Blood of the Lamb

Jul

2010

The voice of the blood…

“And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'”

(Rev 19:16 NASB)

Readers,

David often spoke of the Lord as his God and as his King. He also identified the coming Messiah in terms of a King, and also as Lord and God.

Consider just a few statements from David:

“Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psa 2:12 NASB) — This Psalm is quoted from by the apostles in Acts 4, with regard to Jesus as the anointed King. —

“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’ The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies.'” (Psa 110:1-2 NASB) — Quoted by Peter with a view to Jesus being exalted to the Father as King —

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.” (Psa 45:5-7 NASB) — Quoted in the book of Hebrews with regard to the exaltation of Jesus. —

“Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.” (Psa 24:8-10 NASB) — With a view to the second coming of Jesus as the King of glory —

A King is exactly who Jesus is

While we readily acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must always keep before us that He is a King and has a kingdom. A King is exactly what Jesus is. And in order for a king to rule, he must have a kingdom.

The term kingdom (basileia) in Greek speaks of sovereignty, or power. In an abstract sense it refers to the power exercised by a king. So the kingdom of God refers to God’s direct ruling power. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of great power.

Now we turn to Jesus. Follow carefully the conversation between Pilate and Jesus. In questioning Jesus, Pilate becomes frustrated. His wife had had a dream about Jesus and warned Pilate not to do Him any harm.

Pilate says,

“Are you the King of the Jews?”

Some think that Pilate asked this in jest. I don’t believe this is the case. Pilate is too disturbed to be joking around.

The Lord responds,

“Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”

Pilate is confused. He responds,

“I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

It is here that Jesus begins to explain His kingdom. Listen carefully;

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Jesus says His kingdom is not an arrangement or an adornment to be seen with the eyes. It is not a worldly kingdom.

Then the Lord adds,

‘My kingdom is not of this realm.’

The word ‘enteuthen’ (realm) means His kingdom is not from here, or, on this side.

Pilate responds,

“So You are a king?”

What Jesus says next puts His kingdom rule into its spiritual essence.

“You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Cf. John 18:33-37)

A kingdom not of this world

Now we come to the crux of the matter. If the kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world, then His subjects must not be of this world.

The Lord points out that only His subjects are able to hear His voice.

And the Lord says His kingdom is all about truth.

Now we have all the elements that describe the Lord’s kingdom.

(1) His kingdom is not of this world.

(2) His subjects are not of this world.

(3) Only His subjects hear His voice.

(4) His subjects do not fight. (Not in the sense of worldly kingdoms. Their weaponry is not of the flesh.)

(5) His kingdom is about Truth.

What does this tell us up front? It tells us that the kingdom of Jesus Christ cannot be put in religious terms. Religion is what man does. Relationship and reality is what God does for us in Christ.

Hence the dilemma —

If His kingdom is not of this world, and His subjects are not of this world, and only His subjects can hear His voice, and His kingdom is about Truth, and His subjects do not fight, how can we ever expect to recognize His kingdom? How can anyone find it? How can anyone enter into it?

Every born again person knows the answer to this or they would not be born again. The only way to enter into what Paul calls ‘the kingdom of His Beloved Son,’ is to have a personal invitation from the King. And the only way to be born again is to take to yourself Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior and King.

Thus we have the gospel message. Many people are not aware of just how powerful the gospel really is. The gospel is an official message from God’s heavenly kingdom and in the gospel is a personal invitation from the King to His kingdom. The gospel carries in it the voice of the King.

I Have a Message from the King

We were on our way to a village in Honduras near the border of Guatemala. As we were nearing the village, I asked the Lord what He wanted me especially say to the people. He placed on my heart to begin my message by saying, ‘I come to you as an ambassador of the kingdom of God, and I have a message for you from the King.’ That was the first thing that came out of my mouth. A stillness settled over the crowded building. I began sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then it happened – An old Indian stood up and began to make his way towards me. Once again I stood amazed at the power of the gospel. The old Indian heard the voice of the King. He was making his way to accept God’s invitation to enter the kingdom of His beloved Son. He was ready to give his heart to Jesus.

This brings us to the blood of the King

To enter into the kingdom of the beloved Son, you must have an invitation. This is the job of the servant of God and of the Holy Spirit. The invitation is sent through God’s servants in the gospel message.

