"There's Power in the Blood..."

There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r

In the blood of the Lamb;

There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r

In the precious blood of the Lamb.

 - from the hymn, "There's Power in the Blood"

Filled with oxygen and nutrients necessary for survival, it goes without saying that blood is a precious substance that we could not live without.  There is a lot of emphasis put on blood in the Old Testament.  One of the Ten Plagues of Egypt turned the water into blood, the Israelites marked their doorways with the blood of lambs, and, of course, worshipers in the were commanded to make sacrifices of various livestock.

Blood also has a deep significance in the New Testament.

Hebrews 10:1-4  For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

As previously mentioned, while under the Law of Moses during the duration of the Old Testament, the followers of God would make sacrifices of livestock as part of their worship.  These sacrifices served to cover up their sin for a time. However, as we just read in Hebrews, these sacrifices were not sufficient to take away sin completely.

In the various Bible studies I participate in, a common point of conversation is the injustice of Christ's death on the cross.  Certainly, the humiliation, torture, and cruel death of Jesus - the very Son of God - is an awful event.  However, it is important to remember that it is also a blessing to us as Christians even to this day.

The Bible, particularly the New Testament, is filled with "role-reversal" illustrations:  The first will be last and the last will be first.  To be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, one must humble himself and become as a little child or a servant.

Similarly:  The cross - the most unjust of crimes that could possibly be committed by mankind - is at the same time the most significant event.  It is our salvation.

Christ offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for all of mankind for all time.  It is through His blood that we are cleansed and able to stand justified before our God.

Another hymn we sing from time to time asks:  "Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?"

Are you?

"You Knew What I Was..."

A Native American proverb, as told by Iron Eyes Cody:

Many years ago Indian braves would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. One hiked into a beautiful valley, green with trees and bright with flowers. There as he looked up at the surrounding mountains, he noticed a rugged peak capped with dazzling snow.

"I will test myself against that mountain," he thought. He put on his buffalo hide shirt, threw his blanket over his shoulders, and set off to climb the pinnacle. When he reached the top, he stood on the rim of the world. He could see forever, and his heart swelled with pride.

Then he heard a rustle at his feet. Looking down, he saw a snake. Before he could move, the snake spoke. 

"I am about to die," said the snake. "It is too cold up here and there is no food. Put me under your coat and take me down to the valley."

"No," said the youth. "I know your kind. You are a rattle snake. If I pick you up, you will bite me, and your bite will kill me."

"Not so," said the snake. "I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, I will not harm you."

The youth resisted awhile, but this was a very persuasive snake. At last the youth tucked the snake under his coat and carried it down to the valley. There he laid it down gently. 

Suddenly the snake coiled, rattled, leaped, and bit him on the leg.

"But you promised," cried the youth!

"You knew what I was when you picked me up," said the snake as it slithered away.

Just as the young brave is convinced to pick up the snake in spite of his awareness of the danger, we face a similar dilemma when it comes to sin.  We know the ultimate end of sin, and yet we allow ourselves to be deceived and enticed. We end up going against the will of God just to seek our own desires.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Are we seeking the exits that God promises to help us escape temptation that leads to sin or do we ignore the warnings of our conscience and put ourselves in harm's way willingly?

A Firmer Foundation

1 Peter 2:6-8 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture:  “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,  “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

Maybe I just get too easily frustrated by things I see in the media...  Maybe not.

Recently, it seems that there is a big push for morality by public service announcement campaigns featuring celebrities.

"Character counts", "manners matter", etc... All worthwhile messages to be sure, but the approach is questionable, especially considering the movies, music, and "entertainment" that they create on a regular basis tell us the exact opposite.Why should we listen when everything else we see from the culture these people contribute to is completely contrary to the message they preach?

The problem is that they are trying to push morality without calling it morality, righteousness without acknowledging the source of righteousness.

No matter how well produced, no matter how many celebrities cast, no matter how striking the catchphrase...  A PSA will never compare to the impact of Truth.

Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."

The majority of our society's problems stem from the decline of the family.  The family unit began to breakdown due to a disinterest in values.  Generation after generation, families have fallen apart and values aren't being taught like they used to be...  And so we turned to schools, the government, and celebrities to provide us with guidance in how we ought to conduct ourselves as a society.

If we hope to truly change the world for the better, we need to start with a firmer foundation.

Matthew 7:24-27  “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Man's morality is but a shadow of God's Truth; It pales in comparison.

If we only we were to fully submit ourselves to God's will...  What a wonderful world it would be!

Boundless Power, Boundless Love

God's Boundless Power

Job 26:5-14 - The dead tremble, those under the waters and those inhabiting them.  Sheol is naked before Him and destruction has no covering.  He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth over nothing.  He binds up the water in His thick clouds, yet the clouds are not broken under it.  He covers the face of His throne, and spreads His cloud over it.  He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters, at the boundary of light and darkness.  The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at His rebuke.  He stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He breaks up the storm.  By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.  Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him!  But the thunder of His power who can understand?

We could spend all day picking out individual examples of God’s great power, but I think it is best demonstrated through the creation of, well, EVERYTHING.

John 1:3 - All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  

Psalms 102:25 - Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

Nehemiah 9:6 - You alone are the Lord God; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and you preserve them all...

God’s Boundless Love

With all this power, you would think that God would look down on humanity as insignificant, as we do to the insects.  But instead, God loves us.

Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Even before we were born, God knew us and loved us.  We can’t go anywhere or do anything without Him watching us.  This should be a comforting thought, that our Creator is always looking out for us.

Psalm 139

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

 You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

For You formed my inward parts;

 You covered me in my mother’s womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

 And that my soul knows very well.

 My frame was not hidden from You,

 When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You. 

His love is so great for us that He was willing to offer up His only Son so that we might be saved from our sins.

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.

The reason Jesus died was so that we could be forgiven of our sins.  We read in Isaiah that our iniquities separate us from God.

Whenever we sin, there is a rift created between us and God.

When we sin, we willingly turn our back to God by doing things that are contrary to His will, His Word and His Law.

When we sin, we basically spit on the sacrifice of Jesus and His love for us.

How could God possibly forgive us?

This is an old illustration, but nonetheless apt:

If someone was to offer you a $100 bill, you would take it.  Even if it was folded, crinkled, creased, stepped on and put through all kinds of abuse, wouldn't you still take it?

Why?  Because you see value in that $100 bill!

Likewise, on a much deeper level, God sees value in us.

He sees potential for great things.  He longs for us love Him, to serve Him, and to be with Him for eternity.

Conclusion 

Mark 10:27 - But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Knowing that God is so powerful that all things are possible, one of the things that amazes me is to hear someone say is that they have done something so bad that they don’t think even God could forgive them.  If God is powerful enough to do all of the things mentioned in the Bible, then He is certainly powerful enough to forgive and forget sin.

No sin is “too big” or “too bad” for God to forgive, nor is any person “too lost” to be saved!

Bearing Good Fruit

Jesus said in Luke 6:43, "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit."

During the course of his preaching, John the Baptist rebuked the multitudes that came to be baptized by him, using this same imagery.

Luke 3:8-9 - Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John basically stated that the Israelites could not rely on their heritage for salvation.  Yes, their lineage reached back to Abraham and the Israelite nation was the chosen people of God, but that was not enough to please God.  John told them that they must "bear the fruits worthy of repentance", in other words, change their ways and live for God.  Some action was required on their part.

This section of verses reminds me of James' writing concerning faith and works.

James 2:14-17 - What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Many are quick to point out that it is not works that save us, but the grace of God.  While this is true, we cannot deny that, as Christians, there is a call for action on our part.  We must not neglect Christian duties.  We must strive to be active lest our faith wither as a dying tree.

Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).  In submitting ourselves to God's will, we become Christians; We take on the work of Christ.  This work becomes easier with time as we strive to become more Christ-like.  Before long, I think we begin bearing that "good fruit" as naturally as a tree develops.

Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.

Do we have the love for our neighbor that our Lord commanded?

Do we abide in peace through a longsuffering attitude of kindness, goodness, and gentleness?

Do we exhibit self-control in all that we do?

Do we do all of the above faithfully?

Jesus Himself tells us that our actions define us.

Luke 6:43-44 -  For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.

What kind of fruit are you bearing?

Empty Words

We live in a society in which we can't avoid being constantly bombarded with advertising and propaganda.  Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and (oops...) blogs add to the noise, giving everyone a voice that can be heard all around the world.  

But are all of these messages worthwhile?  

Ephesians 5:6-7 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  Therefore do not be partakers with them.

We must make a conscious effort to differentiate between empty words and messages that have substantial, lasting value.

2 Timothy 4:3-4  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Likewise, we must practice caution even in listening to our preachers.  We must always be willing to check what these teachers are saying and compare it to the Bible itself, for that is our standard.

Worldly messages that are contrary to God's Word are creeping into the Church.  Believers are allowing themselves to be deceived, seeking "feel-good" prattle over God's Truth.  Words like "sin" and "hell" are uncomfortable words, yes, but the Truth is not always cuddly.

We must seek out Truth over empty words.

What do YOU see?

When I was growing up my mother would read the books from the Dinotopia series to me before I went to bed.  In the second book in the series, The World Beneath, the characters are travelling through a subterranean cave when they encounter a stalagmite formation, depicted in the illustration above.

Each character sees something different.  The scientist sees a natural formation created by hundreds of years of chemical erosion and weathering.  The thief sees the gruesome visage of a skull.  The dreamer sees the image of a mother comforting her children.

Depending on our upbringing, our values, our beliefs, we all see the world in a different light.  This is true even in our studying of God's Word.

Hebrews 4:12 states, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

The Word of God means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.  But it essentially comes down to two very basic viewpoints:  The Bible is either the most comforting of books or the most terrifying.

Take this series of verses from Revelation for example:

Revelation 21:1-8  Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

To the Christian, this provides a great hope.  This New Jerusalem described by John sounds like a wonderful place!  Dwelling with God.  God wiping every tear away.  No more death nor sorrow nor crying.  No more pain.  All things made new!

But, to the nonbeliever, or the others described in the latter part of this section, this is a terrifying prospect!  The idea that we will be held accountable for the life we lived here on planet Earth does not sit well for those in a lost condition.

What do YOU see when you read these verses?  Do you despair at the idea of being judged by a just and righteous God?  Or do you rejoice at the great hope of an eternal home with your Maker?

The Wages of Sin versus The Gift of God

One of the greatest blessings that we receive from God is free will.  God basically allows us to choose how we want to live our lives, whether or not we we to believe in and seek Him, and - ultimately - where we want to spend eternity.

Notice the contrast between the two choices in the following verse.

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

The "wages of sin is death".  The word wages implies that we have done something to earn our fate, which in this case is death.  We see that this is certainly true here on Earth in many cases.  We see people that get involved in certain sinful deeds often meet an untimely demise as a consequence.  But this I believe this verse is referring to an eternal  consequence.  When we live a life that is separate from God, when we live in an unrighteous manner, death is what we deserve as a reward.  That's what we've earned.  That is a just judgment.

But looking at the next part of this verse, we see that the "gift of God is eternal life."  Rather than receive death as a reward for unrighteous living God offers us a second choice.  God offers to give us a gift.  When someone gives you a gift, you did nothing to deserve it.  They give it to you freely and willingly out of the kindness of their own heart.  It's the same with God.  The gift of eternal life comes through acceptance of Jesus Christ.

Basically we are left with two choices:  Will we work to earn the wages of death?  Or will we gladly accept the gift that God offers us?