Love paid a price so hope could become a reality. ~ Susan Gaddis
The resurrection of Jesus is both the end... and the beginning of our Christian faith. Jesus' death ended the Old Covenant with all its rules, symbolized by the veil in the temple being rent in two (Mark 15:38). His death ratified a New Covenant, a better covenant, which was established upon better promises (Heb. 8:6). Then God raised Him from the dead and anointed Him as our High Priest to minister those promises to us.
Easter symbolizes all that we hold dear in our Christian faith. Jesus' demonstration of love, obedience and sacrifice established a new relationship between God and His people. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down at the right hand of God from henceforth to wait until His enemies be made His footstool (Heb. 10:12-13).
When God made covenant with Abraham, He ratified it with the blood of animals and birds (see Gen. 15). Our New Covenant, however, was ratified with Jesus' own blood (see John 20:17).
Blood covenants are rooted deeply in human experience. American Indians become blood brothers. Husbands and wives become one with the shedding of blood. In ancient times, families, tribes and villages created blood covenants for protection, loyalty, support and profit.
A blood covenant is a form of adoption. Neither party is singular; they are now one. It is the strongest relationship bond known to humanity. Two parties exchange everything that they are or have for the benefit of the other. In our case, the New Covenant sealed forever our access to all of heaven's riches and power. That's why the ceremony of communion is so powerful; it reaffirms our Covenant with God Almighty and His Son, Jesus, our Savior, Lord and High Priest.
God declared "I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (2 Cor. 6:16). Why?... that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:5-7).
Can you imagine? God wants to show us His exceeding riches and kindness! He wants to bless us exceeding abundantly above all you can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Eph. 3:20). Here are just three of our promises in the Resurrection.
Jesus, Our Hope
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:2)
Hope means expectant anticipation. No matter what is happening in your life, hope grabs hold of God's promises, expecting things to turn around. As born-again believers, we expect to spend eternity in heaven because of Jesus. Why? Because God said so! But God wants us to have a good life here on earth too. He wants us to hope in ALL of His promises. Peter explained that we were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ... that your faith and hope might be in God (I Peter 1:19,21).
Covenant hope comes from The Word. David said, "Thou art my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Thy word" (Ps. 119:114). Paul explained in Romans that we have access by faith into the grace and favor of God. Faith - putting our absolute trust in God's Word alone - is the substance of things we hope for. Hope, partnered with faith, declares God's promises of health, prosperity, peace, joy and deliverance out loud, believing that they will come to pass.
Jesus, Our Power
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need(Heb. 4:16).
The power of God is demonstrated throughout the Bible. From creation and the parting of the Red Sea to the miracles of Jesus and the acts of the Apostles, we see physical circumstances overpowered by the voice of Almighty God. The greatest demonstration of His power was Jesus' resurrection from the pit of hell. How did He do all His mighty works? By speaking words out of His mouth. Whatever He says has the power within itself to come to pass. And He transferred that power to us through Jesus!
As joint-heirs with Him, we are empowered to speak His Word. Jesus, as our High Priest, is ready to ratify our words spoken in faith. The God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people (Ps. 68:35). That power is inherent in the Word of God, but we also need strength to stand patiently until the manifestation. Faith grabs hold of The Word, knowing He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength (Is. 40:29).
Jesus, Our Victory
But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:57).
Hope and power lead to victory. Born-again believers have an advantage the rest of the world lacks. For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith (I John 5:4).
Think about Jesus' mission on earth. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel [good news] to the poor. He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them at are bruised (Luke 4:18). The Amplified says those who are 'downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity'.
Healing, deliverance, restoration and liberty are part of our Covenant. Jesus never refused anyone who asked for healing or restoration. He brought victory wherever He went. He never said, "You don't deserve it." In fact, The Bible says He only said and did what the Father told Him to say and do, so everything He did was an example of the Father's will. God wants to do you good and bring you victory wherever you need it.
Yea an Amen
Sometimes, we feel like God is telling us no, not now, or simply ignoring us, but that's not true. For all the promises of God in Him are 'yea'; and in Him 'amen' unto the glory of God by us (2 Cor. 1:20). It's a covenant partnership. Jesus is the Mediator, but the power works 'by us' as His representatives on this earth. God's promises are always 'yeah and amen', but it takes our faith to make the connection to Divine provision. It takes both parties to make a strong covenant.
God called us to be His family, to receive all the bounty and blessing He can bestow. We are not only His covenant partners, we are His sons and daughters. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:29).
If you were named as an heir, I'm willing to bet you'd be ready and waiting to receive whatever you were promised. You'd call the attorney and tell him, "Hey, that's me. I'm entitled to that and I want it. What do I have to do to get it?" Then you'd do whatever it took to get what you were promised.
The same is true with the New Covenant of grace. God's grace has made everything available to you through the blood of Christ and the Word of promise. Look unto Jesus, grab hold of His promises and take your stand. You've got the supernatural hope, power and victory you need to bring them to pass, all because of the Resurrection.