Jesus said,

“And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (Joh 16:8 NASB)

In the gospel comes God’s invitation to the kingdom of His beloved Son. And here comes the issue of the blood. The blood speaks to the throne of God. First, as a person turns from their former master Satan, and thus receives Jesus Christ as Lord, and Savior, and King, something marvelous takes place in their heart.

Listen very carefully to Peter:

“…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Pe 1:2-5 NASB)

Every statement that Peter makes is without measure. Let me paraphrase just a bit —

Our salvation is in accordance with God’s divine plan and foreknowledge. The Holy Spirit separates us apart to Jesus. The moment we gazed upon Jesus with our heart, the moment we hear Him calling to us, the moment we respond and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and King, at that very moment the Holy Spirit takes of the divine blood of Jesus, sprinkles it on our heart, and we through this sprinkling become born-from-above people who are not of this world. We become the born-of-the-blood children of God, blood bought, blood sprinkled, blood sealed, and forever under the presence of the blood of the King. This is why Peter said that we are of a royal priestly. (Kingly priests are a family of royalty.) Paul said that the one joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.

What does the blood of the King speak over us? It speaks mercy and grace. You may be concerned with the idea of the blood of Jesus speaking. Listen:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:22-24 NASB)

Abel’s blood cried our for vengeance against his brother Cain. The blood of Jesus speaks from the finished work of the cross. It speaks of mercy and truth and grace and forgiveness and love and acceptance.

This is why we sing,

‘What can take away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.’

A invitation of life.

The world has a standing invitation.

John says,

“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:11,12)

The word ‘receive’ in Greek, is ‘paralambano.’ It means to take someone to yourself or to your heart. We get the idea from the wedding vow, where the minister says, “Do you, Bill, take Susan to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, etc.”

The minister is asking Bill if he will take Susan to his heart and life in holy union. This is what receiving Jesus means. It is a thing of the heart. It is a thing of union. It does require a confession of faith. It has to be stated. This is why the early Christians were known as, ‘The people of the great confession.’

It is important to understand what John says about believing. Our salvation is not based on some emotional experience. It is based on an open declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in the Bible is something you do with your heart and nut just with your mind.

John says,

“Even to those who believe in His name.”

The Greek word for believe, that is, ‘pisteuo’, means to put faith in a person, to rely on, to trust in, to adhere to. (It is the Greek word that we get our English word ‘glue’.) To believe in His name means to accept who Jesus really is, that is, to believe in the full message of the gospel, and in His authority. We actually believe into life.

What happens when a person takes to themself Jesus Christ? They are born into the kingdom of God’s Son. Paul says a kingdom transfer takes place;

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Col 1:13)

What about the truth part and the voice part?

Well, I’ve covered this quite a bit. The gospel is a message from heaven. It carries all the authority and power that is needed to cause a person to be born again. This is why Paul said,

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
(Word, or rhema, speaks of a living voice.)

The word ‘Truth’ in Greek, speaks of the reality that is behind an appearance. To realize truth is to become fully cognizant of the Person and Presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus said,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.”

When a person is born from above, that birth brings a new spiritual reality into their life. The realness does not go away. It will be there from day, to day, to day.

His voice also speaks of the Lord’s Kingly ministry. The issue of Jesus being our King is very real to a believer. And hearing His voice is also very real. Jesus explained it this way;

“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”

And again,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (Cf. John 10)

Where do we go from here?

How about a song. I always love to finish each of my entries with a special song.

Much love,

Buddy

Jun

2010

For love of the Lamb…

“Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ And he said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together.” (Gen 22:7-8 NASB)

Readers,

In Bible hermeneutics (Bible interpretation) there is a rule that is called ‘the law of first mention.’ This rule has to do with doctrinal studies or Bible teachings. The emphasis of this rule is that when a doctrine or Bible teaching first appears in the Bible, the fundamental meaning in that occurrence will carry through to its greatest fulfillment in Christ Jesus.

