However, the promise of God is that He will come again and take the forgiven home to heaven (Jno.14:1-3). Jesus wrote in red that He will come again, are you ready for Him to come again? These promises are written in red, the blood of Christ.

God Hates Separation by Mike Richardson

Sunday, January 17, 2016

It is of great interest to go through the Bible and take note of what God hates. One things that I believe we can put our finger on is the fact God hates separation in most cases. God has gone to great lengths to bring about reconciliation. Notice some things that causes separation that is against the will of God.  

(i)Physical death. Physical death came into the world has a result of man being cast out of the Garden of Eden (Gen.3). Physical death is a by-product of spiritual death. Physical death is when the spirit of man leaves the body. James writes in James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Death is called the last enemy. Paul writes in I Cor.15:26 that “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death…” Thus, God hates the fact that sin removed man from the Garden He made and thus eliminated access to the tree of life. Physical death is separation of body and spirit and was a result of sin.  

(ii)Spiritual death. Spiritual death is the separation of man away from God. This is the warning God gave Adam in Gen.2:16-17 “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” They were separated from fellowship with God because they disobeyed God and rebelled against His will. God in this case is not talking about physical death, He was informing Adam that if they chose to sin, to go against His Divine Word that their relationship would be severed. The day Adam and Eve sinned they did not die physically, but spiritually they were dead (separated) from God. All who are accountable have sinned (Rom.3:23). Man who is in sin is spiritually dead. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” So man needs to be reconciled to God that he may be in fellowship with God. Romans 5:10-11 “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” Like the son in Luke 15:24 “for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” we are now “alive” in the presence of God. Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” Therefore, notice how we should present ourselves to God. “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” Romans 6:13 Look at the cross and see the cost Christ paid to reconcile you to God and bring forth life for you. God hate

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