The Blood of Jesus part 2

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📅 Sunday Gathering 4:30pm 


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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

My wife was getting a video together for the worship night, and she was having the boys watch it, and it's got like this like um what do you call that when the this fluid? It's like fluid in the background and it's red, and and the boys are like, ooh, what is that? Ooh, that's gross, mom. What are you doing? You know, and and so sometimes we talk about blood, like we're grossed out. Like I know some people that can't even see blood. My father-in-law is one of them. Like, you don't talk blood around him, man. He will go down. You know what I'm saying? And some people are that way. They get real squirmish about blood. And I'm not talking about blood to gross anybody out or to offend anybody. I want you to understand there is a purpose behind the blood of Jesus and what it has done for you and for me. So I've titled tonight's message, The Great Exchange. The Great Exchange. Hopefully, you grabbed a note card and a pen and you got your Bibles ready and you've turned your mind on, you're ready to absorb and be that student and get transformed. So here we go, right? So the Great Exchange. I want to talk to you about this word atonement for a moment, because this is probably not a word that you and I would use on a day-in, day-out basis, right? In fact, maybe it's the first time you've heard that word. But atonement means covering for sins. From the Hebrew word, um, I'm gonna go with that, okay? I don't speak uh Hebrew, but I'm gonna try my best here. Kapirim means to cover over. The word suggests that sin can be covered or removed from sight by making a payment or ransom equal in value to the wrong that has been done. Okay, so that's what atonement's all about. Let's turn real quick to Leviticus 17. Leviticus 17, 11, and let's look again about why the importance of blood, um, and this is what it says, Leviticus 17, 11. For the life of a creature is in the blood, right? We talked about this a little bit last week in Leviticus 17, 14. But for the life of a creature is in the blood, and God says, I and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement. Okay? It is the lifeblood that makes atonement. It's the lifeblood that covered over the sins in the old covenant when they would make sacri sacrifices of animals, and it is now the lifeblood of Jesus that makes atonement for all of our sins that he took upon himself when he bore them on the cross. Okay, so I want you to think about that for a moment. Now, if we got into our time machines and we shot back into history to see the people of God on the Day of Atonement, this was the most important day of the year because it was on the Day of Atonement when all the sins of all the people were covered over at one time. And it was so such a significant moment. The people were reverent and they were humble and they were silent because this moment meant that God was covering over their sins that they had transgressed over the past year. Okay? So atonement is a really big deal, right? Now, animal sacrifice was a substitutionary. In other words, it was a substitute, right? Because what we what we learned last week? We learned that the wages of sin is what? That's right. The wages of sin is death. You didn't realize it when mom said, Don't put your hand in the cookie jar and you took the cookie, that that disobedience was sin, and that cookie was gonna cost you your life. You didn't think about that, did you? But the Bible says that even the smallest of disobedience, right? The wages, the earnings of sin is death. So an animal sacrifice in the old covenant was a substitutionary atonement, the life of an innocent animal to cover over your sin. Now, how many of you are pet lovers? Just hold them up for pet. Yeah, a lot of pet lovers in here. How many of you are pet tolerators, right? Come on. Come on, tolerators, get in there with me. Come on. All right. I'm a pet tolerator, okay? Um, but think about your favorite pet, say its name. Just everybody say their favorite pet's name out loud right now. What was that? Okay. Now think about going, think about going to the priest, and and you gotta take your favorite pet, Sasha, Blake, with you, and Sasha has to die because of what you did. That's pretty, that's pretty, that's pretty intense, right? But that's that's really what took place when it when we're talking about this substitutionary atonement, right? The life of an innocent animal to cover over our sins. Now, here's the thing Christ was a perfect sacrifice, was also a substitutionary atonement, right? See, Jesus substituted himself in for what's supposed to be who? It was supposed to be us, right? Good job, Joseph. It was supposed to be us, right? We were the ones that were supposed to pay the price for our sin, but Jesus substituted himself in. Now here's the cool part. Remember, we talked about this last week, is because the covering of sin from animals