A good example for the law of first mention is where we find the term righteousness first used in the Old Testament. The first time the word righteousness appears has to do with the Lord appearing to Abraham. Here are snippets of that meet as found in Genesis 15:

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great … And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look towards the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’

“Then he [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”

Notice that Abraham’s right standing with God depended on one thing alone, that he truly believed in the Lord. How then does this find its fulfilling in the new covenant? Listen to Paul:

“Therefore [Abraham’s believing in the Lord] was also credited to him as righteousness. Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” (Rom4:23,24)

And so the fact of how a a believer attains righteousness before God never changes. Righteousness has always been a matter of faith. It is now perfectly fulfilled in a person’s faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul again draws attention to this faith cause by calling it ‘the law of faith’.

“Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified [declared righteous before God] by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Rom 3:27-28 NASB)

This doctrine of the Lamb

There are many other new covenant doctrines that can be found in embryo form in the Old Testament. The one I want to draw special attention to has to do with the term ‘Lamb.’

The very first time the word Lamb is used in the Scriptures also has to do with Abraham. It is where Abraham says to Isaac,

“‘God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”

The doctrine of the Lamb is at the very heart of the Christian experience. What makes a Christian a Christian has to do with an intrinsic love factor. This love factor encompasses itself around Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

The doctrine of the Lamb is the underlying truth of what redemption entails. This doctrine speaks to the faith of the Old Testament saints, to the spiritual freedom of the new covenant children of God, and to a redemption love that becomes the outflow in a believer’s heart.

The Lamb becomes the whole of our life. Love for the Lamb fills out the heart of that one who has come to personally know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The apostle said,

“But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1Cor 6:17).

The Lamb is called the Father’s glory.

Not only is the doctrine of the Lamb a doctrine of progressive revelation, but the doctrine of the Lamb is also about the people of the Lamb. The doctrine of the Lamb is about ‘beholding.’

The apostle John wrote,

“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (Joh 6:40 NASB) — Beholding Jesus is an activity of the heart. We behold Him with our heart.

From out of the ‘beholding ‘ the Lamb will come forth a people. The Lamb and the people of the Lamb will be eternally linked. This why we hear Paul say,

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

To discover life is to discover the Lamb.

To discover the Lamb means that you belong to the Lamb. To discover the Lamb is to fall deeply in love with Him. But it isn’t a love that is common to man. It is actually the Father’s love filling out our hearts.

The discovery element is a key issue in the Christian walk. This is why Paul said that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

In another place he says that as we gaze upon the glory of Christ through the Scriptures, our inward man experiences spiritual transformations. It is the glory of Christ that fills our hearts. While this may sound mystical, it is a spiritual reality to those who are partakers of the new covenant.

The testimony of the blood.

The clearest picture of the redemption Lamb in Genesis is when God directs Abraham to the mountains of Moriah. The ‘testing’ of Abraham was to show God’s real purpose in the test. The test was about the Lamb. On the Mountains of Moriah we are given our first composite picture of God’s redeeming program.

When it came time for Israel to be formed as a nation there were two particular sacrifices to be offered. The Lord’s instruction to Moses was,

“The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.” (Exo 29:39)

The lamb offerings were to be perpetuated throughout their generations. Their minds were to think on the lamb offering every morning and every evening.

In the minds of the Old Testament saints the picture of God’s Lamb was being painted, or, as our metaphor goes, they were seeing the sculpture as it was being sculptured.

The Exodus out of Egypt was based upon the lamb sacrifice and its blood placed upon the homes. Moses wrote his song, which is referred to in Revelation as, “The song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.”

A voice crying in the wilderness.

Then we hear a voice crying in the wilderness,

“Make way the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”

The cry gets louder, and the people come by thousands to be baptized by John. Then one day, they hear him shout,

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (Cf. Rev 15:3; John 1:29)

Listen! Do you hear the voice still crying in the wilderness. The Lamb who takes away the sin of the world is with us.

The apostle Peter said it this way,

“For He [the Lamb] was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God.” (1 Pet 1:20,21)

The Lamb upon the throne.

But just who is this Lamb of God? No less that twenty-nine times the phrase ‘the Lamb’ is used in the book of Revelation. In all these references the Lamb is directly associated with God. As Revelation begins its closure we are looking at a picture of God fully manifest as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It says,

“Then he showed me a river of the water of life (Holy Spirit), clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God (the Father) and of the Lamb (Son of God).”

John is using archetypal images found through the Old Testament to describe God in His awesomeness. Notice carefully that there is only one throne.

