Over the last two weeks of our journey through the Book of
Hebrews we have been looking at how Jesus is The Way, He has not only given us
the road map but He paved the way and paid the price. We looked at how Jesus is
The Truth, as we become aware of Him, understand Him, The Truth will change us.
Since we are using John 14:6 as our guide today we are going to look at Jesus
being The Life.
Many of us are captivated by stories involving sacrifice. We
are mesmerized by stories of parents who sacrifice their life for their
children or a person who risks everything for someone they don’t even know. I
don’t cry at movies often, but when someone dies in sacrifice to save others.
Sometimes it triggers a tear and sometimes it doesn’t.
Saving Private Ryan, a group of solders give their lives so
that a family does not lose the last of their sons. Not tear jerking, but an
amazing sacrifice.
Armageddon, Bruce Willis character sacrifices his live to
not only save his daughter’s love interest but the entire planet, this one
moves me most of the time.
Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan, Spock sacrifices his life
saying ‘the needs of many out weight the needs of the few.’ No tears but a
memorable scene.
Stories of sacrifice tend to be very moving. Police and
Firemen climbing into the towers on September 11th before they
collapsed, an amazing sacrifice. Someone giving a kidney or bone marrow, very
moving. Just this week a man in Beirut tackled a suicide bomber and kept him
from entering a crowded area. He sacrificed himself and minimized the bloodshed.
A major reason this idea of sacrifice impacts us so much is
that they are examples of what humans are capable of doing. Humans can give
fully without thought of themselves, they can act as Jesus has done. To me it
is a reminder of what Jesus has done, but anyone with a heart is touched by a
sacrificial act. Believing in Jesus is not required to applaud sacrificial
living, but believing in Him provides an opportunity for life, when there is
little hope left.
The Life, Jesus Christ, gave His life as the Author of life.
All of creation was spoken into existence, except for
humankind.
Genesis 2:7
“Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust
from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his
nostrils, and the man became a living being.”
The first man was formed by God and given life by the very
breath of God. As close and personal as it could be. God poured Himself into the
creation of humankind.
Acts 3:15
“You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the
dead; we are witness of this”
God gave humankind everything, but it was humankind that was
responsible for the killing the very source that gave it life. Humankind killed
what gave it, and everything else life.
Acts 2:36
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty
that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!”
The Life gave His life, He was crucified on the cross and
restored to His rightful place as Lord and Messiah.
The Life gave His life to conquer sin and death once and for
all.
Hebrews 9:11-14
“11 But the Messiah has appeared,
high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more
perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), 12 He
entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves,
but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For
if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those
who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how
much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal
Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse
our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?”
Jesus died on that cross for the complete redemption and
restoration of all creation.
Romans 8:1-4
“8 Therefore, no condemnation now exists
for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the
Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of
sin and of death. 3 What the law could not
do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin
in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s
domain, and as a sin offering, 4 in order that
the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
The blood of animals through the sacrificial system was
offered to purify the flesh, but the blood of Jesus, as God’s perfect lamb, was
given as an eternal sacrifice to cleanse us completely for all time. The Old
Covenant was imperfect, the sacrifices had to be given over and over, every
time you sinned more blood had to be shed.
The New Covenant is in place. If Jesus is your Lord, you
don’t need anything else to spend eternity with God. There is nothing that can
pay your way like Jesus did. You are sitting here today saved and ready to go,
even when you mess up and sin later today. Jesus does not need to climb up on
that cross and die again for you, another lamb is not needed, His sacrifice is
all that is needed. If you are His, you no longer need to fear sin, you no
longer need to fear death. He has once and for all paid the price for your sin
and for you to have eternal life with the Father.
Now if you are ‘IN’ Jesus, His sacrifice has also paved the
way for you to let go of your old ways. You have been cleansed, the old stuff,
the sin, the garbage that is holding you back, has been washed away. Jesus took
care of it for you, it no longer exists! You need to turn away from it and
embrace the new live you have been given, by The Life. Do not let your ‘old’
self hold you back. You are a new creation living under the new covenant, no
reason to ever look back.
The Life gave His life so that we might truly live.
Hebrews 9:14-15
“14 how much more will the blood of
the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without
blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the
living God? 15 Therefore, He is the mediator of a
new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of
the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from
the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”
We have been cleansed so that we can serve God. We have been
created and saved for a purpose.
2 Timothy 1:9
“He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not
according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace, which was
given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”
We have been restored to our rightful place with the father
and given a holy calling. The things we have done in the past being a ‘good
person’ have done nothing for us. That stuff is gone, and we have been given a
new purpose. One that we have been uniquely gifted to do. Some of us are gifted
with a listening ear, some are gifted with wanting to serve, some are gifted in
preaching, some are gifted with money to give, and some have plenty of time to
help others. No matter where we started each one of us have a holy calling to
serve God’s Church and His people. The Life gave His life so that you could
carry out what you were called to do.
He also gave it so that in being members of God’s house we
would not be timid and reserved, but live our lives for Him because He died for
us.
Galatians 2:20
“and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me.”
Don’t be afraid of the challenges before you. Don’t worry
about having the right words to say. Don’t worry about if you know enough to
share the gospel with your friend. We are not to be timid or reserved, we are
supposed to put ourselves out there living for Jesus. He was not afraid to
climb on the cross to pay your way, don’t be afraid of anything you have been
called to do.
Acts 4:31
“When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled
was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
God’s message with boldness.”
The Father has sent the Holy Spirit to work in us. He is not
a shy and timid, but Bold and Daring. Let God work in you so that you may reach
the lost. We are created and called to share God’s love with others and that is
exactly what we need to do. After all, it is the least we can do for The Life,
Jesus, who died to pay our way into eternity.
In Genesis 9:3-5, God allowed Noah to eat of any living
thing with the restriction that it must not be living. Later, the Lord,
commanded Moses that the blood is not to be eaten with the flesh because the
life of every creature is in its blood. Instead the blood was to be used as atonement
for our sin on the altar.
As the High Priest, Jesus, makes the sacrifice for others.
As the Lamb, He was the sacrifice.
Romans 5:8
“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us!”
His life was not taken from Him, He freely offered it. He
knew sin needed a sacrifice and freely gave His life.
I mentioned earlier that most people love a good story about
sacrifice. Think of how many movies you have watched that someone had to give
up something. Sadly, many reject the story of the greatest sacrifice ever made.
It is not a story about a sacrifice made for someone else, it is the story of
Jesus’ sacrifice for you, for your loved ones, for your friends, and for the
people you have yet to meet.
If you are a child of God this morning this is a wake up
call, Jesus is The Life and He gave up His life to conquer sin and so that you
can truly live. All He wants in return is for you to do what you were created
to do. Serve Him, Love others, and Reach the lost.
May the Lord Bless You!
Robert
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