Tag Archives: cross

No Condemnation

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My little girl can be so very naughty.  Having hit that terrible 2 age, she regularly throws tantrums and has been know to damage furniture, to scratch me and her mother, to bite, to throw things around, the list is endless on what a 2 year old can do!  And yet no matter what she does, I never stop loving her, and I always forgive her.

How much more does our father in heaven love us!?  He sent His Son to die that the gap that seperates us from God may be bridged.  When we therefore, believe on Him, and seek His forgiveness for our Sin, He forgives us, no matter what!  If an earthly father can feel such love for his child, how much more must our Heavenly Father love.

The prodigal son was still welcomed home by his father, even after sqandering his inheretence.  Like that father, God has His arms wide open to us, welcoming us home.  Remember, whatever you have done, God can and will forgive and you will have a right relationship restored.  Spend time with God, confessing, then believing in Gods promise that you are forgiven.

Forgiveness:
Acts 13:38-39,  Ephesians 1:7-8, James 5:15 and 1 John 1:9

Satan is the accuser, and wants nothing more that you to feel condemed for the things you have done wrong.  Instead of feeling condemed and far from God, read the promises above, believe in them, confess your sin, turn from it and believe in the promisies of God that you are a forgiven child of God.  You are a SAINT not a sinner!

Promise – 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

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When Grandma passed away a few months ago, it reminded me of the exciting promise of eternal life. Reading through 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 is a wonderful insight into passing from life on earth to life in heaven.  Here is how I broke the passage down in brief to help me understand certain sections and to encourage myself.

The Promise:

1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

When you accept Jesus into your heart, you become a child of God and are automatically eligible for the inheritance of eternal life.

Longing for Rest:

2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Just like a long hard day, we long for rest and relaxation where we can unwind and leave the problems of that day behind us.  Its the same with life on earth!  It is tiring and we long to rest and be with our heavenly Father.

The Guarantee:

5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given

us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

God sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ to the sacrifice for our Sins. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we are given the gift of Gods Holy Spirit as a guide, a strength and a comfort. And as this verse reminds us, as a guarantee of how serious God is about his promise to us.

Faith:

7We live by faith, not

by sight.

Unlike doubting Thomas, we believe in Jesus without needed to see Him.  We do not demand proof!  In my own life things have changed so much since I met Him that I can not deny His existence!  Looking at the beauty of creation, its impossible to imagine there was no creator!

Preparation:

10For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Matthew 6:19-24 – Treasures in Heaven.  We will be judged on that final day!  The things that we do for His glory will earn us spiritual rewards in heaven.  We don’t know what they are to be, but they must be awesome to be described as treasures!

Hard to Forgive – Genesis 45:1-15

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What strikes me immediately about this event, is how Joseph over came the natural urge to “hold a grudge”, and instead was able to see the situation and the past actions of his family as part of God’s plan!  He understood that the Lord had allowed his brothers to sell him into slavery as God had the foresight to see what was ahead.  He knew Joseph would be able to minister to Pharaoh and be a shining light of Gods Glory in Egypt.

It takes some doing to be able to take a step outside of oneself, and begin to understand the benefit of forgiveness.  It does not come naturally, and we have a tendency to want revenge for when we have been wronged.  And yet we need to remind ourselves of the cross.  How our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ bore all our sin on that cross that we might be forgiven.  When we turn to Him and seek forgiveness of our sin, by His grace he is faithful

and forgives.

Colossians 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (NIV)

The Lord keeps on forgiving us, and as in the above verse, we are told to forgive anyone, of anything, whomever they are, just as the Lord forgave us.

Out of Darkness – John 3:1-21

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John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of

the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (NIV)

Without Jesus we are in the dark. The darkness of Sin. We are lost. Jesus died so that we may have life and never have to walk in darkness again. Yet some of us choose even after being saved to return to that darkness, and to loose our way again. Thankfully our Father never looses sight of us, however whilst we are in sin and have an unrepentant heart, the Lord cannot help us.

When Jesus was on the cross, he bore all our sin.

Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi,Some manuscripts Eli, Eli lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (NIV)

God cannot overlook sin, and although Jesus was completely without sin, that day he took it all on Himself. God could not look upon His own Son because of the Sin. What an amazing God whom would give His only Son to take the Sin of the world to save sinners like me and you!