The Father’s throne has become the Son’s throne.

John’s gospel draws attention to the vision of Isaiah, where the prophet writes,

“In the year of King Ussiah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with His robe filling the temple.”

John tells us that Isaiah actually saw King Messiah, that is, the Lord Jesus Himself. (Cf. Isa 6:1; John 12:41)

For love of the Lamb

And so to love the Father unseen, is to love Jesus the only begotten Son. He is called the image of the invisible God. In fact Jesus was very plain in saying to one group,

“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.” (John 8:42)

But how can we possibly love someone we have never seen? When we embraced the cross, that is, when we truly believed in Jesus Christ, it was then that the Father pours His own love into our hearts. Jesus simply said,

“The Father loves the Son.”

Here it gets quite mystical. We love the Son with the Father’s love. Jesus said,

“So that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26)

The mystery doesn’t stop here. Out of this we can actually call God our very own Father because the Spirit of His Son cries in us, ‘Abba! Father!’ Thus all believers carry in themselves a Father consciousness. Jesus said,

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:1)

It is the Lamb of God who gives us our freedom.

Every person born from above is made alive in the Lamb. And because our lives have been perfectly joined to God’s Christ, this allows our hearts to overflow with themes of life. (By the way, this is what the Spirit filled life is really all about.)

The Spirit-filled life is about the power to show ourselves as a testimony to Christ. We witness to Him by our love. Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, they would become His witnesses. He wasn’t simply speaking of them giving verbal testimony. He was speaking of what they would become. They would become the people of the Lamb, out of whose hearts would flow a love that was not common to man. It would be God’s love.

This love for the Lamb is so powerfully felt in believers that Christians through the ages have literally given their lives for Him. The Scriptures take note of this, in saying,

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” (Rev 12:11)

How about you – Do you love the Lamb? Would you really like to behold the Lamb? You can, you know. Just open your Bible. The Holy Scriptures wrap themselves around the Lamb of God.

Take time to listen to ‘Ancient Words’ by Michael W. Smith.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vmTkXNpwzs[/youtube]

Much love coming your way in Jesus,

Buddy

May

2010

Do we share kinship with God…

“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Act 20:28 NASB)

Journal,

Among the Semitic people the term covenant carried the idea of ‘kinship’ with the god of the covenant. The god supposedly would adopt the people as his people. This idea carries over in the history of Israel as being the adopted people of the Lord God.

In the new covenant the idea of ‘kinship’ with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob changes. In the new covenant we become ‘blood kin’ of God, through the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. This sprinkling of the blood is a work of the Holy Spirit. It gives all believers both a spiritual kinship to God, and a blood guarantee of a future resurrected body. This is why Paul said,

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are [right now] children of God.” (Rom 8:16)

And why John said,

“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (1Jn 3:2 NASB)

Back to the Old Testament idea of covenant.

Among the Semitics, it was the tribal fathers who would make covenant. Cutting a covenant usually included taking a substitute sacrificial animal, splitting it in two, with both parties passing between the pieces. The fathers and their descendants were then considered to be one together. If aggression was made against either covenant partner, it was an aggression against both. If one transgressed the covenant, then what was done to the sacrificial animal was to be done to the transgressor.

Substitutional ‘blood kin’ can be seen in the tabernacle of Moses. Note Hebrews 9:19-22:

“For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.’ And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.”

The sprinkling of blood signified oneness with the God of Israel. Thus if anyone touched Israel, they touched the God of Israel. But if Israel transgressed the covenant, then judgment would be had.

The idea of adoption.

The people of Israel were not the spiritual children of God. They were adopted children. Until the sin of Adam could be dealt with there could be no spiritual children and most certainly no true blood kinship to God.

Moses calls attention to this:

“The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He. They have acted corruptly toward Him, they are not His children, because of their defect; But are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deu 32:4-5 NASB)

What was their defect? It was the fallen nature of Adam. All of humanity shared in Adam’s fall from the glory that was originally his.

Peter draws from what Moses said in his message on the day of Pentecost:

“‘For the promise [of the new covenant] is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.’ And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation!'” (Act 2:39-40 NASB)

And so the sprinkled blood of the sacrificed animal could only be a symbol. When the blood was sprinkled the people ‘came under’ the blood of the covenant. The people themselves were adopted. They were still not by nature God’s own spiritual children. Their nature was unlike His.