The resurrection of Jesus is both the end... and the beginning of our Christian faith. Jesus' death ended the Old Covenant with all its rules, symbolized by the veil in the temple being rent in two (Mark 15:38). His death ratified a New Covenant, a better covenant, which was established upon better promises (Heb. 8:6). Then God raised Him from the dead and anointed Him as our High Priest to minister those promises to us.
Easter symbolizes all that we hold dear in our Christian faith. Jesus' demonstration of love, obedience and sacrifice established a new relationship between God and His people. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down at the right hand of God from henceforth to wait until His enemies be made His footstool (Heb. 10:12-13).
When God made covenant with Abraham, He ratified it with the blood of animals and birds (see Gen. 15). Our New Covenant, however, was ratified with Jesus' own blood (see John 20:17).
Blood covenants are rooted deeply in human experience. American Indians become blood brothers. Husbands and wives become one with the shedding of blood. In ancient times, families, tribes and villages created blood covenants for protection, loyalty, support and profit.
A blood covenant is a form of adoption. Neither party is singular; they are now one. It is the strongest relationship bond known to humanity. Two parties exchange everything that they are or have for the benefit of the other. In our case, the New Covenant sealed forever our access to all of heaven's riches and power. That's why the ceremony of communion is so powerful; it reaffirms our Covenant with God Almighty and His Son, Jesus, our Savior, Lord and High Priest.
God declared "I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (2 Cor. 6:16). Why?... that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:5-7).
Can you imagine? God wants to show us His exceeding riches and kindness! He wants to bless us exceeding abundantly above all you can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Eph. 3:20). Here are just three of our promises in the Resurrection.
Jesus, Our Hope
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:2)
Hope means expectant anticipation. No matter what is happening in your life, hope grabs hold of God's promises, expecting things to turn around. As born-again believers, we expect to spend eternity in heaven because of Jesus. Why? Because God said so! But God wants us to have a good life here on earth too. He wants us to hope in ALL of His promises. Peter explained that we were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ... that your faith and hope might be in God (I Peter 1:19,21).
Covenant hope comes from The Word. David said, "Thou art my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Thy word" (Ps. 119:114). Paul explained in Romans that we have access by faith into the grace and favor of God. Faith - putting our absolute trust in God's Word alone - is the substance of things we hope for. Hope, partnered with faith, declares God's promises of health, prosperity, peace, joy and deliverance out loud, believing that they will come to pass.
Jesus, Our Power
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need(Heb. 4:16).
The power of God is demonstrated throughout the Bible. From creation and the parting of the Red Sea to the miracles of Jesus and the acts of the Apostles, we see physical circumstances overpowered by the voice of Almighty God. The greatest demonstration of His power was Jesus' resurrection from the pit of hell. How did He do all His mighty works? By speaking words out of His mouth. Whatever He says has the power within itself to come to pass. And He transferred that power to us through Jesus!
As joint-heirs with Him, we are empowered to speak His Word. Jesus, as our High Priest, is ready to ratify our words spoken in faith. The God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people (Ps. 68:35). That power is inherent in the Word of God, but we also need strength to stand patiently until the manifestation. Faith grabs hold of The Word, knowing He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength (Is. 40:29).
Jesus, Our Victory
But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:57).
Hope and power lead to victory. Born-again believers have an advantage the rest of the world lacks. For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith (I John 5:4).
Think about Jesus' mission on earth. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel [good news] to the poor. He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them at are bruised (Luke 4:18). The Amplified says those who are 'downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity'.
Healing, deliverance, restoration and liberty are part of our Covenant. Jesus never refused anyone who asked for healing or restoration. He brought victory wherever He went. He never said, "You don't deserve it." In fact, The Bible says He only said and did what the Father told Him to say and do, so everything He did was an example of the Father's will. God wants to do you good and bring you victory wherever you need it.
Yea an Amen
Sometimes, we feel like God is telling us no, not now, or simply ignoring us, but that's not true. For all the promises of God in Him are 'yea'; and in Him 'amen' unto the glory of God by us (2 Cor. 1:20). It's a covenant partnership. Jesus is the Mediator, but the power works 'by us' as His representatives on this earth. God's promises are always 'yeah and amen', but it takes our faith to make the connection to Divine provision. It takes both parties to make a strong covenant.
God called us to be His family, to receive all the bounty and blessing He can bestow. We are not only His covenant partners, we are His sons and daughters. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:29).
If you were named as an heir, I'm willing to bet you'd be ready and waiting to receive whatever you were promised. You'd call the attorney and tell him, "Hey, that's me. I'm entitled to that and I want it. What do I have to do to get it?" Then you'd do whatever it took to get what you were promised.
The same is true with the New Covenant of grace. God's grace has made everything available to you through the blood of Christ and the Word of promise. Look unto Jesus, grab hold of His promises and take your stand. You've got the supernatural hope, power and victory you need to bring them to pass, all because of the Resurrection.
No comments:
Post a Comment