As the Lord cannot overlook sin, when we are caught up in sin (darkness) for example a habitual sin or sexual sin (which can also be habitual) we cut ourselves off from the Lord, meaning he cannot hear help us until we come to Him with a repentant heart. The moment we say sorry the Lord is there quicker than a heart beat but whilst we harbour sin in our hearts and live in the darkness we will not benefit from His help.

Over the past few months, I have researched and discussed sexual sin with many brothers in Christ. Being caught up in the darkness of sexual sin can be like a slippery slope that you feel you can’t climb up out of. Sexual sin is different from all other sin as all other sin is outside the body, where as sexual sin is inside.

Our body is a temple to the Holy Spirit, in the Old Testament days no one would have dreamt of desecrating the temple in Jerusalem for example.

Sexual sin can manifest itself in many ways including self gratification, pornography, sexual relationships out of wedlock, un-natural relationships, affairs etc. For anyone who is captive to any of these, THERE IS HOPE! Jesus died on the cross so we don’t have to be caught up in darkness. Without Jesus we will always be searching to fill that God shaped hole we have made in our lives, and the deeper in sin we get to try and satisfy ourselves.

To break free turn to Jesus, repent of your sin, and ask for His help and before the words have finished leaving your mouth He will be there, and have brought you into the light. Of course it is hard for those who have been locked in darkness for so long, not to quickly return to the darkness and this is where you need to seek help. Pray to the Lord for strength, and also read His Word. But also seek Christian counsel from a Christian brother or sister. Bringing all your Sin to light to another brother or sister helps expose satan and all his tricks, and he will have to flee as he cannot stand the light! Sin brought into the light looses its power over you. The person you confide in can then offer advice, and also you can hold yourself accountable to them, and any time you fall, not only repent and seek the Lords help, but also talk with your brother or sister. It is less appealing to sin when you know you will have to look your brother or sister in the eyes and admit to them you failed.

I lived in darkness for many years and like a prodigal son turned to God. Like the loving Father He is, He came running to me and brought me back into the light. There is no turning back. I have Christian brothers to help me in my walk too, and the encouragement and wisdom they provide is invaluable.

It is hard, and the lie of the darkness can sometimes be overbearing. Whenever it gets that way, flee whatever the source of temptation is (literally) and look to the light of Christ. Don’t fight it alone!

For those who would like more information, check out http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com or drop me a line.

God Bless.

He is Alive! – Luke 24:1-12

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There are many theories banded around about Jesus death.  Many people cannot believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead.  Of course if Jesus had not risen from the dead, there would be no Christian Faith.  We would simply be telling a sad story of a man who said amazing things but then died.  Thankfully, however Jesus defeated death in its own playing ground and rose victorious able to give life to those who believe.

Today’s Our Daily Bread reading makes an extremely good point with regard to anyone doubting the resurrection.  All of Jesus disciples (apart from John) died a martyrs death.  Yes they died for what they believed and what they were telling people about.  Their entire message was based on the fact that Jesus had risen from the grave.  Would men who were making up a story really die for a lie?  Of course not.  I found this such an encouraging way to look at any questions of doubt that may arise.

Some people who wish to disprove the message say that Jesus “woke up” or recovered from basically being unconscious because of all that was done to Him (they claim he had not died).  To clarify, there is no way that Jesus was still alive.  How on earth he had managed to live after the flogging alone, then carrying the cross over His back alone is a testament to His determination and love.  However once upon the cross, there was no way the Romans would let a man down until they were sure the victim was dead.  To be sure a spear was plunged into his side and out came a mixture of blood and water.  When someone dies the blood separates, proof Jesus was dead.  The Romans carried out thousands of crucifixion’s there was no way they were going to get it wrong.

Even if they did get it wrong (which if you remember the spear in the side, they didn’t), having been flogged, lost so much blood, been nailed to a cross and suffocated, being pierced by a spear etc, that a man would be able to make a full recovery and then roll away a tomb stone many times his own body weight to then appear to many disciples around the area.