Paul further explains the issue of adoption.

“Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory, and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises.” (Romans 9:4)

When Paul speaks of ‘the adoption as sons,’ he precludes any idea of a spiritual birth. No one in the Old Testament could be born of God until the Lamb of God came on the scene.

Peter also calls attention to the blood of the new covenant in saying that our redemption is with ‘precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.’ He also calls attention to the futile way of life that was their inheritance from their fathers. (Speaking of the forms and shadows of the former covenant that could never remove sin or bring the people close to God. Cf. 1Pet1:16-25)

When Peter speaks of a “futile way of life inherited from your fathers,” he is not disparaging the patriarchs of Israel, nor is he drawing attention to the wickedness of their forefathers. He is simply calling attention to the same thing that Moses called attention to. The term ‘futile way of life’ fits every class of the lost family of Adam, and not simply the Jews.

This issue of salvation must never be overlooked.

The Jewish peoples during the time of Christ believed that they could not be lost because of their blood line to Abraham. John the Baptist and Jesus, and all the apostles came against any such notion. This is why John said that God could raise up stones to be children of Abraham.

Here Peter makes an even stronger case for the sprinkled blood of Jesus:

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ [repentance and faith] and be sprinkled with His blood:

“May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, …

…”to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Pe 1:1-5 NASB)

The whole human race has been contaminated by sin.

We were all of a ‘crooked and perverse’ generation. This came from our father Adam. The bloodline of Abraham was no exception.

But now through Christ Jesus we have the reality of what the Old Testament types could only point to. The blood that Moses sprinkled on the people could only speak of their adoption to God, but it could not remove their sins, nor could it actually make them true spiritual children of God. No animal blood could do that. Only the blood of Jesus could make our kinship a reality.

The apostle Paul puts everything in place when he says that the blood running through the veins of Jesus was literally God’s blood. So when the blood of Jesus is sprinkled on the human spirit, that human being becomes a totally new creature, born of heaven.

This responds to the promise given to Abraham, when the Lord said,

“’Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’” (Genesis 15:5)

So – Are you kin to God?

Yes, you are kin to God if you have a heavenly birth. This means that you are born of His blood and His Spirit. You are His very child, nature of His nature, blood of His blood, and seed of His seed. It is our ‘blood of the Lamb’ that gives us the promise of a future resurrection of glory. We are marked out as the very children of God. We have a destiny that is beyond anything to be imagined.

Just something to think about.

In the meantime listen to this wonderful song that puts the gospel to music. (By Adrenne Liesching and Geoff Moore – Originally by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty.)

In Christ always,

Buddy

Dec

2009

Do you have Lamb assurance…

Journal Readers,

Are you fully assured of your salvation in Christ? Listen to David describe the person who lives in the security of the Lord:

“HOW BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE STRENGTH IS IN YOU, IN WHOSE HEART ARE THE HIGHWAYS TO ZION! PASSING THROUGH THE VALLEY OF BACA THEY MAKE IT A SPRING; THE EARLY RAIN ALSO COVERS IT WITH BLESSINGS. THEY GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, EVERY ONE OF THEM APPEARS BEFORE GOD IN ZION.” (PSAL84:5-7 NASB)

Paul said he was confident that the good work which GOD began in each believer, GOD Himself would perfect until the day of JESUS CHRIST. (Phi1:6) This tells us that the work of salvation is GOD’S work and not our work. It also tells us that the total of our walk in life will remain under the Lordship of JESUS CHRIST. This is what the apostolic writer meant when he said that JESUS CHRIST is author and the finisher (completer/perfecter) of our faith.

This does not mean that we have no choices in life. It means that understanding GOD’S ultimate purposes in our life is all-important to a life of faith. He can turn our down turns into victories. Paul said, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” 2Co2:14

Most frustrations that believers face in life are due to not keying in on GOD’S life purposes. Our last session was about ‘Biblical Salvation.’ Now let’s talk about affirming our life in JESUS.

I – Our Ancient Spiritual Heritage

1. The place to begin is to realize our uniqueness in the earth. GOD’S people have always shared an apartness in the world. This apartness is our heritage. Knowing we are the people of GOD is a major key to affirming our life in Christ. Cf. 1Pe2:6-11.