was only temporary, and so every year they had to do it over and over and over again. But then Jesus came along, the perfect, spotless Lamb of God, who willingly laid down his life. He didn't sprinkle his blood in some earthly temple. No, he went up into the Holy of Holies with God the Father, where there he paid atonement for our sins, past, present, and future. Okay? So that's why it's such an important thing for us to talk about. So my main point for us to to discuss this evening, and you can write it down, it'll be on the screen for you, but Jesus gave his life and shed his blood in exchange for ours. Why do we celebrate Resurrection Sunday? Why is this the most important time of the year for the for the follower of Jesus Christ? It's because of the great exchange. It is because Jesus exchanged his life. He stepped out of eternity, walked amongst us, lived amongst us, and then willingly laid down his life for your sin and mine. That's what he did. He shed that blood so that we could be made right. So the first thing I want to talk to you about tonight is this the blood of Jesus bridges the gap. The blood of Jesus bridges the gap. Now, I was, you know, I was doing some of those fun Google searches, you know, look at all those images, and there was a great image, and I thought I don't I would need Tim's help to do it. But it was kind of cool. It showed two people standing at the edge of a cliff. And in between them, if you can just picture it in your own mind, was perfectly a missing puzzle piece. And then you think about that puzzle piece fitting in, and what is it doing? It's bridging the gap. You see, the problem is that when you and I sinned, we became enemies of God. Not that, not that, not that God was our enemy. No, we were God's enemies. Our disobedience and sin made us the enemies of God, right? And so Jesus bridged the gap. There was a brokenness between us. We couldn't have that relationship, we couldn't have salvation, we couldn't have hope of eternity with him because of the gap that was before us. Now, Romans 5, verse 6 reads this way: For while we were still helpless, and at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person, though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. Verse 8. But God proves his own love for us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath? For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life? And and not only that, but we also boast in God through Lord Jesus, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation. Isn't that powerful to think about here tonight? Oh man. God was willing to do something about the gap between us. You know, there was a famous artist, I think in the 90s, he talked about the space in between, right? That gap between us. God didn't create that gap. The Bible says, because one man sinned, sin entered in the world, and therefore all sinned, right? And so that gap from the time that you and I were born, you know, I've shared this story before, but I'll never forget for all the parents in the room. You know, we've often wondered when does that time of innocence end from a time a child is born until they get older. Well, I still remember as little kids, they would start lying, and I thought, man, they must have learned that from mom. You know what I'm saying? There's no way, right? But then but then I learned my wife's not a liar, so no, she wouldn't have done that, right? And I'm not a liar, so I wouldn't have done that. And I realized very early on that kids are capable of telling lies. Why? Because they're born with the sin nature. They're born with the gap. The gap is already in place when we are born, but it isn't until we put our faith and our trust in Jesus. It's not until we respond to the shed blood of Christ that he poured out on Calvary for you and for me that we understand that we have been, we have, that he's closed that gap for us. Are you with me tonight? All right, very good. The second thing I want to talk to you about tonight is this is that the blood of Jesus makes us right with God. Makes us right with God. Have you ever have you ever said something to your spouse that made you not right with them? There's only one honest person in the room. Thank you, Jess. I appreciate that, right? Honey, does this look good? Yes, honey, it does, right? Of course it does. But the blood of Jesus makes us right with God. Another way that God, through the great exchange, has bridged the gap between us and himself. So here's another word for you to think about justification, right? Again, not another word that we probably use in our day-to-day language, but justification, the action of declaring or making righteous in the sight of God. You see, before Jesus came and went to the cross for you and me, if we were to been standing in the judgment, in the if we were to be in a courtroom and our decisions in life were brought before the judge, you know what the answer would be decided is that you and I would be what? We'd be guilty. Thank you, Carol. We would be guilty, right? We'd be standing there guilty. But justification is God making us right with himself. In other words, because of the shed blood of Jesus, you and I, even though we are guilty of our sins, his blood doesn't just cover our sins, his blood washes away our sins. And because it washes away our sins, when God looks at you, he sees Jesus. And when he sees Jesus, he knows that you are right with him. Isn't that powerful to think about? So the blood of Jesus makes us right with God. Romans 3.23. I know these are some familiar passages, but they're important passages for us. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely. Did you catch that tonight? You didn't pay for it, you didn't earn it, it wasn't yours in the first place. You were justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Verse 25. When we say yes to Jesus in faith, when we become a child of God, everything that you and I have done has been cleansed in the blood of Christ. We are justified in Him. Man, I'm just gonna preach to myself tonight. That gets me so excited. We have been made right with God through Jesus. This substitutionary atonement that Christ made for us has made us right with God so that we have been brought near. All right, the third thing I want to mention to you this evening is the blood of Jesus repairs our relationship with God. Have you ever wronged somebody and then you've you've asked for forgiveness, but yet you still get around them and feel weird? Come on, anybody, right? You know what I'm talking about. You're like, oh, they're coming right. You just head out the other way, you know. You're like, oh, good to see you, you know. Because it's just, you know, you feel uncomfortable. Why? Because you've you've may have asked for forgiveness, they may have forgiven you, but what have you not done yet? Well, no, you've forgiven, but what haven't you done yet? Well, you haven't repaired it, right? You haven't reconciled the relationship, right? If something's broken, it has to be fixed, right? Reconciliation, a change in relationship between God and man or between people. You see, too often in the church, we forgive one another, but we don't reconcile with one another. We're quick to say, you know what, I'll forgive you because the Bible says to forgive and to forget. But here's the thing we we stop and we don't reconcile and rebuild the relationship. And so so often we have more broken relationships than we do have whole. But reconciliation is that change in relationship between God and man. Here's the really good news. You and I couldn't didn't have the ability to reconcile our relationship with God, but God reconciled it for us through Jesus Christ. He's called us back into that relationship, right? The work of God through Christ by which he restores mankind to a favorable relationship with himself. 2 Corinthians 5. Ooh, it's getting better. I love 2 Corinthians 5. It's so good. Read the whole chapter in your own time, but we're gonna go to verse 18. Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ's behalf. Be reconciled to God. He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Oh, this is this is really good news tonight, church. The shed blood of Jesus not only has washed away your sin and taken away your shame, but it has made you right with God. It has repaired the brokenness and your relationship between him. You don't have to avoid God, you don't have to try to hide from God. In fact, God is running to you every time you turn towards him. He is running to you. Why? Because he wants that personal relationship with you every day. Isn't that awesome to think about? That God in his foreknowledge, he saw what he would have to do for men for humankind in order for us to have a right relationship with him. He knew that he would have to be the one to initiate the repairs. So we know tonight that the blood of Jesus bridges the gap. We know tonight that the blood of Jesus that it makes us right with God. We also know that the blood of Jesus repairs that relationship with him. But let's talk for a moment here before we wrap this up. Let's talk about what do we practice, right? What do we do with this tonight? Because hopefully, as believers, this isn't new information. This is just supporting and encouraging what you already know, right? So Jesus gave his life and shed his blood in exchange for ours, but what are we what do we practice with with that knowledge tonight? Here's something I want you to think about. God has bridged the gap for us. We should be willing to bridge the gap for others. God has bridged the gap for us. We should be willing. I'm gonna wait till you're done applauding. We should be willing to bridge the gap for others. Church, isn't it awesome to think that God gave us, we just read it in 2 Corinthians, God not only reconciled us to himself, but he has given us the ministry of reconciliation so that we can be reconciled, not only one to another, but we can be ambassadors for Christ, sharing the love and truth with our co-workers, with our families, with our neighbors, with our classmates. We can be the ones that are