Stolen body?  Not at all,  the Romans nor the Jews wanted to give Jesus disciples any more reason to “go on” about Jesus.  That’s why they crucified Him!  Thats also why they put guards to stop people getting near Him.  And of course as we have said, if the disciples had stolen Him, why on earth would they die for a lie?  They simply wouldn’t.  And finally then, how would we explain the many appearances of Jesus to Disciples and friends all around the area?

I am 100%, totally and utterly convinced of the resurrection and the power of the Lord Jesus over death!  I am so thankful he came to earth to die for our sins that we whom believe may have everlasting life.  Put any doubt away, and start believes in the Risen Lord.

Amen

Take up your Cross – Luke 9:23

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A blog entry isn’t enough space to fill all the things I want to say about the following, and I will more than likely post a commentary about this verse in the near future.  In the meantime here are some of the home truths I learnt and was reminded of today;

23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

(NIV)

A hard verse to stomach perhaps?  Jumped out at me!  Jesus foretells his own death, then invites His disciples (and us) to pick up their own crosses and follow Him.  I really wasnt all together what picking up your own cross meant so I did some digging around.

From what I have read, in a nutshell, taking up your cross is to lead your life as Jesus would live.  We should therefore not indulge  in our selfish desires, thinking only of our own gain, but live a selfless life just as Jesus led.  This is in no way easy, and we can face many oppositions, many conflicting feelings, attacks and stumbling blocks that will try to steer us off the right path.

To gain life, you need to loose it!  That means putting your old life behind you!  Turning 180 degrees, so our backs are to it, and begin walking with Jesus.  Only then will we begin to experience real life!  A life that is given completely and utterly is a life that is guaranteed to succeed!  After all with God in the driving seat we can lean on Him and trust his direction.

When I say guaranteed to succeed, I don’t mean promotions at work, and riches beyond your wildest dreams, but treasures in heaven, spiritual gifts, blessings, a quenched thirst, a fulfilled life.  The persecution you could receive for living for the Lord is but a small price to pay for the rewards we will get from our Saviour.  The reward of life.

An earthly lifetime of truth, and an eternal life with Him.

More Proof? – Romans 1:18-23

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9 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Every now and again, a little doubt is sometimes entertained by my mind of God existence.  Thankfully any time that happens, within seconds I realise how foolish it to doubt!  Just looking up at the stars at night is such an awesome sight.  Beautiful celestial creations, powerful yet graceful, placed their by Gods hand.

Not just the stars in the sky, but the very nature we see around us is so amazing.  Take a look at this website www.edenpics.com, it is full of pictures of God’s glorious creation.  Awe inspiring landscapes, breath taking views, and science would have you believe that all that beauty was an accident!  A reaction that caused an explosion that created all we see?  Not likely!  All I can see is an awesome masterpiece made by a loving artist.  Our God.

Proof of Gods existence is everywhere.  It is humbling therefore to think that our Father God, loved us SO much that he sent His Son to take away the sin of the world, that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.  Do you sometimes doubt Jesus existence?  You only need to look at the history books, and how many people wrote about Him, saw Him and had heard of Him.  We believe in the existence of Julius Ceaser, and yet there is not a lot of evidence he actually existed!  We have the Bible, down through the ages, the written word.  The Bible is Truth.

So he existed, but how can we be sure he was the Son of God.  For me it is how everything he said so perfectly matched Gods promises in the Old Testament!  (Check out Isaiah for a start off!)  Check out this link http://www.sowhataboutjesus.com/who.php that looks in depth into was Jesus a Liar, Lunatic or the Son of God.  You will come to the same conclusion I came to long ago, that he really is the Messiah, the Son of God, sent to this world to pay the price for our sins.

Coming to this realisation really humbles me.  What amazing love that He would die for me.  I can’t thank Him enough.  Its at Easter time that I feel so sad and ashamed that my sin drove those nails into His hands and His feet.  But then I remember that He rose again, victorious over death, so we may too have eternal life.  That we may have a relationship with Him, and love him forever.

Thank you God for loving us so much.  Thank you for your sacrifice on the cross.  You are amazing God.  I love you.

Remembered – Luke 23:39-43

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This passage of scripture moves me every time I read it.  Here we have 2 men either side of Jesus.