2. This heritage reaches back to the original promise that the seed of the woman would ultimately crush Satan’s authority. We see the heritage expressed in the Abrahamic promises that would be fulfilled in JESUS. Cf. Gen12:3; 22:16-18; Gal3:16,26-29.It is our apartness that Satan hates. The world has lived in a death culture ever since fall of Adam. GOD’S people are called to a ‘life’ culture. We are to give testimony to the life we’ve found in JESUS. We are the evidence of GOD’S lovingkindness, of his mercy, and of His grace and forgiveness. Cf. John15:18,19; 17:14,15.

II – The Battle

1. The One thing Satan must do to counter Christianity is to cast doubt on GOD’S Word. This is what can be called ‘bottom-line’ spiritual warfare. You find it in place in the garden of Eden. Cf. GEN3:1-7.

2. Many don’t realize that if you add to or take away from GOD’S Word, this becomes grounds for deception. Satan is called in the Scriptures both a liar and a deceiver. Eve was deceived! When JESUS was confronted by Satan in the wilderness, what was the battle about? Cf. MATT4:1-11.

3. Heresy always begins with a twist on truth. If you see someone down-playing the Word of GOD, that is a sure sign that deception is at work. Compare these warnings: PSA12:6; PRO30:5,6; MATT15:1-9; MATT23:15.

4. God has given us words to live by. Join the book to JESUS and you have the keys to living a godly life. Cf. 2 Tim 3:14-17; 4:1-4, 6; Rev. 22:18,19.

III – Living Our Life in Christ

1. The life that JESUS gives is unlike anything the world has ever known. We are heavenly born people in earthly bodies. This is why we often struggle within ourselves. This is also why true believer’s carry in themselves a longing for their final transformation. Cf. Phil3:20,21; Rom8:15-17,23,28-31.

Paul speaks to this in saying, “As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as in the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have born the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1Co15:48,49)

2. We affirm our life in CHRIST in being who we are. But we also affirm our life in CHRIST when we gather as the people of GOD. In our gatherings is a unique promise of GOD’S presence. Cf. Gen49:10; Exo20:24; Matt18:20.

3. There is a special prophetic Psalm that describes the feelings, emotions, desires, affections, visions, and movements of GOD’S people towards the LORD. Notice the language of Psalm 84. Now compare this to Hebrews 11:8-10,13-16.

IV – Declaring God’s Way

1. This is another reason Satan hates believers. We refuse to be molded or controlled by this world’s dark view of life. The Bible tells us that we are ever moving towards a divine destiny when time as we know it is no more. We believe in a final judgment, in a resurrection. We laugh at every form of godless philosophy the world has to offer.

2. This is why Satan greatly fears the people of CHRIST. He knows that when the people of the world make contact with believers, it stirs their hearts. And Satan has nothing to compete with the child of GOD who is led by the SPIRIT of the LORD. This is what Paul is talking about in 2Co2:14-17; 3:5,6,14-18

3. The most important thing a person can do in life is to take the message of the Bible to heart. There are many voices clamoring for our faith. The voice we must listen to is the same voice that dictated what was to be placed in the written Word. Paul tells us to learn to never exceed what is written. The prophet said, “If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because they have no dawn.” (No light in them. ISA8:20)

It is important to realize that God prepares us for what He has prepared us for. Believers have been shaped intellectually, emotionally, physically, historically, environmentally, relationally, and above all spiritually to fulfill a certain role in God’s kingdom. There will never be another you. Cf. Psalm 139.

“How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca [valley of tears] they make it a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, every one of them appears before God in Zion.” – Psalm 84:5-7

Do you yet struggle with a fear of losing your salvation? You really shouldn’t. Paul said the good work which God began in each of us, the Lord Himself would perfect until the day of Jesus Christ. (Phi1:6)

This tells us that the work of salvation is God’s work and not our work. It also tells us that the total sum of our walk in this life will remain under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The apostolic writer said that Jesus is both the author and the finisher of our faith. (Heb12:2) This does not mean that we have no decisions to make in life. What it means is that when we understand God’s ultimate purpose in our life, it is from this that we learn to live a life of faith and trust. Paul said,