out there being the hands, the feet, and the voice of Jesus. So when that time comes, we can say, you know why I have hope? I have hope because Jesus lives inside of me and he wants to live inside of you. Church, isn't that powerful to think about? God bridged the gap. So it's time for the church to step out and start bridging the gap in the community. It's time for us to quit hiding, worrying about persecution, and stepping forward in faith and being saying, hey, there is one who has died, and he is victorious, and he has come to shed his blood for you and for me, and we can be made right with him. God has bridged the gap for us. We should be willing to bridge the gap for others. Are you willing? So, this is what we got to do. Get right with people in your life. Come on, we're coming up on we're coming up on Resurrection Sunday. It's time for a relationship in your life to have a resurrection. Come on, get right with somebody. If you've wronged somebody, if you've hurt somebody, swallow your pride. Let pride go down with the evil one. Let it go. It's no good. Swallow that pride. Get right with somebody. Ask for forgiveness. I don't care if they wronged you first. Let's take that first step of faith and let's be willing to get right with somebody. How about this? Work on repairing broken relationships. Don't stop at making it right. Don't stop at forgiveness. Pursue, pursue, journey with others. Build that relationship. That's what Jesus did for you, and that's what he wants us to do for the people around us. And finally, tonight, how do we practice this? How do we bridge that gap? We share Jesus with others. There's a great quote that says, preach the gospel at all times. And when necessary, use words. See, you might think I don't have the ability to share Jesus verbally, but man, you can sure share Jesus through your life. I know I have a lot of coworkers that aren't that aren't believers, but man, they let me pray for them. They let me encourage them. And those are open doors of opportunity, church. And God bridge the gap for us. Let's be let's be that bridge for others. Let's be that connection. Come on, let's let's be let's be let's get on our knees and cry out and ask God to work and to move in our boss, to work into move in our co-workers, to work and move in our students on our campuses, to work and move with the people at the grocery store, to work and move in our neighborhoods. Let's be willing to bridge that gap. Let's be willing to be that representative in our world around us. Worship team, would you join us here on the stage tonight? Jesus gave his life and he shed his blood in exchange for ours. I think it's it's far time that we take responsibility with that good news in our lives and bridge that gap in the people that are around us. If you agree with that tonight, would you give me an amen? Church, would you stand with me tonight as we get ready to go back into worship? The altar's gonna be open for you tonight if you'd like to come. You know, oftentimes when we when we talk about things like this, I just want to remind you maybe you're sitting here tonight and you're you're dealing with something in your life. The enemies lie to you and convince you that that you're that you're stuck. Well, guess what? That's a lie from the pit of hell. You're not stuck. Jesus shed his blood for you. Jesus came to bridge the gap for you. Jesus came to make you right with God. Jesus came to repair that broken down relationship between you and God. Jesus came and shed his blood so that you could get right with others. Jesus came and did that so you can repair those relationships with others. Jesus came so you can share him with others. So this altar's open tonight as we go back into worship. But come on, just join me in a word of prayer this evening. Father, in the name of Jesus. God, I thank you for the shed blood of Christ. Lord, I thank you that it still washes, that it's still powerful. God, that it's still effective in our lives and in our world today. And God, I pray, Lord, for your church tonight. Lord, I pray for those here amongst us, God, that maybe they're not right with you tonight, but God, they would take a step of faith. Lord, that they would, in faith, that they would receive you as their personal Lord and Savior. Lord, tonight that they would be willing to take that step of faith so they can have a repaired and a renewed relationship with you tonight. Lord, I pray for those, God, that you're stirring in their hearts to make it right with another person, to make it right with a family member, to be willing to go after and pursue them, to reconcile a relationship back to life. God, thank you for what you're doing amongst us. But God, I'm praying, would you do an even greater work through our lives? God, would you do an even greater work through your church? God, in our schools, in this community, God, and in our workplaces, God, would you work and move in a powerful way? God, have your way here tonight. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Come on, let's worship Him together.