  Both are being punished for things they have done.  One of them mocks Jesus and challenges Him to save them all on the crosses.  However the other robber realises that Jesus has done no wrong.  What this man says, followed my Jesus response is truly wonderful:

40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentenc

e? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]”

 43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”  (NIV)

For me this acts as a perfect example as to why Jesus died on the cross.  He was the perfect sacrifice, without Sin so that he could take the punishment for our sins.  So that those who believe will have eternal life with Him.  This criminal realised the significance that Jesus did not deserve to be there, he spoke to Jesus and offered kind words.  From this realisation Jesus repays the man’s faith with eternal life.  Wow!

Our Daily Bread goes on to look more deeply at verse 42, where the criminal asks Jesus to remember Him.  There are many people in the world who will go to extraordinary lengths to be remembered, to have their name in print, and yet we forget the importance of being remembered by God!  True immortality is not having our name in a newspaper or on a statue, it is being remembered by God as one of His Children.

We are saved by grace because of what Jesus did on that cross for us.  For those of us who believe, we will be remembered by God, and welcomed into His kingdom.  We shouldn’t concentrate our lives on ourselves looking to be seen and remembered by others.  We should be living our lives to Glorify God, and talking to others about what he did so that they may too be saved.

Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on that cross for my sins so that I may have eternal life with you.  What it took, the love, the bravery, the sacrifice, everything about what you did Lord humbles me, it is beyond imagining what you went through. Help me to live a life that glorifies you, and that acts as a witness that others may too be saved.  I love you Lord Jesus.

Amen. 

Broken for You and Me – 1 Cor. 11:23-26

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This Easter time, people will be exchanging Easter Cards, purchasing and consuming Easter eggs, having Easter egg hunts, visiting family and generally enjoying the time off that the Easter season allows for.  I am reminded of a poem I ususally hear most Christmases however it it still very apt even now:

” Jesus

is the reason, for this season”

Like Christmas people often forget the true meaning of what is becoming more commonly known as the “Holiday Seasons”. Yes, many large companies are now taking on the term “Holiday Seasons” to avoid a direct relationship with Christian Celebrations so as not to offend others.  Television adverts during Easter concentrate on chocolate, and at Christmas, Santa and gifts!

Easter is the time we remember when our Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross.  He was the perfect sacrifice.  A lamb to the slaughter, untouched by sin, clean and yet he was willing to take the punishment we each deserve!  The part of Easter that fills me with joy is the fact that Jesus rose again.  Showing he had power over death and has gone ahead to prepare a place for each one who believes.

This Easter time, I pray that we don’t get carried away with chocolate and games, and forget the true meaning of Easter.  Of course chocolate and games are fun and I would highly recommend both, however we do need to make sure we spend time with the Lord, thanking Him for what he has done for us.  What he did was the most amazing gift of love.

Thank you Jesus.

Doubt – Genesis 3:1-7

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This passage is about the fall of man.  The Lord had made Adam and Eve, and provided a wonderful world for them to live in.  He asked them not to eat of one particular tree as it would lead to death, and yet we find that in the end, man succumbs to temptation and eats of the tree.

Firstly, why did God put that tree there?  This isn’t covered in my reading, but the question did pop into my head just now!  Thinking back to the beginning, God made man so that man could love God and have a relationship with him.  The thing is, you can’t make somebody love you, or make them want to be with you, therefore God allowed for choice.  If man still then chose not to partake of that tree, then things would still be as they were, and man would be in a permanent loving relationship with the Lord.   Unfortunately, we chose differently.

The daily devotional goes on to highlight how Satan can use the doubt of God and his goodness to draw us into sin:

 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan was trying to convince Eve that God knew that the fruit of this tree would be good for her, but had decided to hold it back from her.  She therefore doubted Gods goodness and eventually took the decision to eat of the fruit on that tree, as did Adam.

You see, when we doubt God’s goodness, we need only look to the cross for confirmation that he really and truly does love us!  He sent his one and only Son to die for our sins so that we may be able to continue in a loving relationship with the father and join him for eternity.  Therefore, don’t consider the current circumstances and convince yourself the God does not understand, or that

God is holding out on you, just remember the Cross!

God Loves You!