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” 2Co2:14

Most frustrations that believers face in life are due to not keying in on God’s life purposes. God has a blueprint for the new covenant. Here it how it reads:

KPS8000A

“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. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, …

“…so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom 8:28-31)

Our Ancient Spiritual Heritage

The place to begin is to realize the believer’s unique place in the earth. God’s people have always shared an apartness to the Lord. This apartness is our heritage. Knowing that we are the people of God is a major key to affirming our life in Christ. Peter said,

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1Pe 2:9-10)

Our heritage reaches back to the original promise that was given to Adam and Eve, in that the seed of the woman would ultimately crush Satan’s authority. We see the heritage expressed in the Abrahamic promises that was to be fulfilled in Jesus. Cf. Gen12:3; 22:16-18; Gal3:16,26-29.

It is our apartness that Satan hates. The world has lived in a death culture ever since fall of Adam. God’s people are called to a ‘life’ culture. We are to give testimony to the life we’ve found in Jesus. We are the evidence of God’s lovingkindness, of his mercy, and of His grace and forgiveness.

The one thing Satan must do to counter the Christian testimony is to cast doubt on God’s Word. This is ‘bottom-line’ spiritual warfare. You find it in place in the garden of Eden. (Gen3:1-7) Eve was deceived! When Jesus was confronted by Satan in the wilderness, what was the battle about? (Matt4:1-11) However, Satan has a real problem with new covenant believers. True believers are living witnesses that God’s Word is true. Satan’s attempt to discount the Bible is stifled because of the multiplied millions of people on this planet whose lives have been changed because of the gospel message. This is why Jesus said, “You shall be My witnesses.”

Affirm your life in Christ

If you see someone down-playing the Word of God, that is a sure sign that deception is at work. Compare these warnings: Psa12:6; Pro30:5,6; Matt15:1-9; Matt23:15.

God has given us words to live by. When you join the Bible to Jesus, you then have the keys to living a godly life. Cf. 2 Tim 3:14-17; 4:1-4, 6; Rev. 22:18,19.

The life that Jesus gives is unlike anything the world has ever known. We are heavenly born people in earthly bodies. This is why we often struggle within ourselves. This is also why true believers carry in themselves a longing for their final transformation. The life we have is eternal life, which means it is a life that never be lost. Cf. Phil3:20,21; Rom8:15-17,23,28-31.

Paul speaks to this in saying,

“As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as in the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have born the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1Co15:48,49)

We affirm our life in Christ in being who we are. This is another reason Satan hates believers. We refuse to be molded or controlled by this world’s dark view of life. The Bible tells us that we are ever moving towards a divine destiny when time as we know it is no more.

We believe in a final judgment, in a resurrection. We hold in distain every form of godless philosophy the world has to offer. This is also why Satan greatly fears the people of Christ. He knows that when the people of the world make contact with believers, it stirs their hearts. And Satan has nothing to compete with the child of God who is led by the Spirit of the Lord. This is what Paul is talking about in 2Co2:14-17; 3:5,6,14-18

The most important thing a believer can do in life is to take the message of the Bible to heart. There are many voices clamoring for our faith. Paul tells us to learn to never exceed what is written. The prophet said, “If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because they have no dawn.” (No light in them. Isa8:20)

What then is Lamb Assurance

Lamb assurance simply points to what happens when a person is given heavenly life. When a person truly believes on Jesus Christ, and receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior. it is at that moment of faith that the Holy Spirit takes of the blood if the Lamb and sprinkles it on the believer’s heart. In the sprinkled blood is the very life of God.

From that moment on the believer carries in their spirit being both the nature of Christ, the seal of Christ, and the testimony of Christ. This person has moved far beyond religion and into the reality of knowing God personally. He carries in his heart Lamb assurance.

Let me repeat – Did you know that the blood that is sprinkled on this new believer’s heart is actually God’s blood? Listen to these Scriptures: (Follow the bold)

“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Act 20:28)

And again;

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:

“May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Pe 1:1-5)

So the question remains – Do you have Lamb assurance?

While you are thinking about this, take time to listen to “Thank God I Am Free” by JD Sumner & the Stamps:

There is much love to be found in Jesus,

Buddy

Blood of the Lamb

The voice of the blood…

For love of the Lamb…

Do we share kinship with God…

Do you have Lamb assurance…

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